Good Morning Bangkok!

The plane ride to Bangkok was fairly uneventful. After that horrendous NAIA episode, all I needed was an uneventful flight, right? We arrived a bit past midnight, with the enormous and glitzt Suvarnabhumi airport welcoming me. Immigration and claiming the luggage were easy and fast. A colleague picked me up and I was whisked through the empty and wide skyways of Bangkok, taking us only about half an hour until we reached my new office. We climbed to the sixth floor (top floor) of the building where my room is located, directly across the fitness area (they so know me!).

I was assigned a pretty modest room, meaning not too large and not too small either. My skinny body and largely reduced things do not need too much space naman no? What I totally love about it are the large windows running through the entire side of the room from which I have an amazing view of the Rama IX Bridge, some temples nearby, and the rooftops of the neighborhood.

The next day was a public holiday. I woke up early to the faint sound of tuk-tuks plying the tree-lined alley in front of our building. From my bathroom window I saw a monk, swathed in a deep orange robe, carrying a small bowl, and walking barefoot in the street. I went downstairs to start exploring the neighborhood. The red roof of the nearby temple piercing the early morning sky drew me. I found my self in a small temple complex gilded in gold, embedded in rich details (see its picture in the previous post), and with the aroma of incense wafting in the air.

Between rows of houses I had a glimpse of the Chao Phraya River. I rushed to the small pier where people were emerging from water taxis. From the pier I had a better view of the Rama IX Bridge and the areas surrounding the wide river. I was surprised that it was not smelly; in fact fish were swimming just below the murky water.

Leaving the temple complex I was led to the nearby wet market. Greeting me were the shrill voices of vendors selling dishes, akin to the turo-turo system that I’m more familiar with. I was hesitant to eat the food there considering the surroundings, so instead I went inside a Seven-Eleven and bought some bread for breakfast.

Venturing deeper into the market, which runs along a canal, I saw stalls of fish, live turtles, and pickled vegetables interspersed with stalls selling clothes, house wares, and native crafts. Wet markets are some my favorite places, I see to it that I visit one when I’m new in a place. The one near my place did not disappoint me. I’d talk about that in a future entry and probably post some pictures as well.

My colleague P, the same nice girl who met me at the airport, brought me around Siam Square (which is an area with a high concentration of malls) just before lunch. We took one of those hot pink cabs, which P asked to go around some of the usual tourist spots – Grand Palace, Victory Monument, etc. The glimpse I got was majestic. I’d have more chance to explore those places in the coming days.

By the way, pictures of the King are literally all over the city.

We finally reached Central World (or something to that effect), which is on the fringes of the Siam Square. After a short stroll, we basically went inside one mall after another (about six adjacent ones), including what is probably considered as the largest mall in Bangkok, Siam Paragon (as pictured in the previous post). P must’ve been annoyed at how I gushed whenever I saw my dear old friends: Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Zegna, Versace, Armani, Chanel and even Mango and Zara.

Taking the sky walk, over which the Sky Train hovers, we made the long march to MBK. It’s rather a touristy mall where one can find most things a tourist would want – bargain clothes, electronics, furniture, arts and crafts, pirated CDs and DVDs, ad infinitum. Being a holiday, both locals and tourists were in full force, although the jostling never really equaled that of Greenhills.

I did not buy anything by the way coz I know I need every baht I have at this point. Perhaps P realized this coz she paid for everything that day, including meals (which I learned later on was actually shouldered by the office; isn’t that neat?).

“That’s enough for today,” P suddenly declared when we have already covered every floor of the vast shopping center. I stopped in my tracks, nearly collapsing from the exhaustion of all the walking we did that single afternoon.

Rain blanketed the city just when I reached the office. I took a long nap followed by my first taste of street food for dinner. I live near an area that has a number of guest houses for backpackers so the food vendors have menus in English. Convenient no? I ordered something that is similar rice toppings. I specifically asked the vendor to bring down the chili. As expected, the food was great. My impressions of the street vendors would be another post.

So there, that’s my first day at Bangkok.

Last night I went back to Siam Paragon to buy a map. I got totally lost when I tried finding my way back to the office. A kind lady who hardly spoke any English gave me a ride. I’m loving the Thais already!