Very Productive Day

9: 30 AM - 7 PM

take MRT to Sukhumvit MRT station (16 stops)

walk up Asoke Montri Rd 2 Ruam Sab Market

taxi 2 Pratunam

walk 2 Baiyoke 2 

walk 2 Central World

walk 2 Siamscape (covered in another blog post)

taxi 2 the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (covered in another blog post)

taxi home

Always looking for bears!

Got a coffee at Coffeelism, at the Ruam Sab Market.  Some of the names Thais give to their businesses are amusing or puzzling.

After we had lunch at enormous food hall at Ruam Sab Market, we took a taxi to Pratunam.   Kade wanted to shop, and I wanted to go to the top of Baiyoke 2 Tower.

Hmmm

Baiyoke 2

 

At some point during our day, the plan was to go down there, to Siamscape.

Before going to Siamscape, we wanted to walk around Central World, which is the building a bit to the left of my cup of coffee.

This is looking out towards the area where I taught English when I lived in Bangkok.   In the middle of the photo, there are a couple of orange-tan buildings.  The smaller of the two is the new AUA English language school.  It was built on the site where I worked - the original school.

Somewhere down there, along a klong (canal), is The Jim Thompson House Museum.  It's where I first met Kade many years ago!

In the distance, that cleared area, is the site of the former royal horse racing track.  In a couple of years it is going to a beautiful public park in memory of Thailand's late king, Rama IX.

Soi Rangnam and Victory Monument

Right in center is the Victory Monument.  When I first moved to Bangkok I lived in an apartment building just a bit below it in the photo.

I enjoyed that park, and would use it to get some sun.

In the distance, barely visible, is the Elephant Building, where Kade and I got married.

I sure hope those green areas become parks.  Bangkok has enough concrete, asphalt and steel.  It's time to restore some natural beauty and to give residents places to go for some outdoor exercise and R&R.

Bottom right is Central World, one of the huge malls in Bangkok.

That's one way to have your temperature checked!  This is the Amari Watergate Hotel.

lobby of the Amari Watergate Hotel

 

shrine outside Platinum Fashion Mall

We're standing right outside Central World (right).  At the far end is an Apple Store.  Bangkok has at least two Apple Stores.

My mom loved squirrels!  Thought of her.

We had a late lunch at a Chinese restaurant inside Central World, which has an unbelievable number of dining options.  You can go into any of the mega-malls in Bangkok and get a delicious meal.  It's just a matter of deciding where to eat and how much you want to spend.  We got lemon tea, roselle tea, shrimp and pork dim sum, morning glory salad, another salad and fried wontons.