Buddha Buys

We bought the Buddha at Wat Traimit in Bangkok.  I gave it to a friend.

Who is looking forward to returning to Thailand?

Floating Market

Kade and I purchased this art in Bangkok, just near Khao San Road.  

Click here for some of Thailand's best floating markets, and here for a map of 12 floating markets around Bangkok.

Jok

 

Some Jok I ate at Kade's home in 2014.  We brought it home from some market. 

Thai Desserts

This is custard inside a pumpkin.  To learn how it's made, click here.

That is a coconut dessert.

Watch this video to see where we purchase desserts near Kade's home.

One of my favorite places to buy Thai desserts is at a huge food stall in Banglamphu.  Join us as we journey by tuk-tuk to this remarkable area of Bangkok to get some sweets.

A Thai sweets food stall in Hua Hin

And some more we have tried:

 

 

 

 

Gecko

Seen all over Thailand.  Very common to find indoors too!

Victory Monument

This is the area where I used to live.  It serves as one of the main transportation hubs, linking the Sky Train (BTS) with one of the city's busiest bus stops.  It's an easy place to get back to Kade's family home either by taxi or bus. 

The studio apartment that I moved into in 2000 is not far from the Victory Monument - about a five minute walk.  It's also very close to a park that's popular with those living in the Victory Monument/Soi Rangnam area.  I would go there to walk a few laps and read some books.  I would also use it as a shortcut to get to some of my favorite restaurants.  These days, anytime I return to Bangkok, I usually "get my feet wet" by returning to this area first.  Not only do I get to walk around and reminisce, I find it to be the best area for me to reconnect with the crowds, the noise, the traffic and the energy that such a large city has.  Then once that's done, I jump on the BTS and head to other parts of Bangkok.

Back in 2000!

This is a view of the Victory Monument from Ratchawithi Rd in 1966.  My apartment would be on a soi to the left, out of view.

Click here to learn more about my first apartment in Bangkok.

Bangkok Flower Market

Taking advantage of the serious jet lag that was waking us up at 2 AM our first week back in Bangkok, I begged Kade to take me to the Pak Khlong Talat (Bangkok Flower Market).  The flower market is wholesale and gigantic, and very alive between 4-6 am.  Buyers representing city hotels and businesses swoop in every day to purchase an array of exotic flower varieties - jasmine, chrysanthemums, gerberas, orchids, lilies, roses, lotuses - brought in daily (usually by river transport) from various provinces.  A bit tough to get up, but worth it.  Like a lot of things in Bangkok, very stimulating - almost overwhelming in terms of volume of people working and moving about (human ant farm), and the big scale of things.  

 

 

 

King Rama I Monument

 

When Kade and I finished walking the sidewalks along the road that takes you through the Bangkok Flower Market, we reached the impressive Rama I Monument.  We arrived there likely at 4:30 AM, which explains why it was so dark.  However, on another day, we returned to the monument to see it in the daytime.  I included both visits in this video.  King Rama I was the first king of the Chakri Dynasty, and the "builder" of Bangkok.

 

 

 from left to right, starting with Rama I, the kings of the Chakri Dynasty

Wang Lang Market

 

 

Migrationology review of Wang Lang Market

 

Located across the Chao Phraya River from Bangkok’s Grand Palace and adjacent to Siriraj Hospital, eating and browsing through Wang Lang is one of my favorite things to do in Bangkok.

 

There’s always an outstanding selection of tantalizing pre-cooked snacks for people on the go as well as a handful of cheap sit down restaurants. Don’t forget to try the deep fried pork and the sweet waffle coconut pancakes (khanom tungtag) – check out this video of Wang Lang here!

Along with the abundance of food, Wang Lang market is a popular place to go shopping for trendy clothes or other little locally made gadgets. Catering to lots of students, the prices are pretty decent!