I've still got the onion taste in my mouth from last night's dinner, even after brushing my teeth 3 times already (what would my dentist say?). Today's itinerary: Jim Thompson's House, MBK Mall, and meeting up with Pam's friends.
Feeling traumatized from the first day's almost 3 hour marathon, we opted to take a cab in order to save on both time and energy. First stop was Jim Thompson's House. I was pleasantly surprised at the experience of seeing Thai architecture, culture, and artifacts. I could say that this Jim Thompson fellow lived a good life in Thailand, and the Thais appreciate and honor what he's done for their culture by opening up his house and turning it into a museum in his memory. I was a bit surprised that it took an outsider, a Western man at that, that put Thailand on the map as a player in the silk industry. Now if we could get someone to do that for the Philippines... Anyway, I bought a couple of souvenirs after the tour and I bought my mom a pair of silk pillow covers for a birthday present. It cost me an arm and a leg, but what the heck, it was for my mom.
We arrived at MBK Mall, and its exactly how I remembered it from the last time I went there. MBK is one hell of a crazy place! I have not been to any other shopping mall that can compare to the dynamism that place possesses. Its like being in 10 different tiangges in one. The sea of humanity is just incredible! Add the fact that this mall is huge! Its very easy to be overwhelmed, and overwhelmed I was. Its futile to attempt going from floor to floor to find what you're looking for. The trick to surviving MBK is to let the tide come rushing in and lead you wherever. Keep on walking - you're bound to find something you like. Pam & Mike stumbled upon a Lacoste sale, and they literally went nuts over it. I wouldn't be surprised if I see them and their relatives wearing Lacoste everyday cause that's how overboard they went! After satisfying their urge to shop, we went to find a decent place to eat. We ended up eating at this very beautiful and modern food court in the upper level of the mall. We were very surprised to find this quiet, secluded food court amidst the chaos MBK Mall regularly witnesses. After lunch, we indulged Pam in her imeldific quest to find new shoes by going on a side trip to Discovery Center.
After our MBK experience, which ended late into the afternoon. We went back to the hotel to refresh and get ready for the night's adventure. We met Pam's friend at the Suan Lum Night Market, which is due to be torn down to be made into another mall. We had dinner in this restaurant called Somboon. I think its a pretty popular place among locals and tourists because that place was packed to the rafters! The restaurant was 4 storeys high, and we had our table at the top-most floor. The food? Damn good! We had our fill of crab curry, oyster omelette, and river prawns! If that would have been my last supper on Earth, I would have died a very happy man.
Up next after dinner was Lebua State Tower, where we would meet another one of Pam's friends at Sirocco, a bar at the 64th floor of this high-rise structure. This is the high life - exclusivity, breath-taking views, snobbish people, and expensive drinks! You could see the lights of Bangkok for miles away.
We thought that our night would end at Sirocco, or so we thought. As luck would have it, it gave us one final adventure before it would let us rest for the night. We were on our way back to the hotel when our non-English speaking cab driver nudges Mike, who was dozing in the front seat. As it turns out, our cab has no gas, right in the middle of the main thoroughfare. We alighted the cab, and we realized that we were dropped right in the heart of Patpong, a popular nightspot with a seedy reputation. We ended up walking a good distance in our semi-formal attire, haggling with cabs along the way. Imagine this scenario as the night-cap of a picture perfect 2nd day - A breezy Tuk-tuk ride at 2 AM, mildly intoxicated, in semi-formal wear, among good friends.
