We were up early, and our driver headed with us to the airport in Bangkok. We dropped Tim off, then Mick took me into the city. Steve had arranged for me to use a room in university housing at Sasa House, where many of the visiting professors stay. The rooms are quite lovely - very much like a hotel room. Found the bathroom quite interesting (of course). A door for the shower and a door for the toilet. I surmised this was because one was instructed not to put paper in the toilet; so a thorough hosing off was in order before "papering."
I got in around nine in the morning, checked into my room, and scooted down to the dining room for a quick breakfast where I met up with Steve and Carol. Poor Carol had just gotten in hours before, and was a real trooper being ready to head out for some sightseeing after that 24+ hour flight. Our first stop was to be the Jatujak Market, where we went the previous week. Steve wanted to make sure Carol experienced the wonder of "JJ," and this would be her only chance, as it is only a weekend market. We grabbed a taxi (they happen by fairly frequently, but fares are often an issue - the drivers will offer a set price rather than turning on their meter, and it was often three or four times as much).
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| Carol is a horticulturist, so she enjoyed many of the plant stalls |
Once again I enjoyed the wonder that is Jatujak. We enjoyed trying to find a booth from the last time, finally successful after a couple of hours of wandering. It was a challenge especially because we were dropped off at the opposite end of the market. Carol enjoyed all the horticulture-based stalls and got some ideas for displays. It was not so crowded this time - I think because we arrived earlier. I bought some bags to use for groceries and a pretty necklace with a polished seashell pendant. I enjoyed listening to a busker playing something called a "hand pan." The sound is very similar to the Caribbean steel drum; the musician said it was Japanese. It was very calming and meditative. We got some light refreshment then headed back for some lunch. Carol was pushing through the jet lag quite well.
We had lunch in the Siam Paragon Mall, a very fancy, upscale mall in downtown Bangkok. The area has several fancy malls adjacent to one another. We wandered through the Gourmet Food Hall, very similar to the upscale Wholefoods stores in US. We ended up at a nice Thai restaurant and ordered some dishes to share. Then we decided to go look for a museum.
The BTS is the raised rail system in Bangkok - it also has a subway system and a monorail that goes to the airport. Steve recommended purchasing a Rabbit Card, which allows you to load money to it and bypass buying a ticket each time. But the lines were extremely long, so I just bought a ticket from the vending machines (Steve and Carol already had Rabbit Cards). I could see Carol's eyes resisting sleep as we rode the BTS. When we exited, Steve was using his phone's GPS to find the place. We walked a way up toward the center of the main roads, Victory Monument. The monument was erected in June 1941 to commemorate the Thai victory in the Franco-Thai War, and is very Western in style, with heroic military figures surrounding an obelisk. This is a very busy intersection with people, buses, tuk-tuks (more on that later) and motorbikes everywhere!
We found another Taxi to take us back to Asiatique for dinner. This taxi driver was so entertaining that he was worth the extra baht. He explained to us that the roads were not so busy this day because everyone was sad that they didn't win the lottery and just stayed in bed! Apparently this happens on the 15th and 30th of every month. He explained the lottery in detail, and we learned that here it is run by private companies, not the government like in the US. You can buy just a few numbers, and the more numbers you buy, the higher the price. He showed us his ticket, and said he didn't check them yet. When Steve wondered if maybe he'd won, he exclaimed, "IMPOSSIBLE!" Steve continued with the topic, asking if he won, would he quit working. "IMPOSSIBLE!" Then he explained that his wife would check the numbers immediately, and since she hadn't called in the two minutes following the drawing, his odds of winning were "IMPOSSIBLE!" As you can imagine, this word worked its way into our conversation over the next couple of days!
Asiatique was lovely, with a cool breeze coming off the river. (I went to see a Thai movie the other day called "Single Lady," and one scene took place at Asiatique - it was fun to see a place I knew!) It was still daylight when we arrived, and we wandered the lanes, browsing shops and again enjoying the dulcimer-playing family. Sat down for dinner at a place right on the river called "Ko Dang Talay," and enjoyed sharing some more Thai dishes. Afterward, we enjoyed hanging out at the river, got some little after-dinner sweets, and took another taxi back to Sasa House. Good day!
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| Selfie time |
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