Day Three - Bangkok

Sundays are always amazing when I'm away; yet so boring and dull when I'm on my own in the UK. So a whole day to go create an adventure.

I decided that I was going to visit Bangkok's answer to Clough Street Market which is north of this amazing, vibrant city.  So what better way to go 45 minutes north but by bus for 9p!  Now it's not that I'm tight, but I do work hard for my salary.  So off I trot, bag and bottle of water in search of the 325 bus. Get the bus and I'm off to what the locals call J J Market.  OMG it was massive and I mean massive.  They got the lot there and more! All I was thinking if only I could crack a deal and get some of this stuff to the UK! Delboy would have been proud of me!  The amount of art and craft stuff they had for ridiculous prices was insane.  I could make a small fortune on EBay. I bought 5 oils and a burner for my new flat lol that does sound good! In the end I had to buy a bag to put all the bags in and that was a stupid price, but will come in handy as thinking of leaving some stuff in Bangkok for when I return from Cambodia.  Lol after all the moaning of the selfie pstuck I got one (again for silly money) I thought me and Andy would have some fun with it lol. There's me having a demonstration lol and yes Andy it will fit your phone too!

I had some amazing coconut ice cream with coconut, sticky rice and caramelised mango - all served in a coconut shell! I walked miles, literally, around that market! I did giggle lol I found the pet stalls and they sold let's lol it was Hong Kong all over again! Then I saw these little chip monk things just sitting in the shelf, not in cages, just sitting there lol wearing bobble hats! Now by now you probably think I have been on the gin and diazepam lol but I'm being totally serious. I mean I this heat a rodent in a bobble hat! Needles to say they didn't like you taking photos! They had rows and rows of clothes and shoes to dress your dog in lol poor old Hetty had a narrow escape!

Then I had a moment in the loo! Now my friends generally speaking the toilets in Bangkok are, how can I put this, they range from vile to disgusting with every variant in between - oh and sometimes it's just a hole and I still have PTSD from HK!!!  Anyway, toilet in JJ Market. I had to pay a couple of pence and joined the queue of women! Seriously, women must be queuing all around the world just to use the toilet! Anyway, being British I queue then all the Thai just bundle in so I think stuff this, when in Rome etc. So I'm sitting there reminding myself not to flush the paper (which was tissues out if my bag. Golden rule if travelling always have tissues). When I hear this hi pitch shrill which stopped all the Thai women talking - in a very broad American voice (sigh don't you just love Americans they make Stokies look well travelled lol) and she screams 'no no no what are you doing! There is a queue here queue here!' So I can't stop myself can I and reply 'excuse me this is Thailand this is THEIR home and they do things differently' in my poshist southern voice lol.  I did hear some of the Thai women laugh and surprisingly not a peep from the American lol.  I don't understand and never will, why people go to a different country and moan and expect everything to just be the same as 'home'!

After ages and I mean ages around the market I thought enough. This time the Skytrain. Yay! The Skytrain is what it sounds like a train above the city! It's fab, clean, bright and air conditioned! Off to Siam Square! Which is east if the city (the hostel is to the west) and the market is in the north of the city.

So I arrive at Siam Square and go to the information desk.  Lovely man who spoke great english and found I needed a number 15 bus.  He has been to London and did not like it he thought people didn't speak there - good observation I thought.

I had read that Siam Square had a shopping mall so I thought I'd go take a peek.  This is the woman who really does not like shopping these days.  I can't begin to tell you about this place.  It was absolutely stunning.  I checked and checked before I went in.  I mean I'm in my cropped trousers, faithful shoes too, rucksack and newly acquired market bag lol and this place looks like a top london hotel.  I went to one of he numerous doors only to have it opened by a concierge in a hat, jacket in this weather.  I thought oh shit it is a hotel.  He bowed, smiled and in a went.  Lol OMG the Potteries Centre it was not.  I can't tell you.  It was spotlessly clean, and beautiful.  The. I saw lol to the right of me McDonald's lol to the left Burger King, Starbucks then thee must have been 50 different outlets selling from bread rolls to lobsters. Numerous restaurants all prices. Then there was a Waitrose type food hall.  I guess the first floor was a cross between Harrold's food hall,  Selfridge's food hall and a five star London hotel.

I ventured up the first escalator lol I was like a meerkat peeping out of a tunnel.  The first floor was cosmetics. There's all these beautiful women looking stunning and me with my market bag lol, but do you know, no one cared less.  All the big names were there including Jo Malone :) how happy was I to get a free squirt.  Further along that floor were the big guns: Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Mulberry, the lot.  Next floor watches all the names that I can't (nor want to) afford.  It was totally luxurious. Then the next floor where there was the scratters lol Paul Smith, T K Max, H&M then I could not believe it.  Slap in the middle of this floor was the car, yes car showrooms.  Are you ready ...........I lie not! Rolls Royce, Maclaren and Masserotti .... I remembered those for you car fanatics lol. This shopping mall was huge, but it's not the larest apparently.  Top floor was the cinema.

Now I am not much for the old Odeon in Stoke and quite like the soulless O2 in London. Nope, no more, this place was brilliant.  Firstly, you booked using giant iPads on the wall.  You scrolled up and down to make your choice.  Then the film was being shown in different screens, depending on what seating you wanted. Single seating, normal and premier. Couple seating for those snuggled up moments lol or triple seating that looked like a huge throne!  But was the film in English.  I go and ask and they look at me as if I were mad.  Of course they are in English, with thai subtitles.  So The Imitation Game it was.  I missed it when it come to Stoke for a week!!!!!!!! Back to the big ipad screens, scroll, scroll, click, click, click you had to choose your seat.  Now, any of you who have been to the cinema with me know I have how can I put this, certain OCDs about where I sit.  So I choose my seat and pay  ......... £4:80!!!!! I know, ridiculous.  Thought I would treat myself to some popcorn, slight mix up there, the guy have me cheese flavoured popcorn, but it was rather nice.  Up to screen 10 and wait in the lounge area where there were leather sofas, carpet lol I mean can you imagine that in the UK.

Off I go screen 10 and it's empty - yay! Find my seat which was the wrong side I read the seating plan wrong lol but I was there. Lovely seats that eased back and really comfy.  Then, just before the film started a plane load landed! I had people next to me, both sides (I don't like that) the cinema become virtually full and as far as I could see, I was the only western face.

Then something truly touching happened.  Most of the people there were young, teenagers early twenties.  The film trailers come on then on the screen come pictures of the King of Thailand. Everyone stood up, music played I suspect the national anthem. All the young people stood up, stopped talkInh, eating, playing on phones.  They just watched the screen.  Obviously, I too stood up.  When it finished, they bowed, sat down starting eating, talking etc.  I mean, can you imagine that in the UK! Total, total respect to the Thai young people.  

The film was excellent.  I was laughing ten seconds before the rest of the audience lol but fortunately it was not a comedy film.  Excellent acting and definitely Oscar material.  After that I went down to the food hall, watched what people were doing.  That is the key.  If you don't know, watch the locals do t just assume like the American woman in the toilet.  I had to go and buy a card with money on it then go and choose my meal.  It was so noisy down there, a typical food hall. I watched what people were doing. That is the key, if you don't know watch the locals.  I had to go and buy a card and load it with money then go make my choice.  I don't know what I had lol but it was tasty with tofu.

By now I was exhausted and money was getting low after my huge spend up.  Found the number 15 bus and the conductor, yes they still have conductor told me when I needed to get off.  I recognised where I was then a woman approached me asking me if I lived her and do I speak English.  I must look at home here.  She was from Kurdistan and has been studying in London.  She needed to get back to the Khosan Road, God help her.  This is the main party strip, I went last year to say to my grandchildren that they are not doing anything amazing as their grandma already did it 😏. Anyway, she was telling me that it's minus 40 in Kurdistan at the moment, so stop moaning.  We had a lovely natter and I got her to her digs.  When I meet anyone I always leave them by saying ....... Have a good life!

I was not tempted to stay on the Khosan Road, too many rip offs, binge drinking and pick pocketing.  On the way back I stopped in a bar in a hotel and had my mijito lol and very nice and well earned it was too.  There was a thai guy playing guitar and singing the entire back catalogue of Boysone, Take That and the Beatles lol it was quite entertaining in a bizarre way.

By now it was 22:00 I went out at 10:00 and I was rather tired; hence writing this a day late.

I had a totally amazing day. I have seen so many brilliant things, it is so difficult to try to explain. This country never ceases to amaze me, just when you think you have seen it all, it throws something else at you.  The older lady in the hostel loves me to bits lol.  Every morning and night she hugs me, she's like a mum.  I have just left her a pile of washing ........ I get mates rates lol.  I am going to hVe a quieter day today as off tomorrow to Phnom Penhm. I will sort case out and leave market bag here with stuff I don't need in. It's a couple of quid to leave it, it makes sense.

So my friends, sorry for the delay in posting but I hope you think it has been worth the wait.

Much love 

FYI I can't get rid of this bloody photo lol