Yes, it's shopping day! I have the whole day and have to head back to the hotel only by 6pm to leave for Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani for the concert at 8.30pm (just in case of Bangkok's notorious traffic jam), so that gave me a solid eight hours, which is more than enough for a shopaholic.
Today aku tested several places I don't normally venture on my trips here - malls! Now I really don't like malls, but sometimes you come across something that is worth your time and money, so don't write them off totally. Especially for that little something yang you can't get back home.
I left the hotel just before 10am, when the shops would open, and started walking towards the Asok MRT station nearby. Caught a train to Chit Lom for 20 Baht or about RM2 to Chit Lom, which is after the Phloen Cit and Nana stops.
The moment you get off, start walking a little.
Erm...maybe not. Gaysorn? Sounds a little strange for a choice of a name. Heh...keep walking for my first recommendation, which is CentralWorld - the BIGGEST mall in South East Asia.
The place is HUGE! Bayangkan size KLIA, but packed with thousands of retail outlets. Kalau nak bayangkan how this place is, erm... I would imagine Lot 10 meets Starhill meets KLCC. A lot of upscale brands.
Zen is part of it, which is everything a rich fashionista needs because there is almost every designer you can think of, available here.
Isetan is the main tenant, but trust me, there are A LOT of shops here. Note that the prices here are quite steep in comparison to KL standards, tapi you will come across lots of interesting things. So if you have that extra cash, it's worth it. Either that or if you need motivation to exercise...cause walking for hours, I didn't even cover a portion of the whole mall.
Just used the handy mall guide and shot to several places I was looking for.
The Thai version of Monopoly I found in Toys 'R Us.
The infamous Bangkok traffic.
Though of walking to Prathunam but decided to keep it for later and continue my mall adventure so wait for the description of that place which is MY favourite shopping destination in Bangkok.
Next stop is a three in one stop. Right behind CentralWorld is Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Siam Discovery. Fashionistas - note some edgy fashion is avaiable here. Prices? Bolehlah...
After a while, bored, kept walking along the main road, and less than five minutes later, aku da sampai MBK Center, or Mah Boon Krong, if you want the full name. hat to look for here... anything and everything. Not everything is decently priced, so be smart.
Mobile phone and techie geeks - check out the sixth floor. People who are too fat (or horizontally challenged, check out the sixth floor as well, cause there is a shop there for erm... plus sized fashion. Make it plus plus plus plus size. We're talking about for waistlines anywhere from 28 to 60 inches! Amik ko!
The food court sedap as well as is a safe alternative to check out local fare. The rest? You got to check out for yourself.
By the way kalau korang nak dok dekat sikit sini, check in at the Pathuwan Princess rattached to MBK for convenience. Pernah dok sana, and used to turun and terus shopping bila bosan, leh?
Lepak MBK until member dari northern bureau New StraIt Time mai join aku sebab dia baru sampai kat airport dia buzz aku, so asked him to join me in MBK being an easier meeting point. When he arrived, he joined me on my need for shopping. We buggered off to Prathunam by cab sebab malas jalan since I'd been walking for hours and dah lenguh kaki aku.
Check out the surname of my cab driver. So this is...erm... Mr Tina.
So what do you have in Prathunam? Clothes, accessories, shoes, souvenirs and a lot more, basically anything fashion related. Textiles and costumes are quite the attraction here, including make up.
Ni a sample of what you can find.
Of course there are a lot more things but aku sibuk grabbing things to actually amik gambar.
Note for sapa yang minat make-up, don't knock it cause these are not MAC or Makeup Forever. Some of the makeup here is actually better.
Lain dari tuh, if you happen to be a showgirl, or just a flashy dresser, sequins and beads are CHEAP here. And of good quality too. And kalau you wanna make a dress or suit (even with sequins and beads), then this is the place for you. Custom tailored outfits can be ready in about two days even, and some places even deliver to your hotel.
Memang besh gila tempat nih and no trip to Bangkok should be without this in the list of destinations. Jalan about three hours, letih dah, decide to grab a bite, so went to what could possibly be the world's smallest McDonalds. Aku penah letak pic ni kat blog dah, but I just love it cause it's so cute! Kecik jerk.
We have double cheeseburger - but they have double fillet as well as double Big Mac!!! Gila siot!
Jalan jalan part of the way back to the MRT to avoid the jam sebab nak amik tuk tuk balik pun dah about RM8... bazir jerk. Sedangkan RM2 by MRT though kena jalan for about 10 minutes. Nevermind... seronok. Banyak lagi tempat nak jalan and on the way sempat shopping lagik. Not to mention the sights.
Sexiest police uniform in the world. Did you know they had a debate in parliament about it sebab their headquarters were inundated with calls from men and women sebab ramai tergoda ngan pakaian seragam ketat abih meka.
Their rivers are not perfect, but cleaner sebab they still use them.
The horrible Bangkok traffic - and cute pink taxis.
On the Sukhumvit line back to the hotel towards On Nut. Wonder if they could turn off the nut..
Sampai balik hotel memang letih gila. Sempat rehat just about an hour before got ready to go out. Back in the room, lantak my burger. Check out their packing. Kelas! Siap pastikan burger tu tak smashed up, they had this cardboard holder thingie to make sure that it holds the shape of the Big Mac. Simple but cool.
Eh... esok continue the next part of my Bangkok trip. Baru balik nih dari concert. To be continued ek...nak kuar jalan jalan jap.