Back from Bangkok

First impressions:
- Old and a little dilapidated
- Bad traffic conditions, terrible jams
- Open concept living – housing and carparks which can be viewed from the highways
- Billboards advertisements – seems like their media is less controlled than our country’s

Subsequently after staying for a while more, I realised Bangkok is a quite a wonderful place to live in. The culture is kinda laid back, people simple and down-to-earth, and things generally go slow, much slower than in Singapore. To me, Bangkok is like Singapore in the 80’s, not that they don’t have modern shopping malls (Mah Boon Krong is just like any shopping mall back here), just that their streets and way of life are so much simpler. On the last morning there, Ah Yun and I rode on a tuk-tuk for a 10-minutes ride to the nearby Golden Buddha temple. Couldn’t describe how liberating it was on the tuk-tuk, with the air (and some exhaust fume) blowing onto your face, the traffic zooming by just beside you, the buildings beside the road so clear in your eyes. When the tuk-tuk driver rode past a bum, you could feel it in your bum, the joggle and jiggle of the joyous ride.

Time wasn’t on our side; we had only 1¼ days on our own. Shan’t detail the itinerary here, but it suffices to say you need at least one complete weekend there to get a full picture of the capital. Shopping at Mah Boon Krong will take up almost the whole day, then the temple visits another day, traditional Thai massage and spa for 2-4 hours (not to be missed), river boat ride, Chinatown visit, bird’s nest and abalone savouring, Suan Lum night bazaar, the pubs, the thrilling night clubs (with bikini-clad pole-dancers).. endless activities. So, I don’t do away with the consideration for a second visit!

One thing I really love is their Thai dessert, lookshoop! Will show you the enticing photo later!