THE DATE: April 30, 2012
THE TRIP
09:00-09:40 Because of the sudden change of plans, I had to google famous malls in Bangkok. I did that the night before by renting the computer in Thara House. That morning, I also asked the receptionist the bus number that will take us to MBK. We boarded a non-aircon bus in front of Thara. Transportation: 7 THB each
09:40-19:20 Our first mall is MBK.
We had brunch at McDonalds because I want to try the Thai version of McDonalds and it’s something I know Divimom is familiar with. I mean, it’s McDonalds and rice! How can you go wrong with that. Apparently, you still can. Divimom didn’t like the “leaves” that go with our chicken. She found it a bit too overwhelming.
We didn’t get to explore the whole mall but we did buy a few items. We also got lost in the gadgets section of the mall – we could not find the exit! We also looked at the souvenirs for a Thai girl figurine to add to my collection, sadly they don’t have any. I don’t know if it’s just me but after shopping at Chatuchak, everything else seems a little more expensive.
We headed outside and passed by an information kiosk. They give out free maps of the area. We walked and had a little food trip before heading to our second mall.
Second mall is Siam Discovery Center and Siam Paragon Mall. This may be a high-end mall for bargain hunters like us but it doesn’t mean we couldn’t enjoy window shopping.
We took the footbridge connected to Siam Paragon all the way to our third mall, Centralworld.
The mall I’m most eager to visit because of one particular store – Naraya. Naraya bags cost twice as much in the Philippines so I made sure not to leave Bangkok without Naraya goodies. When we got there, the store was crowded. I thought there was a sale since items on the shelves are disappearing fast and people with bags of Naraya items are queuing at the cashier. But there was no ‘SALE’ sign anywhere. Prices were also not discounted. Maybe it’s because we arrived late in the afternoon and people are just arriving at the mall from their work. We decided to leave and return the next day so we won’t have to deal with a crowded store. Besides, we still have to go to another mall.
Our final mall is Platinum mall.
Platinum mall is big. I don’t think a day is enough to visit all stalls here. They offer the same kind of clothes like those in Chatuchak, only a little more expensive. You can also haggle here. Even if we want to stay longer, we left early since it was already getting dark and we have to buy groceries before heading back to Thara.
The nearest supermarket in the area is Big C Supercenter, which is in front of Central world. We bought noodles to give to the people back home. Going back to Thara, we took a non-aircon bus in front of Central world.
Every mall we’ve been to gives out a free map. Just ask one from the information stall inside the malls.
19:20-20:00 Since we now know that buses would not pass by Phra Arthit road unless we do the roundtrip, we asked to be dropped off nearest Khao San Road. We have to walk 15-20 minutes from Khao San to Thara. Transportation: 7 THB each
THE EXPENSES
For consistency’s sake, 1 USD is 30 THB and 1 USD is 43 PHP.
