Beef noodle shop - Siam Square

I know some people will be attracted to the fact that there are two Ladyboy waitresses here. They're not in the pic but the more flamboyant one , who likes to wear skimpy shorts and speaks English like a deeesainNah sashays down this runway, past the protestor with a confidence level that is waaayyy beyond me. 

Dragon beard candy stall - Siam Paragon

 

 

Kiddo got all excited when I pointed out this stall. Not because of the dessert, but due to the name itself.

Staffed by this pair, it's made fresh on the spot, making it a must see thing to do here !

 

 

 

 

And then it became my turn to get all excited, as I used to have no idea why it was called that. Until I saw the cuteeeeeee beards all laid out this way.

Awwwww

What's a breakfast buffet at Pathumwan Princess like ?

Come, lemme show you

1. Marvellous omelettes with the Day's special, on the other board directly behind it. Nice touch

Green umbrella tomyam stall - Sathorn

You'll find this row of green umbrellas a little way off  after you come out from the Silom underground MRT station .

Very popular with the local ladies, you'll get to see a broad spectrum of them eating here, from nurses, to schoolgirls and even resident tarts from Patpong 

Sleeping beauties at the Pathumwan Princess

Even with Bangkok Shutdown going full swing just a few steps away, we slept sound as contented little babies. 

Really remarkable seeing how we both have different sleeping requirements. He prefers a hard mattress, while I love the soft sink in type.

Test tubes as a welcome drink

 

 

Pathumwan Princess proved to be our safe and cosy refuge for the duration of our stay in Bangkok.

During this time of the year, as it's near imposssible to get a room here. But thanks to tent city outside, which spooked off a lot of tourists, we were able to wrestle a crazy deal out of the agent.
 

 

 

When you check in....

Fuji Japanese Restaurant - MBK Plaza

Fuji Japanese Restaurant is reputed to have over 70 branches scattered throughout the Siamese kingdom.
Yeah, it's indeed that popular.

No idea if the decor changes with the season, but there's a very eyecatching tower of plastic Sakuras somewhere in the middle

After You - Shibuya Honey and Nutella toast

After You is yet another restaurant in Bangkok where you have to queue with a pre issued number in hand. 

Bangkok street rally - tourist 101

Since there will be more in the pipeline, this is what you should expect to come across during a street rally
 
1. Barricade cum checkpoint.

The people manning it will request that you open up your bag for inspection. 

What the State of Emergency in Bangkok looked like

With a State of Emergency declared, you'd expect everyone to be cowering indoors right ? Not . Not in Bangkok.

Streets became one big outdoor street fair

Street performers, tall, four legged and cute

 

 

Where you get street vendors, most times you get street performers as well.

 

These 3 boys who had a signboard stating that contributions were for Mom's cancer,earned megabahts as they were really quite good. 

 

 

 

 

 

The pooches below showed off their sleeping beauty ritual and managed to raise quite a bit for the animal cause

Tri colour Bangkok Shutdown accessories and souvenirs

Thai people are so enterprising. Even during times such as these, there were busy hands at work on the streets churning out handmade accessories right before your eyes.

Bangkok Shutdown t-shirts

     

For protest tourists like me, it was a must have souvenir.

Ranging between 80 baht to 150 baht per piece and upwards for more exclusive designs, there seemed to be newer designs with each passing day hawked by different vendors.

There were Sutheps...

More bang for your baht - Bangkok Shutdown

Trust the Thais to come up with a novel way to dispose of unwanted leaders.  
For 20 baht, they even had a game booth stall set up to knock the leaders off their pedestal.

Weapons of choice in which to inflict maximum damage....tennis balls.Yes, tennis balls.

Bangkok Shutdown - downright shocking posters alright

 

 

I know I wasn't alone when my jaw dropped upon seeing these shocking posters.

In some, the intended receipient had her eyes gouged and burnt out with jossticks.

Check out the protestors tents behind that. Yep, pedestrian walkway from MBK to Siam Square was effectively blocked .

 

 

 

Shadow puppet, perched above a poster of her travelling to Dubai etc etc.

Bangkok Protest Tourist - post #1

Boy what a way to kick off CNY. Flying straight into the eye of the storm not knowing what to expect.

Exciting and stupid maybe, but well, the lure was too much. 

While others changed their destination to Phuket, Chiangmai, Hua Hin even, I dug my heels in. 

Although location wise, some might consider the hotel which I stayed in, to be in the heart of the protests, but it was perfect for me. Easy access to complexes that closed early.
Certainly helped that I needed no guide, as this is not my maiden trip. And the location, which is one I'm familiar with,
allows me access to alternative neighbourhoods in case of "what ifs " As well as sleep safe.