Area around the Ekkamai BTS

The very macho looking officer in charge allowed me to come up here just before they closed for the day. I wanted to wilt especially when he pulled himself up ( mmm..mmm ) , stood next to me ( someone fan me ! ) and practically ordered the other guy to hush it, but that would be inexcusable at my age. Pretty much sums up how I got this shot of the train headed towards Ekkamai BTS station up ahead . 

* Grin *

Gateway Ekkamai

If Gateway Ekkamai is yet another complex on your hit list , then you'll want to know if it is what it says it is.

View from the Ekkamai BTS station

Yoshinoya Terminal 21 - example of a growing malaise

Warning : another rant . Admire the bowl and move on if you don't like reading such posts. 

Ban Khun Mae - Siam Square

Ban Khun Mae's biggest asset may be the lovely Thai maidens in traditional dress who give solo musical performances on a rotating basis. However their biggest downer is the hordes of noisy Malaysian and Singaporean diners who don't give two hoots about the music , the culture, nor the performer.

They speak Manglish and Singlish at the top of their lungs like they were bartering in Baghdad while their kids run wild like banshees at the playground. 

Of course if the management were to tell them to tone down, they would be so outraged, they would go on tripadvisor and tell the whole world how they've been mistreated .

In contrast, this musician is an absolute trooper, she can still smile for the camera , regardless of the wholesale market around her. 

A dragon, the San Francisco bridge and other displays found at Terminal 21

It's the Chinese New Year and all the great shopping complexes in Bangkok will feature dragons every few years.

Highly regarded by the Chinese, so far, from where I'm standing it looks promising

Terminal 21 - 9 floors of amazing Toilets

You know I still can't believe I went to check out 5 floors out of 9 floors of themed toilets in Bangkok ! There are toilets on both ends and I think you might need to dedicate half a day just to go use and check them out. Bear in mind , that this goofy activity is purely a woman thing. Menfolk will get pretty fed up with you by the third loo. Managed to cover San Francisco Pier, Istanbul, London, Tokyo, Rome ....missed out Carribean , Paris , San Francisco ( City ) and Hollywood. Shucks. 

1. Let's start with San Francisco (Pier )

There's a crab on top holding the entrance sign 

Where some well dressed Malaysian hotties have been getting their dresses

I don't always look at dresses but am sure some of you do. If you have noticed lately, some ladies have been wearing some pretty striking dresses to events and such.

Well, don't wonder anymore. Book that flight to Bangkok and head to Terminal 21's Japan floor.

Giant Lucky Khao Manee Cat ขาวมณี - Thailand's Maneki-neko

Maneki-neko cats aren't the only cats that bring luck. 

The Thai version is an ancient white breed , with gold or blue eyes, known as Khao Manee ขาวมณี  or the Diamond Eye Cat which is reputed to bring good luck and prosperity to the owner. As not everyone of us will ever have the chance to actually pet one, you can now head on down to Siam Square and pose with a Beckoning Giant Lucky Khao Manee Cat !

Overland from Penang to Hatyai by van

One of the best ways to get into Thailand from Penang is via van. RM35 is the going rate and if you get a good agent they will even throw in a departure card filling in service and deposit you at your preferred doorstep in Hatyai. 

Hualamphong หัวลำโพง is not Bangkok Dangerous

Well , here I am on the return leg and one thing I can tell you is that while Hualamphong railway station looks stunning in photos , you might not feel that way when you first step onto the platform.

The feel is not far removed from the old KL railway station , complete with smells that could have come straight out of Chow Kit or Chowrasta

Koala's March ( Thailand ) snack container

Posting on location from the Kingdom of Thailand , I managed to lay my hands on this cute container.

How come we don't get these premiums back home ?

Big enough for 2 small foil packs of the biscuit.

What are the chances

Wrong move stopping at the Siam BTS , it would be too far to walk to our intended destination. What to do but go one level down and backtrack to Chit Lom.
We get off in no time and as we make our way to the exit, I turn to look in the direction of the train doors.
I turn because that's our spontaneous reaction to someone eyeballing you. True enough , there's someone staring back at me. He's dressed in a crisp white long sleeve shirt . Very spiffy. Surprisingly. 
He's looking , I'm looking. Blank. Nothing. I turn away and move on .

Kit Kat Chunky ( Thailand ) - 2 in the can

Almost missed this as I assumed that it was a canned drink , until I looked again 

Coca - cola Thailand - Siamese dancers on can

Super cute this one. There are 3 leggy dancers on the bottom with head gear that reminds me of the Makyong performance over tv last time.

No idea how long this one's been on the shelves but I like it

Big Card by Big C

Big C is yet another Thai supermarket with a customer service counter stocked with free gifts you have to personally walk up to and present your membership card before you redeem any gift.

I do not fully understand the logic behind this but since I am a free gift kaki , you don't need to force me to take a few minutes to sign up for this.

I bought some Kit Kat stuff which I will show you later but because I presented my card , I got a nice extra freebie. Later. Gotta rest my poor feet first

The 1 card by Central

Unlike in Malaysia, some shops do not allow you to get the free gifts with purchase just like that. You need to sign up for this expat &  int'l visitors membership card if you want to claim freebies from (as an example ) the customer service of stores under the Central group in Thailand.

No such problem with Tesco Lotus stores though.

Remember to bring your passport with you unless you like to double back to your room 

Wat Trai Mit - on temple grounds

The first time I saw this, my jaw literally dropped.

It's so small yet incredibly grand.

You're seeing exactly what I saw, as I stood outside the gate to the temple

 As we walked in, I wanna kick myself for coming to this city so many times over the years, yet only discovering this today.

Just stunning !

Juicy Roast Duck in Bangkok Chinatown

You can talk to them in Cantonese in this very busy shop.

If there's a young man around ( I presume,he's the owner's son) you may converse in English or request for the English menu from him, if you like.

However,although the dimsum, noodles, seafood and pastries are a hit among the locals, I'm left scratching my head. The recipes are really Bo ngam .... don't like any of it .

Hope that explains the lack of pics. Nothing pisses me off more than having to stomach awful food.

On the other hand their roast duck, is really, really good.

Koay Teow Thng - Bangkok chinatown style

You can speak in Hokkien to the proprietor here.

 

They seem to love using kangkong here in Bangkok

Rama 1 Road's awesome elevated pedestrian walkway

Rama 1 Road, is like Jalan Bukit Bintang in Malaysia,

only better, as the major shopping centres are linked via a series of clean,airy, elevated pedestrian walkways .

This map from Bangkokbob.net ( a defunct site ) simplifies everything in a nutshell. 

I'll show you how it's possible to walk on foot from Erawan to MBK Plaza in half an hour or less.