Putting the Bang(kok) back into my life

My time in Bangkok as follows:

Wed night :
Packed in haste because was rushing out assignments earlier. Rushed to airport. Flight was slightly delayed as they had to change plane and belt no due to 'security reasons'. Boarded plane. Felt a lump in my throat as the plane took off, bringing me far away from home and friends even though it was only for a few days. Watched The Interpreter on Krisworld. Nicole Kidman is really cool. Decided that while Tom Cruise is blind, Kidman is more myopic to have chosen such a man, but then again, who am I to judge.

Landed in Bangkok. Friend picked us up from airport. Heaved a sigh of relief that his car had enough space for our luggage. Reached his place and we unpacked. His house is almost like a hotel. If only we had the land mass here. Stayed up to talk with friend.

Thur:
Dee woke late, so it was time for brunch when we left the house. It was hot! Our first meal in Bangkok was (believe it or not) Delifrance. [We were hungry, hot and thirsty and people under such conditions cannot be choosers] Took the metro to check out the tailors at Sukhumvit. Walked down to Emporium in the heat and browsed around. Took the BTS to Chit Lom station. Went to the eateries at Hyatt Erawan for lunchie. I paid a short visit to the famous shrine nearby. We checked out Amarin Plaza and Shopping Centre next to Hyatt Erawan. Then we took the BTS to Siam station and walked to MBK. [Big mistake - should have stopped at National Stadium station. Must remember.] Afterwards we walked to Hard Rock Cafe to buy some stuff and have dinner. Wanted to go clubbing there, but was sadly adorned with cumbersome shopping bags. Talked and forgot the time till JT called and asked in a concerned tone if everything was alright. Took a cab back. Had to detour to Family Mart. We saw that the fuel gauge was at E and prayed hard. Went back and found everyone asleep. (see previous post for rest)

Fri:
Woke up early to talked a little to JT and his wife. He recommended us to check out the set lunches at an Italian restaurant in Dusit Thani Hotel. Food was great, service fantastic. The interior of the Hotel blew us away. Took a cab afterwards to the outskirts to find this bootery Bossie goes to. No one there spoke English so we gave up and headed for Jim Thompson House. Took the tour round the house. Excellent decor! It's rare to find a man with both money and good taste. [yes, there ARE some things money cant buy] Shopped at Jim Thompson and bought a couple of stuff. Walked to MBK again to buy snacks to bring back. Couldnt find the shop and paniced a little. Luckily an Indonesian lady directed us. Squeezed some time to eat Baskin Robbins and bought Dunkin Donuts. Took the BTS to Asoke station for first fitting at tailor. Rushed back to go for dinner with JT and SY. Had a short talk with SY while waiting for JT to get back. They brought us to this quaint eatery. Very lovely decor. It's like one of those shophouses at Joo Chiat. Yummy food, lovely ambience. Crowd was a mix of locals and foreigners. Afterwards went karting. The go kart centre is just next to their Mohd Sult area. [note: we intend to check out the clubs there next time round] Had the excellent luck to be racing with the record holders of the day for one of our rounds. It was an awesome experience, especially when they bump into you and send your kart flying into the air. One of those moments, where u feel life flashing past you before your eyes. Went back afterwards as JT had to tee off at 6am the next day. Dee and I decided to check out the clubbing scene. JT and SY prob thought we were mad as it was 130 am in the morning. We headed to Banyan Tree since it was just next door to check out Moon Bar but it had closed. So we hopped to the Met in Metropolitan. They allowed us in, which JT later said was surprising as the Met is a members only place. Unless of cos they relaxed the regulations. Had a yucky Pineapple Martini. Dee took the Pink Ginger which was quite nice. Talked for a short while and left when the place closed at 2 plus. And yes, like Hard Rock, that place looked like a pick up joint.

Sat:
Went to tailor's again for final fitting. Took a cab to Lumphini metro station. Taxi driver snorted and laughed when we told him our destination. But hey, it was really way too hot to be walking under the mid day sun for 10 plus mins. It was Dee's idea any way. I told her she would have the honour of telling the cab driver where we were heading next time and hear him snort.

Headed for Soi Sukhumvit 63, which JT said was like their Holland V. Ate Jappy food. [yes I know, 3 days in Bangkok and we had yet to eat any Thai food. Was quite sad.] Hopped into a cab and drove down the whole stretch, which was a good decision, as the road was long and the heat terribly scorching. JT asked us to check out Playground and Javenui which he claimed were interesting. Only manged to find Playground. The stuff there seems pretty avant garde but freaking expensive. Then began the great hunt for this quaint European garden. JT called to reserve a table for us. We stayed for over an hour, had tea and talked. Dee and I agreed that this place will be our little secret garden in Bangkok (ie we will bring friends there, but will not give out the address. please dont voodoo us for this, but we really like the place a lot) Emerged feeling very zen-like. Went to Central Shopping Centre at Chit Lom station. Shopped till JT called then rushed down to MBK to meet them. JT apologised for not bringing us out to the riverside eateries due to the Spurs Chelsea match. So we headed to this seafood place which Koizumi had gone when he visited Bangkok. Food was really solid - especially the pepper crabs and my favourite tom yum soup. Yummy!!!!!!! They dropped us off at the night bazaar where we practically had to tear ourselves away an hour plus later. Reached back shortly after the match ended. Won 100 baht from JT. We had taken Chelsea to win, give 1.5, and he took his beloved Spurs. Played Mah Jong till almost 4 am Bangkok time.

Sun:
Woke up early. Headed for the garden cafe again for brekkie. Love their rose tea. Dee likes their coffee. Wanted to eat the chocolate cake again, but didnt want to die from sugar overdose. Emerged feeling very zen again. Rushed to Emporium afterwards to buy stuff. Jim Thompson didnt have a new piece of the bag I wanted. The Audrey Hepburn back up bag didnt look quite so nice. So bought the display piece. [yes, that was how much i loved the bag]. By this time, we were totally out of baht, other than the 500 baht for airport tax. Had to cash in our metro and BTS cards to get enough to take a cab back. Pathetic eh...grin! Frantically packed and flew to the airport. Had lunchie with them where I ate my last tom yum soup in Bangkok for this year.

The sign on the TV for flight went from boarding, to last call to final call. Had the unceremonious honour of being paged 3 times via the system. Luckily we were the last 3rd and 4th people to board. Flight departs at 1600hrs, we boarded the plane at 1558 hrs. Some mis-comm amongst the traffic controllers saw a Thai Airways plane was turning into our path. Got back to Singapore. Watched Maid In Manhatten on KrisWorld. Saw the words Singapore Changi International Airport and felt happy to be back. Friend of mine was playing pool. Suddenly missed playing pool. Got back, dumped luggage, passed parents their pressies and ran out again in bedraggled state to play pool.

I miss Bangkok.
Anyone wants to go with me next year?......