Siam, Siam and even more Siam...

The Siam area is our agenda for today (and as I’m writing this several days later from the actual date, I cannot for the life of me remember what A&A had planned). S&R are due to fly back from Phuket later this evening, but in the meantime, they sent us some photos of what they are doing today – snorkelling and some island hopping.

Siam Paragon is a huge shopping mall with countless stores, many of which are high-end. It has all the usual features of a mall, including a great food court. We walked around the store and marvelled at it. Although we had visited this store before, there were lots of places that we didn’t remember, so either we just forgot them, or we managed to miss them when we were in the area previously.

A new feature of Siam Paragon is Nextopia. This is described as a co-creating community for a better world, a collaboration between Siam Paragon and over 50 leading global innovative organisations, partners, retailers, and 30 communities of Friends of NEXTOPIA. All share the same determination and belief in pioneering change, building a creative community, and collectively driving the world toward a better future. A huge amount of money has been spent on this, and it looks very cool and funky, so I hope it does well and is a success.

If interested, you can see more about Nextopia in the video below:

Siam Centre is another nearby shopping mall. Not quite as grand as Siam Paragon, but still worth visiting.

Siam Discovery is yet another nearby mall that you should visit if you're in the area. It’s described as a stylish, multilevel retail complex with trendy boutiques & a food court with eclectic offerings

Siam Square One – yes, you have guessed it – another shopping mall. Though this one is our least favourite one, mainly because it is quite old, not as pleasing on the eye, it’s also partially open, so there is no air-conditioning in the mall itself. However, if you haven’t done it, you need to. Also, it sort of reminds me of an old Star Trek spaceship with all the concrete, holes and metal rails throughout it.

A lot of the malls are either right next to each other or are linked, so you just need to find the right level that connects, which can sometimes be easier said than done!  As I've probably said before, R and I are not really shoppers, but we do like to walk in the air-conditioned malls and admire the layout, visit the food courts and use their toilet facilities when we are out and about.  A bonus is that we usually do a lot of steps, without even realising when we are in the malls!

Siamscape - is a 25-story green mixed-use complex strategically located on Phayathai Road in the bustling Siam Square area. It is designed around the concept of "Lifelong Learning," providing a unique environment that combines a Learning Experience Zone, Education Hub, office spaces, and a modern retail zone. It is located close to BTS Siam Station (Sukhumvit Line) and BTS National Stadium Station (Silom Line). The office floors, situated in the high zone, are designed to promote performance and creativity. The complex features a range of retail and dining options, contributing to a vibrant and convenient urban lifestyle. The building and concept centre’s around the vision of the nearby Chulalongkorn University, which is why it has a strong connection between education and learning.

This building opened in late 2021, although we did not visit it when we were in Bangkok last year. It has a great view from a roof terrace area on level 10 of the building (and you can clearly see the Manhakanon building from here), and there is also a fab view from the level 9 area (where you can also grab a coffee or something to eat). There are some restaurants on the lower floors, but there are also some empty units awaiting occupation. There is a pretty cool central atrium too, which is quite a neat feature, especially against the white and black of the building.

Another cool aspect of this (well, for me anyway) was to watch all the construction site work going on at the site right next to Siamscape and across from Siam Discovery and MBK.  It was quite scary to see the number of cranes moving large metal beams in such proximity and with lots of people about.  

MBK

After visiting the Siamscape building, we headed over to MBK to grab something from the food court, as it was after 2.30 pm by this time, and we were getting rather famished. Well, who do you think we bumped into? Yes, none other than A&A, who had just finished in the food hall and were now working their way through the various shopping levels.

Lunch for us was a massaman curry for me, and R had a pork curry dish. The portion sizes were huge, and we did feel in need of a little nap after them, so we decided to start making our way back home. As soon as we got out of MBK, who did we find sitting having a rest on a nearby seat – yes, it was A&A. They were also pretty exhausted by now, so we all walked back to the apartment together, and that was us for the day – time to relax and chill.

Our rough route for today:

Day 23: 17 December, 2025

Bangkok, Thailand