Time for Culture before Leaving Bangkok

Well, it is the final day for A, A & S in Bangkok as they leave tonight and head back to a cold (and possibly snowy?) Glasgow. Most of the washing, packing and cleaning has been done. Our bags are also pretty much packed, too, as we shall be leaving the apartment tomorrow to go to our Home Exchange for the next 5 nights. The flight is at 1 am tomorrow morning (5th), so we need to leave for the airport about 9 pm this evening. A&A plan to have a relaxing day and not go out and about. S, on the other hand, still has some more sightseeing and shopping.

However, we decided to go for lunch first, and this time R treated everyone to the delights of the Hongdae Station cuisine. This gave A&A a chance to sample the food there, which was delicious. We also dropped off some Scottish tablet and shortbread to the staff who were so lovely to us on both occasions.

After lunch, R, S, and I head out. Our first place of call is the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (BACC). The BACC is a contemporary arts centre in the Siam area of Bangkok. Art, music, theatre, film, design and cultural/educational events take place in its exhibition and performance spaces. The centre includes cafes, commercial art galleries, bookshops, craft shops, and an art library.

R and I have seen this place in the past and wondered what it was, but this time we decided to visit it. There is no cost to enter, and it is a fabulous building. The external and internal shape of the building very much reminded me of the Guggenheim Museum in New York. We all enjoyed the layout, although the exhibits were a bit weird to say the least. I know it is a contemporary art museum, but paintings of buttholes (I’m not joking!) are just not to our taste. S was killing herself laughing, though, and taking photos to send to R. Thankfully, not all the artwork was like this, and some of it was very pleasant. Overall, it was a lovely museum, and we especially enjoyed the little art shops and cafes that were dotted around the building. S treated us to some drinks – though I think that may have been to get over the shock of some of the ‘artwork’.

After we left the museum, we needed to look for some superglue as there had been an unfortunate incident with an ornament (and not the happy accident type I mentioned previously!). No, this item had fallen to the ground at the shoe area where we would take off and put on our shoes, and of course, it happened on the last day, didn’t it? The debate was ongoing as to whose fault it was (but I can assure you that S was to blame and not me!). A tiny little bit of the ornament (part of a golden leaf) had broken clean off, and we intended to superglue it back together again. We decided to find a Mr DIY store (these are great and sell EVERYTHING!). Given that there was a Mr DIY in the MBK centre, which is directly across from the art museum, we felt that was perfect.

Well, guess what? Ms S had never been into a Don Don Donki shop, which we were required to pass through. So, we ended up in there for a bit, and if you have not been in one, well, this is also quite an experience. It’s a Japanese store which is packed with all sorts of items, and it has jingle-type music playing constantly. We didn’t stay there very long as it was too chaotic for us. Then, having purchased the superglue in Mr DIY, we returned to the flat around 6.30 pm, where R carried out a precision repair, and you would never know of this incident (well, unless you are the apartment owner and happen to read this!).

Then we all just rested and waited around until it was time to get the taxi to the airport. I always hate the ‘waiting period’ as I always just want to get onto the next part of the journey. R had booked a taxi for 9 pm, and of course everyone was happy to wait until then before leaving the apartment (remember we are on the 30th floor, with cases and everyone had to get their shoes on etc.), so I was starting to get my usual airport anxiety and wanted everyone to get their stuff, so we could just wait in the lobby area, where there were comfortable seats and we would be ready for the taxi (note: the Grab taxi had already confirmed that they had arrived and he waiting for us). Eventually, everyone relented, and we left the apartment about 8.50 pm. We got down to the lobby, and there was no sign of the taxi! See, this is the sort of thing that I hate and always try to avoid. So, there we were – 5 people, 3 suitcases, and bags all waiting in the dark at the apartment entrance for the taxi that was supposed to be waiting for us. Of course, we didn’t really have any way to contact the driver (we didn’t speak or write Thai, and he didn’t speak or write English), but a lovely security guard came to our aid and could see our booking and managed to speak to the driver when R called him. It turned out that he was waiting at a different entrance to the complex, and he eventually arrived about 10 minutes later. Then we were on our way to the airport.

It was sad to see our children and A head back home, but we were happy that they all seemed to have enjoyed their time and experience of Bangkok.  In fact, S got quite emotional at leaving us. I think she really loved her time in Thailand (or maybe she just loved being with her mum and dad again for a bit?). After we saw them all off, we then headed back to the apartment via the airport rail link and the BTS. They had 3 hours until their flight, and S later told us that A (our son) got queried as he looked so different to his passport photo. I guess his beard makes him look very different (and much older!) to his old passport baby face photo.

Of course, I knew I wouldn’t sleep very well until I knew that they were on their way, had arrived at their next destination and then were finally home. So, I stalked, I mean I tracked them the whole way home on the Flightaware app. and was exhausted the following night….

Day 41: 4th January 2025

Bangkok, Thailand