Our 2nd Week in Bangkok

EARLY RETIREMENTSLOW TRAVELTRAVELMEMORIESRETIREMENTTHAILAND

Liz

10/7/20266 min read

Our second week mainly consisted of more sightseeing, visiting new places as well as familiar ones. We have been lucky with the weather, and generally, we have avoided any impact from it by getting out in the morning, then returning to the apartment by late afternoon or by being in a mall when there is a downpour. We keep an eye on the weather app and adjust our plans around the forecast. It is very hot, so sometimes with the rain it can be quite humid too.

Days 9 (29 Aug) - Cloud 11 and Spiderman

Finally, we are going to visit Cloud 11! Cloud 11, according to the website blurb, is a purpose-built infrastructure for creators and storytellers. From production studios to cultural anchors, Cloud 11 is built for the people who shape what the world watches, listens to, and shares. We tried to visit this place last year, but the build was behind schedule and had not yet opened. It is now open but is still in the process of being occupied.

We took the BTS from Ekkamai to Punnawithi as Cloud 11 is not that far from True Digital Park (another area which is favoured by the digital nomad type and young startups). There is a skywalkway which takes you directly into the Cloud 11 complex. First impressions were that it is a huge space and it has one of the bigger 7-Eleven stores in Bangkok, so we had to visit that! Five minutes into the place, S discovered that her little digital camera was not charged, so she advised that we would need to make a return visit for her to get her photos!

There is a lot of artwork in the spaces at present, and I guess this is because these areas have not yet been leased out by shops and companies. There are some very unique independent-type shops that have cool items for sale, be it unique custom-made shoes or everything for your pet dog or cat!

The outdoor rooftop space is pretty amazing, as it's like a rooftop park, and we really enjoyed that. There is also a Commons area in the complex, so we had our lunch there, and both R & S got smash burgers. I just had a coconut smoothie as I didn't feel that hungry. We walked all around the place and then headed home. We decided that if we were going to be returning again, then we would cover True Digital Park on the next visit.

Later that evening, we went to the local cinema to watch the latest Spiderman movie, which was very good.

Day 10 (30 Aug) - The Phrom Pong & EM Quartier Area

Today's outing was to the EM Quartier Area beside Phrom Phong. As it was only one BTS stop from Thonglor, we decided to just walk there rather than take the BTS. It was a gorgeous day, and we loved the views from the rooftop area here. I do, however, find the buildings a little confusing, as they are connected and it sort of throws my normal orientation habits out! Despite that, we did our usual and walked all around the building and various shops. S had a bit of damage on her suitcase before we left Glasgow and by the time it arrived in Bangkok, it had been through the wars. So we have been keeping an eye out for a suitable replacement, and if she can't find one that she likes, then we are going to try and do a temporary repair for it to get back home in one piece (we will also get it shrink-wrapped at the airport). Lunch today was in the Gourmet Eats on the lower floor, and I had a very tasty pork noodle soup bowl. Afterwards, we wandered around the food stalls and bought a few things for the apartment. S bought some fancy Yolk egg custard tarts, and we got a delicious pistachio bread from one of the bakeries. We had planned to just walk back to the apartment, but the afternoon rain had arrived, and it was torrential, so we just hopped onto the BTS instead.

You may wonder what we do after we get home from being out each day and if so, our usual routine is to pur away our goodies, have a shower, relax or chillax (as S calls it), then have dinner (usually something we have brought in with us or is already in the apartment), then play cards, have our evening treat (e.g. egg custart tard) and watch something on TV.

On this trip we discovered that you cannot buy a deck of playing cards in shops as they are thought to be linked to gambling and are sort of 'illegal' to sell. Now we have always taken a pack of cards on holiday with us, as it's something we have always done since the kids were little. Having discovered that R forgot to pack the cards, we have been trying to find a pack since we arrived and have had to resort to Uno cards instead. TV shows have been the various series of Ghosts (very good) and Ludwick with David Mitchell (also pretty good).

Day 14 (3 Sept) - Rama 9 and Fortune Town Area

Yesterday we decided to take things easy and had a bit of a lazy day, just getting some groceries from the nearby mall.

However, today we decided to venture over to the Rama 9 area where there are two malls. Firstly, we wanted to visit the Fortune Town mall, which is a mall dedicated to technology items, sound systems, musical instruments and of course, food. The main reason for this was to see if S could get her laptop touchscreen repaired. She has another laptop, so this is more of a spare, and R thought that it might be possible to get it repaired in Bangkok. Sadly, the repair shop that we went to (which was highly recommended) had a look and said it would be too risky for this particular model, so that was a bit of a bust. At least it was worth a try.

After this, we headed over to the other large mall and wandered around there. There was a nice food court here, so we had something to eat and then walked around some more before having a coffee break and finally making our way back home. I should also perhaps note here that S has managed to buy several clothing items from Uniglo, which work out quite a bit cheaper than if she had bought the same items back in Glasgow. Uniglo also do regular promotions, which means we need to go into EVERY Uniglo store in EVERY mall that we find one in. Of course, I'm just jealous, as Uniglo doesn't seem to stock my (extra-large) size in the stores; you need to order online for them (I guess there is just less of a market for bigger ladies!). That said, this suitcase of S's is going to be under a lot of pressure going back home with the amount of stuff she has bought!

Bangkok, Thailand

Day 11 (31 Aug) - Seacon Square Mall

One of our favourite malls in Bangkok is the Seacon Square mall at Srinakarin, which is out towards the airport. It's a massive mall, and you can get to it via the yellow BTS line, but it means you need to transfer from either a BTS or MRT station and, depending on where you are located, it's probably easier to just take a Grab taxi for about £5.50 to get there quicker and less sweaty instead. So, that is what we did.

We did our usual of walking around the whole place, with S popping into shops she liked and/or hadn't come across before, with breaks for lunch, coffee, ice cream and dinner included. By the time we had covered most of the place, it was early evening and very busy with the evening crowds. The rain outside was also torrential once again, and it took us a while to get a Grab taxi and then ages to get home as the traffic was so bad. Note: try to manage your timings such that you don't encounter peak traffic and bad weather!

Day 12 (1 Sept) - SWU Morning Market

We ordered a Grab taxi again this morning to take us to the Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) morning market, which is held every Tuesday and Thursday morning at the University Campus. We discovered this market quite by accident last year, and we really liked it. There is a large variety of food stalls as well as other types of stalls, and it is very popular with the staff, students and locals. Our main aim was to get our breakfast here and let S experience a morning market in a University environment. We got our iced coffees in bags and a number of different foods and then headed over to the old metal bench areas and enjoyed our breakfast outside, watching people go about their business.

After this, we walked back up towards the Asoke area and nipped into Terminal 21, so that we could look for a few things in a couple of the shops on the basement level. R is not a fan of Terminal 21 at all. In fact, the mere mention of it usually sends him off on a rant, as he finds it 'too touristy' for him. Well, tough titty on this occasion because Princess S spotted a few shops that she wanted to peruse!

Afterwards, we sweetened his nibs up with a trip to Custard Nakamura (one of his favourite places) - so much so that he even has a loyalty card (which was fully stamped up) that he used on some awesome sweet treats. Treat bag in hand, we then walked back to the apartment.