Day Thirteen – Bangkok

Greetings my little shoppers

Welcome to Bangkok…….

Up at 5.45am….the saying ‘All dressed up with nowhere to go’ springs to mind!!

Today should have been a lie in day – no tours, no sightseeing – what the itinerary would have read “day at leisure” however we were wide awake and ready to go….nowhere!!!

We had decided that it would be a designated ‘shopping’ morning and in the afternoon we would sit by the pool……however by the time we had actually motivated ourselves, we didn’t get down to breakfast until after 10.00!

BY 10.45 we were ready. We had a plan……our first stop was a shop within walking distance of the hotel. It’s the kind of shop you go into, look around, say oooohhhhh, ahhhhhhhhhh – then say ‘I’ll think about it’ – and by the time you have thought, it’s either closed, or you are on a plane home!!! We’ve been in this shop twice before!! We’ve had enough time to think!!

Once again, we ooood and arrrrrd – and even got involved in negotiations…we were close in price, but not close enough when the little shrewd lady who owns the place said “whuuuuuu u no go waaay n fink abow eet” She was going to let us walk out without buying it!!! Clearly negotiations had either reached her lowest price or she was ‘vellllllly clever’
We bought it!!! Arranged for her to box it up and we would collect it.

Next it was back to the hotel as there was a toilet moment (certainly don’t want to use the public conveniences – and besides which, I had forgotten the toilet paper!)

We needed a taxi for our next adventure. Last year we did a deal with one of the taxi folk who is approved by the hotel but is a public taxi. We were convinced his name was Joe (everyone’s name here is Joe!! – bit like Dong!) We found Joe, but it wasn’t the right Joe (even though we had used this Joe before) He remembered us from last year…….yeah yeah yeah I hear you say – but he did!! “You laaadeeeeee who beeet by tiger”! Yes, he did indeed remember us!! However, that would be a completely whole new story of last year in Bangkok when we went to the Siberian Tiger Sanctuary and one of the juvenile tigers took a chunk out of my leg!!! Big news in Bangkok!! Hospitals, Doctors, Rabies shots etc.

Then it came to me – NOB! Last years Taxi man was called ‘Nob’ – how could we have forgotten that!!!???? (It was on the tip of my tongue!) Anyway, Joe in his excitement, insisted on phoning Nob so we could speak to him!!!! In case I forget to mention it, when we eventually got back to the hotel at 4.30 – Nob was waiting for us to say hello!!! Both of them inquired as to how Jessie was and Nob wanted to know if she ‘waaaaaaaaar loya yet’. How nice is that.

Lost my track of thought………………….

Oh yes, shopping!! Joe took us to various shops, where we shopped and he waited. Some things are fixed prices and some are negotiable. No one thinks that if you go into a proper shop they are going to rip you off – but they don’t care. What are the chances that they will see you again. Slim at best!

Indy and I work as a team……I do the selection process and he does the paying. Having been in one particular shop for about an hour, it was now time to pay. The negotiations were in progress!! The woman started off with some ridiculous price and Indy managed to get it down to about half that, but it was still too much. Next (some thirty minutes later) came the ‘piece de resistance’……..Indy takes out the money that he feels is a fair price and lays in on the table…. he says to the woman you either take the money and I leave here with the stuff or I take the money and leave here with nothing – you can choose but either way, I’m going!! Good move I thought, but at the same time, a little upset that I may be leaving the shop empty handed. At this point, the whole family are now involved in the negotiations……Money speaks volumes, especially when they can see it. The deal was done…..not before every $ was held up to the light, inspected and turned over, She also asked us to exchange 2 notes as she didn’t like the look of them!!! We of course obliged. Joe was waiting outside for us and our shopping!

Off to the next shop….we needed to buy a new case/holdall as we couldn’t fit everything in our suitcases!!

Whilst we were in the shopping village, waiting for them to find the right size holdall, we went for a wander. One minute Indy was at the side of me – the next he had vanished. I back tracked and found him in a Kashmirian Emporium looking at some Kashmirian treasures….. Not wishing to bore you with the details, we now own 2 of them!!! These are too big and too heavy to pack so are being shipped. Ahhhh the wonders of the orient!! In case you want to know – they are Ducks!!

En route back to the car we went past a very nice handbag shop and I am now the proud owner of a very nice Crocodile handbag!! (which incidentally I have shoes in the same colour to match!!)
Indy say “how many handbags to you need”?? What a silly question!

Completely shopped out it was now time to go back to the hotel for a spot of afternoon tea and a cocktail. It was a perfect Mango moment sitting by the waters edge watching the passing boat traffic.

This evening I dressed up in my finery. I had brought with a couple of very nice dresses and grown up shoes that had yet to make it out of the case and I had decided that I was going to wear something nice. No where is smart here – even the 5* hotels…..no one dresses. Jeans and trainers are fine wherever you are and whilst that may be all very convenient, I do sometimes like to look nice – even if it is completely out of place – I don’t care. I own it, I’ve packed it and I’m going to wear it – so I did!

We went to a restaurant called Breeze which is located on the 56 floor of the World Trade Centre. What a fabulous place. It’s set outside on two floors but the main outside bit has been built as a kind of a branch – sticking out from the main tower, held up by not much. The whole area is surrounded by a clear glass wall, about a meter high so that you can lean over but not fall off – Its all reasonably safe, unless you either want to commit suicide or are pushed. Neither of which applied to us.

The food is a clever combination of Asian mixed with a bit of European. The service is good and the tables have nice touches of originality like 6 shot glasses in an acrylic base with all different colour and flavoured tasting sauces. If I didn’t think they would have missed it – I would have ‘borrowed’ it!! However, it wasn’t cheap….infact I would go as far as saying it was extremely expensive – worth it??? – if only for the setting, ambiance and the food was good. Fortunately, it’s a one off.
That was an AA GIll moment!! (Judith has gone home)

Back at the hotel – it’s now bedtime so until tomorrow,

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Lots of love,

A & I
xxxx