(Day 3)
We decided to go see what the big mall in Bangkok was all about, and also to check out the famous Chatuchak market. The mall was a mall, but the Chatuchak market was something else entirely.
Our mode of transportation to the mall was the local bus. Riding this thing reminded me so much of South America. We hopped on, paid 6 baht, and went swerving around town on our way to our destination. The bus would stop and open the door for a split second for the people to have a small chance to make in on board on time, and then it would take off without a moment's hesitation. The guy driving looked like he was about 14 years old and he was peeling and eating an orange, keeping one or two fingers of one hand on the steering wheel. It was perfect!
Really, I wasn't too impressed with the mall, although it was interesting to see how many copies of things they have. Watches, speakers, cameras, books, etc. It appears the copyright laws here are either non-existent, or they're completely outdated.
We hopped on board a train to get to Chatuchak market. We ran into a Swedish couple who were heading the same way. I'm grateful for them because we didn't realize we were going to have to switch trains to get there. They kindly informed us when we were to get off. They were really nice people. I can't remember the woman's name, but the man's was William. He was about as tall as Blake, but was balding and had a well-trimmed, but thick beard on his face. They gave us a few pointers about places to go and places to avoid in Thailand.
The market was exceptional! It is by far the biggest market I have ever been to. According to the on-line website, there are over 8,000 vendor stalls! People were selling literally everything imaginable, and more. Everything was extremely cheap and seemed very authentic. Soaps, art, food, jewelry, clothing, candies, furniture, and much much more. It was located alongside an extremely massive, seemingly vacated building/structure of a grey color which contrasted greatly with the vibrant colors, alluring smells, and energetic life that swirled on around us at the market. I found the place so fascinating. We walked and walked and walked and walked but never finished seeing everything. We walked roughly 6.5 slow miles stopping and entering hundreds of stalls and hallways, but still there was more to see. Exhausted, we decided to head back home.
We found a taxi to take all five of us back to Soi Rambuttri using the meter. Again, split between five people, it's extremely inexpensive to travel from place to place. I think we paid like 20 baht per person to get back home ($0.66 USD).
We made our first mistake for dinner. We went to a place which advertised itself as "pizza and jazz". It sounded enticing and because we were craving some cheese (typical Americans), we decided to dine there. It was overpriced (about $5 a person; I know, I shouldn't be complaining), and it was not very tasty. I think I'm going to stick to Thai food from now on because so far, I have loved every bite of it.
As I laid my head down to sleep, I thought to myself: "Mistakes are part of travel. And part of life. How beautiful."
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