Bangkok: We Eat, We Shop & Get What We Knead

Ode to Bangkok
Oh Bangkok, dear Bangkok
Greatest city on Earth!
You fill me and thrill me with delirious mirth.
Your massages relax
Your foods delight
I can shop on your streets from morning till night
And when I return from a long hard day
My wallet’s still full, for so little we pay!

Please check back here for the release date on my volume of original verse.

Yes, we are in Bangkok - Asia’s most intoxicating city! And just like every trip to Bangkok I take, we hit the ground running.

Day 1:
We arrive around 5PM. First stop: The Tailor’s.

Narin continues to win our business. Tex needs a new suit and this is the best place to go!

Second stop: Food! We hit up Cabbages and Condoms on Soi 11. All proceeds go toward supporting health education in Thailand.

The food here is tasty and the décor unique. We order:
starters:

stirfried soft shell crab


prawn and eggplant salad



phad thai pataya

Cleverly arranged condoms account for the eatery’s interior.

No surprise here. Man U always plays it safe (Go Arsenal!)

Day 2:
We get an early start and take the river boat to Wat Po.

We are there to get a look at the Reclining Buddha.

But these little braided girls are here to get a look at Loppy Lou. They request an interview with her and she relents.

I ask one of the school girls to take our photo. She does. And completely misses the Buddha. School girls...
Luckily we find a more conscientious photographer to help us out.

At Wat Po we unwind with a massage at the most famous massage school in the world.

Next, I bid adieu to Tex and Loppy Lou. They are headed to the Grand Palace, which I’ve visited a number of times. I take it easy at the amulet market.


Here you can buy any number of powerful amulets to protect you from evil and bring you luck. I don’t really know what I’m looking at.
I seriously don’t know what I am looking at. What the???

I spot some delicious looking Asian tacos! I bite into one (with my very own teeth) only to discover they contain coconut. I am not a lover of the coconut. I throw it away, but I’m sure it would have been delicious to someone more fond of the coconut than I. Loppy Lou, Tex, and I reassemble. We head to the hotel to meet Mr. Happy who had to spend his days in KL working (what’s that?). We take the recommendation of the Lonely Planet and go to the Vientiane Kitchen for dinner. They claim it’s one of the best thai restaurants in Bangkok.

There is live entertainment.

And we order a tower of beer that knocks Tex’s socks off!

We also order up some spring rolls and duck beaks.

Yes, you read correctly. We ate duck beaks. Well…Mr. Happy passed. They are meatier than you might imagine.

We also meet the world’s best balloon artist. He created this Pink Panther…Bangkok style.

He definitely deserves the title “artist”.

Noticing that Loppy Lou and I have big eyes for the clown, our boys try to show off their own balloon skills.

This was embarrassing for all of us.

The clown made us…this!

Not sure exactly what it is, but it’s definitely technically difficult.

Day 3: Chatuchauk Market
This is the best market on Earth. Silk shawls, tshirts, cutlery, bags, sunglasses, mosquito face masks…we get it all here. We barely have time for a rest and a bite to eat.

That night we hit up Khao San Road. This is a big party area. Here we are attacking our first bucket of whiskey. Yum!

Day 4: Relax
This is our day to relax! We decide to have a leisurely lunch at Naj. THIS is the place Lonely Planet should list as the best Thai restaurant in Bangkok. It is delicious and the restaurant is beautiful. It is on Convent near the Sala Deng Sky Train Stop. Everyday they have an amazing 5 course lunch for only 250 bhat!!!! This is the best deal in Asia. Go!

No duck beak here!

We follow up the eating extravaganza with a TWO HOUR massage at Body Tunes.

The face of relaxation.

That night Mr. Happy and I head off the shops of MBK and Tex and Loppy Lou head off to Calypso!

Um, where exactly is your hand Loppy Lou???

We regrettably must leave Bangkok. But it’s not easy. We pile into a cab with all of our bags and new purchases.

We just fit. And of course… Mr. Happy uses every free minute to squeeze in some work! Take it easy Mr. Happy!