Counterfeit Heaven

Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Bangkok
January 13th 2008

Published: January 13th 2008

Since today was the first day my housemates are spending in Bangkok, we decided to go out and I would show them a couple of the things around town. So I first took them to the nearby mall just so they could see where it was and what was there. We then hopped in a cab and went to the nearby skytrain station (Bangkok has 1 or 2 subway lines and 1 or 2 skytrain lines). We took the skytrain downtown to where the enormous malls are and went into Siam Paragon, where I had stopped earlier in the week but didn't really take time to look around. This mall was enormous and the stores they had there blew my mind. It was pretty much like 5th Avenue in one giant building. They had Armani, Gucci, Guess, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, and a BMW, Porsche, Ferrari, Maseratti, and a Lotus dealer... all inside the mall. Oh and there was also an aquarium in the basement. I didn't bring my camera with me because I didn't expect the mall to be so crazy, but one of the others brought it so I am going to steal her photos and you'll all be able to see them eventually.

After we wandered the mall for a bit we grabbed lunch and went across the street to another mall, MBK. One of the guys here said that was where we could get really cheap DVD's and he wasn't lying. This mall was counterfeit heaven. It was pretty much like a giant flea market. As far as electronics go, they had every kind of phone imaginable, including unlocked iPhones, iPod's, all sorts of cameras and video game systems. Then there were the CD's and DVD's. Pretty much they way it was is the stores would have little books with movies, music, tv series, computer games, computer programs, and video games, and you'd pick what you wanted and in about 20-30 minutes, they'd burn you a copy and you'd have it to take home. And it wasn't just movies that you'd be able to buy regularly in a store. They had movies that were still in theaters (for example, I could have bought Sweeney Todd, which came out only about 2 weeks ago). Prices ranged from $3-$20 but most were under $10. That was also true for computer programs. They had programs that only cost about $10 that normally would cost hundreds. Granted, you're taking a risk in purchasing because you don't know if it will work or not, but still, for the price it's worth it. So if anyone wants movies or computer programs, let me know.

But not only did the mall have counterfeit electronics, it also had a ton of clothes and shoes and other accessories. Almost any brand of clothing or handbags you could imagine, usually for under $10. I think I'm going to head back there one day soon after school to do some serious shopping and try to get some nice clothes for myself. There were also plenty of places there that I could get suits. Most places were around $200 for 2 suits, 2 pants, 2 shirts, and 2 ties. I'm still going to shop around to find a good place to get them made, but that is an amazing price for personally tailored clothing.

After finishing up at the mall we just went home and have been relaxing around here since. I've been unusually tired and just am not feeling 100% today so I'm going to try and get a good night's sleep tonight so I'll be ready to go for school tomorrow. I'm really excited to get to the school tomorrow and to see what it's going to be like so hopefully I will have lots to write about tomorrow. Until then, here are a couple of my thoughts for today:

1) Public transportation (specifically the skytrain) in Bangkok seems to be incredibly clean and efficient. The train was cheap (anywhere from 10-40 baht depending on how far you're traveling), the trains came regularly, and they were really clean on the inside. It was really easy to get a ticket and the ab ride to the nearest station is only 80 baht, so with the cab and train combined it's still about the same price as taking the cab alone, but with taking the train I don't have to deal with as much traffic.

2) Bangkok seems to be a tale of two cities. On the one hand, you've got the incredibly wealthy tourist and shopping areas. For example, where I am staying is like a resort. Even though the prices are very reasonable, it makes me feel like I'm rich because I'm staying here. Combined with that are the enormous malls which have these really high end designer stores which are only located in a few cities around the world. On the other hand, you've got this center of wealth surrounded by enormous poverty. I've seen houses make of sheet metal and most of the city just seems to be run down. I'm sure that a lot of people are making enough to survive but there doesn't seem to be a distinction between the poor and the middle class like there is in the US. It seems like there's poor or wealthy with very little in between. I'm sure that this is partially due to my naivety and that I'm just not seeing the whole picture at this point, but it does seem to be like there are two very distinct worlds here in Bangkok.

Missing everyone back home and I look forward to checking my e-mail everyday to see who's written to me so thanks for the questions and comments. Keep them coming.

Copyright Notice: All Rights Reserved