Chatuchak Market

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After a fabulous night in the biggest bed in the world (yes Susie it's bigger than the bed at the Ramases Hilton!), we venture to the delight that is Chatuchak Market, all 35 acres of it!
Split into the most confusing sections ever, we wander in the oppressive heat, aimlessly for the better part of an hour. We stop at a nice bar for coffee, I spot a clock and it seems we've been here for less than ten minutes. As we leave later, Kev remarks that the hands haven't actually moved! I blame the heat.
Kev wonders what the smell is, by now I don't even notice it.
Chatuchak has an incredible abundance of everything. If you want a cooking pot, iguana, Rolex, Louis Vouitton, bra, flip flops, hammock etc, it's all here. It's like eBay but there are no restrictions on what you can sell and you get blisters just from looking.
The food looks appetising but it would be like ordering cordon bleu and eating over an open sewer, everywhere you walk is murky looking, foul smelling water.
After more time here than is sensible, we take the Skytrain back into Bangkok.
Luckily for us the rain gods decide to let rip while we're on the train. We reach Siam and it's absolutely pelting down, more water than we've ever seen in one hit. It's like the most powerful shower in the world and it's just not stopping.
We take shelter in one of several huge shopping centres, Bluewater eat your heart out!
It's shoppers paradise and Kev's personal hell. Even the shopping centres have shopping centres inside them, they're very very confusing and virtually impossible to leave.
We did however find a very nice japanese restaurant where we indulged in a Sushi snack (photos to follow). After gorging ourselves stupid on handrolls we take the plunge and hit the many escalators that take you into shopping hell, otherwise known as the Mobile Phone bit!
More phones and people than are comfortable, so it's a swift cab ride back to our hotel.
The cab driver is from out of town and doesn't have a clue where our hotel is, or how to communicate in English, this proves slightly difficult as he also forgoes putting the meter on.
We escape eventually when we give him the 'take me to this hotel' card, an absolute godsend.

We decide not to venture far this evening, but find ourselves in a restaurant with a house band. A lovely waitress puts a card on the table, the card invites you to select a song for the house band to play, both Kev and I suspect that they're not familiar with Slayer and that Angel of Death probably isn't in their song book. We endure much Britney Spears, Carlos Santana, Kylie and various tracks from Grease. The Long Island Ice Tea (1.50 a go) seems to make the house band bearable, coupled with the fact that the Arsenal match is on the TV!
Having polished off far too many starters and a huge main course we stagger back to our hotel in time to see Chelsea thrash Liverpool (we were cheering for you lot Ant!).
Tomorrow it's off to Chang Mai, we hear it's a bit wet there...

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Photos

sushi 1
sushi snack

sushi 2
sushi snack, too much sushi for lunch

Comments

[jo @ kerrang!]

it's only been two days...
And already you're getting yourselves into scrapes. Love the journal, looking forward to photos, it sounds pretty crazy! All is good here, so no worries - have a fabulous time! xxxx