Went with Sali, an old school friend who was forced to shop the first time she came to BKK. So we planned on more sightseeing. The first funny thing (to me) I observed after alighting from the plane was that the handholds for the bus was really2 high up! I had to really reach up to grab the ring. It was built for Mat Sallehs ke? After the necessary clearance and baggage retrieval, we grabbed a meter taxi, which thankfully was plentiful and really well organised. Very reasonable price too. Did get stuck in traffic, but it wasn't too bad. Reached the Amari Watergate hotel where Yumiko was in about an hour. From there we took another cab to her apartment nearby. Unfortunately, she had to work through the weekend, so we only hung out with her at night. As it was, she had to return to her meeting as soon as we got settled in.
After lunch and some rest, we hopped onto the BTS Skytrain which is the LRT equivalent there and went to the nearby Jim Thompson house. The guy was a silk merchant and father of the modern Thai silk industry. He was also a US OSS agent (now CIA). He disappeared one day in Cameron Highlands while hunting tiger in Malaysia (hrm.. padan muka, kacau our tigers) in 1967. He could either be eaten by a tiger or "taken care of" by his enemies. No one knows... In any case, due to the uniqueness of the house, his status and the mystery of his disappearance, the place is now a commercial tourist attraction.
The complex has a shop selling JT goods, which by the way is very2 expensive and a fine dining restaurant. It's still cheaper than fine dining in KL, but I was kind of disappointed la. Fine dining seems to be paying too much money for prettified food...
We went back via another route and saw the klong boats. Thot it was funny the boat attendants wore helmets, but motorcyclists on the road don't. Later found out that helmets were necessary to protect them when going under bridges!!
Afterwards, all of us went for a massage session at a nearby spa. Heh. A luxury I can't afford in KL! I opted for the cheaper Thai massage, while Sali & Yumiko went for aromatherapy ones. Got different2 floors for different massages, you know.. don't play play!! It was an interesting experience, very refreshing.
Next, Y treated us to a "welcome dinner" at a nearby restaurant. It was good. Then we proceeded to a jazz pub where Y's colleague was playing (note guy in blue, playing the trumpet). It was crowded, smelly and noisy, the usual things I hate abt pubs, but we hung out there for a bit with her colleagues. We walked all the way up and down the street to all these places, so rest assured, Mr Slave Driver, the tomyam has already been taken care of.
Got home and immediately conked out. End of Day 1.
~To be continued...
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