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| A relaxed sit while waiting for a pickup. |
ven just ordering a vanilla sundae, hanging out in any McDo in Bangkok can prolong to hours.
Why not, when it's free to charge your phone in a built-in station plus free Wi-fi courtesy of the password on the receipt?
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| McDo Bangkapi a global brand offers free wi-fi on receipt |
That giveaway was something I learned at McDo in The Mall Bangkapi that Sunday morning while waiting for an unknown Thai person who’s gonna pick us up for my sister’s send-off for her official teaching assignment.
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| A cheap hostel posting along Ramkhanghaeng |
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| Coin-operated water dispenser |
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| Coin-operated washing machine |
2 nights ago we arrived after the 10-hour return trip and checked in another room this time in a neighborhood hostel with those necessities like the coin-operated laundries and water dispensers. The location is near the main road of Ramkhanghaeng where I spent the last night with my sister for her send-off the next day.
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| Outside Bangkapi Mall, walkways await |
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| Take AUV for an alternate ride to provinces in Mochit |
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| Mochit terminal features a one-stop-shop for all province bound |
When the expected party arrived, we went straight to the parking. The lady we met was quite excited to meet us during the pickup ride. Her name is Ms. Jubs, a Thai teacher from the province of Chayaphum. In less than an hour, we were in the bus terminal of Mochit hauling bags, and in a few moments, we bade goodbye as I gave a word of assurance to my sister that I would be coming back.
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| Not goodbye but a welcome to our Thai contact |
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| Ticket prices are posted for each destination |
So, it’s my turn to face Bangkok by myself back to the main BTS in Mochit the inner city. I took my chance on one bus and took my step down unsure if it was right. I found myself among the crowd and swarming tourists in those alleys leading to a market with what seemed like abandoned buildings in the backdrop. I realized I reached the famed weekend market of Chatuchak. And it was not by chance, It was time for my last-minute shopping endeavor.
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| Chatuchak's a shopping revelation |
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| Food corner along the shopping lanes of Chatuchak |
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| That's shopping at its restless peak moments |
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| Unstoppable tourists pour in as the afternoon peak |
Chatuchak only opens on Saturday and Sunday. It probably has the widest and finest collection of what one can get out of Thailand’s crafts and souvenirs. Those purses, leather goods, deli, and garments that have the Thai distinction are so sought-after and a paradise for the finders. No wonder all kinds of tourists were here scrambling and scouring the area to feed their shopping fantasy and for cheaper prices. Before the shopping got too addicting, I managed to leave in a couple of hours not without getting my share of the loot – the 5 peso coin purse I would share as little gifts.
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| The king's shrine at the lobby of The Mall Bangkapi |
While riding the BTS, images threw me back to the sight of people offering some flowers to the shrine of the late and beloved King Bhumibol of Thailand in The Mall Bangkapi lobby. In Thailand, I guess being a monarch is to be a legend. But there are yet farangs like the one in Mochit, lost in city jungle struggling to make it a day peddling in the street.
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| A farang running out of travel funds resorts to photo selling in Mochit |
