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A view outside Starbucks Sukhumvit together with other
seekers
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The
best place I guess to hatch a game plan for a lone wanderer caught up in
trappings of transition. A higher sense and purpose must have summoned me
to return to Thailand as if Buddha’s calling from temples elsewhere.
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Checking in at backpacker solo bedroom at Take-A-Rest
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Earlier,
I overcame the immigration obstacle having entered Thailand for the second time
with not much of a question. I made an early arrival that gave me a chance to
try the airport link and transfer to BTS for a less hassle trip. In less than
an hour, I made my 10 AM check-in at Take-A-Rest to take a rest
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| Apartelles in and out and in between in Sukhumvit Phra Kanong |
This bed and breakfast
accommodation located just a few steps from BTS Phra Kanong was my
habitat for the next 3 days, a modest inn that competes and compares with all
other backpacker hotels along the famed thanon or avenue.
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Traffic building up the stretch of Sukhumvit
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Its infrastructure plus
a high rise glory once in Sukhumvit, a thriving district of coffee shops street
peddlers, and sprouting boutique shops. Pacing along other races was a directional
exercise for that fate called next. Passing by the Vadhana district, I took a
short break in one mall when I noticed an intriguing coin-operated machine that
forecasts using a horoscope. As a luck finder, I was almost lured
but then I wasn’t superstitious enough to get the hang of it.
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A horoscope forecasting machine with just a drop of a baht
coin
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All by myself that could be a song that could sum up that moment - a jumble between chance and choice to an
unfamiliar land where I had to start from default – no network, no keepers.
Just the guts and skills but as they say glory belongs to those who follow the
stars.
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| Jacking up the restlessness of the urban vibe in the Vadhana District |
In
Bangkok, it would be a tough play as the culture is locked with their Buddhist
religion and an age-old language. With that obstacle, the adjustment could
spell shock as the majority of Thais are linguistically adamant. With that, I
made my last coffee sip and proceeded to nowhere.
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Girls assemble in the corner by the entrance of Siam Paragon
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Taking
BTS, Siam Paragon was a comfortable 10-minute transfer. Something was brewing
as I entered the lobby by the walkway. A group of towering women was coming
their way in a cadence of the catwalk. It’s no denying these girls
were contestants of a beauty pageant and they were promoting it to mallgoers as
they were introduced by batches.
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Elegant walk and turn …girls, good luck
|
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Selfies are welcome for the contestant's meet-and-greet
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Miss
Universe Thailand was about to crown the new one after the success of Chalita
Suansane in the last Miss Universe 2016. The missiology mode sparked in me watching the ladies sashayed in uniform casual dress. I was eyeing for a contestant named Maria Poonlertlarp and she was the tallest and most striking girl
in the pack, the one who is forecasted to be a strong contender for the title.
Fasai was another stylish contestant I was rooting for to win a crown.
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A glimpse of Fasai and Maria, the early favorites and the
ones to beat…promise
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Thailand’s
obsession with beauty is apparent as dermatological
clinics are scattered in malls and even on main street corners. Even some tourists came
here not just for tourism but for makeovers and enhancements due to cheaper
quotations. Surgery is a big industry in Thailand as much as wellness
like the traditional Thai massage. Once the stint ended, the fascination
dissipated as everybody returned to the usual malling fashion.
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| Closer...Thai beauty is enamoring |
Those
girls were chasing stars and were bent to validate Thailand as another beauty
haven, not just another outsourcing of beauty products or red-light pleasures
like in the districts of Silom or in Pattaya. For some fancier
Thais, it's more of a status symbol to marry a farang or
whites than just a hookup. Miss Universe Thailand will be crowned in a few days
while mine is yet to be seen after the weekend as my sister promised to arrive
by the weekend and pick me up. In the meantime, it's best to revert to
shopping mode and rationalize the what-ifs and why-not while feasting on all the rousing wows Siam Paragon could offer. Outside, it was already raining.
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Siam Paragon is a shopping jewelry goldmine
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