What we did: Chatuchak market, wedding cruise
Budget: 3000B/$100; Spent: 3649B/$122
Today was a busy day. We wanted to check out a famous market in Bangkok before heading to the wedding cruise this evening. I would just like to start by saying I can't believe we are going on a wedding cruise. How ridiculous is that? Sure, it's just down the river in Bangkok, and sure it's not like a luxury ocean-liner that we'll be staying on for days, but I mean they rented an entire ship for the evening! We're feeling pretty damn lucky today!
We woke up to our typical breakfast buffet, checked emails, and Facetimed with Frank and Dan. We actually left the hotel fairly early this morning, and got going around 11am.
The Chatuchak market is super easy to get to by skytrain. This was a familiar stop for us because it's the closest station to the Don Mueang International Airport, and the station we bused to both times when arriving in Bangkok.
The market was a short walk down the street from the skytrain station. The street leading up to the market was lined with vendors selling all manner of stuff. Patty picked up a cute little toothbrush holder and then we bought some fruit. The fruit vendors here are awesome. They have pineapple, guava, papaya, mango, watermelon, and more sometimes. They cut up the fruit for you and put it into little bags with some sticks to use to eat the fruit. They tend to have pretty high-tech looking carts that they keep really clean (at least it looks clean!). Anyway, the fruit they sell is unbelievable. Best fruit ever. The mango was actually the best mango I've ever eaten. It was like candy. This is making me hungry...
We then stopped for lunch at a busy street food vendor and ordered some mediocre pad thais. It was pricey considering it was street food. We actually paid more than what we pay at MBK mall! It reminds me why I don't like really touristy areas. The guy operating the place was a pretty interesting character, though. He was yelling this way and that, inviting people in, and just generally being loud.
We then entered Chatuchak, which is basically just a more organized set of street vendors. It was definitely the best market we've been to so far in Bangkok. The range of things they were selling was impressive, and good deals were to be found around every corner.
We bought branded men's underwear (CK, D&G, Armani, etc.) for less than $3 each, where at home a pair can reach $15 or more. Patty bought a pretty awesome bathing suit for cheap and two dresses for $13, and I bought two casual dress shirts for $10.
We wandered around the market for several hours and it was scorching hot. Fans were everywhere, but as soon as you got out of the blowing range of the fans, it quickly became unbearable. I would typically just position myself right in front of a fan whenever we stopped at any store. The stores with AC were a blessing and I think we probably would have died without them. I can't imagine this place in the summer!
We weren't sure exactly what time the cruise tonight would start because Mala hadn't Facebooked us yet, so we left the market early to give ourselves enough time to get home and get ready. The ride home was uneventful, except that Patty found jean shorts for $3, and when we checked Facebook, Mala had messaged us the location and timing of the cruise tonight. We were worried that he would forget about us, but truthfully he's been such a good host that that would be wildly out of character for him.
We had plenty of time to get ready for the cruise, since he had told us to meet at the pier at 6:30pm. Around 6pm we caught a taxi to River City Mall where the pier is located. It took about 20 minutes in traffic and we nearly arrived on time. About 2 minutes after arriving at the mall we saw Mala, Pummy, and one of their relatives, Jay, through a window eating in a restaurant, so we joined them.
We chatted while they ate before heading toward the pier. Mala had told us that the attire for the cruise would be casual, so that's how we dressed. Meanwhile, they are all in suits. Awesome. At least Patty was wearing a dress; I was wearing shorts, a very casual dress shirt, and sandals! Sigh...
The cruise was not departing until 7:45pm, so we had some time. We took some pictures with other people we met, as well as Mala, Pummy, and Mrs. Kamboz. This picture includes Pummy, Mala, me, Mata (Mala's brother), and Pinki (Mala's mom):
When we boarded the ship, it was beautiful and the entire ship had been rented just for the wedding. We took our seats on the second level of the two story ship and were provided with welcome drinks. Once the ship got moving, the bride and groom said some words, thanking everyone for coming and their families for arranging such a beautiful wedding. Then, people were invited to ask the bride and groom any question they wanted. It was a really nice idea!
We hung out with Mala and Pummy at the front of the ship for a bit. It was an amazing view of Bangkok. It was nice to be able to just hang out with them for a bit. It also looked like Mala and Pummy were becoming closer, which was nice to see.
Dinner was a buffet and was delicious. Dinner was a buffet and it was delicious; it was a combination of Thai and Indian food. My favourite part was the fruit: it was delicious, just like everywhere else in Thailand.
After dinner, the DJ started playing music and people started dancing out on the deck on the second level and also in an air-conditioned compartment on the first level of the ship. We spent some more time with Mala, Pummy, and Mrs. Kamboz out on the front of the ship and danced a little bit, though Indian people all have a way of dancing and we kind of feel awkward doing it…but we did it anyway.
I ate so much food, mostly fruit, that I was so stuffed; it was a very nice party. We spent most of the end of the night in the AC compartment because of how hot and humid it was outside. There was a bit of a lip walking into that compartment from the front of the ship and Patty tripped over it...twice! The first time she fell really hard and hurt her hands. Nothing serious, but she got a blood blister on one of her fingers from the fall. The second time it happened she didn't fall, she only stumbled. Poor thing. They really need to have a sign there!
Around 11pm, the cruise was over. The ship returned to where we had departed and we got off. The bride and groom were waiting near the exit to say goodbye to their guests. It was a nice gesture, and Patty and I both got to say our “thank yous” and “goodbyes”. We then chatted with Mala and Pummy, while the bride and her sisters and friends took what must have been hundreds of pictures near the pier. It was so hot and muggy that Mala and Pummy were getting impatient to leave! Unfortunately for them, we waited for the picture taking for about an hour.
At last, said our final goodbye to Mala and hopped in an auto-rickshaw. We arrived at our hotel shortly after and went to bed. It was a good day!
Budget: 3000B/$100; Spent: 3649B/$122
Today was a busy day. We wanted to check out a famous market in Bangkok before heading to the wedding cruise this evening. I would just like to start by saying I can't believe we are going on a wedding cruise. How ridiculous is that? Sure, it's just down the river in Bangkok, and sure it's not like a luxury ocean-liner that we'll be staying on for days, but I mean they rented an entire ship for the evening! We're feeling pretty damn lucky today!
We woke up to our typical breakfast buffet, checked emails, and Facetimed with Frank and Dan. We actually left the hotel fairly early this morning, and got going around 11am.
The Chatuchak market is super easy to get to by skytrain. This was a familiar stop for us because it's the closest station to the Don Mueang International Airport, and the station we bused to both times when arriving in Bangkok.
The market was a short walk down the street from the skytrain station. The street leading up to the market was lined with vendors selling all manner of stuff. Patty picked up a cute little toothbrush holder and then we bought some fruit. The fruit vendors here are awesome. They have pineapple, guava, papaya, mango, watermelon, and more sometimes. They cut up the fruit for you and put it into little bags with some sticks to use to eat the fruit. They tend to have pretty high-tech looking carts that they keep really clean (at least it looks clean!). Anyway, the fruit they sell is unbelievable. Best fruit ever. The mango was actually the best mango I've ever eaten. It was like candy. This is making me hungry...
We then stopped for lunch at a busy street food vendor and ordered some mediocre pad thais. It was pricey considering it was street food. We actually paid more than what we pay at MBK mall! It reminds me why I don't like really touristy areas. The guy operating the place was a pretty interesting character, though. He was yelling this way and that, inviting people in, and just generally being loud.
We then entered Chatuchak, which is basically just a more organized set of street vendors. It was definitely the best market we've been to so far in Bangkok. The range of things they were selling was impressive, and good deals were to be found around every corner.
We bought branded men's underwear (CK, D&G, Armani, etc.) for less than $3 each, where at home a pair can reach $15 or more. Patty bought a pretty awesome bathing suit for cheap and two dresses for $13, and I bought two casual dress shirts for $10.
We wandered around the market for several hours and it was scorching hot. Fans were everywhere, but as soon as you got out of the blowing range of the fans, it quickly became unbearable. I would typically just position myself right in front of a fan whenever we stopped at any store. The stores with AC were a blessing and I think we probably would have died without them. I can't imagine this place in the summer!
We weren't sure exactly what time the cruise tonight would start because Mala hadn't Facebooked us yet, so we left the market early to give ourselves enough time to get home and get ready. The ride home was uneventful, except that Patty found jean shorts for $3, and when we checked Facebook, Mala had messaged us the location and timing of the cruise tonight. We were worried that he would forget about us, but truthfully he's been such a good host that that would be wildly out of character for him.
We had plenty of time to get ready for the cruise, since he had told us to meet at the pier at 6:30pm. Around 6pm we caught a taxi to River City Mall where the pier is located. It took about 20 minutes in traffic and we nearly arrived on time. About 2 minutes after arriving at the mall we saw Mala, Pummy, and one of their relatives, Jay, through a window eating in a restaurant, so we joined them.
We chatted while they ate before heading toward the pier. Mala had told us that the attire for the cruise would be casual, so that's how we dressed. Meanwhile, they are all in suits. Awesome. At least Patty was wearing a dress; I was wearing shorts, a very casual dress shirt, and sandals! Sigh...
The cruise was not departing until 7:45pm, so we had some time. We took some pictures with other people we met, as well as Mala, Pummy, and Mrs. Kamboz. This picture includes Pummy, Mala, me, Mata (Mala's brother), and Pinki (Mala's mom):
When we boarded the ship, it was beautiful and the entire ship had been rented just for the wedding. We took our seats on the second level of the two story ship and were provided with welcome drinks. Once the ship got moving, the bride and groom said some words, thanking everyone for coming and their families for arranging such a beautiful wedding. Then, people were invited to ask the bride and groom any question they wanted. It was a really nice idea!
We hung out with Mala and Pummy at the front of the ship for a bit. It was an amazing view of Bangkok. It was nice to be able to just hang out with them for a bit. It also looked like Mala and Pummy were becoming closer, which was nice to see.
Dinner was a buffet and was delicious. Dinner was a buffet and it was delicious; it was a combination of Thai and Indian food. My favourite part was the fruit: it was delicious, just like everywhere else in Thailand.
After dinner, the DJ started playing music and people started dancing out on the deck on the second level and also in an air-conditioned compartment on the first level of the ship. We spent some more time with Mala, Pummy, and Mrs. Kamboz out on the front of the ship and danced a little bit, though Indian people all have a way of dancing and we kind of feel awkward doing it…but we did it anyway.
I ate so much food, mostly fruit, that I was so stuffed; it was a very nice party. We spent most of the end of the night in the AC compartment because of how hot and humid it was outside. There was a bit of a lip walking into that compartment from the front of the ship and Patty tripped over it...twice! The first time she fell really hard and hurt her hands. Nothing serious, but she got a blood blister on one of her fingers from the fall. The second time it happened she didn't fall, she only stumbled. Poor thing. They really need to have a sign there!
Around 11pm, the cruise was over. The ship returned to where we had departed and we got off. The bride and groom were waiting near the exit to say goodbye to their guests. It was a nice gesture, and Patty and I both got to say our “thank yous” and “goodbyes”. We then chatted with Mala and Pummy, while the bride and her sisters and friends took what must have been hundreds of pictures near the pier. It was so hot and muggy that Mala and Pummy were getting impatient to leave! Unfortunately for them, we waited for the picture taking for about an hour.
At last, said our final goodbye to Mala and hopped in an auto-rickshaw. We arrived at our hotel shortly after and went to bed. It was a good day!
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