So, I just came back from a vacation in the City of Angels with a few of my closest friends. This is also my first trip alone without parental control (other than those with schools) and I was so hyped! Particularly because I planned for the whole trip from top till end, with a little help from Samuel of course.
THE SHOPPING
Need I say more? The "shop till you drop" lingo is definetely true, no doubt. We didn't even bother to see scenery or what not because " We Are There To Shop!" I had a chance to venture the famous 7-storey Platinum Mall for 4 hours and my verdict is!!....
Meh. I don't like it. For the benefit of doubt, I bought a few great pieces from there and clothes there are of better quality and design as compared to markets. But, prices there are a bit jacked because many shops get their stocks from wholesale markets and resell there. There were Singaporeans every 50m which wasn't very comfortable since I might spot someone wearing the same piece back home. Nah. My spending rationale there was YOLO but I ain't buying anything mainstream.
Union Mall was another favourite place because it's less crowded and there were GUYS STUFF. So the 4 guys among us had things to do. Although I didn't buy anything much there, I would say the pieces are less mainstream, more special, but a little more expensive. Besides, there was a variety of food in the mall (by variety I meant international) and I really liked the feeling of walking in an empty mall.
As for the markets, we went to Pratunam morning market which operates the whole day, but from 5-8am it's at wholesale prices. So, I dragged the guys and forced them to wake up at 5am to accompany us. This was where I got most of my loots; around 13 pieces for 2 hours. The boys went to lim kopi after 20 mins.
The best market in Krung Tep Mahanakhon will be the one that has no tourists, most locals. And that is SAPHAN PHUT. All of us had a great time there and most of the buying was done by the guys. I enjoyed shopping with them, giving comments and laughing at their choice. That was a really great night. I highly recommend people to try this market but the only thing, is that it's quite far from civilization and only a cab can bring you there. But be careful not to be "chopped" by the drivers. 150 baht should get you there.
Chatuchak and Siam are the mainstream places which I quite enjoy, but I shouldn't digress since it's so mainstream hah.
THE FOOD
Sadly, I said SADLY, we didn't eat much. I was looking forward to Pad Thai for 10 meals straight but we only had it 3 times. 3 pathetic times. And we shared the dish :'( Anyway, the enjoyable thing was we food-hopped; we ordered a bowl, share, and jump to the next stall for the next dish. The best thing was pork intestines rice. SO HEAVENLY. And there was once we ordered from a roadside stall, the menu provided was all in Thai. I YOLO-ed and pointed at longest name and LO AND BEHOLD, heavenly la! Turned out to be some pork spicy rice and goodness gracious, best I have ever eaten. On that same day, another road side stall that sold Pad Thai was damn awesome too. BEST I HAVE EVER EATEN. I regret not ta-pao-ing 10 packs to the hotel.
This is why I can never get sick of Asian food.
THE MISCELLANEOUS
There was this funny incident around Patpong Market where I was suddenly demanded with tissues. Turns out that Samuel had a nosebleed. I freaked out when I saw blood just flowing on the curb of the road. I wasn't going to faint but it wasn't a nice feeling please.. I went to get cold water and extra tissues when that clever boy decides to blow his nose again and more blood dripped on the road. I'm just...like...goodness..why..is..there..so..much..blood. And my friends laughed at me. mehhhh.
Anyway, it was a great trip due to the company. And really have to thank God for everything because nothing is a coincidence. Including some issues finding the driver to the hotel and checking in, and especially the cab journey was safe. Can't take everything for granted. I was glad I went with this group of people cos they are the ones I grew up with, and most likely the ones I'll grow old with. There was connection in fun, laughter and in God also. Really thank God for everything. And after this trip, I found a new calling in life: plan for more trips. I enjoyed doing everything from booking to researching to bringing people around. And someday I hope I can plan for my own personal trip alone!
P.S, I finished the whole game of The House of The Dead in an arcade. And I demonstrated a zombie when asking for L4D in a LAN shops. #TheThingsWeDo.
No comments:
Post a Comment