Shop til you drop in Bangkok

Shopping at the MBK Center

While the islands of Thailand seem to be fueled by the laid back sounds of Bob Marley and the constant hum of the ocean, Bangkok takes on a slightly quicker pace. We chose to spend 3 days in the lively city of excess and we knew that would be plenty. Our goal was to shop, shop and shop...

Because the heat was so intense during the day we opted to take a taxi to the shopping mall, MBK to pursue some indoor, air conditioned shopping. It's lovely to have this as an option since air conditioning was nearly non existent in Cambodia, Vietnam and the islands of Thailand. I have to say I was blown away by MBK. The shopping center is HUGE. I've actually never seen anything like it. It's similar to a market, housing vendor after vendor selling whatever goods you might possibly desire. Seven floors contain everything from jeans to cheap watches to designer goods. The sheer size of it is rather overwhelming. I'd say it's on par with the mall of America, but it is laid out completely differently. What's equally as crazy is the fact that the shopping center is surrounded by tens of others! And many look comparable in size. We also spent one afternoon seeing a movie at a gigantic imax theater near MBK. The buildings here are so big and swanky and many of them are so very well kept up. For some reason I didn't quite imagine Bangkok to be quite like this. High end designers can easily be found too, if you've got deep pockets. It was fashion week in Bangkok so we were able to check out some of the local designers pieces on display which was pretty cool.

Market Reserch

As the heat became slightly more tolerable, we spent our evenings scouring Khao San market just next to our hotel for gifts and such. We also spoke with local vendors who sell wholesale, just in case. We've been loosely toying with the idea of opening a shop when we get back home, so we are using this trip as an opportunity to meet wholesalers and seek pricing. At this point it's just a thought, so we'll see if it ever materializes. All in all we got just what we wanted out of Bangkok. I am still dumbfounded by the amount of shopping centers and markets to be found here. The traffic is reminds me of LA. It seems rush hour is round the clock and there is always a traffic jam in central Bangkok.

Chillin on Khoa San...Great vintage Vespa

Miguel found some of the vendors to be rather jaded and a bit rude. When he low balled one guy bartering for a pair of shorts, he was met with pure attitude. When Miguel asked for a a price on another pair the vendor simply responded, "they're too expensive". (I couldn't help but be reminded of Pretty Woman here) One of Miguel's bartering experiences ended with a vendor telling him to go back to his country, which by the way was as uncalled for as it sounds. He showed real restraint by simply smiling and walking away. So not everyone here was overly kind. My experiences were milder and no one was ever out right rude to me. I was mostly met with smiles and respect.

While I enjoyed Thailand and the time that we spent here (how could you not?) I don't think I'll have any sort of overwhelming desire to return (except for the excellent shopping). As I think back on the trip thus far, Cambodia still takes the cake. By the way I want to thank you all for your comments. I've been getting home sick because I miss you all sooo much and the comments help. -K