Day 3
It is 8:45am and were going down to the coffee shop for naashta. We are still undecided on where to go today.
Finally left the hotel 10:45am and decided to turn left again from our hotel alley Soi 21...this means we are headed to the khlong and another boat ride to Pratunam. What we couldn't achieve yesterday we were going to attempt today. As soon as we stepped on the pier, the boat arrived and we boarded as if we have been doing this for a long time. The boat was full so had to stand holding the railings. Everything is so organized, fellow passengers extend common courtesy and make room without one asking, elderly, pregnant and persons with special needs are offered a seat without any fuss no matter which form of people’s movers you are on. Very impressive indeed.
So, we got off at the Pratunam pier and unlike yesterday we went along with the crowd, crossed the bridge as the traffic came to a standstill. Once we were on the other side we turned right towards the Pratunam Platinum Mall. The mall gave the feeling as if everything was on sale on wholesale price...we started at the top and haggled our way down for some serious shopping.
Once outside we realized it was 2:30pm and our stomachs were growling. We were very happy to find an Arabic food stall serving shawarmas...so we ordered and ate. They had an outdoor cafe style setting...we watched the human traffic pass by in both direction. There were several roadside stalls selling handicrafts to t-shirts to fresh and preserved fruits etc. All kinds of people from all over the world. Some fully dressed and too many of them, just barely. To each his/her own.
Anyway, after the snack we crossed the road to enter the actual Pratunam wholesale market. Surprisingly there were not too many people there...did some customary haggling & a bit of shopping and then decided to head back…the outdoor environment was getting too hot for an enjoyable experience.
We backtracked and found ourselves at the Pratunam pier again, but this time on the other side of the khlong. The boat ride was eventful as we accidentally got off at Nana...waited for the next boat and this time disembarked at the correct pier. The walk back was a struggle, with the bags and the hurting feet. Foot massage needed!
Once we were back, the first thing the family did was to do a detailed assessment of the day’s shopping. We contemplated on what our next excursion would be...was it going to be a hop on hop off bus or sightseeing to some touristy spot…maghrib is at 5:45 so the day was gone.
I had decided what we were going to do for dinner. Someone needs to take charge. I pulled up via google halal restaurants options close to our hotel and pinpointed a location on Sukhumvit soi 11. So around 7pm we stepped out again for a longish 20 minute walk that would take us to soi 19, soi 15, Sukhumvit road and finally to soi 11 where there were several restaurants serving desi cuisine. The family chose Dossa King...I'll let the pictures do the talking. The food was very good but we could not finish it, so asked for it to go.
Once done, we backtracked the same route and this time the walk back was more of a stroll. Picked up some trinkets and some fruit on the way and made one final stop at the 7Eleven before returning to our hotel room.
