A bit of this, a bit of that

Bangkok: A bit of this, a bit of that

March 5, 2023

First stop today was Siam Paragon. I needed some mustard seeds for my kitchen and the supermarket in the basement there has a good selection of spices, if a bit pricey. Found my seeds and next stop was the Mandarin Oriental Shop. I hadn’t been here in a long time but was not disappointed. Their coffee, pastries and cakes are still as delicious as I remembered them. And yes, their nougat ice cream is a must whenever I go there.

Next was Central World. I didn’t really need anything there, but checked out the Tank Store for pouches for my camera belt and had a quick look at Uniqlo and Defry. Nothing really interesting there so I continued towards Pratu Nam, another area I haven’t visited much since before COVID.

I didn’t dive in this neighborhood as it would require way more time, an entire afternoon walk by itself in fact. I limited myself by observing the traffic at the Pratu Nam intersection, busy as usual. It gets its name – “water gate”, or Pratu Nam (ประตูน้ำ) in Thai – from an historical sluice gate, used to regulate water levels for agricultural and boating purposes and was build in 1905 during the reign of King Rama V (King Chulalongkorn).

Then I hopped on the Sean Saep Canal Boat, all the way to Phan Fa Lilat Bridge (สะพานผ่านฟ้าลีลาศ), close to the Golden Mount. From there I walked along Khlong Bang Lamphu to the Khao San Road tourist area.

I passed by Tang Hua Seng Department Store, one of Bangkok’s original supermarkets. There are always Tuk-tuks and motorcycle parked outside there, and the nearby old shop houses make for a good backdrop when photographing motorbikes, buses, taxis or whatever vehicles pass by. With the sun setting by now I moved on to Soi Rambuttri, the less busy part of the Khao San tourist area. This mostly traffic free little alley is always a good spot for a drink, a chat with travelers, or just watching the world go by.