Christmas in Bangkok.

[Stewey]

I continued on the walkway popping into the BIC Supercentre. A lot of cheap stuff including a cheap wine shop. I loved the label on this South African red.
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The place is over the road from Central World.
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Next door is a new mall the Market. Still a lot of space empty but looking like it will be another nice spot. One of the princesses has a charity shop there. Also a competitor for the Thai bag shop NaRaYa.
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I then crossed the street on the walkway. Up the road was the first hotel we stayed at back in 1974. The Indra Regent. Near the old Pratunam markets.
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The Indra Regent, stayed there for my first 3 trips to Bangkok, I have fond memories of the place

 

[drron]

Wednesday and again managed 0900 for breakfast. Today constant interruptions from 2 infants who specialised in throwing food on the floor.
The American next to me was well organised bringing along 2 plastic containers for food to go back to the room.

Mrsdrron was having more pain today so we rested until 1300 before going out. We walked to the Ratchadamri BTS station for the first stop at Siam station and then straight into Siam Paragon mall. First changed some money at Super Rich which is usually the best rate in town.

 

[drron]

Sorry pressed Post by mistake. After getting our baht we found a nearby Mochi stall and shared a wild lime and a melon mochi.
A look around some of the craft shops before going to the Nara restaurant for a late lunch. It is one of our favourites.


Mrsdrron had an iced lemongrass drink and I an iced butterfly pea drink.



We shared a pomelo salad


And a pad Thai with river prawns.



Really nice but not as cheap as it used to be with the meal coming to 900 baht.

 

[drron]

Next walked around the supermarket and food stalls. For Christmas a lot of premium fruit from Japan.





And some nice flowers.



At this point Mrsdrron felt exhausted so back to the train station. Rushed and got a train going the wrong way so had to go back.

 

[drron]

From Ratchadamri station you get a good view of the race track with a golf course in the middle.






Now nothing appears in the last picture but a few seconds after I witnessed a golfing crime. A fellow was playing solo but here with a caddie. I had seen him walk up the middle of the fairway and his caddie out on the near edge. I saw the caddie pick up a golf ball and when he appeared from behind the trees he walked to the middle of the fairway and placed the ball just short of the yellow grass. About 10 metres further on was a large fairway bunker.
I needed a caddie like that.

 

[Hvr]

Is the caddie allowed to touch your balls?

 

[drron]

Is the caddie allowed to touch your balls?

Only if you know your caddie very well.

 

[VPS]

19crimes Argentinean Malbec. eh? 19Crimes is an Australian wine label, a 'cheapie', often found in Qantas Business Lounges

And in UK supermarkets

 

[craven morehead]

Which brings us to Monday and up to date.
We normally go down to breakfast at 0900 to 0930. Today was 0930 and the first week day of breakfast. Fortunately we had basically finished when we were given a 3 minute warning that the buffet was closing at 1000.
Back to the apartment and we both had another snooze. So it was about noon when I took Mrsdrron for a walk to Central Chidlom and Central Embassy. Mrsdrron spent some time in Muji but really nothing we needed.

On the way back stopped at our favourite Starbucks in Bangkok on the same road as the apartment. Lang Siam street. It obviously was an old house and there are different rooms plus outdoor spaces.
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We both had a caramel Frappuccino and shared a slice of coconut cake.

No other activity apart from our nightly routine of wine and snacks. For me that included a nice Gorgonzola from Italy.

My wine tonight was chosen because of its label featuring a story of a fellow transported to Australia in the 1800s.
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An Argentinian Malbec which would be better with a little more age.
Probably was also an appropriate day for an Argentinian wine.
Now off to bed.

Sauvignon Block?

 

[moa999]

Great report so far.

(Not sure if you are still in Bangkok)
Given you like parks - you might want to check out the newly revamped Benjakatti Park, which sits on the grounds of old tobacco factories.
(About 2km to the East of Lumphini)

Benjakitti Park - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Katie]

19crimes Argentinean Malbec. eh? 19Crimes is an Australian wine label, a 'cheapie', often found in Qantas Business Lounges

I first saw 19 Crimes wines in the Target in downtown Portland, OR, I guess about 6 or 7 years ago.

I flew home out of LAX, and went to the QF First Lounge, and managed to have dinner there with @Storyteller. I remember one of the staff in the dining area excitedly showing us the 19 Crimes wines, and the QR codes with the additional details of the criminal's/convict's story. I wasn't so impressed after knowing how much the wine cost in Target!!

 

[TheRealTMA]

I first saw 19 Crimes wines in the Target in downtown Portland, OR, I guess about 6 or 7 years ago.

I flew home out of LAX, and went to the QF First Lounge, and managed to have dinner there with @Storyteller. I remember one of the staff in the dining area excitedly showing us the 19 Crimes wines, and the QR codes with the additional details of the criminal's/convict's story. I wasn't so impressed after knowing how much the wine cost in Target!!

Interesting - Outlaw Wine? 19 Crimes Succeeds by Breaking All the Wine Marketing Rules

 

[drron]

Interesting - Outlaw Wine? 19 Crimes Succeeds by Breaking All the Wine Marketing Rules

Well I was robbed. No cork for me only a screw top. It seems this is deliberately aimed at the export market. Cork probably more popular in the USA but screw top in Asia

 

[drron]

Great report so far.

(Not sure if you are still in Bangkok)
Given you like parks - you might want to check out the newly revamped Benjakatti Park, which sits on the grounds of old tobacco factories.
(About 2km to the East of Lumphini)

Benjakitti Park - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

So you have a spy in Bangkok? I had already picked that as my next walk if Mrsdrron didn't want to go out. So that today.
They have set up a Christmas market over the road at Velaa. More of that later. The vacant block of land next to it had the first work to clear the property start today.


Then to the road beside Lumphini Park. Looks like a good street food set up.


I wanted to do this walk as there is a green line on the map between the two parks called the Green mile. First you must go over the main road running past Lumphini. You get really close to the wiring



But the Green mile didn't look exciting.


So I went down to street level to see if it might be better walking at ground level.


The answer was no. It was a klong aka canal or sewer. So it was walking above the klong which turned out to be interesting as you could look down at the local scene.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Well I was robbed. No cork for me only a screw top. It seems this is deliberately aimed at the export market. Cork probably more popular in the USA but screw top in Asia

Lol. “Well, the answer is that 19 Crimes seems to have been rather precisely engineered to appeal to an important demographic — millennial men, especially those who see themselves as a bit of a rogue”

 

[drron]

Continuing along the Green mile. Easy to put a new home on top of another one.


A mosque.


And an example of how to prune a tree.


As well as a little Japanese restaurant with a real cherry blossom tree.


Town planning Thai style. Build your home on the street.


The local store and the fisho.


Now just the express way between me and Benjakatti Park.

 

[drron]

Now taking the skyway. You can walk around at ground level but good to first get an overview. They are at pains to point out that this is a forest park which needs little human help unlike the public parks such as Lumphini which require full time management.

First some old buildings which now unused. In past visits I have seen activity here particularly involving the army.



Now the park is a natural water filter. The water goes through four lakes connected by swamp land.



Several areas of lotus.



And a bird patiently waiting for a meal.


And then the Bangkok skyline.

 

[drron]

A pleasant stroll



And our usual office - the Sheraton.

A little further to go before getting to the 4th lake.

 

[drron]

And finally to the 4th lake which is the prettiest.






And the buildings I call meerkat towers.

 

[drron]

Began walking back at ground level. First the white lotus.