Today was wonderful! I purchased a day pass on the BTS for 150THB ($4.30) and got amazing value from it. I went to the Chatuchak Weekend Market, Jim Thompson House and the Erawan Shrine. I also managed a quick visit to a Marks & Spencer food hall for some snacks. It’s hot here, 95 degrees, but there is a nice breeze which helps.
The Chatuchak Weekend Market is massive, 15k stalls spread across 35 acres, with 200k people visiting every weekend. I got there about a half hour after it opened so the crowds weren’t too bad. I knew which sections I wanted to visit and really enjoyed them! I picked up some carved soaps, elephants pants (except they have cats) for dd, some gorgeous custom leather key chains for people at home and a really nice skirt for me (for US$7.00). I forgot my sunglasses and picked up a nice pair of polarized sunnies for US$1.40 (crazy!). So glad that I went.
I wasn’t brave enough to try any of this food!
Next up was Jim Thompson House, which was beautiful. You have to purchase a tour to go through the house and the tour lasts around 45 minutes; it was very worthwhile. Jim Thompson shipped several houses from across Thailand and assembled them together to form a compound (he was an architect). Afterwards you can wander through the gorgeous gardens. I highly recommend this for anyone visiting Bangkok. When I was leaving here I saw a Viking Tour leader wandering around while waiting for her group to finish their tour!
Jim’s bedroom
Erawan Shrine aka the Buddha with four faces. It is stunning. The leis are offerings; other offerings included elephants of all sizes, candles, incense and even food. This is a very popular shrine. People come here to make wishes and if / when the wishes come true, they come back for a dance (which they pay for). There was a rather long line of people waiting for a dance. It was fascinating to watch.
Pics are allowed, but I don’t feel right posting anyone else’s face without their permission. The cost of the dance depends on how long the music is and the number of dancers you choose. The first one that I saw was quite long and the couple praying during the dance were around my age. I don’t think I’d have been able to get up after kneeling for that long!