“Every exit is an entry somewhere else.” – Tom Stoppard
It's the end of the second night in Thailand. It has honestly been a trip full of walking and shopping and very little of eating. It's already near 2 a.m in Thailand and frankly, I feel there is a deep need to keep track of my experiences while I'm overseas. Travelling might be considered a luxury to many but with that bit of planning and bits and pieces of information gathering from friends and webpages, travelling can easily be made affordable to everyone. Currently, my mind is still all alert and energetic since I took an afternoon nap.
My friend and I had ideas about going to a club but our plans were scuppered at the last moment because of a heavy drizzle. A huge dampener to our spirits especially mine as I was so very eager to explore and open my eyes to the legendary night life here in Thailand. Thankfully, there is still another 3 days in Bangkok and there's still plenty of time for us to go to the club here. I believe many youths around my age would be eager and enthusiastic about going to a club when overseas. Personally, I am not a regular party animal but hey, no harm for me to experience what it's like to party overseas right? I'm still young and I've got a hell lot of energy to party though the night XD
What we eventually had the next day!
And true to what my friends quoted, Bangkok is a shopping paradise. Any traveller looking to shop and get cheap deals and bargains must definitely not miss out on this bustling city.
Here's my guide to the list of malls that I lumbered through today and yesterday.
Platinum Fashion Mall:
Location
Platinum Mall alone has 3 sections to explore to purchase clothings and food. Well not so much for the food part ..more of the apparel part. My personal favourite has got to be in section 2 as there are more of guy clothings on the 4th storey in that block as compared to the other levels of all 3 blocks. Apparels can also be tapered with the tailors at the end of the levels to fully fit one's figure.
The top levels of section 1 and 3 are mostly filled with shops like massages and spas, etc. Most of the shops on the other levels are filled with female apparels which I only realised after nearly half an hour when I saw the shopping mall itinery -.- Wasted my time travelling and exploring those sections but if you're a lady, Platinum Mall is definitely going to be your dreamland. I alone couldn't even complete looking through all the guy apparels in a day. It took me 2 days to finish looking through everything guy related.
This Mall not only has a plethora of clothes, it also has a food court filled with delectable food. My personal recommendation has got to be the Fried Oyster(O LUA in hokkien) in their food court. A huge must try at around 100 baht which is about SGD$4. The amount of fresh oysters they give in a serving is really uncountable.
The only troublesome thing about such food courts in Thailand in general is that you have got to pay an amount to get a card with that value before you can buy your food. The trouble comes when you realise that you have not topped up enough and it is a real hassle to go back to the counter and top up your value again.
Ladies be warned by the trap that is Platinum Fashion Mall! Don't be stuck there. Although there really are a lot of nice apparels that you will be attracted towards, there are still other places in Bangkok for you to explore as well. After walking through so many malls today, I would highly recommend MBK mall which is filled with not just cheap apparels, but loads of interesting and good quality souvenirs to bring back home.
Ultimately, this mall truly symbolises that area in Bangkok:
Replete with tourists, easy bargaining and cheap deals that are value for money. It sure is, the king of malls in that area.
Buys from Thailand!
MBK:
Location
MBK has got a hint of Mustafa from Singapore in it, which is actually a place where you are able to get cheap IT products and apparels. MBK was our last stop of the day as we were just too tired to continue walking and exploring after we completed our lunch. We simply breezed through most of the other malls we were at today because they were simply not for us. Those malls like Central World and Siam Paragon Centre had clothes that were simply too expensive.
Conversely, MBK is a good place for travellers that would want to bring back a nice little memento from their time in Thailand. Their 3rd/4th Level is filled with stores that sell unique souvenirs. Lighters, brass knuckles, swords, wired figures, beautiful paintings. There is so much to see that is uniquely Thailand worth bringing back home. Shops selling apparels are slightly more pricey than those in Platinum Mall. Every single apparel that I wanted to buy is compared to the ones from Platinum Mall after being there. Comparatively, MBK has products that are slightly too expensive for me and I would recommend not to purchase clothings from there even though their shirt designs are decent.
One of my happiest buys in Thailand has got to be the selfie stick which I managed to get at less than 300 baht, which is less than SGD$12. The quality is good and although their IT products might be a bit iffy apart from legitimate branded stores, selfie sticks definitely do not have to be originals. They just have to work! :D
Palladium:
A mall we chanced upon as it was in close proximity to Platinum Fashion Mall. My lasting impression of it was that I got scammed of their power adapter and USB cable which only served to drain my phone battery as I charged it from the terminal. -.- Not much to see there, just the occasional cheap exhibition when there's a clearance sale. The food court is overpriced and for some reason filled with empty spaces at the side of it. There is a whole level dedicated to selling embroidery but that's about it. The apparel shops aren't really special. It sparked our interest for a short moment but it was never going to last.
Grand Diamond Plaza:
A slight upgrade from Palladium with occasional exhibitions that sells cheap products as well. The apparels are of a much higher standard and quality and it is also a mall that has a better ambience. Unfortunately, it only has 2 levels as the barricade blocked off the way to the higher levels. This mall is connected to Grand Diamond Hotel which I believe is a comfortable place to stay over in your time in Bangkok as I still clearly remembered the lobby which gave me a lasting impression. I did read haunted stories about the place but yeah, it's still broad daylight while I was there. Who cares right :/
Pantip Plaza:
Location
Pantip Plaza is the king of IT malls in Thailand. Well....that is what is quoted from some webpages. It certainly didn't meet my expectations and that mall has a legendary status in Thailand...?? Then.. it honestly is a huge huge disappointment.
I had the idea of it being like Funan the IT Mall from Singapore but when I entered the place, I was surprised and taken aback. Fine, there were many stores on ground level and some really good repair stores and branded stores in the subsequent higher levels. On those upper most levels, there were so many shops that were closed or simply empty outlets that were crying to be occupied. Cheap IT softwares around looked attractive but the genuity of those products are questionable. Discs that have Microsoft softwares... are they really what they claim to be..? I don't trust those products although I am actually seeking for Microsoft softwares to be installed on my laptop. Though I didn't actually experience it, but there are certain shops that sell illegal R-rated videos which they cover up by saying they are Microsoft softwares.
Ultimately, the mall was a huge huge let down. Thankfully, they had an A&W outlet. One of the only fast food stores not found in Singapore. Really enjoyed the Root beer with float and their delicieux fried chicken. I just wonder...why are there no A&W outlets in Singapore?! Even then, the menu was still much limited as compared to the one I tried in Batam.
A&W Spread in Batam
Central World:
Location
If you are one who is highly intrigued by high end brands and am interested to see designs created by local fashion designers, central world is definitely the place for you. Similar to a departmental store that has a stature that rivals Sogo and Metro, this place sells plenty of high end brands, cosmetics and apparels alike. A comfortable setting makes shopping a pleasant experience in central world.
Upon some exploration, We were less inclined to look through the mall as there were just too many apparels that would simply burn a huge hole in our pockets. I too had the intention of watching a horror movie at the mall as it has a reputable mega sized cinema. Too bad my friend wasn't interested....
Central world is an entertainment hub that houses a bowling alley as well and is highly accessible to the other shopping malls like mbk, siam centre and platinum fashion mall. Most importantly, it is just a stone's throw away from the BTS, which is the railway system in Thailand. The surprising thing was that the rampant movement of the ALS ice bucket challenge was actively participated by the locals as they gathered at the open area outside the mall with a kaleidoscope of buckets. We wanted to join in the fun but we had no buckets with us! Such a pity but the awesome shopping malls made up for it!
Unfortunately for me, the Siam Malls are largely overhyped. I wanted to have my lunch at Mookata Buffet that my friend claimed was near the area but we simply could not locate it. It didn't help that my friend didn't spend money to enter the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Honestly, I was psyched for some reason to take a picture with Jay Chou's wax figure(my favourite singer) and my friend just had to spoil it :/ I didn't manage to experience the Ocean World, which I think is a waste of my money anyways and the only thing that was really worth was honestly just the wax museum.
The best thing I needed at that time was to find a seat as I had been travelling and walking for hours. The adrenaline from travelling just kept me going and going. That was when I chanced upon the perfect café which had a pretty decent view out of the mall. Shiok man, the perfect place to rest your mind and body. And then, again, my friend just had to spoil it by saying he doesn't want to sit there. Lord have mercy on my legs D:
Shopping is a huge must in this part of Bangkok. Shopping wise, Thailand most certainly lives up to her expectation and moniker as, "The Land of Smiles."
