Kyle's Travelogue Thailand: Sawatdee Khrap, Thailand (4/4)
This is the final part in Kyle's Thai Travelogue. Kyle's family returns to Bangkok. Sadly, Paradise Dynasty is no longer there... it was one of my favorite restaurants! This 4-part throwback post was originally published in 2014 on http://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/ during Kyle's visit to Thailand.
-Michael
Part 4: Swatdee Khrap, Thailand
-Michael
Part 4: Swatdee Khrap, Thailand
Special guest author: Kyle Desrosiers
Special guest author: Kyle Desrosiers
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July 21, 2014
When we arrived back in Bangkok that afternoon, we headed to Siam Paragon mall to meet Michael for dinner. He took us for a Chinese dinner at Paradise Dynasty, for xiao long bao. These savory and brightly-colored Shanghai soup dumplings are what makes Paradise Dynasty famous.
No trip to Siam Paragon is complete without looking at the luxury and sport cars for sale. As a car lover, I enjoyed seeing everything from Rolls Royces to Masarati, Lotus, and Ferraris. Obviously, the super rich in Bangkok do their car shopping at the mall.
July 22, 2014
We spent the first half of the morning buying souvenirs at Siam Paragon and the other big malls at Siam Square downtown. I picked out mine in five minutes, and spent the rest of the time waiting on the shoppers in the family. After that, we had lunch at a Mexican-Asian fusion restaurant in Siam, served with Thai spicies and no cheese. After eating, we went to check out Siam Ocean World in the mall's basement.
Ocean World is the largest aquarium in Southeast Asia, and it was very impressive and really big. I liked the giant five-foot Japanese crabs and the room entirely devoted to sea horses. We also got to watch a feeding show presented in both Thai and English. There were even some fascinating fish that changed color when they got hungry or exited. There were several groups of school kids there that day. Kids are the same no matter where you go - loud and curious.
They had a massive shark exhibit where you could stand on huge glass plates over the sharks' habitat. We saw a big variety of sea life, and it an unexpected surprised to find all of this under a shopping mall.
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| We were unsuspectingly attacked by a shark at the aquarium's entrance |
They had a massive shark exhibit where you could stand on huge glass plates over the sharks' habitat. We saw a big variety of sea life, and it an unexpected surprised to find all of this under a shopping mall.
We rode the Skytrain to meet up with Michael at our hotel. I really haven't talked about the Skytrain, but it was a great way to get around Bangkok. It was truly an oasis of coolness and air-conditioning in the hot city. Also, for such a crowded city, the Skytrain is the cleanest and most modern public transport system I've ever been on. Bangkok beats New York and Chicago by a long shot.
Michael had a suprise for us on our last night. He took us on the Skytrain to another mall, Terminal 21. This however was not just another mall. It was an eight-story airport-themed mall, with each floor designed to look like a specific city. The escalators between floors were called gates, and the themes of the floors included Paris, London, Tokyo, Istanbul, and San Francisco themes.
On each floor, the employees - bathroom attendants, security guards, etc. all dressed like in regional attire. In Italy, we saw Italian cops, for example, and in London the staff were dressed as palace guards. In Tokyo, they wore traditional Japanese garments.
There were also models of all the famous landmarks on each floor: London (left) and San Francisco (right)
Even the bathrooms were decorated like the country they were from. In Rome, there were Trevi fountain sinks, in Paris, big crystal chandeliers, and in London, the bathroom was designed to look like a station from the Underground.
For dinner, we went to the San Francisco floor where most of the restaurants were located. There, we headed to the MK Restaurant, a chain that was recommended by a Thai women we met during our misadventure changing airports in Tokyo on our way to Thailand. MK is a hot-pot restuarant where you order raw ingredients, and cook them at the built-in stove at your table. It was a really fun and delicious experience. Halfway through the meal, upbeat music started to play and all the waiters and waitresses began to dance and sing to the MK theme song.
We parted ways with Michael that night, and it began to sink in that I would be leaving this beautiful and amazing country the next day. Bangkok was a place where different lifestyles converge. Ayutthaya was where the old and traditional thrives and survives; Hua Hin, a slow-paced city of culture and relaxation.
I was surprised at how much English was present everywhere, how often I saw western brands, and how great the service was. I was amazed by the beauty of the ornate temples and palaces of Bangkok, and enthralled with the spicy and savory cuisine.
Thailand is a country where the ancient and modern thrive alongside one another, and the new and traditonal find a balance. I'll miss this country, and I can't wait to come back. Until then, Swatdee khrap, Thailand.
Michael had a suprise for us on our last night. He took us on the Skytrain to another mall, Terminal 21. This however was not just another mall. It was an eight-story airport-themed mall, with each floor designed to look like a specific city. The escalators between floors were called gates, and the themes of the floors included Paris, London, Tokyo, Istanbul, and San Francisco themes.
On each floor, the employees - bathroom attendants, security guards, etc. all dressed like in regional attire. In Italy, we saw Italian cops, for example, and in London the staff were dressed as palace guards. In Tokyo, they wore traditional Japanese garments.
There were also models of all the famous landmarks on each floor: London (left) and San Francisco (right)
Even the bathrooms were decorated like the country they were from. In Rome, there were Trevi fountain sinks, in Paris, big crystal chandeliers, and in London, the bathroom was designed to look like a station from the Underground.
For dinner, we went to the San Francisco floor where most of the restaurants were located. There, we headed to the MK Restaurant, a chain that was recommended by a Thai women we met during our misadventure changing airports in Tokyo on our way to Thailand. MK is a hot-pot restuarant where you order raw ingredients, and cook them at the built-in stove at your table. It was a really fun and delicious experience. Halfway through the meal, upbeat music started to play and all the waiters and waitresses began to dance and sing to the MK theme song.
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| do it yourself at MK |
We parted ways with Michael that night, and it began to sink in that I would be leaving this beautiful and amazing country the next day. Bangkok was a place where different lifestyles converge. Ayutthaya was where the old and traditional thrives and survives; Hua Hin, a slow-paced city of culture and relaxation.
 |
| The famous Grand Palace |
I was surprised at how much English was present everywhere, how often I saw western brands, and how great the service was. I was amazed by the beauty of the ornate temples and palaces of Bangkok, and enthralled with the spicy and savory cuisine.
 |
| A Buddha at Wat Arun |
Thailand is a country where the ancient and modern thrive alongside one another, and the new and traditonal find a balance. I'll miss this country, and I can't wait to come back. Until then, Swatdee khrap, Thailand.
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