Bangkok Rendezvous - Part Two

Day Three:

Last breakfast at Chinatown before we headed to Grand President! Arrived at the hotel and was elated at the suite! It was a stark difference from the previous one. We then went down south of the city to the Chao Phraya riverside. Since Oriental Hotel has been given much reviews about it’s ambiance and history, we decided to take a look. Entering the lobby I soon fell head over heels in love with the place. They had a 12feet Christmas tree made of lilies!!! Every nook and corner of the hotel has been delicately crafted and held a piece of olden Bangkok.

A lil after noon, we hopped onto a ferry down Chao Phraya. I told the ticket lady our last stop would be Kruen Bridge, she gave me the tickets and settled down enjoying the ride. The nice afternoon warmth coupled with the soft breeze soon rocked me off to sleep. The family was depending on me to signal them when to get off. So when I awoke, I realized the stops were not recognizable and we had overshot. Since it was light and easy holiday, I decided not to fret and see where the ferry takes us. Not long after that, they announced Nonthaburi as the last stop. So we alighted and decided to explore a little bit of what the village had to offer. We were delighted to see a busy night market alive and even more delighted to find Ray’s favourite Thai ‘fruits’ sold there.

The ferry ride back to Saphan Taksin was incredible beautiful. With the sun setting on one side and riverside restaurants glowing on both sides, the ferry gently cruised down the river. Boats, junks and ferries passed each other. Brightly decorated liners were getting ready for dinner cruises whilst fishermen headed home after a days work.

(Bangkok is so blessed to have the waterfront a stone's throw away from the roaring bussle of traffic)

We hopped out of the ferry and onto the BTS for an early night at a cafe. Settled down for a cuppa with the family as we savoured the pictures taken and the day’s event. Parents left us siblings to do some grocery shopping while they enjoyed the hotel for a bit. We had a simple dinner at the hotel and retired for the night.

Day Four:

Since we hadn’t explored Siam all that much, we decided to scout the area. Much to my surprise – Bangkok’s shopping malls are catered for tourist instead of locals. Malls come with brands like Gucci, LV, Prada and the like. While I did enjoy shopping in Bangkok, it definitely wasn’t with brands like these. The same was with Siam Paragon – a sophisticated mall with polished marble floors.

Having no intention to shop, we strolled around and found the newly opened Siam Underwater World quite interesting. With 5 adults and no children, one might thing it ‘weird’ for us to be venturing into a place like that again. Oh well, something is worth the visit (anytime, any age!)

Now I know how my siblings will react if I was caught in the paws of a polar bear!