Our first stop, Chatuchak Market - the famous week-end market that practically has the best finds you could possibly think of. And I was challenged. So was my ability to bargain.
It was known to be a tourist destination. So haggling was just a norm everyone just needed to follow. There were stalls where my charms worked magic to getting a few baht savings, to reserve for more beautiful items to purchase in the future. But majority of them, I was rather inefficient. I could not work wonders and haggle anymore as the stall owners said those were already discounted and fixed prices. Thanks to my impulsive friends, I could not work a way to lower down the prices a bit. The excitement showed obviously on their faces, the I-will-buy-even-without-the-discount-face.
There were items that I could not resist to buy myself. So instead of putting up false pretenses, I ended up as a hungry wolf. No discounts, no qualms. Just the power of buying. For some so-so ones, no discount, no buy for me. I got a few good stuff for myself. And OH YEAH, I was so proud!
And if you thought we forgot to snap a photo at Chatuchak Market, guess again. We are photo addicts. We don't forget. We just snap, snap and pose, just like professional models. Yep, models. At most times, good ole runway and print ad models. But in trashy days, more like jail prisoners at some isolated country for mug shots. But this one, we look so happy. But not glammed up. Nevertheless, can't complain. Bangkok, baby!
We never got to finish loitering around that big market. I think we were not even close to covering the quarter of the place's land area. My friends were starving and scared to eat street food. Three against one is really against democracy and clearly, the odds were against me. So we went to our next destination - SIAM PARAGON - BANGKOK!
Siam Paragon is the large version of Singapore's own Paragon Mall. It is super world class that even movie houses have VIP screenings that can charge as high as 700 Baht per movie. And that's less than SGD30. FOR a movie. And it did not come with a DVD version after watching it. Besides, they don't serve buffet inside. So it was not worth it.
We decided to dine and eat our heart out after walking the long stretched of stalls at Chatuchak Market. Binge eating was a must as we had more places to go that day. So we did. We ate traditional Thai food at a mall. (Talk traditional alright, haha.) It was the safest and the most logical option for my friends. So I went with them.
It was a hearty meal for both my stomach and my eyes. Bangkok was a place for tourists. I mean, you look to your right, you see a tourist. You look to your left, you see the same. It's practically a tourist invasion. It was neat. I was already recharged and ready to go for war exploration. But before that, who wants coffee? :) 
Starbucks has become a lifestyle in all parts of the world. Revving up the day with a dose of caffeine has gotten more and more popular. And Bangkok was no stranger to this. And so were we. We idled around at Starbucks, in Bangkok to rest for a bit and enjoy Bangkok air. After dosing up, we went and looked for Siam Ocean World.
After a few inquiries, we were able to pinpoint the place. It was marketed as the biggest ocean world, I was just not sure if it was in Asia or the world. I have had my hopes up. I expected a better Ocean World than the one I saw in Hong Kong and Sentosa, Singapore.
Well, let's just say it was not the best I had seen so far. In all justice to the place, there were some WOW moments and there were also BOO-HOO moments. But it was quite an experience with friends though. All we did was to enjoy and savour the moment spent together and appreciate the things to see. So it called for a lot of picture! picture! Picture, picture, picture meant fun, fun, fun!
Ocean world offered a lot of interesting things to do. And as tourists, we did everything. From viewing the aquariums to riding on a galssboat to watching their very own 4D animation. You name it, we captured and got everything under our sleeves. There was not a single thing we missed in Siam Ocean world. Not one. For that 1000 Baht we paid for, it was all worth the trip.
We went around Siam Paragon after that Siam Ocean world experience for ocular satisfaction. We walked around a lot and jumped from one mall to the other. We even managed to watch a movie in between. I didn't know if it was coincidence or not but we chanced upon Nicholas Cage's movie - Bangkok Dangerous. From then on I knew that we were up for more eureka moments in Thailand - both in Bangkok and Pattaya. The tuk-tuk ride was the highlight of the night. We could not get a cab to bring us back to the hotel and this guy could not help but overhear our bargaining to cab drivers. The drivers wanted to rip and charge us for 100 to 150 baht. And this counter offered for 80 baht. We decided to say yes and experience the adrenaline rush for this ride. All for experience guys! :)
And do you remember the ad of Pierce Brosnan for Visa that was shot in Thailand? Yes, it was that fast and furious. No street rules, no speed limits. Just the tuk tuk driver in his own bubble and us at the back holding on to our dear lives.
We arrived at the hotel in one piece but at the end of it all, we needed to have a photo taken, of us of course. Thanks to the driver's shaky hands, our photo looked like a poster of a Thai horror movie.
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