Ade & Jos Adventure day 26: Leather bound first editions
Sunday morning here in Bangkok.. Well.. Sunday morning all over Thailand… And pretty much most of Asia… Anyway.. Sunday morning.
Again, I woke up without any pain in my back, god bless you firm mattress!
Toast for breakfast then off for our planned day of relaxing by the pool, fifteen years ago we wouldn’t have even dreamed about having a “planned day by the pool”, we’re living a totally different life here in Bangkok, a life that still seems a bit like a dream….
It’s really quite warm here today, an hour or so by the pool and we decide to set off out to a mall.. Jo needs a dressing gown.. And i’ve got a bee in my bonnet (apparently I also have a bonnet now) about getting a book case or a shelving unit for my toy collection that should be arriving at the our complex at some point next week.
A We walk down to the BTS station, it’s about a ten minute walk from our apartment, it’s Sunday morning, family day here in Thailand, the roads are less busy than usual.. Still busy… But less busy.. A tuk tuk driver is slowly driving down the road hassling three blokes, trying to get them to ride in his tuk tuk… They’re having none of it.. A Thai girl in sports wear is walking in front of Jo… Every time Jo tries to walk past her she speeds up.. Jo tries to overtake.. She speeds up… Jo tries to overtake again.. She breaks into a run… We eventually catch up with her when she’s gone back to a walking pace.. Jo tries to overtake.. She speeds up again.. This girl has serious issues with being competitive me thinks.
We get to the BTS station, the platform is quite busy and the train itself is packed when it arrives at the station, we manage to get on board and travel for one stop to Asok, where the Terminal 21 mall is situated… We stop by at an ice cream parlour for an ice cream (obviously).. Jo has a multicoloured creation..I opted for a vanilla and nut concoction with a chocolate dome which is melted with hot butterscotch sauce.. Awesome!
We walk around the mall for a while after our ice cream, we manage to find a Google Chromecast.. Then decide to go to the cinema to watch the new Wreck it Ralph movie, I love coming to the cinema here in Bangkok, I love going to the cinema any where.. But here in Bangkok it’s a real experience, again we chose the sofa seating.. Absolute luxury, perfect sound and picture quality.. The film was great.
After the film we wander round the malls looking for a dressing gown and a shelf… And do a little bit of people watching while at KFC… Bloody hell, KFC hot wings in Bangkok are stupidly hot! Anyway. back to the people watching…
There’s something i’m not sure i’ve touched upon while writing these blogs…. Western men and Asian girlfriends…. If you wander round Bangkok you’ll see couples everywhere.. You’ll see Asian couples, Western couples, young couples, old couples, same sex couples.. Couples… Amongst these couples you’ll encounter western men with girlfriends who, not wishing to sound too judgemental (even though I know I am being judgemental) you have to wonder where the motivation comes from… Old, out of shape western men walking hand in hand with younger, attractive Thai women.. There are women who, looks and age doesn’t matter.. There are women who, regardless of what you look like will fall in love with a guys personality… But i’m a realist… These women are rare, men are the same… Most base attraction on the physical… Humans judge books by covers.. We’ve all picked up a book because the cover looks good only to put it down after a few chapters, realising the story isn’t good… And I’d like to think we’ve all found a great story somewhere regardless of the cover…And some of us are lucky enough to have found a great story wrapped in an amazing cover. But here in Thailand, it’s like a business… It’s unrealistic to think this many tattered paper backs are walking round with leather bound first editions….
After KFC (and judging the over weight bloke and his attractive girlfriend) we headed off to another mall in search of a dressing gown.. A quick BTS ride to Siam and the MBK mall…
MBK is packed as usual, customers, tourists, stall holders filling the building, the made to measure suit stalls are a nightmare today, it seem slike you can’t walk past one without being asked if you want a suit made… Not today mate thank you very much. We fail to get a dressing gown or track down a book shelf to get back on the BTS to Phrom Phong and the Emporio mall.. I’ve given up on a book shelf and it looks like Jo won’t get get dressing gown.. She does end up with a couple of nighties tho… So not a totally wasted trip.
Back at the apartment and Jo is making dinner.. She’s trying out the rice cooker today and after a slight mishap with some pork we bought the other day (you know when you’re not 100% sure it’s ok to eat so you throw a possibly perfect piece of meat away just to be safe) we end up with rice, soup and pork balls.. I set up the Chromecast, then realise we still can’t watch our TV shows through it as I now have to fool the Chromecast that it’s not in Thailand.. A technical job for Monday methinks…. We watch the Apprentice by plugging the HDMI into the lap top then head off for bed… A great weekend…
Night night.