Days 4 and 5 were mostly spent at Chatuchak Market where everyone went crazy shopping hahah
Fantastic weather to shop in - it was warm but at least there were loads of cloud cover!
(left) Friends starting the day with da famous coconut ice cream! I'm not used to having ice cream for breakfast so sadly, had to give it a pass... until lunchtime when I finally found the ice cream vendor who is usually featured in food blogs - look out for the stall which serves its ice cream with a paper flag (see right)! Simply delicious! It's 35 baht (S$1.40) for a single scoop with 3 toppings and 55 baht for 2 scoops with 3 toppings.
Surprising find in the marketplace - a used bookstore (which carries mainly English books)!
By late afternoon, most of the clouds had dispersed and we were treated to an intense session of tanning, baking and frying altogether. Desperate to keep myself from melting into a puddle, I bought a straw fan... (IT WAS SCORCHING HOT) It was about 36 degrees at 2 pm - it was so hot, I had to check the temperature.
We eventually sought shelter in JJ Mall - I was tired and faint from lack of sleep and excessive heat - and got lunch at some fast food place. The fried chicken was good but meh, not a fan of fast food for lunches.
Lots of painting shops in JJ Mall!
Shop selling old advertisements that have been refashioned into portraits
The group reconvened at Union Mall where those who wanted to stay had dinner at the basement food court whereas the rest headed back to the hostel.
My first Pad Thai in Thailand! Slightly on the sweet side but it was very tasty and worth its price.
I can't remember if it was 65 or 75 baht but it's just cheap.
Decided to try the Thai desserts despite the buzzing flies...
Oh, flies? What flies? Hahah ignorance is bliss right! (let's just un-see the flies)
The girls went shopping for makeup at Watsons - apparently it's up to 50% cheaper - so I just chillaxed at the massage chairs area. Thank god for the massage chairs (or I would have to stand for a long time) and the free Korean music playing at the mall, or I would have been bored to tears.
After a looooong but fun day shopping, it was time to head back to the hostel and pack our shopping spoils hahah It proved to be a very challenging task, what with the 10kg baggage limit lol
Saying goodbye to my makeshift bed! The bed was killin' my back for the first 2 days (the mattress was so hard, you might break your bones if you try to bounce on it) so my friend swapped with me for the remaining 2 nights. Hallelujah! The third night's rest felt h.e.a.v.e.n.l.y. \o/ The bunk beds' mattresses were real thick and springy so my back could finally get a proper night's rest. Thankfully, the friend who made the swap is the kind of sleeper who falls asleep the instant she lays on the bed so she didn't have any difficulty falling asleep nor did she find the bed uncomfortable.
Rise and Shine! Last morning in Bangkok!
Cabbing to Chatuchak again the very next morning haha
There's never ever 'enough to shop' :')
Chanced upon this artist' shop where he was selling very unique accessories (all handmade by him!) I totally adore his ring collection which was both quirky and adorable at the same time. If only I were a more accessory-wearing person, I would have bought more rings >< alas, I'm not - I tend to lose the few accessories I buy sobs - so I spent most of my time in the shop admiring, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at his wares and left with just one ring (which is damn friggin' cute).
Anyway, my agenda for that morning was to get a bag for my check-in baggage so I broke away from the group to go search for the bag. I initially thought someone would accompany me on the search (aka the one who was going to be sharing the bag with me) but nope, no one did. No surprise there. Just a bit of disappointment. Haha it's precisely at these times that I think to myself, "ah, this goes to show how different we all are.. it's clear that we're not even on the same wavelength, much less the same type of people." Apart from the initial let-down, hunting for the bag on my own wasn't a problem (the biggest problem was the wrong directions given by a shopkeeper that made me travel across the whole marketplace orz). In fact, it was much easier because I was able to move around more quickly - I sped through the various sections and it was fun seeing the many sections that I wouldn't have the chance to visit, if not for the bag hunt - and I could shop at my own pace and..
Eat at my own pace... :D
The weather was so much hotter on the last day and I simply couldn't resist the cold desserts. I had a grape-flavoured ice pop (5 baht per stick!) and a coconut ice cream hehehe ^3^ After I bought the bag (took a bit of ingenuity to locate the bag shop), I just strolled back leisurely with my coconut ice cream in hand to look for the rest. Shiok life.
Then, a couple of us went back to the hostel to get a bath! I couldn't bear the thought of boarding the plane when I'm all sticky and sweaty so yup, showering was a must! And then, we were off to the airport!
Basil Chicken Rice Nyam Nyam
Boarding time!
(quite a bit of pre-boarding drama, sigh)
Since budget flights don't feed us, I have to feed myself HAHA
Packed my favourite mango sticky rice at the airport and savored it slowly on the plane for dinner :D
[end of Grad Trip, May 2015]
~ HOME SWEET HOME ~
Some thoughts post-trip..
- What makes a graduation trip a 'graduation trip'?
- If a group of graduating students go on a trip together, is that considered a graduation trip?
- If so, a graduation trip just turns out to be an ordinary trip with a fancy name?
- If not, what sets a graduation trip apart from any other trip? (I honestly thought it would have been a lil bit more special, more different)
- If it's just going to feel like any other shopping trip with friends, perhaps we should just call it that (and save ourselves the trouble from conflicts caused by the different expectations of the trip).
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