I don’t know if you remember this song from Murray Head, dating back to the last century (1984), in which he compared Bangkok and its nightlife to a game of chess. Last weekend, I travelled to Bangkok to spend a night there, thus accompanying Thierry in his habitual journey to Bangkok.
As this was my first time in Bangkok, I could feel the contrast of this megalopolis of more than 9 million (official) inhabitants, between its modern towers and its neighbourhoods from days gone by where the king and his family are actively present.

The journey unfolded as follows:
- On our arrival, we had a plentiful meal in a Japanese restaurant with a generous buffet
- We visited the city centre and MBK (large mall)
- We went to a seafood restaurant (which was truly delightful)
- We strolled down the “night market”. This is a pop-up market on the pavement where you can find everything and which takes a considerable part of your night time. It is a most colourful place.
Early on Sunday morning, we went to the “Chatuchak weekend market” which hosts an impressive 8,000 shops of all types (clothing, decoration, food, various trinkets etc.), crammed together on 14 hectares, in old buildings grouped into thematic areas. The animal area is quite impressive. As Thierry said on arriving, “Here, even when you don’t need anything, you still find something to buy”.

As it was the beginning of the monsoon, we had quite a few showers. It is amazing how foreigners stop moving when it rains, while locals continue about their business in their panchos.
We finished our journey with a visit to Pantip Plaza, the most important IT commercial centre where, on a surface of several tens of thousands of square metres, one can find all types of IT equipment (computers, accessories etc.). Unfortunately, I didn’t spend enough time there to notice what the tendencies were. But, of course, there are numerous Apple stores and tablets of all kinds.

We ended our “Mall” weekend at the Bangkok airport which is quite splendid. It is trying to assert itself as an alternative to Singapore. Its duty-free must therefore have branded products. With the arrival of the A380 airplanes in 2012, the airport will be able to attract more tourists travelling to the region. In 2010, this airport entered the top 10 “World Airport Awards rankings”.

The weekend was, therefore, rather shopping-oriented. But this gives me the possibility of returning to the city (which is only 1.5 hours away from Hanoi) for a more touristic visit. I’d like to thank Thierry for this quick and interesting trip to a city that he is very familiar with.
Next weekend, I will go on a two-day trip to Singapore before returning to France. Will it be another shopping weekend?






















