Both Fabien and I have been to Bangkok a couple of times, so it was nice to simply enjoy the food, the atmosphere without feeling we had to visit at least three temples per day.
Besides enjoying the company of our friends, we went to the huge weekend market in the north of the city. The plan was to take the skytrain but we were mistaken by a station in construction so opted for a taxi instead (it was hot!) and got to experience Bangkok traffic. You can find everything in this market from antiques to tropical fish, clothes, food etc. However it is difficult to find your way around and I think we actually went round in a relatively small circle. We did see a surpisingly large number of stalls selling clothes for animals, dogs in particular....
We went back to the centre of town and had lunch in the brand new Paragon mall (did I mention how much I love thai food?) and then spent a leisurely couple of hours visiting the Siam Ocean World complete with sharks and mermaids. After such a day, a massage was a must and dinner of course.
The next day, our friends left for the beaches of the south, and we decided to take a tour of the klongs or canals of Bangkok. Bangkok was originally full of canals that were used as a means of transport. Modernisation has meant that a lot have been covered to make way for roads with congestion being a huge issue for the city as a result. There are some left however and it was a charming experience. There are still a lot of people living near the klongs and using boats as their primary means of transport. We stopped in the equivalent of a floating hawker centre. I got the impression that it was a favorite eating spot on sundays for locals. Definitely not a re-created floating market for tourists that you can otherwise find. We were sorry we couldn't stay for lunch! Another great weekend.
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