The Bangkok Post

Back from Bangkok Thursday, only found time to post this now. A quick glimpse into what I think is the best place in South Asia to spent 3 days - a week will be pushing it.

Style & fashion rides parallel to street peddlers and jostling crowds. There is an immediate similarity to Hong Kong; the only difference is probably the language. And the retailers go big, big on style and presentation.

True Corporation, Thailand’s full-integrated communications solutions provider and leading lifestyle enabler, has this concept store on the 3rd floor of the ravishing, relatively new, ‘shee-shee’ mall the Siam Paragon. The flipping red/black discs of this almost 20ft wall was hallucinating. The store even has individual sound speakers in their little café where customers can plug in their own iPod and listen to your own music. In the middle of the store is gadgets galore, followed by a not so bad selection of books and music and an internet area.

The café which we spent almost everyday at was the new Greyhound Café at the Siam Centre. Serving fusion cuisine that was probably only enjoyed by the ostentatious. The drinks were not half bad. But the ambience was fantastic. Totally chill out with fantastic music.

Fashion in Thailand is definitely well on the rise. Local brand names like Greyhound, anr, Medium Rare, NEGARA and FLYNOW are opening up with refreshing collections that are putting Singapore years behind. Fashion week in Bangkok will be commencing in April. Not totally into the Greyhound stuff but their sister brand Playhound offers more interesting alternatives at relatively affordable prices. And I especially like this one piece bought from Chai which has this straps on the side on the pants which allows for variations in length and folds.

What is Thailand without the massages? Under instructions from the master, we went on the journey to locate the Healthland Spa & Massage which according to our hotel is at South Sathon (the business district) near the Singapore Embassy. We were dropped off near the embassy and spent an hour searching for the place which was actually about 10 blocks down. According to the map, Healthland is actually occupying the space of the former Myanmar Embassy. And it is North Sathon. The massage was fantastic, only 350bt for 2 hours. We booked for a second visit.

As recommended by Bel, we wanted very much to stay at The Davis. Couldn’t get a room not even the suite; so Starry suggested the Baiyoke Sky, only because of the pollution in Bangkok and we can stay way above it all. Seriously, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you want to feel what it is like to live above 70 storeys. The hotel as the guidebook suggest is gaudy; and it is situated in the middle of the Pratunam Market where traffic is just intolerable.

Starry and I have never been on a tuk-tuk, so for the hell of it we hired one. Expensive, 100bt ride that makes the rollar-coaster ride in Australia very pale. Taxi meters are much better. Less than 50bt to get almost anywhere in town, just have to hire them on the right side of the road.

And bought this Gugu doll just to spite Sean about his character Vincent, the gloomy star.