Day 12--Last Day in Bangkok

Even though I was getting used to the fantastic a/c at the little Orchid Guesthouse, it was once again time for the familiar ritual of moisturizing with DEET in the morning, re-packing my travelpack, and checking out. Today, my first destination was the train station to purchase my tickets to Chang Mai. From there, I had no specific agenda but the day free to wander and explore more of Bangkok.

This morning, the train station was a beehive of activity. People, food, bags, taxi-drivers, and tuk-tuk touts all converged there. I quickly purchased my 2nd class a/c bottom sleeper to Chang Mai. I wasn't so lucky on the return and was forced to take a 2nd class fan top bunk coming back to Bangkok. My guidebook suggested that the bottom bunks were slightly larger, cooler, and had less fluorescent light beaming down on it. The price of my round-trip ticket was $41USD. Coming back to Bangkok, I was set to leave during daylight hours, which would allow me to get some views of the country side. Before heading to the Luggage Office, I secured my tickets in my money-belt and counted my change at the counter. I was starting to feel like a proper rugged traveler. To my disappointment, the Luggage Office didn't magically grow any secure bins or locked area since I had been there two days ago. I observed what the guys did with luggage once it was left and it wasn't secure. Even though I didn't have anything of great value in my bag, my bag itself is nice and I didn't want to spend money on a new wardrobe in case it was stolen. Since there was nothing to secure my bag to with my cable & lock, I felt leaving my bag in a pile with other bags on the floor wasn't the best idea. I had remembered the International Youth Hostel in Silom had a Left Luggage sign out front. That seemed like a better option. Also, it gave me a chance to head back to the skyscraper and shopping zone of Silom.

Fortunately, the youth hostel did have a luggage room and I could easily secure my bag to a post. It also didn't cost much either ($1USD). After wandering the markets in the back alleys of Silom, I wanted to jump on the Skytrain one more time and zoom through skyscrapers, high above the congestion and crowds. One interesting feature of the Silom area are the little monuments outside of each building. They are filled with flowers, incense, elephant statues, and Buddhas. The bigger the skyscraper, the more elaborate the monument.

I took the skytrain to the end of the line and found myself at the MBK Shopping Mall. Now, I'm not a shopping mall kind of guy, but overseas, they usually give me a perspective on local life and culture. This happens to be one of the biggest shopping malls in all of South-East Asia. It has 9 floors and you can buy anything here. The electronics and food floors were the most interesting. At first, it kind of looked like an American style mall. The content of the shops and the compact layout of the mall made it far different from any mall back home. Since I promised my friends in Jakarta we could go to a Premiere (VIP) Movie Theater, I passed up the opportunity to sit and watch a movie. With some time browsing, chatting with locals, and eating, I had enough mall time (but not enough a/c) and it was time to go back to the hostel and pick up my bag and go to the train station.