Shop Until You Drop

Of the famous and infamous attractions, Bangkok’s best feature is its intermingling of opposites. A modern world of affluence orbits around a serene traditional core, so after a day spent appreciating the spiritual side of Bangkok in one of its famous temples, it seems only right to try and balance it out with an evening spent wandering through the impressive shopping malls located around Siam Square for a spot of retail therapy!

Siam Square is the place to shop in Bangkok; the small soi’s have dozens of designer boutiques and in stark contrast lining the endlessly congested Thanon Rama 1 road are the illuminated exteriors of numerous high end shopping malls.

I have always seen Thailand as a colourful, fast paced and ever-changing country, and the shopping malls seem to agree. Each building attempts to out-do its neighbour and the constant colour changes in the illumination of the malls makes this area quite magical. One minute everything is bathed in a soothing green light, from the buildings to the sidewalk and even the cars passing by, and then all of a sudden everything changes and becomes bright pink! It is quite fascinating to watch how the colours change everything they touch, each new colour bringing something different to scene.

After a short visit to Bangkok it’s time for me to head up North to Chiang Mai, the land of temples, trekking and tribes…