Friday wound up being rather low-key. Got a not-terribly-early start (Ak has a long commute in from the outskirts of BKK) and headed off for breakfast at Ak’s favorite Japanese curry house – only to discover it was closed. Made do with some quite delicious gyoza and chicken across the street and then headed to the BTS Skytrain for our first stop per the recommendation of a guidebook, M.R. Kukrit’s Heritage House. It’s a lovely traditional Thai home that was the residence of a former prime minister and well-known scholar. It was certainly nice looking – but other than a printed map, there was little information on the history of the place or it’s occupant. So, while we enjoyed the visit, it was over very quickly.
In anticipation of our upcoming visit to Siem Reap, I was in a bit of tizzy as far as clothing was concerned. Temps are forecast to be hovering around 100℉ for our bike ride through Angkor Wat and I needed a super lightweight long sleeve top and shorts that go past my knees to ensure I’m properly dressed for visiting temples. So we headed to MBK and wandered the aisles of fake Calvin Klein undies, elephant pants and Chang beer tank tops. I saw a couple of possibilities but nothing just right. We also hit up the arcade on the top floor – it was pretty crazy and fascinating, though I refrained from trying my luck at the prize claw machines, since they will eat your money almost as fast as a Vegas slot machine.
Headed back to my hotel to rest up for dinner that evening. The plan was to meet up with Ak’s friends Martin and Jill, a German couple he met on holiday on one of Thailand’s islands last year, for drinks and dinner, but they had to postpone. So, off we went for a drink at Octave, the rooftop bar at the Mariott. A lovely view and a tasty round of Thai-style mojitos preceded our dinner up the street at Soul Food Mahanakorn.
Well! This place sure made up for the previous evening’s disappointing meal. Everything was delicious, from our starters of mieng kham and lamb samosas to the sai oua sausage and a vegetarian red curry. All of it was so good! This is absolutely worth seeking out if you find yourself in Bangkok.
As was the case the previous night, I was simply too tired to indulge any further festivities. Despite the huge number of super cool bars on my list of places to visit, I’ve been ready to hit the hay by about 10PM every night. Eh, what’re you gonna do? I’m certainly keeping my days full!
It's a Complete Outrage 