Shopping in Bangkok

October 18th--Today, we would experience the two extremes of shopping in Bangkok. We headed out this morning for the Chatuchak Market, the huge weekend market in Bangkok. We tried to get there before it got too hot, but I don't think that there is any good time to avoid the heat and humidity. This market is by far the biggest outdoor market we have seen along the way. It was endless stalls combined together and there was everything from souvenirs to food to clothing. It is such an experience on your senses, both smell and sight. We actually enjoyed walking around because unlike in China, we were not bothered at all while shopping. No one pressured us into buying anything. It was nice to walk away from the market with a headband and dress for Abby for under $5.00. Now, I told her she better wear the dress before we wash it because it might fall apart after one wash, but she was happy with her new dress. After we left the market, we were going to let the kids play at the playground by the market, but it was covered in water from the rain so we headed back to the apartment. We went swimming for a little while this afternoon before the usual Bangkok afternoon rain came rolling in. So, we then just hung out for a couple of hours before deciding to go to Siam Paragon. Siam Paragon is 5 story, high tech shopping mall...very impressive and better than any shopping mall we have ever seen in the States. The ground floor has a huge food hall. It was here that Mike and I got to enjoy all the street vendor food, but safely. We had grilled bananas, crispy pancakes, chicken satay, and a traditional Thai sweet. We enjoyed all of this food while sitting with the kids in McDonald's. We still aren't able to get them to be too adventurous in their food. After dinner, we made our way up the escalators passing all the shops to the top floor where the movie theater and bowling alley is located. We were going bowling. It was a lot of fun and the kids had a wonderful time. It doesn't matter where you are in the world...bowling is still all the same!