Jim Thomson's House + MBK

We had another action packed day today!! (I'm knackered already so I have no idea how my Mum's feeling!!). We had a lovely Thai breakfast to start the day today.....Mum wasn't so sure about the Khao Dome which is coconut sticky rice in banana leaves but everything else went down well!!

Then we jumped on the Skytrain and headed along to National Stadium and headed along to Jim Thompson's House. You know something......this gets kinda hard to write about when it's the fourth time you've been. (You can read the history of the place here). Mum absolutely loved it (as I knew she would) and we had a really lovely, leisurely morning plootering about the gardens. We did some shopping and then had a gorgeous lunch - Chicken Spring Rolls, Crab Cakes and Prawn Spring Rolls followed by Thai roasted chicken with sticky rice and stir fried vegetables. Oooohhhh it was divine!! (We both got the giggles - I had just finished saying that I had never seen anyone I knew here when someone I know passed the window and waved in!!). Mum was most impressed by the Rice Wine Tea Pot that you fill from the bottom as it doesn't have a lid (Jim Thompson had one and we were shown it on the tour) so after lunch we went on a 'Hunt the teapot' expedition.....I am happy to say that we managed to find one (Go Us!!)

After JT's we went along to MBK and I think Mum was quite impressed by it.......it's very Thai (One of the floors seems to be completely dedicated to mobile phones and smelly fish substances!!) but you really can get everything you ever wanted (and probably a few things you didn't know existed). She treated herself to a stunning lamp made out of silk worm cocoons (which sounds horrible but isn't!!) and managed to pick up a few wee bits and bobs as presents (so I'm not going to say any more about the shopping!!). You know.......the best thing about having lots of guests is the excuse to take them to great places where you can buy yummy food - yep we ended up at the cake place!!! (Tell me that doesn't look great and I'll call you a liar!!)

We grabbed a cab back home (I had decided there was no way I was carrying Mum's shopping any further!!) and whilst we were stuck in traffic Chris called to say that he had just left the office. We could see him from the cab!! Much waving ensued but he declined to join us in the cab cause he reckoned he'd be quicker walking.....and he was......after another five minutes we gave up and decided to walk back too. We were just passing Time Square when Mum spotted Chris sitting at one of the tables with a beer......so guess who decided to join him!! It was really good fun - it's now into the cool season here so the tables and chairs are back outside the mall and there is live music (The same band as last year).....Moon came and joined us and we had a beer or two (or five) outside listening to the Thai rock band do ACDC cover tunes amongst others. I am ashamed to say that we got Moon drunk AGAIN and I ended up having to put her to bed!!!

Fab Weekend

You may have gathered that I was feeling a little blue this weekend due to the fact that I couldn't be at my cousins wedding - Well, Chris decided that we should have a special weekend too. Ages ago we went to a Comedy night and we won a night's stay in a posh hotel in the raffle (Jammy eh!!) so we contacted them and booked our room for Saturday night.

So, on Saturday we had a very leisurely morning pootering about the apartment then we went out and had Mexican for lunch (Crispy Tacos......yummmm) before heading over to MBK for a wee bit of shopping. I have been working on some new drawings one of which is huge and complicated (to be honest I wish I had never started the bloody thing - to the right is a sneaky peak of a tiny section of it) and I had everything drawn ready to ink in but was struggling to work out what should be black and what should be left alone so Chris suggested I get the drawing scaled down and copied so I had some practice pieces (brilliant idea - why didn't I think of that!!). So whilst I got copies made Chris went off in search of camera stuff. We had a very funny 'Only in Thailand' moment in one of the shops.......Chris had been looking for a tripod for the camera and we spotted two in this electrical department store but only one had a price on it. I went over and interrupted the two sales people who were deep in conversation to ask the price.....well......one immediately started lifting things on the counter and then putting them back down again in a 'OMG I don't want to have to deal with a Farang' kind of way whilst the other one lifted up the tripod looked at it and then said 'Don't know'. That was it!!! Chris and I left the shop giggling!! (He got one in the end - it's lightweight and cost a grand total of £6).

The hotel was beautiful.....we stayed in the Pan Pacific in one of their Junior suits and I have to say that the views across Bangkok were just amazing. I just have to add here that the bathroom had all the mod cons - the shower was one of those that squirts you from all angles and the toilet had a little panel with buttons on it - so after you relieved yourself you could have your bum washed and blow dried!! (We both tried it.....very very odd!! Sorry - you didn't really need to know that did you *grins*). Anyhooo (moving swiftly on!!), the hotel is right next to one of the largest parks in Bangkok, Lumpini Park, and in the evenings when it's cooler they hold aerobic classes there.....I was highly entertained as I sat in our hotel room looking down at about 50 people bobbing up and down in unison.

We dumped our stuff then went for a wee walk along Silom road (popping into the big Jim Thomson shop there so I could lust after their very beautiful but VERY expensive bedding (and cushions....and fabric....and handbags.....)) before heading to the pub for a couple of drinks. We spent a very entertaining couple of hours watching the world go by - there was a very smiley wee man who spent quite a long time outside the pub with his nose pressed up against the window watching the football (it was very funny watching his reaction when his team scored) and we watched, what looked like, a Traffic Cop take a bribe from a taxi driver!!. We then went back to the hotel and had a fantastic meal in the award-winning Chinese restaurant, Hai Tien Lo, (apart from the pudding which Chris reckoned was like Mango custard but I thought it was more like jelly than custard!!) followed by vodka martini's in the bar.

It was just what I needed to get rid of my 'not being with the family' blues :-)

Surprise!!!

Today is my lovely friend Jenny's Birthday (Happy Birthday honey) and we decided that we would have a bit of a pamper day. So this morning we headed over to MBK where we had made appointments at a new Japanese Place which specialises in facials. (I have no idea what it's called but it's next to the food court on the 5th floor). It was a little bit daunting....there are no private rooms so people can walk past and see you lying there with gunk on your face but we had decided that, since it offered the whole face hoover thing, that we would give it a go. I should probably explain that when you go you can have your pores cleaned with a little gadget that basically sucks out all the crap. Anyway, the actual facial was lovely - we came out all steamed, hoovered and fresh faced that was until........(I really need some da da daaaaa music here)......they offered to put some make up on us (Obviously we were both waaay to hideous to leave the shop with no make up on!!). Nervously we both sat down......Jen's woman started first and I laughed when I saw what she had done to her eyebrows but it was nothing.....NOTHING compared to what the woman did to mine!! I'm actually struggling to describe just how bad they were........they looked like someone had drawn two big, thick caterpillars shaped in an arch across the top of my eyes (I wouldn't have minded quite so much if her's had looked like that but they were relatively normal which made me question why she thought mine should be that way!!!).....then to add insult to injury she added pink over my eyelids and lined them in blue!! (I'm not even going into the pink that she put on my lips and cheeks)...... think startled rabbit, rabbit caught in headlights, bad old lady eyebrows......actually I looked like one of those old ladies that looks like she has fallen head first into her make up bag!!!

We beat a hasty retreat to the nearest loo and washed the make up off......thinking about it......perhaps I should have kept it on and then when Chris walked in the door jumped in front of him yelling SURPRISE....then again perhaps not!!!

So the moral of the story is that you don't need botox or a face lift in order to achieve the permanently surprised look!! All you really need to do is go have a facial then have some wee Thai women draw some really scary big eyebrows on you and bingo......... you've achieved the look for a fraction of the price!!

Jo, Tracey and Derek

We have been having an absolute hoot.....I don't think we have stopped laughing since their arrival!! The plane arrived on schedule and I went and picked them up at the airport (no wrong day's this time!!) when we got home Moon had made the most amazing lunch - Tom Yum Gai, a lovely fish dish which sounds something like Chock Chai (I really need to get the proper name from her) and steamed rice. Jo, Tracey and Derek brought us loads of wine, some Pimms and a Cat toilet!! (It's called Litter Kwitter and it trains your cat to use the toilet.....how cool is that!! I can't wait to watch the DVD). We then went a wee wonder up Sukhumvit Road, met up with Chris in our local bar on Soi 8 then headed to Cabbages and Condoms for dinner (Yes the lights are made of condoms and the man's clothes from birth control pills!!). Jo was most taken with the fact that we had ordered blue/purple food and just had to take a photo!!







The following day we headed out to Jim Thomson's house (Jo bought the most beautiful bag.....I have bag envy) we had lunch there and then went over to MBK where we did a bit of shopping then went to the food court for pudding. (Jo took a photo......this is starting to become a habit!!). Then we went to the mobile phone section - for those who have not been this really is a sight to behold.....I didn't know that you could get so many phones!! - and Jo bought the most truly....erm....actually words fail me.....here is a photo so you can see for yourself!! (I do not have phone envy!! Oh and I will explain the story of the pig fan at a later date!!). We headed home and then went into the new spa, Lavana, that has opened across the road.....we all decided to go for the full body massage with hot herbal ball. It was divine although Jo and I creased up when we saw the black net pant things that we had been asked to wear!! I think we all slept like logs that night!!

On Thursday they headed out on their own - I had a BWG Committee meeting and had to take the cats to the vet (That was traumatic....lugs still has ear mites (He had them before we got him) which means that we have to clean his ears morning and night for the next two weeks and they both had to have blood tests and shots). When I got home they had gone for a look around, had eaten at Crepes and Co (and could now recommend a few dishes that I had not tried before) and Derek was having a little nap. We then headed out to the Night Market and the Joe Lewis Puppet Theatre - Chris joined us after the show and we all laughed at the incredibly dense waiter that was serving us (actually, serving is technically correct but not what actually happened.....it was a little experience). We got Tuk Tuk's home.....Jo and Derek loved them....Tracey was not so sure but I think that had more to do with the fact that the air con is playing havoc with her sinuses and the pollution wasn't actually helping!!

Start Of Holiday - Take Two......

After the excitement of the hospital, and the fact that Sadie and Margaret were still suffering from Jet Lag, we decided that we would take it fairly easy. We spent a good part of Thursday morning looking at various clothing websites and making decisions on what kind of garments Sadie and Margaret were looking to get made and then we headed over to my local tailor, Khun Dao, (Actually she has her own website http://www.demodabangkok.com/index.asp) to get measured and to pick fabric.

Margaret was wanting to get something made for a wedding that she is going to in September and she decided that she would go for something a bit different. She is getting a silk Cheongsam (Chinese style dress) with matching jacket made - you should see the fabric she chose - it is beautiful!! She went for a vibrant azure blue with a simple bamboo pattern and she is going to have a small amount of bead work done at the collar of the dress. The jacket will be made to match so she will be able to wear them together or separately. I think it will look absolutely stunning!! Sadie went for a Salwar Kameez (which, for those not in the know, is a long tunic that goes over a pair of trousers and that has a wrap to complete the look). She chose a fairly heavy cotton (so she would be able to wear it in Scotland and not freeze to death) in two different greens - her tunic is going to be made in the lighter green trimmed in the darker one, the trousers in the darker one and the wrap is going to be two tone with some bead work done on it. She also went for a Xiang Yun Sha Jacket (That's the Chinese Jacket with mandarin collar) and matching trousers in black, a Chinese style skirt in denim with a beautiful stitching detail at the bottom and a stunning blue tunic top that has a really unusual criss cross neckline. It was quite funny - Sadie was saying that she felt like she was in an episode of What Not to Wear except we were nicer than Trinny and Susannah - she said she had never been so poked and prodded in her life.

In order to let them recover we headed to Emporium shopping centre for some lunch and went into a cafe/restaurant called Greyhound where we all had cheese and ham toasties and chips (God I love chips!! My excuse is that I'm not allowed to eat anything spicy - well seen I didn't have it in front of Moon....she would have been hitting me on the stomach and telling me that it was no good). I then took them to MBK on the Skytrain so that they could do a bit of shopping. Margaret bought the most beautiful silk bedspread in burgundy and cream with matching silk cushions (Her boudoir will be sumptuous), Sadie got a lovely silk bag in green and cream which will go with the outfit that she is having made and they both bought some pressys to take home (Don't get excited people......you may have to wait for birthday's to get them!!) By this time we were all a bit knackered so I introduced them to the delights of the Visage Patisserie which makes deserts that are so beautiful that you actually don't want to eat them!! We found a way.....

On the way home we stopped off at a Tailors called Kunika (Which I had been told is THE place to go if you want a coat made) and Sadie ordered the most stunning charcoal grey cashmere coat - I can't wait to see what the finished article looks like.