the whole world is here

Today Yahoo! featured the 15 largest shopping malls in the world. Bangkok's Terminal 21 is not one of them, but if there's a list of "Most Fun Shopping Malls", it would be right up there.

From their brochure (unedited): Terminal21 brings you to the whole new experience of shopping with Market Street Style. We combine unique destinations from around the world such as Rome, Paris, Tokyo, London, Istanbul, San Francisco and Hollywood into one fully-furbished department store. Enjoy a perfect combination of fashion, food, and film, with more than 600 shops for urbanistas including the famous Urbanation. Fancy the 36 meter long escalator that connects together all the continents in our welcoming world. Easily reached by both BTS and MRT train service, we invite you to be the first to experience the brand new Terminal21 - The Whole World is Here.

Doesn't that sound like fun?

not just eating

Lest you think that I spent all that time in Bangkok just eating, here's proof of some sightseeing activity.

This was the third time I visited Wat Arun, but the first time I brought back photographs.

sukhumvit 38 food street

I suppose there are some places in this world more wonderful than a street full of food, but truthfully, I can't think of any.

On 2 May 2012, when I arrived at the Thong Lo station of the BTS Skytrain and gazed down at this marvel, I got goosebumps.

first day in bangkok

I arrived in Bangkok past midnight on 25 April 2012. In the morning, I woke up to this view.

This is not a hotel. It's much, much better.

my personal som tam heaven

In the urban jungle that is Bangkok, right beside the Phrom Phong station of the BTS Skytrain, just a few steps from a 7-11 store, is a happy place. The sign says "Very Good And Cheap", and it really is. No false advertising here.

From 26 April to 13 May 2012, this is where I went for my Som Tam (papaya salad) fix. This one had chopped salted egg mixed in it which provided an unusual creamy and salty note to the usual tangy heat of the salad.