TRAVEL(BKK)|SHOP DROP & ROLL.

When it comes to thailand, other than the rich culture and insanely good food, shopping is at the top of my list. Out of the massive pool of malls and markets, Asiatique and Terminal 21 are two of my personal favourite places to shop at or just look around.

ASIATIQUE The Riverfront

Asiatique is Bangkok's newest night market situated by the Chao Prahya River. With 15,000 boutiques filled with souvenirs, accessories, clothes and a massive array of restaurants it's an amazing place to visit whether its to shop or just for sightseeing. I try to make a trip here every time i'm in bangkok, whether its to dine by one of the riverside restaurants or to pick up some cheap fashion buys.

Along the way there will be tiny food stalls for shoppers to indulge on while navigating through the 10 massive warehouses in the area. 

kane mochi is my definite fave, flavoured ice cream-filled mochi balls of perfection. 

Warehouses 1 through 4 are filled with boutiques selling handicrafts, accessories, knick knacks and the like. Great place to grab some affordable souvenirs or gifts other than the generic elephant keychains (which i'm sure you can still find in a few of the shops)

Walking through the town square district would give you a view of the beautiful token ferris wheel.

Carrying on to warehouses 7 through 10, this is where most of the fashion boutiques are situated. From basic printed t-shirts to locally designed dresses and footwear, the multitude of shops filled with affordable buys is a shopaholic's paradise. I usually skip the souvenir hooha and head straight for this area.

Hand-modified clothes and accessories

Hit up the fish spa or get a quick foot massage after the shopping to heal them sore legs (and prepare for another day of shopping, teehee)

The real stars of Asiatique, the adorable dogs and puppies <3

Asiatique The Riverfront

2194 Charoenkrung Road
Wat Praya Kai, Bang Kho Leam
Bangkok, Thailand

Operating hours:
15.00 ~ Midnight

Tip: Catch the free ferry from Taksin Bridge

More information at:
http://www.thaiasiatique.com/

Terminal 21

Terminal 21 is a large shopping mall that is themed around the concept of an airport, with the various levels decked out as famous cities around the world. The things are a tad bit on the pricey side, but to be quite honest, I'm mostly there to snap pictures of the decor. And don't even get me started on the toilets (you'll see why soon). Visually one of the most interesting malls i've ever been in, kudos to the designers!

The themes are:
6F: Hollywood, Los Angeles
4/5F: San Francisco
3F: Istanbul
2F: London
1F: Tokyo
MF: Paris
GF: Rome
LG: Carribean

Pictures taken with my iphone so pardon the quality.

1F: Tokyo (Woman's Apparel)

2F: London (Men's Apparel)

Even the mall staff dress up according to the theme (:

3F: Istanbul (Accessories)

4/5F: San Francisco (Food glorious food)

Kinda bummed that i didn't get to look around at the other levels so that's definitely on my list of things to do during my next visit to Bangkok. But honestly the creativity and effort put into the decor of the mall way beyond what my mediocre brain could fathom, if all malls were like this i'd enjoy shopping a lot more than i already do now(not sure if that's really possible though).

Terminal 21

2,88 Sukhumvit Soi 19
Sukhmvit, North Klongtoei
Bangkok, Thailand

Operating hours:
10.00 ~ 22:00  (10am to 10pm)

Tip: Take the BTS to Asok Station (access via the skywalk)

More information at:
http://www.terminal21.co.th/ (all in thai)


Either way, Bangkok's generally a great place for a short trip overseas, with the yummy thai delicacies and beautiful culture. Unfortunately the political situation isn't all that ideal right now but other than that Thailand will always be like my home away from home. (other than Korea, that is. Might talk about that in another post) Till we meet next time, Land of Smiles.

credits: http://transport-traffic.tumblr.com/

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