By Way of Asia

Bangkok, Thailand: Our next stop on the temple circuit was Wat Pho, which houses the famous Reclining Buddha. The Buddha is known for its size - coming in at a whopping 150 feet long and 50 feet high. Now that’s a big Buddha.

Bangkok, Thailand: Our second day in Bangkok happened to be a Saturday, which was very lucky (for Ash at least) because Saturday is the best day for the Chatuchak Weekend Market, one of the largest outdoor markets in the world and the largest in Asia. The market spreads out over more than 35 acres and contains an estimated 5,000 stalls. With that many stalls, you can buy almost anything (and we mean almost anything) - clothes, accessories, food, handicrafts, motorcycle parts, fine art, even baby bunnies and squirrels. A portion of the market is even dedicated to young Thai designers and artists, who decorate their small booths so they look more like miniature trendy boutiques than your typical market stall. Given that there was no way we could cover the entire market in a full day even with our early start, we resigned ourself to throwing aside the map and just wandering through the small alleyways wherever our feet happened to take us until - suffering from total shopping exhaustion - we gave up in the late afternoon. Unfortunately we have no good pictures to share, as we decided that any we took simply did not do justice to the enormity that is Chatuchak. But Ash has plenty of new shoes and dresses as proof.

On Sunday, we took in the sights as tourists should. First was the Grand Palace (which is sort of a confusing name because it houses not only the actual Grand Palace, but lots of other things too).

Bangkok, Thailand: Hello from Bangkok! After nearly a week of relaxing in Chiang Mai, we decided it was time to move on and made our way on an overnight train down to Bangkok to meet up with our friend John for a few days of fun. And what do three soon-to-be-business students do shortly after they arrive in a city known for dirt cheap tailors, you may ask? They go buy a custom-made suit, of course! Well, Zach and John did at least (the tailors here aren’t supposed to be as skilled at making women’s clothes so Ash mostly watched and supervised). 

Based on glowing recommendations from some wonderful friends we met along the way in Vietnam (hi James and Judith!), Zach and John decided on a place called Empire Tailors. Sunny, the owner, now runs the shop after his father unfortunately passed away two years ago and has recently moved it into a beautiful new building in the heart of “tailor row.” 

After a short introductory meeting with Sunny, Zach and John picked their fabric and lining, as well as decided on an overall fit, lapel, cuffs, and all the other bells and whistles. Two hours (or two beers at a pub around the corner) later, it was time for the first fitting, where Sunny made some minor adjustments to the rough body of the jacket and took a boatload of measurements. The following afternoon, the boys went back to see a first draft of their suits. Another round of tweaks, and their suits were ready for pick-up at 8pm that evening! 

Since the suits won’t really look their best with a t-shirt and flip-flops, we’ll have to save the final pictures for when we get home…

More goods news. Prime minister sets a dissolution date. Red shirts may be re-Thai-ring! →

For those who are counting, make that three

Redshirts accept "reconciliation road map" - it's about Thaim! →

That’s two puns.

The Thai-d may be turning →

Political unrest may disrupt our plans - but there is a glimmer of hope!

Also, I plan to use at least 15 puns including the word “Thai” over the course of the trip. Keep your eyes peeled.