South East Asia trip 2014: APRIL 5, 2014: JATUJAK MARKET, VICTORY MONUMENT, LUNCH-MCDONALD'S, POOL, GOODBYE BANGKOK, HEADING HOME TO THE US WITH ASIANA AIRLINES

April 5, 2014

Our very last breakfast! I can't believe our trip is over. The time has gone by so fast. Our flight back to the US isn't until this evening at 11:40 pm so we have time still to do something or nothing. We pack our stuff that we brought with us along with a lot of Cambodia, Myanmar/Burma, and Thailand. Good thing I bought that luggage weight gadget as each checked piece has to be 20 kg. or less. We are each allowed 2 check ins-4 total-1 is a small size bag which is now full of souvenirs like T shirts, etc. Carry ons shouldn't be an issue-the camera/video gear case, a carry on bag of souvenirs that are fragile. We check out. The hotel knows about our late flight and is very accommodating. They will hold all our bags until we need them. They will arrange for a taxi to take us to the airport. If we want to use the pool, there is a changing room that even has a shower. I've read about a market that seems to get raves that it's a must see if in Bangkok at the right time. It's on the weekend and today is Saturday so what the heck, we'll check it out and see what all the hype is.

We are off to the big market. We walk passing by street vendors selling all sorts of food. I take pictures of the colors of these Bangkok food stands.

Selling shoes in front of Robinson's

JJ/JATUJAK/CHATUCHAK MARKET We take the BTS from Saphan Taskin Silom line to Siam Station; change to Sukhumvit line to Mo Chit station. 84 baht. As we exit we just follow the lines of people as we figure they're all going to the market. We walk through a very nice park to get to the market area. There's a Clock Tower in the park that makes for a good point of reference for when we have to return. This is like a huge flea market of sorts. So many vendors selling food, drinks, you name it, it's here. Also clothes, toys, everything including the kitchen sink! A mass of people! It's a bit too claustrophobic for me. I see a security guy and he gives me a map. There are areas for home furniture, accessories, wickerwork, handicrafts, clothing, etc. We just wander around and for us it's more interesting just to "people watch" until we feel the need for a drink. We step inside PFUHA. It's got A/C and feels great. There are 2 empty stools which we grab. I go to the counter and order an iced mocha for me and a hot herbal tea for Richard-90 baht. I don't see anything to buy that I can take home. I did see some signs that would be great for the bar in our family room but they're too big and too heavy. Darn! I decide to try some of the street food. Some kind of fried seafood with fries-100 baht- but to be honest it wasn't very tasty so I didn't finish it. Richard would not eat any street food. I tell him we're leaving tonight and that he could be adventurous but he said his stomach wasn't in the mood to have him throw caution to the wind! LOL!! We decide we've had enough and walk back through the park. Seeing an empty bench we just sit for awhile.

The view from the overpass on our way to the JJ Market

This must be where the JJ Market is!

Good signs

Clock Tower in the park

This was a nice park

We have arrived at the market along with everyone else!

Slicing meat

Cooking

We had drinks here

Need a massage?

This place had some neat signs that I would have liked to buy but they were too big & heavy

Trying some food at the market

This is the way to spend some down time-in the park

This is how you determine what your fare is

On our return to the hotel I take pictures of the VICTORY MONUMENT from the BTS. I had really wanted to actually go there but it's where all the protesters are so.......I do the best I can with the pictures I take but it's just not the same as physically being right there.

I don 't see any signs of protesters

I think we could have gone here

N3 Victory Monument stop

Don't know what this is but it looks interesting

I'm holding my BTS ticket before going through to the exit

Exit

It's now around 2:30 pm and we stop at the MCDONALD'S by our hotel for a late lunch of deluxe cheeseburger and fillet o fish. Both taste just like they do back home in the US-174 baht. We pass street vendors again. I take in my last experience of the smells, sounds, sights of Bangkok. We are at the hotel pool from 3:30-5:30 pm.

Some sort of meat

These we don't have at our McDonald's back home!

View from the pool

Pool at night

Our taxi is scheduled for 7:15 pm. We change and are in the lobby waiting with all our bags. Goodbyes to all the staff. Our taxi is here. GOODBYE BOSSOTEL! GOODBYE BANGKOK! Our taxi driver drives like he's on a race track. I think I held my breath the whole time until we arrived safely at the airport! This time our flight leaves from SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT. It's now 8:00 pm. Our taxi driver helps us with our bags getting them on to 2 carts. I pay the fare which was?? and add a nice tip. We have plenty of time until our flight. We eventually check in. No problems with the weight of our checked bags-yes!! We will finally get to experience ASIANA AIRLINES. We were supposed to have them for our flight coming to SE Asia but as you may know Jet Blue screwed up and we ended up on AIR CHINA instead. We have seats 22B and 22A, departing Bangkok at 11:40 pm and arriving in Seoul ICN 6:50 am April 6th. Then we leave Seoul ICN at 11:00 am for Chicago ORD, arriving there at 9:35 am, April 6th. We will arrive back in the US before we left Seoul!! It's all due to the time zones. We have a slight delay on our flight out of Bangkok-about 30 minutes. This airport is very large with so many stores!! I can go shopping here! I make a few purchases. One is a small pewter cup with elephant design and it says Thailand. Every country I have traveled to I always bring home a country magnet and a coffee mug. I have not been able to find a plain old coffee mug that says Thailand so this will have to do-680 baht. I also buy a box of Godiva truffles for 1440 baht. The Godiva truffles are my weakness and we don't have a store in my hometown. The closest place would be Toronto if I wanted to purchase some of these oh so good truffles. This is my little indulgence! I also exchange my leftover baht of 1235 for $37 plus 21.40 baht. Now it is time to board and all goes smoothly and we are up and away! GOODBYE THAILAND, GOODBYE SE ASIA!