Bangkok Weekend Market - CHRISTMAS DAY!

So, come Christmas Day, I still hadn't any plans and Santa had forgotten I was in Bangkok! Luckily I was staying at an amazing hotel who remembered and they gave me some  cookies as a present! Bless their cotton socks!

After talking to our concierge, Mel Asheesh and I thought we would go and check out the weekend markets, apparently the biggest markets in the world!

This market had EVERYTHING you could ever want!  It's so big you could walk through it all day and not see everything!  It sells everything from pets to furniture and from food to art. Unlike other markets I have been to, the venders are not aggressive, everything is clean and organised and we definitely got to experience lots of life - smells, colours, people!  It was actually a really enjoyable way to spend the afternoon, but we were knackered after a few hours on our feet!!  We managed to find some great iced treats! I found an amazing berry ice smoothy and Mel found a delicious coconut ice-cream served with real coconut and peanuts in half a chilled coconut shell!! TO. DIE. FOR!!

 Here are a few snaps I took!

Bags and hats!!

Bags

 

Confectionary!

Art 

Vintage commercials!!

 DO NOT FINGER THE ANIMALS!!

Lunch - Pah Thai 

Tasty snacks being made! An egg mixture with seafood and chives!! 

 Worms?  Not for people, for birds! What, do you think they eat EVERYTHING here! :P

Getting there:
If you are in Bangkok and want to visit these markets I recommend it.  If you really want to look at a lot then you should definitely give yourself a full day!  You can get there buy either taxi or public transport, but we could not find a taxi which would take us by the meter so we had to negotiate a price.  We managed to get to and from our hotel (near Patpong) for 200 THB. This included all road tolls etc.  The trip took us about 20 mins each way, though we did have good traffic.

What about you, what did you do for Christmas?

Until next time,

Daniel

Follow me on twitter @TheDanFactor

Awesome, impractical designer luggage!

Oh my God!! Look what I found!!!  If you are looking to buy me a Christmas present this year, please buy me one of these!!!

This is awesome, beautifully made luggage from UK designer Sarah Jane Williams!!  The luggage is designed to be unique and what as come out of the design process is what looks like wonderfully colourful, well made,  impractical looking luggage.  And boy it makes a statement!!

What impresses me most about the luggage though, is not the outside, but the inside!  Look at what Sarah has done with these pieces!! Pure genius!! The cases use the inside space brilliantly with drawers, cabinets, cases and pouches!

Every traveller needs great luggage! So don't be one of those everybody's with a wheelie suitcase or duffle bag.  Don't be one of those try hards who want Gucci or Louis Vuitton luggage.  No one believes it's real anyway! It just looks like you go to Bali too often and that you need to be seen carrying a brand!! Get one of these and stand out from the crowd.  If nothing else, they are great conversation makers while you are queuing up!!

If you don't think these are for you, that is fine too, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE buy me one!!  It is the season for giving, no less!!  Website is here if you are interested!

Until next time,

Daniel
Follow me on Twitter @TheDanFactor

What should I do for Christmas - ASIA STYLE?

Season greetings, readers!!

I cannot believe that Christmas is but four days away and I am sitting in Siem Reap not needing to worry about buying presents, running through crowds, and definitely brogans in shopping centres!! I'm not worried about keeping receipts for presents in case friends and family don't like them. I'm not watching my shopping budget.  And, most importantly, I'm sure as heck not having to listen to effing Mariah Carey sing "All I want for Christmas" in every effing shop I visit!!!!  I hate, hate, HATE Christmas carols being played everywhere, especially from November!  


Wow, that paragraph made me sound like SUCH a Scrooge!!  I'm not a Scrooge though, I promise. I actually love Christmas day.  Christmas DAY!!!  The lead up and the stress - not so much!  But I have a great family and every Christmas we get together and have a big lunch with fantastic home cooked meals and drink copious amounts of fantastic wine.  We catch up on the year.  We Laugh. We be merry. We give presents. We, perhaps, have an arvo nap, too!  Then, come the evening, we eat leftovers from lunch.  I love my family's cooking too!  My mother always puts on the best Christmas lunches, even if they are small (small for our family being about 12).  My Uncle Mike also does amazing Christmas lunches as well with roasts, hams, minted peas, home made christmas pudding with brandy butter, brandy sauce, and cream with... wait for it... brandy in it!!  It's the best!!  Mum recently started doing chilled eggnog (with liquor in it of course) which I have become addicted too!! I love that stuff!!


But, because I love my family Christmas lunches so much and being with my family over Christmas, it makes it all that much more difficult whenever I spend Christmas abroad!  Have any of you ever spent a Christmas overseas without family?  I actually am looking forward to my Christmas! This year, plans include leaving Siem Reap and Cambodia tomorrow to fly to Phuket, Thailand for a couple of days with my little brother and his fiancé, before dashing back up to Bangkok to spend Christmas day with Tash's big sister and Margaret's daughter Melissa and her friends, before all of us jumping back down to Koh Samui for a week of bliss and pampering!! Sounds not bad huh!!


But, due to the absence of family on Christmas day, I was wondering if anyone had any idea's on what I could do to make Christmas feel more homely.  I found out from www.asiahotels.com that "Bangkok, Thailand - because Buddhism is the official religion of Thailand, Christmas is not a popular event here. Department stores and market places decorate their shops on the onset of the season" * .  So, I am hoping I can find a good hotel which puts on a Christmas feast because I will be heart broken if I end up eaten pad thai and coconut water for my christmas meal!!


So, what are your ideas and tips for having Christmas abroad to make Christmas feel more authentic? What makes Christmas special for you and your family/country? I would love to hear your thoughts and comments! I will mention some of the best idea's in a video post I will do over Christmas!!


Until next time,


Daniel


*  On that note about Santa, I have no idea what the Asians think of us!  They think Christmas is about some fat red guy who flies around the world giving out presents, and that's what we celebrate. That seems a weird concept to me and its from my culture!!


Follow me on Twitter @TheDanFactor