We traveled on the subway for several stops and walked back to the Best Tailor Bangkok-Signature's Collection store. We did our first fitting for the suits that they had made for us two weeks ago. Either their measurements were a bit off or I had gained some weight, as the coat was a bit on the tight size. They would need to take it out a little more. The Wife's blazer was a better fit.
After we were finished with our fittings, we rode the subway for a couple of more stops until we arrived at the Jim Thompson Factory Outlet Store. Jim Thompson was an American architect who was stationed in Southeast Asia during World War II while working with the Office of Strategic Services. After the war, his interests in costume design led him to Bangkok where he started a successful textile business. In 1967 he disappeared while on vacation in Malaysia. His body was never found. His large mansion in Bangkok has now been converted to a museum which was too far out of our way to visit.
His legacy is a line of opulent silk clothing and housewares. There are Jim Thompson stores in the high end shopping centers and airports throughout Thailand, but the merchandise was way too overpriced for my taste. The factory store was a much better fit for us. The Wife shopped at the multi-story center picking up discounted clothing. Heck, I even purchased a knit shirt for a nice price. I had to admit that those threads were several notches above the banal clothing I usually buy. The Wife rued the fact that we had little room in our luggage as they had an entire floor dedicated to bolts of high end fabrics at sale prices.
After our mini shopping spree, we returned to the St. Regis Hotel. We were half-expecting a mound of empty china outside our door from The Kids exploiting the butler system. We were relieved that they had only called on him once in our absence. For our last dinner in Thailand, we wanted some "authentic" food. We decided to walk around the busy area around our hotel and look for some night markets with food stalls.
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| The Erawan shrine was oddly nestled among many high rise buildings. It was always teeming with worshipers or dancers when we passed it. |
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| Ratchadamri Road is lined by luxury hotels and shopping malls. Traffic can be pretty heavy on the weekends. |
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| With so much competition, several stores had gimmicky ways of getting the attention of pedestrians. |
We walked and walked and walked. We passed many stalls selling worthless trinkets, massage parlors with prices that were exorbitant compared to those in Chiang Mai, and restaurants catering to Western tourists. However, we could not seem to find any food stalls. Everybody got hungrier and more irritable as we continued on.
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| I suspect that this soap will make me clean. But will it also make me gay? |
We were getting pretty exasperated by the time we spied a long queue of people on the sidewalk. Curiosity got the best of us, so we decided to check it out. All of these people were waiting for a table at an unassuming restaurant called Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice. We figured that the food must be pretty good if so many people were patiently waiting to eat there. The other eateries nearby had empty tables and nobody was clamoring to dine at them. The line was moving quickly enough, so we decided to wait for a table. Fifteen minutes later, we were being seated.
This food stall which specializes in Hainanese chicken rice has been a local favorite for over 50 years. Their wall proudly displays their Michelin Bib Gourmand Award which showcases restaurants that provide good food at good value. There would be no waiters in tuxedos nor food plated with tweezers.
Their menu is fairly small with less than 10 different food options. We ordered one braised pork, but preferred to focus on their signature dish, the chicken rice. The chicken was so tender and the rice so flavorful. We were wowed by the food, but that may also have been because we were ravenously hungry.
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| Chicken broth to accompany the meal |
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| Braised pork |
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| Hainanese chicken rice |
*****
Saturday, January 5, 2019
*****
We had a leisurely morning, enjoying the comfort of our nice beds at the St. Regis Hotel. We went for a late breakfast/early lunch at Din Tai Fung, a Taiwanese dumpling chain restaurant, that was located in a large shopping mall a couple of blocks away.
Although we have made dumplings as a family, they are such a time-consuming pain in the butt activity. And they are never as good as the ones the professionals make. We prefer to watch others slave over the process.
We ordered a wide variety of dumplings, making sure we had plenty to eat as we would not be able to grab dinner before our flight.
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| Watermelon, sour plum with kumquat, and roselle drinks |
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| Ginger dipping sauces |
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| Black fungus mushroom snacks were complimentary |
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| Special braised beef noodle soup |
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| Shrimp and pork dumplings |
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| Crab and pork xiao long bao (soup dumplings) |
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| Assorted mushroom with truffle oil xiao long bao |
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| Angled gourd and shrimp xiao long bao |
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| Steamed chili crab and pork buns |
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| The inside of the chili crab and pork bun |
After our satisfying meal, we went back to the St. Regis and checked out. We still had nine more hours until our flight would depart later that night. We stowed our luggage at the front desk and were allowed to hang out poolside. There was a great view of The Royal Bangkok Sports Club which was across the street. The Wife and I dropped The Kids off at the pool and went to finish the last of our errands.
We made our way back to the Best Tailor Bangkok-Signature's Collection store. We were relieved that our new suit and sports coats fit us perfectly. The owners also invited us to take some complimentary ties. He pointed to a large black trash bag that was filled with an assortment of new ties. They were not Jim Thompson quality, but they were all pretty nice. I grabbed some to give to The Boy, all the while wondering if these "fell off the back of a truck."
We spent a few hours at the St. Regis pool before it was time to head to the airport. We boarded our Korean Airlines flight and said our goodbyes to Thailand, a wonderful country rich with culture, nature, and food--and, unfortunately, heat and humidity.
We arrived at Incheon Airport at around 5 AM. The Wife was excited to check out the food court, but we had to wait a few hours before the shops would open. When they eventually did, she was disappointed to see that the Korean fried chicken restaurant was out of fried chicken. I guess nobody really eats that for breakfast. We still were able to get some good food nonetheless.
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| Kimchi dumplings |
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| Ramen |
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| Korean fried chicken burger |
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| Pork and tofu pot stew |
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| Spicy beef and tofu pot stew |
We had a several hours-long flight back to the United States. I was able to finish five movies during that span of time--none of which were very memorable. I remembered why I stopped going to the movie theaters. We finally arrived back home after a full day of flying. The distance to travel to and back from Thailand was very long, but it was well worth the journey.
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