love letters from bangkok

Dear LA, I miss you a lot but Bangkok will always have a piece of my heart.

Our Singaporean friend Melody frequently sources for her business in Bangkok, primarily at Chatuchak Market, an enormous local haggle-friendly mart, and Platinum Mall, a wholesale mall. She booked a flight over to Bangkok right when she heard we had also made a similarly capricious decision while in Hong Kong. We're so glad she did because she served as a pseudo tour guide and a fantastic third, not to mention an excellent photographer. The three of us met up with Nün, who lives in Bangkok, and we cavorted the entire week away.

 

I rode my first tuk tuk (a motorcycle-operated cart that serves as a taxi!) and the four of us squeezed into one seat. I kind of thought I was going to die. Didn't stop me from taking a DSLR selfie, though.

We hit up Chinatown for some fresh street seafood. Seems like an oxymoron, but this was some of the freshest seafood comfort food I've ever had. We had the incredible luck of getting sat at this very busy "restaurant" (it's basically just a tiny sidewalk setup covered by tarps) right before a rush and also right before an intense rainstorm. 

I have witnessed about 4 rainstorms in Thailand so far, and every single day after one is a day you feel happy to be alive; the atmosphere is so beautiful. The day after this one didn't let us down. We took a ferry ride to the Temple of Dawn (see more photos of that excursion here).

The steps were so steep it was impossible to climb up or down without using the handrail

Took a tuk tuk again because I love these things now

I also tried this hidden gem called The Never Ending Summer. It's located in a warehouse owned by one of Thailand's premier architects. He wanted to create something beautiful out of this space so he started this Thai restaurant. Next to it is an artisan coffee house that I tried after our meal. The aesthetic of this whole place totally reminded me of home (Anaheim Packing District, anyone?).

Afterwards, I paid a visit to Central Embassy to shop and have a drink. Central Embassy is Bangkok's most prestigious mall and seriously the most elegant mall my eyes have ever seen. I kept exclaiming that it was the mall of the future at every turn. Each store's look and offerings were so carefully curated, they seemed to be an artwork of their own.

I also had the insane honor of meeting Liu Wen, China's first supermodel. She's currently filming her first reality TV show and an episode was being filmed at W Bangkok, the hotel I was staying at then! She is so nice in person and has such and inspiring story.

I had two magazine interviews while in Bangkok, one with Don't Magazine and one with Vogue Thailand! Below is a photo of Tachol, Vogue editor/my interviewer, and me. We hit it off really well and she invited me to a McQ by Alexander McQueen store opening at Central Embassy later that evening. I brought my girl gang to join me for the all-black attire festivities.

I've met a great number of inspiring individuals and admirable companies. Special thanks to my friends Melody, Nün, and Natalie, and also my friends at Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok and W Bangkok for showing me 5-star hospitality. Look out for my W Bangkok review next!