Into Bangkok this weekend

To get into downtown Bangkok from my province, it takes a motorbike ride to the main road, then a taxi or tuk tuk ride to the place where most buses stop, then a bus ride to the skytrain station, then a skytrain trip into town. and that's what I did with my evening on Saturday.

Went to a swanky (WAY too swanky for me in my dive shop tshirt and sweats) bar overlooking downtown Bangkok

This hurried shot (awkwardly snapped as I was leaving) is, sadly, the only shot i took of this place. though you can't see it in the picture, it's a rooftop bar in the middle of Bangkok serving tapas for about $2/plate and a Bombay Sapphire g&t for under $3 (!).

View from the 17th floor elevator, up to the bar

A spirit house, or san phra phum, with people lighting candles/incense (?)
...at a mall, right in front of Louis Vuitton and Burberry.

The size and number of malls here is staggering. In many places you can walk for an hour in any one direction and be in a mall about 95% of the time. and they're all completely packed with people. always, it seems. I've made a note to pack painkillers the next time i plan to venture into the crazy retail world of bkk.

Dinner at a Singaporean restaurant in the city.
I had the traditional, and deceptively simple, chicken rice (top).

The glowing green thing is a model of the Coliseum built entirely of Heineken cans (aside from the local beers, Heineken is the beer sold everywhere here) in front of, no surprise, a mall.

Couldn't resist taking out my camera in a public restroom to get a shot of
the "Buzz Box - Flushing Sound Machine." seriously.