Up early, first we had to switch rooms for some reason, then we too the skytrain to the JJ market. As I suspected, I’d missed a bunch the first time, and with a map at our disposal this time we faired a little better. I bought a CD that Josh in Laos had recommended, but that was it. Philipp faired a little better, buying a few things for himself, and for others. He’s on his way home, so the extra weight won’t be a burden for long.
Visited the MBK next, so Philipp could get some software, and look for a watch for his dad. He wasn’t impressed with the mobile prices, so he didn’t bother getting one. I ended up getting an ipod charger, for a pretty good price. Checked out the Billabong store at Discovery Centre Mall, to see if I could find a shirt to replace the one I bought in Australia and had stolen in Laos. No luck – I really liked that shirt, too.Â
Headed back to the hostel to nap/relax and shower, then made our way to Lumphini Night Bazaar. Wandered around there – Philipp buying some shoes, me buying more cds. Philipp wanted to see more of the market, so we asked if it would be open tomorrow afternoon, and were told it was open at twelve. We decided to return the next day, and made our way to the Muay Thai kickboxing stadium next to the market.
As we were walking there, a security guy (or someone dressed as such), asked if we were heading to the stadium. We said yes, and he told us to follow him. He lead us to a co-ordinator for the stadium who arranged to get us our tickets. Prices were about double the already expensive price we were expecting to pay, so we contemplated for a bit on whether we wanted to bother. In the end, we decided it would be worthwhile. We met two other Canadians, Kevin and Kyle, who were having the same dilemna, and they gave in as well.
The kickboxing was pretty fun, with some fairly even matches (except two very young fighters – where one really dominated over the others). We even got to see some blood, which is important.
After the fighting, we figured we’d head to the Patpong district. It’s essentially the red-light district, but it didn’t seem as crazy as I thought it might be. We had picked up some fighting moves at the kickboxing, anyhow, so we were prepared if things got rough. We had a couple of drinks at a couple of different bars, then finished off the night with a beer on the steps – which seemed to be the thing to do.Â
After a long day, we headed back to the hostel for some much needed sleep.