Travelogue: BKK DAY 3 (Mr Jones the Orphanage + Chatuchak weekend Market)
Back to Day 3 post with so much of excitement because cafe-hopped was our main objective on that day.
In case you have missed out all the previous posts:
We were quite surprised to realise that Bangkok had quite a number of good cafes after reading tons of reviews/blog/tripadvisor online whilst planning our itinerary! But the difficult part of this entire trip was trying to figure out the exact location of all these places since we couldn’t speak Thai and some tutuk and taxi drivers couldn’t understand us, didn’t know where these places were even though we showed them the addresses.
But to be very thankful that we met this tutuk driver and had a strong connection with him that he understood where we are heading and also charged us at a cheaper rate. But nevertheless, we had our first cafe hunt at Mr Jones the Orphanage.
Mr Jones orphanage is located at the ‘atas street’ of Thonglor. You may have noticed that the address is exactly the same as Roast Coffee and Eatery. Yeap, this cosy little cafe is at level one of the SeenSpace, just below Roast Coffee & Eatery. I guess as a child everyone would had dreamt of such a place where there are endless candies, cakes, chocolate and ice cream. Mr Jones orphanage is exactly such a place, only that you need to pay for it.
Mr Jones' Orphanage is basically a cafe selling desserts and brunch with really cute interior design and concept. The whole cafe is like a toy house with wooden rustic furniture, vintage tableware (which are on sale), paper planes hanging from the ceiling and a huge carousel in the middle, which I realised is used as a storage space for the ingredients.
They have quite low ceiling and display/toys around, becareful if you are there, if you are too tall you might hit on the display. But really impressed by their decorations, super duper cute!
I think i've gain 2kg by only looking at this, hahaha! No kids can resist this superb kitkat monster, right?
They have a large variety of cakes and sweet creations with all the interesting names like 'naughty boy brownie', 'custard cow poo' and also the beverages like 'first day of school', 'for mom and me', 'the tree house', 'time to go to school', so many choices that we took quite sometime to make our order.
In the end we ordered their brunch as we were far too famished for just desserts and cakes.
We ordered a hot pot of tea to share. I love the English but yet modern looking tea set. Its so intricate.
M&M Kit kat
Regretted getting their main brunch because the cakes look more appealing and there were too many choices to choose from. As we were too full after our main, we ordered only 2 slices of cakes to fill up the rest of our tummy. Got their popular cakes ( M&M Chocolate and red velvet) and the cream cheese on the velvet cake simple make me happy. Not forgetting the chocolate fudge cake which drool me off.
Directions
The nearest BTS station to Mr Jones Orphanage is Thonglor station and takes a 15 minutes walk. Direction is exactly as coming to Roast Coffee & Eatery. Taking a cab to this place will be much easier. If you choose to walk, you just need to walk on one straight road on Sukhumvit 55 and turn left into Akkhara Phat when you see a building call “Home Place”.
Our next destination *ROLL DRUM*
Chatuchak weekend market
Finally arrived at the weekend market. One of the most popular places and a must visit place if you ever visit BKK. They are only opened on weekends so do not miss your opportunity! Remember to drink plenty of water because the weather is going to be very humid and you wouldn't want to find yourself fainting after 2 hours of shopping.
How to get there: Take the Skytrain (BTS) to Mo Chit station, take exit no. 1, then walk towards the nearby markets. Or use the subway (MRT) to Chatuchak Park station (exit no.1), then walk to the nearby markets. We took a cab from our hotel since there were 3 of us. Since it was the week-end, there would not be much of traffic jams on the way there.
Originally starting life as a wholesale market for traders and locals, Chatuchak Weekend Market is now famous amongst tourists visiting Bangkok, and is definitely a ‘must-do’ for any shopper coming to the city. The 35 acre market has over 8000 stalls (yes 8000!), with more than 200,000 visitors on a typical weekend, it can be a bit daunting.
Here's a photo of Chatuchak Weekend Market for your information if you happen to need it. Basically, they categorize the sections into different sections such as clothes, bags, essential needs, flowers, pots, food, dog accessories, plastic packaging/bags suppliers etc many more
All of reached at 4pm despite of the late afternoon, there were still human jam everywhere. I even sweat after walking for 10 mins.
Well, personally, i found it true to a certain extent! In terms of clothes designs, i felt that the nice clothes weren't abundant - unlike malls like Platinum or Union mall where people just drown themselves in relatively nicer clothes - and yes, it is true that many of the stuff here are not that up to date. Chatuchak Weekend Market can be a bargain hunter’s paradise if you use your negotiating skills well, just remember to keep a cool head and don’t haggle too much, and be prepared to walk away if the price is not right, as there will probably be another stall just around the corner selling the same item for less.
A must to try will be their mango sticky rice and coconut ice cream! Best dessert for such humid weather.
Despite the lack of cheap pretty clothes, i still enjoyed my trip to Chatuchak. This huge weekend market is actually one of the biggest markets in the world and is spread over 28 sections. Thus, beyond clothes, there was actually a whole range of goods being sold here. From children's toys, household furniture, and even pretty room decoration. Chatuchak market is a place where you can find anything and everything (: There was even a whole lane of stalls selling dogs!
We ended off our journey by having authentic Thai dinner at the roadside stalls (; What a good good night, I concluded!
Some tips to help you when you visit Chatuchak Weekend Market:
- Get there early – the morning, when there are fewer people around, is the best time to visit the market.
- Clothing – wear comfortable shoes and lightweight clothing. We recommend using sun-cream, sunglasses and a hat or cap too.
- Look after your bag, wallet or purse – stalls only accept cash and there are ATMs in Chatuchak market. Watch out for pickpockets though, as the crowded conditions make it fairly easy for them to operate. Useful tip: set a budget and only take that amount with you (along with a photocopy of your ID).
- Drink plenty – the market is big and it often gets very hot and humid with temperatures of around 28-33°C (82-91°F), why risk being ill?
- Get a map of the market - or go without one, have fun and get lost in the market
- Haggle – the art of haggling is part of the Thai culture. If you’re not used to bargaining, Chatuchak is an ideal training ground!
- If you see something you like, buy it! – the market is so big it’ll be difficult to find your way back to the stall later.
- Stop for something to eat at the market – with the numerous bars and restaurants in Chatuchak market, you’ll never run out of things to eat. If you manage to find it, the coconut ice-cream mixed with fresh coconut flesh and served in a half coconut shell is worth trying.
- Find the toilets – public toilets are located at the entrances and along the main roads that circle the market. Don’t expect anything too clean, but they’re better than nothing. You have to pay 2 baht to use the toilets and 5 baht for toilet paper.
- Stay to watch the market close – sit down, have a cool drink and watch the Thais at work. Fascinating.
Last post will be up soon (:
Till then.
