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Blink and you'll miss it~!! The sidewalk between Sukhumvit 24 and 26 turns into an impromptu market at noon during weekdays~!!
The thing is, since the sellers are there to catch (mostly) office workers on their lunch break, they will disappear just as quickly as they come in the early afternoon~!!
The usually spacious sidewalk will get clogged during lunchtime, then around 1:30 - 2 pm everything will turn quiet again... until the next day lunchtime.
It's also a hit-n-miss affair when it comes to the products being offered here... since some sellers are there all the time (like the earrings seller) and some are just "guest sellers" (like many of those hawking clothes).
This means: if you find something that you like here, you better buy it NOW~!! Coz there's no guarantee that the same seller will show up again next time~!!
Also available: all kinds of food (fruits, breads, sausages, meatballs, ice cream, peanuts, grilled bananas), drinks, counterfeit items (like DVDs and watches - ha ha ha) and accessories (bangles, bags, sunglasses, hair decorations). One thing they have in common is that they're all CHEAP~!! Yehey~~!!! So you see, lunchtime in Sukhumvit isn't just for lunch... there's no lack of distraction tempting you to part with your hard-earned cash~!!
Dum-dee-dum... My sad bitter tears for the disappearance of Onnut Square turned into tears of joy at the sight of this new open market (OK, so the market isn't exactly SUPER new; it's just that I haven't had the chance to check it out 'til now).
This was how Onnut Square (right next to the Onnut BTS Station) looked like before:
And this is how the area looks like now:
Not so much different, huh~??Except that Onnut Square had AIRCON (and that's one GIGANTIC difference in my book~!!).
Anyway, this new market sells more or less the same stuff like Onnut Square before: clothes, accessories, more clothes, cosmetics, and still more clothes, costume jewelry, and even more CLOTHES~~!!!!
I promised myself I would just TAKE A LOOK AROUND and NOT BUY ANYTHING... I am so very ashamed to admit that my willpower wasn't strong enough...
Yes, boys and girls... I succumbed to temptation and bought this bangle~~!!!!
Aaaaarrrggghhh~~~!!! (*slaps self~!!*)
Oh, one more difference with Onnut Square is that this new market has more FOOD (*burp*)
And did I mention dirt-cheap traditional Thai massage~?!?!
(Found this VDO in YouTube... I think this was taken at this exact same place inside the market...)
Now that I think about it, perhaps it's very good that this market has no aircon... Coz that means I woulda probably spent more time there... and ended up buying more "stuff"~!! But since the place was sooo... HOT N' HUMID, I was sweating buckets already in a few minutes... and I quickly GAVE UP and ran back to the (airconditioned) BTS...
Is it a specter of bad tidings~?? If I were still a kid, I'd run away in fright from this dude, that's FO SHO~!!!
I mean, just take a look at that pasty white face (which reminds me of the Joker in Batman), messed-up make-up, matted hair... and let's not forget the pants~~!!! *snicker*
But I guess you gotta give credit to this guy... He performs in front of Lotus hypermarket in Onnut (Sukhumvit 77), which isn't really the BEST place to have any kind of show... with aaaaaaaaaaaall the crowd, noise and pollution~!!
This is what makes living in Sukhumvit aaaaaall worth it~!!Despite the traffic, pollution, noise and crowd... I am never bored becoz I am constantly finding new things right under my nose~!!
Case in point: this dreamy, wooden, nostalgic Thai restaurant, bathed in soft yellow light (pictured right). Called Near Equal, it also doubles as a house decor shop.
I mean, I've entered Sukhumvit 39 COUNTLESS times, but I've never even heard wind of this place~!! Until someone took me there... which was a good thing, since it's tucked into a tiny, unnoticeable dead-ended sub-soi in Sukhumvit 39~!!
Looks like some typical dark soi, eh~?? But if you go towards the yellow lights in the distance, you'll come face-to-face with THIS sign:
Once inside, you'll feel like you've been transported into a time when Sukhumvit was less sohisticated, less frenetic... with even less vehicles~!! Everything was wooden and old-fashioned...
Check out the ceiling fan~!! (Don't worry, the place IS airconed~!!).
And these wooden "buffaloes"~!!
On my first time there, I was lucky that we were reserved in the VIP room, so we got to gawk freely at all the antique wooden stuff surrounding us.
Though I'm not really a fan of wooden decor (I prefer sleek and modern), Near Equal was a nice change to the hyperkinetic main Sukhumvit Road~!! Don't forget to check out the interior decor shop next to the restaurant - chock-full with all kinds of charming knick-knacks for your home sweet home (pictured right)~!!
Who knows, you might end up going home with more than just a full stomach~!!
And don't miss petting a (very friendly and laid-back) white dog who likes to hang out in the vicinity~!!
P.S. The cook here is very accommodating - you can specify the level of spiciness of your Thai food, in case you're dining with peeps with more "sensitive" tongues (a.k.a. WIMPS)~!!
The point I’m trying to make is thatChicois more of a place for cat lovers rather than a place to eat and drink.
Located deeeeeeeeep inside Sukhumvit 53 (almost at the end of the soi, in fact), Chico serves both as a café and shop selling interior décor, many dedicated to the furry (and clawed) creatures – it’s got cat houses (pictured left - swiped from the website), cat key chains, cat coasters, cat-shaped purses, cat stamps… purr purr... you get the point (and NO, it does NOT sell cat meat for barbecue - just in case some of you smart asses are wondering).
The Japanese owner is (obviously) a cat lover; in fact, she has ten – count ‘em TEN – cats living with her. These felines roam around freely inside and outside Chico - definitely NOT the place for you if you’ve got ailurophobia – fancy term for fear of cats… or allergies.
(*evil plot hatches* I wonder what'll happen if I somehow trick my cat-fearing friend into coming here... hmmmmmmmmmm..... *massages chin*).
Take a look at this lil' cutie grooming himself on the cashier counter:
The first thing you’ll notice about Chico when you arrive is that it’s got a peaceful and cozy mood to it (being deep inside the soi helps, I guess). The café and shop is surrounded by greeneries (and various cat statuettes); and you can even hear birds chirping nearby~!!
It is proof that nature and Sukhumvit CAN coexist (ha ha ha).
Step inside, and you’ll notice that the “natural cozy” theme is carried over into practically everything: the furniture, the food and the items for sale.
On this day, I tried spaghetti meat sauce (pictured right - ahem; also swiped from the website), and mango yoghurt shake plus mango pudding for dessert. Everything was yummy enough, though nothing to write home about. It’s like comfortable home-cooking.
More impressive was the shop.I swear, Chico seems to sell EVERYTHING: ethnic clothing, utensils (chopsticks of various lengths, spoons and forks of various sizes – all made from various materials: buffalo horn, wood, metal, etc.) jewelry, accessories, and of course, home décor like vases, pillows, picture frames, mats, potpourri, baskets, various knick-knacks, etc., etc., etc.
(You'll be spoilt for choices~!!)
All items are made of natural materials, like bamboo, rattan, cotton, water grass, etc., so it’s perfect for anyone who likes the easygoing ‘sabai-sabai’ look (so if you like, let's say, the goth style or futuristic shapes, well then Chico ain't the shop for ya - you'll be better off with QConceptstore).
I noticed that Chico seems to have a steady stream of very loyal customers - the mostly young Japanese housewives of Sukhumvit who usually come either with their friends or kids to eat and then browse around the store.
I got interested in Chico's charcoal deodorant shaped like various fruits: durian, rambutan, mangosteen (pictured left). This is how it works – charcoal is extremely porous, thus capable of absorbing evil smells, be them in the kitchen, bathroom, or yes, inside your ancient stinky sneakers (eeeeeuuuw).
You see, my fridge has been afflicted with the vilest, most unpleasant stench caused by aputrid squid that was forgotten (READ:left to rot) in the freezer… about… oh… I think LAST YEAR~~!!!!! (*wheezes*).
Now, some of you might throw your hands up in the air and exasperatedly comment, "But why the hell did you even have a squid in your freezer to begin with~?! You don't even cook~!!"
OK, OK... so I don't cook. In fact, I'm a TERRIBLE cook. BUT BUT BUT... remember that the said squid came from last year (and possibly even longer than that - oh gaaaawd)... when I was still "trying" (in vain, might I add) to cook... Of coz I am WAY smarter now. I have accepted the fact that there are some people in this planet that are not meant to cook (like moi) because they are meant to just eat.
Eniweeeeei... so back to my stinky predicament.
Unfortunately, not only has the freezer been violated, the smell has also traveled to the lower part of the fridge~!!EGAD~!! This charcoal stink-absorber was JUST what my poor, abused fridge needed~!! I got the mangosteen-shaped ones (60 baht), and I gotta say, I am not disappointed~!! They really do work their magic~!!
If you’re going to drop by Chico, make sure you’ve got plenty of time on your hands because FO~ SHO~ you’re gonna wander around the store and check out everything… (hopefully buy some "stuff" as well~??), not to mention to stop and pet and scratch the very laid-back meows.
Furniture Grand Sale - Living Room set - Bedroom Furniture - Dining Set - Kitchen Furniture - Office Furniture - Electrical appliance - Home Decorative items
Wedding Grand Sale - Deluxe photo studio - Wedding studio - Accessories and Jewelry - Beauty & Healthy Spa - Hotel & Banquet - Honeymoon Tour
Poor Nana. Its notorious reputation has overshadowed everything else that the whole area has to offer. Mention that you're going anywhere near Nana (Sukhumvit 3), more often than not you'll get snickers and raised eyebrows from the TAXI driver. Some would even turn oh-so-helpful:"You buy Thai lady in Nana? I take you good place, OK~!! Cheap and clean~!! Very beautiful Thai lady~!!"
Of course, it doesn't help Nana's case that the area is synonymous with naughty things, namely:
Counterfeit goods
Cheap sex (and its substitutes)
[These guys standing around will accost any foreign male who crosses their path with various offers, such as, "Thai lady, sir~? 50 baht only~!!" (I guess the STDs would be a "free bonus", then~??), and "New special DVD, sir? Very good quality, nomosaic~!!" They will also flash various palm-sized pictures not fit to be mentioned here].
Worse, when you type "Nana Bangkok" on YouTube, this is what you'll get:
(yes... various mentions of very evil and sinful places... and did you notice that all the VDOs were recorded at NIGHTTIME~?! Tee-heeeeeee~~!!!)
But Nana ain't all that bad (or scary). If you can get past its Sodom and Gomorrah exterior, you'll find that Nana has its own distinct personality because it is a melting pot of several unique cultures rarely seen anywhere else in Bangkok: African, Middle Eastern and South Asian. So, in order to do Nana justice, I took these pics during the DAYTIME, since Nana's (uncountable) nighttime portrayals have unfortunately tipped the majority's opinion against this very special and lively enclave in Sukhumvit.
So let go of the rosary, let the kids see the computer screen and enjoy the pics~!! Who knows, maybe one of these days you'll even pop into Nana~?? (But uh... better grow a thicker skin first before you do that - just a suggestion).
CLICK ON INDIVIDUAL PIC FOR A BIGGER VIEW (and info).
Don’t miss this opportunity to bid for bargains – bedroom, dining and lounge furniture, electrical items and much much more are under the hammer at ReTails Too.
Indulge yourself - Pimms for the ladies, beer tent for the big boys, entertainment for the kids. Refreshments available from Scoffees Café. A perfect Sunday for everyone!
The Craft Fair is set amidst the gorgeous gardens of ReTails Too. Enjoy a superb day out browsing amongst the extensive range of craft and gift items on offer. Why not take a break at Scoffees café retreat and indulge in a tasty snack or home cooked lunch.
Nang Nak is perhaps the most famous Thai ghost EVER. Her immortal, blood-soaked story has kept countless Thai children awake at night (and behaving well – if not, their mothers threatened Nang Nak’s ghost would come and eat their brains aliiiive~!!).
While historical proof is hard to come by, the Thais still believe in Nang Nak, even until today. In fact, she has her own shrine in Sukhumvit (pics of the shrine are below this long-winded explanation) and is worshipped as a protector of military conscripts and bringer of good luck (especially winning lottery numbers).
The legendary tragic story of Nang Nak has been retold many times in the Thai media (TV dramas, DVDs, comic books, you name it~!!), most famously in the 1999 movie titled “Nang Nak” directed by Nonzee Nimibutr (pictured left).
The story is always quite similar: sometime between the 18th and 19th century Siam (today's Thailand), a beautiful young woman named Nak married a young man named Mak. They lived peacefully next to the Phra Kanong klong (canal).
Unfortunately, trouble was coming to interrupt their blissful married life: Mak had to leave the pregnant Nak to fight in the war (some claimed it was against the Burmese).
Worse, Mak was injured in battle, and this delayed his return. Unfortunately for the forlorn Nak, she died during childbirth (her baby was stillborn)… thus husband and wife were never reunited in this life.
Nevertheless, Nak’s love was so strong that her spirit refused to leave this world. When her husband finally returned from the war, her ghost (as well as the ghost of her unborn child) bewitched him, making him believe that everything was normal.
The neighbors started to notice that Mak was behaving very strangely: talking to nobody, eating the air (he thought he was eating Nang Nak's cooking), acting as if he was carrying a child, etc… Then the community realized, to their horror, that there was a very persistent ghost among them~!!
Things started to get REALLY nasty when the villagers tried to alert Mak and convince him that both his wife and child were actually dead. This provoked the fearful wrath of Nang Nak herself, who basically killed ANYONE who stood in her way (I wouldn’t go into specifics, but let’s just say that Nang Nak didn’t tend to play nice… oh and she preferred agonizing, blood-curdling tactics as her killing methods~!!).
The desperate villagers tried various ways to force Nang Nak to leave this world, but to no avail. They hired shamans, voodoo masters, witch doctors, WHATEVER you call ‘em… None was successful. Worse, Nang Nak was becoming more and more PISSED OFF and VIOLENT~!! Her incredible power came from, some said, the belief that she had the power of TWO beings (herself and her unborn child), so “typical” exorcism methods were utterly useless against her.
One day, the ghost of Nang Nak was busy preparing food when she dropped a lime (some said it was a knife) to the ground. Now, since traditional Thai houses are built on stilts (pictured right, taken from the Jim Thompson website), it would be very inconvenient for anyone to actually leave the kitchen, go down the stairs, pick up the dropped object, walk back up the stairs and re-enter the kitchen.
But for Nang Nak, this was not a problem. Since she was a supernatural being, she simply stretched her arm a few meters to the ground and picked up the lime (or knife) that she dropped. Unfortunately for her, Mak happened to see it by accident. He got (understandably) scared out of his wits and fled to a nearby temple, with Nang Nak in hot pursuit.
Now, Thais believe that temples are sacred grounds, therefore ghosts weren’t allowed inside. But because Nang Nak was no ordinary ghost, she was able to enter the temple and terrorize even the monks themselves~!!!!! (In the 1999 “Nang Nak” movie, there was a particularly hair-raising scene when Nang Nak crawled on the temple ceiling, much to the horror of the monks cuddled in total fear below her~!!)
Things looked REALLY dire… until a powerful monk came (some said from Thonburi) and succeeded in placating Nang Nak’s rage. He managed to make her realize that she was causing more harm than good being a destructive, possessive, murderous ghost and convinced her to leave her husband be (and this world). Nang Nak bid a tearful farewell to her beloved Mak and agreed to be “exorcised” by the monk.
I know two versions of the final exorcism: one version said Nang Nak's spirit was put into a ceramic jar, which was then dropped into a river.
Another (flashier) version said the monk cut the center of her forehead and made it into a belt buckle which he wore until his death. The belt then supposedly came into the possession of His Royal Highness Prince Chumbhorn Ketudomsak, passed down for generations and is now lost....
********************************************
Well, buckle or no buckle, this fascination and devotion to Nang Nak survives until today.
Tucked inside Sukhumvit 77 (Onnut), is a small (but famous~!!) shrine dedicated to Nang Nak (also called Mae Nak) and her unborn child.
The shrine is deep inside the Wat (temple) Maha But grounds, right next to the Phra Kanong klong (canal).
People flock to this shrine mainly for two reasons:
1). Men come here to ask Nang Nak to spare them from being conscripted into the military (in Thailand, all Thai males must serve in the military for 2 years) – understandably, Nang Nak would be sympathetic since it was military duty which wrenched her beloved Mak from her.
2). Devotees also come in droves to ask her for winning lottery numbers. There are two holy trees near her shrine (one is pictured on the left), wrapped in colorful sacred sashes, where people believe “hints” of winning lottery numbers would be revealed.
* Obviously, women who are pregnant (or wishing to get pregnant) are advised NOT to come to this shrine~!! You wouldn’t wanna parade your bulging stomach to a bloodthirsty female ghost who lost her baby in childbirth~!! That’s just ASKING FOR TROUBLE~!!
Naturally, when people come here, they bring appropriate offerings for both Nang Nak and her child. Particularly popular are: traditional Thai clothes (pictured right), jewelry, make-up, toys and sweets. Devotees also cover her (very creepy-looking~!!) statue with gold leaves.
As for myself, I’ve never had any supernatural encounters, so I’m still keeping an open mind.....
But today’s encounter with an old woman in Nang Nak’s shrine has gotten me looking over my shoulders~!!
When I went to visit the shrine, I asked an elderly female attendant there (who was standing next to the gold leaf-covered statue) whether I could take pictures of Nang Nak’s statue (I mean, I thought it would be kind of rude just barging in there like a SWAT team and snapping pics, y’know~??).
The woman looked very friendly and peaceful. But when I asked her (in my most polite voice), her serene expression turned VERY unpleasant IN AN INSTANT and she told me in a very stern tone that I was NOT allowed to take any pictures.
sukhumvit
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