Some of our British friends told us about a superstore named Tesco Lotus, which is the British equivalent of Walmart.  On Sunday we took a taxi to check it out, and we were very surprised with what we found.  It was a two-story building with clothing, groceries, produce, deli, appliances, etc upstairs and a food court downstairs, including familiar names like KFC, Dairy Queen, Dunkin Donuts, etc.  The prices were lower than we’d expect to pay in the US, so we stocked up on comfort foods like blueberry muffins, potato chips, Gatorade, Frosted Flakes cereal, etc!

Later in the day we went exploring along Tha Phae Road to find the Sunday Market.  We checked out another Wat, and this one had a sign saying visitors were welcome inside.  We climbed the steps, removed our shoes, and entered the temple.  To our surprise, a monk was sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of golden Buddha statues, flowers, paintings, etc.  We froze for a moment, not knowing exactly what to do.  He didn’t speak English, but he gave us the universal “take a picture with your camera” hand gesture, so we took his picture along with some of the artwork and statues inside.  Then, he gestured for me to come over and sit down.  He took a large spool of white yarn, pulled off a piece, tied it around my wrist, and began chanting/praying for about two minutes!  Although we are not Buddhist of course, this was definitely a unique and memorable experience.  Check out the picture below of me posing in front of the temple with my new white bracelet!

The Sunday Market was a small, relaxed market with more of the same crafts, touristy tshirts, etc.  They did have some interesting stalls selling street food, so we ate some Chinese dim sum and pad thai noodles.  We also checked out the Warorot Market, which can best be described as Chinatown.  Anything you have ever seen a “Made in China” label on was available for very cheap – clothing, shoes, backpacks, black market DVDs and CDs, bath products, etc.

Later at night, we returned to the Sunday Market with friends and ate grilled corn on the cob.  A rainstorm chased us all out, and we took a taxi to the Riverside, a touristy bar and restaurant with a farang-friendly menu and live music.  Feeling like some Western food, Amber had spaghetti and I ate a grilled cheese sandwich dipped in Chinese black mushroom & tofu soup.  Now that’s “East meets West”!

Tags: shopping, temple