A (new) fan of shopping malls

I keep saying that I’m changing and no one wants to believe me.  Seriously, I’m am!

I just became converted to shopping malls.  I knew my sister really loved malls and shopping but I resisted admitting that they were such a great invention.  No more.  I’m a convert!

But I do have to say that malls get wasted with all that shopping.  The main reason that malls are now my new favorite activity in BKK is that they have lots of A/C.  You know, the cool stuff that comes out of the vents and keeps you from frying away in the heat of BKK.  I, and obviously lots of Thais, simply love the A/C coming out of those vents.

And the second reason that I just LOVE shopping malls is the FOOD COURTS.  OMG, can I say OMG without sounding like a teenager?, Oh well, OMG, they have the most wonderful food courts in the malls of BKK.   The variety, the prices, the competition, the teasers, the smells.   And the convenience to pay by going from vendor to vendor with a special card they give you at the entrance and which you submit and pay for as you exit the food court.

Since we’re living in a hotel, which is attached to a huge building, which houses many offices, stores, restaurants, etc.   I was originally very impressed with how convenient everything was to us in our baby Mall.  Even though we probably have around 20 restaurants in the building, that’s not even in the same ball park as the BIG MALLS that are just a stop or two on the BTS (Bangkok Transit System, AKA the Sky Train).  These are MEGA MALLS which are all interconnected above the street level by walkways and access ramps to the BTS.

Yesterday, I took an afternoon break from my “work computer” to visit one of the malls and specifically to the 4th floor of that mall (MBK Mall) that focuses on electronic gadgets.  I was like a kid in a candy store with all the goodies, many of them (illegal) copies of the real thing.  But the highlight of my visit was the discovery of the FOOD COURT on the 7^th floor.

Now I know the trick to bring thousands of people every minute through your store doors: A/C and FOOD.  Some of the basic human needs, all under one roof.  How many more surprises will I be able to handle at my tender age? Don’t know but I just became a new shopping mall shopaholic!  Got to go “shopping”!