Bangkok Week 101 June 3, 2010 As Bangkok returns to "normal", a very busy Week 101! View fullsize Another view of the (former) Siam Theater. View fullsize Some real fake meat for lunch. View fullsize Refreshing and reenergizing after the gym. View fullsize Lots of independent shophouses in Siam Square suffered at the hands of the protesters, too. View fullsize I think these were the desks of a tutoring / enrichment school. View fullsize All the shops along this street were so trendy and posh. View fullsize These were probably valuable handbags at one time. View fullsize Closed -- for much longer than they'd originally anticipated. View fullsize A mural in memoriam has gone up on the wall that now surrounds the former movie theater. View fullsize The long weekend saw the country's grand recovery scheme: Shop Thailand out of Turmoil 2010! View fullsize Half of Bangkok came out to shop along the walking street market that had been set up. View fullsize Unfortunately, there were so many people that it was too difficult to browse! View fullsize At least we had the advantage of being able to look over the heads of most other shoppers. View fullsize I found an Abercrombie bag -- list price $49 -- for $6. Splurge. View fullsize Even the BTS was too crowded to use. View fullsize The official signs indicating the link to the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system have gone up! View fullsize We did manage to buy pastries at a discount from that overwhelming street fair the day before. View fullsize Asian eyes! Or just bug eyes? View fullsize I've been searching for the perfect bangle for my Chinese Phone. I found it! View fullsize A bento box! Now my Chinese Phone is complete. View fullsize The Revive Thailand shopping fest continued back at La Villa next to our apartment. View fullsize This one was considerably more upscale, and out of our price range. Sorry, Thailand. View fullsize A new sticker has been slapped over Chong Nonsi station, denoting the (recently completed) transfer to the BRT! View fullsize The recently completed transfer to the BRT station! I can use this to walk to work, and shave a good 80 seconds off my commute! View fullsize Ta daa! I thought it would never be completed. (It stood, abandoned, for over a year.) View fullsize A dense batch of buildings in the business district. The lovely cream-coloured one on the right is mine. View fullsize The BRT "bug" busses wait patiently to depart the downtown terminal station. View fullsize The official opening ceremony for the system had been the day before. View fullsize Inside, the busses look ... quite unremarkable. View fullsize The stations along the route are all in the middle of the road. Passengers need to cross over onto the median to board. View fullsize Excited by the billboards at one of the station stops. View fullsize The busses have their own traffic lights. Unfortunately, they have to share the road with normal traffic at many points along the route, subjecting the service to the normal ills of Bangkok driving. View fullsize Enjoying the ride early Sunday morning, before the crowds catch onto the fun. View fullsize One neat feature: a map at the front of the bus that updates the bus's position in real time. View fullsize Still quite empty. We wouldn't be so lucky on the return trip. View fullsize The famous Rama 9 Bridge. (Famous for what?) View fullsize At the other terminal station, passengers impatiently crowd the door, waiting to pour into the bus. At least the termini are AC'd. View fullsize The busses are manufactured in China -- and the shoddy quality shows. It's a shame. They'll probably need to be replaced in 6 months. View fullsize When the BRT has its own dedicated lane, it works well. Too bad that's not the case along the whole route. View fullsize Uh oh! The waffle maker's eating our lunch! View fullsize Perfect Panini Stripes! View fullsize Excited by the finished product. View fullsize Mmm. Haven't had bread this good in over half a year! Wait, haven't had bread in over half a year. View fullsize Our 53-kg fire proof safe! It didn't budge. Apparently, the gym hasn't been as helpful as I'd thought. View fullsize The combination for the lock came inside a red Chinese New Years' envelope. View fullsize Our expensive new printer stand. No moving from this apartment now!
