Bangkok Week 173

October 20, 2011

Preliminary flood preparations, and the grand opening of the most monumental shopping mall that Bangkok's seen to date. Which will have a more lasting effect on our city?

Preliminary flood preparations underway in downtown Siam Square.

Playing his new race car game. Encourages good posture!

Now open -- Bangkok's latest and greatest shopping mall.

This one is completely themed around international travel -- feel like you're at an airport?

The mall shop directory looks familiar.

The poor women at the info booth are dressed like flight attendants (or, as they say in Thailand, air hostesses).

Express escalator service to Level 3 depart here!

Shoppers "depart" and "arrive" at every floor -- and each floor is themed to a different city.

Here's a giant 3-story Oscar. Oddly, there's no Hollywood.

The top-floor food court and restaurant level is themed to San Francisco.

The food court's great -- but perhaps the theming goes a little too far?

Delicious new veggie fare from a promising seller.

An empty threat, since pigeons generally avoid Bangkok shopping malls.

Dine at this restaurant, and eat in a street car overhanging the rest of the mall.

An ATM in San Francisco's Chinatown.

An aerial view of the express escalator that goes from G to 3.

Can you guess what city this floor is themed around?

Not clear if this shop understands the implications of its mascot.

Need to use the loo?

My long-lost bronze buddy.

Another floor has more Turkish tones.

And one floor below that is Tokyo!

Hey, I'm not the only one with such an immature sense of creativity.

More Tokyo alleys.

Pouvez-vous deviner la ville dans laquelle nous nous trouvons maintenant?

And on the ground floor is la bela Roma!

Exotic early-century travelers bid a fond farewell to shoppers as they depart.

I got one new thing out of that shopping experience: a t-shirt with a message!

Back in reality, my office building is prepping itself for the coming 40 days and 40 nights.

I think we discovered where all of Bangkok's sandbags have disappeared to.