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June 4, 2024

After a super boring week, I decided that I needed to see friends. And with that came a plan. Who would I invite out this time? Two names came to mind: Jess and Almond!

Me and Jess hopped on a telephone conversation to discuss what we were to do. And she gave the brilliant idea: let's take Almond around to places where he usually would never go to (which are the places me and Jess tend to usually go to! The normal Monsieur-Madame-Tout-Le-Monde places.

Well we talked of many possible places to go to: I first suggested a place near where my house was, but she caught on quickly that I was trying to be a cheapskate, so we eventually worked it out to Silom Road. Let's go there. This was great, I thought, I'll just reuse the same itinerary I created for last December with Austin (which I did!). However, some changes had to be made: they could only make it for 12pm at the fastest, and that wasn't going to cut it for the KhaoKhaMoo shop that runs out by 11.30am at the latest. So we needed a new lunch place. I kept the CaraBao Cafe, and we did actually go there, which was awesome. I love that place.

Jess said she would look for a lunch place, so I eased on the accelerator.

Well the real day comes, and we meet at our designated meeting spot: Silom Complex

We started to walk down the street and that was when I learned that Jess did not make a plan for lunch. Okay then, I thought, let's get coffee and then we'll think. And so we walked the short walk from Silom Complex down to the Carabao Group building and I got a cocoa and Jess and Almond shared a milk tea.

Anyhoo, we (and by we I mean myself only) started looking for a place to eat. Keep in mind this was 12.30pm now. So we settled on "Nai Meng's" Crab noodles shop was right next to Silom Complex, and so we decided to start walking back.

But, that was when Almond stopped and spotted Silom Market (Talard Silom) right opposite of the cafe. He wanted to check it out. Sure, Me and Jess said together, we've been to a gazillion of those. But that was when we learned that Almond had never ever been to a market before. Damn!

So we crossed the street and walked into the market. Almond was flustered. He was so happy with eyes wide open looking around and pointing at things - everything. It was like taking a kid to Disneyland for the first time.

After a tour of the market, we walked down and Jess decided we'd give Almond another life experience: taking the bus "the Rod-Mey". We took the 504 down only one station to get back to Silom Complex (it was so fast I didn’t even have time to take a picture, but he was eyes-wide-open for sure!)

We crossed back to the other side using the Sky Train and walked to the shop and had a great lunch.

After lunch we had no plan (because I thought Jess had one so I didn't plan anything) so we talked a little and decided "hey, let's take Almond to a temple!"

"Almond probably hasn't been to one in a long time" - Jess

"Almond has lots of sins he needs to pray for" - me, jokingly

Almond laughs nervously.

I ended up looking on Google for "Wats (temples) near me" and we decided to go to Wat Hua Lamphong, which is one I haven't been to in a long time as well, so this was a perfect occasion.

We stopped at Silom Complex (for some aircon) before we started our journey - because I thought we would leg it - it wasn't super far, but Jess said "hell nah" (okay I'm paraphrasing, Jess is actually a very polite girl) and was very clear we would take the MRT only one station from Silom to Samyarn station.

But before we did, we found out another mesmerising Almond fact.

Stopping at Silom Complex, we noticed a small temporary bazaar selling some food, and so we got some Khao Larm - which is sticky rice with black beans steamed inside of bamboo shoots - it is very good and I highly recommend it. But we learned that Almond had never ever had it before. And so we encouraged him to try some. He was skeptical at first, but after one bite, he took the whole shoot with him for the rest of the day to bring home.

"Oh it's so good - seriously where has this been my whole life!"

Eventually we made it to the train. One station only. But that was alright - because Almond doesn't take the train, so this is also something different for him.

We got off at Samyarn station and walked to the temple - it is right next to the MRT exit, so it was really short.

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