Church, Feasting, and Shopping
Sunday, July 10
Today we went to church with Fred and Jane. Jane, Joyce and I rode the SkyTrain across town in time for Sunday School. The International Church of Bangkok meets at Bangkok Christian College. Sunday school was in an non-air-conditioned classroom where about 20 of us listened to a presentaton by Ajun S.. about her ministry with orphans of AIDS victims. She had a moving story and really inspired us to think about how we might support her work. Fred and Sharon arrived by car in time for worship, and we enjoyed a good service with an international crowd. There was a fellowship hour after the service and had a chance to meet fellow believers from all over the world.
Fred and Jane then treated us to lunch at the Landmark Hotel Sunday Brunch. We’ve never seen such an array of food items! Of course, there were some Thai dishes, but food from many, many areas of the world were represented. Alan’s favorite station was the chocolate dessert table, which held at least 10 different desserts. Of course, Alan upheld his tradition of having some dessert each trip to the food area. Joyce really enjoyed several types of shellfish.
While a nap was really the most appropriate thing to do following such a feast, we couldn’t pass up the chance to do some more shopping since it was close by. Central Department Store is sort of like a Macy’s, except on steroids. Sharon and Alan were most interested in the electronics section. Sharon was in the market for a new digital camera, and Alan was looking for a battery charger for his camera (about the only thing we’ve found that we forgot to take with us, fortunately!) as well as an intermediate lens. Sharon found some things to look at, but Alan didn’t have as much luck. We were referred to the MBK Center for other possible places to look. I had no idea of what we were going to find!
Much like the street vendors we have seen all over Bangkok, the MBK Center seems to consist of these same sort of stalls, but in a mall-like center. The first shop, FotoFile, actually had several lenses to look at, but didn’t have the more low-end lens for the camera that Alan was looking for. Of course, there were some other shops listed for us to try. So upstairs we went to the 4th floor. Now the first floor was somewhat overwhelming, but the 4th floor was unbelievable! We found a couple of stores that contained that we wanted and had good prices. After Sharon made her purchase, she and Jane returned to the apartment. Joyce and I were on our own for the first time in Bangkok!
We continued in the MBK center. In addition to the camera stores, we also found hundreds of stalls selling cell phones or cell phone parts. Yes, I said “hundreds!” I had noticed that practically everyone on the SkyTrain has a cell phone, and someone’s phone rings between most every stop. Still, I can’t imagine the need for so many places to find cell phone accessories. Did I mention that these stalls are stacked on top of each other, both sideways and across from each other. Finally, Joyce and I took our overwhelmed senses down a couple of floors and looked at jewelry. Somehow, Joyce found that more entertaining, but still just as overwhelming. We saw several pieces that might end up being Joyce’s upcoming birthday present (The exact magnitude of that birthday will remain a piece of speculation for the moment.)
Joyce and I made our way back to the SkyTrain, got off at the right station, made a stop to by software to access the Thai internet, and made our way back to the apartment. On our own…. We might actually be able to do this Thailand thing after all!
Today we went to church with Fred and Jane. Jane, Joyce and I rode the SkyTrain across town in time for Sunday School. The International Church of Bangkok meets at Bangkok Christian College. Sunday school was in an non-air-conditioned classroom where about 20 of us listened to a presentaton by Ajun S.. about her ministry with orphans of AIDS victims. She had a moving story and really inspired us to think about how we might support her work. Fred and Sharon arrived by car in time for worship, and we enjoyed a good service with an international crowd. There was a fellowship hour after the service and had a chance to meet fellow believers from all over the world.
Fred and Jane then treated us to lunch at the Landmark Hotel Sunday Brunch. We’ve never seen such an array of food items! Of course, there were some Thai dishes, but food from many, many areas of the world were represented. Alan’s favorite station was the chocolate dessert table, which held at least 10 different desserts. Of course, Alan upheld his tradition of having some dessert each trip to the food area. Joyce really enjoyed several types of shellfish.
While a nap was really the most appropriate thing to do following such a feast, we couldn’t pass up the chance to do some more shopping since it was close by. Central Department Store is sort of like a Macy’s, except on steroids. Sharon and Alan were most interested in the electronics section. Sharon was in the market for a new digital camera, and Alan was looking for a battery charger for his camera (about the only thing we’ve found that we forgot to take with us, fortunately!) as well as an intermediate lens. Sharon found some things to look at, but Alan didn’t have as much luck. We were referred to the MBK Center for other possible places to look. I had no idea of what we were going to find!
Much like the street vendors we have seen all over Bangkok, the MBK Center seems to consist of these same sort of stalls, but in a mall-like center. The first shop, FotoFile, actually had several lenses to look at, but didn’t have the more low-end lens for the camera that Alan was looking for. Of course, there were some other shops listed for us to try. So upstairs we went to the 4th floor. Now the first floor was somewhat overwhelming, but the 4th floor was unbelievable! We found a couple of stores that contained that we wanted and had good prices. After Sharon made her purchase, she and Jane returned to the apartment. Joyce and I were on our own for the first time in Bangkok!
We continued in the MBK center. In addition to the camera stores, we also found hundreds of stalls selling cell phones or cell phone parts. Yes, I said “hundreds!” I had noticed that practically everyone on the SkyTrain has a cell phone, and someone’s phone rings between most every stop. Still, I can’t imagine the need for so many places to find cell phone accessories. Did I mention that these stalls are stacked on top of each other, both sideways and across from each other. Finally, Joyce and I took our overwhelmed senses down a couple of floors and looked at jewelry. Somehow, Joyce found that more entertaining, but still just as overwhelming. We saw several pieces that might end up being Joyce’s upcoming birthday present (The exact magnitude of that birthday will remain a piece of speculation for the moment.)
Joyce and I made our way back to the SkyTrain, got off at the right station, made a stop to by software to access the Thai internet, and made our way back to the apartment. On our own…. We might actually be able to do this Thailand thing after all!
posted by Alan Welch at
7/10/2005 10:24:00 PM
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