Market Friday: visiting the famous IconSiam shopping complex in Bangkok.

I have been passing IconSiam on the express boat several times during the past few months. But I didn’t have the spare time to drop by and check the place out for any changes after the long lockdown. Something must have moved in the sky, I suddenly jumped up and hopped into my car to get to the nearest car park so I could visit IconSiam in the evening. It would take altogether at least three hours of traveling time and the walk around that huge shopping complex. It’s almost Christmas so I expect lots of people and some colourful decorations to cheer my spirit up.

By the time I got to the pier, the sun had already gone behind the curtain. I was surprised by the crowds at Sathorn Pier; lots of tourists were waiting for the boats to AsiaTique (another tourist attraction full of shops and restaurants). The crowd heading to IconSiam was impressive as the new air-con boat was full. I preferred the old style open-air boat as people could enjoy the views and fresh air; it’s much safer in case there’s an accident, people could escape by swimming in the river. Besides I couldn’t see any life jackets under the seats, all the glass panels were sealed and the exit door was electrically controlled. I didn’t feel at very easy during the fifteen minutes’ trip as I felt I couldn’t control the situation if any panic occurred on the boat. My imagination had gone wild once again!

The lighting at IconSiam came into my sight as the boat approached the pier and I was very delighted to see such a big crowd in front of the complex. Tourists have come back to Bangkok and people have started to spend money to enjoy themselves once again. But I still could hardly see the usual Chinese tourists on economy groups’ tour.

The large space in front of the complex was jam packed with people with tickets for the evening performance and live concert. We had to use the side entrance to enter the shopping mall. I took a few photos of the facade and reflections on the pond. It was very difficult to navigate around quickly as there were people everywhere. So, people finally had to come out to liberate their senses of adventure and care free enjoyment.

The side entrance led towards the lower floor where the main food court and lots of restaurants could be found. This was the first time I visited IconSiam during peak time, ie. Christmas Eve, and the crowds just cheered my spirit up a lot. I had to be very careful and slow down my pace for fear of bumping into tourists and local tourists. The atmosphere was very lively and full of energy.

People are waiting in lines for some restaurants’ seating. All restaurants seemed to be packed with local customers and tourists. All the vendors and staff would definitely be overjoyed and celebrating the positive turn in the economic outlook. I just hoped that more tourists would be spread out in other parts of tourist hubs too.

Inside the shopping mall, I couldn’t find an empty seat for a rest. I have never seen those expensive brand name shops with so many customers. The whole atmosphere reminded me of JJ market where tons of customers went for buying goods at whole sale prices. I didn’t have the energy nor time to survey the enormous mall so I just explore the area around the escalators on only three levels.

Some shops had gone after the lockdown; the agent for selling luxurious boats and yachts was gone, the representative of Roll Royce and Aston Martin was no longer there either. So, there was some space for a small art exhibition.

There were some thirty paintings by over twenty Thai artists. These very different styles of art work gave me a surreal feeling and puzzled by the objectives of the exhibition. Some paintings reminded me of a previous solo exhibition I saw several years ago in a private gallery.

If these works reflected the perceived realities of younger generations, I would have to accept that our cultural values and meanings have started to deteriorate with time. Like nature, all things changed and nothing could stay the same forever. At least, these paintings reminded me of the fact of life so I should enjoy each moment fully.

So, I continued to walk around observing that most tourists came with their families. It’s rather nice to see big families having a good time together during Christmas holiday. I hoped that they would all be very happy touring Bangkok and enjoying all the different types of food and snacks in the food court.

Luckily we didn’t have any storm snow to create havocs but the traffic jams here could be quite exasperating. The lightings at IconSiam were quite nice and cheerful. But I was disappointed by the decorations on the huge yard on the third floor. People weren’t allowed to get close to the plants border by the river. So, we couldn’t take nice photos of the river with passing boats and cruises.

There was a long queue of people waiting for the free boat ride back to the other side of the river. I saw so many young families with small children on holiday together. Some even brought along their elderly grandparents to celebrate Christmas and New Year in Bangkok. I couldn’t help feeling a bit sad as I no longer had my family with me; I had some distant relatives but they lived so far away.

My old friend was on a mission of finding very rare forest tree saplings for me. I am always grateful to those small but delightful blessings that surround me and my house. Life is wonderful and hopeful as things are always dynamic which means that by keeping positive vibes, we could attract unexpected positive results to our life.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and happy New Year.

Stay strong and cheerful.

#marketfriday hosted by @dswigle.