Bangkok, or How the Best Laid Plans of And Three To Go Often Go Awry

I remember now why I stopped trying to plan what we would do while we were traveling and just went with a spontaneous and flexible attitude, hoping that we would have fun along the way. It is because our plans often go awry and then I am left feeling like I missed out (just a little). My luck with planning was no different on our recent trip to Bangkok.

In my post on Monday I had asked for your help with what Z and I should do during our quick trip to Bangkok. The choices were:

1. Ice-Skating
2. The Funarium
3. Museum Siam

All of you that commented were of great help in making my decision for our day. Thanks so much for all your help! So with that, here was

THE BEST LAID PLAN

1. We were starting our day with a lovely bagel and cream cheese and coffee at the Au Bon Pain right across the main street near our hotel, The Hotel California. (Just a quick side note here… I HAD to book a room at this hotel, I couldn’t help myself, the name was worth it, and the rooms cheap!)
2. We would go to the IKEA and search around for new furniture for Z’s room. Z is turning 4 soon and she has asked for a room remodel for her birthday present… with a little help getting the idea from Chad.
3. We get a quick lunch somewhere near Ikea, but not in Ikea (I am not a real fan of their food).
4. We would taxi our way to The Museum Siam and spend the rest of the day learning about Thailand with their interactive displays.  It would be an afternoon of quiet contemplation and discussion with Z about Thailand and its history (at a 3 year-old level of course). Not only that, but I was excited to have a post to write that included some different information about Thailand besides just what to do. 

   

5. We would have dinner at Mikkeller Bangkok which boasts of 30 different craft beers/ciders on tap at all times. Oh, and they serve food as well. Chad had been there in the past and was looking forward to trying it out with me and Z.

THE PLANS GONE AWRY

1. We did start our day with a bagel and cream cheese at Au Bon Pain, well mine had smoked salmon as well. It was delicious! We stayed at the Hotel California and I was very happy with the accommodations for only $25 USD a night. The room had three beds, so none of us had to share. It was so nice and restful. The staff was also very helpful and kind.

   

2. We made our way to IKEA and were amazed at the size of it. The Ikea back in Northern California was big, but this store was MASSIVE! Not only that, but it was attached to a even-more-massive mall called the Mega Bangna. We spent a couple of hours looking through the furniture and accessories and came out with just one little stuffed-animal sling. But it was fun to look. 
3. We then entered the Mega Bangna and found a Mexican food restaurant for lunch called Sunrise Tacos. I never have much hope for Mexican food here in Asia, but it was surprisingly delicious… although the tasty margarita might have loosened my taste buds a little.

   

   

   

   

    

4. HERE IS WHERE MY PLAN WENT AWRY- As we walked through the mall to leave, I noticed that the had a Payless ShoeSource Store and right there on the end of one of the aisles I saw something that brought a tear to my eye… WOMENS SIZE 11 US. Yep, that’s right I practically cried tears of joy seeing that they had my huge size shoes! All thoughts of museums and blog posts exited my mind. All I saw was shoes…. And so we stopped in, and I proceeded to spend an hour trying on shoes, figuring out which ones would be most useful, and pretty much just trying NOT to buy every pair. I left the store with 3 pairs that I love and I think will be a great addition to my shoe choices at home.

   

5. That was when I realized the time… the museum would have to wait for next time we went to Bangkok. It was 2 hours until the museum closed and the taxi ride would be about 45 minutes (if traffic wasn’t horrible, which it almost always is in Bangkok), so there was not enough time. I actually felt a little sad about it, so I stared at my shoes for a minute to remember the awesome reason that I missed out on the museum.
6. After that, Z and I went to the Kidzoona (every mall has some sort of kids playground here in Thailand I think) and she played until we had to leave to meet Chad atMikkeller.

   

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7. Mikkeller was good, they had a cider and a couple Lambics for me to drink. Chad had his pick of many different types of beers. The food was alright, but a bit pricey. The ambience was awesome though. We sat in a garden on bean bag chairs by candlelight. It was beautiful.
8. The day was over, we headed back to our hotel, packed up and prepared for our early morning flight then next day. Overall the day did not go exactly as planned, but it was still a great day (SHOES!!!) . And now I have a plan for next time we go to Bangkok, I will get to that Museum at some point!

Now it’s your turn! Are you a planner when you travel? How do you feel if your plans go awry? Do they always go awry like ours do, or is it just us? Leave a comment and join in the conversation!