Front of MBK. (Click For Larger View)	Front of MBK (Click For Larger View)

A trip to Bangkok would not be complete without a trip to MBK shopping center. MBK, or Mahboonkrong, is a huge indoor market comprising of hundreds of individual stores scattered over 5 floors. There are 3 foot bridges with direct access to MBK. One footbridge links over the main road nex to the main entrance. This footbridge links over to Siam Square. Another footbridge links almost directly from the BTS station but goes into Tokyu which itslef is connected to MBK, and the third footbridge links to other fotobridges which will take you across to Siam Discovery Center.

Overview - MBK is huge and so are the numbers of people who visit this place at the weekends. If you suffer from claustrophobia, this might not be the place for you on a Saturday or Sunday. Try to squeeze in a visit on a week day during school hours because just around the corner is Chulalongkorn University, Thailand's most prestigious university, and opposite is Siam Square which is the HOME of students and young people all desparate not to go home and needing to get out of the heat.

Getting to MBK is easy. Jump on the skytrain and get off at National Stadium. When you get off the skytrain, the main exit has a footbridge immediately to the right which leads into Tokyu which is a small department store that joins MBK.

National Stadium . (Click For Larger View)	Footbridge (Click For Larger View)

If you want to get there by taxi, then jump into any taxi and say "MBK"; they all know it.
If entering MBK from street level, you could either be dropped off by a taxi at the main entrance or the taxi might drive around the side.

At street level, on the corner near the main intersection, you can see a nice and fairly large wooden spirit house which is the norm for any building including, house, schools, universities, offices and shopping malls. A spirit house is there to provide homes for the spirits so that they have somewhere to live and are happy and thus will not cause any problems for the other buildings around.

On entering MBK from street level, you'll find yourself amongst shops selling clothing, paintings and shoes. If you've entered from the main entrance and want a quick drink or bite to eat, you can find KFC, McDonalds, Baskin Robbins around that same area, but if you want somwhere a little quieter, then hang a left and go the the end of MBK. You'll find a few restaurants there and one or two coffee shops.
Escalators are situated in the center of the store but you'll need to be a little aggressive to push your way into the line of people coming off and getting on.

Main Entrance . (Click For Larger View)	Spirit House (Click For Larger View)

As you go up to the second floor you'll find shops selling clothes, perfumes, shoes and jewelry as well as some fake watches but you will have to ask to see the watches. They are not on display.

Going up to the third floor, there is more of the same but there is also a large section for mobile phones; both used and new. You can also find MP3 players and portable DVD players.

Both 2nd and 3rd floors have restaurants and so you don't have to keep going up and down to find somewhere to eat.

Once you are on the third floor, it is difficult to find the escalators to get up higher or get back down again. I find I have to wander around a bit until I spot one, but with the crowds and the slow pace at which Thai people walk, it can start to get frustrating.

5 Floors . (Click For Larger View)	crowds at MBK (Click For Larger View)

Thais love to shop, or at least, go to shopping centers and when they go they shuffle about without any direction or intent for getting somewhere. On Sunday's, it seems as though the entire family goes there with kids, grand parents et al all wandering about.

You will also notice that as soon as you stop at a stall or shop to ask about something, all of a sudden, Thais will find that shop interesting and visit it too and just as you are in the middle of asking questions to the shop staff, the Thais will just butt in and ask / shout their own question, and the strange thing is, the staff will go and deal with them.

This isn't anything against tourists or "farangs" as we are better known, this is just the way it is and can drive you potty.

Mobile Phones . (Click For Larger View)	Mobile Phones (Click For Larger View)