Even though i didn't manage to check out ICONSIAM back in November last year, a few friends went and already told me the most amazing thing in Thailand's largest shopping mall would be the indoor floating market.
There was indeed a water component at the basement of the mall but i must admit my expectations were a lot higher as i thought the boats, synonymous with floating markets, would be traversing all over the man-made waterway.
As you can see from the above picture, the vessels were literally 'placed' at their position like any permanent structure! I was expecting some row, row, row your boat action.
While i was a tad disappointed with the 'floating market', i was still pretty impressed by the literal sheerness of the space that seeks to bring together food and cultural heritage from "four main geographical regions" across 77 provinces in Thailand!
It was bright daylight outside the mall yet here in Sook Siam (the name given), it was as if we were walking on a cooling night, surrounded by traditional two-storey shophouses in Thailand and in the midst of a bustling crowd similar to Huamum night market.
Without further ado, it's pictures' time!
Street food and snacks are popular with Thais and you can see them everywhere in Sook Siam! The good thing is that the vendors came from all over Thailand and if you have the stomach space and tenacity to stuff in as much as you could, do indulge!
Prices were obviously not as cheap as those along the streets although it's not as expensive as those typically sold in the shopping malls. Taking my favourite tender grilled pork as an example, it's 15 baht a stick compared to 10 baht at a street vendor and 20 baht at terminal 21.
Should you have the time to spare, you can even catch a few performances!
Food is but one main component of Sook Siam; you can also find Thai handicrafts and Thai-made products! I was drawn to the piggy banks as always but the one i had the most interest in was the terrariums! Pity i figure it would be hard for me to haul back to Singapore.
Looking for Naraya? There's a super huge store (cutting across two or three floors) at ICONSIAM where the ladies would go crazy, i presume!
Plenty of instagrammable photo spots which was created by 200 local artists from the four regions; namely the North, Central, Isan (Eastern-Thailand), and South. The one that left a deep impression was the escalator that's flanked by two of the mythical creature; the Naga!
I don't recognise these two creatures though; their appearance would best be described as long haired deer. The QR code indicated that the taller one on the left is an "animal belonging to the mythical forest of Himmapan" and came from the legends of the Thai Yai tribe (also known as the Shan people).
Feeling tired after all the walking?! You can have your massages even though i find the concept to be too open for my liking. Foot massages would be fine though.
Lastly, the views from the second floor! According to the website of ICONSIAM, there are over 3,000 business operators in Sook Siam spread out over 7 zones (which i didn't know until now)! Guess i would have to make another trip to Sook Siam in the near future.
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Address,
299 Charoen Nakhon Rd,
Khwaeng Khlong Ton Sai, Khet Khlong San,
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10600, Thailand
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