Tuesday, October 7, 2008

How to Buy A Sofa in Bangkok


Step 1) Take the subway to Ladprao Road--it's quite possibly the ugliest thoroughfare in Bangkok but it boasts an impressive number of furniture shops.
Step 2) Get on the slowest bus you can find. Be sure it's not airconditioned because you will need to sit beside an open window.
Step 3) Note furniture shops that have likely candidates for your living room. Jot down the number of the soi that it is near.
Step 4) At the Mall Bangkapi, get off bus, cross the street, and take a bus back to your starting point. Observe furniture shops on that side of Latprao.
Step 5) Return to the shop that had the sofa that was most appealing. Ask price. When you find it costs a fraction over $50.00, choose an end table as well.
Step 6) Give shop owner your address for delivery. Get in truck with delivery staff. Use up your entire Thai vocabulary well before reaching your apartment building. Relapse into what you hope is a congenial silence.
Step 7) Lead way to your apartment. Indicate where furniture should be placed. Give delivery staff some money and tell them to go drink beer. Be grateful that you can remember how to say that in Thai and even more grateful that they seem to understand you.
Step 8) Begin to plan your next shopping adventure while reclining on your new turquoise sofa.

8 comments:

Jessi Cotterill said...

Wow!! I really like that colour!!

Janet Brown said...

It's my favorite color--I was so excited to see it from the bus window!

Aomori Ern said...

Cool couch!

Janet Brown said...

Thank you, T.E.!

Kim said...

Envy, envy, I'm green with envy. I want to be furnishing my empty little apartment in my favorite Asian city!!

Janet Brown said...

Well, come and do it!

Alison said...

Wow, what a wonderful couch. It kind of makes up for leaving the red chair maybe? Kaz says it looks good but would be better here. He's sitting on the table by the computer looking smug.

I love that you shopped from a bus - my kind of shopping.

Janet Brown said...

The couch would definitely look better with Kaz sleeping on it. On the plus side, it is a piece of furniture with no slipcovering of cat hair (at least I try to tell myself that's a plus!)