It is very depressing to hear that human is taking advantage (making money) at the expenses of others' life. Where is our humanity and conscience? Sichuan's earthquake has awakened millions of people in the world that human is kind, compassionate and helpful! During the catastrophic, not only cash was pouring in including from the hands of street beggars, volunteers and missionary activists were also physically there to save as many human lives as possible in the shortest period.

Nevertheless, China Milk Scandal reported recently tainted with melamine extremely disappoint us. Where is our lesson learned when melamine were already reported in pet food imported from China in 2007? What happen to our ethic and integrity? Shall the life of these infants be penalized and at stake due to your greed of achieving higher protein level in your products? This torture to the innocent ones is the cruelest crime to human race!

Melamine or its IUPAC name 1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine, is an organic base with chemical formula C₃H₆N₆. Since it is only slightly soluble in water, when it is illegally used in milk industry, melamine will be dissolved in formaldehyde (carcinogenic/cancer causing) or other organic solvents before mixing into the milk!

If you love shopping for books, clothes, shoes, handicrafts, fish, flower, furniture or even antiques, Bangkok Chatuchak Weekend Market is the place to be. We were lucky that our one week stay in Bangkok conincided with a weekend. The Thais called it Talaat JJ ('talaat' in Thai means market).

I heard that JJ Market is a gathering areana for most traders from all or other provinces of Thailand. Here, you can see almost everything that is available in every Thai market or even more. This is the reason why Chatuchak Market is so special.  If you ever go to Bangkok, do not miss it. A must visit place though you are not planning to buy anything. You could be stunned by the Thai's innovation and creativity. Open market officially runs from 9am - 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. Within the vicinity, there is JJ Mall - an air-conditioned shopping place that have a bit of everything though not all and the price is higher than the open market.

To get there, hop on a BTS Skytrain and get down at Mo Chit station. Alternatively, board on MRT subway and get off at Kampheng Phet station.

Some tips for shopping at Chatuchak Market:
1. If possible, get a good map of Chatuchak Market. Nancy Chandlers's Map of Bangkok offers great tips to explore it.
2. Allocate at least 5-6 hours or a full day for this visit. Even a local told me that they could hardly finish strolling the whole JJ Market in a weekend. Perhaps will take 4-6 weekends.
3. Once you have reached, identify the entrance or meeting point as this market is really huge - trust me, the stalls and corners look exactly the same. The only different is to look up for the Gate number plate. That will save you!

4. If you see something you love, just bargain and buy as you may not be coming back or seeing it again.
5. For bargain hunters or if you are worried to be slaughtered, aim for the price tagged shops/stalls. You could be shocked with the price offered (though not all)!
6. Keep yourself hydrated. Put on hat and sun-block. It is really hot especially in the afternoon.
7. If you are cautious about food, please go to JJ Mall. Food court is available at level 2F and it opens daily from 9am-5pm. And at the same time, enjoying the cooler environment inside.

Happy hunting and Happy shopping!

Does this Buddha image below look familiar to you? If you are looking for a postcard of Ayutthaya, you will never miss this picture - The famous head of sandstone Buddha image entangled with figs. Impressive!!!

Though the body is gone, the sandstone head is entrapped in the roots and lies beneath a Bodhi (Banyan) tree in the vicinity of Wat Mahathat. This piece of ancient antique is definitely too precious to let it just stay under a tree, hence there is a designated security personnel sitting nearby to watch us while we were busy taking photos. Well guarded!