For as long as I've been in Thailand, the BTS (Skytrain) has been the elevated rail and the MRT has been the subway.
Now, there's a new MRT Purple Line that travels between Bangkok and Nonthaburi Province (just north of the capital) as an elevated rail.
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| the new elevated MRT line |
A few weeks ago, I decided to ride the "Purple Train" to its terminus.
It only takes a few stations before the train has left Bangkok proper and is heading through the rural countryside of central Thailand. It's obvious: "we're not in Bangkok anymore".
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| a temple in the rural outskirts of Bangkok |
Nonthaburi, though considered to be more or less a suburb of Bangkok, is really the province bordering the capital to the north. It's surprisingly rural, despite its proximity to the city. I've always been impressed with how quickly the skyscrapers and mega malls turn into banana fields and palm plantations upon leaving the city center.
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| crossing the river and heading east |
Despite this, though, I was actually heading to a mega mall! After crossing a northern section of the Chaophraya River, I was on my way to Central Westgate.
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| a rural temple in Nonthaburi |
Central Westgate is a new mall. As a matter of fact, it's the biggest mall in the entire country!
The mall is home to a gym, a supermarket, the second IKEA store in Thailand, and 12 cinemas.
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| Central Westgate - the biggest shopping mall in all of Thailand |
The interior is nothing fancy, but it's a grand mall. If you live in Nonthaburi, it's got to be super convenient. For me, living in central Bangkok, it's not so easy to visit. Still, I was happy to have seen the country's largest shopping mall. It's really something!
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