Less of a tourist

I woke up at 8:30 am and relaxed in the condo until 11:30 am, when I went out to meet my friend from school at Central World. The alum gave me thorough directions, so I felt comfortable venturing out on my own. It takes 15 minutes to walk to the end of the soi, so I decided to try the motorcycle taxis (I think they're called motorbikes) for 10 baht. I have never been on a motorcycle before, so I felt pretty scared when he first took off, but once I got over my initial nerves, the speed became exciting.
After the motorcycle ride, I found my way easily to the skytrain station and bought my ticket. Unfortunately, I forgot my stop and thought that I needed to get off at the last station. When my friend called and reminded me, I got off the train to Mo Chit and took the other one to Central World. It was so nice to see a familiar face and I got to meet her cousin and friend from school. They treated me to lunch at a nice Japanese restaurant and then we got gelato from a stand in the mall. I felt so happy seeing familiar food like cupcakes and it looked much more modern than most American malls. Next, we went to another mall just briefly before heading to MBK (yet another mall). I bought my shampoo and other necessities for the monastery there and lots of souvenirs. I enjoyed seeing the contrast between the malls in Bangkok, but I definitely liked Central World the best.
I took the skytrain back around 4:30 pm and the alum and I went to Cabbages and Condoms for dinner. The name sounds weird and yes, the restaurant theme revolves around condoms. The restaurant aims to promote safe sex and support PDA (Population and Community Development Association), which deals with family planning. The restaurant is known for its statutes made out of condoms. The food was very good and I had taro ice cream, which I enjoyed a lot.

 Looking like a dork next to "Santa Condom" (both outfits are made of colored condoms)

Afterwards, we went to Raintree Spa, where the alum's daughter goes for massages.  Unfortunately, we had to wait 45 minutes, so we walked around for a bit until my session. Women lined the streets everywhere, which disturbed me because I had never seen such blatent well...prostitution. Some dressed surprisingly conservative; I guess I expected the stereotypical image of a prostitute with little clothing in my head. I am actually glad that I had to wait for my massage because it gave me the opportunity to see the issue of prostitution while in Bangkok.
I enjoyed my massage, of course...in fact, I think I fell into a light sleep during it. We got back to the condo after 11 pm and I finished packing my suitcase for the monastery.