Mall life: air-con, food courts and free time

In Thai cities the mall is a public square with air-conditioning. Families spend weekends there, students study in its cafés, and couples date at the cinema; going to ตากแอร์ 'cool off in the air-con' is a real plan in April. เดินห้าง 'wandering the mall' needs no shopping list. Food courts usually work on a prepaid card: top up at the counter, pay at the stalls, and return the card for your change. Malls host concerts, fairs and seasonal festivals in their atriums, and many have a supermarket in the basement and a cinema on the top floor. Parking is often free with a receipt stamp, so keep it.