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Published: January 26th 2007
Indra Relaxation
Nice pool- good service.I have visited and loved Bangkok/Krungthep/ 'City Of Angels' a couple of times (and I am sure will do so again in the future) but this is my first journal of it.
We arrive after a lengthy flight from New Zealand at about 11pm local time and our first impression on leaving the terminal was a bit like what we imagine walking into an oven would be like- about 36 degrees celsius, very humid and obvious exhaust fumes. Still- we're here!!
Into a taxi for the 25km drive to our hotel in the city. How simple that was- expressway right into the city centre, just 300m from our hotel, but it was down a one-way street that we were at the wrong end of!! We then entered tiny, windy backstreets to emerge 100m away from our hotel (The Indra Regent) and in that short 100m we crossed 5 lanes of almost continuous traffic without any hassles at all. Most impressive! I know that Bangkok is recognised as being one of the world's traffic nightmares, but what would it be like without the wonderful Buddhist approach to life?
Very friendly welcome and soon we are comfortable ensconced in our room planning next
Chaotic Traffic
One of the backstreets behind our hotel. Believe it or not this is a two-way street!! day's outing.
I don't propose to do a day-by-day travelogue but just to flit from one happy experience to another.
First, though, I would like to offer this advice for travellers to Thailand.
#
DON'T subscribe to all of the 'don'ts' such as don't eat the local food. We ate mostly from stalls and our rule of thumb was to frequent the ones that Thais are using, the ones that didn't have lots of food sitting waiting a buyer, and the ones that were
clean.
#
DO drink plenty of water. As long as you keep up your (bottled) water intake you'll probably avoid stomach upset.
#
DON'T HAVE ICE IN YOUR DRINKS The ice is probbaly not bottled or treated water and is enough to give you problems!
# Learn and use a few words of Thai. You'll notice the difference when you greet someone in Thai, and use a few words. They really appreciate it and the smiles get even bigger. (I don't know that it saves you any more when haggling, though!)
# Be forceful when saying "no". Not rude, but forceful. They will not hold it against you.
# Learn a bit
Rajprarop Road
This Rajprarop Road outside The Indra, and it is like thhis all day and a decent chunk of the night!! about the culture. They have their DOs and DONTs based on their culture and visitors should respect these. (Don't behave like a "Great Racer"!)
# Make you trip a mix of tours and 'do your own thing'.
# Be aware of huksters- don't avoid but be aware. They aren't aweful, they aren't dishonest, but they are very insistent and if you are not aware of them you will be standing in the taylors being measured for a three-piece suit before you realise you are no longer heading for where you thought you were going! Very smooth-tongued and charming, generally. If you are in the market for a three-pice suit (for a very good price) ignore this advice! (No, I didn't get one this way!)
When we started touring we noticed the chaotic traffic was a headache, but it still flowed! There was a lot of tooting but my impression was that most of it was to indicate change of lane or to indicate someone to come in. I didn't see angry faces or a hint of a shaken fist- quite amazing, really.
Obviously, in a city of around 10 million (where I reckon 30%!o(MISSING)f them
Pratunam Market
Great fun shopping at the markets. The Indra is right next to Pratunam Market of which the street stalls is a feature. Do haggle- they love it!! are driving or driven at any time) you will notice a bit of air pollution. Get used to it.
If you aren't going too far, tuk tuks are great. Incredibly cheap and quite quick. They make all their petrol money through vouchers from traders so will always hijack your trip if you're not careful. It's not always a bad thing, but it can be time-consuming, so if you are in a hurry, make your intentions very clear.
All of the public transport is cheap and plentiful so if you know where you want to go the subway, skytrain or buses are fine. If you don't a meter taxi is probably the answer. You'll notice that there are very few signposts in English. The water taxis and ferries on the river and the klongs are excellent value if you are going somewhere within walking distance of a 'tha' or wharf/jetty.
In Bangkok there are quite a few 'musts'. Thailand is 85%!B(MISSING)uddhist and as a consequence there are
LOTS of 'Wats' (temples.) They are, of course also places of learning so they are not just a church. There is quite a lot of interest in learning the various
Baiyoke Tower
Magnificent views from the observation deck atop Thailand's highest building. buildings that comprise a temple. There are hundreds of them in Bangkok and any of them may be visited, but unless that is your purpose for visiting it would be a good idea to select the main ones- Wat Phra Keaw is fantastic, the features being the gold covered chedi and the beautiful 'emerald' Buddha (actually carved out of jade). The marble temple is not far away and the feature here are the images of The Buddha representing the various stages in his life that line the walls, and the impressive golden Buddha. Wat Po is where you will see the amazing reclining Buddha and some wonderful ceramic-tile covered chedi. Over the river is Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn (which, ironically is best viewed at sunset!) The man-made Temple Mount is also fascinating and offers some wonderful views of the surrounding city.
(The only other way to get such views will be from high-rise buildings, the best of which is the Baiyoke Tower. 77 storeys high the views are magnificent.)
A water taxi tour of the clongs on the western shore is worthwhile, and this gets you to the Royal Barges as well.
Shopping in
Erewan Temple
The three-headed elephant god statue at Erewan Temple. Enormous! Bangkok is great! Don't ever accept the face price, haggling is expected. As I have mentioned before, Thais will not hold 'non' against you, and neither will they be offended if you question the price of anything. I bet you'd be a cause of some derision if you simply paid what is posted. (Again, they wouldn't hold that against you either, but would probably feel sorry for this strange 'farang'.)
Be aware that most of the label items you come across on the stalls in Bagkok will be imitations. BUT, many of them are very good imitations and well made. If you're not interested in labels then you will have a ball.
DO go to gem, teak, silk, etc. 'factories'. These places are manufacturing retailers. They manufacture gorgeous items which are then freely avaiable for sale (generally at VERY good prices. Make sure that you establish that they are authentic establishments (they will have ISO verification). If you don't see any jewellery (for example) that doesn't fit your eye or price, have a look at the unset gems and talk about your own design ideas- they'll make it for you, again, at very reasonable prices. (And if they
Samutprakan Crocodile Farm
Samutprakan crocodile farm (and 'zoo') is worth a visit. are ISO verified you can be comfortable in the knowledge that the gems are authentic.) Even if you don't buy anything, the experience will be one that you will remember, I am sure.
I found the local tour operaters to be very efficient, reasonably priced (you will probably not be able to haggle these prices) and most of them honestly represent what the tour comprises. It is a pretty worry-free way of doing things the first time, but they can feel a little 'cattle-truckish'. You'll also inevitably be grouped with some characters you'd rather not spend the day with!
A good tour is out to the floating market, and others of a number of tourist venues around Samut Sakhon- rose garden, cutural centre, snake centre, coconut plantation, etc.. It's not too far out of town and gets you to a range of interesting and enjoyable experiences with no hassles at all. Of course, all of these tours will pick you up and deliver you back to your hotel door (this is the worst aspect of the tours- collecting all of the tourists!)
Other good tours are Ayuttaya and Bang Pa In. More about those later.
Street Shrines
Little shrines all over the place with Thais offering prayers, insense, food, gold and earning merit. If you are staying at a hotel you will probably have limousine operaters outside- it's not a bad idea to chat with one of them about a day tour- they will do it for not too much more then a tour will charge, but you will have the convenience of your own car, possibly a knowledgeable (and friendly) driver, and get over the tiki-touring start and end to the day. Don't think that they will be expensive- they aren't and can be a very good option.
If you're interested in food Bangkook is the place for you! While my philosophy is always to eat indigenous food, Bangkok has a fantastic array of eating establishments that will suit any palette. As I have mentioned before, have no fear of eating on the streets, just have common sense. Only buy from stalls that are visited by lots of Thais, don't choose other than fresh food, and always steer clear of stalls that are not well cleaned and maintained. If you aren't sure of what to buy, there are always stalls about with recognisable treats, or watch what the Thai people eat- it's a great way of finding new taste delights!
Wat Pra Keaw
The Temple of the Emerald (jade) Buddha is a fantastic sight. Spectacular Thai architecture and art. Food-halls are great although sometimes you can get stalls that become a bit 'McDonald'-ish, that is you lose the sense of authenticity in the food. (Still tastes good, though!)
There are, of course lots and lots of new fruits to be experienced here. If you don't know what they are, you mightn't even recognise some as food! (or at least know how to eat it!) Do try them, though.
The night life in Bangkok is legendary. It's nice to spend a night being entertained in your hotel, but it's also a lot of fun to get out and enjoy some of the 'other' aspects of Bangkok.
I'm sure you will find traditional Thai dance performances either in your hotel or close by. They are beautifully costumed and the women (especially have some amazing skills, developed over years and years of harsh training.)
Patpong Road is worth a visit. Not only good markets to be visited, you'll find lots of enticements to go and have a drink or something, too! You'll also find an Irish Pub if you're in need of one!
Thai Boxing is a must. It's not to be confused with kick-boxing,
Gold Chedi
The awesome gold-covered golden chedi at Wat Pra Keaw. it's a seperate discipline and it has been recognised as being possibly the toughest. It has its roots in the way in which wars or battles were fought in ancient times.
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