“One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can’t be too careful with your company
I can feel the Devil walking next to me”
A song sung by Murray Head, decades back immortalized this incredible city forever, the moment you put on your headphones to listen to this song, you are teleported to a land of a million dreams a never ending supply of graciousness, hospitality and smiled, welcome to my favourite city, ยินดีต้อนรับสู่ประเทศไทย ,(Welcome to Thailand) Bangkok.
Thailand’s capital is South-east Asia’s most enigmatic city, a head-on clash between tradition and modernity. First-time visitors may be a little taken aback by the concrete canyons and futuristic, billboard-covered skyscrapers, but take a few steps away from the main roads into one of the city’s countless alleys and traditional Thai culture is everywhere – an urban cornucopia of smells, tastes, sounds and sights one in unlikely to forget.
Bangkok gets the balance right between the expensive, the esoteric and the profane. The squeaky-clean sky train and underground system make most of this huge metropolis navigable, whisking visitors from their luxury accommodation to a sparkling Buddhist temple or an ancient amulet market within minutes – a kind of time travel possible in few other cities of 11 million people.
River trips, museums, shopping centres and, of course, Bangkok’s nightlife (which has come a long way from gaudy to cosmopolitan) make for the defining Far Eastern urban experience. Despite Thailand’s recent political turmoil and, for the summer months, the extreme weather, Bangkok remains one of the world’s safest cities; violent crime against foreign visitors is extremely remains pretty rare. The summer heat puts many visitors off, though Thailand’s excessive New Year’s celebrations (Songkran is celebrated in mid-April) are a sight to behold. For a week, the capital turns into a battle zone for children and grown-ups alike, who roam the streets armed with water pistols, buckets of water and talcum powder which is shot or hurled at all passers-by – and watch out, foreign visitors are favourite targets). Despite the heat, it’s really a fun time to visit and partake in Thailand’s most important festival.
The moment you decide that your next holiday will be somewhere in Thailand, your mind goes into a super relaxed drive mode, you have a perpetual smile on your face, you know that if Dollars is your homeland currency, it will take you places here, I started smiling months ahead when I had reserved my seats aboard the Singapore Airlines flight, my love affair with this country never ceases to fascinate me. The humility, tolerance to other cultures, acceptance to millions of visitors has made this land and the city of Bangkok the No 1 Destination city of world according to the MasterCard Global survey Index.
Seventeen years back when I first stepped into this land of smiles, Bangkok was known for sleaze and the wrong reasons, the reputation that it had garnered, thankfully for being over an hospitable country to one and all, seems to have changed for the better now, greatly due to the collective efforts of the Govt and its people. This is a city which has reinvented itself and now the world is looking at it in terms of investment and in many cases, to move there for good.
Bangkok’s popularity as a tourist destination looks unlikely to wane any time soon, thanks in part to a hit Chinese film called Lost in Thailand, which drew thousands of Chinese tourists. But Thailand’s capital also remains relatively cheap compared to other regional destinations like Singapore, and a hub for everything from pirated DVDs to luxury handbags. The weather can be steamy and the traffic is murder, but inside the shopping malls, it’s an air-conditioned paradise for vacationers whose favourite activity is to give their credit cards a workout.
After a short flight from the clinically clean Changi (minus the buzz) to the gigantic Suvarnabhumi airport, your senses take a while to adjust to the enormous influx of information, colours,smells and an overdose of cultures, people who seem to descend like a giant swarm of bees, happy bees for that matter, you are at “home “that’s the Thai magic for you, you feel welcomed. A quick formality with the luggage and immigration and you are on your way to the hotel, I usually stay around the Siam Square due to its sheer continence and access to the Trains and Malls but this time around I decided to treat myself to the spectacular Lebua, State Tower, a jewel shining high in the Capital City located in the breath-taking vistas of Bangkok and the Chao Phraya river. Led by the flagship Tower Club at lebua, the company’s hotel collection features Bangkok’s best performing luxury properties. The Dome at Lebua features some of the world’s most stunning luxury dining and socializing venues, including Mezzaluna, Bangkok’s finest restaurant, and Sirocco, the world’s highest al fresco restaurant.
An express check-into the stunning hotel, where the staff were slick and smart, my elevator literally flew me to the 53nd floor, a swipe and a beep, I was in the surprisingly spacious room and an attached balcony with the view of the city to do die for, I wish I was a King of some country with heaps of money, I would live here forever, my soul that had been taking a back seat, suddenly woke up to the sight and sounds of this amazing city.
Different people go to Bangkok for different reasons, I have just one reason which is to be with the crowd and to get to feel the energy and the pulse of the city. My first being “Sizzler” in MBK, which serves a phenomenal salad buffet and if you don’t fancy that, try the A la carte menu there. The service is great and you can eat to your heart’s content without worrying about the calories.
MBK shopping mall has it all, from pirated software to mobile phones to T Shirts of Rock Legends, all can be found here you only have to look hard enough. Orange Country Choppers Caps, might pop out from a corner shop, so keep your wish list ready since this place is a hot bed of “talent”, I have never ceased to get bored of this place in comparison to Chatuchak the Weekend Market, which is very popular shopping centre to Thais and has become a popular place to tourists and foreigners who stay in Bangkok, has over 200,000 visitors each day(SAT-SUN) 30% is foreign. There are almost everything can be found here at a bargaining local price (not a tourist price), and most vendors actually come from local factories, like antique wood carving, clay handicrafts, local souvenirs from every parts of Thailand, Buddhist amulets, wooden furniture’s, handmade decorated flowers, plant, ceramic wares, dolls, Thai Bejarong, Chinese wares, garden decorated plants, stones, trendy fashions, silk, hill-tribe outfits, fluffy dogs and more miscellaneous, etc.’
Chatuchak is nice for a one time visit but you would get tired of the sheer number of people descending on that place, my suggestion is pay a little bit more and stick to MBK,where you can still bargain in the comfort of clean,air-conditioned air. Remeber to navigate the mall floor by floor and take your time, updating your shopping list along the way, from medicines at Boots to wines on the ground floor super mart.
Siam Paragon is one of the biggest shopping centres in Asia. Opened on December 9, 2005, it includes a wide range of speciality stores and restaurants as well as a multiplex movie theatre (consisted of 15 large size theatres with one of them having the biggest screen and seating capacity in Asia) and the Siam Ocean World (Underwater world) aquarium (the largest aquarium in South East Asia) and an exhibition hall and the Thai Art Gallery and also an opera concert hall. It also has a large bowling alley and karaoke centre. Siam Paragon has become since its opening the place to be for Thailand’s upper class, tourists, and locals who come to be seen and to see what Thailand has to offer. Paragon remains among the most popular shopping ground for the small number of Thai elite (and the vast number of elite pretenders), without excluding everyday commonplace and popular Thai items.
I strongly suggest spending a lot of time in the food courts and the adjacent supermarket which has everything under one roof, from cheese to wines and food to cater to all sections of the society, this mall is a winner, don’t miss out on the Au Bon Pain which offers excellent healthy sandwiches, clean, cheap and made in a jiffy.
Bangkok is a food heaven; a sensational culinary journey and taste experience that is unrivalled and guaranteed to delight your taste buds. Apart from renowned Thai cuisine with its blend of spicy, sour, sweet and salty, the smorgasbord includes every other famous type of cuisine found in the world. Eating options are limitless, night or day. Great value-for-money food courts, riverside eateries, Thai-style dining in antique teak houses, dinner cruises, trendy restaurants and food markets are only some of the options available. And if you’re in the mood for fast food, you can count on finding any of the big brand chains in Bangkok too.
Bangkok is what you want it to be, it caters from the high society to the well-heeled and rich, this is the very reason why tourists from all walks of life are coming back in droves, unlike in some countries where only the rich are being targeted, maybe this is the reason why it’s the numero uno destination in the world. My advice is, don’t go with a preconceived notion about Thailand, enjoy the local culture, leave your “intellectual baggage” behind and melt into the crowd, you will be surprised how much this city has to offer. Just like any other mega city, watch your back and wallet, be ready to bargain and don’t take everything at face value, in simple words be grounded and keep your antennas up.
One of my favourite places is a Thai restaurant located next to the Novotel Hotel in Siam Square called Ban Khua Mae,shaped in the form of a hut it’s been there for over a decade and the staff remains largely unchanged. The service is great, wine chilled and the food to die for, try the Thai Mango salad, Green Curry and the fragrant white rice.
The Siam Square is where the action is and you will find a lot happening there in terms of eateries, youth concerts, road side shopping in the form of small booths, especially in the area connecting MBK to Siam Square, don’t forget to bargain.
The humility of the people of Thailand makes you strike a conversation even without knowing their language, for example when I flagged down a cab and asked the cab driver for directions to the area I was heading to, Mr Bird the driver not only did he hit the right conversational chord with me but also acted as a translator when I called up the hotel operator and with one hand he was driving, while holding the phone in the other hand, would someone do that for you for free, while keeping your entertained along the way?
The breakfast at the Lebua, State Tower is something you should look forward to, I suggest go light on dinner so that the festive spread that awaits you in the morning, won’t shock your senses. It’s a breakfast meant for the kings, spread out over three rooms, the journey starting from the bakeries section and ending in the salad section, with stoppages of Continental, Asian and desserts along the way. The saying that eat like a King holds good here and you have to patiently “stuff yourself” with the culinary journey, otherwise you might be go back home and say to your partner “I wish I had eaten that”.
My journey to Bangkok never ends,ever time I “leave ” the city,the energy brings me back hungry for more,very often a city will bore you with its familiar land marks,attractions and the people but this is one country which has been a mystery for me,like a Harry Potter book which you open to unravel adventures,Bangkok holds that grip in your mind and soul.
Some travelers call this city a place for sleaze and all things dodgy but I look at it from a different perspective,you have to soak in the culture,the warmth,the friendliness of the people who are forever accommodating,a lesson taught in the finest of the schools of Hospitality but something which comes as a natural born instinct for the Thai people.
In the land of music,beauty,smiles,food,culture lies a civilization never conquered by any foreign power ,while maintaining its dignity and poise over the decades.While other countries have embraced the Western Cultures,this country maintains a fine balance of both,thus catering to all walks of life from all parts of the world.
Amazing Thailand is a term coined justifiably,as I dream of the good times that I had during this holiday,my mind is on a overdrive preparing to return very soon,a journey never complete.
