Bangkok 101 - March 2010

bangkok 101

march 2010 100 baht

Spotlight on

g n a h C Koh

t h r o u g h tehl e pehyaenst oi sf l ahni sd k i n g d o m

1 on 1: john burdett Metrobeat: Le cafe siam Very Thai: furniture for fun

Elephant Island

Daytrip: house of museums Over the Border: singapore Making Merit: sanuk my Saturdays

march 2010

HISTORY & CULTURE ■ SIGHTSEEING & EXCURSIONS ■ DINING & NIGHTLIFE SHOPPING ■ SPAS ■ LISTINGS ■ EVENTS CALENDAR ■ CITY MAPS & MORE

publisher’s

letter

White Sands Beach, Koh Chang

march 2010

Things will heat up this month, but Bangkok has mastered the great indoor escape just in time. This month you can beat the heat in art galleries, theatres and concert halls. Especially concert halls. It’s strange, after years of being a musical nomans-land for foreign acts, suddenly a slew wash up on Bangkok’s shores. Not that we’re complaining – Viva the live music renaissance say we. In March alone you can treat your ears to an aural feast of hip and not-so-hip live bands, from Norweigan folk-popsters Kings of Convenience and androgynous goth-grungers Placebo, to hip-swinging Welsh crooner Tom Jones and Kool and the Gang. See Metrobeat on p.12.

Of course, where you really want to be at this time of year is plonked under a palm tree, with a gentle sea breeze lapping at your face. This is where this month’s feature – on Trat province’s Elephant Island – should come in very handy indeed. More popularly known as Koh Chang, this verdant leviathan on the south east coast has been on a mission to catch up with Samui and Phuket over the past decade; but still sucks in way less tourists. End result: comparable luxury, less sleaziness, cynicism and people trying to punt you things.

In other getaways, Over the Border revisits not-as-sterile-asit-first-seems Singapore, while closer to home we explore the cultural throwback that is Nakhom Pathom’s wonderful House of Museums. ters k 101 ca Back in town, John Burdett, author of Bangkok 8 and its d, Bangko an what they se ia b n u th ent and r more er bestselling sequels, spills the beans on his writings and city Independ rs who yearn fo s. It brings togeth , lle k rs e o te v o haunts. He’s been on our to-interview list for years… and a ri b tr e w ents, d guid to savvy city resid The result hty, date f ig o e o w he didn’t disappoint. Over in Making Merit we’re out with h in .

W find ho’s tators travel ritative W commen the Sanuk My Saturdays crew, a bunch of driven, sanukan autho ers and cultural f monthly ff the o d ri b y h h p o t ra n d g e n g a to craving expats who help deprived kids learn on Saturdays pho intelli u on pact and ine that takes yo employs the – and have a whole lotta fun doing so. is a com z a 1 g 0 d city ma track. Bangkok 1 no smut and no guide an Reviews this month include joints we’d missed, like fluff, urist o to n rn h it o bought. w w wellnnot be ndards, a a c Imoya, as well as new ones like La Table de Tee and Bistro’y. st t l n a , ri te o n dit co r readers highest e ls. Our editorial us on ou See you back here, same place, same time, next month, c fo a e ri th to adver aintain to ensure when we’ll be dodging water buckets in an attempt to show rously m We rigo nd our mission is ity as much a you the saner, more traditional side of Songkran, Thailand’s at c y this gre they enjo love living in it.

New Year. e w

What i1s01?

Bangkok

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Enjoy.

Mason Florence Publisher

contributors Noy Thrupkaew

Noy is a U.S. journalist and former Pew fellow in International Journalism and Fulbright fellow in contemporary Thai cinema.

She writes frequently on international politics and culture. Noy has reported from Cuba, Iran, Morocco, Japan, and Cambodia, among other countries; for outlets including The Guardian, Marie Claire, Ms. and The American Prospect, where she is a senior correspondent.

Philip CornwelSmith

Very Thai author Philip Cornwel-Smith is a writer, editor and curator specialising in culture and travel. He has lived in Thailand for over a decade, editing its first listings magazine and the Time Out Bangkok guides, updating Thailand: A Traveller’s Companion, presenting Noodle Box: Bangkok on Discovery Channel, and squeezing Bangkok into the city’s first mobile phone guide for Nokia. Born in England, he has also written for Eyewitness: Thailand and international magazines.

Howard Richardson

Food and travel writer Howard Richardson lives beside the Chao Phraya River in downtown Bangkok, from where he’s spent 12 years exploring the city as magazine editor and freelance writer.

He’s contributed to publications such as GQ, the BBC’s Olive magazine and the New York Times online, and written a monthly column on Bangkok events and trends in Sawasdee, the Thai Airways inflight magazine. He also wrote the travel guide Bangkok Step by Step, published by Insight Guides.

Brian Mertens

Author Brian Mertens helped spotlight Thailand’s new wave of textiles and furniture in his recent coffee table volume Bangkok Design. Previously he wrote Architecture of Thailand: A Guide to Traditional and Contemporary Forms. He writes on culture, travel and current affairs for such publications as New York Times, Art AsiaPacific and Forbes. A former resident of New York City and Tokyo, he has lived in Thailand since 1997, the year he won the Citibank Prize for Excellence in Journalism.

Tom Mintier

From covering the Vietnam War as an army photographer to heading up CNN bureaus in London and Bangkok, Tom Mintier is one of the most recognised and respected media figures in Thailand today.

An Emmy award-winning television news journalist, Tom covered many events live for CNN, including the 1989 student uprising in Tiananmen Square and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Currently a consultant at AMATA Corp and professor at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Tom continues to train local journalists.

Steven Pettifor

British-born writer-artist Steven Pettifor stopped over in Thailand 13 years ago on his way to Japan, but never left.

An authority on contemporary Thai art, Steven is a regular commentator on the local art scene, contributing to several international and domestic newspapers and journals. In 2004 he published the coffee-table book Flavours: Thai Contemporary Art. When not art musing, he spends his time travel writing.

Korakot (Nym) Punlopruksa

N a t i v e - B a n g k o k w r i t e r, photographer and incurable travel addict, Nym believes in experiencing the world through food. She can usually be found canvassing the city for the best eats around. Nym has been a host for music and film programmes, a radio DJ, a creative consultant for television and a documentary scriptwriter. She is the author of several travel narratives, and her work appears in myriad magazines including ELLE, Elle Decoration, GM and Home & Décor.

Cheryl Tseng

An avid epicurean, Cheryl’s foodie credentials can be traced back to L.A., where she was a regular fixture at the tables of Wolfgang Puck and Nobu before their rise to culinary fame. She later brought her experienced palate to Bangkok, where she thrives on the new and delectable in the night-out culinary experience. Cheryl contributes to numerous magazines and her website, www.chicasia.com, gives the latest on Bangkok’s hippest venues.

Publisher Mason Florence Editor-in-Chief Dr. Jesda M.Tivayanond Managing Editor Max Crosbie-Jones Graphic Director Yuthtaya Sangnak Art Designer Narong Srisaiya Editorial Assistant Piyakwan Mettaprasert Strategists Nathinee Chen Sebastien Berger Contributing Writers Cheryl Tseng, Noy Thrupkaew, Steven Pettifor, Nick Measures, Joel Quenby, Korakot Punlopruksa, Liz Smailes, Leo Devillers, Philip Cornwel-Smith, Cassandra Beckford, Chirayu na Ranong, Alisara Chirapongse, Rikke Bjerge Johansen, Ashley Simcox, Brian Mertens Contributing Photographers Jatuporn Rutnin, Christian Phongphit, Paul Lefevre, Ludovic Cazeba, Austin Bush, Leon Schadeberg, Marc Schultz, Niran Choonhachat, Frédéric Belge, Somchai Phongphaisarnkit,TAT Director of Sales & Marketing Jhone El’Mamuwaldi Director of Business Development Simon Hughes Account Executives Haluethai Wattanapathomvong Jurairat Wannaprom Administrative Assistant Peeraya Nuchkuar Published by Talisman Media Group Co., Ltd. 113 Soi Tonson, Ploenchit Road, Bangkok 10330 T: 02-252-3900 F: 02-650-4557 info@talisman-media.com Designed by Letter Space T: 02-386-7181 F: 02-386-7182 letter_space2000@yahoo.com Printed by Allied Printers T: 02-240-3700

© Copyright Talisman Media Group Co., Ltd 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written, prior permission of the publisher. Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher, which accepts no responsibility for them.

table of

contents

march 2010

10

snapshots 8 10 11 12 14 15 16 17

101 picks 1 on 1: john burdett events calendar metro beat history religion customs very thai: furniture for fun

sightseeing 18 19 20 22 24 26 28

30 31 33 34 35 36 38 41 42

orientation riverside route101: rattanakosin route101: chinatown route101: sukhumvit route 101: silom&sathorn route101: pathumwan siam and pratunam historic buildings temples kids in the city & shrines musuems the great outdoors daytrip: house of museums day tripping upcountry festivals over the border: singapore

36

arts 44 45 46 54 55 56 57

42

contemporary art exhibitions photo feature: koh chang performing arts cultural centres cinema reading & screening

17

45 46

on the cover: Kai Bae Beach, Koh Chang island

table of

contents

march 2010

food & drinks 58 59 60 61 62 63 66 72 73 74 75 76 77 78

76

dining in bangkok meal deal thai cuisine thai sweets street eats thai restaurants chic bangkok dim-sum brunching tea late dining sweet treats all you can eat wine

nightlife 77

80 82 84 86 87 88 90 92 94

one night in bangkok nightclubs bars with a view hotel bars boho bars jazz clubs live music nightlife areas pub crawling

sports

112 spectator sports 113 active sports

couses & services 114

115

cooking, meditation & thai massage, courses making merit: sanuk my saturdays

business 116 business 117 real estate

reference 118 survival thai 119 contacts 120 getting around

shopping

96

96 97 99 100 101 102 104

unique boutique stuff bangkok design mall crawl chatuchak market markets sidewalks

108

accommodation 106 boutique bangkok

health & wellness 108 109 110 111

106

body & beauty spas wellness centres medical tourism

115

Snapshots

101 picks

8

Before dashing off to a tropical island or the mountains, scratch beneath the city’s gritty surface to discover gems that’ll keep you here longer.

We’ve compiled our Bangkok favourites here.

one night in bangkok

shopping

thai style

food heaven

open air

■ Chatuchak A huge, sprawling village of a market, selling everything under the sun. Cramped, steamy and lots of fun (p.104).

■ Making Merit Donate food to monks, release birds, or light incense sticks at a temple – and pray for good karma (p.115).

■ Beautiful Brunches L a ze a r o u n d w i t h friends, newspapers for those great late breakfasts (p. 73).

■ Dusit District Filled with lovely airy boulevards, a big zoo & Vimanmek Mansion’s gorgeous greener y (p.30).

■ Bars & Clubs Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old.

It’s fun to be a Bangkokian (pp.82-97).

■ Suan Lum Night Bazaar A pleasant evening market with arts, crafts and textiles. And a massive beer garden (p.104).

■ Thai Massage A cracking good time – though not for the faint hearted (p.108).

■ Food Courts Love cheap Thai food but love air-con more?

Get thee to a food court (p.69).

■ On the River Take an express boat up to Nonthaburi or explore the canal communities of Thonburi (p.19).

■ Cabarets Wow, she is beautiful.

Such a graceful dancer.

And what a figure!

Eh… what do you mean “he”? (p.85).

■ Siam Square All the young dudes head to this cradle of cool for the latest flicks and threads (p.100).

■ Thai Cooking Classes Learn to pound a proper paste like a pro (p.114).

■ Riverside Dining The Chao Phraya River makes for an awesome backdrop.And there are plenty of good restaurant options (p.21).

■ Cycling Tour Maybe not an obvious choice, but these tours are surprisingly popular (p.113).

■ High Attitude Bars Slinky cocktails at eight miles high. Not cheap, but well worth it (p.86).

■ Patpong A thin strip in the CBD jam-packed with market stalls and, er, go-go bars (p.104).

■ Thai Boxing The brutal, quintessentially Thai form of kickboxing (p.112).

■ Meal Deals Take advantage of special offers to eat at some of the city’s best restaurants (p.59).

■ Ancient City Cycle round the museum park of Muang Boran, and see Thailand in miniature! (p.38).

■ Dining Cruises Stuff your face as you wind your way along the Chao Phraya (p.61).

■ Panthip Plaza The ultimate computer-geek mecca. If you can’t find it here you just haven’t looked hard enough (p.100).

■ TCDC Cool, creative learning space for Thai designers (p.55).

■ Street Food Pull up a plastic stool and get ready to point and shoot (p.62).

■ Lumpini Park A huge green space in the heart of the city.

Perfect for jogging, picnics and boating on the ponds (p.35).

■ Carnivalesque Get wiggly on Khao San, jiggly at RCA or giggly on Soi 11 (p.95).

■ Paragon & CentralWorld Two of the swishest mega-malls you’re ever likely to encounter. Fancy a Ferrari? That’ll be the third floor (p.100).

■ Jim Thompson House & Silk Shop This former spook rebuilt the Thai silk trade then disappeared. Nice house though (p.30).

■ Affordable Gourmet Food If you prefer foie gras to fried insects, Bangkok needn’t break the bank (p.63).

■ Flower Market Close your eyes and inhale deeply. 24-hour marigold madness. (p.104)

■ Theatre TraditionalThai wooden puppet shows, classical Thai drama or breathtaking extravaganzas – no tux required (p.56)

snapshots

bangkok 101

Snapshots

1 on 1 While most expat-penned Bangkok fiction is sordid drivel, John Burdett’s crime novels most certainly are not, having won critical acclaim and readers the world over. Yes, his books offer up an often unbecoming fictional vision of our sizzling capital, but they’re also so rich with milieu and below-surface detail that they’re clearly one man’s love letters not character-assassinations.

Released this month, his latest book, The Godfather of Kathmandu, sees his flawed cop protagonist Somchai journeying to Nepal; but for our chat we kept the line of questioning on his (and our) favourite topic...

Your books touch on controversial themes… Rattled many cages here in Thailand?

I have heard whispers of disapproval but no one has complained to me.

I have refused offers to have the books translated into Thai, because the noir tradition in which I write is unknown to most Thais and I have no wish to cause offence: the Bangkok of my novels has obvious echoes of Chandler’s and Ellroy’s Los Angeles, Holmes’ London, Maigret’s Paris – but who in Thailand would know that?

Which parts of Bangkok are your favourite and why?

The river. I have a river fetish. My house in France is right on the river Lot. I love really busy rivers and the Chao Phrya is certainly that. Also, from the river and what is left of the waterways one can get a glimpse of old Siam and the boat-based way of life where the Thai soul was formed.

Your straitlaced friend is coming to Bangkok... where do you take them?

Oriental Hotel. If they have one iota of nostalgia they will be trapped for 10

JOHN BURDETT days amongst the Raj references and the orchids. When they’d mellowed, I would begin the educational visits.

Where do you take your buddies for a night out?

Depends on their orientation. Gays all seem to love the bars off Sala Daeng; straight men need to see Patpong, if only to feign moral outrage; shoppers have to go to Chatuchak at least once; most people like to hire a longtail boat for a river trip; massage at Wat Po always draws interest, as do the meditation centres. Also, those of us who live here often forget what a blast the Grand Palace is the first time you see it: a masterpiece of the Siamese imagination in my opinion.

Where do you take friends to eat?

Up market: Giusto’s (Italian) on Soi 23 Sukhumvit (consistently high standard of Tuscan food with a good wine list and very reasonable prices for the midday buffet); Rang Mahal, top of the Rembrandt Hotel on Soi 18 Sukhumvit (simply the best Indian I’ve ever eaten, and quite reasonably priced). snapshots

Down market: cooked food stalls at the end of Sukhumvit Soi 39, also Soi 12 and Soi 11: don’t miss the braised pork knuckle with rice. For those who love Thai food but need air-conditioning, I recommend the food courts in the big department stores: Emporium, Paragon, Central Chit Lom. You’ve been given the keys to Bangkok. What’s the first thing you would change?

I would tell the cops to stop hassling the street hawkers. They bring so much colour to the city, it would not be Bangkok without them. In my opinion Hong Kong is much impoverished since the government got rid of the cooked food stalls.

Likewise Singapore.

What advice would you give someone wanting to learn more about Bangkok?

To borrow from Fight Club, there are three rules: 1) Learn the language; 2) Learn the language; 3) Learn the language. There is no need to be fluent, just intermediate standard (mine) will open the city up for you. bangkok 101

march calender Every Mon – Sat: Cynthia Saunders Mandarin Oriental, Oriental Avenue | 02659-9000 | www.mandarinoriental. com See Metrobeat ‘Jazz & Blues’

Sat 13 – Sun 14, Sat 20 – Sun 21: Pinocchio

The British Club, 189 Suriwongse Rd. | 089887-7945 | www.bct-th. org | B200 The kids will love this inventive take on the classic tale about a pine-wood marionette come to life.

Thu 25: Micky Slim Bed Supperclub, Sukhumvit Soi 11 | 02651-3537 | www.bedsupperclub.com See Metrobeat ‘Nightlife’

Until Sun 25 Apr: Japanese Bamboo: Tracing the Legend of Beppu Craftsmanship TCDC, 6th Fl. The Emporium Shopping Complex | 02-664-8448 | www.tcdc.or.th | free See Metrobeat ‘Art’

bangkok 101

Until Tue 2: 45th Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair 2010 Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani | 02-5045050 | www.bangkokgemsfair. com | B100 See Metrobeat ‘Fairs’

Thu 4 – Sun 7: Import Brands & Urban Goodies (IBUG FAIR 2010) QSNCC | 02-5390883-4, 02-539-2824-5 | www.glamzene.com | free 400 stalls of hip and chic clothes and home decor brands from here and abroad.

Tue 9 – Sun 14: Bangkok Jazz Festival

Thu 11: DJ Luke Solomon and DJ B Traits

Central World Square, Rama I Rd. | 02-2623456 | www.thaiticketmajor. com | B1,000 – 1,800 See Metrobeat ‘Jazz & Blues’

Bed Supperclub, Sukhumvit Soi 11 | 02651-3537 | www.bedsupperclub. com | ??

See Metrobeat ‘Nightlife’

Thu 18: LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad

Sun 21: Tom Jones in Concert

Bed Supperclub, Sukhumvit Soi 11 | 02651-3537 | www.bedsupperclub. com | ??

See Metrobeat ‘Nightlife’

Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani | 02-2623456 | www.thaiticketmajor. com | B1,000 – 4,500 See Metrobeat ‘Pop & Rock’

Fri 26 – Tue 6 Apr: Bangkok International Book Fair

Fri 26 – Wed 31: Disney on Ice

QSNCC | 02-229-3000 | www.bangkokibf.com | free See Metrobeat ‘Fairs’

Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani | 02-2623456 | www.thaiticketmajor. com|B400 – 1,500 See Metrobeat ‘Theatre’

Fri 5 – Sat 6: The Ministry of Truth Patravadi Theatre, Soi Wat Rakang | 02-8335555 | www.totalreservations. com | B400 See Metrobeat ‘Theatre’

Sat 13: Blink Blink Party CM2 , Novotel Siam Square | 02-2098888 | www.novotel. com | B650 See Metrobeat ‘Pop & Rock’

Tue 23: Kings of Convenience Butter Butter, Ratchadapisek Rd. | 02262-3456 | www.thaiticketmajor.com | B800 See Metrobeat ‘Pop & Rock’

Sat27: Berryz Kobo First Live in Bangkok

Indoor Stadium Huamark | 02-262-3456 | www. thaiticketmajor.com | B900-4,000 An all-girl J-pop group (you’ve probably never heard of) hits town. Get ready to scream!

TRADE FAIR VENUES Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) New Ratchadapisek Rd, | MRT QSNCC | 02-229-4253 | www.qsncc.co.th IMPACT Muang Thong Thani Pakkred, Nonthaburi | 02-504-5050 | www.impact.co.th Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC) Bangna-Trad Rd, Bangna | 02-749-3939 | www.bitec.net

snapshots

Sat 6: Musical Fireworks Hanabi To Otono Kyouen Saphan Kweun Bridge | http://asahisuperdry. multiply.com | free

Sat 13 – Sun 14: Thailand International Furniture Fair 2010 (TIFF 2010)

Impact Muang Thong Thani | 02-512-0093104 ext. 266| www. thaitradefair.com/2010/ tiff | 10:00-21:00 | free Should be some bargains at the opendoor days of this popular trade show.

Thu 25: Dinner with Italian Fine Wines – the “Naked Canvas” Bed Supperclub, Sukhumvit Soi 11 | 02651-3537 | www.bedsupperclub.com | B2,500 Special 5 course set dinner featuring 3 glasses of wine.

Until Sun 28: Trans-Cool TOKYO BACC, opp. MBK | 02214 6630-8 | http:// bacc.or.th | free See Metrobeat ‘Art’

Trade Fairs Performance Live Music Shopping Festivals/Events Food & Drink Charity Sport Nightlife

11

Snapshots

metro beat

The pick of Bangkok’s hottest news, trends, events and openings,

by Howard Richardson.

theatre

rock & pop

This year’s Disney On Ice presentation is called A Disneyland Adventure, in which a wicked witch casts a sleeping spell on Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck in order to take over Disneyland. Will Mickey and the Incredibles rescue them in time? Three shows a day run from March 2631 at Impact Arena (02-504-5050). Tickets are B400B1,500 from Thai Ticketmajor (02-262-3456, www. thaiticketmajor.com). See www.disneyonice-asia.com for more information.

A dance drama called The Ministry of Truth about exhibitionism and the need to control or be controlled sounds like an S&M fantasy. Throw in a cast of Thai ladyboys and German dancers from a company called Total Brutal and the picture is complete.

The organisers promise it will be a “discomfiting and unpredictable situation choreographically expressed on a physical level.” Adults only? March 5 and 6 at Patravadi Theatre (02-412-7287, www.patravaditheatre.com).

fairs Get a taste of Thailand as one of the world’s gems capitals at the 45th Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair 2010, at Impact Arena (02-504-5050) until Mar 2. Items include contemporary and traditional jewellery and precious and semi-precious stones. Entry B100. There’s more info at www.bangkokgemsfair.com.

“Open a Book: Open the World” is the slogan of the Bangkok International Book Fair, which has its seventh year at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (02-229-3000) from March 26-April 6.

Previous years have seen almost 900 booths of local and international publishers, from countries as diverse as China, Brunei, Iran and the US. Free entry.

12

Catch some Hip Hop, Thai style on March 13, when three bands play at Concept CM2, in the Novotel Bangkok (02-209-8888). Dime Blink Blink (Dead or Alive) open the night for Three Kings & The Babe, featuring Bo Bo (The Babe), and headliner ATOM, known for her hit single ‘Harrm Thing’. Tickets (B650) include two drinks.

The ‘Jungle Boogie’ hits Bangkok with the arrival of 70s’ funk-poppers Kool and the Gang, who play Royal Paragon Hall 2 on March 17. Show starts at 7pm, tickets are B900-B2,500.

Tom Jones, once of Las Vegas via the Welsh valleys, makes Bangkok his home for one night only, at Impact Arena (02-504-5050) on March 21.

It’s his first Thailand gig for 27 years, which was not long before his big comeback collaboration with The Art of Noise on Prince’s ‘Kiss’. He’ll bang out ‘Sex Bomb’ for sure, ‘It’s Not Unusual’ and ‘Delilah’, probably, and ‘Green, Green Grass of Home’, possibly. He may even thrust his hips a little. Tickets are B1,000-B4,500 from Thai Ticketmajor (02-262-3456, www.thaiticketmajor.com).

Sensitive souls – including Bangkok 101’s editor Max – will head to Butter Butter (02-641-2222) on March 23 for a date with Norway’s hot young folk duo Kings of Convenience, with their “calming voices and subtle guitar melodies”. Actually, this is billed as “indie folk”, so it’s probably OK. Songs from the albums Quiet is the New Loud and Declaration of Dependence will feature strongly.

See www.butterbutterthailand.com for full info.

Arriving on the back of their gong for Best Alternative Band at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards Placebo headline the Tiger Translate festival at the Esplanade on March 20. Other acts include Ian Mutch from Australia, Spanky and Clean from Denmark, and a clutch of local rockers, from Modern Dog to Flure and Abuse The Youth. Get tickets (B500) from Thai Ticketmajor (02262-3456, www.thaiticketmajor.com) and more info from www.tigerbeer.co.th/tigertranslate.

snapshots

bangkok 101

Food & drink

jazz & blues There’s some hot bop at the Bangkok Jazz Festival from March 9-14 at Central World Square. The bands play on two stages – the Main Stage is covered and has aircon, the Educational Stage is open-air. Highlights are Christian McBride and Inside Straight, on March 9; and the Randy Brecker/Bill Evans Soulbop Special, on March 10. Bangkok regulars Asian Fourplay close the event on the final day.

Tickets (B1,000-B1,800) are available at Thai Ticketmajor (02-262-3456, www.thaiticketmajor. com). Get the full programme at www.bangkokjazzfestival.com.

New resident singer at the Bamboo Bar, in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (02-659-9000) is Cynthia Saunders, who fronts the band Monday to Saturday, from 10pm.

art Bangkok turns into Little Tokyo this month with two Japanese exhibitions lined up. Trans-Cool TOKYO, at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (02-214-6632) until March 28, hangs over 30 works from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo. The show focuses on young artists that have emerged since the 1990s.

The second slot looks at bamboo handicrafts made in the Japanese city of Beppu, which are now sought-after art pieces. Japanese Bamboo: Tracing the Legend of Beppu Craftsmanship exhibits at the Thailand Creative and Design Center (TCDC) (02-664-8448) until April 25. A sideshow, Global Bamboo, illustrates the role of the plant in industrial design and daily life. Free Admission.

nightlife The UK’s DJ Luke Solomon and Vancouver’s young female Drum n’ Bass DJ B Traits DJ B Traits team up at Bed Supperclub (02-651-3537) on March 11, heading up another month of imported party vibes in Soi 11. On March 18, LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad of Good Looking Records mix beats and live vocals, and on March 25 it’s “Birmingham bad boy” Micky Slim, who has worked with the likes of Chris Lake and Calvin Harris. bangkok 101

Chef Juan Amador of the Michelin three-star restaurant Amador, in Germany takes over the kitchens for lunch and dinner at Le Normandie, in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (02-6599000) from March 1-6. Expect flair-filled dishes with modern Catalan-Basque-French influences.

Le Cafe Siam

Chef Paul Quarchioni has some Bangkok history, from the short lived but highly regarded Hendricks to his stint at Le Normandie, in the Oriental hotel. He returned last year and bought Le Café Siam, which had always lacked a kitchen to match its very elegant setting.

The 1920s Thai house in its garden of palm trees on a quiet back lane charms you to a different place and time. The old timber frames with their trapezoid arches are well served by tasteful reproduction screens and cabinets. A mix of lamps – flea market cut glass and Asian silks – cast a muted orange glow around the seven-table room. Outside are a few more seats on the terrace, and upstairs a lounge for cognacs, desserts and private parties.

The food is classic French with a few Euro twists served on a daily changing menu. Steamed seabass with caviar sauce; deep rich creamy lobster bisque; seared scallops with chorizo; WHERE 4 Soi Sriaksorn, off lamb fillet with Chua Pleng Rd, 02-671-0030, pommes purée and www.lecafesiam.com OPEN sugar snap peas – Daily 6pm-11pm all meats perfectly PRICE $$$ cooked; sauces delicious.

A couple of dishes have imported heavyweight products like Maine lobster and wild pigeon, otherwise the pitch is towards sensible prices. You could get out with three courses for B1,200 nett, which for this standard of cooking is a bargain.

One proviso: the soundtrack of low quality Bee Gees and Michael Bublé covers really doesn’t fit.

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13

Snapshots ee

history

Grand Palace

B

angkok became the capital of Thailand in 1782, when the royal court relocated from the city of Ayutthaya, which had been left in ruins following years of conflict with the Burmese. After settling temporarily on the western banks of the Chao Phraya River in Thonburi, the capital moved again, this time to the area of Rattanakosin in present-day Bangkok.

Almost entirely surrounded by water, the new location was easier to defend against potential attacks. The final move marked the beginning of the Chakri Dynasty. Rama I named the new capital Krung Thep (City of Angels) in reference to the past glories of Ayutthaya, and he ordered the construction of two of the Kingdom’s most illustrious religious monuments, Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace, to consolidate the new capital’s ruling status.

During the subsequent reigns of King Mongkut (Rama IV) and his son King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), the city developed rapidly, culminating in the modernisation and explosive growth of the 20th century. After visiting European capitals, Rama V moved the royal family to the leafy enclave of Dusit.

The modern architectural monuments built in this neighbourhood include the Thai Parliament Building, the impressive marble Wat Benchama Bophit and the enormous teak Vimanmek Mansion.

Greater Bangkok now occupies nearly 1.5 square kilometres and is home to some 12 million residents.

Rattanakosin remains the spiritual centre of the city, graced by the dazzling splendour of the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew and nearby Wat Po. Modern downtown Bangkok stretches southeast of Rattanakosin and looks very much like many other Southeast Asian capitals, with gleaming skyscrapers, deluxe apartment projects and lots of snarled traffic. The core of the new city encompasses the Sathorn/Silom

14

districts and Sukhumvit Road, which include upscale shopping plazas and leafy public parks. These major downtown neighbourhoods are connected by the BTS Skytrain and the MRT subway systems. These gradually-expanding public transpor tation networks, with their

bright, snaking trains carrying wideeyed tourists and weary commuters alike, have not only helped relieve the city’s notorious traffic congestion and pollution, but given this City of Angels a modern, 21st-century feel.

Take a deep breath Thais rarely call their capital ‘Bangkok’ but instead refer to it as ‘Krung Thep’ (City of Angels), an abbreviated version of the full ceremonial and official name. This can be translated as ‘The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn.’ It is no surprise that The Guinness Book of Records registered it as the world´s longest name for a capital. snapshots

bangkok 101

religion

T

Did you know?

h e majorit y of enlightened (mural paintThai Buddhist Thais (over 90%) ings in Thai temples often monks once a re T h e r av ad a depict tales of his former dyed their B udd his t s , w i t h t he lives, called jataka), so most own robes rest of the population Thais focus on attaining with colour split between Muslims, a better rebirth through extracted Christians, Sikhs and “making merit” – donating from turmeric and the Hindus. Older animist to the poor or a temple, or beliefs also remain, prac- heartwood and handing out rice to monks leaves from tised alongside a verduring their morning almsjackfruit trees; gathering processions. sion of the Buddhism now most that originated with the Nearly all Thai Buddhist robes come teachings of Siddhartha men will become monks, chemically Gautama, the Buddha, if only for a short time. dyed. in India around the 6th Women cannot be ordained century BC. but some become nuns, alTheravada Buddhism is based on though their numbers remain low. the concepts of dukkha (suffering), Contrary to Western perceptions of anicca (impermanence and tran- Buddhism as a religion above the fray sience), and anatta (impermanence of everyday life, monks and nuns have of the self) – suffering arises through launched HIV-education and drugattachment to impermanent condi- prevention campaigns, orphanages, tions. By working to extinguish at- and other social programmes. More tachment through meditation and controversially, a number of monks proper conduct, Buddhist practi- have begun advocating that Buddhism tioners can eventually attain spiri- should be enshrined in the new contual enlightenment (nirvana), freeing stitution as Thailand’s state religion. them from cycles of rebirth. A soul For more information on Buddhism is reborn according to its progress and meditation courses, check out (or lack of it) towards nirvana, with the World Fellowship of Buddhists at animals forming lower strata and www.wfb-hq.org and the international monks occupying the top. The Bud- homepage of Vipassana meditation dha himself took 550 lives to become centres at www.dhamma.org.

bangkok 101

snapshots

Spirit houses Hand in hand with their Buddhist faith, Thais still hold many animist beliefs.

Spirit worship is widely practised and spirit houses can be seen on the corner of most residential and commercial properties. By providing the spirits (good and evil) with shelter, it’s hoped that they will protect houses or buildings from any harm or mischief. To make sure the spirits are kept happy, offerings of incense, fruit, flowers or rice are made every day.

15

Snapshots

customs

F

oreign visitors to Thailand are not expected to understand all the intricate subtleties of Thai customs, but by learning something about them and trying to incorporate them into your behaviour, you will show respect for local people and avoid some potentially embarrassing situations.

In Thailand, two institutions take on particular importance: the monarchy and religion.

Did you know?

Every day has a corresponding colour in Thailand, and throngs of locals will don a yellow shirt to show their respects and celebrate the 80th birthday of the King, who was born on the yellow-themed Monday.

The Monarchy Thai people love their king with deep reverence for the monarchy. By way of proof, portraits of their majesties are displayed in most shops and businesses. Like anybody else, you are expected to be respectful towards members of the royal family.Therefore, stand quietly when the national anthem is played, which happens daily at 8am and 6pm in parks and other public places.

Social hierarchy Age, social rank, lineal descent, salary and education are all considerations for social conduct. Such hierarchy is demonstrated 16

at every moment of the day, even the way of greeting.Thais don’t usually shake hands but rather wai (a prayerlike gesture with hands clasped in front of the face).This action means ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ but also shows respect and humility.The higher the hands are raised, the more respect is being paid.

Losing face Thais are known to be patient and calm. Being jai yen (coolhearted) is highly admired in Thai culture. Any impulsive reactions that may show annoyance (i.e. raising your voice) are considered unseemly, counterproductive and can make you ‘lose face’.

Losing your temper should be avoided; things will work themselves out much better if you remain calm. Practise the words mai pen rai (meaning “never mind”).

Body parts The head is considered to be the most sacred par t of the body while the snapshots

feet are the lowest, hence the most impure. For this reason, it is impolite to pat or touch somebody on the head (this applies even to children) and it is particularly rude to point your feet at somebody or to place them on a table or a chair. Pointing the finger at other people is also considered impolite – best to gesture with an open hand.

Temple Etiquette

As temples and Buddha images are considered sacred, certain rules of respect should be followed when visiting temples: ■ dress properly (long trousers or dresses, covered shoulders) ■ remove your shoes at the entrance of temple buildings ■ don’t step on the threshold ■ don’t sit pointing your feet towards a Buddha image ■ avoid touching Buddha images or chedis (funeral monuments) ■ be considerate when taking photographs ■ Buddhist monks are forbidden to touch or be touched by women. So, if a woman gives something to a monk, she must first pass it to a man or put it on a piece of cloth

bangkok 101

Furniture for Fun Reinventing the chair – and Thai ways of sitting

very thai Philip Cornwel-Smith

W

Photos by John Goss & Philip Cornwel-Smith

hat to make of a restaurant diner sitting on a chair crosslegged? Or of a middle class family gathering on the rug in front of their nice new sofa? Not all Thais seem comfortable in Western seats. Given no chair tradition aside from pulpits and thrones, Thai seats often surprise. The sides of many sala (pavilions) form a graceful seating ledge from slats of wood, creating the undulating lyre shape found throughout Thai crafts. Similar flowing lines reappear in recycled furniture that utilises rubber tyres, tree roots or parts of a buffalo cart. In a more street mode of improvisation, the poor construct benches from off-cuts of wood, foam and vinyl.

Other furniture simply makes ground-style seating more comfy.

Wooden benches and sofas often come deep and broad enough to fit fully on top with legs tucked back beside the thighs, Thai-style.

Stools with six-inch legs act as a clean resting perch while squatting – another favoured seating posture, since Thais can balance for ages while folded into the most compact space imaginable. Originally of wood, tiny stools now come in multi-coloured plastic; some are even sawn-off stacking chairs.

Until recent decades, most Siamese had barely any furniture.

“In Southeast and East Asia, the Chinese are the only people who sit on chairs; the rest traditionally sit, eat and sleep on the floor,” writes architect Sumet Jumsai. “For the Thai, the floor therefore represents the most sensitively finished part of the house (so) people remove their shoes when entering it.” Hence the sublime teak boards polished by a constant shuffle of pillows and mats, feet and bottoms. Platforms enabled multi-level floor seating to suit the multi-level hierarchy. As Mont Redmond remarks, “the traditional Thai house itself was already like one big chair, hoisted aloft on its stilts over flood and dust.”

Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture is a book that almost every foreigner living in Bangkok has on their bookshelf, a virtual bible on Thailand’s pop culture. For page after colourful page, author Philip Cornwel-Smith guides readers on an unconventional tour of the quirky everyday things that make Thailand truly Thai. From the 60-plus mini-chapters, we present a different excerpt each month. Prepare yourself for the sideways logic in what seems exotic. Snap up a copy at any good book shop.

Very Thai – River Books l B995 l hardcover, with photos by John Goss and Philip Cornwel-Smith bangkok 101

snapshots

17

Sightseeing

orientation

greater bangkok Cha

o

Thewet & Dusit

ph r a

Ko Rattanakosin Ch

op

a

hray

a

Thonburi

Chinatown

Siam Square & Pratunam

Sukhumvit Chaophraya

18

– steel towers, snarled traffic and snaking expressways – that is Modern Bangkok.

Silom and Sathorn are busy business arteries linking the riverside’s old colonial style mercantile buildings and posh hotels to the city’s green lung, Lumpini Park. Seething Sukhumvit Road and its branching sois (where internationals tend to live, work and play) offer few sights but untold opportunities for drinking, dining and debauchery. And Pathumwan (p.28) is

ya

S

meared over the flat, floodprone Chao Phraya river plain, Bangkok at first appears about as organised as a bowl of spaghetti.

The fact that there isn’t one all-singing, all-dancing city centre doesn’t help matters. Delve in though and you’ll discover a sprawling megalopolis with a series of distinct neighbourhoods that have evolved over the centuries and have different, tourist-luring attributes.

On the west side of the river, glimpses of the Venice of the East survive down the criss-crossing canals of former capital Thonburi. On the east, historic monuments like the Grand Palace are sprinkled like gold dust through former royal HQ Ko Rattanakosin (p.20) – the city’s most revered neighbourhood by far. Fringing it are the old shophouse communities of Phra Nakorn and Banglamphu, the latter of which includes backpacker ghetto Khao San Road. South of Ko Rattanakosin is the city’s congested, chaotic and must-see Chinatown.

And crowning Banglamphu is royal and government enclave Dusit with its grand, tree-shaded boulevards a la 19th Century Europe.

When temple fatigue strikes head east for the urban hurly burly

where it’s at for shopping, be it at glitzy mall or gritty market.

All these neighbourhoods (and the city’s intermittently interesting ‘burbs) can be reached using the city’s roads. But the Skytrain (BTS) and Underground (MRT) networks are better allies – whiz above or below the gridlocked streets in fridge-cool comfort!

When these can’t help you (when heading from downtown Bangkok to the Old City for instance) hop on a river expressboat, accessible via Saphan Taksin Skytrain station (see opposite). Alternatively, seek out a pier along smelly Klong Saen Saeb (p.120) and clamber (carefully) aboard one of its zippy boats.

Other tips include avoid scammers (p.29), carry small change and, if visiting temples, dress properly (p.18).

In a city as potentially aggravating as Bangkok, it’s also worth planning.

Do you really want to be traipsing round temples all day? Exactly. For ideas check out the following Route 101’s – these itineraries introduce the most notable sights in the city’s most colourful neighbourhoods. Don’t follow them to the letter however – getting hopelessly lost as you wander down one interesting looking sidestreet after another is half the fun.

Riverside

Pathumwan& Lumphini

Silom & Sathorn sightseeing

bangkok 101

ban

the riverside

N16-N30 Head north and concrete seques into greenery as expressboats sprint up to their terminus at Nonthaburi, a charming provincial town.

N13 : Phra Athit Bkk’s young bohemians pensively sip coffee in the cute shophouse cafes that line this leafy old street. There’s a quiet park and the hedonistic madhouse that is Khao San Road is around the corner.

M

N10

N15 :Thewet Feed the catfish, peruse a flower and wet market, or dine overlooking the nearby Rama VIII suspension bridge. Stately royal district, Dusit, is a short taxi ride away.

d. tR ra

At

hi

N9 : Tha Chang Thai icons ahoy! Turn left for Wat Mahatat and the Amulet market.

Walk straight ahead for the Grand Palace and Sanam Luang. Hungry?

The pedestrian area in front of the jetty is packed with old-school food stalls.

Ph

Na Phra Lan Rd.

Rd. arat Mah

Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)

Ratchada

mnoen K

Kalayang Matri Rd.

lang Rd.

N5 : Ratchawongse Bangkok’s Chinatown! Taoist temples, mazy backstreets, mottled shophouses and no end of Sino sights, noises Rd. Muangand smells make it a must.

Bamrung

Royal Grand Palace

d. ng R i Wa Tha Wat Po

Chinatown

Pak Klong Talad

gR

d.

Pahurat

Ra

Kl Phr ao a P Br ok id ge

N5

N1 : Oriental The old western quarter. Admire neglected neoclassical edifices and Oriental object’s d’arts at OP Place, then take tea at Bangkok’s most illustrious hotel, the Mandarin Oriental.

Millenium Hilton

Wongwian Ya

N2

i

ksin R

d.

N6 : Memorial Bridge/ Saphan Pood Venture left for decrepit godowns (warehouses) teeming with veg and flowers; i.e. Pak Klong Talad, the 24-hour fresh market. Head straight for Bangkok’s Little India, Pahurat. At night there’s a clothing market popular with teens.

tc ha wo n

N6 Wat Arun

N2 : Sri Phaya On the left is River City: 4 barren-floors of SE Asian antiques, ethnic reproductions, tailors and tat. To your right, the Royal Orchid Sheraton.

Charoen Krung Rd.

ai Rd. Sanam Ch

N8

N15

N13

Amulet Market

N9

VI

II

Wat Mahatat

N8 :Tha Tien Lovely King Rama V-era shophouses sell dried fish but Wat Po – home of the reclining Buddha – is the main attraction.

Wat Arun (p.31) looms large on the far bank. Catch a cross-river ferry to it for B3.

A

Ratc hada mno Sana en N m ai Rd Luan . g

N10 : Wang Lang Wat Rakhang, the macabre Forensic’s Museum, a teenfashion clothing market and Patravadi Theatre (p.56) are all in the vicinity.

ra

ra ge Ph id et Br o mdla So K n Pi

101

Though tall ships no longer sail into Bangkok, its churning river – the Mae Nam Chao Phraya – remains important to city life. Long tails, tug boats and pleasure cruisers ply the water, while sunburnt temples, neoclassic buildings, mottled warehouses, stilt homes and a fair few modern monstrosities (hotels, office blocks etc) look on.The best way to encounter all this is by expressboat, which follows a 33km route from Wat Rajsingkorn in the south to Nonthaburi in the north. Fares (usually no more than B13) are payable on board, and during rushhour the boats thronged with office-workers, students and saffron-robed monks. Read up on most interesting piers here then hop aboard! For more about routes, fares and timetables see www.chaophrayaboat.co.th

bangkok 101

o Ta Cha Phra Som det

Saphan Taksin Accessible via the Skytrain’s Saphan Taksin Station. Alight here for shuttle boats back to Mandarin Oriental, Pennisula and Millenium Hilton hotels.

Or if staying in Silom, Sathorn or Sukhumvit.

Penninsula

Wongwian Yai

Krung Thonburi Rd. KrungThonburi

N1 Taks

in Br

idg

e SapanTaksin

sightseeing

19

Sightseeing

route 101

Whether your stay in Bangkok is for a few hours, a few days or more, absolutely any itinerary should include the ‘old city’ of Rattanakosin. From exquisite temples to ancient Thai massage, it’s all here.

Rattanakosin

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elcome to Rattanakosin Island: historical heart land of modern Bang kok, spiritual epicentre of the Kingdom. King Rama I located the capital here in 1782 because he thought it would be easier to defend than previous site Thonburi.

Surrounded by man-made klongs (canals) and the Chao Phraya River, and immune to high-rise developments, its charms include decaying old shophouses (as opposed to 50-storey monsters) and the highest density of sacred must-sees in Bangkok. Whether you’re here for a few hours, a few days or more, every itinerary should include some time here.

Wat Phra Kaew

20

sightseeing

bangkok 101

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Bamrung

Charoen Krung Road

2

NORTH

The Deck

Phra Phi Phit Road

at

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Phra Buddha Yodfa Monument

recommended sites: n Khao San Road Backpackers and all their material attachments. n Wat Mahathat A centre of Buddhist teaching hemmed in by a jostling amulet market. n The Giant Swing Men reached hazardous heights here during annual ceremonies... until it was banned. n Phra Athit Road Bohemian cafes, a tranquil park and an old fort converge upon one tree-shaded street.

sightseeing

Ch

Saphan Phut Pier

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Tha Thien Pier Tha Rachinee Pier

1. Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) 2. Wat Po (Wat Phra Chetuphon) 3. Wat Phra Kaew 4. National Museum

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Wat Po

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Sao Ching Cha (Giant Swing)

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Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)

Democracy Monument

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Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn)

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Atsad

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Tha Thien Pier

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Pr

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Tha Chang Food Market

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Wat Mahathat

11

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Phrannok Pier

Tha Chang Pier

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Kao San Ro

4

Tha Chang Pier

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BANGLAMPHU

Thammasat University

Tha Maharat Pier

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khon Road

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National Museum

Tha Phra Chan Pier

m

Fuang Na

ra Ph Thonburi Railway Pier

Su

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Dinso Road

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Tanao Rd

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it

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R sat Ka

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Tha Phra Athit Pier

oa d

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Saphan Phra Pin Klao Pier

Sa ms en R

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Khin Lom Chom Saphan

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bangkok 101

m

Democracy Monument

Wat Sam Phraya Pier

So

101

First stop is Wat Arun (p.31), also known as the Temple of Dawn. Actually pre-dating the Rattanakosin era, it’s a cornerstone of Thailand’s history. To get there, ride the Skytrain to Saphan Taksin then, once at the river, jump on an express boat (ask someone to point out which boat is an express). As you face the river, you want to be going right, upriver. Get off at Tha Tien pier and catch one of the numerous boats that cross to the other side. Wat Arun, with its spire aglow, is easy to spot.

After admiring the sweeping panoramas from the top, cross the river back to Tha Tien pier. Then make your way to the city’s oldest temple complex, Wat Po (p.32). Here, see the immense reclining Buddha and have your muscles de-knotted at the famous Thai massage school.

Temple initiation over, head north for the granddaddy of Bangkok sights: the Grand Palace (p.31) and Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (p.31). Snub the touts telling you it’s closed, and take plenty of time to pace, reverentially, around this gilded fairytale of a royal complex (note: the B300 ticket is also valid for Dusit’s Vimanmek Mansion, p.30). Hungry for more Thai history? Then exit and head north across the ancient ceremonial park, Sanam Luang, veer left and delve into the National Museum (p.36).

Depending on your body and foot fatigue, you will probably find it is early evening.The rest of your evening is up to you – Rattanakosin has plenty of options.

A good place to unwind over a drink or a meal is at one of the artsy eateries near the fort, along Phra Athit Road.

Alternatively, grab a beer and some pad thai with the backpackers along Khao San Road. Or hit a cocktail bar like Amorosa, with its picture-postcard views over the river of lit-up Wat Arun.

Dining pit-stops: Use these restaurants to recharge en route. n The Deck Open-air restaurant with stunning views of river-straddling Wat Arun. 36-38 Soi Pratoo Nok Yoong, Maharat Road | 02-221-9158 | www.arunresidence.com n Khin Lom Chom Saphan Feast on Thai seafood while eyeballing river reflections of Rama VIII Bridge.

11/6 Soi Samsen 3 | 02-628-8382 n Thipsamai Famous pad thai restaurant. 313 Mahachai Rd | www.thipsamai.com n Tha Chang Food Market A lipsmacking local market unfurls here each day.

21

Sightseeing

route 101

cHINATOWN

C

hinatown or Yaowarat, as it is known locally, is a sprawling, neon-lit enclave of tiny lanes, fabulous food, dramatic Chinese shrines and wiry old men sitting on plastic stools staring through thick-rimmed glasses.

The centre of Bangkok’s Chinese community actually used to be a couple of clicks west, but when King Rama V decided to build his palace on Rattanakosin Island the neighbourhood decamped en masse to its current location.

It’s a fantastic place just to wander around during the day, stuffing your face with weird fried things and trying to figure out just what the hell is being displayed in the Chinese pharmacy windows.

Yaowarat Rd itself, Chinatown’s main stretch, comes alive at night when fold-up-table restaurants spill out over the pavements, and a million and one gold shops, with their ridiculously ostentatious facades, flick on their neon switches. It’s quite a sight.

The best way to get there is by the underground. Take Exit 1 from 22

Hua Lamphong MRT and look over to your right to take in Bangkok’s impressive main train station. This Renaissance-style edifice dates back to the early 20th century when King Rama V commissioned a bunch of Italian architects and engineers to give the capital a dash of European élan.

Head straight on from Exit 1 and cross over a couple of roads and the canal until you hit Mittraphap ThaiChina Rd. Down here you’ll find one of the most imposing temples in Bangkok,

sightseeing

Wat Traimit Witthayaram (p.32) and, 50m further on, the Odeon Circle Gate, an enormous structure that serves as the entrance to Chinatown proper. Turn right and check out the San Chao Poy Sien shrine, before crossing over onto Yaowarat Rd and exploring the Thian Fah Foundation complex.

Continue along Yaowarat and, when you’re suitably disgusted/ impressed by all the restaurants advertising bird’s nest and shark’s fin delicacies on Yaowarat, duck down Yaowaphanit Rd. Then turn right onto Sampheng Lane (officially Wanit 1 Rd). This wholesale shopping treasure trove used to be full of opium dens and brothels, although there’s not much more illicit than hair clips and rubber sandals on offer now. The lane’s not wide to start with, but fill it with food carts, dawdling shoppers and delivery boys on Vespas loaded with Hello Kitty schoolbags and you feel like a human pinball. Great fun!

Emerging like a new born calf onto Ratchawong Rd, you’ve got a bangkok 101

ban

n Thian Fah Foundation This atmospheric complex incorporates a hospital and another, more elegant shrine dedicated to Kuan Yim.

over to visit the wonderful Mangkorn Kamalawat temple complex. Opposite the temple, about 20 metres on, there’s a tiny, jam-packed lane, Soi 16, that connects with Yaowarat Rd. If you’re there at breakfast time, head on in for a seething, groaning wet-market with everything from huge sacks of tea and dried mushrooms to plastic tubs of writhing catfish.

If you’ve timed it well, when you come out of Soi 16 (Yaowarat Rd Soi 6) night will have fallen and the neon-lit optical orgy that is Yaowarat Rd will be in full flow. Squeeze past all the chestnut vendors and satay grillers and slip into an appealing restaurant or find a table at a streetside eatery to give your feet a well-earned rest.

Rd hin a

Th ai-C hab tap Mit

Phadung Dao Rd

Trongsawat Rd

Yaowaphanit Rd

11 Rd Soi Yaowarat

Mittraphan Rd

Phlap Pla Chai Rd Plaeng Nam Rd

Soi Charoen Krung 16 Rd

Soi Yaowarat 6 Rd

Mungkorn Rd

Soi Yaowarat 8 Rd

at 15 Rd

Mungkorn Rd

Soi Charoen Krung 14 Rd

Ratchawong Rd

Soi Yaowar

3

2

Rd

Ratchawong Rd

1 Rd

n Hua Seng Hong 371-373 Yaowarat Rd | 02-222-0635 | 9am-midnight Look out for the bright yellow sign, then squeeze past the crabs, ducks and shark fins into an air-conditioned dining room for tasty, reasonably priced Chinese fare.

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ng

n Canton House Chaloem Buri Intersection | 02-2213335 | 11am-10pm Cheap, tasty and air-conditioned, Canton House has a great selection of dim-sum from B15 a pop.

ar

ru

Eat n T&K Seafood 49-52 Soi Phaduang, Yaowarat Rd | 02-2234519 | 4:30pm-2am Watch the crowds roll by and dishes being hoisted down on fishing lines from the upstairs kitchen.

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nK

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Chaloem Buri Intersection

4

P ha

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Ma

Soi W anit

1

Sam

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bangkok 101

Ch

n Wat Mangkorn Kamalawat Fight your way through the vendors in the entranceway and head straight to the temple at the back for a truly memorable experience.

Information

Old market

Soi Wanit 1

Sbudibxpoh !Qjfs

Rd

Yaowarat Rd

Song Wat Rd

m

Rd

7

China Town Scala restaurant

Yaowarat Rd

6

Hua Lamphong Railway Station

ase

Rama IV Rd t2

Shangarila restaurant

Wat Kunmatay

Mai market

ara ow

Wat Bamphen

Kwang Tung Shrine

Rd i Ya

Grand China Princess Hotel

Charoen Krung

gK un

5

HUA LAMPHONG

Kr

Suapa Rd

choice to make. Head left towards the river to explore the old colonialstyle warehouses and catch a river taxi from Ratchawong Pier; jump in a cab and mumble “Pak Khlong Talad” (p.104) to explore the 24-hour flower market; cross the road and continue the market mayhem as Chinatown segues into Little India with all its fabric shops and samosa stalls; or turn right and head up to the other main Chinatown artery, Charoen Krung Rd. As you approach Charoen Krung you’ll cross back over Yaowarat Rd, passing the Grand China Princess hotel on your left. Turn left when you hit the main drag and walk about 500m to get to Nakhon Kasem, the old Thieves’ Market (p.104), or turn right and cross

So

101

See n San Chao Poy Sien Okay, it looks like a souvenir shop, but it’s actually a funky little shrine.

Pop upstairs to the weird plastic cave-room to see the statue of the Chinese god Kuan Yim.

ng

Lan

e

Wat Ko

Song Wat Rd

d

at R ng W

So

Wat Sampheng

1. Wat Traimit Witthayaram 2. San Chao Poy Sien shrine Auphairat 3. Wat Thian Fah Foundation 4. bamrung Canton House 5. Wat Mangkorn Kamalawat 6. Hua Seng Hong 7. T&K Seafood

Chao Phraya River sightseeing

23

Sightseeing

route 101

Sukhumvit

L

ike Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, Sukhumvit Road is a futuristic thriller – a flawed, frenetic, yet often compelling urban streetscape.

Towering hotels, condominiums and offices sprawl east across its skyline, while down below a global Who’s Who races anonymously among them. Along its main stretch cars and c oncrete assail the senses, while down its many flanking sois calmer, more serene atmospheres unfold.

Once a suburban backwater dominated by a stretch of rice fields, Sukhumvit has evolved into the residential destination of choice for aspirational Thais and the expats who work with them. As a result, it has developed its own village culture – marked by twee cafés, achingly hip boutiques and a veritable nation of fantastical day spas. In other words, when temple and museum-weariness 24

set in, Sukhumvit could very well offer the perfect antidote. Only helping matters is the Skytrain, which swooshes like a slo-mo bullet above it.

Get a quick jump on the day and loosen up with a morning stroll around the lake in Benjakitti Park.

Located adjacent to the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, which hosts world class expos weekly (see calendar p.11), it is easily accessible via the centre’s MRT stop. Next head to the Siam Society for a quick shot of culture. On Asok Road (the unofficial “border” die-hard Sukhumvit dwellers rarely cross), it’s an organisation dedicated to the preservation of Thai heritage, art and culture through study trips, lectures and exhibitions. And out back is a stunning Northern Lanna teak house/ ethnological museum.

After Asok, it’s on the Skytrain sightseeing

Bed Supperclub

and off to Phrom Phong station. Here you will find the cultural epicentre of upper Sukhumvit, that shrine to nouveau riche Thai consumerism, Emporium. While you can easily get your shopping fever quietened with the bevy of established, world-class designers and up-and-coming Thai labels here, an interesting alternative is the Thailand Creative and Design Center (TCDC) on the sixth floor which continually stages thoughtprovoking, and usually free, exhibitions.

Even better yet, TCDC is a short escalator ride away from the food floor, a United Nations of culinary possibilities. If your back is aching from scrutinising all those exhibits, why not take a stretch among the modern sculptures and trim greenery of adjoining Benjasiri Park?

Shopaholics can probe Thong Lo further, staking out the neighbourhood bangkok 101

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EAT Coffee Bean by Dao | Casa Viva Apartment, Ekamai Soi 12, Sukhumvit Soi 63 | 02-713-2504~8 The cheesecakes at this local hi-so cake stop are out of this world. n Crêpes & Co | 18 Sukhumvit Soi 12 | 02-653-3990 Nestled in a quiet soi, in a palm-fronded garden, this French/Meditterean cafe serves an excellent all-day brunch. n Agalico | 20 Sukhumvit 51 | BTS Thong Lor | 02-662-5857 An all-white tea lounge situated in a lush garden.

Only open weekends.Take a ride down Sukhumvit Soi 51, and take the first right. n Uomasa | Nihomura, 87 Thong Lor Soi 13 | 02-392-6575 Found in the wooden Nihomura compound, Uomasa is particularly recommended for sashimi lovers. n

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for designer clothing, jewellery, furniture and books. Or, should you be toying with matrimony, wedding garb.

Hop on over to J-Avenue, Bangkok’s little slice of neon Tokyo and watch as beautiful people and their even prettier cars roll in. Once dinnertime rolls around check out “Japan Town” in Thong Lor Soi 13, where a clutch of great Japanese restaurants like Uomasa lurk.

The Emporium

bangkok 101

Crystal Spa

Finally, when it comes to Sukhumvit, the night time is definitely the right time.

Drinking, dining, dancing, debauchery... it’s all here. For a go on a shisha pipe, Sukhumvit Soi 3 is Bangkok’s very own Little Arabia. Those looking to make a very Thai night of it (whisky sodas, a Thai live band) should head to one of the jumping joints along Thong Lor or Ekkamai. Sukhumvit Soi 11 – home to veterans like Bed Supperclub and Q Bar (p.84) – will satisfy your international clubbing needs. But for the best of Sukhumvit’s beau monde haunts its got to be Long Table (p.86): a cocktail at this 25th floor design bar, with its movers and shakers and electric panoramas, is not easily forgotten. sightseeing

2,Thong Lor (Sukhumvit Soi 55) | BTS Thong Lor | 081-824-8011 | 1pmmidnight People craving a drink and some laid-back conversation need look no further than antique store/ nostalgia café Shades of Retro. n Cheap Charlie’s | Sukhumvit Soi 11 Bangkok’s most bizarre bar (p.89). n Nest | Sukhumvit Soi 11 Found opposite Q Bar, this sleek yet cosy rooftop bar won’t ruffle your feathers. n Nang Len | Ekkamai Soi 5, Sukhumvit Soi 63 | 02-711-6565 The name means “to sit around” inThai.

However you’d probably win the lottery before you find a seat here on weekends.

SPA n Divana Divine Spa | 103 Thong

Lor Soi 17, Sukhumvit Soi 55 | 02712-8986 | www.divana-dvn.com n Rasayana Retreat | 57 Soi Prommitr, Sukhumvit Soi 39 | 02-6624803-5 | www.rasayanretreat.com n Hapa Spa | 20/4 Sukhumvit Soi 3 | BTS Nana | 02-253-9860 | www.hapaspa.com n Crtstal spa | 1541 Sukhumvit Rd. (near BTS Phra Khanong) | BTS Phra Khanong | 02-382-2244 | 10am – 10pm 25

Sightseeing

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Silom & Sathorn

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heSathorn/Silomareapersonifies Bangkok’s split personality. The white collar, bustling crux of Bangkok’s business world by day, this whirlwind area houses a grab bag of cultural and religious sites. But when night falls this area hustles, gyrates, and rears a very different head. Home to a large chunk of Bangkok’s corporate world, this Silom and Sathorn spills over with yuppies and bigwigs during the day, kicking it up a gear after office hours, with a jiving scene of clubs, expat pubs, some very shady characters, and one oh-so-notorious little lane.

Set the alarm and beat the sun to the punch; there’s much to be done today. Take the MRT to the Sam Yan stop. Walk towards Silom and take a venomous venture into the Snake Farm (see p.35) and watch wranglers extract poison from serpents. If you dare you can even pet a cobra or kiss a python! If you’re still alive, continue on for a nice stroll in Lumphini Park, Bangkok’s largest public open area.

If it’s the weekend take a taxi into the past with former P.M. Kukrit’s Heritage House (see p.30).

By now you’re probably famished, 26

so go back down Convent Road, a treeshaded soi lined with Irish pubs, Mexican, Japanese, Italian and various other farangorientated eating establishments. After filling up follow the throngs of office workers into Soi Lalai Sup (“the soi that melts your assets”), squeezing through the chaos, hunting down bargains on clothes, gifts and other knick-knack paddywhacks.

Further down Silom on Thanon Pan, you will come across Wat Mahamariamman. Referred to by locals as Wat Kaek, it is the most famous Hindu temple in Bangkok and rituals are performed here daily at noon. Right across the street is Kathmandu Gallery (see p.49) featuring great photo exhibits, and also Silom Village which is a nice spot to pick up some handicrafts.

Just before sunset hits, head up to the top floor of the Banyan Tree and ascend the aptly titled Moon Bar at Vertigo (see p.87). Two hundred metres above the pavement, this bar’s main attraction is the completely unobstructed 360° Bangkok panorama (other rooftop bars in the area include State Tower’s equally spectacular Sky Bar or, if raining, the indoors V9 at sightseeing

Lumpini Park

the Sofitel Silom). Do not stray too far over the railing as the only thing to break your fall here is the concrete sidewalk. Once you’ve soaked it all in, or if your knees are shaking, descend back to street level.

The night is still far too young.

Cab it to Lumpini National Boxing Stadium (see p.114) around the corner, which will guarantee adrenaline rushes, as young men kick and punch the hell out of each other. For something less violent, Suan Lum Night Bazaar (see p.104), a pricier but less sweaty version of Chatuchak is just seconds away.

Seafood restaurants abound here and the Joe Louis Puppet Theater (see p.56) is great for a cultural show.

There’s also a good beer garden.

Time to think about wrapping the day up. If you’re a jazz-lover a class act can always be found at Niu’s on Silom, as can fine Italian food and five-star service. Or, if wine’s your thang, head to suave oenophile hangout Opus. For more rowdy (and raunchy) times, head back to Silom. There’s still shopping to be done here as many street vendors are just starting their day selling trinkets, clothes and cheap knock-offs. bangkok 101

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EAT n Eat Me! 20 M. off Convent Rd. (Soi Pipat 2), Silom| BTS Sala Daeng | 02-238-0931 | www.eatmerestaurant.com | 3pm -1am Popular with expats, this trendy restaurant-cum-art-gallery serves tasty fusions. n Naj 42 Convent Rd | BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Silom | 02-632-2811 | www.najcuisine.com | 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-11:30pm The Thai food and white house setting is dignified and elegant, so put your new silk shirt on. n Spanish on 4 78-80 Silom Soi 4 | BTS Sala Daeng | 02-632-9955 | www.tapascafebangkok. com | Mon-Fri 11am-1am, Sat-Sun 11am-2am Watch night-owls strutting Silom’s party soi while feasting on tasty tapas and delicious sangria. n Coyote on Covent Sivadon Building, 1/2 Convent Road | BTS Sala Daeng | 02-631-2325 Mouthwatering Mexicana: Burritos, enchiladas, 50-plus Margeritas.

DRINK n OPUS 64 Pan Road, Soi Wat Kaek, Silom | BTS Surasak | 02-637-9899 An urbane wine bar stocking 400, sightseeing

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If you’re looking for something more hip, the bars and clubs in Silom Soi 4 will suffice. If you’re gay, look no further than same-sex central, Silom Soi 2. And if you’re feeling frisky and don’t mind being harassed by aggressive touts, immerse yourself in the decadent not-so-underworld that is Soi Patpong. Be careful around here and do not follow strangers offering you free shows. But don’t hold back, because whatever you choose to do in this part of town at this time, you’re most likely to wake up with no recollection of it.

bangkok 101

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almost exclusively, Italian labels. n Tapas Silom Soi 4 | BTS Sala Daeng | 02632-7982 | 8pm-2am House music and cocktails all week long in this 3-storey Moroccan grotto. n Niu’s On Silom 661 Fl. 1-2 Silom Rd. btw Soi 17 & 19 | BTS Chong Nonsi | 02-266-5333 | niusonsilom.com | 5pm – 1am | $$$ A classy jazz lounge offering worldclass musicians, wine, service, atmosphere and food.

SHOP n Café

Ubuntu Shop 9, Grand Terrace Condominium, Sala Daeng Rd | 02-632-0381 Buy everything from coffee to rustic art and t-shirts at this funky hybrid. n Jim Thompson 9 Surawong Rd | BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Silom | 02-632-8100 | www. jimthompson.com Sumptuous silk items at the American enigma’s flagship store.

Spa n Health

Land Spa 120 North Sathorn Rd | BTS Chong Nonsi | 9am-11pm | www. healthlandspa.com n Ruen Nuad 42 Convent Road | BTS Sala Daeng | 02-632-2663 | 10am-9pm 27

Sightseeing

route 101 CentralWorld

Pathumwan

Siam and Pratunam BACC

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of Panthip Plaza. Chockful of gadgets and some highly suspicious software, Panthip is worth visiting but it is truly a place where the ‘buyer beware’ motto should be kept in mind.

Double back on yourself once more and head back to the junction.

Turn south to where you previously crossed the canal. It is time to give your feet a rest and take a boat ride on Klong Saen Saeb. Get on a boat heading west and get off at Jim Thompson’s House (see p.30).

Thailand’s second most popular tourist destination is a wonderful, meditative place to wander around and perhaps ri R

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he Pratunam and Siam Square districts are famed as a shopper’s paradise. From the chaos of the shop-4-all places like the Mahboonkrong Center (MBK) and the Pratunam clothes market to the elegance of Siam Paragon Mall and Central Chidlom shopping centres, the range of goods is staggering. Hidden among these mammoth malls and markets are some very Thai activities that should not be missed.

Start the day off with a visit to a popular spot if you wish to pray for good fortune from the four-faced Hindu God Brahma. On the corner of the junction with Ploenchit Road and Ratchadamri, the Erawan Shrine is renowned for bringing good luck.

Then cross over Ploenchit Road and head north up Ratchadamri Road. Just after you cross the canal (khlong) is another major junction with Phetchaburi Road. On the other side of this road is the legendary Pratunam clothes market (see p. 105), reputedly the largest market of its kind in Thailand.

Then head back south to Phetchaburi Road and turn right. After a few minutes’ walk, on the other side of the road is the computer geek paradise

indulge at the café. Take a right out of here and turn left at the end of the soi.

Walking toward Siam Square and on the left corner of the junction, between Rama I and Phayathai Road, you can’t miss the crisp, concrete curves of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC). Called the “Guggenheim meets a shopping mall” by our very own art critic, this is Bangkok’s new modern art scene central.

After all this walking, a sit-down is probably in order. CentralWorld, Asia’s largest “lifestyle shopping complex”, houses scores of great restaurants and a fantastic cinema complex, where you can treat yourself to a ‘luxury cinema’ screening (see p.58). Top off your day with a yin-yang cocktail at Centara Grand hotel’s ultra-chic rooftop bar, Red Sky (p.86). You don’t even need to leave the bracing confines of the CentralWorld complex to get there.

Just take an escalator to level one, catch a lift to the hotel’s lobby, and from there make like a rocket to the 55th floor.

Lumphini Park

Sightseeing

historic buildings JIM THOMPSON’S HOUSE (map C3, #16) 6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama I Rd | BTS National Stadium| 02-2167368 | www.jimthompsonhouse.com | daily 9am-5pm | B100 (B50 students) One of the things to do in Bangkok is visit the home of Jim Thompson, the American businessman largely responsible for the global popularity of hand-woven Thai silk. Found in a sun-dappled tropical garden, beside a pungent canal, this complex of six traditional teak houses from around the country is testament to his commitment to preserving regional art and culture. Each brims with art and antiques rescued from around Asia: everything from limestone Buddha torsos to a cat-shaped porcelain bedpan. Free tour guides discuss these exquisite treasures and the much-mythologised life of the man himself. There’s also a shop selling his trademark designs, an art gallery and a café.

บ้านไทย จิมทอมป์สัน ซ.เกษมสันต์ 2 ตรงข้ามสนามกีฬาแห่งชาติ

M.R. KUKRIT’S HOUSE (map C4,#20) 19 Soi Phra Pinit, Sathorn Rd | BTS Chong Nonsi | 02-2868185 | Sat, Sun & Holidays 10am – 5pm, weekdays by appt. only | B50 (B20 kids) Kukrit Pramoj was one of Thailand’s most-loved statesmen of the 20th century. A natural all-rounder, he was a poet, a writer and even served as prime minister in the 1970s. His peaceful abode with its lovely gardens, now on show to the public and off the tourist trail is a terrific example of traditional Thai architecture. บ้านหม่อมราชวงศ์คึกฤทธิ์ ซ.พระพินิจ สาทรใต้​้

VIMANMEK MANSION (map B2,#1) 139/2 Ratchawithi Rd, Dusit | 02-281-1569 | daily 9am-4pm | B100 The world’s largest teakwood building was originally built on the island of Koh Si Chang, in 1868, and then moved, piece by piece, to Bangkok for use by King Rama V. Its 81 rooms, spread over three floors, overlook a beautiful garden. Inside, many of his acquisitions from international trips are on display, including possibly the first bathtub in the kingdom, antique photographs and fine porcelain. Regular tours in English are held throughout the day. พระทีน ่ ง่ั วิมานเมฆ ถ.ราชวิถี เขตดุสติ WANG SUAN PAKKARD (map C3, #15) Si Ayutthaya Rd, Ratchathewi | BTS Phaya Thai | 02-245-4934 | www. suanpakkad.com | 9am – 4pm | B100 A former market garden that was converted into a residence and garden

by Princess Chumbot. Consisting of five reconstructed Thai wooden houses, Wang Suan Pakkard pays testament to her dedication to collecting Thai artefacts and antiques. Of note are the examples of Buddhist and Hindu art, the ceramics from old Ban Chiang and the delightful lacquer pavilion depicting scenes from the Ramayana. วังสวนผักกาด ถ.ศรีอยุธยา ราชเทวี ANANTA SAMAKHOM PALACE Throne Hall (map B2, #2) Uthong Nai Rd, Dusit, opp Dusit Zoo | 8:30am-4pm | B50 This stately parlimentary palace was built during the reign of RamaV and completed

by Rama VI. Cast in white Carrara marble, it is still used for the ceremonial opening of the first parliamentary session. Influenced

by Renaissance architecture, the interior is decorated with detailed frescoes, by Italian Galileo Chini, of royal ceremonies and festivities. พระทีน ่ ง่ั อนันตสมาคม ถ.อูท่ องใน ดุสติ

Jim Thompson:The Man behind the Mystery Check this out for a CV: a Princeton graduate and former US spook turns Bangkok socialite, silk revivalist and Asiaphile antiques collector before disappearing mysteriously in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands in 1967. Jim Thompson’s strangerthan-fiction life story makes for a twisting, ultimately tragic tale.This, along with the sheen of his famous silks, his entrepreneurial skills and impeccable taste, has made him Thailand’s most famous farang (westerner).Today he’s a brand gone global.You can visit his stunning home (see above), buy his trademark fabrics in Argentina or Australia, and read a slew of gossipy biographies peddling myths that only seal the legend. But it’s perhaps at Ban Krua, the Muslim silk-weaving community found near his home, where his legacy is most lasting. Here the cottage industry he resuscitated continues to thrive – a testimony both to the skill of the weavers who live there, and the visionary American who believed in them.

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temples majesty of the temple, the walls of Wat Phra Kaew’s cloisters feature examples of Thai mural art documenting the life and travels of the Buddha and scenes from the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Ramayana epic. Remember to dress respectfully as a strict no shorts or sleeveless shirts policy is enforced.

The Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew

THE GRAND PALACE & WAT PHRA KAEW (map A3, #10) Na Phra Lan Rd, near Sanam Luang | 02-222-0094 | daily 8:30am-4pm | B350 includes entry to Vimanmek Mansion | dress respectfully The granddaddy of all Thai sights. Don’t let the touts who mill around outside put you off a visit to this, the Kingdom’s most beloved keepsake – a fantastical 218,400m² royal complex that comes enclosed by quaintly crenulated whitewalls, and at night sparkles like the jewel in some Oriental fairytale.

Building began in 1782, the year Bangkok was founded, and every monarch subsequent to King Rama I has expanded or enhanced it.

Today, despite being able to visit many stunning sights on its grounds, much of it remains off-limits. Though King Bhumibol now holds court at Chitralada Palace, in the northern district of Dusit, the Grand Palace is still used for major ceremonies or royal functions.

The Chakri Mahaprasat Hall – colloquially known as the “Westerner in a Thai hat” due to its blend of Thai and European architecture – is worth

seeing, and there are some state rooms and halls open to visitors.These include the Amarin Vinitchai Throne Hall, where the King still delivers his birthday speech, and a small weapons museum.

The highlight is the Emerald Buddha – Thailand’s most sacred Buddhist relic – and the ornate temple purpose-built to house it, Wat Phra Kaew, where hundreds pay their respects each day. Completed two years after the capital was moved from Thonburi to Rattanakosin in 1784, this forms the north-eastern corner of the complex. The Emerald Buddha was discovered in 1434, when lightning is said to have struck a chedi in Chiang Rai in the north of Thailand. It was originally covered in stucco which peeled off over time to reveal the brilliant green stone beneath. After being moved around Northern Thailand by a succession of Thai kings and then taken by the Lao to Vientiane, Rama I retook the statue in 1779 and placed it at the centre of his new capital.

Apart from the amazing architecture, gilded statues and the

WAT ARUN (map A3, #12) Temple of Dawn | Arun Amarin Rd | 02- 465-5640 | www.watarun.org | 8am- 5pm | B20 Across the river from Wat Po is Wat Arun, or the Temple of the Dawn, one of the city’s most important and beguiling religious sites. Before being moved to Wat Phra Kaew, the Emerald Buddha was temporarily housed here. The five-towered structure is covered almost entirely in pieces of colourful porcelain and designed as a representation of Mount Mehru, the Khmer home of the gods. The temple is believed to have been named by Rama I on his first sunrise visit, but in contrast with its name, it is best visited at dusk when the setting sun forms a stunning backdrop.

วัดอรุณราชวราราม ถ.อรุณอัมรินทร์ ผั่งตะวันตกของแม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา

Wat Arun

Beware!

Bangkok has its share of brilliantly choreographed and well-practised street scams, often active in the area around the Grand Palace. Typically these involve being “befriended” by a seemingly straight-up local, and with true sophistication they often result in travellers not reaching their intended destination, but instead visiting an alternative temple and eventually a jewellery outlet. The bottom line is, if anyone, no matter how official they may appear (and this includes uniformed guards!), tells you that the palace or Wat Pho, for example, is closed, you are likely being set up. Our advice: politely decline any such offers and proceed directly to the actual ticket booth (presuming, of course, that you have arrived during official opening hours).

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Sightseeing

The Giant Swing

temples WAT SAKET (map B3, #7) Chakkraphatdiphong Rd, Sattruphai | 02-233-4561 | 7:30am-5:30pm | B10 Raised on a small hillock, and thus referred to as the Golden Mount, this wat offers great views of Chinatown to the south and the Old City to the north. The hill is all that is left of the fortifications for a large chedi that Rama III planned to construct on the site that gave way under the weight. Rama V built a smaller chedi on top, which was subsequently expanded to house a Buddhist relic inside. The temple is worth a visit for the view if you are prepared to hike up the 318 steps.

วัดสระเกศ ถ.จักรพรรดิพงษ์

WAT MAHATHAT (map A3) Tha Prachan, Sanam Luang, Mahratch Rd | 02-221-5999 | 9am-5pm| free An amulet market is situated near this 18th-century centre of the Mahanikai monastic sect and an important university of Buddhist teaching. On weekends, market stalls are set up on the grounds to complement the daily vendors of traditional medicines and herbal potions.

Wat Mahathat is one temple in Bangkok where courses on Buddhism are given in English.

วัดมหาธาตุ ท่าพระจันทร์ สนามหลวง

WAT SUTHAT and THE GIANT SWING (map A-B3, #8) Bamrung Muang Rd, Phra Nakhorn, | 02-2229632 | 9am-5pm | B20 Surrounded by perhaps the greatest concentration of Buddhist supply shops in Bangkok, Wat Suthat is one of the most important Buddhist centres in the kingdom and home to some excellent examples of bronze sculpture, a blend of Thai and Chinese-style mural art 32

and a 14th-century Sukhothai period statue. The wat used to be the site for annual harvest ceremonies where brave men would swing up to great heights to catch a bag of gold coins in their teeth. However, the practice proved a bit too dangerous and was banned in the 1930s. Today the huge red structure, named the Giant Swing, still stands in front of the temple.

วัดสุทัศน์ ถ.บำรุงเมือง พระนคร ตรงข้ามเสาชิงช้า

WAT BOWONIWET VIHARA (map A3) Phra Sumen Rd, Banglamphu | 02-281-2831-3 | all day long | free Home to the respected Maha Makut Buddhist University, this temple is par ticularly important to the monarchs of the Chakri Dynasty as Rama VI, Rama VII and the present king were all ordained as monks here.

วัดบวรนิเวศวิหาร ถ.พระสุเมรุ

WAT BENCHAMA BOPHIT (map B2, #3) 69 Rama V Rd, Dusit | 02-6287947 | 8am-6pm | B20 This white Italian Carrara marble wat dates from the 19th century. Alms are brought here by generous Buddhist families in the early mornings. วัดเบญจมบพิตร ถ.พระราม 5 WAT RATCHANATDA (map B3) Mahachai Rd, Phra Nakhorn | 02-2248807 | 9am-5pm | free This temple, a centre for buying amulets, features the bizarre multitiered Loh Prasat. Collecting amulets is popular in Thailand and many believe these miniature images of Buddha sightseeing

possess spiritual powers, protecting the wearer and bringing good fortune.

วัดราชนัดดา ถ.มหาชัย พระนคร

WAT TRAIMIT (map B3, #13) 661 Hua Lamphong, Charoen Krung Rd | 02-623-1226 | 8am-5pm | B20 Housed safely in this unassuming Chinatown temple is the world’s largest solid gold Buddha.

Weighing over five tonnes and standing over three metres high, its worth has been estimated at over US$10 million.

วัดไตรมิตร หัวลำโพง (เยาวราช)

WAT PO (map A3, #11) Reclining Buddha | Chetuphon/Thai Wang Rd | 02-226-0369 | www.watpho.com | 8am-noon, 1-5pm | B50 The Temple of the Reclining Buddha is the oldest and largest wat in Bangkok. Originating in the 16th century, it houses the largest reclining Buddha statue in Thailand as well as the greatest number of Buddha images. Wat Po is also the centre for traditional Thai medicine and a learning centre for Thai massage, where you can both enjoy and learn this ancient healing art. The 45m-long statue depicts the Buddha entering nirvana and is impressive both for its size and the mother-of-pearl detail on the soles of the feet, a blueprint revealing the 108 auspicious signs of a genuine Buddha.

วัดโพธิ์ ถ.เชตุพน

bangkok 101

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101

Kids in the city

Negotiating Bangkok with kids needn’t be the nightmare many parents presume. The single biggest plus point is that Thais absolutely adore children, meaning there are always people around ready to help out. Skytrain guards will drop what they’re doing to help you haul that stroller down the stairs and waitresses will gladly whisk junior off for a tour of the kitchens while you enjoy a coffee.

Most of the big shopping malls (see p.102) have play areas set aside for kids, with two of the best being Kiddy Land, which has slides, a ball pit and a balloon room on the 6th floor of CentralWorld; Jamboree on the 3rd floor of Emporium; and the huge indoor playground Funarium (see below). Plus, of course, most of the shopping malls have cinemas and enough ice-cream stores to sate a homesick Eskimo.

There are also a fair few attractions that appeal to wee ones.The city’s parks (see p.35) offer a chance to let off steam, especially Rot Fai Park near Chatuchak Weekend Market (p.104), where you can rent bicycles; and Dusit Zoo (p.35) is a sprawling, chaotic afternoon’s worth of fun. Although expensive, Siam Ocean World (p.35) is a great way to entertain the kids while you shop at Paragon department store.

On a more scholarly note, there’s a cracking museum aimed at inquisitive young minds. The Children’s Discovery Museum has a science and nature theme and is handily located near to Chatuchak. And if you’re sticking around town for a while, Bangkok Dolphins (www.bangkokdolphins.com) offer swimming classes from three months old.

The Children’s Discovery Museum (map C1) Kamphaeng Petch 4 Rd, Chatuchak | 02-6157333 | www.bkkchildren museum.com | Tue-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am- 6pm | B150 Near the Chatuchak weekend market, this interactive museum aimed at younger guests covers science, nature and the environment. It also hosts regular courses and activity camps. พิพิธภัณฑ์เด็กกรุงเทพมหานคร

Funarium (map D4) 111/1 Sukhumvit 26 | 02-6656555 | www.funarium.co.th | 8:30am-8:30pm | kids: B180/300; adults B90 Basically 2,000m2 of slides, ball pits, trampolines, obstacle courses, cycling tracks and basketball courts, with a decent café and a small branch of Mothercare.

ฟันเอเรียม สุขุมวิท 26

สวนสมเด็จพระนางเจ้าสิริกิติ์ ตรงข้ามสวนจตุจักร

SHRINES

Apart from the many Buddhist temples across the city, there are lots of small shrines where devotees pay their respects to Hindu deities, Animist spirits and even errant spooks. Many of the most famous – and visited – are centred around Ratchaprasong, the mall-cluttered central district. Here it’s not unusual to see a Thai wai a God while on their way to the Gucci store.

ERAWAN SHRINE (map C3, #17) Ratchadamri Rd, near Grand Hyatt Erawan | 02-252-8754 | 6:30am10:30pm | BTS Chit Lom Don’t expect serenity here.This is one of Bangkok’s busiest intersections: the crowded shrine to the Hindu creation god Brahma and his elephant Erawan is filled with worshippers lighting incense, buying lottery tickets and watching the traditional dancing group, which bangkok 101

performs for a nominal fee. Fancy making an offering? Buy a set from the surrounding stalls, and starting with your back to the main entrance walk around it clockwise, offering 3 incense sticks, a candle, garland and a piece of gold leaf to each of the four faces.

พระพรหมเอราวัณ ถ.ราชดำริ

Ganesha Shrine

TRIMURTI SHRINE (map C3) Outside Centralworld and Isetan Department Store, Ratchadamri Rd If your love life is ailing then this shrine is for you: at 9.30pm each Thursday it’s rumoured that Lord Trimurti descends from the heavens to answer prayers of the heart. To maximise your chances of meeting your dream beau you should offer nine-red incense sticks, red candles, red roses and fruit.

Alternatively, you could try saying hello to the person next to you.

GANESHA SHRINE (map C3) Outside Centralworld and Isetan Department Store, Ratchadamri Rd Perhaps the most recognisable Hindu deity, a silent prayer in front of this pot-bellied gold elephant – the son of Shiva and Parvati – is said to help get the creative juices flowing, as well as protect you from harm. Aside from marigold garlands, bring bananas, ripe mango or sticky rice-flour Thai desserts – Ganesha has an eternal appetite.

พระตรีมูรติ หน้าห้างอิเซตัน ศูนย์การค้าเซนทรัลเวิลด์ sightseeing

พระพิฆเนศวร หน้าห้างอิเซตัน ศูนย์การค้าเซนทรัลเวิลด์

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Sightseeing

museums THE NATIONAL MUSEUM (map A3) 5 Chao Fa Rd, Sanam Luang | 02-2241333 | www.thailandmuseum. com | Wed-Sun 9am-4pm | B200 Previously a palace during the reign of Rama V, the National Museum features extensive displays of Thai artefacts from the main historical periods, encompassing the Lanna, Ayutthaya and Sukhothai kingdoms up to the present day. Thai culture is well documented in sections on dance, music and drama.

The first example of Thai literature and the Thai alphabet, inscribed by King Ramkhamhaeng on a black stone during the Sukhothai period, is also on display. Free English tours are given on Wednesdays (about Buddhism) and Thursdays (on art/culture) and start at 9:30am. Photography is not allowed inside the museum galleries.

พิพธิ ภัณฑ์สถานแห่งชาติ ถ.เจ้าฟ้า ใกล้ทอ้ งสนามหลวง

ROYAL BARGE MUSEUM (map A3) 80/1 Rim Khlong Bangkok Noi,Arun Amarin Rd,Thonburi | 02-424-0004 | 9am5pm | B100 (photo B100, video B200) This collection of royal barges, some up to 50 metres long, is housed on the Thonburi side of the river in a series of elaborate sheds near Pinklao Bridge.The barges are best seen in action during rare ceremonial processions on the Chao Phraya, when the crews number up to 64 and include rowers, umbrella holders, navigators and musicians. Beautiful and ornate, these magnificent long craft were completely renovated and restored to their former glory by the present King, who also commissioned the newest boat for his golden jubilee in 1996.

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พิพิธภัณฑ์เรือพระราชพิธี ถ.อรุณอมรินทร์

Oddball Museums

It’s not all Buddhist art you know. Several museums in and around Bangkok delve into Thailand’s wacky and idiosyncratic. Definitely the most macabre, the Si Quey Forensics Museum revels in pickled body parts and cadavers of serial killers. A close second, the Corrections Museum uses lifelike models to recreate the rough justice meted out to crims in the not so old days (you’ll think twice about that sly toke after a trip here). Also in central Bangkok, the Museum of Counterfeit Goods displays 1,500 of Thailand’s best forgeries. As long as you call ahead (and don’t use it as a means to spot that fake handbag on Patpong the next day), you’re welcome. On the outskirts, the weekends only House of Museums is a two-storey sprawl of retro curiosities. Finally, if you’re a cinephile interested in Thailand’s New Wave, learn about the heritage that inspired your Pen-Eks and Apichatpongs at the Thai Film Museum in Nakhom Pathom.

By appointment on weekdays, here you walk among recreated film sets, old 16mm cameras and waxwork figures of Thai cine heroes.

Si Quey Forensics Museum (Official Name ‘Siriraj Medical Museum’) 2 Prannok road, Bangkoknoi | www.si.mahidol.ac.th | 02- 419-7000 ext 6363 | Mon-Sat 9am – 4pm | B40

พิพธิ ภัณฑ์การแพทย์ศริ ริ าช ถ.พรานนก

Corrections Museum 436 Bangkok Remand Prison, Mahachai Rd., Samranrat, Phra Nakhon | Mon-Fri 9am - 4pm | 02-226-1704 | free

พิพธิ ภัณฑ์ราชทัณฑ์ เรือนจำเก่า ใกล้กบั สวนรมณีนาถ

Museum of Counterfeit Goods Supalai Grand Tower Building 26F, Rama III Rd | BTS Surasak | 02-653-5555 | www.tillekeandgibbins.com | by appointment only

อาคารศุภาลัยแกรนด์ทาวเวอร์ ถ.พระราม 3

House of Museums 170/17 Moo 17 Soi Klong Po 2, Salathammasop Rd., Taweewattana | 089-666-2008 | http://houseofmuseums.siam.edu | Sat-Sun 10am – 5pm | B30

บ้านพิพธิ ภัณฑ์ ซ.คลองโพ 2 ศาลาธรรมสพน์

Thai Film Museum 94 Moo 3 Bhuddhamonton Sai 5, Salaya, Nakorn Pathom| www.nfat.org | 02-482- 2013-15 | weekday: appointment only, weekend tours: 10am, noon, 3pm | free

หอภาพยนตร์แห่งชาติ 94 หมู่ 3 ถ.พุทธมณฑลสาย 5

MUSEUM OF SIAM (map A3) 4 Samachai Rd., Pra Nakorn | 02225-2777 | www.ndmi.or.th | Tue-Sun 10am-6pm | B300 Just a few blocks from the Grand Palace, the Children’s museum is located inside the historic Ministry of Commerce building. Inside the three storey, E-shaped Renaissance style building, built in 1921, is a series of interactive, animated, theme park-like sightseeing

exhibitions exploring the history of the Siamese people. For adult viewers making sense of each room might be confusing: topics unexpectedly jump from ethnicity to religion to ancient folklore. Kids though will find it an edutaining experience, and love playing with the vibrant touch screens.

สถาบันพิพิธภัณฑ์การเรียนรู้ แห่งชาติ ถ.สนามไชย

bangkok 101

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101

the great outdoors

Rama IX Royal Park

FLORA LUMPINI PARK (map C4) Entrances on Rama IV Rd, Sarasin Rd, Witthayu Rd and Ratchadamri Rd | free Want shades of green instead of drab slabs of grey? For most in the city Lumpini Park, the inner city’s largest green lung, is the solution. Busy as soon as the sun rises and again around sunset, Bangkokians of every ilk take advantage of the relative cool and quiet to practice Tai Chi, do aerobics, hold hands or jog around the picturesque lakes. Other activities include taking a pedal boat out onto the water for a quick spin. The most reliable entrance is the one near Silom at the corner of Rama IV Road and Ratchadamri Road, at the front of which a statue of King Rama VI stands sentinel. สวนลุมพินี เข้าได้ทาง ถ.พระราม 4

ถ.สารสิน ถ.วิทยุและ ถ.ราชดำริ

RAMA IX ROYAL PARK (off map) Sukhumvit 103 Rd, behind Seri Center, Pravet 02-328-1972, 02-328-1395 | 5:30am-7pm | B10 This 200-acre park features a small museum dedicated to the king, set amongst pleasant botanical gardens with lots of soothing water features. สวนหลวง ร.9 ถ.สุขุมวิท 103

(หลังเสรี เซ็นเตอร์) ประเวศ

bangkok 101

CHATUCHAK and QUEEN SIRIKIT PARKS (map C-D1) 820 Phahonyothin Rd, Ladyao Sub-district, Chatuchak | 02-2724358~9 | 5am-6:30pm | free These two parks situated not far from the mayhem of the weekend market offer some respite. Chatuchak Park hosts some art exhibits and a collection of old railway engines and ancient automobiles. Nearby, Queen Sirikit Park has a pretty botanical garden with lotus ponds.

สวนจตุจกั รและ สวนสมเด็จ พระนางเจ้า สิรกิ ติ ์ิ 820 ถ. พหลโยธิน จตุจกั ร

FAUNA DUSIT ZOO (map B2) 71 Rama V Rd, opp. Chitralada Palace, Dusit | 02-281-2000 | 8am-6pm | adults B100, kids B50 The city’s main zoo, situated to the north of Rattanakosin, is home to a large selection of mammals, reptiles and other animals. Spread over a large park, there’s also a lake to paddle around. สวนสัตว์ดุสิต 71 ถ.พระราม 5 QUEEN SAOVABHA MEMORIAL INSTITUTE (Snake Farm) (map C4, #18) 1871 Rama IV Rd, Thai Red Cross, Henri Dunant | 02-252-0161~4 ext.120 | Mon-Fri sightseeing

8:30am-4pm, Sat-Sun 9:30am – noon (Shows at 11am & 2:30pm) | B200 A centre for developing antidotes to poisonous snake bites, this research facility is also open to the public.

The idea behind this is to educate visitors about the dangers of poisonous snakes in Thailand and what to do with the victim of a snake bite.

There’s an informative slide show followed by a display of live venom extraction from some of the deadliest serpents in the kingdom. สถานเสาวภา (สวนงู)

ถ.พระราม 4 สภากาชาดไทย

Siam Ocean World (map C3) B1F Siam Paragon, 991 Rama I Rd | 02-687-2001 | www.siamoceanworld. com | 10am-7pm | B650/850 Such a pity that this tourist attraction – reputed to be the largest aquarium in Southeast Asia – operates a dual pricing policy. If you’reThai you pay B350; if you’re not you pay B850. This irritating iniquity aside, there’s certainly fun to be had inside, with 8m-high tanks, glass-tunnel walk-throughs and shark-feeding shows – although a ride on a glass-bottom boat to see sharks and rays costs extra and is wholly unremarkable. Reckon on an hour to get round the whole thing. สยามพารากอน ถ.พระราม 1 35

Sightseeing

featured daytrip

HOUSE OF MUSEUMS:

Bringing Thailand’s near past back to life

I

f there’s a go-to man on 20th century Thai culture, it’s Anaka Nawigamune.

This historian and prolific author has penned over 50 books on the country’s not-so-distant past. Teeming with art and photographs lifted from old novels, newspapers, posters and pamphlets he’s hoarded over the years, each one is a fascinating window into a lost age – even if you’re viewing them from behind the language barrier.

The same can also be said of his House of Museums, the cultural connoisseur’s eccentric pet-project founded in 1999. Located on a dusty residential backstreet in Nakhom

36

Pathom, this modest townhouse museum presents his stockpile of Thai ephemera from the 1940s and up in a series of wonderfully evocative (and often interactive) settings that reenact Thai lifestyles back in the day.

Take the ground floor. Stirring up nostalgia for a time most Thais forgot – or never even knew - here is a toyshop filled with tin toys, a barbershop, gold-shop and coffee shop. Shelves filled with US brands like Brylcream and Ovaltine sit alongside exotic domestic and Chinese ones, as do advertisements starring models with impossibly glinting smiles (If these, and much of the iconography here, seem familiar that’s because they’re all influenced by that ubiquitous 20th Century export: Americana).

Upstairs, you’ll find all manner of bits and bobs in glass display cases, many donated by people who heard about Nawigamune’s madcap preservation project and wanted in.

Kitchen utensils, movie handbooks, sightseeing

bangkok 101

old film posters and, our favourite, shelves lined with old Thai potboilers with adorable painted sleeves abound.

There’s even a Thai cinema screening the movie of the day, and table-football that you can use.

Climb to the quiet top floor and you’ll find old luk krung music from as far back as King Rama V’s era wafting on the warm sticky breeze that flows through the house. Here, a copy of The Beatles’ Let it Be sits next to LPs featuring dapper mor lam and luk krung artists from the 1950s and 1970s pensively looking left or right of camera. In another corner there’s a school room; another still, a district officer’s office.

Photography throughout is encouraged. “How else will respect for Thailand’s near history spread bangkok 101

throughout the Kingdom?,” seems to be the House of Museums’ thinking.

Fortunately, unlike at other sepiatinted tourist destinations, like Hua Hin’s pretty but plastic Plearn Wan, that doesn’t translate into visitors using every photogenic thing or backdrop as an excuse to take a silly picture of themselves ad nauseum.

Downstairs near the entrance there’s a lot you can buy, from the aforementioned books by Anaka Nawigamune to postcards of classic Thai adverts, traditional and very cute Thai samut (notepads), stationery, sweets and old-style sweets and yaa dom (menthol inhalers). Making them even more covetable are the brown paper bags, inked with the House of Museums logo, they come affectionately wrapped in. sightseeing

To complete your daytrip consider dropping by Phutthamonthon Park on your way back. This impressive Walking Buddha statue amid a tranquil theme park, dedicated to Buddhism, is worth an hour or so. Alternatively, for more insights into 20th century popular culture head for the National Film Archive, where free tours around a forlorn museum filled with old film props and memorabilia are sagely given.

Getting There Drive along Phutthamonthon Sai 2 Road toward the railway track or Khlong Maha Sawat Address Sala Thammasop, Phutthamonthon Sai 2, 089-200-2803, 089-666-2008 | http://houseofmuseums.siam.edu 37

Sightseeing Lop Buri

Uthai Thani

day tripping

Chai Nat Nakhon Ratchasima

Ang Thong Saraburi

Suphan Buri

It’s easy getting around in Thailand, and there are plenty of worthwhile excursions within easy reach of Bangkok; some one-day affairs, others overnight. Organise a trip yourself or book through your concierge or a local travel agent.

AYUTTHAYA The capital of Siam from the 14th to 18th century, Ayutthaya was one of the richest cities in the East, until it was plundered by the Burmese in 1767 and its ruins left to nature. Today a Unesco World Heritage Site, its remnants – all Khmer-esque stupas, crumbling bricks and Buddha faces entwined in tree roots – make a wonderful daytrip. The 85km journey is best done by river. The major hotels organise trips (usually to Ayutthaya by coach and then back by boat), while independent tours run from River City.

Many combine the trip with a visit to the Bang Pa-in Summer Palace.A former royal garden retreat, this presents a mélange of different architectural schools, mostly reflecting King Rama V’s love for all things European. Once at Ayutthaya, hop on a bike and scoot round highlights like Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Mongkhon Bophit and Wat Ratburana at your own pace. .

LOPBURI Lopburi’s illustrious ruins date back over 1,000 years and can done on foot. During the Dvaravati period (6th-11th centuries) the city was known as Lavo until the Khmers took over the region during Angkor’s 10th century heyday. The Thais took control during the powerful Sukhothai and Ayutthaya periods. And in the 1600s, King Narai made the city the second capital and fortified it against the Dutch navy 38

Ayutthaya

Kanchanaburi

Nakhon Pathom

Koh Kred

Pathumthani

Nakhon Nayok

Sa Kaeo

Nonthaburi Bangkok

Ratchaburi

Samut Sakhon Samut Songkhram

Samut Prakan

Chachoengsao

Chon Buri

Phetchaburi

threatening Ayutthaya. The remnants of the palace he built now serve as a public museum. The city is also littered with crumbling wats (temples) blending Khmer and Thai styles. Watch your belongings: the most famous – threeprang shrine Phra Prang Sam Yot (a prang is a spire-like vault) – is home to some mischievous macaque monkeys.

monuments and buildings. Built by the same benefactor, the smaller Erawan Museum features a towering threeheaded elephant sculpture. Inside are antiques and a stucco chapel, but most Thais come for the fantastical gardens and to pray for good luck at the esteemed shrine.-

NAKHON PATHOM The star attraction in this ancient Thai town is the 120m high chedi (or stupa), the tallest in the Kingdom, which was erected on the site of a 6th-century version.

Situated around 55km west of Bangkok, the town is widely thought to be the oldest in Thailand, but apart from the chedi there are few clues as to its history.The other big draw is the Rose Garden, a picturesque 70-acre park featuring botanical gardens and mock-Thai village cultural shows.

KANCHANABURI Made famous by the film The Bridge on the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi town is a popular weekend getaway, offering great scenery and a host of river-based activities. Most foreigners are attracted by the area’s history – namely the “Thai Burma Death Railway,” built

by POWs under Japanese occupation during World War II. Riding the railway is possible with three daily trips from Kanchanaburi to Nam Tok. The lush countryside around Kanchanaburi is home to many of the country’s most impressive waterfalls, with nearby Erawan National Park offering great trekking.

SAMUT PRAKAN Just down the road – 29km away – Samut Prakan has three big draws.The Crocodile Farm offers daily croc wrestling and elephant shows.

Muang Boran (the Ancient City) is an open-air museum park featuring over 100 replicas of landmark Thai temples,

KHAO YAI NATIONAL PARK Home to wild elephants, deer, boar, tigers and innumerable species of birdlife, Khao Yai (2½ hour’s drive from Bangkok) is one of Thailand’s most impressive national parks. Hike through the jungle to altitudes of over 1,000m. Hire a

sightseeing

bangkok 101

guide as it’s easy to get lost – the park is over 2,000km2 in size, and local maps are not to be trusted. Fancy staying the night? There are state-run bungalows in the park and luxe resorts nearby. Wine lover? Some of Thailand’s top wineries – Chateau des Brumes, Granmonte Estate, PB Valley – are also in the vicinity.

NAKHON RATCHASIMA (KORAT) Both a silk and trade hub, Nakhon Ratchasima is the country’s largest province and home to Korat, its second largest city.The moated town with city gates is rewarding; and the countryside has a surfeit of Khmer ruins left over from the Angkor period, the best being in the recently restored Phi Mai Historical Park (60km north of Korat). Pak Thong Chai (30km north of Korat) is Thailand’s leading silk village.

And for horse-riding and the chance to milk cows, visit Farm Chok Chai, a working farm popular with Stetsonwearing agro-tourists.

KOH KRED Highly recommended, this ickle car-free island sits on a kink in the Chao Phraya River and is home to a Mon community renowned for their ancestral red-clay pottery skills.

Seriously sleepy during the week, the palm-clad place goes into commercial overdrive on weekends. Bangkok cityslickers stroll its narrow footpaths, past working pottery warehouses, old Buddhist temples and homes selling hand-finished ceramics and tasty Mon kanom (snacks). By the time they’ve gone full circle, a few hours later, they’re smitten. Take a regular express boat up the Chao Phraya River to Nonthaburi and hire a long-tailed boat (B500 approx). Alternatively, on Sundays, the Chao Phraya Express ferry offers a guided tour for B300 (www. chaophrayaboat.co.th). bangkok 101

SARABURI Though often overs hadowed by neighbouring Lopburi, this central province, 108km north of Bangkok, still packs a thrill or two. Its 1½m-long Buddha footprint makes Wat Phra Putthabhat one of the most important temples in the region.

And caves, like Tham Phra Pothisat, draw crowds thanks to their beautiful stalactite formations and Buddhist bas-reliefs, as does Chet Sao Noi Waterfall. The main attraction though is definitely out in the fields – from Nov-Jan bright sunflowers blanket the land, providing vibrant photo opportunities galore.

PHETCHABURI Sacred Buddhist caves, neoclassical palaces, a quirky provincial market town – there’s more to Petchaburi province than the beach resort town of Cha Am. Best savoured over a long-weekend, sights include Wat Yai, a beautiful 17th century temple complex; and the stalactite and sculpture strewn Tham Khao Luang cave. To the west is also the scandalously underrated Kaeng Krachan National Park, where camp sites, butterfly and bird watching, water rafting and a stunning reservoir fringed by undulating hills await.

CHACHOENGSAO An hour’s drive to the east, Chachoengsao rarely make the travel guides but is popular with locals.

Smothered along the banks of the Bang Pakong River, the town boasts the temple Wat Sothon and 100-year old market Talad Baan Mai, where vendors flog traditional delicacies from within wooden King Rama V-era shophouses. Renting a boat to go see the old teak and stilted houses that line the sightseeing

sides – and the dolphins who migrate here between Nov and Feb – is also popular.

RATCHABURI Ratchaburi’s Damnoen Saduak floating market is the hokiest in the land. But “The Land of the Kings” does have other qualities: unspoilt klongs (canals), hot stream Bo Khloung, the cascading Kaew Chan waterfall, and stalagmite and stalactite caves. For artsy-boho types there’s also the Suan Silp Baan Din Arts Centre, staging performances of old Thai arts and workshops. And at Wat Khanon temple, NangYai puppetry (an evocative but dying artform where puppet silhouettes are projected onto fabric screens) survives. Performances are on Saturdays.

CHON BURI When it comes to this industrialised province on the eastern seaboard, we say skip Pattaya, Thailand’s Sodom-onSea, and head for Koh Si Chang, a small fishing island a mere 40-minute/B40 ferry hop across the Gulf of Thailand from Si Racha Town. King Rama V loved it there; and after a few hours exploring its hillside temples, summer palaces and pebbly beaches, so will you. On the way home, Baen San is a local, bucket-and-spade beach; and Talad Nong Mon, in Chonburi town, offers toothsome regional snacks like khao lam (sweet sticky rice in bamboo tubes).

SUPHAN BURI This is where it all went down: where the legendary King Naresuan fended off Burma and rid Thailand of foreign occupation, freeing it from the Pegu Kingdom way back in 1592. At the Don Chedi, 30km from central Suphan Buri, there is a statue erected in his honour, as well as an exhibition hall and museum. Other draws include the Thai Rice Farmer’s Museum, Bueng Chawak Aquarium (64km out of town), and ancient temples dating back almost 1,000 years.

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Sightseeing

NEARBY ISLANDS/BEACHES

No time to jet down to Koh Samui or Phuket? A handful of beach resorts and islands close to Bangkok are perfect for last-minute escapes.These span the gamut from lonely beaches offering the odd reggae shack and driftwood sign, to cosmopolitan beach resorts that have adopted the ‘built it and they will come’ philosophy with mixed results.

■ PATTAYA/JOMTIEN Most famous for its seedy nightlife, Pattaya’s been trying – well, sort of – to re-establish itself as a family destination.

Hundreds of hotels and eateries ensure competitive prices; and while the surfeit Koh Chang of self-enclosed resorts means it’s easy for those with kids or a sleaze intolerance to avoid the girly bars, sister beach Jomtien is still a better option.

■ KOH CHANG A large jungle-clad hilly gem that’s been found by the deluxe hotel industry.

Spending the night in hammocks is impossible, but fantastic beaches are still here, some hiend touristy, some budget backpacker-y. Catch a bus from the Ekkamai bus station (approx 5 hours) or fly here with Bangkok Air via Trat (approx 2 hours).

■ KOH SAMET A retreat for hip Thai youngsters who invade the island to

FLOATING MARKETS

Amphawa

Floating markets offer an idyllic taste of the Bangkok of the days of yore.

The experience depends largely on which market you choose. n DAMNOEN SADUAK Considered “the” floating market for visitors, this bustling stretch of waterway 100km southwest of the capital is two hours by car or bus, plus a 1530 minute boat ride. Arrive before the horde of tourists descend upon the market at 9am – it closes up midday. For a less-crowded option, head south to Talat Khun Phitak via water taxi from the pier on the east side of Khlong Thong Lang.

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spend days swimming in clear waters and nights sipping Thai-whisky buckets or playing the guitar on the superclean beaches. It’s worth booking ahead on weekends and public holidays, lest you want to be a source of amusement as you trudge up and down the beach desperately looking for an overpriced room.

■ HUA HIN/CHA-AM The royal summer residence town receives hordes of Thai families and package tourists. The long beach is satisfying, and is dotted with plenty of top-notch resorts like Chiva Som, the Evason, Hyatt Regency, Hilton and more. The piers filled with seafood restaurants are more of an attraction, as is the addictive night market. Nearby Cha-am is Hua Hin’s smaller, less developed sister.

Coach loads of Thai townies come here on weekends to fly kites, ride ponies and generally lark around in the ocean.

■ KO SI CHANG Located a cheap 45 minute ferry journey from Si Racha Town, in Chonburi province, scenic Koh Si Chang is seldom visited by foreign tourists. More fool them – though its more of a sightseer island than a sunbather island, it’s got picturesque lookouts, King Rama V era palaces and Chinese temples to explore.Those wanting to overnight can pick from a few cheap resorts and bungalows.

GETTING THERE By bus: to Damnoen Saduak from the Southern Bus Terminal every 40 minutes from 6am (02-435-5031 or 434-5558). n TALING CHAN For a kinder, gentler introduction to the world of floating markets, Taling Chan is a destination often overlooked on most tourist itineraries.

Built by former Bangkok governor Chamlong Srimuang in 1987 to honour HM the King’s 60th birthday,Taling Chan also offers live performances of traditional Thai music from 11am-2pm. The market only opens on weekends from 9am-4pm, so make sure to plan accordingly.

n AMPHAWA Night owls can have a slice of floating market action too. This one – only open Friday to Sunday – sets up at 4pm, allowing the luxury of a lie-in. This little-known treasure is not often on the itineraries of the tourists who flock to more famous markets. Make sure to take a boat down the canal after dusk, when the lights from the riverhouses gleam and the fireflies come out to play, especially during the rainy season.

GETTING THERE By car: Drive one hour south from Bangkok to Samut Songkhram.The market is nearby Wat Amphawan Jatiyaram.

GETTING THERE By bus: Take bus #79 or #83 to Taling Chan district (02-424-5448 or 02424-1712).

Damnoen Saduak

sightseeing

bangkok 101

upcountry festivals

Thailand is a vast area adorned with year-round festivals that are surely not limited to the capital city. Many, if not most, nationally celebrated events originate in other provinces and the chance to go to the root of these annual festivities should not be passed up.This month don’t limit yourself to the wonders of Bangkok. Instead go out and explore the endless possibilities of Thailand.

Saturdays until 21 March

Live Jazz and Thai wines, near Hua Hin

6-7 March

Hic & Tist # 2

Weirdo name aside, this festival in nearby Ranong should be a blast, with thousands bouncing around barefoot on a beach to their fave local reggae and ska acts. Headliners include the Kai-Jo Brothers, the raucous The Superglasses and the dredded kings of Thai ska, T-Bone, among many others.

Note, this year the show will go on for 16 long hours, so you might want to go easy on dem rum and cokes if you’re to last the distance. Tickets, B500, from www.thaiticketmajor.com, while www.hicandtist.com has the map.

As part of its annual harvest season celebrations, the Hua Hin Hills Vineyard, the first and only vineyard in Prachuab Kirikhan province, is staging Saturday jazzathons until 20 March. From 12pm to 5pm there’ll be splendid grub, fine Thai wine and lots of hepcats in funny hats snapping their fingers and saying “Daddio”.

All this in one helluva scenic setting: the 220 rai home of Monsoon Valley wine, where linear grids of ripe grapevines blend into a rugged mountain backdrop. www.huahinhillsvineyard.com

22-28 March 13-14 March 26-28 March

Mekong triathlon, Nong Khai

Nong Khai, a town on the banks of the Mekong River, facing neighbouring Laos, hosts the swimming, cycling and running extravaganza that is the snappily titled 2010 Mekong River International MultiSport ITU Asian Cup. Yes, if jogger’s nipple and chafed thighs are your idea of a good time, go to en.thaitriathlon.org for information on how you can register (and pictures of people in lycra grimacing and clearly desperate for a wee). bangkok 101

11th International Kite Festival, Petchaburi

Participants from all around the world bring their kites to the beach resort of Cha-Am at this annual event where the sunny blue skies get decorated with a twirl of colours. Not only will there be a showcase of kites from around Thailand and countries ranging from Japan to USA, there will also be stunt kites and a kit-fighting contest. There’ll also be parachuting shows and remote controlled airplanes. Call the TAT for more on 02-250-5500 ext. 3477. sightseeing

King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament, Chiang Rai

Head up to the plush Anantara Resort in the Golden Triangle to catch the King’s Cup elephant polo tournament – surely one of the world’s most peculiar sporting events. Teams from around the world turn up to ride massive Nellies around a paddock and try to hit a little white ball between two sticks.The action is fascinating – if somewhat leisurely.

Benefits the National Elephant Institute, which provides medical care, sustenance, employment and mahout training to Thailand’s pachyderm population. See www.anantaraelephantpolo.com for more info.

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Sightseeing

over the border

SINGAPORE FLING In this modern metropolis, low-key living is still the highlight

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ne way to judge a city is by its simple pleasures – those happy accidents of geography, culture and history that add up to unexpected sensory delights. In Singapore, that means mouth-watering street food, lush green spaces and a penchant for window shopping that’s practically part of the national DNA.

“The city of Singapore was not built up gradually, the way most cities are,” writes JG Farrell in his 1978 novel The Singapore Grip. “It was simply invented one morning early in the nineteenth century by a man looking at a map. ‘Here,’ he said to himself, ‘is where we must have a city’.”

Malaysia

Halfway along the shipping routes between India and China, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles created not only one of the world’s great trading ports, but also one of its true melting pots.

When the British cleared out after the second world war and Singapore found itself the unwanted stepchild of the Malay peninsula, Lee KuanYew took that jumble of cultures and shaped it into a hyper-efficient metropolis. Now, with relaxed bar closing times and a burgeoning arts festival circuit, “The effect,” writes veteran travel writer Pico Iyer, is “uncannily like that of seeing the classic movie scene in which a prim, law-abiding young lady takes off her glasses, shakes loose her hair, and shows us what she’s been made of all along.” And even the most devoted lover of Bangkok’s urban chaos can

Singapore

Indonesia 42

sightseeing

appreciate what Singapore is made of: lovely pink flowers brimming from pots, carefully restored shophouse neighborhoods and riverside walkways along refurbished quays.

To make the most of it, eat cheaply and treat yourself to a stylish room.

Look beyond conventional classics like the Raffles and Fullerton and book yourself one of the elegant ‘Shophouse Suites’ at the Intercontinental Singapore – a decidedly refined taste of the Peranakan lifestyle and merchant culture from the 1920s. A more modern flair can be found in the 30 rooms at the New Majestic Hotel, each one a mini-gallery space for one of the city-state’s up and coming artists, with such features as suspended beds, twin cast-iron tubs and a huge collection of art-piece chairs. And a bangkok 101

GETTING THERE n Singapore Airlines www.singaporeair.com n Tiger Airways www.tigerairways.com n Air Asia www.airasia.com

Hotel 1920

simpler style from the same period can be found at their sister property, Hotel 1929. If the bold murals on the walls at the New Majestic whet your appetite for contemporary art, check out the exhibits at the Singapore Art Museum.

During the day Kampong Glam, or Arab Street, is the place for funky kitsch, with Grandfather’s Collections and The Attic carrying vintage bottles, classic posters and old-school lamps. At night, cafés on Arab Street set up tables and rugs and the place becomes a pleasant jumble of mint tea sipping, sheesha smoking and people watching. Café le Caire is especially tasty and affordable.

For the crème de la crème of gourmet dining scene look no further than award-winning Les Amis, the last word in Singapore’s fine French/Continental cuisine. The food – prepared by talented Austrian-born Chef Armin Leitgeb – is inspiring, as is the wine list. Equally impressive for a romantic tête-à-tête or a power bangkok 101

business dinner alike, Les Amis sits in a prime location amid a chic strip of other trend-setting multinational eateries.

At the other end of the culinary spectrum, try the Makansutra Gluttons Bay hawker center, where you can feast on melt-in-your-mouth barbecued stingray with sambal and omelets stuffed with fat, tasty oysters.

Afterwards, take in the Esplanade.

On any given evening around 8pm in the Esplanade underpass you’ll find Singaporean youth spinning on their heads (helmet-protected, of course) to breakdancing tunes, flying over ramps on inline skates and generally having a rad time.

Or, for a quieter end to your day, head back toward one of the small bridges that span the river. Several, including the ones at Robertson and Clarke’s Quay, are little architectural gems in their own right.

After a while, Singapore may leave you missing Bangkok’s familiar chaos.

But for a long weekend, a quiet bridge over a tame river can do wonders for the soul.

EAT n Les Amis 1 Scotts Road, 02-16 Shaw Centre | 67332225 | www.lesamis.com.sg n Makansutra Gluttons Bay hawker center 1-5 Esplanade Mall | 63367025 n Café le Caire 39 Arab St. | 62920979 | www.cafelecaire.com STAY n Intercontinental Singapore 80 Middle Rd | 63387600 | www. singapore.intercontinenal.com n The New Majestic Hotel 31-37 Bukit Pasoh Rd | 65114700 | www.newmajestichotel.com n Hotel 1929 50 Keong Saik Rd | 65792002 | www.hotel1929.com MORE INFO www.visitsingapore.com Other addresses n Grandfather’s Collections 42 Bussorah St. n Singapore Art Museum 71 Bras Basah Rd. | 63323222 | www.nhb.gov.sg/SAM

Intercontinental Singapore

Les Amis

sightseeing

43

Arts

contemporary art

White Space

Steven Pettifor

W

hat could be a better memento of a stay in Thailand than hanging an original piece of contemporary art in your home? Bangkok’s shops and markets teem with nostalgic Buddhistinfluenced paintings and sculptures, but there are also numerous commercial and non-profit galleries that exhibit the fruits of Thailand’s growing artistic presence.

Bangkok has a small, vibrant and highly resourceful contemporary art circle, which is slowly beginning to make waves within the international art arena, aided to some extent by the Western ar t world’s recent penchant for all things Asian. The trend has been for ambitious installation and multimedia projects, proving popular with the younger generation of artists.

Spirituality and Buddhism have been, and still are , major themes in contemporary art, whether coming from neo-tr aditionalist painter s including Thawan Duchanee and Chalermchai Kositpipat, whose late 20th-centur y paintings resurrect traditional perceptions of the Thai identity – as pure, harmonious, Buddhist, monarchist and patriotic – or aromatic meditative installations during the 1990s by the late Montien Boonma.

Away from the spiritual, the economic collapse of 1997 has fuelled many local ar tists to question the effects of globalisation upon the Thai populace. A return to an innocent agrarian existence became one common call, while more contentious artists like Vasan Sitthiket highlighted their disdain for national policies through faux-political electioneering. Conceptual photographer Manit Sriwanichpoom satirised local urbanity’s consumerist obsessions with his engaging Pink Man series.

Ironically, as leading artists question the ceaseless and unconditional absorption of all things American and

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European, many of Thailand’s freshfaced generation of artists are infatuated with the street-style, urban iconography of pervasive Asian cultures like Japan, Korea and increasingly China.

An indicator of the growing profile of Thai art could be in the proliferation of new commercial galleries that have opened in the last couple of years, with Bangkok gaining over a dozen new venues in different areas across the city.

These include artist -run spaces such as printmaker and sculptor Thavorn Ko-Udomvit’s grey cube Ardel, and Rirkrit Tiravanija’s hotbed of young conceptualists at Gallery VER. While Thailand’s ongoing political debacle has complicated ar tistic planning, the decade-plus wait for the new Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, opposite MBK shopping mall, is over.

For news of its exhibitions, performances and the like log on to www.bacc.or.th GALLERIES The majority of contemporary art on view in Bangkok is produced by domestic practitioners, several of whom are now receiving significant international exposure, though there is ar ts

an increasing number of regional Asian artists displaying their works, at prices often cheaper than in countries like Singapore, China and Vietnam.

Whether hoping to peruse some emerging local protagonist, or purchase something a bit more com- mercial or traditional, one thing’s for certain – prices for art in Bangkok are more realistic and reasonable than overinflated, fashionable ar t centres in America, Europe and increasingly China.

You’ll soon realise that the city doesn’t have a concentrated artistic enclave; rather, there are small pockets of galleries, auction houses and antiques shops randomly dispersed throughout the city. Commercial galleries are spread across town and a little route planning is advised before embarking on a day of gallery musing. On the following page is a selection of noteworthy galleries about town.

Steven Pettifor is the editor of the Bangkok Art Map (BAM!), and author of Flavours: Thai Contemporary Art. He is available as a consultant to art buyers; stevenpettifor@hotmail.com bangkok 101

Enjoy these selected highlights from the current issue of the Bangkok Art Map. BAM! is a free-folding city map containing the latest information and critical insights into Thailand’s burgeoning contemporary arts scene. Grab a copy and participate in the promotion of art in Thailand.

art exhibitions

Solid

Seiji Kunishima: Sculpture Wrapped Memory Ardel’s Third Place The Third Place,Thonglor Soi 10 | 02-422-2092, 084-7722887, 086-890-2762 | 10am-8:30pm | www.ardelgallery. com I BTS Thonglor Despite spatial limitations, Ardel’s Third Place staged some interesting sculptural exhibitions in 2009 and they begin this year with an engaging exhibition of taut threedimensional works by senior Japanese artist Seiji Kunishima.

Having exhibited widely internationally since the early 1960s, Kunishima’s sculptures combine everyday objects such as coat hangers, nails and newspapers, with natural materials like stone and wood. Bound or wrapped together, the resulting works pertain to personal memory.

Until Mar 14

Thavibu Suite 308, Silom Galleria F3, 919/1 Silom Rd, Soi 19 | 02-266-5454 | TueSat 11am-7pm, Sun noon6pm | www.thavibu.com l BTS Surasak The debut exhibition in the year-long project, 3D @ Thavibu, promoting three-dimensional art in Suite 307 of Thavibu, Solid features a series of specially produced Murano glass sculptures alongside polished aluminium forms by internationally recognised artist Pinaree Sanpitak. Having previously utilised fragile materials such as wax, flowers, charcoal, and perishable foods into her art, Pinaree recently collaborated with master glass-blowers from Venice in Italy to produce unique breast-cloud sculptures that are both solid yet ephemeral in their transparent lustrous presence.

Until Mar 31

The 2nd Decade of Bualuang Paintings The Queen’s Gallery 101 Ratchadamnoen Klang Rd | 02-281-5360 | Thu-Tue 10am-7pm | www.queengallery.org Having established itself as the Annual Bualuang Painting Competition since 1974, the Bangkok Bank Foundation organised event presents highlights of the competition from 1987-1997. On view are over 200 of art works by some 50 artists, many who’ve gone on to become highly regarded artists, including among others Chatchai Puipia, Sakarin Krue-on and Prasong Luemuang.

Until Mar 30

St. Marks 1986-2006 Dreaming Alien Kathmandu Photo Gallery 87 Soi Pan, Silom Rd | 02-234-6700 | Tue-Sun 11am-7pm | www.kathmandu-bkk.com l BTS Chong Nonsi Having previously shot for the likes of Men’s Vogue and National Geographic, Paris based photojournalist Alain Soldeville presents a surreal series of vacant urban-scapes of the Thai capital. Shot atmospherically at night and without digital manipulation, the haunting desolate city scenes and interiors aim to show a culture in transition, through the rapid and often awkward drive toward consumerism.

Until Mar 28 bangkok 101

Nospace 21/108 Block D, Royal City Avenue (RCA) I Mon-Tue 11am-7pm,Wed-Sun 11am1am I www.nospacebkk.com I MRT Phra Ram 9 A regular visitor to Bangkok, American-Swedish fashion and portrait photographer Jesper Haynes displays intimate snapshots of life inside his New York apartment. Captured over a twentyyear period, the playful documentary photos are presented as collages, revealing the friends and relationships the lens man experienced living in the Big Apple’s trendy East Village.

March 4 – 21 ar ts

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elephant island

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ff Thailand’s east coast, near the Cambodian border, sits an awe-inspiring archipelago of 46 islands. The largest and most visited of these, Koh Chang, is a place of beguiling tropical beauty; where deep blue waters teeming with marine life lap at idyllic palm-fringed beaches, and a rugged terrain of high peaks and steep cliffs provide scenic vantage points galore.

Even the history here is chilledout. Once a haven for marauding pirates, the only real fraught moment here came in 1941, when French and Thai naval ships had a sea battle over territory. Later, in the 70s, backpackers discovered it but kept it hush-hush among themselves until 2002, when then PM Thaksin Shinawatra declared he wanted the island to become the “next Phuket.”

Since then, Koh Chang has been on a frantic drive to do just that, with more and more mid-range and luxury

resorts to rival those in Koh Samui and Phuket arriving each year.

Fortunately, though the development boom here has been almost unprecedented in its speed, one fact has saved it from swift environmental suicide: 85% of Koh Chang’s is national park and, so, off-limits to greedy developers.

Resorts here are restricted to beachfront areas and a height of three-stories, the best blending quite unobtrusively into their surroundings.

Best of all, Koh Chang’s most distinctive feature – a mountainous interior carpeted in thick, dripping rainforest – remains untouched. Often, while cruising along the rollercoaster lone road that clings to its craggy western coastline, you can spot or hear the monkeys and rare tropical birds that call it home.

Some question the self-touted eco-friendly credentials of many resorts, and the beach shop parades featuring 7 Elevens, internets shops and smatterings of seedy beer bars can be unsightly, but so far Koh Chang seems to have dodged the inyour-face commercial and aesthetic excesses of its southern cousins. You won’t find honking tourist buses or geezers brawling in the street here, for example.

light Spoton

Koh

Chang

Chanthaburi

Trat

Ao Tha Khu

Cambodia

Gulf of Thailand Laem Sok

Ko Chang

Hat Sai Kaeo

Ko Kham

Hat Ban Chuen

Ko Kra Ko Rang

Ko Mak Ko Kut

Though light on new-fangled watersports and raging all-night parties, the area offers good highvisibility snorkelling and diving spots, as well as sea kayaking, waterfalls and some elephant trekking.

Really though, Koh Chang’s raison d’etre is good oldfashioned lazing – preferably in the comfort of the nearest hammock. Meanwhile, if it’s unadulterated reclusiveness

Did you know?

GETTING THERE You can travel from Bangkok to Koh Chang by bus. Head for the terminal, pay the fare and you should, traffic and toiletstops allowing, arrive in Trat town 4-5 hours later. From here catch a songthaew (pick-up truck taxi) to the ferry, which takes about 40 minutes to Ko Chang.

Flying from Bangkok, via Bangkok Airways (www.bangkokair.com), to Trat is also popular with the short on time/long on cash. At the rustic airport here a return mini-van trip to Koh Chang – including ferry ride, drop-off and pick-up at your resort – costs around B250.

Koh Chang is called Elephant Island because its elephant shaped not elephant central.

Pachyderms aren’t native to the island, though several elephant camps do offer close encounters with them.

WHEN TO GO Simply put, now. Until late April, when the hot season segues into the wet, Koh Chang should sizzle with uninterrupted sunshine.

Tourism tapers off here during the wet season (May to October) when sunny mornings and afternoon squalls, or cloudy skies for days on end, are the norm. Resorts drop their prices

considerably during this period.

GETTING AROUND Cars, mopeds and motorbikes can be hired from B300 a day (all you need is you passport) but be careful: accidents on Koh Chang’s lone twisting road are common. Stay a while and you’re bound to pass at least one motorcyclist, usually a foreigner, dusting themselves off after a scare or worse.

A more sane option is hoping on a song thaew (pick-up truck taxi); though their service to further flung beaches is patchy, especially after sundown.

BEACHES

Strung down the west coast of ‘Elephant Island’ are a slew of powdery white, tall-palm lined beaches ranging from intimate coves to vast, curving, semi-sheltered bays.

It is to these, with their inviting shallow waters and beachfronthogging resorts and bungalows, that the majority of tourists head – and happily stay put for the duration.

How to pick one? While it’s tempting, during the pick-up truck taxi ride from the Ao Supparot ferry pier down the island’s helter-skelter west coast, to plonk yourself at the first slice of sand you spot, it’s worth putting some thought into it.Yes, each beach has sand, sea and a tourist town featuring identikit parades of shops, but there’s a different vibe, a flavour to each one.

This first big slice of sand, aptly titled White Sands Beach, is easily the island’s most built-up and shamelessly touristy. An artlessly erected parade of bars, banks, internet shops, tailors and

shops now flanks the road that runs parallel with it, while the beachfront – accessible usually only by walking through the lobby of a resort – is a popular spot for seafood barbeques at night. Stay here if you like your beach life lively and want to get on and off the island with minimum fuss.

Further down the coastline, the island’s longest beach, Klong Prao, hoards many upmarket and expansive resorts, attracting many package tourists.

It also has a pretty inland estuary that you can walk along. Just around the cape, 2.5km long Kai Bai Beach does a good line in modest bungalows for budgeting families, Thais and flashpackers. A rocky seabed here means careful footwork is a must, but we like the walks at lowtide to the teardrop island of Koh Man Nai and the close-nit village feel of its shop parade.

Backpackers who like to party hearty snub all the above in favour of the now erroneously titled Lonely Beach, reached via perhaps the island’s most dangerous hairpin hill. Cheap

thatched huts still abound on this quite rocky – and rapidly gentrifying – 1km stretch, as do bars blasting loud tunes until the wee hours and freshly tattooed twenty-something’s cruising around on mopeds.

Hardcore divers grab a room along or near Bang Bao Pier, a stilted and very laidback fishing pier that stretches almost 700 metres into the middle of a stunning u-shaped bay. A few fishing families still live and work here, though it’s the same old story: the lure of a tidy sum means they’re being squeezed out by souvenir shops, restaurants and dive company head offices (dive trips leave from here).

Meanwhile, on the sandy-beachdeficient and thus undeveloped and rarely visited east side of the island, big bays like Ao Salak Kok, where you can rent a kayak and paddle past a ramshackle fishermen’s village nestled amid mangrove canals, and Ao Salak Phet appeal more to weekending Thais looking for the ‘real’ Koh Chang and are worth a look if you are too.

DISCOVER

Second to baking beneath a blazing blue sky, the other favourite pastime on Koh Chang seems to be touring the island on a rented moped, scoping out the scenery while hoping that you don’t come a cropper on the dangerous rollercoaster of a road that snakes around most of the island. Below we plot the sights and activities you might want to try once you’re done with sand and sun and feeling like each corner might be your last.

Trat Ko Chang noi

Baan Kwan Chang elephant camp

Ko Mapring

Probably the best elephant camp on the island. Pet them, feed them or trek with them – no pressure. More info at www.jungleway.com/ elephantcamp

Ao Sapparot

Ban Dan Kao Pier Hat Sai Khao

Klong Plu waterfall

Laem Chaiyachet Pier

Koh Chang’s most popular waterfall. Pure freshwater Than Mayom Pier careens of a 3 level gusher into a deep pool 30 metres below, making for refreshing swimming Limwet season. But first... inKothe there’s a B200 National Park entry fee to pay, and a fun 15 minute jungle walk.

Salak Nok Pier

Khlong Phrao Pier

Hat Khlong Phrao Hat Kai Bae

Ko Chang

Viewpoint A lofty island lookout on the hill between Kai Bae and Lonely Beaches. Sunsets are special, when light shimmers off the ocean, 100 or so metres below, and nearby islets resemble shadowy green sea monsters that have surfaced for air.

Ao Bai Lan

Bang Bao Fishing Village

Ko Phrao Ko Mai Si Yai

Ko Lao Ya

Ko Ngam Ko Khlum

Bang Bao Pier This old stilted fishing village, rapidly gentrifying, is a mustsee. Restaurants, several dive companies, souvenir shops and a few budget guesthouses.

Stroll to the lighthouse at its far end for a cameragrabbing panorama of the bay and outlying islands.

Ko Wai

Ko Mai Daeng

Diving Dive shops grace each beach’s tourist town. Book at one and be whisked by mini-van from your hotel to a boat, usually moored at Bang Bao Pier. Popular sites include the rocky pinnacles off nearby Koh Rang; 101-approved dive companies include BB Divers (www.bbdivers.com).

Not a diver? Don a snorkel instead.

Ko Mai Si Lek

ACCOMMODATION

Not so long ago, those searching for world-class digs on Koh Chang found nothing more lavish than B100 a night huts swarming with mosquitoes and feral backpackers.

What a difference a decade makes. In the early noughties, Koh Chang grabbed the upmarket ball and ran with it. End result: the island now teems with accommodation ranging from bland but economically priced fan and air-con bungalows to swish five-star resorts and fashionable boutique villas. Fortunately, this development hasn’t resulted in the towering eyesores that scar other islands, as buildings are restricted to roughly the height of a palm tree and ecoawareness very much the mantra.

Below is a selection of our favourites in the mid to top-end range. Still out to slum it? Budget beds are still spread scattershot across the far northern end of White Sands Beach, along Lonely Beach and around Bang Bao. Track them down by asking around or following an askew driftwood sign down a bumpy dirt-track.

Wherever you park your backpack or suitcase, be sure to shop around. After being struck by resort fever in the noughties, and hit hard by the recent economic downturn, Koh Chang is very much a buyers market at the minute, so don’t be afraid to resort hop if you’re not happy with your choice.

EAST COAST The Spa Koh Chang 15/4 Moo 4 Baan Salak Kok | 039553-091, 039-552-700 | www.thespakohchang.com | B1,675 3,357 (until May) If rigidly enforced fasts, daily enemas and liver flushes sound like your idea of fun, welcome to The Spa Koh Chang. Seriously though, this lush resort overlooking the east coast’s Salok Kok Bay is one of the best places to clean out your pipes in the country, not least because it’s so remote that you couldn’t sneak off for some sly sauerkraut even if you wanted to.

Making up for its lack of beach are tropical-y hillside cottages, salt pools, yoga classes and mangrove kayaking, among other things, plus some of the most untrammeled peace and quiet on the island. Its restaurant has also been ranked as one of the world’s 50 best by the UK’s Health Magazine, though we take such statements with an unhealthy pinch of salt.

The Spa Koh Chang

PhotoFeature

Dewa

KLONG PRAO BEACH Dewa Koh Chang 24/1/1 Klong Prao Beach | 039-557339 | www.thedewakohchang.com | B5,650 - 17,067 (until 31st March) Sick of generic mock Thai temple style resorts? Yep, so are we. Fortunately, Koh Chang has an alternative in the trendy shape of The Dewa Koh Chang: a notat-all-tacky boutique resort flush with fashionable bare concrete and natural wood finishes. Couples spend their days flitting between their funky deluxe room and the dark slate, 700m2 leafshaped pool it looks onto. Aside from these deluxe rooms, The Dewa also offers 17 circular villas and two Grand Villas. The latter resemble Ewok huts gone upscale, with eccentrically shaped thatched roofs, loft-like bedrooms and private whirlpool Jacuzzis overlooking a pretty swathe of Klong Prao Beach.

KLONG SON BAY Aiyapura Resort & Spa 29 Moo 3, Chang Island District | 039-555-111-5 | www.aiyapura.com | B4,500 – 12,000 Another chill out with a decent book and gentle sea breeze kind of place, only this time at the far north of the island, in a little bay called Klong Son found between White Sands Beach and the ferry pier. The 16 woody yet technologically souped-up Thai style villas and suites come surrounded by lush tropical gardens with ocean views, and set around a 30 metre, leaf-shaped swimming pool; the beach so-so. Though you’re not in the action, you’re not actually that far from it either: they lay on free shuttle buses to White Sands Beach and, though these don’t run at night, a taxi back doesn’t cost much.

KAI BAE BEACH K.B. Resort 10/16 moo.4 Koh Chang | 081-8628103, 039-557-125 | www.kbresort. com | B1,150 – 2,600 (until May) When it renovated a couple of years back, the prices at this Kai Bai beachfront stalwart went up and so did the staffs opinion of themselves. Still, we’re big fans of this quaint mid-range spot, with simple, endearing and well-spaced wooden bungalows scattered through a coconut grove neatly landscaped with native flora and cute statues. Now has a big swimming pool flanked by clunky wooden sun loungers; and the openplan restaurant and wood deck area still dutifully overlook the bay. Great if you just want to chill out with loved one, family or War and Peace-sized book; plus lots of bars/restaurants nearby.

Gajapuri 19/19 Moo 4 Tambol Koh Chang | 02-713-7689 | www.gajapuri.com | B5,000 - 18,700 (until 31st March) A raised plankwood path leads you round this small, smart and welllandscaped boutique hut resort. More cosy village than impersonal resort, it includes a neat beach-fronting garden area, though reckon for some fierce competition for those pairs of spiffy wooden sunloungers. Whether you choose one of the four villas with private pool or the 19 plankwood cottages tucked further back, staying here is a pleasure – but not cheap considering that’s really just a warmtoned timber hut with bells and whistles latched on. In fact, this is one of the most expensive on Kai Bae beach, up there with your 4-star resorts. Still, we’re fans.

Nirvana Koh Chang

Gajapuri

BAILAN BAY Dusit Princess Koh Chang 111/1 Moo 1,Tambol Koh Chang Tai | 039-61-9111 | www.dusit.com | B3,100 – 14,700 (rack rate) One of Koh Chang’s big hitters, this unabashedly modern Dusit brings the brand’s 5-star concept and knowhow to isolated Bailan Bay – with mixed results. It’s slightly banal curving concrete exterior softens into rooms ranging from garden view deluxes to pool villas; soft white colour schemes, light pine and four posters with flowing muslin drapes being the norm. If the stony beach at low-tide is a let down, the swimming pool beside it at least tries to make up for it – lots of shallow areas and Jacuzzis for wallowing.

Several in-resort eateries complete the fairly idyllic picture, though if you want the option of eating out best look elsewhere because you’re cut off here.

Dusit Princess

BANG BAO Nirvana Koh Chang Resort 12/4-5 Moo 1 Bangbao, Koh Chang-Tai | 039-558-061-4 | www.nirvanakohchang.com | B3,500 – 9,950 (until 30th April) Simply one of the best on the island for no-crowds-near-me relaxation.

Located on a narrow, semi-wild cape overlooking Bangbao Bay, the huge gabled bungalows here come with sandy tropical tones, chunky driftwood furniture, beds plump with hi-ply threads, TV/DVD players and porches with rocking chairs and postcard-like bay views. Unfortunately the small private beach isn’t as inviting as it looks: fragments of blasted coral make swimming a painful chore; but there are two pools (one saltwater, one freshwater) and strong swimmers will enjoy the rocky bay on the Gulf of Thailand side of the cape. Bang Bao Fishing Pier is a 15 minute walk, down dirt roads and past people’s backyards, away and recommended for sunset suppers, although after-dark you’ll need a lift-home (there’s a free pickup service) or strong torch to find your way back.

NIGHTLIFE

Looking for throbbing nights of neon hedonism? If so, you’re on the wrong island buddy. Nights in Koh Chang are even more laidback than the days, with the typical evening for most involving sunset dinner at your hotel or a nearby restaurant followed by a few evening cocktails or some languid guitar strumming on your beachhut porch, usually with only a bemused beach cat for company.

That said there are spots where things flirt with being lively. All of Koh Chang’s tourist-orientated beach towns offers a bevy of restaurants catering to western palates (some with live music or pool tables), plus a smattering of tiny bamboo beer bars staffed by a barmaid and her feline friends. No prizes for guessing what the variables are circulating beneath those smiles, but unlike their equivalents in Phuket or Koh Samui there is no hard-sell here, if you catch our drift.

Sabai Bar, roughly midway along White Sands Beach, is the most consistently lively nightspot on the island. Expect the following nightly formula: a Filipino band playing r&b hits like Rihanna’s Umbrella in the aircon, oft-packed club, while outside, rastaboy Thais do amazing things with ball chains lit with fire and the lobsterpink masses, splayed out on beach mats and triangle cushions, feast on BBQ seafood.

Lonely Beach has the closest thing to a thumping Hat Rin-like party scene, with a word-of-mouth, “where’s the party at tonight?” vibe often going on. More often than not, the reply is “the Treehouse” – a big, ramshackle stilted wooden bar perched over a moonscape of seashore rocks, and with lots of nooks you can cuddle up with a Thai whisky bucket and that half-naked Swede you just met in.

If you can arrange a ride home, a stroll down Bang Bao Pier, at the far south of the island, of an evening is also recommended. The restaurants along it, like the excellent Buddha View (www.thebuddhaview.com), where food is served alongside Café del Mar chill-out beats, are great for a pretty sundown dinner; and until about 10pm you can browse hippified handicrafts and beach clobber in the many souvenir shops.

Buddha View

Bang Bao Bay

OTHER islands

If you tire of Koh Chang’s Phuket-like tourist sprawl, and fancy going Crusoe for a few days, consider decamping to the less gentrified, more laidback isles of Koh Kut or Koh Mak. Though harder to get to – and more expensive – both make up for it with more seclusion, more wilderness and more good old fashioned peace and quiet.

KOH MAK The smallest of the archipelago’s big three (16km2) has a relatively flat terrain compared to Koh Chang, with impenetrable rainforest and coconut plantations in its centre, and scenic bays and unspoilt beaches brushing up against gin-clear waters. Long Ao Suan Yai beach, to the north-west of this wonky star-shaped island, is considered the best by many and home to resorts like the Koh Mak Cocoscape (www. kohmakcococape.com), supplier of perhaps the quirkiest abodes on the island (including one in an old Thai boat, raised on stilts over water). And peppered along the windswept beaches to the south are resorts for all sorts.

Perhaps, the most popular Monkey Island www.monkeyislandkohmak.com offers huts for B600 and up, not to mention a real stoner vibe (don’t ask us why). Assuming you can ride one, hiring a motorbike is a good idea here – zip down an unmarked dirtroad and you might find you have a stunning beach, with views over the archipelago, all to yourself. Nearby islands of Koh Kham and Koh Rayang, with their good coral, make excellent snorkelling daytrips;

no nightlife to speak of here bar quiet sundown beers and the odd fire show.

KOH KUT If you want Koh Chang 15 years ago, come to Koh Kut. The archipelago’s southernmost and second biggest (105km2) island has the low-key, tropical wildness feel that many feel its big brother has squandered. No banks, convenience stores or tatty tourist enclaves here. Instead, hidden amidst the carpet of palm trees, are lonely crescentshaped beaches, cascading waterfalls and truly local villages. Like Koh Mak, a motorbike is a good way to find them.

Peter Pan Resort

But first you’ll need to get here. Most book a prepaid package tour at one the sunset-catching west-coast resorts.

These typically include pick up from a pier on the mainland, accommodation and tours of neighbouring isles. For a holiday of this sort, try Peter Pan Resort www.peterpanresort.com However it’s also possible to just be dropped off and find a walk-in place you fancy. Shantaa (www.shantaakohkood.com) is one of the funkiest, but we advise calling ahead.

GETTING THERE To reach Koh Kut or Koh Mak from the mainland, book a package through a resort (in which case you’ll be sped VIP-style from the mainland to your resort) or, if going independently, hop on a speedboat at one of the piers near Trad. The trip takes about an hour to Koh Mak and an hour and a half to Koh Kut. If coming from Koh Chang, consult Bangbao Boat, www. bangbaoboat.com the archipelago’s main island-hop operator.

Arts

performing arts

RAM THAI (Thai traditional dance)

Bangkok’s performing arts scene may not throb like in other cities, but look under the surface and you’ll find it there, beating to its own rhythm. No, there aren’t many plays, stage shows or performance pieces being staged, and sometimes it’s as if mainstream pop and rock acts are the only things that captivate the masses. Still, fans of the performing arts can find diamonds and everybody will appreciate the low ticket prices. For more information on what’s happening, visit these sites for event information: www.thaiticketmaster.com, www.bangkokfestivals.com, www.bangkokconcerts.com

Theatres

Aksra Theatre (map C3) King Power Complex 8/1 Rangnam Rd, Phaya Thai|BTS Victory Monument | 02677-8888 ext 5678 | Tue-Fri 7pm, Sat-Sun 1pm&7pm In this spectacular new 600-capacity theatre, lined with fabled wood carvings, bear witness to hypnotic performances by the Aksra Hoon Lakorn Lek (Aksra Small Puppets) troupe. Intricate Thai puppets, given life by puppeteers swathed in black, act out Thai literary epics. Family entertainment of the most refined kind.

โรงละครอักษรา คิงพาวเวอร์ คอมเพล็กซ์ ถ.รางน้ำ

PATRAVADI THEATRE (map A3) 69/1 Soi Wat Rakhang, Arun Amarin Rd, Thonburi | 02-412-7287~8 | www. patravaditheatre.com Outside of university art departments, this is one of the few places in Bangkok to see contemporary performing arts. Its founder, the well-known Patravadi Mejudhon, created not only a theatre, but an entire arts complex, comprising classes, artists’ residencies and international exchanges.

Performers are trained in classical as well as modern traditions; and the shows are world-class.

โรงละครภัทราวดี ถ. อรุณอมรินทร์

Traditional Thai Puppet Theater (Joe Louis) (map C4) Suan Lum Night Bazaar, 1875, Rama IV Rd | MRT Lumphini | 02-252-9683-4, 02-252-5227-9 ext 101 – 104 | 8pm – 9:15pm | adults B900, children B300 | www.thaipuppet.com 54

A live puppet show might sound like it’s aimed at kids, but this one is intriguing for all. The one-hour show follows the story of the Ramakien. The large puppets are incredibly lifelike; the scenes are colourful and fun to watch – so even adults enjoy the show. Arrive early to observe the production of traditional masks.

โรงละครนาฏยศาลา หุน่ ละครเล็ก (โจหลุยส์) สวนลุมไนท์ บาซ่าร์

SIAM NIRAMIT (map D2) 19 Tiam Ruammit Rd | 02-649-9222 | www.siamniramit.com A breathtaking, record-breaking extravaganza, hailed as “a showcase of Thailand”. Using hundreds of costumes and amazing special effects, more than 150 performers journey whirlwind-like through seven centuries of Siamese history. Up to 2,000 guests experience this spectacle nightly; eyepopping poignancy to some, detached fantasia to others.

สยามนิรมิต ถ.เทียมร่วมมิตร

Traditional Thai theatre and dance takes many forms. The most accessible is khon, which depicts scenes from the Ramakien (the classic Thai epic based on the Hindu Ramayana), in graceful dances. Originally reserved for royal occasions, it’s now performed mainly for tourists in five-star hotels or at cultural shows across the city. At the Erawan Shrine (p.35), pay the colourful troupe a couple of hundred baht to see them perform. When visiting Vimanmek Mansion (p.30), don’t miss the performances there.

More popular amongst Thais is ligay, a lively blend of comedy, dance and music, often with contemporary subject matter. Due to its improvised nature, non-Thais find it very difficult to follow. Puppet theatre, which nearly died out, has made a comeback at the Joe Louis Puppet Theatre and Aksra Theatre. It also borrows heavily from the Ramakien (as do most soap operas on Thai TV), substituting human dancers with paper and wire puppets dressed in elaborate costumes.

There are regular performances of contemporary theatre in Bangkok, predominantly at the Patravadi Theatre and the Thailand Cultural Centre. Also, though more influenced

by Broadway than indigenous dance, don’t miss Bangkok’s gender-bending ladyboy cabarets (p.85).

NATIONAL THEATRE (map A3) 2 Rachini Rd, Sanam Luang | 02-2241342, 02-225-8457~8 Along with the National Museum, the imposing theatre forms an island of high culture. Classical Thai drama, musicals and music performances – all elaborate affairs, sometimes strange to foreign eyes and ears – are staged on a small side stage and the open-air sala. The season runs from November to May, but you can catch classical Thai dance and music on the last Friday and Saturday nights of each month.

โรงละครแห่งชาติ ถ.ราชินี สนามหลวง ar ts

bangkok 101

TCDC (Thailand Creative & Design Centre) Quick Bites: Design for Better Eating

cultural centres

Perhaps the most active players on Bangkok’s arts scene are its cultural centres.These ensure that the scene stays booked with top-notch exhibitions (conventional and experimental) and performances from the world of visual arts, drama, dance, music, fashion, film, design, literature and more. The foreign contingent regularly put on events showcasing international talent. Ring up, check their websites or just drop by to find out what’s on.

Alliance Française (map C4)

T

his hip design learning and resource facility, plonked atop the Emporium shopping mall, aims to stimulate creativity and innovation among young Thai designers.

Everyone, however, is free to attend its workshops, talks by prominent international designers and exhibitions.

These are particularly WHERE 6F,The Emporium good at opening your Shopping Complex, mind and eyes to Sukhumvit 24 (map D4) BTS curious international Phrom Phong, 02-664-8448, design concepts; be it www.tcdc.co.th OPEN Vivienne Westwood’s 10:30am-9pm closed Mon fearlessly nonconformist fashions, or Le Corbusier-influenced Modern Thai architecture.

Don’t miss permanent exhibition, “What is Design?” a look at how 10 countries have interpreted their cultural uniqueness to create 20th century design classics; or a peek at the swish, state-of-the-art library. With over 16,000 rare books, a large selection of multimedia, even a textile centre, this is where the city’s fresh-faced art, fashion, design and film students rush to the day before their final paper is due – only to end up distracted by the obscure arthouse DVDs and glossy tomes on modern Scandinavian architecture. Fortunately in-centre café Kiosk, with its strong Italian coffee and all-day-brunch, is on hand to keep the Kingdom’s next big things on track.

ดิ เอ็มโพเรียม ชอปปิ้ง คอมเพล็กซ์ สุขุมวิท 24

29 Sathorn Rd | BTS Saladaeng | 02-670-4200 | 10am6pm close Sun | www.alliance-francaise.or.th

สมาคมฝรั่งเศสกรุงเทพ ถ. สาทรใต้

BRITISH COUNCIL (map C3)

254 Chulalongkorn Soi 64 Siam Square, Phaya Thai Rd, Pathumwan | BTS Siam | 02-652-5480 ext 108 | www.britishcouncil.or.th

บริติช เคาน์ซิล สยามสแควร์

Goethe Institut (map C4)

18/1 Goethe, Sathorn Soi 1 | MRT Lumphini | 02-2870942~4 ext.22 | 8am-6pm | www.goethe.de/

สถาบันเกอเธ่ 18/1 ซ. เกอเธ่ สาทร ซ. 1

Japan Foundation (map D3)

Serm-mit Tower, F10, Sukhumvit Soi 21 | BTS Asok, MRT Sukhumvit | 02-260-8560~4 | Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-5pm | www.jfbkk.or.th

เจแปน ฟาวน์เดชั่น ชั้น 10 อาคารเสริมมิตร สุขุมวิท 21

Check also: ■ Bangkok Music SocietY (BMS) 02-617-1880, www.bms.in.th ■ Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, 02-223-0871-5, www.bangkok symphony.net ■ The Belgian Club of Thailand (BCT) www.belgianclub-th.com

BACC (map C3) 939 Rama I Rd, Pathumwan | BTS National Stadium | 02-214-6630-1 | Tue-Sun 10am-9pm | www.bacc.or.th The eleven-storey Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) structure is engulfed by neighbouring shopping malls and looks out towards the city’s elevated skytrain.The Guggenheim meets a mall, the parabolic white concrete design has an interior defined by a circular atrium accentuating smooth curves around which exhibitions are hung. Potentially an important player in Thailand’s contemporary cultural development, the centre plans to nurture a scope of creative fields including theatre, film and design, with the upper levels boasting 3,000sqm for hosting art.

Combine a trip here with a shopping assault at the nearby malls, which it’s linked to via a raised concrete walkway.

หอศิลปวัฒนธรรมแห่งกรุงเทพมหานคร แยกปทุมวัน

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Arts

cinema

B

angkok boasts world-class, stateof-the-art movie theatres showing the latest Hollywood and Thai blockbusters. A select few cinemas, notably House and Lido and the city’s cultural centres (p.55), screen less common independent and international films. Thai films are usually, in downtown Cineplexes at least, shown with English subtitles; foreign films with subtitles in Thai. Seats are reasonably priced at around B100-180. The best place to check screening times is on the daily-updated Please www.movieseer.com. stand while the

Thai Cinema

king's anthem is played in respect to Thailand’s beloved monarch.

Noy Thrupkaew

Judging from the city’s movie posters, Bangkok visitors might assume that Thai filmic fare is limited to elephantine historical epics, maggoty horror flicks and the offerings of culture-colonising Hollywood. But sandwiched in-between the mainstream movies are a number of idiosyncratic indies that are winning a name for Thai cinema abroad.

Thailand’s most internationally renowned director, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, has made a career out of bending genres, as in his bewitchingly strange Cannes-winning feature, Tropical Malady (Sat Pralad, “Strange Beast”, is the original title). Other Thai filmmakers have emulated Weerasethakul’s border-transgressing ways, steeping Thai tales in Western cinematic influences, or working with international backing.

Despite Thai film’s increasing acclaim, impatient distributors often pull small pictures within days. Audiences eager to support emergent cinema should track movies at the Thai Film Foundation’s website www.thaifilm.com or at Thai film critic Anchalee Chaiworaporn’s www.thaicinema.org, and gallop to theatres soon after opening day.

These Screens are Gold

You enter the dimly lit room, chiffon drapes sway against the wall as the cool air flows against your skin. Settling into the velvet sofa, complimentary drinks are whisked in front of you. Soon you are led to a separate area. Dark and hard to navigate, you are guided to your seat in this chilly chamber. Reclining back, a blanket is pulled over your body, covering you up for whatever thrills that may ensue. By now it’s more than obvious where you’ve been lured.....

To the movies of course!!

In Thailand you can fly in cinematic first class, which is possible for roughly the same price as your old neighbourhood theatre back home. All of the above, including seat-side waiter service, is available for around B300, although Paragon charges at least double.

APEX Lido, Siam and Scala (retro 1960s) Siam Square, Rama 1 Rd | BTS Siam | Lido 02-252-6498, Scala 02251-2861, Siam 02-251-3580 โรงภาพยนต์ลโิ ด สยาม และสกาลา

สยามสแควร์ ถ. พระราม 1

EGV Grand (Gold Class) Siam Discovery Centre, Rama 1 Rd | BTS Siam | 02-812-9999 สยามดิสคัฟเวอร์รเ่ี ซ็นเตอร์

ถ. พระราม 1

EGV Metropolis (Gold Class) Big-C Ratchadamri (opp. Central World Plaza), Ratchadamri Rd | BTS Chitlom | 02-812-9999 บิก ๊ ซี ราชดำริ ตรงข้ามเซ็นทรัล

เวิลด์พลาซ่า ถ. ราชดำริ

HOUSE (Boutique art film cinema) Royal City Avenue (RCA), Petchaburi Rd | 02-641-5177 เฮ้าส์ อาร์ซเี อ ถ. พระรามเก้า Krungsri IMAX Theater (features the world’s largest movie screen) 5th Fl., Siam Paragon, Rama 1 Rd | BTS Siam | 02-129-4631 สยามพารากอน ถ. พระราม 1 PARAGON CINEPLEX 5th Fl., Siam Paragon, Rama | Rd l BTS Siam | 02-129-4635-6 or Movie line 02-515-5555 สยามพารากอน ถ. พระราม 1 SF CINEMA CITY MBK (VIP Class) 7th Fl., MBK Center, Phaya Thai Rd | BTS National Stadium | 02-611-6444 มาบุญครองเซ็นเตอร์ ถ. พญาไท SFX CINEMA CITY Emporium (Cineplex) 6th Fl., Emporium, Sukhumvit 24 | BTS Phrom Phong | 02-260-9333 เอ็มโพเรียม สุขม ุ วิท 24 SF WORLD CINEMA 7th Fl., Central World Plaza, Ratchadamri Rd | BTS Chit Lom | 02-268-8888 เซ็นทรัลเวิลด์พลาซ่า ถ. ราชดำริ SF World,CentralWorld

Where’s the gold?

n Nokia Ultra Screens | Paragon Cineplex | 5th Fl. Siam Paragon n Gold Cinemas | Grand EGV | 6th Fl. Siam Discovery Center n First Class Screens | SF World Cinemas | 7th Fl. Central World Plaza 56

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reading & screening

In Print

Bangkok is home to an eye-popping array of excellent bookshops, small, large and sprawling. Just head for any major mall – Siam Paragon, Emporium, All Seasons Place, CentralWorld or Central Chitlom, to name a few (see mall listings on p. 102) – and look for chain favourites like Asia Books, Kinokuniya, B2S, Nai-In or Bookazine. Plenty of other stand-alone local book stores across town offer the latest in print, new and used.

LADYBOYS Susan Aldous & Pornchai Sereemongkolpol | Maverick House | B525 The life of nine lady boys is laid bare; and the reading, unlike many of them, ain’t pretty. Some of these monologues are inspiring (like that of Thailand’s first transgender air hostess Nicky – you go girl!), others unremittingly bleak. Meet Patchara for instance, a streetwalker who feels she was destined to sell her body to strangers; or Lily, a grandmotherly type who prowls Khao San Road luring backpackers for less-thaninnocent massages. These and other tawdry tales offer sordid details galore for prurient readers (especially about body parts hidden, added, taken away or enhanced). But that’s not why this unflinching book succeeds. Candidly and fairly respectfully, it offers rare insight into what life for many ladyboys, especially those disowned by their family, is really like – a confused, hardup, loveless car-crash of an existence.

On DVD

Thai theatres are notorious for their rapid turnover rates, making DVDs one of the best ways for visitors to explore Thai film. Thai DVDs are readily available in Mang Pong or CD Warehouse outlets in major malls, but before purchasing check the back for English subtitles and DVD region compatibility, if you don’t have an all-region DVD player. Englishsubtitled versions are also often available as exports from Hong Kong at websites such as www.hkfilm.com or www.yesasia.com. bangkok 101

HEART TALK: SAY WHAT YOU FEEL IN THAI Christopher G. Moore | B595 | Heaven Lake Press | 370pp | B495 Collective language unifies a people. To understand the importance of heart – the Thai jai – is to understand Thailand.

Jai is a collage of concepts essential for the Thai identity. Christopher G. Moore, erudite author of many of Thailand’s better known and written crime thrillers, themselves heavily steeped in jai talk, presents an inspiring manual to be used as magnifying glass leading straight to the heart, mind and soul of Thai society’s concept of self. But – getting off that high horse – this compendium is also helpful for understanding a conversation in Thai (almost every one is littered with jaiphrases). And its fun to browse the list of 900 hundred heart phrases (from a satisfied to a base and even a dog’s one), all neatly organised for different situations.

Only compulsive souls would read the thing cover to cover, but dipping into it from time to time never disappoints.

BANGKOK FOUND Alex Kerr | River Books | 316pp | $20 On the face of it, this is just another book by just another westerner out to fathom the unfathomable: this great, baffling city. But Alex Kerr is not just another westerner. He grew up in Japan, won a prestigious literary prize there, knows Asia inside out. And this is what makes these essays about how he ended up here so engaging. Kerr opines on many trite topics (the wai and Grand Palace among them) but by contrasting Thailand with Japan and Asia at large he puts many fresh, revelatory spins on them. Chapters we have already earmarked for rereading include his enjoyably rambling meditations on Thailand’s baroque notion of beauty (“etherealization” he calls it), its dance, flowers, food and what he considers its greatest cultural capital, its “cult of gentleness”. Highly recommended, this book will open doors you didn’t even know were there.

ADVENTURES OF IRON PUSSY (HUA JAI TOR RA NONG)Weerasethakul | 2003 | B199 More a film-length piece of performance art than a film, Iron Pussy is a bizarrely funny homage to ‘70s spa dramas and the power of white go-go boots. Mild-mannered convenience-store clerk by day, fabulous drag spy by night, Iron Pussy is played with serious zeal by visual performance artist Michael Shaowanasai – despite her formidable ass-kicking powers, the girl is also a sucker for love. Musical numbers erupt in an explosion of costumes and melodramatic soap references, assorted political figures and high-society ladies get their skewering, and Irony Pussy even dispatches a foaming madman in a mock don’t-do-drugs public-service announcement. Despite the high camp, Iron Pussy is never less than sweet-eyed and sympathetic, no matter if she’s wearing a miniskirt or a maid’s outfit – and looking fabulous in both.

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Food&Drinks

dining in bangkok

Zense, CentralWorld

Food is of the utmost importance here. Locals have been known to brave the beast of Bangkok traffic and make cross-town journeys with the sole purpose of sampling a bowl of noodles at a famous local shop.

Thais often ask each other “Gin Kao Leu Yung” or “Have you eaten rice yet?”. This shouldn’t be understood in the literal sense, but almost as another way Thais say hello. It’s how Thai people socialise. Whether the occasion calls for family, friends, business, or anything in between, there’s usually food nearby. The Thai dining experience requires that all dishes be shared - real evidence of the importance of dining to the Thai sense of community.

A

taste of Bangkok doesn’t just stop at Thailand’s world-famous national cuisine; flags of all nationalities fly here, and the results can be amazing. Tom yum soup and creamy curries can be found alongside seared foie gras, crispy tempura and heart-stopping steaks. It won’t be a challenge to find some culinary dynamite for your palate. You’d be better off compiling a list of what the city doesn’t have on offer.You’re bound to eat very well, whether it is at the sexiest, high-end locales, or at the origin of most local food - the streets, where you can get a very tasty, hearty meal at a nondescript stall, or even crackling grasshoppers and worms!

Fantastic food is also available round the kitchen clock, although choices narrow as it gets closer to midnight. Many restaurants have closing times at 9pm or earlier.

However, plenty of them feed late-night appetites (see p.77 ). If you really want to bump elbows with the locals and get to the heart of things, Bangkok’s street food culture doesn’t acknowledge the concept of time, with some vendors even carrying on into the wee hours. If a business can survive by trading when everyone is asleep, then it must be good, right?

So whether you’re a night owl or an early bird, slightly picky or a try-anythingonce daredevil, you’re in for a non-stop gastronomical journey.

BANG FOR YOUR BAHT

The price guide to the right indicates what you can expect to pay per-person for a meal, not including drinks. Many restaurants run special deals so don’t be shy when asking about promotions, especially at lunchtime when many of the more upmarket restaurants offer set-menus at great prices. Lastly, to avoid any nasty surprises be sure to read the menu carefully. When prices are followed by “++”, the so called “plus plus”, this means 10%) and government tax (typically 7%) will be added to your bill.

$ under B400 $$ B400 – B1,000 $$$ B1,000 – B2,000 $$$$ over B2,000 a service charge (typically

Butt Out

Smokers beware. Lighting-up indoors is forbidden at all air-conditioned restaurants and bars citywide – you risk being fined B2,000 (US$60), and subjecting the restaurant owner to a lashing B20,000 (US$600) penalty. Exempted are outdoor areas, and, in practice, many Japanese and Korean restaurants.

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meal deals

Global Gastronomy Festival, Novotel Bangkok

Authentic Greek Cuisine, Sofitel Silom

Dolmas, taramosalata, souv laki, moussaka… a Grecian greatest hits package is on the cards through March at Mistral, the Sofitel Silom Hotel’s cheerful (and very orange) flagship restaurant.

Chef Boris Cuzon always makes the effort with his themed specials, and we expect no less here. Lunch buffet B700++; evening mezze B300 nett for selection of 3 or B900 net all-you-can-manage. 02-2381991 ext.1321

A medley of five cuisines – Thai, Chinese, Indian, Japanese and French – will grace the serving trays at Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square Hotel’s annual gastro festival, running from March 11-19 in their The Square restaurant. The nightly buffet dinner will feature a musical performance, lucky draw and, they tell us, a globe-trotting selection of damn good food. B888++ per person, B444++ per child. 02-209-8888

River Dining Cruises

Tapas & Wine, Bistro M

Chef Manuel Martinez, Déjà Vu

The Pullman Bangkok King Power hotel’s brassiere is turning two and to celebrate they’ve pulled off surely this month’s most impressive guest chef fly-in: two Michelin star Chef Manual Martinez.

The former executive chef at one of Paris’ most esteemed restaurants, La Tour D’Argent, will be manning the stoves from March 9-13. Six courses B3,300 nett per person.

02-680-9999

The team at Sukhumvit Soi 24’s Marriott Executive Apartments has just visited Español and brought lots of its tapas snacks back with it.

We’re kidding of course, but you get the idea: in its swish restaurant you can now nibble a bevy of small but scintillating Spanish dishes, curated by Executive Chef Vladimir Robert Siljegovic, from 4pm onwards every day. 02-302-5265

Grand Pearl

A cruise along the legendary Chao Phraya can only be topped by combining it with exquisite Thai food. Although touristy, a gastro-cruise is one of Bangkok’s most romantic outings, the chance to take in the river sights while getting stuffed. Most riverside hotels offer lunch and/or dinner cruises, some on large, modern ships seating hundreds (ShangriLa) or on smaller, refurbished antique rice barges (Apsara, Manohra, Oriental).

Whether you are looking for a peaceful romantic sojourn, traditional dance shows or a blaring disco dinner buffet, you won’t be disappointed. Cruises range from B700 to B1,700 pp, depending on how well you dine, and last two to three hours. Most include a full buffet or set dinner. It’s wise to make advance reservations.

Manohra

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■ CHAO PHRAYA CRUISE 02-541-5599 | www.chaophrayacruise.com ■ GRAND PEARL CRUISE 02-861-0255 | www.grandpearlcruise.com ■ HORIZON CRUISE The Shangri-La | 02-266-8165-6 | www.shangri-la.com ■ LOY NAVA 02-437-4932 | www.loynava.com ■ MAEYANANG The Oriental Hotel | 02-659-9000 | www.mandarinoriental.com ■ MANOHRA CRUISES 02-477-0770 | www.manohracruises.com ■ WAN FAH 02-222-8679 | www.wanfah.com ■ YOK YOR 02-863-0565 | www.yokyor.co.th

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thai cuisine

Did you know?

Phat-Phak-Ruam (Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables)

T

he chance to sample some authentic Thai cuisine is one of the best reasons to visit (and linger in) Bangkok. Its astonishing variety of flavours and textures, which comes from a marriage of centuries-old Western (namely Portuguese, Dutch and French) and Eastern (think Indian, Chinese and Japanese) influences, ranks Thai as one of the best cuisines in the world.

The traditional Thai way of living unified people with their environment. Meals were communal events uniting families with the seasons. Rice is the main staple, accompanied by myriad curries and side dishes made from local ingredients.The pre-industrial custom of wrapping foods in natur al Eating is a materials per sists communal t o d a y ; l a b o u rand intensive desser ts social affair in or savoury mousses Thailand. are wrapped in banana leaves and the tops of coconuts are chopped off for a quick and refreshing elixer. Eating is a communal and social affair in Thailand. Once Thais sit together, they automatically take care of one another. No Thai dish is an independant one; they’re all meant to be shared.

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Thai beliefs about the cooling and heating properties of different foods – particularly fruits – are influenced

by Chinese concepts of yin and yang. Excessive consumption of heating fruits like durian (the fetidly fragrant “King of Fruits”) can lead to fever, cold sores, and a sore throat, according to traditional beliefs; overindulgence in cooling fruits like pears can result in dizziness and chills.

So if you are feasting on durian, make sure to eat plenty of mangosteen, the cooling Queen of Fruits, to balance everything out.

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Thai Food 101 ■ Popular Thai Dishes Here’s a sampling of great local dishes to look for – and it’s just the tip of the iceberg: Tom yam goong........spicy shrimp soup Tom kha gai.....chicken in coconut soup Phad thai............Thai-style fried noodles Mu/gai sa-te.........pork/chicken skewers Som tam.......spicy green papaya salad Yam nua.......spicy beef salad Gai yang..........grilled chicken Phanaeng............curry coconut cream Kaeng phet pet yang.........roast duck curry Kaeng khiao wan gai.....green curry chicken Phad kaphrao.........stir-fried meat with sacred basil Gai phad met mamuang himmaphan .......stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts ■ Drinks Most street vendors offer a range of normal drinks but there are always some surprises available. Try any of these liquid specialties when eating on the streets.

Nam ma prao.......................coconut juice Nam krajeab .............rosella flower juice Nam matoom ....................bael fruit juice Nam ta-krai ...................lemongrass juice Nam tao hoo.................hot soy bean milk Cha yen............................Thai iced tea with

condensed milk bangkok 101

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thai sweets Kanom Thai

‘Polamai’: Thai Fruits

It’s often a strange land for foreign eyes, but weirdness is all relative. To you those fuzzy, furry, spiky, hairy, sometimes humongous obscure items are just downright bizarre. But to the locals well, it’s just good ol’ healthy nutritious fruit. Having unfamiliar names like rambutan, mangosteen and durian only lends to the mysterious, perhaps even scary, stigma surrounding Thai fruits. Fruits are often eaten as a snack or transformed into a dessert, or featured in meals.

Particularly coconuts. Street carts patrol the sidewalks with ice-chilled offerings of seasonal fruits. However these vendors don’t exactly uphold hygiene standards, so proceed at your own discretion. All fruits are almost always available year round in supermarkets, but some are better at certain times of year. Here’s a look at what and when to eat.

Custard Apple

Known as noy na in Thai, the custard apple is one multi-functional fruit. Obviously it’s good for eating, even though its bumpy skin might not be much to look at. When ripe it turns a yellowish brown and has a creamy, custard-like flesh. It can be made into a sweet drink and has been used as a milk substitute. Other interesting known uses for the fruit and its tree include using the bark to treat skin diseases, as well as on the gums to treat toothache.

The leaves are believed to be able to heal tumors while the unripe fruit has been used to combat against diarrhea and dysentery.

They have also been used in dyes and inks. If that’s not enough for you, the seed oil’s methyl ester levels meet the US requirements for biodiesel! It surely sounds like a custard apple tree might be a pretty sound investment.

The word Kanom is much too schizophrenic to be summed up as Thai desserts. Although most anything that’s sweet will be categorized as a Kanom, anything that you would normally snack on would be considered one as well; a pack of chips or crackers would qualify.

You may not be too familiar with traditional Thai desserts as you’d often have to go to specialty stores or stalls to find them. Restaurants often omit them from the menu, partly due to the specific ingredients and preparation time required and also because it isn’t customary to have a dessert to end your meal.

To the uninitiated the sights of shocking green foods of any kind may scare you off but this is only a reflection of the age-old traditions of using ingredients, like pandan and coconut, which are indigenous to this region and provide to its intense colours.

Try This!

Kanom Chun Like a Thai Jello, it is made of Tapioca flour, sugar and, what else, coconut.

Chun, the Thai word for floors or layers, is clearly reflected in these lil’ green squares consisting of nine thin sheets that can be peeled off and gobbled individually, or just bite into the damn thing if you’re impatient.

Try also:

Coconut (Ma-Praow), Guava (Farang), Banana (Kluay), Papaya (Malakor), Mangosteen (Mong-Koot), Durian (Tu-Rian), Mango (Ma Muang), Rambutan (Ngoh), Lychee (Lyn-Chee) bangkok 101

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street eats

Street Food Hotspots

S

treet food is a central ingredient in the stew of Bangkok’s culture.

So much so that if you took away the city’s rot khen (mobile vendor carts) it would begin to taste rather bland. Some open for lunch only; others open all night. Though common to every street, knowing which carts sell what, when and where is a skill many Bangkokians pride themselves on. Short on time? Then make for one of the following hotspots, where clusters of vendors sell good feeds for pocket-change.

ealikte

Nym

Our roving street-food eater Nym knows her local grub inside out – and thrives on the stories behind the dishes. Each month, she takes an offbeat tour in search of the next delectable morsel.

From roadside vendor stalls to hidden restaurants, serious foodies would be well advised to follow her trail.

Harmonious Pork Curry

When I recently hooked up with some visiting friends in the old town, we choose to meet in the vicinity of the 100 year-old house they were staying at. It was easier for them – and a blessing for me: this hood, around the Giant Swing by the famous Wat Suthat temple and Bangkok’s City Hall, teems with old-school food well done.

Many old shophouses serving authentic street-level fare do a brisk trade here but after exploring for a bit we settled on one on Soi Mahanop: Niyom Pochana, a third generation restaurant specialising in red marinated BBQ Pork or moo daeng, as well as moo sam chan or three-layered crispy pork.

Niyom Pochana is renowned for these specialities, but I’m particularly crazy about their beef stew and curry pork; which are both so good that I’ve been known to buy portions here and pack them in Tupperware for my foodie pals up in Chiang Mai. If that sounds a bit OTT, just you wait till you’ve tried them.

Unlike any Thai or Indian curry I know, the gravy sauce of the pork curry, which is eaten over rice, doesn’t burst with spice flavors but instead offers a beguiling creamy curry texture. Meanwhile, the stewed beef also has its own character. It’s hard to describe but let’s just say that here the stew’s beef is cooked until it is soft and spices seep inside it, and yet these spices are carefully balanced so as not to overpower the beef.

Both these dishes I could happily eat everyday for a week. If you’re partial, lively them up by adding some chopped fresh green chilli from the bowls on each table.

Address: Niyom Pochana is at 109 Soi Mahannop. At one end of this street is the Jao Poe Sue (God of Tiger) shrine; Niyom Pochana is at the other, a few doors down from the intersection with Thanon Dinso. Open 10:30am5:30pm Tel: 02-224-1196 62

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Sukhumvit Soi 38 Directly beneath BTS Thong Lo station, the mouth of this soi fills up with food vendors selling late-night delicacies to revellers. Sample the delicate, hand-made egg noodles, or Hong Kong noodles; and never head home without trying the sticky rice with mango.

Surawong A long row of street vendors offers special noodle dishes along this street near Patpong Night Market. Be sure to try the stewed chicken noodles in herbal soup in front of the Wall Street Building. Stalls are open from 10pm until 4am.

Corner of Silom/Convent Road The stalls at the mouth of Soi Convent are popular with inebriated night crawlers; but it’s the B10 sticks of moo ping (grilled pork) served by one rotund, Zen master vendor that are justly famous. Go before the bars close (about 2-3am) to avoid the queues.

Pratunam Midnight khao mun gai (Hainanese chicken rice)! There are two shops at the intersection of Pratunam (on corner of Petchaburi Road Soi 30); the first one is brighter and good, but if you like your sauce authentic – with lots of ginger – go to the second one. Also, try the pork satay with peanut sauce.

Chinatown Shops fill the streets after dark.There’s an amazing range to sample, but a must-try for seafood fans is the vendor at the corner of Soi Texas.

A bit farther on the other side of the street you can get delicious egg noodles with barbecued pork. For dessert, try fantastic black sesame seed dumplings in ginger soup next door.

Soi Rambutri (near Khao San Road) Many a hangover has been stopped in its tracks after a pre-emptive bowl of jok moo (rice porridge with pork) from the stall in front of Swenson’s.

Popular among tipsy Thai teenyboppers, this is just one of Soi Rambuttri’s many late night food stalls. bangkok 101

restaurants

Cafe Chilli

THAI CAFE CHILLI (map C3) G Floor, Siam Paragon, 991 Rama 1 Road, Pathumwan | BTS Siam | 02-610-9877 | www.cafechilli.com | 11am – 9pm | $ The bottom-up appeal of Isaan food is on full view in Cafe Chilli at lunchtimes, when the place buzzes with posh office princesses, immaculately coiffed khun yings, gangs of schoolchildren and, that rare thing, dapper expats.

Maybe it’s the air-con. Maybe it’s the classy (for a mall) interior, lent an old Chinese apothecary feel courtesy of black teak and shelves. Or maybe it’s that the smart Isaan food lives up the menu’s saab lai der (that’s Isaan for very delicious) tagline, with herbs and spices and flavours kept respectfully intact. Take the som tom pu maa.

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Though it could have done with an extra chilli, ours was funky and fresh, leaving us with zesty lips. Even better was the grilled lamb rack served with nam jim jaew dip and wonton-style rolls of sticky rice – one of the fanciest Isaan dishes we’ve ever had, and also, staggeringly, among the tastiest. The tom saep moo soup was a little flat and forgettable – we prefer the tarter versions found on the street – but still, there’s an admirable keep-it-authentic philosophy at play here. We were expecting Isaan fusion horrors but found none, making this the place to go when you want a tasty laab but not the maddening heat, exhaust fumes and wobbly plastic stool that so often comes with it.

HOME KITCHEN (map C3) 94 Langsuan Rd | BTS Chit Lom | 02253-1888 | 8am-midnight | $ If you want a place to come and enjoy the simple joy of eating delicious local food – no fuss, no pretence, no huge bill – check out Home Kitchen, or Khrua Nai Baan. Its two houses opposite Lang Suan Soi 6 (one modern, the other a gracefully rickety wooden house) are unremarkable, yet the kitchen here shines as one of the best in town for its authentic Thai, Chinese and seafood cuisine. Don’t miss the deep fried fish with mango salad; steamed prawns with chillies and lime sauce; or the stir fried crab with curry powder. These and many offer classics simply excel here, and though this is no tourist trap, the experience is enhanced by one of the most comprehensive and well-illustrated menus in town.

Unusually for a place that doesn’t specialise in it, the dim sum is also very good – fresh, big, firm and succulent.

ร้านครัวในบ้าน ถ.เพลินจิต ตรงข้ามหลังสวน ซ.7

สยามพารากอน

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Ton Krueng

TON KRUENG (map E4) 239 Sukhumvit Soi 55 | BTS Thong Lo | 02-185-2871~3 | 11am-10:30pm | $ Low ceiling, tables set too close together, a simple red awning – the street view of this place gives no indication of the fantastic sprawl of its menu or its outside dining area.

Walking through the hectic front portion and head out back, until you reach fairy lights and boisterous Thai families fighting each other over haw mok khanom khrok, soufflé-ish steamed seafood bites nestled under little clay lids; enormous fried fish topped with spicy green mango salad; a pomelo salad fat with fruit and chillies. The plus-sized menu ranges through more uncommon Thai offerings, including regional delicacies like sulfurously funky sa-toh, and then tacks on pages of Chinese plates. Perfect for raucous groups. Before you push back from the table, sample the Western desserts from the attached bakery, or soothe that burning tongue with Thai ice creams and shaved ice-sweets.

ต้นเครื่อง ซ.ทองหล่อ สุขุมวิท 55

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La Table De Tee

International La Table de Tee (map C4) 69/5 Sala Daeng Rd., Silom | BTS Sala Deang, MRT Silom | 02-636-3220 | www.latabledetee.com | Tue – Sun 6:30pm-10:30pm | $$ At the ripe young age of 25, Chef Chatree “Tee” Kachornklin returns home with six years of experience already under his belt in London’s Michelin-starred Roussilon restaurant, where he climbed his way up the ladder, from kitchen hand all the way to Sous Chef. Now back in Bangkok, Tee makes his local debut with a restaurant that is bolder and more ambitious than its modest and intimate setting might suggest. La Table de Tee offers a six-course tasting menu which changes on a weekly basis. No A La Carte. That might be a norm for many establishments overseas, but it’s an outer worldly, brain-freeze-inducing predicament for Bangkok’s picky diners,

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where options are an absolute must.

Chef Tee’s youth also shows up in his marketing strategies, having already gained almost 2,500 fans on his Facebook group, where he offers his followers special deals and discounts. His rotating menu blends classical French techniques with fresh local ingredients like fruits and vegetables from the Royal Project. While Tee gets full marks for presentation and dishes like the Tomato Consommé with Tiger Prawn Ravioli were delicate, and his chocolate praline and strawberry sorbet an impeccable meal-ender, the execution on some other items, like the unevenly cooked steamed seasoned vegetables and the way-too-dry pork loin, shows there are still likely to be some growing pains for this young restaurant and its talented chef, who definitely has the potential to really make a name for himself in Bangkok’s restaurant scene.

ลา เทเบิล เดอ ที สีลม

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Mister Pas

Cafe Momo

CAFÉ MOMO Marriott Executive Apartments Sathorn Vista, 1 Soi Suan Plu (Sathorn 3) | 02343-6789 ext. 6925 | $ It’s not easy being a serviced apartment restaurant. Try to lure in restaurant goers and you risk alienating your bread and butter – the hotel guest who simply wants reliable stodge. Go the safe route and you risk obscurity, being written off as one of those legions of joints that probably does an ok carbonara but really has no standout features. On the face of it, Café Momo has gone for the latter: a swish modern classic dining room on Soi Suan Plu, lovely to look at, but a bit morose in the evenings, when no one bar a few hotel guests seems to come here. Where it does buck the trend

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though is in the kitchen. Head chef Sombat, formerly of the Courtyard Marriott, knocks out some decent global fare, like seared sesame crusted tuna with a spot-on wasabi-tinted mayonnaise and Australian lamb rack with spinach ravioli, among others.

None of its mind-blowing, but it does rival the food at many of its standalone competitors. For a quiet dinner (and we’re talking ghost-town quiet) in the Sathorn area Café Momo is a solid option, especially as there’s good wine and you’re likely to have a waitress all to yourself. Chat to her though and even she’ll tell you that lunchtimes here are better, when office workers take advantage of some enticing set menus (B190 net and up).

คาเฟ่ โมโม

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Mister Pas (map A3) 140 Phra Athit Road, Phra Nakorn | 02629-3207 | Tue-Sunday noon-10:30pm| $ Now here’s a find: a petite shophouse restaurant overlooking the city’s historic, freshly whitewashed Phra Sumen Fort. With only four tables, dinner reservations are a must at Mister Pas, a two-man/one-girlfriend show serving up globetrotting dishes that often dazzle. Although the location is grand and the lattes are worth writing home about, most customers are lured inside this funky bare concrete shell simply out of disbelief at the pocket-sized proportions. The menu tells the story of chef ’s 18 years spent cooking up hearty dishes for New Zealand’s culinary scene, featuring well-done global fare like Hawaiian chicken bacon burgers and Italian omelettes with melted mozzarella.

It’s all earnestly cooked in a live open kitchen in front of you, so expect to be salivating like a rabid dog by the time those perfectly pan-fried quesadillas with prawns arrive in front of you.

มิสเตอร์พาส ถ.พระอาทิตย์

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chic bangkok Cheryl Tseng

Mayom Puri

BEST FOR International/ Thai WHERE 22 Chakraphong Rd, 02-629-3883 OPEN 3pm – 1am PRICE $$

This massive resort-style eatery and bar – a refreshing oasis near Khao San Road –attracts spill-over backpackers and locals to Bangkok’s old town. Wander around the multi-tier eatery to admire the infinity ponds and waterfalls before settling amidst the garden.There is a beautiful Thai style high-ceilinged pavilion for indoor dining. Both outdoor and indoor bars provide standard cocktails, spirits, mixers and a variety of beers. At night, with its atmospheric illumination over the lush plantation, this enchanted spot mesmerises diners with its tasty nibbles of fish and chips, onion rings, deepfried chicken knuckles, and fried shrimp cakes that go down well with ice cold beer. The extensive menu also consists of Western dishes such as steaks and pastas as well as authentic Thai fare such as tom yam soup, spicy Thai salads, curries that don’t compromise the spice quotient. Head downstairs for an English-style drinking hole, where sports are played on flat televisions and a game of table football will work up a thirst.

Chic Restaurants & Bars Bangkok is a compact food and style lover’s bible showcasing Bangkok’s most fabulous venues for dining and drinking. Global gourmand Cheryl Tseng leads you to the capital’s finest food, and its most striking décor. Each month we take a sneak peek inside, and share a taste here. A definite must-have for travelling foodies, get yourself a copy of the new 3rd edition at local book shops, or visit www.chicasia.com.

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Moddy

Italian

Venezia

MODDY (map C2) 18 Soi Ari 4, Phaholythin 7, Phayathai | BTS Ari | 02-617-0108 | 5pm - 1am (closed Sun) | $ One of favourite excuses for disembarking at BTS Ari, this simple white-wash townhouse is an art galleryrestaurant combo where local poets, photographers and the owner’s friends come for backyard-in-suburbia vibes, monthly art exhibitions and simple yet succulent Thai and Italian food. Coolerthan-thou, hipster-hell? It would be were the staff not so down-to-earth, the stereo selection good and the place 100% free of air-kissie antics.You’ll probably want to enjoy your beers

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and beef jerky on the porch’s garden chairs but upstairs is more suited to group dining (plus, if the conversation’s going nowhere at least the tasteful tschotchkes and wall-art all make good talking points).Though you’re unlikely to be floored by the food, the two menus – Italian and Thai – complement each other nicely. We enjoyed the tender steak with rocket salad, fried seafood rice in pineapple, Moddy chicken wings and the salmon steak spaghetti with lemon butter sauce almost as much as the fleeting company of the jovial abstract artist/sculptor and restaurant owner, Khun Chalit.

มอดดี้ ซ.อารีย์ 4

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VENEZIA (map D3) Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana | 02-254-6655 | 11:30am–2:30pm, 5:30pm–11:30pm | $$$ Sandwiched between Bed Supperclub and the Temples Irish Bar, Venezia is a swish and authentic Italian restaurant with a menu that leans heavily towards the classics.

Ingredients here are a healthy mix of local and imported produce, while the wine list is resolutely Italian – as it should be.

Excellent starters include rocket salad with porcini mushrooms and very fresh prawns, and a variation on foie gras.

For main courses, a standout is the cod in white wine sauce, while the lamb shank is also worthy of praise, here coming with a very moreish mashed potato, prepared Italian-style with olive oil and parmesan cheese. For dessert, the baked ice cream and raspberry compote comes highly recommended and should be enjoyed alongside some of chef Vito’s special limoncello… and an espresso, of course.

เวเนเซีย สุขมุ วิท ซ.11 ใกล้เจเจแมนชัน่

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Food&Drinks

Neighbourhood Nosh:thanon dinso

Ratchadamnoen Road

Each month we stake out one of the city’s best neighbourhoods for eating out, and serve you the nitty gritty in an easily digestible, bite-size format.

Mahannop Road

Tanao Road

Mont Nom Sod

P

encil-making is what Dinso Road used to be known for.

Today this august old city street is better known for being the home of the city’s iconic Giant Swing (p32), not to mention loads of good street-level food. As is typical for this part of town, here it typically comes served in an old shophouse, complete with roll-up shutters, open kitchen and grandma in apron. Most specialise in one or a few dishes – and, as the laminated newspaper articles hung proudly on the walls suggest, do them very, very well.

Sitting only a short way down from the Democracy monument, on the left hand side, is a branch of much lauded old-timer Khrua Apsorn [1]. If it doesn’t fit into the mould outlined above that’s because it doesn’t just do one dish well, but lots of them. The food is authentic, often hard-to-find

Tip Bakery

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8

Wat Suthat Thepwararam

Sao Ching Cha (Giant Swing)

6 5

4 3

2

Dinso Road 1

BKK Metropolitan Administration Building

Thai the old-fashion way and beloved of Thai princesses and finicky locals. In the evening we recommend booking a table in advance (02-685-4531).

On the opposite side are lots more dinky shophouse restaurants; among them Namo’s Kitchen [2] (a smart Thai restaurant), Tip Bakery [3] and, next door, decent vegetarian cubbyhole Arawy [4] (look for the yellow bunting). However, all are small fry compared to almost 50-year-old Bangkok institution Mont Nom Sod [5]. Fresh milk and bread is pretty much all that’s served in this modern space with plate-glass windows… and yet it’s one of the busiest sweet stops in town. Join the queue, order in some steamed bread, sang kha ya (coconut egg custard) and a cup of the good stuff and you’ll find out why – eat here once and you’re a fan for life.

Further down is shabby but yummy khao mun gai stop Chaiyo [6], where B25 buys you some of the best chicken on rice in town; and, further still, is Tian Song Ped Yang [7]. In this big, open-fronted double shophouse fans whirl overhead as locals sit feasting on grub cooked in the open kitchens that flank either side. They offer a big menu of Thai Chinesey chow but to food & drinks

7

Democracy Monument

start yourself off try the big, meaty dim sum; the pork satay; or the soft, juicy, flavourful ped yang (roast duck). Keep going further and you’ll pass Shuan Shim [8], a well-known that dishes up a mean, award-winning meat-ball soup – look for the white signage with the noodle bowl icon to the left of it.

If by this stage you can still move, turn right onto Soi Mahanop and a whole new neighbourhood of cheap eats presents itself, but that’s another story, for another month. Tune in next month for nearby Tanao Road and Phraeng Bhuthorn.

Getting there Thanon Dinso is not far from Khao San Road. If you’re coming from there head for the city’s Ratchadamnoen Road and turn right at the Democracy Monument’s roundabout.

Tian Song Ped Yang

bangkok 101

Food courts

Much as we love cheap and tasty street food, non-wobbly tables and a little air-conditioning can go a long way.

That’s why the Thai god of grub invented food courts!

MBK: The Food Center (6F, 10am9pm) is cheap, chaotic and jampacked with yummy Thai grub. Most dishes are around the B40 mark. Just below the Food Centre is the Fifth Food Avenue (5F, 10am-9:30pm), a more upmarket collection of independent eateries (figure B150 for a dish) with good variety of international food, including Greek, seafood and Mexican options.

Siam Centre: If you have a thing for molded plastic seats and vivid orange colour schemes, then baby, you’ve just hit the motherlode. Migraine-inducing décor aside, Food for Fun (4F, 9am-9pm) is a cheap and cheerful spot where B40-50 gets you a huge pile of reasonable Thai grub and the chance to tut at spiky-haired teenagers.

Paragon: You can stare at a table-top aquarium while you munch your noodles; but you’re paying about B70 for those noodles. And they ain’t all that.

The Food Court (B1, 10am10pm) dining hall gets packed too, making seats hard to come by and the atmosphere far from relaxing.

CentralWorld: Flavour (7F, 10am-10pm) at the back of the Food Hall supermarket is really comfortable and has some cracking options at good prices.

Figure on B50 a dish.

Also in CentralWorld, on the seventh floor of Zen department store, is Food Loft (10am-10pm). Easily the most successful attempt at a mid-range food court, this plush, glass-walled offers up top-notch international fare. Try the Vietnamese noodle salad at B110. There’s another branch of Food Loft at Central Chitlom.

Emporium: Probably the nicest food court on the mall-beat is the Food Court (5F, 10am-9:45) at Emporium. Clean, decked out like a library and with pleasant views over Benjasiri Park, the Food Court has lots of good Thai/ Chinese standards priced at B50-60. bangkok 101

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authentic French, without the typical French price tag. Most popular are Lobster Bisque, Foie Gras Ravioli, Frog Legs, Pot au Feu, Duck à l’Orange and tantalizing desserts. Reserve a table, if you don’t want to wait at the bar.

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VEGETARIAN

Imoya

JAPANESE

FRENCH

IMOYA (map D4) 3/F Terminal Shop Cabin, 2/17-19 Sukhumvit 24 BTS Phrom Phong | 02663-5185 | 5pm – midnight | $$ An upstairs hidey-hole just yards from Emporium mall, Imoya resembles a gritty Tokyo joint from a noir 1970s gangster flick – and comes off all the more memorable for it. Tatty old Japanese B-movie and beer posters adorn the corrugated iron walls, while the staff flit up and down the skuzzy, oddly alley-like corridors, serving cures for homesickness to Bangkok’s salarymen. Lone sake sippers sit up at the moody sushi bar while groups grab a table or cubicle with tatami mats, and those allergic to Imoya’s tobacco tang (erm, hello, smoking ban?) grab the smoke-free seats. Reasonable prices and bags of variety on the plasticbacked menu make this a good place for impulse ordering. Tuck into the sanma yaki fish or kimuchi nabe (vegetable hotpot) and don’t be surprised if you find yourself demanding another – we did. Not that everything’s great. The sashimi’s ok, for example, but not a patch on the stuff you find in the best hotels, while the maguro don (tuna over rice) just left us shrugging our shoulders. Well worth seeking out then – where else in Bangkok can you sink glasses of sake while pretending you’re a yakuza boss with nothing to lose? – but do beware the odd duff dish.

LE BOUCHON (map C4) 37/17 Patpong Soi 2, Surawong Rd | BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Silom | 02-2349109 | Mon-Sat noon-mignight, Sun 7pm-midnight | $$ Hurry past Patpong Road’s Hermés fakes and touts advertising ping pong shows and step into this memorable miniature France, reminicent of a resto on a tiny Lyonnais side street. It’s a low ceilinged, narrow, dark place packing in only nine tables and a wide bar, at which the owner seems to sit night after night. Euro expat regulars sit next to undercover Thai politicos, munching on fantastic home-style cooking. The food is all about quality and taste, and is selected from a regular and a weeklyupdated menu written on a blackboard.

It’s somewhat Southeastern (think meats in sauces) but really is just plain

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KHUN CHURN (map E4) Ground floor, Bangkok Mediplex, Sukhumvit Soi 42 | BTS Ekamai | 02713-6599 | $ Easily one of the best places to enjoy vegetarian takes on traditional Thai food – or arhan jay as it’s called – is the brand new Khun Churn. That’s partly because there aren’t that many choices; but mainly because the owner and chef Khun Churnjuti knows her veggie victuals inside out, having founded the much lauded original branch up in Chiang Mai.The menu sports a dizzying array, from starters with bite (try the spring rolls) to sprightly mushroom salads, faux-meat mains like tofu-laden red duck curry to one-meal dishes like khao soy. Flavours are surprisingly sparky given the hard-line healthiness – everything’s organic and free of MSG and sugar, not just meat – and the prices low considering how slick the service and pine dining room is. In fact your only gripe may be with the view from your chair or cushioned banquette – of the rather soulless ground floor of Mediplex, the new hiso health mall Khun Churn’s a part of.

แบงคอกเมดิเพลกซ์ สุขมุ วิท 42

Khun Churn

food & drinks

bangkok 101

featured

restaurant

Bistro’y

The name Bistro’y was apparently chosen because, “It sounds similar to destroy. We have many styles of furniture and a blown up lemon tart on the menu”. I wasn’t able to sample the latter as the pastry ovens weren’t working on the night.

There’s a garden terrace outside, with a small lawn, trees and rubber plants; the inside is divided into three small sections: the wine bar, with a wall of rough-faced packing wood; a lounge, where eclectic furniture includes a chaise longue; and a six-table restaurant. It’s simple and warm, with low light and a red-wine paint job.

Food is likewise simple: the kind of dishes you might find in bistros from Paris to Languedoc. In the tuna tartar starter the good zesty WHERE 138/1 Thonglor Soi 11, fresh lemon flavour in the minced BTS Thong Lor, 02-381-2882, raw fish mixed with avocado is www.bistroybangkok.com OPEN not helped by the strong aroma 11:30am-2:30pm, 6.30pm-10.30pm of grated parmesan on the top, (last kitchen orders) PRICE $$ and the salad leaves had lost their crunch. And, while the grilled cod looked like it was recently a nice piece of fish, it was cooked to balsawood, so impossible to be sure.

The execution is really not great here, and it’s not the kind of place you’d travel across town for. But it’s cheap. You can pick up a free-range chicken fillet with cream and mushrooms for B280 (including tax), and eat it in pleasant friendly surroundings. Might that be enough?

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rn

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Mexican Charley Brown’s (map D3) 1/23 Sukhumvit 11 | BTS Nana | 02651-2215 | 5:30pm-11pm| $$ Sitting in amongst the Indian, Spanish and Thai restaurants that brighten up Sukhumvit Soi 11’s sub-soi is Charley Brown’s, one of the capital’s longest running Tex-Mex eateries, and one of the best places to get a dose of tried and trusted Americana. State number plates and classic car parts cling to the walls and late 80s radio-rock pipes through the air.

Yes, it’s kitschy; but that’s not always such a bad thing. In fact, it’s kind of comforting.

After all, who doesn’t yearn for a plate of nachos supreme and a good frozen Margarita from time to time? Free chips and salsa are a nice touch, and the weekend specials board (look out for snapper-loaded burritos) livens up a menu of sturdy standards. Do yourself a favour and start out with Mexican chicken wings which are smothered in tang and should sharpen your appetites for a sizzling plate of chicken and beef fajitas. The smoking strips come with flour tortillas, Spanish rice, cheese and plenty of extras which, when combined, made for a pretty satisfying feast.

ชาร์ลีย์ บราวส์ สุขุมวิท 11

The Garage Burger & Grill

Scandinavian AALTO KITCHEN (map B4) Sun Square 1035/6, Soi Silom 21 | BTS Surasak | 02-237-5953 | 10:am –11pm | www.aaltokitchen.com | $$ It’s one of Bangkok’s mini-injustices: while homesick Italians, Brits and Germans gorge, the Scandinavians go hungry. Or at least they did, until friendly young Finlanders, Juha and Sami, moved into Silom’s Sun Square parade and brought their families’ traditional recipes with them. Sit al fresco on the pedestrian parade, or head in and up to the clean, modern second floor.There’s not much to look at except black and white photos of crashing waves – aalto means wave in Finnish – but when the food’s this hearty and filling who cares?

Seriously, if you’re new to Nordic nosh expect starters, like the earthy Karelian

dim-sum featured

Silver Palace

Now officially this Dim Sum enthusiast’s favourite, the 23-year-old Silom institution is the crown jewel of all the WHERE 5 Soi Pipat, Silom Rd dim sum gems reviewed here. Look (map C4), 02-235-5118-9 BTS past the slightly tired décor and right Saladaeng OPEN 11am-2pm at the food. No flashy, fancy-schmancy PRICE B379++ tricks here, but it certainly doesn’t pull any punches. Just simply the best dim sum. Period. Biting into one of the steamed dumplings stuffed with gigantic prawns, or crunching into a fluffy deep-fried taro is nothing short of pure bliss. The ingredients here, particularly the prawns, are superbly fresh, and at B420net (min. 4 persons) for all-you-can-eat lunch, it’s a decisive knockout. This reviewer, who is still smacking his lips from the meal, can wholeheartedly say the quality and definitely the variety of the amazing dim sum at Silver Palace rivals, and in some cases, surpasses high-end hotels. And the superior price just deals the knockout punch to what was already no contest.

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pies (a Finish variant on pirozhkis), to result in “Where have you been all my life?” type proclamations. Conversely, if you’ve been praying for a tasty Norwegian dinner ever since you left Helsinki, you’ve just hit the motherlode.

Everything looked good here (the onthe-plate élan helps) but 101-approved dishes include the Gravlax (lovely salted Norwegian Salmon), Jansson’s temptation (Swedish casserole), cabbage rolls (tastier than they sound) and the cake-like, cinnamon apple pie.

อัลโต้ คิทเช่น ซันสแควร์ สีลม ซ.21

American The Garage Burger & Grill (map C3) 2nd Fl All Seasons Place, 87 Wireless Rd|BTS Ploen Chit | 02-685-3626 | FriSat 11am-10pm, Sun noon-10pm | $ Now, we have not gone mad. Yes, it’s a burger joint in a shopping mall but enter Owner Poo’s dreamcome- true and you’ll trust us again. ,Bordering on the kitschy (general Americana) and the freakish (car seats), the interior screams cozy and offhand-cool. While junior guests are handed a Nintendo, the floppy menu promises, “I’ll fill you up.” The Garage is a one-stop pit for homesick Chicagoans, sometime models and hi-so’s gone casual. Tuck in and pity the losers eating next door at that whopping fastfood place (which usually is empty, while at Garage booking ahead is never a bad idea). Thick, juicy burgers come with coleslaw and the whole shebang.

Meatloaf, hot dogs and other comfort dishes are served super-sized, so leave space for jaw-dropping desserts. The Root Beer Float will do the rest. Junior guests No more golden arches, dude.

ออลซีซั่นเพลส ถ.วิทยุ

food & drinks

bangkok 101

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runching is big in Bangkok. All five-star hotels and respectable cafés do them. Some are kid-friendly, others are strictly adult.You can get tipsy at some, while others focus on music. Curing a hangover? Need to eat al fresco? We offer you a sampling of Bangkok’s best.

brunching

featured

brunch Kiosk

While so many brunches all over town appear to be oneupping each other on the quest to blow you away and burst you apart with their midday culinary onslaught, it’s refreshing to encounter one that’ quiet, subdued, yet every inch as satisfying. Not every weekend should be spent elbowing through queues of hungry diners and whining children inside a stuffy hotel; sometimes all you need is an eggs Benedict and a cappuccino.

Tucked away in the back pocket of the ultra-popular shopping haven Emporium, Kiosk is such a place for those days. Located inside that fountain of knowledge, the creative juicing TCDC, the setup of this small café is reminiscent of Melbournian alley cafes with its silver chrome refrigerator and blackboard wallmounted menu, with the al fresco elements substituted with sweeping views of Benjasiri Park. Along with an assortment WHERE 6F, Thailand of pastries, salads, sandwiches Creative Design Center, and desserts, Kiosk serves up Emporium Shopping an all-day, Tuesday-Sunday Complex, 02-664-8702 brunch menu which includes BTS Phrom Phong the aforementioned classic, as OPEN Tue-Sun 9:30am– well as other hearty items that 9:30pm PRICE $ will get you off on the right foot: like thick-cut French toast with grilled peaches, a sweet poached pear in balsamic with mascarpone cheese, and our favourite, the country ham and egg with cheese sandwich. For once you can take your time to enjoy your meal without that urge to rush back into the usual, free-for-all madness of other brunches, and enjoy the eclectic selection of films being projected onto the large screen or listen to live jazz on Saturday evenings.

ห้างสรรพสินค้าเอ็มโพเรียม ติดสถานีรถไฟฟ้าพร้อมพงษ์

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Food&Drinks

tea

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or a break from the bustle of Bangkok, what could be more soothing than sipping a cuppa? Most upscale hotels and a growing number of stand-alone tea rooms serve afternoon tea. Some provide the traditional tray of sweets and savouries; others offer buffet or à la carte options for the hungry or the choosy. Mid-city or riverside, cosy or contemporary, whatever you choose, eat a light lunch or plan for a late dinner – these tea spreads are their own dose of decadence.

tea

featured

Al Majis

The sign may say Morrocan Tea Room, but the sight of this majestic mansion screams South American drug lord’s casa from a 1980’s gangster flick. If there’s one place to feel right at home while donning a flashy white suit and a widebrimmed fedora while clutching a cigar, this is it. Set up three years ago by the then-Moroccan Ambassador to Thailand, Al Majis sits inside a jaw dropping manor which had previous incarnations as a spa, a French restaurant, and most notably as the residence of Mah and Boonkrong Bulakul, the founders of one of Thailand’s largest rice businesses as well as the parents to the owners of the famous Chokchai Farm and MBK Center. A popular late night spot for the posh locals to enjoy a drink and a few puffs of shisha on one of the compounds various outdoor areas with cozy WHERE Praduu Spa Club 83/8 daybeds, bean bags, and Moroccan-style Soi Charoenchai (Ekkamai 12) tents, on weekends it features a series of BTS Ekkamai, 02-392-2345, tea-sets during the day time. With various www.almajlis-tearoom.com combinations of sandwiches, scones, cakes OPEN Mon-Fri 4:30pm-1am, and salads, each of the sets features an allSat-Sun 2pm - 1am PRICE $ you-can-drink deal on a large selection of premium teas from Harrods and Fortnum & Mason, amongst others, with the refreshing Moroccan Mint Tea being the clear crowd favourite. There’s also a selection of made-to-order desserts worth sampling, though easily the most memorable was the Khaffa, a traditional Moroccan dessert similar to a French Mille-Feuille though with a flowery and zesty orange blossom custard filling.

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High Teas ■ Café Gallery Unit 207, The Trendy Plaza, 10 Sukhumvit Rd Soi 13 | 086-5361275 | BTS Nana | www.the-cafegallery.com | daily 8am-9pm | $ ■ CHOCOLATE HIGH TEA IN A CLASSICAL KEY InterContinental Bangkok | 02656-0444 | daily 2:30pm-6pm | B390++ Mon-Fri, B450++ Sat&Sun ■ Diplomat Bar Conrad Bangkok, Wireless Rd. | 02-690-9999 | 2:30pm – 5:30pm | Single B410++, Couple B750++ ■ ERAWAN TEA ROOM Erawan Bangkok, 2nd Fl, 494 Ploenchit Rd | BTS Chit Lom | 02-250-7777 | Thai-style afternoon tea set daily, 2:30pm6pm | B220 net ■ Four Seasons Hotel Lobby 155 Ratchadamri Rd | BTS Ratchdamri | 02-250-1000 | 650++ (Mon-Fri) | B750++ (SatSun)| daily 2pm-5pm ■ HOLIDAY INN SILOM Holiday Inn Silom Bangkok, Silom Rd | BTS Surasak | 02-238-4300 | 3pm – 6pm | B380++ ■ Light High Tea Banyan Tree Bangkok, Lobby Lounge | 02-679-1200 | daily 1pm-5pm, B350++ ■ THE PENINSULA 02-861-8888 | daily 2pm-6pm | tea sets B450++ ■ LE MERIDIEN AFTERNOON TEA Plaza Athénée Bangkok 61 Wireless Rd |02-650-8800 | daily 3pm-5pm | 550 nett/ 1 person, 680 nett/2persons ■ LOBBY SALON The Sukhothai | 02-344-8888 | Mon – Thu 2pm -6pm | B800++ ■ Zest Bar & Terrace 7th Fl. The Westin Grande Sukhumvit 259 Sukhumvit Rd | BTS Asok MRT Sukhumvit | 02207-8000 | daily 2:30pm-5pm | B390++ to B695++

bangkok 101

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101

■ Sukhumvit Took Lae Dee Foodland Supermarkets Nana Branch | BTS Nana | Sukhumvit Soi 16 Branch | BTS Asok | open 24 hours Means “cheap and good” and it is for the most part. Round-the-clock diner serves Thai and Western food and is attached to a supermarket that never closes either.

Sunrise Tacos 236/3-4 Sukhumvit (btw Soi 12 and 14) | 02-229-4851 | BTS Asok | open 24 hours | www.sunrisetacos.com A little take-out joint serving Mexican fare and margaritas “by the yard” where you can get a super-sized halfkilo burrito. The presentation is a bit sloppy but by now, so are you.

Royal Kitchen 912/6 Soi Thong Lo (opp. Soi 25) | BTS Thong Lo | until 1am | 02-3919634| www.royalkitchengroup.com Congee, standard roast duck and BBQ pork along with a full Chinese menu.

■ Silom Eat Me Off Convent Rd In Pipat 2. | 02-238-0931 | BTS Sala Daeng | until 1am Half restaurant, half art gallery with innovative Thai and Pacific Rim cuisine.

Coyote on Convent Sivadon Building | 1/2 Convent Rd | 02631-2325 | BTS Sala Daeng | until 1am Tex-Mex Fare with an endless list of margaritas.

Bug and Bee 18 Silom Rd. | 02-233-8118 | BTS Sala Daeng | open 24 hours | www.bugandbee.com Four storey café offers up Thai and fusion dishes like curried crab crêpes.

Good Evening Restaurant 1120 Narthiwas-Ratchanakarin Soi 17 | 02-286-4676 | BTS Chong Nonsi | until 1am | www.goodeveningbkk.com Stylish Thai cuisine ■ Lang Suan Ngwan Lee Corner of Soi Lang Suan & Soi Sarasin | BTS Ratchadamri | 02-250-0936 | Until 3am This Soi Lang Suan stalwart is popular with clubbers; and the humdrum décor doesn’t distract from the reason why: excellent Thai/Chinese fare.

■ Khao San Padthai Thipsamai 313 Mahachai Rd (near the Golden Mountain) | 02-221-6280 | open 5pm3am | www.thipsamai.com If you’re around Khao San log in to this hole in the wall considered by most to have the best pad thai in Bangkok. And oh yeah, it’s probably the only pad thai with a website.

Mayompuri 22 Chakraphong Rd | 02-629-3883 | until 1am | www.mayompuri.com Garden dining amidst colonial architecture has both Thai and Western dishes.

late-night dining

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hais usually have dinner fairly early, on average around 6-7pm so visitors to Thailand may be surprised by the early closing times at restaurants which quite often take their last orders around 9:30-10pm.

So what do you do when you’ve just come out of that show or late-night movie? Or what if all that club-hopping has gotten your stomach growling?

No worries, as there’s food to be had at all corners at all times.

Obviously most hotels have 24hour restaurants, pub kitchens usually stay open till midnight (see Pub Crawling p.96) and certain areas are bustling all night (see Street Eats p.64). But with all due respect to the above we’ve come up with a list of excellent, independent establishments where you can settle in and tuck into a meal ‘round midnight and beyond.

Tom Yum Kung 9 Trokmayom | Off Khao San Rd. towards Police Station (Look for the big sign) | 02-629-1818 | until 2am | www. tomyumkungkhaosan.com Reasonably priced Thai food.

The Old PraAthit Pier Restaurant 23 Phra Athit Rd | 02-282-9202 | until midnight Thai food on a wooden deck right beside the pier.

Sunrise Tacos

Silk Bar and Restaurant 129-131 Khao San Rd | 02-281-9981 | Food until 2am, Closes at 6am | Thai and International Food

Ramen Tei 23/8-9 Soi Thaniya | Silom Rd | 02-2348082 | BTS Sala Daeng | until 2am Ramen noodles in Soi Thaniya.

Bug and Bee

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sweet treats

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ookies, Cakes, Pies, oh my! Thais surely love it sweet, taking every opportunity to lace their foods with sugar or syrup whether it is noodles or teas. Kids even drink sweetened milk! So it’s no surprise that almost everywhere you look there are bakeries or sweet shops selling sugary, creamy, crusty goodies for all. Of course with everything there’s good and bad. Though it’s hard to complain about desserts in general one has to keep in mind that not all are created equal. Rest assured the decadent little treats at these spots are surely from the upper crust.

desserts featured

KAKAO CAFÉ

It goes without saying that chocolate is a unifying force in this world which transcends barriers. Until a couple of years ago Bangkok was lacking in choices for connoisseurs of what the Mayan’s referred to as the food of the gods. Things are definitely looking up for chocoholics with Kakao café, fancy yet chill, this spot specializes in designer desserts going that aim to knock your socks off with an indulgent cocoa kick. Once you enter this posh WHERE 99/361-8 dessert boutique, a wide glass-display welcomes Sukhumvit soi 24 (opp. Camp you with a variety of chocolate pralines and Davis), 02-661-1777, www. truffles including a decadent 72% cocoa, and kakaocafe.com BTS Phrom the chilli infused Spicy Kakao, adding extra heat Phong OPEN 10 am-10pm to your bliss. Go for the Kakao Lava Melt, a soufflé-ish chocolate concoction. Grab your fork and pierce this seemingly benign morsel and watch as the thick, rich, chocolate centre oozes and slithers across your plate. All of the desserts are made fresh onsite everyday and you can admire the crafty team busy at work in the second floor kitchen. Kakao café gets a bit busy at night so maybe you and your loved ones can drop by in the late afternoon to enjoy the wonderful desserts with a bit of privacy.

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■ BAAN PRA ATIT COFFEE AND MORE 102/1 Pra Atit Rd | 02-2807878 | Sun-Thu 10am-9pm, Fri-Sat 10am-11pm ■ Cakewalk Natural Ville, 61 Langsuan Rd | 02-250-7050 | BTS Chitlom | daily 6am-10:30pm ■ CHERUBIN Sukhumvit Soi 31 | 02-2609800 | BTS Asoke | Tue-Sun 10:30am-7pm ■ Coffee Bean by Dao 20/12-15, Soi Ruamrudee, Ploenchit Rd | 02-254-7117-9 | daily 10am-10pm ■ Iberry Siam Square Soi2 | 02-6583829 | daily Sun-Thur 10am10pm, Fri-Sat 10am-10:30pm ■ JIM THOMPSON’s HOUSE 6/1 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama I Rd | 02-612-3601 | BTS National Stadium | Tue-Sun 9am-6pm ■ Kakao Café 99/361-8 Sukhumvit soi 24 (opp. Camp Davis) | 02-6611777 | BTS Phrom Phong | daily 10 am-10pm ■ KUPPA 39 Sukhumvit Soi 16 | 02663-0495 | BTS Asoke, MRT Sukhumvit | Tue-Sun 10:30am11:30pm ■ LE GOURMET 595/3-4 Sukhumvit Soi 33/1 | 02-258-5048 | BTS Phrompong | daily 9am-9pm ■ Mousses and Meringues 245 Sukhumvit Soi 31 | 02 662-1290 | BTS Phrompong | daily 10am-7pm ■ RUEN KHUN NOI 71 Sukhumvit Soi 4 | 02-2556049 | BTS Ploenchit | daily 10am-6pm ■ Saffron… just baked 86 Phra Athit Rd | 02-2814228 | daily 8am-9pm ■ Something sweet Sathorn 47/4 Soi Sathorn 8 Sathorn Nua, Silom | 02-235-4834 | BTS Chong Non Si | daily 10am-10pm ■ T42 4 Fl. Siam center Rama 1 Rd | 02-251-6197 | BTS Siam | daily 10am-9pm ■ THE ORIENTAL SHOP The Emporium, 5th Fl | 02664-8147~8 | BTS Phrom Phong | www.mandarinoriental. com | daily 10:30am-10pm ■ SEcret recipe La Villa, 1st Fl., Paholyothin Rd | BTS Aree, 02-613-0575 | www.secretrecipe.co.th | daily 10:30am-10pm

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Buffet Venues ■ TASTE Westin Grande Sukhumvit | 02-2078000 | 6am – 11pm | Breakfast B650++, Lunch 790++, Dinner B1,100++ ■ DINING ROOM Grand Hyatt Erawan | 02-254-1234 | Mon-Sat 12pm-2:30pm (3pm on Sat), Mon-Thu 6pm-10pm, Fri-Sun 6pm-10pm | lunch B780++, dinner Mon-Thu B1,150++, dinner Fri-Sun B1,499++ (seafood) ■ COLONNADE The Sukhothai 13/3 South Sathorn Rd | 02-344-8888 | noon-2.30pm | B980++ ■ ESPRESSO InterContinental Bangkok, Ploenchit Rd | 02-656-0444 | daily noon2:30pm, 6pm-10:30pm | B790++ (lunch) B990++ (dinner) ■ Panorama Restauarant Pan Pacific Bangkok | 02-632-9000 | 6:30am – 10:30am, 11:30am – 2:30pm | Breakfast 695 net, Lunch 690++ ■ No.43 BISTRO Cape House Serviced Apartment, Gr Fl, 43 Soi Langsuan| 02-6587444 ext.285 | daily 6am-midnight ■ Lord jim’s buffet Oriental Hotel Bangkok, Oriental Avenue | 02 - 659-9000 | Mon-Sat noon-3pm sun 11:30am-3pm | B1,295 net (Mon-Sat) B1,648 net (Sun) Booking advised. Smart casual dress code.

■ THE BRASSERIE Holiday Inn Silom, 981 Silom Rd | 02-238-4300 | daily noon-2:30pm and 6pm-10:30pm | lunch B707 net, dinner B824net, Friday Seafood Night B941net ■ Orchid Café Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit | 02649-8888 11:30am-2:30pm & 6:30pm10:30pm | Lunch 760++, Dinner (Mon-Thu) 1,050++, Dinner (Fri - Sun) 1,250++ ■ Citi Bistro Pathumwan Princess Hotel 1st Fl., near MBK | 02-216-3700 | 11:30am – 2:30pm, 6pm – 10pm | lunch B650net, dinner B1,300net

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angkok bites off way more than it can chew. We all know this is a great city for very high quality dining, but it’s also excellent for the gluttons among us, drawn to food in quantities. From street side moo krata joints that give you a sizzling skillet and let you loose on a pile of meat for less than B100, to the city’s ever-growing legion of fivestar hotels that offer up the utmost quality along with quantity, it’s a wonder how Thais stay in such good shape. Here is a sampling of Bangkok’s best eat-till-you-burst buffets.

all you can eat

featured

buffet

THE SQUARE

Only footsteps from the fashion rabbitholes and snazzy malls that make Siam Square a world-class shopping wonderland, the Novotel’s buffet is a no-brainer when post-spree hunger hits. Don’t focus too much on the garish red spaceship of a dining room and instead concentrate on the epic task ahead. The selection here is quite staggering, with a long L-shaped live kitchen surrounded by several little food islands and one square-shaped big one. Most start with a strategic attack of the appetizers looking pretty on the latter, among them salads, antipasti, sushi, sashimi and other chilled seafoods, WHERE 392/44 Siam Square like melt-in-your-mouth smoked salmon Soi 6, Rama I Rd., Pathumwan and yummy mussels (just divine with their BTS Siam, 02-209-8888 OPEN tangy nam jim seafood). Across the way 11:30am – 3pm, 6:30pm – is your live cooking, complete with pre10:30pm PRICE Lunch B599++, cooked dishes sitting in warming trays. On Dinner B799++, Thursday our Friday visit the focus was on forgettable Seafood Dinner B950++ European fare, like Chicken a la Crème, but being optimistic sorts we hold out more hope for Tuesday’s Asian Fusion and Thursday’s Seafood. Still, many things here do demand repeat visits: the carved roast ham; the made-to-order meats (think river prawns or tenderloin steaks, as you like them); the Thai food (as spicy as we’ve had in a buffet); and the pungent cheese corner, to name a few. Desserts, if you can handle them, span from dainty pastries (from well-respected in-house bakery La Brioche) and tarts to live-cooked crepes, ice-cream and, oh lord yes, a chocolate fountain.

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food & drinks

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wine

Siam Winery

‘New Latitude’ Thai wine featured

wıne bar Glass by Giusto

Joined at the hip to Guisto, a gloriously designed dining compound right smack in the heart of Sukhumvit, ultra-modern sister-site Glass boasts a wine selection whose sheer magnitude will probably pop some eyeballs. Venture to this slick, smart joint for a full dining experience, where Sommelier Guillo and Head Chef Fabio have worked hard to create wine dinners to thrill all your senses. As you thumb through the restaurant’s tempting menu they’ll be more than pleased to help you pair perfect combinations like smoked salmon with Prosecco WHERE Giusto, 16 or Tasmanian Lamb with Rosso de Conte Tasca Sukhumvit 23, Soi d’Almerita. And there’s no need to dine and Prasarnmitr (map D3) dash. This is a place to mellow post-meal, with BTS Asok MRT 400 choices of old world and new world offerings Sukhumvit 02-258to peruse in the after-dinner hours. The list is, 4321, 02-258-1159, unsurprisingly, heavy on the Italian influences. If www.giustobangkok. the whole bottle proves too decadent a proposition, com there are no less than 17 wines available by the glass starting from B300. Though the list is vast, it’s niftily charted by grape and region so your head won’t hurt from the range of choice.

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More Bangkok Wine Bars ■ BAR @ 494 Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, 494 Ratchadamri Rd | BTS Chit Lom | 02-2541234 ■ BACCHUS 20/6-7 Ruam Rudee, Ploenchit | BTS Ploenchit | 02-650-8986 ■ club nove La Villa Restaurant, 131 Thong Lo Soi 9 | BTS Thong Lo | 02-712-9991 ■ GLASS @ GIUSTO

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16 Sukhumvit 23 | BTS Asok, MRT Sukhumvit | 02-2584321, 02-258-1159 ■ OPUS 64 Pan Road, Soi Wat Kaek, Silom | BTS Surasak | 02637-9899 ■ VINO DI ZANOTTI 41 Soi Yommarat, Sala Daeng Rd | BTS Sala Daeng | 02-636-0855 ■ WINE BRIDGE PLUS 99/15-16 Langsuan Balcony, Langsuan soi 6-7 | BTS Chit

Lom, 02-251-2187 ■ WINE LOFT Sukhumvit 31 (Soi Sawasdee) | BTS Phrom Phong | 02-260-0027 ■ WINE & ME Sukhumvit Rd btw Soi 51&53 | BTS Thong Lo | 02-662-7605 ■ WINE PUB Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel | BTS Victory Monument | 02-680-9999

food & drinks

Thai cuisine is considered one of the world’s best, and deservedly so – fresh ingredients, complex flavours, and tangy, tongue-teasing dishes. One thing gourmets rarely expect to drink over a Thai meal is wine, for fear that the food’s piquancy would overpower any subtle flavours. But in recent years several Thai vineyards have sprung up; and they are fast beginning to make their mark in a market dominated, as one would expect, by the usual array of old and new world wines. Thai-made “New Latitude Wines” are mostly blended from grape varieties like Shiraz, Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The result is a tendency towards light to medium-bodied dry wines, which balance well with the richness of spicy Thai dishes. Several Thai wineries are within easy driving distance of Bangkok – around two hours away. Head for Hua Hin, or the favourable altitude, rich soil and microclimate around Khao Yai National Park. Learn more at: www.thaiwine.org bangkok 101

941 Sukhumvit Rd. Live Band Between Sukhumvit 51-53 Thu - Sat 8 PM - Midnight Mon - Sat 5.30 PM - 12.30 AM For Reservation Tel: 02-662-7605 www.wineandme51.com

Nightlife

one night in bangkok

Q Bar

B

angkok’s vibrant nightlife offers an almost infinite Cowboy (btw sois 21 & 23). And voguish but affordable amount of options – so much more than just the hotspots (all tall tables, live hip-hop and whisky-sippin’ naughty male’s One Night in Bangkok wet dream. urban youth) abound in the hot-to-trot sois of Thong A night out here can easily have you flitting between Lor and Ekamai (sois 55 & 63).

Northeast of the Sukhumvit conventional, cutting-edge and downright surreal, and usually in “Sukhumvit, Bangkok’s major area, Royal City Avenue – or thoroughfare and its myriad RCA (p.95) – features a malla matter of steps, or, failing that, a short taxi ride. It’s little wonder that adjoining sois, hosts many of strip of megaclubs where hordes of young, flir ty Thais congregate, Bangkok pulls in so many revellers the city’s best nightspots.” especially on weekends. Other from across the city – and beyond.

Glitzy bars and cocktail lounges attract the well-heeled notable hot spots include Bang Lamphu, the hedonistic and fabulous for slick drinks and smart design. Innovative backpacker hub that is legendary Khao San Road (p.94), nightclubs thrill international clubbers with rave-scene/ and the bohemian café/bar scene on Phra Athit Road. hip-hop culture sounds. Folksy jazz, blues and rock venues The Chao Phraya River has yet to live up to its please live music fans. Alternatively, sports junkies and the true potential as a nightlife centre. However, many of homesick have pubs… heaps of them, many as welcoming the city’s top hotels (The Oriental, Peninsula, Shangri-La, and well-stocked as your local boozer. Want to party till Millennium Hilton & Royal Orchid Sheraton) offer fivesunrise or thereabouts? Despite party-pooping official star cocktails, riverside. Alternatively, for bird’s-eye views closing hours (most venues must shut between 1-2am), of the river and high-altitude cocktails, turn to p.86. On and as long as you’re cool with doing it in a louche back- the following pages we list the cream of the crop – from lounges to live music venues, wine bars to nightclubs – street style, you can.

The lively Silom/Sathorn commercial district is a to help you achieve that perfect night out. throbbing nightlife centre. From Irish-themed pubs to Patpong’s glaring go-go scene, right through to pumping DJs and bars-in-the-sky (p.86), there’s something for all.

Nightlife Nous The city’s gay scene is also busiest here, with the pink flag Want the scoop on Bangkok’s notoriously under-theflying proudest around Silom sois 2 & 4, and the sleazier radar nightlife scene? Keep your eye on these websites Surawong Road. and before long you’ll be tipping off the locals.

Sukhumvit, Bangkok’s major thoroughfare, and its n www.bangkokgigguide.com – jazz, rock, reggae… myriad adjoining sois host many of the city’s flashest all the live music bases are covered in comprehensive, (and debauched) nightspots. On Soi 11, Q Bar and Bed night-by-night detail here.

Supperclub (p.84) lead the way in international-style n www.lastnightinbangkok.com – club scene listings & nightlife. The more degenerate side of Bangkok nightlife post-party galleries. shines in Sukhumvit’s two adults-only streetscapes – n www.bangkokrecorder.com – their gossipy forum is Nana Plaza (off Soi 4), and the more carnivalesque Soi where news of upcoming DJ fly-ins often breaks.

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nightlife

bangkok 101

r

Nightlife

nightclubs Clubbing in Bangkok? Stand-alone clubs are required by law to close at 1am, though many manage to stay open later; officially hotel nightclubs can stay open until 2am.

The legal drinking age is 20. All patrons must carry proof. No ID, no entry. No joke. And as of late, smoking inside bars is a no-no.

Q Bar

Bed Supperclub

BED SUPPERCLUB (map D3) 26 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana | 02651-3537 | www.bedsupperclub.com | nightly 7:30pm-1am ‘Bed,’ with its über-modern elliptical spaceship design, is a successful hybrid: fine dining on what may be the world’s largest sofas on one side, and an adjoining bar on the other. For the past seven years, Bed has attracted a fashionable crowd, and with its à-la-page white interior, is definitely a place to see and be seen. The food is world-class on the cosy restaurant side, and the sleek design extends to an all-white bar on the club side, where bartenders blend cocktails using everything from local herbs to cutting-edge foams and sorbets. Bed has talented resident DJs and brings over topclass world talent (including some very eclectic art) for special events. Tuesday’s hip-hop party Pop Champagne packs ‘em in while Wednesday’s Model Night throbs with Latin house music. Big-room house and mash-up hip-hop rules on Friday, and Sunday mixes 80’s pop hits with house music.

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Q BAR (map D3) 34 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana | 02-2523274 | www.qbarbangkok.com | 8pm-1am Long-standing, New York-style night spot Q Bar is well-known for pouring stiff drinks (there are over 70 varieties of topshelf vodka!) and its strong music policy, with international DJs leading the way. Q Bar raised the ‘bar’ for Bangkok nightlife nine years ago and is still going strong, with a flirty crowd every night and many big name guest DJs. Best nights: Sunday’s Gin & Juice hip-hop party, Wednesday’s Block Party with hip-hop & funk classics (ladies enter free), and Friday’s Houseduction.

Upstairs at Q a chic, remarkably different vibe resounds in the bar/lounge, especially on Mondays when jazz music rules the speaker system (and the downstairs dancefloor takes a rest). Some relative solitude and a choice pick ‘n’ mix of the expat and jetset scene can usually be found here and on the outdoor terrace, perfect for a breather, people watching and a late evening snack (including tasty meat wraps from a shawarma station).

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The Club

nightlife

The Club (map A3) 123 Khao San Rd,Taladyod, Phranakorn | 02-629-1010 | www.theclubkhaosan. com | B100 (including 1 drink) The walk-in crowd of young Thais and backpackers must surely be amazed to find they’ve entered a castle on Khao San Road. The spiral staircase of the central DJ platform and sky-high windows lend a fairy-tale vibe that would make Rapunzel want to let her hair down and hang loose. Musicwise, it’s a loud, banging house serving up the full range of 4/4 beats, from psy-trance to full on, cranium-rattling electro and techno. Ladies night on Thursdays treats the crowd to live percussion, and dancers entertain on Friday and Saturday nights. The drink prices are kind to your wallet and UV glowsticks handed out for free.

เดอะ คลับ ถ. ข้าวสาร

TAPAS (map C4) Silom Soi 4 | BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Silom | 02-632-7982 | 8pm-2am On the groovy little enclave of Silom Soi 4,Tapas is a party institution and one of the few mixed hang-outs on a heavily gay strip of lively bars and clubs. For more than 10 years it’s been pumping out excellent house music and live, bongo-bangin’ percussion sets as well. Multilevelled, with a dark, Moroccan feel, it’s easy to chill here, whether lounging or dancing your tail off! Like Soi 4 in general, weeknights can be hit-ormiss, but weekends are always hopping . ทาปาส สีลม ซ.4 bangkok 101

Calypso

CLUB CULTURE (map C3) Sri Ayutthaya Rd (opp. Siam City Hotel) | BTS Phaya Thai | 08-9497-8422 | www.club-culture-bkk.com | Tue-Sun 8pm-2am | B400 (incl. 2 drinks) This modish 1,000-capacity club attracts a cross-cultural mix of trendy Thais and expats and the diversity is mirrored in the music policy. They promote new talent, while also bringing in the big guns, ensuring an eclectic roster of breakbeat, electronica, trance, indie rock, drum ‘n’ bass and house music. Climb carpeted steps, pass through a curtained stairwell and you’ll enter a space where chandeliers and Thai wood carvings hang from the ceiling. Strategically placed structures, great for resting an elbow or a drink, dot the open-plan dance floor, surrounded by plush sofas and stools. It’s a beautiful building but the toilets lack a little finesse.

808 (map D3) RCA, block C | 02-203-1043 | MRT Pra ram 9 | www.808bangkok.com | 9am-late This slick nightclub – all imposing red lighting, exposed brick and steelcladding – has been a hit with clubbers ever since it landed on RCA in 2007.

The reason: the consistently worldclass line-up. Grandmaster Flash, James Lavelle and Derrick May to name but a few global DJ giants, have all rocked this post-industrial warehouse, aided in no small part by the ear-drum/body/ table rattling sound-system (watch that drink dance!). Head up to the balcony for a comfy leather perch, or gyrate with the diehards on the dancefloor.

Entrance prices vary depending on who is gracing the decks that night.

เอท โอ เอท อาร์ซีเอ บลอกซี

Demo

คลับ คัลเจอร์ ถ. ศรีอยุธยา

DEMO (map E4) Thonglor Soi 10 (next to Funky Villa) | BTS Thong Lo | 02-711-6970-1 | 8pm1am | free (except one-off parties) Is Demo a sign of clubs to come in Thonglor? Or just a blip on the slickly gentrified area’s cookie-cutter nightclub factory line? Time will tell. In the meantime, we strongly suggest you check out this ramshackle tenement building turned moody and very gritty warehouse. Not only does it look like a venue you’d find in shabby, hipsterheaving East London. It sounds like one too: instead of mainstream hiphop and live-bands, Demo’s DJs blast trendy nu-disco, house and electro through a kicking sound-system.

And when they do go hip-hop, on Wednesdays, they keep it old-school – kudos! Further boosting its streetcool hip quotient, 1980s Brooklynstyle graffiti covers the brick walls and a vintage white Toyota Celica gleams in one corner. They offer a huge range of (quite expensive) beers, shots and cocktails and, though it’s only recently opened, weekends are already packed out with an international crowd.

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bangkok 101

GLOW (map D3) 96/4-5 Sukhumvit Soi 23 | BTS Asok, MRT Sukhumvit | 02-261-3007 | | 6pm-2am This boutique club/bar/lounge challenges Bangkok’s biggies when it comes to delivering innovative music from the world of electronic pleasures.

An intimate, stylish cave is decked out in dark walls, funky seating, innovative lighting and a dramatic bar. The music palette changes night-to-night, with deep-house and electro looming large and no hip-hop (hurrah!). Foxy coyote girls, dancing on the bar, make queuing for drinks here something of a guilty pleasure. For details and regular updates, check Glow’s cool and up-todate website.

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nightlife

Cabarets MAMBO (map C4) 59/28 Rama 3 Rd | 02-294-7381-2 | show time 7:15pm, 8:30pm, 10pm (please reserve for 10pm) | B800, VIP B1,000 The mother of Bangkok drag cabarets, tongue-in-cheek Mambo is still going strong, thanks to its fab ensemble of the city’s most glam kathoey giving their all amid rather drab décor. The very popular show is somewhat mainstreamy, but its professionalism keeps you entertained. The gals are so good they’ve even toured London.

Be prepared for mimed pop tunes, Broadway evergreens, glitz and big, big melodrama.

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CALYPSO (map C3) Asia Hotel | 296 Phaya Thai Rd | 02-216-8937| daily 8:15pm & 9:45pm | www.calypsocabaret.com | B1,200 (includes 1 drink) Bangkok’s biggest drag show cabaret features more than 50 kathoey (ladyboys) in a gender-bending and dazzling show twice a night. The show’s a rollercoaster of fun: envisage Madonna and Marilyn mimes, Nippon kitsch and the Paris Folies. Their Spice Girls are frighteningly good. Calypso offers an intriguing blend of the comic, the sexy and the bizarre. Don’t be afraid to take the kids along.

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Nightlife

bars with a view

Fed up with Bangkok’s fume-filled streets? Fancy a breather? Take to the skies. Bangkok offers a clutch of dramatic high-altitude bars (both indoor and outdoor) from where to survey the glittering skyline below.

Red Sky

THREESIXTY (map B4) 32F Millennium Hilton Hotel |123 Charoennakorn Rd | BTS Saphan Taksin | 02-442-2000 | 5pm-1am A beacon over Bangkok’s night sky is ablaze. Picture a gorgeously moody, sexy place with world-class jazz, awesome cocktails and hear t-stopping views. Sprinkle this with the fact that you’ll be par t of the international trendsetter scene just because you’ve managed to cross the Chao Phraya.

Sound inviting? Head over to the Millennium Hilton and take the glass elevator to the 32nd floor. Up in a glassed-in, UFO-like construction 130 metres high, Three Sixty perfects a circle. Soft couches and smooth cocktails enhance a dizzying view: Bangkok’s downtown and a row of riverside hotels spread out in front of you. Good thing this place doesn’t revolve. It’s a grown-up crowd which values Osetra on blinis with their drinks. Pure Post-Millennium Magic. And do check out the hotel lobby.

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รร.มิลเลเนี่ยม ฮิลตัน ถ. เจริญนคร

Red Sky (map C3) Centara Grand Hotel, Rama 1 Road | BTS Chid Lom/Siam | 02-100-1234 | www.centarahotelresorts.com | 5pm – 1am Hi-octane views, svelte Martinis, rattan loungers to enjoy them on. Ironically, the only thing you won’t be seeing at Centara Grande’s chicly lit al fresco bar is red. When not gasping at the city flickering like a circuit-board beneath you, let yourself be entertained by the boomerang-like edifice changing colour above the translucent bar; or stargaze into the fibre optic solar system embedded in the curving, wood-panel wall. Sip a bottle from their space-age wine cellar, or a well-mixed cocktail; they shake everything from Ying Yangs to classic Caipirinhas. Fifty five floors below, it’s all car horns and consumer frenzy, but up here, glass in hand, live jazz wafting through the ether, not even a gust of wind can upset the cosmic balance – glass barriers mean there are, virtually, none.

รร.เซ็นทารา แกรนด์ เซ็นทรัล เวิลด์ nightlife

Long Table (map D3) 48 Column Bldg, Sukhumvit Soi 16 | BTS Asok, MRT Sukhumvit | 02-3022557-9 | www.longtablebangkok.com | 11am-2am Top-end Thai food isn’t the only thing drawing Bangkok’s in-crowd to this impossibly swish restaurant-cum-bar in droves. There’s also the trendsetting twist: a sleek communal dining table so long it makes a medieval banquet bench look positively petite.

However, it’s what happens at the end of the room that propels this place deep into the nightlife stratosphere.

Where the long table ends, a tall plate glass window and huge poolside patio, complete with bar, begins. Out here, 25 floors up, you can glug signature “long-tail” cocktails or fine wines with the best of high-flying Bangkok: a glitzy hotchpotch of celebrities, models and power players; hair-tousling breezes; and – best of all – widescreen city vistas. A Sukhumvit high point.

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SKY BAR / DISTIL (map B3-4) State Tower, 1055 Silom Rd | 02624-9555 | www.thedomebkk.com | 6pm-1am High fliers hankering after a taste for the dramatic can head over to The Dome at State Tower. Among the world’s highest outdoor bars, Skybar – attached to Med restaurant Sirocco – offers panoramic views of the city and river below, earning its popularity with visitors new to the City of Angels and those intent on rediscovering it. Indoor-outdoor Distil boasts a roomful of comfy sofas, beyond-premium liquor and The Dome’s signature breathtaking view.

These places are definately not spots for the casual beach bum; so be sure to leave your flip-flops and shopping bags at home – a strict smart-casual dress code is enforced.

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bangkok 101

V9 (map C4) 37F Sofitel Silom Hotel | 188 Silom Rd BTS Chong Nonsi | 02-238-1991 | 6pm-2am Smart V9 is a funky space, one-third comfy bar, one-third slick restaurant, one-third huge wine retail shop. Oenophiles undergo orgiastic experiences once they walk past the dozens of wine crates lining the entrance. All of the wines can be bought at supermarket prices and consumed on the premises with no corkage fee.The in-house Sommelier’s pairings are exquisite, with 15 house wines to tempt you by the glass or short carafe.The French food served up is faultless (try their snack trees), as are the cocktails – dozens of signature blends in a long menu. It’s all very Sex and The City, especially on Friday & Saturday nights.The music is good, and the view through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls wrapping V9 is heart-stopping – that’s what really counts. Perfect for those rainy nights.

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MOON BAR (map C4) 61F Banyan Tree Hotel | 21/100 South Sathorn Rd | 02-679-1200 | www.banyantree.com | 5pm-1am As the name suggests, this is one place that will get you closer to the moon.

The open-air bar lets you take in the urban Moloch from up-above in smart surroundings. Banyan Tree’s Moon Bar is a romantic hideaway. With stunning 360˚ views, the hotel’s rooftop has been turned into a slick grill restaurant; one end is occupied by the bar. Nothing obstructs your view here, almost 200 metres high up. It’s the perfect spot for honeymooners – take a seat on the smart sofa stations, sip on a classy Martini or a yummy signature cocktail and feel romance welling up.

For voyeurs, the telescopes and binoculars come in handy. Glamour girls and unwinding business guys feel right at home here, too. Stay until the wee hours, nibble on sophisticated snacks, take in the light jazz – and never ever forget your camera.

Panorama

Panorama (map C3) Pan Pacific Bangkok, Rama IV Rd | BTS Saladaeng | 02-632-9000 | www.panpacific.com | 11.30am2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm Ideal for interminably hot or drizzly nights, the Deck Bar is a low-slung little bar counter found in the partitioned area at the rear of the Pan Pacific’s upmarket Panorama restaurant.

Perfect for pre-dinner, the wine-list here is a facsimile of the restaurants (i.e. expansive and top-notch), and on cool nights the windows are open to the night air and a 23rd floor view across Bangkok. Plonk yourself on one of its stools, order in a scotch and some fancy tapas, and let your eyes wander across the grounds of the Royal Bangkok Sports Club and up over downtown – not quite breathtaking, but still very Bangkok.

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อรุณเรสสิเดนซ์ ซ.ประตูนกยูง ถ.มหาราช

รร. บันยันทรี ถ. สาทร

bangkok 101

AMOROSA (map A3) Arun Residence Hotel, 36-38 Soi Pratoo Nok Young, Maharat Road (near Wat Po temple) | 02-221-9158 | www.arunresidence.com | 6pm-1am Balmy breezes, soft Latin Jazz, sour-sweet cocktails and passable wine list: all the ingredients for an agreeable open-air bar are in place at the Mediterraneanish Amorosa.The show-stopper though is the view: perched on the roof of a four-storey boutique hotel, it overlooks the weaving Chao Phraya River and Wat Arun, the stunning Temple of Dawn. Go before sundown and gaze out as the sun disappears behind it.

Or come later, when spotlights make it glow amber against the night sky. Wat Po is just around the corner, so a tipple here is an easily attainable – and fitting – reward after a day of temple hopping.

And if you fall for the view, the hotel’s restaurant,The Deck, and 6 lovely suites mean you can prolong the love affair.

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Nightlife Zuk Bar

hotel bars

Bamboo Chic

Bamboo Chic (map C4) Le Meridien Bangkok 4F, 40/5 Surawong Rd | 02-232-8888 | BTS Sala Daeng | www.lemeridienhotelbangkok.com | 6pm-1am Dim-tones and giant chandeliers set the tone for haute Sino-Nippon cuisine at Bamboo Chic: Le Meridien hotel’s dashing designer resto-bar. But Bangkok’s jetset have also taken a shine to what’s being served over at the arresting limeflorescent bar – innovative cocktails like the Kyoto martini: a delectable blend of dry gin, midori, dry vermouth and lemon juice, served in a fishbowl glass.

High-wattage smiles and slick service rounds off this voguish venue, as apt for post-work or pre-dancefloor tipples as it is a swanky dinner. Just steel yourself for a blast of cognitive dissonance on arrival… Patpong, the neon sleazepit cum night market, is Bamboo Chic’s unscrupulous neighbour.

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Barsu

BARSU (map D3) Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, 250 Sukhumvit Rd | 02-649-8358 | www.barsubangkok.com | 6pm-2am The informal yet sleek and minimally styled BarSu features the tagline “eat, play, dance,” and appeals to the over-30 Bangkok crowd who feel disenfranchised by the city’s current nightlife offerings.To this end, house, hip hop and techno are banned; inhouse DJs spin soul, funk, rock, vintage 70s, 80s and world music. An audacious dining concept features a menu of sophisticated bar snacks created by a Belgian two-star Michelin chef. In all fairness, calling this premium fare “bar snacks” is doing it a disservice: it’s finger food designed to be shared – sushi, sashimi, tapas and “wapas” (world tapas) – although not finger food as you know it. Ladies get a free standard drink on Wednesdays and the chance to win a bottle of Baileys.

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nightlife

Zuk Bar (map C4) The Sukhothai, South Sathorn Rd | MRT Lumpini | 02-344-8888 | MonSat 5pm-1am, Sun noon- midnight Guests and clued-up city enjoy zesty cocktails, creative canapés and an air of ultra-sophisticated tranquillity at this classy hotel bar. Drinks are on a par with the rooftop bars (in price and panache), but here you’re paying for the understated exoticism of it all: the sultry look, mood and service. The barely lit interior, with its dim nooks and raw silk couches, is perfect for heart-to-hearts.The underlit outdoors area, flanked by huge oriental jars and cooled by overhead fans, a sociable spot where a ring of plump divan sofas invite you to plant your posterior.

Quietly solicitous lady staff clad in silk serve while a DJ from Tues to Sat spins soulful tunes.

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bangkok 101

Lollipop

WONG’S PLACE (map C4) 27/3 Soi Sri Bumphen/Soi Ngam Duplee, near Malaysia Hotel | 02286-1558 | MRT Lumpini | Mon – Sat 10pm till late It’s amazing how Wong’s Place stays in business. It’s not near any public transport; opens when it wants, closes when it wants; plays crackly videos from Top of the Pops in 1985; has a couple of serve-yourself beer fridges and is not much bigger than a living room. Put it this way: if you’re looking for a chocolate Martini and a plate of tapas, you’re in the wrong place.Yet it attracts a fiercely loyal crowd of expat journalists, English teachers and professional barflies who have been coming here for years and regard owner Sam as a kind of benevolent dictator, knowing better than to take advantage of the beer-fridges honour system. Come before midnight and it’s pretty dead (the Wong’s Place at the wong time?). Come after the other bars close - Raindogs is nearby, and it’s a mere hop skip and a jump from Silom and watch the night unfold.

วองส์ เพลส ซ.งามดูพลี

CHEAP CHARLIE’S (map D3) Sukhumvit Soi 11 | 02-253-4648 | Mon-Sat 5pm-12:30am This shabby open-air streetside joint is a real Bangkok institution, bringing the charm of a rickety island hole-in-thewall bar to one of Sukhumvit’s swankiest sois. A no-brainer meet-up spot, Cheap Charlie’s draws crowds of expats, NGOers and tourists in-the-know to fill up on B60 beers and pocket-change G&Ts before heading off to eat and party – though don’t be surprised if you end up here all night. CC’s is the kind of place where it’s easy to fall into conversation with other patrons; whether it’s because you’re sheltering from a rain shower together or end up sharing one of the few tables. Its location is a winner, situated as it is on a cool little subsoi (first on the left as you walk down from Sukhumvit) packed with restaurants and a short walk from hallowed Bangkok gin-palaces Q Bar and Bed Supperclub.

ชีพ ชาร์ลีย์ ถ.สุขุมวิท 11 (ซอยแรก)

bangkok 101

boho bars

LOLLIPOP (map A3) 1 Mahannop Soi 1, Mahannop Road, Pra Nakorn | 08-6339-1390 | Tue-Sun 5pm-1am This old wooden house in indie town Phranakorn – formerly rock-pub Lullibar – looks like it has been ripped from a Tim Burton fantasy. Lime green walls, fiery red couches, old cameras and hippie bead curtains are only some of the whimsical new touches old fans welcome.The house bands now have a performing area where they can strum away without knocking drinks off the tables. And the previously neglected parts, namely the patio and the “garden” outside, have also been renovated to accommodate the Vespa driving hipster Thais who come here, not only for the live and jukebox indie tunes but also pub grub ranging from kap klaem (beer snacks) to seafood. One bad thing: Lollipop is hidden deep within the relatively unknown Soi Mahannop.

But then again, if you’re cool enough to frequent a place like Lollipop, you’re cool enough to hang with the people who can get you there.

โลลี่ป๊อป มหรรณพ ซ.1

CAFÉ TRIO (map C3) 36/11-12 Soi Lang Suan | 02-2526572 | BTS Chit Lom | daily 6pm-1am, closed on the 2nd and 4th Sundays Tucked into a narrow alley off Soi Lang Suan, this cozy jazz bar & art gallery is a welcome alternative to Bangkok’s raucous pubs and haughty lounge bars.

Café Trio is overflowing with plush couches, the lighting is delightfully soft, and the music is always subdued. The nightlife

tranquil atmosphere helps to make it a true neighbourhood place. The vivacious owner and bartender Patti holds court nightly and the walls are plastered with her Modigliani-esque, Vietnamese-inspired paintings – have a few drinks and don’t be surprised to find yourself taking one home.

Resident regulars come for live jazz (often toward the end of the month).

For drinks, expect to pay what you would at better known, yet more generic, venues.The service is laid-back, like the bar in general. To find it, look for the Chinese restaurant across from Starbucks and 50m down the road.

คาเฟ่ทริโอ ซ.หลังสวน

Rolling Bar (map A3) Wanchat Rd | 081-867-6568 | MonSat 6pm-2am A big lit up marquee sign on Wanchat Road beckons you to find out what is going on below the street line. Descend a few stairs and in a quiet corner by the water you will find Rolling Bar, a small open space filled with a mixed assortment of retro décor and various model Cadillac cars. Here, every night you can hear familiar old folk and rock covers unplugged. The bar draws a mixed crowd all in the comfort of T-shirts and jeans and ready to throw back a couple of drinks. The menu’s got all the popular Thai favourites, but the bar offers you a little bit more.

Owner Khun Sheeva has whipped up his own personal sweet rum, Sheeva Wop, a must try.

โรลลิ่งบาร์ ริมสะพานเฉลิมวันชาติ

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Nightlife

jazz clubs THE LIVING ROOM (map D3) Sheraton Grande, 250 Sukhumvit Rd | BTS Asok, MRT Sukhumvit | 02-6498888 | www.sheratongrandesukhumvit. com | 10am- 12:30am Perhaps the cosiest of all Bangkok’s luxury hotel bars, the leather couches at The Living Room are so snug it’ll be hard to get up again once you’re seated. It’s a stylish place, and the usually middle-aged patrons live it up on great wines, champagne and strong cocktails in a quiet way. The high-ceilinged foyer offers perfect acoustics for the fabulous jazz band.

Be prepared to be well-entertained.

World-class talents are booked in continuously, guaranteeing top-notch jazz and always a warm audience rapport. Currently The Living Room plays host to Trio Live, performing every Tuesday jazz clubs through Thursday nights from 9pm to 11:45pm, plus Friday and Saturday nights from 9:30pm to 12:15am.

You can also catch them during the Sheraton Grande’s legendary Sunday Jazzy Brunch. รร.เชอราตัน แกรนด์ สุขุมวิท

88

ระหว่างสุขุมวิท 12 และ 14

Diplomat Bar

DIPLOMAT BAR (map C3) Conrad Bangkok, 87 Witthayu Rd | BTS Ploen Chit | 02-690-9999 | www.conradbangkok.com | Sun-Thu 6pm-1am, Fri-Sat 6pm-2am An architecturally striking hotel bar, mixing a funky, stylish décor with soft teak sofas and an arresting chandelier hanging over the massive round bar.

Bronze silks and wood dominate this dark, contemporary, but always relaxed place. A boozy, high-profile

nightlife

crowd fills the Diplomat Bar nightly, especially during the elongated, buyone-get-one-free Happy Hour from 4-7pm (standard drinks only). Very hip among the diplomatic corps (Witthayu is stuffed with embassies), trendy guys in suits and glitzy society ladies – ideal for people-ogling. But the main attraction here is more aural than visual and exceptional jazz acts are de rigueur. รร.คอนราด ถ.วิทยุ

bangkok 101

Niu’s on Silom

BAMBOO BAR (map B4) Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, 48 Oriental Ave | 02-659-9000 | www.mandarinoriental.com | Sun-Thu 11am-1am, Fri-Sat 11am-2am This Bangkok landmark is a symbol of past glories of the East. Situated in the city’s most fabled hotel, the 50year-old bar oozes class, sophistication and style. Reminiscent of a tropical film noir-setting, it features a jungle theme – bamboo, palm fronds and furry patterns. Small and busy, it’s nevertheless romantic and intimate – balanced by the legendary Russian jazz band that’s been on the stage here for ages. Monday through Saturday nights catch the sultry sounds of their current resident. Everybody’s sipping on faultless cocktails, mixed by skilled old-school bartenders and served by a superb staff. A definite big Bangkok must. รร.โอเรียนเต็ล ถ.โอเรียนเต็ล THREESIXTY (map B4) 32F Millennium Hilton Hotel |123 Charoennakorn Rd | BTS Saphan Taksin | 02-442-2000 | 5pm-1am Dizzying 32nd floor views across the Chao Phraya. Bangkok’s downtown flickering in front of you. Well worth crossing the river for, Threesixty is Bangkok’s most jaw-dropping jazz venue. Since August its dressy crowd has been soaking up that camerabangkok 101

grabbing panoramic alongside the sounds of new South Carolinian resident LaDee Streeter. Her sultry renditions – spanning jazz to bossa nova to RnB – make this glassed in, flying saucer-like construction seem gorgeously moody. And the wan blue lounge lights, soft couches and smooth cocktails help. Requests are welcomed. รร.มิลเลเนี่ยม ฮิลตัน ถ.เจริญนคร JAZZ GALLERY (map A3) 2nd floor (beneath Gazebo Bar), 44 Chakrapong Rd, (just off Khao San Road | 02-629-5821~2 | 6pm-1am The only thing “Khao San” about this standalone jazz lounge with a soft, elegant glow is its location, just off the raucous backpacker strip. Offering comfy armchairs on one side and casually riffing local jazz bands on the other, parquet floors, candlelight and discreet service, the Jazz Gallery is the most sophisticated venue to grace the area yet. And a great place to escape its moronic-music-loving masses.Think highbrow wine-bar for chardonnaysipping Coltrane-lovers. In addition to some of Thailand’s best jazz divas and ensembles, there’s a recessed art gallery, a smoking balcony (cigars available) and a wine cellar offering the best plonk in the neighbourhood.

Mmmm, suave and smooth. แจ๊สแกลอรี่ ถ.จักรพงษ์ nightlife

Niu’s on Silom (mapC4) F1-2, 661 Silom Rd | 02-266-5333 | www.niusonsilom.com | 5pm-1am This New York-style wine bar – with its hot jazz, old leather armchairs and roses on candlelit tables – has a house band with some of Bangkok’s better local talent. They provide the backbone for international guest vocalists, and trumpeter Steve Lowry and guitarist Dan Phillips, who rotate nightly. There’s also a jazz jam every Sunday and occasional concerts featuring overseas visitors. Niu’s is a class act, but still casual, comfortable for beers or brandy; and you can eat bar snacks or dine formally in the impressive Concerto Italian restaurant upstairs. Outside seating also available. นิวส์ ออน สีลม บ้านสีลม Bamboo Bar

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live music

Brick Bar (map A2-3) 265 Khao San Rd, Taladyod, Phranakorn | 02-629-4477 | Mon-Sun 7pm1am | free entry (Mon–Thu), B150 incl. 1 free drink (Fri-Sat) Found at the rear of the Buddy Lodge shopping arcade, this dark and airy redbrick vault features benches downstairs, an upstairs terrace for people or band watching and plenty of nooks and crannies to party in. A magnet for young live music lovers, it’s jumping most nights of the week with freshy 20-somethings out to catch some of Thailand’s biggest ska, reggae, funk and blues bands, many of whom play their own material. Perfect for friends who’ve just hit town.

บริค บาร์ ถ. ข้าวสาร

Bangkok Rocks

AD HERE THE 13TH (map A2) 13 Samsen Rd, Bang Lamphu | 089769-4613 | 5pm-midnight Funky, jammy, bare – one of Bangkok’s coolest hangouts is nothing more than an aisle packed with five tables, a tiny bar and instruments. It’s a joint you’d expect to find on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, except for the Chang beer. North of Khao San Road (ask for ‘Ad Here’, once in the quarter), the down-to-earth, bohemian hang-out packs ‘em in nightly. On weekends, young Thais, expats and tourists spill out on the sidewalk when the joint is jumpin’. The resident band churns out cool blues, Motown and Janis Joplin; Georgia, the city’s only true Blues Mama, has a voice and figure to match, and would never sing Hotel California. People from around the globe drop in for a quick jam; you’re bound to meet more nationalities than you can list. Down some crazy cocktails, or do theThai-style whiskey-soda-ice thing, along with some super-cheap booze munchies. An insider’s must.

BROWN SUGAR (map C4) 231/20 Sarasin Rd | BTS Ratchadamri | 02-250-1826 | Mon-Sat 11am-1am, Sun 5pm-1am Sarasin Road, bordering Lumphini Park, hosts a strip of teeming bars.

The best one is definitely this longstanding, smoky jazz club. The joint evokes a jazz haunt of yester year with dark woods, tight benches and a tiny stage. Newsweek called it ‘Asia’s Number One Spot’ and to prove the point, it’s packed every night. If you care for seats, arrive early, before the brilliant band star ts at 9pm. You can have some decent pub grub, but it’s pricier than one might assume from the look of the haunt – same goes for the strong drinks. Sunday nights are the best – it’s the night off for most hotel bar singers, who all congregate here to let their hair down and jam with local pros.

รร.เดอะคีย์ สุขุมวิท ซ.19

บราวน์ ชูการ์ ถ. สารสิน

แอดเฮีย 13 ถ. สามเสน บางลำภู

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Bangkok Rocks (map D3) The Key Hotel, Sukhumvit Soi 19 | BTS Asok | www.bangkok-rocks.com | 6pm-late Covers of Hendrix, U2 and Santana are the staples from rotating bands at this new bar dedicated to live “classic” rock music. There’s potential in the decent acoustics, a mezzanine with good views of the stage, and beers and wine that start at B100. The downsides are a lack of character in the small boxy room of featureless white walls, and a soulless soundtrack. The Saturday night band we saw, 61 Highway, were competent but a little too harmless to drag across town for. This is a drop-in beer and boogie spot if you’re in the area, but Bangkok will only truly rock here if they attract stronger acts.

Brown Sugar

nightlife

bangkok 101

Parking Toys

Raintree Pub (map C3) 116/63-34 Soi Ruamjit, Rang Nam Rd | BTS Victory Monument | 022457230, 081-926-1604 | www.raintreepub.com | 5pm-1am This rustic Thai ‘country’ bar is a sort of all-wooden, pre-consumerist age timecapsule. Raintree hosts musicians playing Pleng Peua Chiwit (Songs for Life), the once phenomenally popular 1970s folk-protest music and soundtrack for Thailand’s politically disaffected. On a stage decorated with the movement’s trademark buffalo skulls, two artists strum nightly: a long-haired singer croons plaintive songs at 8:30pm, a grizzled band steps up at around 11pm. Owner Porn Pimon opened Raintree 19 years ago and has changed little since. And why should she? The people are friendly, the beer snacks cheap and tasty, and the music, made famous by household names like Caravan and Caribou, soul-stirring.

ร้านจามจุรี ซ.รางน้ำ อนุสาวรีย์

Parking Toys (off map) 17/22 Soi Maiyalap, Kaset-Navamin Highway, Bang Khen (pier 135-136 on left hand side) | BTS Mo Chit (then taxi) | 02-907-2228 | 6pm - 1am It’s quite unusual for a business to go out of its way not to be noticed, but Parking Toys seems to do just that. With a dark, dismal exterior, the venue’s “We Accept Visa” logo is surprisingly larger than the actual bar sign. Once you finally do manage to get inside the ex-garage, it’s a sensory overload. Wall-to-wall retro furniture becomes instant eyecandy, while chairs without upholstery dangle from the ceiling. But if the funky furniture creates the space, the live music definitely defines it. Here, there is a band for every alternative music lover; in just one weekend night you can catch reggae root, electronic, rockabilly, and metal – now that’s what we call a variety pack. It’s a hike, but well worth it. So get off your couch and sit on someone else’s – the secret’s out!

Tawandaeng German Brewery (map C4) 462/61 Narathiwat Rama 3 Road | 02-678-1114 | www.tawandang.co.th | This cavernous beer keg of a room plays host to Fong Nam, an energetic house band led by the talented Bruce Gaston, a NewYorker famous – in these parts, anyway – for giving traditional Thai music a Western makeover.

Spurred on by up to 1,600 lary diners, they rollick through a musical repertoire that touches on everything from luk thung to driving mor lam, Thai orchestrals to western contemporary.

They play every night from 7pm-1am, except Sundays. Besides their music (and the dry ice and dancing cabaret girls extravaganza that goes with it), Tawandaeng is also well-known for its micro-brewed beers, German sausage and deep-fried pork knuckle.

Reservations recommended.

โรงเบียร์เยอรมันตะวันแดง พระราม 3

ปาร์คกิ้งทอย ซ.มัยลาภ เกษตรนวมินทร์

เดอะ ร๊อคผับ ถ.พญาไท

TITANIUM ICE BAR (map D4) Sukhumvit Soi 22 | BTS Phrom Pong | 02-258-3758 | www.titanium-club.com | 6pm-1:30am Well folks, and now for something different. Picture this: congenial hostesses clad in Bangkok-Zeitgeist ao dai. A gifted all girl rock ‘n’ roll band, Unicorn, jamming six nights a week (with two male bands filling in for them on Sundays). Bangkok’s widest selection of vodka – 70 varieties to choose from.

An intimate atmosphere, especially in The Vodka Room, chilled to a nippleraising minus 10 degrees. Not exactly a place to bring Mum, but a fun night out on the slightly wild side.

ไทเทเนียม ไอซ์บาร์ สุขุมวิท ซ. 22

The Rock Pub

bangkok 101

THE ROCK PUB (map C3) 93/26-28 Radchatewee, Phayathai Road, (opposite Asia Hotel) | BTS Ratchathewi | www.therockpubbangkok.com | 9:30pm-2am If AC/DC or Def Leppard were in town you’d find them reliving the glory years here. A tatty faux-castle exterior, visible from the Ratchatewi BTS Station, makes you wonder what kind of weird, 1980s theme-park ride you’ve stumbled on, while inside house bands with Brian May hairdos thrash out everything from Van Halen to Motorhead covers. Bands get going at 10pm weekdays, 9:30pm on weekends, as they have done for the past 22 years.

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nightlife areas

Hemlock

11 10

PHra athit rd

Police Station

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Khao San Road

The streets around Khao San Road – that famed budget travellers’ mecca – are buzzing with a frenetic mix of dek naew (trendy teens) and bronzed backpackers. Found at the rear of the Buddy Lodge complex, Brick Bar [1] is a red brick cavern where young locals bounce along to excellent live ska.

A few doors down, Lava Bar [2] is a dark hip-hop dungeon, while Sunset Street [3] is an architecturally interesting conglomerate of bars, but mostly attracts sweaty backpackers. Down the alley opposite, Zest [4] focuses on live Brit Rock, while Hippie De Bar [5], tucked down another alley, is a retro-cool cocktail house. More full-on, The Club [6] is a techno-rave palace offering free UV glowsticks and a huge dancefloor. Just off the strip, Gazebo [7] is an opensided rooftop featuring live reggae, hubbly-bubblies and DJs till the wee hours.

For a more laid-back, cool evening, head to nearby Phra Athit Road, lined with trendy hole-in-the-wall bars, cafés and restaurants. Often compared with NYC’s Greenwich Village, it’s a favourite for young Thais going “beat” and the odd expat. Stop for a cheap caffeine intake at Coffee & More [8] in a beautifully restored colonial mansion. Elegant Hemlock [9] is invaded nightly by artsy folk, drawn to the eclectic Thai food at 1 6 3 2 rock-bottom prices. Minimalist but friendly Joy Luck Club Burger kHao sanroad rd Khao San [10] deserves a mention. For outstanding seafood and King 5 4 absolutely no flair, check out Thon Po [11]. Directly on the riverside, this breezy place offers fantastic views and delicious fish and crustaceans from an expansive menu.

Call ahead to reserve a riverfront spot.

Ekkamai/Thonglor

Funky Villa

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new phetchaburi rd

Soi 20

Thong Lor Soi 10

Soi 16

Ekkamai Soi 28

BTS Ekkamai

Ekkamai Soi 10

Soi 1

Sukhumvit RD

Soi 21

In recent years these parallel boulevards have embraced sweeping gentrification and emerged as upmarket playgrounds for the young, studiously cool zeitgeist follower, be they celebrity, model, arty type, uni student or slick professional. Aside from their surfeit of luxury condos, boutique lifestyle emporiums, designer spas and restaurants both are studded with trendy nightspots catering to a predominantly Thai clientele. New ones pop up every few months, as if to keep hipsters on their toes and match that season’s colours. For now Muse [1], FunkyVilla [2] and Demo [3] – three giganto clubs on Thonglor Soi 10 – are all the rage. Meanwhile, scattered about are old-timers like Song Saleung [4], a recently refurbished and often heaving live music joint, and Shades of Retro [5] – a combo furniture-store café and hangout for the writer/designer/artiste crowd. Ekkamai’s main drag and side-streets are even better endowed party-wise. Curvaceous Curve [6] and glamorous Jet Metropolitan [7] are big, top-shelf joints offering the usual failsafe blend of live Thai music and DJ’s spinning R’n’B. As the scene stands both are big draws, though the crowds are so gleefully fickle that could change in a Bangkok minute.Track them to the cool club of the moment. Or try two that have achieved longevity: nightclub Nunglen [8] and 4 BTS Thong Lor scruffy little bar Happy Monday [9]. Pretty young Soi 55 (Thong lor) things bounce along to Thai 5 1 tunes in the former; while 2 3 media types (25+) hobnob while enjoying low-key indy6 8 rockstar DJ sessions (May T Soi 63 (Ekkamai) from Modern Dog etc) and 7 9 slouchy sofas in the latter.

nightlife

bangkok 101

ROYAL City Avenue (RCA)

road

AL LO C

RA

M

A9

road

For a night of clubbing,Thai twenty-something style, jump in a taxi and say “RCA” to your driver. On arrival, follow the stream of high-heeled and well-coiffed onto Royal City Avenue: a flash, brash, neon-charged nightlife strip much cherished by the city’s dressed-to-kill urban youth. Boasting a slew of swish bars and sprawling split-room clubs – many elbow room only after 11pm – it offers the perfect adventure for indecisive club-goers.

Go in and out as the mega-decibel music takes you (making sure to flash your ID card as you go), as most venues have no cover charge and flaunts a different genre of music.

Hip-hop haven Slim [1] is never short on crowds gettin’ jiggy to Biggie, while other room, Slim Live, offers live music in a more sane setting, and glam alter-ego, Flix [2] preaches bass-thumping trance and house. Next door, granddaddy Route 66 [3] seethes with spaghetti-strapped students and baseball-capped boppers, who flit between its three glam zones and outdoors chill-out zone. Beside it, HOBB [4] is an industrial chic, two-storey bar.

Expect DJs, live music plus occasional appearances by local bands like Bodyslam. Despise radio rap? For edgier dance-music (and funkier Thai/farang crowds) hit 808 [5], a slick red-brick warehouse with a stunning sound system and sets by global DJ gods. Few foreigners venture further, but they should: Old Leng [6] is a rickety wooden pub great for warm-up drinks; while music cave Overtone [7] attracts the drain-pipe jeans, rock-guitar rabble.

There’s also Zeta [8], a live-music bar with a strict girls-only policy. No men, gay men, drag queens or peeping Tom’s allowed.

RCA road

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3

4 5

6

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8

Sukhumvit Soi 11

On the global nightlife radar Bangkok now registers a strong, steady bleep. And this buzzing soi – with its cosmopolitan collective of hotels, restaurants, bars and nightclubs tucked off steamy Sukhumvit Road – is one of the reasons. Go here tonight and you’ll rub shoulder straps with fashionable expats, slinky Singaporeans and the odd urbane local, among many other breeds of clubber. Would they all be here if it weren’t for Q Bar [1]? Unlikely. This beat lounge was the first to bring international design, DJs and drinks to the club scene – and, against the odds, 9 years later it still is. Just around the corner is the other Soi 11 superstar, Bed Supperclub [2]; a curvaceous club-cum-restaurant delivering spacey looks, soft white divans and Ibiza-esque beats. Many just rock up at one of these, ID card in hand, at around 11pm. Better, though, to make a night of it and start out early evening. Kick off with bargain al fresco beers at Cheap Charlies [3], a countrified bar only a tad bigger than a broom cupboard. Nest 1 [4], a breezy rooftop bar atop the sleek Le Fenix hotel, is a more upscale 4 5 option offering 2 Bed Supperclub laid-back, bird-nest seating and music that matches (think Sade’s Smooth Operator). Not quite the racy, subterranean Bangkok you were after? For something more risqué 3 check out new neighbour Diva [5]. Inside, caged coyotedancers pull off raw, hi-energy dance moves in what they enticingly call: “A femme fatale of a nightclub.” Think Moulin Rouge meets the Pussycat Dolls add throbbing house beats and you’re close.

Soi 11

Q Bar

SUKHUMVIT road

bangkok 101

nightlife

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Nightlife

pub crawling

T

here are many ways of quenching a thirst, but surely the most enjoyable has to be sipping a pint of real beer in a proper public house. With an unexpectedly wide choice of British and Irish bars offering a taste of pub life, Bangkok won’t let you down on this front. Each month Bangkok 101 gives you the low-down on one of the top taverns around town.

featured

JAMESON’S

pub

Sitting just under the shadow of the Holiday Inn Silom, Jameson’s is one of many Irish offerings for Bangkok barflies. Although quieter than many of its Gaelic brethren, many consider this spacious pub in Bangkok’s financial district a real gem.

For a start, it does all the simple things right. Sporting classic pub decor, it has the subdued lighting and dark wood down pat, but it steers clear of being dingy thanks to a row of picture windows along one wall and banks of red-upholstered booths and emerald-green light fixtures breaking up the usual pub-brown monotony. Overall, there’s a touch of class here that elevates it above the common gin joint, thanks in part to the vintage prints on the red brick walls and the leather upholstered chairs. You get your choice of chilling in an intimate booth, hugging the huge Where 981 Silom central bar or taking a table for some Rd BTS Surasak 02very eclectic fare that spans both the 266-7703-5 Open earthy and the refined – from classic 10am-1am Irish stew to duck liver paté.

There are a dizzying 12 big screens for sport, two pool tables and live music, as well as continental beers on tap, a real treat in this city of lackluster lager. But, the biggest draw has to be the daily happy hour from 4pm to 8pm. With 2 for 1 deals and margaritas at an incredible 29 baht a glass, it’s certainly kind on the wallet. It all adds up to make Jameson’s a pub that both embraces and goes that little bit beyond your average Irish watering hole.

Balcony Humidor

Cigar Lounges

Cigar lounges are slowly catching on in Bangkok, with a handful of venues now providing outstanding facilities for lovers of quality coronas and fine figurados. As well as cigars from Cuba, Ecuador and beyond, the lounges typically feature luxurious leather sofas, rich wood accents, discreet staff and stellar selections of wine and single malt whisky.

Some, like Club Perdomo, operate on a members-only basis, with membership granting access to their worldwide network of lounges.

Others, like the Balcony Humidor & Cigar Bar at the InterContinental hotel, are open to guests and the general public.

The members-only Pacific Cigar Company opened its first lounge, La Casa del Habano, at The Oriental hotel in 1997, and now operates another four venues in Bangkok, as well as one in Pattaya. One of PCC’s more interesting venues is the P&L Club which incorporates a traditional barber shop and what is billed as Thailand’s largest collection of single barrel malt whiskies. n Balcony Humidor & P&L Club Cigar Bar Lobby level, InterContinental Bangkok, 973 Ploenchit Road | 8am-1am | 02-656-0444 n Club Perdomo Bangkok 3/1 Sukhumvit Soi 28 | 02-661-3220 | www.clubperdomobangkok. com | 6pm-midnight n La Casa del Habano The Oriental Bangkok, 48 Oriental Avenue | 02267-1596 | Mon-Thu: 10am-10pm, Sat-Sun: 10am-11pm, Sun and public holidays: noon-6pm | www.pacificcigar.com n P&L Club GF Conrad Bangkok, All Seasons Place, 87 Wireless Road | Mon-Thu: 10am-10pm; Fri-Sat: 10am-11pm, Sun: noon-6pm | 02-685-3898

เจมส์สัน ถ.สีลม

Club Perdomo

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bangkok 101

Pubs 101

Silom AREA PUBS

Hidden among the salacious delights of Silom Road, you will still find some of the “grand old men” of libation locales. O’Reilly’s [1] is a slightly dingy affair whose décor matches its demeanour – grizzled, but down-to-earth. Even so, it’s popular due to nightly drinks specials, live music, and an outdoor seating area to view the exotic sights of Silom. Just down the street is The Barbican [2] a multi-level contemporary concoction of granite and steel where the mixed crowd of expats and locals enjoy superior food and a wide choice of imported beers.Molly Malone’s [3] offers a real taste of Ireland. Drop in during their extended happy hour (5pm-9pm) for live music and multiple big screens for sport. Friendly staff and excellent food (especially their Sunday roast) means this place is always busy. Opposite the infamous Patpong stands The Duke of Wellington [4]. Its open plan layout makes it a bit sterile, but it does have good beer, a daily happy hour 4pm to 9pm and uninterrupted views of the four screens for sport. Jameson’s [5] sat under the Holiday Inn in the heart of the gem district is the newest kid on the block. It’s a cavernous place but still packs in the punters thanks to fantastic happy hours, including ladies’ night on Tuesdays featuring Margaritas for a ridiculously cheap B29 a glass.

4

BTS Surasak sathorn road

Thaniya

patpong

5

Convent road

Surasak road

silom road

2 1 BTS Sala Daeng

3

Silom area

Sukhumvit AREA PUBS

bangkok 101

13

soi 39

11

sukhumviT road

8

BTS Asoke

soi 22

soi 12

BTS Nana

soi 6

6

soi 4

sukhumviT road

12

soi 35

soi 11

soi 13

soi 33

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soi 33/1

Sukhumvit Road, a haven for expats, is jammed with joints catering to ale aficionados. Beside BTS Phrom Phong station, The Robin Hood [13] offers daily happy hour and drinks specials, as well as live music and sports. Even so, it can sometimes seem a little sedate. Down a nearby alley is The Bull’s Head [12], whose oak-panelled walls and low ceilings give off a cosy feel. It’s notable for a top jukebox and occasional comedy nights featuring international stand-ups. Sundays it’s “Toss the Boss”; call the flip of a coin right and the pub pays for the round. The Londoner [11] is a vast subterranean hideaway that brews its own real ale and lager, has good food and a regular house band. Opposite is the ever-popular Dubliner [10], a three-storey edifice. Though slightly pricy, the superb food (try the sausages), live music and Guinness pull in the punters. Just around the corner, behind the old Mambo Cabaret, Bourbon Street [9] backs up its Cajun/Creole dining with a well-stocked bar and good atmosphere. Up the road in the shadow of Asok BTS, is The Black Swan [8], a proper British booze abode. No bands. No happy hours. Just a snug escape offering a warm atmosphere and a wise-cracking landlord. Tucked down a dead-end street of Soi 11 is The Pickled Liver [7]. A shrine to soccer and suds, the décor is unfussy with a focus on big screen sports. But with friendly staff and daily happy hour it’s not just the sport that makes it worth a visit. Finally, Hanrahans [6] offers a genuine reason to be seen in Nana. Light and airy it ticks all the right boxes with regular music, special drinks deals and daily happy hour.

BTS Phrom Phong

10

9

nightlife

■ Bourbon Street 29/4-6 Sukhumvit Soi 22 | BTS Asoke | 02259-0328-9, 02-2594317 | 7am – 1am ■ HANRAHANS Sukhumvit Soi 4 l BTS Nana l 02-255-0644-5l daily 9am-1am ■ JAMESON’S Holiday Inn Silom, Gr. Fl, 981 Silom Rd, BTS Surasak, 02-2667703-5, daily 10am1am ■ MOLLY MALONE’S Convent Rd, Silom | BTS Sala Daeng | 02-2667160 | daily 9am-1am ■ O’REILLYS 62/1-4 Silom Rd | BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Silom l 02-632-7515 | daily 9am – 2am ■ The BARBICAN 9/4-5 Soi Thaniya Rd | 02-234-3590 | BTS Sala Daeng MRT Silom | daily 11:30am – 1am ■ THE BLACK SWAN 326/8-9 Sukhumvit Rd | BTS Asok | MRT Sukhumvit | 02-2294542 | daily 8:00am – midnight ■ THE BULL’S HEAD Sukhumvit Soi 33/1 | BTS Phrom Phong | 02-259-4444 | daily 11:30am – 1am ■ BULLY’S Sukhumvit Rd, btw Sois 2 & 4 | BTS Nana | 02-656-4609 | daily 11am-1am ■ THE DUBLINER 440 Sukhumvit Rd | BTS Phrom Phong | 02-204-1841/2 | daily 9am-1am ■ THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON 323 Silom Rd | BTS Sala Daeng l 02-234-2874 | daily 10am-1am ■ THE LONDONER Basement, UBC II Bldg.

Sukhumvit Soi 33 | BTS Phrom Phong | 02-261-0238/9 | daily 11am-1am ■ The Pickled LIVER Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana | 02-254-3484 | daily 2pm – 3am ■ the robin hood Sukhumvit Soi 33/1 | BTS Phrom Phong | 02-662-3390 | daily 10pm-midnight 95

Shopping

shopper scene

As clichés go, “shop till you drop” could have been written after a demanding spending spree in Bangkok’s sweltering heat. And while we’re dispensing mindless platitudes: there’s something for everyone in this town, however peculiar your peccadilloes may be. For locals, conspicuous consumption in one of the myriad swish mega-malls is the name of the face-gaining game, while foreigners often prefer to dig for buried treasure at the bustling street markets. Whatever your angle, stamina is a must, especially when it comes to pressing sticky flesh with the perspiring masses at the sweltering citysized jumble sale that is Chatuchak Weekend Market. So brush up on your bargaining patter, arm yourself with Nancy Chandler’s invaluable shopping map - and prepare for sheer retail overload.

UNIQUE boutique

Geo Décor A secret garden of stationary and unique accessories hides inside Geo Décor’s showroom, complimented by large leafy greens and fragile orchids.

It started out with a simple love for photographing these flowers at their country home that turned three good friends into business partners. Inspired by the naked beauty of nature and the famed Deyrolle shop in Paris, Geo Décor has set out to bring a little of Europe to Asia conveniently packaged in a pop-out card with Victorian illustrations.

The showroom’s sky high ceilings and greenhouse of natural light lends itself to being quite experimental, filled with eclectic accents you don’t necessarily need, but most definitely would love to have. Floral wrapping paper, scented soaps, Dutch porcelain vases, paint-chipped mannequins, colourful pillows, and tons of whimsical Where Main Showroom 912/2 trinkets cover every inch and corner, Sukhumvit 55 Rd. Opp. Camillian making only one purchase the task at Hosipital BTS Thong Lor, 02hand.

381-4324, www.geo.co.th But if you’re going for practicality, OPEN 10am – 8pm Geo’s popular stationary is the answer.

Prices B300-B10,000 The journals, cards, and wrapping paper are actually where it all stemmed from – no flower pun intended. There is a wide assortment of prints, all colorful, lyrical, and give the impression that there is a magical story within.

When you look further around the showroom you will notice that many pieces are vintage inspired, but some are the real deal, imported from famous international designers. So be ready to pay international prices! After six years and twelve collections, Geo Décor has gone global as well, selling select pieces at Barneys in New York City and Paul Smith’s online store – impressive.

But Geo Décor still keeps it in the community and loves to promote local budding talent.

The showroom’s second floor is dedicated to showcase up-and-coming Thai fashion designers. And although the showroom resides in Thonglor, Geo Decor has also conquered Bangkok’s malls with three branches; Siam Paragon, The Emporium, and Central World. Visit any or all for an exclusive, enchanted experience.

จีโอ เดคคอร์ ซ.ทองหล่อ ตรงข้ามรพ.คามิลเลียน

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stuff Want to find the best deals in town? Read on and we’ll tell you where to go and what to buy. Not the global brands you can find anywhere, or the tat you will soon regret ever having wasted your money on, but the cool, home-grown “stuff” that Bangkok is justly famous for.

Silk/apparel Thai silk only started getting international attention quite recently, but quickly became renowned for its thickness and lustrous sheen. Jim Thompson is the legendary American silk revivalist who – with the help of a small community of weavers – pioneered the modern industry. Since then the brand has branched out from ties and cushions into a fully-fledged fashion label that even dabbles in Zen furniture design, as you’ll see if you visit one of their many sleek stores. LP Silk and Shinawong are two exporting wholesalers who can be trusted to fix you up with the whole nine yards (or more). n Jim Thompson Paragon F1; King Power Duty Free; Jim Thompson House Museum; Surawong Rd | www.jimthompson.com n LP Thai Silk Silom Village Trade Centre, 286 Silom Road | 02-234-4448 | www.lpthaisilk.com n Shinawong No C500 , C501 Ayudthaya Soi 8 Suan Lum; No27, 6F MBK Centre| www.shinawong.com Handicrafts Beyond triangular pillows and woven shoulder bags, there are hordes of native trinkets up for grabs, with stiff competition keeping prices down.The main markets all bristle with goodies made from bamboo, coconut, rattan, wicker, wood and water hyacinth. As does Narayanaphand, an indoor bazaar offering ceramics, hand stitched fabrics and artisan goods; Silom bangkok 101

Village; and the 6th floor of mazy MBK. The monthly, OTOP-approved ThaiCraft Fair is a place to pick up that bulrush basket for less (while ensuring its maker also gets a fair price). For Celadon and Benjarong ceramics (a form of Thai porcelain originally made for royalty), try one of Siam Ceramic Handmade’s showrooms. n ThaiCraft Fair Third floor, Ambassador Hotel’s Tower Wing, Sukhumvit Rd Soi 11 | www.thaicraft.org n Narayanaphand InterContinental Hotel GF, 973 Ploenchit Road | BTS Chidlom | 02-656-0173-4 n Siam Ceramic Handmade Room 325-326, River City Shopping Complex F3; 202 Sukhumvit Soi 10 | www.thaibenjarong.com

Fashion Spotted the local trendies yet? Then you’ll be wondering where it is they get their cool indigenous fashions. Several malls and markets around town act as little fashion hatcheries, giving you the chance to snap up dazzling pieces by local up-and-comers. Section 3 of Chatuchak, for starters, is jammed with fecund fashions. Here, amidst piles of vintage and aisles packed with kids who know how it wear it, you’ll find next season’s trends. Suan Lum and Siam Square are also spotted with dainty designer boutiques; while youth-orientated shopping mall Siam Centre and Gaysorn offer homespun high fashions by labels like Jaspal and Greyhound.

Jewellery/gems Some of the world’s best lapidaries are based here, stocking cut and uncut domestic and regionallymined precious stones. The best local jewellers can also turn wondrous tricks with gold, silver and platinum.

Assuming, that is, you can find them – the city is, sadly, alive with shysters out to lure you away from legit dealers and into an intricate gem scam. There are a few diamonds in the rough, though.

Lambert Industries, with their friendly and reliable service, has been coming up with the goods for 35 years. n Lambert Industries (807-809 Silom Shanghai Bldg 4F, Silom Rd Soi 17, 02-236-4343).

OTOP: One Tambon One Product One of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s more laudable legacies is his instigation of OTOP, a government initiative that markets handicrafts made in one of Thailand’s 7,000 tambons (subdistricts). These quality gifts, snacks, handicrafts, toys, gems, textiles and jewellery, can be purchased at fairs at the city’s exhibition halls, Narayanaphand and the monthly ThaiCraft Fair. By choosing OTOP products you’ll be helping preserve local crafts and ensure that the villager who made them can earn a fair living.

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Shopping

Antiques Thai, Burmese and Cambodian antiques are among Asia’s finest – but all that glitters ain’t gold, so you’ll often be hard-pressed to find the real deal among the look-alikes. Unless, that is, you’re willing to shell out, in which case you’ll love the River City Complex, the sprawling, mother-of-allantique centres (p.102). Auctions are on the first Saturday of each month with viewings the preceding week.

Alternatives include period antique centre OP Place (p.102); Amantee, a gorgeous Thai house offering Oriental and Tibetan antiques on Bangkok’s outskirts; and L’Arcadia. And who can say what treasures the dustier straits of Chatuchak and Chinatown hold in store for the determined? n Amantee 131/3 Chaeng Wattana 13, Laksi, 10210 | 02-982-8694-5 | www.amantee.com n L’Arcadia 12/2 Sukhumvit Rd Soi 23 | 02-259-9595

Aromatherapy & Spa One of Bangkok’s more fitting titles is “Spa Capital of Asia”. The following slick local product lines should get you fragrant, gooey and purring with pleasure in next to no time. Panpuri offers Asian-inspired sensory purification – pricy but wonderful combinations of holistic spa-inspired treatments and products. Worldly mixtures for washing, moisturising, cleansing and relaxing can be found at Thann; while Karmakamet specialise in long-lasting lotions, gels, incense and candles that create the perfect bridge between scent and soul.

Finally, Anyadharu offers health-imbuing natural oils, bath body gels and perfumes that are designed to give you much more than just a whiff of indulgence. n Anyadharu Chatuchak (Section 3); Isetan (MBK F4) | www.anyadharu.com n Karmakamet CentralWorld F2; Chatuchak Market, Section 2, Soi 3 | www.karmakamet.co.th n Panpuri

Shopping Tips

n Bargaining: This is a way of life when shopping on the streets in Bangkok. The key is not to act too interested. They know you can find it further down the street, and if they want to make the sale they’d better be prepared to drop their price. If they ask B500, offer B350. You might get it for B380-400. Don’t be shy: it’s expected. Most importantly when haggling over price: keep a smile on your face and a cool head.

n Counterfeit Stoners: Bounders running gem scams are ubiquitous on Bangkok’s streets.

Beware anyone (tuk-tuk drivers especially) offering free rides to nearby “stockists” – they’re conmen on the make. The TAT provides quality assurance through the Jewel Fest Club; look for their ruby-ring logo on shop-fronts.

n Keep it Real: As elsewhere in Asia, counterfeit goods abound in Bangkok. From the latest DVDs to luxury brand clothes, watches, handbags and fragrances, it’s all here – at a fraction of the price. But, tempting though it may be, remember that the quality never matches the original and you’ll struggle to get refunds. Perhaps scarier, you risk getting busted at customs back home; and by purchasing fake goods you inadvertently sponsor organised crime. So, just keep it real.

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Duty Free – Duress Free Much more civilized than sprinting through the long corridors of Suvarnabhumi is a visit to King Power.

At this glassy, space-port like complex on Soi Rang Nam (BTS Victory Monument, then catch a free tuk-tuk from Century Plaza), you can do your duty-free shopping at your own pace, days (instead of minutes) before your plane takes off. Peruse products such as cosmetics, clothes, computers and more – all at tax-free prices. Find what you want, order it and it will be waiting for you at the airport on your way out.

Just be sure to bring your air ticket and passport. www.kingpower.com Paragon F1; King Power Duty Free; Central Chidlom F4; Gaysorn F7 | www.panpuri.com n ThanN Central Chidlom F4; Central Ladprao F5; Isetan Plaza (CentralWorld) F5; Siam Discovery Centre F5; Emporium F4 | www.thann.info n VAT: Look out for signs advertising “VAT Refund or Tourists”. At these places, they should have the paperwork (ask for a PP10 form) to enable you to claim back 7% on purchases when you leave the country on an international flight. The deal is you have to spend at least B2,000 at the same store on any given day, and you can only claim back on totals of B5,000 or over. It’s worth doing if you have a department store blitz, or fancy splashing out on electronics, jewellery or other expensive goods.

Have your passpor t and tickets with you when you buy, and prepare to have your purchases, PP10 forms and receipts inspected when you claim back at the airpor t VAT refund counter. Be aware: if you are making big purchases and not paying VAT, you aren’t guaranteed quality products. For more info, check out www.rd.go.th

bangkok 101

bangkok design Brian Mertens

Poetry in wood:

Saiyart Semangren

T

hailand has a tradition of self-taught masters of painting, literature music and other arts. Only one of these masters, however, has specialized in the creation of art furniture. Saiyart Semangern is a deeply local sort of artist, not just in the poetry of his designs— their evocation of Thai craft and culture—but in the unusual arc of his career, his feisty independence and entrepreneurialism.

Ranging from rustic to refined, Saiyart’s limited-batch and one-off designs are usually sculptural and full of sanook. Often they play with figure, using curvilinear form in seeming defiance of wood’s rigidity. Many pieces emphasize the reclaimed materials from which they are made. Some chairs are sculpted from old water buffalo yokes, which were traditionally made not by carving wood, but by training the branch of a live tree into the desired shape. Using long wires staked to the ground, this bonsai-like method gave the yoke great strength, a scrap of folk wisdom commemorated in Saiyart’s design.

Born in the ancient capital of Ayutthaya, Saiyart became interested in carpentry as a child, when his father forced him to repair a verandah balustrade he’d broken on his family’s old teak Siamese house. He studied construction at vocational school, worked as a foreman, and during the 1970s did a stint in the Middle East installing custom furnishings for Castelli, the big Italian firm. When he returned to work in Thailand, he devoted his free time to his passion for arts and crafts.

He started making sculpture and furniture in the 1980s, using wood reclaimed from disused buffalo carts, plows and rice barges. As rural Thais abandoned these venerable handmade tools in favor of power machinery or jobs in the city, Saiyart devised his own techniques and tools to make optimal use of the timber, which was otherwise scarce due to a ban on logging in Thailand’s overexploited forests. “My concept was to recycle old wood, so people would not have to cut down trees.”

Available from: n SAiyart’s Collection 7/6 Suwanwpurk 7, Purksachad Village, Ramkhamhaeng Road, Saphan Soong | 080-221-8884 | www.saiyart.com Bangkok Design:Thai Ideas in Textiles and Furniture

is the first book to explore Asia’s new wave in design creativity. Award-winning author Brian Mertens profiles 36 of Thailand’s top designers, showing how they translate their own culture and experiences into unique furnishings that have won international awards and museum exhibitions. Typically handcrafted from natural materials, the best contemporary Thai designs celebrate wit, warmth, sustainability and alluring form.

Bangkok Design – published by Marshall Cavendish – B1,200 - hardcover, written by Brian Mertens, with photos by Robert McLeod. bangkok 101

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V

isitors to Bangkok will be amazed at how prevalent mall culture is in the weave of modern Thai society. Malls are not just places to shop for designer labels; there are restaurants, cinemas, bowling, aquariums and more! Bangkok’s retail mall epicentre is around the Siam and Chit Lom areas.

mall crawl MBK BTS National Stadium Perpetually packed shopper’s paradise; a mind-boggling, onestop bargain. Always busy, on weekends half of Bangkok’s teens converge here, hunting for the latest mobile phones and more.

SIAM DISCOVERY BTS Siam Light, pleasant and never too busy.

Inside it’s international hip young brands (Diesel, Replay, Armani Exchange) and impressive interior stores (Loft and Mae Fah Luang).

JIM THOMPSON HOUSE

BTS National Stadium

MAJOR HOTELS 1 Pathumwan Princess 2 Novotel Siam 3 The Four Seasons 4 Grand Hyatt Erawan 5 Intercontinental 6 Holiday Inn 7 Conrad 8 Plaza Athenee 9 Royal Orchid Sheraton 10 The Oriental 11 The Peninsula 12 Shangri-La

1

SIAM CENTER BTS Siam The mall that started it all in 1973 hauls in trendy teens and young adults who shop for Euro-fashion and innovative local brands like Jaspal and Soda.

BTS Siam Elevated rama 1 rdWalkway

2

CENTRALWORLD BTS Siam All hail Bangkok’s largest shopping mall, uniquely served by an elevated walkway connecting Siam Skytrain station to its Chit Lom counterpart.

3

4 5 6

charo

u ng rd.

10

s u rawong 11

OP PLACE This fine objets d’art shopping plaza across from The Oriental Bangkok corresponds well to the classy hotel.

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To Emporium shopping mall, get off at BTS Phrom Phong

ra r

BTS Ploen Chit

9

phy

8

chao

WITTHAYU rd

C E N TRAL CH I T LOM BTS Chit Lom Seven floors of clothes, shoes and accessories from all the major labels, plus some eye-catching Thai designers. Food Loft is Bangkok’s deluxe food court.

phetburi rd

ploenchit rd

ALL SEASONS PLACE BTS Ploen Chit The sleek mall in a skyscraper complex is known more for its battery of eateries than its shops although the high-end retail range is impressive – art galleries, cigar shops, tailors and Euro-fashion.

GAYSORN BTS Chid Lom All-white interior of glitzy, top-class brands – expect Vuitton, Dior and Givenchy.

chidlom

lang suan rd

EMPORIUM BTS Phrom Phong Ver y chic mall with the most amiable atmosphere, thanks to its airy architecture.

Look for TCDC, the neat Thailand Creative Design Center.

RIVER CITY Four well laid-out floors of stores selling antiques, plus ethnic and tribal ar t from Southeast Asia, with a bit of the South Pacific, Indonesia, Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan thrown in.

Ratchadamri rd

ERAWAN BANGKOK BTS Chid Lom Posh boutique mall adjacent to the Erawan Shrine.

Think Burberry.

BTS Chitlom

7

PANTHIP PLAZA Bangkok’s one-stop shop for any and all computing needs: hardware, software and gadgets. It’s a loud, brash mecca for technogeeks.

SIAM PARAGON BTS Siam This gigantic shopping complex is legendary among Bangkok hi-sos.

Home to Siam Ocean World aquarium, too.

ZEN BTS Siam This pop art-styled, multilevel designer department store aims to attire Bangkok’s young-at-heart funsters in the latest international fashions.

Phaya Thai rd

uri rd

SIAM SQUARE BTS Siam Bangkok’s heart for trendsetters, this maze of narrow streets has heaps of tiny boutiques carrying local up-and-comers, gastrogems and indie cinemas.

ph e tb

Phaya Thai rd

s ilom

bangkok 101

Forget designer malls. JJ weekend market is Bangkok’s true paragon of retail. This is shopping as survival of the fittest: only those with finely tuned consumer instincts shall persevere. The rest can get lost – literally.

T

aking a wrong turn’s almost a given in this sprawling, city-sized marketplace, upon which zillions descend every weekend, to trade everything from Burmese antiques to pedigree livestock. Originally a flea market, Chatuchak quickly outgrew the confines of the insect world to become much more than the sum of its disparate parts. These days, young Thai designers take advantage of the low onsite rent to punt their creative wares; if you so desire, you can peruse piles of customised Zippos that once belonged to American GIs during ‘Nam; and tasty pickings conveniently punctuate every which way. Additionally, the exotic pet section supports the theory that JJ has somehow evolved its own diverse ecosystem (albeit one that periodically gets busted for peddling endangered species).

All this can be a bit overwhelming at first, but persevere and a semblance of order should begin to crystallise from the chaos. Go in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the worst of the heat and the crowds. Or, with many stalls opening for business on Friday, you can come for a leisurely browse before the real deluge hits - although only the weekend gig gives ardent shopaholics the fully-blown, unadulterated fix.

ตลาดนัดจตุจกั ร

chatuchak weekend market

JJ Gem

of the month

Anyadharu

Hidden amidst the buzzy fashion boutiques of Section 3, this Victorian apothecary-style boutique is the JJ place to head for nostalgically packaged natural oils, bath and massage oils, shower gels, soaps, body lotions and fragrances. Smell is allegedly our most evocative sense, and it’s hard to disagree as you sniff your way around its essential oil WHERE Section 3 Soi 3, collection, each sumptous scent Chatuchak Weekend Market, of which is 100% natural. Bath BTS Mo Chit, MRT Jatujak, and massage oils are mixed in www anyadharu.com just the right blends to ensure no unwelcome skin breakouts, while their collection of gentle shower gels, soaps and body lotions all moisturise as much as they perfume. Also includes a tea shop.

Simply Serene Perfecting the harmony between your mind, body and soul, Crystal Spa offers an exquisite Thai heritage spa experience. Using traditional Thai herbs and a masterful touch, our masseuses deliver divine treatments in a serene and exotic setting.

March Promotion: Aroma Hot Candle

Buy a 90 minutes Swedish massage and enjoy 30 minutes extra for free

Crystal Spa is located on Sukhumvit Rd., right in front of BTS Phrakanong Station escalator (Exit 3).

Open daily from 10.00-22.00 hrs. Free parking is available at Good Year Eagle Store.

For Reservation: Tel.02-382-2244, 02-382-4455 www.crystalspathailand.com bangkok 101

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Ratchada Night Market Fri-Sat Nights (busiest on Saturday) | parallel with Ratchadapisek-Ladprao intersection | MRT Ratchadapisek or Ladphrao Vendors at this nighttime (and teen-thronged) flea market flog all sorts of retro and secondhand stuff, from art deco lamps and ghetto blasters to Polaroids and vintage clothing. Somewhat like a country fair, it’s open-air and most wares are laid out on the ground, so expect to squat a lot. Besides the used items, lots of handmade products, such as paintings and women’s accessories, also squeeze into this small-city sized market; as does a live band, lots of local food and a mini motor show of classic cars and bikes (nope, those VW vans and pastel-coloured Vespas aren’t for sale unfortunately). So worth the schlep, but bring a torch and your bargaining skills!

shopping

bangkok 101

Thewet

THEWET Not far north from the flower market is the riverside plant market.

The street is lined with small shops selling a wide selection of tropical potted flora. It’s easiest and most scenic to access Thewet by river taxi, thus evoking the waterborne glories of the days when Bangkok was hailed as “Venice of the East”.

เทเวศน์

NAKHORN KASEM Known locally as the “thieves market”, this smallish street-side market in Chinatown offers a curious blend of second-hand goods, the odd antique, and a seemingly random assortment of household appliances.

As its nickname would suggest, ample bargains await patient, eagleeyed shoppers - though don’t expect a receipt, let alone a refund.

นครเกษม

...from french laces, silk jacquards, chiffon prints, cording laces, embroidered laces, taffettas linens, cottons, satins, and more...

Chakphet Rd. Chakphet Rd.

Merryking

Wangburapa Rd.

สวนลุมไนท์บาร์ซาร์

ปากคลองตลาด

Specialists in Bangkok for high-quality fabrics for women!!

Chakphet Rd.

SUAN LUM NIGHT BAZAAR (map C4) The official (read: tourist authorityrecommended) civic night bazaar is far more manageable than JJ - and mercifully less sweaty and intimidating.

In fact, as Bangkok markets go, this amiable though sanitised effort probably ranks as the most consistently civilised – and its lively food court and expansive German beer garden offer extra incentive to linger. Bear in mind, however, that the market is mainly geared to separate tourists from dollars, with the standardised mix of crafts, textiles and knick-knacks offered at inflated prices. Don’t take that as reason not to come, because wandering round “Suan Lum” makes for a pleasant early evening stroll, before moving on to the nearby entertainment zones. In fact, endeavour to visit while you can: Lumpini Night Market’s days are numbered, after the powers-that-be auctioned off its multifarious charms to make space for yet another redundant addition to the city’s obsessive collection of modern shopping malls.

PAK KHLONG TALAD (Flower Market) Wake up and smell the roses, as next to Saphan Phut (Memorial Bridge) lies Bangkok’s main flower market, a 24-hour hive of floral activity bristling with blooms carted in from around the country. Horticulturalists and those with a well developed olfactory sense will enjoy strolling around these fragrant surrounds.

The Old Siam

Visit us now for the lastest collections and new designs!!

Suan Lum Night Bazaar

bangkok 101

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Gandhi-326 Phahurat Road Bangkok10200 T02-2255-997/503 H 9-6pm (Mon-Sat) 9-5.30pm (Sun) Cynosure-A002 G/F ChinaWorld Phahurat Road Bangkok10200 T 02-225-2001-3 H 9.30-7pm (Mon-Sun) 103

Shopping

sidewalks Khao San Road Along every budget traveller’s favourite sidewalk, stallholders do a sterling trade in “novelty” T-shirts and cigarette papers, not to mention phoney degree certificates, driving licenses and press passes. And yes, if you must, you can still get your tiedye and fisherman’s pants, your hair dreadlocked, or eat B20 noodles from a polystyrene plate. However, these days post-millennial Khao San has been gentrified into somewhere bearing scant resemblance to its humble past as a tropical haven for wandering hippies. And you’ll find no better proof than night times here, when whole mounds, suitcases and racks of young-at-heart stuff (frayed t-shirts, handbags, polka dot dresses etc) are dragged down and splayed on the street for sale by the city’s baby-faced entrepreneurs.

ถ.ข้าวสาร

Silom Road/Patpong Both sides of Silom Road, just off Sala Daeng BTS station, offer day and night time shopping, but it really gets going between 6pm and 2am, when stalls set up here and along the notorious strip of sleazy gogo bars known as Patpong. This is a bizarre but uniquely ripe set-up that sees vendors plying busy nightly trade on the doorsteps of the bars concurrently plying an open trade in flesh; and young families rubbing shoulders with a motley crew of pimps, johns and scantily clad strippers. Among the illicit booty of pirated DVDs and designer knockoffs, the market actually does offer some decent local crafts, t-shirts and souvenirs – although, with prices naturally tilted towards the tourist end of the scale, robust bargaining skills are essential here.

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Sidewalks are where it’s at for cheap presents to take back home. Oddities unfound in other lands, funny T-shirts, wooden carvings, paintings and much more crowd the side streets of the city. Most of the stuff on offer can be picked up in the malls and markets – but where’s the fun in that?

And why pay more? Bargain!

Khao San Road

Sukhumvit Road The choices start around Soi 4 near BTS Nana station, on both sides of the major thoroughfare, and stretch nearly to Soi 20. In amidst the streetfood shacks and fortune tellers, you’ll find its mostly bogus tat all the way – polyester football shirts, DVDs, blown-up prints of long-tail boats moored on idyllic southern beaches. Although, right past Soi 6 is a group of deaf merchants who are always eager to find you something nice to remember beloved Thailand by. Velvet oil painting anyone?

Spreading out from the base of the looming Baiyoke Sky Hotel, it attracts a multinational mix of fasttalking traders, all on the make, and continues around the intense indoor fashion market, Platinum Fashion Mall, where everything is available at discounted rates for bulk orders.

Buy three or more and save yourself anywhere from B150-300 per item.

ประตูนำ้

ถ.สุขมุ วิท

Pratunam A ten-minute walk from CentralWorld, this sidewalk is famed for its bulk clothing deals. Loaded with knock-offs, and crowded with tourists shopping for all things casual, you’ll find textiles, fabrics, fancy dress (Catwoman mask ensemble anyone?) and great jeans at affordable prices (never pay more than B600!). shopping

Sukhumvit

bangkok 101

vit

Accommodation

ravishing rooms

Three seductive boutique hotels for Valentine’s Day or just because you’re in the mood for love.

Bangphlat Resort

Over the river and through the city outskirts lies a little boutique hotel that is not a far cry from Grandma’s house – your Thai grandmother of course. The Bangphlat Resort is much more than just a bunch of rooms, it’s two neat rows of authentic Thai houses with 30 years on its side – now that’s traditional. Originally a little neighbourhood for public rent Mr.Visal Mooktaree snatched it up two years ago, slapped on some slight painting renovations, and created a little piece of quiet 70 metres from main street craziness.

Whether you opt for one bedroom or Where 77/1 Charansanitwong Rd. two, all of the wooden houses are virtually Bangphlat, Bangkok, 02-885-5737 Sales the same. Downstairs you’ll find a dressing and Reservations: 02-885-5742; Mobile room, bathroom and a cozy living space (K.Gee) 084-344-4990, equipped with that “oh so Thai” wooden www.resortbangphlat.com couch, or shall I say bench. Upstairs an airPrice B3,330 - B4,230 (until 30th April) conditioned bedroom, private balcony and office – all adorned with smooth dark Mai Sak wood floors. The only annoyance is that the bedroom is upstairs, the bathroom is downstairs and the stairs are outside. Trust from experience and don’t drink too much water before bed.

As for the scenery… Okay, so there is no view of the Chao Phraya River, but you’re not too far! And there isn’t a pool, but there is a relaxing green courtyard and a spa, for all your pampering musts. It’s traditional, but immaculate. So you are traveling back in time, but not giving up any of the luxuries that are expected from a modern day vacation. Other amenities include a mini-fridge, cable, free wi-fi, and 24-hour security that is actually up and ready to greet you – no more catching your guard snoozing on the job.

While nothing seems to be in walking distance, many activities are just a short taxi ride away. Want to be in control yourself? No worries – the resort will set you up with your own rental car and assist with touring details.The Grand Royal Palace is only fifteen minutes away and the Taling Chan floating market is always worth a visit.

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“You don’t stay here... you live here”

1 Sathorn Soi 3, South Sathorn Road, Thungmahamek, Sathorn, Bangkok, Thailand 10120 Tel : (66) 2 343 6789 Fax : (66) 2 343 6790 visit www.marriott.com/bkkea

60 Soi Langsuan, Lumpini, Pathumwan Bangkok, 10330 Thailand Tel: (66) 2 6721234 Fax: (66) 2 6721235 Visit www.marriott.com/bkker

H e a l t h & We l l n e s s

body & beauty

B

angkok offers more places to indulge in massage than any other city on earth. A great Thai massage can cost just B100 per hour, while posher spas can easily cost 10 times that. Like any place else, spa value can be gauged by the quality of the therapists, oils, atmosphere and so on. In each issue we introduce several local spas in different price categories to help you find the best rub-down for your baht (see p.109 for this month’s listings) – no need to break the bank to get a good treatment. Reservations are always recommended.

Thai-massage

What could be more quintessentially Thai than the world-renowned practice of traditional Thai-style massage? Known in Thailand as nuad pan boran – literally ‘ancient style massage’ – Thais have been practising this time-honoured, therapeutic custom for over 2,500 years, dating back to the life of Buddha. Traditional Thai massage is performed without oil, with people typically wearing light-weight, loose-fitting pyjamas. By way of acupressure points that stimulate muscles and nerves, and assisted yogic stretching, skilled Thai massage practitioners employ their hands, elbows, knees, as well as their own body weight, to apply various degrees of pressure and mobilisation to different parts of the body.

This ancient form of healing can do wonders for all of the body’s organic systems by helping to align and balance the energies of the body. By enhancing blood circulation, Thai massage can help to break down and release toxins trapped in the body, in turn strengthening the immune system.

Though Thai massage can at moments be a bit painful, the after-effect is not one of fatigue, but calm. Common remarks are of relief to aching muscles, an increase in flexibility and higher general energy levels. Others report better sleep, a decrease in stress and an overall boost, both on a physical and emotional, as well as a spiritual level.

Urban Retreat Spa – 31/10 Sukhumvit Soi 35 signature treatment / BTS Phrom Phong / 02-204-2008-9 / www.

SABAI STONE MASSAGE

urbanretreatspa.net <http://www.urbanreSince elbowing its way onto the spa scene a few years back, treatspa.net> / 10am-10pm /$ 30-minute Himalayan Crystal pink spa Saltsworth with its salt has jumped onto the hot stone every upscale Yogurt and Honey Scrub + 60-minute Macmassage bandwagon.

Seemingly aware of the need to stand out adamia Oil Massage: 1200 baht Tucked away in a side street close the to Phrom from the pack, Rembrandt Hotels’ spa – a exotic little space Phong, Urban Retreat is precisely that –orange a done out in burning – offers a state-of-the-art take on quiet spot close to the bustle of Sukhumvit this now ubiquitous treatment.

Gone are the smooth pebbles and the upscale Emporium shopping mall.

This new, small spa is popular over with Thais andof years, by Mother Nature in favour of rounded, millions long-term foreign residents drawn by very machine-smoothed black granite stones by spa company Pevonia. good services that don’t suffer for being afAside from justwith looking fordable. Spa menu is trim and tidy, a fo- pretty cool, their different ergonomic cus on massage, although and facials shapesscrubs (a long rolling pin for arms and legs, a small soap-bar for are also available. Urban Retreat offers very tricky to reach parts etc) well-priced seasonal promotions -- we tried makes sliding near-scalding hot stones

over your curves all the more easier for your therapist – and gratifying for you. Of course, no number of hi-tech rocks can replace good technique.

Fortunately, the therapists here seem to have theirs down pat. We were all knots before our session, but after 90 minutes of having warm hands sticky with Pevonia essential oils alternate with searing hot stones, thus giving proceedings a lovely intensity, we left feeling invigorated, soothed. A delight.

WHERE Rembrandt Hotel 19 Sukhumvit Soi 18 BTS Asoke, MRT Sukhumvit, 02-261-7100, www. rembrandtbkk.com OPEN 9am – 10pm (last booking 9pm) PRICE B1,490/55 mins in March (normally B1,890), B2,500/90mins

รร.แรมแบรนท์ สุขมุ วิท ซ.18

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typical SPA cost range

$ under B600 $$ B600 – B1,000 $$$ B1,000-2,000 $$$$ B2,000+ Credit cards accepted unless otherwise noted

Crystal Spa (map E4) 1541 Sukhumvit Road | BTS Phrakanong | www.crystalspathailand. com | 02-382-2244, 02-382-445 | 10am-10pm | $$ Clamber down the steps of BTS Phrakanong station’s exit 3 and you’ve pretty much arrived at this small innercity spa. If you’re a regular in these parts you’ll know Crystal Spa’s look well – lots of warm-toned woods and muted silks, silk-clad staff with orchids in their tied-up hair, low-lit corridors that make you feel sleepy before you’ve even taken your shoes off. Thai massages are done in quasi-public but thick curtains guarantee some privacy, while foot massages happen in ultra-comfy upholstered armchairs.

Compact treatment rooms come with little telephone-cubicle sized herbal steamers and hydrotherapy baths, both good for relaxing your aching muscles pre-rub. As well as body and facial treatments, manicures and pedicures, lots of inexpensive packages are offered. Our ruling fave: the slightly kinky/painful sounding, but in fact utterly dreamy Aroma Hot Candle Massage. This excellent mid-range option also has a small garden area you can sip your warm lemongrass tea in afterwards.

LEELA THAI HERBAL SPA (map C4) 43 Soi Narathiwat 7, Sathorn | BTS Chong Nonsi | 02-679-3511-2 | www.leelathaispa.com | 10am-11pm | $$$ For convenience, it’s hard to beat Leela – located a few blocks from the Chong Nonsi BTS, this modern city spa is a snap to find. Popular with Thais and visitors from Hong Kong, Leela offers wonderful treatments that are also a good value – their spa packages are particularly well-priced. Try the excellent Leela Thai Aroma massage, which combines the long, smooth strokes of Swedish technique with Thai firmer-pressure moves. The Aroma Vie facial leaves clients refreshed and glowing – the cooling mask is a perfect way to beat the Bangkok heat. While the minimalist décor may not fully muffle surrounding street noise, in the hands of Leela’s rigorously trained technicians, the only thing to wake you from your reverie will likely be the sound of your own snoring.

ลีลาไทยเฮอร์บลั สปา ซ.นราธิวาส 7

Let’s Relax

LET’S RELAX (map D4) Sukhumvit Soi 39 | BTS Phrom Phong | 02-662-6935~7 | www.bloomingspa. com | Mon-Fri 10am-10pm, Sat-Sun 9am-10pm | $$ The twisting tuk-tuk ride down Sukhumvit Soi 39 is worth it. This huge, white mock-antique house is impeccably clean, unpretentious and modestly-priced. Big enough to accommodate coach-loads (but eerily empty on our visit), Let’s Relax keeps it simple, its able therapists dishing out the treatments we spagoers know and love in softly lit surround: foot/back and shoulder massages on the ground floor, trad Thai workouts on the second, the fancy stuff – aromatherapy, herbal saunas, four-hands massages etc – on the third. A B2,000 highlight: the invigorating 90-min hot stone massage, featuring volcanic, searinghot stones that are nimbly slid across your dormant, oil-scented body.

Wonderful.

เล็ทส์รแี ลกซ์ สุขมุ วิท 39

คริสตัลสปา ติดกับรถไฟฟ้าพระโขนง

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H e a l t h & We l l n e s s

wellness centres YOGA & PILATES The Pilates Studio (map C3) 888/58-9 Mahatun Plaza | Phloen Chit Rd | BTS Phloen Chit | 02-6507797 | www.pilatesbangkok.com Bangkok’s first dedicated Pilates studio also offers pre- and postnatal breathing classes, vinyasa yoga, and gyrotonic expansion in well-lit, airy studios. First-timer sessions (Wed & Sun, B400) include mats and towels. Check the website for schedules. พิลาธีสสตูดิโอ มหาทุนพลาซ่า เพลินจิต Yoga Elements (map C3) 29 Vanissa Bldg, Soi Chit Lom | BTS Chit Lom | 02-655-5671 | www.yogaelements.com | 7am-9pm (Mon-Fri), 9am-6pm (Sat-Sun) Bangkok’s first vinyasa / ashtanga yoga studio specialises in dynamic yoga techniques. The large practice studios are bright, quiet and ideal for small classes. Learning methods include four levels, so absolute beginners will feel at ease with popping ’round for an “Elements” class of the foundational techniques of breathing and body opening postures. Single classes are B500; you can simply drop by (check their website for schedules). โยคะ เอเลเม้นท์ 29 อาคารวานิสสา ซอยชิดลม (หลังเซ็นทรัลชิดลม)

Urban lifestyle taking its toll? Fear not for there are plenty of wellness centres around ready to rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul. Lock it all out and feel free to throw away the key to the rest of the world as these holistic havens will pamper you to the edges of hedonistic bliss.

Tria Integrative Wellness (map D3) 998 Rimklongsamsen Rd, Bangkapi | 02660-2600 | www.triaintegrativewellness. com | 7am-10pm Embrace your wellness at this urban retreat. With state-of-the-art equipment coupled with expert specialists, Tria is ready to carry out its philosophy of caring for what it believes to be the three most crucial health components – the elemental, structural and emotional states. These three elements, when integrated will provide complete harmony and true wellness for you.

ศูนย์สขุ ภาพองค์รวม TRIA (ตรัยยา) ถ.ริมคลองสามเสน (หลังโรงพยาบาลปิยะเวท)

Hydrohealth (map C3) 494 Erawan Bangkok, 4th Fl, Phloen Chit Rd l BTS Chit Lom | 02- 250-7800 | www.hydrohealth.co.th | 10am-8pm The first hydrotherapy colonic centre in Thailand has some of the most innovative equipment around. The colonic procedure not only rids you of all the unwanted toxins in your intestine but has shown it can improve overall health and other conditions such as allergies and skin problems. The centre also has massage packages and infrared sauna, along with organic food and supplements available.

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ไฮโดรเฮลท์ เอราวัณแบงคอก ถ.เพลินจิต

S Medical Spa (map C3) 2/2 Phakdi Building,Wireless Rd | BTS Phloen Chit | 02-253-1010 | www.smedspa.com | 10am-10pm The world of science and art collide ensuring you get a fully-fledged treatment as eastern traditions are combined with western technology to lift you up physically and mentally. The highly qualified staff consists of certified health & wellness

physicians, psychiatrists, dermatologists, gynaecologists and many other -gists ensuring you the most skilled and efficient service available.

เอสเมดิคัลสปา อาคารภักดี ถ.วิทยุ

Rasayana Retreat (map D4) 57 Soi Prom-mitr, Sukhumvit 39 | BTS Phrom Phong | 02-662-4803-5 | www.rasayanaretreat.com | 9am-8pm Specialists in deep cleansing programmes and hydrotherapy colonics that leave you refreshed and reborn and also a little bit lighter. Also the Raw Food café at Rasayana is definitely worth stopping by as they promote raw fresh foods using organic fruits and vegetables to help your body stay as clean as possible.

รัสยานา รีทรีทต์ ซ. พร้อมมิตร สุขมุ วิท 39

Amruth Wellness Center (mapE4) Sukhumvit 55,Thong Lo Soi 8 | BTS Thong Lo | 02-715-9440 | 7am - 10:30pm Get treated for everything from sexual dysfunction to back problems at this fully-fledged Ayurvedic medical centre – Bangkok’s first. Every patient at this leafy garden townhouse gets a consultation with Keralan Doctor Baspin K., whether you’re in for a drop-in, dropout treatment, a yoga sesh or to embark on a life-changing panchakarma package.

Stocked with medicines imported from the Subcontinent, holistic highlights include a hanging massage and the head oil-dribbling odyssey that is a shiro dhara.

อมฤต ศูนย์สขุ ภาพต้นตำรับอายุรเวท ศาสตร์ ทองหล่อ ซ.8

BANGKOK MEDIPLEX (map E4) 2/70 Sukhumvit 42, Phrakanong | BTS Ekkamai | 02-713-5555 | www.bangkokmediplex.com | 9am – 8pm Visible from the Ekkamai Skytrain Station, this gleaming steel and glass fronted lifestyle mall comprises 35 leading healthcare centres and trendy medi-lifestyle stores. There’s a clinic offering live cell therapy (a treatment to repair weak cells), a traditional Chinese medicine centre, a chiropractic centre, top notch eye-care and Thailand’s first organic supermarket. Ample parking.

แบงคอก เมดิเพลกซ์ สุขมุ วิท 42

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M

edical tourism is huge business in Thailand; a billion dollar industry. In 2007, Bangkok’s Bumrungrad Hospital alone reckoned to have treated over 400,000 patients from nearly 200 countries. And while Bumrungrad may be the market leader, there are plenty of others – such as Samitivej, BNH Hospital and Bangkok Hospital – who are increasingly courting international trade.

The price is right Reasons for the popularity of travelling to Thailand for medical attention are manifold, but essentially come down to price. Healthcare in your own country may be prohibitively expensive, or maybe your insurance does not cover a procedure you need. Or maybe you’ve decided that for the same price as an operation in your home town you could fly to exotic Thailand, have the operation then recover on a warm beach with a mango shake in one hand and a paperback in the other.

When you consider that procedures like heart bypass surgery in the USA can cost anywhere in the region of $70,000, while in Thailand it’s be more like $15,000, the numbers start to make sense. Especially when you consider your doctor here is likely to be foreign trained anyway. And it’s not just major surgery that provides the draw. Cosmetic surgery such as breast enhancement and liposuction is readily available at attractive prices, as is dental work and Lasik eye surgery. In fact, you can grab a Botox shot while you cruise the Bangkok malls.

Four star treatment Some of the hospitals here have to be seen to be believed. When you walk into Samitivej Hospital, for example, the lush décor, cute cafes and chic boutiques give it an almost resort atmosphere. And back at Bumrungrad, once you’ve been met at the airport, sped through customs and situated in your private room, they have their own immigration department and

bangkok 101

a team of translators to take all the hassle out of your trip.

You have to do your homework, though. Is the hospital you’re considering properly accredited? What are your doctor’s actual qualifications?

Will you really be ready to go scuba diving only three days after a back operation? How soon after your operation is it safe to fly long-haul?

And what happens if complications arise when you’re back home in Tulsa?

These are all the kind of questions you should think about and take advice on before committing to treatment.

medical tourism Recommended hospitals n Bumrungrad International

33 Sukhumvit 3 (Soi Nana Nua) | 02667-1000 | www.bumrungrad.com n Samitivej Sukhumvit 133 Sukhumvit 39 | 02-711-8000 | www.samitivejhospitals.com n BNH Hospital 9/1 Convent Road | 02-686-2700 | www.bnhhospital.com n Bangkok Hospital 2 Soi Soonvijai 7, New Petchburi Road | 02-310-3000 | www.bangkokhospital.com

FEATURED medical treatment

Laser Resurfacing

What if you could turn that wrinkly old, raisin face of yours back into a firm young grape? It’s possible with today’s space-aged laser technology. Turn back the clock and zap years off your face!

Laser Resurfacing is a process that utilizes a carbon dioxide laser to remove layers of damaged or wrinkled skin to minimize the appearance of fine facial lines. It can also fix sun-damaged skin, uneven skin tones or acne scars.

The process can single out specific Crystal Laser Center spots or can be performed on the entire face. A targeted laser beam strips away the outer, damaged layers of skin, leaving a tighter and smoother surface.

The benefits of using a laser as opposed to other resurfacing methods, such as chemical peels, are greater precision, minimal to no bleeding, and less post-operative discomfort. The resurfacing only lasts an hour and a half, though recovery times will vary. However, it’s not a procedure for everyone.

People with darker skin tones should not undertake this procedure as they are more susceptible to pigmentation changes. Also, despite the fact that you may be able to eliminate lines with laser resurfacing, wrinkles and facial lines that have occurred naturally via facial movements will inevitably reoccur in a matter of time. So it’s not permanent by any means.

Before undergoing this procedure be sure to seek consultation with a specialist who will evaluate your skin and give you the best advice towards making your decision.

■ Yoskarn Clinic 89/203 Rajdamri Rd. (Behind Big C Superstore) | BTS Chit Lom | 02-253-8901 | www.laser-surgery-bangkok.com ■ Crystal Laser Center 14th Fl. Emporium Tower | Sukhumvit soi 24 | BTS Prom Phong | 02-664-7211 | www.crystallasercenter.com

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Sports

sports MASTER MUAY THAI! Many a champ started out punching mitts at one of Bangkok’s many muay Thai schools. Some are livein training camps, others geared towards drop-in sessions, but all will train you up and teach you how to deflect – and deliver – the basic moves, be it kick, jab, elbow, foot thrust or standing grapple.

Beginners and female pugilists are welcome, though they often receive inordinate attention from the coming-of-age combatants. n Chacrit Muay Thai School Washington Square next to Sukhumvit Soi 22 | 02-260-5816 www.chacritmuaythaischool.com n Fairtex Muaythai RCA 149 3rd Fl. RCA Driving Range, Local Rd. | 02-203-1443 | www.muaythaifairtex.com n The International Muay Thai School 22/8 Moo 8, Soi 10, Pracharaj Sai1 Road, Bangsue | 02-585-6807 www.geocities.com/maimuangkorn/ eng_mai.htm n Muay Thai Institute 336/932 Prahonyothin 118 Vipravadee Road, Rangsit | 02-9920096-99 | www.muaythai-institute.net n Muaythai Sasiprapa 401 Soi Ladprao 130 Klongchan, Bangkapi | 02-378-0270 | www.muaythaisasiprapa.com

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THAI BOXING venueS Lumphini Boxing Stadium Rama IV Rd, next to Suan Lum Night Bazaar | MRT Lumphini | 02-251-4303, 02-252-8765 | Fights Tue & Fri from 6:30pm10:30pm, Sat 5pm-8pm, 8:30pmmidnight | B1,000 B1,500 B2,000) สนามมวยลุมพินี ถ.พระราม 4

ติดกับสวนลุมไนท์ บาซ่าร์

Fairtex

MUAY THAI (Thai Boxing) Thai boxing, or muay Thai, is very popular in Bangkok with most major bouts held at either the Lumphini or Ratchadamnoen stadium. This brutal but graceful martial art has been practised in Thailand for centuries.

Past kings are reported to have been champion fighters and one, King Naresuan, introduced the sport as part of military training in the 16th century. Due to the high incidence of deaths during combat, the sport was banned in the 1920s but reintroduced soon after under the more safetyconscious Queensbury rules. Bouts consist of three five minute rounds during which the fighters use every part of the body (except the head) to bludgeon the opponent into defeat.

Before the bout begins, a graceful and mesmerising ritual dance named ram muay is performed by both fighters to placate the spirits and show respect to the art and its teachers. Bouts are extremely boisterous, noisy affairs and should be witnessed for the spectacle alone. Be warned though, this isn’t the WWF, the blows are hard hitting, the blood real. spor ts

Ratchadamnoen Stadium Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue | 02-281-4205, 02-280-1684-6 | Fights Mon, Wed, Thu 6:30pm11pm, Sun 5pm-8pm, 8:30pmmidnight | B1,000 B1,500 B2,000

เวทีมวยราชดำเนิน ถ.ราชดำเนิน

TAKRAW (Kick Volleyball) Go to Lumphini Park (see p.37) on any given day and watch sweaty Thais combine the skills of volleyball, football and gymnastics. As many as two dozen men pair off to leap and dive through the air with one objective in mind: without using their hands, keep a rattan ball from hitting the ground on their net side. The diverse mix of players – tuk-tuk drivers, security guards and students – says much about the widespread Thai love of takraw, the most beautiful Asian game. Played since the 11th century, it has spread throughout the region, but nowhere is it played with as much relish as here, where it fills stadiums.The sport’s killer move, the somersault scissor kick, can send the ball hurtling back over the net at amazing speeds. Watch in awe. bangkok 101

Spiceroads

Active Sports AEROBICS It might be hard to imagine, but every day, busy Bangkokians find the time for some energising aerobics – out in the open. Many practise graceful, meditative t’ai chi moves just after sunrise. And head to any park in the city around 5-6pm and you’ll spot large groups of office workers, kids and the elderly doing a hi-energy, Jane Fonda style workout in synch with blaring pop-techno songs and an enthusiastic coach clad in spandex.

The best places for the free classes are the centrally located Lumphini Park and the smaller Benjasiri Park (next to The Emporium, Sukhumvit Rd, BTS Phrom Phong). Others, a bit off the beaten path, include Rommaninat Park (Siriphong Rd, near the Giant Swing), Saranrom Park (Thaiwang Rd) near the Grand Palace and Santiphap Park (Soi Rangnam). Never mind the possibility of fainting – simply join in!

BOWLING Bowling is a favourite pastime among Thais. Most shopping malls have topof- the-line tenpin alleys on-site and many of these teeter dangerously close to being a nightclub with full bars and closing times after midnight.

During after-hours, bowling alleys often have a DJ blasting thumping tunes, and they’ll often kill the lights and flood the halls with black light for a particularly psychedelic experience. Great spots to get your bowl on include trendy Blu-O at Siam Paragon and Esplanade, which also has platinum rooms for rent for your own private area and lane for your party. Also worth mentioning is the Major Bowl atop posh J-Avenue in Thong Lor, and also SF Strike Bowl in good ol’ MBK.

CYCLING SpiceRoads 14/1-B Soi Promsi 2 | Sukhumvit 39 | 02-712-5305, 089- 895-5680 | www. spiceroads.com This company has been organising bicycle tours in Southeast Asia for over 12 years, and it offers extraordinary day tours in the outskirts of Bangkok.

The daytrips take you to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Koh Kred, around Bangkok’s old city, Chinatown or along atmospheric canals through Bang Krachao, an unspoilt rural peninsula just across the river. They usually start early in the day (pick-up from your hotel is included). The rides, organised throughout the week, are demanding but fun. Groups are held small (two to 16 participants), but private tailormade itineraries are also possible, even for seriously adrenalineparched mountain bikers who are up for a technical 30km nailbiter.

SpiceRoads also offers two-and three-day trips around Kanchanaburi, Ayutthaya and in the Mae Khlong Delta south of Bangkok; it also organises much longer trips in Thailand and its neighbours.

ICE SKATING SUB-ZERO ICE SKATE CLUB (map D2) Ratchadaphisek Rd, Esplanade 4F | MRT Thailand Cultural Centre | 02354-2134 This isn’t a boring sterile rink, more

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spor ts

like a nightclub on ice. Popular among youngsters, its 682m2 of fluorescent ice lights up at night when Sub Zero morphs into an “Ice Bar” with DJs and strobe lights blasting the floor. For the novice, there are pros on hand with lessons ranging from speed skating, figure skating, ice skating and even hockey. Lessons are B900-2,400 and the complex has a fully stocked pro shop if you want brand new blades of glory. Even if you just want to have a look there are bars ringside, and of course they are made of ice! And this is Thailand so of course there’s karaoke on-site.

TENNIS Lumphini Park Youth Centre (map C4) Soi Klang Racquet Club Sukhumvit Soi 49-9 (map E4) National Stadium Rama I Rd (map C3) Smash it down the line as tennis has become one of the most popular sports in all of Thailand, with local ace Paradorn Srichaphan bearing much of the responsibility for inducing hordes of Thais to pick up the racquet and start practising their serves. Many of the leading hotels offer an in-house court for you but if you’d like to get out among the people, there are quite a few public courts around town that you can use for free or for a small fee. Also towards the end of their respective seasons Bangkok hosts two tournaments, the ATP’s Thailand Open and the WTA’s Bangkok Open.

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courses

apron, knives and wok, each student works at a personal cooking station in a spacious kitchen after short, informative demonstrations. Lunch consists of your own cooking plus additional dishes.

No reason to limit yourself to just tom yam goong and phad thai – each session includes four innovative dishes; the selection changes daily. Perfect for tourists on a short Bangkok stint. บลู เอเลแฟนท์ ถ. สาทรใต้

Baipai

COOKING CLASSES BAIPAI COOKING SCHOOL (map C4) 150/12 Soi Naksuwan, Nonsee Road, Chong Nonsi | 02-294-9029 | www.baipai.com No sitting back and just watching at this leafy two-storey townhouse. Shortly after being picked up from your hotel, passed an apron and given a brief demonstration of how to cook four dishes it’s over to you. Fortunately the breezy open-plan workshop, individual cooking stations and pre-prepped ingredients mean cooking here is no chore. Plus the staff are smiley and professional, as they answer your questions (“But what if I can’t find kaffir lime leaves?” etc) and ensure you don’t singe your spring rolls. Later you get to feast on the fruits of your labour – so do your research on the seven set menus if you’re allergic to tom yum. Some takehome recipes and a souvenir fridge magnet featuring a snap of you in action completes the four-hour morning or afternoon experience; one so palatable and productive and, gasp, fun that many come back for seconds.

รร.สอนทำอาหารไทยใบพาย ถ.นนทรี

BLUE ELEPHANT (map B4) Thai Chine Building, 233 South Sathorn Rd | 02-673-9353 | www.blueelephant. com | from B2,800 The class offered at this classy restaurant is very hands-on and easy to follow. The morning class is preferable since it starts with a visit to the Bang Rak market with the chef, where you’re shown the ingredients you’ll use later. Equipped with 114

(รถไฟฟ้าสุรศักดิ์)

THAI MASSAGE CLASSES WAT PO THAI TRADITIONAL MEDICAL SCHOOL (map A3) 2 Sanamchai Rd | 02-622-3551, 02622-3533 | www.watpomassage.com | daily 8am – 5pm | B8,500/30hrs Any good spa therapist will have undergone their training in traditional Thai massage at this temple school.

Constructed in a concealed building away from the tourist-infested but peaceful Wat Po temple grounds, the instruction area is more functional than stylish, but the efficient course run by competent instructors more than makes up for the missing luxury. Thai massage, an ancient form of healing, uses pressure application on the various body meridians. Your costudents will mainly be Thai and Japanese, along with the odd Westerner. The 30hour course can be completed in five, six or ten days; a foot reflexology course and other instruction are available too.

The tired tourist can also get Bangkok’s best Thai massage in fan-cooled, opensided salas for just B360/hour.

โรงเรียนแพทย์แผนโบราณ วัดพระเชตุพน ถ. สนามชัย

CHIVA-SOM INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY (map E4) Modern Town Bldg, 87/104 Ekamai Rd, Sukhumvit Soi 63 | BTS Ekkamai | 02711-5270-3 | www.chivasomacademy. com | from B9,000 Asia’s premier training centre for spa and holistic therapies offers intensive courses covering all aspects of spa-ing, from anatomy and Thai massage to stress management. Held in peaceful surroundings and conducted by skilled cour ses & ser vices

Wat Po

international instructors, half the time is spent on theory and practice, the other half is filled with case studies. The academy takes its instruction seriously; students receive internationally accepted accreditation on completion of courses. The high but justified prices range from B9,000 (two-day reiki course) to B59,000 (spa development course). Most courses are too long for a usual holiday (two to four weeks), but there are one-week courses available in reflexology and shiatsu. ชีวาศรม อินเตอร์เนชันแนล อะคาเดมี

โมเดิร์นทาวน์ 87/104 ถ.สุขุมวิท 63

MEDITATION CLASSES INTERNATIONAL BUDDHIST MEDITATION CENTRE (map A3) Wat Mahathat, Na Phra Lan Rd | 02-2226011 | www.mcu.ac.th/mcu/eng | free This is the most traditional, noncommercial meditation class, based on Vipassana (‘insight’) mindfulness. For Buddhists, meditation is essential to cleanse the mind and accomplish clarity and inner peace. Close to Sanam Luang, the atmospheric temple complex is the teaching centre of Mahachulalongkorn Buddhist University, one of Thailand’s highest seats of Buddhist learning. Daily classes conducted in English (1pm-4pm, 6pm-8pm, 7pm-10pm) are mixed; you’ll find monks, locals and tourists here.

Participants can stay on the compound in simple, quiet rooms; complimentary meals are provided. Bring offerings of flowers, a candle and nine incense sticks for the opening ceremony. Donations are accepted. Retreats of three or more days are available as well. Perfect for a serious, but short stint into Buddhist meditation.

สำนักกองกลางวิปัสนา วัดมหาธาตุ ถ. หน้าพระลาน

bangkok 101

Want to shore up your karma reserves? Even if you’re only visiting Thailand for a short time, there are plenty of worthwhile causes that rely on public support for their services. In each issue of Bangkok 101, we highlight the work of a local charitable organisation, along with details on how you can help.

making merit

o

SANUK MY SATURDAYS

Having fun helping people. That’s the catchy mantra behind In Search of Sanuk, a Bangkok-based volunteer organization founded by grassroots changemaker Dwight Turner last year. He’s been putting on charity parties left right and centre over the past year, his lively presence in the Bangkok twitter-sphere helping generate lots of pre-event buzz (www.twitter.com/insearchofsanuk). But the initiative that has really caught our attention – and those with time to spare – is Sanuk My Saturdays, when group of volunteers head into Bangkok’s slums with the sole aim of helping children – and having a blast while doing so.

Since July 2009 most of these Saturday sessions have involved heading to a deprived community in Bangkok’s Pinklao district to give English classes. And just recently they’ve started at Yommarat, another slum community that stretches roughly 3km along rail tracks. Sounds like hardcore community work. And it is, but still a whole lotta fun says Bangkok’s Mr. Motivator. “Its laidback and easy to join” he says. “My outlook on teaching is not too different from my outlook on life. The biggest goal is not English fluency, but building relationships with the kids and having them associate fun with learning.”

How to get involved?

If you’d like to take part in this Saturday jamboree of upbeat teaching, the funlanthropy starts by getting in touch with Dwight via the website (www. insearchofsanuk.com/volunteer). Sanuk My Saturdays takes places almost every Saturday (duh!) from 2-3pm, with groups usually convening first at Tesco Lotus in Pinklao. He recommends coming prepared.That means bringing along B100-200 to help with costs if you can, dressing casually, and, judging from the photos on the website, being ready to run around with a giggling Thai sprog on your back when the need arises. Alternatively, if you got cash to spare, not time, donations can be made through their website at www.insearchofsanuk.com/donate

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cour ses & ser vices

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Business

business In Bangkok on business? Rest assured it brings a lot to the table.

Convention centres, ritzy hotels, world-class wine-and-dine spots... it’s little wonder it’s a regional hub for MICE (Meetings and Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions), especially when you factor in the myriad down-time attractions. We dig up all the basics so that you don’t have to.

Business Travellers Top on the list after you’ve touched down is, of course, a hotel.There are lots to choose from, in every location, but those that tick every business-traveller box include The Conrad, Sofitel Silom, Westin Grande and Sheraton Grande.

Bangkok’s traffic has a justifiably miserable reputation, but having a car at your disposal can be handy.

Try Limousine Thailand (www. limousinethailand.com). And if your hotel room isn’t cutting it as a makeshift office, then contact temporary office providers Regus (www.regus.co.th) or Servcorp (www.servcorp.net).

There’s rarely a quiet moment on the local trade fair scene. For a rundown, see www.thaitradefair.com. Or perhaps you’re considering staging your company’s big meet or team get-away here? If so, talk to the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (www.tceb.or.th).

They say it’s who you know – not what you know. To get your face out there, join one of the networking events hosted by Bangkok Young Professionals (www.mobyelite.com/byp) or others. If you’re short on business cards – and you will be after a night at the aforementioned – try one of the many one-stopshops at MBK shopping mall.

It’s also worth reading up on Thailand’s face-saving and, often quirky, business culture.Try Working with the Thais: A Guide to Managing in Thailand by Henry Holmes and Suchada Tangtongtavy (White Lotus, B495).

Finally, note that any foreigner working, or doing business here, must have a non-immigrant B visa and a work permit. If your company hasn’t arranged both, go to www.immigration.go.th and find out what you need. Or contact a business solutions provider like Sunbelt Asia – they’ll do all the paperwork so that you don’t have to.

Starting Up Frequently voted one of the world’s best cities, it’s no surprise that so many look to set up shop in Bangkok. However, bear in mind that although Thailand opened it doors wide to foreign investment after the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, it can still be a tricky place to establish a business.

The best advice is to find local experts to help you clear the regulatory hurdles. Business solutions provider Sunbelt Asia (www.sunbeltasia.com) offers everything from upfront legal advice to business brokerage and serviced offices.

Similarly, Bangkok Base (www.bangkokbase.com) is a 360° provider of business support. Chambers of commerce can also offer advice and assistance in finding partners.

There are also a few books on the market. One of the best is Philip Wylie’s How to Establish a Successful Business in Thailand. In it you will find the essentials on the minutiae of business in Thailand, from negotiating baffling bureaucracy and legal peculiarities to cultural codes and social etiquette.

Business spotlight

SHERATON GRANDE SUKHUMVIT

This is surely one of the best located Bangkok hotels for those visiting on business. Situated bang on Sukhumvit’s Asok intersection, with its attendant Skytrain and underground stations, the SGS is only a short hop from the CBD in Silom and a stone’s throw from any number of sleek bars and restaurants that characterise Sukhumvit Rd. Not least among these is the SGS’s own BarSu, a stylish restaurant/ club perfect for entertaining clients.

WHERE 250 Sukhumvit Rd | Furthermore the hotel lays claim to good on02-649-8888 | site Italian and Thai restaurants, which attract www.sheratongrandesukhumvit. many of the city’s more selective diners. Wellcom BTS Asok MRT Sukhumvit appointed meeting rooms (with full AV facilities) are available to rent, and the hotel has reliable, fast WiFi coverage. The hotel also offers a comprehensive events management service, allowing you to delegate responsibility for the minutiae of your meeting to an experienced, efficient team. The conference facilities adjoining the hotel allow for larger sale functions and events, and various sized rooms are available for banquets. As far as location and facilities go, the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit ticks all the right boxes.

รร.เชอราตันแกรนด์สุขุมวิท

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Reference

survival thai Numbers 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 20 21 22 30 40 100 101 110 200 1,000 1,100 5,000 10,000 15,000 50,000 100,000 1,000,000

˘ soon nèung ˘ song ˘ saam sèe hâa hòk jèt pàet kâo sìp sìp èt ˘ sìp song yêe sìp yêe sìp èt ˘ yêe sìp song ˘ saam sìp sèe sìp (nèung) rói (nèung) rói èt (nèung) rói sìp ˘ rói song (nèung) phan (nèung) phan nèung rói hâa phan (nèung) meùun nèung meùun hâa phan hâa meùun ˘ (nèung) saen (nèung) láan

Basics yes no I you

châi / khráp / khâ mâi châi ˘ / (di)chán phom khun

Communication I don’t understand I can’t speak Thai never mind possible / impossible

mâi khâo jai phôot thai mâi dâi mâi pen rai dâi / mâi dâi

A

lthough it is not really necessary to learn Thai for a short stay in Thailand, as most Thais who deal with tourists speak some English, you will have an undoubtedly more enjoyable experience if you make the effort to remember a few words.

Basic Thai grammar is considerably simpler than the grammar in western languages. Sentences are reduced to the basic subject-verb-object format (no tenses, plurals, genders or subject-verb agreement).

The main difficulty comes from the fact that Thai is a tonal language, meaning that words can have different meanings depending on how they are pronounced. Five tones are used: low tone ( ` ), middle tone (unmarked), high tone ( ´ ), falling tone ( ˆ ) and rising tone ( ˇ ).

Did you know? khráp and khâ You should end your sentences with khráp if you are a man and khâ if you are a woman: this is the polite way of addressing people in Thailand. Both words are also used to say “yes”.

Thai script Thai script was introduced during the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng in 1283, and has hardly changed since then.

Like English, the Thai language has an alphabet and is written from left to right. The main difference is that there are no spaces between words, no punctuation and no capital letters. Moreover, the Thai alphabet consists of 44 consonants and 32 vowels.

Greetings and civilities

Adjectives and adverbs

hello / hi / goodbye how are you?

I’m fine and you? pardon? sorry / excuse me thank you (very much)

beautiful big / small expensive good here/there

hot / cold a little a lot / much / very

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sa-wàt dee sa-bai dee réu sa-bai dee láew khun lâ arai ná kho˘ thôt khòp khun (mâak)

reference

˘ suay yài / lék paeng dee têe nêe/ têe nân rón / yen nîtnòi mâak

Transportation canal street, lane pier road temple

khlong soi thâa ˘ (th) thanon wát

to... please pai... mái > the ... hotel > rong raem ... ˘ > the airport > sa-naam bin ˘ > the train station > sa-taa-nee rót fai > the bus station > bo ko˘ so˘ ˘ ˘ > the police station > sa- taa-nee tumruat > this address > têe yòo née ˘ ... > the ... restaurant > ráan aahaan use the meter turn left / right go straight on stop here please

chái mée-têr ˘ lée-ow sáay/ khwaa trong pai jòt têe nêe

Shopping how much is it? an-née thâo rài that’s (a bit) too expensive paeng pai

Food rice fried rice water tea coffee spicy is it very spicy? not spicy without chilli delicious

khâo khâo pàd náam plào chaa kafae phèt phèt mâak mái mâi phèt mâi sài prik arròy

Questions where? when? what? which? (thing) where is / are...? how much / many?

˘ têe nai mêua-rài ˘ arai ˘ an-nai ... yòo têe nai thâo rài

bangkok 101

USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS Metropolitan Mobile Police 191 Crime 195 Traffic Control Centre 197 Fire 199 Tourist Assistance Centre 02-281-5051 Tourist Police 1155 Highway Police 1193 Medical Emergency 1669 LOST CREDIT CARD CALL CENTRES American Express 02-273-5544 (8am8pm) / 02-273-5522 (after 8pm) MasterCard 02-260-8572 Visa 02-273-1199 or 02-273-7449 MEDICAL EMERGENCY Bangkok Hospital 02-310-3000 BNH Hospital 02-686-2700 Bumrungrad Hospital 02-667-1000 Samitivej Hospital 02-711-8000 St. Louis Hospital 02-675-5000 Thai Nakarin Hospital 02-361-2727 Dental Hospital 02-260-5000/15 TELEPHONE SERVICES Bangkok Directory Inquiries 1133 Domestic Long Distance 101 International Long Distance 100 Overseas Subscribers Call 001 TOURISM OFFICES TAT Call Centre 1672 (8am-8pm) TAT Tourist Information 4 Ratchadamnoen Nok Rd; 02-282- 9773, 02-2505500 | daily 8:30am- 4:30pm Tourism Authority of Thailand 1600 New Phetchaburi Rd | 02- 250-5500 | www.tat.or.th; www. tourismthailand.org Bangkok Tourism Division 171/1 Phra Athit Rd | 02-225-7612/4 | www. bangkoktourist.com IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT 507 Soi Suan Plu, off South Sathorn Rd | 02-287-3101 | Mon-Fri 8am- 4pm EMBASSIES Australia 37 South Sathorn Rd | 02344-6300 | www.austembassy.or.th Canada Abdulrahim Place 15F, 990 Rama IV Rd | 02-636-0540 | www.bangkokinternational.gc.ca bangkok 101

Cambodia 185 Ratchadamri Rd | 02957-5851-2 | RECBKK@hotmail.com China 57 Ratchadaphisek Rd, Din Daeng | 02-245-7043/4 | www.chinaembassy.or.th India 46 Sukhumvit Rd Soi 23 | 02258- 0300/5 | www.indianembassy. gov.in/bangkok Indonesia 600-602 Phetchaburi Rd | 02-252-3135/40 Japan 177 Wireless Rd | 02-696-3000, 02-207-8500 | www.th.emb-japan.go.jp Laos 520, 502/1-3 Wang Thonglang Rd | 02-539-6667 | www.bkklaoembassy.com Malaysia 33-35 South Sathorn Rd | 026296800 | ww.kin.gov.my/perwakilan/ bangkok Myanmar 132 North Sathorn Rd | 02233-2237, 02-234-4698, 02-234-4789 | mebkk@asianet.co.th New Zealand M Thai Tower, 14F All Seasons Place, 87 Witthayu Rd | 02-254-2530 | www.nzembassy.com Philippines 760 Sukhumvit Rd | 02-259-0139/40 | www.philembassybangkok.net Singapore 129 South Sathorn Rd | 02-286-2111 United Kingdom 1031 Witthayu Rd | 02-305-8333 | www.ukinthailand. fco.gov.uk U.S.A. 120-122 Witthayu Rd | 02205-4000; www.usa.or.th/embassy Vietnam 83/1 Witthayu Rd | 02-251-5836 TRANSPORT PLANE Suvarnabhumi Bangkok Airport Call Centre 02-132-1888 Bangkok Airways 02-265-5555 | www.bangkokair.com Air Asia Suvarnabhumi International Airport A1-062 FG, Concourse A | 02-5159999 | www.airasia.com Thai Airways Int’l Suvarnabhumi International Airport F4, Row F | 02-356-1111 | www.thaiair.com

contacts SKYTRAIN/SUBWAY BTS Skytrain Call Centre 02-612-2444 | www.bts.co.th MRT Subway Call Centre 02-354-2000 BUS Call Centre 02-576-5599 Northern & Northeastern Bus Terminal Phahonyothin Rd, Mor Chit Southern Bus Terminal Boromrat Chonnani Rd Sai Tai Eastern Bus Terminal Sukhumvit Rd (Ekkamai)

Surfing BKK There’s a million websites out there, all desperate for a good quick click – but these are the only ones we would take home to meet our mum. n www.1stopbangkok.com Everything you wanted to know about Bangkok but were afraid to ask. n www.thaivisa.com General, boring, immigration type stuff and an entertaining messageboard. n www.bangkokartmap.com Find out where the pretty pictures and free wine’s at. n www.paknamweb.com Blogs, blogs and more blogs. Everything from the Thai lottery to sizzling streetfood. n www.movieseer.com Popcorn? Check. Emergency sweater? Check. Showtimes?

Check here!

MRT

TRAIN State Railway | www.railway.co.th Bangkok Railway Station (Hua Lamphong) Rama IV Rd | Call Centre 1690 reference

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Reference

getting around

B

angkok’s heaving traffic is legendary, presenting a constant challenge for residents and visitors to the city. River and canal boats, along with the BTS skytrain and MRT subway systems, offer some reliable alternatives to getting jammed on the road. Nonetheless, traffic remains horrendous, particularly mid-week. Below is a layman’s guide to inner-city transport options. anywhere in town for as low as B10, it’s part of a setup that will lead you to an overpriced souvenir or jewellery shop. It would be wise to decline any such offers.

MOTORCYCLE TAXI In Bangkok’s heavy traffic, motorcycle taxis are the fastest, albeit most dangerous, form of road transport.

Easily recognisable by their colourful vests, motorbike taxi drivers gather in groups by department stores, at the end of long sois or by tourist spots.

As with tuk-tuks, fares definitely have to be negotiated beforehand.

BTS

ROAD TAXI Bangkok has thousands of metered, air-con taxis available 24 hours. Flag fall is B35 (for the first 2kms) and the fare climbs in B2 increments. Be sure the driver switches the metre on. No tipping is required, but rounding the fare up to the nearest B5 or B10 is common. Additional passengers are not charged, nor is baggage. For trips to/from the airport, the passengers should pay the expressway toll fees.

When boarding from the public taxi queue outside the terminal, a B50 surcharge is added to the metered fare.

TUK-TUK Those three-wheeled taxis (or samlor) are best known as tuk-tuks, named for the steady whirr of their engines. They are popular amongst tourists and can be fun for short trips around town. A 10-minute ride should cost around B40, but always bargain before boarding. Beware: if a tuk-tuk driver offers to deliver you

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BUS Bangkok has an extensive and inexpensive public bus service. Both open-air and air-conditioned vehicles are available, respectively for B5 and B7.50-23 Pink-white mini-buses are a little more expensive (B25 per person) but seats are guaranteed. As most destinations are noted only in Thai, it is advisable to get a bus route map (available at hotels, TAT offices and bookshops).

RAIL SKYTRAIN The Bangkok Transit System, or BTS, is a two-line elevated train network covering the major commercial areas.

Trains run every few minutes from 6am to midnight, making the BTS a quick and reliable transport option, especially during heavy traffic jams.

Fares range from B15 to B40; special tourist passes allowing unlimited travel for one day (B120) is available.

BTS also provides free shuttle buses which transit passengers to and from stations and nearby areas. www.bts. co.th

reference

SUBWAY Bangkok’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) is another fast and reliable way to get across town. The 18-station line stretches 20kms from Hualamphong (near the central railway station) up to Bang Sue in the north. Subways run from 6am to midnight daily, with trains arriving every 5-7 minutes.

The underground connects with the BTS at MRT Silom/BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Sukhumvit/BTS Asok and MRT Chatuchak Park/BTS Mo Chit stations. Subway fares range from B15 to B39. www.bangkokmetro. co.th RIVER (also see River Tourism on p.24) EXPRESS RIVER BOAT Bangkok’s vast network of inter-city waterways offer a quick and colourful alternative for getting around the city.

Express boats ply the Chao Phraya River from the Saphan Taksin Bridge up to Nonthaburi, stopping at some 30 main piers. Fares range from B9 to B32 depending on the distance.

Tickets can either be bought on the boat or at the pier. Boats depart every 20 minutes or so between 5:30am and 6pm. Cross-river services operate throughout the day at each pier for the modest sum of B3.

CANAL BOAT Khlong Saen Saep canal boats operate from Banglamphu across the city to Ramkhamhaeng University. Canal (khlong) boats tend to be frequent and cost around B8 to B18. Tickets are bought onboard. Note that the piers are a little hidden away, which makes them sometimes difficult to find.

bangkok 101