FN CITY GUIDE: BANGKOK

Bangkok is a city thriving in many aspects. Upon touchdown at Suvarnabhumi Airport, you notice that the Thai people are a different sort.

If you’re Singaporean, you get a sense that the locals of Bangkok are a friendly yet hardy lot – a community used to the millions of tourists drawn to Thailand and its extra ’something’.

This ’something’ could be a mix of the Thai culture, its beaches, the fantastic cuisine, or the fact that things happen in Thailand. There is something magical about the place.

Smooth baggage claiming and short customs queues, the curse of the Third World airport does not befall on Suvarnabhumi Airport. Hop onto a cab at any time, though, and your possibilities of interacting with the famed traffic jams are very high.

You then realise that the friendly Thai people have yet another redeeming trait, patience. Patience for the unyielding traffic obstacles they face every single day, or maybe you can call it quiet acceptance. It is a way of life. Riding with a patient driver allows for you, the commuter, to find some form of inner peace as well.

Hotel recommendations

1. Citin Pratunam
(http://www.citinpratunam.com/)

We put up at Citin Pratunam, right in the heart of a random neighbourhood filled with roadside stalls selling food and fruit of all variety. A budget hotel with all the necessary facilities – perfect if you just want a no-frills holiday. It is within 5 minutes walking distance to Platinum Mall, which we will speak of in a bit.

If service is of importance to you, over location, this is the place to be. We did not encounter any form of bad service in our short stay there, and all our demands like toothbrush, finding a cab, bottle opener, etc. were met with a smile.

If you get irritated by location, then this is not the place for you. Cab drivers drop you by the edge of the neighbourhood, refusing to even try to locate the hotel as it will mean minutes and effort for them to navigate the complicated narrow roads.

Tip: We got the address printed in Thai to show cabbies, as some of them can’t read English addresses. This makes communication much, much easier.

Other hotel recommendations from readers:

2. Reflections (http://www.reflections-thai.com)

3. Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel (www.pullmanbangkokkingpower.com)

4. Citadines Bangkok Sukhumvit (www.citadines.com/en/thailand/bangkok/sukhumvit16.html)

5. The Inn Saladaeng (www.theinnsaladaeng.com/)

Shopping

1. Platinum Mall

Five levels of crazy shopping at this place – tiny shops all loaded with tonnes of clothes. If you are going with a few friends, that’ll be great news. You get to enjoy wholesale prices as they apply discounts for multiple pieces from each shop. Hair accessories, tops, pants, skirts, all in vogue – but of course you need a discerning eye. I can’t say everything is great from this mall.

2. Siam Square

Don’t be fooled, this place isn’t a building but a sprawling neighbourhood of one-level stores. It is opposite Siam Centre and Siam Paragon. A place of relatively more indie designs than Platinum Mall, but there are some repeated pieces spotted too. Great if you want one-off accessories; the decor of each shop makes shopping more pleasurable than Platinum Mall.

3. Siam Centre

A boutique of higher end labels like Miss Sixty, Adidas, etc., this is the equivalent of Singapore’s The Heeren, in a sense. The higher levels house boutiques like Theatre, Kloset, Senada, Baking Soda, Fly Now, 27 Nov, ANR, etc. These should be Thai designers who’ve established themselves enough to hold a swanky shop space.

4. Chatuchak Weekend Market / JJ Market

Known as the hottest shopping spot in Bangkok, I gather, from what we’ve heard! Open only on weekends, so make sure your Bangkok trip straddles either Saturday or Sunday. You get a variety of plants, pets, vintage, home and decor, and most importantly indie clothes at this place. Dig hard, shop systematically and you’ll be able to find your way.

We were not ‘lost’ as was suggested, but do make sure you decide if you want an item on the spot as more often than not, you should expect that you do not have enough time to return to the shop… the market is vast, and you may feel too hot to bother.

Arm yourself with a folding fan and water, especially if you don’t trust street food. We’ve had some, and they are pretty alright. Be open!

5. Suan Lum Night Bazaar

Yet another market, it operates at night and you should go after dinner. A good spread of home & decor, so if you are into design then you should check this market out. Also some fashion, but nothing to shout about.

Also note that you should quote ‘Night Bazaar’ to the cab driver as opposed to ‘Night Market’, I think this is the name that they are used to!

6. Mah Boon Krong Centre (MBK Centre)

Nothing to shout about, but we did do our manicures here. Head to the information counter and ask them for little shops which do manicures, it is a bridge apart from the main shopping building of MBK. We did ours here.

Food

1. Chinatown

If you like Chinese, visit Chinatown and check out the slightly crowded restaurants. These are usually good. We had food at Nam Sing, which was above average.

2. Som Boon: Seafood Restaurant

Another place which was repeatedly mentioned is Som Boon, which we tried to get there repeatedly but something always happen last minute to prevent us from dining there. Will try if we do visit again, but you should try it.

(i) 895/6-21 Soi Chula 8, Bantadthong Road, Wangmai Pathumwan

(ii) 169, 169/7-12 Surawong Road, Suriyawong, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500

(iii) 167/9-12 Huay-Kwang Intersection, Ratchadapisek Road, DinDeang Bangkok 10320

(iv) 26 UdomSuk 60 Sukhumvit 103 Road NongBon Pravet Bangkok 10250

3. Greyhound Cafe, Level 1, Siam Centre

(http://www.greyhoundcafe.co.th/)

Great cafe with affordable food. We hear the apple crumble is great, and the pasta we tried was pretty good too. Try the mango sticky rice dessert as well, it’s a local delight but with a modern twist.

4. Vertigo

Best view award: Vertigo, which we didn’t have time to try, but it sits atop the Banyan Tree hotel with a 360 degree view of the city. Expect it to be pricey, though!

5. Thai Food

We had our Thai food at random eateries, I didn’t encounter any mega restaurant chain which served superb Thai food. If you have no idea what to order, Pad Thai is always a safe bet, which is dry Thai noodles. Green curry and Tom Yam soup is a must try as well, but these are spicy stuff. For dessert, try anything with mango in it, I think (:

Oh, and drink the thick, iced milk tea! It’s definitely a must-try, found at most stalls.

General Shopping Tips

1. Bring a folding fan, sunscreen, foldable shopping bag, and tissues with you always… and water too! We are not exaggerating when we say you need to use these on an hourly basis.

2. Bargain! There isn’t a need to be shy, as the stores all seem to readily give at least 10% discount when asked. Start at half the price they quote you, and judge for yourself at the next quoted price from the store owners. Of course, if you are already comfortable with the quoted price, then don’t be a scrooge (:

3. Attack malls in the afternoon, and head out to places like Suan Lum and Siam Square in the evening. These places require you to walk about outdoors, and you don’t want to be exposed to the scathing sun.

4. Buy underwear – household brands like Triumph and Wacoal are really affordable in the malls.

Transport

We cabbed everywhere, as taxis are readily available. During peak hours you may want to use the train system, which I gather is efficient and definitely faster than if you were to tackle the jams.

Note about Sukhumvit

I can’t give you a review of Sukhumvit, as we didn’t go into the neighbourhood. I get the feeling it is artsy and laidback, from the reviews I’ve read so far and the stores which are there. I may do a revision if I do return to the city in the future.

That’s about it from us then, seeing we had only a couple of days in the city. Special thanks to Fashion Nation readers who’ve helped to comment, or we’d not be able to put this together!

Giving it back!
Stephie