Bangkok 101 - April 2011 by Talisman Media

bangkok 101

april 2011 100 baht

t h r o u g h t h e eJATUJAK yes of his kingdom

metrobeat: 39 BISTRO BAR sightseeing 4,000 ISLANDS food & drink THE GARRETT festival SONGKRAN

april 2011

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

Ratchaprarop

Ramkhamhaeng Makasan

Hua mak Ban Tap Chang Latkrabang

Suvarnabh

umi

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publisher’s

letter

Talat Rot Fai

april 2011

If you’re reading this in early April, watch your back. Seriously. In the middle of this blistering hot month, April 13-15, the nation erupts in ritual water flinging in celebration of the Thai New Year, Songkran. And the truth is, no matter how much you wring your hands and beg, you won’t be spared. For the duration, cities, towns, villages and hamlets nationwide are ruled by smiling but merciless mobs, wielding water pistols and tubs of white powder, soaking and smothering any unfortunate who crosses their path. Find out more about Songkran – also a creative, but ecologically unsound, way of making April’s soaring temperatures more bearable – in our Sightseeing section. Don’t fancy getting drenched in the city? There you’ll also find this month’s out-of-town jaunts, which are places you’re likely to get wet anyway. In Beach Escape we head south to Railay Beach, where verdant limestone rocks spring impossibly from emerald seas; while Over The Border explores the intriguing 4,000 Islands, a river archipelago in the Mekong which, though still an obscure destination, now attracts travellers looking to sample the Laotian slow life. Back here in the city, this month’s photofeature, Jatujak – affectionate portraits taken from Simon Bonython’s latest coffeetable picturebook – heads to the city’s biggest market to examine, not the goods for sale, but the workers, performers and tribes who roam there. Sticking with markets, on page we also check out Talad Rot Fai, a recent quirky addition to the city’s marketosphere that’s luring in antiques hounds and hipsters. In addition to the usual glut of reviews, we’ve also got two new columns for your reading pleasure. In Arteview, the editor of sister publication BAM, Steven Pettifor, will quiz the artist behind an exhibition currently making waves; while Business 101, by Philip Wylie, does what it says on the tin, giving practical tips for how to work here successfully. Highlights of our regular columns include Making Merit: a profile of the good folk over at Second Chance Bangkok. They collect unwanted goods from expats, sell them to residents in Bangkok’s Klong Toey slum for peanuts, and use the proceeds to help the needy there. Why profile them now? The start of a New Solar Year is the perfect time to purge your cupboards.

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Enjoy.

Mason Florence Publisher

Correction: In last month’s issue, the Museum Focus on the Siriraj Medical Museum should have been credited to David Messiha.

. ly g

contributors Simon Bonython

A native of Adelaide, South Australia, Simon Bonython first came to live in Thailand in 1969 and has had a long and successful career in business. During his time in the Kingdom, he has also combined his addiction for photography with his passion for travel, publishing three books: The Jatujak Market of Bangkok, which the pictures from this month’s photofeature are taken from, Discovering Isaan, profiled in Bangkok 101 last November, and Bangkok: City of Temples.

Philip Cornwel-Smith

Ver y 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.

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

Mertens helped spotlight Thailand’s brave new wave of textiles and furniture in Bangkok Design. Previously he wrote Architecture of Thailand: A Guide to Traditional and Contemporary Forms. He writes on culture, travel and current affairs for the New York Times, Art Asia-Pacific and Forbes. A former resident of NYC and Tokyo, he has lived in Thailand since 1997, the year he won the Citibank Prize for Excellence in Journalism.

Dave Stamboulis

Publisher Mason Florence

Steven Pettifor

Editor-in-Chief Dr. Jesda M. Tivayanond Associate Publisher Parinya Krit-Hat Managing Editor Max Crosbie-Jones Deputy Editor Simon Ostheimer Designer Narong Srisaiya Jarmmaree Janjaturonrasamee Senior Editorial Assistant Pattarasuda Prajittanond Editorial Assistant Amornsri Tresarannukul Strategists Nathinee Chen Sebastien Berger

Greek-born but Californiar aised, Dave Stamboulis resides in Bangkok where he wor ks for numerous magazines, newspapers and stock agencies as a freelance photojournalist. His quest for stories and images has taken him to Borneo, Ethiopia, Bolivia, and other way out locations, often via bicycle, kayak, or on foot. His travel book, Odysseus’ Last Stand: Chronicles of a Bicycle Nomad, received the Silver Medal from the Society of American Travel Writers in 2006.

British-born writer-ar tist 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 documentar y scriptwriter. She is the author of several travel narratives, and her work appears in myriad magazines including ELLE, Elle Decoration and GM.

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 culinar y fame . She later brought her experienced palate to Bangkok, where she thrives on the new and delectable in the nightout culinary experience. Cheryl contributes to numerous magazines and her website, www.chicasia. com, gives the latest on Bangkok’s hippest venues.

Contributing Writers Cheryl Tseng, Noy Thrupkaew, Steven Pettifor, Nick Measures, Joel Quenby, Liz Smailes, Korakot Punlopruksa, Leo Devillers, Philip Cornwel-Smith, Cassandra Beckford, Chirayu na Ranong, Brian Mertens Contributing Photographers Darktemplar, Julian Ward, Jatuporn Rutnin, Christian Phongphit, Paul Lefevre, Ludovic Cazeba, Austin Bush, Leon Schadeberg, Marc Schultz, Niran Choonhachat, Frédéric Belge, Somchai Phongphaisarnkit Director of Sales & Marketing Jhone El’Mamuwaldi Director of Business Development Erika Teo Sales & Marketing Manager Haluethai Wattanapathomvong Administrative Assistant Peeraya Nuchkuar Circulation Pradchya Kanmanee 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 © Copyright Talisman Media Group Co., Ltd 2011. 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.

Hotel

table of

contents

Partners april 2011

snapshots 8 10 14 16 17 18 19

101 picks metro beat in the neighbourhood : talat rot fai history chronicle of thailand customs very thai: lucky number 9

sightseeing 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 30 30 32 34

orientation riverside route101: silom & sathorn temples historical buildings & shrines museums the great outdoors upcountry now hotel deals festivals hotel deals beach escape: Krabi over the border: 4,000 islands

arts 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 44

contemporary art art exhibitions performing arts cultural centres cinema reading & screening paradise found photo feature: jatujak

on the cover: ‘Captain Jack Sparrow’ prepares for a duel at 10 paces in photo feature ‘Jatujak’

table of

contents

april 2011

food & drink 50 51 52 54 58 60 61 65 66 67 68

dining in bangkok meal deals street eats featured restaurant neighbourhood nosh: phreang phuthorn food courts restaurants brunching sweet treats late dining wine

nightlife 70 72 74 76 77 78 80 82 84

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

shopping 86 88 90 91 92 93

unique boutique stuff mall crawl Jatujak market markets shopping tips

accommodation 94

boutique bangkok

health & wellness 96 98 99

body & beauty spas medical tourism

sports

100 spectator sports

business

101 business 101

courses & services

102 cooking, meditation & thai massage, courses 103 making merit

reference

E s s c t

E w

104 getting around

103

F B

% r - 10 g ffe al kin e l O on o d ia iti bo co ec dd y he 1.* Sp n a t b h t 00 a un it 0 et o w K G isc line BK d M on A

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Snapshots

101 picks

Before rushing off to a tropical island in the Gulf of Thailand or the green mountains of Chiang Rai, scratch beneath Bangkok’s gritty surface to uncover these shining gems that’ll keep you here longer.

SHOPPING

THAI STYLE

DINING

OPEN AIR

NIGHTLIFE

■ Jatujak A huge, sprawling village of a market that sells everything under the sun. Cramped, steamy and lots of fun (p.91).

■ Making Merit Donate food to monks, release birds and ﬁsh, or light incense sticks at a temple – and pray for good karma (p.103).

■ Sunday Brunch Make like the Thais do, and spend your Sunday by lazing around with friends and enjoying a late breakfast (p.65).

■ Dusit District Filled with lovely airy boulevards, a zoo and the historic Vimanmek Mansion’s gorgeous green gardens (p.25).

■ Bars & Clubs Sleep all day, party all night and never grow old. The City of Angels has a night out to suit everyone (p.72-85).

■ Pak KhlongTalad Pick up more pretty posies than you know what to do with at this 24-hour ﬂower market (p.92).

■ Thai Massage Though your body will thank you for it later, expect to be stretched to the limit by eager masseuses (p.102).

■ Food Courts Love cheapThai food but love air-con more? Then these shopping mall stalls make for an excellent alternative (p.60).

■ River Boats See a different side of Bangkok and take a boat up north to Nonthaburi or explore the Thonburi canals (p.21).

■ Cabarets With performers that ooze grace, poise, and, ahem, Adam’s apples, you won’t see a better show in town (p.73).

■ Siam Square Bangkok’s young and hip gather at this cradle of cool to watch the latest ﬂicks, and pick up stylish threads (p.90).

■ Thai Cooking Learn how to pound paste like a professional at one of the many Thai cooking classes held around town (p.102).

■ River Dining With plenty of restaurants lining its banks, the Chao Phraya River makes for an awesome dinner backdrop (p.21).

■ Cycling Tour Although unexpected, touring by bike can be one of the best ways to explore Bangkok and its surroundings (p.100).

■ Sky-high Drinks Become a high-ﬂier for the night and enjoy a cocktail while looking down on the glittering Bangkok skyline (p.74).

■ Patpong Always busy, this small strip in the CBD is packed with market stalls and go-go bars.

■ Thai Boxing Place your bets and watch the brutal yet noble art of Muay Thai, or kickboxing (p.100).

■ Meal Deals Take advantage of these special offers to eat at the city’s best restaurants (p.51).

■ Ancient City Cycle round the fun museum park of Muang Boran and see Thailand in miniature.

■ Dining Cruises Enjoy a ﬁne meal and even better views as you gently travel along the Chao Phraya (p.59).

■ Panthip Plaza Without doubt this is the ultimate computer geek mecca. If you can’t ﬁnd it here, you haven’t looked hard enough (p.90).

■ TCDC Often hosting workshops and talks, the Thailand Creative & Design Centre fosters Thai designers (p.39).

■ Street Food Order up a dish, sit down on a plastic stool and prepare to taste the core ingredients of Bangkok life (p.52).

■ Lumphini Park This huge green space in the heart of the city. is perfect for jogging, picnics and boating on the several lakes (p.26).

■ Twist & Shout Whether you get wiggly on Khao San, jiggly at RCA or giggly on Soi 11, there’s a danceﬂoor for you (p.82-85).

■ Siam Paragon This mall is probably one of the swishest you’ll ever visit. Fancy a Ferrari? That’ll be on the third ﬂoor (p.90).

■ The Jim Thompson House This former CIA spook rebuilt the Thai silk trade from scratch, then disappeared. (p.24).

■ Affordable Gourmet Dining If you prefer foie gras to fried insects, the city has plenty of affordable ﬁne dining (p.61).

■ Flower Market Located close to the river, this magical 24-hour market offers much more than just fragrant surrounds (p.92).

■ Thai Theatre TraditionalThai wooden puppet shows, classical Thai drama or breathtaking extravaganzas – no tux required (p.40).

april 2011

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metro beat

The pick of Bangkok’s hottest news, trends, events and openings. By Howard Richardson

SONGKRAN

POP & ROCK Lionel Richie takes the stage at Impact Arena (02-504-5050) on April 8. The ex-Motown star sang tunes like ‘Three Times a Lady’ with The Commodores before solo success in the 80s with a rash of hits including ‘All Night Long’ and ‘Say You, Say Me’. Tickets are B2,000B6,500 from Thai Ticketmajor (02-2623456, www.thaiticketmajor.com). April 23 sees Maroon 5 return to Impact Arena (02504-5050) with their back catalogue of tunes such as ‘Makes Me Wonder’, ‘Wake Up Call’ and their huge intro hit ‘This Love’, augmented by the latest album Hands Over, released in All Over 2010. Tickets (B1,000B4,000) are available from Thai Ticketmajor (02-262-3456, www. thaiticketmajor.com). It will be loud in the Rock Pub (02-251-9980) for the Thrash Metal festival Bangkok Thrash 2011 on April 30, with “extremely speedy and powerful” headliners Fastkill, from Japan. Support comes from seven Bangkok bands, including Killing Fields, Mascara and The Red Kong. Doors open at 1pm, entry is B350. For the full line-up see w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / bangkokthrash.

april 2011

The famous Songkran festival, from April 13-15, sees in the Thai New Year with a riot of water fights, in which revellers use a variety of weapons from cups to buckets and high powered water cannon to drench everyone in sight. The most mayhem will be around Khao San Road. More traditionally, there will be merit making and genteel sprinkling at local temples, including Wat Po, Wat Arun and Wat Saket. An official celebration opens on April 9 at Suan Nakaphirom, with cultural shows, beauty pageants and food stalls. See www. tatnews.org for more details. Now into its fifth year, gay party crew gCircuit’s Songkran 5, April 15-17, promises to be one of the wilder New Year shindigs in town. Featuring up and coming Asian DJs and flamboyant performers, it will open in the northern suburbs with a “mad parade of uniform lovers”, and close with a splish-n-slash at Fallabella, in the grounds of the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. Tickets (B4,200-5,200 for a 3 day pass) can be bought online at www.fridae.com or www.totalreservation. com. Find the party particulars at www.gcircuit.com.

FESTIVALS The French cultural festival La Fête continues until April 10 with Fashion3, incorporating three exhibitions in one by top French and Thai fashion photographers at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (02-214-6632), and the photographic exhibition Portraits of Asia by Eric Lafforgue at Central World. Full details are at www.lafete-bangkok.com.

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FAIRS

COMEDY The Bull’s Head (02-259-4444) hosts the Punchline Comedy Club on April 22 and 23 with three stand-up comics from the UK. The New York Times says David Morgan has “an intellectual air”, while Vladimir McTavish and Dan Evans are “masterful” and “inventive”, respectively, according to the Metro and the Times. Tickets are B1,500. See www.greatbritishpub.com for more details.

NIGHTLIFE Bed Supperclub (02-651-3537, w w w. b e d s u p p e r c l u b . c o m ) ﬁlls out its schedule of nightly entertainment with some big hitters this month. UK Drum n Bass legend Goldie arrives on April 7, and on April 14 it’s the turn of three-time ITF World DJ Champion Andreas Demeter, aka Kid Fresh. Touted as Canada’s #1 female DJ, B Traits now works out of London. She’s at Bed on April 21. MJ Cole, an innovator in the UK Garage scene, rounds out the month on April 28.

FOOD & DRINK Mozart’s oneact comedy Impresario is the featured opera at Grossi Italian restaurant (02-6560444, www. intercontinental.com) on April 27, performed during a four course meal from Sardinia, paired with wines and priced B2,499++. Dinner with opera is a once-a-month event at the restaurant.

The word is the Bangkok International Book Fair will have over 400 exhibitors from 19 countries at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (02229-3000) until April 6. Meanwhile, the Bangkok International Motor Show drives car lovers crazy at Impact Arena (02-5045050), also until April 6.

S u p e r Giant Asia Tour 2011, 2011 promoted as The World’s Best Touring Carnival, brings ferris w h e e l s and other fairground stuff to the Lakeside at Impact Arena (02504-5050) from 1 Apr 1-May 22. Get tickets and more info from Total Reservation (02-833-5555, www. totalreservation.com). Home decor, handicrafts, ﬂowers, plants, textiles, candles, toys, games and small electrical appliances are just a few of the items on show at the exhausting double-barrelled trade fair Bangkok International Gift Fair and Bangkok International Houseware Fair. They even have Xmas decorations. It’s better known as BIG+BIH, and it’s open to the public on April 23-24 at BITEC 02 749 3939). See www.bigandbih.com for more info.

OPERA Somtow Sucharitkul conducts the Siam Philharmonic Orchestra in the Thailand premier of Mahler’s Symphony no 7 in E minor at the National Theatre (02-221-0174) on April 27. 12

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www.bangkok101.com

FOOD & DRINK

ART & DESIGN Until April 30, the Jim Thompson Art Centre (02219-2911) presents Revisit the Jim Thompson Era: Fashion and Fantasy Bazaar, a multi-faceted show that pays homage to his passion for theater, fashion and textiles through the work of several artists and designers, including couturier Nagara Sambhandaraksa. A timeline of the pivotal Bangkok years in the silk tycoon’s life features alongside a catwalk-style exhibition, as a continuous screening of the 1976 documentary House on the Klong, examines his mysterious disappearance in Malaysia. All works are available for purchase, with proceeds beneﬁ ting the Art Centre. DigiPlay: Thai-UK Digital Festival examines innovations in digital games and animation at the Thailand Creative & Design Centre (02-6648448, www.tcdc.or.th) until May 1. The exhibition follows the creative process from the world’s ﬁrst video game up to the present day’s Xbox 360 and Kinect. The work of current Thai and UK developers, such as DJ Hero 2 and Formula 1, will also feature. Writer Prabda Yoon curates an exhibition called Spiritutainment until May 15 at 100 Tonson Gallery (02-684-1527). Held to question the role of entertainment in religious traditions, the show includes artists of various disciplines and religions, including Thai sculptor Pasut Kranrattasuit and the painters Kohei Nawa (Japan) and Peggy Wauters (Belgium). Open Thursday-Sunday, 11am-7pm. The exhibition Chiang Mai Now!, at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (02-214-6632) from April 7-June 19, looks at Thailand’s second city through the eyes of 12 artists and cultural activists, from North Forest Studio, through the 31st Century Museum of Contemporary Spirit, to Punya Movie Club.

39 BISTRO BAR Nicolas Reynard, like many chefs, ran station-to-station around the globe gathering nuggets on the way to opening a place of his own. In his case it’s a cute, wood-shelled corner building with upper-floor balconies that houses two outlets – 39 Bistro and casual fine dining at Reynard. The first things to note are some fantastic prices on the bistro menu (at least at this early opening stage). Australian rib-eye we didn’t try, but it’s a pop at B550, and should ensure a steady flow of beef lovers once word gets out. Prices are inclusive of tax and there’s no service charge, because: “Our service is terrible”. It’s certainly naïve at this family run joint (no bread offered, no cutlery at main course), but it’s WHERE 32/1 The Manor Complex, Sukhumvit Soi 39, 02-662-5427 OPEN Daily 10am-midnight (Bistro), 6pm-midnight (Reynard) PRICE $$-$$$ also utterly charming, and in the short term, at least, this should bother only the most demanding diners. The 39 bistro menu also has tapas, salads and family favourites like lamb navarin, while Reynard is traditional French with no bells and whistles – frogs’ legs, steak tartare, oysters (Fines de Claire No2, B400/ six), melting beef cheek and perfectly cooked rack of lamb. There are crêpes and chocolate mousse to finish. This is good honest cooking, with quality product and some great value items. And both menus are available to mix and match, wherever you choose to sit.

เทอรตี้ ไนน บิสโทร โครงการแมเนอร คอมเพล็กซ ถ.สุขุมวิท 39

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snapshots

april 2011

Snapshots

in the neighbourhood

Max Crosbie-Jones

TALAT ROT FAI

f the recent demolition of the Suan Lum Night Bazaar taught us anything, it’s make the most of the city’s distinctive shopping delights while you can. With this in mind, we strongly recommend you check out the latest Bangkok market to be getting talked about around the watercooler – Talad Rot Fai. While not the place to pick up your typical tourist clobber and souvenirs, this retro flea market just around the corner from Jatuchak Weekend Market is still worth the trip, for its hipster vibes and photogenic

april 2011

setup as much as what’s sold there. Since opening up last July word has spread. Hundreds of antique hunters and retro-mad dek neaw (teen hipsters) now flock to this plot on Saturday and Sunday evenings to browse and bargain for vintage collectibles, reproductions and fashions. And yet, the chance to pick up a beat up old Michelin Tyre sign, a vintage BMX, or a hip new wardrobe is only part of the appeal. There’s also the novelty factor – flanking Talad Rot Fai, or the Train Market in snapshots

English, is a row of decommissioned train carriages left there by the State Railway department. Thick with dust, poorly lit and just a bit spooky, these rusting deathtraps would be sealed off to the public in most countries, yet here you can stroll through the carriages at your leisure, even kick back inside them with a cold beer or rocket soda. Though it officially starts at 2pm, Talad Rot Fai takes a while to get going. Arrive before sundown and the place is a ghosttown. By 7pm though the VW Vans, Vespas www.bangkok101.com

Photography by Darktemplar and army utility vehicles have rocked up, the junk raided from homes and lofts across the city been splayed out under spotlights for the trendy throng’s viewing pleasure. Backing up the carboot side of things is Rod’s: a former railway warehouse turned 20th century antiques wonderland. Classic cars, film projectors, gumball machines, Bakerlite phones, Chinese tiffin carriers, 1950s and turn-of-thecentury European furniture, are just a few of the legit pieces available to serious buyers. www.bangkok101.com

There are also lots of snacks and drinks stalls (retro-inflected, naturally), many of them operating out of customised VW vans. Others are located in the warehouses that flank Talad Rot Fai’s second area (from the main market, take a left after passing Rod’s warehouse and reaching the junction then take the next right). Even if you don’t want to dress like Southeast Asia’s answer to Joan Jett, or to do your pad out like the set for Happy Days, it all adds up to an enjoyable Saturday or Sunday evening out. Hop aboard, while you can. snapshots

■ GETTING THERE Catch the subway to Kamphaeng Phet station, exit onto Kamphaeng Phet Road then walk in the opposite direction to the intersection (away from Jatuchak Market) for around 400 metres. After passing plant stores and bars, you’ll find Talad Rot Fai on your right. If coming by skytrain, we recommend getting off at Saphan Khwai and catching a tuk-tuk; most drivers in the area know it (whereas many taxi drivers don’t). Open 2pm-midnight every Saturday and Sunday april 2011

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Wat Po

history

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 at that time,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 the usual array of gleaming skyscrapers, deluxe apartment projects and lines of snarled traffic.The core of the new city encompasses the

april 2011

Sathorn/Silom districts and Sukhumvit Road, which include upscale shopping plazas, leafy public parks and vibrant bar and restaurant scenes.These major downtown neighbourhoods are connected by the BTS Skytrain and the MRT subway systems. The gradually-

expanding public transportation networks, with their bright, snaking trains carrying wide-eyed tourists and weary commuters alike, have not only helped to relieve the city’s traffic congestion, but also given the City of Angels a modern, 21st-century feel.

It’s a Record Thais rarely call their capital ‘Bangkok’ (a name used mainly by foreigners), and 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’s no surprise that Guinness World Records has registered it as the world´s longest name for a capital. snapshots

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chronicle of thailand

ith severe droughts and high oil prices forcing the country into an energy crisis, the government unveiled a plan to trim power consumption at television stations, bars, sporting events and shopping centres. Violators faced fines of up to 100,000 baht or 10 years in jail during the three-month programme. In March 1980, tap water was rationed in several provinces, including Bangkok, as a result of a serious drought across much of the country. Official notices were circulated in all provinces urging people to economise usage or else face ‘a complete shortfall’ of tap water over ‘unlimited areas’ in April. Rationing was imposed in Chanthaburi and Trat, and water plants could not operate or distribute supply during high-tide periods as sea water pushed into rivers and canals where the plants were located. Water supplies were also cut during certain hours in a number of districts in Bangkok. Low water levels in two main dams in Tak and Uttaradit jeopardized the second rice crop as the continued release of water for agricultural purposes threatened to deplete the dams so seriously they were no longer able to generate electricity, officials warned. By mid-March, the dams were only 10 metres above crisis level and any further halt in hydroelectric generation would lead to Bangkok blackouts, officials warned. On 12 May, power generators at Srinakarind Dam in Kanchanaburi ceased operations because water levels were too low.

8 APRIL 1980: ENERGY CRISIS, DROUGHT PEAK

Chronicle of Thailand is the story of Thailand during the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Beginning on the day he was crowned, 9 June 1946, the book presents a vivid eyewitness account of Thailand’s development through the major news events of the last 64 years. Alongside a grandstand view of events as they unfolded and quirky aspects of daily life that just happened to make the news, the book features thousands of rare and fascinating pictures and illustrations, representing one of the most comprehensive photo collections of Thailand ever produced. Every month in Bangkok 101, we serialise a major news story that sheds light on this month in the history of the Kingdom. Chronicle of Thailand – EDM Books | B1,450 | editor-in-chief Nicholas Grossman | www.chronicleofthailand.com www.bangkok101.com

snapshots

april 2011

Snapshots ee

Marble Temple

customs

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 while here, 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, and have deep reverence for the monarchy. in general. 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 and still when the national anthem is played, which happens daily at 8am and 6pm in parks and many other public places. SOCIAL HIERARCHY Age, social rank, lineal descent, salary and education are all considerations for social conduct. Such hierarchy is demonstrated 18

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

LOSING FACE Thais are known to be patient and calm. Being jai yen (cool-hearted) 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 in Thailand, 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 inside the grounds ■ Buddhist monks are forbidden to contact 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

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LUCKY NUMBER 9

very thai

NUMEROLOGY ENTERS THE DIGITAL AGE

or the Thais no number is luckier than 9. In 2003, a minister paid 4 million baht for the car plate ‘S Ng 9999’. Many ventures start on days that end in or total 9, banknotes ending in 9s act as talismans, and the luckiest month to marry is August, the ninth in the Thai horoscope. Many prices end in 9 or 99, not just to make prices look cheaper, but to bless the vendor. Nine is a lek mongkhon (auspicious number) partly due to the many nines in royal and religious heritage and ritual. The Thai digit also resembles the mystical unalom symbol seen on blessings, tattoos and the Buddha’s forehead. Nine’s also seen as lucky because the word for it (gao) sounds like the word for progress. Thai number words come from Southern Chinese, along with good

and bad associations with words that rhyme or sound alike. Many SinoThai inherit the Chinese fear of four (meaning death) and favour of 8. Another logic derives from Hindu astrology, seen in the horoscope diagram that crops up on taxi ceilings and tattooed chests. A 3-by-3 grid within a circle fringed by lotus petals, it symbolises 8 heavenly bodies revolving around a 9th, sacred Mount Meru. Many Thai ventures today are determined by fortuitous dates, times and numbers. But most interest in lucky numbers these days has another motive: lotteries. Gamblers ask monks for assistance, pick digits associated with their life data (birthdays etc.), or discern number shapes from rubbing wax, wood, leaves, statues or takian tree bark.

Philip Cornwel-Smith

Thai numerology may sometimes ascribe even good and bad news to the same number. “We cannot fail to note that the portent for the month of birth can often be virtually the opposite of that for the day,” shrugs scholar HG Quaritch Wales. “And that is just what appeals to the Thai temperament, enabling one to be set off against the other, leaving a favourable balance of course.” Comfort with numerology has inoculated the Thai against the modern tyranny of serial numbers that Patrick McGoohan encapsulated in TV’s The Prisoner: “I am not a number, I am a free man.” What could appeal more to the Thai than digital technology? From phones and car plates to PIN codes and ID cards, the digital era isn’t faceless at all, but new fodder for the number culture.

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, city resident and author Philip Cornwel-Smith guides readers on an unconventional tour of the quirky everyday things that make Thailand truly Thai. From the 60plus mini-chapters, we present a different excerpt every month. Prepare yourself properly for the sideways logic in what seems exotic, and snap up a copy of Very Thai now at any goodbook shop. Very Thai – River Books l B995 l hardcover, with photos by John Goss and Philip Cornwel-Smith

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snapshots

april 2011

Sightseeing Grand Palace

orientation

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 which all have different, intriguing 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.23) – the city’s most

april 2011

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 of the city – steel towers, snarled traffic and snaking expressways – that is the face of 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,

sightseeing

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 is where it’s at for shopping, be it at glitzy mall or gritty market. All these neighbourhoods (and the city’s intermittently interesting suburbs) can be reached using the city’s roads. But the affordable Skytrain (BTS) and Underground (MRT) networks are much better allies – whiz above or below the gridlocked Bangkok 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 pungent Klong Saen Saeb and clamber (carefully) aboard one of its zippy boats. Other tips include avoid scammers (p.23), carry small change and, if visiting temples, dress properly. 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.

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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 Bangkoks young bohemian types pensively sip coffee in the many 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.

d. tR hi At ra

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. g Muan and smells make it a must. Bamrung

Royal Grand Palace

d. ng R i Wa Tha Wat Po

Chinatown Pahurat

Pak Klong Talad

KL PHR AO A P BR OK ID GE

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

ksin R

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

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.

Amulet Market

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.

N13

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.23) looms large on the far bank. Catch a cross-river ferry to it for B3.

N15

N10

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.38) are all in the vicinity.

RA GE PHRID ET B D O M LA SO K N PI

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 courses 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 click on to www.chaophrayaboat.co.th

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o Ta Cha Phra Som det

SAPHAN TAKSIN The hotel pier here is accessible via the Skytrain’s Saphan Taksin Station. Alight here for shuttle boats back to the Millenium Hilton, Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula and Marriot. Or if staying in Silom, Sathorn or Sukhumvit.

Peninsula

Wongwian Yai

Krung Thonburi Rd. KrungThonburi

N1 TAK S

IN B

Shangri-la

RID

GE SapanTaksin

sightseeing

april 2011

Sightseeing

Lumphini Park

route 101

he Sathorn/Silom area personifies Bangkok’s split personality. The white-collar crux of Bangkok’s business world by day, this bustling area kicks 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.26) 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.24). By now you’re probably famished, so go back down Convent Road, a tree-shaded soi peppered with Mexican, Japanese, Italian and various other foreigner-orientated 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.

Si Praya

Sarasin Rd.

Rd. Sam yan

Rd.

a IV

Further down Silom on Thanon Pan, you will come across Wat Mahamariamman. Referred to by locals as Wat Kaek, it is the most famous – and colourful – Hindu temple in Bangkok, incense-shrouded rituals performed here daily at noon. Right across the street is Kathmandu Gallery 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 Hotel and grab a clubby bar chair at the aptly titled Moon Bar (see p.75).

■

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phin

■ Sukhothai Hotel Banyan Tree Hotel

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Café Ubuntu

Soi

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Satho

■ Ruen

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. Rd

Ram

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■

Eat Me! ■ Naj

Pipa

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Soi

Malone’s

Soi

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■ Coyote ■ Molly

oi 8

4 Soi

oi 7

Si Wiang Rd.

Soi 1

■

Opus

Silo

Silom

n Rd. Pramua

Niu’s

R Pan

Silom Soi 19

Surasak R

■

Rd.

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■

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Span

Silo

Rd ong uraw

Silom

Soi

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■ Jim Thomson ■ Pan Pacific Hotel

Wittayu

Ram

SILOM & SATHORN

1. Snake Farm 2. Lumphini Park 3. Soi Convent 4. Soi Lalai Sup 5. Wat Mahamariamman 6. Lumphini National Boxing Stadium 7. Suan Lum Night Bazaar 8. Patpong

sightseeing

Two hundred metres above the pavement, this bar’s main attraction is the completely unobstructed 360° Bangkok panorama. The night is still far too young. Cab it to Lumphini National Boxing Stadium (see p.100) around the corner, which will guarantee adrenaline rushes. 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 superlative Italian food and service. Or, if wine’s your thing, head to suave oenophile hangout Opus. If you’re looking for something more youthful and 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. Here jaded street vendors sell cheap trinkets and knockoffs yards from grubby girly bars. 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 absolutely no recollection of it. www.bangkok101.com

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 Bangkok’s most beloved temple (and top tourist site) is a fantastical, mini-city sized royal complex enclosed by quaintly crenulated whitewalls. 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 sights on its grounds, much of it remains off-limits. 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. Remember to dress respectfully as a strict no shorts or sleeveless shirts policy is enforced.

พระบรมมหาราชวัง และ วัดพระแกว ถ.หนาพระลาน (ใกลสนามหลวง)

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 fivetowered 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.อรุณอัมรินทร ผัง่ ตะวันตกของแมนำ้ เจาพระยา

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WAT SAKET (map B3, #7)

Chakkraphatdiphong Rd, Sattruphai | 02-233-4561 | 7:30am-5:30pm | B10 Hike up its 318 steps and 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.

วัดสระเกศ ถ.จักรพรรดิพงษ

WAT MAHATHAT (map A3) Tha Prachan, Sanam Luang, Mahratch Rd | 02-221-5999 | 9am-5pm| free This 18th-century centre of the M a h a n i k a i monastic sect is also an important university of Buddhist teaching. On weekends, market stalls are set up on the grounds to complement the daily vendors of traditional medicines, amulets and herbal potions. Courses on Buddhism here are available in English.

วัดมหาธาตุ ทาพระจันทร สนามหลวง

WAT SUTHAT and THE GIANT SWING (map A-B3, #8) Bamrung Muang Rd, Phra Nakhorn, | 02-222-9632 | 9am-5pm | B20 Wat Suthat is one of the most important Buddhist centres in the kingdom and home to some excellent examples of bronze sculpture, Thai and Chinesestyle mural art and a 14th-century Sukhothai era 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.

วัดสุทศั น ถ.บำรุงเมือง พระนคร ตรงขามเสาชิงชา sightseeing

temples 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 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 tones and standing over three metres high, its worth has been estimated at over US$10 million. Within the compound, the Yaowarat Chinatown Heritage Centre is an accessible museum detailing the history of the area and its settlers.

วัดไตรมิตร หัวลำโพง (เยาวราช)

WAT PO (map A3, #11) Reclining Buddha | Chetuphon/Thai Wang Rd | 02-226-0369 | www. watpho.com | 8am-noon, 1-9pm | 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 learn this ancient healing art.

วัดโพธิ์ ถ.เชตุพน

april 2011

Sightseeing

historic homes JIM THOMPSON’S HOUSE (map C3, #16) 6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama I Rd | BTS National Stadium | 02-216-7368 | www.jimthompsonhouse.com | daily 9am-5pm | B100 (B50 students) The home of Jim Thompson, the American businessman l a r g e l y responsible for the global popularity of Thai silk, is a must see. In a sun-dappled tropical garden beside a pungent canal, six traditional teak houses brim with the art and antiques he rescued from around Asia: from limestone Buddha torsos to a cat-shaped porcelain bedpan. Regular group tours led by silk-clad female guides introduce you to these exquisite treasures and the life of the man himself. There’s also a shop selling his trademark designs, an art gallery and a café.

บานไทย จิมทอมปสัน ซ.เกษมสันต 2 ตรงขามสนามกีฬาแหงชาติ

M.R. KUKRIT’S HOUSE (map C4,#20) 19 Soi Phra Pinit, Sathorn Rd | BTS Chong Nonsi | 02-286-8185 | 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.

บานหมอมราชวงศคึกฤทธิ์ ซ.พระพินิจ สาทรใต

VIMANMEK MANSION (map B2,#1) 139/2 Ratchawithi Rd, Dusit | 02-2811569 | 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.

พระทีน่ 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

SHRINES Apart from all the Buddhist temples, Bangkok is also studded with small shrines dedicated to Hindu deities, Animist spirits and even errant spooks. ERAWAN SHRINE (map C3, #17) Ratchadamri Rd, near Grand Hyatt Erawan | 02-252-8754 | 6:30am10:30pm | BTS Chit Lom The swarming 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 performs for a nominal fee. Fancy making an offering? Buy a set from the surrounding stalls, and starting with your back to 24

april 2011

GANESHA SHRINE (map C3) Outside Centralworld and Isetan Department Store, Ratchadamri Rd Quite possibly Thailand and พระพรหมเอราวัณ ถ.ราชดำริ the world’s most recognisable TRIMURTI SHRINE (map C3) Hindu deity due Outside Centralworld and Isetan to its distinctive Department Store, Ratchadamri Rd appearance, If your love life is ailing then this a silent prayer in front of this potshrine is for you: bellied gold elephant – the son of at 9.30pm each Shiva and Parvati – is said to help get Thursday it’s ru- the creative juices flowing, as well as moured that Lord protect you from harm. Aside from Trimurti descends marigold garlands, Ganesha is thought from the heavens to answer prayers of to be partial to bananas, ripe mango the heart. To maximise your chances, and sticky rice-flour Thai desserts, so you should offer 9 red incense sticks, make sure you prepare the correct foodstuffs accordingly. red candles, red roses and fruit. 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.

พระตรีมูรติ หนาหางอิเซตัน ศูนยการคาเซนทรัลเวิลด sightseeing

พระพิฆเนศวร หนาหางอิเซตัน ศูนยการคาเซนทรัลเวิลด

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The National Museum

museums rowers, umbrella holders, navigators and various musicians. Beautifully and ornately decorated, 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.

พิพิธภัณฑเรือพระราชพิธี ถ.อรุณอมรินทร

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) which start at 9:30am. Photography is not allowed inside the museum galleries.

พิพธิ ภัณฑสถานแหงชาติ ถ.เจาฟา ใกลทอ งสนามหลวง

MUSEUM OF SIAM (map A3) 4 Samachai Rd., Pra Nakorn | 02622-2599 | www.ndmi.or.th | Tue-Sun 10am-6pm | free A truncated history of Thailand unfurls through this down-with-thekids discovery museum, taking in prehistoric Suvarnabhumi, the foundation of Ayutthaya and the country’s modernisation. Design company Story! Inc delivered the content and conceptual design, replacing the usual ‘don’t touch’ signs and turgid text with pop graphics and interactive gizmos galore. Among the many edutaining activities, highlights include dressing up www.bangkok101.com

as a 20th century nobleman, mapping out the borders of your own Siam using a vibrant touch screen and firing cannonballs at Burmese war-elephants. Tellingly, the place teems with the usually museum-shy – Thai teenagers. Afterwards, enjoy the polished teak floors, open-sided corridors and elegant Renaissance stylings of this gorgeously restored former government building, designed in the 1920s by Thailand’s best-loved resident Italian architect, Mario Tamagno.

สถาบันพิพิธภัณฑการเรียนรู แหงชาติ ถ.สนามไชย

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 of which are up to 50 metres long, is housed on the Thonburi side of the river in a series of elaborate sheds near the Pinklao Bridge.The barges are best seen in action during rare ceremonial processions on the Chao Phraya where the colourful crews can number up to 64, including

BANGKOKIAN MUSEUM (map B3-4) 273 Charoen Krung Soi 43 | 02-2337027| www.bma.go.th/bmaeng/bangrak | Sat&Sun 10am-5pm | free Bangrak is one of the most traditional districts of the city, bustling with traffic and markets. Smack in the middle of it, find this oasis of four traditional Thai houses, one of them lovingly converted into a private museum by the compound’s charming owner, Ms. Waraporn Surawadee. She decided to dedicate the place to the memory of her family and bygone daily life of Bangkok everymen – and open it to the public. While visitors shouldn’t expect breathtaking revelations here; the displays can nevertheless be surprisingly fascinating. They include antiques, traditional household utensils and items used in ceremonies. The real highlight is the owner herself who is willing to give you a highly personalised tour (if you call ahead), filled with anecdotes about a city long since vanished.

พิพธิ ภัณฑชาวบางกอก เจริญกรุง ซ.43

Museum of Siam

sightseeing

april 2011

Sightseeing

Rama IX Royal Park

parks & zoos

FLORA LUMPHINI 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 เขาไดทาง 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 เซ็นเตอร) ประเวศ

april 2011

JATUJAK & QUEEN SIRIKIT PARKS (map C-D1) 820 Phahonyothin Rd, Ladyao Subdistrict, Chatuchak | 02-272-4358~9 | 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.

สวนจตุจกั รและ สวนสมเด็จ พระนางเจา 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.

สวนสัตวดุสิต 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

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TEMPLES

upcountry now FESTIVALS

At dusk between 3-5 April, crowds will gaze in awe at an astounding astro-archeological phenomenon: sunlight beaming through the doors of Buriram provinces’s ancient Khmer temple, Prasat Hin Khao Phanom Rung, and onto a revered stone hidden in its main sanctuary. Marking this auspicious celestial event will be an invocation ritual, called buang suang, light and sound shows, and cultural performances.

ROCK CLIMBING During the Krabi Rock and Fire International Contest 2011, 16-17 April, rock climbers from across the globe will clamber nimbly across the towering limestone karsts of Railay, Ao Nang and Ton Sai beaches in pursuit of cash prizes and the admiration of onlookers. There’ll be fire juggling contests too. Call 075-622-163, or email tatkrabi@tat.or.th if you fancy taking part.

BIKING Thousands of hirsute easy riders will clog the roads leading to Phuket’s Patong beach for the 17th Phuket Bike Week 2011 from 8-10 April. There’ll be beach parties, music, tattoo contests, a “ride for peace” around the island and the obligatory beauty contest (the amusingly titled ‘Miss Phuket Bike’ competition). www.phuketbikeweek.com

NEWS

The Northeast has a new province. On Wednesday March 23 the Thai cabinet officially inaugurated Bung Kan, which has been carved out of Isaan’s Nong Khai province, as the country’s 77th. The upgrade follows a request by local residents irate about the distance of Nong Khai’s provincial services. Abutting the Mekong River, on the Thai-Lao border, Bung Kan has eight districts and a population of roughly 400,000 spread across 4,305km2.

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sightseeing

Young novice monks with freshly shaven heads will be paraded through the streets of Mae Hong Son, 4-7 April, as part of picturesque Burmese Shan festival Poi Sang Long. See p.30 for more. More Buddhist novices will also take part in Sukhothai’s Si Satchanalai Ordination Procession, 6-7 April, which dates back some 150 years. Each rides on the back of an elaborately-decorated elephant as the procession makes its way to Wat Haat Siao temple for a mass ordination ceremony. For full details call 055-610-222. Va r ia t io ns on the biggest festival on the calendar, Thailand’s wet and wild New Year celebrations, Songkran, will grip all four corners of the Kingdom from 13-15 April, and longer in many places. We detail the best of them over on p.31. Just before, in the run up to its own famously unruly Songkran festivities, Chiang Mai will warm-up with a new music and arts happening. Staged in front of the Old City’s Three Kings Monument, and at the Chiang Mai Arts and Cultural Centre, from 8-10 April, the Chiang Mai Fest 2011 will feature local and international musicians, like bossa nova guitar virtuoso Gilbert Medam, and exhibitions of works by local Lanna artists and craftspeople. See www.chiangmaifest.com for more.

SAILING The 2011 Top of the Gulf Regatta sets sail from 29 April to 3 May at Jomtien Beach’s Ocean Marina Yacht Club, near Pattaya. Now in its seventh year, it’s the only multiclass regatta of its kind in Thailand, with keel boats, multihulls, beach catamarans, dinghies and Optimists all competing. More at www. topofthegulfregatta.com april 2011

Sightseeing

hotel deals

All Month Songkran Extraordinaire JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa

Celebrate the annual festival of Songkran at Amari Vogue Krabi this April. This special package includes accommodation in a Deluxe Room; daily breakfast for 2 persons; round trip Krabi Airport transfer; B2,000 Spa or Dining Credit for use in the spa and restaurants or room service; and kayaking in the beautiful sea in front of the resort. The special rates start from B24,950 for 3 nights. 07560 7777; www.amari.com

Enjoy a family retreat at JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa during the Thai public holidays. The Songkran Extraordinaire package includes daily breakfast for two adult and two children; each parent can enjoy 1 hour Thai massage; 15% discount on a la carte menu for the spa; round trip transfers from Phuket airport. All starting from only B7,134 ++ per night. 02-656-7707, bookmarriott@marriotthotels.com; www.jwmarriottkhaolak.com

Until October 31 Thai Resident Special Six Senses Sanctuary Phuket

Until November 31 Rayavadee Retreat Rayavadee Krabi

Ongoing Dream Wedding Sheraton Pattaya Resort

Reopening Baan Chay Nam, Centara Mae Sot Hill Resort

11-15 April Songkran Amari Vogue Krabi

Railay Beach’s most exclusive resort, the Rayavadee, is offering Thai residents big discounts on its rack rates.The Rayavadee Retreat package ( B11,500++ per night/ two pax) includes a stay in a deluxe pavilion, breakfast, airport transfers and a 75 minute massage at the resort’s divine spa. Also includes 15% savings on food and beverages and selected activities, plus a set dinner for two at Thai restaurant, Krua Phranang, if you book 30 days in advance. Minimum stay: two nights. 02-301-1850, reservations@ rayavadee.com; www.rayavadee.com

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With a romantic sunset over the sea and the gentle lapping of waves on white sand as backdrop, savor every sweet wedding moment. Special arrangements for bride and groom are offered in Western or Thai style. Their specialist team arranges every detail, including the priest, ﬂoral decorations, afternoon tea, champagne and photographer, leaving you free to enjoy the entire experience. Western Wedding Ceremony B49,999++, Thai Wedding Ceremony B59,999++. 038-259-888, sheraton.pattaya@ sheraton.com; www.sheraton.com/pattaya

sightseeing

From April 1, the Six Senses Sanctuary Phuket is offering a special offer for Thai residents of: B11,000 net per person per night (Single Occupancy); B8,000 net per person per night (Double Occupancy). The price includes accommodation in spacious 450sqm Hill Pool Villa; 1 arrival consultation with Wellness Naturopath per person; full board (breakfast and spa cuisine lunch & dinner); and one 80 minute spa treatment per day. 076-371-418, reservations-naka@ sixsenses.com; www.sixsenses.com

Located on the lakeside at Centara Mae Sot Hill Resort, Baan Chay Nam is recognised as one of the province’s leading restaurants. It has now reopened after extensive renovation works. The new design of the restaurant is a modern Lanna concept, with indoor and outdoor seating for guests to enjoy the tranquil view of tall green hills and the cool breezes from the lake. Baan Chay Nam is open daily from 6pm-11pm, with music featured during the evenings. 055-532-601-8 ext. 131, fbcms@chr.co.th; www.centarahotelsresorts.com

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hotel focus

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Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya is a 5-star beach resort designed to be the first truly themed hotel in Thailand

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With its magical ‘Lost World’ theme, the 5-star Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya is set to become one of Thailand’s most talked about resort hotels. Sporting a contemporary Thai style decor, all 555 elegantly appointed rooms come with a king-sized bed or two double beds complete with extensive private furnished balcony or terrace overlooking the breathtaking resort gardens and ocean. They are at least a minimum size of 42 square meters, individually controlled air-conditioning, spacious private bathroom with extra-deep bathtub and/or heavenly rain shower, flat screen TV with international satellite TV channels and programmes, radio and in-house music, in-room safe, mini-bar and refrigerator, tea and coffee making facilities, hairdryer, Wi-Fi and LAN internet access, and IDD line telephone. Club Mirage at Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya offers exclusive facilities and services for discerning travellers, including www.bangkok101.com

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a private club lounge access with indoor and outdoor seating, Centara signature service of 5 complimentary daily meal presentations (continental breakfast, mid morning snacks, lunch time snacks, afternoon tea, and evening cocktails and canapés), complimentary laundry for 2 pieces per room per day, complimentary use of broadband Internet access for 30 minutes per room per day in the Club Lounge, and concierge services. Located directly on 230 meters of fine sandy beach, the extensive range of beach and water sport activities include windsurfing, kayaking, boating and fishing (charges apply), while the landscaped grounds at Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya are also home to a variety of swimming and leisure pools. Here, the unique ‘Lost World’ theme seen throughout the resort carries over to an extensive water park including swimming pools, children’s pool, infinity pool, lap pool, large freeform pool, lazy river, waterslides, waterfalls and other aquatic facilities. sightseeing

The children can enjoy the large extensive kids club and daily activity programme including an indoor ‘Camp Safari’ and games rooms for ages 3 to 9 years, while teenage guests have a separate E-Zone game and meeting area. For the adults, there is a large and well-equipped fitness centre with aerobics studio, and the relaxing, award winning SPA Cenvare, which provides a range of leisure options.

Address: 277 Moo 5, Naklua, Banglamung, Pattaya, Chonburi 20150, Thailand Phone: +66 (0) 3830-1234 Fax: +66 (0) 3871-4999 Email: cmbr@chr.co.th Website: www.centarahotelsresorts.com

april 2011

Sightseeing

festivals

4-7 APRIL POI SANG LONG

nique to Mae Hong Son province, Poi Sang Long is one of Thailand’s most photogenic festivals. For the three days before Songkran (see opposite) the sleepy provincial town of the same name hosts a colourful spectacle where young boys aged between 7 and 14 are ordained as novice Buddhist monks. On day one, the boys have their heads shaved and give vows to the local abbot. Once their heads are shaved, the boys are not allowed to touch the ground, and so are carried through the streets on the shoulders of male villagers, their flamboyant costumes on full view. Much merrymaking accompanies their rise in status. The second day of Poi Sang Long features a riotous parade and spontaneous celebrations, with just about everybody in town taking part. Finally, on the third day, the boys are given their first robes, formally ordained and served a huge feast, shortly after which Mae Hong Son returns to being a sleepy backwater until next year. With origins in Buddhist legend – this Burmese Shan tradition is thought to follow in the footsteps of Buddha’s own son – Poi Sang Long is a beautiful sight to behold and well worth planning a trip to the north around. GETTING THERE ■ BY BUS: To get to the Festival, take Chiangmai – Mae Sa Reang – Mae Hong Son (Highway No.108) bus from Mo Chit station, usually takes 4 hours to Mae Sa Reang and 8 hours to Mae Hong Son. Or take route Chiangmai-PaiMae Hong Son (Highway No. 107 and 1095) takes around 6 hours. ■ BY AIR: Thai Airways flies from Bangkok to ChiangmaitoMaeHongSon.Call1566, 02-280-0060 www.thaiairways.com Nok Air routes Mae Hog Son – Chiangmai. Call 1318 www.nokair.com

april 2011

sightseeing

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SONGKRAN 13-15 APRIL

f you think Thai people are serene creatures who spend their days meditating, being in Bangkok between April 13-15 – and longer, in many corners of the country – will result in an immediate and overwhelming culture shock. The city goes water wild: thousands of people, dripping wet, bring trafﬁc to a complete halt, dousing everybody in reach with water and chalk powder. Nobody can escape the madness. It’s Songkran, the Thai New Year. A festival with murky Indian/Burmese/Chinese origins, Songkran celebrates the beginning of the solar year and a new farming cycle. It’s also a chance to purify oneself and start the New Year afresh. Water symbolises. Traditionally, over the three day duration, jasmine-scented water is solemnly sprinkled over monks and elders as a mark of respect. Sacred Buddha images are also paraded through sodden city streets, and sand carried to temple grounds to replace dirt carried away on worshipper’s feet during the preceding year. These cerebral rituals do survive, both in Bangkok and upcountry, but the truth is that these days they often take a backseat to the all-out aquatic frenzy. Songkran, in other words, has been watered down, devolved into a huge, mindless water ﬁght that serves no higher purpose other than to keep people cool in April’s harsh sun. Still, prowling the streets looking for victims to douse, primed waterpistol in hand, sure is sanuk (fun), something the Thais relish as much as a good tom yum. And if you ask any Thai to pick their fondest memories of Songkran, they’ll usually recount the ones spent with their families, not larking around with strangers. Make no mistake, Bangkok is a great place to immerse yourself in the festivities, with swathes of the city – namely, Silom, Royal City Avenue and backpacker ghetto Khao San Road – becoming water sloshing party zones, others eerily quiet. However, for many, it is in the provincial cities, towns and villages far from the big smoke that it’s at its most endearing. Although still certain to get soaked by a smiling stranger, away from the carnage you’ll also encounter more ceremony. All the regional variations, many of which last longer – or span different dates entirely – than April 13-15, the national public holiday, are far too long to list here. However, some of the most famous among tourists include those up in ancient former capital Sukhothai (April 7-19) and Chiang Mai (April 12-15), where the revelry reaches such a corporate-sponsored frenzy that it makes even the parties here in Bangkok look subdued. A comprehensive, region-by-region break down can be found at the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s dedicated Songkran website: http://songkran.tourismthailand.org. Splash safely!

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sightseeing

SONGKRAN TIPS

■ Whether dressed in Bermuda shorts or crisp suit, nobody (except the inﬁrm) escapes a splashing, so either go with it or hibernate in your home or hotel. ■ Frustration will get you nowhere. Instead: get dressed to get wet, invest in a kick-ass waterpistol, smile and say sawadee pii mai (Happy New Year) a lot. ■ Avoid travelling for the duration. Buses, trains and planes are packed as millions return to the hometowns, and road deaths caused by irresponsible/drunk revelers number in the hundreds. Then there’s your arrival to worry about: armed or not, foreigners are always fair game! ■ When venturing out into a water war zone, be sure to store your cell phone, camera and other precious belongings away in Ziploc bags. april 2011

Sightseeing

Railay Beach

beach escape Max Crosbie-Jones

f you’ve ever ﬂicked through a Thai holiday brochure, you’ve seen Railay Beach. Along with saffronclad monks and elephants trekking through northern jungles, shots of its limestone karsts soaring above duvet-soft white sands and jade green seas are the favourite go-to images for travel agents looking to lure in holidaymakers. And yet, while Krabi province’s scintillating topography may be familiar to much of the world, cliché even, nothing can prepare you for the real thing. Daydreamers stare vacantly up at its sheer cliffs for hours, while even atheists like ourselves leave entertaining the possibility that they were etched by some higher power. They really are that sublime. We arrived for our recent weekend here by boat – the only way possible except by helicopter or parachute. Although connected to the mainland, a curtain of steep, contorted, impenetrable limestone outcrops cuts the Phra Nang peninsula off from it. To get there you need to catch a long-tail boat, either from the provincial town of Krabi to the east, or the sprawling, tacky resort town of Ao Nang to the west (a boat with fellow passengers set you back more than B150).

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Once you’ve disembarked, you need to decide which of the four beaches nestled between the limestone towers is for you (not that it matters all that much – footpaths across the isthmus and around the base of cliffs mean they’re all within walking distance of each other). Along the longest beach, Railay East, you’ll ﬁnd a slew of cheap to midrange resorts and bungalows, and the restaurants and bars which together form the liveliest nightlife scene. The beach is backed by mangroves, however, so those who can afford to stay a 10 minute walk away on the beach-bum friendlier Railay West, with its powdery white sands, cliffs at either end, the peninsula’s most exclusive lodgings (See ‘Stay), and sublime sunsets. As for the backpackers, they tend to congregate just around the headland at Tonsai Bay, where bungalows are cheap, the rock overhangs ideal for novice rock climbers, and herbal whiffs drift from the reggae bars. Eclipsing them all in the beauty stakes though is Phra Nang Bay, which is by far the busiest beach even though only one resort, the Rayavadee (see Stay), has direct access to it. Accessible only by a boat or a sightseeing

path round the base of the cliffs from Railay East, this curving crest of sand draws in daytrippers by the hundreds, most of them after snapshots of the dramatically pockmarked cliffs at its southern end, where stalactites dangle over the heads of swimmers. One can only imagine the awe of early seafarers, as its looming cliffs and deserted sands crept into view, especially as nowadays it can hardly be called mellow. On a busy afternoon – i.e. most – it’s packed with daytrippers swimming to the nearby island, trying their hand at sailing, paying their respects at the phallic cave shrine, buying noodles off the boat vendors, and prowling up and down the beach looking for some rare shade. To escape the masses, one needs to head along the path to Railay East, and up a steep, vertigo-inducing slope up the cliff to a hidden lagoon and panoramic lookout – hard work but worth it. There is a not a whole lot more that can be said about Railay – you come, you swim, you take pictures, you doze, you eat well (although hardly cheaply), and you leave a few shades darker than when you arrived – other than it needs to be seen in the ﬂesh at least once. www.bangkok101.com

Rayavadee

ROCK CLIMBING These cliffs are made for climbing – thousands flock here to do just that each year. Schools offering lessons and equipment operate out of West and East Railay and Tonson Bay, leading clamberers of all levels up the hundreds of bolted routes. If you think you’re a bit handy, April is the perfect month to go, as a Railay rock-climbing competition is scheduled. See p.27 for more.

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STAY

You can have a nosy around most of Railay’s resorts, but two at opposite ends of West Railay try to keep the riffraff out. Sealed off from the beach by a low fence and ‘Close the Gate’ signs, the Railei Beach Club (B2,500-B16,500, www. raileibeachclub.com), at West Railey’s north end, is a community of 24 privately owned rustic teak Rayavadee homes which are rented out when the owners are not in residence. Each one has a different layout, but all have private kitchenettes, and come surrounded by lush tropical gardens sewn together by paths and backed by cliffs. It’s a beautiful anachronism but not for those into their modern comforts (no air-conditioning or TVs) or late nights – after 10pm only the cicadas can get away with making a racket. The other, the Rayavadee (19,400++-B106,000++, www.rayavadee. com), snagged a prime slice of Railay interior 17 years ago and has been its most exclusive resort ever since. Most tourists can only dream of the uber-luxuriousness inside – outsiders after a sneak peak are stopped in their tracks by security. Guests are treated differently: after being sped from Krabi by small but lavish private boat, like James Bond en route to his arch enemy’s opulent lair, you’re escorted into 26 acres of landscaped tropical gardens. Nestled amid Railay’s southern peaks, these caress not one, not two, but three of its beaches and are so expansive that golf buggies are used to shuttle guests back and forth between its restaurants, lagoon pool, and the luxe abodes – sumptuously attired two-storey pavilions with bathtubs and four metre wide beds. Free use of non-motorized water sports equipment is included, and some seriously top-notch ﬁne dining includes The Grotto bar, where you can sip Yam Som O cocktails beneath soaring stalactites. sightseeing

april 2011

Sightseeing

over the border

LAOS’ 4,000 ISLANDS

Dave Stamboulis

ust a mere stone’s throw across the border and down the road from Ubon Ratchatani, but more like a half century away in time, the Si Phan Don area of Southern Laos, known in English as the 4,000 Islands, beckons travelers with great scenery, welcoming hospitality, and perhaps Southeast Asia’s most laidback and tranquil vibe. The region is so named due to the fact that during the dry season, the Mekong’s water level falls dramatically, leaving loads of sand bars and even small patches of reeds, big enough to hold perhaps one small tree, sticking out of the murky waters. While some of these thousands of “islands” do become very inviting beaches in the right months, there are really only a handful with habitation, and most visitors end up choosing between the tourist friendly Don Dhet, Don Khone, and Don Khong. Don Khong is the largest island, and the only one too big to cover on foot. It also has lots of rice paddies and all the accompanying photographers’ landscapes to go with them, not to mention few tourists to spoil your shots. Don Dhet is known as the “backpackers” islet, as up until

april 2011

recently, it had no electricity and only simple bamboo huts to sleep in. This has slightly changed, but there are still plenty of hammocks hanging languidly over the Mekong, where a good book and a cold bottle of Beer Lao may be your only neighbor. Overall, we recommend making your way to Don Khone (not to be confused with Khong as so many travelers tend to do). Don Khone is connected to Don Dhet via an old railway bridge, and offers the best mix of serenity, good accommodation, and a few activities to ensure you don’t get too comatose. On Don Khone you can pay a visit to the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins, or go view the impressive Khone Papeng Falls, Southeast Asia’s largest. Kayak trips through the local rapids are available, or for those with aqua phobia, rent a bicycle and follow the old French narrow gauge rail line, which was used to transport gold across the un-navigable rapids. For border hoppers, Don Khone and Dhet also now offer road and Mekong River connections on to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in Cambodia. While in the region, make sure you don’t rush down to ﬁnd hammock sightseeing

space before exploring a few more sights. Wat Phu, located an hour north of the islands, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most sacred Khmer temple ruins in Laos. Full of ambience and atmosphere, the ancient ruins surrounded by blossoming frangipanis can be reached by a slow ferry ride along the Mekong. The neighbouring village of Champasak can be used as an overnight stop, or for those requiring a bit more of upscale comforts and dining options, Southern Laos’ major hub of Pakse is just up the road. For something a little more off the beaten track, call in at Don Daeng, a small island just adjacent to Champasak in the middle of the Mekong. Don Daeng is an agricultural island, one of the few with permanent habitation, and until recently, did not know what tourism was. The discovery of sandy beaches and rural traditions eventually brought a homestay programme to the sleepy isle, and there is now a Mekong Tourism venture operating there, as well as the fancy 5 star La Folie Resort for those who enjoy a healthy dose of pampering to go with their simple surroundings. www.bangkok101.com

Want to experience the 4,000 Islands but fancy doing it on the water, not off it? And in style? Local tour company, Mekong Cruises, offers a luxe alternative to slumming it onland with the backpackers: three day/two night Mekong voyages aboard a 34 metre long ﬂoating hotel equipped with a courteous crew, air-con twin cabins, and an open-air deck where you can admire the scenery while leant back in rattan armchairs or enjoying your breakfast or lunch. Starting up at Pakse town, their leisurely Vat Phou Cruise includes hop-offs at the UNESCO World Heritage Vat Phou ruins near Champasak, the mysterious Oum Muong ruins at

Mae Kong Ri

ver

r ive

■ DRINK & SHOP Now that there is electricity on the islands, the Beer Lao is cold. Shopping? Other than buying your bungalow’s hammock, it’s not what you came here for; chill out and enjoy the scenery. ■ GETTING THERE Thai Airways and Air Asia ﬂy to Ubon Ratchatani, which is less than an hour from Pakse, the capital of Southern Laos, by public bus. From there, the 4000 islands can be reached within an hour or two by minivan, car, or boat.

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Pakse

M R ng Ko

■ STAY The most romantic place in the area is on one of the ﬂoating “raftels” right on the Mekong or restored French villas at Don Khone’s Sala Ban Khone (ht tp : //w w w.salalao.com /,856 -30 525 6390).

Huei Thamo, the 4,000 Islands, and the Pha Pheng waterfall on the Laos-Cambodian border. Through April cruises depart every Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday, while from May until the end of October – the rainy season – they’ll be scaled back to sailing on Saturdays and Tuesdays only. Prices range from 330-435 Euros per person (price based on a twin share) and include all meals, admission fees and insurance; see www.vatphou.com for more information.

TAKE THE SLOW BOAT

Champasak

4000 islands

THAILAND LAOS Khong 4000 islands Khone

sightseeing

april 2011

Arts

American painter Chris Coles is recognised amongst the expat clique for his expressive depictions of the capital’s adult nightlife. Marking the recent publishing of his new art book, Navigating the Bangkok Noir, his raw vivid paintings can be seen together with work by Thai artist Anita Suputipong at Colour of Day/Colour of Night until April 30. Koi Art Gallery, 43/12 Sukhumvit Soi 31 | 02-662-3218 | 10am7pm | www.koiartgallerybangkok.com | BTS Phrom Phong

ask/art Steven Pettifor

Chris Coles Bangkok’s nightlife has been referenced in many books, films, and artworks. What fresh perspective do you bring? My paintings are more portraits of the people inhabiting the “scene” rather than the “scene” itself. In these portraits, using clashing colors, distortion, an expressionist style of presentation, I try to capture not only the person’s surface and “face” but also what’s going on inside.

Your art could be read as exoticising Thailand. I try to avoid completely “orientalising/exoticising” the Bangkok nightlife scene and the Thai and Asian people who inhabit it. There is no “Oriental Gong” or “Fu Manchu” or “Inscrutable Asian” or “Thai Air Smiling/Waiing Stewardess”. The various people are presented as fully-dimensional and complex human beings who are full of hope, struggle, dreams and suffering, not as “glamorized objects” or “passive/submissives” or even as “victims.”

Your depictions draw parallels to late 19th century European artists like Lautrec or Degas. Where do you see similarities and differences? I very much draw inspiration from the French Fauvist & German Expressionist painters who used non-realistic and saturated clashing colors as well as a distorted unrealistic style in portraying the people and settings of Paris nightlife circa 1900 & Berlin nightlife in the 1920’s.

How do your paintings move beyond the numerous stereotypes? I think my paintings go far beyond the typical Bangkok sex business clichés. The paintings de-construct the Bangkok nightlife/sex industry. They pull/tear/rip the nightlife machine/factory apart and reveal the inner mechanics and personalities.

How do you capture your subjects, through sketches, photographs, or from memory? I’m a visual scavenger/garbage collector, looking for possible elements and images which I can use to convey my vision. I basically don’t discriminate or care where I get the visual bits and pieces, they come from my entire visual world, from television, trash cans, a piece of paper off the street, memories false and real, fuzzy camera phone reference snaps, other painters.

What will be your next focus? I want to do a series of paintings based around the “Super Noir Arabs/Africans-in-Bangkok” scene which is centered around Sukhumvit Soi 3 and the Grace Hotel. I’ve spent many hours in that area on Friday and Saturday nights between midnight and 3AM when the area hits its peak of activity and crowds. There are so many strong colors, so many weird people, so much struggle, suffering, alienation. It is ripe fruit waiting to be plucked and painted.

april 2011

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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 yourself a copy today and participate in the promotion of art in Thailand.

art exhibitions

Until April 8 Super Summer! Ardel’s Third Place Gallery,The Third Place,Thonglor Soi 10 | 02-422-2092, 084-772-2887, 086-890-2762 | 10am–8:30pm | www.ardelgallery.com I BTS Thonglor In Parichart Suphaphan’s latest series of satirical self-caricatures, she employs a variety of two and three dimensional mediums to whimsically reflect on the media perpetuated glamorization of body image, and how in the world of pop culture, it is mainly women who feel pressured to mould themselves to such standards. Until April 10 g23 Launch Exhibitions 2nd/3rd floor SWUNIPLEX, Srinakarinwirot University, 114 Sukhumvit Soi 23 / 02-649-500 ext.5005 / Tue-Sun 11am-7pm / www.g23.swu.ac.th / MRT Petchburi/Sukhumvit, BTS Asok Part of new building extensions at Srinakarinwirot University, g23 is on the second and third levels of the learning and academic services centre SWUNIPLEX, which opens as a forecourt onto Asoke Road and is intended to draw the public into engaging with the university’s activities. The gallery’s second floor is dedicated to more conventional art practices, while above the emphasis is towards experimentation. This is reflected to a certain extent in the four exhibitions that mark g23’s official opening, highlights of which include This is not a Fairy Tale, a recomposition of a group exhibition of Southeast Asian and Thai art. Until April 10 Samsara:The beauty of Birth, Death and Everything else in between (repeat) Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (BACC), 939 Rama I Rd, Pathumwan | 02214-6630-1 | Tue-Sun 10am-9pm | www.bacc.or.th | BTS National Stadium On display at the BACC are three sartorially stylised exhibitions under the banner Fashion 3, highlighting the international fashion industry from European and Thai perspectives. The talents of Thailand’s fashion photographers are spotlighted in Samsara, in which Buddhist precepts upon the cycle of life are layered into themes. Apr 1 – 24 Deathbed Confession Whitespace Gallery, Lido Bldg 2F, 260 Siam Square 3 | 02-252-2900 | Tue-Fri 1pm-7pm, Sat-Sun 11:30am-8pm or by appointment | www.whitesp-ce.com/gallery | BTS Siam After Chatchai Puipia published his commemorative tome, Chatchai is dead. If not, he should be, earlier this year, now Top Chantrakul looks to his own demise for inspiration. A decade on from his 2000 debut solo exhibition in New York, the multi-disciplined artist continues to incorporate humour and satire into his work, as evident in last year’s exhibition More of the Same, also at Whitespace. www.bangkok101.com

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april 2011

Arts

performing arts

RAM THAI (Thai traditional dance)

Aksra Theatre

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.

Theatres

AKSRA THEATRE (map C3) King Power Complex 8/1 Rangnam Rd, Phaya Thai | BTS Victory Monument | 02-677-8888 ext 5678 | Tue-Fri 7pm, Sat-Sun 1pm&7pm In this spectacular 600-capacity theatre located by the Victory Monument, with an interior lined with wood carvings, experience hypnotic performances by the Aksra Hoon Lakorn Lek troupe. Intricate Thai puppets, given life by puppeteers swathed in black, act out Thai literary epics. This is family entertainment of the reﬁned kind.

โรงละครอักษรา คิงพาวเวอร คอมเพล็กซ 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 watch contemporary performing arts. Its founder, the well-known Patravadi Mejudhon, created not only a theatre, but also an entire arts complex, comprising of classes, residencies and international exchanges. Performers are trained in classical as well as modern traditions: the shows are world-class because of it.

โรงละครภัทราวดี ถ. อรุณอมรินทร

april 2011

SIAM NIRAMIT (map D2) 19 Tiam Ruammit Rd | 02-649-9222 | www.siamniramit.com A breathtaking, record-breaking extravaganza, the performance here is hailed as 'a showcase of Thailand'. Using hundreds of costumes and amazing special effects, more than 150 local performers journey whirlwindlike through seven centuries of storied Siamese history. Up to 2,000 guests arrive to experience this spectacle nightly. In shor t, it's a spectacular showcase of eye-popping poignancy.

สยามนิรมิต ถ.เทียมรวมมิตร

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.24), pay the colourful troupe a couple of hundred baht to see them perform. When visiting Vimanmek Mansion (p.24), 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.73).

NATIONAL THEATRE (map A3) 2 Rachini Rd, Sanam Luang | 02-224-1342, 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.

โรงละครแหงชาติ ถ.ราชินี สนามหลวง

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TCDC (THAILAND

CREATIVE & DESIGN CENTRE)

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.

cultural centres

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE (map C4)

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 always 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 ชอปปง คอมเพล็กซ สุขุมวิท 24

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

สมาคมฝรั่งเศสกรุงเทพ ถ. สาทรใต

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 เคานซิล สยามสแควร

GOETHE INSTITUT (MAP C4)

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

สถาบันเกอเธ 18/1 ซ. เกอเธ 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 ฟาวนเดชั่น 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 11-storey Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) structure is engulfed by neighbouring shopping malls and looks out towards the city’s elevated skytrain. Best described as The Guggenheim meets a shopping 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 is currently nurturing artists in a range of creative fields, including theatre, film and design, with the upper levels boasting a space of 3,000sqm for displaying exhibitions. Combine a trip here with a shopping assault at the nearby malls, which it’s linked to via a raised concrete walkway.

หอศิลปวัฒนธรรมแหงกรุงเทพมหานคร แยกปทุมวัน

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april 2011

Arts

cinema

APEX SCALA (retro 1960s) Siam Square Soi 1, Rama 1 Rd | BTS Siam | Scala 02-251-2861,

HOUSE (Boutique art film cinema) Royal City Avenue (RCA), Petchaburi Rd | 02-641-5177

โรงภาพยนตสกาลา สยามสแควร ถ. พระราม 1

angkok boasts world-class, state-of-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.47), 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 www. Please movieseer.com. stand while the king's anthem is Thai Cinema Noy Thrupkaew played in respect to Thailand’s Judging from the city’s movie posters, Bangkok beloved visitors might assume that Thai ﬁlmic fare is limited monarch.

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 bordertransgressing ways, steeping Thai tales in Western cinematic influences. 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.

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เฮาส อารซเี อ ถ. พระรามเกา

KRUNGSRI IMAX THEATER (world’s largest movie screen) 5th Fl., Siam Paragon, Rama 1 Rd | BTS Siam | 02-129-4631

สยามพารากอน ถ. พระราม 1

MAJOR CINEPLEX RATCHAYOTHIN 1839 Phaholyothin Rd. | BTS Mochit, MRT Paholyothin, then taxi | 02-511-3311

เมเจอรรชั โยธิน ถ.พหลโยธิน

MAJOR CINEPLEX SUKHUMVIT 1221/39 sukhumvit Rd., North Klongtan | BTS Ekkamai | 02-3814855

เมเจอรสขุ มุ วิท ใกลสถานีรถไฟฟาบีทเี อสเอกมัย

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

มาบุญครองเซ็นเตอร ถ. พญาไท

www.bangkok101.com

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 stores offer the latest in print, new and used.

DREAM DESTINATIONS OF THE WORLD Monaco Books, 544pp. Available from Asia Books or by emailing publisher EDM at marketing@edmbooks.com.sg On global tourism surveys, Thailand regularly rates as one of the most popular places to visit. This means it’s no real surprise that new 544 page tome Dream Destinations of the World devotes eight pages of its substantial size to the Kingdom’s attractions. Producers of a series of travelrelated books that include Dream Destinations of Europe, The World’s Greatest Places and Photo Guide – New York, this Munich-based publishing house specialises in glossy photo-ﬁlled titles containing condensed historical background and informative facts. For instance, most visitors to the Thai capital are unlikely to know that the name Bangkok is derived from that of a mainly Chinese village called Baan Makok, which was once located close to where the Grand Palace

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 outlets in major malls, but before purchasing check the back for English s u b t i t l e s a n d DV D r e g i o n 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. www.bangkok101.com

stands today. Or that two Thai wildlife reserves make up one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in Southeast Asia, with a total size of 6,100 sq km. Additional information provided for every entry details its location, the best time of year to visit, and a useful website link for more details. As well as Bangkok, the Thailand section covers the ancient ruins of Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet, Si Satchanalai and Ayutthaya; the wildlife of Thung Yai, Huai Kha Khaeng and Khao Yai; and the beach destinations of Ko Samui, Phi Phi, Phuket, Krabi and Phang-Nga. Of course, the Thai section is a mere fraction of the overall content, which covers countries and cities around the world. Dream… is obviously not intended as an allencompassing guidebook, but more of an ‘invitation to get familiar with the world and its magniﬁcent natural and cultural treasures’, as notes the introductory publisher’s letter. After all, as the 3rd century philosopher St Augustine once wrote, ‘The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page of it.’

reading & screening

URBAN BANGKOK Joakim Leroy | Orchid Press | 207pp | B1,395 The glut of coffeetable pictorials makes it easy to be cynical about publisher’s trying to squeeze baht out of this most camera-friendly of cities. And, leaving that can of worms behind, this one is not without its faults. Yes, dividing French lensman Joakim Leroy’s monochrome photos into chapters on modernism, mysticism etc works, but the essays preceding them don’t, covering hackneyed old ground. Joakim could also have done with a stricter picture editor. But it’s difﬁcult to be too hard on it. Urban Bangkok does achieve its main goal: “to depict the close connection that exists between this city and its population”. And many of these grainy monochromes – be it of clubbers bathed in lasers at an underground nightclub, or a juvenile ﬂower seller on Asok Road staring wistfully at lense – have that stark, poignant quality that we love.

COUNTRY HOTEL R.D. Pestonji, 1957, www.thaifilm.com (Thai Film Foundation), DVD B250 An absurdist black comedy featuring a tootling trombone player, an arm-wrestling champ, and a saucy minx who claims to be a 65-year-old opium smuggler, Country Hotel – or the “Hell Hotel” of the Thai-language title – is a cornerstone of Thai cinema. “Thai New Wave” directors including Wisit Sasanatieng and PenEk Ratanaruang have drawn inspiration from the ﬁlm’s bawdy humour and fullﬂedged song-and-dance performances; the National Film Archives in Nakhon Pathom has even reproduced the set in its museum. Filmed by cinematic pioneer R.D. Pestonji, the Country Hotel showcases an oddball series of vaudeville acts – a marching band, a boxing competition, a husband and wife chained together – before giving way to a robber-hostage drama. Bizarrely delightful.

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april 2011

Arts

paradise found

ews about ‘Paradise Bangkok’ is starting to spread overseas, and with it a growing knowledge about quality Thai music. We recently played some dates in Japan, one of which was the ofﬁcial Japanese launch party for the ‘Sound of Siam’ compilation on Soundway. As well as these parties being well received, and a lot of fun, people consistently commented about how good it was that we were promoting ‘Asian’ music. There are musical motifs that echo across the whole sub-continent, which means that whilst Thai music might be still broadly unfamiliar in places like Tokyo and Osaka, people can relate to it on a broader level. One person even commented that it made them think about what music might be in Japan currently lying in hidden or forgotten corners. Another thing which was so noticeable at all the gigs, was the attention the venues had put in to installing proper sound systems, most notably Club Stereo in Osaka. Run by the same team behind the legendary reggae store ‘Drum &

april 2011

Each month the crate-digging DJ duo behind the leftfield luk-thung, molam, and funk night 'Paradise Bangkok', Chris Menist and Maft Sai, delve into the more obscure corners of the Kingdom’s music.Their record label 'ZudRangMa' showcases the best of Thai music both old and new, and has a new shop on Thong Lor. For more information, check out: www.zudrangmarecords.com

Bass’ it was amazing how molam sounded through speakers built to highlight the bottom-end qualities of music from the Caribbean. Sound systems are built to be played outdoors, where soundwaves have nothing immediate to reverberate against to emphasise the volume. It underlined how much molam is an ‘outdoors’ music, to be maybe enjoyed under the stars, on a warm northeastern night. Hearing the throbbing bass and tough percussion of tracks such as ‘Soul Lam Plearn’ by The Petch Phin Thong Band, or any number of hits by Chaweewan Dumnern beneﬁ tting from this sort of sonic clarity allowed us to experience these tracks afresh. It might be sometimes derided as ‘country’ music, but here were songs as powerful and arresting as anything recorded in London, New York or LA. Chaweewan Dumnern is still with us, and is rightly considered the ‘Queen’ of Molam. Always lyrically articulate, she delivers with a natural ease the double-meanings and word play of the Isan dialect of Northeast Thailand and Laos. ar ts

She is rightly hailed as a cultural ambassador and is currently a visiting teacher at Khon Kaen University. Her track ‘Sao Lam Plearn’ (a ‘mode’ of molam, which has spawned countless cover versions) has been a staple at Paradise Bangkok since the early days. Kicking off with an extrapolated riff from ‘Jumping Jack Flash’, Chaweewan encourages people to come and listen to her in the introduction as an insistent three note bass riff and a nagging synth drone propel the track forward. Danceﬂoors can’t resist this track, and Japan was no exception. That it starts with something recognisable before launching off into unfamiliar territory always turns heads. Playing this mixture of roots music from Thailand, West Africa, Jamaica and beyond got us thinking about where next we can take these sounds. The result is ‘Isan Dancehall’, a new club night that will complement our well-established ‘Paradise Bangkok’ parties with rawer sounds. Check www.zudrangmarecords.com or the ZudRangMa Records Facebook page for details. www.bangkok101.com

P H OTO F E AT U R E

A one-man band from Roi Et in Thailandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s northeast

JATUJAK

the people who make it happen The scale of Jatujak – Bangkok’s mini-city sized weekend market – is well documented. What isn’t is the carnivalesque cast of characters who serve and entertain the thousands who shop there each weekend. From nimble magicians to cyber-punk fortune tellers and corporate clowns, this motley crew is almost as eclectic as the stuff for sale. This month we bring you affectionate portraits of these hard grafters and colourful performers, lifted from Simon Bonython’s suitably sprawling new coffeetable book, The Jatujak Market of Bangkok. Next time you’re up there, ferreting out bargains, look out and spare a thought for them. After all, if you thought shopping at the world’s stickiest flea market was hard work, can you imagine working there?

photography by Simon Bonython

P H OTO F E AT U R E

A wandering musician in traditional garb

As well as performers, there are urban tribes of all stripes to be spotted

A hard-up Aussie blows his didgeridoo in the hope of earning your small change

A young classical dancer shows off her skills

Magicians perform live for passers-by

P H OTO F E AT U R E

“You make me very rich man.” This cyberpunk fortune teller will predict your future

Traders may get to sit down on the job, but they still have their work cutout

Got a bad back? Porters are on hand to help you shift that giant plant pot

Malaysian vendors impress shoppers with their acrobatic ‘teh tarik’, or tea pouring, skills

Pretty girls arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; t the only people corporations employ to get their products noticed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; glum clowns get a look-in too

Food&Drink

dining in bangkok

ood 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 that Thais say hello. It’s how Thai people socialise. The true Thai dining experience requires that all dishes be shared with everyone at the table; real evidence of the importance of dining to the sense of community.

Heap

ataste 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’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 clock, although choices narrow as it gets closer to midnight. Many restaurants have closing times of 9pm or earlier. However, plenty of them feed late-night appetites. 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 many vendors 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-anything-once, you’re in for a nonstop 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 a service charge (typically 10%) and government tax (typically 7%) is added to your bill.

$ under B400 $$ B400 – B1,000 $$$ B1,000 – B2,000 $$$$ over B2,000

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. 50

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food & drink

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1-15 April Songkran Thiptara,The Peninsula

Khao chae is an essential summer dish that brings a cool and refreshing touch to hot and spicy Thai menus. For April, Thiptara offers an al fresco culinary experience in a teakwood pavilion set under a banyan tree while enjoying the Thai NewYear celebrations.This seasonal dish consists of a rice dish soaked in jasmine- and rose-scented water, fused with a variety of traditional side dishes such as deep-fried shrimp paste, sautéed sweet dried turnip, sweet shredded beef or pork and green chilli filled with minced pork and shrimp. B420 per person. 02-861-2888; www.peninsula.com

All Month 10th Anniversary of Sunday Jazzy Brunch Sheraton grande Sukhumvit

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit features a colourful selection of delectable dishes along with crisp salads, home baked breads and imported cheeses and also the chance to win fabulous prizes in their ‘Ten-Sational Lucky Draws’ every Sunday and ‘Grande Prize Draw’ on 24 April. B2,350 each includes free flow drinks. 02-649-8353, dining.sgs@luxurycollection. com; www.eatdrinkandmore.com/bangkok

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All Month Khao Chae The Sukhothai Bangkok

Chef Vira Sanguanwong serves up his version of the traditional Thai Songkran favourite, khao chae. Dishes such as steamed jasmine rice with chilled jasmine water and assorted condiment selections, such as fried shrimp paste balls, deep-fried stuffed bell pepper with minced chicken & shrimp, fried stuffed shallots with ground catfish, deep-fried sweet beef strips, and chilled marinated fruits with watermelon sorbet, to name just a few, are definite must-trys. Each set is priced at B850++ per person. 02-344-8888; www.sukhothai.com; promotions@sukhothai.com;

11-17 & 24 April Songkran Celebration & Easter Brunch Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square

The two biggest celebrations of April are just around the corner. First comes Songkran, marked by Thai New Year lunch or dinner promotion ‘Come 4 Pay 2’ at B950++ with traditional Thai dishes and desserts. Then a specially designed Sunday Easter Brunch serves up great fare from around the world, including NZ prime ribs. Adults cost B850, kids over 12 half-price, and under 12 free. 02-209-8888; www.novotelbkk.com

food & drink

meal deals All Month Mieng Kham Royal Orchid Sheraton hotel & Towers

Chef Charoensri Vatanayut’s has brought back her favourite ‘mieng kham’ to celebrate the annual Thai festival of Songkran. Her expertly conceived and prepared dishes include mieng som o (spicy pomelo salad, B380), and mieng gai ma-praow oon (grilled chicken and coconut, B220). Enjoy many ‘mieng’ bites that will spice up your tastebuds. 02-266-9214, events.rosh@sheraton.com

13-19 April Khao Chae Spice Market, Four Seasons hotel

What better way to celebrate the holidays than by having a khao chae set for lunch or dinner at the Spice Market at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok. Chef Ann will be serving her authentic khao chae, Thailand’s traditional jasmine-scented rice topped with ice and served with six traditional side dishes such as deep-fried shallots with shredded pork, and sweet shredded fish – a perfect treat in the April heat. B700++ per person. 02-126-8866; www.fourseasons.com

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Food&Drink

street eats

MATUPAYAS BY THE BANGKOK SOUP COMPANY WHeRe Tonson Market, 99 Soi Tonson, Chit Lom (end of the soi), 081-787-9351 BTs Chit Lom OpeN Mon-Fri 8.30am-2pm pRice B30-B35 per bowl

Matupayas by The Bangkok Soup Company is the brainchild of Thai proprietor Aof, a proponent of healthy eating, who observed the bad dietary habits of modern society – particularly among office workers in a hurry – and came up with the concept of serving nutritious, homemade and healthy cuisine, which was easy to takeaway. To achieve his aim, Aof joined forces with Maple, owner of the Tonson Market, and opened up a small shop at the market entrance. The signature recipe is the Matupayas, a Buddhist staple soup that involves boiling multi-grains in milk. It contains nine types of grain in one bowl: Thai wild rice, sticky brown rice, hill brown rice, lotus seed, Chinese barley, hulled mung bean, millet, oat and wheat; mixed with fresh low-fat milk imported from New Zealand. This ambrosia is not only delicious, but also packed full of goodness: minerals and vitamins, with absolutely no cholesterol. Other flavours served by The Bangkok Soup Company include mushroom, pumpkin, red bean with Chinese barley, and sweet corn; all mixed with just a little salt and organic sugar – and no cream. Early every morning, pots of the Western-style soups (the selection on offer changes daily) are cooked from fresh ingredients sourced directly from farms personally selected by Aof. The soups can be eaten on site, or ordered for takeaway. During weekday lunchtime, the semi-outdoor café (it also serves a range of coffees, smoothies and juices) is usually packed with office people from the nearby Sindhorn Building, so if you’re in the mood for a leisurely sit-down meal, then the best time to visit is in the morning or after 1pm. The cute white furnishings invite you to spend a little quality relaxation time; reading a magazine or indulging in a little people-watching, whilst sipping on delicious soup.

มธุปายาส โดย เดอะ แบงค็อก ซุป คอมปานี ตลาดตนสน ซ.ตนสน

april 2011

food & drink

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street Food Hotspots

SUKhUMviT SOi 38 Directly beneath BTS Thong Lo station, the mouth of this soi fills up with food vendors selling late-night delicacies to passing commuters. Sample the delicate, handmade 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 famous stall in front of Swenson’s. Popular among tipsy Thai teenyboppers, this is just one of Soi Rambuttri’s many late night food stalls. www.bangkok101.com

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.

elvis sUKi Though its name suggests otherwise, there’s nothing Elvis about Elvis Suki. The waiters don’t sport quiffs or wear blue-suede shoes, nor do they play the King of Rock & Roll’s greatest hits. But what this no-frills joint, located near the city’s main train station, Hualumphong, lacks in Elvis throwbacks it makes up for with suki. If you didn’t know already, suki is local shorthand for sukiyaki, the popular Japanese dish featuring glass noodles, meats, vegetables and eggs all cooked together in a pot (the soupy version), or pan (the dry version), and then eaten with a fermented bean sweet and sour sauce. Here they do an excellent rendition that’s outmatched,in my opinion,only by their fresh seafood served with succulent sauces. Especially good are Elvis Suki’s flamed scallops. Marinated with minced pork, and grilled over blazing red-hot charcoals in margarine, these fleshy morsels are so scrumptious that my friends and I always, always order in two sets. Other dishes that we usually deem worthy of joining them include keuy tieow khou kai (fried noodle with chicken and eggs), pla samlee samunprai pao hor bai tong (grilled herbal cotton fish wrapped in banana leaves) and their to-die-for tod man (fish cakes). Like most of the joints I select for your roadside dining pleasure each month,the entertainment at Elvis Suki stretches beyond your tastebuds to watching the cooks at work.Here an outdoor kitchen that gives each dish its own station and chef,makes the perfect stage for watching the well-rehearsed show. Elvis would be so proud. Elvis Suki is on Soi yossey, behind hualumphong Train Station and hau Chiew hospital.To get there, take the skytrain to National Stadium then take a taxi or tuktuk to Soi yossey (approx price: B40-50). Approaching from this direction, Elvis Suki is on the lefthand side. Open daily between 10am-2pm and 4pm-midnight. if having trouble finding it, get somebody who speaks Thai to call 02-234-4979. food & drink

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Food&Drink

restaurants

featured

restaurant

RAMEN CHAMPIONS Make way for the Oishi express. Continuing its takeover of the Bangkok dining scene, the Japanese restaurant group’s latest endeavour is Ramen Champions off Thong Lor. The concept is deceptively simple: take six of Japan’s most famous ramen restaurants, and have them ﬁght to the death for customers in a winner takes all format. Okay, admittedly there will be no mortal combat at the Arena 10 space, but all six outlets are given equal space and exposure, meaning they have to attract customers on merit – and taste – alone. While the kitchens are now helmed by Thais only, the head Japanese chefs were brought in to train up the staff to assure the authenticity of the ramen, as well as uphold the reputation of their restaurants. Unless you’re an expert or expatriate Japanese, it’s unlikely you’ll know which outlet to choose. In this situation, it’s always best to go with the busiest, which is exactly what we did, settling on Nidaime Tsujita. If you’ve ever eaten at a ramen house, the décor and layout should be familiar enough – a small space ﬁlled with wooden tables and counter seats facing an open kitchen. The ramen, however, is distinctly unfamiliar. Judging from the menu and what was being served around us, it was apparent

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that what we had assumed to be ramen all these years was nothing but a pale imitation of the original – a false assumption on par with sweet and sour pork being presented as Chinese food, or assuming that everyone in Bangkok eats green curry and pad Thai because that’s what they serve in Thai restaurants overseas. Unlike its imitation brethren, the signature Nidaime ramen (B250) here comes served in a heavy, gravy-like broth accompanied by thick slices of beef, a filling bowl that is more winter stew than fast-food. There are also lesser known (by us at least) dishes such as Tsukemen (B260), where you dip your cooked ramen in an accompanying broth made from pork ribs, and Karaage (B150), diced pieces of deep-fried chicken served in a bowl filled with bright red chilies. Of course, the beauty of this new concept from Oishi is that if you don’t like the offerings at one outlet, then next time you can instead try one of the other six. Ready, Ramen Champions, fight!

ราเมน แชมเปยน อารีนา 10 ทองหลอ

food & drink

WHeRe Arena 10, 10 Sukhumvit 55, 02-392-9561; www.facebook.com/ramenchampion www.bangkok101.com

featured

restaurant WHeRe Rooftop, Mini Showroom (Ekamai Soi 7), 99/99 Sukhumvit 63, 02-711-6999; www. thegarretbistrobar.com

THE GARRETT Formerly just occupied by one restaurant, this rooftop space on Ekamai recently re-emerged as two distinct venues. Part of it remains as Italian fine dining venue Fuzio, while the rest has been transformed into The Garret ‘Secret Bistro Bar’, featuring contemporary design and serving new American cuisine. Upon arrival, the first thing you’ll have to decide upon is where to sit – the space is divided into three distinct sections: The Glass Room, a chic bar area with weekly DJ nights; The Dining Room; a warm mix of baroque armchairs, exposed brick walls, tiled floors, and cabinets full of the owner’s ceramic collectables; and The Rooftop outdoor area. While from this height a view of the surrounding area comes with almost every seat, The Rooftop terrace arguably offers the most intimate night time setting. The menu is as comforting as the surroundings, with large size portions and reasonable prices. We began with a traditional-tasting bar snack of potato skin nachos (served with smoky cheddar and chipotle sour cream, 210). For the mains, we opted for the creamy linguine (290) with shrimp and spicy mentaiko (Japanese www.bangkok101.com

marinated fish roe), and a Jumbo Secret Chef Salad (serves two, 390), a huge feast of roast chicken, cooked ham, avocado, onion rings and the house vinaigrette, plus the secret ingredients (spoiler alert!) of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and grapefruit. The result was an incredible tasting and filling summery salad. Our meal finished with a plate of apple ‘Garret’ (B190), a flat pastry similar to apple strudel served with room temperature vanilla crème fraiche. It was perhaps the only small disappointment of the meal, the sauce slightly grainy and the too-thick pastry masking the slim apple filling. However, the service had been immaculate, as had the majority of the meal and our drinks; the Pims Sour cocktail (lime, orange, mint, ginger ale and sprite, B250) and the Twitter mocktail (a mix of kiwi, green apple and orange fruit juices, and sour, B150). On the night, the crowd – like at most Ekamai establishments – was mostly moneyed Thai, enjoying the combination of a relaxed atmosphere and Western dining. Judging by their numbers, The Garrett is now somewhat of an open secret.

เดอะการเร็ตซีเคร็ทบิสโทรบาร มินิสแควร สุขุมวิท 63

food & drink

april 2011

Food&Drink

featured

restaurant

HAI SOMTUM

WHeRe 2/4-5 Soi Convent, off Silom Road, 02-631-0216 BTs Sala Daeng OpeN Mon-Fri 10:30am-9pm, Sat 10:30am-8pm pRice B30-B170 deliveRY 10:30am-12pm, 1pm-8pm (minimum order: B300, delivery fee: B40-B50) 56

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Hai Somtum couldn’t be much plainer if it tried – laminated tables sit beneath florescent lights and whirling overhead fans – and yet it’s one of the best places in downtown Bangkok for proper, no-holdsbarred Isaan food. And we’re not the only ones who think so – it’s packed with office workers every weekday lunch and dinnertime. Clearly they all know what we’re now telling you – that what this drab temple to sticky rice lacks in sophistication, it makes up for with plates of moist, crispy-skinned grilled chicken, tart minced meat salads (laabs) and other Northeastern staples, all briskly served by efficient staff for just a shade above streetfood prices. These alone are enough to warrant a visit, but the real reason we keep coming back here is the green papaya salad, or somtum. The menu here offers almost every known variation of the spicy-soursweet cult dish; a dedicated station, piled high with shredded green papaya, blithely knocks them out in a pestle and mortar up front. Try the somtum thai if you’re a somtum newbie – speckled with peanuts and dried shrimp, this gentle rendition lacks the fermented crab that has many a rookie rushing for the nearest toilet a few hours later. And if you’re not, don’t be afraid to expand your horizons, as you’ve hit the somtum motherlode. Our personal favorite is the somtum khai khem (salted egg somtum), though others swear by the carrot or pla raa (smelly fermented fish) versions. Be sure to round off your meal with a few other dishes – a duck laab, plate of kor moo yang (grilled pork neck), or tom saep moo (tart pork soup) perhaps – and a small wicker basket of warm, glutinous sticky rice. Sounds intriguing but worried about being met by blank stares from the staff ? Don’t be. Though not a tourist joint, the place has an easy to decipher pictorial menu and some staff with a grasp of English. If you’re feeling lazy, you can even order by phone and a motorcycle taxi will take care of the rest. What’s not to love?

ไฮ สมตำคอนแวนต ซ.คอนแวนต

food & drink

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featured

BKK BAGEL BAKERY restaurant If you've not heard of BKK Bagel Bakery, then you've obviously never heard of Twitter either. For weeks now, Bangkok's flock of Tweeters have been singing the praises of this newly opened shop, which serves, according to the co-owner at least, the most authentic bagels in town. As a native New Yorker, he should know. Perhaps one of the Big Apple's most iconic foodstuffs, the rolled, boiled and baked bagel occupies a special place in the psyche of the city. Tough and dense as the city that made them famous, they can be as easily eaten toasted as breakfast (served with a 'schmear' of cream cheese and a coffee) or lunch (as a closed or open-faced sandwich). BKK Bagel Bakery serves up both, though with current demand outstripping supply, you'd best get there early (when we visited on a weekday, the batch of 300 cooked overnight were all gone by 2pm). For cream cheese, you have a selection of plain, olive, garlic and dill, and lebaneh (B30 each), which can be schmeared on your choice of plain, sesame, poppy, whole wheat or cinnamon raisin bagel (B35 each). In addition, there are six sandwiches to choose from, ranging from B150 to B225 in price. If you're hungry enough, order The Show Stopper (roast turkey, Danish Havarti cheese, bacon, avocado, and whole grain mustard, B225) a packed bagel that does exactly what the name suggests, while the Lox, Stock and Bagel (B175) is a slightly less hefty open-faced serving of lox (cured salmon fillet), plain cream cheese, tomato, and red onion. In a style befitting the city's ravenous Twitterati, we'll sum up our review in exactly 140 characters: The arrival of BKK Bagel Bakery means expatriate New Yorkers can finally enjoy a taste of home. For the rest of us, it's a welcome new treat.

บีเคเค เบเกิ้ล เบอเกอรี่ อ า ค า ร ม ณี ย า ถ.เพลินจิต www.bangkok101.com

WHeRe 518/3 Maneeya Center, Ploenchit Road, 02-254-8157; www.bkkbagelbakery.com. OpeN Mon-Fri 8.30am-6.30pm, Sat (bagels only) 8.30am-12.30pm.

food & drink

april 2011

d. Phraeng Sapphasat Front Gate apphasat Phraeng S

Food&Drink

NeiGHBOURHOOd NOsH: pHReANG pHUTHORN 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.

Phraeng Nara

g Ussaoan

Rd.

Rajini Rd.

uthorn Phraeng Ph g Phraen rk Phuthorn Pa

1 13 4 3

Tanao Rd.

Talaphat Public School

10 11 12 uang Rd.

Bumrungm phraeng phuthorn

he old city’s Tanao Road is home to Chao Phor Sua, a Chinese shrine to a Tiger God where locals pray for good fortune and prosperity. Among Bangkok foodies though it’s better known for being one of the city’s trustiest food hubs, as the area’s old Western-style shophouses dish up a nearly inexhaustible supply of cheap local delicacies. Away from the shrine, towards Phraeng Nara Road, sits a little shophouse dishing out delicious, deepfried Chinese dough with fresh custard. Called Patongko Sawouy (1), its open in the mornings and evenings and takeouts only. On the either side, a little further down, is another, Kor Panich (2). Open 75 years, its sweet sticky rice steamed with coconut milk is the stuff of local legend. Mangoes, perfect with it, can be bought just outside. Opposite sits Phraeng Phuthorn Road, with its rows of green shuttered shophouses oozing old-world charm and arranged around a central square. A fashionable district during the Rama V and VI eras, the luxurious boutiques that once servedThai nobility here have long since disappeared, making way for tenants with serious cooking chops. On the left hand side, Por Peea Song Muay (3) is one of the most popular kitchens on the strip, selling fresh spring rolls packed full of veggie goodness. Next door, Chote Chitr (4) is Phreang Phuthorn’s pin-up: a cozy wooden table joint that every 58

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visiting food journo seems to go home raving about it. And justifiably so – the kitchen here serves authentic, madeto-order Thai dishes that outdazzle even most 5-star restaurants. Across the way, Kim Thong Noodle (5) serves award-winning meat ball noodle dishes made to a family recipe; nearby Seree (6) is a decent Thai kitchen helmed by a chef who started cooking at the tender age of thirteen; and Bamee Phraeng Phuthorn (7) serves a red pork and/or crab noodles (look for the yellow sign on the glass cabinet). Meanwhile, at the end of Phraeng Phuthorn, towards Atsadang Road, two dull shop houses dish out the area’s weirdest dishes. We won’t bother listing them here, as the restaurant names – Shell Chuan Chim Pork Brain Noodle (8) and Tom yum Pork Brain (9) – are pretty self-explanatory. Ewwww. Both are closed Sundays. On the other side of the square, the food onslaught continues. Khao moo daeng (Chinese bbq pork) and khao moo krob (Chinese crackling pork) are just two of the generationsold recipes dished up at the 70-yearold Udom Pochana (10). And Bun Thon Pochana (11) is the area’s only Isaan food stop; its owner, a native of Sisaket, serves up a mean somtum poo and somtum pla raa. Sandwiched between this and The Bhuthorn, one of our favourite boutique hotels, is Nuttaporn iceCream (12). Go native by ordering in some homemade coconut icefood & drink

cream and adorning it with Thaistyle toppings: sweet sticky rice, lotus seeds, red bean, corn, sweet potato, millet, taro or roasted peanuts. Even though it’s a streetstall, one last spot we have to mention is Nom Jo (13). On the corner of Phraeng Bhuthorn and Tanao Road from mid afternoon until late at night, it specialises in unexotic Western staples that you may be surprised to learn are very popular here, namely toast and fresh milk.The big difference: here they Thai-ify the toast, slathering it with custard (ask for kanom-bung san-kayaa) or other achingly sweet toppings.

Talaphat suks a school

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river cruises

Grand pearl

RIVER DINING CRUISES

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 (Shangri-La) 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 per person, depending on how well you dine, and last an average of three hours. Most include a full buffet or set dinner, though this should be conﬁrmed ahead of time. It’s also wise to make advance reservations. manohra

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food & drink

april 2011

Food&Drink

Food courts Much as we love cheap and tasty street food (and Bangkok has some of the best in Asia), sometimes non-wobbly tables, and and a little air-conditioning can go a long way. Check out the following list for some of our shopping mall favourites. CentralWorld: Flavour (7F, 10am-10pm) has some cracking options at good prices. Figure on around 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. 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. MBK: The Food Center (6F, 10am-9pm) is cheap, chaotic and jam-packed 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). Paragon: You can stare at a table-top aquarium while you munch your noodles; but youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re paying about B70 for those noodles. And they ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t all that. The Food Court (B1, 10am-10pm) dining hall gets packed too, making seats hard to come by and the atmosphere far from relaxing. Central chid lom: One of the most upscale food courts in the city (a concierge is on hand to direct you to your table), Food Loft (7/F, 10am-10pm) draws in tired shoppers and famished foodies alike. The cuisine on offer includes Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, Chinese, Korean, as well as a decent line in French-inspired sandwiches.

april 2011

food & drink

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restaurants

Amberrin café

THAi BURiTARA 762/2 Rama 3 Rd, Bangkok Square | 02-682-9457 | 5pm-1am | $ This riverside place has got style! Dare to venture out to the tourist neglected mini-version of Chatuchak, and you’ll find yourself in one of Bangkok’s unforgettable eateries. This one is definitely off the beaten path. One large, split-levelled wooden deck accommodates dozens of low tables and snug faux-leather sofas separated by extravagant Bali-inspired dividers. The lights emanating from the 60s style lamps hanging above you don’t

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give out a lot of light so squinting over the huge menu is required. Don’t bother with the limp Western food, but indulge in excellent Thai seafood (read whole fried fishes and huge portions of deep-fried catfish salad), while river breeze keep you cool. Never eat inside – the band’s much too loud. And don’t mind the slow staff; instead, take in the captivating harbour setting.

บุรีธารา ถ.พระราม 3

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,

food & drink

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.

ตนเครื่อง ซ.ทองหลอ สุขุมวิท 55

iNTeRNATiONAl AMBERRiN CAFÉ (MAP E4) Thong Lor Soi 13 | BTS Thong Lor | 02- 185-2698-9 | 11am – 10pm | $ Instead of adding to the collection of dessert cafes that seem to flood the sois of Thonglor, Amberrin Café took

april 2011

Food&Drink mini-bohemia. In they flock in the early evening for a nosh-and-natter around one of the four tables flanked by old leather and velvet couches (reserve if you don’t want to sit with other envious stragglers in the courtyard). Bolstering its atmospheric charm – think Ar t Deco wonderland – is a fusion food menu that, like everything else here, is tethered to the whims of Tokyo trained chef and owner Khun Purinat. And, though not on a par with their generous hunks of homemade cake, it’s not half bad. Comfort foods like baked spinach with cheese appear on the chalkboard alongside assertive fusion fare (super-spicy seafood pasta) and the odd eyebrow-raising dish (strawberry créme soup). Dishes arrive slowly, in fits and bursts, especially on busy nights, but no one seems to care – after all, the slower you graze here, the longer you can laze.

รานภูริตัน ซ.อารีย 5

puritan

a cue from it’s successful older brother, Kaithong restaurant, and transformed itself into a delectable eatery with a swank ambiance that certainly keeps up with the Joneses. The menu stems from Kaithong, doused with Cantonese dishes and all sprinkled with Thai flavor. This family of chefs impor ts many ingredients straight from Hong Kong, making signature creations that cry out to hungry stomachs and provoke full bellies to keep eating. We started with smoked duck breast over fresh organic mixed greens all topped with mamma’s secret Koma dressing. Then came the Hong Kong style Raad Na with a choice of pork or Australian beef – no need to apply any additional spices, this gravy already has it all. And the Asian fusion desert,Thai mango and Japanese pudding covered in coconut milk, will have you ordering seconds. Just keep in mind it’s a cash only joint, so you can leave your plastic at home.

PURiTAN (MAP C2) 46/1 Soi Ari 5 | 02-357-1099 | BTS Ari | 12pm-11pm Sun-Thu, 12pmmidnight Fri & Sat | $ The girly half of the city is especially partial to this restaurant-cum-cakeshop: a Soi Ari 5 townhouse turned snug

แอมเบอรริน คาเฟ ทองหลอ ซ.13

Hajime

april 2011

food & drink

JApANese hAJiME 3rd floor, Monopoly Park, 59/27 Industrial Ring Road, just off Rama 3 Road | 02-683-1191 #1 | 11am10:30pm | B399++ business class, B499++ first class (Sat-Sun B499++ business class, B599++ first class) The robots have landed… and they’re working in a Japanese shabu-shabu joint off Rama III Road. Here’s how it works: after punching your selection into a touch screen, your robo-waiter rouses from his electric dreams, picks up your chosen raw meat and veg, glides down a glass encased track, and delivers it to your booth with car-factor yline precision. While you cook your selection in a temperature-controlled hotpot, he, when not serving other customers, then gyrates to J-pop. And in a very camp fashion. It’s a gimmick – but a fun one. As for the food, how it turns out depends on your technique, but the raw materials all pass muster: the meat and veg is fresh, and the cooking stocks and dipping sauces all tasty enough.Two options are available: a ‘business’ all-youcan-eat and a ‘1st class’ one featuring Japanese beef and salmon nigri sushi. www.bangkok101.com

Take the kids or that easily amused airhead date. They’ll love you for it.

เบลลา นาโพลี ถ.สุขุมวิท 31

veGeTARiAN KhUN ChURN (map E4) Ground ﬂoor,Bangkok Mediplex,Sukhumvit Soi 42 | BTS Ekamai | 02-713-6599 | $ One of the best places to enjoy vegetarian takes on traditional Thai food – or arhan jay as it’s called here – is Khun Churn. That’s partly because there aren’t that many choices here; but mainly because the owner and chef Khun Churnjuti knows her veggie and macrobiotic food inside out, having founded the original branch up in Chiang Mai. The menu sports a dizzying array, from starters with bite (try the fresh spring rolls) to sprightly mushroom salads, faux-meat mains like tofu-laden red duck curry to onemeal dishes like khao soy. Flavours are surprisingly sparky given the hard-line healthiness – ever ything’s organic and free of MSG and sugar, not just meat – and the prices low considering

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how slick the service and pine dining room is. In fact, your only gripe may be with the view you get from your chair or cushioned banquette – of the soulless ground floor of Mediplex, the hiso health mall Khun Churn is a highlight of. On the flip, the food’s so good you probably won’t be looking past the tip of your fork much anyway.

แบงคอกเมดิเพลกซ สุขุมวิท 42

iTAliAN BELLA NAPOLi (MAP D4) 3/3 Sukhumvit Soi 31 | BTS Phrom Phong | 02-259-0405 | Mon-Fri 11.30am2.30pm, 5.30pm-11.30pm Sat-Sun 11.30am-11.30pm | $ Forget about flair for a sec. Think of that perfect Naples-style pizza and its crispy thin crust. Now grab a cab or hoof it just a few minutes walk from BTS Phrom Phong to Bella Napoli. This quaint and casual, long standing eatery is packed out nightly with a fun crowd, but ask a local foodie and he’ll point out the Italian five-star chefs working in Bangkok – and they’re all

food & drink

devouring those pizzas. If you haven’t made reservations you might be forced to wait outside, but it’s well worth it for the pizzas! Try anything you feel like; from the simple, spicy Pizza Diavolo to the Penna Lungha with its Parma ham tree, these are – for most Bangkokians, anyway – among the best pies in town. The meaty mains, pastas and the imaginative antipasti buffet are worth a try, but we come here for one thing only.

เบลลา นาโพลี ถ.สุขุมวิท 31

AmeRicAN hOME RUN 253/2 Soi Sukhumvit 31, Klongton Nua, Wattana, 02-258-6250; www. homerunbangkok.com.OPEN Daily 11am-1am. PRICE $$ Home Run covers all the bases. Located along the ‘Green Line’ – the alternative soi route that runs north of Sukhumvit – its bold blue signage looms large over passing cars. Inside, a bright, two floor bar and grill houses a pool table, a row of stools and tables, and, as you might expect, big screens playing

april 2011

Food&Drink classic baseball films back-to-back (Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins were squaring up in Bull Durham when we arrived on a Saturday lunchtime). Upstairs is a Goodfellas-esque dining room, with leather upholstered chairs, white tablecloths, and framed baseball photos covering every possible wall space. Available for private functions, it recently hosted what management describes as “the mother of all Thanksgiving feasts.” The substantial holiday helpings are reflective of the general portion sizes at Home Run – authentic American-style servings, we assume. As in any stateside bar, your meal should begin with an order of jumbo jalapeno poppers (hollowed out peppers stuffed with cheese and spices, then battered and deep-fried, B150) and hot Buffalo wings (B160). Fried, crisped and coated in spicy sauce, the latter is a great way to warm up for the main event: the signature Home Run burger (B239) and chilli cheese dog (B239). It goes without saying that the juicy, homemade patty is a delicious mouthful, though – as with everywhere in Bangkok – we wish the bun was big enough to cope with it. No complaints with the dog though, the perfect accompaniment to the action on TV. There are plenty of other classics to choose from, as well as a number of more formal dishes such as the ‘ultimate’ pork chop (B340) and scampi (garlic buttered shrimp, B695). If you’re still hungry, desserts include the New York cheesecake (B220) and double fudge ice-cream cookie (B220). Then, as satisfied as a manager sitting on a five run lead, sit back and watch as Costner builds his Field of Dreams… The lesson here is: if you build it, they will come.

โฮมรัน สุขุมวิท 31

ThE gARAgE BURgER & gRiLL (MAP C3) 2nd Fl All Seasons Place, 87 Wireless Rd |BTS Ploen Chit | 02-685-3626 | Fri-Sat 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 dreamcome64

april 2011

food & drink

tr ue and you’ll tr ust us again. Bordering on the kitschy (general Americana) and the freakish (car seats), the interior screams cozy and offhandcool.While junior guests are handed a Nintendo, the floppy menu promises, “I’ll fill you up.” The Garage is a onestop 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.

ออลซีซั่นเพลส ถ.วิทยุ

meXicAN SUNRiSE TACOS (MAP D3) 236/3-4 Sukhumvit Rd | BTS Asok | 02-229-4851 | daily 24hrs | www.sunrisetacos.com | $ Within a few months of its opening, Sunrise became so successful that affable owner Greg Lange expanded to new locations in the city’s ohso-hiso shopping malls, Emporium and Siam Paragon. These are a step up from the original Asok location, which features a small counter-only and a neighbouring sit down place overlooking a parking lot lined by restaurants and shops. But taco addicts happily brave the spotty service and long waits to dine at one of Thailand’s best Mexican joints, which serves up homemade tortillas, drippingly tender carnitas, and kicky salsas and margaritas. Burritos are hefty and well-priced, and even the usual weakest links – chicke and ground beef fillings – are full of flavor. The guacamole is made from impor ted Aussie avocados, making it a pricier yet all the more tasty option. The carne asada and barbacoa beef can be tougher than we’d like, but minor quibbles, though, for such a friendly, gutbustingly satisfying place.They’re open 24 hours a day – perfect for vampire outings.

ซันไรส ทาโกส สุขุมวิท ใกลตึกไทมสแควร

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runching is big business in Bangkok, with plenty of both family-friendly and

adults-only offerings to choose from. However, no matter if you’re looking restaurants

to cure your hangover, chill out to live music or simply soak up the sun, the city serves up something to suit all tastes. Here we sample some of the best.

brunching

featured

brunch

GRAND HYATT ERAWAN

It’s not easy to consistently maintain high standards for 19 years, especially when it comes to Bangkok’s notoriously fickle brunch crowd. It says much, then, that after nearly two decades spent serving the capital’s foodies, The Dining Room at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok is still one of the most sought after brunch tables in town. Occupying the left side of the hotel’s imperious lobby, the restaurant features the ‘outdoors brought indoors’ theme that is so popular in high-end shopping malls. Trees rise to a curved skylight two floors up, from which sunlight streams down, bouncing off tall ivory white pillars. It’s an impressive setting – as the regular crowd of Sunday diners can attest to – yet still retains a vibe that is both comfortable and sophisticated. Accordingly, the buffet spread impresses without being overwhelming, full of all the food stations you would expect at a five star property. The feast line-up includes a centrally located salad island, which features a delicious ‘Queensland’ shrimp and mango mix and a tasty chicken salad variety. Close by, the dining options move onto a well stocked table of seafood treasures – think mussels, sashimi, crab, oysters and ‘Bloody Mary’ shrimp shots – and a variety of both hot and cold kitchen stations.

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Here, diners can ﬁll their plates WHeRe The Dining Room, with dishes such Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, 494 as roast beef, foie Rajdamri Road, 02-254-1234; gras and dim sum. www.bangkok.grand.hyatt.com. The trick of BTs Chit Lom. brunch is to pRice B1,599++ always make sure Kid-FRieNdlY you leave room Kids are more than welcome at for more, and The The Dining Room brunch, with Dining Room is no a magician, face painting, balloon exception. You’ll twisting, and DVDs on hand to want to save space keep the little ones occupied. for their array of cakes, including cheesecake, chocolate cake, and the lady’s favourite (judging by the reaction of my two dining companions at least), Kit Kat cake. It was all so good that we only really had one complaint: it was a shame it had to end. With almost 20 years of excellent service behind it, The Dining Room is still successfully sending us away satisﬁed.

รร.แกรนด ไฮแอท เอราวัณ

food & drink

april 2011

Food&Drink

sweet treats

desserts featured

CHU

Do you know what a ‘churro’ is? If not, don’t be too hard on yourself. Devoured in the millions each day in their home country, Spain, these ridged, spiraling strips of sugary dough are one of the few treats that have been absent from dessert shops here. Until now... “I knew churros could work here,” says Chu proprietor Toey, a young restaurateur who fell for them while studying in Melbourne a few years back, and was gutted when he arrived home and couldn’t find them anywhere. “They’re just doughnuts essentially, and the way Spaniards eat them not dissimilar to how Thais eat patonko (Chinese doughnuts) with sankaya (custard).” Since opening earlier this year, Chu hasn’t seen a Spanish doughnut craze to rival the American one over at Krispy Kreme, which opened here a few months back, leading to frenzied queues that snake for miles and a glazed doughnut blackmarket (no joke), but Toey has won over a band of churro converts and been given the big thumbs up by the Spanish embassy. They like how he serves them the authentic way, dusted in icing sugar and alongside little tubs of chocolate con curros (thick custard-like chocolate) or dulce de leche (a sticky caramel-based sauce) – and so do we. Not a doughnut fancier? Tell Toey this and he’ll point out that the modern, spacious Chu, with its open kitchen (everything’s baked in house), no bossa nova music policy, free wi-ﬁ, and plate glass overlooking Asok Road, has evolved into more than one man’s dream doughnut bar. He also serves coffee made with 100% Arabica beans, while two glass display cases up at the long counter boast baguettes, paninis, mufﬁns, cookies, cakes and brownies, all of them crafted by his Cordon-Bleu trained hands. Star slices include a seriously sumptuous Triple Choc Cheesecake. And then there’s hot chocolate... Seriously rich, decadent hot chocolate made using the purest French dark, milk and white melted stuff, not powders. It’s a contender for best in town; coffee drinkers should sample the Mocha WHeRe Unit 204-206, 2nd (“pure hot chocolate with a shot of expresso”); Floor Exchange Tower, 388 the adventurous try a cup of the Mexican, with Sukhumvit Road its peppery chili powder kick. We’re risking an BTs/mRT Asok/Sukhumvit avalanche of hate mail, but we say ditch that box Open 7:30am-9:30pm of Krispy Kreme and get down here. Mon-Fri; 11am-8pm Sat-Sun ชู อาคาร เอ็กซเชนจ ทาวเวอร ถ.สุขุมวิท pRice $ 66

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food & drink

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■ Sukhumvit Q BAR 34 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana | 02-252-3274 | www.qbarbangkok.com | 8pm-2am The popular nightclub serves mighty tasty quesadilla, burgers, ribs, khao mun gai, beef jerky and schwarma and has a cool, al fresco terrace area perfect for enjoying them on with friends.

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

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.

■ 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.

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.

■ Khao San Padthai Thipsamai 313 Mahachai Rd (near the Golden Mountain) | 02-221-6280 | open 5pm3am | www.thipsamai.com If you find yourself 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.

Royal Kitchen 912/6 Soi Thong Lo (opp. Soi 25) | BTS Thong Lo | until 1am | 02-391-9634| 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. | 02238-0931 | BTS Sala Daeng | until 1am Half restaurant, half art gallery with innovative Thai and Pacific Rim cuisine.

Good Evening Restaurant 1120 Narthiwas-Ratchanakarin Soi 17 | 02-286-4676 | BTS Chong Nonsi | until 1am | www.goodeveningbkk.com Stylish Thai cuisine

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 Crawls p.100) 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.

Mayompuri 22 Chakraphong Rd | 02-629-3883 | until 1am | www.mayompuri.com Enjoy garden dining amidst colonial architecture, from a menu that serves a selection of Thai and Western dishes. 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.

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.

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

Bug and Bee18 Silom Rd. | 02-2338118 | BTS Sala Daeng | open 24 hours | www.bugandbee.com Four storey café offers up Thai and fusion dishes like curried crab crêpes.

Silk Bar and Restaurant 129-131 Khao San Rd | 02-281-9981 | Food until 2am, Closes at 6am | Though it may not be as smooth as silk, the Thai and International food is fine.

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late-night dining

food & drink

Sunrise Tacos

Bug and Bee

april 2011

Food&Drink

wine

siam Winery

WINE CONNECTION DELI & BISTRO This deli, bistro and wine shop rolled into one got off to a blistering start when it opened during the May 2010 political troubles and locals with money to burn, but their beloved malls in lockdown, flocked to the new K-Village lifestyle mall instead. Now, almost a year later, they still are. On weekends it’s still walk-ins only, and even on weekdays it’s not uncommon for every table to be filled, though not always with wine drinkers tellingly. The sprawling venue has a semi-circle shape, with high and low tables lit by overhead lamps lining the plate glass windows outside, and lots of tables inside. In the centre is a deli counter filled with imported cheeses, WHeRe 93,95, K-Village Room olives and cold cuts etc, all available A116-118, Soi Aree (Sukhumvit26) for take-home. And round the side, BTs Phrom Phong, 02-661-3942 latched on one end like a leach, is the OpeN 10am – midnight wine shop, where you can pick up a bottle of that spry pinot gricio you’ve just been slurping at wholesale prices. Complimenting the mid-range (B3,900 tops) and well-curated wine selection featuring several award winners from Old World and New is a menu of reasonably priced bistro-ish fare; a lamb shank goes for B390 and pleasantly crispy thin crust pizzas for B160-220. Another nice touch are the build-your-own cheese platters, though the fresh bread they’re served with was a little tough (perhaps an afternoon batch is in order). Serious oenophiles may well come over all sniffy – there are trained sommeliers on Wine Connection’s staff apparently but we’ve never seen them; it also lacks the intimacy and bonhomie of the best wine-bars, feeling a bit impersonal and, well, mall-like. And it’s loud, with ill-fitting pop music instead of the usual jazz quartet in the corner and everyone shouting to be heard above it. Still, it’s a fun place to glug a bottle with friends, and good value for money.

เควิลเลจ สุขุมวิท 26 ถ.ประดิษฐมนูธรรม

april 2011

food & drink

‘New Latitude’ Thai wine 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. Discover more at: www.thaiwine.org www.bangkok101.com

www.bangkokartmap.com

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food & drink

april 2011

Nightlife

one night in bangkok

Q Bar

angkok’s vibrant nightlife offers an almost infinite Soi Cowboy (between sois 21 & 23). And voguish but amount of options – so much more than just the affordable hotspots (all tall tables, live hip-hop and naughty male’s One Night in Bangkok wet dream. whisky-sippin’ urban youth) abound in the hot-to-trot A night out here can easily have you flitting between sois of Thong 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.83) – 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.82), nightclubs thrill international clubbers with rave-scene/ and the bohemian café/bar scene on Phra Athit Road. The Chao Phraya River has yet to live up to its hip-hop culture sounds. Folksy jazz, blues and rock venues 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.74. 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.74), 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 ■ 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.72) lead the way in international-style ■ 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 ■ www.bangkokrecorder.com – their gossipy forum is – Nana Plaza (off Soi 4), and the more carnivalesque where news of upcoming DJ fly-ins often breaks.

april 2011

nightlife

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nightlife

april 2011

Nightlife

Bed Supperclub

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 (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).

คิว บาร ถ.สุขุมวิท ซ. 11

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

Q Bar

BED SUPPERCLUB (map D3) 26 Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana | 02651-3537 | www.bedsupperclub.com | nightly 7:30pm-1am With its über-modern elliptical spaceship design, Bed Supperclub is a hugely successful hybrid, and a Bangkok icon: fine dining on what may be the world’s largest sofas on one side, and an adjoining bar on the other. For the past eight 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 them 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 1980s pop hits with house music. It’s time to go to bed.

เบด ซัปเปอรคลับ ถ.สุขุมวิท ซ. 11

april 2011

nightlife

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Calypso

Route 66

Cabarets CLUB CULTURE (map B3) Ratchadamnoen Klang Rd (behind Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall)| 089-4978422| www.club-culture-bkk.com | Wed – Sat: 8pm – late Club Culture comes from the brains behind the city’s much-loved annual dance music festival, Culture One. After being evicted from its home, a former Thai theatre on Phaya Thai Road, it relocated to this faux-colonial, four-storey warehouse in the Old City back in early 2010, much to the relief of its regulars – a cross-cultural mix of hipster Thais and discerning expats. Like the old days they aim to promote new talent, while still bringing in the big guns, ensuring an eclectic roster of indie rock, drum n bass and house music of all genres.

คลับ คัลเจอร ถ.ราชดำเนินกลาง (หลังนิทรรศรตั นโกสินทร)

DEMO (map E4) Thonglor Soi 10 (next to Funky Villa) | BTS Thong Lo | 02-711-6970-1 | 8pm-1am | free (except one-off parties) Easily the grittiest discoteca in the swish Thonglor area is Demo – a former tenement building turned dark, graffiti daubed brick warehouse. Featuring a cool terrace and bar outside, and lots of space to throw shapes inside, not only does it look like a venue you’d find teeming with hipsters in East London or, maybe, at a push, Berlin. It sounds like one too: instead of the usual mainstream hip-hop www.bangkok101.com

and live-bands, Demo’s DJs blast zeitgeisty nu-disco, house and electro through a kicking sound-system. And when they do go hip-hop, on Wednesdays, they keep it old-school. Demo offers an impressive range of beers, shots and cocktails and on weekends packs in a much more ‘inter’ crowd than its nearest rivals.

เดโม ทองหลอ ซ.10

ROUTE 66 (map E3) 29/33-48 Royal City Avenue | www. route66club.com| free Thais / B200 foreigners (including two drinks) On the strip for 16 years, ‘Route’, as it’s affectionately known, is RCA’s longest surviving superclub. Once you’ve flashed your id at the burly bouncers, you’ve entered something akin to a brash nighttime themepark for the hard-ofhearing.There are three zones to explore (four if you count the toilets – probably the ritziest in town). ‘The Level’ is the huge, all-lasers-blazing hip-hop room;‘The Classic’ spins house and techno; and Thai bands cover local and inter hits in ‘The Novel’. Rammed with groups of dressedto-kill Thais on weekends, most of them loaded on their drink of choice, whiskeesodaa, Route is not a good place to lose your mates after one too many but can be a blast if you all get crazy around a table, be it inside or out on the relatively chilled outdoors area. Drinking tip: do as they do and split a bottle between you.

รูท 66 อาร ซี เอ

nightlife

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.

แมมโบ ถ.พระราม3

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.

คาลิปโซ รร.เอเชีย ถ. พญาไท

april 2011

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.

Panorama

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.

รร.มิลเลเนี่ยม ฮิลตัน ถ. เจริญนคร

april 2011

BALCO (map B4) 5th FL River City Shopping Complex, Yota Road, Charoen Krung 30 | Si Phaya Pier | 084-928-6161 | 6pmlate, closed Mondays If coasting along the Chaophraya River on a dinner cruiser leaves you wanting, after disembarking the boat at the River City Shopping Complex, pop up to Balco Bar on its rooftop. This airy alfresco hangout offers farreaching views of all the action on this busy waterway, a good mix of friendly locals and tourists, and soothing music from bossa nova tunes to house beats as the night rolls on. Reasonably priced drinks (beer B80, cocktails B180, whiskey B1, 200) include interesting cocktail choices created by the bar’s owner. If your favorite drink is off the menu, request it and they’ll be happy to mix it for you. A good place for lovebirds and flocks of friends to sit back on the funky nest-shape chairs or couches, catch a breeze and that memorable Bangkok riverscape.

บัลโค ศูนยการคาริเวอรซิตี้ 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.

อาคารคอลัมน สุขุมวิท ซ.16

PANORAMA (map C3) Crowne Plaza, Rama IV Rd | BTS Saladaeng | 02-632-9000 | crowneplaza.com.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.

รร.คราวน พลาซา ถ.พระราม 4

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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.

รร. โซฟเทลสีลม ถ. สีลม

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

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surroundings. Banyan Tree’s Moon Bar is a romantic hideaway. With stunning 360 degree 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.

รร. บันยันทรี ถ. สาทร

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

nightlife

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 smartcasual dress code is enforced.

สเตททาวเวอร ถ. สีลม

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 Mediterraneanthemed 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 instead come later, when spotlights make it glow amber against the night sky. Wat Po is also just around the corner, so a tipple here is an easily attainable – and fitting – reward after a day spent temple hopping. And if you fall for the view, the hotel’s restaurant, The Deck, and six lovely suites mean you can prolong the love affair.

อรุณเรสสิเดนซ ซ.ประตูนกยูง ถ.มหาราช

april 2011

Nightlife

hotel bars & nightclubs

CM2 (map C3) Basement, Novotel Siam Square, Siam Square Soi 6 | BTS Siam | 02-255-6888 | www.cm2bkk.com | 10pm-2am | facebook.com/conceptcm2 The Novotel Siam Square Hotel’s subterranean party cave still packs them in fourteen years after it opened, especially on weekends when it heaves with tourists and nocturnal beauties. A renovation a few years back scrapped the club’s karaoke zone, making way for more lounging space overlooking the big and quite 1980s disco looking (black and metal and neon lighting rule) dancefloor, plus a sports bar with pool tables, smoking room, and Absolut Vodka Lounge. It’s mainstream all the way. DJs play what the crowd wants, when they want it, usually the latest electro, funky house or hip-grinding R&B tune, while the international live bands perform as if every song is a potentially life-changing audition (Simon Cowell would be impressed). Cheesy? It is, a bit; but still a fun (and eye-opening) night out. International and Thai food, as well as a whopping great cocktail list is served, as is what they claim is Bangkok’s strongest pour – all drinks feature double shots for no extra charge.

รร.โนโวเทลสยามสแควร สยามสแควรซ.6

april 2011

CM2

BEERVAULT (map D3) Four Points by Sheraton, 4 Sukhumvit Soi 15 |BTS Asok | 02-304-3200 |www. fourpoints.com|11.30am-12pm Lower Sukhumvit may be studded with noisy Brit, Irish and Aussie pubs catering to beer lovers but ironically none can match the brew selection of the Four Points Sheraton’s snazzy little hotel bar. Only 80 count ‘em paces from Sukhumvit Road, this snug glass and brick box with a colour-changing column lined with flatscreens dangling over its central bar, serves no less than 48 bottled brews and six on tap (as well as wines and shandy and beer cocktails to keep the ladies happy). Many of them hail from Belgium, making the BeerVault the first serious downtown alternative to the ever popular Belgium beer bar Hobbs, over on Thonglor. Quite apart from its thirst quenching qualities, however, the BeerVault is a convivial spot, one we recommend for early evening drinks. Thanks to its streetside location and floor-to-ceiling plate-glass windows overlooking it, it feels more like a buzzy standalone boozer than your usual bleak hotel bar, and as well as happy hours from 5:30-7:30pm, there’s a free salad bar. Any chance of a lock-in?

รร. โฟรพอยทส บาย เชอราตัน ถ.สุขุมวิท 15 nightlife

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; in-house 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.

รร.เชอราตัน แกรนด สุขุมวิท ระหวางสุขุมวิท 12 และ 14

BeerVault CM2

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CAFÉ TRIO (map C3) 36/11-12 Soi Lang Suan | 02-252-6572 | BTS Chit Lom | 6pm-1am; closed on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month 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 – a true neighbourhood place. Cafe Trio overflows with plush couches, the lighting delightfully soft, the music always subdued. The vivacious owner and bartender Patti holds court nightly and the walls plastered with her Modigliani-esque, Vietnamese-inspired paintings – have a few drinks and don’t be surprised to find yourself taking one home.To find it, look for the Chinese restaurant across from Starbucks and 50m down the road.

คาเฟทริโอ ซ.หลังสวน

CHEAP CHARLIE’S (map D3) Sukhumvit Soi 11 | BTS Nana | 02253-4648 | Mon-Sat 5pm-midnight This joint is a Bangkok institution, bringing the charm of a rickety holein-the-wall 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 B70 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. 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 ginpalaces Q Bar and Bed Supperclub.

ชีพ ชารลีย ถ.สุขุมวิท 11 (ซอยแรก)

HYDE & SEEK (map C3) 65/1 Athenée Residence, Soi Ruamrudee | 02-168-5152 | BTS Phloen Chit | www. hydeandseek.com | 11am-1am | $$ This flash downtown gastro bar with a spacious outdoors terrace draws the after-work crowd for pick-me-up cocktails and good food that doesn’t break the bank. Heading the kitchen is Ian Kittichai, the brains behind New York’s successful Kittichai, while the bar is fuelled by regional cocktail consultancy www.bangkok101.com

Flow. The sleek, Georgian influenced décor has panelled walls, clubby chairs and a large central bar, where snacks like beer battered popcorn shrimps and baby back ribs glazed with chocolate and chilli go well with fancy, artisanal cocktails or Belgian ales.

bars

แอนธินีเรซซิเดนซ ซ.รวมฤดี

THE IRON FAIRIES & CO (map E4) 394 Thonglor (Sukhumvit Soi 55) | 084- 520-2301 | BTS Thong Lor |www. theironfairies.com Bangkok’s most bizarre bar is a functioning iron foundry — yes, you can actually buy the eponymous iron fairies themselves — that just happens to serve booze. Drawing heavily from the steampunk genre, it has the labyrinthine otherworldliness of aTerry Gilliam filmset. Walls are daubed black, silent movies are projected on the walls upstairs, an in-house magician tours the tables, and Doris Day classics are belted out from the cast-iron spiral staircase. Beers start from B120 a bottle, a well-mixed dirty martini goes for B280 and the burgers, served pinned to a wooden chopping board with a steak knife, divine.

WTF

ดิไอรอนแฟรี่สแอนดโค ซ.ทองหลอ

WONG’S PLACE (map C4) 27/3 Soi Sri Bumphen/Soi Ngam Duplee, near Malaysia Hotel | MRT Lumpini | 02-286-1558 | 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.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 – it’s a mere hop skip and a jump from Silom –and watch the night unfold.

วองส เพลส ซ.งามดูพลี nightlife

The Iron Fairies & Co

WTF (map E4) 7 Sukhumvit Soi 51 |BTS Thonglor | 02- 626-6246 | BTS Thong Lo | www. wtfbangkok.com | Tues-Sun 6pm- 1am (gallery open from 3pm) This tiny shophouse – signposted by graffiti on a corrugated tin wall in the street opposite – has a bar on the ground floor, decked out with mirrors along one wall, old Thai movie posters on the other, and found items like wooden screen doors and chairs apparently salvaged from an old Czech café. Occasional leftfield live gigs, art exhibitions (in two bare white rooms upstairs), and a mix of local indie hipsters, NGO workers, journos and ar t-scensters to chew the fat with, make this one of the hippest and most cerebral drinking holes in the city.

ดับเบิลยู ทีเอฟ สุขุมวิท ซ.51

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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

april 2011

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.

Bamboo Bar

รร.เชอราตัน แกรนด สุขุมวิท ระหวางสุขุมวิท 12 และ 14

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 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),

nightlife

trendy guys in suits and glitzy society ladies – ideal for people-ogling. But the main attraction at the Diplomat Bar is more aural than visual and exceptional jazz acts are de rigueur.

รร.คอนราด ถ.วิทยุ

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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 institution is a symbol of past glories of the East. Situated in the city’s most fabled hotel, the former Oriental, the 50-year-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 here sips on faultless cocktails, mixed by skilled old-school bartenders and served by superb staff. A definite big Bangkok must, even if just the once.

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 jawdropping jazz venue. Each night its dressy crowd soaks up that cameragrabbing panoramic alongside the sounds of Cynthia Utterbach. Her

Niu’s on Silom

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sultry renditions – spanning 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

NIU’S ON SILOM (mapC4) F1-2, 661 Silom Rd | 02-266-5333 | www.niusonsilom.com | 5pm-1am Located not far from the Chao Phraya, 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 both beers or brandy; and you can eat bar snacks or dine formally in the impressive Concerto Italian restaurant upstairs. Pleasant outside seating is also available.

นิวส ออน สีลม บานสีลม

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 long-standing, smoky jazz club. The joint evokes a jazz haunt of yesteryear 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 starts 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.

บราวน ชูการ ถ. สารสิน nightlife

Niu’s on Silom Jazz Club Is Bangkok’s newest and brightest jazz club location, Where you can enjoy live performances daily, which include International musicians and some of the hottest local musicians.

Niu’s on Silom Jazz Club

Wine Bar & Restaurant 661 Floor 1-2 Silom Road (cnr Soi 19) Tel: 0 2266 5333-4 Daily 5pm-1am; Free valet parking reservation@niusonsilom.com www.niusonsilom.com

april 2011

Nightlife

live music

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.

แอดเฮีย 13 ถ. สามเสน บางลำภู

SAXOPHONE PUB (map C3) 3/8 Phaya Thai Rd | BTS Victory Monument | 02-246-5472 | www.saxophonepub.com | 6pm-2am The cozy, unpretentious place is a Bangkok landmark when it comes to solid live jazz and blues. Just a stone’s throw away from the Victory Monument Sk y tr ain Station, it’s nevertheless not a tourist hub. Filled with masses of fun-fi lled, youngish 80

april 2011

Thais and the odd foreigner thrown in, the spacious joint can pack up to 400 people on its homey, lowceilinged, wood-filled floors. Each night, two talented Thai bands belt out sincere jazz, jazzy funk and R&B while the crowd feats on hearty Thai and Western fare served by friendly but mainly non-English-speaking staff. The inexpensive drinks are okay, but better copy the locals and stick to beer and whiskey. If you have a problem with crowds, come on a weeknight, play some pool and let friendly university students use you as walking dictionaries.

แซกโซโฟนผับ ถ.พญาไท

ZEST (MAP A3) Soi Austin Bar (Opp. Sunset Street), Kao Sarn Rd. | 081-425-7992, 081350-5890 | http://zest-bar.hi5.com | 6.30pm – 2am Zesting up Khao San’s sterile music scene is this cozy joint down a dinghy alley. Laudably free of the usual awful Bob Marley and Country Road covers, it comes good on the promise of its black and white photos of London teddyboys with a ska-funk-blues-rock line-up that, after a few drinks, may well have you bobbing around like one.You may not understand a word of it, but most of the local bands here are tight and energetic, ranging from a 6-piece ska band with female trombonist, to an expat indie band.

เซสทบาร ถ.ขาวสาร

nightlife

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 บาร ถ. ขาวสาร

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.

รร.เดอะคีย สุขุมวิท ซ.19

Saxophone Pub

Brown Sugar

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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, often soul-stirring.

รานจามจุรี ซ.รางน้ำ อนุสาวรีย

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 (here the choice of name becomes a little clearer) it’s a pure sensory overload. Wall-to-wall retro furniture becomes instant eye-candy, while chairs without upholstery dangle from the ceiling. But if the funky furniture creates the space, the live music definitely defines it. Parking Toys has a band for every alternative music lover; in just one weekend night you can variously catch reggae root, electronic, rockabilly, and metal – now that’s what we call a variety pack. With no nearby BTS or MRT station, it’s a hike, but well worth the effort. So get off your couch and sit on someone else’s.

ปารคกิ้งทอย ซ.มัยลาภ เกษตรนวมินทร

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Parking Toys

TAWANDAENG GERMAN BREWERY (map C4) 462/61 Narathiwat Rama 3 Road | 02-678-1114 | www.tawandang.co.th | If there’s one place that slaps you round the chops and screams “you’re in Thailand!” it’s Tawandang. This humungous, barrel-shaped beer hall with decent micro-brewed beer takes its cue from Deutschland. But the live music and unchecked sanuk up to 1,600 lary revelers enjoy here each night here is something very Thai. Its laidback early on, with everyone chomping on plates of the famous deep fried pork knuckle and German sausage, among other decent Thai, Chinese and German dishes. By 10pm though, when bellies are full, the lager’s kicked in and the Thai/Western pop, luk krung and mor lam performances by the famous Fong Nam houseband and guests are at full pelt, everybody is on the feet and the place going bananas. Tipsy tourists clink glasses with every stranger in reach, while middle-aged mums shake their tooshes beside ladyboys. In sum, it offers great, goofy, love-for-Bangkok reaffirming fun. Reservations are a must for large groups.

โรงเบียรเยอรมันตะวันแดง พระราม 3 nightlife

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 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 bands with Brian May hairdos thrash out everything Van Halen and Motorhead covers.

เดอะ รอคผับ ถ.พญาไท

TITANIUM CLUB & ICE BAR (map D4) Sukhumvit Soi 22 | BTS Phrom Pong | 02-258-3758 www.titaniumbangkok. 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 nipple-raising minus 10 degrees. Not exactly a place to bring Mum, but a fun night out on the slightly wild side.

ไทเทเนียม ไอซบาร สุขุมวิท ซ. 22 april 2011

Nightlife

nightlife areas

Hemlock

PHRA ATHIT RD

Police Station

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 popular techno palace offering free UV glowsticks and a huge dancefloor. Just off the strip, Gazebo [7] is an open-sided 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] also deserves a mention. King 5

EKKAMAI & THONGLOR

Funky Villa

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NEW PHETCHABURI RD

Ekkamai Soi 28

Soi 20

Soi 16

Thong Lor Soi 10

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 mixed international and 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], Funky Villa [2] and Demo [3] – three giganto clubs on Thonglor Soi 10 – are all the rage, as is the unique Iron Fairies [4].. Meanwhile, scattered about are old-timers like Song Saleung [5], a recently refurbished and often heaving live music joint, and Shades of Retro [6] – 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 [7] and glamorous Jet Metropolitan [8] 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 5 BTS Thong Lor that have achieved longevity: nightclub Nunglen [9] and Soi 55 (Thong lor) scruffy little bar Happy 6 4 Monday [10]. Pretty young 1 2 things bounce along to Thai 3 tunes in the former; while 7 9 media types (mostly aged 25 Soi 63 (Ekkamai) plus) hobnob while enjoying 8 10 low-key DJ sessions (May T BTS Ekkamai from Modern Dog etc). nightlife

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ROYAL CITY AVENUE (RCA)

RO AD AL

LO C

RO AD

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] bangs out bass-thumping trance and house. Next door, slick 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. Despise radio rap? For edgier dance-music (and funkier Thai/farang crowds) hit 808 [4], a red-brick warehouse with a crisp sound system and sets by global DJ gods. And opposite sits Cosmic Cafe [5], where indie types catch up with pals and nod appreciatively to live bands. Few foreigners venture further, but they should: Old Leng [6] is a rickety wooden pub great for warm-up drinks; and Zeta [7],, a live-music bar with a girls-only policy.

5 RCA ROAD

1 2

Q Bar

SUKHUMVIT SOI 11

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, pubs, bars and nightclubs tucked off Sukhumvit Road – is one of the reasons. Go here tonight and you’ll rub shoulder straps with hedonist 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, 10 years later it still is. Just around the corner is the other Soi 11 superstar, Bed Supperclub [2]: a spaceship-like club-cum-restaurant that attracts a dressy international crowd every night. 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 1 at Cheap Charlies [3], a countrified bar only a tad 4 Bed Supperclub bigger than a 2 broom cupboard. Nest [4],, a breezy rooftop bar atop the sleek Le Fenix hotel, is a more upscale option offering 5 laid-back, bird-nest seating and music that matches (think 3 Sade’s Smooth Operator). Not quite the racy, subterranean Bangkok you were after? Then sheepishly make your way to the backend of the Ambassador Hotel’s basement carpark, where thumping after-hours nightclub Climax [5] lures in the city’s good, the bad, the beautiful and, SUKHUMVIT ROAD unfortunately, the ugly till the wee hours. www.bangkok101.com

nightlife

april 2011

Nightlife

featured

pub crawls

pub Balcony Humidor

CIGAR LOUNGES

THE AUSTRALIAN PUB & BBQ

If you’ve never been Down Under, The Australian is Bangkok’s next best thing: an expansive pub offering toilets for “blokes” and “sheilas”, Socceroo cheerleader waitresses and pine weatherboard walls hung with Aussie icon portraits. Plus, it serves all things antipodean – everything from imported Aussie grog to live cricket, copies of The Age to tasty tucker like VB-battered fish & chips. Sip a schooner in the quiet upstairs mezzanine. Or enjoy the buzzing open-plan downstairs from a LCD WHERE 37 Sukhumvit Soi 11, TV-flanked pine booth, Klongtoey Nua, 02-651-0800, table or up at the 15mwww.theaustralianbangkok.com long bar. Apparently the OPEN 9am-late BTS Nana longest in Thailand, this features a novel ice trough that keeps your brew cold. Not only that, it extends out onto the large streetside patio: a great spot for people and sport watching (there’s a huge projector screen), and the scene of a fully-fledged barbie (barbeque) on weekends. Beers are perhaps a tad pricey (B160 a bottle won’t win over Soi 11’s cheap charlies) and, yes, the décor verges on Aussie themepark. Still, all things considered, The Australian makes a sunny change from the ubiquitous and often dour Irish and Pommie pubs that prevail here, and a good spot for pre-clubbing. Oh, and the house band are spot-on everyday from 8pm.

ออสเตรเลี่ยนผับ สุขุมวิท ซ.11

april 2011

Cigar lounges are slowly catching on in Bangkok, with a small handful of venues now providing outstanding facilities for lovers of quality Coronas and fine Figurados. As well as cigars from the Cuba, Ecuador and beyond, the lounges feature luxurious leather sofas, rich wood accents, discreet staff and 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 ‘Thailand’s largest collection of single barrel malt whiskies.’ ■ BALCONY HUMIDOR & CIGAR BAR P&L Club Lobby level, InterContinental Bangkok, 973 Ploenchit Road | 8am-1am | 02-656-0444 ■ CLUB PERDOMO BANGKOK 3/1 Sukhumvit Soi 28 | 02-661-3220 | www.clubperdomobangkok. com | 6pm-midnight ■ LA CASA DEL HABANO The Oriental Bangkok, 48 Oriental Avenue | 02-267-1596 | Mon-Thu: 10am-10pm, Sat-Sun: 10am-11pm, Sun and public holidays: noon-6pm | www.pacificcigar.com ■ 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

Club Perdomo

nightlife

www.bangkok101.com

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.

BTS Surasak SATHORN ROAD

THANIYA

PATPONG

SILOM ROAD

1 CONVENT ROAD

SURASAK ROAD

Pubs 101

SILOM AREA PUBS

BTS Sala Daeng

Silom area

SUKHUMVIT AREA PUBS

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SOI 39

SUKHUMVIT ROAD

BTS Asoke

SOI 22

SOI 12

BTS Nana

SOI 6

SOI 4

SUKHUMVIT ROAD

SOI 35

SOI 11

SOI 13

SOI 33

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

nightlife

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

ECOSHOP t only takes a visit to the local 7-Eleven, where plastic bags are dished out like there’s no tomorrow, to realise that Thailand lags behind the much of the world when it comes to the reuse and recycle revolution. That said, there are a few local brands and shops looking out for our planet. One of our favourites is Siam Square’s Ecoshop, which, as the name suggests, stocks eco-friendly items sourced from likeminded brands at home and abroad. From urbane local brand Osisu, there are wallets, credit card holders and purses made from recycled coffee packaging, plastic bags and even condom wrappers; while Chiang Mai’s Releaf Studio contributes stark yet fetching banana paper notebooks bound using old rubber; and Bangkok’s PrinkPreaw, surreal scrap metal art for the adventurous home. Other novel items that ooze aesthetic appeal as well as imagination include a wooden computer mouse, and a batteryless i-pod speaker made from nothing more than an old carton and computer fan. Occupying an open wall at Siam Square’s Digital Gateway IT mall, Ecoshop is the brainchild of Top Pipat, a young actor and designer who dreamt of making his own eco-designs, and spotted a dearth of places he could sell them. To his store, he contributes floor lamps made from scrap metal and curtain scraps, as well as leather office stationery inspired by Thai food packaging. We’re big fans of his small startup and the thinking behind it. Rather than just being a niche store, Top wants Ecoshop to nurture the green shoots of Thai environmentalism – to be a platform for anyone looking to design and market green ideas (you can submit ideas via his website). Unlike many boutiques we come across, browsers are also welcomed, as one of his mission goals is to get you thinking afresh about reused materials, not just buying them.

อีโคช็อป ชั้น 1 ศูนยการคาดิจิตอลเกทเวย สยามสแควร ถ.พระรามที่ 1

april 2011

shopping

Photos by Julian Ward

WHERE Ecoshop, 1st Floor digital Gateway Building, Siam Square, Rama I Road, 087099-0639, www.ecoshop.in.th, contact@ecoshop.in.th BTS Siam OPENMon-Thu 11am-9pm, FriSun 10am-9pm www.bangkok101.com

Shopping THANNnative, Gaysorn

stuff AROMATHERAPy & SPA

One of Bangkok’s more fi tting titles is “Spa Capital of Asia”. The following holistic spa-inspired local product lines should get you fragrant, gooey and purring with pleasure in next to no time. ■ Anyadharu Resembling a Victorian-era apothecary, AnyaDharu does health-imbuing natural oils, bath and massage oils, shower gels, soaps and body lotions as well as incense sticks, candles and scented sachets. Instead of complex aromas they focus on simple ones like green tea, lemongrass, peach, amber, orange blossom and damask rose, and all their items come in opulent, old-world-style packaging. Chatuchak (Section 3); Isetan (MBK 4F) | www.anyadharu.com

Anyadharu

karmakamet, Central World 88

april 2011

■ Erb A department-store staple, Erb employs ancient Thai know-how and herbs to create skincare and home fragrances with distinct scents and holistic benefi ts. Their Spice & Shine body lotion for example, uses ginger and marigold extracts that stimulate circulation and sooth the skin as well as smell divine. They also do herbal teas like the Bliss Thai, a light blend of bael fruit and lemongrass that improves digestion. Central Chidlom 5F; The Emporium 5F; Siam Paragon GF; etc | www.erbasia.com ■ Harnn Since 1999, Harnn has been harnessing traditional Asian herbal know-how for its beauty and aromatherapy range. Think natural rice bran oil soaps, gingseng and green tea foot soaks, and eucalyptus, lavender and ylang-ylang bath oils. Recent additions to the Harnn family include a water lily nourishing gel; and their Siam Paragon branch doubles up as a decadent spa. Siam Paragon 4F, CentralWorld 3F, Central Chidlom 5F, Emporium 4F | www.harnn.com shopping

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Harnn, Emporium

Erb

■ karmakamet Karmakamet’s chequered floors and chandeliers overhead provide an elegant atmosphere in which to sniff their nostalgically packaged smellies. Scented glass-candles and sachets with drawstring cloth pouches are best-sellers for the home; body pampering includes massage oils, and soaps like ‘The Embrace’, a luscious blend of orange blossom and mint. CentralWorld 2F; Chatuchak Market, Section 2, Soi 3 | www.karmakamet.co.th ■ Panpuri Panpuri offers pricy but often beguiling combinations of natural Asian herbs and ingredients. Their body care and home accessories ranges feature exotic blends like lemongrass, galangal, and tee tree; or papaya, sandalwood, and honey. Unlike some of the brands featured here, Panpuri is easy to find, usually in the special Thai products sections of major department stores. Siam Paragon 1F and 4F;Emporium 4F; King Power Duty Free; Central Chidlom 5F; Gaysorn Lobby & 2F | www.panpuri.com ■ Thann A highlight of our recent massage at Thann – it’s one of many local skincare brands to dabble in the spa business – was lathering up with its deliciously scented toiletries afterwards. It’s worldly mixtures for washing, moisturising, cleansing and relaxing come in slick modern packaging and grounded in ancient and modern science. Our pick: their rice grain soap bar. Siam Paragon GF & 5F; Central Chidlom 5F; Gaysorn 3F; Isetan Plaza (CentralWorld) 5F; Siam Discovery Centre 5F; Emporium 5F | www.thann.info ■ urban Tree The owners of this organic toiletry shop wants it be seen as a mini-mart for the naturally addicted. Some of his bestsellers are lotions, body skin care products, rice, tea, cosmetics and non-ionic (bubble-less) shampoo. Other products that fill this converted shophouse are aromas that promise to reduce headaches; and herbal tea made from an old Thai folk recipe. 934 Samsaen Soi 24 | 02-243-2989 | urbantreeorganics.blogspot.com urban Tree www.bangkok101.com

shopping

april 2011

Shopping Visitors 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.

BTS National Stadium

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

MAJOR HOTELS 1 Pathumwan Princess 2 Novotel Siam 3 Amari Watergate 4 The Four Seasons 5 Grand Hyatt Erawan 6 Intercontinental 7 Holiday Inn 8 Conrad 9 Plaza Athenee 10 Royal Orchid Sheraton 11 The Oriental 12 The Peninsula 13 Shangri-La 14 OP Place

u ri roa

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

phetb

Phaya Thai road

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.

PANTHIP PLAZA Bangkok’s one-stop shop for any and all computing needs: be it hardware, software and gadgets. It’s a loud, brash mecca for technology geeks.

SIAM PARAGON BTS Siam This gigantic shopping complex is legendary among Bangkok hi-sos. It’s also home to Siam Ocean World aquarium, too.

E R AWA N B A N G KO K BTS Chitlom Posh boutique mall adjacent to the bright Erawan Shrine.

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 road 4

5 6 7

BTS Chitlom

chidlom

lang suan road

april 2011

rd.

To Emporium shopping mall, get off at BTS Phrom Phong

d. ya r S i phra

kru ng

EMPORIUM BTS Phrom Phong Ver y chic mall with the most amiable atmosphere, thanks to its airy architecture. Make sure you pay a visit to TCDC, the neat Thailand Creative Design Center.

charoen

BTS Ploenchit

ra river

phy

chao

WITTHAYU road

CENTRAL CHIT LOM BTS Chitlom Seven floors of clothes, shoes and accessories from all the major labels, plus some eye-catching Thai designers.The Food Loft is one of Bangkok’s best food courts.

phetburi road

ploenchit road

ALL SEASONS PLACE BTS Ploenchit The sleek mall in a skyscraper complex is known more for its battery of excellent eateries than its selection of shops; although the high-end retail range is impressive, including numerous art galleries, cigar shops, tailors and Euro-fashion.

GAYSORN BTS Chitlom Allwhite interior features glitzy, topclass brands – expect the likes of Vuitton, Dior and Givenchy.

s u rawong

JEWELRY TRADE CENTER A treasure trove of gleaming gems and priceless souvenirs. 13

silom

shopping

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jatujak weekend market

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.

JJ Gem

aking a wrong turn’s almost a given in this sprawling, city-sized marketplace, upon which thousands descend every weekend, to trade everything from Burmese antiques to pedigree livestock. Originally a flea market, Jatujak (also spelled as 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; and tasty pickings conveniently punctuate every which way. Additionally, the exotic pet section supports the theory that JJ has evolved its own diverse ecosystem (albeit one that periodically gets busted). 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 fullyblown, unadulterated Jatujak fix they desire.

ตลาดนัดจตุจกั ร

JATUJAK MAP Rd . 1 n io ct

14. Clothing, miscellaneous 15. Pets and accessories 16. Clothing, miscellaneous 17. Ceramics 18. Clothing, miscellaneous 19. Ceramics 20. Clothing, miscellaneous 21. Clothing, miscellaneous 22. Home utensils and décor, furniture 23. Clothing, miscellaneous 24. Home utensils and décor, furniture 25. Home utensils and décor, furniture 26. Antiques

Rd .

Section 9

Section 13

Section 15

Section 17

Section 4

TO VICTORy MONuMENT

www.bangkok101.com

n io ct

Section 5

TO VIBHAVAdHI - RANGSIT Rd.

shopping

Section 12

22 n io

Section 14

Section 10

6 C A Pu hat ENG P bl uc ic ha HET Pa k 3 Rd rk .

Section 16

Section 18

Section 20

Section 21

Section 8

Clock Tower

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Section 19

Section 21

c 2 5 t ion

io ct Se n io Se

If, rather than on the wall, you’ve always wanted to hang some of the Kingdom’s top graphic artwork in your closet, help is close at hand. Established in 2007, Err-Or Design is a cutting-edge Thai collective of graphic designers and people from the art world, who choose to print their creations on T-shirts (many of Thailand’s most famous contemporary artists have created signature Tees for the group). The name Err-Or comes from the informal Thai expression pronounced the same way that means ‘agree’ (เออ ออ). Costing B490 each, even if you’re not famous, those with a unique style are also welcome to create a piece. Stylised polo shirts (B590), cool bags (B1200), and graphic books (B600) are also available at both the JJ and Siam Square locations (see web) for shoppers to complete their Err-Or-strewn looks.

WHERE Section 4, Soi 1, 081-554-7288; www.err-orclothing.com www.facebook.com/ errordesign, www.twitter. com/err_or_design

N AE

kA Se

ERR-OR DESIGN

1. Books, antiques, collectibles, food & drink 2. Hip fashion boutiques, plants, food & drink 3. Hip fashion boutiques, plants, food & drink 4. Hip fashion boutiques, plants, food & drink 5. Second-hand clothing 6. Second-hand clothing 7. Art, food & drink 8. Handicraft, home décor and miscellaneous 9. Pets and accessories 10. Clothing, accessories, miscellaneous 11. Pets and accessories 12. Clothing, miscellaneous 13. Pets and accessories

3 ET PH

Ph et g

K St am at ph io a n en

of the month

Chatuchak Park Station

Mo Chit Station

april 2011

Shopping

markets RATCHADA NIGHT MARKET Saturday Nights | In the area from BTS Parking lot to The Criminal Court – Ratchadapisek | MRT Ratchadaphisek or MRT Lat Phrao Vendors at this nighttime (and teenthronged) 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). It’s still worth the trip, but bring a flashlight and your bargaining skills.

ตลาดนัดกลางคืนถนนรัชดา

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 definitely essential here.

สีลม/พัฒนพงษ

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 tie-dye 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 new, sometimes 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 youngat-heart stuff are dragged down and splayed on the street for sale.

ถ.ขาวสาร

Ratchada Night Market

april 2011

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 shopping

those with a well developed olfactory sense will enjoy strolling around these rather fragrant surrounds.

ปากคลองตลาด

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 once hailed as the ‘Venice of the East’.

เทเวศน

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?

ถ.สุขมุ วิท

PRATUNAM Less than a ten minute walk north from CentralWorld, this sidewalk shopping maelstrom is famed for its bulk clothing deals and huge crowds. Loaded with a variety of knockoffs, and crowded with locals and 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). 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.

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SHOPPING TIPS

â&#x2013; Counterfeit Stoners: Bounders running gem scams are ubiquitous on Bangkokâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s streets. Beware anyone (tuk-tuk drivers especially) offering free rides to nearby â&#x20AC;&#x153;stockistsâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re conmen on the make. The TAT provides quality assurance through the Jewel Fest Club; look for their ruby-ring logo on shop-fronts.

â&#x2013; 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 theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d better be prepared to drop their price. If they ask B500, offer B350. You might get it for B380-400. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be shy: itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expected. Most importantly when haggling over price: keep a smile on your face and a cool head. â&#x2013; Keep it Real: As elsewhere in Asia, counterfeit goods abound in Bangkok. From the latest DVDs to luxury brand clothes, watches, handbags and fragrances, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all here â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at a fraction of the price. But, tempting though it may be, remember that the quality never matches the original and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

â&#x2013; VAT: When shopping, look out for signs advertising â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;VAT Refund or Touristsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. At these places, they should have the paperwork (ask for a PP10 form) to enable you to claim back 7 per cent 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. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 queue up to buy, and prepare to have your purchases, PP10 forms and receipts inspected when you claim back at the airpor t VAT refund counter. A word of caution: if you are making large purchases and not being asked to pay VAT, you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t guaranteed they are quality products. For more info, check out www.rd.go.th

lanna lann

G www.bangkok101.com

shopping

april 2011

Accommodation

boutique bangkok

In every issue, the Bangkok 101 puts its heads on the line to bring you the very best of Bangkok’s new breed of hotel. Each month we uncover those quirky, elegant, or downright luxurious lodgings that fit under the trendy boutique banner.

WOW

Bangkok is a mini-hotel that really does warrant a “wow” when you step inside. Enriched with Thai scents, its owner Ms. Supaporn has converted this five storey townhouse into an innercity crashpad laced with pretty nods to Thai mythology. The funky white lobby is a play on Bangkok’s “City of Angels” moniker, with Thai angel figures on wood hanging on the walls, and metalwork pole eyes with lotus-shaped lamps on the end dangling from the arched ceiling – metaphoric eyes of gods and angels staring down on our beloved city. As for the seven rooms, these each a different theme based onThai mythology. There’s a Badarn (the Underworld) room,Yak (giant) room, Kinnaree (half-bird and half-human) room, Chalawan (Thai crocodile monster) room, Hanuman (the apelike deity) room, Makkareephol (woman shape mythical fruit) room, and a Sawan (paradise) room. Limited space means the décor is sparing – screened prints of the Thai creatures appear on the bed heads only – but eye-catching nonetheless. Goodies include hi-speed wireless internet, television with satellite, an American breakfast each morning and a mini coffee bar. Room views aren’t up to much, but there is a rooftop deck where you can enjoy a smoke or private moment at the end of a long day spent outside. Speaking of outside, perhaps Wow’s biggest wow factor is its location. After struggling along Sukhumvit’s crowded footpath, you’ll be surprised at just how calm and quiet Soi Sawasdee 1 is. There are lots of WHERE 3/16 Soi Sukhumvit 31 restaurants and shopping nearby, (Sawasdee 1), Sukhumvit Rd., Wattana, and Phrom Phong BTS station is Bangkok, 02-260-3560, 085-834-6667; but a mere five minute strut away. www.wowbangkokhotel.com วาว สุขมุ วิท 31 94

april 2011

PRICE B1,790-B2,884 accommodation

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www.lanna101.com

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accommodation

april 2011

Health&Wellness

body & beauty

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.114 for this month’s listings) – there’s no need to break the bank to get a good treatment. Reservations 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.

SIGNATURE TREATMENT

L in co in at U h ev in T T

THE PEARL SIGNATURE (Asian Blend Massage) Perfect for Chihuahua-carrying spa divas, The Pearl is a pearly white day spa on Soi Ruam Rudi. Featuring Greco-Roman and NeoVictorian motifs galore, from sparkling chaise longues to Botticellian murals and strings of faux-pearls, the casual observer walking in may think it’s all a bit OTT (think Mariah Carey music video set). Further investigation, though, reveals that The Pearl is not the spa equivalent of a glamorous air-head but an holistic one-stop shop. The menu is a 15page beast featuring massage, body wraps, facials, pedicures, manicures and lots more besides. The product ranges in the WHERE The Pearl a Chic Spa & Salon facial room – Decleor, Thalgo etc – almost had 11/1 Soi Ruam Rudi, Phloenchit Road, us demanding one there and then. And we were 02-255-2070; www.thepearlspasalon.com cautiously intrigued by the Ultratone, a fat-busting BTS Phloen Chit contraption that looks as if it has been wheeled off OPEN Daily 10am – 9pm the set of retrofuturistic 1960s sci-fi show Lost in PRICE B2,800 Space. However, we eventually opted for the Pearl Signature – an oily 90-min rub blending Indonesian, Chinese, Lomi Lomi and Thai schools – and didn’t regret it for one soporific second. The delivery was superb, our sparrow-sized therapist transmitting her slight weight through palms, thumbs, forearms and elbows rather than brute kneading. Deep tissue work, rhythmic flow, smooth transitions, a dreamy after-glow. An excellent, top-end choice.

เดอะ เพิรล อะ ชิค สปา แอนด ซาลอน ซ.รวมฤดีี

april 2011

health & wellness

www.bangkok101.com

N Te Fo Op Ad

Lavana with our 40 spacious rooms and individual private shower rooms exudes contemporary elegance. Its plush graceful interiors permeates the Spa creating an atmosphere of luxury and spacious ease. Unique to Lavana are our handcrafted herbal ball made fresh in our workshop every day. Enjoy our extensive menu including Facial treatment, Aroma oil and Thai and Foot massage. This is truly luxury at affordable prices.

Daily the resident herbal ball creator demonstrates how she fills the Lavana herbal ball pouch with 18 different fresh herbs that will be used to massage along the energy lines of the body. Another exclusive treatment is the Shirodhara Indian head massage. This is an ancient theraphy performed by certified therapists. As you lie back a continuous stream of warm oil is poured on the middle of the forehead. The soothing cares of your ‘third eye’ lulls you into a deep sleep and balances the brain and calms the mind.

Breakfast at Lavana

Imagine leaving all the cares of the world behind and spending a slow leisurely morning relaxing in your own private room. Spend the hours lingering over a sumptuous American breakfast after pampering yourself with our exclusive massage treatment. Could breakfast at Lavana’s become your own secret escape? (free breakfast at Lavana everyday from 09.00 am.-13.00 pm. with any oil massage treatment)

Special Promotion April 2011

FREE 2010 breakfast SPECIAL PROMOTION 1st  31st OCTOBER

and Facial Treatment at Lavana from 9.00 am. – 13.00 pm. with any oil massage treatment.

- 09.00 am.- 13.00 pm. Any oil massage. Free facial treatment - Aroma oil massage 60 min. 800 THB / 90 min. 1,000 THB / 120 min. 1,200 THB - 4 hand aroma 60 min. 1,400 THB / 90 min. 1,600 THB / 120 min. 1,800 THB - Thai Massage 60 min. 450 THB/ 90 min. 550 THB/ 120 min. 650 THB - Thai Massage with Herbal Ball 90 min. 850 THB/ 120 min. 950 THB

LAVANA BANGKOK LAVANA BANGKOK

No.4 Sukhumvit Klongtoey, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110 No.4soi soi Sukhumvit Sukhumvit 12,12, Sukhumvit Road,Road, Klongtoey, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110 Tel: 2294510-12, mail@lavanabangkok.com Tel:+66(0) +66(0) 222294510-12, mail@lavanabangkok.com For ลาวานา ตรงจากปากซอยสุ ขุมประมาณ วิท 12 100 ประมาณ เมตรอยู านขวามื Fortaxi: taxi: ลาวานา ตรงจากปากซอยสุ ขุมวิท 12 เมตรอยู100 ดานขวามื อ ตึกดใหญ สีเขียว อ ตึกใหญสีเขียว Opening 09.00 am.-00.00 am.reception (last reception 23.00 pm.) Openinghours: hours: 09.00 am.-00.00 am. (last 23.00 pm.) Advance highly recommended Advance booking booking isis highly recommended

Health&Wellness TYPICAL SPA COST RANGE

spas RUEN NUAD (MAP C3) 42 Convent Rd | BTS Saladaeng | 02-632 2663| 10am-9pm| $ Set off the calming climes of Convent Road, a century-old house shelters Ruen Nuad, a boutique spa that gives you oodles of atmosphere and world-class massages for prices you’d normally expect to pay in the dingiest Silom parlours (not that we‘d know anything about those, of course). There’s no menu to speak of here, instead you just choose the time you‘d like to enjoy a traditional Thai, aromatherapy of foot reﬂexology massage – it‘s as simple as that. Once upstairs, you’ll pause to settle into the peaceful surroundings. A labyrinth of semi-private rooms have been installed into the high-ceilinged second ﬂoor (inspired interior ideas from the serene décor), with two VIP rooms that are breathtaking.The Glass Room has a private outdoor shower amid a tiny tropical garden; the Room with the Downstairs Shower is selfexplanatory. The therapists here enjoy a good reputation for their knowledge and friendliness – a standard massage can turn into a medical Q&A. The studio next door offers excellent facials. Few come here just once. This is one place you’ll still be thinking about on your way to the airport.

เรือนนวด ซ.คอนแวนต

$ under B600 $$ B600 – B1,000 $$$ B1,000-2,000 $$$$ B2,000+ Credit cards accepted unless otherwise noted PRANALI WELLNESS SPA (MAP C3) Unit 334, 3F Siam Paragon Shopping Centre | BTS Siam | 02-610-9596 | www.pranaliwellness.com | $$$$ The lonely walk, to the pin-drop quiet end of Siam Paragon mall’s third floor, is worth it. Award-winning Pranali delivers ancient techniques in what resembles a shiny Zen spaceship (albeit one that’s landed next to a Martha Stewart furniture store). Past the storefront selling Pranali’s luscious takehome ointments, milkyglass corridors lead to seven private treatment rooms, each named after one of the seven chakras (Visuddha, Anahata etc). Beside your massage bed, tassels of fibre-optic lighting or artinstallation like bamboo arrangements – not to mention mystical muzak – lend a serene, futuristic quality. Many, eager to get back to the shops no doubt, opt for a warp speed foot rub or facial; but Pranali’s well worth a linger. The accurately titled Marvelous Herbal Compress is but one of the menu’s detoxifying many. What’s more the masseuses, in their spick white Buck Rogers-esque uniforms, are models of spa professionalism: smiley, strong and communicative from start to invigorating finish.

สยามพารากอน

PALM HERBAL RETREAT (MAP E4) 522/2 Thong Lo Soi 16, Sukhumvit 55 Rd | 02-391-3254, 02-381-1373 | www.palmherbalspa.co.th | 10am-10pm (last appointment 8pm) | $$($) A small spa deep in Thong Loh one of the oldest business in Bangkok? And still running so strong that reservations are necessary? What’s their secret? It can’t be the interior of the modernist-like house – although warm and inviting, with large, clean, ﬁnely decorated rooms, it won’t strike anybody as extraordinary. What will strike you are the innovative menu with an Ayurvedic slant (which a lot of other spas have copied from) and the therapists’ expertise. The retreat’s facials and massages are the crowd pullers. You’ll feel relaxed after a Four Elements Aroma Massage, but nothing beats their Palm Ayurveda Massage, an invigorating blend of Thai and sports massage that is truly effective. After you’ve tried one of these, you’ll be ready for one of the retreat’s wellpriced packages. An instant favourite.

ปาลมเฮอรบัลรีทรีท ทองหลอ ซ.16

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.

Summer Promotion:

Royal Thai Herb Body Scrub + Siam Spice Massage (2-hour treatment) Free! Purify Facial Massage Aroma Hot Candle

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

april 2011

health & wellness

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edical tourism is big business in Thailand; quite literally a billion dollar industry. In 2007, Bangkok’s Bumrungrad Hospital alone reckoned to have treated over 400,000 patients from nearly 200 different countries. And while Bumrungrad may be the market leader, there are plenty of other world-class medical centres – such as Samitivej, BNH Hospital and Bangkok Hospital – who are increasingly courting international patients. 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 International, once you’ve been met at the airport, sped through customs and situated in your

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private room, they have their own immigration department and a team of translators to take all the hassle out of your visit. 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.

FEATURED MEDICAL TREATMENT

medical tourism RECOMMENDED HOSPITALS ■ BUMRUNGRAD INTERNATIONAL 33 Sukhumvit 3 (Soi Nana Nua) | 02667-1000 | www.bumrungrad.com ■ SAMITIVEJ SUKHUMVIT 133 Sukhumvit 39 | 02-711-8000 | www.samitivejhospitals.com ■ BNH HOSPITAL 9/1 Convent Road | 02-686-2700 | www.bnhhospital.com ■ BANGKOK HOSPITAL 2 Soi Soonvijai 7, New Petchburi Road | 02-310-3000 | www.bangkokhospital.com Aster Spring

PICTURE PERFECT

When your skin is damaged from too much sun or you are looking for more than a rub-a-dub facial, a face mapping process can effectively assess your skin condition and address areas that may be causing speciﬁc problems. How does it work? The face is sectioned into 14 zones, each corresponding to a part of the body. For example, zone 2 deals with liver function, and problems here are indicators of something amiss with the liver (been boozing a lot at the beach lately, perhaps?) Many places can offer a facial skin analysis, such as Chivavech Clinic, where the staff can advise on laser and rejuvenation treatments. Apex Beauty Clinic at Siam Center also offers expert skin care advice and treatments with Derma Active products. For a more comprehensive Face Mapping treatment given in English, Aster Spring at Siam Discovery Center seems the best at going beyond the surface, and uses the much-touted Dermalogica face mapping technique. If you have skin problems that you just haven’t been able to solve, then this is the facial for you. Areas for improvement are identiﬁed, such as diet and hydration levels, and knowledgeable technicians offer advice on the positive impact on your skin, how to keep your skin in tip-top condition and what products to use on problem areas. Facial skin analysis takes between 5-30 minutes. Prices vary, but start at around B1,000. Face mapping can leave your skin glowing, and feeling refreshed and hydrated. Well worth it. WHERE TO GET YOUR FACIAL SKIN ANALYSIS ■ ASTER SPRING 2nd Fl, Siam Discovery Center | 02-658-0212-3 1st Fl, Life Center Zone at Q House, South Sathorn Rd | 02-677-7230-1 M Fl, The Esplanade, Rachadapisek Rd | 02-660-9364-7 ■ CHIVAVECH CLINIC 87/6-7 Moderntown Bld, 1st Fl, Ekamai Soi 3, Sukhumvit 63 | 02-382-0420-22 ■ APEX BEAUTY CLINIC Sukhumvit 39 | 02-662-6018-9 health & wellness

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Sports

sports 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 fake action of the WWF; here the blows are hard hitting, the blood real. 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

Muay Thai Institute

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Muay Thai

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 ติดกับสวนลุมไนท บาซาร

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

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 spor ts

your party. Also worth mentioning is the Major Bowl atop posh J-Avenue in Thong Lor, and also SF Strike Bowl in MBK, by National Stadium BTS. 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 eye-opening Cycling SpiceRoads 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. www.bangkok101.com

Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit

business 101 Philip Wylie

Staying on in the Land Of Smiles

f you are thinking about staying on in Thailand, continue reading… Everyone knows that Thailand is a wonderful place for a relaxing holiday, but have you ever considered living and working here? HSBC International’s Expat Explorer survey recently ranked Thailand third out of 28 expatriate destinations for quality of life due to its high quality affordable accommodation and almost limitless social and entertainment opportunities. Not that living in paradise is plain sailing – it isn’t. The main challenge for most include the Thai language, which is tonal and notoriously tricky to master, and the regulatory hurdles you need to clear before you’re aboveboard (and which forever seem to be shifting). Then there’s the small matter of finding a job. Opportunities range from employment with multinational companies or NGOs, to buying a business, working as a freelance consultant, establishing a BOI (Board of Investment) export business, teaching English, developing an e-commerce project, or volunteering for a registered charitable foundation. Tried and tested places to sniff out jobs and other opportunities include the classifieds pages of Englishlanguage dailies, namely The Bangkok Post and The Nation; job classified websites like www.jobsdb.com; as well as, of course, word of mouth. Networking is a good way to get your face out there. Bangkok Networking (www.bangkoknetworking.com) lists the main meets. Once you have decided you want to live in Thailand, and how you are going to support your new life, you are then going to need to apply for a suitable visa. Thailand’s visa information is available at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (mfa.

go.th).Though the rules for visas tend to be as changeable as the seasons, here are the basics as they stand: ■ Never ‘overstay’ the period of your visa, otherwise you will pay a B500 fine for each day of ‘overstay.’ ■ The only visa which supports a work permit is the Non-Immigrant Business, or B, visa. ■ The Non-Immigrant B visa entitles the visa-holder to apply for a work permit, but does not entitle the person to work or do business in Thailand without a work permit. ■ Non-executive business investors do not require a work permit, but they would normally have either a Retirement visa or a Non-Immigrant B visa. ■ If a one year non-immigrant B visa is obtained, it is necessary to leave the country every 90 days. NB: Exitreentry permits are required, otherwise the work permit will be revoked. ■ Applications for Retirement visa require proof of financial resources (income and / or capital), but this visa does not allow the holder to work. Above all, whatever route you choose, get legal advice from a reputable law firm and do your research. Local business experts and solutions provider Sunbelt Asia (www. sunbeltasia.com) consistently gets good feedback, and your country’s Chamber of Commerce should also be able to offer you advice and assistance. Part of your research should also include familiarisation with the local culture and customs; my book How To Establish A Successful Business In Thailand, available in bookstores across Bangkok, covers this in detail.

Philip Wylie is the author of How To Establish A Successful Business In Thailand and How To Make A Living In Paradise, both of which cover the minutiae of doing business in Thailand, from negotiating baffling bureaucracy and legal peculiarities to cultural codes and social etiquette. Available at bookstores around town, they are published by FastTrack Publishing (www.fasttrackpublishing.com).

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business

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101

Courses&Services

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 เอเลแฟนท ถ. สาทรใต (รถไฟฟาสุรศักดิ์)

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 102

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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, which are perfect for a serious, but short stint into the world of Buddhist meditation.

สำนักกองกลางวิปสนา วัดมหาธาตุ ถ. หนาพระลาน

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 cour ses & ser vices

Wat Po

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.

โรงเรียนแพทยแผนโบราณ วัดพระเชตุพน ถ. สนามชัย

CHIVA-SOM INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY (map E4) Modern Town Bldg, 87/104 Ekamai Rd, Sukhumvit Soi 63 | BTS Ekkamai | 02-711-5270-3 | 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 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; all students receive internationally accepted accreditation on completion of courses. 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 in reﬂexology and shiatsu.

ชีวาศรม อินเตอรเนชันแนล อะคาเดมีโมเดิรนทาวน 87/104 ถ.สุขุมวิท 63

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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

Second Chance Bangkok Give trash a chance We’ve all been there: you look at that piece of furniture, that pile of clothes, that unused appliance, just days before the movers are due to arrive, and wonder what on earth you’re going to do. Too often you opt to throw it all out, or ship it and worry about it later. That’s where Second Chance Bangkok, a grassroots initiative set up by expats Chris and Jodie MacCartney, comes in: they’ll take your unwanted junk off your hands for free. Not that helping out hoarders is their main concern – they founded Second Chance, back in 2009, to help improve the lives of those living in Bangkok’s notorious Klong Toey slum. Here’s how it works: all your donations are sold to the Klong Toey community, for the benefit of the Klong Toey community. In other words, items sold at their shop within the gritty slum go to new homes for a below market price, and the proceeds used to help generate employment, start businesses and fund social projects there. Neat, huh? It’s an initiative pitched ingeniously between environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Donate and, as well as easing pressure on your local landfill, you’ll be helping pay the wages of the six Klong Toey residents who man their store, and fund a slew of slum projects. These include youth and kids’ clubs, medical assistance

programs, support of small business startups, education scholarships and supporting children with special needs. Whether you’re a business, school, or individual, if you want to get involved – to give both your belongings and a disadvantaged community a ‘second chance’ – get in touch with the Second Chance crew via their website, www.scbkk.org, or by emailing them at info@ scbkk.org. Alternatively, you can call Chris or Jodie directly on 08702-64295 or 08702-64205 respectively. Preferred pick-up times are Monday to Fridays in the mornings or evenings. Items welcomed include the following: clean clothing, baby clothing, kitchenware, children’s toys, furniture, sporting items, musical instruments, household appliances, computers, books, bedding, electrical appliances, and office equipment.

Second Chance Bangkok 99/101 Ardnarong Road, Klongtoey Bangkok, 10110 | 08702-64295 or 08702-64205 | www.scbkk.org | info@ scbkk.org | Facebook: search ‘Second Chance Bangkok’ www.bangkok101.com

cour ses & ser vices

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Reference

getting around

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. ROAD 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-B23. 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

RIVER (also see River Tourism on p.21)

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 about B15 to B39. www.bangkokmetro.co.th

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 altogether. Fares range from B9 to B32 depending on the distance, while tickets can either be bought on the boat or at the pier, depending on how much time you have. Boats depart every 20 minutes or so between 5.30am and 6pm. Cross-river services operate throughout the day from each pier for just B3.

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CANAL BOAT Khlong Saen Saep canal boats operate from Banglamphu across the city to Ramkhamhaeng University. However, you have to be quick to baord them as they don’t usuallt wait around. Canal (khlong) boats tend to be frequent and cost around B9 to B19. Tickets are bought onboard. Note that the piers are a little hidden away, which makes them sometimes difficult to find. Pick up a handy route map from any pier.

reference

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. 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 meter on. No tipping, but rounding the fare up to the nearest B5 or B10 is common. Additional passengers are not charged, nor is baggage. For trips to and from the airport, passengers should pay the expressway toll fees. When boarding from the queue outside the terminal, an additional B50 surcharge is added. TUK-TUK Those three-wheeled taxis (or samlor) are best known as tuk-tuks, named for the steady whirr of their engines. A 10minute ride should cost around B40, but always bargain before boarding. Beware: if a tuk-tuk driver offers to deliver you anywhere for B10, it’s part of a setup that will lead you to an overpriced souvenir or jewellery shop. www.bangkok101.com