lonelywombat
February 4th, 2013, 10:18
Almost every week Thailand is being featured in the Australia media. This was the Australian
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/ ... 6566109944 (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/spice-it-up/story-e6frg8rf-1226566109944)
]Spice it up in Bangkok[/color]
BY:MICHELLE ROWE From: The Australian February 02, 2013 12:00AM
[attachment=2:18rrzk57]228278-130202-t-lumpini-park.jpg[/attachment:18rrzk57]
A skytrain travels along an elevated track in downtown Bangkok. Source: Supplied
GET off the well-trodden trails in the Thai capital.
LUMPINI PARK
This 58ha oasis sits incongruously amid the skyscrapers and 24-hour traffic of Bangkok's central business district. Early in the morning - before the heat of the day - is the best time to walk or jog its 2.5km of meandering pathways. Join in a tai chi session on the grass, hit the well-maintained exercise equipment or stop to watch a huge monitor lizard slide into the murky depths of the park's snaking canals. A group of 60-somethings practises ballroom dancing in the octagonal pavilion at the park's heart as I pass on my way to breakfast at one of the great-value street food stalls that line its perimeter. North of Rama IV Road, between Ratchadamri and Witthayu roads.
OR TOR KOR MARKET
If there is a better produce market in the world than Or Tor Kor, I'll eat my sun hat. This is where Bangkok's chefs like to do their shopping. Neat rows of stalls packed with produce - from glistening fish on ice and myriad Asian greens to sacks of rice and bottled condiments - line this undercover repository, which also has a clean and spacious dining area where you can tuck into noodle soups, traditional Thai curries or sweet iced desserts. Go at the weekend to visit the enormous Chatuchak market across the road, home to everything from religious amulets and lacquerware to poodles and plastic fruit. Travel on the MRT to Kamphaeng Phet station and take Exit 3, which will have you right on its doorstep. More: chatuchak.org.
RUEN-NUAD MASSAGE STUDIO
There's nothing new-age or luxe about this massage studio tucked down a long driveway off Convent Road, opposite the Bangkok Nursing Hospital. In a converted wooden house, this busy operation trades on its therapists' ability to administer excellent traditional Thai massages at a fraction of the price of the more glitzy day spas. In a small room I'm pressed and pummelled into blissful oblivion for 90 minutes for the equivalent of about $25. In addition to traditional Thai massage, Ruen-Nuad offers aromatherapy, foot treatments and facials. 42 Convent Rd, Silom.
SIAM PARAGON
Bangkok's shopping malls are multi-storey extravaganzas full of local and international fashions, jewellery, electronics and audio equipment. The biggest and best is the Siam Paragon complex, which also boasts an oceanarium, bowling alley and multiplex movie theatre. Hours can be spent traipsing from store to store, before refuelling at one of the world's finest shopping centre food courts - the 8000sq m international Gourmet Market on Paragon's ground floor. More: siamparagon.co.th.
BTS SKYTRAIN
Forget being stuck for hours in gridlocked traffic. The BTS Skytrain, Bangkok's elevated rapid-transit system, is the smart and cheap way to travel. Take in the city's diverse neighbourhoods as you glide in air-conditioned comfort above the traffic. Trains will deposit you on the doorstep of the Siam Paragon mega-mall for shopping, beside the Chao Phraya River if you fancy a cruise, or near the Victory Monument for sightseeing. More: bts.co.th.
[attachment=1:18rrzk57]228906-130202-t-skytrain.jpg[/attachment:18rrzk57]
ISSAYA SIAMESE CLUB
It's almost impossible to eat badly in Thailand, whether you frequent the ubiquitous street stalls turning out fast, fresh and inexpensive food or aim for the top with a visit to David Thompson's Nahm, ranked in the World's Best Restaurants list. Another excellent choice is Issaya Siamese Club run by Ian Kittichai, who trained under Damien Pignolet and Tim Pak Poy at Sydney's Claude's restaurant. Kittichai and his team are turning out top-notch homestyle Thai and street food in a beautifully converted 1920s colonial mansion. Think sweet coconut pudding jazzed up with sauteed chicken, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and chilli jam; or spice-rubbed, charcoal-grilled chicken. More: issaya.com.
CHAO PHRAYA EXPRESS FERRIES
Dinner cruises and long-tail boat rides along the Chao Phraya River are fine, but for a different perspective of the city's main waterway hop on one of the express ferries that transport tens of thousands of Bangkok workers to and from their jobs each day. The frequent services drop commuters at more than 30 piers. Take in the unlikely sight of tumbledown shacks sitting next to high-rise hotels and temples lining the Chao Phraya's banks, for the equivalent of a few cents. More: chaophrayaexpressboat.com.
CHINATOWN
Bangkok's neon-lit Chinatown district is a seething mass of humanity, attracted by the bargain fabrics, gemstones and gold, plus some of the cheapest and most interesting food in the city. The main drag, Yaowarat Road, is lined with stalls and shophouses selling every imaginable delicacy, from piping hot noodle soups and congee to dumplings and fresh durians. Avoid the big, touristy seafood restaurants and find a free table at one of the small, open-fronted shophouse diners down the lanes (keep an eye on the unpredictable traffic) and feast on, say, an oyster omelette or satay in peanut sauce, mopped up with thick chunks of toast.
GRASSHOPPER BIKE TOUR
Often it's the back roads and hidden laneways that reveal most about a city. The Bike Historic Bangkok cycle tour from Grasshopper Adventures takes participants off the beaten track and down the tiny alleyways, or sois, that define Bangkok's neighbourhoods, revealing gems including local food markets, a Buddha image wholesaling area, ancient temples and pretty canals. Bikes are provided for the half-day tour ($US32 a person), which explores a lesser-known and more tranquil side of the city. Kids' bikes available. More: grasshopperadventures.com.
SOFITEL SO
Location is everything, and there are few Bangkok hotels as well positioned as Sofitel So, a 10-minute walk from Saladaeng Skytrain station. The 238-room property, which opened last year, is adjacent to Lumpini Park, offering calming views of this green space through floor-to-ceiling guestroom windows. Accommodation is inspired by five elements - water, earth, wood, metal and fire - with each category conceived by a different designer (choose wood if you're after a simple and elegant retreat rather than in-your-face designer flourishes). Guestrooms are equipped with the latest technology, including an Apple Mac mini station connected by wireless keyboard to a huge LED television screen, plus iPads, broadband and free wireless internet access. The Red Oven restaurant on the 7th floor features one of the city's best breakfast buffets
[attachment=0:18rrzk57]228903-130202-t-sofitel-so.jpg[/attachment:18rrzk57]
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/ ... 6566109944 (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/spice-it-up/story-e6frg8rf-1226566109944)
]Spice it up in Bangkok[/color]
BY:MICHELLE ROWE From: The Australian February 02, 2013 12:00AM
[attachment=2:18rrzk57]228278-130202-t-lumpini-park.jpg[/attachment:18rrzk57]
A skytrain travels along an elevated track in downtown Bangkok. Source: Supplied
GET off the well-trodden trails in the Thai capital.
LUMPINI PARK
This 58ha oasis sits incongruously amid the skyscrapers and 24-hour traffic of Bangkok's central business district. Early in the morning - before the heat of the day - is the best time to walk or jog its 2.5km of meandering pathways. Join in a tai chi session on the grass, hit the well-maintained exercise equipment or stop to watch a huge monitor lizard slide into the murky depths of the park's snaking canals. A group of 60-somethings practises ballroom dancing in the octagonal pavilion at the park's heart as I pass on my way to breakfast at one of the great-value street food stalls that line its perimeter. North of Rama IV Road, between Ratchadamri and Witthayu roads.
OR TOR KOR MARKET
If there is a better produce market in the world than Or Tor Kor, I'll eat my sun hat. This is where Bangkok's chefs like to do their shopping. Neat rows of stalls packed with produce - from glistening fish on ice and myriad Asian greens to sacks of rice and bottled condiments - line this undercover repository, which also has a clean and spacious dining area where you can tuck into noodle soups, traditional Thai curries or sweet iced desserts. Go at the weekend to visit the enormous Chatuchak market across the road, home to everything from religious amulets and lacquerware to poodles and plastic fruit. Travel on the MRT to Kamphaeng Phet station and take Exit 3, which will have you right on its doorstep. More: chatuchak.org.
RUEN-NUAD MASSAGE STUDIO
There's nothing new-age or luxe about this massage studio tucked down a long driveway off Convent Road, opposite the Bangkok Nursing Hospital. In a converted wooden house, this busy operation trades on its therapists' ability to administer excellent traditional Thai massages at a fraction of the price of the more glitzy day spas. In a small room I'm pressed and pummelled into blissful oblivion for 90 minutes for the equivalent of about $25. In addition to traditional Thai massage, Ruen-Nuad offers aromatherapy, foot treatments and facials. 42 Convent Rd, Silom.
SIAM PARAGON
Bangkok's shopping malls are multi-storey extravaganzas full of local and international fashions, jewellery, electronics and audio equipment. The biggest and best is the Siam Paragon complex, which also boasts an oceanarium, bowling alley and multiplex movie theatre. Hours can be spent traipsing from store to store, before refuelling at one of the world's finest shopping centre food courts - the 8000sq m international Gourmet Market on Paragon's ground floor. More: siamparagon.co.th.
BTS SKYTRAIN
Forget being stuck for hours in gridlocked traffic. The BTS Skytrain, Bangkok's elevated rapid-transit system, is the smart and cheap way to travel. Take in the city's diverse neighbourhoods as you glide in air-conditioned comfort above the traffic. Trains will deposit you on the doorstep of the Siam Paragon mega-mall for shopping, beside the Chao Phraya River if you fancy a cruise, or near the Victory Monument for sightseeing. More: bts.co.th.
[attachment=1:18rrzk57]228906-130202-t-skytrain.jpg[/attachment:18rrzk57]
ISSAYA SIAMESE CLUB
It's almost impossible to eat badly in Thailand, whether you frequent the ubiquitous street stalls turning out fast, fresh and inexpensive food or aim for the top with a visit to David Thompson's Nahm, ranked in the World's Best Restaurants list. Another excellent choice is Issaya Siamese Club run by Ian Kittichai, who trained under Damien Pignolet and Tim Pak Poy at Sydney's Claude's restaurant. Kittichai and his team are turning out top-notch homestyle Thai and street food in a beautifully converted 1920s colonial mansion. Think sweet coconut pudding jazzed up with sauteed chicken, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and chilli jam; or spice-rubbed, charcoal-grilled chicken. More: issaya.com.
CHAO PHRAYA EXPRESS FERRIES
Dinner cruises and long-tail boat rides along the Chao Phraya River are fine, but for a different perspective of the city's main waterway hop on one of the express ferries that transport tens of thousands of Bangkok workers to and from their jobs each day. The frequent services drop commuters at more than 30 piers. Take in the unlikely sight of tumbledown shacks sitting next to high-rise hotels and temples lining the Chao Phraya's banks, for the equivalent of a few cents. More: chaophrayaexpressboat.com.
CHINATOWN
Bangkok's neon-lit Chinatown district is a seething mass of humanity, attracted by the bargain fabrics, gemstones and gold, plus some of the cheapest and most interesting food in the city. The main drag, Yaowarat Road, is lined with stalls and shophouses selling every imaginable delicacy, from piping hot noodle soups and congee to dumplings and fresh durians. Avoid the big, touristy seafood restaurants and find a free table at one of the small, open-fronted shophouse diners down the lanes (keep an eye on the unpredictable traffic) and feast on, say, an oyster omelette or satay in peanut sauce, mopped up with thick chunks of toast.
GRASSHOPPER BIKE TOUR
Often it's the back roads and hidden laneways that reveal most about a city. The Bike Historic Bangkok cycle tour from Grasshopper Adventures takes participants off the beaten track and down the tiny alleyways, or sois, that define Bangkok's neighbourhoods, revealing gems including local food markets, a Buddha image wholesaling area, ancient temples and pretty canals. Bikes are provided for the half-day tour ($US32 a person), which explores a lesser-known and more tranquil side of the city. Kids' bikes available. More: grasshopperadventures.com.
SOFITEL SO
Location is everything, and there are few Bangkok hotels as well positioned as Sofitel So, a 10-minute walk from Saladaeng Skytrain station. The 238-room property, which opened last year, is adjacent to Lumpini Park, offering calming views of this green space through floor-to-ceiling guestroom windows. Accommodation is inspired by five elements - water, earth, wood, metal and fire - with each category conceived by a different designer (choose wood if you're after a simple and elegant retreat rather than in-your-face designer flourishes). Guestrooms are equipped with the latest technology, including an Apple Mac mini station connected by wireless keyboard to a huge LED television screen, plus iPads, broadband and free wireless internet access. The Red Oven restaurant on the 7th floor features one of the city's best breakfast buffets
[attachment=0:18rrzk57]228903-130202-t-sofitel-so.jpg[/attachment:18rrzk57]