Bangkok under scrutiny
I don't remember how many times I've been to Bangkok since my first time in 1980, but it must have been dozens of times. When I was still working, it was usually for business that I came to the capital of Thailand. After I moved there, I only came for a (necessary) visit to the embassy or a pool tournament.
Oh, I did have an opportunity to see the tourist attractions, though! Of course I visited the Grand Palace, roamed around the big department stores, drank beer and visited clubs in Patpong, walked along Silom Road and took a boat trip through the klongs and much more. After all those visits to Bangkok, I should really know the city well, but do I? Well, forget it!
Bangkok
Bangkok is a city with an area of almost 1600 km², divided into 50 city districts. The area, which I know quite well, is not much larger than a few square kilometers. In addition, without realizing it, I have driven through other districts for customer visits and such, but in fact I did not get further than what I call the center of Bangkok. It would be nice to take a closer look at the capital of Thailand through the districts.
Walking in Bangkok
In my opinion, walking is the best way to experience city life. I have already made nice walks in Bangkok, such as from Lumpini Park on Silom Road to the river Chao Phraya, from Ekamai bus station to Nana, from Khao San Road to Ploenchit and a few others. You see so much more when you walk, you sniff the Thai life as it were (Okay, sometimes you also sniff the air pollution). It's hard to tell what you did see, because most of it isn't spectacular, but hiking is a special experience.
Craig S. Schuler / Shutterstock.com
Districts
Most of Bangkok's districts are inconspicuous to the visitor. Only a few of those 50 districts can be found on the internet, but that won't really teach you much either. So if you want to visit a district that is not in the tourist center, the Skytrain BTS and the underground MRT offer a solution. Get on, look at the route map and randomly choose a station outside the city center. Take a walk in the neighborhood, fun guaranteed. Enough commotion, shops, eateries or a park. It's like walking in a Thai village and not in Bangkok.
Years Phrao
Such a district is, for example, Lat Phrao on the Yellow Line of the BTS. The “Business Supplement”, appearing in Pattaya, has had a series about the surroundings of BTS stations for some time now. This time it was Lat Phrao's turn, but the magazine doesn't get much further than to say that there is a second-hand furniture market on weekends and quite a few antique shops. You can also visit the Court Museum to get an idea of the jurisprudence in Thailand (and Siam) through the ages. That was it.
joloei / Shutterstock.com
Chatuchak Park
But does it always have to be something special to visit a district? No, enjoy a walk, use your eyes and you will see everything happen. Nice for yourself, but hardly worth telling. Likewise this time. A nice walk seems to me from the BTS Station Lat Phrao to the not too far away Chatachuk Park. Drink coffee on the way or have a Thai bite in a small restaurant, relax and enjoy is the motto!
Blog readers, who live in Bangkok
Quite a few Dutch and Flemish people live and work in the capital and I would think it would be an idea if they could offer some help in our search for the districts. I invite those people to say something about the district they live in, which will often not be in the centre. That is of course allowed in a comment, but a somewhat longer story (an A-4?) to the editors would be more fun to publish on this blog. What is it like to live in that district, is there anything worth mentioning or is there a (small) restaurant that is recommended? Is there a BTS or MRT station nearby, etc, etc.
Finally,
In this way I got to know London, Paris and Amsterdam better. Simply go somewhere by public transport and view the area, have a drink and/or eat somewhere and return. Always interesting!
The tourist magazines often only talk about the special attractions, but every major city, including Bangkok, has so much more to offer.
About this blogger
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Bert Gringhuis (1945), born and raised in Almelo in the beautiful Twente. Later lived for many years in Amsterdam and Alkmaar, working in export for various companies. I first came to Thailand in 1980 and immediately fell in love with the country. Been back many times since then and moved to Thailand after my (early) retirement as a widower. I have been living there for 22 years now with my somewhat younger Thai lady Poopae.
My first experiences in Thailand as a kind of newsletter sent to family, friends and acquaintances, which later appeared under the name Gringo on Thailandblog. Many, many articles followed those first stories and that has grown into an almost daily hobby.
In the Netherlands still an avid footballer and football referee, but the years are starting to tell and in Thailand still avid, but the pool billiards is really of inferior quality, ha ha!
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Gringo..I can completely agree with your experience. this is also what I want to do myself when I move to Thailand after the summer. first start 1-2 months in Bangkok.just take public transport..choose a district and spend days exploring it. walk around. talk to locals. I am lucky that I have friends / acquaintances in Bangkok who are only too happy to show me their city when I am there.
just go with the banana I always say! just do it..don't care about people or their opinions. if i feel good about it then why not.
I think it would be really nice to meet different Dutch/ Belgians/ French or non-Thai people in Bangkok and hear their experiences.
I also got to know a lot about Bangkok this way. Always book a hotel in a different district and explore the neighborhood on foot. Definitely recommended.
As a resident of Krungthep Mahanakorn lei Parimonton (Bangkok Metropolis) which also includes the three contiguous provinces of Samuth Prakarn, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani, it is almost impossible for a non-resident to determine in which province or city he is located. Because everything has flowed together due to the expanding Bangkok
That alone makes Bangkok such a fascinating city. Now each of those 50 districts, in Bangkok they call them Khet and not Amphur are vastly different from each other, in some Khets westerners let alone tourists are an exception and often have their own specializations, for example Toa Poon in Khet Bang Sue, where Chatuchak is located . Is the center of everything related to woodworking. No shops here, but hundreds of carpenters, furniture makers and artists. All located between 2 parallel narrow one-way streets and the hundreds of small sois and courtyards. Here you can have your furniture made according to your own drawing. In the same Bang Sue there is also a Western style night market.
And these are just 2 examples from 1 Khet where you will not encounter a Westerner.
This just to show that Bangkok is a city with 10 faces, which even a human life is not enough to get to know.
I live in Pak Kret in Bangkok Metropolis. Which most probably have never heard of, despite being the 3rd largest city in Thailand by population after Bangkok and Nonthaburi, which is the provincial capital. And here too you don't meet a Westerner every day,
Again to show, Thailand is much more about beaches, mountain villages, Isaan, the nightlife in Pattaya, or the expat communities in which many are locked up
To our great satisfaction we live in Khlong Samwa, a district in North BKK. On picture nr 46.
Is a fairly quiet neighborhood with a lot of trade and little industry. A nice place for those who love peace.
Close to Fashion Island and Promenade, a major shopping mall. There are also many good Thai restaurants where you can eat delicious food and sit quietly for little money.
Safari World is also located in this district, a large zoo.
We live here because the daughter already had a business here.
Indeed, the MRT and the skytrain will take you to many different districts.
I like the bus even more. Then you see something on the way. Preferably the old buses with open windows and wooden floor.
Just take the first bus that comes along and get off where it seems nice, or go to the last stop. Buses go to places where the skytrain does not go, and those are often still very Thai places.
Highly recommended for people who think that Bangkok is becoming too touristy or too westernized.
There is that TAT for the whole of Thailand, but the BMA also has its own kind of tourist office and it produces fairly good information leaflets per district, or groups of 3-4 together, which contain plenty of information, of course a bit more extensive in Thai. Especially those entirely in the SW: 21-49+50 (where those last 2 will be split off from 21-just like many chiangwats) offer many rather unknown and surprising things, such as BKk aan zee, MON temples, waterways (free boat services -if you can find them), fruit farms etc.
nr 10 is MINburi, usually nicknamed Muslimburi.
Good idea. For a while I lived in a side street of Thanon Sukumvit, Soi 97. From there I took many walks, signs in random directions. Wide variety of local markets, parks, always a nice place to eat. I think you won't get bored in a few weeks per district.
It would be very nice for the superficial bkk connoisseur to be able to read more detailed information about this.
Now the capital usually scares me a bit because it is limited to the major districts, Silom, Sukhumvit, chao Praya area, Chinatown… yes, we have already touched Chatuchak. Choice often depends on hotel choice where not many other areas are covered. But when I read all these hidden stories, the desire is great to explore other areas as well. But there should be more clarity about where you can eat and sleep.
Hopefully a lot of people will get into the pen now.
Gringo…nice to hear you again. Bangkok is indeed yet to be discovered by me. I'll be curious.