FlyerTalk Forums - Bangkok basics

Doc, clearly this piece was written from the perspective of a rather naive farang. I'd guess that TAT supplied a fair bit of the copy, but a few things are surprising. E.g. 'The most popular nightspots are Soi Nana 4' and Soi 21. ' Now, I don't know if Matt Lauer went over to these places to personally check them out, but if he had he'd have found out that these spots are ground zero for what really makes Bangkok 'famous.' Unless the article was referring to the Tobacco factory complex at the end of Soi 4, or the new subway project on Sukhumvit Soi Asoke (Soi 23), which really comes to life at night with all those bright construction lights, there's not much in terms of nightlife in the family sense.

'Where to shop World Trade Center: Home to the Zen Shopping Center store, it is of a scale rivaling that of the Grand Palace. An outdoor food circus caters to young Thai professionals. Soak up the atmosphere of satay and cell phones. ' Rivaling the Grand Palace??? This is the same as saying 'lets go to 5th Ave in NYC and see if we can find us a nice Sears'. Don't believe the part about the 'food circus.' The article was written during a rash of holidays in the first half of May when all sorts of temporary entertainment and outdoor activities occur at WTC. Most of the sustained action is over in Siam Square, a long block to the west. That is where you will really get the flavor of young Thais being out and about, and where there is a wonderful spectrum of inexpensive but delicious restaurants.

The advice on going to Chatuchak market is good, except for one thing; they forgot to mention it is also called ‘The Weekend Market’ which mean it’s only open on ... The article is dated 10 May (Thursday), and apparently Mr. Lauer arrived a day or so prior. First hand advice. Also, one would have to be insane to go to Chatuchak any way but by Skytrain (end of the Sukhumvit line: Mor Chit station) which, as drbala points out, doesn’t quite get mentioned.

The article suggests travel by taxis, buses, tuk tuks and motorcycles. Anyone who follows that advice and takes a motorcycle deserves what they get. However, they do point out that one should ‘Ask for a helmet.’ [But they don’t say how you should do it… what is the suggested language? English? I’m sure that the TAT is training all the motorcycle taxi drivers who have arrived in Bangkok from upcountry three days ago to not only understand the request, but to also carry a second helmet – guess who uses the first, or one-and-only helmet? BTW, to ask for a motorcycle helmet, as opposed to other kinds of helmets, in Thai, say: ‘mee moo-uk gun chon mai khrup?’ and use sign language while your saying it.] Actually, my advice is to ask for a helmet with a strap. The police prefer that. It makes the road-side clean-up after the fact easier, because the strap can be used as a handle.

OK, what else. Lets see now, they say ‘Before embarking on any crosstown excursion, study the system of rivers and canals, or klongs, that wind through the city and pick out a water-taxi route. It will probably get you there in half the time.’ The current ruler is King Rama 9. I think that they would have laughed at that one during the reign of King Rama 5… ‘Hey, here we are enjoying the nightlife on Sukhumvit Soi 4, anyone see a long-tail boat around here that we can take to Chatuchak?’ (OK, so only the old Thai hands are laughing at that one).

Thailand really is a wonderful place to visit, if prepared with decent information. There are a plethora of guidebooks on Thailand, given its popularity as a tourist destination. Better yet, try to find someone, Thai or farang, who can show you some ‘real’ Thailand, in addition to the obligatory tourist sights, and hopefully you come away with an impression that Thailand is aptly named ‘The Land of Smiles’ (now, if we’re really talking about what a Thai smile can mean… http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif )