Now this might not exactly fall into the category of “sightseeing in Bangkok” – but it is still a great experience you can have in the city. It’s not “Thai” in any way, but completely Western. But sometimes it is nice to make a little jump into “familiar terrain”, and get a break from all the exotic things that can be overwhelming for some people.
If you like cakes, pastries and breads – then the Bangkok Baking Company is a place worth checking out.
And considering that it is located on the ground floor of the prestigous JW Marriot hotel, the prices are very fair.
The selection is… well, let me put it this way: if you’re on a diet, and you want to lose weight, then DO NOT come here!
Whether you want tiramisu, a cheesecake, some rosemary focaccia…
You can also enjoy a nice latte, imported beer,high quality chocolates, they have quiches, croissants (including “banana” or “whole-wheat”), doughnuts, raspberry tart, and all kinds of other evil things.
It is also a great place for breakfast – for example, come here for some good eggs benedict.
The Bangkok Baking Company is located on the ground floor of the JW Marriott Hotel in Sukhumvit Street, between Soi 2 and 4.
The BTS Skytrain is one of the fastest means of getting from one place to another in Bangkok. Surely a lot faster than a bus or taxi – because there are no traffic jams on the tracks.
It’s not only fast but also convenient. Vigorously air-conditioned, it’s clean and neat and there are TV screens that show funny clips and advertisements during the ride.
But sometimes you might not want to watch on the screen – because outside, you get a great view of the city. You’ll drive through different parts of town, and it’s a nice way to get some kind of impression of what Bangkok is like architecturally by just taking the BTS from one end of the line to the other.
The skytrain operates between 6am to midnight, and there are actually two lines, and now there is the airport link too.
Of course, it also passes most of the major shopping malls – like Siam Paragon and the other Siam complexes.
There’s also always a guard at the tracks to make sure that everything is safe and clean. (Btw. – eating and drinking are not allowed on station platforms or inside trains). And of course, they always have tidily taken care of uniforms.
During rush hour, the train gets crowded, but most of the time there is plenty of space to sit and relax very comfortably. So if you’re on a Bangkok sightseeing trip, this can actually be a very comfortable way to go.
You almost never have to wait long for a train – most of the time, they come around every 15 minutes.
You buy your ticket at a vending machine (you have to pay with coins which you can exchange at a counter), and then you decide how many stations you want to go, enter the appropriate price and get your ticket, which then allows you to pass through the electronic gate.
Just remember that you’ll need your ticket to leave again. If you lose it somewhere, you’ll have to pay a set amount. And if you paid for less stations than you actually drove, you’ll have to pay for the remainder at the counter.
You can of course also always opt for a private tour in Bangkok where you are driven around in your own car by your own driver with your own personal tour guide – and that can be very convenient too. It’s fun to do both, and explore the city in several ways.
Bangkok is in the Guinness Book of Records for the longest place-name in the world. Of course, “Bangkok” isn’t the longest name in the world – but Bangkok is really just the name that foreign people call the city. Thais themselves refer to their capital as “Krung Thep” – which means “city of Angels”. However, that’s just the short version of an incredibly long name:
or in Thai: กรุงเทพ มหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุทธยา มหาดิลกภพ นพรัตนราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์มหาสถาน อมรพิมานอวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะวิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์
So what does that name actually mean? Well, here’s the English translation: The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city 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 Vishnukarma
Fortunately, when you’re on a Bangkok sightseeing tour, you don’t need to remember that, and on flight tickets “BKK” is usually enough to bring you to the right destination.
This name was given by King Rama I in 1782, you can see him in the picture below. Although when he first named the city, the name was a bit shorter – “just” 43 syllables – another 21 syllables have been added later in history.
He was the founding father of the current dynasty, also known as the Chakri dynasty. The currently reigning monarch is Rama IX, and he is the longest-reigning living monarch on earth – for more than 60 years he is the King of Thailand already, and is deeply loved by the people of this country.
What you can see here is very typical element of Thai architecture – a chofa.
You find it placed on roofs, and it is often covered with colorful glass mosaics like this one here. It’s nearly impossible to go sightseeing in Bangkok and not notice these.
Would you like to know what they’re about? They actually have a mythical meaning. These decorative roof elements actualyl represent the Garuda, an important mythical creature in Thailand. There are different explanations, although most scholars agree on the Garuda representation.
Chofa literally means “bunch of air”, but is often more poetically translated as “tassel of air”. And such a poetic rendition suits this most distinctive feature of Thai architecture. On top of the mighty sweeping roofs of a bot (monks’ congregation hall) or vihan (worship hall) is placed an elegant upward curving finial. They are placed on the peek of a roof overhanging the edge. Although, they vary in style, they all possess an elongated ‘s’ shape which is suggestive of an animal form. Sometimes the head is half way up the chofa and sometimes it is at the end. More often than not the appearance is of a bird-like creature with a graceful horn.
The history and exact significance of ‘Chofa’ is disputed. The chofa could be a representation of a garuda – a Hindu mythical bird that is the ‘vehicle’ of the God Vishnu; or it could be a hamsa – which is a goose, gander or swan in Hindu mythology that is the mount or vehicle for the God Brahma.
Another possibility is that it represents a snake or naga. This last option is confusing because nagas are key components of Thai iconography that are found else where in temple compounds. The naga is the half sibling of the garuda and its sworn enemy.
As seen in the picture below, often nagas adopt the pose and style of a chofa and it might be possible to label such examples of Thai architecture as ‘naga chofas’. Naturally opposites in eastern thought are often just 2 sides of the same coin, different aspects of one reality – whether it is the one soul (Atman/Brahman) of Hinduism or the absolute nothingness of Buddhism. Indeed motifs seemed to be combined in creative ways. In one of the pictures below the naga body splits into buddha heads. Furthermore, the naga head often has a bent horn on it that is very much like a chofa. The replication of forms adds to the impressiveness of the architectural forms found in religious buildings in Thailand.
The Naga or snake motif is another important iconic motif in Thai architecture. They are most commonly found on the hand rails of stairs (especially in the ‘Lanna’ style of Northern Thailand); or running down the edge of a temple roof. The body is sometimes coiled, but the head is usually raised. Often there are multiple heads. For Thais the naga is a symbol of comfort and security because in the Buddhist scriptures a mystical serpent is described as protecting and sheltering the Buddha as he meditated.
Some of my favorite architectural features of Thai buildings are the creatures on the roofline: birds and serpents that guard boundaries of the sacred structures. The chofas (sometimes spelled chofah, cho fa, or cho fah) are bird guardians and live on the peaks of each gable. In areas with many religious buildings, like the Wat Phra Kaew complex or the Wat Pho complex, the elegant silouettes of the chofas are everywhere, gleaming in the smog- and humidity-filtered Bangkok sun. Unlike much Thai art and ornamentation, which can be distractingly ornate, the chofa is a simple, yet sublime, object. The shape of a bird is suggested with the minimum of detail.
The Arts of Thailand, by Steve Van Beek and Luca Invernizzi Tettoni, gives the following definition of chofa: “variously translated as ‘bunch of sky’ or ‘tassel of sky’, the slender finial like a stylized bird’s head graces either end of a roof peak of a bot [the monks’ congregation hall] or vihan [worship hall]. It is thought to signify the garuda and may originally have been intended to render Buddhism more appealing to Vishnuites, the garuda being Vishnu’s mount.” (p. 241)
In some buildings, the chofa “grasps two nagas [serpents] in its claws…”, with the nagas sloping down the edge of the roof. The chofa has significant import ance, and some buildings are not considered consecrated until chofas have been fixed in place.
The naga is a snake, sometimes with many heads, and one particular naga (the serpent king Muchilinda) played an important part of the Buddha’s path to enlightenment. Ornate and fierce-looking snakes are on the sloping edge of many roofs in Thailand as part of the protection around the holy site.
Thai people create these trees and then parade them around, or put them in a temple or in front of a shrine or other places. Then others can put a banknote in the tree, and it’s said to bring luck. After that, the money will be donated to a temple.
So in a way, money really does “grow” on trees in Thailand.
The branches of the trees are made from split bamboo sticks, and you can just slide a note in.
Depending upon where and who and when such a tree is “planted”, there can be hundreds or thousands of baht on such a tree. In Bangkok, most of the time it’s several thousand bahts, whereas in rural areas, sometimes it’s just several hundreds. Usually, when the tree is brought to the temple, it’s done with a big parade, someone carrying the tree, people playing music and cheerfully dancing and singing on their way – sometime you can see such a thing on a Bangkok sightseeing tour.
For Thai people, making merit is a way of life. There is no “tax” like there is a church tax in Europe, it’s all completely voluntary. And it is very much alike here. There are so many different ways of making merit, and Thai people do it so often, it can be really surprising for Westerners to see.
Even the prostitutes who work in bars will make merit and wai when they pass a Buddhist shrine, and there are shrines in bars to which they make merit. They belief that they can sell their body, but that as long as they don’t let that profession stain their souls, then everything is okay, because Buddha can understand. And to them, their soul belongs to Buddha.
Parents already at a very early age let their children make merit, and sometimes you can see three generations making merit at a temple at the same time.
This is a very typical image of Bangkok traffic. And that is one of the reasons why it’s good to have a personal tour guide in Bangkok – so you don’t end up stuck in some traffic jam for hours in your precious holiday vacation time. Because locals often know which areas and streets to avoid, and ways to get around the traffic jams.
The nice thing is that the laid-back style of the Thais even makes traffic jams more bearable. There’s no road rage here – people know that they’re stuck in traffic and make the best out of it, rather than becoming upset about it.
Sometimes you can even see vendors walking between the cars, selling flower garlands or little snacks or refreshments to the people in the cars.
You can also rent a car in Bangkok, although unless you’re a really good driver, driving in Bangkok might not be the best idea – particularly because you can find taxis so cheap. But if you want to go for a weekend drive out of town, then a rented car is often the best way to go, because you are so much more flexible and free than when you go by bus, train or van.
Tuktuks are the iconic little three-wheeled taxis of Bangkok. Wherever you are – a Tuktuk is never far.
Tuktuks can be found in several countries in Southeast Asia, not just in Thailand – yet, they have become an iconic Thai symbol. What’s funny is that they are actually not a Thai invention at all – they’re a Japanese invention. It was in 1833 that a Japanese added an engine to a rickshaw (which was normally driven by manpower). Then in 1872 the first Tuktuk came to Thailand. In 1960 the Japanese sold 4000 Tuktuks to Thailand – although they looked a little bit different back then than they look now. You can still see some of these old versions in the previous capital of Thailand, Ayutthaya.
Here’s a video clip that shows where Tuktuks are produced:
Tourists in Bangkok enjoy riding Tuktuks, because it really is a cool experience – the loud sound of the engine, driving in that quirky little thing at speeds that give you an adrenaline kick. When sitting in one of these machines with a particularly eager driver, you will sometimes feel as if the Tuktuk is about to tip over in a curve at high speeds. Hopefully that won’t happen – because a Tuktuk really doesn’t provide any protection for passengers.
Sometimes, there’s also a practical aspect, because it can navigate through traffic more quickly sometimes, because it’s a bit smaller than cars. And if you have to transport a lot of luggage or items, a Tuktuk driver will often be willing to do so. Oftentimes you can see Thai people, particularly in the area of Chinatown, transporting half a household on the back of a Tuktuk.
Also, be prepared to negotiate. Most tuktuk drivers always try to quote you a heavily inflated price. Some although give you the real fare right away and won’t negotiate further down, but they are the exception. It’s best if you know equivalent taxi rates. Some people think tuktuks are cheaper than metered taxis, but that is often not the case. Just make sure to agree on a price BEFORE you get on the tuktuk.
Also, sometimes they’ll offer to bring you for free to a place if you just go into a shop where they sell suits or jewelry. You have to stay in the shop at least 10 minutes and act as if you are actually interested in buying something while in the shop, but after that you can just go out without buying anything – the tuktuk driver will then get some money for bringing somebody into the store.
Now companies have introduced Tuktuks to some European cities – although they are quiter and more environmentally friendly. It’s too early to determine whether this business model will work out or not. It actually started in Thailand, where an inventor created an eco-friendly, quiet Tuktuk.
It’s a lot of fun to go on a Tuktuk Bangkok sightseeing tour, because you get a more direct contact and more intense impressions of the city.
And finally, here a funny visa ad with James Bond and a Tuktuk driver:
There are more than 7000 Tuktuks in Bangkok, and then more than 40000 in the rest of the country. Thailand is still manufacturing new ones, many of them for export into neighbouring countries.
We like to call Bangkok the city of Paradox – and this one’s a nice reflection of that. “Fine Arts”
Overall, Bangkok is not a city that’s big on graffiti, but you can find art in many places where you wouldn’t expect it – like in food wrappings made from natural materials, on patterns drawn by vendors with sauce on top of a simple street food, in glitzy shopping malls, in homes of people who you wouldn’t expect to have artistic interests, in taxis, in the ruins of unfinished construction projects, and on and on…
If you have an interest in graffiti in Bangkok, you should check out a video about Alex Face, a local graffiti artist. He explains that in Bangkok, things are a lot more mellow – the artists actually go to talk with the owners and ask them: “Would you allow us to paint your wall? We can make it look really nice.” And if the owner says okay, they go ahead and do it, and if not, they don’t. There are illegal graffities too of course, but overall, the relaxed attitude of the people here makes things a lot easier and more pleasant, because it does not have the whole “war” feeling. You’ll have to click here to see the video, unfortunately it can not be embeeded in this site.
Another video here where you can check out a whole bunch of graffitis in Bangkok.
That probably is not what you are looking for – but in case all the hotels in town are ever booked out, you always got a place to sleep 😉
Sometimes it’s those little things on a Bangkok sightseeing tour that catch ones eyes. This is wooden construction is built on a khlong near the main train station, called Hualampong.
Makes you wonder how the person is sleeping comfortably up there, but apparently he does.
The Ratchayothin nightmarket is more popular among Thais than the Lumphini nightmarket, where you can mostly find the typical tourist souvenirs and so on that you can find pretty much at any tourist hotspot in Thailand. The Lumphini night market is still great for people who have not traveled extensively throughout Thailand, but for the old-timers who would like to venture a bit more off the beaten tourist path, the Ratchayothin night market is much more promising.
The night market at Ratchayothin is particularly popular among Thai teenagers to buy cheap fashion accessories, fake brand bags, watches and clothing – and (of course) lots of snacks. It is located right next to the Major cinema complex, so they like to mingle around here before or after they watch a movie. It is just opposite the Elephant Building.
For a good Bangkok shopping and sightseeing experience, it’s interesting – although sometimes Europeans and Americans who visit these kinds of markets find them kind of overwhelming, and they often do not find the things that they are looking for here, because the merchandise here is typically tailored to Thai taste.
It’s also known as Major Ratchayothin flea market, and if you want it crowded with lots of stalls, the best time to go is Friday and Saturday night, but anything between around 5pm to 11pm from Thursday to Sunday you will find it busy there too.
