Bangkok - an abundant, overwhelming feast of sights, sounds, tastes and moods

24 July 2023

Bangkok is a sprawling, humid metropolis of more than 10 million souls that rose along the eastern banks of the Chao Phraya river a little more than 200 years ago.

Today, the Thai capital brims with interesting historic sites, stylish hotels, incredible culinary adventures, and fantastic shopping, at very affordable prices. The city has had some success in shedding its longstanding image of sleaze for a younger, more cosmopolitan mantle and is a pretty safe urban space. And while the military government has put the break on non-stop partying, the arts scene and the world-famous street food culture, visitors like us can still feel enchanted by this cornucopia of sights, sounds, smells, tastes and moods.

Bangkok is renowned for its temples, palaces, malls and markets, but let’s not forget the ever-present smiles of its citizens that give the city a nice human dimension.

Breaking with tradition, we travelled there as part of a group, made up of 15 members from the Quicho-Rios clan: this was quite an experience in itself. Challenged with the customary lack of flight punctuality of Philippine Airlines, we had to transfer between terminals at Manila airport in record speed in order to catch our connections – both ways. That we did this, and negotiated Bangkok too without losing a soul on the way, bears testimony to the cohesion and logistics expertise displayed by our group.

For the record, our full group was comprised of Auntie ESP and Uncle Kining, Butch, Grace and Gab, Cals, Charro and Victoria, Nanaye, Ate, Mariz, Elriz, Samirah, Mylene and myself.

Finally arriving at our hotel (Akara) in downtown Bangkok around midnight after 12 hours on the go, the group still had enough energy to party with 3 other members of the clan already there. Other hotel guests did not feel the love quite as much…

Day 1 – Sunday

We made a beeline for one of the world's largest open-air markets- Chatuchak Weekend Market. Some 15,000 stalls sell furniture, ceramics, plants, trendy clothes, souvenirs, traditional medicine, books, animals and much more. Prices are pretty reasonable and it’s a great place for people watching, with thousands of Thais and foreigners clogging the lanes between the stalls. We also came across interesting paintings, jewellery and other unique handicrafts from younger Thai designers. Plenty of small eateries and drinks stalls saved marathon shoppers like our group from exhaustion.

Day 2 – Monday

We organized a bus from the hotel to bring us to the Floating Markets, about 90 minutes outside of Bangkok. Unfortunately, it was not at all what we expected. Instead of fruit and vegetable-laden little boats selling to locals, it, we were whisked around a canal in a speedboat only stopping at stalls on stilts selling trashy souvenirs that we could have found in Bangkok. Fortunately, the morning was saved by an elephant ride included in the ticket, much to the delight of both children and adults alike.

By the time we reached the Grand Palace, on the artificial Rattanakosin Island, the heart of historic Bangkok, it was mid-afternoon. We listened intently to our local guide in the scorching heat as he explained the background to the marvels we found there. The main palace building was designed by British architects, in a mix of Thai and Italian building styles. Inside the palace complex, Wat Pra Kaew houses Thailand’s most revered religious icon, the Emerald Buddha, and features spectacular murals that depict key scenes from the Ramakien, the kingdom’s interpretation of the Ramayana.

Within walking distance, the sprawling temple complex of Wat Po is famous for its huge 30m-long reclining golden Buddha as well as a school of Thai medicine. Traditional Thai massage is said to have originated here.

For dinner, we had reserved a table at the Na-Oh restaurant in Bang Phlat. This was an experience even before we began our 11 course meal. Imagine a disused Lockheed Tristar jet sitting in a gravelled courtyard converted into a futuristic eating place with the food to match. The service was excellent, the ambience somewhat decadent, the fare was generally good and the bill was…. well, closer to Swiss price levels.

Day 3 – Tuesday

The plan was to visit the National Museum of Bangkok until we found out that all museums were closed on that day. Instead the group split up and we chose to visit Iconsiam, a sumptuous mall with incredible views from the top floor over the river to downtown Bangkok. The food court here on the ground floor was spectacular, offering delicious street food of every kind imaginable within an air-conditioned bubble.

But the best bargains were to be had in the street markets and cheaper malls around Pratunam, such as the Platinum and Big C, offering unrivalled shopping. The sheer variety of items on offer can be overwhelming - clothes and textiles, toiletries, cosmetics, jewellery, electronic hardware and the list goes on. Our luggage was considerably heavier by the time our shopping lust had been fully expunged.

Day 4 – Wednesday

We hired a minivan to take us to the Ancient City, in Bang Pu, about an hour south-east of Bangkok. For many of the group, this was the highlight of the whole trip. Dubbed as the world's largest outdoor museum, it features 116 structures of Thailand's most famous monuments and architectural attractions over a 320 hectare site. The grounds of Ancient Siam correspond roughly to the shape of the kingdom, with the monuments lying at their correct places geographically. Some of the buildings are life-size replicas of existing or former sites, while others are scaled down. Still others are "creative designs," and not replicas of any historical structure.

My own particular favourites were the throne room in the Sanphet Prasat Palace, a wooden Wat from a hill temple in the North of Thailand, the scary Ghost Museum and the final attraction, the golden Pavilion of the Enlightened, sitting in its own lake. Pure serenity.

We could not leave Bangkok without experiencing a real Thai massage. It was my first and it was a rather, interesting experience, to put it mildly. Rather than kneading, the masseuse uses every part of her body, the thumbs, hands, elbows, forearms, knees, shins, and even feet, not only to stretch you but also to apply pressure on your muscles, loosen your joints and relax the whole body. I was so relaxed by the end of it that I walked out of the massage salon with someone else’s shoes, only realizing my mistake the next day back home…

Day 5 – Thursday

The weary group traveled back home, fully laden when leaving Bangkok but luggage-less by the time we arrived in Puerto (it arrived the next day). A good time had been had by all. Where to next time?