Bangkok’s historic heart may lie on the temple-dotted island of Rattanakosin, but its modern pulse is scattered across the smaller, fragmented neighborhoods of Sukhumvit, Sathorn and Silom and may be harder to discover.
Travelers trying to get in contact with the times should walk past the backpacker cocoon of Khao San Road and head towards nearby Phra Athit Road, a boho hangout with live music venues and restaurants near the Chao Phraya River, then head to Chinatown. On Soi Nana, off Charoen Krung Road, minutes from Cantonese holes within the partitions and shops selling traditional herbal medicines, shops are being converted into galleries and unpretentious bars.
Dynamic, chaotic, sometimes overwhelming but never, ever boring, Bangkok is more culturally diverse, complex and engaging than ever.
Browsing art galleries
In recent years, the art movement in Bangkok has flourished. Artha Gallery emphasizes regional talent from Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam. In Sathorn, head to Sathorn 11 art spacewhich houses exhibitions on the bottom floor and 4 studios of resident artists above, and H Gallerywith daring works by Asian artists in a converted residence. Be sure to go to closer to the river bank Bridge AND Jam Factorysituated in an enormous multi-functional complex designed by starchitect Duangrit Bunnag.
Industrial space with eclectic collections, Fast grandma on weekends it’s stuffed with creative types. Walking the road between the gallery and the bar, Cho why is considered one of several renovated stores adding recent energy to Chinatown. Events range from a street art festival to a rooftop paella party. Across the road at 23 Bar and Gallerya creative embodiment of considered one of the town’s legendary venues, expect indie tunes and reasonable drinks.
Jump to the market
With over 8,000 stalls selling all the pieces from parrots to ceramics, Chatuchak Weekend Market, on the Mo Chit BTS Skytrain station, stays the one to beat. Go early or late when tropical temperatures are more forgiving, as navigating the 27 sections could be a dizzying experience. Plan your post-shopping sunset at 8 alive, a dilapidated bar with great mojitos where DJs spin house. Many up-and-coming Thai designers try to get here first, so keep a watch out for next season’s brands before they take off.
Head to Talad Rod Fai (Sri Nakarin Soi 51) and Talad Rod Fai 2 (Esplanade Complex) to purchase every kind of old-fashioned trinkets. At the Rot Boran market (The Walk, Kaset-Nawamin road), often called the “classic automobile market”, VW Bugs and other old-school cars are given recent life in the shape of pop-up shops selling almost all the pieces.
Baan Silapin (Artist’s House)
After visiting the must-see temples – Wat Saket for the views, Wat Phra Kaew for the shiny, gold-plated all the pieces, and Wat Pho for the massage – and seeing all of the Buddhas standing, sitting and lying down – head to the Thonburi side of the river to see this lesser-known cultural gem: a teak house decorated with whimsical carvings. It’s price seeing shadow puppet shows, a conventional art that’s becoming increasingly rare, but make sure you call ahead as show times are irregular.
315 Wat Tong Salangam, Phet Kasem Road, +66 2 868 5279
Green escape
If the concrete jungle becomes a bit worn out, consider a motorbike trip to Phra Pradaeng, a mangrove-covered peninsula on the western side of Chao Phraya.
• ABC Amazing Bangkok Cyclist offers half-day tours for £29 per person, including longtail boat transfers and mountain bike rentals, realasia.net
street food
Salty, sweet and incredibly hot, street food in Bangkok is loved by all levels of society. Hygiene is typically questionable and MSG is rampant, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from dining like a king on a shoestring budget.
Keep your eyes peeled for rib gluing drink (rice porridge with pork cracklings and raw egg), comforting eat my food gai (chicken and rice) or its rarer biryani-inspired cousin khao mok gaicrisp ask Tod (pancakes with clams or oysters), fatty Stop there (melting tender stewed pork leg with sauce), Izaan style Jim Jum (hot pot) and the ever present trio what’s up, I’m this AND khao inv (grilled chicken with spicy papaya salad and sticky rice).
Pasta, incl if she (neon-red glass noodles with tofu), forbid me (thin egg noodles often served with wontons), female dogs (bean pasta, egg, cabbage and seafood or meat) and richly flavored buy tiao ruea (“boat noodles” in a spicy, blood-enriched broth with offal), are served 24 hours a day and may be ordered haeng (“dry” or fried) or U.S (“wet” with broth).
For sugar lovers, khao niew mamuang (mango sticky rice) is a surefire option to go, but consider an alternative choice Khanom step (creamy coconut sweets) and dangerously desirable Good luck (fried bananas in coconut batter).
Gentrification has eliminated many street foods in Sukhumvit, meaning you have got to travel slightly further seeking deeper pockets. The Victory Monument and its surroundings are plentiful, as are Silom and the town’s historic areas. Chinatown, especially Yaowarat and Charoen Krung roads, is stuffed with stalls which were serving the identical dishes for generations.
source: Guardian
