Travel Bangkok

Bangkok And Its Tourists Discover Phra Athit
Phra Athit is an up-and-coming area of Bangkok for Thais and tourists alike. In that it is unalike the nearby Khaosan area of Banglamphu, still, essentially, a backpacker enclave.

Santi Chai Prakan Park
The focal point of the Phra Athit area is the complex of Santi Chai Prakan Park and Phra Sumen Fort. The location is beside the Chaophraya River by Rama VIII Suspension Bridge.


The park was completed in 1999. The site had been the factory and godowns of Sri Maharacha Co Ltd, a sugar processing company.

Santi Chai Prakan Park covers 3.2 acres, mostly laid to lawn and gardens. There is a pavilion in traditional Thai style and a large hard area right beside the Chaophraya River.

The hard area is very important for organised activity, notably huge open-access keep fit sessions around 6pm. Just pitch up and join in. You will be very welcome. In fact, Thais being Thais, great pleasure is taken in trying to get tourists involved.

Elsewhere, you will see locals and tourists just sitting and lying in the sun. The grassed areas seem to be a place for jugglers to quietly practice their arts, though, again, insatiable Thai curiosity and friendliness, sees a lot of teaching of bystanders going on.

Phra Sumen Fort
Phra Sumen Fort stands next to Santi Chai Prakan Park. It is one of two remaining of fourteen forts that lined the Chaophraya, guarding the ancient city.

The fort, built in 1783, during the reign of King Rama I, now stands, complete with cannon, beautifully restored. Its view today is of those alternately gently dozing, or wildly exercising, in the park, but never marauders.
Phra Athit Riverside Walk

Behind the buildings of Phra Athit Road is a Chaophraya riverside walk. Don’t over-romanticise this. The walkway is narrow, without seating, and the Chaophraya is never a particularly attractive river.

However, the walk does allow back access to a number of restaurants that take full advantage of their riverside location. Aquatini is particularly attractive in terms of its location, its beautiful riverside terrace and the quality of its catering.

Aquatini is part of the Navalai River Resort. Again, the resort takes full advantage of its location, with balconied accommodation looking out over the Chaophraya River.
Phra Athit Bars and Restaurants

Generally, Phra Athit Road is known for its bars and restaurants. These often offer Europeanised menus, but geared mainly to “yuppie” Thais.

You will find tourists eating and drinking here. However, price points are not attractive to most backpackers of nearby Khaosan.

Some names to look out for are Beach Bar, Ann’s Sweet, Popular Society and Mister Pas, which are blocked together opposite Sumen Fort. Another obvious block is represented by Ar-tist, ap-ple and Sync. Saffron Bakery is mentioned in awed tones by local Thais.
Phra Athit Shops and Shopping

There are some, mostly traditional, shops along Phra Athit itself. Likely of more interest to tourists is a side soi, Soi Chana Songkhram.

Here you will find the odd travel agent and several cheaper restaurants, but, more particularly, various interesting curio and ephemera shops.

The Trapeze Swingers is a fascinating retro shop in the Japanese style, its focus on the fashion, music and ephemera of the 1960s and 70s. Particularly if you’re into hippy, bohemian fashions, this is the place for you. That said, more modern styles are also made-up, using period fabrics.

Gecko House is the place to buy Buddhas, and to do so cheaply. They have hundreds, particularly those cast plastic ones that are utterly compulsive in their awfulness. You won’t come away empty-handed.

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The Sights of Bangkok in Thailand

One of the most popular destinations in Asia to visit over recent years has been Thailand. This of course has also coincided with the booming popularity of Thai cuisine around the world. Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, is the main entry point where the vast majority of tourists to Thailand will use.

     Bangkok is a very interesting city because in addition to the usual modern buildings of offices, hotels and shopping centers, there are also about 400 exotic Thai temples that seem to stick out among the urban landscape. There are Thai citizens on the streets dressed in modern business clothing as well as Buddhist monks in saffron robes. Yet this is what part of Thailand is. The traditional mixed in with the modern. In fact, it’s the traditional attractions that make Thailand so magical. The temples are sights that one just cannot see in the western world. They are like objects that popped out of an Asian fairy tale.

     Like many other large Asian cities, Bangkok is congested with traffic, people and pollution. In fact, the air can be bad enough that there are locals wearing surgical masks in the streets. With an average annual temperature of 28 degrees Celsius or 83 degrees Fahrenheit, it can be somewhat uncomfortable outside for some tourists, especially those from northern climates. Also beware that there will be people on the streets who will try to hustle tourists and direct them to their own businesses and tours. But unlike places in the Caribbean, Thais are polite and not aggressive people. For example, once upon arrival at the international airport, there will be people within the terminal including the ones at the booths who will be offering taxi transportation to your hotel. Although these are legit, they will charge a premium compared to the taxis waiting outside the terminal. There is a similar situation at the hotels. The taxis waiting right outside the main hotel entrances do seem to quote more than those waiting on the side streets just further down. The three-wheeled ‘tuk tuk’ vehicles also vary a lot so it may be wise to ask for quotes from a few drivers rather than taking the first one you see. The tuk tuks are a fun ride by the way so they should be experienced at least once while in Bangkok. The city also has various public buses and river taxis which are long boats used on the river canal system. A nice way to spend some time is to take a ride on one of these river taxis to cruise the canals which some refer to as the ‘Venice of the East’.


     The Grand Palace is probably the most visited attraction in Bangkok. This complex is surrounded by walls built in 1783 and contains government offices, royal residences monuments and the Emerald Buddha Chapel. The Royal Chapel which contains the Emerald Buddha is the monarch’s private chapel. The Buddha itself is actually a one piece jade sitting on top of a golden altar. It’s not a large Buddha but it is very special. Apparently, they change the Buddha’s clothing which is also made of gold on a seasonal basis. There are numerous monuments on the grounds that are dedicated to past monarchs. Walls with large mythological scenes are displayed throughout. The buildings and monuments within the Grand Palace have some very striking colors including golds and greens. Gold color is used quite a lot and the distinctively curved Thai roofs on the buildings are very detailed. Equally stunning are some of the interiors of these buildings with their magnificent rooms and halls used for different ceremonies and events. Some of these halls have special royal altars.

     One temple not to miss is Wat Pho which is the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. It features a giant Buddha lying on its side. Even the soles of this Buddha’s feet have very intricately detailed designs. Other nice temples to see are Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) and Wat Benchamabophit (Marble Temple). The Wat Pho temple has traditional Thai massage services which are very popular among tourists. Other temples such as Wat Mahathat and Wat Parinayok also have Thai massages available. The Royal Barges or long boats which are used during ceremonies on the river are also nice to see. The details put into decorating these boats are just remarkable.

     For wildlife enthusiasts, there’s the Pasteur Institute’s Snake Farm where poisonous snakes are fed daily and visitors can watch handlers milk cobras for their venom. There is also the world’s largest Crocodile Farm. The national sport of Thai kickboxing can be seen at two different stadiums in Bangkok. Both the Ratchadamnoen and Lumphini stadiums feature events throughout the week on different days. Thai theatre and traditional dance are very interesting to watch as cultural entertainment. These can be seen at theatres as well as some of the top hotels in the city.

     Bangkok has some good shopping opportunities especially for jewelry, handicrafts and textiles including silks as well as cottons. As in other locations in Asia, vendors in the streets will expect some bargaining of prices where the retail stores have fixed prices. Just like in Hong Kong, Bangkok has many custom tailors who can make suits, shirts and dresses for clients within 24 hours. Some will even delivery the finished clothing to your hotel free of charge.

     There are some general guidelines of etiquette in Thailand that should be followed by all visitors. The Thai royal family is revered in this country so no outsider should ever make any even slightly negative remarks about the country’s monarchy. Temples should not be entered unless one is covered with long pants or skirts. Shorts and shoulderless tops are not permitted in temples. Footwear is always removed prior to entering any temple. Images and statues of Buddha, even postcards, are considered sacred in Thailand so one should never climb on one or do anything that will show disrespect. Public displays of affection between men and women are also frowned upon. Of course this seems to be a complete contradiction to Bangkok’s famous red light and adult entertainment districts such as Patpong. But this is yet another example of the contrast that’s found in Thailand.

     The attractions in Bangkok warrant a few days stay in the city before heading out to other parts of Thailand where there’s much less pollution and more beautiful natural scenery. Bangkok has good air connections with other Asian destinations as well so it can easily be fit into a larger tour of Asia



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What U should see in Thailland

Thailand became one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia and only in 2005 over 14 million tourists visited this country and their range of interests varied. Thailand truly shows the vibrancy of the Asian spirit, everything from the pristine beaches, the decadent nightlife to the rich culture and frenzied shopping opportunities, visitors will always find something fresh and different from other countries.

Despite it was badly affected by the Asian financial crisis, Thailand became a boom Asian country able to bounce back more robust than ever. It could even recover from the deadly tsunami and foreign tourists can still see the indomitable spirit of the Thai that refuse to be beaten. That fact alone is worth the trip to Thailand.



Bangkok, the capital of Thailand is a place of numerous beautiful temples featuring traditional Thai architecture. The royal Grand Palace and the old sections of Bangkok are the most popular tourist places in the capital. Bangkok is also an interesting blend of traditional buildings, modern Thailand property and skyscrapers.

Thailand temples have name wats and out of around 400 wats, several are especially worthy of note. When you visit a wat or mosque in Thailand, remove your shoes before entering and don't enter in modest clothing including shorts. The holiest Buddhist spot in Thailand is counted the Wat Phra Kaeo as it is home to the Emerald Buddha. It is also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the pinnacle of architecture and art in Thailand. The temple was sanctified in 1782 as a part of the Grand Palace complex.

Another great wat is the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) that is especially beautiful at night when the tower, decorated with porcelain and ceramics, is lit up by spotlights. Don't miss the famous Wat Phrathat temple just 10 miles from the province of Chiang Mai and Thailand property constructions on the summit of Doi Suthep Mountain. This temple is a part of Thai legend according to which, King Ku Na placed holy relics onto an elephant's back when he was searching for right a site to erect a temple. And the elephant chose this mountain, climbed it and, upon reaching the summit, trumpeted three times showing that it was the perfect spot. Tourists have to climb 290 steps if they want to enter this wat.

Besides wats, see the Floating Market in Thonburi that geared more toward entertaining visitors than a place for Thais to go to the market. You will need boats for tourists and you can purchase items from the boats too. Numerous shops attract tourists, but in spite of the commercialization it's still charming. If you manage to avoid all tourist traps, then the Khlong Damnoen Saduak market is the place to go. However you'll need to get on an early morning bus in Nakhon Pathom to get there. Pratunam is a "real" market with many street vendors selling items from produce to everyday necessities and clothes for Thais. Another place is Narayana Phand, a government store that has a wide variety of crafts, but the quality of the items is somewhat lacking.

Of course Thailand has several good museums. A great place to go to see examples of Thai culture and art is the National Museum, located on Na Phra That Road. A house of the American entrepreneur Jim Thompson has become a museum that is open daily to the public with admission situated on a small canal that is elegant and charming. At the Pasteur Institute (Snake Farm) located on Rama IV Road, tourists can see snakes milked of their venom every day after paying admission.

Even in modern city life and the advent of the foreign culture, the never-changing character of Thai culture has remained prevalent. Carefree Thais inhabit this fun-loving place. And the Thais are also proud and strong nation, as they have struggled for centuries to preserve their undying zeal and ever lasting enthusiasm. If you are searching for lovely and memorable vacations you should choose Thailand and it'll be right decision as it's the best destinations in South East Asia

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