Travel is an important component of life; one cannot acquire the broad, wholesome, charitable views of things by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth during one’s lifetime. One needs to travel around the world in order to get broaden one’s prospective. This has always been a driving force behind all my travelling. I can’t sit in one place and fantasise about others globe trotting.
This time of the year, I travelled to the exotic country of Thailand. For seafood and party lovers, Bangkok is the right place to hit the note. For many people, Bangkok is the gateway to the Southeast Asian world and is often scheduled as a stopover for a few days. To get to know Bangkok, however, these two or three days aren’t enough. You could easily spend a week or two without looking at the same thing twice. The Thai capital offers some sights and to ease your search for locations while visiting Bangkok, I gathered five things you should do on your Bangkok visit.
Wat Arun
WAT ARUN – the Wat Arun is one of the most famous and the most beautiful temples of Bangkok. The central tower of the complex, called the Phra Prang, is 80 metres high and offers you a great view over the river with the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew in the background, if you make it to the top.
ENJOY BANGKOK FROM ONE OF THE SKY BARS – Bangkok has a fascinating and breathtaking skyline and where could you enjoy it more than from one of the sky bars? I stayed at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers and at the sky bar, I got the view from ‘Hangover 2’. It’s always nice to see the illuminated skyline from above. That’s definitely one thing you should not miss during your time in the Thai capital.
RELAXING IN THE LUMPHINI PARK – the green oasis of Bangkok. If you have had enough of the hustle and bustle of city life, you can take a break here. In the Lumphini Park, you can go for a nice walk, take a paddleboat ride on a lake or just enjoy the atmosphere. In the evenings, there is a public workout – join hundreds of people who dance to the music and enjoy a workout. This is a nice change of pace from big city life and definitely one of my favourite places in Bangkok to recharge your batteries once again.
Siam Paragon
BOAT TOUR ACROSS THE KLONGS – not only on the Chao Phraya you can make a great boat tour, but also on the small canals. Couple it with a visit to the Taling Chan Market, because you can enjoy tours alone or in a group from there. It is worth visiting the canals and observe the local life.
Bangkok has a breathtaking skyline. And where can you enjoy it more than from one of the sky bars? I stayed at the Royal Sheraton Hotel. Its sky bar offers the view shown in Hollywood movie ‘Hangover 2’
SHOPPING AT THE CHATUCHAK MARKET – the Chatuchak weekend market is one of the largest markets in the world and you can find a bargain or two – or even buy your complete equipment here. There are over 10,000 stalls from clothes to souvenirs to delicious Thai cuisine; the market offers everything.
SHOPPING MALLS – very popular among Thais, are also numerous shopping malls in Bangkok. It is best to take the BTS Skydrive to Siam and take a walk from there. Close to the high-priced Siam Paragon and Siam Centre is the MBK Centre, which has many favourable products such as clothing, shoes, souvenirs, movies and more to offer. You can still get things a little cheaper, if you’ll walk along the Ratchadamri Road and past the Central World Plaza. After crossing the Saen Saep River, you find the Platinum Fashion Mall, where all the Thais go shopping.
The writer is information officer at Directorate General Public Relations. She tweets at @Sahreqbalwattoo and can be reached at [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, August 29th 2017.