Bangkok - bizarre and beautiful

The Grand Palace challenged my occidental prejudices, I was delirious from bargain-hunting in MBK and Patpong, and I'm still wearing the suit I got made at Ambassador Tailors.

Quick Tips:

Decide what you want to do in Bangkok before you book accommodation. We did a lot of shopping, so it would have been better if we had located ourselves near the sky-train.

Best Way To Get Around:

The sky-train is wonderful. Air-conditioned, clean and inexpensive by western standards. We had negative experiences with taxis - they kept trying to bring us to Patpong. We had a card for Ambassador Tailors in Thai script which we handed to a metered taxi-driver and he brought us to the wrong side of the city to another tailor. Very frustrating. You have to be very firm.

This hotel was good value. Our room was clean, although it had a slightly musty smell. All necessary conveniences were there. Breakfast was good also.

It was near the grand palace, but if you intend doing a lot of shopping in Bangkok, do not stay here. We got suits made in Ambassador Tailors, Sukhamvit and we spent an hour getting there and nearly an hour and a half getting back.

The main thing to watch out for is the exorbitant cost of laundry and phone calls. Don’t use either – this is obviously where they make most of their profit.

If you only visit one cultural sight in Bangkok, let it be the Grand Palace. Ignore the drivers of taxis and tuk-tuks when they say the Grand Palace is closed. Our taxi driver insisted on making one stop on the way to a silk shop. We just stayed in the taxi until he drove on. Try to go early in the morning to avoid the crowds. The humidity is stultifying so the last thing you want to bring is extra clothes. That isn’t a problem – you can borrow clothes appropriate to a temple for free. Be warned: the clothes they provide are not trendy. But they make photos all the more interesting.

The Grand Palace definitely shook my occidental prejudices; the dazzling colours and ornateness of the monuments reminded me of how wealthy and advanced Siam was.

http://www.smartfashion.com/map.htm

We got suits made in Ambassador Fashions and would highly recommend them. Apparently, Bob Hope got his tuxedos made here I got one 2-piece wool suit, one 3-piece cashmere suit, 2 shirts, bodice and formal trousers for 425 euro. Be prepared to bargain. Nearly a year later, all are looking well. The service was very thorough and enjoyable. We had a few glasses of wine while we were being measured and also while trying them on. There may be cheaper places but I think the standard of English and knowledge of European fashions makes Ambassador worth going to. Ambassador is more geared towards men’s suits than women’s. A few pictures of what you want from magazines may be useful but not essential as they have plenty of western (and Thai) catalogues. I would suggest that you should allow plenty of time to try them on in case they need to be altered.

Again, be careful of taxi drivers, trying to take you to different tailors where they are paid commission instead of where you would like to go. Ambassador provide free pick-up so that is what I would do if going again.

Shopping has become of the main universal past-times – ‘retail therapy’ must be one of the most clichéd expressions. For those of you, like me, who get a high from finding a bargain, Bangkok is paradise.

Our first port of call was the Pratanum market (near the Amari Watergate hotel), which was recommended to me as less touristy and better value than Patpong. It was after 8:00 when we arrived so unfortunately it was closing up.

On to Patpong. Patpong is a surreal place –strip clubs tripping over stalls of souvenirs, knocked off designer-stuff. It’s a great people-watching place. The ugliness of the Western men seems to be in inverse proportion to the beauty of the go-go girls. Fair play to the girls; they really get their escorts to lighten their wallets at the market. I felt safe in Patpong although it’s so crowded I would say it is a Mecca for pickpockets.

Be prepared to bargain and you will find good value – I got a good quality Ralph Lauren polo shirt for €2, an Oriental dressing gown for €6, a teddy for €2. Avoid the bootlegs CDs – the sound quality is very poor.

Our next port of call was MBK (Mah Boon Kong)mall. It’s a huge shopping centre (seven floors) near the National Stadium Sky Train stop. MBK is a bit like an air-conditioned market. There is a lot of trash but there are a few bargains to be had e.g. a real leather wallet for €2. After all the frenetic activity you can relax by having a facial on the third floor for under €10.

I definitely think you should leave a bit of room in your luggage for shopping in Bangkok but be warned: most of the ware is on the cheap and cheerful end of the spectrum.