Bangkok - Flying Angels, Fallen Angels

Leaving behind cold, wet London and travelling to warm sunny Bangkok seemed somehow to sum up our experiences of this fascinating city as a place of contrasts.

Sky and Earth: Sit 656 feet above the city sipping cocktails then perch on a roadside stool slurping noodles.

Ancient and Modern: Ride the futuristic Skytrain then marvel at the Emerald Buddha in the Temple of Wat Phra Kaew.

Busy and Quiet: Jostle your way through the crowds of Chinatown then sit and watch the beauty of Tai Chi early in the morning at Lumphini Park.

Wealthy and Without: Sumptuous and towering hotels, shopping centres with designer stores stand next to derelict buildings and small lean to shacks.

Healthy and Unwholesome: Treat yourself to a revitalising massage at Wat Pho but mind the city's seemingly ever present smog.

Bangkok is also a sensory experience, sights, sounds, and smells build into a sense memory that will stay with you long after you’ve left. And later something small, some sound or smell will trip that memory and almost stop you in your tracks as it sends you spinning back to Bangkok.

And it’s a place of emotion, of sensations. They are drawn out of you almost like the place is reaching into your soul and asking you to question yourself. Sometimes the feeling is wonderful, the temples and shrines can evoke such a spiritual sensation, regardless of what religion you are or how strong any belief that you have may be. At other times what you feel may be more ambiguous, less easy to define as, for example, you encounter the sex trade and its implications.

You have to accept it all, the beauty and the less than beautiful, in order to really appreciate the city. Don't ignore anything because each contrast, each dichotomy, is an ingredient which adds up to the amazing experience that is Krung Thep, the City of Angels.

Quick Tips:

My ideal itinerary for a few days in Bangkok would be (in no particular order)...

Spend a morning at the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, then the afternoon in relaxing Wat Pho, where you can also get a fantastic Thai massage at the temple's massage school.

Take a trip on the Chao Praya River, eat some food from one of the stalls in Chinatown and climb the cental praang at Wat Arun.

Feed the turtles at Wat Prayoon and shield your eyes as the light catches the golden Buddha at Wat Traimit.

Shop till you drop at MBK, buy fake goods at Patpong and craft stuff at Suan Lum Night Market.

Breathe in the incense at the Erawan Shrine and get up early in the morning to wander through the exercise classes in Lumphini Park.

Treat yourself to cocktails at The Oriental or in the Vertigo bar at the top of the Banyan Tree Hotel.

Get up early-ish, stay up late, drink some Chang Beer, and enjoy yourself!

Best Way To Get Around:

The BTS skytrain is an efficient, fast economical—and appealingly futuristic—way of getting round parts of Bangkok and it does have interchanges with both the metro and the river buses service. If you’re staying in the Sukhumvit and Silom areas you’ll probably use it a lot.

There is only one Metro line which does interconnect with the skytrain at a couple of points. It’s useful for getting to Lumphini Park and some area of Sukhumvit and Silom

The various river boat services are a fantastic way to do a bit of sightseeing as well as travel to sites such as Wat Arun, Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace. Different coloured flags indicate whether the boats are express—thus not stopping at each pier, or not. Check with the boards outside the piers as to which route fits which flag. Payment is made on board the boat, they do get very busy, hang on tight as they can speed along and if you do feel a bit faint of heart trying to get on and off there is usually someone to help you or, if it’s really busy, push you from behind. There is also a tourist boat for which you buy a day pass allowing you to hop on and off at 10 major sightseeing spots and which gives you a commentary on the way. Worth it if you are intending to spend the day exploring the river and its sites but if you are just intending two or three short hops stick to the other boat services.

Taxis are plentiful and cheap but can get gridlocked in the Bangkok traffic. Insist that the meter is turned on—unless you want to spend time negotiating a price—and for both taxis and Tuk Tuks its worth having the name of your hotel or destination written down in Thai.

Tuk tuks are useful for short journeys but do be careful in case you are inveigled into first going on a side trip to a ‘friend’ or ‘family members’ jewellery shop or tailors and get stuck there being persuaded to buy something rather than been taken to your chosen destination! Just insist on going where you want to go and agree the price in advance.

The Bel Aire Princess is described as a "boutique" hotel. Now, I don't really understand what "boutique hotel" means, but my idea of a boutique is a rather self-important, consciously elite place staffed by unfeasibly trendy and finicky people who wouldn't allow the likes of me through the door. Happily, the Bel Aire is none of those things.

It is a comfortable, welcoming hotel in a great location. We arrived on an early flight and our room wasn't ready, but the desk clerk was more than happy to take our bags and offer us complimentary coffee while we checked in. Indeed, all the staff members were extremely charming and helpful. The public areas are elegantly but understatedly decorated. There is a small bar (open until midnight) and a restaurant/breakfast room. We didn’t eat there, but it looked very pleasant.

The rooms are large, with very comfortable beds and extremely effective air-conditioning! They are perhaps a little sparsely decorated--a few more pictures on the walls may have added a bit more character. The bathroom was small but clean with a bath and shower. There is a minibar and tea- and coffee-making facilities--great for my morning cuppa!

The swimming pool is quite small--and very cold!--but a nice place to sit and relax.

The Soi (Sukumvit Soi 5), upon which the hotel is situated, is very quiet and has the advantage of being near a number of bars, restaurants (Sukhumvit is a great place for nightlife), a Foodland Supermarket (with its fantastic food bar), and the Nana Skytrain (a 5-minute walk).

We enjoyed our stay immensely, and if you are looking for a reasonably priced hotel, I would certainly recommend it.

Prices for a room range between $85 to $90 and 48 to 53 pounds sterling per room per night.

The slogan of Seafood Market is "If it swims we have it" and certainly the array of fresh fish, shellfish, lobsters, crabs and other seafood seems to bear this out.

It is more like a large food court that a restaurant, seating I would imagine into the hundreds. your A waiter helps you choose what you want - not just seafood but vegetables and other accompaniments - from what looks like a huge fresh fish/deli counter at a supermarket. Fun in itself as you try and decide whether you want another huge shrimp or that extra bit of cuttlefish. If you are unsure the waiter is there to advise and, later, advice will also come on how best to have the food cooked and served such as in a in a Thai Curry Sauce, a soup, deep fried, boiled etc..

The standard of cooking is excellent and the service speedy. Seeing your piece of fish return having been tuned into a delicious chili-based curry is like the food equivalent of "Stars in Their Eyes".

The cost is based on what you choose, its weight and the way it is cooked so you can either choose carefully and keep the price down or - especially if you go for the lobster - splash out and rack the price up. I would imagine a good average would be £30.00-£40.00 for two including drinks and a good amount of food. This is certainly not going to be the cheapest meal you can have in Bangkok but it will probably be one of the most memorable.

Visit their website at www.seafood.co.th

Exhausted from your trip round the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, well, rest and recuperation can be found just across the road at the Krisa Coffee House.

This fantastic little cafe serves excellent and reviving Thai food in a friendly atmosphere -all the staff are absolutely charming - and at great prices. Four dishes plus a couple of drinks should cost between 300 and 400 baht including a tip, about £4.20 to £5.60, $7.30 to $9.77.

Chose from a menus that includes:

Noodles with beef or chicken or seafood and egg
Rice with meat or fish and holy basil
Spicy chilli soup with chicken or seafood
Crab rolls with spicy dip
Fried cashew nuts,
Seafood or meat in omelette on rice

Being small it does get busy but if you don't mind waiting I would certainly recommend it. You'll leave feeling rejuvenated and ready to head back into the Bangkok bustle!

Cafe is open from 10am to 8pm.

There is a number of Foodland Supermarkets aground Bangkok but the one most local to our hotel was on Sukhumvit Soi 5. As well as being an excellent place to stock up on Thai spices, coconut milk and Chang beer there is also a food counter at the front of the store serving up cheap and tasty fare.

They do serve Western dishes - American breakfast, beef steak and even scotch egg - but better still go for any number of Thai/Asian dishes - including a wide range of vegetarian options, cooked fresh in sizzling woks in the small kitchen area behind the counter.

Prices are very economic - a main course will set you back between 50 and 90 baht (£0.68 sterling to £1.20)

They are also open 24 hours, so if you just have to have that extra hit of Yellow Curry or Pad Thai at 2.00am, Foodland is the place.

Set aside plenty of time to visit the Royal Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, it's not just that this is one of the city's major tourist attractions and therefore full of visitors but that there is just so much detail to take in. Your senses will be crowded with the vivid flood of colour from the fantastically decorated buildings and statues, the sound of bells along the rooflines, and the smell of incense.

The Emerald Buddha—a figure of great reverence in Thailand—dressed in one of his gold costumes (they are changed dependent on the season) is housed in a wonderfully decorated Chapel Royal. Outside is the almost iconic shape of the golden chedi, in which ashes of the Buddha are housed, fierce looking demon figures can be found guarding other buildings, and you can follow the whole story of the Ramakian depicted in paintings on the arcade surrounding the temple complex. The latter is also a good place to shade yourself from the sun, the crowds, and the quite overwhelming impression that the temple can make on you.

The Palace, by contrast to the classical Thai architecture of Wat Phra Kaew, is almost a Western looking Pavilion (it was designed by a British architect) topped with Thai spires. It is currently being renovated so any photo opportunities are rather scuppered by scaffolding.

There is a very strict dress code for the Wat and Palace complex. You should wear long trousers or skirts that are below the knee and shirts with sleeves (a shawl/wrap over a sleeveless top will not do). If you don't adhere to the dress code you can borrow suitable wear from an office near the entrance.

This is one of the places where you are likely to encounter the "Grand Palace isn't open, I'll take you to another temple" scam. Be polite and say you'd like to find out for yourself. The Palace/Temple complex is open everyday 8:30am - 3:30pm.

Wandering around the beautifully decorated chedi of Wat Pho you can almost forget you are in the bustling city of Bangkok, the rambling complex can seem more suited to a rural rather than urban setting. That is not to say that it doesn’t get busy but the largest wat in Thailand does allow you to find space for yourself.

You are most likely to encounter other visitors and worshippers around the magnificent reclining Buddha. The statue is 151 feet (46m) long and covered in gold leaf, as you wander along its length you pass smaller shrines until, reaching the feet, you can let your gaze travel back towards the head and appreciate what a truly amazing object it is. The soles of the feet are inlaid with mother of pearl, and on the other side of the Buddha are 108 bronze bowls. Placing a coin in each of them is supposed to be auspicious and bring merit, if you don’t have 108 coins on you then for a small donation you can buy a pot of coins allowing you to complete the ritual.

Take time to enter some of the smaller temple buildings surrounding the Reclining Buddha. In one, we were invited to join other worshippers to shake fortune sticks, a memorable experience.

Wat Pho exudes a sense of calm and contemplation, the perfect antidote for fraught senses. And for fraught bodies the complex is also a centre of traditional Thai medicine and massage. A great place to revive both body and soul.

Tucked away in the shadow of the Memorial Bridge Wat Prayoon is a temple complex surrounding a small artificial hill where models of houses—shrines to family members—are perched.

As well as being a very peaceful place to wander the main attraction of Wat Prayoon, are the snapping turtles, which live in the ponds around the temple. For 10 baht you can buy a plate of fruit or bread, borrow a long stick (to protect nips on fingers) watch them swim up and feed them.

The local belief is that doing so gains special merit. The oldest—their shells covered in moss—are old hands at this but it’s the younger ones—trying to keep from drifting off in the current—that will have you reaching over the water with your piece of fruit and braving falling in. Great fun for all ages!

To get to Wat Prayoon walk over Memorial Bridge then you should see the Pagoda on the right hand side. Two snapping turtle statues stand guard outsofde the entrance.
Open daily: 9am-6pm

Towards the late 18th century King Taksin established Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn, as the seat of royal power and worship, and home to the Emerald Buddha. After the accession of a new king the royal focus moved to Wat Phra Kaew, however, Wat Arun remained an important religious and historical site.

The central praang is approximately 80 metres high and forms a recognisable landmark on the riverside. You can walk up the lower tiers (the steps are quite steep so take care) and see in closer detail the fierce looking statues—Kinnari (half bird and half human) and Yakshas (demons)—which support the upper levels and also the Chinese porcelain that was used to decorate the structure. Four smaller but still richly decorated prangs surround this central pillar.

Get close up to the central prang and other structures in Wat Arun and you will see that they are highly decorated with pieces of porcelain made into different patterns. The porcelain was brought to Bangkok as ballast in Chinese trading ships.

Although the central prang does dominate the complex there is also a wonderful courtyard nearby looking like the sort of landscape where a martial arts fight would take place! Under a rectangular and blissfully shady veranda sit a large number of gold coloured Buddhas, and in front of this are numerous wonderful statues of monks, beasts, and warriors on horseback. In the middle is a beautifully decorated pavilion—not open when we were there—and a fine golden Buddha in another shrine. There are also some interesting views towards the central prang from the courtyard and the terrace outside the shrine.

The whole complex, with its great views of the river, is a wonderful place to wander around. The anticipation as you cross the river and the prang looms bigger in your view will certainly be borne out by your visit.

In the middle of a bustling neighbourhood stands Wat Traimit, a small complex of fairly plain, unadorned buildings dominated by one thing—a 3 metre tall, 5 or 6 tonne image of the Buddha made from solid gold.

The Buddha, made in the Sukhothai period (mid 13th to mid 14th century), was later covered in plaster to protect it from Burmese invaders. It remained in this state for a couple of centuries until in the mid 1950s when, upon moving the statue, the plaster started to crack and the its true nature literally shone though.

It’s a very impressive image—the gleaming colour of the statute surrounded by candles and offerings—although it somehow seems a little constricted by the small pavilion it is placed on. But then I suppose 5 tonnes of gold is going to overwhelm most things!

Looking a bit like an Arndale Centre circa the mid-80s, MBK (Mah Boon Krong) is basically a huge covered market spread over five floors, also incorporating a cinema and food court.

Need a new watch? Choose from a fake Rolex, D&G, Guess, and any number of other names. Always wanted a Thai Team football shirt? You’ll find one here. Run out of credit of your mobile phone? Just buy another one. Aching to see “Batman Begins”? You’ll find numerous copies on offer. In fact, MBK can kit you out from top to toe with clothes accessories and entertainment devices. If you want plenty, and I mean plenty, of choice in you fake goods/souvenir/gift shopping, this is the place.

Be prepared to haggle, be prepared to spend, and be prepared to buy yourself that Louis Vuittan handbag you always knew you really wanted!

About 656 feet above ground on top of the Banyon Tree Hotel is Vertigo, the highest - or so the advertising has it - alfresco bar in the world.

The service is impeccable, the cocktails wonderful, and the view - though muddied a little by the Bangkok smog - amazing...just see how close those airplanes are to you!

Cocktails will set you back about 310 baht each (4.32 sterling), plus service and tax. The Moonshine Romance, which comes in an icily steaming glass bowl with a rose on the side, is camp and fantastic.

Be warned, the bar is not for the faint0hearted. At 656 feet in the open air is high, and we spent a good portion of the time, at least until the cocktails reached our blood stream, not standing up and discreetly hanging on to the side of our chairs.

The newest of Bangkok's night markets Suan Lum not only offers the more usual fare of fake designer goods, Thai silk scarves and incense sets but also small shops selling arts and crafts from local designers and artists. The pottery and paintings are particularly worth a look.

There is also a large food court and beer garden area featuring live music (the Thai equivalent of Busted when we were there!) and - more bizarrely - re-runs of three year old Premiership football matches on a big screen.

In the beer garden either go to the bars or look for the waiters selling Chang or Tiger beer, which are at fairy reasonable prices (50 to 100 Baht, 0.70 to 1.40 sterling per bottle). Otherwise you may be offer Western imported beer at an exorbitant price (Erdinger and Heineken for the equivalent of about 5.00 sterling per litre)