TRAVEL | Robot Building

Another building we must check out while we're in Bangkok is the Robot Building, which was originally built for the Bank of Asia but now owned by the United Overseas Bank. This building is best viewed on the platform at the Surasak Sky Train platform.

Built by the Thai architect Sumet Jumsai during the 80's, the building is one of the last examples of modern architecture in Bangkok.

TRAVEL | Chatuchak Weekend Market

The Chatuchak market is the larget market in Thailand and possibly the largest in the world! It is probably no joke to say that this market sells practically everything under the sun, from the smallest nails, to foods, trendy fashions, antiques intricate wooden carvings, masks from far-off lands, adorable fluffy dogs, colorful fish of every hue and singing birds.

With about 200,000 to 300,000 visitors to the market each day, visitors must be prepared to be crowded in the narrow passageways lined with merchandise with no air-conditioning. Beware of extreme claustrophobia while inside, so I suggest we go really early in the morning!

Cute puppies, gold fish! You can find almost anything at the world's biggest flea market







Near the Chatuchak market is the Elephant Building, one of the most famous buildings in Bangkok.

TRAVEL | Wat Arun

The famous Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of the Dawn, is one of the most striking riverside landmark of Thailand and one of the most published images of Bangkok. It is on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river, on the opposite bank of the Grand Palace in Ko Ratanakosin. Like many Khmer styled temples, the central prang represents Mount Meru, a sacrad mountain in buddhist cosmology, home of the gods. The four smaller prangs symbolize the four winds. High up on the four smaller towers, you can see a statue of Pai, god of the winds, on his horse.

Despite the name, the most spectacular view of the monument can be seen from the east side of the river at sunset, when the spires of Wat Arun make an impressive silhouette against the skyline.

Chinese ships used to come to Bangkok carrying tons of old ceramics as ballast. A lot of them can be found decorating the temple like this one

TRAVEL | Bangkok - Banglamphu

Banglamphu is a district home to a very lively travelers scene, due to the mass numbers of budget accommodation located along Khao San Road. Here, one can find an extensive market selling a huge range of goods, ranging from cheap clothes to Thai handicrafts, a perfect place for souvenirs. The backstreets here retain a genuinely Thai atmosphere, much more so than Bangkok's other main tourist attractions such as Silom and Sukhumvit, making visiting this neighborhood an interesting experience for travelers.

Just an interesting note, the start to the movie The Beach was set on Khao San Road.

Khao San Road

Developed over the years into probably the most profound worldwide example of a "backpackers' ghetto", with cheap accommodation compared to other areas of central Bangkok.

Khao San Road as well as the adjacent alley-ways are packed with inexpensive clothing, cheap tee-shirts, bootleg CDs, small wooden carvings of animals, hemp clothing, pillows, watches, pins, all the necessary backpacker travel items.

Democracy Monument

A public monument in the centre of Bangkok,built to commemorate the nation's transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy in 1932.

TRAVEL | Rooftop bars in Bangkok

To fully enjoy the views of this enormous city, one can head up to the numerous rooftop bars in Bangkok, where you can indulge in fine food/cocktail while having a bird's eye view of this sprawling metropolis. Although drinking or dining at these venues can be expensive by the usual Thai standards, the experience is unique enough to make it a justifiable extravagance for your trip.

Vertigo Grill & Moon Bar

61 floors above ground, this open-air rooftop lounge has views that simple will take your breath away. Situated on top of the Banyan Tree hotel

Sirocco

No night out in Bangkok is complete without a couple cocktails at Sirocco. Located on top of The Dome at State Tower, 64th floors above the streets of Bangkok, this rooftop bar boasts 360 degree views of the city with city lights in every direction, as far as the eye can see.

Baiyoke Sky Hotel

The tallest hotel in Bangkok currently, with 3 restaurants and bars located on its peak, 80+ floors above the streets of Bangkok.

The Long Table

Claimed to have the longest table in the world, the Long Table resides on the 25th floor of the Column Tower, owned by the group who also brought the city the Bed Supperclub.

TRAVEL | Bangkok - Silom/Riverside

Silom, Bangkok's equivalent to New York's Wall street, is one of the city's most important financial districts, with glistening skyscrapers all boasting the names of financial institutions. The infamous Patpong is also situated in this area. The riverside district beside the Phraya River, joining to Silom is home to the city's most exclusive hotels, including the Oriental Hotel and Shangri-La.

Patpong

The internationally known red light district of Bangkok's sex industry

Patpong is also one of the must go night shopping destination

Lumpini Park

Bangkok's oldest and largest park is an inner-city haven of tranquility, fresh air and shade

Joe Louis Puppet Theatre

Located at the Suan Lum Night bazaar, this is a mesmerizing puppet show using traditional Thai small puppets

Silom Soi 2

The center of gay nightlife in Bangkok

Three Sixty

The Three Sixty Bar at the Bangkok Millennium Hilton provides a genuinely spectacular in-the-round vista of Bangkok’s skyline from the banks of the Chao Phraya river



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TRAVEL | Bangkok - Sukhumvit

Since we'll be doing a side trip to Bangkok on our Phnom Penh trip, I decided to dedicate a few posts to attractions in Bangkok, starting with the buzzing Sukhumvit.

Sukhumvit is Bangkok's main shopping strip and, in many ways the center of modern Bangkok. Sukhumvit Road is best described as Bangkok’s leading commercial district. It is one of the four major highways of Thailand and indeed one of the longest roads in the world, stretching all the way to the Cambodian border in the east. Although this area is poor on traditional tourist attractions, the area is rich in of-the-minute shopping, eating and nightlife.

Siam Square

The Times Square of Bangkok

MBK

The most visited mall in Bangkok

Soi Cowboy

The notorious red-light district

With elephants marching up and down the streets!

Siam Ocean World

The biggest aquarium in South East Asia

Thailand Creative & Design Centre (TCDC)

Asia's first design learning and resource facility

The Emporium

Bangkok's first luxury lifestyle mall

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