In the last decade, Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, has secured its place as a vibrant, sophisticated modern metropolis. And it has done so without yielding its place as a fascinating, multi-layered, cultural icon.
The modern cityscape has new bangkok hotels that rank among the best in the world, the shopping malls ablaze with international brands, fine dining restaurants, international fast-food outlets and all the other amenities of a 21stcentury city on the move. But it is abundantly clear that Bangkok is still a city of golden-spired temples and saffron-robed monks, of bustling market and narrow lanes where small communities have lived for generations. The sight of the harmonious proximity of different urban lifestyles often provides a pleasing contrast.
With its recent developments, Bangkok is better than ever for its citizens and for its visitors: more convenient and comfortable, and much easier to get around. The BTS Skytrain light elevated railway and the MRT underground railway provide clean, air-conditioned cross-town travel in a matter of minutes. Visiting the business, shopping and entertainment districts, the Chao Phraya River and many popular destinations is a piece of cake, besides which, the skytrain also provides convenient links to major bangkok hotels.
Whether you come on business, for shopping or sightseeing — and quite often visitors manage all three — Bangkok is always an exciting destination. For the businessman it has first-class bangkok hotels with all the facilities and services of a modern office, and for longer stays there is a rapidly growing number of luxury serviced apartments in prime areas.
Shopping for gems and jewellery, Thai silk and handicrafts earned Bangkok the “shopper’s paradise” label; but the flowering of new, highend department stores like The Emporium, Siam Paragon and Central World and sophisticated plazas with a multiplicity of brand name boutiques, new dimension gourmet dining outlets and other facilities has brought a new meaning to the term.
Options for dining and entertainment have also expanded in the last few years, and Bangkok is now firmly on the map of the seekers after culinary excellence. Celebrated Michelinstarred chefs are frequent visitors, and a handful of new, gourmet restaurants with a quality-driven, price-no-object philosophy have lit up the sky.
But quality exists at all levels; bangkok hotels dining has always been good here, there are excellent stand alone restaurants, and the Thai, Chinese and regional cooking at local restaurants, hole-in-the-wall cafes and streetside stalls remain the magnet for imaginative diners that they have always been.
Entertainment can be as diverse as a symphony concert at the Thailand Cultural Centre, a band playing in an Irish pub, or a blues singer in a smart jazz lounge. The Thais love music and it is everywhere, except, perhaps in the old royal city, the part natural part man-made Rattanakosin Island, home to the awe-inspiring Grand Palace with its glittering spires and ornate halls, and temple of the Emerald Buddha. This is the most highly revered of Bangkok’s 400 temples which have always been a focal point for travellers to Bangkok. Their religious significance is seamlessly united with their splendid architecture and the heady magnificence of their decoration.
Old Bangkok was a city of waterways, the greatest being the Chao Phraya River, the River of Kings, which still supports a colourful, commercial river life with long trains of slow-moving traditional barges, fast long-tail boats, river taxis and the regular cross-river ferries to and from the grand riverside bangkok hotels, The Oriental, Shangri-La, Royal Orchid Sheraton, The Peninsula and Millennium Hilton. There are also more leisurely craft taking visitors deep into the khlong, the picturesque canals beside lined with the painted wooden houses of families living a rural waterside life.
Old and new, exciting and relaxing, contemplative and hyperactive, the city’s Oriental character shines through and illuminates its modern persona. This is the Thai style that permeates every aspect of life like the graceful wai, the unique Thai greeting accompanied by the smile of welcome that enchants visitors and calls them to return.