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Editor's note: This excerpt first appeared in photographer and author Harold Davis' recent Focal Press book, Photographing Flowers: Exploring Macro Photography with Harold Davis. The closer you...
Capital City with 10M people by Amanda Nourse and Glenn Weinreb,
Bangkok is huge, crowded, and hot. Damn hot. If you are looking for a relaxing setting, you might want to fly into Bangkok, switch planes, and then fly another hour to a more relaxing abode. Alternatively, one can sleep in Bangkok and then travel the next day, yet this costs a day and it puts you in potentially horrendous Bangkok traffic. Bangkok has much to offer in the way of museums, shopping, hotels, and restaurants, albeit in the heat and among the masses.
Shanti Lodge Bangkok - This is a popular guest house in the
Thewet & National Library area, about 1 hour car ride from the airport ($25
taxi). Rooms sell for $3 to $10/day, where the higher end units include AC, a
private bedroom and shower; yet no hot water and no private bathroom. The huge
advantage to Shanti Lodge is the food. It is unbelievable good. The owners, Kim
and Happy (yes, his name is "Happy"), are meticulous about food quality, and
Kim's Australian upbringing has elevated their service to western standards. The
typical dinner here is $2.50. Tel 281-2497, Address: 37 Sri Ayuthaya Road, Soi 16
Marriott Royal Garden Riverside Bangkok - This is a high end
luxury resort hotel located on the river that runs through the heart of Bangkok.
Rooms start at $100 and the quality is similar to a high end $300/day resort in a
developed country. We stayed here 1 night and were not disappointed.The hotel has
several fancy reataurnats on its grounds, and there is a huge swimming pool
complete with a swim-up bar. The rooms all have balconies and huge bathrooms with
super-hot water. The place is gorgeously landscaped, and is really like a garden
oasis in hot, loud, busy Bangkok. www.royal-garden.com.Amanda: I love Bangkok. For me it is 'home base' for any travel in SE Asia. I feel very safe and un-self-conscious here. Maybe it is because I spent a year living here (teaching English), Learned the language here, and have even been told in other parts of Thailand that I speak Thai with a "Bangkok accent", but for me, Bangkok is home away from home. Also I know I can get all my favorite snacks here - fresh pineapple and papaya from the fruit carts, grilled bananas, coconut sticky rice with sweet potato wrapped in banana leaf and grilled, tamarind candy, sesame candy, fresh longnan (a tropical fruit) juice, fresh sweet chrysanthemum tea, and of course the best som tam (spicy green papaya salad) you can possibly imagine.
Glenn: I found Bangkok interesting, yet also found it hot and crowded. Personally, I prefer less density and cooler temperatures.
No copyright -- please take.
Yoonki Kim , January 15, 2003; 03:27 A.M.
I am Korean, settled in Bangkok.
The nature of Thailand is beautiful, but people really nice.
I think its a great luck living here.
Also, very good place for photographers, here we have nice light, saftely, everything needed for travellors.
I take pictures of Thailand and put them in my website, please take a look.
Yoonki, in Bangkok
http://yoonki.net
