Eating and drinking in Bangkok

Thai food: colourful, cheap, full of flavour, often spicy and always available – you just can’t beat it. There are five flavours which make up every Thai meal – hot (spicy), sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Thai people are very passionate about their food, and love nothing more than sitting down to a huge meal with family or friends. Usually, several dishes will be ordered at one time for people to share. Most visitors quickly become hooked on trying the hundreds of Thai dishes, which can be anything from extremely spicy vegetable salads, rich curries or incredibly sweet deserts.

Although each dish is different there are certain ingredients that are essential for Thai cuisine. Almost all dishes contain nam pla, a pungent and strong tasting fish sauce as well as shrimp paste, a combination of ground shrimp and salt. Most Thai dishes contain a range of chilies and spices as well as curry pastes, soy sauce, dried shrimp, Thai pepper, and roasted chili paste.

Vegetarian food can be found if you know what to ask for. If you tell a waitress you are vegetarian (mung-sawirat), they will usually be able to suggest vegetarian dishes. Fish and seafood is easy to find.

Here are some of the most popular Thai dishes which should not be missed.
Breakfast is very different to what is served in western countries and can take a little getting used to. There are two main breakfast dishes, Jok, a kind of rice porridge with pieces of meat, ginger and herbs and Khao Tom, a Thai style rice soup.

In Thailand, main meals can be eaten at any time of the day and are often enjoyed 3, 4 or even 5 times a day.
Khao Pad literally means friend rice and is very popular. It is usually made with chicken, beef, shrimp or pork.

Pad Thai is pan fried rice noodles with fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, chopped peanuts, and egg mixed with chicken, seafood, or tofu. Look out for carts selling this incredibly cheaply on Khaosan Road.

Make sure you try Cha Yen – Thai Iced Tea and Kah-Feh Yen – Thai Iced Coffee. Very sweet and creamy, they can be a good way to cool down.

Although beer is widely available, most Thais choose to drink whiskey, sharing a bottle between the group and adding water and ice.

The best time to travel to Bangkok

Thailand has three main seasons: the monsoon or ‘rainy season’, which occurs from July until November, the cooler winter season from November to mid-February and the hotter summer season from March to June.

Many people find the summer season far too hot, whilst newcomers to Thailand find the monsoon season humid and sticky. Generally, it only rains for two or three hours a day during the monsoon season, usually in the early morning and then again around 5 pm.

Most people prefer to visit Thailand between November and February, when the weather is dry and relatively cool and the beaches are at their best. This is also when most of Thailand’s festivals take place.

The peak tourist season is from November to late March, with a secondary peak season in July and August. However, this is also naturally when accommodation is the most expensive. People wishing to save money and avoid the crowds would do well to visit during September and October, when the fear of rain keeps most tourists away.

Central Thailand and the East
Often roasting during the summer (40◦C is not unusual), it rarely gets cold in the capital and surrounding area. If you want to beat the heat and the often torrential rain of the monsoon season, it is best to visit between November and February, with the coolest weather usually in January.

Bangkok’s shopping bargains

Many items can be purchased quite cheaply in Bangkok, as long as you know where to look. Thanks to Thailand’s counterfeit culture, reasonable copies of Billabong shorts, Nike trainers and hundreds of other products can be bought for surprisingly low prices. However, quality varies widely, so have a close look before you buy.

Bangkok, like the rest of Thailand operates under a bartering system, which means that goods sold by street vendors in markets or in some shops are flexibly priced and you can get a very good deal if you know how to haggle powerfully and politely. Like many aspects of Thai culture, bartering is an intricate system that is easy to underestimate. The trick is to let the vendor make the first offer then ask ‘Can you make a discount?’ A good benchmark is to offer half the quoted price.

Be firm, but make sure that you smile and possibly make a joke – if you are seen as too pushy or aggressive you will not be taken seriously and many traders will refuse to deal with you. Remember not to start to bargain unless you’re serious about buying. Also remember that a difference of a few baht may not really make much difference to you, but it may be a big deal to the vendor.

The best bargains can usually be found at large markets. Chatuchak market in Bangkok is a great place for bargain hunting, as is the night market in Chiang Mai.

Night markets are also a great place to shop. Usually opening around 5 pm and often packing up as late as 11 or 12 pm, these are also a great place to find a cheap meal, buy fruit and people watch.

Thailand’s Floating Markets are much photographed and provide an interesting appeal for tourists. The most visited floating market is Damnoen Saduak, which is also the largest. Most tour operators in and around Khaosan Road offer tours to Damnoen Saduak. However, these days the market is very crowded and sells mainly souvenirs and other tourist items. For a more authentic experience, head to the Bang Khu Wiang Floating Market, which is open daily from 04:00 and 07:00, or the Taling Chan Floating Market, which is open on weekends until around 2 pm.

If you’re looking for cheap technology, Panthip Plaza in Bangkok has it all. With 5 floors filled of every type of technological gadget and gismo you could possibly dream of, it is easy to spend half a day here. Remember to barter as most prices are negotiable and seem to be cheaper on the upper floors.

Siam Square in Bangkok is the place to go if you like large shopping centres. There are a wide range to choose from, including MBK, Paragon and Siam Discovery.

Big C is another shopping center chain and can be found all over Thailand in towns, cities and even quite small villages. As well as having its own store, which usually spans several floors, you can usually find dozens of other stores, including international stores such as Boots and The Body Shop.

Bangkok nightlife options

From fantastic costumes and gorgeous girls, pumping beats and delicious cocktails to simply relaxing under the stars, Thailand offers a wide range of entertainment options for those out and about in the evening.

Most of the more vibrant nightlife can be found in Bangkok, and while most bars, restaurants and clubs have a 1am curfew, there are usually one or two places around where you can continue drinking if you want.

Bangkok is by far the best place to go clubbing in Bangkok. There is an incredible variety of clubs where you can dance the night away, from the classy Bed Supperclub in Sukhumvit, to the male-orientated DJ Station in Silom. Another great option is Royal City Avenue (RCA), where there are dozens of clubs and bars playing everything from Thai disco music to hardcore Drum and Bass, Hip Hop and Techno. Expect to pay a cover charge at most clubs (300 baht+) and take a photocopy of your passport for identification.

Go-Go bars are generally located in special areas and can be easily identified by the flashy neon signs and scantily dressed women in the doorways. In Bangkok, head for Soi Cowboy, Nana Plaza or Patpong.

Karaoke Bars can be found all over Bangkok. Imported from Isaan, these bars specialise in loud Isaan music, flashing coloured lights and sexily dressed women crooning on stage. Many bars also have a selection of Western songs and Westerners are welcome to sing, although be aware that a charge for this is often included in your bill.

Alternatively, if you just want to take it easy, there are movie theatres all over Bangkok. All show movies in English with Thai subtitles, even in small villages. When booking, make sure you ask for the ‘subtitle’ movie. A tribute to the king is played at the start of the movie, and you are expected to stand and show respect along with everyone else. The movie theatres are highly air-conditioned and can be a bit chilly, so it is a good idea to take along a light jumper or jacket.

Explore Samut Prakan

Located 29 kilometres south of Bangkok, Samut Prakan is easy to get to and has many interesting tourist activities on offer for those who are willing to take a small step off the usual tourist trail. Built during the Ayutthaya period, Samut Prakan is home to numerous historical and cultural sites.

A great way to get an overview of all that Thailand has to offer is by visiting The Ancient City, which is also known by its Thai name of Muang Boran. This huge park contains large scale models of all Thailand’s major tourist attractions. Visitors can hire a bicycle or a small electrical cart and spend a few hours discovering sites such as the temples of Ayutthaya, Sukhothai and Surat Thani.

Many visitors combine a trip to The Ancient City with the nearby Crocodile Farm, while the Erawan Museum was constructed by the creator of The Ancient City and is the world’s first free-standing metal sculpture to use a hand-shaped technique. This mighty sculpture has to be seen to be believed as it measures 43.60 metres in height and contains hundreds of thousands of pieces of copper meticulously hammered together to form the shape of the beloved mythological elephant.

An alternative to the popular tourist spot of Damnoen Saduak, the Bang Namphueng Floating Market is newly opened. Unlike other floating markets, this is the real deal, created to help local farmers sell their produce and create employment for the community. The floating market is open Saturdays and Sundays 8.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m.

Samut Prakarn is home to some interesting temples, including Wat Klang Worawihan, Wat Asokaram, Wat Phaichayonphonsep Ratchaworawihan and Wat Prot Ket Chettharam, which contains revered Buddha images and the Buddha’s footprint complete with valuable mother-of-pearl inlays.

Take a trip to sin city

Located about 170 kilometres southeast of Bangkok, Pattaya makes a good destination for a weekend break, although with so many entertainment options to choose from, many people tend to stay in the small seaside city for several days. Pattaya means the ’south-west monsoon wind’ in the Thai language and ranks as one of the most successful beach resorts in the world, with more than 5 million visitors each year.

Pattaya is probably best known for its night life. For the curious, this is a good place to see a “Tiffany Show”, where stunningly attractive transsexuals dress in incredibly elaborate costumes and perform gracefully choreographed song and dance numbers on stage. There are also a wide range of go-go bars and discotheques to explore on Walking Street, which is the center of Pattaya’s nightlife.

By day, Pattaya offers a large number of intriguing diversions that are hard to find in most other parts of Thailand. A great entertainment option is the Million Years Stone Park and Pattaya Crocodile Farm, whilst visitors can ride the mighty beasts at the Elephant Village. The world class aquarium at Underwater World Pattaya has beautiful displays of local sea life and you can see scale replicas of Thailand’s key attractions in Mini Siam. Also popular with visitors to Pattaya is Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, and the sign for this can clearly be seen for the beach front.

Pattaya is a great place to let off some steam, and the go cart course and shooting range and good places to do just that, whilst the many spas and massage parlours offer a different way to unwind.

But Pattaya isn’t all neon lights and lipstick, there are also some very beautiful nature spots waiting to be discovered. Pattaya Beach is situated alongside the city centre and is a popular spot for jet-skis and speed boats. Just south of the city is the pretty stretch of sand known as Jomtien Beach, which is much quieter than Pattaya Beach and a good place to chill out for a few hours.

Welcome to Monkey City

Often referred to as “Monkey City” due to the thousands of monkeys that are allowed to reside in peace, Lopburi is the capital city of Lopburi Province. The city is located 150 km north-east of Bangkok and draws thousands of tourists each year, who flock to the city to see the Crab-Eating Macaques as well as the elegant Khmer temples.

If you are interested in the cheeky monkeys, who scamper around stealing food from tourists and causing general mischief, particularly good spots to see them are around the Khmer temple, Prang Sam Yot, and Sarn Phra Karn. All these temples are also interesting in their own right, as are Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat and the former royal palace of Phra Narai Ratchaiwet, which also houses the Lopburi Museum, a great place to cool down and learn more about the local history.

The people of Lopburi take good care of the city’s monkeys as they believe them to be descendants of the monkey lord Hanuman. According to the holy book the Ramayana, Hanuman was a great hero who rescued Sita from her imprisonment in Sri Lanka and built Lopburi as his kingdom.

To the north of Lopburi, the famous and beautiful Saplangka Wildlife Sanctuary provides the perfect day trip for nature lovers. Also worth visiting is the nearby European Palace of Chao Phraya Wichayan, which has many interesting design and style features and some beautiful gardens in which to relax for a while.

Steeped in interesting history, Lopburi is full of temple ruins, which mainly date from the Ayutthaya period. Particularly of note are Wat Nakhon Kosa, Wat San Paolo, Wat Sao Thong and Wat Indra.

A great time to visit Lopburi is during the Monkey festival at the end of November, when the furry inhabitants are treated to a huge feast at the expense of their human neighbours, who take good care of them throughout the year.

Also look out for the King Narai Festival, which occurs in the middle of February and lasts for three days. The festival is marked which displays of local food and textiles, singing and the much anticipated traditional lakhon ling drama which, believe it or not, is performed by monkeys!

Accommodation in Thailand

Thailand offers a wide range of accommodation options, from the flimsiest wooden shack to luxury, five star hotels. Generally, accommodation goes up by as much as a third during the peak tourist seasons and around two or three days before the full moon party on Koh Phangan. Opting for a room with a simple fan and cold water can save a lot of money, whilst luxuries such as power showers, air conditioning and satellite television are often available but don’t come cheap.

Here is an overview of what is available and how much you can expect to pay.

Beach Huts tend to be very rough and ready. If you are looking to save a few baht this might be a good place to hang your hat, although it is a good idea to keep your valuables in a separate safety deposit box – most places offering beach huts also have these. It is a good idea to make sure that your hut comes equipped with a mosquito net as insects come as standard. Prices start from as little as 50 baht per night for the most basic hut away from the beach to 1000 baht for a hut with a bathroom and ocean view.

Tents are another cheap option, especially if you are spending the night in a national park. You can generally get away with paying just 30 baht per night if you have your own tent, or tents can be hired for around 100 baht. Many camp sites have very limited facilities, so it is a good idea to bring your own provisions.

Bungalows are usually found in beach areas. They are generally more comfortable than beach huts as the mattress tends to be thicker and the amount of insects fewer. Most bungalows also have bathrooms, which saves you staggering into a tree in the middle of the night. Prices range from 150 baht for a basic bungalow with a fan and bathroom with cold water to around 500 baht for air conditioning.

River Rafts make an interesting way to view an area, especially if you are staying in a place with stunning scenery such as Kanchanaburi. Most river rafts have large wooden balconies where you can sit and watch the world go by. Expect to pay a minimum of 600 baht for a fan room on the river.

Guesthouses are generally very cheap and cheerful. Many are set up to cater for backpackers and you can get a basic room with a fan and shared bathroom for as little as 100 baht. Most guesthouses serve popular backpacker food such as French fries, pad thai and banana pancakes. They usually have a communal garden or restaurant to chill out in, which can be a good place to meet other backpackers and swap tall tales and travel advice. Most guesthouses do not make a profit from renting out rooms, so it is a good idea to sample one or more of their other services such as food or booking a tour.

Hotels vary dramatically in terms of luxury, facilities and cleanliness. The most basic hotels rooms tend to be very small, have noisy fans and shared bathrooms. Prices start from around 200 baht, whilst the equivalent rooms with air-con start at around 400 baht.

Dream World Theme Park

An interesting day out for kids and adults of all ages is Dream World, which is a large, Western-style amusement park just outside Bangkok. Here, the natural Thai flare for fun and style has been utilised to make the park a true fantasy wonderland.

First stop is the obligatory roller coaster, an elevated orange tangle of track, which loops suddenly and violently, causing its passengers to scream loudly.

The Giant’s House is also popular and inside the house everything is blown up to 50 times the usual size, which instantly makes visitors feel like small children.
Everything seems realistic and yet magical at the same time; it feels just like being inside a fairy tale. There is a magic mirror, goose with golden eggs and even large cobwebs with spiders. Fantastic. The best part is that you are free to play with things and climb on them as you choose. For once, there are no barriers.

Perhaps the main attraction is Snow Town as for most Asian people this is a rare opportunity to experience snow, and a room has been specially created with rooms around 0ºC. Visitors are handed a large padded coat each and a pair of rather large wellington boots and then waddle their way in to the snow room.
Snow Town is suitably snowy and filled with quaint decorative touches such as model penguins, Eskimos and a colossal snowman. To one side is a long icy slope and people are queuing up to ride large padded tyres down the slope.

Information:
The park is open daily from 10:00 – 17:00. Entrance to Dream World costs 450 baht for foreigners, which includes most rides, although attractions such as Snow Town and go-karting cost extra.

Most travel agencies offer a package tour that includes transfer to and from your hotel, entrance fee, a guided tour and lunch. The tour costs 1,000 baht and is a pretty good deal.

Alternatively, it is easy to find Dream World on your own. Air-con bus 523 from the northern bus terminal and bus 538 from Victory Monument will take you right there.

The address is:
62 Moo, 1 Rangsit Nakornnayok Road, Km 7 Thanyaburi, Pathumthani.
For a full colour map, go to
http://www.dreamworld-th.com/english/index.php email: info@dreamworld-th.com
tel: 02533 1152 extension 0

All about pad thai

I first tried pad thai several years ago in a restaurant in London. It was my first experience of Thai food and I had no idea what to expect. Shortly after ordering, I was presented with a plate of thin noodles, vegetables and tofu, topped with group peanuts and lime. The dish was beautifully presented and it seemed a shame to demolish it, but I was glad that I did. The food was delicious; full of rich flavours, interesting textures and just a little bit spicy. For me it was love at first bite.

When I first arrived in Thailand I was delighted to discover that the pad thai I had enjoyed in London for £5 could be bought for as little as 20 Baht – 35p! Not only that, but the delicious dish can be sampled right on Khaosan Road, allowing you to soak up the atmosphere while you eat. Of course, the price varies according to the quality of ingredients and where you eat it, but a large serving of pad thai made with quality ingredients can be bought for 40 or 50 Baht, which is still less than £1.

I quickly discovered that the ingredients, flavours and presentation of pad thai dishes vary significantly between restaurants and areas. Before long I had sampled the dish at most of the restaurants in my area of Bangkok and found my favourite places to eat.

I have found that the tastiest pad thai is located not in fancy restaurants but in small, traditional Thai restaurants or from carts on the street. Eating on the street also provides the opportunity for people watching, always a welcome diversion.

One of my favourite places to eat and watch the world go by is on Soi Rambhutri in the heart of Bangkok’s Banglampu. Here, the blend of Thai people, seasoned travelers and hapless tourists makes interesting and often comical entertainment.

Noodles were first brought to Thailand by Chinese immigrants. They also brought chopsticks and woks, essential equipment for enjoying pad thai. However, Thai people traditionally eat rice three times a day and noodles were overlooked for a long time.

The Prime Minister of Thailand, Luang Phibunsongkhram; introduced pad thai and made it a national dish during World War II. Thailand was faced with a rice shortage and budget crises at this time and the Prime Minister promoted the eating of pad thai to combat the problem.

Today, pad thai is enjoyed all over Thailand and indeed all over the world. It is loved by Westerners because it is not spicy like many other Thai dishes and can be eaten at any time of the day or night.