12 HOURS IN BANGKOK

BY UWERN JONG

I found myself watching the rising sun glow red over the Chao Praya river, as the splendid stupa of Wat Arun (the aptly named ‘Temple of the Dawn’) reflected the rays of a new day out into its metropolis. It was a somewhat humbling and spiritual experience, a calm moment before Bangkok awakes and explodes into the buzzing, crowded, noisy, dusty and exciting city that it is.

Walking through the streets of Bangkok’s Chinatown just before the crack of dawn is a novel way to see the city. Arriving into the MRT stop of the old-school train station Hua Lamphong, it was literally me and three other early-bird tuk-tuk drivers on the station steps. And they suprised me, as even at this hour of the morning, I was expectant of their well-practiced, trade-drumming “Hello Sir, Where you going?, Tuk-Tuk? Cheap-cheap” - but all I got was a yawn, a rubbing of an eye and a suprised look as if to say “Mate, it’s way too early, go back to sleep”.

So, what was I doing up and about in Bangkok at 6am in the morning? Well, I had just arrived on the Royal Thai Airways International flight into Bangkok’s Subarnavumi airport at 5am from Zurich, experiencing their new scheduling from Europe to arrive at the crack of dawn Bangkok time. They’re slowly upgrading their business class product, but even as it stands, the “lie-almost-flat-but-at-a-slight-angle” seats and the amazing leg-room made a comfortable journey, recharging my Explorer batteries. As I wasn’t stopping in Bangkok, Thai Airways let me connect through to an evening flight, so to give you a good 12 hours to experience its capital city - either on your own, or through an organised city tour. Having been to the city before, I took it on myself to stroll.

Getting to the city is really simple. As is dropping your hand luggage off with ‘Left Luggage’ in the terminal’s arrival hall - at just 100Baht per item (about £2/$3.50) for the day, all I took with me was a city map and a bottle of water.

The fantastic new train line from the airport into the city costs just 45Baht (30 mins with stops to the central station of Makkasan) or 150Baht if you haven’t got 15 minutes to spare and want to express directly into town. Everything is signposted incredibly clearly in English, so you don’t even really need to ask anyone, but most will take pleasure in conversing with you, so no need to worry there. Once in town, you can connect to a number of train, metro or skytrain lines - all air conditioned, comfortable and cheap.

So I found myself on a slow walk through Chinatown in the almost dark, the air fresh, the streets car-less. Although it was dark, the city felt safe, no one really stopped to stare, nor did I feel threatened as a stranger in a strange land at any time. 

I found a late-night/early morning obligatory pad-thai place for breakfast at the riverside market. Sat across me on a long bench at the makeshift cafe was a ladyboy and a girl friend (I think?), who had clearly been out all night and three market traders tucking into their breakfast, all engaged in happy conversation as their two worlds collided.



SPIRITUALISED





Breakfast done, I continued to walk upriver towards Wat Arun on the opposite shore. Determined to catch it as the sun rose, I walked up to the pier and got my ferry ride across to Thonburi. The sun was coming up now, the city warming up and you could tell, I’m not sure why exactly, but you just could... that Bangkok was quickly waking up.

Wat Arun is a splendid temple, named after the Indian god of the dawn, Aruna. It almost looks like it was carved out of a giant mountain, but if you look closely you’ll see an amazing mosaic of tiles all over it’s Khmer-esque dome.
It doesn’t really open to the public until 9am, but standing in its magnificent red shadow as the sun rose really cleansed the soul.

RETAIL THERAPY

Back on the Ko Ratanakosin side of the river, Bangkok had seriously woken up, it was a totally different city - a gridlock of cars, motorbike taxis, tuk-tuks, market traders, school kids, noise and grime. The thing you don’t notice in the dark is just how grimy the city actually is - some would go to say horrendously dirty, but I think all that dirt is part of the charm of this fast-moving city.

The market was in full swing. Every imaginable thing was on and for sale, from Buddhist amulets to bananas, pork belly to plumbing-hardware... men, women and children were dragging basket-full of goods, left, right and centre. Stray dogs were feeding off breakfast scraps. Tourist tat was thrust in my face. The tuk-tuk drivers had woken up and started gesticulating in my direction. The city had come alive and it was quite a sight.

Someone had also seriously turned the heat up, and whilst the sky stayed hazy, it was getting really warm, so I jumped into an air-conditioned taxi and headed for my next destination. Siam Square - the shopping hub of the city. In total contrast to the market that I had just walked through, these towering temples of commerce called its worshippers with the neon promise of Louis Vuitton, Krispy Kremes and Apple. Siam Square and its surrounding area is quite something, a network of shops of all varieties, linked to a skybridge that floats over Bangkok’s traffic jams, that in turn links into the shopping meccas of Discovery Centre, Siam Centre, MBK Centre, Central World and Siam Paragon. Retailtainment at its best, you could get lost in here for days; and end up penniless.

It took me hours to navigate each mall and when I finally sat down, beaten, in the food-court of Siam Paragon, I noticed that it was conveniently time for lunch. And believe me, the world comes to you for lunch at the Siam Paragon. Being a foodie, I thought I’d perhaps died from heat-stroke and gone to heaven.

UNTANGLED

They say you can’t go all the way to Bangkok and not be pampered in one of the many fabulous spas. The masseurs here are among the best in the world. There are so very many upmarket spas to choose from, usually attached to hotel brands - each with their own signature concepts and treatments and for a fraction of the price you get back home.

I opted for the Chi spa at the Shangri-la Bangkok, back on the river, but further south. The Shangri-la is a stalwart of the Bangkok, in fact Asian luxury hotel scene. But they are masters at reinventing themselves to deliver concepts that suit the modern traveller.

And the Chi spa was no exception. Quite possibly one of the largest luxury spas I had ever seen in my life, with (wait for it) 12 “spas within spas”; meaning each individual treatment room is in fact a spa in itself - with its own steam-room, massage bed, plunge pools, spa baths - and some even with their own hamamms and heated stone massage beds.

After a quick consultation, I was whisked into one of these rooms where my masseuse worked his magic. My treatment was called the ‘Element Vitality’, where essential oils based on the elements were chosen based on how I answered the questions during my consultation. Designed to strengthen the body’s vital energy, he guaranteed he would whip away my jetlag and that I would continue my journey with renewed spirit. With a mix of ‘Wood’ and ‘Water’ oils, I was ready to go.

The treatment started with a hot foot soak and rub in a brass bowl adorned with petals. Coarse salts rubbed away my sore walking feet and readied me for the massage table.

It was seriously one of the best massages I have ever had. Two hours of dedicated shiatsu, swedish and reflexology techniques went just way too quick. I was chilled, down to the core - the man expertly undid all the knots from my 10 hour flight and truly left me revitalised and full of beans. And all there was left to do was to enjoy my ‘spa in spa’ for an hour, before I jumping back onto the skytrain that whisked me back to the airport and off to the next leg of this exciting Asian odyssey.