Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [0]
THE AUTHORS
GETTING STARTED
BACKGROUND
NEIGHBOURHOODS
SHOPPING
EATING
DRINKING & NIGHTLIFE
ENTERTAINMENT & THE ARTS
SPORTS & ACTIVITIES
SLEEPING
EXCURSIONS
TRANSPORT
DIRECTORY
LANGUAGE
BEHIND THE SCENES
MAP LEGEND
THE AUTHORS
Andrew Burke
Andrew has been coming to Bangkok for long enough that he can remember Th Khao San with barely any neon and Sukhumvit traffic before the Skytrain (not a good memory). Since then he’s spent more than 15 years travelling through, photographing and writing about Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and the last 10 living in Hong Kong, Phnom Penh and the manic megalopolis that is Bangkok. Andrew has written or contributed to more than 20 books for Lonely Planet, and writes and shoots photographs for newspapers and magazines including the Australian Financial Review, Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia and National Geographic Traveller, and does occasional TV reporting for Channel 4 UK and CNN.
ANDREW’S TOP BANGKOK DAY
My ideal day in the City of Angels would start early. Packing my camera, I’d wander up to the Skytrain for a treetop view of the city waking as I’m whooshed down to the river. I love the Mae Nam Chao Phraya at any time, but this artery of Bangkok life is at its most seductive at this hour, with barges, ferries and longtails criss-crossing the river as the city’s dull thud grows into a roar.
My destination is Chinatown. I’ll take the Chao Phraya Express ferry Click here up to Tha Saphan Phut and start wandering Click here. Chinatown’s warren of lanes are an explorer’s dream, and reward the ‘I-wonder-what’s-around-that-corner’ attitude. After squeezing through Trok Itsaranuphap (Talat Mai), I’ll eat breakfast at whichever street stall takes my fancy, and continue south towards Talat Noi.
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LONELY PLANET AUTHORS
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I’ll enjoy a refreshing river-ferry ride up to Wang Lang, then take the cross-river ferry to Tha Hua Chang, where I’ll eat lunch with the navy wives in Rachanawi Samosorn before getting the camera out and delving into the amulet market Click here. I’ll wander south along Th Maharat to Wat Pho and a massage (any ideal day in Bangkok must have a massage; Click here). It’s late afternoon by now so must be time for a drink at The Deck, where the sunset views over Wat Arun are sublime. Friends will join me for dinner here before we head up to Banglamphu for a couple more drinks along Th Phra Athit and Th Samsen. A top day indeed.
Austin Bush
After graduating from the University of Oregon with a degree in linguistics, Austin received a scholarship to study Thai at Chiang Mai University and has remained in Thailand ever since. After working several years at a stable job, he made the questionable decision to pursue a career as a freelance photographer/writer. This choice has since taken him as far as northern Pakistan and as near as Bangkok’s Or Tor Kor Market. He enjoys writing and taking photos about food most of all because it’s delicious. His work can be seen at www.austinbushphotography.com.
GETTING STARTED
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WHEN TO GO
FESTIVALS
COSTS & MONEY
INTERNET RESOURCES
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The legendary traffic notwithstanding, Bangkok is an easy place to travel and – assuming you avoid protests by people in coloured shirts – one of the safest cities