Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [153]
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ACTIVITIES
If your hotel pool is more like a bathtub than a venue for lapping, the National Stadium (Map; 0 2214 0120; Th Phra Ram I; National Stadium) has a public pool plus basketball and volleyball courts and other sports facilities.
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GOLF
Bangkok’s outer suburbs are well stocked with golf courses with green fees ranging from 250B to 5000B, plus the customary 200B tip for caddies. The website Thai Golfer (www.thaigolfer.com) rates every course in Thailand; click through to ‘Course Review’. Rental equipment is available. Some courses are closed on Monday, while others are open at night for cooler tee-off times.
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JOGGING & CYCLING
Lumphini Park, Sanam Luang and Benjakiti Park all host early-morning and late-evening runners. Benjakiti has less shade and fewer people than the others, and rental bikes that can be ridden around the 1.9km-long circuit.
Several Hash groups meet for weekly runs, including the Bangkok Hash House Harriers (www.bangkokhhh.com; Saturday afternoons; men only), Bangkok Monday Hash (www.bangkokmondayhhh.com; Monday evenings; mixed), the Harriettes (www.bangkokharriettes.wordpress.com; Wednesday evenings; mixed) and the Siam Sunday Hash House Harriers (www.siamsundayhhh.com; 1st and 3rd Sunday afternoons of the month; mixed, children welcome).
Cyclists also have their own hash, with the Bangkok Hash House Bikers (www.bangkokbikehash.org) meeting one Sunday a month for a 40km to 50km mountain-bike ride and post-ride refreshments.
Bicycle Tours
You might be wondering who the hell would want to get on a bike and subject themselves to the notorious traffic jams and sauna-like conditions of Bangkok’s streets. But the fact they sound so unlikely is part of what makes these trips so cool. The other part is that you discover a whole side of the city that’s virtually off-limits to four-wheeled transport. Routes include unusual ways around Chinatown and Ko Ratanakosin, but the pick are journeys across the river to Thonburi and, in particular, to the ‘lungs of Bangkok’. Better known as Bang Kachao (Map), this exquisite expanse of mangrove, banana and coconut plantations lies just a stone’s throw from the frantic city centre, on the opposite side of Chao Phraya. You cycle to the river, take a boat to Bang Kachao and then follow elevated concrete paths that zigzag through the growth to a local village for lunch. The absence of horns, smog and traffic noise is truly serendipitous.
The following companies run regular, well-received tours starting at about 1000B for a half-day. Note that the Bangkok Green Bike Route, around Banglamphu and Ko Ratanakosin, had shut down at the time of research.
ABC Amazing Bangkok Cyclists (Map; 0 2665 6364; www.realasia.net; 10/5-7 Soi 26, Th Sukhumvit; tours from 1000B) Long-running operation with morning, afternoon and all-day tours.
Bangkok Bike Rides (Map; 0 2712 5305; www.bangkokbikerides.com; 14/1-B Soi Promsri 2, off Soi 39 (Phrompong), Th Sukhumvit; tours from 1000B) A division of tour company Spice Roads offering tours urban and rural, including several overnight routes.
Co van Kessel Bangkok Tours (Map; 0 2688 9933; www.covankessel.com; Mezzanine fl, Grand China Princess Hotel, 215 Th Yaowarat, Chinatown; 6am-7pm; tours from 950B) Dutch company, very popular with Dutch travellers. It offers Thonburi and Bang Kachao tours, plus some unusual Chinatown offerings.
Velo Thailand (Map; 0892 017 782; www.velothailand.com; 88 Soi 2, Th Samsen, Banglamphu; 10am-9pm; tours from 1000B) Small, personal operation based out of a well-stocked bike shop (sales and repairs available) in Banglamphu. Day and night tours to Thonburi and further afield.
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SPECTATOR SPORT
Thais have embraced an increasingly