Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [3]
WAT SAKET FAIR
The grandest of Bangkok’s temple fairs (ngahn wát) is held at Wat Saket and the Golden Mount around Loi Krathong. The temple grounds turn into a colourful, noisy fair selling flowers, incense, bells and saffron cloth and tonnes of Thai food. The highlight is a candlelit circumambulation on the mount.
BANGKOK PRIDE WEEK
www.bangkokpride.org
Usually in mid-November, this week-long festival of parades, parties, awards, sequins and feather boas is organised by city businesses and organisations for Bangkok’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Don’t miss the opening ‘Pink in the Park’ fair in Lumphini Park.
FAT FESTIVAL
www.fatdegree.com
Sponsored by FAT 104.5FM radio, Bangkok’s premier indie music festival has grown to include everything from pop to thrash via hip-hop, plus nonmusic alternative arts. It’s usually on the first or second weekend in November, at Muang Thong Thani.
December
KING’S BIRTHDAY
5 Dec
Celebrating King Bhumibol’s birthday, the city is festooned with lights and large portraits of the king (especially on Th Ratchadamnoen). In the afternoon, Sanam Luang is packed for a fireworks display that segues appropriately into a noisy concert with popular Thai musicians.
BANGKOK JAZZ FESTIVAL
www.bangkokjazzfestival.com
Started in 2003, this jazz fest kicks off at Sanam Suea Pa at Dusit in commemoration of His Majesty the King’s love of jazz. The line-up usually includes internationally known artists and focuses on the lighter side of jazz, per Thai public taste.
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HOW MUCH?
Skytrain ride 15–40B
Chao Phraya Express boat ride 10–34B
3km taxi ride 50–100B, depending on traffic
640ml Singha beer from bar 60–120B
1L petrol 34B
500ml/1.5L bottle water 7/15B
Pàt tai 25–40B
Cup of coffee 40–80B
One-hour traditional Thai massage 300–3000B
Souvenir T-shirt 100–250B
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CONCERT IN THE PARK
www.bangkoksymphony.org/concertinpark
Free concerts from the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra are performed Sunday evenings (from 5.30pm to 7.30pm) between mid-December and mid-February at Lumphini Park.
PHRA NAKHON SI AYUTHAYA WORLD HERITAGE FAIR
Ayuthaya
A series of cultural performances and evening sound-and-light shows among the ruins of the World Heritage site in the former Thai capital.
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COSTS & MONEY
Bangkok is inexpensive by Western standards but you can still burn through a lot of baht if you choose. On the tightest of budgets you could scrape by on about 700B a day, staying in the simplest guesthouse accommodation, eating mainly street food, seeing a sight or two, taking local transport and drinking horrible Chang beer from 7-Elevens. With closer to 2500B you can creep into the comforts of the midrange and afford a decent meal, and with 3500B you can enjoy a dash of style, a decent restaurant meal and perhaps a rooftop cocktail or two. If you plan on frequenting the city’s best hotels, restaurants and clubs you’re looking at more than 5000B a day. These numbers are for solo travellers, and per person costs fall if you’re travelling as a couple.
Getting your hands on Thai baht is easy enough through the city’s thousands of ATMs. Credit cards are widely accepted; see Click here.
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INTERNET RESOURCES
Take a look at these websites to help plan your trip. For a list of blogs on Bangkok, see Click here.
Bangkok Recorder (www.bangkokrecorder.com) For what’s on, mainly in bars and clubs.
Bangkok Scams (www.bangkokscams.com) Don’t be greedy, don’t get scammed.
Bangkok Tourist (www.bangkoktourist.com) City-run site with enough Bangkok sights for a lifetime of sightseeing.
Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com) Country-specific information as well as reader information-exchange on the Thorn Tree forum.
Real Thai Recipes (www.realthairecipes.com) Get a taste of what you’ll find in Bangkok.
Thailand Daily (www.thailanddaily.com) Part of World News Network,