Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [79]
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WALK FACTS
Start Jim Thompson’s House
End Wherever you like
Distance Not very far
Duration 15 minutes to one hour
Fuel stop Garimmin & Sobereen
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Refreshed, cross the footbridge and dive in. Wander around and try to keep a smile on your face; the local people are welcoming and enjoy a bit of banter, but don’t enter anyone’s house unless you’re invited. You can spend as little or long as you like wandering through Baan Krua, but do try to see the silk weavers in action. You’ll probably hear the clickety clack of the looms before you see them; if you can’t find them, ask for directions (hint: they are in an alley leading off the klorng-side path).
Of the two workshops, Phamai Baan Krua ( 0 2215 7458 or 0812 439 098) is the easiest in which to watch the weaving and (if he’s around) owner Niphon Manuthas speaks English and German; see Click here for an interview with him. The high-quality handwoven silk that originally attracted Jim Thompson is still sold here, and prices are very reasonable compared with the chic store across the klorng.
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RIVERSIDE, SILOM & LUMPHINI
Eating; Shopping; Sleeping
During Bangkok’s shipping heyday the city faced the river and welcomed a steady stream of foreign trading ships, European and Chinese envoys and the odd fà·ràng chancer. All along Mae Nam Chao Phraya are the remnants of this mercantile era: the ornate French and Portuguese embassies, crumbling Customs House and the elegant Mandarin Oriental hotel. Narrow, quiet lanes wind through abandoned warehouses, faded facades of historic shipping companies, and the Muslim and Indian communities that have largely replaced the European presence.
Th Charoen Krung, which runs parallel to the river and links Th Silom with Chinatown, was Bangkok’s first paved road – built at the behest of European residents who wanted a place for their horses and buggies. How times have changed. The water-based society was so taken by this innovation that, one by one, nearly all the city’s canal routes were concreted over to become roads. Today the southern end of Th Charoen Krung is lined with silk and jewellery businesses that sell to wealthy tourists staying at the luxury riverside hotels. But not far away, back behind the commercial facade, are the residential areas where curry shops are more likely to serve Indian-style roti than rice, and silken headdresses distinguish Muslim Thais from their Buddhist sisters.
As industries changed, the financial district migrated inland along Th Silom, which runs from Th Charoen Krung northeast to Lumphini Park and was once the outskirts of the riverside city. Windmills (silom) once dotted the landscape, conveying water to the area’s rice fields.
Today Silom is known as the Wall St of Thailand and experiences a daily tide of people. Workers flood into the office towers in the morning, are released into the streets for lunch and return home aboard public transport in the evening. Foreigners sweat in their imported suits, maintaining the corporate appearance of New York and London in styles that are ill-suited to the tropics. Thai secretaries prefer polyester suits that are sold off the rack at small markets, alongside bulk toiletries and thick-heeled sandals. Workers returning to the office after lunch are usually loaded down with plastic bags of food for mid-afternoon snacks: in Thailand the snack table is the equivalent of the Western water cooler.
Parallel to Th Silom are Th Surawong to the north and Th Sathon to the south, which is divided into northbound Th Sathon Neua and southbound Th Sathon Tai, running either side of the remains of the klorng it has now replaced. None of these streets is especially well blessed with traditional ‘sights’, but wedged between Silom and Surawong, uncannily convenient to the heart of the business zone, is Bangkok’s most infamous attraction, the Patpong strip of go-go bars Click here and clubs.
Th Sathon is home to several embassies Click here, three of Bangkok’s best hotels