Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [80]
At the eastern end of this neighbourhood is delightfully, mercifully green Lumphini Park, the city’s central green space where kids learn to ride bikes, grandmas stretch out stiff joints, office workers work out and (relatively) fresh air never tasted so good. East of the park is Suan Lum Night Bazaar and Lumphini Stadium.
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top picks
RIVERSIDE, SILOM & LUMPHINI
Lumphini Park Relax Bangkok-style among the exercisers and exercise-observers in the ‘lungs of the city’.
Patpong Ping pong? Well, not exactly…
Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute Confront your fear of snakes at this humanitarian snake farm.
Chao Phraya dinner cruises End the day (or start the night) with a meal on the river.
Oriental Hotel Relive the steamship era of globetrotting authors and aristocrats with tea and crumpets at this legendary establishment.
Cocktail hour Soak up the sunset views and knock back a cocktail or two at Bangkok’s tower-top bar-restaurants, Moon Bar at Vertigo and Sirocco.
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RIVERSIDE
BANGKOKIAN MUSEUM
Map
0 2233 7027; 273 Soi 43, Th Charoen Krung; admission free; 10am-4pm Wed-Sun; Tha Si Phraya (N3)
This collection of three wooden houses illustrates an often-overlooked period of Bangkok’s history, the 1950s and ’60s. The main building was built in 1937 as a home for the Surawadee family and, as the signs inform us, was finished by Chinese carpenters on time and for less than the budgeted 2400B (which would barely buy a door handle today). This building and the large wooden one to the right, which was added as a boarding house to help cover costs, are filled with the detritus of post-war family life and offer a fascinating window into the period. The third building, at the back of the block, was built in 1929 as a surgery for a British doctor, though he died soon after arriving in Thailand.
OLD CUSTOMS HOUSE
Map
Soi 36, Th Charoen Krung; Tha Oriental (N1)
Old Customs House was once the gateway to Thailand, levying taxes on traders moving in and out of the kingdom. It was designed by an Italian architect and built in the 1880s; the front door opened onto its source of income (the river) and the grand facade was ceremoniously decorated in columns and transom windows. Today it’s a crumbling yet hauntingly beautiful home to the fire brigade, with sagging shutters, peeling yellow paint and laundry flapping on the balconies.
For years the building has been used as a base for the waterborne fire brigade and the firefighters’ families, with occasional cameos in films such as Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love. Plans to resurrect the building as a luxurious Aman Resort seem to have gone no further than the billboard outside, so anyone with a large wad of spare cash and ambitions as a boutique hotelier should contact the government. It’s not open to the public, but it is OK to wander around…as long as you don’t get in the way of the volleyball game.
ASSUMPTION CATHEDRAL
Map
0 2234 8556; Soi 40 (Soi Oriental), Th Charoen Krung; 7am-7pm; Tha Oriental (N1); Saphan Taksin exit 3
Marking the ascendancy of the French missionary influence in Bangkok during the reign of Rama II, this Romanesque church with its rich golden interior dates from 1910 and hosted a Mass by Pope John Paul II in 1984; his statue now stands outside the main door. The schools associated with the cathedral are considered some of the best in Thailand.
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SILOM
Sri Mariamman Temple
Map
Wat Phra Si Maha Umathewi; 0 2238 4007; cnr Th Silom & Th Pan; admission free; 6am-8pm; air-con 76, 77, 504 & 514, ordinary 77, 162 & 164; Tha Oriental (N1); Surasak exit 3
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TRANSPORT: RIVERSIDE, SILOM & LUMPHINI
Bus Air-con 76, 77, 504 & 514; ordinary 1, 15, 16, 22, 36 & 62
Ferry Tha Si Phraya (N3),