Roughing it in Bangkok
October 2003
After visiting my father in Australia, and before returning home, we spent four days in Bangkok.
Many things have changed since our last visit to Thailand 19 years ago. Fast new roads, high-rise buildings and other signs of modernity. However, these live side by side with the old and traditional aspects of this contrasting crowded city.
Breathtaking beautiful temples a stone throw from noisy dirty streets. Shiny palaces amidst rundown un-maintained residential buildings. Smiling gentle Thai people managing the impossible crowded traffic. High end colorful shops selling exquisite jewelry, art and antiques set in dilapidated streets. Etc., etc...
Wat Pra Keo (the king palace temple)
We stayed at the Oriental!
The jury is still out on which is the better hotel, the Raffles in Singapore or the Oriental in Bangkok. Both must be among the top five in the world. For me at least they both share the top of the list. While the Raffles retains its quaint atmosphere, the Oriental has more of a super-stylish modern Thai aura.
If I thought the service at the Raffles was attentive and personal, I lack the adjectives to describe the way they treated us at the Oriental. Here is an example:
The front desk manager asks us where do we plan to dine. I told her we remember a couple of Thai delicacies from our previous visit 19 years ago. "Crab in earthen pot" (cooked with vermicelli
noodles) and "Pla Samli" (a sun-dried Kingfish cooked in green mango and chili sauce). Miss Mayuree said none of the five restaurants in the hotel have these, but let her talk to the chef of the Thai restaurant. Minutes later she calls us and says the chef will gladly prepare those two dishes especially for us...
And remember, this is a hotel that caters to royalty and heads of states.
Our room at the Oriental
We dined at three of the hotel's fabulous restaurants. The exquisite outdoor Thai restaurant on the other bank of the river (see above), the Superb China House where we dined twice, and the famous Lord Jim delicious seafood restaurant. All are fantastic and highly recommended places to eat.
For breakfast, light lunch and coffee, nothing beats the beautiful veranda overlooking the bustling Chao Phraya river.
On the veranda
Besides Bangkok we visited Ayutaya, the ancient capital of Thailand. Ayutaya was destroyed and burnt down a number of times by invading Burmese during the 14th-18th centuries. Restored and ruined temples and Buddha statues abound.
Ancient ruins in Ayutaya
Apart from the standard touristic sites, we asked our driver to show us some real Thai living
styles. He took us to two places outside Bangkok. One was an immense wholesale market where huge hangars are devoted to different fruits and vegetables. Imagine a 1000 square meters hangar where only tangerines are sold (40 tangerines for one US$ !!). The same goes for apples, fish, cabbage and a zillion other products. All at ridiculous prices.
In contrast, we visited an ultra rich suburb some 20 km from Bangkok. A closed neighborhood with armed guards preventing the common people from entering. Manicured private villas surrounded by beautiful gardens, fountains and artificial canals.
But rich or poor, one thing is common to all the Thai people we met. All were gentle, smiling and kind.
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Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.
