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BANGKOK -
Written by John Hoskin
Bangkok is not
a beautiful city. But it is unquestionably a captivating one,
exerting an irresistible charm as the epitome of all things Thai.
Alec Waugh got it right in his 1970 book on the Thai capital:
"Bangkok has been loved," he wrote, "because it
is an expression of the Thais themselves, of their light heartedness,
their love of beauty, their reverence for tradition, their sense
of freedom, their extravagance, their devotion to their creed
-- to characteristics that are constant and continuing in themselves." |
The characteristics
seem contradictory, but Bangkok is a huge paradox, at once wondrous
and woeful. For this it is one of the world's most distinctive
cities, a place that fascinates by making innumerable contradictions
seem consistent. It is at once chaotic and serene, ancient and
modern, sacred and profane, pandering to nouveau riche greed
and proudly caring of traditional values... the oddities are
as endless as they are real.
The key to understanding
Bangkok is to realize that beneath its modern facade it remains
unmistakably Thai, traditional and essentially unchanging. Ultimately,
the city is simply itself and you have to accept it as such if
you are ever going to come to terms with it. The horrendous traffic
congestion is perhaps everyone's biggest complaint, but even
for those who complain, cars in Thailand are not firstly a means
of transport, they are social cachets which once obtained are
not to be relinquished lightly.
Traffic congestion
is part and parcel of the Bangkok experience, and it is easier
to accept when you realize it is not going to change. Nor is
it new. There never were any halcyon days before the canals were
filled in to make way for paved roads. Here's Queen Victoria's
envoy Sir John Bowring on the hazards of Bangkok's then waterborne
traffic: "Boats often run against one another, and those
within them are submerged in the water...The constant occurrence
of petty disasters seems to reconcile everybody to their consequences."
That was in the 1850s but the idea of being reconciled to the
inevitable hassles of city traffic remains true today.
Located on the
banks of the Chao Phraya River, a few kilometres upstream from
its outflow into the Gulf of Siam, Bangkok sprawls across a flat
alluvial plain. It is the capital in every sense of the word.
It is where the Royal Family resides, it is the seat of government
and administration, and it is the focal point for virtually all
major industrial, commercial and financial activity. It is the
country's main port and home to more than one-tenth of the Kingdom's
population.
Such an all-important
role is reflected in the capital's proper name,
Krung Thep. This translates as "City of Angels" and
is the first in a whole string of illustrious titles that properly
define the place -- and, incidentally, earn a listing in the
Guinness Book of Records as the world's longest place name. To
the Thais Bangkok is always Krung Thep, the spiritual and symbolic
as well as physical heart of the nation.
And yet Bangkok
is a comparatively young city. A riverine village and customs
post until the late 18th century, it was founded as the national
capital in 1782 by King Rama I. Initially the city was intended
to parallel the lost glory of Ayutthaya, the previous capital
destroyed by the Burmese, and was accordingly developed as an
island city with a web
of canals. Palaces and temples in classical architecture were
the only substantial buildings; houses and other structures were
made of wood.
Change came in the mid 19th century when King Mongkut, Rama VI,
ordered the building of the first roads for wheeled traffic.
In the same reign, Bangkok was embarked on the path of commerce
with the
signing of international trade agreements. A pattern of modernization
and commercialization along largely Western lines has been followed
ever since.
Today most of
the canals have been filled in to make way for roads, and the
city has expanded far away from the Chao Phraya river, thereby
losing its original focal point and abandoning any semblance
of a downtown area.
In the last few
decades the pace of growth has been rapid. First in the 1950s
and '60s rows of functional but drab concrete shophouses began
changing the face of city then, in the 1980s and '90s, came concrete-and-glass
high-rises.
Today, Bangkok
appears as a modern, dynamic metropolis bustling with today's
business. The skyline is dominated by thrusting office towers,
high-rise condominiums, luxury hotels, department stores and
shopping malls. But this is just one aspect of Bangkok. Joyfully
exuberant, the city embraces latter-day developments though,
surprisingly, modern building does not obliterate a wealth of
monuments to traditional glories.
In the soaring
roofs and tapering gilded spires of the Grand Palace, Temple
of the Emerald Buddha, Temple of Dawn and the rest of Bangkok's
more than 400 Buddhist temples, you are presented with images
of awe-inspiring Oriental splendour. Contained within such monuments
are masterpieces of sculpture, painting and decorative arts attesting
to the nation's artistic achievement.
Once you start
to explore Bangkok you begin to realize just how much there is
to discover. In addition to the city's most famous monuments
and sights there are numerous lesser known places of great interest.
Wat Ratchabophit, for example, is a minor gem of a mid 19th-century
temple, unusual in its Thai exterior and quasi-Gothic interior.
It is located not far from the Grand Palace, yet it is often
overlooked by visitors. The same is true of museums; the National
Museum is not to be missed, though Wimanmek Mansion and Jim Thompson's
House also contain
spectacular treasures.
A stroll round
the lanes of Chinatown, or a boat ride along the canals of Thonburi,
again afford fascinating insights into Bangkok's past. But for
an inkling of the city's quintessential character you can't do
better than visit the Erawan Shrine, dedicated to Brahma and
widely regarded as the most potent source of good luck.
Devotees flock daily to make offerings and pray for success in
all manner of things from childbirth to winning the lottery,
and there is heaps of atmosphere with the heady scent of incense
and jasmine flower garlands, plus gorgeously costumed classical
dancers. Everything is all the more startling for its incongruous
location on the traffic-congested corner of Rajdamri and Ploenchit
roads in the shadow of luxury hotels and shopping malls. Indeed,
the Erawan shrine is Bangkok at its most serendipitous, and it
can tell you more about the city and its people than a whole
tour of the more obvious sights.
As culturally
and historically fascinating as Bangkok is, however, it cannot
be denied it is also a sybaritic city. In their unique character
the Thais combine a respect for traditions with a joyful exuberance,
a love of sanuk, having a good time. Here the modern aspects
of the capital complement the old and offer a host of pleasures.
Not least is
the joy of dining. Thai cuisine, rich and spicy, is a true gourmet's
delight affording a huge variety of dishes to discover and relish.
Seafood is also a national speciality and fish, crab, lobsters,
shrimps and more are to be enjoyed in either spicy Thai style
or in Continental recipes. And should you ever wish for change,
Bangkok has restaurants serving just about every national cuisine
deserving of the name from both
East and West.
To match the
variety of menus is the choice of eating places. From simple
but good kerbside food stalls and right up through the whole
dining gamut to elegant, expensive restaurants and dinner cruises
on the river, there is something to suit all tastes and pockets.
When it comes
to entertainment and nightlife, Bangkok has something for everyone.
From displays of classical Thai dance to cocktail lounges and
discos, the choice is wide open. Unique to Thailand, the traditional
sport of kick boxing, in which the protagonists use feet, knees
and elbows in addition to gloved fists, is especially thrilling.
Bouts are held most nights of the week at one or other of Bangkok'
two boxing stadiums. This is the country's most popular spectator
sport and should not be missed -- the reaction of the aficionados,
cheering and yelling, is often as exciting as the action in the
ring.
For browser and
dedicated bargain hunter alike, Bangkok is a shopper's paradise.
In recent years smart plazas, malls and department stores have
mushroomed to augment the facilities provided by markets and
ubiquitous street stalls. At the top of anyone's shopping list
should be Thai silk and gems and jewellery. Silk is a traditional
material now produced in a wide range of colours and designs
and offering excellent value. Bangkok is also a world centre
for coloured gemstones, and you will discover a superb selection
of gems and finished jewellery which, while not cheap, offer
excellent superb value for money. Other top buys include tailor-made
clothing, leathergoods, Thai, Burmese and Khmer antiques (some
requiring export licenses) and an enormous array of handicrafts
in teakwood, ceramic, bronze and other traditional materials.
Upmarket shopping
spots include numerous posh plazas such as Siam Centre, World
Trade Centre, Peninsula Plaza and Gaysorn Plaza, but this being
Bangkok, shopping options further include the anomalous. Long
established on the map but still offering hours of browsing is
the Weekend Market at Chatuchak Park, the place for everything
from pets to potted plants, cassettes to clothing, old books
to younger antiques. Then there is Seacon Square on Si Nakarin
Road, Asia's largest shopping mall and the world's fifth largest,
brimming with shops, cinemas, amusement park, supermarket and
restaurants, and drawing crowds of suburban Bangkokians at weekends.
Bangkok is the "City of Angels", a magic place where
possibilities are limited only by the imagination. With its myriad
thrilling sights and scenes it is the perfect complement to Thailand's
more relaxed resort destinations.
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