Bangkok

For Luca

September 2018.

Slow Travel Offers An Intimate Experience

Dear Luca

Most travelers view Bangkok as a gateway, spending only a couple of nights on the way to, or from, other destinations in Southeast Asia.  The thinking often is that, to partake in experiential travel, you need to head out to the rural areas or, at least, to the small towns and backroads.  I don’t agree.  In my view, wonderful travel experiences can be had anywhere at all; what is needed are good friends, good guides, knowledge and – yes, the scarcest resources of all today – time and patience.  Get ready to quiet your mind and body, to lose yourself in markets and back streets, to allow the rhythms of city life a la Bangkok to move you.

 

 

Day 1: Arrival

You will be met at the jetway by The Siam’s Fast Track and terminal buggy service which will take you through Immigration clearance and baggage collection.  You will be transferred to The Siam in a BMW 7 Series

 

Arrive at The Siam early afternoon.

 

The Siam

As the only luxury resort to be located in the heart of Bangkok’s rarely seen palace and historic district, we have the unique opportunity to explore with you this unknown side of one of the world’s great cities.

 

The hotel’s location is distinctive because you can access most points of interest by foot, Siam Boat or short tuk-tuk ride.  Bangkok’s Old Town, Historic District and Riverside have some of the Kingdoms finest temples, monuments, museums, restaurants, markets, galleries, shopping, temples, neighborhoods and architecture. Slow travel, is the norm here where the journey is just as important as the destination.

 

Here are a few tips that will make your time in Bangkok more enjoyable:

 

~Don’t overload your schedule, busy schedules can make you miss what’s going on

~Mornings and evenings are best for exploring the neighborhood

~Middle of the day is best spent in The Opium Spa, Poolside or perhaps taking Muay Thai lessons in The Siam’s kick boxing gym

~Stay out of taxis and use The Siam River Boat to access points of interest along the river. The Siam’s boat runs on a fixed schedule and can drop off and pick-up anywhere along its route.   Once you arrive  at The Siam you never need to get into a car until you leave The Siam

~Ask questions – Most people don’t know about the riches of Old Bangkok,

 

4:00PM  Take the boat to River City Antique Shopping

 

River City is a four-story mall overlooking sweeping views of the Chao Phraya River. It specializes in antiques and collectibles, with monthly on-site and online auctions, although there’s also a good range of fashion and jewelry shops as well as riverside eateries with outdoor dining terraces. A well-known landmark on the Chao Phraya riverbank, River City has been around since 1984. Originally, it served a niche market of antique collectors and traders, spearheading monthly auction events where sellers and buyers of antiques could meet. Many antique shop owners here are pioneers of the trade and can offer expert advice on their products, whether they’re genuine antiques or modern reproductions.   Be sure to tell them that you are a Siam guest to get the best price

~ Beyond The Mask: Ask for Khun May, located on the 3rd floor.  They have the best SE Asian collection of objects d’art.

~ The Verandah and Beyond: 3rd floor Same owner as Beyond The Mask. Wood masks, lacquer, silver  and stone jewelry, wood figures and buddhas, decorative items from Burma, Laos and Thailand.

~ The Old Time Antiques: 4th Floor.  Imagine what an estate sale of old aristocratic Thai mansions  would be like – this is it.  Ask for Khun Vichai and give yourself a few hours.

 

6:00PM:  Boat return to the Siam

 

8:00PM:  Chefs Table Dinner at Chon Cooking School

 

 

Day 2: Klongs, Palace and Wats 

9:00AM: This morning, head out in your private boat with your guide, Jerry, into the klongs of old Bangkok.  You will also visit the Grand Palace, Wat Arun and the Reclining Buddha.  Return to The Siam for lunch.

We have made you a 2-hour therapy appointment in the Opium Spa at 3PM.

 

At 7:00PM leave The Siam for dinner.  Your reservation at Gaggan, voted #1 restaurant in Asia, is at 8PM.

 

 

Day 3.  Classic Bangkok

Depart The Siam with Jerry in Tuk Tuk around 9:30AM for a neighborhood visit. Stop at the Marble Temple, Dusit Throne Hall and Vinmamek Teak Palace.

 

12:30 – Lunch at Krua Apsorn with Jerry

This is the original homey, award-winning and royally patronized everyday Thai food restaurant. Expect a clientele made up of fussy families and big-haired, middle-aged ladies, and a cuisine revolving around full-flavored, largely seafood- and vegetable-heavy Thai dishes.  This is one of the most famous restaurants in Thailand and a must for every visitor.  At a minimum you must order: Green Curry With Fish Balls, Stir fried Crab Meat with Yellow Chili and String beans, Crabmeat omelet, fried giant river prawns.

 

Return to The Siam mid-afternoon.

 

At 7:00PM, leave the hotel by boat for a visit to the Flower Market tour with Jerry.  Bangkok comes alive by night and this is my favorite night time stroll.  You may stop at another night market on the way but it is the flower market that beckons.   You will be treated to a feast for the senses, an experience unmatched anywhere else in the world.  This is Bangkok at its best.   At the end of the market your pre-arranged Tuk-Tuk can take you around the gilded radiance, solitude and beauty of the Grand Palace by night to Jae Fai restaurant to enjoy the kingdoms finest street food .

 

Dinner at Jae Fae

This is one of the legendary street restaurants of Bangkok where a bowl of noodles costs 10 times as much as at every other place – and its worth every penny. This place is still definitely no-frills and only accepts payment in cash.  Mom, who is ageless, still cooks every dish herself over charcoal burners.  The wait can be long so I recommend having the hotel staff order ahead for you to be ready at a certain time.   This is my suggested minimum order for 2 people: Crab Omelet, Drunken Noodles with seafood (Phad-kee-mao Talay), Laad Na with crispy noodles, Beef with Garlic.

 

Tuk Tuk back to The Siam.

 

 

Day 4. Ko Rattanakosin: Royal & Religious Heritage with Joe

Your Guide:  Joe

Experienced writer and traveler, author of many books on Thai Culture among other achievements. Joe is a perfect guide for an introduction to Thai Temples, nightlife of Bangkok or a walkabout through the Old Town.

 

Joe suggests an early morning start with a visit to Sao Ching Cha, (Giant Swing), to explore three shrines believed to be critical to the city’s well-being, one each dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. If you are lucky, one of the local Brahmin priests will give you a tour of the sumptuous Vishnu shrine, where you probably won’t see a single other foreigner.

 

Walk, then, to Wat Saket and the Golden Mount, once the highest point in royal Bangkok.

 

Have lunch at one of the most famous phat thai restaurants in the city, legendary Phat Thai Thip Samai, in continuous operation since 1966.

 

From here you’ll move to the center of town, visiting the Jim Thompson Thai House & Museum, where Joe will add lesser known anecdotes to the standard tour spiel. From here you can walk to San Phra Phrom (Erawan Brahma Shrine), the most popular Hindu deity shrine in the capital, full of marigolds, dense incense smoke, and live kae bon dancers.

 

In later afternoon you’ll visit nearby Wat Patumwan, a well-to-do royal monastery with a long history. If the timing is right, you can sit in the main sanctuary with dozens of monks and laypeople chanting evening prayers. This is another spot that few international visitors seem to find.

 

6:00-8:00PM:  Private Sunset Cruise on the Golden Naga accompanied by The Siam’s GM as guide.

Sunset drinks and canapés aboard The Siam’s historic golden teak rice barge.   The boat has been refurbished with cruising comfort in mind.  From the luxury of the stern or rooftop daybeds, you will enjoy the most stunning views of the Bangkok waterfront including sunset and night views of the Grand Palace, Wat Arun and the Bangkok skyline.  Since launching, this cruise has become the signature excursion at The Siam as well as the best way to see Bangkok.

 

Dinner at The Siam

 

 

Day 5: Day with Nana 

Your Guide:  Nana

Native-Bangkok writer, photographer and incurable travel addict, Nana believes in experiencing the world through food. She is our “Best Street Food” companion, and also perfect for a tour along the River of Kings.

 

Nana will meet you at the hotel at 9:00 this morning and will take you through the Flower Market.

 

Continuing on to the Little India community, the sense and feel of the ambiance will immerse you in this other city, aided by the bite of the best samosa and the fried sundried beef.

 

Stop for a refreshing lassi or Indian masala tea. You will slide into what used to be Thai Mall area where the shop owners were mostly Chinese and Indian. Among the glories of the past, you will hit Nym’s best duck noodle. The Goungdong family have carried their original recipe for almost a century, and they specialize in preparing hand-made egg noodle in a fragrant aromatic stewed duck soup ( really stewed overnight so that the meat melts when touched by chopsticks).

 

Walking closer to the core of the old town, it’s Thewet area. The Buddha Statue-making street juxtaposes with legendary BBQ pork over rice or honey roasted crispy skin duck and Chinese vegetarian curry and dumplings.

 

Around the popular Tiger God shrine you will have a majestic meal in a home cooking restaurant where steamed coconut curry paste with fish, aromatic sweet and sour crispy noodle, crab curry are served. It’s classic Bangkok.

 

Dinner at Never Ending Summer

 

 

Day 6:  Art & Neighborhoods with Joe

Boat hop to former Portuguese settlement of Kuti Jeen

Take a boat across the river for a guided walk through the Kuti Jeen district and the Church of Santa Cruz, originally founded by the Portuguese in the 18th century and rebuilt in 1916 by Italian architects. An artifact of Thailand’s first European settlers, the church also symbolizes the religious freedom and cultural tolerance that’s been a hallmark of the Thai kingdom for centuries.

Adjacent to the Kuti Jeen neighborhood is one of the last areas in Bangkok where almost all local architecture is of wood, with tall two-story homes occupied by a tightknit Chinese-Portuguese community, complete with home bakeries where the eggy pastries hark back to Portuguese recipes.

This walk can continue on to two historic temples on the Thonburi side of the river, Wat Kalyanimit and Wat Arun (famous for its magnificent stupa rising over the river), with a stop at a tiny shophouse where the Thai cook makes some of the best phat krapao (holy basil and chili stir-fry) anywhere in Bangkok.

 

Nang Loeng Market & Lakhon Chatree

One of the last neighborhoods in Bangkok to have preserved a distinctly local character, Nang Loeng was founded by Mon and later saw an influx of Thais and Chinese. Although closed since 1993, Sala Chaloem Thai, the oldest wooden cinema in Thailand, is still standing in the center of the area. The periphery of the neighborhood consists of beautiful old shophouses dating to the late 19th century, enclosing several blocks of wooden homes. A market adjacent to the old cinema is one of the oldest existing markets in the city.

The last living master of Lakhon Chatree, a complex costumed Thai dance-drama, maintains a performance troupe has been hired to stage a full performance for you at one of the two old live theaters in the neighborhood. Be prepared for some delicious street food in Nang Loeng as well.

 

Deep in the Canals

Finish the afternoon with a longtail boat trip into Thonburi’s vast canal network, where Bangkokians live a riverine existence that has changed little over the years. Moor at Baan Silpin, a community artist settlement occupying a network of wooden shops on stilts. Watch Lakhon Hun Lek, a sacred dance-drama tradition featuring large, ornate marionettes.

 

Dine tonight at 8:00PM at Nahm.

 

 

Day 7:  Departure