Smeared over the flat, flood-prone

Chao Phraya river plain, Bangkok at

first appears about as organised as

a bowl of spaghetti. The fact that

there isn’t one all-singing, all-dancing

city centre doesn’t help matters.

Delve in though and you’ll discover a

sprawling megalopolis with a series

of distinct neighbourhoods that have

evolved over the centuries and have different attributes. (read more...)

Though tall ships no longer sail into Bangkok, its churning river – the Mae Nam Chao Phraya – remains important to city life. Long tails, tug boats and pleasure cruisers ply the water, while sunburnt temples, neoclassic buildings, mottled warehouses, stilt homes and a fair few modern monstrosities (hotels, office blocks etc) look on. The best way to encounter all this is by expressboat, which follows a 33km route from Wat Rajsingkorn (read more...)

Whether your stay in Bangkok is for a few hours, a few days or more, absolutely any itinerary should include the ‘old city’ of Rattanakosin. From exquisite temples to ancient Thai massage, it’s all here. Rattanakosin (read more...)

• Rattanakosin
• Chinatown
• Sukhumvit
• Silom & Sathorn
• Pathumwan (Siam & Pratunam)

Jim Thompson: The Man behind the Mystery

Check this out for a CV: a

Princeton graduate and

former US spook turns

Bangkok socialite, silk revivalist

and Asiaphile antiques collector

before disappearing mysteriously

in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands

in 1967. Jim Thompson’s stranger

than-fiction life story makes for a

twisting, ultimately tragic tale. This, along with the sheen of his famous silks,

his entrepreneurial skills and impeccable taste, has made him Thailand’s most

famous farang (westerner). Today he’s a brand gone global. You can visit his

stunning home (read more...)

Beware! Bangkok has its

share of brilliantly

choreographed and well-

practised street scams, often

active in the area around the

Grand Palace. Typically these

involve being “befriended” by a

seemingly straight-up local, and

with true sophistication they

often result in travellers not reaching their intended destination, but instead

visiting an alternative temple and eventually a jewellery outlet. The bottom

line is (read more...)

It’s easy getting around in Thailand, and there are plentiful worthwile excursions within easy reach of Bangkok ; some one-day affairs, others overnight. Organise a trip yourself or book through your concierge or a local travel agent. (read more...)

Tha Na and Don Wai Market

Once upon a time in Thailand, people shopped at markets filled with family-run shops and stalls, not the impersonal giganto supermarkets they flock to today. Many were beside rivers, so that vendors could bring produce to market with ease. And it was homegrown delicacies and fresh-from-thefarm fruits – not tacky knock-offs and air-freighted imports – they sold. (read more...)

Nearby Islands & Beaches

No time to jet down to Koh Samui or Phuket? A handful of beach resorts and islands close to Bangkok are perfect for last-minute escapes. These span the gamut from lonely beaches offering the odd reggae shack and driftwood sign, to cosmopolitan beach resorts that have adopted the ‘built it and they will come’ philosophy with mixed results.

(read more...)

Featured : Koh Lipe

While Thailand’s island hotspots of Phuket, Samui, Phangan, Phi-Phi and Chang are firmly entrenched on the tourism trail, the tiny southern isle of Ko Lipe is still a relatively unknown destination. But with the recent arrival of a couple of boutique resorts, this chilled out hideaway on the Malaysian border is attracting not only backpackers but an increasing number of comfort accustomed flash-packers. (read more...)

Featured: HALONG BAY

Tripping the limestone fantastic

Three hours drive east of Hanoi, 2,000 uninhabited limestone karsts ripple, one after the other, through the Gulf of Tonkin. Lush, sparsely forested islets as far as the eye can see during the day, eerie silhouettes at night, these combine to form a majestic seascape. One similar to Thailand’s Krabi or China’s Guilin, only on a more epic scale. (read more...)