Bayoke Hotel, Bangkok

P1090128, originally uploaded by HellonEarth2006.

This is the Bayoke Hotel in Bangkok and it is the highest building in Bangkok. There is a bar on th83rd floor and a restaurant on the 82nd floor, both of which give excellent views of Bangkok. Unfortunately, the bar is not much to write home about and neither is the restaurant. We visited some weeks ago on a Friday night when they have an "all you can eat" buffet. Some people may like it ,but it is definitely not my style, so we won't be going back. The views were indeed spectacular though! I should mention that for a small fee, you can also go up to the observation deck so that may be worth doing.

Beaches of Thailand - Lamaii Beach, Koh Samui

Lamaii Beach, Koh Samui, originally uploaded by HellonEarth2006.

This is just one of the beaches on the now famous Koh Samui and is taken from the almost deserted northern end of the beach.

Beaches of Thailand - Koh Phai (Bamboo Island)

Koh Phai (Bamboo Island)

Ko Phai (Bamboo Island), Thailand, originally uploaded by HellonEarth2006.

This rather beautiful beach is on Koh Phai, otherwise known as Bamboo Island. It is National Park so you get charged to visit but the beach is lovely. It lies just to the north of Koh Phi Phi which can be seen in the background. There are no hotels here so it is mainly visited as a day trip by boat from Phi Phi or Krabi.

Beaches of Thailand - Surin, Phuket

Surin Beach, Phuket, Thailand, originally uploaded by HellonEarth2006.

Having just spent Easter in Phuket, here is another Thai beach - Surin. Located on the west coast of Phuket, Surin is much quieter than beaches such as Patong or Karon. Although now visited by many tourists, Surin is very popular with the locals. This shot is of the quieter northern end of the beach. In the rainy season the beach is unsuitable for swimming as there is a vicious undertow which accounts for several unsuspecting tourists (who ignore the warning flags) every year. There are many restaurants lining the beach road and it is a great place to sunset watch.

Beaches of Thailand - Thung Wua Laen, Chumphon

Thung Wua Laen Beach, Chumphon, Thailand, originally uploaded by HellonEarth2006.

This is Thung Wua Laen Beach near Chumphon which lies more or less midway between Bangkok and Phuket on the Gulf coast. It is actually not far from Koh Samui, but why go to Koh Samui when you can find an uncrowded, unspoilt beach like this. It is really beautiful with just a few small hotels (at least at the moment). There are many such beaches in Thailand that remain relatively undiscovered. Long may that continue!

Chinese Doors

P1040032, originally uploaded by HellonEarth2006.

One of the good things about living in Thailand is that there are many, many arists that are quite talented so it is relatively inexpensive to buy or commission some original artwork. We were looking for a fairly large painting to cover a wall in our villa. I remembered that I had taken this photo in Georgetown, Penang some time ago and we decided to have it painted. It may not be to everyone's taste but the result was a spectacular painting which is so faithful to the original photograph.

The photos was taken at the Cheah Kongsi Clan House in Georgetown, Penang.

Bangkok – A Shopper’s Paradise

Bangkok is visited by millions of tourists each year, and it has become a shopper’s paradise rivalling Singapore and Hong Kong as the shopping destination of the region, thanks to its unique combination of prestigious malls, department stores, local markets, ubiquitous street vendors, and the bustling Sampeng Lane in Chinatown.

Bangkok has many malls scattered across its central area. These range from malls with hundreds of low cost outlets such as the Platinum Fashion Mall, or the famous Mah Boon Krung (MBK), to the luxuriously appointed, high end malls such as Siam Paragon or Gaysorn Plaza. MBK is aimed mainly at the locals, but is also often frequented by foreign tourists in search of bargains. On the other hand, Siam Paragon and Gaysorn Plaza are stuffed with expensive designer shops to attract a wealthier clientele. Most of these malls are designed to keep you fed, watered and entertained in between serious bouts of shopping as they house various entertainment activities such as cinemas, bowling alleys, restaurants, bars and karaoke establishments.

The recently opened Siam Paragon, which is aimed at the high end of the market, offers 5 themed shopping floors entitled Luxury, Fashion, Lifestyle Leisure, Living Technology and the combined floor of Paragon Passage and IT World. Most of the famous ‘designer’ label shops such as Versace, Gucci, Giorgio Armani and Thailand’s very own Jim Thompson are ensconced on either, or in some cases both, of the Luxury or Lifestyle Leisure floors. Additional floors are named Gourmet Paradise that features a wide variety of eating places from expensive restaurants to a food court; Siam Ocean World which is south east Asia’s largest aquarium, and Global Entertainment which houses a Cineplex, a bowling alley, the only IMAX and 3D theatre in Thailand which boasts the largest cinema screen in the country. The Royal Paragon Hall is also available for various entertainment events.

CentralWorld, previously known as the World Trade Centre has recently been extended and refurbished. It is now the largest shopping mall in South East Asia and is aimed more towards the mid range shopper. There are hundreds of shops and restaurants as well as the usual entertainment complex which includes a cinema, bowling alley and an ice rink. The department stores Isetan and Zen can also be found within this cavernous mall and the addition of a 5 star hotel in the near future will mean that you never have to leave the place!

MBK is usually hectic, full of young locals, incorporates the department store Tokyu and is the place for low cost clothing, cosmetics, jewellery, electronics and, especially, anything to do with mobile phones. The usual cinema complex can be found and there are food courts and restaurants galore.

Bangkok is also famous for its markets. Local markets such as Klong Toey can be found everywhere, but the most famous are Chatuchak, known locally as ‘JJ’, Pratunam, Suan Lum Night Bazaar and the infamous Patpong night market.

Chatuchak is primarily a weekend market and is just enormous. Served by both Skytrain and underground systems, it is easy to get to, and serves some 200,000 visitors per day who peruse the literally thousands of stalls offering just about anything you can think of. Art, clothes, pets, plants, furniture, antiques, household items, books, jewellery, ceramics, handicrafts etc., etc., can all be found in enormous variety at bargain prices. Impossible to cover in a single day, the full weekend is needed to even begin to explore the variety that this market offers.

Pratunam located across the road from the Platinum Fashion Mall, and incidentally close by the well known IT mall Pantip Plaza which offers the best in IT and electronic bargains, is the haunt of many locals seeking out garment and material bargains. Crowded and bustling, it is arguably the cheapest place for clothes. Jewellery and handicrafts are also well represented.

The Suan Lum Night Bazaar is due to close, but in the meantime, it is a haven for evening shoppers seeking Thai handicrafts, clothing, jewellery and locally designed products. Several restaurants, bars and a food courts are also incorporated into the complex.

Patpong, infamous for its go-go bars and seedy nightlife is equally famous for its night market selling all manner of ‘brand’ name goods. A tourist trap, but nevertheless a ‘must see’ area for the first time visitor to Bangkok, hard bargaining is required to get down to the prices that can paid elsewhere.

Street vendors populate the main tourist areas of Sukhumit and Silom roads to such an extent that it is often difficult to pick your way through them. Specialising in ‘tourist’ wares, they offer an interesting selection of articles and present a challenge to anyone’s bargaining skills. Bargain hard and you will probably be satisfied but make sure you check the quality.

Sampeng Lane slices through Chinatown and requires a certain amount of stamina to be able to withstand the crush and the heat that is a feature of the area. It is narrow and very crowded, but offers the shopper a wide variety of articles at the cheapest of prices. Some of the shops are ‘wholesale only’ but many allow you to ‘mix and match’. For example, you can buy 5 different pairs of earrings at the wholesale price for 5 pairs. As well as jewellery, this long lane offers, shoes, clothing, fabrics, accessories, paper products and much more. At one end of Sampeng Lane is the Paphurat cloth market. Predominantly Indian run, fabrics and Indian jewellery abound.

Shopping in Bangkok could well be the ultimate shopping experience. The number and wide variety of shopping opportunities make it an unparalleled destination – a Shopper’s Paradise.

The Chennai Tuk Tuk, India

originally uploaded by HellonEarth2006.

This is the Chennai tuk tuk. It whizzes around Chennai just as the Bangkok tuk tuks do but, if anything, they are even more scary, squeezing into gaps in the traffic. A definite experience!

Graffitti

 
Like most places Bangkok is not immune from the "graffitti artists". There are several places in Bangkok where graffitti art can be seen adorning walls, and I am sure that there are plenty of Thais who indulge in this particular form of art. This piece of graffitti is located on a derelict building site on Sukhumvit Road, right in the middle of the tourist district. I presume the site has been in such a state since the financial crisis of 1997. Indeed, there are lots of examples of unfinished buildings around Bangkok. I rather suspect that this piece of graffitti is the work of a number of tourists given its location. The "work" is signed by 3 people Dek, Rea and PMY.

The Bangkok Bus Passenger

originally uploaded by HellonEarth2006.

I was roaming around Chinatown one day and decided to take some pictures of people on buses. This is the result. They all seem to have one thing in common - a rather bored expression. Anyone who has experienced the nightmare that is Bangkok traffic will understand exactly why these people are bored.