Hammered down with some late rain, but managed to tour some of the districts of Bangkok (Krung Thep/Rathcha Anak or a host of other names). Marriott is in financial district of Sathorn, next to Silom, often referred to as the Wall St of Bangkok. But a bit of brief history... Bangkok is older than Australia (white history of Australia, I should add) in its roots, but it only came to prominence in the late 18th C after a few capital changes. The Siam (Thai) kingdom dates back to the early part of the 12th C, but only later does it begin to become more important than the Khmer kingdom of Cambodia. Even after the capital was moved from Ayuthaya to Thonburi (the Eastern bank of the river Chao Praya), which now is the water supplying Bangkok which is situated on the West bank, the city never really took off until its modernisation in the 18th C. Today, Bangkok looks like a new city in parts, but it has long been known as a bit of a dowdy ugly city of concrete. It has some amazing history though, and places like Grand Palace are stunning royal abodes, whilst Wat Arun and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha show the Buddhist side to Thailand. Since 1932, Bangkok has been a constitutional monarchy, but the king still reigns here with much respect. You have to stand when the national anthem comes on in the cinema, and its a crime to disrespect the king in anyway or any words...so I am on my best behaviour here haha. Hoping to get some sun in the next few days to take some real shots of the place, but its much shopping malls, above ground monorails, and sky scraping towers these days. Ive found it very difficult getting proper shots at the landmarks because everything is so crammed in, and rarely fits in the lens. BTW, few head to Bangkok for a holiday... its the capital city, and definitely worth a few days visit, but its the beaches and bars that most come here for. Ill be getting shots of these in weeks to come, but Ive posted much of that here before. My favourite place in all of Thailand is Marriotts other property in Phuket, Mai Khao to be exact. Phuket Beach Club is a SolAeon favourite, whilst Marriott at Empire Place is a standard 5 star hotel here in Bangkok. As usual I can usually smash prices in these locations, so feel free to put SolAeon to the test. Ku De Ta has just opened its nightclub lounge here around the corner... but as Im not drinking for 3 months, Ill probably give it a skip, but well recommended, especially if you know the Singaporean version which similarly has stunning views over Thailand. Rooftop sky lounges are all the rage here right now, but youll need to bring more than you thongs and gym shoes! Yes, Im somewhere in the front here in this pic!
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 11:55:39 +0000
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