How to use the BTS and what to do and see around various stations.

Bangkok’s Skytrain For Dummies: Saphan Taksin

01 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by Bangkokbois in Bangkok's Skytrain For Dummies, Thailand Travel Tips and Tales

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Situated along the east bank of the Chao Phraya, Saphan Taksin BTS Station is one of the more picturesque Skytrain stops.

For touri, Bangkok’s Skytrain is a real boon. Cheap and convenient, it’s a great way to get around the city and a great way to avoid the city’s notorious traffic. Some stations seem to be geared toward the local population, there is little of interest to the average touri anywhere near the stop. Others favor touri, leading them directly to one of the city’s must-do destinations, often which involves shopping. None are as useful for touri who want to visit some of Bangkok’s top cultural sites as the Saphan Taksin station. Which by Thai logic must be why the government plans on closing it.

You’d have to wonder how even Thai logic would lead to closing the BTS station that connects to the Sathorn Pier and the riverboat service on the Chao Phraya. But there is a good reason. That line now extends over the river, but the station has only a single train track. As more and more people use the extension, which will stretch even further beyond the river in years to come, having to stop trains as others head through from the opposite direction just doesn’t make sense anymore. Why the builders didn’t consider this eventuality when they constructed Saphan Taksin doesn’t make much sense either.

That the station will be closed down at some point in the near future is a given. Whether it will be rebuilt at or near its present location, or whether the temporary work around they’ve devised will become permanent is yet to be seen. The current plan is to build a series of elevated moving sidewalks to take passengers from the pier to the Surasak station, the next BTS station on the Silom line. Considering it took an additional four years to add the Skytrain’s airport link after Suvarnabhumi became the city’s main airport, I’d guess there will be a long period of time between the date they close down Saphan Taksin and they open up the ‘walkalators’ to Surasak. So enjoy Saphan Taksin’s easy transfer to the boats while you can.

Just a quick reminder of why using the BTS is a good idea.

Most touri use Saphan Taksin to get to the riverboats. It is the less expensive option for getting to Wat Pho and the Grand Palace as well as the other top cultural sites along the river. Most guide books point this out. Few bother to explain how to get from the station to the pier, or how to avoid over-paying for your ride. Bewildered touri roaming the station is a common sight. So is seeing them stop at the official Tourist Information Center, at which they are told about the special Tourist Boat service and not about the regular express boats that cost as little as 14 baht. Those who make it past the center and find their way riverside again have ample opportunity for booking a ride on the Tourist Boat, with little signage available to explain the cheaper use of the express boats. But I’m sure that whatever they do about getting future visitors from Surasak to the pier they will insure a steady stream of sheep for the Tourist Boat operation.

If you are looking for directions for using the skytrain to take the express boats, there is a link below. This post isn’t about getting you away from Saphan Taksin, but rather what you can find there if you use it as a destination station. Few do, and that’s a shame. This area of town is called Bang Rak, and even the most generous of guide books suggests there is little of interest to tourists here. They’re wrong. There’s shopping galore, every type of food imaginable – some of the local favorite food places are located here to boot – one of the city’s more unusual wats, a tie-in with Hollywood, an elegant taste of Bangkok in its glory days, and an opportunity to do the street scene like a local instead of a visitor. Depending on how much you like to walk, you can easily spend an entire day here exploring; there’s lots to see and do in the immediate area. And since eating is always one of my favorite activities in Bangkok, let’s start there.

Directly below the station is a conglomeration of street food carts, though during peak dining hours the area takes on more of an open-air restaurant look. If you want to try some real Thai food, the stuff the locals actually eat on a daily basis, this is a great place to do so. In fact, the entire area is a haven for food cart aficionados. If you head up Charoen Krung Road (that’d be taking a left when you leave the station) just past the Robinson department store there is a small soi filled with even more street-side dining options with even a greater selection than offered at the foot of the station. And late at night directly across the street several vendors set up shop offering what at best I’d call soup. I’ve never wanted to know exactly what all the goodies floating in the broth are, sometimes ignorance can be a blessing, but it’s a gourmet delight for a mere 15 baht that’ll have you wanting to wait nightly for a late dinner.

Bang Rak is a historical area filled with old shop houses and a vibrant street scene.

For the less adventurous, every American fast food joint known to man is available at the Robinson department store complex. There’s also a Tops market in the basement with a small food court, and a newer food court on the top floor too. However, if you are going skyward for food and drinks, the real experience is heading down the block to the Lebua State Tower’s rooftop Sky Bar at the Dome.

Even before Hangover II filmed some of their key scenes at the Sky Bar, it was one of the top touri destinations for enjoying the sunset. Perched on the 63rd floor, the Sky Bar is one of the world’s highest open air bars offering one of the city’s best panoramic views. There is a dress code, and you’ll pay dearly for the experience, but its well worth the view. Just don’t make the mistake of eating at the adjoining Sirocco restaurant. It also is pricey, and the chef seems to think the view makes up for the lack of taste in what is offered on the menu. Besides, you are in one of the historical areas of the city – you should be filling your belly with some of the food that made Bangkok famous.

The Sky Bar at the Dome is one of Bangkok’s best places to catch the sunset.

And one of the more famous shops is Boonsap Thai Desserts, located on the corner of Charoen Krung and Si Wiang Roads. A neighborhood fixture since WWII, Boonsap is now run by the 3rd generation of the original owner’s family, and is one of the best places in the city for mango sticky rice. If you can ignore all the other goodies on the menu. And if you didn’t already pig out at the fried banana stall across the street. It too is considered the #1 choice for it’s specialty and is easy to spot by the long line of people waiting patiently for their turn to be served (and hoping they don’t run out before getting to the front of the line.)

Prachak Pet Yang is another legendary Bang Rak eatery famous for its roast duck, though I enjoy it more as a dim sum restaurant. But don’t worry if you hit the wrong Chinese restaurant (there are several in the immediate area) they are all equally as good. Or skip the confusion and try the menu at the mouth-watering Volcanic Fried Mussel and Oyster just across the street from Robinson – it too is a favorite that locals from all over town flock to.

In Bang Rak, the street food alone will keep your tummy more than full.

And you haven’t even made it to Silom Road yet. But with that full of a tummy, it’s time to take a break so step back into the days of opulent travel and check out the venerable Mandarin Oriental Hotel. For 130 years the Oriental has been the most luxurious hotel in Bangkok and still routinely makes the list of top hotels in the world. The hotel’s riverside pool area is a great place to kick back, have a drink, live like the rich, and plan on where you’ll eat next. Or better yet, treat yourself and check in for a night or two. You’ll set a new standard for what you think hotel service should be, and a new standard for where you should lay your head at night – at prices that are dirt cheap compared to the same level of hotel in other parts of the world.

Not that you have to cough up the big bucks to stay in Bang Rak. Lebua too is luxurious living, but you can get a room there for just a bit over $100 a night. Same with the equally opulent Shangri-La. And for under $100 I consider the Centre Point Silom one of the city’s best hotel deals. The Elegance Suites, a smaller hotel two short blocks off of Charoen Krung isn’t a bad choice either, and will have a far less detrimental affect to your pocketbook. You really can’t beat the neighborhood for location – it’s convenient for getting around town thanks to both the Saphan Taksin BTS station and Sathorn Pier. And you’ll get a much nicer room at a better price than staying in Patpong, which is a 25 baht BTS ride or 80 Baht taxi ride away.

When it comes to local food, the less pretentious a place looks, the better the food will be. And here it is totally ono.

Shopping-wise Bang Rak is for bling. Just to the far side of Robinson – a shopping destination of its own – small gem and jewelry shops start popping up. Many are owned and operated by Afghani merchants, so you better be good at bartering if you want to land a great deal. You will find trinket-level jewelry for both men and women as well as gems fit for a queen, with a few decent jade shops thrown in all between the BTS station and Silom Road. Further along and closer to the Oriental the area’s silver shops start up.

Primarily wholesale outfits, most will sell to touri too and while you won’t get quite as good of a deal as you would buying silver in Khaosan, the work you’ll find along Charoen Krung is usually of a higher quality. Down the soi leading to the Oriental you’ll find lots of little shops hoping to cash in on the touri trade from the hotel and offering more traditional souvenir type merchandise at grossly over inflated prices.

For night market aficionados, at dusk the Bang Rak market starts up. Located down the small soi adjacent to Robinson this is a smaller night market geared more toward locals, partially outdoors and partial inside what looks to be an old parking garage. You won’t find fake Rolexes, or much in the way of traditional souvenirs here, but there are great deals on clothes – upstart designers have stalls at the market, some truly Thai decor items, and a handful of tattoo artists – who are interesting to watch at work even if you don’t plan on picking up some ink yourself. And in case you haven’t eaten enough yet, there’s a food court buried away in the back too.

Gathering of the old men at the Chinese temple.

Bang Rak is also home to Bangkok’s newest touri-centric shopping extravaganza, Asiatique. It too is primarily a night market, though more upscale. It is supposed to be the replacement for Suan Lum with many of the vendors who once sold there now holding court at Asiatique. It too is located on Charoen Krung Road, but to the right of the BTS station. Almost at Rama III, it’s a bit of a walk though, so you are better off catching the free shuttle boat at Saphan Taksin.

And while I’m on alternate forms of transpo, the soi running along the BTS station is also home to Silom’s only fleet of red songthaew, a transpo option more familiar in Chiang Mai. If there’s more than three of you and you know where you’re going, this can be a good way to get there. But be ready to barter over the price.

Wat Yannawa’s unusual shape makes the temple worth a visit.

Time for some culture? There is a small Chinese temple just outside of the BTS station worth a few minutes of your time, more because it is there than because of what it is. Of far more interest is Wat Yannawa, within an easy walk if you head right at Charoen Krung Road. Originally built during the Ayutthaya period, it is now known as the Boat Wat because it’s wiharn is built in the shape of a Chinese junk.

If on the other hand you’ve seen enough wats already, you could change religions and check out the Haroon Mosque, located to the far side of the Oriental Hotel and just behind the Royal Custom House. The small mosque, one of the busiest in the city, is known for its intricately carved Arabic script panels. Or you can stick to what might be more familiar and check out the Assumption Cathedral, a French built old Catholic church. It’s soaring interior and stained glass windows provide a nice counterpoint to the local wats as well as a historical reference to Christianity in the Kingdom since it was originally built in the early 1800s.

Related Posts You Might Enjoy:

Bangkok’s Skytrain For Dummies: Asoke Station

Rolling On The River: The Chao Phraya Riverboats

Bangkok’s Ghost Tower

Bangkok’s Skytrain For Dummies: Nana Station: Hookahs, Hookers, And Heroes

10 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by Bangkokbois in Bangkok's Skytrain For Dummies, Thailand Travel Tips and Tales

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Bangkok, Hotels and Restaurants, Markets & Shopping, Transportation

Nana BTS Station is your gateway to several different worlds in Bangkok.

For me, a large part of the allure of international travel is the ability to experience things that are exotic and foreign. The attraction is that which is different from what I’m used to, and then discovering the similarities of people regardless of how different they initially seem. The familiar and comfortable are not what I travel for, my eyes don’t light up at the sight of golden arches, my heart is not warmed by the babble of voices I understand. I travel to a foreign land to experience someone else’s world, not a mini-version of my own, even as more difficult as that becomes for an American these days. Sometimes that means opening yourself to someone else’s attempt at bringing their home with them to a foreign land. I have to admit Thailand, as exotic as it still is, is also familiar to me by now. As easy as it is to fall back on the tried and trued when visiting these days, I push myself to seek places and experiences that still remain strange and different to me. I pursue the unfamiliar and unexpected. Sometimes that can mean nothing more than taking a different tack in an area that you know well.

When I first discovered Bangkok I stayed along Sukhumvit. And I still head over that way often today. From around Soi 3 into the upper 20s, Sukhumvit offers a multitude of entertainment opportunities. Of course when you mention Sukhumvit and entertainment, most frequent visitors immediately think of the Nana Entertainment Plaza. At least the straight ones do. And that in turn means the Nana BTS Station, where as a single, slightly older man your fellow train passengers will always assume you have cheap sex on the mind. That’s because most touri who call the Nana Station home base do.

Nana Plaza, home to cheap straight sex touri.

The area around Nana has changed over the years, and not necessarily for the better. It was always home to Bangkok’s naughty boys on the prowl, but Soi Cowboy has quickly surpassed the Nana Plaza as the sex touri destination of choice, and the newer, brighter, slightly upscale bars all headed to that end of Sukhumvit leaving the tired, run-down, and less salubrious establishments to lend an air of depravity to Nana, the seediness that makes it such a draw to cheap sex touri. So I guess as much as the area has changed, its main purpose has remained the same.

Cheap straight gogo bars may not be much of a draw for gay touri (though the largest collection of ladyboy bars can be found at Nana too). Nor perhaps would a culture whose religion condemns homosexuality. But it is this latter group who congregate near the Nana BTS station that recommends a visit and that sets up the visual juxtaposition of naughty boys and the visibly devout. Often called Little Arabia – even though the majority of visitors in this areas are from the Gulf States – it may not be your idea of SE Asia, but if you’ve spent much time in Bangkok it is a great neighborhood for seeking out something a little different, an experience that may not be Thai, but that will provide a glimpse into a world you may be unfamiliar with.

Mini skirts make way for burkas along Sukhumvit Soi 3.

In the days before the Sky Train added another level of congestion to Bangkok’s world famous traffic, strolling along Sukhumvit’s sidewalks in the Nana neighborhood was always a chore thanks to gaggles of rude German touri blocking the way while one of their party tried to bargain for some cheap souvenir at one of the market stalls that already thinned the walkway to a single lane. Progress today is just as slow, but the fat German hordes have been replaced by fat middle-eastern women dressed in large swaths of black cotton. Burkas are a common sight from Soi 3 to Soi 11 these days, and while that native garb is supposed to help Allah-fearing Muslim men from the dictates of their hormones, I suspect the true purpose is to keep grossly obese bodies out of sight. It’s a mode of dress I think Americans should consider adopting. Why 300 lb. women think skin tight clothing is the way to go is beyond me. But I digress . . .

Little Arabia has been a fixture in Bangkok for decades. Originally, the neighborhood filled with businesses sporting signs in arabic script was hidden off the main road between Sukhumvit’s Soi 3 and Soi 5. It’s been slowly spreading out from the backstreets to encompass a large part of Soi 3 and more and more of Sukhumvit. Visitors from the middle east, most dressed in their native garb, make up the largest contingent of touri sauntering along Sukhumvit these days. But turn down the small soi that wraps around from Sukhumvit to Soi 3 and you’ll think you just stepped into Arabia; with the mingling aromas of exotic spices, grilling kebabs, and spits of roasting chicken and lamb permeating the night’s air, it’s easy to forget you are in Bangkok. The food alone is worth visiting Little Arabia.

Little Arabia’s restaurants are difficult to miss.

Shiny silver railings separate 24-hour restaurants from the street, shawarma vendors clutter the sidewalk, and apple-scented hookah smoke fills the air. You’ll find Arabian, Egyptian, African, Iranian, Lebanese, and vegetarian restaurants offering authentic food and reasonable prices. Most restaurants here don’t serve alcohol; this is the spot Muslim visitors to the Big Mango come to for halal food, as well as a taste of home. Al-Iraqi serves a unique blend of Iranian and Iraqi dishes, MehMaan offers a menu of Indian, Pakistani, and Arabic food served under a giant picture of Yasser Arafat, and at Petra you’ll find some of the city’s best and most freshly baked naan bread. And Nefertiti offers an encyclopedia-sized menu of Egyptian food; though its other speciality is the true draw here.

While no longer the only place in Little Arabia to offer shisha smoking, it was one of the first and proudly displays the pipes out front where they can’t be missed. With plenty of outdoor seating and an amusement park-like ambiance brightly lit with a kaleidoscope of colors reflecting off its stainless steel walls Nefertiti is your best place to try a hookah on for size. Make it clear you are a novice and the strange dark men in caps hidden behind dense mushroom clouds of thick white smoke filling the tables near you will quickly take you under wing. A word of warning though: even of you are a smoker, you’ll be surprised at how much of the rich apple flavored smoke fills your lungs, and while it isn’t quite the high you’d get if the pipe was loaded with hashish, you will quickly get a nice buzz going. Which might just be enough to convince you to expand your horizons further and step up from the hookah to a hooker.

Try a hookah instead of a hooker for a change.

Little Arabia is anchored by the infamous Grace Hotel, now a favored spot for middle eastern visitors for their stay while in Bangkok. A mere 500 feet from Nana Plaza, it also draws sex touri from the west, though not quite up to the pull of the even seedier Nana Hotel. The lobby late at night is a perfect microcosm of the surrounding neighborhood, filled with women in burkas, men in flowing white robes, working local girls, and elderly Caucasian punters escorting their girlfriend of the hour back to their cheap hotel room having just visited one of Bangkok’s most sleazy red-light areas, Nana Plaza.

A visit to one of Nana Plaza’s neon-lit girly gogo bars could be a real eye opener for you, even if you aren’t interested in the same merchandise that draws the straight clientele. If nothing else it serves as a great comparison to the Soi Twilight bars you’re more familiar with. If that idea is a bit beyond the pale for you, try one of the five ladyboy venues at Nana. Obsession, Temptation, Casanova, Cascade, and Carnival offer some of the city’s most gorgeous ladies who aren’t and even if you’re not interested in taking one of them home, you’ll find any one of the bars a fun place to spend an evening. The girls do tend to have attitude, after all each is a true diva, but they are less aggressive than those you’ll find working the streets just outside Nana.

Nana is the closest station to a variety of gay massage shops, like Hero.

Not that Nana BTS only offers experiences that might take you outside of your comfort zone mind you. It is also a popular stop for gay touri looking for a massage with happy ending. The closest is Hero on Soi 11, one of Bangkok’s best gay massage shops. Soi 11 is also home to the Banana Club. Both are within walking distance of Nana Station if you don’t mind the hike, or grab a thankfully quick motocy taxi at the foot of the soi; you’ll arrive fresh, if not too relaxed, and won’t have to worry about finding the location. Uniman massage, formerly B&N, is between sois 10 and 12 inside the Sukhumvit Plaza, and the Guy Spa is on Soi 19. There are several other massage places along Sukhumvit too, including Albury Men’s Club on soi 26, but they are more easily reached from the Asoke or Phrom Phong station.

While sex is the main draw for many visitors, Nana station also lures those with a different addiction: shopping. Nightly the stretch of Sukhumvit from Soi 3 to Soi 19 is home to one of the city’s more popular night markets. Catering to the touri crowd, the merchandise along Sukhumvit is a bit more varied than you’ll find at Patpong’s night market, and priced at about half of what you’d pay there. Knock-off and pirated goods abound, but there are also cheap T-shirts, Thai handcrafts, and electronic gadgets that’ll bring out the kid in you. And if you’ve shopped ‘til you dropped, Sukhumvit is home to Bangkok’s fleet of mobile bars, converted vans turned into neon-lit backbars that set up along the boulevard’s sidewalks where you can kick back and have a few rounds without ever having to step off the street.

Sukhumvit’s sidewalks become a massive market at night.

Daytime the scene is less frenetic and the shopping opportunities less available, but if you are looking for a reputable place to buy jewelry, The Jewelry Mart on the corner of Soi 11 is a good choice. The stones sold there are all real and are of better quality; the deal you get will all depend on your bartering skills.

Nana BTS Station is a wonderful stop offering several conflicting worlds to enjoy. It’s also a good station to call home. There are dozens of hotels within a three minute walk of the station, some so close you can check out hot guys riding the trains as they zip past your hotel window. Every price range is represented, from the 4 star Landmark to the funky rooms above Narry’s Tailor where for $25 a night you can share your room with piles of laundry waiting to be washed.

You can get a drink on Sukhumvit without ever stepping off the sidewalk.

The small but hip Grand Inn on Soi 3 puts you right in the middle of the action for $35 a night, while over on Soi 11 the Swiss Park’s spacious marbled floored executive rooms run only $60, including an extensive buffet breakfast. Extend your boundaries to within a hotel provided free tuk tuk ride from the station and your choice of places to stay becomes limitless. This is one of the best areas in town to grab a decent room at a decent price, and while not in the middle of Patpong it is only 25 baht and 8 minutes away by train. You’ll get a lot more hotel for a lot less baht by staying around the Nana station, and easy access to the Skytrain to boot.

Related Posts You Might Enjoy:

Bangkok’s Skytrain For Dummies: Asoke Station

Bangkok’s Skytrain For Dummies (Part 1)

Bangkok’s Erawan Museum and the Three-Headed Elephant

Bangkok’s Skytrain For Dummies: Asoke Station

10 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by Bangkokbois in Bangkok's Skytrain For Dummies, Thailand Travel Tips and Tales

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Bangkok, Hotels and Restaurants, Markets & Shopping, Transportation

There is something to please everyone at Asoke BTS station.

Using Bangkok’s light rail trains these days takes a bit of planning. Not just in knowing which station is where, or which line you need to use to get to your destination – there are only two so it’s not that confusing – but considering rush hour on the BTS makes the traffic during rush hour on Bangkok’s streets look sparse, a few simple strategies can help greatly. First, if you have to switch lines at Siam, don’t. Seriously. Go have dinner or do some shopping at one of the malls instead. Second, if you plan on getting on at a station locals do not tend to use much – at least those with legitimate jobs – you’d do better to board at a busier station. With no one getting off you’ll have to wait for a few trains before one pulls in that still has room for you to squeeze into otherwise. Nana is a good example. Forget it. Walk, taxi, tuk tuk, or take a motorcycle taxi down to Asoke instead. Asoke is a popular station and is also a transfer station for the MRT. Enough people get off there you can alwaays get on. It’s also the first station I’ll be covering in my series of posts about the BTS.

Asoke Station (also spelled Asok) is located on Sukhmuvit at soi 19. It’s connected by elevated walkway to the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, a good spot for a pricey but lavish Sunday brunch, as well as a shopping mall. For touri, at least the straight variety, its next best claim to fame is being the station closest to Soi Cowboy, probably the city’s premier girly bar redlight district these days. That might not do much for you, but your boy du jour would undoubtedly enjoy making a visit to the neon lights of Cowboy one night. You’ll probably be more interested in Asoke as a destination station for a different type of thrill: shopping.

Asoke is spelled Asok in Thai. Sometimes.

The newest mall in Bangkok is Terminal 21, a cutting-edge shopping plaza designed to look like an airport terminal. It’s quickly becoming The mall for locals and touri alike, siphoning off a lot of the traffic that used to head to MBK. Everything you could possibly need is for sale there, and all in air-conditioned comfort. The mall also features a multi-screen cineplex to catch up on the latest Hollywood blockbusters if you didn’t pick up a bootleg copy of the movie you’ve been dieing to see on DVD yet. Night market aficionados can stroll west along Sukhumvit and browse through stall after stall of pirated goods and tacky souvenirs for as long as your feet can stand it. There is a Robinson Department store just to the west of the station, and within another block a branch of Asia Books. Throw in a good dozen 7/11s and Family Marts and just about any shopping needs, short of the latest offerings from Gucci, can be satisfied within walking distance of Asoke BTS. But then if you are willing to settle for Guci instead, you are completely covered.

Even those who have already shopped ‘til they dropped still make the pilgrimage to Bangkok’s Weekend Market where everything and anything is for sale at deep discounts. The Asoke area is a good base for making that trip; you have both the BTS and MRT to choose from, though the later is the better choice as its station drops you off inside of the market while the BTS’ closest station, Mo Chit, is still a bit of a walk away.

Terminal 21 is Bangkok’s newest shopping destination.

The only thing you won’t find in the immediate area are gay gogo bars. Yet. Many gay touri prefer staying close to the action in Patpong. Which is understandable. But unless you pick one of the four-star hotels what you will end up staying in will be a bit worn and tired. Hotels around the Asoke BTS station offer a better deal price wise and rooms are usually more spacious and in better condition. Staying in Patpong does mean you’ll be within four to five blocks of the bars, but that means walking four or five blocks in Bangkok’s notorious hot and humid weather. Stay Asoke instead and a quick ride on the BTS (30 baht) or by taxi (85 baht) delivers you to your favorite establishment fresh and relaxed. Shopping, dining, and sight-seeing are all more convenient from the Asoke area too.

The Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit and Westin Grande Sukhumvit are both upscale and pricey hotels. And are both connected to Asoke station. At the foot of the station’s escalators is Citi Lodge Soi 19 – I’ve been tempted by the price and the hotel being recently refurbished but have never stayed there. Just a bit further down soi 19, The Key is a small boutique hotel offering nicely appointed rooms at a reasonable price, though breakfast is limited, must be preordered, and is delivered to your room within a half hour time period you select at check in or the night before.

Cabbages and Condoms is the perfect dinner choice before a night out on the town.

Sasha’s Hotel Uno is a block further down soi 19, still within a comfortable waking distance, and also offers nicely furnished rooms at decent prices. Breakfast is buffet style, though somewhat limited in choice. And one wall of the shower looks into the room (or vice versa for your boy viewing pleasure) if you open the wooden slat blinds.

There is a popular Italian restaurant, La Gritta, at the ground floor of Citi Lodge, and if you need a quick dose of America, a McDonald’s across the street and attached to Robinson department store. Food courts and small eateries are located inside of Terminal 21, and across the street in the Times Square complex there are several (overpriced) Korean barbecue places.

Soi Cowboy, where the straight sex touri play.

A bit further away, but still comfortably within walking distance is the original branch of Cabbages and Condoms on soi 12. The restaurant offers an extensive menu of Thai dishes but it’s true claim to fame is its decor with everything from the lamp shades to wall art made from condoms. Everyone, from fellow touri to bar boys, that I’ve taken there has thoroughly enjoyed themselves. And the garlic shrimp appetizer are to die for.

Whether you are staying in the area or stopping off at Asoke station, there is something to please everyone within just a few blocks. And with fares on the Skytrain soon to be lowered, it’s an even cheaper way to explore Bangkok.

Asoke Station Map

Related Posts You Might Enjoy:

Bangkok’s Skytrain For Dummies (Part 1)

Cabbages and Condoms: Safe Dining in Bangkok

Spending the Weekend at Chatuchak

Bangkok’s Skytrain For Dummies (Part 1)

30 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by Bangkokbois in Bangkok's Skytrain For Dummies, Thailand Travel Tips and Tales

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Bangkok, Transportation

If you can not master using the BTS in Bangkok, which has been designed with the directionally challenged Thai in mind, then Darwin says your family line should end with you.

When I was a young juvenile delinquent, the school I was supposed to be attending held a assembly to warn us all of the dangers of the bay area’s new light rail system’s third rail. BART was still under construction at the time, but nearing completion and the powers that be wanted to avoid turning the local kids into crispy critters. I doubt Thailand took the same steps when the BTS was gearing up to go operational. The Thai attitude toward personal safety is more about fate than prevention. Or maybe they just understand better that Darwin had it right.

A better waring in the early days of construction might have been about the elevated portions along Sukhumvit crumbling and falling down onto pedestrian’s heads. But then that might have led to actually blaming someone for that little disaster, something which is to always be avoided in Thailand where human life is cheap, but reputations are greatly cherished. Now with the system providing a quick and cheap transpo option for citizens and touri alike, you’ll never here warnings like ‘Mind the Gap’ that the Brits are so fond of either, but you will see security guards at every station in Bangkok watching out for your well-being. Well, okay they are there to enforce rules against smoking and eating and to provide employment for the connected’s minor relatives, but if it makes you feel better you can pretend your safety is part of their responsibilities.

Bangkok’s BTS, or Skytrain, is a boon to tourists, it goes to the majority of places within the city that you’ll want to visit. It is cheap, clean, safe, and a great way to avoid the city’s notorious 24/7 traffic gridlock. Using the system is a breeze, once you’ve mastered the unique Thai cultural twists involved. For newbies to the city, especially those who have not used a light rail system before (and where in the hell have you been living?) I’m gonna cover the basics in this post. I’ll also be following up with posts highlighting various stations, their surrounding neighborhoods, and why you should consider those stations worthy of a stop. For now, let’s just concentrate on getting your ass on a train.

There are many good reasons to ride Bangkok’s Skytrain.

Your first opportunity for using the Skytrain is at Bangkok’s airport, there is a rail link, recently opened, that connects to the regular lines in town. Kinda, sorta. If after flying a dozen hours to get to Thailand you really want the hassle of navigating your way through the system, and then navigating your way through Bangkok’s bustling streets pulling your luggage along behind you while you search for your hotel, go for it. But if you are that cheap, you don’t deserve my assistance so you are on your own. Hopefully your holiday in Bangkok is longer than the two days it’ll take you to make it to your place of lodging.

Taxis are cheap in Bangkok. Tuk tuk are ubiquitous and a good transpo option if you need the experience or are only travelling a few blocks and value neither your safety or your life. Nine times out of ten, the BTS will be your best transpo option, so that means picking a hotel convenient to one of its stations. This is easier said than done. Bangkok’s hotels have figured out that touri like to be by the BTS so every one of them advertises they are within walking distance. So is the summit of Mount Everest.

If you speak Thai you can avoid falling for their lies. ‘A short stroll’ is Thai for a 30 to 45 minute walk in the blistering noonday heat. Don’t be confused by their use of the metric system either: ‘500 meters from Chong Nonsi Station’ computes to 1.8 miles. And any hotel that has ‘free tuk tuk service to the BTS station’ – and most now do – is telling you that even they think it is too far for you to be walking (note that you are on your own when trying to get back to the hotel).

Concerns about the mentally feeble are not completely ignored on the BTS.

This is probably a good point to mention BTS station names. Their English version is, like tipping bar boys, a matter of ‘up to you’. Even the signage at the station will use a variety of spellings. Chitlom can also be spelled Chit Lom. As well as Chidlom and Chid Lom. Listing all of the other possible spellings would be worthy of a blog of its own so instead my advice is that if it the spelling is close to looking familiar, assume it’s the station you want. If it is not, well, discovering the unknown is part of what international travel is all about.

Most hotels and hotel websites rely on Google Maps these days, which is a good thing ‘cuz map and Thais go together like Tom Cruise and a lasting, loving marriage. Take time to plot your prospective hotels’ locations as it relates to a BTS station. Anything within a true five minute walk is good. Anything further away means you’ll be grabbing a taxi instead after your first hour long hike between your temporary home at the BTS.

Familiarizing yourself with your local station is a good idea. Almost every station has a set of escalators going to both the ticketing floor and the floors where you board the trains. They are well-hidden and never near the entrance you’d normally use. If you are lazy or hate stairs, pinpointing where the escalators are can make your life much more rewarding.

You’ll also want to familiarize yourself with the stairs leading out of the station as every station has about a dozen different exit points. Most will take you in the exact opposite direction of where you want to go. Some will lead you to those well-hidden escalators, but since they go up and not down you’ll be stranded when you do find them. And other still will prove that despite what some may think, Thais do have a sense of humor. For example, one at the Chong Nonsi Station leads you down and drops you into the middle of a busy street. No, I mean right smack dab in the middle of the boulevard, not onto a handy sidewalk.

Stairs have their use. Getting to public transportation because you were too lazy to walk in the first place isn’t one of them.

If you are unsure of which exit to use at any given station, watch where the mob of locals head. And then walk in the opposite direction. Thais lean toward collectiveness, which means as a mob they like to play lemming. Wherever they are headed, it is not somewhere you want to go, so strike off on your own. The best people to follow are elderly farang with a hot young bar girl under arm. Most of these guys have visited Bangkok so often they know the city and its systems like the back of their hand. Hell, most know the place like the butt crack of the whore they just bought for the day, which most of the other farang in town know quite well too.

Being familiar with your neighborhood BTS station will do you no good on your first visit unless you also know where it is you plan on going. As soon as you make it into the station you’ll need to purchase a ticket, and the price is determined by where (not how, mind you) you plan on getting off. Fortunately, there is a map of all the BTS stations on both lines – not drawn by a Thai – right next to every ticket machine. The map also identifies the fare for each station. It is a wonderfully simple graphic easily understood regardless of the language you speak. So the only people who will have trouble figuring out the fares are the locals.

Next to the maps are the ticket machines. They take coins. Which you just got rid of by dropping them in the beggar’s cup of that poor Thai lady with the little baby cradled in her arms that tugged at your heart strings as you were climbing the stairs to the station. Both the destitute woman and the baby, by the way, arrived at the station from different routes with the baby taking the longer trip in from Burma. They’d have been good people to ask for directions.

Simple graphics are for simple people, ignore them like the locals do.

Any where else in the world a machine would be provided to change your money into coins. But this is Thailand. Instead, some distance away, will be a glass enclosed office where a live Thai is stationed to break down your bills for you. This involves using math, so good luck with that. Some stations have recently installed ticket machines that take bills. Avoid them. They always have the longest lines (comprised of locals trying to figure out why the bill slots won’t accept coins), and frequently don’t like the bill you try to feed them.

Coins in hand, back at the ticket machine, the station you want to travel to is identified on the map with a fare designation such as ‘6’. This is the number you punch in at the ticket machine. It in turn tells you how much baht to insert. After refusing several of your coins for the hell of it, the machine will issue you a ticket. Try not to lose it.

At the turnstiles you insert your ticket into a slot located at the front of the turnstile, and take it back from a slot on top. This opens the gate for you to pass through. The machine senses your passage, and shuts its gate behind you. If you spent the day shopping and are loaded down with bags, the machine will let your bags through and shut before you make it through yourself. Or the other way around if your bags trail you through the turnstile. You need to instead hold them above the machine to each side of you as you pass through the gate. I have to assume those of the typical size of a Pattaya expat have a similar problem getting themselves and either their stomach or ass through the turnstiles too.

If your destination is still too far for walking, you can always grab one of the motorcycle taxis huddled by every BTS station. Pick the right driver and you won’t have to go to that massage shop after all.

Now you need to figure out which set of stairs to climb to get to the train you want. Except for at transfer stations like Siam, there are only two trains, going in opposite directions of each other. So of course there are a minimum of six separate sets of stairs. The set the furthest from you will be an escalator carefully placed to require the same amount of effort in reaching them as you will save by riding the escalator instead of climbing the stairs.

The multiple stairs thingy may mean you are confused about which direction to walk in so as soon as your pass through the turnstile it’s a good time to practice a time honored Thai cultural custom and come to a full stop blocking those behind you while you decide where to go, what to have for lunch, and where you should spend your next ten years’ worth of holidays.

Knowing the locals would never find compass points of use, the BTS system is designed to designate direction using the name of each of its end stations. So, for example, instead of heading east, you go ‘Mo Chit.’ There is a map (again not designed by a Thai) just inside each station that lists every station on each line that is serviced by the station you are at. Once you have learned the end station names, this is an easy system to use. Except for that they keep adding stations. So what was the end station, and the designation used for the direction that train travelled, gets changed when a new station opens. Hopefully this does not happen while you are still on board.

Trains run every 15 minutes, or on Thai time, whichever comes first. Regardless, there is never a very long wait. At the edge of the boarding platform there are large areas color coded to tell you where to line up for boarding. As soon as you get to the platform, grab the front spot closest to the platform’s edge so that you get a good seat when you board. You will note the locals do not line up, allowing the guests to their country to take the premium waiting spots instead. No problemo. As soon as the train arrives they will all push forward and slip in front of you.

You can assume your previous life made Mother Teresa look like a whore if this is ever the sight you are presented with when boarding the BTS.

The same markings have a set of arrows showing the direction for people disembarking to use, and those embarking to follow to keep the masses from trampling each other. But the arrows are in English and so are not understandable to the local populace. You are supposed to allow those getting off the train to do so before you board, but much like with the line you tried to form for boarding, this is a suggestion, not a royal decree, and as such is ignored by Thais.

Once you are on board you’ll find that the BTS these days closely resembles a sardine can. It is polite to push and shove your way inside so that you are not standing and blocking the door. This would make it easier for your fellow passengers to disembark at the next station, but the doors on the trains tend to open on opposite sides from one station to the next, so the out-of-the-way spot you found will soon become the spot everyone wants to use to get on or off the train.

Occasionally you’ll find a near empty train when you board. This only happens if your karma is exceptionally good. You can grab whatever seat you fancy. Note there are seats reserved for monks and the elderly, but you can ignore their intended use like everyone else does. Monks don’t use the Skytrain and few of the elderly are capable of climbing the stairs to get to the trains. Elderly farang, by the way, do not count as they are beneath consideration, so don’t expect any local to offer you his seat. Unless he’s a bar boy. Then he will offer you his seat if a large enough tip is involved.

Despite what you may think, the poles erected inside of the Skytrain cars are not intended for locals to use to practice their job skills.

As your train fills you’ll notice no Thai will want to sit next to you. Do not let this bother you, even though they are acting as though you are a fat, hot, sweaty, disgusting foreigner who stinks and whose motives are questionable where locals are concerned. This is because you are a fat, hot, sweating, disgusting farang whose motives are questionable where locals are concerned. Enjoy the extra space while you can because the car will soon become so full someone will push an unfortunate local into the empty seat next to yours and, if he is male and under the age of 40 you’ll begin fantasizing of all the things he’d be willing to do for 500 baht.

Like time, the BTS waits for no man. You need to be up out of your seat and near the doors when your train pulls into the your disembarkation station. When the doors slide open, all the locals waiting to board will push you further into the train in their effort to grab the seat you just vacated. With luck, there will still be enough time for you to squeeze your way off the train before the doors slam shut. If you made it off the train successfully follow the mob of locals down the closest set of stairs and then like most of them come to a complete stop while you decide which exit to use. Surprisingly, there are well placed signs at ceiling height that show you which direction each exit is and where that exit leads. You’ll notice most of these signs are only in English, but that’s because printing them in Thai would be a pointless use of ink because they are, well, directions.

To get out of the station you will have to feed your ticket through the turnstile once again. Your ticket is a single use fare so after feeding it into the machine it will not be returned to you. So much for your cheap souvenir. Most touri destinations are if not connected to the stations serving them, then damn close. However, some of the more culturally significant spots, such as the soi 11 massage parlors, are still a bit of a distance away. There are always a group of motorcycle taxis available for you to reach your final destination (which, since riding a motorcycle in Bangkok is an iffy proposition might just be in fact your final destination).

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10 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by Bangkokbois in Bangkok's Skytrain For Dummies, Thailand Travel Tips and Tales

≈ 14 Comments

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Bangkok, Transportation

This shot is of the skytrain headed out of Saphan Taksin station for its quick hop across the river. Enjoy it now, it is a sight you will soon no longer see.

Not being a real fan of public transportation, when they started building the Skytrain in Bangkok and turned Sukhumvit into a dark and dank overcrowded alleyway (as opposed to the sunny overcrowded street it once was) I wasn’t a happy camper. I changed my mind once the system was up and running. It’s a great and cheap way to get around town, convenient to most areas touri normally go.

Now I tend to select a hotel by how close to a BTS station it is. The one I stay at most often is almost next door to the Saphan Taksin station, which was once the end of the line. Now the BTS crosses the Chao Phraya which I’m sure is a boon to daily commuters who live on the far side of the river. The Saphan Taksin BTS station is also where you catch the express boats plying the Chao Phraya, so it’s a great station to call home with multiple transpo options readily available depending on where you are headed for the day.

The powers that be have announced they are going to close Saphan Taksin while a second track is laid which is budgeted to cost 670 million baht. Currently a single track runs across the river causing a bottleneck at the station. If you’ve ever taken the BTS into Saphan Taksin and had the train come to a stop and go into hibernation mode just outside of the station, that is why: it’s waiting for the train coming from the opposite direction to clear the track so it can proceed.

While Saphan Taksin is closed, plans are to build a 700 meter Skywalk system from Saphan Taksin to Surasak Station, the next closest station, complete with moving sidewalks. Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra announced the plan last week saying, “We will ensure that commuters continue to enjoy convenience. With the Skywalk and moving walkways, it will only take them five minutes to get from the Saphan Taksin Station to Surasak Station.”

I guess that all depends on how you define convenient. Whether it is escalators or moving sidewalks the Thai government tends to only install a set moving in one direction. I hope they do better with the planned Skywalk system. But I’m not holding my breath.

When the construction and closure will begin is still up in the air. Approval needs to be obtained from various governmental agencies (so lots of cash will be exchanging hands) and there is currently a minor graft problem being worked out between the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and BTSC, the current operator of the Skytrain system, with Krungthep Thanakom, the legal investment arm of the city administration, involved in the dispute too. Uh, so even more cash will be exchanging hands.

I like walking around Bangkok and devote hours to doing just that. Tacking on a five minute hike to get to and from my hotel just to catch the BTS is a different story. So it looks like I’ll be soon looking for a new hotel to call home when I’m in the Big Mango. Maybe I’ll try the Kempsky. It’d be nice to run into Beachlover on my next visit to Bangkok.

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