lucire volante: bangkok has you now – the global fashion ......priced delights to be found....

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The global fashion magazine September 04, 2011

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Royal PalaceCeremonialBuilding in Bangkok,Thailand

Bangkok has you nowBangkok surprises with luxury shopping, bargain hunting, spicy food and cultural offerings,

whether your stay is one night, or several days

by Elyse Glickman

THOUGH POP CULTURE TENDS to referenceBangkok’s more dodgy side such as the ’80s songOne Night in Bangkok and the recent film, Hangover 2,a jaunt to Thailand’s capital reveals that the city alsohas facets that rival the fashion and culture of NewYork, London or Hong Kong. It may even surprisesome that in 2009, it was ranked the second mostexpensive city in southeast Asia, behind Singapore,thanks to the high-tech and business booms of the1980s and 1990s. Its ascendance in the world is onfirm display in the Siam Square area, but more onthat later.

Most savvy travellers will be delighted to knowthat true to reputation, there are plenty of bargain-priced delights to be found. Cross-town cab fares asinexpensive as bus fares in most US cities, aplethora of night markets and bazaars, temptingstreet food and an exchange rate kind to the dollarreveal what the Bangkok of old is known for.

If you’re going for the all-out luxury experience,the city offers that as well. The five-star Shangri-LaHotel scores high marks with its plush suites,million-dollar views of the river, nicely outfittedfitness centre with no shortage of ellipticalmachines and Chi spa. The impeccable service anda most impressive pan-Asian breakfast and brunch

Royal Palace Museum compound

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buffet complete with breakfast ice cream, yoghurtand muesli and enormous chunks of fresh fruit aswell as very respectable northern Indian farehighlight the Shangri-La Hotel as a world-classdestination. The 2011 Thailand Rice Convention &World Rice Standard Summit, which I attended,played out like a well-planned hybrid of charityfashion show fundraiser and wedding. The layoutand panoramic windows in the ballroom areastransport even business travelers like myself to anexotic universe.

Though not in the physical centre of town, theShangri-La Hotel is still walking distance from rivercruises, water taxis and the famed SkyTrain, whichputs the best of new and old Bangkok right at yourfeet. Travellers coming for longer visits or withgirlfriend groups or kids may want to look into theadorable, comfortable and reasonably pricedBossotel Inn Bangkok, a block down the hill fromthe Shangri-La. Said to be favourite second homefor celebrity chef Tommy Tang, often in town toshoot his American Public Television series EasyThai Cooking, the inn features a small but authenticThai breakfast area, friendly staff, a cute, fitnessroom, pool, an attractive lobby, and simple androomy suites.

As demonstrated by the continued production ofthe Easy Thai Cooking programme andendorsements of Thai Hom Mali rice, Bangkok isundisputedly one of Asia’s great food cities. Thereare a plethora of street food stalls and interestinginexpensive places to eat, the MBK Centre, a mallthat is essentially a multi-floor, air-conditionedbazaar popular with teenagers coming to mind.High-end cuisine is also abundant, expanding one’snotion of how elegant Thai cuisine can be.

Thanying, a favourite of Mr Tang, is set in acharming colonial-style house, has delightedpatrons since 1986 with spicy-but-sophisticatedspecialties like roasted duck, noodle, sun-dried beefand deep-friend sea bass dishes through just theright amount of sauce and heat. Restaurants andlounges in the Sukhumvit, Soi 24 area, includeLemon Grass, a touristy but worthwhile locale, aswell as the Seafood Market, Sorn-Thong Ponchanaand The Bed Supper Club.

Whether or not you do cocktails, Bangkok offersmany sky bars, such as Sky Bar–Le Dome at theState Tower (a shooting location for Hangover 2) andRedSky at Centara World. In addition to wonderfulselections of cocktails, both locations are alsomust-dos for luscious food menus, music and cityviews. The prices are on the high side, comparableto bar prices in Los Angeles or New York City, butwell worth the cost with the unique flavours takingadvantage of local fruits, spices and unusualcombinations of ingredients. SkyBar–Le Dome’scocktail was even inspired by Hangover 2 and issomething to savour over a leisurely eveningoverlooking the city.

A more local scene can be found at thecombination bar of Jameson’s Irish Pub and the –5Ice Bar in the Silom neighbourhood. British expatIan Harriss is at the helm of this wonder-bar andperforms the role of creator for some of the mostinteresting ice cream and sherbet drinks!

To work up an appetite again, visitors canexplore Thailand’s most important and impressivehistorical venues including the Grand Palace, WatPho, Wat Arun and Lumphini Park. The museumsthat fill out the Rattanakosin Island and riverdistricts are just as intriguing and should not be

Thai temple

View from the Shangri-La Hotel

Cheese platter

Cocktail at Centara

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missed. The active temples you may encounteralong the way are just as worth visiting, effectivelyacting as a living form of history, defined by thesame distinctively Thai architectural hallmarks asthe more historical buildings. With the lively touristareas, however, caution serves visitors well as someclever touts lie in wait outside the Grand Palacegate to rope tourists into paid guided tour of thecompound. Once inside the compound, there aremany signs in plain view clearly indicating tours areoffered in English, free of charge, by paid museumdocents.

Mobile touts on bike taxis also adeptly lurevisitors on ‘a cultural ride’ to visit one of the majorBuddha monuments, for example, only to bringtheir charges to tailors and jewellery shops wheredrivers get a cut of purchases made. Some of thosestores actually do offer high-quality items at goodprices and if you take your time and have goodnegotiating skills, the hassle may prove worthwhile.If you are adventurous, enjoy the inexpensive,open-air ride through the city, but also know whento say ‘No,’ and be adamant about talking down theprice. The same advice rings true for the ChatuchakWeekend Market, an endless bargain hunting sprawlnorth of the city in the north of the city that, byshear size and variety, puts night markets in otherAsian cities to shame.

Culture blends seamlessly into fashion and homedesign, and nowhere is this more evident than withJim Thompson, credited for transforming Thai silkinto a global industry. The Jim Thompson House,an exquisite residence-turned museum, is also theanchor for the many retail boutiques and outletswho offer 30–50 per cent discounted merchandise,their designs paying homage to the lost design greatwho disappeared in Myanmar in 1967.

Fashionistas who want to play it safe but wantsomething uniquely Thai to take home will find theRatchaprasong neighbourhood and the megalithic“mall neighbourhood” of Siam Square seductiveand overwhelming. The best way to make the mostof your time, therefore, is to select a destinationmall or block compatible with the way you shop.Siam Paragon is a domestic and international chainstores presented in a format similar to Americanmalls; Gaysorn Centre is Bangkok’s answer to FifthAvenue and Rodeo Drive; edgy Thailand clothing,accessories and decorator goods can be found SiamDiscovery.

Siam Centre, a diminutive mall credited withstarting the whole Siam Square explosion a fewdecades back, is now is the spot to find clothingand accessories from Thailand-based designers onthe rise. Labels and haunts worth obsessing overinclude gorgeous hand-crafted leather handbagsfrom Tango, Mob. F, carrying some 42 emergentThai fashion labels, and signature boutiques fromThailand’s young designers now making aninternational impact including 27 November,Rebecca, Jaspal and Kloset.

Greyhound, a clothing line regarded as theArmani of Thailand with its sleek, geometric,simple styles proves that the country cannotdefined merely by brightly coloured silk attire andbeachwear alone. Like Armani in the west, thebrand also has offers its own respected ThaiNouveau haute-cuisine at its Greyhound Café.

Despite the sheer abundance of gastronomicalfare and great variety for the fashion-minded, it isimportant not to forget to explore all aspects ofBangkok in order to fully appreciate the vibrancy of

Dinner at Thanying Restaurant

For information on flights to Bangkok, visitwww.thaiairwaysusa.com.For more info on Bangkok highlights, visitwww.tourismthailand.org and www.bangkoktourist.com. Thanying: No. 10 Thanon Pramuan at Silon 17-19Greyhound Café: www.greyhoundcafe.co.thTango: www.tango.co.thBossotel Inn Bangkok: www.bossotelinn.com

Elyse Glickman is US west coast editor of Lucire.

Top Hylonome by Mary Wing To (United Kingdom),the Supreme Winner at the Brancott Estate World ofWearable Art 2011 show. Above Runner-up, Hide inMy Bone Shadow, by Marjolein van der Wal(Netherlands). Walking into the TSB Arena inWelling..

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lucire volante: bangkok has you now – the global fashion ......priced delights to be found....

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