Bangkok: A travel guide for the first time visitor (part two)
(article continued from part one)
Another of Bangkok's temples worth visiting is Wat Pho (also known as Wat Chetuphon). Wat Pho is the oldest temple in Bangkok and is home to Thailand's largest reclining Buddha at 46 metres long and 15 metres high. You will also find the greatest number of Buddha images in Thailand within its extensive grounds. You should expect to pay approximately 20 Baht (30 pence) to visit Wat Pho.
Shopaholics will be in their element in Bangkok with a great number of shopping malls and street markets of all types. The vast Chatuchak Weekend Market in northern Bangkok has around twenty thousand stalls selling almost anything you could think of while the Suan Lum Night Bazaar is a large open air market offering bargains on clothes, crafts, gifts and plenty more. Sadly there are fears that the Night Bazaar be shut down in the near future to make way for a new development although the managers and vendors are resisting eviction.
Other popular tourist attractions for Bangkok holiday makers include the house of Jim Thompson (the American famous for revitalizing Thailand's silk industry and perhaps even more famous for his mysterious disappearance in 1967), Bangkok snake farm, and the national museum, where you can learn more about the history of Thailand and view one of the world's greatest collections of Southeast Asian art.
Nightlife The nightlife in Bangkok is diverse with huge clubs, go-go bars, cocktail lounges, expat pubs and bars featuring live music, there is something for everyone. Generally the nightlife is very safe and relaxed, with dressing up not a necessity. Patpong is easily Bangkok's most notorious nightlife area and has over 100 back-to-back neon lit bars, most of which are catered towards men. For the first time Bangkok holiday maker, Khao San Road may be the ideal place to spend the evening as almost every type of entertainment can be found along this busy strip at night time.
A few do's and don'ts Do smile - Thailand is known as the land of smiles and the Thai people smile for a variety of reasons; to say hello or thank you, to make requests, to apologise or to show embarrassment.
Don't touch anyone on the head - The head is considered sacred and the Thai people do not approve of touching anyone on the head.
Do be aware of your feet - It is considered rude in Thailand to point your feet at another person so be aware of what you are doing with your feet, for example when crossing your legs.
Don't kiss in public - In Thailand it is not the done thing to show a public display of affection, so avoid kissing or holding hands in public.
Don't drink the tap water - Even the locals infrequently drink water from the tap. Bottled water is extremely cheap (no more than 25 baht - 40 pence - for a litre) and widely available.
Don't touch any images of Buddha - Images of Buddha are sacred so you should avoid touching them or posing in front of any for pictures.
by Harry Lawrance
No comments:
Post a Comment