Bangkok
The Kingdom of Thailand is a tropical Southeast
Asian nation home to about 63 million mostly
Buddhist people and borders the
nations of Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Malaysia.
Potential tourists can choose from a veritable
smorgasbord of travel opportunities including
numerous tropical islands and beaches,
historical tours to the Bridge over the River Kwai and elephant treks through the jungle at
Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.
The capital city of Bangkok can best be
described as frantic: Traffic jams are common
and air pollution is heavy. But the busy nature
of the city means there is always something to
do and it is a shopping and entertainment hub,
drawing visitors from all over the region.
In many ways it is not representative of the
country at large and there are many beautiful
and quiet places in Thailand that can easily and
cheaply be found. The currency is the Thai Baht and at current
exchange rates you will get about 32 baht per US
dollar. Some countries have Visa agreements in
place with Thailand and tourists from these
countries can simply fly in and receive a
two-week temporary stay permit, which never
seems long enough in Thailand.
Attractions
Thailand has something for just about everyone.
Many tourists are lured every year to the city
of Chiang Mai in the country’s north to enjoy an
elephant trek but still more tourists are
attracted to the beaches and islands in either
the Gulf of Thailand or the Andaman Sea. The largest island is Phuket, a mountainous
island that supports a number of glorious white
sand beaches and cheap beach-front
accommodation. In peak tourism season the
nightlife at the Patong Beach has to be seen to
believed; many tourists come here to party at
night and relax during the day. There are also
water activities, including licensed diving,
snorkelling and parasailing available. Phuket
conveniently has its own airport and visitors
can transfer from Bangkok directly.
In the Gulf of Thailand there are plenty more
islands for people to choose from, the largest
being Ko Chang. This island offers a much
quieter and relaxed beach experience than the
party islands in the Andaman Sea, with the same
water leisure activities available. Tourists in
a hurry to get to Ko Chang, which is only five
hours by bus, can choose to fly to Trat airport,
transfer by taxi to the ferry terminal and then
ride the ferry across to the island. Keep a
sharp eye out for flying fish that sometimes
skip on the water ahead of the ferry!
Shopping
Bangkok is the place to shop in Thailand and if
you want something, you will probably find it in
Bangkok somewhere. Thais take their shopping seriously and the
major shopping centres are well-connected by
public transport, including the excellent
Skytrain network that whizzes by above the
city’s congested streets and does so at a
reasonable price.
Central World Shopping Complex lives up to its
name: 550,000 square metres of
unadulterated
shopping; it proclaims itself the largest
lifestyle shopping complex in Southeast Asia and
shoppers can choose either upmarket goods or
something more affordable. It is located at
Ratchaprasong intersection, Pathumwan. To get
there on the Skytrain get off at either Chitlom
or Siam stops and walk, you can’t miss it.
Siam Paragon aims for a different market –
people with cash and shoppers can find luxury
cars, designer clothes and premium-brand watches
at this fine complex. It can be found next to
Siam Centre, Pathumwan and the appropriate
Skytrain stop is Siam.
MBK – Mah Boon Krong – Shopping Center is one of
Bangkok’s best-known shopping locations and its
eight floors feature wall-to-wall shopping for
all kinds of goods. It is also cheaper than many
of the other big shopping centres and is very
popular with Thais. It can be found at Phayathai
Road, Pathumwan and those on the Skytrain should
get off at the National Stadium stop.
Siam Center Bangkok is one of the oldest
shopping malls in the city and its four-storeys
are home to some 300 shops, 20 restaurants,
beauty parlours and ice-cream shops. For these
last two reasons it is popular with young people
in particular. It is located in Siam and this is
obviously the best Skytain stop to use.
Air Bagan Ltd. (Bangkok
Office)
GSA : TT Aviation Co.,
Ltd.
140/19 ITF Tower, 11th Fl., Silom Road,
Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Thailand.
Tel : + 662 237 6915~17
Fax : + 662 231 6488
Mobile : + 668 9671 0439
Email:
airbagan_holidays@waa.co.th
website:
www.airbagan.com
