http://teakdoor.com en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:48:42 GMT vBulletin 60 http://teakdoor.com/images/td_default/misc/rss.jpg http://teakdoor.com http://teakdoor.com/bangkok-forum/60468-a-walk-through-old-bangkok.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:35:47 GMT Well, not all of old Bangkok but one little bit of it. Here's a pleasant stroll you can take if you are at a loose end and want to go a little off the tourist trail. Firstly you will need to make your way to Rommaneerart Park. I usually get here by walking up Yaowarat Road from Hualumpong station which is at the end of the underground rail system.
When I first arrived in Bangkok , Rommaneerart Park was still a prison . In converting it to a park a few of the old prison buildings were saved from demolition. One houses an interesting museum about the former prison with many old photos and information on the old Thai penal system. As you enter the park at the South East corner you pass an old watchtower guarding the entrance :



This is a nice park with a laid back feel. They sometimes have free open air concerts here of old time music. Very atmospheric. There is a fitness corner and a childrens play area as well as plenty of shaded areas to enjoy a catnap. Get here early enough and watch the local Chinese residents working through their Tai Chi routines.






Leaving the park by the South West gate and heading directly west past a row of colonial era shops you need to look for a narrow canal with a paved walk running along its side that passes behind a row of these old shops. Tricky to find but worth the trouble. This is what you will see :



This is a nice looking building but I'm not sure if its a private home or something serving a public function.




At the end of this walk you will eventually arrive at Atsadang Road facing Saranrom Royal garden. If you are feeling a bit hungry , the ' Pathe " restaurant on the corner serves good Thai and western food at reasonable prices. This is in a well restored period building and worth a visit in itself.



Crossing this bridge you can carry on into Saranrom Royal Garden.




This garden has many Thai styled buildings to admire as well as several fountains and more shaded trees to lay under and let your lunch go down








To finish off your walk you can either continue west and visit Wat Pho or head north along Atsadang Road towards Sanam Luang passing a block of stores selling musical instruments, most notably , guitars.There is also a bus from here that goes to Sukhumvit Road. ]]> Bangkok Forum Bangyai http://teakdoor.com/bangkok-forum/60468-a-walk-through-old-bangkok.html http://teakdoor.com/bangkok-forum/59703-steak-1-restaurant-bangkok.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:13:45 GMT I spent one night in BKK at the start of October, 1st time in years, the place doesn't seem to have changed apart from one major draw card is missing. I always ate at a restaurant near Dynasty Inn just down from Nana called STEAK 1. It had an open air side to it and an airconditioned side as well. They served the most mouth watering steak I have ever eaten, cooked to how you liked it, 3 veg and gravy of your choice all for around £3.00GB, this was when we were getting high 70's to the £.

Can anyone tell me what happened, have they just relocated? ]]> Bangkok Forum aussie john http://teakdoor.com/bangkok-forum/59703-steak-1-restaurant-bangkok.html http://teakdoor.com/bangkok-forum/59026-bangkok-illegal-street-racing.html Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:30:03 GMT I've seen this quite a few times before, usually on a Saturday night but I suppose because of the holiday they decided to have it last night.

I only had the camera on my phone so excuse the picture quality.:)

It all starts off with just a few bikes converging in the center of the road and beeping their horns at about 2.30am.



You can see a lot of them starting to line up along the side of the road near the top of the picture.



More and more keep arriving and before you know it, traffic is completely fucked.




Now, they have completely closed the road. You can see at the top of the pic that they've formed a 'U' shape blocking the road, with spectators sat on bikes drinking and passing bets on the races, this is their start line.





This isn't a quiet Bangkok back street. This is Henry Dunnit junction on Rama IV.:)



Things are in full swing now and I'd guesstimate that there are over 300 bikes here now.

Every half an hour or so they'd all get spooked and bugger off at the same time but then they'd reconvene 10 mins later.

I've watched it before where 4 or 5 coppers turn up and try and take on the mob but they only end up catching 1 or 2 of them.

So I thought it would be funny to call the police.:) The idea was to get some good shots of them fleeing and hopefully a few shots of some of them getting arrested. :)

But, my phone call to the police was pointless. They said that they would be too outnumbered so there was no point in them coming.



I decided to take to the street to try and get some closer shots!:)

They were doing drag racing, burn outs and wheely competitions.



Quite a few of these 'Boy Racer' cars started to show up and they were all racing on the Rama IV road.





They were all kitted out with Turbo's and dump valves which made it all sound really cool.:mid:

All the bikes that were racing were supped up with bigger engines and really skinny tires like on a racing push bike.



There was a really hot chick on the back of that Fino but he started pulling away when I was taking the photo so we were left looking at this munter :(

There's a video to come of the bikes taking off right on the start line.:) I'll post that later when we work out how to get the footage off my mates phone. (his bluetooth is buggered and the usb cable isn't working right now) ]]> Bangkok Forum The Fresh Prince http://teakdoor.com/bangkok-forum/59026-bangkok-illegal-street-racing.html http://teakdoor.com/bangkok-forum/59025-the-canals-of-bangyai-suburban-bangkok.html Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:18:21 GMT A lot of water has passed under the bridge since Bangkok was known as
' The Venice of the east '. Nowadays, most city dwellers don't see many canals except those that are more like open sewers and the well known Klong Saen Saeb. This was built by Rama III in 1837 to enable movement of troops and weapons towards Cambodia and is still used today by commuters wanting to travel from Ramkamheng to the Prathoo Nam are.

To see what Bangkok might have looked like just after world war II you need to travel to the cities suburbs. One such suburb is Bangyai where the canal system is still very much intact and still used by locals to visit friends or drop the kids off to school.

This is Klong Praba Maha Sawat which runs from the Ta Chin river and ultimately into the Chao Phrya via Klong Bangkok Noi. As the name suggests, it provides tap water to the city and so no water traffic , bathing or fishing is allowed





The narrow road along the side of this canal is closed to heavy traffic and is very popular with cyclists who appreciate the smooth tarmac and clean air.



And there is no law against building along the canal if the structure is set back a bit as this nice Thai house shows



Cutting across this canal is Klong Bangyai , along the banks of which are many temples like this one : Wat Anek Dittharam





Always plenty of catfish here looking for an easy meal



I usually cross this road bridge then cut back through the temple grounds and use their footbridge.





Just sitting on the dock of the bay
Telling the falang to go away.....



Plenty of quiet backwaters branching of this big canal.





Everybody who has a home on the edge of one of these canals always has a boat or two and still use these canals to visit places nearby or just drop of the kids at school.



And of course , there is a lot of fishing done with many homes having their own nets stretched out over the canal



Another temple on Klong Bangyai , a bit further west. Wat Don Chueak .



I saw a very pretty girl paddle up this quiet canal, Klong Wa Deeo, and she nodded at my ' Py dooay ' request , but kept paddling until she past from sight.



Between all the canals the area is given over to vegetable farming , fruit orchards, rice fields and garden centres.



3 crops of rice a year here as no shortage of water



The roads are also pretty nice. its just a shame there is a lot of fly tipping so every now and then you come across a lot of rubble and plastic bags on the side of the road.





And with the new roads come new houses, replacing the old ones along the waters edge.




Well, might as well finish with a canal but I'll add pictures to the thread if theres any interest

]]> Bangkok Forum Bangyai http://teakdoor.com/bangkok-forum/59025-the-canals-of-bangyai-suburban-bangkok.html