The Other Big Mango
Bankgok seems to have a lot nicknames – City of Angels (but that’s LA?), Venice of the East – but the Big Mango is my favorite (see the post from last month in Australia for a picture of another one). In addition to the names, it has a lot of everything else too. Shopping centers that put South Coast Plaza in the OC to shame. Boats dodging each other on the Chao Phraya river. Amazing food that’s spicy and cheap too.
It also has a lot of temples and we visited a few of the “best” including the Wat Phra Kaeo and Wat Pho. It seems like there is a temple on every street and photos just don’t capture the beauty and quiet that surround you.
My favorite sight was a few monks in their bright orange robes with a digital camera taking pictures of each other in front of Wat Arun. We were doing the same thing, of course, but I found the mix of high tech and reverence to be a perfect symbol of this place.
Along with the obligatory view from the temple, I’ll leave you with an ad from the front page of our morning newspaper. Could be the next hot trend…
halftime
January 5th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
where are you guys staying?
have you tried the mangosteens? they’re really good.
the mbk mall is fun… completely chaotic… good t-shirt bargains
somboon is good for chili crab
do NOT miss out on foot massages
which beach are you going to?
man, wish I was out there
January 7th, 2009 at 4:49 am
We’re going to Krabi and Phi Phi, but not until next week. Headed for a massage in about an hour. Can’t wait.
January 7th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
If you happen to stop by Bangkok again, try to find out whether its ‘Tiger show’ or ‘Thai-girl show’. Is it safe without the enclosures?
January 10th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
I think you should stay in Thailand and save a bunch of bucks. Europe will toast your budget.
Love the salmon heads. Yummy, just ask E, he ate ’em, just didn’t know it.