Hello and welcome to my Bangkok, known affectionately by the locals as the City of Angels. It’s a city that has many dimensions to it, some more seedy than angelic! So I designed a mystery tuk-tuk tour to show my visitors the Bangkok I love. Would you like to join us?
First of all, you have to find your Tuk Tuk, it won’t be hard. The driver’s will approach you with a loud
‘Sawasdee ka! Where are you going?!’
We will go to my favourite park to see how Thai people relax and be astonished by the giant monitor lizards. I will give you a chance to have a go at Muay Thai boxing, we will stop at the stunning Nai Lert historical home and admire how the other half have lived and finally passing by one of the most famous shrines in Bangkok, we will end up for lunch at the iconic (by invitation only) Royal Bangkok Sports Club. Are you ready?
Meeting place Soi Lang Suan
Lang Suan as it is the main soi in my village. I have everything here. It is the best mix of old and new Bangkok and is my favourite street. We will come back here for letter S, as it is worth exploring in detail.
Tuk Tuks in Thailand
I have actually pre-arranged a fleet of Tuk Tuks for you all. Otherwise, it can be a bit of a hassle negotiating with the Tuk Tuk drivers who all want top dollar to take you anywhere. You need to think of a Tuk Tuk ride as an experience, not a cheap way of getting from A to B these days!
Lumpini Park:
At the end of soi Lang Suan is Lumpini Park, we will ride all the way around the outskirts so you can see its vast size.
It’s where Bangkok comes to meet and to exercise. My husband loves to run here (it is only 2.6 km around the inner circuit) as he feels like Usain Bolt. Most people are sensible given the high heat and humidity and go slow. Not Mr Wren, a good run is when no-one passes him!
You can visit the outdoor gyms here, join a tai chi class (bring your own red sword) play your musical instrument, sing in a group, it’s where we enjoyed a series of free twilight concerts by the Bangkok Philarmonic orchestra
You can meet your friends for breakfast, lunch and dinner, bring your own rice cooker and kettle, yes each of the picnic areas enjoys electricity.
Or simply wander around, take a swan boat on the lake, a ride a bike (at certain times only) enjoying an ever decreasing amount of greenery and watch the world go by.
Be ready at 8 am and 6 pm to stand to attention when the National Anthem is played and full respect is observed.
No two visits to Lumpini Park are the same but I want to show you the giant monitor lizards.
Muay Thai Boxing
Off Rama 4 road is a local Muay Thai Boxing Gym. I have asked for a demonstration (I think!) my Thai is still minimal. We will be dripping with sweat as there is no air con here, so be prepared!
Muay Thai or Thai Boxing is the national sport and cultural martial art of Thailand. It was developed several hundreds of years ago as a form of close-combat that utilizes the entire body as a weapon. But like everything in Thailand, it is very controlled and civilised although beware I don’t like my chances of coming out the winner in any Muay Thai competition!
Nai Lert Heritage House and gardens
Right it’s back in the Tuk Tuks for a quick ride through the backstreets behind Wireless road, to Nai Lert Park on Soi Som Khit. The house is now a museum and gives a fascinating insight into a past life.
Is a fantastic park developed by Nai Lert who was one of Thailand’s first and foremost developer, as well as a preserver of Bangkok’s environment.
We visited a Flower and Garden Festival here earlier in the year. You can see the huge carpet of flowers below.
It is rather fitting given Nai Lert was a property developer that his former house is preserved under the rather spectacular development of Central Embassy mall, dwarfed under the Park Hyatt hotel.
Nai Lert is next to the British Embassy which has just been sold as the most expensive real estate in Bangkok, and sadly we shall lose more parkland, but for the moment enjoy the gardens.
The Royal Bangkok Sports Club
We shall finish our Tuk Tuk tour by continuing down Ploenchit road past Bangkok’s most famous Erawan Shrine. There is always something happening here, you can make an offering and watch the dancers who perform.
We will arrive at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club which is Bangkok’s most prestigious sports club and open to the public each month for horse racing around the outskirts of the golf course. Come let’s take a look.
I hope you have enjoyed a little tuk-tuk tour around Bangkok’s glorious sights in my local village.
Tomorrow’s post is C is for culture shock.There are times when I find this crazy city overwhelming and so far from a city of angels that I can’t wait to leave!
Linking with thanks to all the hosts at Our World Tuesday
B is for Bangkok – City of Angels is part of Blogging from A to Z April (2018) Challenge. Click here to see the list of all participants!
Thanks so much to the organisers
16 comments
Whooo, I’m tired. I enjoyed the tour, Little Wandering Wren, thank you very much. I’m very glad you reserved a tuk tuk to get around. I can imagine how fiery hot my feet would be otherwise. I love that I can plug in a rice cooker at that park. Those monitor lizards, oh my! I wonder if they could be descendants of some kind of dinosaur. And, I do enjoy a horse race now and then. If I don’t make my way back before the AtoZ is over, good cheer on your April journey.
Hi Su-sieee So lovely that you could pop in for our tuk-tuk tour, I’m glad you enjoyed it. This was a tour I designed when we had over thirty of our family and friends visiting last year for our wedding anniversary. We had a convoy of ten tuk-tuks, following a lead car I think the drivers enjoyed it as much as we did! I agree those monitor lizards do look like dinosaurs the park had a big clean up of them as they were scaring the tourists, they move pretty quick for their huge size!
I LOVE reading about your adventures 🙂
And I love seeing you here Deb! I hope you had a lovely, peaceful and relaxing Easter give that Koopa a big hug from me!
Wren x
What a colourful trip, very enjoyable indeed. That flower carpet is so beautiful and must take ages to make. Hope you had a good Easter. x
Hi Karen – not only do I reckon it took a while to construct Asia’s biggest carpet of flowers but also they had to keep repairing it throughout the weekend, by replacing the individual flowers. That was practically a full-time job! We had a lovely Easter although it’s a tad low-key I’m in South Korea at the moment!
Wren x
That was a very enjoyable tour. Not sure about the boxing though, i think i’ll leave that to the experts. Glad you found the monitor lizards for us to see.
Hi Marie
You’re right about the Muay Thai boxing I might sit and watch with you. I had a lesson once it took forever to wrap my hands with the protection that they wear under the gloves. The first swing at my husband, I yelled Ow, it hurt and that was that, I never tried to punch him again!
Thanks for stopping by.
Wren x
Oh that was such fun and a glorious way to see Bangkok in fact the boxing which I usually dislike was fascinating as was everything we did on that tour how amazing u are wren
Oh thank you Margie, it helps when everyone is up for anything and so easy to please!
Wren x
I really enjoyed this tour! Lovely.
Hello Lady Fi, I’m so glad you enjoyed a trip whiz around my local area!
Thanks for stopping by
Wren x
gosh that brought back memories of our visit there some 20 odd years ago – the tuk tuks the colour the vibrancy – such a different feel and your tour conveyed that well . thanks for the ride.
Hi Sandra, Twenty years ago I bet you’d notice some changes, although in other respects some things are as time has stood still. That is really the beauty of Bangkok you can get all of the feels! Come back and see!
Thanks for your visit.
Wren x
Hi Wren, i confess i have missed your posts for sometime, but i was a follower in the past. Your photos here are selections of some wonderful sights there. I’ve been to Bangkok for a few visits, but i haven’t taken much photos as a tourist is always on the go. I always plan to visit again, but maybe not mainly in BKK but to other further areas like the South Island where my friend has a big hoya garden, and to big botanical gardens in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Have you been here to the Philippines?
Hi Andrea – Thanks for stopping by and reconnecting! You’re right there is so much of Thailand to explore, we off for some island hopping next week which will be lovely. We were in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai both in the past year, but I’m sad we never made it to the botanical gardens. We’re hoping to get to the Philippines later in the year, we hear Palawan is stunning, sad news about Boracay today…
Wren x