Bangkok. Riding the Skytrain
Take the elevated railway and glide above the smoggy streets.
The once chaotic capital of Thailand used to be a tourist's nightmare, but with the advent of the elevated urban railway, tourists and locals can now rise above it all.
Bangkok, Thailand, used to be a byword for gridlocked traffic, noise and smog. Now with the Skytrain in full operation (and the underground working well) it is time to re-assess Bangkok’s delights by using the spotlessly clean, air-conditioned trains, which take in many of the best tourist spots in the city.
The trains operate at roughly five-minute intervals and cost an average of 30 bht. (90 US cents), a high figure for the locals. This may explain why the cheap motorcycle taxis are still their preferred means of travel and why the roads are still heaving. Ride the Skytrain and you’ll never need to use a tuk-tuk again!
Here are two of the best routes.
Sukhumvit Line:
Most interesting for shoppers as the last stop takes you to the famous Chatachak Weekend Market where you can buy everything under the sun from tee-shirts and ceramic buddhas to day-old chicks and baby gibbons. Get off at Mo Chit and follow the crowds. For shopping for traditional Thai goods, go to Chit Lom station which will take you to one of the city’s prime locations, Phloenchit Road, and Central Store Chitlom, where you can find the best collection of Thai goods in the city.
One of the busiest intersections is on the corner of Phloenchit Road, home to the famous Erawan Shrine, one of the city’s most spiritual corners. Night and day, it is thronged with people praying in a fug of incense, musicians playing the plaintive Thai music to accompany Thai dancers in their bejewelled costumes (they dance to order if you want to make a special offering). Monks and housewives leave offerings in the hope of winning some good luck, and the number of elephants on display attest either to the success of their prayers, or the Thai's faith in offering them.
It is a venue not to be missed.
Silom Line
From the Oriental and Shangri-La Hotels (Saphan Taksin terminus) go to Sala Daeng and the night market and bars of the infamous Patpong. If Patpong isn’t for you, then the same stop offers you Lumphini Park for Concerts in the Park, early morning t’ai chi exercisers, or jogging. Continue on to the National Stadium stop off to visit the famous Jim Thompson’s Silk House, a huge traditional Thai teak house that was built here in 1959 when the area was pure jungle. Hard to believe today. The place is choc full of priceless antiques collected by the founder of the Thai silk industry, and the onsite museum is a cool and tranquil place to spend an hour or two.
Pick up a map of the system which runs from 6 a.m. to midnight, at any station. Buying tickets is easy and signs and announcements on the train are in English.
Best map of Bangkok is Nancy Chandler’s Map of Bangkok, part map part guide, which has the Skytrain clearly marked, approx. $6.
