I make no secret about the fact that Bangkok is my favorite city in the world, to the point that it may very well be the next city where I live. Bangkok has been on my mind even more often than usual during the trip to Australia I recently completed, being that many of the other travelers I met had either recently been there or were going there soon.
Whether you’re a previous visitor to the city who misses it as much as I do, or a future Thailand traveler who’s eager for a preview, these Bangkok travel photos will hopefully transport you to Thailand’s “City of Angels” without having to leave your seat.
A row of Buddhas at Wah Suthat temple, located near Khao San Road
My first trip to Bangkok was accidental. I had only ever intended Bangkok to be a stopover between the Thai islands and Cambodia, but a broken camera changed all that. As luck would have it, I ended up falling in love with Bangkok, which surprised me given all the shit people had told me about it. After arriving at my hostel my first night in Bangkok, I did what I usually do in cities I’ve never visited — I set off on foot in a random direction — and stumbled upon the serene Wat Suthat temple, which most other tourists seemed to have passed up. Essentially, it was just me and these Buddhas.
The aptly-named “Giant” swing
A relic of Bangkok’s 18th century “Golden Age,” the Giant Swing sits just in front of Wat Suthat. Although it isn’t giant compared to some of Bangkok’s contemporary skyscrapers (I’ll get to those later), the Giant Swing is nonetheless an attractive, even remarkable piece of architecture. Also located in the vicinity of these two found treasures is Bangkok’s “Golden Mount,” which is a great spot to take in sunset if you can get there in time to scale it before 5:30 p.m. — I barely made it.
A traditional Thai dance performance at the Rajprasong intersection
Although I knew Bangkok well by the third (and sadly, as of yet, final) time I visited the city, I nonetheless stuck to my “walk in a random direction” formula after settling in to my hotel. The third time was indeed a charm in this instance, as I happened upon a traditional Thai dance performance at Rajprasong, a historical point in the city that sits at the intersection of Ratchadamri and Rama IV Roads, two of the busiest in Bangkok, and literally has a Bangkok SkyTrain flying overhead. One of my favorite features of Bangkok is the extent to which past, present — and, as you’ll see in a bit, future — overlap.
Bangkok’s chaotic Rattanakosin, the historical center of the city
Rattankosin, located just west of where most tourists in Bangkok usually stay, is the historical center of the city, situated on the banks of the muddy Chao Phraya river. Although the hustle-bustle you find in Rattanakosin is by no means unique to this part of the city, its orientation on the river — and, in particular, some of the ancient structure you’ll find there — give it an extremely special sort of chaos.
The Grand Palace as seen from the Supatra River House on the Chao Phraya River
Figure one is the Grand Palace, which is probably the most-visited tourist attraction in Bangkok. If you aren’t completely set on going inside the Grand Palace, do like I did and take a river cruise, which allows you to see it (and other important structures, such as Wat Arun) beautifully lit up at night.
Cosmopolitan Sukhumvit, a world away from Rattanakosin — especially when you consider the time it takes to travel there via taxi
Of course, Bangkok is not just the ideal base for exploring a culture that has existed completely unobstructed by Western powers basically for its entire history. Indeed, Bangkok is the economic engine of Thailand, a fact that towering skyscrapers of Sukhumvit illustrate almost poetically, which is to say nothing of the expected chaos you find beneath them.
The quiet tranquility of Lumphini Park, located just a stone’s throw away from Silom
Sukhumvit is one of several “new” areas of Bangkok — other notable ones being Silom and Sathorn) that attract wealthy Thais, expats and visiting foreigners alike. Of these, I’m personally most partial to Silom. In addition to the fact that Silom is Bangkok’s gay epicenter, it’s just a short walk from Lumphini Park, Bangkok’s smaller answer to Central Park. The beautiful park is dotted with food stalls, centered around a lake (where, as you see, you can hire a cute swan boat) and features plenty of open, green space to laze.
A Buddhist monk walking through the tourist-infested Khao San Road district
A post about Bangkok wouldn’t be complete without mention of the love-it-or-hate-it Khao San Road district, which is where I stayed during my first two visits to Bangkok.
Robert Schrader is a travel writer and photographer who’s been roaming the world independently since 2005, writing for publications such as “CNNGo” and “Shanghaiist” along the way. His blog, Leave Your Daily Hell, provides a mix of travel advice, destination guides and personal essays covering the more esoteric aspects of life as a traveler.
