Serenity and serendipity in Bangkok

Bangkok has always been familiar to me, a lively city of narrow streets, crazy traffic, polite people, glutinous desserts, cheap shopping, amazing fashion and a madcap stream of visitors, from the posh, five-star vacationer to the traveling businessman to the nomadic backpacker. I had thought I knew what I needed to know about the city (except for Patpong, which is still quite a mystery that I fear I may never resolve). On a recent trip hosted by Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay Miles program, however, I discovered that Bangkok, a city so exposed through endless marketing already actually still has its unexpected charms. And that the usual guidebook-touted attractions, which I would always try to avoid, can actually be worth a visit.

The Chao Phraya experience

Playing the tourist started with a stay at the Shangri-La Bangkok, situated right along Thailand’s biggest and busiest river, the Chao Phraya. At the tailend of a $60 million redevelopment which began in November 2008, the Shangri-La in Bangkok has further established position as one of the best hotels in the Thai capital. The renovation paid particular attention to the grand ballroom, the three main restaurants (Salathip, NEXT2, and Angellini’s), but if you’re a guest just wanting to escape for the weekend, the made-over guest rooms and the newly-completed “free-form” pool will probably be the hotel’s main attractions.

Shangri-La, one of PAL’s Mabuhay Miles partners (a stay entitles you to 500 points), is known for their welcoming rooms and the deluxe offerings in Bangkok receive visitors with distinctly Thai influences: rich elm burlwood paneling, carved motifs and opulent Thai fabrics, from the bed to the settee to the massive work desk. The best thing about Shangri-La Bangkok’s deluxe rooms (given the requisite Simmons beddings and huge downy pillows) is the view of the Chao Phraya River — afforded by huge bay windows — and of the hotel pool that faces it. There’s a certain tranquility that comes with watching the parade of boats on something as outwardly peaceful as the Chao Phraya. You have junk boats, cargo ships, small cruise ships all passing by, seemingly oblivious to the mildly voyeuristic interest of people on holiday.

Room with a view: Huge bay windows afford a view of the Chao Phraya river and the Bill Bensley-designed “free-form” pool.

A more idyllic setting is the new swimming pool redesigned by landscape architect Bill Bensley. Though bordered by three restaurants, the pool, arbitrarily-shaped, is contained within a garden setting that includes lush tropical vegetation and even a few fauna, small animals that seem so at home in this manmade paradise that you wonder if they are also part of the renovation. Dragonflies soared above the water like miniature jets on test flights and little brown birds with pointy tails trilled out squeaky, though surprisingly soothing, sounds as they hopped about by the edge of the pool. I even spied a gecko padding about by the bushes, surreptitiously avoiding hotel guests as it also tried to get its own share of sun. The pool itself was created with “gently sloping edges, particularly intended for sunning in the water.” Clearly, this wasn’t a pool made for mad laps or precise strokes. For a more localized sunning experience, Shangri-La also positioned sun beds facing the Chao Phraya, a hit among the Caucasian visitors.

I must have spent four hours by the pool on my first day, basking in the thrill of holiday anonymity and the services of pool butlers discreetly hovering about providing cold towels and bottled water. Towards sunset, I had to remind myself that woman cannot live on lethargic pool sunning alone. Sustenance that night was to be had via a dinner cruise on one of Shangri-La’s Horizon Boats, a drifter that can accommodate 140 guests and a mini-buffet of modern Thai cuisine.

Bangkok by night, as I know it, is either the bustle of bar and restaurant-filled sois or the jostle of packed nightclubs. So experiencing another part of Bangkok come dark from a cruise ship was quite a revelation. The two-hour cruise, which leaves the Shangri-La pier at 7:30 p.m. each evening, glides along the Chao Phraya past many historic old buildings and monuments including the Grand Palace, the Temple of Dawn and underneath several bridges most of them named for the dead Thai kings, each one promoting the distinct architectural style of a certain era: the Rama VI rail-road bridge; the very sturdy and subtle Phra Pin-klao near the Grand Palace and the imposing and symmetric Rama VIII and Rama IX cable-stayed bridges. All the structures are lit up for the evening, impressive attractions that remind one of the grandeur of Thai history and the amazing speed at which the country is developing.

Light the way: The Chao Phraya by night

Chatuchak, finally

I had been to Bangkok a number of times and had managed to not make my way to Chatuchak. I had always avoided the weekend market like I would an over-ardent suitor; in my mind it was too complicated and too risky to even entertain. Plus, I suffer — or force myself to, anyway — from slight agoraphobia and the Chatuchak market, which covers over 35 acres and contains a dizzying maze of over 5,000 stalls selling nearly everything you can imagine and wouldn’t, was grounds for an anxiety attack. This time, however, I decided to take the plunge. Life was too short not to shop in one of the world’s largest markets.

Armed with an illustrated map and recommendations from my PAL hosts and Chatuchak experts Ria Domingo and Kit Javier, I bravely walked through the open-air market and surprisingly enjoyed myself. I found stalls selling all sorts of wind chimes in the ceramics section. At one point, I stood in the center of one stall laughing over the noise the ceramic, wooden and metal chimes collectively made; it should have been cacophonic but I found it comforting.

I discovered tarnished silver jewelry from Pakistan in the antiques section, intricate one-of-a-kind pieces that churned your gut and triggered lust hormones. When I discovered that they accepted credit cards, I was a goner. I whipped out my newly-acquired slider from Allied Bank and signed off on a transaction.

Thailand, known for its beaches, produces a great number of resort wear, all of which are available at Chatuchak’s beachwear section, from those tacky, frill-emboldened saris to chic caftans to comfy fisherman’s pants. A few rows down is the fashion section, where trendy pieces are sold for a fraction of the price in the mall. There were even Margiela-esque shirts and dresses selling for 200 baht max — even ukay-ukay can’t beat that. Chatuchak is also accessories heaven: chunky crystal chokers, funky pendants, stone-embellished bead necklaces, elaborate silver creations and cocktail rings in every size; I had fears of going over my baggage limit.

Mega structure: The Temple of Dawn as seen from the Horizon Boat dinner cruise

I only lasted three hours in the market however, completely missing the massive home section (which I vow to go back to soon as I’ve bought my own place) and the food area, although the entire market is lined with stalls selling authentic Thai cuisine and those sweet fruits Thailand is famous for. Pleading heat stroke, I had a fresh coconut before heading back to Shangri-La via the Skytrain.

Another shopping must that attracts tourists is the Jim Thompson house, the residence of the American silk fabric designer who partly put Thai fashion on the map. There is a shop selling Jim Thompson clothes, fabric and homeware but the real attraction is the house itself, a historic revelation made of teak wood and where Thompson’s collection of centuries-old buddhas, both wooden and stone, are preserved. The Jim Thompson foundation also preserved the designer’s everyday living necessities, furniture and personal knick knacks. What I found most interesting however is the fact that Jim Thompson disappeared in the Malaysian jungle 40 years ago and was never found. A framed article hypothesizes that he was either kidnapped, eaten by a tiger or was taken hostage by tribeswomen. Someone later told me that he may have been part of the CIA. If you want to skip the history lesson and rather horde Jim Thompson silks, there are two outlet stores in Bangkok, one of which is at the end of the Sukhumvit line on the BTS.

I was wrong to think that Bangkok was one city I had already mastered. There will always be surprises each time you travel, new insights gained even from old sights. Sometimes ensnaring yourself in the tourist trap is not such a bad thing.

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PAL flies to Bangkok twice a day seven times a week. A stay at Shangri-La earns you 500 points on your Mabuhay Miles. Log on to www.philippineairlines.com for more information, or to www.mabuhaymiles.com, if you are a Mabuhay Miles cardholder.