The Bangkok Legacies
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The Netherlands swopped for Thailand
Always nice to meet interesting people in our hotel. Useful information on a professional site. Not the usual touristic things (might also be convenient
Bangkok Travelbug September 2010 – The battle of Ao Manao 1941
31 August 2010 - Last month, a good friend invited me to a resort in a beautiful bay called Ao Manao or the Bay of Lemons. I discovered to my surprise that a battle with the Japanese took place here on 8 December 1941.
Bangkok Airport Link – facilities for the disabled
27 August 2010 - Yesterday, four days after I took my first ride on the Bangkok Airport Link on its official opening on 23 August, I took another ride on the airport train.
During my first ride, I visited the stations at Phaya Thai, Makkasan and Suvarnabhumi. This time I stopped at all the other stations to verify the locations of the stations and to check out the facilities for the disabled.
I’m glad to note that all the stations are accessible to wheelchair bound commuters. There are lifts from the ground level to the ticketing and train platforms.
Lift at ground level
I just have one comment. These facilities are prominently located for commuters in Bangkok going to the stations. But for the incoming air passengers disembarking from the trains, the lifts at the train platforms are not so prominent.
At some stations, I had to ask the platform staff for the location of these lifts which are right at one end of the platform. This point was reinforced when I finished my survey at the last station in Phaya Thai by two incidents.
Firstly there was a mother travelling with two young children, one of whom was on a pram. With a backpack and a heavy luggage bag, she had problems getting her children, pram and luggage out of the train. Taking the stairs would have been out of the question.
Secondly, there was this young backpacking couple, the man had two backpacks on his back and the lady was struggling down the stairs on crutches because of an injured foot.
Both these two groups of travellers didn’t know about the lifts or else they would have taken it. I pointed it out to them. I wouldn’t have known either, if I wasn’t out looking for it.
So for the benefit of other travellers with wheelchairs, heavy luggage, senior citizens, young childen or injuries, please see the permalink for the details to these facilities. Tell your friends about it.
24 August 2010 - Yesterday the Bangkok Airport Link started full operations from 6:00 am to midnight. I took a ride on the City Line all the way to the terminal station at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Bangkok Airport Link
It was a fast and comfortable ride. The City Line which has eight stations took just 25 minutes, 10 minutes more that the Express Service.
The airport link runs on tracks above ground, following the route of the eastern railway. I’ve marked the locations of the stations using local landmarks like schools, hospitals and mosques as reference. Please see map of the Bangkok Airport Link.
Taling Chan floating market – tell us your experience
21 August 2010 - Have you been to Taling Chan floating market? Tell us about it!
Taling Chan floating market is one of the more popular places for local and foreign visitors. Hundreds descend on the floating market every weekend for the local market, food and atmosphere.
18 August 2010 - The Airport Link between Bangkok and Suvarnabhumi Airport will commence services on 23 August 2010 after a year’s delay.
There will be two services every 15 minutes from 6:00 am – midnight.
The Express Service from Makkasan station non-stop to Suvarnabhumi Airport, fare 100 baht per trip.
The City Line with eight stations from Phaya Thai station to Suvarnabhumi Airport, fare starting from 15 baht. Commuters using this service can connect to the Bangkok skytrain at Phaya Thai station to get to their hotels in Sukhumvit or Silom.
Baggage handling services at Makkasan station will not be ready until the year’s end.
I’ll be taking a ride on these services next week and will give you more details.
Renovation of Chao Phraya River piers
17 August 2010 - The Marine Department announced yesterday that 10 piers along the Chao Phraya will be renovated.
The first two to be renovated will be N 12 Phra Pin Klao pier opposite Thammasat University and N 24 Rama VII pier in Nonthaburi.
The pavilions in the new piers will have a traditional Thai roof with high ceilings for improved ventilation. The present pavilions have flat roofs and low ceilings which make them very stuffy during the hot weather.
These two piers are expected to be completed by May 2011.
4 August 2010 - On 2 August 2010, it was announced that the East Asiatic Company an old Danish company in Bangkok will be bought over by Brenntag Holdings a German company. This acquisition brings an end to an institution that goes back 126 years in Thailand.
Back in 1886, a Danish mariner H N Andersen arrived in Bangkok and settled here. He started a trading company called Andersen & Co near the Oriental Hotel in 1884. In 1897 the company changed its name to the East Asiatic Company. The company was granted the teak concession and rice exports from Thailand.
EAC grew into an international company that’s listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange. The East Asiatic Company building by the Chao Phraya River near the Oriental Hotel is still there, a reminder of a legacy that will soon be gone.
Bangkok Travelbug August 2010 – The Travelbug’s homecoming
30 July 2010 - This August I return to my hometown Singapore to revisit one of my favourite childhood haunts, the Esplanade or the Queen Elizabeth Walk, the park in the Historic District of the city.
Lim Bo Seng Memorial - Esplanade Singapore
What’s the story behind this memorial? Where are some of the people in this story today? Find out more……
Next month, we revisit another World War II site and relive the battle of Prachuap Khiri Khan 1941. So don’t miss it, subscribe to the Bangkok Travelbug.
25 July 2010 - There are two religious days in July.
26 July - Asarnha Bucha Day which falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. This day commemorates the first sermon given by Buddha to his first five chief disciples. This day is also considered the birth of Buddhism. The first person listening to Buddha’s sermon became the first Buddhist monk.
27 July - The following day is Khao Phansa, the start of the Buddhist Lent. This is the period when monks retreat to the temples for study and meditation. It lasts for 90 days and ends in October. The period also coincides with the rainy season.
In Ubon Ratchathani, about 600 km north-east of Bangkok, the Buddhist Lent is celebrated with the candle festival. Elaborately carved candles in all shapes and sizes are paraded through the streets.
Sorry Thailand – a very moving piece
20 July 2010 - "Sorry Thailand" is the name of a commercial that has been banned from the TV channels. It's a very moving 150 second film on the recent events.
The title at the top reads, "Sorry Thailand this commercial has been banned"
The gist of the narrative is as follows.
Where have we gone wrong? Were we too violent? Have we just been listening to one side? Have we been doing our duty? Are we thinking of our people?
Have we been cheated? Do we want change? Do we want wisdom for the people? Do we love money more than doing what is right? Are we just waiting for help?
If we want to look for the culprits, we are all in the wrong. Sorry Thailand If we want to solve our problems, we must solve them ourselves. Think of the damage done, what changes do we want?
For education and peace
Hi everybody, The experience I had was not very dramatic but I think I was blessed in some way by the four-faced Buddha. I was facing a hard time in
12 July 2010 - The number of hotels in Sukhumvit available for online bookings continues to grow. It has reached almost 100! Here are the new additions listed in relation to the nearest skytrain station.
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