Chinese New Year itinerary - Friday

Description:

Chinese immigrants -- first under the benevolence of King Rama I and then after several other kings -- settled in Bangkok in Sampheng near the Grand Palace. The community quickly became a thriving business center and in the next century moved to Yaowarat, the current location of Bangkok's Chinatown. Rice trading brought great prosperity and by the 1950s Bangkok's business and entertainment center was Chinatown. Today shops, stalls, and of course Chinese restaurants line the streets and alleys centered around Yaowarat Road which lights up with neon at night like a miniature version of Hong Kong. Some of the major sights to see include the Golden Buddha at Wat Traimit and the Yaowarat Chinatown Heritage Center. But the most popular reason to go here is the food. Many eateries stay open long into the night or even 24 hours.

Our Local Expert Says:

A great opportunity to get some colorful night shots.

Description:

Pak Klong Talat or Pak Khlong Talad is the largest fresh flower market in Bangkok. Most of the flowers in Bangkok that you see in stores or along sidewalk vendors pass through this wholesale market not far from the Memorial Bridge on the Chao Phraya River. It is open round the clock, but it is best to wait until at least 5 pm. The real activity starts when the sun and temperatures go down and the shipments start coming in around 2 a.m. Never mind the "wholesale" label, individual bouquets are also on offer and all the roses and orchids and lilies you can imagine create narrow paths along the sidewalks and spill off the curbs into the street.

By river taxi, stop off at Pier 6 - Saphan Phut (Memorial Bridge) and walk or hire a tuk-tuk (don't pay more than 60 baht). Buses 3, 8, 42, 53, 73 pass directly through the market. This is one of those places where the bus stop is just about on the center line of the road. Photographers of course love the colors and the lighted vendors.

Our Local Expert Says:

The biggest seated Buddha in Bangkok and an important temple for the Chinese-Thai community

Description:

Wat Kalayanmit Woramahavihara is easily visible from the Chao Phraya River as it has a huge vihaan (worship room) built to house the 49-foot (15-meter) high gold statue of a seated Buddha. Also in the temple grounds are the biggest bronze bell in Thailand and an old stone pagoda from China. The courtyard also has many statues that were brought to Thailand as ballast in empty Chinese rice junks. Founded by a Chinese nobleman who donated the land for the temple in the early 19th Century, this Wat is popular with the Thai-Chinese community. Access by cross river ferry from Tha Rajinee (No.7) or walk across Memorial Bridge from Tha Saphan Phut (No.6). -AH

Our Local Expert Says:

The World's Largest Solid Gold Buddha

Description:

It's not every day you get to see a World Record worthy of the Guinness Book. Known in Thai as Phra Buddha Maha Suwanna Patimakorn, the Golden Buddha weighs 5.5 tons making it the world's most valuable (money-wise) sacred object. Amazingly the 13th century Sukothai-style statue spent centuries hidden under a layer of lacquered plaster which King Rama III ordered to disguise it when he moved it to Bangkok. An accidental crack in 1955 revealed the solid gold interior. The three-meter tall statue in the Subduing Mara, Calling the Earth to Witness posture occupies the fourth level of a somewhat pyramid-like shrine inside Wat Traimit. Entry to the temple is free and it is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, for foreigners there is a 40-baht fee to see the massive gold Buddha image. On the third floor is an exhibit telling the history of the statue and its move to Bangkok.

The second floor is home to the Yaowarat Chinatown Heritage Center. Both exhibits are closed Mondays but otherwise follow the hours of the temple. Wat Traimit and the Golden Buddha should be the first stop on an exploration of Bangkok's Chinatown.

Description:

As the name of the restaurant is written in Thai, it probably won't matter that this superb pad thai joint isn't commonly known by the name on the building: Thip Samai. Most locals will refer to it as Pad Thai Pratoopee which means "Door of the Ghost." Fortunately the street number is clearly on the red sign above the open storefront. With an opening date of 1966 you can figure the secret of success for this long running business is the quality. Call it Thip Samai or Pratoopee, the menu is the same: pad thai, the famous wok-fried rice noodle dish typically mixed with egg, dried shrimps, tofu, bean sprouts, garlic, palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind and lime juice and fresh prawns as well. Ground peanuts are also often added (so allergy sufferers take note of your order). The whole thing can be wrapped in a thin omelet. To keep up with the orders, three cooks, each with his or her own big wok, are whipping up oversize batches of pad thai and sharing two big burners and dividing them out on plates as quickly as possible. The odd man out takes a break to clean the wok until one of the burners opens up. It's worth standing by to watch them work their magic a bit before you go to your table (or after eating). The prawns are good sized and fresh. One of the more expensive dishes (still well under 200 baht) adds a nice pile of crab meat on top. Orders can be altered to taste though that might increase the wait. This place is always busy and cars will pull up to the curb for to-go orders.

Description:

In search of some good old Irish craic and a pint of rich Irish stout? Then look no further. Inside the two levels are several bars, with comfortable and intimate booths, plus table seating-all done in the usual Irish theme of wood, wood, and more wood, backed up by all the pre-requisite pub paraphernalia. There is live music on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays to keep patrons entertained. An extensive menu includes set lunches, snacks and the usual Western pub fare. The selection of alcoholic drinks is generous, with Guinness (of course), Kilkenny's and a wide variety of whiskeys available.