VALLEY TRAVEL Q C Qke your breo by Sarah O'Meara


Bangkok. Unlike Prague, Berlin and Paris, the


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capital city of Thailand - Bangkok - hasn't yet made it into the city break hall of fame. However, as airlines cut long-haul


fares to beat the recession, more and more travellers are likely to find themselves stopping off there, either as a curtain-raiser to the rest of this intriguing country or breaking their journey to some far-flung shore for a dose of winter sun. Having planned a trip to Sydney, I


also decided to book a four-night stopover in Bangkok to see if there is more to this city than access to its country's beaches. Fresh off our direct Thai Airways


flight from London, my boyfriend and I feared at first that we had made a bad decision. As we sped towards the city, dirty-looking concrete skyscrapers emerged from the polluted air, filling the skyline with ugly concrete, and us with slight horror. Yet, there was also a part of me that looked on in wonder. The sight of a south-east Asian city in full urban-sprawl mode really does take your breath away. Once we'd arrived at the hotel and


had a shower, my boyfriend and I stared out of our hotel room at the view with a genuine sense of excited, nervous anticipation - not something I've ever experienced in Prague. We'd wisely chosen a hotel that


offered respite from the city's hubbub, the newly-opened President Place Hotel in the business area of Sukhumvit. Within easy reach of the main


markets and historic centre of Bangkok, the hotel still manages to provide luxuriously big rooms, free wi­ fi and a swimming pool - all from a4,000 baht (£76) per night. In the company of a girlfriend, we


decided that before hitting the sights, including Bangkok's extraordinary Royal Palace, we needed to pay our respects to one of Bangkok's great cultural landmarks - Chatuchak market.


Open every weekend, this open-air,


5,000-plus stall affair is well known among travellers as the only place to go for incredible bargains and a once- in-a-lifetime shopping experience. Although prices have gradually


crept up to match the spending capacity of the more wealthy customers who regularly wind through its narrow passages, Chatuchak remains perfect for finding


OAK up the atmosphere of South East Asia's second largest city, with a few days in


there's only one way to unwind... with a massage. Whether you choose a roadside foot massage, a curtained sanctuary in the back room of a beauty salon, or a top hotel, you'll never be short of options, and the standard will remain wonderfully high. My girlfriend and I decided to treat


ourselves to a two-hour Ayurvedic treatment called Ayur Jeevan - costing 11,740 baht (£230) per person - at the famous Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Of all the five-star hotels which


overlook the Chao Phraya River at the heart of the city, none epitomises the feelings of old-school elegance quite like this 130-year-old hotel, which has seen Joseph Conrad and Ernest Hemingway walk through its doors. Taking you back to a long-lost era


of ceiling fans, lush indoor plants, wooden slatted windows and uniformed, immaculate waiters, dinner on its charming terrace feels like an obligation, rather than a choice. After two full body massages,


Chatuchak Market, Bangkok.


cheap clothes, jewellery and those obscure presents. It's heaving with shoppers by


midday, so it's best to get there early (a lot cooler), and accept that at one point you're bound to lose your companions. Try and get hold of a map, and


locate the clock tower in the centre fairly early on, so that, when your boyfriend disappears, you know he'll be safe and you won't have to interrupt your shopping flow. It's also wise to have a good sense of what you'd like to buy. Going in with an exact shopping list


of no more than a couple of items, we still managed to clock up five dresses, a small Buddha statuette, a watch and two elastic band guns - later


wondering how we'd get these through Australian customs. There's not much haggling to be


done at Chatuchak, as the stall owners are hip to our jive, but goods should always be half to a third of the price of similar products in the UK. My final word of advice is to go on


the hunt before buying. There is a great deal of repetition, and only a handful of stalls are markedly superior and definitely worth the money.


Following tourist guides will also


probably be a waste of time. Any stall ‘ which has been earnestly written about by a former travel writer, will be gone. So, throw your books away and get happily lost. perf;ect


As the second most expensive city


in south-east Asia, behind Singapori Bangkok is a place you can easily feel a little small in. Edifices built with the profits of high finance soar up around you, filled with luxurious restaurants and extraordinary views. It's easy for those with just a few


baht in their pocket to wander straight past, but don't miss out on this side of. the city just because you've got into the habit of spending £1 on lunch. Find your hotel's shower, a


Jade figure, Bangkok.


hairbrush and head to the bar at the ■ top of one of the hotels. These are open to everyone (providing you're not in flip-flops) and are the most perfect setting for a cocktail that man has ever invented.


Try the Banyan Tree's Moon bar,


which is located way up on the 61st floor.


In Bangkok, after a day negotiating the heat and shopping until you drop.


followed by a herbal steam and scrub, we left the grandeur of the hotel's spa and hopped onto the hotel's private boat, which took us back across the river in time for for dinner, attired in our newly-purchased dresses. There are definitely worse ways to spend an evening


' I H i April


2 Frog and Bucket 3 Rise


17 Singing Swinging Brass 23 The Enid 24 Soul Night 29 LaTraviata


iISt Kr.. i.q wM May .


Stewart Francis Poves Daniel O’Donnell Frog and Bucket Blackburn Classics - RLPO Music frorn the Movies Billy Ocd’an Midge Ore Imeida May Snooker^


. V, . i r i i


4 The Drifters 4 Frog and Bucket 9 Brendan Cole 11 The Swing Commanders 26 Soul Night


The Royal Palace, Bangkok.


gLACKBURM darwen


King George’s Hall box office: 0844 847 1664 www.kinggeorgeshall.com -1 1 1 . KINGGEORGESHALL the Valley 17 - : r


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