# Bangkok. The baddest city on earth



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Bangkok is a very dangerous place. If you go there once the chances are you will keep going back again and again and again. I warned you anyway. hno:

This year's Bangkok experience starts in a Vietnam Airlines Airbus A320 enroute from SGN to BKK. It's got those cool looking folding LCD screens in the salon. They are good for nothing except the looking cool part


Suburbs of Bangkok seen from the plane


Industrial areas


And here is Bangkok itself


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

China Airlines B747 in Suvarnabhumi Airport


Arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The interior is characterized by plain bare concrete structures and glass. Absolute coolness if you ask me


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Views from the Airport train which connects the airport with the central part of Bangkok. There is an option to take a non-stop express service or all-stop regular service. The train line is built on an elevated bridge (you can see one of the stations on the right side of the picture) and uses Siemens Desiro Class 360 rolling stock similar to which is widely used in the UK


*Thanon Tanao* right next to *Thanon Khao San* which is perhaps the world's most epic backpackers' destination


*Khao San* road. This is where the backpackers be. You'll meet all kinds of characters from gap-year hippie-wannabes to hardcore old-school types who have been 'stuck' there for decades. All diluted with a vast number of regular tourist types who just want to check out the place because it's famous. I came back to Khao San after 7 years despite having travelled to Bangkok pretty much every year since 2006. It felt so nice to be back. It feels light-years apart from the modern part of Bkk just a few km to the East


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

I usually don't like pictures of such a big size, but in this thread it works out well. I love them, especially the street scenes. We're going to Bangkok next year, so I'm really looking forward to many more of your pictures. Keep them coming my friend, you have a fan here! :cheers:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice photos so far Pansori; keep them coming


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Thank you guys. 

@Benonie
I don't think the photos are that large. They are perfect for standard 'full HD' (1920x1080) screen sizes. Sadly I didn't take that many pictures this time (I was very tired and needed some.. eh... rest ) but I did manage to take a walk around some locations and perhaps give a little impression of what Bangkok looks like. In either case it is one hell of a fascinating place and I'm sure you'll have a great time there next year.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Meanwhile I will continue with the photos.

Two white girls walk down the street near Khao San. They probably think it's incredibly cool to walk with those traditional style umbrellas. I don't know why but I just got a feeling that those are the types of characters who do not turn off the flash while taking photos in the daylight, carry an iPhone and think that they're more cool than they actually are 


*Khao San Road*


Chakrabongse Road walking from Khao San towards Rama VIII bridge


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Crossing the Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem




Smaller side streets. That's a rather common sight in the older part of Bangkok. It does look a little, shall we say, aesthetically not very pleasing. But on the other hand no other city that I have ever been to is as saturated with urban charm and character


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Elevated road which is connected to the Rama VIII bridge nearby. Bangkok has quite a few elevated expressways and stack junctions which add to the grand feeling of a big city


View of *Chao Phraya* river from the bridge


Cables of the bridge


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

This is how the elevated Rama VIII road looks like from the elevated level


Skyscrapers of Sathorn CBD in a distance (about 6.5km away)


Underneath the Rama VIII bridge


Seems legit


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## bozenBDJ (Jul 18, 2012)

As always i like your photo reports :yes::yes:


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## hemoroid (Sep 9, 2013)

Great fotos!

I have visited Bangkok many times but it still is and always will be fantastic city!

Great job!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Continuing with the second leg of my Bangkok visit. This time from the *modern* Bangkok. 

The area around *Sukhumvit Road* all the way from Siam to Asok and towards Thong Lo represent one of the multiple modern centers of Bangkok (other main center being Silom and Sathorn CBD). It looks and feels like a completely different city from the areas shown in the first part of this thread: skyscrapers, elevated Skytrain tracks, countless shopping centers of all kinds and general modern city vibe. Much of the shopping destinations and nightlife spots (including the naughty ones) are located within this vast area. To me this is what defines Bangkok of today: modern, intense, cool and a little bit messy in places. Good enough to qualify as one of the most incredible places on earth and be world's most visited city. 

Junction of Sukhumvit and Asok Montri/Ratchadaphisek road near Asok BTS station. Those concrete pillars hold the Skytrain tracks and are also used as supporting structure for elevated pedestrian pathways as seen in the picture as well. In general Bangkok street level is not very pleasant and friendly to pedestrians but if you try hard it's walkable 


View from the elevated pedestrian walk


Sukhumvit Road and Asok Montri. This is one of the bigger non grade separated junctions in this part of Bangkok. It turns into a notorious traffic jam during peak hours


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

A cat resting on a metal box mounted on a light pole. It did in fact look at me by opening one eye slightly and giving that contemptuous look to what he probably thought as of just another pitiable human being




Terminal 21 is a new trendy shopping destination. It does look very cool and glitzy. Bangkok surely has a fair share of top notch shopping malls most other cities could envy


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

That car on the left looks a little odd


Non-A/C bus passenger


Lost in the middle of the road


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

View from elevated Skytrain station along Sukhumvit Road


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## seldomseen (Aug 10, 2010)

^^^^ Incredible pictures!! Keep 'em coming! What type of camera lens did you use?


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

seldomseen said:


> ^^^^ Incredible pictures!! Keep 'em coming! What type of camera lens did you use?


Thanks! 
I use entry level Sigma lens.


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## DaveF12 (Nov 25, 2011)

nice but it looks dense and crowded.


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## seldomseen (Aug 10, 2010)

Pansori said:


> Thanks!
> I use entry level Sigma lens.


Okay thanks! I was in Bangkok in August 2013. :banana:


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## midrise (Feb 17, 2012)

hno:hno:hno:hno:hno:


DaveF12 said:


> nice but it looks dense and crowded.


That is what a metro area of over 14,000,000 looks like.....it's also very hot and humid but that too is too be expected in a tropical climate...:banana::banana2::banana::banana2:


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## Puppetgeneral (Jul 9, 2013)

See, some parts of BANGKOK is very organized and can tell it's a modern city. BUT look at the suburb; geez, what a hole to live in. 
I am not saying BANGKOK is bad but, just keep that in mind.


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## seldomseen (Aug 10, 2010)

Being critical of Bangkok is like hating yourself. :nuts: Bangkok is probably the most amazing city on earth! :banana:


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Great updates Pansori. This picture is gorgeous! kay:


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

seldomseen said:


> Being critical of Bangkok is like hating yourself. :nuts: Bangkok is probably the most amazing city on earth! :banana:


You're probably right. Being in Bangkok is like being in a different dimension even without taking any drugs.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Continued

*Terminal 21* complex which includes a fancy shopping mall, cinema, gourmet market and other good things




Millennium Residence towers seen from Benjakiti Park


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Benjakiti Park*. It's a quiet and peaceful park with an artificial lake in the middle. Excellent for jogging or just relaxing away from the noisy streets


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Traffic on Ratchadaphisek Road




German Auto


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## Faisal Shourov (Jan 6, 2013)

Is there any other East/South East Asian city that is similar to Bangkok?


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Faisal Shourov said:


> Is there any other East/South East Asian city that is similar to Bangkok?


Many cities in SE Asia have things that are common. But overall the answer is no.


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Looks like blue skies are a rarity in Asia, you must feel quite at home then. 

Bangkok looks very urban, no doubt a great place for urban photography (why don't you do some long-exposure night shots of the river, there's some fantastic angles there?) but from the urban planning point-of-view it's a bit of a mess - contemptuous of humans with those wide roads and elevated expressways.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

El_Greco said:


> Looks like blue skies are a rarity in Asia, you must feel quite at home then.


It was the rainy season which means you might get sunshine/rain switching many times a day. 




> Bangkok looks very urban, no doubt a great place for urban photography but from the urban planning point-of-view it's a bit of a mess - contemptuous of humans with those wide roads and elevated expressways.


True. Bangkok, even if not a mess per se, should improve its act when it comes to urban planning policies and especially transport. It's amazing for tourists and short-stay visitors but from a practical perspective it is obvious that it needs to improve some very fundamental aspects of its urban layout and especially transport. And, above all, do it fast if willing to stay in the very competitive game of SE Asian urban centers.

As for long-exposure night shots... eh... let's just say I didn't have time for that :lol:


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Continued

Next to *Central World* which is Bangkok's (and one of the world's) largest shopping mall. It was partially destroyed by a fire a few years ago but successfully rebuilt




Street traffic and elevated Skytrain tracks


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Erawan Shrine*. A Hindu shrine in the heart of Bangkok which must be one of the busiest places of this kind in the city. People (local and tourist) continuously flock in


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Views from the elevated pedestrian walkway along Phloen Chit road (same road as Rama I Rd and Sukhumvit Rd)


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Street level in the area along Phloen Chit Road walking towards Asok


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Railway level crossing. A kind of sight you may not necessarily expect while walking in the area but Bangkok does have its fair share of contrasts. I was somewhat tempted to take a walk alongside the railway. I'll probably do it next time I'll be in Bkk


Meanwhile continuing on Sukhumvit Road


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## Zimcompany (Jul 30, 2007)

wow very colorfull,great jod!!
well done.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Continued

One of Bangkok's urban features is the 'system' of small streets (Soi) connecting to the main roads. Problem with them is that they're very often dead-ends which is a recipe for traffic problems. It's rather obvious by just looking at the map.

This is Sukhumvit Soi 4 aka Soi Nana Tai which is one of a number of very busy Sois on Sukhumvit Road


The main 'landmark' of Soi 4 is Nana Plaza Entertainment complex which is mainly accommodating Go-go bars and is dedicated mainly for foreigners (Caucasians and Asians... that's how it works in Thailand... places are sometimes dedicated for certain race/ethnicity). Yes, this is one of the hotspots of the naughty side of Bangkok which does indeed have an enormous so-called adult entertainment industry in addition to the 'regular' Western-style nightlife scene which by itself is perhaps the world's largest, most intense and fascinating



An interesting car in Sukhumvit Soi 18. I'm usually aware of various models in various countries but can't figure out what car this is. It looks Japanese though


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

One of the towers of Millennium Residence. According to their website prices start from 89000THB/sq m (which is around US$2500). Not bad for what seems to be one of the prime residential properties in the city. of course I could imagine the upper floors with city views cost much more than that


Supercar showroom


*Benjasiri Park* on Sukhumvit Road next to The Emporium Mall. Urban public parks is something I would like to see more of in Bangkok though


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Emporium Mall* on Sukhumvit Road. One of many hi-end shopping centers in the vast central area of the city. Without a slightest exaggeration Bangkok is a heaven for those who like large multi-storey shopping malls. I wonder if there is a city anywhere in the world which has more shopping malls in its urban core? I doubt it. There is a good reason for it though. Hot and humid climate with typical outside temperatures of +33C means that you want an air-conditioned environment. Large shopping center is a perfect refuge for this purpose. Even if you're not planning to buy anything it's still a perfect location to have lunch at one of numerous dining establishments which can range from SE Asian style food courts serving wide ranges of very inexpensive and delicious foods to fine-dining establishments for the evening



*Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok*


*Sukhumvit Soi 24*


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

New luxury apartment complex in Sukhumvit Soi 24




*We Love The King Road*. Yep, this is the name of the street. It goes parallel to Sukhumvit Road a few blocks away


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

This narrow bottleneck reminds me of the Italian or Swiss villages where roads get very narrow between old buildings. Obviously because the buildings are heritage and must not be touched. This is not the case here but still for some reason uses the same idea 




Decreipt building on *Setthi Thawi Sap* street


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

CRT TV screens. I remember when they started making actual flat CRT screens. It seemed like such a nice innovation back then (late 90's)


Again an iteresting car. Could not figure this one either but looks like a Japanese luxury sedan from the 70's


Turning to Sukhumvit Soi 16/Sam Mit street


The next bit will be from *Suvarnabhumi Airport* before departing the city of Angels.


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## irrational_pi (Aug 25, 2009)

Pansori said:


> Again an interesting car. Could not figure this pone either but looks like a Japanese luxury sedan from the 70's


If I'm not mistaken, that's the good old Toyota Crown, plenty of those still running here in Indonesia.

Nice shots! Since I'm going to Bangkok for the first time next year, this thread has been really an eye opener


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

irrational_pi said:


> If I'm not mistaken, that's the good old Toyota Crown, plenty of those still running here in Indonesia.
> 
> Nice shots! Since I'm going to Bangkok for the first time next year, this thread has been really an eye opener


Thanks! I'm sure you'll have a great time. 

I was looking up Toyota Crown on Wikipedia and elsewhere. There are models that look somewhat similar but none actually look same as this one.


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

But it looks very similar.


















(conceptcars.com)


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## TowerVerre:) (Dec 1, 2012)

Hey Pansori, 
Do you post every picture you took or just the best ones? 
Anyway, great pictures from Bangkok!


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Great thread from Bangkok!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Benonie said:


> But it looks very similar.
> 
> http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3824/10335938256_d8e5894a28_o.jpg
> 
> ...


It does indeed look similar but if you look at the details they differ. I was trying to search for more photos and found quite a number of different versions of Toyota Crown some of which looked even more similar but none of them look same as that one. I'm just curious.

Btw, bangkok is a good place to spot some old and unusual cars. I have seen some very old Volvos, VWs and other cars which I had never seen before.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

TowerVerre:) said:


> Hey Pansori,
> Do you post every picture you took or just the best ones?
> Anyway, great pictures from Bangkok!


Thanks. 

I post all pictures that I have. Admittedly this hasn't been the most comprehensive photo tour of Bangkok.


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## particlez (May 5, 2008)

It's a Toyota Corona, ~78 or so. I guess corona and crown are synonyms, but amongst cars, the Crown is a bigger, cooler, more expensive model.








http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/3260/1641/33148320010_large.jpg

There's a '78 Toyota Corona in my neighborhood. That example in Bangkok is especially impressive, as the humidity turns old cars into rust.


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## WaOnEmperoR (May 10, 2011)

What I can conclude from these pics are...

Bangkok = Tokyo of South East Asia.

Quite Crowded but Modern one.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

particlez said:


> It's a Toyota Corona, ~78 or so. I guess corona and crown are synonyms, but amongst cars, the Crown is a bigger, cooler, more expensive model.
> http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/3260/1641/33148320010_large.jpg
> http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/3260/1641/33148320010_large.jpg
> 
> There's a '78 Toyota Corona in my neighborhood. That example in Bangkok is especially impressive, as the humidity turns old cars into rust.


^^
Wow thanks for that 
Corona, at least in some markets later turned to Carina (or Caldina in some places) which later became Avensis in Europe which is affiliated with Camry in US and Asia while in Australia Toyota Aurion is visually identical to a Camry for Asian market whereas Camry in Australia is similar to that in the US. I wonder if people at Toyota itself are not getting mixed up with their marketing strategies in different markets? I honestly don't get that.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

WaOnEmperoR said:


> What I can conclude from these pics are...
> 
> Bangkok = Tokyo of South East Asia.
> 
> Quite Crowded but Modern one.


It may have some visual similarities (concrete. Lots of it) but I'm sure those two cities can't be more different.


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Pansori said:


> It may have some visual similarities (concrete. Lots of it) but I'm sure those two cities can't be more different.


Prove it with more pictures, much more pictures! :colgate:


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## lawdefender (Aug 25, 2013)

I had been to Bangkok twice before. It's urban plan is even worst than the Chinese mega cities, like Shanghai, Guangzhou. 

However, the living expense in Bangkok is much cheaper than the Chinese cities.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

lawdefender said:


> I had been to Bangkok twice before. It's urban plan is even worst than the Chinese mega cities, like Shanghai, Guangzhou.


'Even worse' than Chinese megacities? Those Chinese megacities, in fact, have some of the best urban planning anywhere on earth. 



> However, the living expense in Bangkok is much cheaper than the Chinese cities.


What is 'much cheaper' in Bangkok? Transport, eating out, entertainments, beer and similar daily stuff costs rather similar. I guess property prices are higher? What about rent though? From what I understand despite high prices for buyers the rental is not that expensive in Chinese first tier cities.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

The last batch of my Bangkok photos from this year

The impressive passenger terminal of *Suvarnabhumi Airport* which was opened in 2006 and at the time was world's largest airport terminal

Check-in area






Departure areas


The terminal is massive and spacious. However even despite the sheer size of it (over 563 000 square meters) it already feels a little overcrowded in places. Many of the low-cost flights moved to the old Don Muang airport which will temporarily ease the load on Suvarnabhumi but there is an obvious need to expand the airport in order to keep it top-notch. An extra runway and second terminal of similar size is what is needed I suppose


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

My flight is to depart soon. Unfortunately I only changed planes in Hanoi but I already have Vietnam in my plans for next year. 


This is it from Bangkok. It was a great pleasure to come back to this fascinating metropolis. Hope it was interesting even if not very comprehensive.


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