Been There, Done That

With increasing regularity people come into our office and announce that they have "already visited Bangkok three times and there is noting left to see." Believe it or not there is more to the Big Mango than the Grand Palace, the Weekend Market and Babylon. Sure, there are places like Jim Thompson's House, Vimarnmek Mansion and Wat Po that are well-trampled by tourists. However, there is plenty more if you scratch below the surface. In every edition of Bulletin from Bangkok we offer a few suggestions and will eventually publish the compiled list on our website.  This time we suggest some nightlife alternatives.

Sanam Luang and Si Ayutthaya Road.  Althoughthe Grand Palace is closed at night the entire palace/Wat Po area is dramatically lit after dusk. Most visitors never see this spectacle, except on a postcard, but you can do it easily by taxi. After you drive around and enjoy the pretty lights, continue along nearby Si Ayutthaya Road towards the Chao Praya River. This is the boulevard that passes in front of Chitralada Palace, the residence of the King and Queen. The canopy of trees above the street is filled with millions of twinkling lights and many nearby intersections are decorated with imposing regalia. Since you are in the neighborhood, continue to the end of Si Ayuttaya (make sure the driver does not make any turns) as it snakes past temples and homes, then ends abruptly at the edge of the river. You have arrived at Kaloang Home Cooking, one of Bangkok's most picturesque and unusual culinary treasures. The seafood is out of this world, and the ageing ladyboys who work there will take great care of you. The warm banana flower salad with prawns and a tangy sauce is something you may dream about for years to come.

Pak Klong Talad. Bangkok's historic "vegetable market by the canal" was scheduled for demolition in 2004. Lucky for us the land was never transformed into another phony floating market and tourist park. One three-block stretch in this sprawling neighborhood is Bangkok's wholesale flower market. The best time to go is late at night (actually, you can add this to the trip suggested above), when the flowers are the freshest. If you love flowers, the sight of massive bundles of  roses, exotic gingers, orchids, anthurium and heliconia could be almost overwhelming. You will probably see hotel and restaurant people buying what will go into the next day's arrangements. Prices are so low you could be tempted to buy armloads of flowers for yourself. Unfortunately, they make impractical souvenirs. On the other hand, giving a rose to the first fifty handsome young men you see on Soi Four could create quite a sensation.

Gay Nightlife, Thai Style. The same people who tell us they have already seen everything in Bangkok probably also believe that Sois 2 and 4 are the center of gay nightlife in the Big Mango. In truth, Bangkok's real gay scene is somewhere else and is completely different. While we are not suggesting that visitors skip Silom/Surawong nightlife, return visitors might enjoy a look at the places where most Thai gays go to party. The greatest concentration of venues is in the Ramkamhaeng area, which is somewhat distant from the center of the city. There are several universities nearby, so patrons are mostly students. Patrons do not often go to Silom because they cannot afford it--not necessarily because they do not like foreigners. There are also a couple of bars near Chatuchak Weekend Market. The handful of bars on Sarasin near the corner of Rachadamri, facing Lumpini Park are walking distance from Silom. Apparently local gays have taken control of several venues in this block.

Why not use one of our guides to take you to some of these places? They will help you avoid transportation and language hassles, so you can spend your time enjoying your adventure.

Disease du Jour

In this issue we take a brief detour from stories about the unique, low-priced health care available in Thailand so that we can consider The Unexpected.

Last month one of our customers collapsed of a heart attack while sightseeing in Hanoi. Our quick thinking guide had seen enough on television to know he had to do something immediately and was able to get our friend to the emergency room of a nearby hospital in a matter of minutes. "Twenty minutes later and it would have been too late," the doctor told him.

Although several of our guests have had injuries and even broken bones we count our blessings that no guest has ever died while in our care over the past twelve years. While the unexpected is unpleasant to think about, you are probably as likely to have a medical emergency on holiday as you are at home.

Not wanting to tempt fate, Purple Dragon has made the decision to insure that every one of our guides in our entire eight-country system has CPR and other emergency first aid training. Even our Bangkok office staff will take the necessary classes to provide immediate treatment until professionals are able to take over. We want you to stay healthy and return soon.

Blog Achieves Cult Status

Imagine our surprise when our website's visitor statistics revealed that Douglas' blog gets twice as much traffic as any other page. This is not to say that nobody pays any attention to our other pages.  However, it is fascinating that thousands of people are curious enough to read his ongoing commentary on things. Since the blog began in November 2006, the irregular installments have become essays about politics, life in Asia, food, wine, technology, plastic surgery and boyfriends. Douglas reminds readers often that God hates TV and that Jerry Falwell is still dead. If you are brave enough, pour yourself a stiff cocktail (or a glass of sparkling water) and visit www.purpledrag.com/blog.htm. You can now become a "subscriber," which means you will receive an emailed notice every time the blog changes. (Cocktails not included.)

Grade Purple Dragon

We normally email a questionnaire to our customers not long after their trips are completed.  Feedback from guests helps us to identify problems and to improve service. Unfortunately, our elaborate computerized system for doing this and compiling statistics from responses met an untimely death in June 2008 when it was accidentally erased. Oops! So if you have traveled with us since then, we have not really forgotten about you. We now have a new system in place that is faster and easier to use. We would still love to hear from you if you traveled with us during the last nine months. You can tell us about your experience and rate our performance by clicking here.

New in Purple Dragon's World 

Sapa! This picturesque mountain town North of Hanoi is home to a French colonial resort andis surrounded by many colorful villages populated by different tribes of ethnic minority people. Traveling to Sapa is not terribly convenient, so it is off Vietnam's well-trampled tourist circuit. The few who take the time to include Sapa in their plans are rewarded with one of Asia's unspoiled places, with vivid green rolling hills, terraced fields, rustic homes and waterfalls. During your stay you will visit several local villages (on their market days, if possible). From the top of one of the local peaks you can peer into China's Hunan province. You can read details on the Purple Dragon website: www.purpledrag.com/vietnam/sapa.htm

Ayuttaya and the River of Dreams. We have offered a luxury overnight boat trip to Ayutthaya for the past several years. However, the cost has been so prohibitive that few of our guests have been interested. We still like the idea, however, of a leisurely trip up the Chao Praya River on a lovely converted rice barge, and have found a new option for our guests to enjoy. Depart Bangkok after lunch, sail upriver all afternoon and dock at a rural village temple for dinner. After breakfast the following day our guide meets you when the boat ends its journey, and you enjoy Bang Pa-In and Ayuttaya by private car. For details see: www.purpledrag.com/thailand/rivofdreams.htm

Our Singapore, Bali and Bhutan pages are still being designed. Yes, we admit we are slow. However, if you want to be alerted when we put them online, please let us know.

Thanks for the Photos

Some of our Members have plenty of time on their hands. We receive several photos a week from our friends around the world. We love to publish them here from time to time when space permits, just to remind ourselves and our Members how special Asia really is. Allan M. sent us these snapshots from National Penis Day in Japan. (Yes, really.)

 

Seeing Double?

If you received two or more emails regarding this issue of Bulletin from Bangkok, that means we have duplicate records in our Membership list. Please let Miss Fu know so that we do not clutter your In box with redundant email.

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