A romantic gesture made a decade ago takes Simon Clays and his better half back to an Asian metropolis he thought he might be done with. He thought wrong.
THE SINGLE BIGGEST MISTAKE I’ve made in recent times is to ask my wife where she wants to celebrate our wedding anniversary.
“Bangkok,” she said. “It’s where you took me when we first met. Remember?”
I nodded and remembered that we had done everything conceivable to do in the city, over the space of five days. From above, on the river, markets, shopping malls, street food, fine dining, clubbing. You name it, we did it. Yes, even the girly bars.
So, how to crack this particular nut in two fewer nights, ten years on? Without repetition, and possibly, with some romance. Bangkok is notorious for its hectic traffic. Getting about can be arduous or just damn confusing, however efficient the BRT metro. So, I decided to split the trip in two.
We began our trip down memory lane at the Oriental Residence Bangkok on Wireless Road. It’s a relatively new property overlooking the picturesque Lumphini Park and within spitting distance of the biggest shopping malls.
It’s a shopaholic’s paradise. Or so it appears from the number of bags and boxes I’m carrying, after just two hours. Central World, Gaysorn Village, Siam Square One, MBK, Siam Discovery—we’ve covered them all without wheels of any sort.
I’ll concede my legs feel a little jaded on the walk back, but so is my credit card. Mrs Clays is starting to froth, her eyeballs overdosed on designer brands and neon. Even she is happy to retire, ensconced around the Oriental’s pool area. Cool cabanas and ice-white sunbeds are crowned by a horizon of stainless steel towers. This is Central Business District, prime postcode Bangkok. We are surrounded by next-gen Thailand, but cocooned in luxury. The afternoon slips by with drinks at the pool bar. It’s easy: graze on Thai snacks. Drink. Read. Swim. Snooze. Repeat.
この記事は Travel+Leisure India の June 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Travel+Leisure India の June 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Lunching In Leh
Turtuk, the last town of India in Ladakh, is having a culinary and hospitality renaissance, discovers Harsh Surti
The Medieval Charm of Elsinore
Elsinore, in eastern Denmark, is a charming city full of surprises, such as its interesting link to Shakespeare, discovers Ami Bhat
Natural Selection
In other parts of the world, natural wine production can be raw, wild, and a little messy. But a road trip through southeastern Austria reveals that, in a land where order and understatement reign, even the low-intervention bottles are elegant and refined.
Where the Wild Things Are
Uncovering Rwanda's natural treasures-and the gift of multigenerational travel
FROM THE VOICE WITHIN
A hit new season of a cult show, a brand new production venture, and a baby girl-it seems Ali Fazal is on top of the world right now. Amid a new parenting journey, the actor talks to SAMREEN TUNGEKAR about his travel persona, his instincts, and what feeds the artiste within him
MONSOON IN THE WILD
For nature lovers craving the lush serenity of monsoon forests, off-season safaris in national park buffer zones offer rare rewards and vital support to local economies, discovers Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay.
Ray of Sunshine
Getting diagnosed with life-threatening ailments can spell doom, but for actor Lisa Ray, it became a testament to her resilience. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2009, the former model maintained a positive outlook, blossomed into a vocal advocate for cancer awareness and support, and turned author with a book chronicling her story. In a chat with Bayar Jain, she gets candid about her journey of hope and healing
Championing Change with Conversations That Matter
Aditi Mayer is a responsible storyteller who likes to look at fashion through a lens of social and environmental justice. She tells Samreen Tungekar about how she manages her own mental health and wellness despite work that promotes positive change and requires mental bandwidth
Travelling Through Conscious Well-Being
In the ever-evolving landscape of wellness, where data meets intuition and science aligns with ancient practices, Deepak Chopra stands as a unique bridge between these worlds. Chopra talks to Dipali Patwa about how travel, when intertwined with wellness, becomes a powerful catalyst for personal transformation.
Transcending The 'Trend'
For Rimzim Dadu, the creation of a collection is about lending the pieces a timeless quality. Samreen Tungekar talks to the designer about her creative process, and how her travels intersperse with her approach to design