Window on Bangkok

On a recent visit to Bangkok, something was missing, and it took us until our second day to realise what it was. Motorbikes. On previous visits, at traffic lights the intersections had been jammed with bikes; the air blue with exhaust fumes. These days it's cars, but the air is much clearer because rapid transit public transport is replacing even these. Finally Bangkok is becoming greener and getting cleaner.

What has not changed though, is the friendliness of the locals. There is no smile wider and more welcoming than a Thai smile.

We felt the welcome tangibly too on our first night in the Shangri-la Hotel Bangkok after our trip from Sydney on Thai Airways.

A huge bed, a view over the Chao Praya river – and a plate of fruit. And not just any old orange and pear either. Here we could begin to calibrate our exotic fruit tastebuds with mangosteens and jambus and a green-skinned orange that you only see in the tropics.

And just to underline the fact.....there was this fragrant welcome.

The river is fascinating by day with the constant water traffic: lumbering black barges, pleasure boats, ferries, noisy longtail boats. By night it becomes a fairytale.

WATCH THIS VIDEO to see more

Bangkok is located on the Chayo Praya delta, and the river meanders lazily through the sprawling metropolis. Not far from the Royal Palace, this contempory waterside restaurant, Sala Rattanakosin, has a stunning view across the river of the famous Wat Arun, the temple of dawn. It is part of a boutique award-winning 15-room hotel.

The view was stunning, but the food almost eclipsed it. The cool bar and upstairs room, and the outdoor terrace gave it the edge you want in any big city, and the Thai-meets-Med menu is a winner.

(Dried lotus root)

Chinatown is Chinatown is Chinatown in any city, and Bangkok's one does not disappoint. There are endless food sellers, groceries, herbalists, bargain stores, clothing, shoes, watches, hats....

(Cooked lotus seeds)

....and strange unidentifiable foods.

Some things on offer can almost make you squeamish until you wheedle the truth from your guide. No, these are not some animal organ. They are inexplicably flesh-coloured vegetarian dumplings, meant to resemble a stomach, we were told!

(Parkia pod beans)

.......and jewel-like tiny clams, or pippies.

Seafood is an important part of Thai cusine, especially in Bangkok, where the river and the coast is not far away. This beautiful dish of prawns and pomelo (a large citrus fruit) was one of the many delicious dishes we shared at the Mango Tree restaurant.

And this was served at the Pathumwan Princess Hotel near Siam Square.

(Huge fragrant lychees)

Bangkok is home to perhaps the world's largest market. It's a weekend market and luckily we were here on a Sunday. The Chatuchak Weekend Market extends over almost 11 hectares (27 acres) and has over 15,000 stalls. Simple maths tells you this is not a place to 'do' in a day. Especially when you factor in browsing time, and the inevitable haggling before a mutually acceptable price for your purchase is agreed.

Of course, there is absolutely everything and anything you could think of wanting to buy - and a lot you could not imagine. Jewellery, art, fabrics, shoes, homewares, kids things, bells, whistles, coffee...oh, just go along and look for yourself. But allow plenty of time.

Not far away is Or Tor Kor, a growers' market which also sells cooked foods.



WATCH THIS VIDEO of the market

Our guide throughout the first part of our tour was the tireless and endlessly knowledgable Pohnpan (aka Poom) who brought us to this hotel.

The Hansar Hotel has everything the traveller needs and is located overlooking a green sporting field.

And then there's Nahm at the Como Hotel. Chef David Thompson won a loyal following of Thai food lovers in Sydney decades ago when he opened his Darley Street Thai restaurant. He later moved to London and opened Nahm (which has now closed) and earned a Michelin star, the first for a Thai restaurant. Later – showing supreme confidence in his Thai menu – he added Nahm in Bangkok. Again he succeeded. In early 2014, Nahm was rated as the Best Asian Restaurant in the S. Pellegrino Asia's 50 Best Restaurant Awards.

Thompson never holds back with his flavours. By the end of the meal our eyes were streaming from the cooks' unabashed use of chillies, but it was well worth it. After all how often do you get to eat in one of the world's best restaurants?

David Thompson will be a prominent addition to the new three-day Thailand-based festival Wonderfruit which will take place in Chonburi near Bangkok from 19th – 21st December. Read more.....

We had been told about a former palace which now has added its own boutique accommodation. With absolute riverfront location this was where Prince Chula Chakrabongse and his family lived in the early 20th century. He had been schooled in England and married an English wife. One of his descendants still lives in the main house and she has been responsible for bringing the family's story to the world with her books (see below).

In 1906, Katya, a Russian, married Prince Chakrabongse Bhuvanoth and they lived here, as it was the ideal location, just a short distance from the Grand Palace and its ceremonies. Their story is told in the book pictured above.

Read a review of Riverside Recipes.

Many of the recipes featured in the book are served in this restaurant on the river's edge. We ate here one evening on the outside deck, as boats plied up and down the river, providing our entertainment, while the lights of Wat Arun across the river glowed and sparkled.

Fragrant rice came under a woven banana leaf cone, fish in a spicy garlic sauce, duck in a basil soup – and much more. The menu was long and eclectic, each dish showing a close attention to detail, and we finished with the creamiest coconut ice cream and tropical fruit platter. No description could do it justice.

Chakrabongse Villas' rooms show elegant restraint. As in the homes of more affluent Thais, the walls are Thai teak, the bedspreads, silk. A bathroom, lounge and dressing room completed our River View villa, along with a day bed and outdoor terrace from which to view the passing river entertainment.

Grand estates like Chakrabongse have striped poles, reminiscent of Venice – except here it's a rowdy Venice! By day, those longtail boats, are often driven by lads who manage them like a sports car, accelerating towards each other, then wheeling way, zooming off in a wall of spray. At night, the barges boom deep bass notes, and the sightseeing ferries and dinner cruises pass by sharing their music and commentaries. This river is a lively place, the lifeblood of Bangkok.

But there is so much more to Bangkok's waterways.

Initially the city's web of canals (klongs) were the easiest way for local people to move from place to place. They could carry things to sell to houses along the banks of the klongs, and more recently it has become a mobile market cashing in on sightseeing tourists. A klong tour is noisy, colourful and fun and should be on every visitor's itinerary! To get an idea of what you can see, watch the video towards the top of this page.

From Chakrabongse we took a longtail boat (although we could have walked or gone by tuk-tuk) to Bangkok's premier attraction: the Grand Palace, home of the kings of Siam since the late 18th century. This massive collection of lavishly ornamented buildings is arranged across almost 22 hectares. Its net worth would be impossible to compute.

Gold gleams on almost every surface, precious stones decorate walls and statues.

There are endless murals, tiled mosaics, and so many reflective surfaces....

............that the sun's rays are magnified. Take water, a sunshade, hat and sunglasses, sunblock, and then if all else fails, find a cool colonnaded place where you can sit and reflect on it all. Make sure you take the opportunity to soak up the grandeur, glory and sheer gilded excess of this place.

Many thousands of tourists visit annually and each want to capture something to help them remember their time in this place.

This stone lion is only temporarily lonely. Within moments he will be draped with tourists taking their picture with him.

Close to Chakrabongse we find good coffee - not always the norm in Asian cities. Yui, the owner, trained as barista in Australia and understands the term 'flat white'! Her cafe is tiny, one wall lined quirkily with glass cases of terracotta teapots, and the place is usually packed with regulars.

Her food is simple (see the menu below) but she prides herself on sourcing only the best and cleanest (and often organic) produce available. Yui cooks each dish to order and closes up when her supplies for the day are gone, so don't go too late or you might miss lunch.

Food Route is a small six-table cafe in a side alley, and absolutely worth locating.

Flowers are very important to Thai people and they are decorative and meaningful. Ten minutes' walk from Chakrabongse is Pak Klong Talat, a large flower market. It opens early, and of course there is food available on the way to it and also some inside. There is always food in Bangkok!

Buy flowers by the bunch, or watch as they are woven into garlands or wreaths for various purposes. The combined scents of so many blooms undercover is stunning.

For that is the other thing we had forgotten about Bangkok in particular, and Thailand in general. It is a supremely sensual place. Sounds, scents, colours, fragrance, tastes, music, the clash of gongs, movement - and of course, those smiles - all add up to each visitor's unique collage of memories.

And, sure, there's the noise and movement and relentless traffic of Bangkok, but always – always – there will be serene corners, hidden places of calm and great beauty. Perhaps that, more than anything is the charm of this great city.

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