Post by bahnoo on Aug 22, 2006 0:13:07 GMT 7
The old district of Pratunam in the heart of Bangkok turns into a fashion hub pulling in tourists; here they can buy cheap but still look chic
By YVONNE BOHWONGPRASERT
Pratunam is noted for its street vendors and food stalls that open late into the night. Sitting at the intersection of Ratchaprarop and Phetchaburi roads, it's an even mix of old shops, modern hotels and malls.
Julie Miaral operates a tour company out of Phetchaburi Soi 19 where there is a thriving Filipino community.
During the evening rush hour, food stalls such as this draw eager diners.
Platinum Fashion Mall is Pratunam's newest garment store selling fashion products at unbeatable prices.
Roadside food stalls sell everything from chicken-rice to curries and fried noodles, and open late into the night.
The highest observation point in Bangkok is on the 84th floor of Baiyoke Sky Hotel. From that vantage point one can literally look down the entire city.
The Labour Museum on Makkasan Road displays artifacts that help visitors trace the history of workers' movement in Thailand.
A commuter boat docks at San Saeb pier. Boat service connects Pratunam to Bangkok's other business and residential districts.
Behind the chaotic traffic bottle-necks and sprouting edifices - the Pratunam area in Bangkok offers a multitude of interesting activities to explore on foot.
At the mention of Pratunam, which means watergate, the first thing that comes to mind is clothes, clothes and more clothes at highly affordable prices.
It is a haven for fashion conscious Thais who flock there in droves because they know they can buy cheap and still look chic, as well as buyers from faraway countries in Africa and the Middle East.
That said, it's also a ranking hub for hotels, condos, shopping malls, eateries, computers and hi-tech gadgetry.
It was a humid afternoon when I got off the Skytrain at Ploenchit Station and walked to the intersection where Ratchaprarop and Phetchaburi roads meet.
The landmarks there - hotels Baiyoke Tower and Amari Watergate, Pratunam Shopping Centre, Platinum Fashion Mall, Panthip Plaza computer and IT centre, and the City Complex - are within a stone's throw of each other.
Handicraft, jewellery and a myriad of other items also attract buyers, but it is the readymade clothes that are the main draw, pulling in customers from around the world.
Shops in Pratunam are geared toward bulk sales, although they also cater to customers buying in small lots. It is a wholesale market, and with T-shirts going for as low as 40 baht a piece customers don't mind navigating the clogged lanes and polluted air to secure themselves the best deal.
Thiemjai Jorgensen is a long time resident who sees the rapid rise of Pratunam as a garment hub both a blessing and curse.
"It seems every other garment business here is owned by a foreigner, and that is disturbing. I have observed that these people don't want to integrate into our society. Although their presence is good for business, I don't think we should let them take over our business in such numbers," said Thiemjai who has lived there 40 years and runs Tecpress Services.
Thiemjai still recalls the old days when Pratunam market had large vegetable gardens and open spaces for people to go on walks in the evening. Nowadays she prefers to not venture out if not totally necessary. "It's just too hectic out there," she enthused.
There is a large Filipino community in Soi 19 off Phetchaburi Road and one of its residents is Julie Miaral who is married to a Thai.
Filipinos are known to excel at singing or teaching jobs, but Miaral and her family run a grocery and a travel agency that specialises in domestic travel.
"Since this lane has a large Filipino community we have a restaurant serving our own cuisine. Half of the residents have lived in the soi for years, but we have new ones coming here from time to time in search of jobs. For them it is nice to live among their own people so that they can feel close to home."
Julie said most Filipinos find it easy assimilating into society because their features are similar to local people, and like Thais they are a laid-back people by nature.
The soi also has a 160-year-old shrine, the Saan Pae Kong Pratunam, which sits between an apartment building and a parking lot. It draws local and overseas visitors daily who come praying for children, their loved ones and success in business endeavours.
In the past they offered boiled pork leg to the deity, but these days they just offer fruits, explained the shrine's caretaker, Nipa.
"Cambodians constitute the biggest group among foreigners, followed by Malaysians, Singaporeans and Filipinos. The popularity of this shrine spread by word of mouth," she said.
My walking tour next took me to the Thai Labour Museum, a short distance from Makkasan Railway Station on Phayathai Road, which traces the hardship workers faced in the early days to their banding together into a movement to fight against exploitation by employers, until the present day.
There is no admission fee and the museum is open daily 10am- 5pm, except on Monday, Tuesday and national holidays.
Next stop was Suan Pakkad Palace Museum half way between Makkasan and Phayathai intersections on Si Ayutthaya Road.
The palace used to be the residence of Prince Chumbhot Paribatra of Nagor Svarga, a grandson of King Chulalongkorn and his consort MR Pantip Paribatra. It is a complex of five traditional Thai houses in a beautifully kept garden with a large collection of Asian art and antiques.
One building exhibits a collection of seashells, crystals and Ban Chiang pottery. The palace is open every day, except Sunday, from 9am-4pm. The admission fee is 100 baht per person.
Shoes, available in all shapes and colours, make an interesting buy.
I rounded off the day by dropping in at the 88-storey Baiyoke Hotel, the tallest building in Thailand, for a bird's eye view of Bangkok.
The observation deck on the 77th floor offers best view of the capital because apart from the telescopes, it has a gallery full of photos and memorabilia of Bangkok dating back half a century.
On the 84th floor is Thailand's first open-air 360 degrees revolving roof or the Sky Deck.The experience was totally mind blowing and worth the 200-baht fee, which included a drink at the Roof Top Bar.
The jaunt to Pratunam turned out to be more than a shopping experience; it gave me a chance to marvel the old charm of Bangkok
By YVONNE BOHWONGPRASERT
Pratunam is noted for its street vendors and food stalls that open late into the night. Sitting at the intersection of Ratchaprarop and Phetchaburi roads, it's an even mix of old shops, modern hotels and malls.
Julie Miaral operates a tour company out of Phetchaburi Soi 19 where there is a thriving Filipino community.
During the evening rush hour, food stalls such as this draw eager diners.
Platinum Fashion Mall is Pratunam's newest garment store selling fashion products at unbeatable prices.
Roadside food stalls sell everything from chicken-rice to curries and fried noodles, and open late into the night.
The highest observation point in Bangkok is on the 84th floor of Baiyoke Sky Hotel. From that vantage point one can literally look down the entire city.
The Labour Museum on Makkasan Road displays artifacts that help visitors trace the history of workers' movement in Thailand.
A commuter boat docks at San Saeb pier. Boat service connects Pratunam to Bangkok's other business and residential districts.
Behind the chaotic traffic bottle-necks and sprouting edifices - the Pratunam area in Bangkok offers a multitude of interesting activities to explore on foot.
At the mention of Pratunam, which means watergate, the first thing that comes to mind is clothes, clothes and more clothes at highly affordable prices.
It is a haven for fashion conscious Thais who flock there in droves because they know they can buy cheap and still look chic, as well as buyers from faraway countries in Africa and the Middle East.
That said, it's also a ranking hub for hotels, condos, shopping malls, eateries, computers and hi-tech gadgetry.
It was a humid afternoon when I got off the Skytrain at Ploenchit Station and walked to the intersection where Ratchaprarop and Phetchaburi roads meet.
The landmarks there - hotels Baiyoke Tower and Amari Watergate, Pratunam Shopping Centre, Platinum Fashion Mall, Panthip Plaza computer and IT centre, and the City Complex - are within a stone's throw of each other.
Handicraft, jewellery and a myriad of other items also attract buyers, but it is the readymade clothes that are the main draw, pulling in customers from around the world.
Shops in Pratunam are geared toward bulk sales, although they also cater to customers buying in small lots. It is a wholesale market, and with T-shirts going for as low as 40 baht a piece customers don't mind navigating the clogged lanes and polluted air to secure themselves the best deal.
Thiemjai Jorgensen is a long time resident who sees the rapid rise of Pratunam as a garment hub both a blessing and curse.
"It seems every other garment business here is owned by a foreigner, and that is disturbing. I have observed that these people don't want to integrate into our society. Although their presence is good for business, I don't think we should let them take over our business in such numbers," said Thiemjai who has lived there 40 years and runs Tecpress Services.
Thiemjai still recalls the old days when Pratunam market had large vegetable gardens and open spaces for people to go on walks in the evening. Nowadays she prefers to not venture out if not totally necessary. "It's just too hectic out there," she enthused.
There is a large Filipino community in Soi 19 off Phetchaburi Road and one of its residents is Julie Miaral who is married to a Thai.
Filipinos are known to excel at singing or teaching jobs, but Miaral and her family run a grocery and a travel agency that specialises in domestic travel.
"Since this lane has a large Filipino community we have a restaurant serving our own cuisine. Half of the residents have lived in the soi for years, but we have new ones coming here from time to time in search of jobs. For them it is nice to live among their own people so that they can feel close to home."
Julie said most Filipinos find it easy assimilating into society because their features are similar to local people, and like Thais they are a laid-back people by nature.
The soi also has a 160-year-old shrine, the Saan Pae Kong Pratunam, which sits between an apartment building and a parking lot. It draws local and overseas visitors daily who come praying for children, their loved ones and success in business endeavours.
In the past they offered boiled pork leg to the deity, but these days they just offer fruits, explained the shrine's caretaker, Nipa.
"Cambodians constitute the biggest group among foreigners, followed by Malaysians, Singaporeans and Filipinos. The popularity of this shrine spread by word of mouth," she said.
My walking tour next took me to the Thai Labour Museum, a short distance from Makkasan Railway Station on Phayathai Road, which traces the hardship workers faced in the early days to their banding together into a movement to fight against exploitation by employers, until the present day.
There is no admission fee and the museum is open daily 10am- 5pm, except on Monday, Tuesday and national holidays.
Next stop was Suan Pakkad Palace Museum half way between Makkasan and Phayathai intersections on Si Ayutthaya Road.
The palace used to be the residence of Prince Chumbhot Paribatra of Nagor Svarga, a grandson of King Chulalongkorn and his consort MR Pantip Paribatra. It is a complex of five traditional Thai houses in a beautifully kept garden with a large collection of Asian art and antiques.
One building exhibits a collection of seashells, crystals and Ban Chiang pottery. The palace is open every day, except Sunday, from 9am-4pm. The admission fee is 100 baht per person.
Shoes, available in all shapes and colours, make an interesting buy.
I rounded off the day by dropping in at the 88-storey Baiyoke Hotel, the tallest building in Thailand, for a bird's eye view of Bangkok.
The observation deck on the 77th floor offers best view of the capital because apart from the telescopes, it has a gallery full of photos and memorabilia of Bangkok dating back half a century.
On the 84th floor is Thailand's first open-air 360 degrees revolving roof or the Sky Deck.The experience was totally mind blowing and worth the 200-baht fee, which included a drink at the Roof Top Bar.
The jaunt to Pratunam turned out to be more than a shopping experience; it gave me a chance to marvel the old charm of Bangkok