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Bangkok Transportation System

Saturday, May 31st, 2008

Very interesting write up on the star about how Bangkok has imporved its transportation system to make it a breeze rather then the reputations any major city would have of massive congestion.

Gone are the days when getting around Bangkok meant hours stuck in tightly gridlocked traffic. The city’s new network of sky-trains, underground trains and river ferries, all connected at interchanges, makes getting around this sprawling city a breeze.

From August 2008, the system will further be augmented by a fleet of state-of-the-art buses running in dedicated lanes – and even this will be just the tip of a very big “iceberg” of planned public transport improvements.

The most extensive rail network to date is the Skytrain (aka BTS), with two lines of trains (Silom line and Sukhumvit line) running on elevated rails and meeting at Siam Station. By 2011, this line is to be extended to run to the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

Then there is the Metro (MRT) underground rail, with one line already running and three more planned. Line One of the BRT bus network will join up with the SkyTrain at Chong Nonsi BTS station.

Here are some suggestions for things to do and see using Bangkok’s new transport network, as well as some tips for easy travel.

  • Early morning Join the hundreds (thousands at weekends) practising Tai Chi in Lumbini (aka Lumphini) Park, near Silom SkyTrain station. Then take a stroll around the park, and feed the fish that thrive in the scenic lake.
  • Breakfast by the river at the Verandah Coffee Shop, in the legendary Oriental Hotel (right at riverboat Pier One, just one stop away from the Saphan Taksin riverboat/SkyTrain interchange.

    The Oriental has frequently been voted “World’s best hotel”. A full buffet breakfast costs 980 Baht (RM98) for both hotel guests and visitors – and the views, overlooking the Chao Phrya River, are alone worth the price. Tel (+66) 2659 9000 for reservations.

  • Jump on a riverboat to River City at Sri Phraya Pier (Pier Three), From here, join one of the many canal tours. A tour, lasting 60-90 minutes, should also take in the Royal Barge Museum, originally built as a dockyard for royal barges and Royal Thai Navy warships.
  • Take another boat from Pier Three to Tien Pier (Pier Eight), from where the famous Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn) is just across the river (by frequent fast ferry). This temple shows strong Cambodian influences, from the Angkor dynasty. Climb to the second or third tier of the temple for some great panoramic views. Then cross back to Tien Pier and visit the adjacent Wat Po (Reclining Buddha) Temple.
  • Catch yet another riverboat from Tien Pier to Wang Lang Pier (Pier Ten), from where it’s a 200m stroll to the Supatra River House (266 Soi Wat Rakhang, Arunamarin Road (tel: [+66] 2411 0305), which serves fine Thai cuisine – but if you don’t want your meal “dumbed down” for foreign tastes, be sure to advise the waiter accordingly.

  • Take the riverboat back to The Harbour Department Pier (Pier Four), adjacent to Hua Lampong Metro (MRT) and State Rail (SRT) station. At the end of Chinatown’s Yaowarat Road near the station, you’ll find the Golden Buddha statue in Wat Trai Mit Witthayaram, the world’s largest Buddha statue made of solid gold – at 3m high and weighing over five tonnes, it’s enough to give security staff recurring nightmares.
  • From Hua Lampong, take the Metro just two stops to Sala Daeng/Siam interchange. On levels B1 and B2 of the Paragon shopping centre, Siam Ocean World (open 9am-10pm) is South-East Asia’s largest aquarium.Then from the Paragon Centre it’s a five-minute walk to the giant MBK Shopping Centre. The centre has three zones and eight levels, with over 2,000 shops – enough to satisfy even the maddest shopaholic.

    When you get tired, adjourn for a coffee and snack at the outstanding Fifth Food Avenue food-court, on Level Five. Get a smart-card at the entrance, which is swiped at each food outlet – you pay at checkout, and will be surprised at the low total price.

  • Take the SkyTrain eight stations north to Railway Park (open 8:30am-4:30pm daily except Mondays) near Mo Chit station. The park is family-friendly, wih big open spaces and bicycle trails (bike hire costs 20 Baht an hour). Railway Park also incorporates the Bangkok Butterfly Garden and Insectarium.
  • In the evening, take the SkyTrain back to Saphan Taksin station, from where it’s a 10-minute walk to State Tower. On the 66th level of State Tower, the Sky Bar is such a cool hangout (in more ways than one) that you won’t want to leave.
  • Maybe stay for dinner in the open-air Sirocco Restaurant, adjacent to the Sky Bar – but be warned that there isn’t a Thai dish on the menu – and you probably haven’t come to Thailand to eat Western food. A better dinner choice might be Breeze, (Level 52, State Tower, tel [+66] 2624 9555), with a highly-recommended pan-Asian menu.
  • Alternatively, take the SkyTrain to Nana station. Opposite the station, the futuristic Bed Supper Club (26, Soi Sukhumvit 11, Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoey-nua, tel [+66] 2651 3537) provides a unique dining experience in its minimalist White Room. At weekends, a “surprise” set menu is served at 8.30pm. After dinner, groove on to some relaxing lounge music – if, that is, you can still move.
  • For late-night ragers, adjourn to the new and avant-garde Club Culture (346/29 Sri Ayudthaya Road, near Phaya Thai SkyTrain station’s Siam City exit, tel [+66] 2653 7216), with state-of-the-art lighting and a range of sounds from techno-trance to hip-hop.

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    31.05.2008 General No Comments

    Punjabi Jackson

    Friday, May 30th, 2008

    If your a delirium frequent you definately know how much i like Britain’s got talent.Suleman Mirza performing a brilliant act on Britain’s Got Talent.

    Check this one out…

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA2B5X0LhMY&feature=related[/youtube]

    30.05.2008 Thoughts, Video/Picture 3 Comments

    Cigarattes or Mobile Phones?

    Thursday, May 29th, 2008

    Apparently mobile phones are more dangerous then cigarettes!! Wait wait…that doesn’t mean you can smoke now! Check out this report by the star

    Hand phones can be more damaging to health than smoking, the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) said.

    CAP president SM Mohamed Idris said research by award-winning neurosurgeon Professor Dr Vini Gautam Khurana from the United States had indicated that using mobile phones for more than 10 years could double the risk of brain cancer.

    Prof Khurana, who has received 14 awards over the past 16 years and has published more than three dozen scientific papers, had conducted a 15-month “critical review” of the link between mobile phones and malignant brain tumours.

    The subject in the study were heavy mobile phone users who had relied on handphones for at least 10 years. “Previous studies which found no evidence of a link between mobile use and an increased risk of cancer often did not include enough long-term mobile phone users in their study samples,” Mohamed Idris said.

    Prof Khurana found that cancer takes at least a decade to develop.

    “The incidence of malignant brain tumours and associated death rate will be observed to rise globally within a decade from now, by which time it may be far too late to intervene medically,” Prof Khurana said in his report.

    Prof Khurana said smoking kills some five million people worldwide each year, but three billion people now use mobile phones worldwide and the number is growing daily.

    Mohamed Idris said children who used mobile phones were at greater risk because they were more susceptible to the radiation than adults.

    “Parents should not allow their children to use mobile phones and consumers should use the speakerphone function, so that the phone is held more than 20cm away from the head. Use landlines whenever possible,” he said.

    CAP also urged the Government to take appropriate measures to address the fact that mobile phones could represent a public health time bomb.

    “Government should use the mass media and run campaigns to educate and warn the public of the dangers of radiation exposure from mobile phones,” Mohamed Idris said.

    Prof Khurana has posted the results of his findings on www.brain-surgery.us and his research paper is currently being peer-reviewed for publication in a scientific journal.

    29.05.2008 Thoughts No Comments

    NO HARM TELLING SOME LIES

    Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

    This is a nice one that a friend of mine sent me via email

    Father: I want you to marry a girl of my choice

    Son: “I will choose my own bride!”

    Father: “But the girl is Bill Gate’s daughter.”

    Son: “Well, in that case…ok”

    Next Father approaches Bill Gates.

    Father: “I have a husband for your daughter.”

    Bill Gates: “But my daughter is too young to marry!”

    Father: “But this young man is a vice-president of the World Bank.”

    Bill Gates: “Ah, in that case…ok”

    Finally Father goes to see the president of the World Bank.

    Father: “I have a young man to be recommended as a vice-president.”

    President: “But I already have more vice- presidents than I need!”

    Father: “But this young man is Bill Gate’s son-in-law.”

    President: “Ah, in that case…ok”

    Moral : Even If you have nothing, You can get Anything, just tell lies appropriately    .

    28.05.2008 Humour 1 Comment

    Facebook..addictive?

    Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

    We had friendster,myspace,orkut now there is facebook. Ive had accounts in pretty much all of them but its long gone now. Facebook has been the in thing since it made its appearance sometime ago. At first i found it rather clutter! Too many application and just too much to handle. Then when i actually setup my facebook account i thought it was brilliant!

    My favourite part is the fact that you need to use your real name, your school/work info has to be accurate.This truly gives the word networking a real meaning. The groups and pages is another awesome feature as it gives members to join little communities of like minded people.Friends from school who your lost contact with, colleagues your haven’t met in ages suddenly start re-appearing, together with that you meet people you never want to meet,but there is a ban button for that :P

    I personally am in a few of them and its awesome!! Facebook is also gone soo mainstream that politicians,artist and even sports people are on it now. It gives them another avenue to be with their fans/supporters and well wishers.

    Now is facebook addictive? Not for me it isn’t..How is it for you?

    Now the bad part…is it addictive?

    27.05.2008 Blogs/Sites, Thoughts 3 Comments

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