22 Walks in Bangkok: Exploring the City's Historic Back Lanes and Byways

by Kenneth Barrett

Overview

Take a series of unforgettable strolls down the back lanes of historic Bangkok!

Bangkok, Thailand is one of the world's greatest cities and a leading tourist destination, visited by millions each year. But it can also be a bewildering place. First-time visitors, not knowing what to expect, encounter endless boulevards connected by a vast maze of tiny side streets. A stroll down any of these lanes can reveal exciting surprises—beautiful palaces and mansions, shophouses and shrines, restaurants and markets.

This user-friendly Thailand travel guide helps you discover hidden gems found throughout the city by presenting each neighborhood as a distinct village—explaining how it evolved, and describing its historical landmarks in detail. Travel book author Ken Barrett is a long-time Bangkok resident and experienced journalist, and he introduces the noteworthy temples, churches, shrines, and mosques in loving detail, sketching their history and distinctive features. The reader is skillfully guided through the old neighborhoods of Bangkok from the center to the periphery, along narrow lanes and byways rarely seen by foreigners.

22 Walks in Bangkok leads the visitor on a unique journey of discovery and enables you to appreciate this fascinating city in new and exciting ways.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780804849159
Publisher:	Tuttle Publishing
Publication date:	05/09/2017
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Kenneth Barrett has been a journalist for almost his entire career, at various times specializing in travel, food, media criticism, humor, business and industry. He has edited numerous magazines and business newspapers. He is also a photographer and has been on assignment to over sixty countries, predominantly in Asia but also covering parts of the Middle East and South America. His specific interests include British colonial history and historic architecture of all kinds.

Table of Contents

Preface 7

Introduction

Bangkok Begins 9

Part I Thonburi 20

Walk 1 Wong Wian Yai

In Search of King Taksin 22

Walk 2 Bangkok Yai

The Old Harbour 32

Walk 3 Bangkok Noi

Money Town 53

Part II Bangkok 80

Walk 4 Rattanakosin Inner Island 1

The Grand Palace 82

Walk 5 Rattanakosin Inner Island 2

Along the Riverbank 90

Walk 6 Rattanakosin Inner Island 3

The Inner Moat 98

Walk 7 Northern Outer Rattanakosin

Defending the Realm 106

Walk 8 East Outer Rattanakosin 1

A Tale of Three Princes 123

Walk 9 East Outer Rattanakosin 2

The Road to Golden Mountain 131

Walk 10 South Outer Rattanakosin

The Potters' Village 145

Walk 11 North Outer City

Beyond the City Wall 163

Walk 12 Dusit

Almost Heaven 175

Walk 13 Chinatown 1

The Shady Ladies of Sampeng Lane 191

Walk 14 Chinatown 2

On the Waterfront 199

Walk 15 Chinatown 3

Along the Dragon's Back 209

Walk 16 The European District 1

The Sea of Mud 219

Walk 17 The European District 2

Temple of the Chinese Junk 234

Walk 18 Bangrak

The Village of Love 246

Walk 19 Rama III Road and Bang Krachao

The Hidden Island 265

Walk 20 Pathum Wan 1

The Jim Thompson Legend 280

Walk 21 Pathum Wan 2

The Lotus Forest 292

Walk 22 Pathum Wan 3

Mr Sukkumvit 306

Index 316

Editorial Reviews

"Demonstrating an impressive command of the history of each neighbourhood of the old city of Bangkok at the grassroots level, Kenneth Barrett has written the first book in the English language that really introduces the districts of this culturally and architecturally diverse city. Written in lively prose, 22 Walks in Bangkok is both local history to be read at home, and heritage guide to be clutched in hand while exploring the back lanes of the city on foot." —James Stent, chairman, Siamese Heritage Trust of the Siam Society under Royal Patronage

"The best way to truly get to know this city is on foot, and 22 Walks in Bangkok is a book that opens historical windows to the past…as well as telling how the city has become what it is today. For tourists as well as residents, this publication adds to the store of knowledge about Bangkok and offers a hands-on, foot-down way of getting to know the City of Angels." —Naphalai Areesorn, editor-in-chief, Thailand Tatler

"The metamorphosis of Bangkok from a water town to an overland city in less than three generations left behind a trail of the unexpected and undecided in the urban fabric. Strolling in and out of the alleys of Bangkok with Kenneth Barrett will reveal the unlikely and the co-existence of the opposite in the built forms and lifestyle of the inhabitants." —Sumet Jumsai, architect

"I thought I knew Bangkok but Kenneth Barrett proved me wrong. He's shown me a whole different side to the city that I never knew existed. It's as if you're walking through the city with a friend who has lived there his whole life." —Stephen Leather, author, Private Dancer

"My journalism thesis at university was an attempt to define New York as a multitude of neighborhoods in search of a city. Kenneth Barrett has topped me in doing the same thing for messy Bangkok, a vast sprawl of unfocused energy I had always, until now, considered unwalkable. It takes a photographer's eye to see all that he's found and a writer's skill to share it so engagingly." —Jerry Hopkins, author, Romancing the East

"Did you ever hear of a guidebook that reads like a novel? Well, pick up a copy of 22 Walks in Bangkok and that is what you will find. I couldn't put the book down. The author has a wonderful way of making history come alive." —Harold Stephens, travel correspondent, Thai Airways

"Bangkok has so many sides to it, and yet most visitors only get to see a fraction of what is an absolutely fascinating city. This wonderful book will entice even long-term residents (like myself) to leave their cars behind and discover all kinds of curiosities and hidden attractions." —Colin Hastings, publisher, The BigChilli

"A long walk in sweltering Bangkok would appear a daft proposition, fit only for mad dogs and Englishmen. And it has taken a knowledgeable and persevering Englishman to piece together not one but 22 splendidly labyrinthine strolls littered with the sort of historical trivia that brings the city's backstreets to life. Barrett's investment in shoe leather has clearly paid off." —Vijay Verghese, editor, SmartTravelAsia.com

From the Publisher