Even at its coolest, Bangkok's too-close-for-comfort proximity to the equator makes for a hot, steaming stew of a city. At certain times of the year however, especially April and May, it resembles a sprawling sauna. Temperatures soar up to 40 degrees Celsius during the day, as high as 25 degrees at night (and that's not even counting in humidity levels in the 90's!). On stepping out of the shower, water instantaneously seques into sweat; a walk in the park becomes depleting and draining...
However, there's no need to panic or postpone! If Bangkok's sweltering temperatures are getting to you, or are likely to during your visit, then follow us on this water-drenched path to finding refreshment. Created in the soak-everything-that-moves spirit of Songkran - Thailand's New Year and incredibly 'sanook' (fun) Water Festival in April - it's sure to uncover a cooler, refreshed and rejuvenated you!
1. Make a Splash at Songkran
Want to keep cool but also learn a bit about the culture and mingle with high-spirited locals?
If the answer is yes, be sure to experience Songkran, the exhilerating Thai New Year celebrations in April. Undeniably the most Buddhist way to keep cool this time of year, its underlying themes of cleansing and purification are expressed through water, which is used ceremoniously to wash away ills, misfortunes and evil. Behind water's spiritual and religious roles, however, lies a refreshing practical one: sprinkling it over your dearest, or lobbing buckets over those nearest, not only washes souls clean but also does a mighty fine job of keeping everybody cool!
This nationwide excuse for an almighty water fight takes place from April 13 to 15. Get ready for war. In Bangkok, people will be waiting along roads with huge tubs of water, ready to drench anyone who passes by. Khao San Road is the hub of festivities, proceedings combining a street party vibe with complete aquatic anarchy. Mobs of drenched modern youth prowl in packs, and don't be foolish enough to think they'll have mercy on you! For more traditional ceremonies like the cleansing of Buddha images head to Sanam Luang. Check out our Songkran page to find out more.
2. Seek out River Breezes
Everyone with half a brain knows water is a basic building block of life itself - but how about it being one of Bangkok's?
Located in a huge river basin draining into the Chao Phraya River, Bangkok was founded here not in spite of its proximity to water, but because of it. "Rice in the fields, and fish in the water" is a metaphor expressing agricultural abundance. And Bangkok, due to the area's vast networks of small canals (khlongs) ideal for irrigating rice paddies, has long been a rich source of both. Bangkok's transport too, is also intimately connected to water. Boats - not horses, buffaloes or elephants -were the primary mode for conveying things and people, well before elevated highways and spluttering exhaust pipes hit the scene. If a new path was needed, rather than build a road, a new canal was dug.
Discover why Bangkok was known as the 'Venice of the East' with one of the following trips. Meanwhile, sit back and keep cool courtesy of the balmy breezes.
The self-titled Rice Barge Cruise speeds you through narrow 'khlongs' by speed boat, before plunking you aboard an elegant hulk of wood for the trip home. Alongside contrasts of sleek modernity with the ancient past, you'll encounter low-slung houses on stilts, tanned children dive-bombing into the murky waters to cool off - tempting as it may be, we advise you not to join them!
The overnight Mekhala Cruise takes you further up the River of Kings, even deeper into Thailand's past - all the way to pre-1767 in fact, via the ancient capital of Ayutthaya. Each of the two converted rice barges available has air-conditioned double cabins, and the unhurried trip includes tours of its evocative ruins and a candlelit dinner.
Alternatively, combine nocturnal river breezes with a romantic dinner and phenomenal views. The Loy Nava Dinner Cruise is a slow paced classic, serving an authentic six-course set menu while you inch past evocative backdrops like the Temple of Dawn and Grand Palace.
3. Drink Liquid Coolers
If you're feeling all ablaze this hot season then arm yourself with some icy, H20-based refreshment - and fast! Collapsing with heat stroke is not a good look. In temperatures of up to 40 degrees, it's also a very real threat!
Fruit shakes, smoothies, juices, iced teas and coffees - the sheer variety of beverages available in Bangkok is astounding. What's more, they're everywhere. Listen for the sounds of blenders buzzing and you won't have any problems finding one.
Try these street favourites for starters: fresh orange, coconut, or sugarcane juice. If you're crazy about coffee, but not its heat, try a 'caffee yen' to go instead of the usual cafe latte. If you're a tea person, go chilled with 'cha yen'. The bizarre looking 'cha gai mook' is an intriguing variation: iced tea with dark gelatinous pearls made of tapioca sunk at the bottom.
Bug & Bee (18 Silom Road, Silom) next to BTS Sala Daeng serves an array of freshly-mixed smoothies, including the Mango Marvel, Siam Smooth and lush Bananarama.
Towards the top of the city's newest towering (and, thanks to its great airconditioning, temperate) temple to consumerism, CentralWorld, find Mrs Smoothie (C Flavour Food Court, 7th Floor). Try the Yo Yellow (peach, pinapple and yoghurt) or Mr Monkey (banana, strawberries and yoghurt), both guaranteed to turn the internal heating down a few notches.
Ice King (at the MBK end of Siam Square Soi 7) does a brisk trade with juvenile hipsters struggling to keep cool while looking cool. Revitalizing concoctions include the Green Apple, Mango King, Strawberry King and Pearl Mango. All cost 60 baht.
4. Make a Splash
Calling all water babies - Bangkok also has aquatic attractions galore to keep you cool this summer!
Siam Park City in Minburi (10:00 - 18:00) is a very popular water park for families, with lots of giant speedy slides mingling with twisty ones and a wave pool. For the less energetically inclined, there's a lazy river to drift down and spa whirlpool to bubble away in. Between March 10 and May 13 the park is holding its Big Holiday 2007 event, during which many extra rides and activities will be available for those looking to combine keeping cool with flume-based fun.
A bit further out of town, Leoland Water Park (11:00 -18:00 weekdays, 10:00 -19:00 weekends; 250 baht adults, 150 baht kids) on the roof of Central City Bangna mall, features waterslides, tube rides and (if you're a sucker for punishment) sunbeds - as does Fantasia Lagoon at The Mall in Bang Kapi.
Siam Ocean World is one of Southeast Asia's biggest aquariums, with over 30,000 marine animals and 400 aquatic species on show. The city's very own big green lung, Lumpini Park, has its very own big blue reservoir with peddle-boats for hire (30 baht for 30 minutes).
Although limited in their ability to get you feeling chilled, an afternoon spent gliding across sheets of ice is still a lot cooler, and cooling, than traipsing sweltering streets. Bangkok, believe it or not, has three of them: the 2,000 square metres Sub Zero rink at Ratchada's Esplanade shopping centre, an Olympic-size rink at Imperial World Samrong, and one at the Big C in Lad Phrao.
5. Saunas, Spas & Hydrotherapy
Get hot pressed, steamed and soaked - all in the name of body-cooling refreshment!
Skin is not only your body's first point of contact with the unforgiving heat, it also does the thankless job of excreting sweats and absorbing all sorts of icky toxins. Thankfully, help is hand at one of Bangkok's many spas specialising in cleansing, soothing, detoxifying and, ultimately, rejuvenating your long-suffering skin.
Aside from offering massages, scrubs, body wraps and the like, most hotel spas or private ones now offer hydrotherapy - water-based treatments that steam, soak and spoil your skin something rotten. |
