Sukhumvit Road » Bangkok Library

Kinokuniya bookstore at the Emporium Shopping Complex

Aug 162012

Kinokuniya at Emporium is a deservedly popular bookstore with an excellent range of fiction and non-fiction titles in English. The Emporium Shopping Complex is served by BTS Phrom Phong and is certainly the best book shop in this area of Sukhumvit Road.

Kinokuniya is popular with English speaking expats and the many Japanase and Korean families living in Sukhumvit 24 and 26. It has an interesting range of books for adults and a very reasonable selection of fiction and study books for children at international schools.

As with all branches of Kinokuniya, most books are wrapped in plastic but the helpful staff are always willing to remove this for you.

3rd Floor Room 301-3
Emporium Shopping Complex
622 Sukhumvit 24 Road
Klongton
Klongtoey
Bangkok 10110
THAILAND

Book Lounge at the Amarin Plaza (SE-ED and McCafé)

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Aug 052012

Back in 2010 I visited Book Lounge @ Amarin as I wanted to check out this apparently huge new book store in Bangkok. I was really disappointed at the time and did not return again until last week.

There have been a few changes at Book Lounge @ Amarin since I last visited, the most significant of which is it now includes SE-ED and a McCafé coffee shop.

The SE-ED book shop caters solely for Thai readers and doesn’t really have much going for it, but the McCafé — believe it or not — is surprisingly good. I’d even go back there again. There was only one person working in the café but he was quick to prepare and deliver drinks to customers.

I’ve never visited a McCafé before, but this one has plenty of comfortable seating and even has a small selection of books and magazines for customers to read in Thai and English. The windows have a pleasant elevated view over Sukhumvit Road and BTS skytrains zip past almost silently every few minutes.

Royal Thai Navy Shooting Range Bang Na

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Aug 052012

The Royal Thai Navy Shooting Range (สนามยิงปืนราชนาวีบางนา) is based at the Thai Navy Sports Centre Bang Na. The sports centre is adjacent to Sukhumvit Road with its entrance about 50m from BTS Bang Na station.

I have been told by a Thai friend that access to the shooting range is free, but she may have been referring to members (or ex-members) of the Royal Thai Navy. I have translated the following information from the Royal Thai Navy Shooting Web Site.

Membership type	Application fee (THB)	Annual membership fee (THB)	Membership card (THB)
Honorary members	FREE	FREE	FREE
Thai Navy	25	75	50
Regular members	25	200	100
Club members	25	1,500	100

Non-members who wish to use the shooting range must pay 50 THB per visit. Please note there are many conditions for membership and gun ownership by foreigners in Thailand is strictly controlled. Check the web site for more details.

Cute girls and weird toilets at Terminal 21

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Aug 032012

Almost every time I drive a car in Bangkok I wonder why I didn’t take the MRT or BTS instead. Today was no exception, and waiting at Asoke Junction I realised that it would probably take me as long to drive back to Huay Kwang as it would to walk. For reference, I have jogged from Huay Kwang to Sukhumvit Road in about 50 minutes, although I don’t recommend the route at all.

Instead of driving straight home we decided to do some shopping and eat at one of the many restaurants at Terminal 21. This new shopping mall has a wide range of stores that sell local designer brands and international shops selling famous brands of shoes and clothing.

Terminal 21 shopping mall is themed like an international airport with “terminals” at major cities. It is not as large as Siam Paragon or Central World, but if you like shopping in smaller stores and want a place to take photos with your loved one(s) then this is the place to visit.

Rock Climbing Wall at the Capitol Club, Sukhumvit Soi 24

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Aug 012012

I know that a lot of people are interested in rock climbing and climbing walls in Thailand — myself included — and so this week I went back to visit the climbing wall at the Capitol Club and Ananda Spa next to Sukhumvit Soi 24.

The Capitol Club is located in a large dome-shaped building opposite the four impressive towers of President Park. I have personally known people living in each of the towers and can recommend President Park as a great place to stay. The condos are mostly beautifully presented and the higher floors give a fantastic view across Bangkok.

If you are familiar with the area, the Capitol Club is also close to the Davis Bangkok and President Park Executive Serviced Apartments. These are expensive places to stay, and by this point you’ve probably realised that the Capitol Club and Ananda Spa is not going to be cheap.

Despite its upmarket image and pricing, the Capitol Club could do with some better maintenance. For example, the ripped tarpaulins covering the dome look shabby and definitely need replacing. I know they are only there to provide shade, but even the stalls at nearby Khlong Toey fresh market have better covers, and that’s saying something.

Dasa Books for Second Hand Books on Sukhumvit Road

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Aug 012012

Yesterday I made a quick stop at Dasa Books (ร้านหนังสือดาสะ) on Sukhumvit Road between Soi 26 and 28. I hadn’t been there for some while, preferring to buy my second hand books when I am abroad, but I had run out of reading material and anyway I was in the area.

Dasa Books (or is it Dasa Book Café?) doesn’t look like it has changed since I last visited about a year ago and it still has a reasonable selection of popular fiction and non-fiction books in English. I bought a paperback copy of Andy McNab Aggressor for 120 baht, and I suppose that is about the same as I might have paid on eBay or in a charity shop back home.

There was a stall of discounted books outside, priced from 19 – 99 baht per book, but nothing took my fancy.

Drinks are available (the shop also serves as a café) although given the surroundings I think they could reduce the prices. Personally, I would much rather take my purchase to read in the Li-bra-ry Café or Au Bon Pain in Sukhumvit Soi 24. If you like to sit outside to read a book, nearby Benchasiri Park would be another good option.

You can visit the Dasa Books website to download a list of current stock with prices. The shop is nicely organised and it’s not difficult to find what you want.

Coffee Club Ekamai

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Jul 312012

Bangkok has a huge number of cafés and restaurants, and a new one named the Coffee Club is due to open next to Major Ekamai on Sukhumvit Road. That’s just a short walk from the newly opened Gateway Ekamai shopping mall.

Advertising hoardings describe the new development as a café / bar / restaurant, although we are sceptical as to how well it can pull off all three.

Gateway Ekamai (Japanese Themed Shopping Mall at Sukhumvit 42)

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Jul 312012

Today I met up with a friend at Gateway (ศูนย์การค้าเกตเวย์ เอกมัย) — the brand new shopping centre at Ekkamai on Sukhumvit Road. Gateway has a walkway connection to BTS Ekkamai station and is located right next to Sukhumvit Soi 42 and the Eastern Bus Terminal. Despite that, I doubt it gets many visitors on their way to Pattaya. Gateway is most likely to appeal to Japanese and farang visitors and Thai people keen to visit its numerous low and mid-priced Japanese shops and restaurants.

Gateway opened about two weeks ago and most units are already occupied. Apart from the Apple Store, most shops and restaurants appear to be doing good business. Gateway is beautifully presented throughout and has a nice selection of affordable Japanese themed restaurants.

Taking a stroll around the mall, I noted that ramen (Japanese noodle) meals are available for about 90 baht upwards. Other restaurants offer complete meals for about 150 – 600 baht and there are the usual chain restaurants including Swensens and McDonalds. Downstairs there is a food court that looks slightly upmarket but sells the usual Thai fare at regular prices. I had kaow kluk ka-pi (ข้าวคลุกกะปิ) for 45 baht and my friend has macaroni and chicken for about the same price.

Best restaurant in Sukhumvit Soi 22

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Jul 292012

Do you have a favourite Thai restaurant in Bangkok? A cheap, authentic place, serving food for the locals?

My all-time favourite “restaurant” (we’ll use that term loosely) has to be located towards the far end of Sukhumvit Soi 22 in Khlong Toey. I have been eating there on and off for about the last ten years and the food is always excellent.

Most single dishes with rice cost about 30 – 40 baht and if you really want to splurge out you can order extra large dishes of food (typically 50 – 60 baht) with separate plates of rice. This is known as gub kaow (กับข้าว).

The restaurant doesn’t have a name that I’m aware of and the menu is solely in Thai. Everything on the menu is good — and I really mean that — but I especially like the yum ta-lay (ยำทะเล) and kai pad medt ma-moo-ung (ไก่ผัดเม็ดมะม่วง).

Two people can have a blow-out meal for 150 baht. Factory made ice is free (self-service at the rear of the shop) and the tables have free drinking water in jugs. It’s very low-so but I love the friendliness of the staff and the great tasting food.

What does Asoke (อโศก) mean?

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Jul 292012

Asoke Junction has to be one of the best known intersections in Bangkok but do you know what the word Asoke (อโศก) means?

The word โศก (transliteration: sok) can mean sadness or melancholy — an unlikely combination with the nearby Soi Cowboy and Sukhumvit Soi 23, both well known for their go-go bars, massage bars and naughty night-time entertainment.

Well it turns out that อ (transliteration: a) acts like the prefix un- in English, turning sadness into happiness. So Asoke literally means happiness although we don’t use the word in Thai language.

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