This summer, I wanted to experience a travel destination that I could enjoy without pressure. After considering several potential destinations, I chose Thailand, the center of travel in Southeast Asia. Since my last trip to Ho Chi Minh was interesting, I was also looking forward to Thailand, which has its own unique character.
Bangkok was an unknown city to me. I only heard that it is the most visited travel destination by people from all over the world and a destination that will amaze you with a nightlife that goes beyond your imagination.
Thailand is famous for being an East Asian country that was not colonized. By responding flexibly to times of intense conflict, we protected our heritage from war and civil strife. You can explore heritage from various periods, from ancient architecture to modern dynasties.
Among many cities in Thailand, Bangkok was pioneered by the French and Chinese when Ayutthaya was the capital in ancient times. It is said that the capital was moved after Ayutthaya was devastated by the invasion of the Konbaung Dynasty of Burma. Historically, it has been a place with an active influx of foreigners, and is said to be home to many ethnic groups, including Chinese, Japanese, and Indian.
The sunlight in Bangkok was strong. Numerous golden temples twinkled everywhere. Last April, a news article reported that the temperature in Thailand felt like 54 degrees, causing great concern. Luckily it wasn't that hot. I was able to endure it because I was mentally prepared, but I wondered how I lived in the days when there was no air conditioning. The period of my trip was the rainy season, but I was glad that it was cool when it rained.
Bangkok is the city with the most travelers in the world. According to Travelness's analysis of 23 years of MasterCard information, Bangkok ranked first among the most visited cities in the world. I was curious about what kind of charm attracts people, and during this trip, I was able to experience what kind of aesthetics it has.
It was a city with a great design, worthy of being the most visited travel destination by travelers from all over the world. Convenience facilities and services for travelers were well established, making it easy and convenient to get around.
A market scene where travelers of various races mix, a beautiful temple that is an intact Thai heritage, a space decorated with sophisticated vintage Indochina-style furniture, and a huge shopping mall that is both unique and convenient. It is usually famous as a city of fun and entertainment, but for me, the modern Indochina experience was even greater.
Bangkok's most impressive heritage is by far its original temples. It is full of pointed triangles that stretch endlessly toward the sky.
It is said that because rain, the water of the sky, pours endlessly, the slope of the ceiling was built steeply to let the water flow away quickly. Because of the hot weather, the ceiling is high and it has a double roof shape to hide the heated roof. Traditional houses are built as two-story structures to protect against flooding.
The Thai people are said to have believed that the space between the ground and the house was the realm of animals, the house was the realm of people, and the high roof was the space where gods resided. The god pointed out here is Buddha, and it is said that as many as 95% of the entire nation believes in Buddhism.
Bangkok is uniquely filled with decorations symbolizing not only Buddha but also demigods such as Naga, Garuda, and Hanuman. The top and both ends of the roof have unique decorations called Cheohwa. Each temple had a slightly different style, but usually had a Garuda at the top and a Naga at both left and right ends.
The temple is really beautiful on a rainy day. The Naga headdress and scale-like roof soar into the sky, twinkling like starlight. It was amazing to see locals gathering inside the magnificent temple and reciting Buddhist scriptures. It was all the more impressive because it was not a scenery created for tourists. At that moment, I felt like I was a Bangkokian and really living there.
It was beautiful and had a unique style that was difficult to find in other countries, focusing on the Buddhist worldview. There are many historical relics representing styles from various countries, such as the Khmer style, which originated in the neighboring country of Cambodia, as well as Burma, Sri Lanka, and China, but it was impressive to see that even among them, he created a style with his own distinct personality.
King Power Mahanakhon, a modern skyscraper, is known as the Minecraft building, but to my eyes, it looked like the remains of a naga that had been wrapped around and climbed up.
Bangkok's graphics were modern and had a lot of cool designs, but the most memorable personality was the typography. My first impression was that it looked like a snake had raised its head. The unadorned sans-serif style can sometimes look like a circuit diagram. In some ways, it looked like Arabic characters, but in other ways, it looked like Chinese characters, so it was unique.
Aksun Thai, the first Thai script, is said to have been created by King Ramkhamhaeng, also known as King Sejong of Bangkok, based on the ancient Khmer script. It was very different from Yeonjae and was said to have no vowels above and below the consonants. Basically, the vowel is 'uh' and when writing other vowels, they are written separately.
Although it is difficult because there are no spaces, surprisingly, the difficulty of learning letters and language is not high. The modernized typeface also goes well with Roman letters. It looks closer to a slap-style font than a Helvetica style.
As it is called the battleground of hotels, it is full of attractive accommodations. The places I stayed were mostly small boutique hotels. Each hotel had its own distinct personality. It was an attractive space with a harmonious combination of dark wood and antique items.
This is an accommodation where you can ride vintage bicycles. It is said that this building was a palace given by King Rama V and has been managed by the family for seven generations. The bedroom made of Thai teak wood and the vintage rustic interior are beautiful. I was curious where they got all the various props.
The room has a sunny veranda connected to the outside with glass. There is also a bathtub, so you can enjoy a leisurely bath while looking at the sky. It was my first accommodation, and I was able to enjoy Bangkok while eating breakfast and working at the window seat in the lobby.
This is a small luxury guesthouse created by Cat Radio's female DJs Pineapple Nan and Mark Salmon. This building is over 100 years old and is located on the corner of Phraeng Phu Thon, one of the intersections that has existed since ancient times. This area was home to doctors, lawyers, and civil servants, as well as shops.
We maintained the traces of being Thailand's first denture factory and decorated it beautifully, taking advantage of the concept of a tea house where local people gathered. It was a blend of styles from the time when King Chulalongkorn was embracing Western styles. Wooden furniture from Burma is a unique mix of Thai, Chinese and Western influences. I was disappointed that I couldn't eat breakfast because I suddenly got so sick, but even the tea box that was given to me as a gift when I left was a beautiful accommodation.
This is a beautiful boutique hotel decorated with 1940s items. It was built in 1941 by the current owner's grandparents, Khun Phra Chareon. Khun was dean of the College of Engineering at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand's Seoul National University, and is considered the father of modern engineering in Thailand. For generations, Khun's granddaughter designed the tropical garden and runs it with her family.
The old teak floor, antique furniture, and Thai silk curtains are harmonious. The villa was renovated and the way to the room was complicated, but I felt like I had been invited as a guest.
The swimming pool I jumped into as soon as I arrived was so lush with beautiful plants that it felt like swimming in a forest. I spent some leisurely time at the swimming pool in the morning sunlight.
The breakfast overlooking the tropical garden through the long window was also attractive. I was worried that I might not be able to get a Grab as I had to go deep into the car, but I was able to get one easily.
Luxury shopping mall icon Siam is a landmark representing Bangkok. It is a large-scale shopping mall with over 2 trillion Korean Won invested. It is a building whose design is as beautiful as its enormous size.
Seen from across the river, Icon Siam looked like a temple made of glass on the Chao Phraya River. The huge three-story glass windows are arranged in a zigzag pattern, making it look like the shiny body of a ship. Designs inspired by lotus flowers, water lilies, banana leaves, and traditional Thai shawls convey a very Thai feel.
It could take 30 minutes to drive across the river, but we took the free shuttle boat and crossed in 5 minutes. Sook Siam, a traditional floating market concept, welcomes you on the ground floor, G. The characteristics of each region of Thailand are captured in one space. Inside, there are actually moving boats selling food. It seemed like a direct replica of Damnoen Saduak, Thailand's traditional floating market.
When it comes to shopping malls, they are bound to be similar in functionality, but they were more attractive because they had a Thai feel. It was a wonderful space experience filled with modernity that leads trends while inheriting heritage.
TCDC was a space I had been looking forward to since visiting Bangkok. TCDC, which was located on the 6th floor of Emporiom Design Center, a luxury department store, moved to the Bangkok Central Post Office building on Charoen Krung Road. As a creative platform, various activities such as online exhibitions, creative space workshops, and design festivals are taking place.
The front building mainly has space for communication, and the back building has a production space for membership. The Resource Center has a variety of books, and the Maker Space is equipped with expensive equipment such as 3D printers, laser cutting, and UV printing. The Material & Design Innovation Center categorizes various materials in detail.
Creation is rearranging existing things to add value that did not exist before. For this, you must have existing resources and materials that can be expressed. And we need technology and space (Maker Space) to combine this. TCDC Bangkok applied this concept throughout the building.
It was a wonderful space where I could see how serious Thailand is about design and receive great inspiration about the design education I plan to pursue in the future.
A gorgeous and huge temple housing the Emerald Buddha. Located within Bangkok's Grand Palace, you can explore its diverse heritage. This is a temple where you can feel the traditions of Thailand and Bangkok more strongly than any other space. Even if you can't go anywhere else, I highly recommend visiting this place.
This 19th-century temple is famous for its 20-meter-tall red giant swing made of teak wood and its 8-meter bronze Buddha statue. The sight of people chanting in a magnificent temple on a rainy day was the most vividly memorable scene of my trip to Bangkok. Bangkok citizens gather at the temple from 7 p.m., so make sure to visit on time.
If you want to experience Bangkok's present and future, I highly recommend you visit. You can experience everything Bangkok has to offer in one place while avoiding the hot weather. Visit by boat from the other side of the Chao Phraya River for a beautiful view of Icon Siam.
There is a huge library and exhibition space with a variety of design books for creatives. You can conveniently work at the library by paying a fee. It's better to use as a co-working space rather than just for viewing.
Best massage. I received the best service at a reasonable price from the shop inside the hotel. There are many great street massages, but this is by far the best facility and service!
Every Tuesday morning, a designer with 16 years of experience curated Collect design trends.
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