Category Archives: Bangkok

If you are looking for some different to do in Bangkok then you should look no further than cycle tours. To many people, it probably still seems strange to suggest to go on a bike tour in Bangkok. Apart from the heat and pollution you also have bad traffic congestion. On the surface it doesn’t sound like fun, but in truth, bicycle tourism in Thailand is a fast growing market with new bike tour companies being set up all the time. Just take a look at the Top 10 of popular tours in Bangkok on the TripAdvisor website. Five of the most popular tours in Bangkok are bicycle tour companies.

One of the latest bike companies based in Bangkok is Follow Me Bike Tours which is already doing very well on the TripAdvisor Top 10. Although I have my own bike now, it is sometimes a good idea to go with a knowledgeable local Thai guide. On trips like this one, you always discover something new about your home city. When cycling or driving, we tend to stick to the same routes. Tour guides, on the other hand, will push the boundaries to show the real sights, smells and sounds of the city that would be difficult to find by ourselves. This is exactly what happened when I joined Follow Me at the weekend for their “Siam Boran” bicycle tour of the historical sights of Bangkok.

The Follow Me Clubhouse can be found down a small soi off Sathon Road.  It is about a 10-15 minute walk from BTS Chong Nonsi Station (see map). At the moment they are offering two bicycle tours. Each of them last about four hours and cover about 20 kilometers. The second one, called “Siam Sawan”, goes to Phra Pradaeng, which, with its jungles and parkland, is often called the “Lungs of Bangkok”. I have explored that area quite a bit already,  so I was keen to try a new route. Tours leave twice a day at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. I know that some people have done one tour in the morning and liked it so much that they joined the other tour in the afternoon.

The Siam Boran tour took us on both sides of the river and included two cross-river ferries.The advantage of bicycling is that we were able to go down narrow lanes and dedicated cycle paths. In fact, we were hardly on the main roads at all. We spent most of our time up close and personal in various local communities. We saw more events and every day activities on this tour than the average tourist will see on their entire trip. In Chinatown we saw dancing dragons. We passed a Christian cathedral where people were just leaving after a service. In a Muslim community we came across a bird singing contest in an open field. And in one of the backroads we passed a house where nine monks were performing a ceremony for the opening of a new shop.

The guide on our tour was a yong Thai man called Tobb. He was very knowledgeable and often stopped to talk about various old buildings that we were cycling past. From my point of view, the Unseen Bangkok is of more interest than say The Temple of Dawn that we also visited. But, we had a good mixture that had something for everyone. I particularly liked the old Customs House, that despite its derelict state, was being used as living quarters by the local fire department. We also visited a temple that had the largest bell in Thailand and the largest sitting Buddha in Bangkok. Tobb also stopped several times to buy us refreshments. He also made it clear that it was no problem to stop and take pictures at any time or stay at a  place longer than what was originally planned.

By the time we got back to the Follow Me Clubhouse, I was probably more hungry that tired. One of the great things about Bangkok is that it is mainly flat and the cycling wasn’t strenuous at all. Although we are in the middle of the rainy season at the moment, and we did have some rain during our tour, it wasn’t enough to spoil our fun. In fact, it was almost perfect weather for cycling as there was a nice cool wind. Each of the tours finish with a free fish spa where you can put your tired feet in water and let the fish give you a massage! There is also a complimentary BBQ. The price of the tour was 1,000 Baht and with all of these extras I think it was really good value. I would definitely go with them again. They have a new trip planned which combines a food tour in the morning and a bicycle tour in the afternoon. Sounds perfect as they are two of my favourite things.

For more information about Follow Me and to book tours please visit their website www.followmebiketour.com. I have also posted some of my iPhone pictures on my Facebook Page.

On Sunday I took part in the 2nd Bangkok Car Free Sunday event. The purpose, as before, was to promote the use of the bicycle as an alternative mode of transport in Bangkok. I must say I was very nervous about cycling in Bangkok the first time. However, I am now used to it and I would recommend it to anyone. It is a great way to get around to explore the city. You don’t get stuck in traffic jams, you can go down one way streets the wrong way and, best of all, you can stop and park your bicycle almost anywhere you like. That makes it so easy to take pictures. The following are some of the more interesting places that we stopped at during the bicycle tour on Sunday morning.

This is the Maen Si Waterworks. On July 13th 1909, King Rama V ordered for the Sanitary Department to use a water system to bring water to Bangkok by taking water from Khlong Chiang Rak in Pathum Thani to Khlong Samsen. A pumping station was built and the water went through a filter process so that it became germ-free. The waterworks at Maen Si was officially opened by King Rama VI on November 14th 1914. It remained in operation for many years. In 1990, the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority moved its headquarters to Bangkhen District and Maen Si now stands derelict.

The King Prajadhipok Museum is the first museum of its kind in Thailand when it was officially opened in 1980. The original building was built in the reign of King Rama V. Mr. Frederic John Samson was the designer of what was meant to be a tailor’s shop. Later it served as offices of the Department of Public Works. The building was renovated by the King Prajadhipok Institute and turned into a museum to diplay the personal belongings of the king.

The Monk’s Bowl Community is more than 200 years old. In Thai it is known as “Ban Bat”. The origin of this community is still not certain but some say that it was the home to people who moved here after the fall of Ayutthaya. The handmade bowls of this community are correctly made according to the Buddhist disciplinary rules that the alms bowl must be made from steel. In the mid 20th Century, almost every family in this community made alms bowls. Today, only five families still carry on the trade, mainly because the bowls are now mass produced in factories.

This final picture is of a street-side tailor who is making alterations to some clothes. This kind of thing is a common sight in Bangkok where not everyone has a shop or even a shelter. Many people, like this man, just set up shop wherever there is a vacant space. I was cycling by when I spotted him. I had my camera handy and just paused briefly to take a picture before moving on. I had a great time on my bike and will certainly go again for their next bike rally. Visit Thailand Photo Maps for maps of the route we took.