Pictures of Bangkok,
Thailand.
The City of
Contrast.
Where ancient meets
modern and East meets
West.
Come and see the
lifestyle,
culture,
places, changes,
etc.
Siam
Square
The all in one place
for Bangkokians' modern
lifestyle
Sep. 2005
Siam Square is
undoubtedly the most
popular place in
Bangkok. Surprisingly,
this flashy area is
owned by a conservative
institution and yet
Thailand's oldest,
Chulalongkorn University. Chulalongkorn Book
Center, renowned for its
huge inventory, and the
Faculty of Pharmacy are
located right
here. Boy! These
students must really
have good
concentrations.
Siam
Square
started
its
fame
30
years
ago
as
the
center
of
movie
theatres. Back
then,
people
came here to
watch
movies.
When
cinema
complexes
later
emerged
all
around
Bangkok,
Siam
Square
lost
this
dominance.
People
found
it
easier
to
watch
movies
in
the cinema
complex
near
their
home.
Though
no
longer
popular
among
movie-goers,
latest
movies
are
still
shown
here.
Old
movie
theaters
such
as
Scala
is
considered
Bangkok's
masterpiece
classic and
occasionally used as a
venue for the Bangkok
International Film
Festival.
Whenever I
want to have a colorful
weekend, Siam Square is
always my choice.
There are other places
as well but Siam Square
is the liveliest. The people,
the lifestyle, the
activities here always
draw my attention.
You
can
see some Thais dress
like
magazine
models
here. And because
it's Siam Square, they
don't feel they're in
the wrong place.New
trends
start
here.
There
are
numerous
clothing
stores
selling
the
latest
fashion.
Many
restaurant
owners
with
unique
one-of-a-kind
dish
start
their
business
here.
Some
became
successful
and
later
expanded
their
branches
all
over.
Siam
Square
has also been the hub for
tuition
institutions for over 20
years. During the
weekend, students would
be
here
to
take
classes
in music, foreign
languages, university
entrance, etc.
Siam
Square is recognized by
some Bangkokians as the
center of Bangkok.
(While some say it's the
Victory
Monument. Actually,
no Bangkokians really
know where the city
center is,
including myself as
well.) If you're
planning a visit to this
city center, I'd recommend
to
come during
the
weekend
in afternoon. It's
the best time to see
some Thais
go wild.
Click
here
for
the
map.
Bits
&
Pieces
Siam
Square
is
the
all
in
one
place
where
you
can
get
dressed
in
the
latest
fashion. With so
many hair
salons,
nail
salons, boutiques and the like, you
can be busy dressing
your head to toes here. This
is
not
a
budget
place
but
due
to
a
large
number
of
teens,
there
are
places
offering
affordable
prices.
It's
a
matter
of
search
and
hunt.
Click
pictures to enlarge
Bangkok and
Thailand's
fashion
street.
Siam Square
is where you
can see the
latest
fashion.
Most fashion
are casual
wearbecause
people enjoy
coming
here during
the weekend.
Center Point,
located right in
the middle of
Siam Square is
Bangkok's teen center.
Teen activities
including musical
shows are
performed here
almost weekly.
Siam
Square's shopping
streets combine
small stores
selling all kinds
of things mostly
fashion items.
1
2
Stand
alone
stores:.
1. Florist. 2. Fresh fruit
store. 3. Clothing
store on sale for
only 100 Baht (US$2.50)!
3
Tuition
institutions: Very
crowded with
students during
the weekend.
Tuitions cover
subjects taught in
school and
entrance
examination.
Left picture shows
an institution
uses Einstein as
its symbol for
wisdom.
1
2
3
Traffic
in Siam Square:
1-2. Traffic
beneath Siam
Skytrain station
is busy but still
better than many
places in Bangkok.
Click
here to
download a movie
of Siam Square
traffic at 4-5pm.
weekday
(6.79MB)
3. Traffic at Siam
Skytrain station
is the busiest in
Bangkok serving as
an interchange
station.
Night
time Siam Square,
beneath Siam
Skytrain station,
is business!
Yes, there's street
shopping.
Claimed
to be South-East
Asia's biggest and
a world class
shopping mall,
Siam Paragon
finally launched
its grand opening
on December 9,
2005. On its
grand opening, traffic
jam in the mall
parking was said
by some drivers as
their
unforgettable
lifetime
experience.
This mall is
located in
Bangkok's best
shopping hub
occupying 300,000
sq. meters taking
3 years of
construction.
Siam Paragon rests
on a land under 34
years lease.
It has 16 cinemas, 52
bowling lanes, a 3
D Imax theater,
and a 10,000
sq.meter-2
story-aquarium, Siam
Ocean World.
There are also
future plans for a
5 star hotel and a
conference center.
Apart
from famous Thai
designers like Jim
Thompson, Fly Now,
Jaspal, Siam
Paragon also has Versace,
Hermes, Gucci,
Valentino, Armani,
MNG, and the like.
Even fast cars
like Ferrari,
Lamborghini,
Maserati are
here! These
names are without
doubt, expensive
stuff. Check your savings
well before
shopping here.
1
2
3
4
1.
The ground floor
is dedicated to
restaurants and
supermarkets.
2. Fashion shows
and special events
are performed
frequently as
promotional
campaigns.
3-4. Siam Paragon
during
construction in
mid 2005.
Bits
&
Pieces
1. I can't imagine
what's going to
happen around here
in the next few
years. Siam
Paragon and Central
World Plaza
seem to be
planning the same
thing. And
they're just 10
minutes walk from
one another!
Is there going be
battle of the
giants?
2. To my
experience, Siam Ocean
World is quite
cheap comparing to
many other
countries.
The admission fee is
450 Baht. That's less than
US$12.
Related links
(Easy self-guide
to:) Bangkok
cinema: Siam,
the forever movie
hub Bangkok
shopping malls:
Not just shopping
but a lifestyle Pratunam:
Biggest clothing
market &
street shopping MBK
Center:
Air-conditioned
Chatuchak market
