by Jeff Hull In an obscure corner of Bangkok, alms bowls are still made by hand for Buddhist monks. Ban Bat, or Monk’s Bowl Village, is believed to be the last community in Thailand where craftsmen still make alms bowls by hand. Travelers can visit the village, tucked away on Soi Baan Bat alley near Wat Saket. Each bowl is assembled from eight strips of metal that represent Buddha’s Eightfold Path. Strips are fired for six hours, hammered into a curve, overlaid like spokes, and soldered together. The surface then gets polished and lacquered to a deep sheen. The Ban Bat village produces around 50 bowls a month. They range from three-inch souvenir sizes sold for about $15 to nine-inch stainless steel bowls that cost more than $65. Three common shapes are jaan (a Thai fruit), manao (lime), and hua sara (tiger’s head). This appeared in the May/June 2012 issue. Photo by shutterstock.com.

The place to go for curries—with lotus shoots or with crabmeat—Krua Apsorn is a favorite restaurant for me and for some members of the royal family. The decor is not very exciting, but the food is. Thanon Samsen, near the corner of Soi Samsen 9 and the National Library. This story appeared in the May/June 2010 issue. Photo by Martin Westlake. See all of Tanongsak “Dtong” Yordwai’s favorite places in Dusit, Bangkok.  

Gilded Royal barges, monitor lizards and riverside communities - all this can be seen in Bangkok along the city’s endless canals. The best areas to visit are on the opposite side of the Chao Phraya River is Thonburi – an area still criss-crossed by waterways. Best explored by private ‘longtail’ boat take a peak though Thailand’s backdoor.

Krua Apsorn is neon-lit and full of Thais. The staff speak little English, but there is an English version of the menu. I love their yellow curry with prawns and lotus shoots. It is clear, tart, and spicy— an exemplary lesson in honed balance. —David Thompson 503–505 Samsen Rd., 66/(0) 2-668-8788. Photo by Charles Haynes/Flickr. This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

To find the best pad thai stall, go out the back door of the Sri Yan market, continue past the motorbike queue, and look for an open-air restaurant painted bright pink. Or ask the locals, ‘Raan pad thai yuu tii nai?’ (Where is the place that sells pad thai?) Thanon Sri Yan, just behind the Sri Yan market. This story appeared in the May/June 2010 issue. Photo by Martin Westlake. See all of Tanongsak “Dtong” Yordwai’s favorite places in Dusit, Bangkok.

The best dim sum is at Mei Jiang, the Cantonese restaurant located inside the Peninsula Hotel. My order typically includes the har gow [steamed prawn dumplings with ginger], the drunken chicken with jellyfish, and the snow pea pastries. —David Thompson This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

The Metropolitan by Como is a luxury hotel with 171 large rooms and an impressive spa that includes yoga studios and an outdoor lap pool. At my restaurant, Nahm, I put subtle twists on authentic Thai dishes. You’ll find a whole page of curries. —David Thompson Photo courtesy of the hotel. This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

Name: Tanongsak “Dtong” Yordwai Age: 50 Neighborhood: Dusit, Bangkok, Thailand Occupation: Dtong is a chef and the partner of Australian chef and writer David Thompson. Together they opened the Michelin-starred Nahm restaurant in London, and a second branch in Bangkok. The two also collaborated on Thompson’s Thai Food (Ten Speed Press, 2002), perhaps the definitive work on the subject, as well as Thai Street Food (Ten Speed Press, 2010). When David and I moved back to Bangkok after being abroad, we found a place in Dusit, in the north of the city. Life here is simple, people know each other, and together we share a belief about the real way of life in Thailand. In this village—Thais call a neighborhood a village, even when we’re in Bangkok—you get to know a lot of people through food. Food and friendship; these are difficult to separate. If you walk into a modern shopping mall in Bangkok, you know no one, not a single thing about anyone. In this community we do know each other, and because of that you get a deeper sense of Thai culture. You can talk to anyone and you can eat with anyone. It’s about relaxing and taking things slowly. Tasting. Smelling. The National Assembly and Government House are here, and a lot of government workers and some members of the royal family order food from the same shops where I eat. Any vendor in a tourist place can serve food and not care; in my neighborhood—in the markets and in shop houses and on the sidewalks—if you serve something bad, you lose face. There are only a few things worse than that. I can go for a bowl of noodles in the style of Ayutthaya, the former Thai capital north of Bangkok, with a stock flavored with galangal and pepper and star anise. That same place served 600 bowls at a royal funeral a few years ago. Everywhere you go, you wander and you snack and you chat. So do palace guards and members of Parliament. Start with a plate of pad thai at Krua Ba Cha-Am, my favorite spot for fried noodles done the old way—less sweet and much spicier than you find elsewhere, sharper and simpler. They taste like the kind of pad thai that was cooked 30 years ago. You should walk around without looking at your map and “get lost” in this neighborhood. You’ll discover beautiful buildings like the Vimanmek Palace, full of Thai artifacts, and Suan Kularb, where I once saw the crown princess cooking omelets to raise money for the Red Cross. After a long walk through Dusit’s markets and along canals, you might get hungry again. In that case, eat at Krua Apsorn. Make sure you try their dry curry, full of sweet crabmeat, and their yellow curry (kaeng luang) with crisp lotus shoots, sour tamarind, and shrimp paste. When the king’s sister used to eat here, they’d hang a curtain in the corner so no one could see her. But everyone knew she was there, and why. That’s my village, a place where everyday people and royalty head for a taste of old Thailand. See all of Dtong’s favorite places in Dusit, Bangkok:Wat Benchamabophit Krua Ba Cha-am Krua Apsorn Dusit Park and Vimanmek Palace Dessert Vendor Lan Taw Toon Suan Kularb Talad Nang Loeng This story appeared in the May/June 2010 issue. Photo by Martin Westlake.

When I reached this place, I thought that it would be a perfect shot for the symbols of Bangkok, when I could also ban a tuk-tuk on the photo... After a few minutes waiting I had the chance to capture this... btw - the King's Temple or Wat Phra Kaeo is the most fascinating temple I've ever seen. You can't imagine its gorgeousness without seeing it with your own eyes.. Try to get there early, when it is less crowded and in better light...

If you have been to the Grand Palace, situated on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, in the center of Bangkok, then you have surely taken in everything from the Emerald Buddha, to the sweeping roof lines of the royal residences. As I snapped pictures of various sites, I rounded a corner and stood transfixed by this incredible structure. It was markedly different from the rest of the surrounding buildings. Rather than appearing shiny and bright, it had an old, ancient, wind and water-worn feel to it that I immediately loved. Did it precede the palace? Was it placed there by another culture and left abandoned all these years? What purpose did it serve in its time of use? I stared at it from afar for a very long time, wondering. But alas, I finally had to move on, as I was unable to approach and enter. Why could I not enter, you ask? Because as magnificent as it appears, this ancient model carving of a building stands a mere three feet tall.

Are we there yet? Most travelers going from Thailand to Cambodia take the bus. Unknown to many is the local train, which will take you from Bangkok all the way to the Poipet, Cambodia border. See the Thai countryside, interact with locals, eat fresh food from train vendors (fried rice with an egg, green mango slices with chili) and reach your destination for under $2. It's a five hour ride that will let you feel like a local.

A view of Wat Arun (Arun Temple) taken from our hotel, Arun Residence, across the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. This is the only lodging in Bangkok along the Chao Phraya River that will afford a direct view of Wat Arun. Arun Residence is one of the most amazing boutique hotels I have ever stayed at in all of my travels. It is a special place. The hotel is comprised of converted apartments and no two rooms are alike. The rooms are absolutely saturated with warmth, character, and charm and you truly feel like you are in your own private apartment. After a really long day on the busy streets of Bangkok fighting off touts and tuk-tuk drivers, Arun Residence was an off-the-beaten path place that was so restorative and regenerative in atmosphere. The views of the temple across the river were spectacular and the rooftop restaurant for dinner is fantastic, albeit pricey, in terms of both ambiance and food. My only criticism would be of the staff. They were unfortunately lacking in warmth and friendliness which was quite paradoxical considering the price point of the hotel. However, don't get me wrong--I will always go back to Arun Residence when I visit Bangkok.

No trip to Bangkok is complete without a visit to the Grand Palace, which sits smack in the middle of the city, while resting elegantly on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. From the outside walls to the inside decor, the palace is just dripping with vibrant colors and incredible architectural detail. The intricacy of workmanship on the vast array of buildings is absolutely amazing. You can spend an entire day exploring the 2.3 MILLION square feet footprint. From the various pavilions, gardens and courtyards, to the statues and iconic heads that adorn almost every surface, it's a photographer's dream, and that's not even counting the people watching! So the next time you swing through Bangkok, just look for the shimmering gold city within the city, and you will happily discover a grand Grand Palace indeed.

Khaosan Road is a backpacker haven in Bangkok, Thailand where many go to get their Thailand souvenir essentials and a taste of Thailand's diverse street food. There is one cart wheeled onto Khaosan road every day selling seasoned bugs from maggots, to crickets, to scorpions. They are a delicacy in numerous parts of Asia, and it is rare to see a foreigner brave enough to try them all. I had my go at about 5 different insects, and two were actually quite tasty. I can't say the same about the other 3, but that's when I went to another cart nearby for a plate of $1.00 pad thai to wash it all down! If you want to have a real go at Thai street food, Khaosan Road is a great place to start, and get acquainted with rather unusual snacks....