Iga Siemieniec

Need a break from Bangkok? Swap skyscrapers, traffic and noise for bicycles, palm trees and jungle paths – just across the river.  Bangkok can be a tough one. The city moves at high speed, and with the combination of heat, smells, noise and crowds, it can easily get overwhelming. Luckily, I found a pretty good solution: escape it for a day, without actually leaving Bangkok.  Popping my head out from underneath the concrete ‘rocks’ of the city centre, I laid my eyes southeast just across the Chao Phraya River towards Bang Kachao –  a place many of us like to call Bangkok’s ‘green lungs’.  Between my studies in town, I needed a little break from the coursework and exams, and quite honestly, Lumphini Park just didn’t cut the mustard.  I needed to escape Bangkok’s concrete jungle and replace it with an actual one: palm trees, narrow paths, small ponds and bicycles.  If you’ve not been, or at least not been for a while, much is changing in this green corner of town – and all for the right reasons. After a few hours of cycling through greenery, getting slightly lost and stopping for an iced cappuccino along the way, I was ready to cross the river and keep up with Bangkok’s energy all over again.  So, if the city is starting to feel like a little too much, give yourself a day here. Here’s how I spent mine.   Start with a boat across the Chao Phraya River Photograph: Time OutThe best things to do in Bang Kachao Start your day relatively early and take a Grab to either Khlong Toei