The Inflight Edit · JOURNAL
Bangkok's Dusk Begins on the River
The Journal · Destinations — One Hour on the Chao Phraya
Bangkok's traffic is world-famous; the locals' answer is the river. Board a boat at dusk and the city turns its best side toward you.
The Fifteen-Baht Cruise
The orange-flag ferry is Bangkok's cheapest sightseeing boat. For fifteen baht, the spires of Wat Arun slide past you in the sunset — closer than any dinner cruise will ever get you.
The Order Inside the Night Market
Bangkok's night markets look chaotic but run on strict zoning: one lane for food, one for clothes, a corner for massage. Bargaining opens at forty percent off by mutual understanding — and smiling while you haggle is part of the rules.
The Grammar of the Smile
The Thai wai has registers: hands to the brow for a monk, to the chin for a peer. Can't master it? No matter — returning a smile is never wrong.