Only in a city with as much to offer as Thailand’s City of Angels could a temple boasting a million Buddhas have remained overlooked by visitors. Bangkok is regularly listed as the number one city destination in the world yet take time to scratch just a little below the surface and you’ll find stunning and intriguing (and sometimes downright bizarre) spots that remain virtually unknown to outsiders … and often to the citizens themselves. Frequent residents Narina Exelby and Mark Eveleigh spent over a year hunting down some of the city’s most captivating secret spots – many of which even experienced local guides had never heard of.
This book will lead you to the place where people offer bacon and eggs to tiger temple guardians, and a temple with elaborate effigies of David Beckham, Donald Duck and Popeye. It will take you into the lair of giant monitor lizards, show you how to gain merit by sponsoring a coffin, or how to decipher, from a tree trunk, the winning lottery numbers offered by a beautiful female ghost. You’ll also meet a unique community of outlaw flute-players, eat a communal vegetarian breakfast with Bangkok’s Sikh community, learn about the traditional Thai pastime of “baldy-butting”, and meet a celebrated “healer” who goes by the name of Madame Breast-slapper.
Secret Bangkok is more than just an indispensable guide to the hidden face of the city: it is written also to offer fascinating background information for those who love to connect with the soul of a place.
