The taller of the two Baiyoke towers is someplace I've returned to several times; either for the view with someone who hasn't been there, dinner with friends, shopping or some combination.  It's really nothing more than a skyscraper - certainly nothing especially "Thai" about it other than the city it looms over - but it features a view that is different every time I visit... daytime, sunset, evening, rain, cloudy, night, etc.  

At 328 meters (or 1,076 feet) including the radio tower on top it's claimed to be the tallest building in Thailand, but if/when Ocean 101 in Pattaya is built it will supposedly top Baiyoke by 63 meters (close to 207 feet).

There's quite a number of hotel rooms involved - something close to 700, I think - but I've never stayed there as it's a bit pricey for my blood and not as conveniently located for my wants/needs.  Friends who have say the rooms are a bit small for the cost and other than the view there isn't much "special" about it.

From the lobby on the 18th floor you can buy a ticket for Bt 120 that entitles you to a ride up and access to the outdoor revolving roof deck on the 84th floor.  If you purchase dinner in one of the restaurants your elevator fare is included. The "Sky Restaurant" buffet is by far cheaper but at dinnertime it can be overrun with busloads of tourists, so let the diner beware.

I've found it to be a reasonable walk from the Ratchatewi BTS/Asia Hotel area (Baiyoke is fairly close to both Pantip and Central World Plazas, as you can see in the photo below) and an easy stroll from the Century Park hotel, a place I enjoy a stay every so often when I feel like splurging a bit.   During traffic times it's seemed walking's the fastest way to get there, too, and I don't blame taxis for not being too crazy to drive around there at 5pm.

I haven't done a lot of shopping around there, but have found clothing for people in what seems to be like hundreds of stalls and shops in and around the building itself.

Anyway, hopefully those more familiar with the place and area will add to this amid the trolls spraying the thread to mark territory.      I was uploading pictures again this afternoon, noted that this night image from the 79th floor a couple of weeks ago was the 400th I'd put into my photo album and thought it might warrant sharing an observation about the place.

I actually stayed there once, and regarding the view not being much, that depends on which room you get assigned to. I had a room with 8 consequetive windows (if you look at the building, on each side you can see what I mean, it's in the middle of the building. That bank of windows stretched the whole room (from left to right) and the room wasn't small either.

My room was on the 65th floor with view of Sukhumvit and Wittayu, marvellous, no other word for it. Loved every minute of my stay there.

When you're a guest, you don't pay the 120 baht,  but even as a non guest, I'm sure there are plenty of people that don't pay, nobody bothers to check for your ticket, and if you make it into the "scenic" elevator, which is reachable from the first floor of the building (more or less opposite of the ticket booth, in the corner of the building , then you're in.

If you go there on a clear day, you can make pretty good pictures, but sometime the smog is just too much.

The city I love! Krungtheepmahanakorn &c.

I actually can see the building I lived in (Juradit Tower)  during my first stay in Thailand, for the winter of '99-'00.  It is at the far lower-right corner of your picture, accross from Panthip Plazza.

Bao bao,
What sort of camera have you? Do you have a particular setting for night shots which I think needs slower shutter speed?

I have a Nikon Coolpix and my night-time shots from Baiyoke were fairly indistinguishable. Same from upstairs at State Tower. I was very disappointed after paying 500 baht for a drink before I could take the damn picture.

Maybe I need to study my manual a bit before I leave for Thailand again in a month.

Cheers
krobbie

Elephantspike wrote:

I actually can see the building I lived in (Juradit Tower)  during my first stay in Thailand, for the winter of '99-'00.  It is at the far lower-right corner of your picture, accross from Panthip Plazza.

Are you referring to the highrise opposite Phantip ? That's Centre point Phetburi 15, I actually stayed there, nice place.

krobbie wrote:

Bao bao,
What sort of camera have you? Do you have a particular setting for night shots which I think needs slower shutter speed?

Bao-bao, thanks for the great picture.

I'm guessing you used an Olympus SP500UZ with a focal length of 6mm, F/28 and exposure of 2.0sec. Am I right?  

sjaak327 wrote:

Elephantspike wrote:

I actually can see the building I lived in (Juradit Tower)  during my first stay in Thailand, for the winter of '99-'00.  It is at the far lower-right corner of your picture, accross from Panthip Plazza.

Are you referring to the highrise opposite Phantip ? That's Centre point Phetburi 15, I actually stayed there, nice place.

Ah, Ok. I was staying at Juradit Tower on Phetburi Soi 17, A similar sized building the next block up.

Sen Yai wrote:

Bao-bao, thanks for the great picture.

I'm guessing you used an Olympus SP500UZ with a focal length of 6mm, F/28 and exposure of 2.0sec. Am I right?  

You're spot on, Sen Yai - resourceful investigative work.  

I was also using the night time "scene" setting on the camera, something many digitals come with now.  

The important thing is to keep the camera STILL during the longer shutter exposure - something a middle-aged and heat-weakened fogey such as myself often finds quite a challenge by the end of a long day there.  I put the camera on/against a post, car, table or wall whenever possible.  Short of that, sometimes holding the camera as close to the body as possible and holding your breath during the exposure will do, depending on the exposure time.

Motion in the picture of lights or people makes it more interesting, too, I think.  I try to get a little in each picture.

Nice pics, wish something compact like a TZ3 could do that too.