All language subtitles for Great.Asian.Railway.Journeys.Series.1.05of20.Bangkok.1080p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org

I'm in Southeast Asia with my 1913
Bradshaw's handbook,

published at the height
of European imperialism.

My 100-year-old guidebook will lead
me on a railway adventure

through archipelagos and peninsulas
dotted with hills,

forests and paddy fields.

I'll tour towering megacities
and magnificent mosques.

I'll encounter golden Buddhas
and jewelled temples,

and experience some of the world's
most spectacular

and notorious railways.

As I travel through the diverse
nations of this vast region,

I'll learn how they asserted
their independence

against the British, French
and Dutch empires to become

the economic tigers
and dragons of today.

My railway journey in Thailand
continues.

My 1913 guidebook says of the
constitution of old Siam,

that it is, "An absolute
hereditary monarchy.

"But actually, the sovereign
appoints his successor."

The Bradshaw traveller would
have been familiar

with absolutist rulers in Europe.

But within a decade, the Russian
Tsar had been murdered,

the German Kaiser driven
into exile,

the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy
broken up,

and the Ottoman
sultanate overthrown.

Thailand today is ruled by the tenth
king of the Chakri dynasty,

established in 1782.

A remarkable record
in a volatile world.

I'm beginning in the capital city
founded by that dynasty, Bangkok.

I'll enjoy the vitality of its
streets and canals and then take

the southern rail route round the
coastland of the Gulf of Thailand,

or Siam, as it was called in 1913.

I'll stop in the cultural centre
of Phetchaburi.

I'll visit the country's oldest
beach resort, Hua Hin,

where railways and royalty drew
visitors from around the world.

On my travels I'll snack in
Bangkok's biggest floating market.

You can get street food
almost anywhere,

but canal food, has to be Bangkok.

Discover the impact of a royal
railway gift.

Queen Victoria sent King Rama
IV, King Mongkut, a train set.

And I think that inspired
a lot of people.

And take my life in my hands in one
of the city's iconic tuk-tuks.

You certainly feel every bump
in the road, but in Bangkok's

notorious traffic, it sneakily
finds its way through.

Today, I'm one of the 60,000
train travellers

who arrive in the heart of Bangkok
every day.

The terminus is a fine,
airy construction

in Italian Neo-Renaissance style.

Well, there's nothing Thai
about the architecture

of Hua Lamphong, Bangkok's
main station.

In fact, the king, Rama V, had been
in Frankfurt, in Germany in 1907,

and he ordered for his capital
a European-style station,

to be a symbol of modernity.

The king's preference was for
a broad, curved roof

with stained-glass windows, designed
by a European architect.

And while I'm still admiring
his work,

I'm reminded of his royal patronage.

MUSIC PLAYS: THAI NATIONAL ANTHEM

It's Thailand's national anthem.

This isn't a special occasion,
but a twice-daily observance.

ANTHEM CONTINUES

Every morning, in every public
place, this display of devotion

to the monarchy is repeated.

It was Rama V's great grandfather,
King Rama I,

who created the Bangkok
that we know today.

He moved the city, in 1782, to the
east bank of the Chao Phraya River,

and established the astonishing
royal complex

that dominates Bangkok.

His descendants have blended
traditional Thai culture,

with modern Western ideas
and technology.

To find out how the Thai monarchy
used railways to transform

the nation, I've accepted an
invitation to his beautiful home

from one who shares family roots
with the royal dynasty.

Hello, Michael.

Sah wah dee khrap.
Sah wah dee khrap.

Please come in, a very warm welcome
to our house.

Oh!

What a lovely place.

You're very kind.

Poomchai Chumbala is an
interior designer and historian.

He built this exquisite
house with teak rescued

from very old dwellings
that had fallen into ruin.

It's a gorgeous re-creation,
and much of Bangkok

would have looked like this at
the time of my Bradshaw's guidebook.

This is the original plan drawing
off the Bangkok station.

and as you can see, it's the most
beautiful European architecture

built in brick and stone.

And this must have been something
so extraordinary

in the minds of the local people.

And interesting to me, this is all
written in Italian? Italian.

HE SPEAKS ITALIAN

"Etc", so that's because the
architect is Mr Tamagno.

Who was the Italian architect
working in Thailand at the time.

Hua Lamphong was the first
of the public buildings, you know.

There was no such a thing before.

So this was a building
to be enjoyed by everybody.

You and me, we can just go up to
this building and enjoy it.

Buying things, you know, enjoying
the restaurants there,

and that itself was a novelty.

So it had quite an important social
as well as economic impact?

That's the fact, yes, and people
were amazed by it.

What are these things here?

Ah, it shows the inside of the first
railway in 1893.

This says the interior of the
third-class saloon.

And actually, it looks marvellous.

Makes you wonder what the
first-class saloon was like.

Of course, the only way to travel
before the train was by the river

and the canals, or on carts on land.

So the train was such a novelty,
to be able to travel from A to B

in such a good speed.

Until the arrival of
steam-powered railway engines,

the people of Thailand relied
on transport driven only by oars,

sails or animals.

And it seems that they have
Queen Victoria to thank for the
change.

Queen Victoria sent King Rama
IV, King Mongkut, a train set,

which was a working train set.

It was steam and moved, you know,

the way that the real train
would move.

And I think that inspired a lot
of people, including the king

and the young King Chulalongkorn,

that this would be the way people
should travel in the future.

That is absolutely fascinating.

Do you know whether that working
steam model is still around?

It's still around because I saw
it only a few years ago

at the National Museum.

Inspired by his love
of steam engines,

the young prince, who ascended
the throne as King Rama V,

at the tender age of 15, launched
an extraordinary programme in 1891

to modernise Thailand.

Rama V was a visionary king.

And I think he wanted the very best
for his people and country.

He experimented and he wanted
to bring the latest in technology,

the latest in city planning,
transportation, so that Thailand

could evolve into a modern
and vibrant country.

Give me some examples of
the technology that was introduced,

the reforms. He introduced the
latest of everything,

electricity,

telegram, postal service,

modern medication,

a new educational system,

a new court system
that people could rely on.

And the most important thing, I
think, that King Rama V did

was to end the slavery, because
Thailand had suffered so much

under the slavery system
for hundreds of years.

And I think King Rama V and his
contemporaries thought

that it would be the time
to move forward and be rid

of that feudal, er, system.

I'm journeying down to Hua Hin.

Do you have memories of that?

A lot, because Hua Hin was my
happy childhood memory.

We had a beach house,

a family beach
house In Hua Hin, right

from the beginning of this century.

It brings so much happiness
to think about Hua Hin.

And of course, to go there by train
would be the best way to travel

in those days.

The trains were notoriously
unreliable, so you could

have been stuck on a track
for hours, you know,

in the middle of nowhere!

But it didn't matter because
the landscape was so pretty.

Lily ponds everywhere,
palm trees everywhere.

And for the royal family,
too, in that area?

Yes. Hua Hin definitely had a great
royal connection

because, right from the beginning,
members of the Thai royal family

bought a few plots along the beach.

And as you know, Hua Hin was built
as a train destination, as a resort,

the first resort town
that we have in Thailand.

And everybody went
down and had a good time.

Poomchai can trace his family's
arrival in Bangkok to 200 years ago,

the period when this royal dynasty
was established.

Is your family

the royal family or strongly
connected?

The ancestors became
the royal family of Bangkok.

Yes. So, what would your
relationship be to the present

King Rama X? Are you a cousin or...?

I'm his loyal subject!

I'm crossing the Chao Phraya River
to Thonburi on the west side

of the city.

King Taksin, who expelled
the Burmese,

established his new capital
here in 1767.

But he was deposed and murdered.

When King Rama I came
to the throne in 1782, and moved

the capital across the river,

he left behind a watery world.

Thonburi remains an older, simpler
and calmer version of the city,

with its own distinctive
way of life, and of transport.

Bangkok today is a city of glass
skyscrapers and elevated highways.

But until the end of the 19th
century, the main way of getting

around the city was by canal,

by klong, and their banks were
crowded

with low-rise, wooden buildings.

Time for me to recreate
as best I can,

the experience of the
Bradshaw traveller.

My guide is Picha Ya Sirungan,
known as Pich.

Pich, this is not what I expected
when I knew I was coming to Bangkok.

It's so historic, so ancient.

And what's more, on a hot day
like today with the breeze

on the boat and the coldness
of the water,

it's lovely.
Yeah! It's lovely and peaceful.

Every houses here, they try to
grow some plant in front of their
house

to make it more green.

This is, like, the most green
area in Bangkok.

Here are some lovely old houses.

Is this how Thonburi, how Bangkok
would have been in the old days?

Exactly. You know, I would say that,
you know, this side of Bangkok

is just like the current
Bangkok, the modern town,

back, like, in about 60,
80 years ago.

The original name of this area
was "Bangkok", which means

"the village of the wild plum".

When the capital moved east,
the name went with it, but locals

use different names.

The name we usually use in our daily
life, that's called

Krung Thep Maha Nakhon. It's a
combination between the Pali

and Sanskrit language.

But the full name of Bangkok
in Thai is the longest city name

in the world, they wrote
on the Guinness Book Record.

So when people saying they actually
thinking, they put a region

in a name
so people can recognise it.

But I'm not very good thinking,
but I can try.

OK. I tell you now it's called

Krung Thep Maha Nakhon

Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara

Ayuthaya Mahadilok

Phop Noppharat
Ratchathani Burirom

Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan

Amon Piman Awatan Sathit

Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.

What? That's it!

You cannot be serious!
That cannot be the name of the town.

Exactly. But it's not only one word,
it's combined from many words,

you know, to be,
like, a name of Bangkok.

We are getting closer, you know,
to the floating market.

So this one is the biggest
floating market in Bangkok.

That's called Khlong Lat Mayom
Floating Market.

That's the name of the main canal
in the market.

I love the boat, you know, they're
cooking the food in the boat

and selling out of the boat,
the food from their own farm.

Yeah, maybe we can stop, you know,
to buy something from the boats?

It sounds very good fun.

OK.

So busy.

Very busy, because the markets are
only open on the weekend,

Saturday and Sunday, so everyone's
looking forward to come here.

It's kind of like a food market,
you know.

In the market, you can buy,
like, a variety of Thai dishes.

Thai, like, authentic dishes,
yeah, very nice.

Sawadee ka.

One.

This is fresh coconut from their own
farm, you know, in this area.

It's very fresh.

Thank you.

That's great.

I don't think I've ever bought
anything when in a boat,

from another boat. Hm-mm.

A first for me.

Really? That's good experience
for you.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think, you know, you never
tried this one before,

it's a Thai fishcake.

So they cook it fresh,
you know, in the boat.

So they use that banana leaf,
you know, to wrap it here.

Thank you.

It's a bit spicy as well.

Be careful, it's going
to be very hot.

Thank you very much.

Thai people eat all the time, and we
eat a little bit of everything.

It's lovely, very good.

Thank you. Thank you.

I'm ending my day at one
of Bangkok's oldest and most

sumptuous hotels,
the Mandarin Oriental.

And I reach it as travellers would
in 1913, by boat.

When Siam was opened up
to international trade,

Western seafarers needed somewhere
decent to stay in Bangkok.

And the first Oriental hotel built
on the banks of the river,

burnt down in 1865.

But other seafarers quickly
replaced it.

In 1888, that sailor and author
Joseph Conrad arrived here

after a four-day voyage
from Singapore.

He stayed at the Oriental.

By then, most of his crew had been
taken sick, which may be why

he referred to Bangkok
as "that unhealthy place".

Evidently, conditions have
improved dramatically.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, beautiful.

Thank you.

At the start of the 20th century,
Thai King Chulalongkorn,

chose the Oriental to host
the future tsar of Russia,

Crown Prince Nicholas.

Good evening, good evening,
good evening.

Ah, the old hotel as Joseph Conrad
would have known it.

Very elegant and with its shutters,
proof against

the fierce heat and humidity.

And those who choose to, can wallow
in nostalgia here.

Many celebrated names have been
welcomed to the Oriental

during its close to 150 years.

The roll call of leading writers
particularly strikes me.

Joseph Conrad,

Graeme Green,

W Somerset Maugham,

Norman Mailer, and the spy writer
John le Carre, have all stayed,

and some wrote important work here.

For Noel Coward, the Oriental was a
favourite place to enjoy a cocktail.

Good evening. Good evening.

My name is Michael Portillo,
may I know yours?

Ann.

Ann, I'm in Bangkok for
a couple of days

and then I'm journeying by train
down the coast to Hua Hin,

Could I have a cocktail to send
me on my way, please?

Certainly.

So, the cocktail I'm going to make
represents the sea and the beach.

So I'm going to put the gin.

Good long pour of gin.

And vermouth with aloe vera.

Vermouth and aloe vera? Yes.

And then eucalyptus...

..with sea salt syrup.

Eucalyptus and sea salt syrup,
so that's giving me

the taste of the sea?

Yes.

Please enjoy.

Mm.

That's delicious, thank you so much.

I take my rest with Noel Coward's
words much in my mind.

IMITATES COWARD: "It's a lovely
place and I'm fonder of it than
ever."

One ticket, 30 baht.

Thank you. Thank you.

This morning, I'm using
the metro system to explore.

Because of its swampy ground,
Bangkok's metro railway

was constructed in the air,
not underground.

And it opened in 1999.

The Skytrain is a retro fit
installed when everything else

was already here.

And so it's been threaded like
a piece of plumber's pipe

above the existing streets,
bent through right angles

through the skyscrapers.

So far, it has just two lines
and 44 stations,

and snakes its way for more
than 50km

through some of the busiest
parts of the city.

The Skytrain is almost
as good as its name.

It's certainly quite high,
and like all elevated railways,

it gives you a wonderful
view of the city.

You're kind of spying on the
neighbourhoods as you go by.

Looking down on the life
of the streets.

I'm heading to the city's
main attraction.

"One of the chief sites of
Bangkok..." says my Bradshaw's,

"..is the Grand Palace, to which
a pass may be obtained

"through the consul."

"The monuments and temples within
are of the finest."

And I must say that is very evident.

When King Rama I, the founder
of the Chakri dynasty,

seized the throne from King Taksin
in 1782,

you might say that he hit
the ground running.

He immediately transferred the
capital from Thonburi in the west,

to Bangkok in the east, and on
the 6th of May that year,

began construction of the palace,
which has grown

over the centuries into
this magnificence.

The Grand Palace is a complex
of royal, political

and religious buildings,
over 100 in all.

At the time of my guidebook, it was
both King Rama V's residence

and the administrative and religious
centre of the country.

It was crowded with thousands,
ministers, courtiers, soldiers,

servants, a city within a city,
with its own laws and customs.

If I set out from these gates
and were to try to circle

the boundary wall, I'd have to walk
nearly 2km.

Fortunately, there's a quicker way.

Sawadee ka.

And with not so much as a roar
as a splutter, we're off!

I defy anyone to walk
around the Grand Palace.

It's so big, you have
to take a tuk-tuk.

I find it a thrilling way to travel,

as long as you don't mind traffic
fumes and noise.

The tuk-tuk, so named because
of its two-stroke engine,

which makes that tuk-tuk sound,

is not actually indigenous
to Thailand.

It was introduced by the Japanese
after the Second World War,

but it certainly seems to have
flourished in its new environment.

Hi.

In this three-wheeler, you certainly
feel every bump in the road,

but in Bangkok's notorious traffic,
it sneakily finds its way through.

Tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk,
tuk, tuk.

Next time, I wrestle with one
of Thailand's deadliest animals.

OK, I've got this snake.

Oh, my goodness.

Whoa!

Visit a restoration project
after my own heart.

So we're trying to revive
the original colours of it,

the palace, which is quite a task,
because there's many of them.

And learn how to box
by imitating a snake.

When you say, "cobra",
Michael, "cobra".

ALL: Yay.

Come on, Michael, come on.

CHEERING