The Walk
I live near BTS Bearing and around 15 minutes walk from there is Imperial Samrong, a mini shopping mall with a huge Big C. Being new to the area I thought it was about time to check it out and see what’s in the area. All I can say is what a difference one stop on the BTS makes!
My area isn’t Hi-So or anything but it looks quite nice and feels safe whereas one stop down the line in Samrong you feel like you have well and truly left Bangkok, and not necessarily in the nicest of ways. I didn’t feel in danger or anything but I certainly felt all eyes were on me. In my area there are a few foreigners but it seems like I was the only one in Samrong and as such got the full treatment. Stares, glances and hushed conversations behind hands directed at me. Whilst this isn’t new to me it was shocking to see in Bangkok to this level. Despite being just 1.8km from BTS Bearing, Samrong feels like a difference world.
Samrong was only connected to the BTS last year and walking along the line you can see the infrastructure is severely lacking when compared to every other station up until Bearing. The pavements, buildings and facilities are much worse than those other areas which have benefited from having a sky train station and the investment that brings for many years. In general Samrong is a bit like those places you see when driving in or out of Bangkok, non-descript and basic.
Walking in Bangkok is difficult in most areas but this walk along Sukhumvit was especially difficult. I guess not many people walk this route and I had to dodge cars parked on the sidewalk, open drains, markets and piles of garbage. Its a shame as I enjoy walking and the 20 minutes to Imperial would be perfect for me to do once a week for a bit of exercise but it really was a chore. Sure plenty of buses and the sky train do go there but my hope is that the area as a whole gets an improvement over the next few years.
Imperial World
There is a better known Imperial World in Ladprao and if you have been there then you can guess what Imperial Samrong looks like. A pretty bland, basic mall with the usual outlets and a huge Big C. To be honest when inside it was alright but I can’t wait for the new Tops Supermarket to open on my road in a few months.
As I went on a Sunday (not a smart decision) it was packed. There is a cinema and McDonalds there but then I would rather go to another mall where the surroundings are nicer. There was actually a mini concert outisde with a few rock bands which was cool. It gave the impression that Imperial is the centre point of this community.
If you live in Samrong then I guess its your go to place, if not I probably wouldn’t bother going here.
