Venue
Bangkok
Thailand’s capital is south-east Asia’s most enigmatic city, a head-on clash between tradition and modernity. First-time visitors may be a little taken aback by the concrete canyons and futuristic, billboard-covered skyscrapers, but take a few steps away from the main roads into one of the city’s countless alleys and traditional Thai culture is everywhere – an urban cornucopia of smells, tastes, sounds and sights that one is unlikely to forget.
If you'd like to book a tour while you're here, go beyond asia has a 15% discount for PyCon attendees.
Knowledge Exchange Center – KX
Knowledge Exchange KX is a facility dedicated to stimulating knowledge exchange, entrepreneurship, partnerships and innovation alliances. A space for creating a vibrant community of forward-looking industry, businesses, technology and knowledge providers, public sector facilitators, and venture capital providers.
Location
KX is a 20 floor building on Krung Thonburi road near the BTS Skytrain “Wong Wian Yai” station, just across the Chao Phraya river from the Sathorn road via the Taksin bridge.
Address
10/1 Krung Thonburi Road Khwaeng Bang Lamphu Lang, Thon Buri, Bangkok 10600 https://www.facebook.com/pg/kxkmutt
Accommodation
Bangkok is a major metropolis, with a vibrant mix of old and new. It is quite safe for tourists. For some details about getting around in the city, see the section on Transportation.
Hostels
There are many hostels and cheap hotels near the venue.
- The closest one is In My Bed Hostel, from door to door about 20 meters.
- Yor Yak Hostel is about 200 meters away, M Gray Hostel is about 350 meters.
These are all between around 15 USD for a dorm room, up to around 35 USD for a double-occupancy private room.
Hotels
50 USD
- Ibis Bangkok Riverside, 7 minutes by taxi (long u-turn), or 20 minutes on foot (take the back alley part of the way, it's more interesting than the big road).
100 USD
- AVANI Riverside Bangkok Hotel, 7 minutes by taxi, or take the hotel shuttle to the BTS and walk 5 minutes.
- Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn, 15 minutes by BTS.
200 USD
- The Peninsula Bangkok, 10 minutes by taxi.
Further afield
The venue is in a quiet area without much vibrant nightlife in the immediate vicinity. If you would like to venture a bit further for shopping or nightlife, there are many options along the BTS.
Sathorn/Silom
Sathorn is the financial district of Bangkok, and in the last few years many stylish bars and restaurants have been opening in this area.
- I Residence Hotel, Silom, 20 minutes by BTS.
Siam
Siam Square is a shopping mecca, with luxury brands at Siam Paragon and clothes and gadgets at MBK. The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre always has interesting exhibitions and performances.
- Lub d Bangkok Siam Hostel, 30 minutes by BTS.
Note
All the mentioned places are in this Google Maps placelist.
Transportation
Suvarnabhumi airport
To get to the venue from Suvarnabhumi Airport, go down to the basement level and get the airport link train to Phaya Thai (45 baht, terminal station). The airport link station connects to the Phaya Thai BTS (skytrain) station. Buy a ticket to Wongwian Yai, about 50 baht). Take the train going to Samrong, and change to the Bang Wa train at Siam station.
The whole journey takes about 90 minutes. Trains stop running at midnight.
You can use cash or buy a travel card, see Getting around Bangkok for details.
An airport taxi from airport shouldn't cost more than around 400 baht including airport surcharge and tolls, and take around an hour, depending on traffic.
Don Mueang airport
If you're taking a domestic or regional flight, you may be coming from Don Mueang airport. There isn't a train from there (yet), though you can take bus A1 to connect to the BTS at Mo Chit. A taxi to the venue should take around 40 minutes.
Taxis in Bangkok
Taxis are metered, starting at 35 baht. 100-150 baht should get you anywhere in the city center. Language and pronunciation can be an issue, so to avoid any hassles, get the address of your destination in writing (e.g. a business card or Google Maps). Drivers are normally good at turning on their meters, unless you're in a major tourist nightlife area like lower Sukhumvit or Silom at night. Avoid parked taxis.
Grab also operates in Bangkok, and tends to be around the same price as taxis.
Connectivity
Most restaurants, cafés and bars in Bangkok have free WiFi. As long as your phone is not provider-locked, it is also possible to get a tourist SIM. (You have to register with passport.) The easiest is to get it at the airport, all the major providers have kiosks at Arrivals. See the Prepaid Data SIM Card Wiki for all the details.
Note that the venue has TrueWifi hotspots, so if you're getting a SIM card, then True is a good option.
Safety and security
The most dangerous thing in Bangkok is probably the traffic. Stay calm and polite, and you really shouldn't have any problems. Outside of tourist areas, you might have trouble making yourself understood, so it's a good idea to carry a business card or map of your accommodation to show a taxi driver if you need it. Some super-crowded places like Jatujak Weekend Market may have pickpockets operating. It's always a good idea to have a copy of your important documents, like passport and tickets.
The tourist police can speak at least Thai, English and Chinese. They are reachable by phone at 1155, on Facebook, or via their website.