I did not quite know how to start writing about Bangkok, which is why this entry is backdated for over a month. I left Chiang Mai somewhat unwillingly, as I would have spent much more time there had it not been for meeting up with friends in Bangkok. As we entered the sprawls of concrete sizzling under the glaring sun, I thought of the beautiful ride up the windy road to the mountain top temple of Doi Suthep, and felt a bit of nostalgia for a city I barely knew.
But there’s no time for sadness as our stay is short in this busy city. After wasting almost the entire afternoon going around town due to some Airbnb unhappiness, we ended up at the Prince Palace Hotel in a ridiculous suite with 3 rooms and 5 beds. The hotel is big and confusing with its towers, and we were thankful of this giant jade cabbage that marked the proper path back to our rooms.
On our way to find a suit tailor, we had our first interesting experience of fitting 5 people into a tuk-tuk. I had some brief encounters with these wonderful vehicles in Chiang Mai, except there they were mostly trucks with the back converted into passenger seats. Here in Bangkok, tuk-tuks were small motorcycles with an attached passenger compartment. It will comfortably sit two, but three is tight, four is a stretch, and five is most definitely illegal, but we somehow made it work!
We stumbled into a roadside cafe as we waited for the suit tailor, and it immediately reminded us of San Francisco with its bike theme and simple decor. The cafe was about to close even though it was not even 5, and as we desperately plead for some ice tea, the owner was nice enough to not only accommodate our request, but sit down with us for a chat. There’s nothing better than recommendation from the locals, and we ended up with a great place for dinner in Siam Square.
The place was called Sum Tom Noir, located in a small alley next to Siam Square. It was clearly a popular locale, judging by the number of people waiting by the door. We looked at the small menu and went with the cafe owner’s suggestion of ordering everything starred on the menu. The wait was about half hour long, but as we were able to put in our order as we waited, the food came out as soon as we sat down!
After a delicious dinner, we decided a bit of entertainment was in order, and ended up at the Lumpini stadium to watch a muay thai fight. The price was steep for foreigners at 1500-2000 baht (when it’s only 200 baht for locals), and I wasn’t too crazy about it at first. The fighters are all young and scrawny, weighing 20-30 lbs less than ME! It’s easy to get into watching the action though, with the live band playing traditional Thai music that increases in speed as the fight went on. If you are a die hard fan, you can watch for a few hours, but we were done after 4 fights. We saw a guy’s head bleeding uncontrollably and another being carried down due to a dislocated shoulder, but nothing too crazy happened.
We then headed for Skybar, the tallest building in Bangkok where apparently a lot of crazy things happened in Hangover 2. A dress code was strictly enforced, and I somehow slipped by with a pair of plastic sandals I got for 100 baht from a street vendor. The drinks were steep, but the view was gorgeous, especially of the highway lit like golden dragons crossing paths under the night sky.
Our final stop of the night was Soy Cowboy. For those who don’t know (like me), that’s the red-light district of Bangkok. The bar that was recommended to us was Sharks, which was a bit less classy than the Skybar where we just came from. The outside seems fine enough, but when you lift the black curtains that separated it from the outside world, your eyes will immediately be attacked to the 20 or so scantily clad girls on stage. Think transparent white lingerie set (yes, you can see everything) and extreme high heels. I’ll spare you the gory (or amazing depending on who you are) details, but you are encouraged to buy drinks for these ladies (I think they are mostly ladies) and even take them home if you want. No ping pong shows though, for those who are morbidly curious.
The night was eventful enough that our next day was dedicated entirely to shopping at the weekend market of Chattuchuk. I bought jean shorts for 50 baht (that’s about $1.7USD) among other things. Let’s just say that we had serious trouble with packing the next morning.
Do try the coconut ice cream in a coconut shell, it’s pretty out of this world!
That concluded our busy weekend in Bangkok, but I would be back soon to enjoy the more cultural side of this lovely city 🙂
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