We arrived in Bangkok during the wee hours of the morning. On my way from airport to the hotel, the first thing I noticed was that there were people partying at every corner of the city. May be this was the peak tourist season or the city is always in a party mood.
Night life in Bangkok is just unbelievable. The city has innumerable number of swanky pubs and lounge bars. Its colorful and music plays on every mind. You could find just the right type of hang out place for every emotion you go through. Loud parties, quite drink by the water, river side cruise. There is something for everyone.
Its a paradise for tourist. Thai treats you like guests in their country. Nowhere in the world you would find a country where hospitality is a national trait. I had an amazing time, here is how you could do it too with the Bangkok budget travel guide.
Something that really took me by surprise were the “Street Bars”. These make shift mobile bars look like any other bar counters, with cocktail glasses and whiskey bottles. All drinks (and that includes premium whisky and soda) cost 80 baht upwards. And that includes your favorite brand of vodka or gin. Just sit there for a while.. unwind and watch the city move.
I did pass by this vehicle couple of times during the day and admired the color and the paint. Didn’t realize until sunset why it was always parked at the same place. You get everything from Blue Label to Breezer. It felt so safe walking on the road at midnight filled with tourists.Customers are mostly foreigners and its very well kept that you wouldn’t miss your lounge bar.
The Mortal Sin
The place where we stayed in Sukkumvit, nice area with pubs and Cafe’s, next to Terminal 21 Mall (One of the high end shopping places). Nights become so lively with music and lovely crowd. It was my last day in Bangkok and we felt 3 days were too short for a trip to Bangkok. Wanted to see the beautiful city for one last time so decided to go for a walk . Friday night it was, and shops were closing down, and we were busy haggling with street vendors, somehow lost track of time and by the time we realized it was past 10pm. All the restaurant shutters are down, Italian Bakery was the only place that was open, but crowded like hell. We decided to find a Phad Thai stall (stir-fried rice noodles with crispy veggies)…Took a stroll from one end of the Sukkumvit to the other and suddenly landed at a place which was fully of party goes and “street bars”. On my right there was a barricade and the street was fully lit , there was a bouncer letting people enter only one by one. I was not sure what was happening. He didn’t let me in, so stood outside watching and there I see a Phad Thai lady…I was very happy…asked her whats on menu, but she was too busy cooking and didn’t seem to know English. Her lil boy (maybe 12 yr old) tried his best to translate what I was asking for. “What do they call chicken in Thai ” ? , No.. no pork. My token number was 4. As I was waiting for food. Few bikini-clad girls also joined the Que. They had ID cards/badges like the one we have at work, laminated with photographs. It’s very much legal in Thailand. I was becoming a rude tourist, staring at them. Such pretty girls, so humble…but life is a bit#* ????
Never in my wildest of dreams thought , I would standing in Q with a bunch of girls from the night club ! Yes, the Go-Go bars that earned Bangkok its worldwide notoriety are very much alive . Since my wait for the food was long, ventured out into the “den of sins”. By now the bouncer had disappeared, walked in confidently crossing the barricade ( only I know how shaky I was ).It was a different world, fully lit street with neon bulbs and loud music. Bar stools and tables on both sides, place overflowing with foreigners. As a matter of fact, saw quite a few ‘desi’ couples ( am sure they came to see the place like us) . Bar girls were distributing the food menu and invited us to have dinner at their respective clubs. I so wanted to walk into one of those and see a live performance or a lady boy show. But alas didn’t have the courage. So took a quick round and came back for our dinner. There was no nonsense, no fights, nothing unpleasant at all. Yes, we view the world sometimes through a colored lense.
And that was my experience with Bangkok’s forbidden street.
This post was originally published on The Unconventional Girl.