The Saturday City: Bangkok

Chaos. Crowds. Cheap food. Cheap clothes. Wild nightlife. Bangkok has it all. The city that at first repulsed but then enthralled me, Bangkok offers a little bit of everything to everyone. Arriving in Bangkok, people’s immediate reaction is to love it or hate it. Few, if any, have mixed opinions about it. The city is crowded, the pollution is bad, the traffic is endless, and the place seems to operate in a form of controlled chaos. Bangkok is a shock to the senses.

The city was founded after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. The new king, Taskin, established a capital in the area of then Thonburi. When Taksin’s reign ended in 1782, King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke reconstructed the capital on the east bank of the river and gave the city a very long ceremonial name which became shortened to its current official name, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, the city of Angels. Over the centuries, the city has grown into the metropolis it is today.

When I first came here, I couldn’t wait to leave. Nothing appealed to me. As a city, there just wasn’t a lot to see. There were a plethora of temples, the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and some malls. After two days, I was ready to leave and never return. When I returned in 2007, I spent one night on Khao San Rd then left for the beaches.

Yet Bangkok does have a lot to offer. I just didn’t know it. I was looking in all the wrong places. I was looking for the tourist stuff in a city that lacked tourist stuff and so Bangkok never appealed to me beyond the party scene of Khao San and Patpong. When I decided to learn Thai and settle in Bangkok, it was with a heavy heart. There wasn’t anything to do here. How would I live?! I quickly found out how wrong I was.

The longer I stayed in Bangkok, the more the city opened up and the more I found that there was always something to do. Most notably, there’s the social scene. Bangkok has a vibrant night life and ex-pat community. For those looking to join the backpacker crowd, there are the bars of Khao San Road. For a different tourist crowd and some racy go-go bars, there’s Patpong, an area where all your dreams (or nightmares) can come true.

Then there is a the ex-pat scene. Bangkok has a lot of ex-pats who cut loose every night. The city has a never ending supply of ex-pat bars and after hour bars that are packed no matter what day it is. Many of my friends give new meaning to going to work with hangovers. Cheap Charlie’s, a bar on Soi 11, is filled every day it is open. If it’s Wednesday, you can find all the ex-pat girls at Coyotes enjoying their free margaritas before people move to the trendy Bed Supper Club. This club is one of Bangkok’s “high society” clubs and features a lot of Bangkok’s young, foreign, rich, and beautiful. The club gets extremely packed on the weekend.

Bangkok also offers a lot in the way of culinary delights. The Thais love to eat. Everywhere you go in the city of angels, there is a street cart. There are street carts on little tiny streets where no one would seemingly go. And if your hungry at 5am? There’s some place around. In fact, even if you trekked into the jungle, you’d probably find a food vendor waiting there to feed you. They’re prolific…and simply the best food in Thailand. For as little as 50 cents, you’ll find the best pad thai, noodle soup, or curry. You can get little snacks like mango, spring rolls, or my personal favorite, rodee qluai (banana pancakes).

Worried about cleanliness? Well, the Thais are doing it, the food doesn’t sit around, and there’s no place for vermin to hide- it’s clean, if not cleaner, than eating at a restaurant. Street food is important in Thai culture. During lunch and dinner time, Thais flood the outdoor street vendors for a quick, cheap, and delicious meal. So sit down on that plastic stool and do as the locals. You’ll find excellent food at any stall, anywhere.

For those looking for more of an indoor feel, your options are also limitless. There’s Soi Nana for Arabian food, Thong Lo for Japanese, Khao San for Western, backpacker fare. Head to Mai Kaidee’s near Khao San for excellent vegetarian Thai, Shoshana’s for Israeli, Senor Pico’s downtown for excellent (albeit a bit expensive) Mexican, or Sunrise Taco’s for some cheap tacos at 5am. Then there’s Charley Browns, Pomodoro, Tony Roma, Witches, and a whole lot more.

Interested in shopping? I can hardly think of a better place to buy! There’s hundred of malls and in Bangkok, a mall is not just a mall. It’s a movie theater, restaurant plaza, bowling alleys, bars, and food stores. Everything is under one roof. Interested in electronics? There’s Pantip Plaza for cheap goods. There’s also MBK for cheap cellphones, video games, and bootleg dvds. For upscale shops, there’s Siam Paragon or Emporium. For cheap clothes, head to Pratunam Plaza. There is a mall for whatever you need.

Then there’s all the little street shops that sell whatever your heart desires and your mouth can haggle for. Downtown turns into a little night market every night as sellers come out selling all sorts of trinkets and souvenirs. On the weekend, there is the immense JJ market that covers a few football fields and lets you buy everything from socks to cellphones to clothes to electronics at bargain prices. If you are interested in shopping at night, head to the Suan Luang Night market near Silom. (Though, they will soon be shutting it down to make way for residential developments.)

So, yes, Bangkok doesn’t have a lot of tourist sites. It’s crowded. There’s pollution. But there is so much more. There’s food. There’s excitement. There’s chaos. Look beyond your first impressions and you’ll find one of the most exciting and vibrant cities in the world.

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Bangkok # Samui # Phuket # Pattaya # Krabi # Koh Phangan

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