It wasn’t my first time in Bangkok. That was aged 20, jet-lagged and knocked sideways by the humidity. With friends en-route to the islands. It wasn’t the kind of trip for appreciating culture or cuisine. I remember eating plenty of Mexican food, some awful pasta and fry-ups. The focus was firmly on the buckets.
So when I finally made it back to Thailand over 15 years later I had no idea what to expect. I had a week or so either side of my trip to Hoi An, because it was cheaper to fly in to BKK.
I didn’t expect to completely fall in love with it, but there you go. It was the same feeling as my first proper trip to Athens (and I ended up staying there nearly a year).
On my first trip I barely left the hotel – it had great aircon and still one of the most memorable breakfast buffets I’ve ever had. Probably because it was my first proper breakfast buffet. Egg station! Jams made with tropical fruit I’d never tasted! Noodles!
So I didn’t have any particular expectations beyond lots of high-rises. Maybe for some good food. That was my main reason for scheduling some extra time there. That and the fact I don’t deal with jet lag too well. Let’s be honest, fast schedules are never my thing, even at my perkiest.
The first part of my trip was spent at The Yard, a flashpacker hostel in a trendy neighbourhood called Ari.
I loved it! Perfect for recovering from jetlag. It has a pretty chilled vibe, unlike the more hectic central areas. The streets were green and warm and smelled of jasmine. It was February and the weather was perfect. It has a Gherkin-a-like skyscraper, lots of excellent (and cheap) street food stalls, a Death Cafe where you can try lying in a coffin, and a smattering of hipster cafes. Perfect!
The Yard has an actual yard filled with plants and hammocks and the volunteer staff organised street food walks and a trip to Chatuchak. I wasn’t too fussed about this before going but omg the shopping. Next time I’m flying out of Bangkok I will schedule my flight for a Monday so I can spend the weekend shopping.
This really was a treat of a trip influenced by some of my favourite bloggers. I mainly chose Ari because Lauren at Never Ending Footsteps has a great guide to Ari eateries. My favourite was Ong Tong Khao Soi because somehow I’ve never had khao soi and now it’s one of my favourite things I’ve ever eaten and as soon as the pandemic has passed I’ll be making haste for Chiang Mai. I think I went back 3 days in a row. In fact I didn’t really leave Ari for the first part of my trip, I just ambled around having massages and eating things and generally checking the place out.
I’ll definitely head back to the neighbourhood one day. You can organise some really interesting-looking tours and activities through the Yard, great for getting off the beaten track.
For the second part of my trip I booked in to Bed & Bike Hostel – I wanted to be somewhere more central so my lazy ass actually stood a chance of seeing some of the sights.
The hostel itself is cute and stylish but there wasn’t much vibe going on. The location was perfect though.
One thing I didn’t expect from Bangkok was a beautiful old town smack in the middle of the city. Why do you never see it on photos? Only skyscrapers? In fact the whole canal system which is so integral to the system is somehow glossed over. The only reason I knew of it was from a post by another favourite blogger, Midnight Blue Elephant.
So I spent several days slack-jawed wandering around this amazing part of the city.
I still managed to miss out on the big sights (the Reclining Buddha will just have to wait), but it was on these walks I really fell in love with Bangkok. Such unexpected delights and street life around every corner.
The food is not bad either.
Pictured below is pad thai inside an omelette, as recommended in the MBE post above. I ate here rather than at Jai Fai which is pretty much next door, because the queue was pretty epic. Now that I don’t know how long it will be until I return I’m regretting not eating there (as I torment myself by watching food shows about BKK street food on Netflix).
It was also my first visit to a Buddhist temple as I definitely was not interested in such things aged 20.
Rather than visit one of the big ones I wandered into the nearest one – Wat Ratchabophit. It was incredible. Ornate tiling + the most peaceful vibes.
This little taste of Bangkok has definitely left me wanting more. It didn’t get around to doing most of the things on my list because it was just so pleasant to walk around.
Possibly it helped that this was the early days of coronavirus and travel from China had already been suspended, so it was quieter than usual.
The very relaxed Thai attitude is also a big part of it.
I’d love to go back for a month or two, or three, for an extended period of wandering and getting to know the city and it’s food. In the meantime, I’m contenting myself with watching The Serpent and repeats of Somebody Feed Phil, and reading Bangkok Days by Lawrence Osborne.