Top Ten Nightlife Activities in Bangkok
December 6, 2007
1. Kao San Road
This is a road where people from all over the world come and meet. It is known as an area for foreign tourists looking for cheap accommodation and a true Thai experience. For the last decade or so Kao San gained enormous popularity and received worldwide recognition, establishing itself as one of the liveliest streets in Bangkok . Along this road one can find many restaurants, bars and pubs where people from every area of the globe can share their travel stories.
2. Patpong
This area is an entertainment area - but in the form of a red light district. Most of the people around the area are tourists wanting to see a so-called ‘show’ from the ladies in a bar (it is not a sex show, really, but something that must be witnessed since it can never be explained!) This is one of the most internationally known streets of Bngkok, if not the whole of Thailand. In the evening there is an open night market along the street offering anything that can be faked, such as Swiss watches or pirated DVDs. In short, this is a place where one can find many things of an extraordinary nature.
3. Silom Soi 2
This area can easily be dubbed as the gay centre of Bangkok, as all the restaurants, bars and clubs are exclusively for gay men. Any man walking in the area could and would be identified as a homosexual. The area is home not only to gay locals but gays from all across the globe who are looking for love in Bangkok’s gay community.
4. Silom Soi 4
Just a short walk from Soi 2, Soi 4 is also known as a gay area but not as much as Soi 2. A strip of about 100metres long, it is jam-packed with bars and clubs - one would not know where to start because all seem as lively as one another and equally loud. There are possibly one or two gay bars in the area but many straight young men and couples go there for a good time as it is more accepted than Soi 2.
5. Soi Cowboy
This strip is known as a second Patpong, a red light district with more locals heading there. One would find more Thais here than they would at Pat Pong because many believe this to be a better and ‘cleaner’ area, more friendly and less expensive. Not only this but many think that Soi Cowboy has better safety precautions than Pat Pong, as policemen in uniform can frequently be spotted walking around checking the area. Since 2000, many of the bars around were refurbished, elevating Soi Cowboy’s status to another level.
6. Royal City Avenue (RCA)
RCA is hugely popular amongst Thai teenagers, not only because of the bars and clubs but there are other activities to engage yourself in around the area. Although in truth the bars and clubs are the main reason why it is immensely trendy but places like the old cinema, the cheap restaurants with good food and the go-kart track also attract attention from locals who wish to steer away from drinking and clubbing.
7. Nana
Nana is a stretch on the Sukhumvit road from Soi 3 to Soi 19. The most notable site in Nana is the Nana Plaza where foreign tourists head for a drink, meet up with their friends, though it is more of the older crowd. Around the area there are many British style pubs where a pint is served with usual pub food like fish and chips or steak and kidney pie. Most of the bars there are just a simple bar, nothing glamourous, but just enough to sit and relax. Most have big-screen TVs showing live football matches and several pool tables as an attempt to capture the English pub atmosphere.
8. Suan Lum Night Bazaar
Just across the road from Lupini Park, or just a short walk from Silom, is Suan Lum Night Bazaar where everything is cheaper and the quality is not bad for the price. One can find almost anything in the Night Bazaar: furniture, home decorations, pets, clothes, restaurants and even a concert hall hosting international artists like the Black Eyed Peas when they came for their world tour. There are also hand-made objects with an Oriental touch to them which most tourists love to buy as gifts for friends, family and loved ones, as you can never find anything like it in the west.
9. Ratchada
Ratchada is home to most of the biggest massage parlours in Bangkok, where you can come and wind down after a hard day in the city. Many locals use the service of the parlours around here but the price is costlier than other places as it is seen as the elite for places of such reputation. Massage parlours around this area promote the fact that their girls are not infected with ay disease and a monthly checkup is compulsory. One can come here, have a drink, pick a girl and do their business. Wouldn’t it be pleasant for someone else to take a bath for you once in a while?
10. Tonglor and Ekkamai
Tonglor and Ekkamai are areas along the Sukhumvit road; Tonglor is Sukhumvit Soi 55 and Ekkamai is Sukhumvit Soi 63. An area familiar to socialites and people with more money as it is more expensive than most places in Bangkok, consisting of international cuisine, bars, pubs and clubs that guarantee a night of fun and lots of spending. This is the place where beautiful people of Bangkok come out to show themselves and party with their friends, a great place to new people.
