Top 5 Parks in Bangkok

Posted on May 3, 2014 by koomatzu

Bangkok is great for exploring botanical gardens and natural parks. Many of the parks in Bangkok are very well maintained and clean – a great way to cool off and break up a day of sightseeing. Just don’t get freaked out by the monitor lizards while you’re relaxing on the grass!

Here are a couple of the top parks in Bangkok that I’ve found so far:

Best Parks In Bangkok

1: Lumpini Park – Bangkok’s most popular park

This may be too predictable to some, and for that I apologise – but Lumpini Park is THE park that comes to mind when people think of Bangkok. It’s where locals, tourists and expats alike come to chill out and cool off under the shady tropical canopy, right in the centre of Bangkok. Lumpini Park is located right next to Silom, making it a great break from exploring all of the busy shops and sights of the area such as Japanese street.

Although not the largest, Lumpini Park is one of Bangkok’s biggest parks and has pretty much everything in one place: a lake with pedalos, bikes for hire, outdoor gym, indoor fitness centre and a host of different maintained gardens. Lumpini is always bustling with joggers, cyclists, inquisitive tourists and locals lazing on picnic mats, it’s fantastic for people watching.

2 Benjakiti Park – Man-made and perfectly maintained

Benjakiti Park is my personal best park, completely underrated as one of Bangkok’s most beautiful parks. It lacks the more rugged and natural beauty of parks such as Lumpini, however it’s ruthlessly maintained grounds offer a delightful, contrastingly ‘neat’ beauty, with open panoramic views of the Bangkok cityscape across it’s lake.

The Bangkok Park is often lined with purple flower beds as far as the eye can see, with perfect colour themes and maintained flower displays always immaculately kept. During the daytime, Benjakiti Park offers an unbelievably tranquil and peaceful atmosphere for a capital city, completely free of people during the work hours. However it also offers a wonderful contrast of a vibrant atmosphere during the evenings when it is buzzing with runners, students, and newlyweds and graduates having photo sessions. It’s totally enjoyable at either time of day, evenings being a great time for people watching by the lakeside.

Although it’s not as huge as its gigantic sister parks of Bangkok, Benjakiti Park makes an easy detour from shopping at Terminal 21, or visiting an expo at the convention centre next door.

3 King Rama IX – Flowers Galore

The King Rama IX Park boasts the title of Bangkok’s largest pack at a massive 200 acres in size. It costs 20 baht in entrance fees (50p or 80 cents), however this is a bargain considering how long you could potentially spend exploring the park. There are absolutely loads of different nurseries and themed gardens to explore, plus a museum dedicated to King Rama IX.

If you love flower displays, be sure to visit King Rama IX park during December, when the whole park is covered in elaborate flower displays to commemorate the King’s birthday. You’ll find everything from simple colour patterns in the flower beds,to charming displays of flowerpot men and elaborate flower houses.

4 Tae Chio Cemetery & Park – Off the beaten track ruggedness

If you’d rather explore off the beaten track and away from the tourist scene of Bangkok, the Tae Chio Cemetery offers a contrastingly hidden and rugged change of scenery. You won’t find impressive flower displays and neatly maintained lawns here, however you will get a glimpse into the everyday lives of Thai locals.

Strolling through the shaded park path, you might come across elderly men playing board games; people working out in the outdoor gym; youths enjoying a game of the acrobatic version of football known as Takraw; and hidden shrines and Chinese temples. It feels refreshing to be able to discover – without mention in the guidebooks – some of the hidden gems around Tae Chio Cemetery.

5 Wachira Benthat Butterfly Park – Cycling in Bangkok

Wachira Benthat is Bangkok’s 2nd biggest park at 150 acres big. It also boasts close proximity to the neighbouring Queen Sirikit Park, Chatuchak Park and the hugely popular Chatuchak Market. Wachira Benthat offers a more natural landscape in comparison to Bangkok’s other parks, there aren’t really any flower displays and landmarks as such, however the grounds are flat and extensive – ideal for a bike ride. 99% of the visitors to this Park will be on bike and it’s worth hiring one for a nice shady bike ride in Bangkok.

Suan Luang Rama IX Park Bangkok

Posted on February 15, 2014 by koomatzu

Despite being lesser known than Bangkok’s other parks, Suan Luang Rama XI Park is the biggest in the capital at over 200 acres big. With a plethora of themed gardens and a huge flower display in commemoration of the King of Thailand, a visit to the park makes a refreshing rest from the craziness of Bangkok city.

King Rama IX Park

Close to the entrance of King Rama IX Park, you’ll find a hedge maze, a huge lake and an S&P restaurant. The S&P restaurant has a small terrace overlooking the lake if you fancy fuelling up or cooling off in the air con before taking a walk around the park. If you feel like it, you can even take a quick ride on the rather aged pedalos just outside the restaurant.

Just beyond the lake, you can see a prominent futuristic-looking building which houses a museum dedicated to the King. I’ve not visited myself, but for anybody interested in Thailand culture and the King it might be worth a look.

Past this point of the park it’s ridiculously easy to get lost in the hugeness of the grounds. Deep within the grounds though, there is plenty to explore: a plant nursery, botanical gardens, an outdoor gym, tai chi classes and, best of all, a beautiful Thai pavilion that sits right in the middle of a peaceful lotus pond.

King Rama IX Park is also home to a number of themed gardens from around the world including an Italian garden, French garden, a Japanese bonsai garden, American cactus garden and even a garden of giant topiary animals.

December Flower Festival Bangkok

The best time to visit King Rama IX Park is during December, the King’s birth month, when the park comes alive with amazing, colourful flower displays. The flower displays are absolutely huge and offer a mix of both tasteful flower beds as well as other quirky plant-related scenes. From sun flower gardens and rainbow patterned flower beds as far as the eye can see, to life-sized flower people, flowerpot Wellington boots, giant heart-wreaths of roses, and quaint little ‘play house’ style settings.

However, during the flower festival in December, King Rama IX Park is considerably busier than the rest of the year. The park grounds are teaming with local kids on school trips, camera-trigger happy Japanese tourists and teams of wedding photographers snapping photos of young couples.

In fact, I’ve never seen so many brides in one place as I have at Rama IX Park during the Bangkok flower festival – I must have seen five different wedding couples in the space of one hour. Despite the hugeness of this flower festival though, there are still a few Western tourists that seem to visit the park.

How to get to King Rama IX Park

The King Rama IX Park is only really reachable by taxi as it’s about a 15 minute drive away from the nearest BTS skytrain station. The nearest BTS skytrain station is Udomsuk station – from here, it’s best to catch a taxi. Ask the taxi driver to take you to ‘Suan Luang Rama gao’ and he should know where it is.

Suan Luang Rama IX Park is located close to Paradise Park Mall and should cost around 70 Baht for the journey. Once you get to the park, you will have to pay a 10 baht entrance fee – can’t really complain about such a cheap entrance fee…

Golden Mount Wat Saket Temple Fair Loy Krathong

Posted on January 28, 2014 by koomatzu

What is Loy Krathong?

Loy Krathong is a festival in Thailand celebrated every year during the full moon in November. It’s one of the most popular and famous celebrations in Thailand along with Songkhran; People from all over the country journey to their nearest river, lake or pond, to float their own individual ‘krathongs’ to pay respect to the water spirits. The Loy Krathong celebrations symbolize letting go of one’s hatred, anger and sins. You’ll find krathong floats for sale everywhere during the evening on Loy Krathong day from just 10 baht per float.

Golden Mount Temple Fair

During the day in Bangkok, a good place to witness some of the Loy Krathong celebrations before taking to the waterways, is the Golden Mount, also know as Wat Saket. At the Golden Mount grounds, the locals hold a lively temple fair with numerous bustling stalls, children’s fairground rides, and offerings to the Buddha in the temple.

The temple fair at Golden Mount is great for sampling all the Thai food and snacks; shopping at the clothes stalls and knick knack stalls; or winning prizes on the various shooting games and darts games – There’s even a ferris wheel too. Some of the stalls have some pretty weird food for sale at the temple fair if you’re feeling brave: fried insects and frogs on sticks – quite unusual snacks even for Thailand.

Offerings to the Buddha at Golden Mount

Golden Mount gets really busy during the Loy Krathong festivities, so it’s best to be prepared for some big crowds during your climb up the temple stairs. Before you enter, you need to make a 20 baht donation at the stall at the bottom of the stairs. In exchange for this, you’ll be given a flower and some incense to offer at the temple. The stairs up to the Golden Mount are long and winding – and freakin’ hot – but they offer some amazing views over the Old City of Bangkok.

Watching the local Thais serenely ringing the huge bells during the walk to the top of the temple makes for an interesting journey. Once you get to the first room, you need to make your offering of the flower and incense to the Buddha statues whilst kneeling and praying. There’s a small piece of paper which has been tied to the flower – you need to keep hold of this and take it to one of the next rooms. Here, you can open it up, peel away a tiny little gold sticker, and stick it on the golden covered buddha.

For such a holy day, Wat Saket Temple doesn’t come across as particularly spiritual. Inside the temple, Temple goers seem herded through the connecting rooms which, by the way, have way too many souvenir shops. I know right, wtf? Souvenir shops inside a temple?

I suppose it’s not uncommon for a Bangkok temple, but the atmosphere is a little too commercial and busy for my liking – if you’re expecting a spiritual and peaceful experience, you may be disappointed. It’s not all bad though, at the very top of the temple there is a beautiful golden Chedi draped with red cloth and windswept flags. Even with the hordes of people queueing to snap photos, it’s a beautiful sight and there are breathtaking views over the city which are worth seeing.

How to get to Wat Saket Golden Mount

If you happen to be staying near Khaosan road or the Banglamphu area of Bangkok then Wat Saket Golden Mount can be easily reached on foot. Alternatively, you can take a taxi or canal boat – perhaps the canal boat might provide a more scenic route. If taking the canal boat, look out for the stop called ‘Phan Faa’ and get off there. If taking a taxi, most drivers should know it if you mention ‘Wat Saket’.

Mansion 7 Haunted Mansion Bangkok

Posted on January 9, 2014 by koomatzu

A more extreme take on the traditional haunted house experience, Mansion 7 in Bangkok has created it’s own badass version ghost house especially for adults. This is not for the feint hearted…

What is Mansion 7?

There seems to be a wee bit of confusion as to what exactly Mansion 7 in Bangkok is. I’ve seen descriptions of it as a spooky themed mall and other descriptions of it as a nightlife centre full of bars and pubs. Well… it’s not either of those. Mansion 7’s main feature is it’s haunted mansion experience; Other than this, it has one gift shop, a small cocktail bar, a snack bar and a few pool tables, air hockey tables and table football.

Mansion 7 is pretty derelict and devoid of customers – I guess this just makes it all the creepier but I don’t know if it will be able to stay open much longer! It’s unpopularity in Bangkok isn’t that surprising though to be honest. The outside lobby area of the actual haunted mansion is rather disappointing.

The large Mansion 7 lobby, or ‘playground’ area, has an open snack bar with cool background tunes and plenty of table games. This includes some very cool, peculiar-shaped pool tables, however many of these sadly seem to be out of order. Then there’s the cocktail bar, perhaps the most expensive bar I’ve come across in Bangkok yet (other than the famous Sky Bar): A small bottle of Heineken beer costs 280 baht (about $9 or £6) and a bottle of soda water costs 80 baht – so be warned.

The Haunted Mansion Experience

The main centre piece of Mansion 7, the haunted mansion has three background stories for you to choose from. You can read about the different stories just outside the entrance to the haunted mansion and pick your scenario for the ‘ghost house’ experience. We picked one about a deranged, brain damaged prisoner – joy!

If you’re wearing flip flops, you’ll be asked to change into a pair of shoes at the entrance (so that you can run safely for your life) and leave your camera, phone, bag etc in a locker outside. The staff then give you a set of rules to read through (i.e. don’t freak out and punch the actors) and then a rope for you to both hold onto so you don’t get separated (scary!).

I’ve got to admit, I never really thought of myself as a screamer before, but I proved myself wrong at Mansion 7! The haunted mansion is pretty damn scary: pitch black dark rooms, doors slamming behind you and all sorts of horrible surprises. And I bloody HATE the dark too! Opening doors into the next room was one of the hardest and creepiest feelings. Oh, and being chased by crazy, psycho mentalist prisoners. Seriously, not for nervous people!!

The haunted house at Mansion 7 costs 320 baht each – quite expensive by Bangkok’s standards but good fun nonetheless. For this price, the haunted mansion was also over rather quickly, probably all of about 10 minutes long. But… I was pretty glad it was over to be honest, I think I would have had a heart attack if it had lasted any longer.

You can also buy ‘hilarious’ photos of your traumatic experience from the gift shop afterwards for 135 baht per picture. Probably the first and last photo I’ll ever post of myself on Can I Live In Thailand, here’s a photo of me and my boyfriend completely shitting ourselves:

Mansion 7 Bangkok – Worth a visit?

As the haunted mansion experience is so short, and because there’s not really much else to do at Mansion 7, I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to visit it on it’s own in Bangkok. There’s not much else to do in the surrounding area, but you could maybe tag it on to some other day trip along the same route. For example, make a detour there after shopping at Terminal 21 or Chatuchak weekend market, or hit some of the nearby (ish) nightlife on Sukhumvit or Nana Soi 11 afterwards.

How to get to Mansion 7 Bangkok

Bangkok’s Mansion 7 is open from 6pm until midnight (not in the daytime as it says on some other websites). To get there, catch the MRT to Huai Khwang station and then take exit 1 outside. Turn right outside of the station and follow the main road for a couple of minutes walk. Mansion 7 will be just on your right hand side.

Fantasia Lagoon Water Park Bangkok

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Happy

Fantasia Lagoon is one of Bangkok’s lesser known water parks, randomly situated on the top of a mall in the outskirts of the city. The few expats and tourists who do ever get to hear about Fantasia Lagoon and pay a visit, end up hailing it as one of Bangkok’s best water parks.

A Rooftop Water Park In Bangkok

Fantasia Lagoon Water Park is ideal if you’re looking for a fun attraction off the beaten track in Bangkok. Mainly popular with locals, it’s mall-top location offers numerous other entertainment amenities to keep you entertained for the whole day. It’s a perfect place to take children or as a fun family day out in Bangkok.

On the top floor of the mall, you can spend your time playing arcade machines at the amusement park, shopping the indie boutique shops of the ‘City Walk’ section, watching a movie in the cinema, or enjoying Thai snacks in the food court. There are numerous restaurant chains to choose from too, including Thai, sushi and ramen restaurants.

Best Water Park In Bangkok

Fantasia Lagoon Water Park costs just 100 baht entry per person. The admission ticket system is rather complicated though – you’ll need to rent a mandatory hair cap for 20 baht, plus an option locker for 50 baht locker and towel for 20 baht. On top of this, you’ll need to pay an extra 100 baht deposit for the locker key and an extra 50 baht deposit for each towel and cap that you rent. So it’s best to bring extra cash and take care of the bazillion different tickets they give you!

The park itself is not actually that big. Fantasia Lagoon Water Park is best for families with younger kids than for older kids or couples. It consists of a total of 3 water chutes for older children and adults, and 3 smaller play areas and pools for smaller children. The adult chutes are rather dull, however the kid’s smaller play areas are seriously AMAZEBALLS. I would have been all over that shit when I was a little kid. This is why Fantasia Lagoon is best for families with small children.

Fantasia Lagoon also has a 1.6 metre deep swimming pool (all the other areas of the water park are much shallower because many Thai people can’t swim) which many locals seem to visit and use for exercise. It also has a ‘lazy river’ which travels around the water park with a gentle current. The lazy river is quite pleasant to float around on one of the rubber rings for hire.

Living up to it’s reputation as the best water park in Bangkok, Fantasia Lagoon is well maintained and clean, with great views over Bangkok city. It also has a fun, creative design and theme throughout – pirate ships, treasure caverns, mushroom jungles and all sorts. However, the life guard staff are very serious and a bit jobsworth-y… especially for Thailand! They were quite strict in not letting me wear a T-shirt over my bikini (also surprising for Thailand) and making people wear hair caps. It also has seriously annoying music… the same crappy song repeated playing over and over again! Damn!

Best Amusement Park Arcade In Bangkok

What impressed me the most about my visit to Fantasia Lagoon, was the amusement park. The amusement park at Bang Khae Mall is amazing – the best arcade in Bangkok! Located on the top floor of the mall, the arcade area has a uniquely lit up ceiling to look like an evening sky and give the feel of an old amusement park outdoors during the night. It’s one of the biggest arcades I’ve seen in Bangkok and has numerous rides, a train, and a whole load of arcade machines.

How to get to Fantasia Lagoon

Fantasia Lagoon is located at the top of Bang Khae mall in Bangkok. Currently, the nearest BTS station to this is Talat Phlu or Wongwian Yai. You can take the BTS to either one of these station and then ask a taxi to take you to ‘The Mall Bang Khae’. Most drivers should know it instantly. Depending on traffic, this should cost about 100 baht. Just make your way up the escalators to the 4th floor once inside the mall.

Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market

Posted on December 17, 2013 by koomatzu

Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market, also referred to as Talat Nam Khlong Lat Mayom, is a quieter, local floating market in Bangkok, on the outskirts of the city off the beaten track. The market has a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere with plenty of unique, cute indoor trinket stalls and a plethora of Thai snacks and freshly cooked dishes.

Best Floating Market In Bangkok?

Surprisingly, not much of Khlong Lat Mayom market is actually on the canal. Apparently, this is more authentic and normal of a floating market in Thailand – the majority of the shops and food stalls are undercover, on land. However, there are still a few areas of the khlong where you’ll find Bangkok locals selling produce from the back of their rowing boats.

Unlike other more renowned floating markets in Thailand, Khlong Lat Mayom attracts significantly less foreigners and doesn’t have the tourist trap atmosphere that comes with some of Bangkok’s other attractions (one floating market worth avoiding for this is Damnoen Saduak). The peaceful khlongs here don’t share the bustling vibe associated with other floating markets, but instead attract the local Bangkokians escaping the business of the city.

You can take a 30 minute paddle boat ride along the canal of Khlong Lat Mayom to the tranquil lotus pond for just 20 baht (no tourist prices here). Alternatively, you can even take a horse ride for just 80 baht from the market’s ‘Mafia Farm’.

Shopping at Khlong Lat Mayom

The indoor market area at Bangkok’s Khlong Lat Mayom is surprisingly big; It consists of a huge variety of little stalls selling handmade trinkets, crafts and carvings such as enchanting wind chimes and embroidered cushions. Many of the souvenirs and home decorations here are unique to Khlong Lat Mayom floating market and different to the standard repetitive products you might find in most Bangkok markets.

In addition to the decent selection of merchandise in the shops, many of the items at the market have price tags – quite a rarity in Bangkok. This means you’re a lot less likely to be ripped off and preyed upon – Khlong Lat Mayom just doesn’t have that kind of walking-dollar-sign atmosphere like other places. The market also sells a variety of clothing, quirky key rings and toys – great for souvenirs to take home or to decorate your apartment in Bangkok.

Thai Food At Khlong Lat Mayom

The food section at Khlong Lat Mayom is even bigger than the souvenirs section. Pretty much every kind of food in Thailand – you’ll find here. The food market is absolutely perfect for sampling all the strange Thai treats and signature dishes of Thailand.

You can try Khlong Lat Mayom’s special omelettes with minced coconut and vegetable filling, or more popular Thai nibbles such as steamed pumpkin cakes, Thai dumplings, papaya salad, summer rolls and a whole lot more. The food market also has a huge choice of fresh seafood with plenty of live crabs and giant fish on display.

Although the food section is undercover and not on the canal, there is still some available seating at the canal side – it’s just a little higher in demand.

How to get to Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market Bangkok

Bangkok Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market is open on the weekends from 9.30am until 4.30pm; a good time to visit is early in the morning at about 10am. One of the great things about Khlong Lat Mayom is that it’s very close to the centre of Bangkok – you don’t need to take a 2 hour bus ride to get there as with some of the more well-known markets such as Amphawa.

The best way to get there is to take the BTS to Wongwian Yai station, then flag down a taxi and ask him to take you to ‘Talat Nam Khlong Lat Mayom’. It can actually be quite tough trying to find a taxi driver who will actually recognise the name so you should be prepared to go through a few taxis.

Floating markets near Bangkok… Talat Nam Khlong Lat Mayom – the best floating market in Bangkok

Wachira Benthat Butterfly Park Bangkok

Posted on November 4, 2013 by koomatzu

Hidden behind Chatuchak Park, far away from the busy main road, the Butterfly Park offers a tranquil sanctuary from the craziness of Bangkok city. If you fancy a peaceful bike ride amongst natural surroundings, a visit to the Wachira Benthat Butterfly Park is a must.

Wachira Benthat Butterfly Park

The park itself is surprisingly huge considering it’s hidden away location off the Bangkok beaten path, perhaps even bigger than the more famous Lumpini Park. You won’t find so many of the pretty flower displays like you’ll see in the standard public parks of Bangkok – the overall look of Wachira Benthat Butterfly Park is a little rough around the edges: overgrown and slightly hilly.

However, this wild, natural environment offers an inviting landscape of solitude with plenty of picturesque lakes to add to it’s beauty. As you wander around the spacious Bangkok park, you’ll notice the odd couple snoozing on the grass, workers taking a sneaky nap in one of the podiums and cheeky groups of local kids skiving off school.

At the northern entrance of the park, visitors can relax in the quiet cafe and restaurant which serves cheap Thai meals and smoothies. There is even a mini amusement park where kids can ride their bikes around a miniature track.

Cycling in Bangkok

The main focus of the Bangkok Butterfly Park is the large cycle path that runs through it; 99% of the people you come across in Wachira Benthat Butterfly Park will be riding a bike. It’s not ideal to explore the park on foot due to it’s huge size, but the flat landscape and wild surroundings make for an ideal bike ride in Bangkok.

Unfortunately, I never actually found where exactly to hire the push bikes that I saw everybody else riding. Apparently, if following my directions to the insectarium below, the bike hire area is located to the left of the bridge in the opposite direction to the Butterfly Gardens. I have a feeling they may be available from the Dream World amusement park pictured above.

Bangkok Butterfly Garden & Insectarium

As well as being ideal for cycling, Wachira Benthat also has it’s own butterfly garden and insectarium. The insectarium has some beautiful flower displays and a range of butterflies to admire and photograph. What’s best of all though, is that admission is free!

To get to the butterfly garden and insectarium, it is easiest to enter the park from Kamphaeng Phet 3. Enter the park through the large vegetable garden courtyard, then straight on across the right side fork in the path. You’ll notice a ‘relaxation area’ just ahead to your right: just past here is a rather ugly, metal bridge. Cross the bridge and turn right for a couple of hundred metres.

How to get to the Butterfly Park in Bangkok

The best way to find the Bangkok Wachira Benthat Butterfly Park is to take either the MRT to Chatuchak Park or the BTS to Mo Chit – either way will take you directly to Chatuchak Park. You then want to make your way to the other side of Chatuchak Park from here – It can be kind of frustrating trying to find an exit so just try and make your way out at the opposite side first!

When you exit the park, you’ll find yourself on Kamphaeng Phet 3 road. Walk along this road to the right and you should pass a complex called Jatujak Green. Eventually, you’ll find yourself at the gates to a vegetable courtyard that leads to Wachira Benthat Park.

Artist’s House Cafe & Art Gallery Bangkok

Posted on October 21, 2013 by koomatzu

The Artist’s house, known locally as Baan Silapin, is a traditional, old Thai canal house hidden amongst the outskirts of Bangkok city. The building itself proves difficult to find amongst the crammed Thai khlongs; this, combined with it’s unacknowledged status in guides and magazines, makes the artist’s house all the more a unique, unspoilt hangout to visit in Bangkok.

If you’re looking for some authentic Thai entertainment off the beaten track in Bangkok, then the Artist’s House is a must visit. Once you’ve navigated your way through the quiet local alleys along the river, you won’t be disappointed by this quirky, rustic wooden building. The Artist’s House has something for everyone: daily Thai puppet shows, an art gallery, souvenir & book shop and a beautiful canal side coffee shop.

Hanging Out At The Artist’s House

The atmosphere of the Artist’s House is perhaps it’s most striking feature. The rickety building shows a unique character and creative ambience with it’s intricate decorations of cheerful lanterns, hanging plants, overflowing bookshelves and charming works of art. With large, open patio doors overlooking the tranquil canal, visitors can sit and enjoy an iced tea while sitting at the water’s edge, feeding the fish next to the unusual statues.

Thai Puppet Shows At The Artist’s House

The building consists of a larger theatre area which leads out to an enclosed back garden, complete with it’s own 600 year old Chedi. This is where guests gather to watch traditional Thai puppet shows in the afternoons. The Artist’s House puppet shows usually start at 2pm, however they are not guaranteed to perform everyday as have been known to be booked at other venues elsewhere around Bangkok city.

Keep walking along the canal boardwalks past the theatre room, and you’ll come across the shop and cafe area of the Artist’s House. Here they have a selection of art and culture books, postcards, Thai masks, jewellery and art prints for sale – this is really useful for buying souvenirs for people back home. Prices are very reasonable and there are some very unique items for sale.

The Artist’s House Art Gallery

Head up the creaky old stairs from here, and you’ll find a photography & art gallery overlooking the canal. As well as having beautiful pieces of art to admire, it also has beautiful views over the quiet canal houses and ancient Chedi in the garden.

Once you’ve had time to explore the unique interior of the old house, you can enjoy a peaceful cup of coffee on the seating downstairs or outside on the boardwalk by the river side. The menu is rather modest in choice, however at 25 baht for a cup of coffee and with peaceful surroundings like these, who’s complaining?

How to get to the Artist’s House Bangkok

From my own experience, many taxi drivers don’t seem to know any of the nearby landmark’s and main roads nearby the Artist’s House in Bangkok. However, the best way that I have found to get there, is to take the BTS to Talat Phlu station and catch a taxi from there.

If you can’t get anyone to take you to Baan Silapin (which is quite likely, but worth a try), then ask the taxi driver to take you to ‘Jaran Sanitwong Saam’ (written: Charan Sanitwong 3) instead – they should know this road at least. It’s about a 10-15 minute walk from the bottom of this road, so it’s best to try and get him to drive you all the way to the end of Charan Sanitwong 3 road. However if not, you can catch a songtaew to the end of the road for 5 baht.

Once you’ve reached the end of the road you’ll notice what looks like a dead end and a 7/11 store on the right hand side. Keep walking past the 7/11 and you’ll notice a small path which leads to a bridge across a canal. You should be able to see a temple ahead , to the right of the bridge on the other side of the canal – this is Kuhasawan Temple. If you look to the left, you should be able to make out a little red statue up ahead – that’s the Artist’s House.

Now, cross the bridge and walk along the canal walkway to the left – the opposite direction of the temple. Keep walking all the way along, past the little shops along the wooden boardwalk until you get all the way to the end. The locals are very friendly and can point you in the right direction if you get lost.

Thailand Vegetarian Festival

Posted on October 15, 2013 by koomatzu

Thai Vegetarian Festival Roots

The famous Vegetarian Festival of Thailand, also known as the Taoist Nine Emperor Gods Festival, originated in Phuket in the 19th century. During this time, the island of Phuket had a large number of Chinese immigrants who, after widespread disease among the community, had introduced a period of fasting and abstinence to cleanse and heal themselves.

This hard going ritual gradually evolved from strict fasting to a simple vegan diet instead. During this period, participants must give up all fish, dairy, meat and poultry for nine days, plus, they should wear white from head to toe. Nowadays, you will see the wearing of white mainly practised within the temples rather than outside in the cities.

During this cleansing period in the past, individuals in Phuket were found to show bizarre behaviour such as self mutilation; this was a sign of possession followed by the escape of evil spirits from the body. The Vegetarian Festival in Phuket is still the renowned home to this behaviour and hence piques the attention a lot of curious tourists, both Thai and foreign.

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is pretty grisly and perhaps not for the feint hearted – impaling, skinning, slashing and bloodletting are all common behaviours found during the Phuket festivities. On that note, Phuket is probably the winner for the most interesting area of Thailand to celebrate the Vegetarian Festival, however you can still enjoy the celebrations and variety of vegetarian food in Bangkok and the rest of Thailand as well.

Celebrating the Vegetarian Festival in Bangkok

As you might gather from the Vegetarian Festival’s Chinese roots in Thailand, it makes sense that the best place to celebrate it in Bangkok is in China Town. The Vegetarian Festival takes place all over Bangkok during October and lasts 9 days; the exact date differs slightly every year but the celebrations are always held in October.

Across the city of Bangkok, you’ll notice the streets come alive with yellow flags and bunting to represent the Vegetarian Festival. Most street vendors and many restaurants participate in the vegetarian celebrations with extra vegetarian dishes and tofu substitutes.

Among just a few of the typical dishes on offer during Vegetarian Festival are vegetable tom yam (spicy vegetable soup), tofu massaman curry, mushroom & tofu yakisoba noodles and a range of salads such as a sweet and sour pumpkin & mushroom. There are also a range of fake meats on offer like fake pork dumplings and meatballs made of flavoured sticky rice – some of the meat substitutes actually taste uncannily similar to real meat.

You can also find some colourful sweets and desserts on sale on the Bangkok streetwalks: Black bean sticky rice roasted in bamboo shoots; Thai breakfast doughnut served with sweet condensed milk (called Pa Thong Ko – pronounced Bpah Tong Go); and of course, the best Thai dessert of all: mango sticky rice with coconut.

China Town Vegetarian Festival Bangkok

Nowhere in Bangkok celebrates the Thai Vegetarian Festival quite like China Town does! With colourful lanterns and bunting strung across the road as far as the eye can see, Yaowarat Road becomes tinged with bright yellow during all the vegetarian festivities. Hundreds of food stalls line the road side, locals gather to pray at the many temples, and traditional Chinese Opera is performed in the evenings.

The bottom of Yaowarat tends to have the most activity during festivities and celebrations in China Town. You can take a taxi to Yaowarat 5 or the Golden Buddha Temple, Wat Traimit. This part of Yaowarat Road has plenty of food stalls and beautiful temples to explore. The best time of day to visit the China Town Vegetarian Festival for most people is during the evening from about 6pm.

Basically, the later you head to China Town, the more lively and busy it will be, plus you might just get to catch some of the Chinese Opera performances on Charoen Krung Road Soi 20. However, China Town does get pretty crazy during the evenings so if you hate crowds, you might prefer to visit during the daytime when the atmosphere is much more subdued and quiet.

China Town nearest public transport station: Hualumpong MRT/ BTS Sala Deng

Sky Bar at Lebua State Tower Bangkok

Posted on October 13, 2013 by koomatzu

The world famous Sky Bar at Lebua State Tower, featured in the helicopter scene of the popular Hangover 2 movie, is hailed as the highest open air, rooftop bar in the world. It has mixed reviews among Bangkok expats, locals and tourists as being a ridiculously over priced disappointment; So is the Sky Bar in Bangkok really worth a visit? Or is it truly just a scam of a bar feeding off of the famous Hangover 2’s popularity?

An experience in the Bangkok Sky Bar

Enter through the lobby of the Sky Bar Hotel, complete with sparkliness, shininess, man on piano and all the general poshness of a ultimate luxury hotel. After making your way through the dazzling hotel lobby, you will be greeted warmly by what I can only describe as an army of well dressed Butlers who will direct you to the elevators for the 63rd floor.

Once you’ve reached the 63rd floor, you’ll be shown outside to the huge open terrace. Hit by a strong breeze to remind you just exactly how high up you are, you’ll be stricken hard yet again by the marvellous panoramic views of Bangkok. My trip to the Sky Bar was all worth it just for that long, silent walk across the empty terrace and down the wide steps towards the bar, all the while admiring this amazing cityscape view down over Bangkok city.

The Sky Bar in Bangkok is definitely no ordinary rooftop bar.

There is a large seating area for people dining at the Sky Bar below these steps and terrace. Above the restaurant area, there is a band area on the dome’s terrace which towers above the diners. The bar itself is small and rather crammed with staff serving drinks in the centre and glass walls allowing patrons to admire the views from all sides. The Sky Bar is more of an attraction than an actual rooftop bar per se.

Drinks prices at the Bangkok Sky bar

Drinks are super expensive at the Sky Bar but well worth the money for the experience in my opinion. Just think of the over priced drinks as a kind of entry fee for basically what is now a world famous attraction in Bangkok: The rooftop Sky Bar from Hangover 2 and the highest open air bar in the world!

The cheapest drinks at the Sky Bar are the shots of Tia Maria, Baileys and Amaretto; these cost 280 baht a glass with added 10% tax too. That’s about $9 each. Beers are next up and cost around the 330 baht mark. Soft drinks are surprisingly no cheaper – around 300 baht if I remember rightly.

They have some nice cocktails that are quite strong as well (for this price, I should think so too) – the Hangovertini is really good with a herby kick and a sprig of rosemary do finish it off. Cocktails cost 520 baht each. Plus tax. Like I said though, it’s worth it! It’s an attraction in it’s self.

Sky Bar Dress Code

I usually hate bars and clubs with dress codes and the Sky Bar in Bangkok has a very strict dress code: No flip flops, no shorts and even no carrier bags if you’re coming after a spot of shopping. However, the Sky Bar is part of an upscale hotel, and what with Hangover 2’s promotion of the Sky bar world wide, it does kind of needs to enforce a dress code to keep out the ‘scruffier’ tourists in order to uphold this reputation.

How to get to the Sky Bar Bangkok

The Sky Bar is open from 6pm, which is a good time to visit and catch the sunset before it gets even busier. The State Tower is located in Silom on the intersection of the main Silom Road and Charoenkrung Road. The nearest BTS stations are Surasak or Saphan Taksin. It’s about a 10 minute walk up Charoen Krung Road from Saphan Taksin BTS (facing away from the river, walk left up the main road). Alternatively, most taxi drivers will recognise ‘State Tower’ or ‘Sky Bar’.

You can book to stay at the State Tower Hotel here.