Top 5 Markets In Bangkok

Posted on May 10, 2014 by koomatzu

One of the most popular reasons that people come to Bangkok, is for the shopping! Bangkok has some amazing markets, famous for their variety of Street food, cheap knockoffs and pretty ethnic souvenirs.

My best markets in Bangkok offer a great variety of shopping and different atmospheres. If you only have limited time in Bangkok, check out my list:

Best Markets In Bangkok

1: Chatuchak Weekend Market – Bangkok’s Biggest Outdoor Market

Chatuchak Market is by far Bangkok’s most popular market with both tourists and locals – the huge crowds you’ll find flocking to the market on weekends is the perfect proof of it’s greatness as the best market in Bangkok! The market is huge and offers something for everybody: from puppy dog pets and authentic Thai furniture, to the newest Asian trends and bohemian clothes.

The market is made up of both indoor and outdoor sections and it’s easy to get lost for hours within the labyrinth of street stalls – not a popular market with expat men in Bangkok! Despite its popularity with tourists though, the market still manages to keep fair and cheap prices, making it a great place to pick up some fantastic bargains. Be warned though, this crowded, sun-trapped market gets super hot!

2 Asiatique – Riverfront Shopping Village

Reachable via free shuttle boat along the Chao Phraya River, Asiatique is a lovely riverfront market to enjoy an evening of fine dining, boutique shopping and cabaret entertainment. Designed in a modern shopping village layout, this beautiful Bangkok market is strewn with quirky decorations, fairy lights and unique little shops selling handmade jewellery and cheap clothing. You can also enjoy a Ferris wheel ride which gives you a great opportunity to see the Chao Phraya river and the rest of Bangkok city from above.

3 Talad Rod Fai – Vintage ‘Train Market’

Talad Rod Fai is one of Bangkok’s lesser-known markets, mainly popular with young Thais and hipsters of Bangkok. The market has a prominent vintage theme throughout with a nice dose of camper van boot bars and old skool Beetle cocktail hangouts. Shopping is cheap at Talad Rod Fai, however the market also makes a great simple hangout without having to buy anything at all.

Merely enjoying the music at one of the bars, or taking in the antique sights is entertainment enough. This is by far one of Bangkok’s best, most interesting and laid-back markets to check out.

4 Khlong Lat Mayom – Weekend Floating Market

In my opinion, Khlong Lat Mayom is the best market to visit in Bangkok if you are looking to sample all the local delicacies and treats of Thailand. One of the quieter floating markets located on the outskirts of Bangkok, Khlong Lat Mayom offers peaceful boat rides along the canal, charming little trinket shops and, best of all, an abundance of fresh seafood and authentic Thai dishes.

This floating market has a much more subdued and mellow atmosphere compared to other ones, and because of its lack of tourist visitors, items tends to be price tagged and more fairly priced. You can buy anything here from embroidered cushions and handmade crafts, to girly accessories and cheap clothing.

5 On Nut Night Market – Bangkok Beer Garden

One of Bangkok’s smaller night markets, On Nut Market makes for a much more relaxed shopping experience. It even has a little beer garden area where you can enjoy a beer and some cheap food while listening to one of the Thai cover bands. By Bangkok standards, there aren’t many stalls in the market overall, however there is still a great selection of super cheap T-shirts, accessories and knockoff items.

If you’d rather shop at a more quiet market in Bangkok, On-Nut is the best market for you – there is a great choice of food to snack on as well, Thai and international alike!

Where’s your best market in Bangkok? Share your thoughts and drop us a line.

Top 5 Rooftop Bars In Bangkok

Posted on April 26, 2014 by koomatzu

One of my favourite things about Bangkok is that I can actually afford to hang out at cool rooftop bars! And, not to mention, there are a great deal to choose from as well – cheap ones, wow-factor ones, quirky ones… The list goes on!

Of course, if you’re only on holiday in Bangkok for a short amount of time, you can only visit so many rooftop bars during your stay. So here are some of my best rooftop bars in Bangkok for you to choose from…

Top Rooftop Bars In Bangkok

1: Sky Bar – Bangkok’s most famous rooftop bar

I’m sure you’ve probably seen the rooftop bar scene in Hangover 2 – where they meet with an undercover cop at the posh restaurant with unbelievably amazing views over Bangkok city… Well, that’s the Sky Bar! If you are looking for impressive rooftop views, then I highly recommend the Sky Bar, it is the best rooftop bar in Bangkok for the best view.

The Sky Bar isn’t cheap, and it’s not really a place to chill out with a couple of laid-back drinks. I would categorise the Sky Bar more as an attraction, just to admire the amazing view and atmosphere of the second tallest building in Bangkok. It’s a little bit of a rip-off by Bangkok standards, but well worth a visit!

2 The Nest Rooftop Bar – Sophisticated quirkiness with cityscape views

The Sky Bar is a cosy and chilled out rooftop bar, best for couples and groups of friends. My favourite aspect of it has to be the comfortable bed chairs and sandpit floors (much more sophisticated than I am making it sound right now!). With the dark, ambiently lit atmosphere, you could easily spend a romantic date there, cosying up on the pillows in your own private dome chair.

Alternatively, there are also normal tables and chairs with live music and pumping chillout tunes throughout the night – great for enjoying some affordable food, cocktails and beers with friends. The music can be a little too loud to chat, but it still makes for a cool and trendy hangout in Bangkok – although the view is one of the least impressive of all the rooftop bars.

3 Above Eleven – Relaxed & Affordable Rooftop Bar

With it’s quirky interior furnishings of grass patches and tree-shaped pillars, Above Eleven reminds me a little bit of The Nest rooftop bar. It has the creative finishing touches but, in comparison to The Nest, it boasts more impressive cityscape views and an even more casual atmosphere. The background music is a little less disruptive for chatting, so it makes for a more relaxed hangout among friends. And best of all, this sleek Bangkok rooftop bar is highly affordable for both food and drink.

4 Balco Bar – Cheap & Cheerful Riverside Views

The Balco Bar is probably the least tall rooftop bar in Bangkok on my top 5 list here. However it is located right on the Chao Praya River, so you can easily entertain yourself watching the boats go by throughout the night.

The Balco Bar offers the most casual atmosphere of all the rooftop bars and it’s cheap prices attract many local Thais. If you want to experience an authentic Thai evening out, be sure to try the popular Thai style barbecue. The waiter will set up your very own barbecue grill and you will be able to fry your own meat and vegetables – Thai style!

5 The Speakeasy At Hotel Muse – Jazz and vintage goodness

For all vintage lovers and jazz fans, the Speakeasy combines spectacular urban rooftop views with a unique 1920s theme. The great range and quality of cocktails is where this rooftop bar shines though – the expert staff can mix you all kinds of cocktails from old school mixings to custom combinations. The outer rooftop bar itself is set out like a vintage lawn, complete with fake grass, cosy floor lamps and comfortable sofas. Jamjar cocktail glasses and jazz tunes in the background add all the finishing touches to make this a unique and special rooftop bar.

Which is your best rooftop bar in Bangkok? We’d love to hear – drop a comment below to let us know your top rooftop bar!

Live Music In Bangkok

Posted on April 5, 2014 by koomatzu

After living in Thailand for a while, you might discover that live music in Bangkok is slightly lacking in variety. There’s plenty of Thai pop music and mediocre cover bands to see, but it takes a little extra effort to search out other live music genres in Bangkok. Don’t get me wrong, a bit of chilled out Thai pop music can be quite nice, but sometimes you just want to mix it up a bit with other varieties of live music.

Here are a couple of the best live music venues I’ve found in Bangkok – I’ve tried to cover a range of different music genres for different tastes.

Best Live Music In Bangkok

1: The Rock Pub – Rock tunes and alternative music

You can find some really good live bands at the Rock Pub. Furnished in the style of a rock-style Castle, this Bangkok venue has some great resident bands such as the Green Day cover band St Jimmy. The best bands that play at the Rock Pub seem to be the most under-appreciated in Bangkok though, and it’s the not-so-rockin’ bands that seem to draw in the bigger Thai crowds. Sometimes I wonder if the pumped up crowds headbanging to some of the soppy so-called rock bands are actually taking the piss or not. The pub is still definitely worth a visit for fans of punk, grunge and heavy metal… most of the time anyway.

2 The Saxophone Pub – Laid-back jazz

The casual Saxophone Pub is a highly popular live music jazz pub frequented by both expats and Thai locals of all ages. This buzzing live music venue is nearly always busy, with lively atmosphere. The Saxophone Pub tends to play primarily energetic swing jazz and blues, and has a cozy, traditional pub atmosphere – a casual pub to simply enjoy good music.

3 The Iron Fairies – Jazz wine bar

Another jazz bar in Bangkok, the Iron Fairies is a less casual and more dressed up alternative to the Saxophone Pub. It’s a little more expensive compared to the Saxophone Pub and has a more quirky, unique atmosphere. Again, you’ll find cover bands of swing jazz playing at the Iron Fairies on an interesting stage which is separated on it’s own floor; singers energetically perform from the gothic-industrial spiral staircase that connects it to the bar floor. If you’d prefer a jazz bar with a younger crowd and more sophisticated ‘wine bar’-edge, then check out the Iron Fairies live music venue in Bangkok.

4 The Raintree – Authentic Thai folk music

The Raintree is a lesser-known Bangkok live music venue, popular with Thai locals of all ages. If you are keen to listen to some authentic Thai folk and country music then this is the place to go. The Raintree Pub has a rustic atmosphere reflective of its country style, complete with buffalo horns and driftwood furnishings. Not to mention that it has cheap beer on tap…

5 Tawandeng German Brewery – Popular Thai pop performances

Tawandeng is another lesser-known Bangkok live music venue, highly popular with both local Thais and expats in the know. In fact, despite it’s huge size, Tawandeng Brewery is so popular that you often need to book ahead for a table. With a massive stage and gigantic seating area, this music venue seems to be a place for special nights out and celebrations. A visit to Tawandeng Brewery provides an authentic insight into modern Thai entertainment of cabaret style shows, magic acts and pop performances.

6 The Overtone – Live Indie music for the younger crowd

Apparently the Overtone has recently been renamed to Mello Yello and has taken on a main jazz theme since my last visit. However whenever I have been to watch live music in the past, the Overtone has mainly played live popular acoustic Indie music and modern spins on classic hit cover songs. The venue is situated along the RCA, a popular nightlife road among young Thais and students, so the bar is ideal for those looking for a younger atmosphere. It may be worth checking out the Mello Yello Facebook page to see exactly what bands are playing, as I think they cover a wide range of live music genres.

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…

Top 5: Local Thai Eats In Bangkok

Posted on February 8, 2014 by koomatzu

Are you itching to try some real Thai food in Bangkok? Screw all the fancy Thai restaurants, when you dine out off the beaten path – local style – then you can truly experience Thai food in Bangkok.

Not only do the local Thai restaurants in Bangkok serve hearty and traditional cuisine, but they ‘re also super cheap if you’re travelling on a budget. At most of the Thai restaurants popular with the locals, you can dine from just 70 baht per person… And remember that these restaurants are popular for a reason.

Thai Style Restaurants

Local restaurants in Thailand have a very different vibe to the more mainstream restaurants which are aimed at tourists, they’re worth visiting if you want to see a real part of Thai culture that you could otherwise completely miss.

A typical experience dining in a local Thai restaurant is casual, where diners share food platters in the middle of the table, are served drinks from shabby metal trolleys, drink from 5 litre beer towers and maybe even get to hear a Thai folk music performance from a local singer. A really popular feature of some local restaurants in Thailand, also seems to be the do-it-yourself barbecues, where patrons cook their own food on the table in front of them.

For the best local Thai restaurants in Bangkok, here’s my personal top 5:

1

Banrie Coffee is by far my best Thai restaurant in Bangkok. It’s open 24 hours a day, has live music, cheap beer towers, a cute beer garden, laid-back atmosphere and simple good food. Banrie Coffee is perhaps a little more sophisticated than your average local Thai restaurant, it’s more of an evening hangout for both young Thais and expats in Bangkok. But not only is it a cool hangout, but this Thai restaurant also has an extensive menu of Thai cuisine at an affordable price, complete with a fairy-lit urban garden.

2

SD Bar BQ is an all-you-can-eat buffet style restaurant in Bangkok, totally Thai style and packed full of cheerful locals. It’s not got the cheapest of prices by local standards, but for the range of dishes on offer and the unlimited food, it’s really not bad value at 129 baht per person. In fact if you’re looking for a place to sample a complete range of Thai cuisine, SD Bar BQ Buffet might be just what you’re looking for.

The layout of SD barbecue is casual and authentically Thai – tables are set out in long lines of benches with holes in the middle to barbecue your own food. Yep, this is a typical do-it-yourself barbecue-style restaurant (and it get’s pretty damn hot too) – of course there are other pre-cooked options available too if you don’t feel like cooking your own food. (Tip: another good barbecue restaurant in Bangkok worth visiting is the rooftop restaurant Bar-BQ)

3

Yong Lee is a Chinese-Thai style restaurant which has been around for almost 50 years and definitely looks it’s age. With grease splattered walls and tattered old menus, this is about as local as it gets. The restaurant itself is nothing fancy but the food is still pretty good for an off the beaten path visit.

Food at Yong Lee can be a little more adventurous, with Chinese fried bowels and beef tongue soups, however there are also a range of traditional Thai dishes too. Yong Lee is great for a casual lunch off the beaten track in Bangkok.

4

The Good View is a more extravagant restaurant compared to many other typical, local Thai restaurants in Bangkok. In fact, this is probably the most expensive restaurants out of my top 5 local Thai restaurants in Bangkok.

Located on the riverside, the restaurant has sophisticated wooden decking, a fairy-lit terrace and an indoor bar area with live music performances and a dance floor. It’s still pretty off the beaten path though, and has an extensive Thai, Western and Japanese menu with plenty of typically Thai beer tower’s available. If you’re after a special or romantic night out in Bangkok, Thai-style, then try Good View.

5

Sabai Jai Gai Yang, like Yong Lee and SD barbecue, is another humble little eatery in Bangkok. With a battered menu, plastic tablecloths and a modest karaoke-style folk stage, the restaurant maintains a casual yet lively atmosphere. It’s specialty is grilled chicken, however it has an extensive menu of Thai dishes and is great for sampling the local cuisine.

Picture by leolaksi

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.

Ethos Vegetarian Restaurant Bangkok

Posted on January 2, 2014 by koomatzu

Good vegetarian restaurants are hard to come by in the meat loving city of Bangkok, however Khaosan Road is one of the best areas of Bangkok to get your fix of vegetarian and vegan cuisine.

Ethos Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurant

Tucked down a hidden away Bangkok backstreet just off Khaosan Road, Ethos is a modest little vegetarian eatery with a cozy and inviting interior. You’ll need to take your shoes off at the door – something that makes me personally feel all the more comfortable and at home in Thai restaurants – and then take a seat in the small Bangkok restaurant.

Half of the tables inside Ethos Vegetarian Restaurant are standard table-and-chair, while the other half of the seating is on the floor, on comfortable cushions with low tables. The layout of low tables, ambient warm lighting, and bohemian decor give a kind of Moroccan edge to the vegetarian restaurant. The laid back atmophere makes for a relaxing break away from the hectic Khaosan Road. It even has it’s own little travel library to keep you entertained.

With it’s English menus and backpacker location, Ethos definitely seems to aim it’s vegetarian food mainly at foreign tourists and expats. However despite it’s primarily foreign clientele, many of the staff don’t speak very good English (or Thai for that matter), so be aware that service might be a little difficult if you have special dietary requirements or are particularly fussy. It’s not really a problem though – you’re already in Thailand after all so you should probably have learnt to deal with the language barrier by now anyway!

The menu at Ethos

Ethos Vegetarian Restaurant has a rather large menu with a great range of both Thai and international vegan and vegetarian dishes. As well as savoury dishes though, they also have a vast menu of different healthy smoothies, teas and health tonics. You could easily just sit down and enjoy the drinks at Ethos without having to order a main meal.

The smoothies are particularly delicious and cost around 85 baht. In all honesty, they are possibly the best smoothies I’ve had in Bangkok. The blueberry and coconut shake in particular is great – not too sweet at all. As for the food on the Ethos menu – vegetarian Thai dishes cost between 85 and 205 baht and cover pretty much everything from stir fry basil with tofu and vegetables (Pad Ka Praw), Som Tam (spicy soup), stir fries and curries. They also have a side option of brown rice for 25 baht.

However, the Thai food at Ethos isn’t quite as tasty and tempting as the food on it’s international vegetarian menu. The menu has a decent selection of international, healthy vegetarian dishes such as veggie burger, falafel with home made pitta bread, salad and houmus, chickpea ‘meatball’ spaghetti, pesto pasta with almonds, and eggplant lasagna. The international menu at Ethos typically ranges from around 150 baht to 220 baht.

How to get to Ethos Bangkok

Ethos Vegetarian Restaurant is located down an alleyway near the bottom of Khaosan Road in Bangkok. You need to walk to the end of Khaosan near Burger King and cross over to the opposite side of the main road on the Khaosan junction. Start walking left up this main road until you see a small alleyway on your right, just a couple metres ahead. Enter the lane and you’ll notice the Ethos sign on the adjacent alleyway.

Papaya Vintage Shop Bangkok

Posted on December 30, 2013 by koomatzu

Home to perhaps the largest collection of bizarre vintage merchandise in Bangkok, the Papaya Vintage Shop is great for finding rare buys or merely just a curious peruse.

What’s in store at the Papaya Vintage Shop

Papaya is set in a huge warehouse down a very random and rather neglected road in Lat Phrao, a not-so-central area of Bangkok. Litter blows across the unusually wide and apocalyptic-looking road leading up to Papaya like hopeless tumbleweeds bouncing across a derelict landscape. Still, there are some interesting, colourful yet dilapidated-looking bars and body to body massage parlours to see along the way.

The entrance of Papaya is marked by a rusty old Tuk Tuk and a prominent life-sized dragon peering down from the warehouse roof. Entering the shop up the battered steps, the cluttered entrance sets the pace pretty accurately for what’s in store ahead – a chaos of seemingly infinite items from tacky junk to nostalgic treasures from throughout time.

Vintage shopping and snooping at Papaya

The gigantic warehouse of Papaya houses a plethora of vintage items from olden clocks, exotic vases, lavish china sets, musical instruments and war time trinket boxes; to bizarre paintings, antique furniture sets, 60’s pod chairs and kitschy phones from throughout the years. It also has a random scattering of shabby old mannequins, life-sized comic book heros, nostalgic childhood memorabilia, gaudy penguin bins, cabinets full of Garfield figures, and even more creepy mannequin babies.

Items at Papaya aren’t priced, so you need to find one of the workers if you’re interested in buying something there. Unfortunately, this is usually a sign that you’re probably going to need to haggle, so be prepared if bargaining isn’t your strong point. What’s more, don’t be too disappointed if the vintage item you’re itching to buy isn’t for sale; the Papaya Vintage Shop actually rents out a lot of their most prized and bizarre items to photographers to use as props.

How to get to the Papaya Vintage Shop in Bangkok

To get to Papaya Vintage Shop, the best way is to take the MRT subway to Lat Phrao station and then take a taxi from there. It’s about a mile along the road – a little too far to walk in the Bangkok heat. Ask the taxi driver to take you to Lat Prao Soi 55 (55 is pronounced ‘hah-sip-hah‘) – this will cost around 40 baht depending on traffic. Papaya Vintage is just a couple of minutes walk down the road directly on the intersection with Soi 55/2.

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.