Top 5 Quirky Things To Do In Bangkok

Posted on April 15, 2014 by koomatzu

Bangkok offers so many quirky, creative and unique places to see. Whether it’s a slightly mental cat themed pub, a disturbing Forensic Museum of murder victims, or a cringingly inappropriate shrine of penises – Bangkok has it all!

So, yeah… Welcome to Bangkok! Here are some of my favourite finds I’ve come across while living in Bangkok, most of which are pretty off the beaten track…

Top 5 Off The Beaten Track Sights In Bangkok

1: Penis Shrine – Bangkok’s little secret

Also known as the Chao Mae Tuptim Shrine, this modest little shrine is not exactly advertised openly by the people of Bangkok. It seems to be treated more like a dirty little secret, hidden by overgrown vegetation at the back of a swanky hotel parking lot in central Bangkok. It really is small – literally the size of somebody’s back garden – however, they’ve really managed to pack a whole lot of penises into this small space!

If you are interested to check out this quirky fertility shrine, or simply take some unconventional holiday snaps, off the beaten track of Bangkok, you could easily mix it with some high street shopping in Siam centre.

2 The Artist’s House – A quirky canal-side cafe

The Artists House is a local arts studio-come-cafe, hidden down a maze of backstreets in suburban Bangkok. Finding the place is a challenge, however it seems to make a visit there all the more sweet when you finally discover this quirky, secret cafe way off the beaten track in Bangkok.

The ancient teak-wood cafe has a tranquil ambience, set right on a canal side amongst Bangkok locals going about their day-to-day business. You can take a gander around the small art studio upstairs, watch a Thai puppet performance in the showroom, buy arty souvenirs from the gift shop, or enjoy simply sitting on the peaceful canalside with a 20 baht cup of coffee.

3 Cat Cafe – Not for the cat haters

There are actually a couple of Cat Cafes scattered around Bangkok, the most popular one being located in Thonglor. Whether you just want to spend an afternoon playing with cute lil’ kitties, sniggering at crazy cat lovers or both, this place should be perfect for you! It’s worth visiting just for the sheer weirdness of the place – it’s strange rules, OTT hygiene demands and overall treatment of the cats almost as if they were hairy royalty… It’s an odd experience.

4 Siriraj Forensic Museum – The darkside of Bangkok

This one is definitely not for the squeamish: The Forensic Museum is located within hospital grounds just across the Chao Phraya River – it can be easily visited while ferry hopping along the riverside temples of Bangkok. It’s a pretty grim place though, with it’s pickled foetuses, mummified murder rapists, horrific photographs of murder victims and disturbingly detailed accounts from the tragic tsunami disaster. I’ve always thought of myself to have a pretty strong stomach when it comes to gorey sights, however I think I nearly passed out during my visit here! It’s an interesting place to visit for any medical nerds out there though…

5 Talat Rot Fai – Vintage Train Market

If you’re not a fan of shopping or markets, don’t write off the Talat Rot Fai Train Market just yet. A little more off the beaten track than the other markets of the city, this quirky Bangkok bazaar is packed with vintage sights, retro market stalls and cool Volkswagen camper van bars. You’ll find collectable toys and memorabilia from years gone past, as well as a decent selection of bars with good music. There is an interesting scattering of vintage vehicles and antiques throughout as well, just to make things a little more interesting.

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.

Plearn Wan Vintage Village Hua Hin

Posted on January 4, 2014 by koomatzu

Plearn Wan Vintage Village in Hua Hin is best described as a living museum created in the form of an enchanting, old Thai village. This unique, detailed little replica town was designed to take visitors ‘back in time to the good old days’ of Thailand.

What is Plearn Wan Hua Hin?

Not that I have ever been to one, but Plearn Wan reminds me a lot of the replica western town theme parks you hear about in America – for example, like the old western village theme park that Homer and his family visit in one episode of the Simpsons… but it’s a Thai version! Cool, right?

Plearn Wan is basically a small, little theme park located on the outskirts of Hua Hin. It’s set out in the style of a nostalgic, olden day village, complete with rickety wooden cart stalls, rustic wooden houses, retro street signs, colourful hanging bunting, and even a street running through the middle with parked classic cars, old skool tuk tuks and vintage scooters.

Thai people seem to have a weak spot for all things vintage, and I love it! Plearn Wan has plenty of charming little finishing touches and attention to detail throughout, plus some great classic vintage tunes in the background of many areas.

Things to do at Plearn Wan

You need to remember that Plearn Wan is not very big at all, so it will probably only take a couple of hours to explore, max. You don’t get so many foreign tourists at Plearn Wan – mainly Thai tourists and locals, which means you get a little more of an authentic Thai experience at Plearn Wan with plenty of traditional Thai food to sample.

Plearn Wan is great for tasting all the delicious Thai snacks and dishes from the old wooden stalls and shacks. Not to mention it’s cheap as well. The little food court sells dishes such as pad Thai, oily rice and chicken (khao man gai), noodle soup, and snacks such as steamed buns, banana & potato fritter and deep fried ice cream. If you’re bored of Thai food, there’s a great retro American diner at the entrance of the village too.

As well as food stalls, Plearn Wan also has numerous shops with decent priced clothing and cute little trinkets to take home. Alternatively, if you make your way to the back of the village, you’ll find a modest sized fairground with a ferris wheel and shooting games. Of course, there are plenty of photo opportunities throughout, which makes Plearn Wan very popular with Thai youngsters posing for awkwardly long amounts of time and taking way too many selfies.

Plearn Wan is open throughout the day and evening so you can visit during the sunny hours of the day or during the cosy lights of the night. Even better, you can experience Plearn Wan at all hours if you stay in the themed hotel on the upper floors throughout the village. This costs from around 1500 baht per night (that’s $50 or £29). You can book the Piman Plearnwan Hotel here.

How to get to Plearn Wan Vintage Village in Hua Hin

Entry to Plearn Wan Hua Hin is free. The village is located about 3km outside of Hua Hin’s centre, however it’s pretty famous so all the tuk tuk drivers will know it if you ask them to take you there. If you’re staying centrally in Hua Hin, this could cost anywhere between 100 and 200 baht depending on your driver’s mood!

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.

Royal Dragon Restaurant Bangkok

Posted on December 20, 2013 by koomatzu

Set on huge grounds amongst mighty pagodas, glistening lily ponds and rollerskating waiters, The Royal Dragon Restaurant in Bangkok boasts a place in the 2008 Guiness World Records as the biggest restaurant in the world.

Biggest Restaurant In The World

With coach loads of lively Chinese tourists excitedly snapping away on their cameras in the front entrance, Bangkok’s Royal Dragon seems to be more of an attraction than a restaurant. With hardly any western or Thai visitors, the biggest restaurant in the world is hugely popular with Chinese holiday makers in Bangkok… I guess if the biggest restaurant in the world specialised in bacon sandwiches and English roast dinners I’d be pretty damn enthusiastic about it too.

Curbing the edges of the central area are rows of smaller karaoke rooms (each with around 25 person capacity) as well as larger rooms for special events. Standing proudly as a back drop to the Chinese landscape, you can’t miss the huge, grand pagoda and smaller floating boat rooms – the layout makes for a pleasant wander round after a big meal.

I went to the Royal Dragon restaurant during the daytime – at this time, the staff seem to shove people into the little karaoke rooms which have a surprisingly claustrophobic feel for the biggest restaurant in the world. Compared with the outer embellishments and ornate architecture, the karaoke rooms are really nothing special – if visiting during the day, try and request decent seating rather than being stuck in one of the less attractive karaoke rooms.

Bangkok Royal Dragon Menu

The menu at Royal Dragon has quite an impressive range of traditional Chinese dishes. Standard dishes range from around 200 baht for simple stir fry dishes such as chicken and oyster sauce, up to 1000 baht for more elaborate dishes such as Chinese roast duck.

One big benefit of visiting the Royal Dragon restaurant during the daytime in Bangkok – although you will miss out on the evening entertainment – is that you can sample the All You Can Eat Dim Sum buffet. Everyday between 11am and 2pm for just 220 baht, you can eat all your favourite dim sum dumplings, steamed buns and other Chinese appetizers to your hearts content. The all you can eat dim sum at the Royal Dragon Restaurant is a bargain – for four of us to eat unlimited dim sum plus a few beers, the bill came to just 1385 baht – tax and service charge free.

The all you can eat dim sum menu at the Bangkok Royal Dragon Restaurant includes steamed barbecue pork, pork dumplings and dipping sauce, shrimp rolled in seaweed, deep fried turnip, spring rolls, wonton soup, steamed buns, chilli birds feet, and a whole load of other unidentifiable meaty treats. To finish off, you’ll be served a dessert of tapioca ice and melon balls, plus some delicious steamed custard buns.

Like many other of the popular food establishments in Bangkok though, service at the Royal Dragon is a little over keen. After continual topping up of our dim sum buffet by the enthusiastic staff, we quickly found ourselves surrounded by a mountain of bamboo baskets 10 minutes into our meal. Claustrophobic much…

How to get to the Royal Dragon in Bangkok

The Royal Dragon Restaurant is quite a distance away from central Bangkok city but not far from the BTS route at least. You can take the BTS to Udom Suk or Bang Na (it doesn’t matter which) and ask a taxi to take you to BITEC Bang Na (pronounce in Thai: Bye-tec Bang Na). This is about a mile away from either of the BTS stations but takes just a couple of minutes to get to in a taxi – it should cost around 40 baht.

The restaurant is next door to the Bangkok BITEC centre. Alternatively, you could ask the driver if he knows Mang Gorn Luang, the Thai name for Royal Dragon.

Website: www.royal-dragon.com

Biggest restaurant in the world Bangkok, All you can eat Dim Sum Bangkok, Royal Dragon Chinese Restaurant menu

Purr Cat Cafe Club Bangkok

Posted on November 27, 2013 by koomatzu

The Purr Cat Cafe Club in Thonglor is a kooky Bangkok tea room owned by a local Thai soap star. If you love animals or you simply want to hang with a crap load of mega fluffy cats with bulgy bum faces while classily drinking tea from a pot, then make sure you get yourself down to the Bangkok Cat Cafe!

A visit to the Purr Cat Cafe Club in Bangkok

The cat cafe is in a cute little building set back just off of the main road. On arrival, you need to remove your shoes outside where you’ll be greeted by a charming butler-type lady with a welcoming change of slippers for you. After feeling all homey and cosy, you’ll then be led over to a sink station to wash your hands – if you touch the cats with unwashed hands or break any other of the cat rules, you’ll be fined 1000 baht.

After being shown into the next room (more like a midway decontamination room), your host will then proceed to squirt anti bacterial gel onto your hands before allowing you to enter the mighty cat lair. Very sterile and perhaps over dramatic but I do love a bit of weird, OCD cleanliness for cats.

Inside the Cat Cafe

The interior of the Purr Cat Cafe Club features a prominent, miniature cat staircase which leads to a second little cat floor full of sleeping felines. There are mainly two seating areas for customers: a play area on the floor with fluffy mats and low tables, and a comfier seating area along the window.

When you take your seat, you’ll be handed a list of rules and a food menu. You don’t really have to worry about the rules too much – it’s pretty much common sense stuff like ‘don’t punch the cats’… You probably need help if you’ve gone to a Cat Cafe to punch cats to be honest.

The Purr Cat Cafe Club menu includes an extensive choice of teas and coffees, plus a few sweet and savoury dishes such as caesar salad, ice cream and chocolate cake. The prices are fair – a pot of tea costs 150 baht, coffees cost around 100 baht and a serving of cat shaped cookies with chocolate dipping sauce costs 80 baht.

I think it’s more of a cafe to just drink rather than eat to be honest – it feels a bit wrong eating in a room packed full of cats climbing on the tables and sitting next to you while licking their tiny, little cat gonads. I personally think that the cats should be the ones washing their hands.

One of the cats fell asleep on my camera bag, that was awkward. I’m still picking the cat hairs from my camera to this day… Sorry for having to wake you, little bum face cat dude 🙁 🙁 🙁

How to get to the Purr Cat Cafe Club in Bangkok

You can have a taxi take you to Sukhumvit Soi 53 or, alternatively, take the BTS Sky Train to Thonglor station. The Purr Cat Cafe Club in only a 10 minute walk from the station – take exit 1 and then turn into Sukhumvit 53. The Cat Cafe is a 5 minute walk past a couple of wine bars on the left hand side. Just keep an eye out for the sign.

Talad Rod Fai Train Market Bangkok

Posted on October 25, 2013 by koomatzu

Bangkok shopping budget: $

Average clothes prices: 100 baht

Recently relocated after it’s abrupt and saddening closure at the old Chatuchak railway grounds, the new Rod Fai Train Market has now officially reopened in a new area of Bangkok – Seacon Square.

The Rod Fai train market has always been especially popular in Bangkok for it’s chilled out atmosphere, good music and unique vintage displays. Off the beaten track for tourists and primarily catered towards a young, Thai hipster hangout, Rod Fai Train Market offers a shopping experience with great nightlife and quirky finishing touches that make it stand out from the rest of the standard Bangkok markets.

The New Talad Rod Fai

Walking down Srinagarindra 51 road, you’ll notice a rustic looking alley marked by train station-style benches at it’s front. The pathway has a number of small, old fashioned-style bars and interesting burger joints along the way, all of which come alive with live music during the later hours of the evening.

Past here, you’ll come across a large, stall section of the train market, jam packed with numerous clothes stalls, toy shops, street food snacks, ice cream parlours and small restaurants. This section is mostly under cover and has hundreds of small shops selling some of the cheapest goods in Bangkok.

Once you’ve passed this area, you’ll notice what looks like an open parking lot full of street food stalls and vans. Behind this area is perhaps the most interesting and charming section of the whole market: this outdoor, fairy-lit section is huge, crammed with busy market stalls, quirky bars serving drinks from the trunks of vintage cars, and eccentric antique shops that line the back and sides of the market.

Shopping at Talad Rod Fai

One thing you won’t find at Talad Rod Fai Train Market, is tacky tourist clothing – this is what defines shopping at Talad Rod Fai from some of the other popular markets of Bangkok. The styles here cater more for the younger, Thai teen and hipster fashions such as oversized, casual shirts; colourful, wide brim hats; second hand vintage clothing; pre-owned converse and other sneakers; and popular anime and Thai cartoon memorabilia.

Talad Rod Fai is possibly the cheapest, non-wholesale market that I have come across in Bangkok so far. Some of the items for sale offer great value such as earrings from 10 baht a pair, cute tops from 35 baht, hats from 39 baht, denim shorts from 49 baht, scarves from 79 baht and bras from 100 baht each.

Nightlife at Talad Rod Fai

My favourite thing about Rod Rai Train Market is that, despite the huge amount of shops and stalls, it is great for simply hanging out at the cool bars without shopping at all. As a whole, Talad Rod Fai has a nice, easy going atmosphere with plenty of little restaurants, bars, ice cream shops and Thai snacks to nibble on along the way.

In addition to this, the random vintage cars, rustic-industrial buildings, VW camper trunk stalls, nerdy collectibles and delightful antiques make Rod Fai Train Market great for merely wandering around. The stalls and bars play some cool tunes from old classics, to laid back pop tunes like Jason Mraz, and to random tunes from lesser known alternative bands like Sublime. Many of the bars at Rod Fai Train Market host some great live music in some cool and unconventional, vintage buildings.

How to get to Talad Rod Fai Train Market Bangkok

The Train market is only open on the weekends (update: and apparently Wednesdays & Fridays also). It opens in the evenings at around 6pm until late.

Talad Rod Fai is now located at Seacon Square Mall, which is a few miles away from the nearest transport station. The closest station to get anywhere close to Seacon Square is either Udom Suk or Punnawithi BTS stations. From here, ask a taxi to take you to Seacon Square – this will cost about 60 to 70 baht.

Once you’ve made it to Seacon Square, head to right of the building – there should be a crowd of young Thais headed that way that you can follow too. The first road you come to will lead down to Talad Rod Fai market. You can’t miss it – on the main junction of this road, there is a large structure with a sign pointing towards Talad Rod Fai that you can’t miss.

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.

Agalico Tea Room & Cafe, Bangkok

Posted on August 31, 2013 by koomatzu

If you are living in Bangkok and feeling homesick for a proper, old English tea room, Agalico in Thonglor may be just what you’re looking for. Open everyday from 10am until 6pm, Agalico Tea Room offers stunning and elegant surroundings to enjoy a quiet and relaxed catchup with friends.

In fact, the interior of Agalico is so impressive that they even have photographers on hand taking portraits of paying customers. Okay, this may be partly down to Agalico Tea Room’s fame in Bangkok after being part of the set of a popular Thai movie, but it’s still really impressive nonetheless. On the top floor, you’ll find young Thai socialites being snapped away on camera in a room decorated in antique English Period style.

Don’t let the photographer weirdness put you off going to Agalico Tea Room though! With contemporary gardens full of comfortable seating, beautiful, white and blue, colonial-American decor and meticulous attention to detail, Agalico Tea Room provides a great, tranquil atmosphere to enjoy your favourite cup of tea in Bangkok… Just make sure to get there early before the best cake and scones run out.

Agalico has a decent choice of teas to choose from and a pot will typically cost you 120 baht. Cakes and quiche cost 120 baht also, however, for a tea room, there is not a great choice of cakes and they’re not particularly amazing either. Cakes at Agalico Tea Room don’t compare to other Bangkok cafes such as Coffee Beans By Dao, Cafe Tartine and After You. The interesting atmosphere makes up for this though.

How to get to Agalico Tea Room & Cafe

Agalico Tea Room & Gardens are located close to Thong Lor BTS. If taking the BTS, take exit 1 out or the station and walk along the main road until you reach Soi 51. Follow Soi 51 for about a minute walk until you see a large white building on your right – Agalico does not have a sign, just walk into the drive way and take the door on your left.

Witch’s Tavern Bar & Restaurant, Bangkok

Posted on August 26, 2013 by koomatzu

Witch’s Tavern is a popular and quirky bar-come-pizzeria on Thonglor Road. It’s particularly famous among Bangkok expats for it’s live music, special offers and happy hours; Happy Hour is everyday between 3pm and 9pm. Between 6pm and 8pm on Fridays you can enjoy free pizza with your beer, and on Wednesdays ladies can drink free.

The interior of Witch’s Tavern bar is very dimly lit with plenty of gothic candle lights and quirky decorations lightening the place up. A Witch’s pentagram marks the entrance while clouds and birdcages dangle behind the central bar. The whole building is decorated just like a typical old English pub with Victorian portraits lining the walls, dark wooden beams and floor boards throughout – Witch’s Tavern even smells like an English pub! (Is it weird that I noticed that?)

The atmosphere of Witch’s Tavern is great; the staff are super friendly and cheerful while vintage rag time and flapper music plays in the background for a real cosy feel. Witch’s Tavern regularly host live music performances, usually acoustic covers of popular, classic tunes that most people will love. One of their in-house live musicians plays some particularly good covers of Bob Marley, Beatles, Jack Johnson and other classics with a real creative and chilled out spin.

Prices are pretty reasonable, especially for Bangkok’s expensive Thonglor area, the great service and awesome entertainment. The Witch’s Tavern menu consists of a choice of mainly Thai food, Tapas, pasta, pizza, salads and burgers. Tapas dishes typically cost around 140 baht per dish, pizzas cost from 160 baht, pasta from 220 baht and burgers from around 240 baht. The menu at Witch’s Tavern also has desserts such as sticky toffee pudding, carrot cake and apple crumble, all prices starting from around 140 baht.

How to get to Witch’s Tavern Bar & Restaurant, Bangkok

To get to Witch’s Tavern, you can take the BTS to Thonglor and then catch a motorcycle or taxi from there. The bar is located on Sukhumvit 55 (Thonglor Road) between Soi 8 and 10. You could walk it, but it would take maybe 15 minutes.

All in all, Witch’s Tavern is definitely worth a visit in Bangkok for the awesome live music alone.