Crowded, loud, smelly — call it what you want, Bangkok is the gateway to Thailand — and much of Southeast Asia for that matter. It’s the city many love to hate, but find themselves in before making it to their destination, be it a beautiful Thai beach or a relaxing elephant sanctuary. Despite some apprehension we’d read and heard, we gave Bangkok its chance. In fact, we didn’t need to pass through Bangkok to spend time on our beach of choice (Koh Samui), or before our time in Chiang Mai — we flew from New York to Taipei and directly on from Taipei to Chiang Mai.

Bangkok was actually our last stop in Thailand. We were excited to explore the bustling capital — despite continuing to hear from travelers who’d made the reverse trek that it was just a quick stop on their journey to either Koh Samui or Chiang Mai. We spent 4 nights in Bangkok — what some might consider a lifetime. But, it gave us the time to adjust to the rhythm of the city, feel confident on the BTS, and ultimately — to try more than a few rooftop bars to be able to recommend the best to you.

Unless you’re on a super express, whirlwind trip to Thailand, give Bangkok the 48 hours it deserves. Maybe in part to adjust to the stark time difference from home, but also to find the cozy bars and restaurants and special people who are undoubtedly hiding somewhere in this huge city.

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Day One

11 AM : A Tearful Goodbye to Koh Samui

Admittedly, we were quite sad as we made our way to Bangkok, as it meant saying goodbye to Koh Samui, where we’d spent an amazing four days. But, we bit the bullet and boarded our Bangkok Airways flight for Bangkok. After just over an hour in the air, we were in Thailand’s capital.

From the airport, it’s easy to take the Airport Rail Link (SRTET) downtown. You’ll likely need to connect to your destination station, either at Phaya Thai for the BTS (Skytrain) or Makkasan for the Phetchaburi MRT (underground). The cost for the Airport Rail Link to Phaya Thai comes in at 45 Baht, or about $1.50 — hard to beat! Google Maps’ transit feature is a lifesaver when planning travel in a new city and worked well for us in Thailand, so you can use that to find out where you’ll need to transfer!

We were a bit lost, however, when it came to figuring out the most cost-efficient way to ride the BTS. The basic form of ticketing is to buy a one way ticket each time you ride. This entails putting your destination into the machine which will then display your fare, which can range from 15 – 55 baht, our average was 30 (~$1). The inconvenience of this option is that you must wait in line each time you ride, and that most of the machines only accept coins, which you’ll need to ensure you have on hand. There are day passes for 140 baht, but you’ll need to ensure you’re riding 4+ times a day to get your money’s worth if you buy one of these.

We also saw locals swiping cards, so we knew there must be an option to buy a stored-value card like we’re used to in New York. I later found out these Rabbit Cards cost 200 baht (100 issuing fee + 100 deposit). Ultimately, unless you’re spending an extended period of time in Bangkok (or planning to return multiple times), the headache of buying and returning the Rabbit Card doesn’t seem worth it. Instead, ensure you have enough coins on you to buy the one-way ticket from the machine!

After transferring from the SRTET to the BTS at Phaya Thai, we took the BTS to Asok to check-in to our hotel.

1 PM : Checking out (and in to) Sukhumvit 

Choosing a hotel in Bangkok was admittedly overwhelming. With a huge city comes countless different neighborhoods and hotels to choose from. A lot of the luxury hotels can be found in both the centrally located Siam and Silom neighborhoods, or along the banks of the Chao Phraya river. Another popular neighborhood is Sukhumvit, where we stayed. Sukhumvit is quite large and parts of it are a bit quieter than the center of the city is, but are still well-connected by the BTS.

My main piece of advice when choosing a hotel in Bangkok is to ensure you’re within walking distance from a BTS station. As mentioned, Bangkok is large — you won’t be able to walk everywhere, and you probably won’t want to try to get around by taxi during rush hour. So, as long as you find yourself near public transportation, you’ll be able to navigate the city easily and quickly. Where you stay will also likely be dictated by how long you’re staying. If you’re only staying for a night and want to spend your time at the city’s famous temples, I would stay along the river, which provides very easy access to the city’s top tourist attractions by boat. If you’re staying longer, I would stay in Siam, Silom, or Sukhumvit, which are more centrally-located for other highlights of the city — restaurants, shopping, and nightlife.

After splurging on our hotel in Koh Samui, we also decided we’d choose a more low key option in Bangkok, where we didn’t expect to be spending much time in our room anyway. Tints of Blue was a small, homey choice just off Sukhumvit 27 and near the Asok BTS station. At $70/night for a double (including breakfast), it was a good value, and got the job done. However, if your budget allows, I’d consider moving closer to the Nana BTS station — where there was more nightlife and restaurants than in our area of the neighborhood.

2 PM : Lunch at Bangkok’s Best Cafeteria

Unequivocally, our favorite find in Bangkok was the Siam Nara market. We’d asked a tour guide we met in Bangkok where he recommended going for lunch – and after asking us if we’d be open to going to his favorite “cafeteria”, he told us Siam Nara was his go-to spot. The market is unassuming, with plastic chairs and Pepsi-branded tables. It was buzzing when we walked in — full of friends on lunch breaks who seemed to be just as friendly with the vendors as one another.

Siam Nara has 20-some food stalls offering a variety of classic Thai dishes. After spending too much time debating our options and trying to decipher the mainly Thai menus, we settled on a chicken noodle soup from one vendor and a minced pork and rice dish from another.

Our decisions did not end in finally choosing a stall, however, as we were soon handed a half constructed bowl of soup, motioned to personalize the rest from a selection of toppings and different broths and sauces. Trying to take note from the locals in front of me, I topped the steaming bowl with the toppings I knew I’d had on other, restaurant-made bowls on our trip thus far. Luckily, our concoctions turned out to be delicious — although I’m not sure how a bowl of spicy noodles wouldn’t be! We loved the food so much we went back for seconds of the pork — at 100 baht a dish, it’s hard not to order more.

We ordered an iced coffee to go from another vendor and were handed the drink in its very own bag! We noticed the bag come in handy for many motorcyclists and tuk tuk drivers, who hung their coffees off the handle of their steering wheels as they whizzed by. Fair warning – the iced coffee in Thailand served as both a coffee and a dessert – as it was almost always made with cream and sugar.

To get to Siam Nara, we took the BTS to Chong Nonsi, which is only a few blocks from the market. According to its Facebook, Siam Nara is open every day aside from Sunday. Even if the market is a bit of a hike from your accommodation, I would recommend making the trip! It was the most local meal we had in Thailand. Although we were the only tourists in the place and weren’t able to communicate with many of the vendors, they were all very friendly and the photos on the menu helped us to be able to order!

3 PM : Shop ‘til you Drop X 4

We tuk tuk-ed from the market to MBK Center, one of the city’s mega-malls. Although we didn’t take many tuk tuks in Thailand, they are convenient for going shorter distances when you’d rather not work up a sweat, and are fun to take once or twice! If you do tuk tuk, just make sure you negotiate the price of the ride upfront and, if possible, try to give the driver an address in lieu of the name of the place. In the case of MBK, it was more effective to tell him we were going there specifically, but the drivers are notorious for trying to persuade you to go to a different restaurant (where they get incentives for bringing patrons), for example, if they know you’re going to grab a meal.

After failing to pick up any souvenirs in Chiang Mai and Koh Samui, we needed to find some before flying out of Bangkok in a few days, and MBK was recommended as the place to do so. Once Asia’s largest mall, MBK will likely overwhelm you. It’s a combination of stalls, selling everything from tacky souvenirs to fake designer goods, and brick and mortar stores. That being said, if you’re willing to spend a bit of time exploring at least a couple of the seven floors, you’re likely to leave with a few treasures at good prices.

If you’re looking for a more upscale shopping experience, there are three additional options all within walking distance of MBK Center. We walked to Siam Discovery from MBK, as the two are connected by a pedestrian bridge (that also connects both to the National Stadium BTS station). Siam Discovery is definitely worth a visit – it pins itself as having a more “lifestyle” focus than its neighbors, and the mall itself is well-designed and nice to look at.

From Siam Discovery, you can also walk to Siam Center by another connection bridge. Siam Center has a day’s worth of clothing stores – from Forever 21 to lesser-known Thai designers.

From Siam Center, you can walk to the fourth of the malls – Siam Paragon. Another beautiful mall, Siam Paragon has many upscale stores, so you might not be walking out with many new purchases, but it’s still fun to walk around.

If you’re confused by your many different shopping options, you’re not alone. It can be overwhelming to choose a mall to visit in Bangkok. Unless you’re in search of a specific store, I’d recommend going to MBK and one of the three others mentioned above (Siam Discovery, Center, or Paragon) to see the different sides of the Bangkok shopping spectrum. As shopping is a popular pastime in Bangkok, the malls all have long hours and are open every day of the week.

From Siam Paragon we boarded the BTS at Siam and made the short trip back to Asok.

6 PM : Magical Views Above Eleven

After getting ready for dinner, we set out for a night of good food, drinks — and views!

Like choosing a hotel in Bangkok, choosing a rooftop bar to visit can be daunting. There are 20+ to choose from and each has its unique selling point — tallest, featured in Hangover 2, etc. We tried out a few and preferred Above Eleven, for both the drinks and vibes. Named for being 33 floors above Sukhumvit 11, the bar will be in walking distance from your accommodations if you do choose to stay near the Nana station in Sukhumvit. If not, the bar is about a ten minute walk from the Nana BTS stop.

I’d recommend going to Above Eleven right when it opens at 6:00p, depending on what time the sun is setting when you’re in Bangkok. We enjoyed the Peruvian inspired cocktails as we were treated to an especially beautiful cotton candy colored sunset, shown in the featured image at the top of the post! We admired the other tables who enjoyed a few appetizers — the menu sounded delicious, if you’re up for a few bites before dinner (or if you choose to eat here). The prices are escalated, as to be expected with an escalated dining experience, but I’d deem the view worth the splurge!

The bar is relaxed, with comfortable seating and music playing at the right level (so you can still hear your friends). The space is two-floors and is quite beautiful, said to be designed to look and feel like you’re sitting in a park – with the beams extending into the air like tree branches. Although the bar isn’t the tallest in Bangkok, it still affords great views of the city. I actually preferred being a bit lower at Above Eleven to some of the higher bars, as they got quite windy and cold.

Do keep in mind that Above Eleven (and most other rooftop bars in Bangkok) have a dress code. Definitely avoid wearing open-toed shoes, tank tops, or anything else you’d wear to the beach.

8 PM : Sampling Southern Thailand’s Spicy Cuisine

We headed to Khua Kling Pak Sod in Thonglor for dinner, which is a few miles from Above Eleven. At night, we tended to call cars in lieu of taking the BTS as the traffic was much more bearable.

» A Quick Note About Taxis in Thailand

Throughout Thailand, we used Grab, which works very similarly to Uber (the two combined their operations in Thailand in 2018), and is very affordable! If you’ve never used Grab before, there are also promo codes available to make your first rides even cheaper! One of the first things we saw upon landing in Thailand was an ad for Grab with a promo code for 50% your first 5 rides!

I love using taxi apps in foreign countries for a few reasons. First, it removes the need to negotiate fares with taxi drivers, something I loathe and am not very good at! And second, it allows you to input the address yourself, avoiding any potential issues or miscommunications when trying to tell a taxi driver where you’re headed.

Using Grab, our trip to Khua Kling Pad Sod was only about ~$5. Taking the BTS would’ve been slightly cheaper in this case (walking to Nana and taking BTS 3 stops to Thong Lo) but we were hungry and convenience got the best of us!

We really enjoyed our meal at Khua Kling Pak Sod. We shared a number of Southern Thai classics including Khua Kling Moo Sab (stir-fried spicy minced pork), Kai Pa Loh (stew with pork belly and hard-boiled eggs), Moo Pad Prik Gaeng Kiew (pork with green curry), and Kao Pad Gaprao Moo Grob (fried rice with basil and pork belly) many of which were recommended by the manager.

Like many restaurants we visited in Thailand, Khua Kling Pak Sod had a HUGE menu, and although the pictures helped, we leaned on the server to see what she recommended. My favorite dish at Khua Kling Pad Sod was the fried rice with pork – so good! Khua Kling Pak Sod is family run, and has a few locations in Bangkok. In addition to having good food, it also had a very friendly staff, who were welcoming – and like many other Thais, were worried their spicy dishes would be too hot for us (but we proved them wrong)!!

Most of the dishes we ordered were under 200 baht (~$6), with the priciest coming in at 280 (~$9), still very affordable for high quality food! The Thonglor location is open daily, until 9:30p.

10 PM : Impromptu Karaoke Night at Iron Fairies

If you’ve arrived in Bangkok today, I’ll gamble you’re not up for another drink, but if you happen to visit Bangkok in the middle of your vacation as we did, you might want to check out one more spot tonight. We made our way to Iron Fairies, which was only about a ten minute walk from Khua Kling Pak Sod. The bar is cozy, dark (the brightest lights are used to illuminate the jars of fairy dust on the wall), and just-so-happened to be hosting karaoke night when we were there.

Admittedly, we didn’t realize we’d walked in on a karaoke night when we first opened the door to Iron Fairies — I initially remarked to my friend that they were playing a pretty bad song (sorry to said karaoke singer, wherever you may be)! But no, it wasn’t a mediocre song playing over the speakers, but a patron having fun singing her favorite song for her friends and the rest of the bar.

It was fun to try a few of the drink concoctions (I enjoyed the Cosmopolitan Fairy) and listen to the other bar-goers, all of whom were Thai, but were choosing (mostly) American songs to sing. We heard quite a few Lady Gaga renditions! The emcee did welcome us to take our turn on the microphone, but we politely declined.

So check out Iron Fairies, you never know what you’ll get (besides a good drink, that you can rely on)! If you do happen to be in Bangkok on a Monday and would like to sing for a crowd of Thais, the karaoke night is a recurring event, just check the Facebook for the latest info! Like Above Eleven, Iron Fairies had a “smart casual” dress code, so ensure you don’t look like you came from the beach – closed-toed shoes are a must.

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Day Two

7:30 AM : All-day Temple Tour

It would take weeks to visit the 400+ temples (or “wats”) in the Bangkok area. Much more than just places of worship for the 95% of Thais who practice Buddhism, temples are historical monuments and architectural feats. It’ll be an admittedly action-packed day, but you can see three of Bangkok’s most-well known temples before sunset.

Probably the #1 piece of advice you’ll read when planning your visit to the temples is to get up early to beat the crowds. If Bangkok is your first stop on your trip, jet lag may be on your side here. I know a number of people who ended up waking up at the crack of dawn due to the time difference and found themselves first in line to these sacred sights. If not, it’s worth trying to wake up to get to the Grand Palace when it opens.

After eating breakfast at our hotel, we headed out for a packed day.

The Grand Palace, along with its neighboring temples, may be the only places in Bangkok not well-connected by either the BTS nor the MRT. It is, however, very easy (and fun) to get to them by boat. Staying in Sukhumvit, we had to take the BTS to get to the river, where the water taxis are continuously shuttling locals and tourists up and down.  That being said, the trip ended up being easy and quite enjoyable! A boat trip down the Chao Phraya river is a must in Bangkok, so why not kill two birds with one stone!

We boarded the BTS at Asok and transferred to the Silom line at Siam. There, we took the train towards Bang Wa and got off at Saphan Taksin. The ticket cost us 44 baht ($1.50). Once at Saphan Taksin, it’s an easy walk to Sathorn pier where you’ll catch the Chao Phraya Express Boat.

When you get to the pier, you’ll likely see more than one line. One thing to avoid is the staff trying to sell tickets on the “tourist boats”. These are essentially floating hop-on, hop-off buses, but their prices are significantly inflated over the express boats. At 200 baht for a day pass, you’d have to hop on and off more than 10 times to make the ticket worth its while. I’d recommend walking past the tourist boat line to the next table, where you can buy a ticket for the express boats. Make sure you have coins or small notes as the ticket sales are manned at a small table, no credit card machines in sight! At 15 baht/ticket ($.50), there really is no better way to get around Bangkok!

To get to the Grand Palace from Sathorn Pier, you’ll board either the orange, green, or “no flag” boats. The Express boats are color-coded by the flags at their bows. The boats do come regularly, but that doesn’t mean they don’t get full! If you’d like a seat (which I do recommend for the best view), I’d consider waiting for the next boat if the first one that arrives is already standing-room only!

The boat will whiz away from Sathorn and come to its next stop within a few minutes. Although the Bangkok water won’t be (even close to) the bluest you’ve ever seen, the ride will give you an authentic view of the city. The boats are full of locals going about their routines and you’ll see hundreds of additional colorful long tail boats shuttling goods and people by. Twenty minutes later, hop off (literally, you’ll notice the boats don’t make especially long stops) at the Tha Chang stop for the Grand Palace.

On the Chao Phraya express website, you can get a good visualization of the boat routes and stops!

8:30 AM : The Grandest of the Temples

The Grand Palace opens at 8:30 every morning, and the earlier you get there, the fewer people you’ll have in your pictures! In all seriousness, it does get very, very crowded, so if you’re able to start your day early, you’ll be rewarded with a much more serene, less hectic experience. Just keep in mind, if you’re in fact an especially early riser, the Chao Phraya boats don’t start running until 6am. Despite our best efforts, we weren’t able to get to the Grand Palace quite at 8:30a, and although the crowds were sizeable upon our arrival closer to 10:00a, they were still bearable.

From the pier, it’s a short walk to the entrance of the Grand Palace. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you are suddenly surrounded by vendors selling elephant pants. On that note, you will need long pants and covered shoulders to enter the Grand Palace. Officially, there are no tank tops, short sleeves that show shoulders, bare backs or stomachs, low cut tops, pants or skirts that show ankles, or flip-flops. We bought lightweight pants before heading to Thailand and wore short-sleeved tops with no problem. The dress code is strictly enforced at the Grand Palace, but you will be able to pick up (or even rent) a new pair of pants or a top on your way in for a few dollars if you don’t have room in your suitcase to bring a pair from home. I would also caution against wearing sandals with too many straps as it can get quite time-consuming to take them on and off every time you enter a temple!

Visiting the Grand Palace will cost you 500 baht (~$16) and an audio guide will be an additional 200 (~$6 and a credit card to be left as a deposit). The audio guide will bring you through the complex, but you’re always free to skip on a “stop” if it doesn’t interest you. I liked having the narration as I explored the Palace and it definitely helped to paint a better picture of what I was looking at! One drawback of the audio guide is its 90 minute time limit, after which you’re charged for additional time. If you’re planning to explore the palace leisurely, you may find this time limit constraining. In this case, you can also consider downloading an app with a guide on your phone, like “Grand Palace Bangkok Guide”. Unfortunately, the full guide isn’t free (it’s $3.99), but the demo is, and will give you a good introduction at the very least!

There’s a lot to be explored within the Grand Palace, it’d take a lifetime to analyze every inscription and detail in the many courtyards and buildings. Take in as much as you can and don’t miss the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), where you’ll find the most revered of Thai Buddha. You’ll likely be surprised as you enter the Temple of the Emerald Buddha as the statue is only two feet tall! Without stealing the audio guide’s thunder – I’ll give away that my favorite fun fact from the tour was that the Emerald Buddha gets his clothes changed three times a year by the king of Thailand, the only person who’s authorized to dress him!

My favorite aspect of the Grand Palace were the statues, each so intricate. Many of these mystical creatures, commonly known as yakshas, serve as protectors of Buddha, which is why you’ll see them guarding the entrances of the complex or lining the stairs of the temples.

The Grand Palace is open daily from 8:30a-4:30p, but the ticket office closes a bit earlier at 3:30p.

11 am : The Largest of the Buddhas!

From the Grand Palace, it’s a short 10 minute walk to Wat Pho. This being said, there will be tuk tuks begging to shuttle you to Wat Pho if you so please. No judgement if you exercise this option, as you’ll undoubtedly be hot after exploring the Grand Palace for a few hours in your long pants! So, either walk slowly to avoid breaking a sweat (if you haven’t yet!) or hop in a tuk tuk!

The complex of Wat Pho will seem quite calm compared to the Grand Palace, which you’ll likely find refreshing! The temple is open from 8:00a-6:30p every day and entrance costs 200 baht (~$6).

The main attraction of Wat Pho is the reclining Buddha. In a juxtaposition to the Emerald Buddha you saw this morning, the reclining Buddha is almost too large to capture in a single picture – at 150 feet long and almost 50 feet high! At this size, the gold leaf-covered Buddha is quite a sight, I couldn’t stop taking pictures of it from every angle. The bottom of the Buddha’s feet are also a sight themselves, depicting the 108 characters of Buddha.

The grounds of Wat Pho are actually very large, so it’s up to you how much of them you chose to explore. One interesting aspect of Wat Pho is that it’s also a school for traditional medicine and massage. If you’re interested, you can get a massage here. They’re walk in only, so no need to make an appointment.

1 pm : Obligatory stop for an afternoon pad thai pad see ew!

After we left Wat Pho, we were ready to eat lunch (and cool off with an iced coffee!) but a bit skeptical of our options, being in a very touristy area of the city. That being said, a number of the restaurants right outside Wat Pho were well reviewed on TripAdvisor, so we took our chances!

We walked across the street to Ama, and were quickly enjoying iced coffees while we waited for our table. The restaurant is small, but it’s nicely decorated and airy, with colorful art and an open air dining area. Again, despite being across the street from Wat Pho, it was far less hectic than the shops in the Grand Palace area. We really enjoyed the spring rolls and the fried noodle with prawns (comparable to pad see ew, my Thai go-to).

We were very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food at Ama! Although the prices may be a bit higher than Bangkok’s averages, it’s quite hard to complain about pad thai at ~$3. Unless their Facebook page says otherwise, Ama is open every day from 11-5:30p.

2:30 pm : The Tallest of the Temples

From Ama, it’s a quick walk to Tha Tien pier, where you can hop on the express boat to make your way to today’s last temple, Wat Arun. Both the orange and the no flag boats will bring you across the river to Wat Arun, which is the next stop!

Wat Arun, or the Temple of Dawn, is named after the time of day the sun rises, when the light creates a special reflection off the temple’s surface. The temple is especially beautiful, built with colorful pieces of colored glass and porcelain. Once you pay the 50 baht (~$1.50) admission, you can enter the temple and climb the prang, the highest in Thailand. Though the stairs up are steep and narrow, you’ll be rewarded with lovely views of the river and surrounding area!

Wat Arun is open daily from 8:30a-5:30p, so if you got a later start today, make sure you make it here by 5p!

Once you’re done exploring Wat Arun, head back towards the pier to catch the boat back to Sathorn pier, where you’ll be able to transfer back to the BTS. After seeing all three temples we were quite excited to get back to the hotel and change into more weather-appropriate attire.

6 pm : Dinner at the World’s Largest Chinatown

Following our well-deserved showers, we headed back out to explore Bangkok’s Chinatown, the largest Chinatown in the world!

To get to Chinatown from Sukhumvit, we took the MRT for the first time! Our ride took us from the Sukhumvit stop to Hua Lamphong, the last stop on the line. As there’s no BTS close to Chinatown, the MRT is likely your best option. The ride from Sukhumvit was only about 10 minutes, cost 26 baht (less than $1), and was significantly less crowded than the MRT!

It’s about a ten minute walk to the main road of Chinatown, Yaowarat Road, from Hua Lamphong. You’ll know you’ve arrived when you see the Times Square-style neon signs take over the horizon. No matter the day or time you visit, Yaowarat Road will be buzzing. During the day, it’s packed with shops and stalls, selling a wide variety of goods, many of which are cheap, wholesale items. At night, the food stalls take over, offering almost anything you could want for dinner and dessert.

We didn’t have an idea of where we’d be having dinner when we arrived, so we continued walking up the main drag of Yaowarat road to assess our options. Many of the vendors and restaurants are on the main section of the road, but there are also some options on the nearby side streets.

Like elsewhere in Thailand, you’ll have your choice of a plethora of noodle dishes, cooked in large woks in front of you, as well as tons of fresh seafood, ranging from the everyday to the very, very exotic. If you’re feeling adventurous, this is definitely the place for you to try something new!

In rare situations like this one where I don’t have a restaurant chosen in advance, I will often seek out the ones that look most popular, with locals specifically. I trust anyone who frequents the area will know the very best spots! This decision-making process brought us to Nai Ek Roll Noodles.

Like many of your other options, Nai Ek is very casual, with plastic tables and chairs spilling onto the street. Our waitress didn’t speak English, but luckily the menu had pictures! Almost everyone in the restaurant was eating noodle soup and one of the options was the namesake “roll noodles soup” so we went with that. Ordering in a foreign language really does take some deductive reasoning! There were still a few different pork options to choose from – minced, crispy, and sliced – so we each ordered a different style!

I ended up with the sliced pork bowl, but I do have to say the crispy option was the best (as I would’ve guessed)! The soup was different from others we’d had around the country. The spice came from black pepper rather than chilis, and although I prefer the Thai version, it was nice to try a different style after a week of very similar soups! I still can’t believe how much soup the Thai like to eat despite living in a country where the average temperature is likely in the 80s, but that’s another conversation…

Depending on the size bowl you order at Nai Ek, you’ll pay anywhere from 50 to 100 baht (~1.50-$3) so you should be able to splurge on at least one dessert! If so inclined, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to try to infamous, smelly durian fruit. We opted for a more classic fried dough, known as patongo, which came with an indulgent dipping sauce of condensed milk!

8:30 PM : Exploring Adjacent Soi Nana

Next to Chinatown is Soi Nana, a neighborhood that hasn’t attracted many visitors historically, but has put itself on the map over the past few years. Soi Nana’s emergence as a cool neighborhood can primarily be attributed to the opening of numerous speciality bars, a number of which have received worldwide attention. Make your way back towards the Hua Lamphong MRT station, and you will find yourself at the first stop on our Soi Nana bar crawl.

Despite reading about the increased popularity of Soi Nana, we found ourselves approaching our first stop, Tep Bar, on a very quiet, dimly lit street. We chalked it up to it being a Sunday night, and as soon as we opened the door to Tep, we indeed found ourselves in a buzzing bar. The two-story bar is small and intimate, with dim lighting and select tables offering cushioned floor seats. The band was in fact unique, playing instruments that were not all familiar to us, including Thai cymbals, drums, and xylophones. The clientele was mostly young Thai, enjoying dinner and drinks with friends while taking in the music, which filled the space.

We took the last available table upstairs, with a view overlooking the band and perused the very large drink menu. We finally narrowed down our options and ordered the Rot Ja Na (which is served with a moonshine pineapple chunk) and a Thai Sabai! Something about fruit-y tiki drinks always gets me…

Tep will undoubtedly be different from any other bar you visit in Thailand. We spent almost an hour listening to the music – and watching the skilled musicians play the foreign instruments. I will caveat that the music was quite loud and limited conversation, and the drinks were definitely pricey for Bangkok, so the bar might not be for everyone, but if you’re willing to pay for the unique experience, add Tep Bar to your list!

If you’re visiting on a weekend, I’d suggest making a reservation to secure your table. Also, keep in mind the band plays from 8:00p-11:30p on Sunday-Thursday and 8:00p-12:30a on Friday & Saturday.

After leaving Tep Bar, we walked around the corner to Wallflowers Upstairs, in search of their rooftop bar. This isn’t one of Bangkok’s glitzy rooftop bars – it’s only a few flights above the street and feels like an intimate, secret backyard garden. We treated ourselves to another round of fruity cocktails as we enjoyed this little jungle oasis in the middle of the huge city.

If you’re up for one more stop, head just a few feet to Teens of Thailand. Bangkok’s first gin bar, Teens of Thailand is another cocktail bar, changing its drink list daily. You can always find gin and tonic creations on the rotating menu, inspired by local ingredients and spices.

Depending on what time you leave, you may not want to take the MRT back home, although it does run until midnight. We opt-ed for a Grab back to Sukhumvit, which came out to less than $5.

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Day Three

9 AM : Obligatory Pad Thai for Breakfast!

Bangkok was our last stop in Thailand, but we had half the day to spend before heading to the airport for our evening flight to Hong Kong. Our last activity in Bangkok was actually the first we planned — a cooking class! As a foodie, I really enjoy learning about (and tasting, of course) the local cuisine, and a cooking class is a really great way to do so.

There are cooking classes offered all over Thailand, but I would actually recommend going in Bangkok if it’s your first stop! I wish we’d done the class earlier in our trip as it’s a great way to gauge which Thai flavors and dishes you like best — and keep you from only ordering Pad Thai everywhere!! At Chef Leez, you’ll try three separate types of curry paste (red, yellow, and green) and decide which you like best! I also found out after a few meals in Thailand that there was an ingredient in most curries I didn’t like, and finally figured out during the cooking class that it was shredded kaffir lime leaf. I would’ve loved to know this at the beginning of the trip to try to tailor my ordering accordingly!

Chef Leez’s standard class is from 10-2pm every day and costs 2,000 baht (~$63). Her kitchen/home is located about 30-45 minutes outside the center of the city, but we had no trouble getting there using Grab, which came out to $12. Chef Leez has a nice, large kitchen with a good number of additional employees helping you every step of the way.

We started class by frying shrimp to make the paste of a couple of variations of Tom Yum soup — nothing like fried shrimp at 11am! The soup is a Thai classic, and served as a delicious appetizer. We continued on to make our own Pad Thai in large woks — the hardest part was perfectly coating the wok with the scrambled egg before adding the remaining ingredients. Following the Pad Thai, we moved onto the various types of curries, exploring the different ingredients in the three types.

After enjoying the curries and a few other dishes, we moved onto the dessert, which stole the show. We made mango sticky rice, which ended up being the best thing I ate in Thailand. I can’t tell you exactly what we did differently in Chef Leez’s kitchen, but this mango sticky rice — perfectly cooked rice topped with sweet coconut cream and little crispies, paired with some of the freshest mango ever — was especially delicious. I finished the portion so quickly that Chef Leez came over to assure me there was enough to make another portion. This mango sticky rice was so good I’d wished I had tried more variations of the dessert throughout the country!

Overall, the class was enjoyable and engaging thanks to Chef Leez’s good sense of humor! It was the right level of “hands-on” — you’ll get the level of autonomy (or help) you need, depending on your experience level. I left knowing much more about what goes into my favorite Thai dishes, unfortunately just in time for the end of my time in Thailand — guess that means I have to go back soon!

Following the class, Chef Leez brought us to the canal water taxi near her home, for one last Bangkok boat ride! We made our way back to our hotel to grab our bags and head to the airport for our early evening flight.

3 PM : An Excited Hello to Hong Kong

We called one last Grab as we were leaving from Don Mueang Airport, Bangkok’s smaller airport serving more regional destinations. Although it is possible to get to DMK by public transit, it’s not as seamless as the trip to/from Suvarnabhumi. Our Grab only cost $12, and with 4 of us, that was a no-brainer, but depending on the time of day and day of the week, it’s important to check how long you’ll need based on estimated traffic.

As we left Bangkok, we were more than excited to explore Hong Kong, but did find a special place in our hearts for this busy metropolis. Although undeniably crowded (and sometimes smelly), Bangkok does have cozy bars and welcoming locals waiting to win you over!