Our “One Night in Bangkok” (exotic 80’s song, written by ABBA) was actually three nights of eating, drinking and watching the Lady Boys perform live. Bangkok is truly international, and is an orgy of vibrant sights, smells and tastes with people going everywhere at all times of the night. Traffic is a nightmare, and traffic laws are mere suggestions rather than “rules of the road.” Strangely, at most intersections where you would expect a traffic light to regulate the traffic, they instead installed small marker lights on the road at each corner of the intersection as a warning that you are approaching an intersection. We witnessed cars entering intersections from all four directs simultaneously, and yet somehow it all works.
Tuk Tuk Food Tour
Food, Glorious Food! Touring the hustle-bustle Bangkok streets at night via Tuk Tuk is definitely a stimulating experience everyone should have at least once. Over the course of the evening, we toured three Michelin restaurants and sampled the goods.
The first stop was literally a “hole in the wall” that used to be a food stand only, but the Government forced the owner to move indoors. So what did the owner do – she put her entire kitchen outside in the alley and left the store for dining. I won’t claim the sanitation was the best, but the noodles were super Krispy and had that smokey flavor that only high heat wok cooking can deliver. By far, my favorite was the Pad Thai restaurant (I got to meet the chef), where they served the best crispy pork belly. Close your eyes and imagine crispy / crunch outer skin, then you hit the middle layer of yummy pork goodness, and then the deeply satisfying fat layer. Anyone who doesn’t consider Pork Belly a delicacy (as Eunjae) is just not normal.
The final stop of the night, thank goodness as we were stuffed, was the Swing Bar where the cool kids hung out. The bar is on a rooftop that overlooks one of the many temples and best of all offers “Brewdog Punk IPA”. After drinking Lagers throughout Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, finding one of my favorite IPA Beers seemed to be a sign. Sadly, I made this discovery after already having a cocktail, so I took solace in knowing that good taste in beer exists in Thailand.
Thailand’s ancient capital, Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya evoked memories of Siem Reap in Cambodia and for good reason. Both locations share a common heritage and use bricks as the primary building elements. Ayutthaya is a city in Thailand, about 80 kilometers north of Bangkok. It was capital of the Kingdom of Siam, and a prosperous international trading port, from 1350 until razed by the Burmese in 1767. The ruins of the old city now form the Ayutthaya Historical Park (UNESCO protected), an archaeological site that contains palaces, Buddhist temples, monasteries and statues which were influenced by Cambodian and Burmese architectures. The park is on an island between 3 rivers. The King and his wives and family are entombed in the tall spire looking buildings, and inside there were gold and other treasures. Unfortunately, during invasion by Burma, many of these sites were plundered/burned, the Burmese soldiers beheaded all of the Buddha status in trying to find hidden gold inside the bodies.
Lady Boys
No matter where you fall on the Transgender debate, the Thai Lady Boys are impressive and everywhere. Honestly, some of the men are so effeminate, that even when dressed in masculine clothing they are more feminine than most women. We attended a cabaret show where the ladies strutted their stuff, and it was excellent. The choreography, dancing and vitality was on full display, and although there was mild sexuality, the emphasis was on talent and professional artistry versus raunchiness for shock value. We were seated next to a table of lesbian women, and I swear they had the best time and made so much noise hooting and hollering it was funny to observe. Who would think that lesbians would want to see men dressed as women?
Grand Palace Complex
Imagine being on LSD and deciding “I want to build a palace with as many colors and sharp angles as possible…” and you have the Grand Palace. To enter the Grand Palace, you must show the King proper respect by fully dressing up your shoulders, knees and midriff; covering these body parts with a scarf which is acceptable in temples, is not acceptable in palaces. Hence why you see me rocking the world’s ugliest elephant pants and Eunjae in a conservative temple dress. I would have rather worn the Lowlander Skirt, as the pants are a thin synthetic that stick to you when it is hot and humid; which it always is! The work and patience required to hand cut and install all of the glass tiles in such infinite details is astounding and the artistry is amazing.
Final Thoughts
This blog concludes our Southeast Asia series. An amazing trip with so many memories, and we came away with a greater appreciation of the culture and history. We have already made plans to return to Hoi An (Vietnam) and Siem Reap (Cambodia) in November 2026 for some extended shopping and eating, so make your reservations now if you want to join us.
Speaking of shopping, we brought two suitcases with us each weighing roughly 20 Kg. By the end of the trip our suitcases had ballooned to 38 Kg each and we are now the owners of a small Thai pantry. Cooking will begin soon, and we look forward to entertaining our Serbian friends once we gain some proficiency.
