Genghis

If you're currently in Bangkok and looking for something to do when mongering maybe this could be of interest to you. One of these could be useful if looking for somewhere to take a date but the other one probably not so much unless you just want an excuse to both get drunk. Awakening Song Wat is a little festival where Songwat Rd and nearby alleyways are filled with light installations and art. It starts at 18.00 each day until 12/7.26 and if going I'd recommend you get there earlier than that to watch the sun set over the river from one of the riverside bars or cafes in the neighborhood before exploring the festival. Obviously there will be lots of food and drink available all over. If you don't know already Song Wat is a neighborhood between Chinatown and the river, it's always worth a visit and there's excellent places to eat or drink in this area as well as galleries and interesting places to explore. I haven't been to this festival this year but last year was pretty decent but very busy on weekends so I ended up hiding in bars to escape the crowd. If you're interested in trying it out I'd probably recommend going in midweek. https://www.timeout.com/bangkok/news/awakening-festival-song-wat-052126 The other event is called Sip Thai. It's a craft beer festival in Dusit Central Park. If you haven't already checked out Dusit Central Park I'd definitely recommend that you do that anyway, just for a walk through the little rooftop park for the spectacular views of the city across Lumphini Park. As well as there being lots of drinks available, there are DJs and live music so it could be fun for the beer lovers. This festival also runs until 12/7/26 from 11am in the Parkside Hall of Dusit Central Park. https://www.timeout.com/bangkok/news/song-craft-thailand-craft-beer-festival-070326

Hopefully the whole matter gets resolved quickly, along with the flight situation. I'm not going to discuss politics etc due to preferring to avoid that on LB forums so will just hope that anyone here who has friends or family in the gulf has a swift and safe resolution. Oh, one other thing: If anyone is stranded in Thailand due to the conflict there is a government scheme to compensate visitors with 2k per day and assistance with accommodation. It's not much but might help if you've blown all your money on being a 2 week millionaire. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3208269/special-help-for-stranded-foreign-tourists

I haven't tried it but as a rule I'd avoid buffets (especially at lower prices) in tourist places like that. There's always better food nearby in Bangkok and I tend not to trust buffets like that for hygiene either. Obviously, if you really wanna to go to the observation deck and are hungry it might have uses but it's not something I'd recommend to my friends who visit Bangkok.

I was going to write up the usual long and rambling post about Burmese food in Bangkok as it's something that I've really started to like eating recently but I'm both busy and feeling lazy today. Anyway, instead of writing too much I thought it would be easier just to post a YouTube video from a guy who has done several guides to Burmese food in BKK and they have helped me find this stuff. I will call out one place though that isn't on the video. The restaurant is Feel Myanmar (in Pratunam but worth the short trip) and it's probably my favourite Burmese restaurant. I eat here whenever possible even if it means coming up with an excuse to drag the Mrs to this part of town and then say "we may as well eat here again". https://maps.app.goo.gl/t1t2HT3kfpLCNKoTA As @MarkSussex mentioned earlier Burbrit on Soi 22 is a good place. It's a Burmese/British craft beer bar that serves some decent Burmese food as well as the usual bar food so could be a good first introduction to anyone curious about trying this type of food. The beers are good, the staff are nice and the happy hour is pretty long for anyone looking for a cheap option. https://maps.app.goo.gl/rzhn8WDrNPV8L7Mw7

Yup. I like it too. Good beers and food, including some Burmese options. Nice staff as well.

Great recommendation. I'll try this out, thanks. Burmese food is delicious and has become a favourite of mine over the last few years and there seems to be restaurants popping up all over Bangkok, probably due to the war in Myanmar. For anyone who hasn't tried Burmese food yet, I thoroughly recommend it. I'll add a few other recommendations here after watching the football, including a Burmese craft beer bar/restaurant that could be a decent introduction to anyone curious about trying that type of food the first time.

After a while there's only so much we can do to avoid being sick, especially if one of the focus of your trips is having as much sex as possible. Good luck staying well on your next trip Steve but most of all I hope you have a lot of fun and made plenty of excellent memories even though that means we have to take the bad along with the good occasionally.

This might be an unpopular suggestion but one of my rules for staying healthy while travelling is to avoid hotel buffet breakfasts. Fresh cooked eggs are the one exception I occasionally make but otherwise I just steer clear. I've been sick more from hotel breakfasts than eating local food as long as I use common sense of eating freshly cooked food at busy places that locals eat at too. I don't really eat much farang food these days in Thailand and am sick much less frequently but that's because I am very selective with which local food I go for. I always make sure it's cooked fresh even then, never go for the pre-cooked kebabs or sausages etc. On longer trips to Thailand I'm a bit less paranoid about where I can eat due to having adjusted and have no worries about eating at good khao gaeng places where the food is cooked in advance. However it has to be a good and busy place where the food doesn't last long. I certainly wouldn't do that at a random place. One other thing: despite being a seafood lover I often have to avoid seafood as I'm not sure it's fresh or handled well. I only eat seafood in places that are busy, know what they're doing and you know that they will not be keeping seafood overnight etc. That comes from painful experience of some of the worst types of food poisoning. As Taas said water is the key thing to watch out for. On shorter trips to Thailand (before I've adjusted and probably got sick in the process) I'm even very cautious about accidentally drinking water from showers and baths even though both are awkward if shared with a LB though.

That place is really good. I fully recommend it. If you like that type of old school Thai Chinese food and you're in the Song Wat area I'd also strongly recommend Urai Braised Goose and Lim Lao Sar Fishball Noodles. They've both been there for decades and for good reason, they're the best in the city for their particular specialities. Urai Braised Goose: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jFvdcmx8r4FQqzkc8 Lim Lao Sar: https://maps.app.goo.gl/2yWjvinUUTp72FYq7 There's loads of other good options in the area as well. Those 3 probably aren't even my personal favourites (that said, I like all 3 and some days find myself craving them specifically also the Mrs loves the goose and fishball places in particular) but they're pretty famous and deservedly so. Anyway, they are well worth a visit but so are a lot of places in that part of town in my opinion. All 3 of those places are very popular, the braised goose one on particular so good luck if you are trying that during the festival. We normally queue up well in advance to book our goose for later before they sell out.

If anyone is currently visiting Bangkok and would like to take advantage of the refreshing cooler weather to go exploring BKK in the daytime this might be a good option. The Song Wat festival is running over the next 3 days from 11.00-21.00 but the bars will be busy after that of course. This is a perfect opportunity to explore what has to be the coolest part of Bangkok right now. To get to Song Wat you just need to either catch the MRT to Wat Mangkon and walk 5 mins through Yaowarat or get off a boat at Ratchawong pier and that drops you just a few steps from Song Wat Road. Here's the location of one of the good bars in the middle of this neighborhood just in case you want to find your way there. https://maps.app.goo.gl/9nPenexAGgyBQHx47 The Song Wat neighbourhood is a small area between Chinatown/Yaowarat and the river. It has an interesting blend of attractive buildings mixed with street art and funky galleries spilling out onto the streets. Exploring this neighborhood on foot can be very rewarding with hidden surprises down nearly all the back alleys so it can easily take an afternoon. It's one of the most beautiful and interesting parts of the city, definitely somewhere that would appeal to any photographers out there too as there's a lot to see. There are so many excellent food options and some very funky bars in Song Wat but rather than give an extensive list right now I'd just suggest going to the festival and eating or drinking wherever appeals as it's all likely to be good and you might just prefer to enjoy what's happening on the streets for the festival at the time you're there. However I would recommend sitting at one of the riverside bars such as Barbon at sunset to enjoy the beautiful views if you're visiting for a first time. If any of you do decide to pay a visit to Song Wat over the next few days for the festival please feel free to message me for any specific recommendations as I know the area very well, it's one of my favourite parts of Bangkok. Edit: One more thing, this would make an excellent place to go with a LB date and make her happy, even if she doesn't know the place herself she'll recognise bits from her social media. Unfortunately that means she'll also inevitably want a lot of pictures taken in the same places but that would keep any LB happy as would all the excellent food in the area and it's an easy way to have a day out together. It's not an expensive option either.

This has to be my nomination for the thread that has veered most wildly off course in 2025. Great work everyone. Keep it up

Welcome aboard. The first post is always the most difficult for long time lurkers and it's never too late to stop. I hope you get to visit Thailand soon, it's better than you can imagine just from reading the forum.

I'm guessing he stapled them together to make it easier when attaching them to the carrier pigeon's leg.

Sorry if that came across as unnecessarily grumpy. Only an idiot like me chooses to arrive in Bangkok on a day when there is no alcohol being sold. It's made worse by me making sure I had enough spare time to go out for a sneaky beer before seeing the in-laws.

It looks like it could be a good place for a quick break when moving between the LB bars with that location. The old Art Box was a fun place. I was surprised when they tore it down due to it's popularity but that's typical for Bangkok really when the developers want to build another hotel or block of condos. Hopefully this market can last longer.