Beer, brothels and bold European tourists… there are certain clichés one has in mind about Bangkok without having been there. We did not really have to abandon them, but we also found that Bangkok is much more than that. In fact, Bangkok’s red light district isn’t any bigger than in most other capitals and there are certainly more Westerners in Phuket than here.
Bangkok has a bit of everything. It is a very diverse metropolis and one of the most booming cities in Asia. Besides girls and alcohol it has the incredible Grand Palace – more colourful than the Forbidden City in Beijing, a business district almost as ambitious as Singapore’s with skyscrapers including the best roof top bar I have ever seen, boats on its waterways that are cheaper than in Amsterdam, a subway cleaner than in London and finally awesome street food all over town that is rivalling the stalls in Kuala Lumpur.
If you go there on a tight budget, check out Lee 4 guesthouse on Soi Saphan Kuu close to Lamphini Park subway station. Double rooms with fan and ensuite bathroom for 160 Baht – about 4€. We did splash one night though, when we had drinks at that rooftop bar called Vertigo on the 62nd floor…well the absolute roof… of the Banyan Tree Hotel Sathon. One beer was way more expensive than a night at the guesthouse. The view there is breathtaking, the lid of the whisky bottle is the highest solid point of the building and the glass fences are so close to the edge that you get dizzy looking down. If you plan to go there, make sure you stick to the dresscode though, they are a bit picky about that.
So yes, I did have some beer there, but the lady with me was my wife and no, I am not bold (at least not yet). So much about clichés.
