The second half of my Bangkok adventure was just as much fun as the first.
Monday turned out to be my colleague Lily's birthday, which was duly celebrated with a pizza lunch in the office, and some post work libations. Our first drink was at one of the coolest bars in town, House on Sathorn, just across the street from the office. Ensconced within an immaculately restored nineteenth century mansion that later housed the Russian embassy, House on Sathorn now sits on the grounds of the W Bangkok Hotel. The imposing structure gives way to warm, hushed interiors. Post-work Singhas in this dreamy venue would surely become a mainstay of office life if I were ever based full time out of our Bangkok office!
With the team at House on Sathorn
After a few more pints in another nearby bar called M Pub, I bolted off to Khaosan Road for an extra special reunion with my friend Nikki. When I was a kid, I went to an amazing summer camp in Princeton called Albemarle. After I was too old to attend as a camper, I returned as a staff member, spending two years as a "zombie" (the kitchen staff, who wake up uber-early to set up for breakfast, hence the nickname) and another year as a counselor. My three summers as a camper and three further ones on staff at Albemarle have long lingered in my memory as some of my best memories.
So when I saw on Facebook that Nikki, one of my former campers, was in Thailand, I shot her a message. It turned out she was in Bangkok for one night, and one night only, and so we hatched a plan to meet up for drinks at a cool bar called Madame Musur, just off Khaosan Road.
What a great time we had, sipping cold beers, singing old camp songs and reminiscing about all the good old days! We brought up practically every name we could remember from those summers. And of course, there was plenty of post-camp life to catch up on, including what brought each of us from the great state of New Jersey to the magical land of Southeast Asia.
It turned into a pretty late night, but it was so great to catch up with Nikki that it was totally worth it!
Tuesday was another fun night out with some office colleagues, including Ellie who was celebrating her birthday just one day after Lily! We started with burgers and Manhattans at a whisky and cigar joint cleverly called Whisgars. And then we migrated across the street to the uber-cool subterranean Maggie Choo's, where cheongsam-donning girls in matching black wigs sit upon swings and perch on ledges above the bar all while a jazz band performs in the dimly lit speakeasy displaying concrete busts of Queen Victoria and old paintings of schooners.
As the group dwindled, ultimately leaving only my colleague Pauline, birthday girl Ellie and myself, we headed to Park Society, the rooftop bar of the Sofitel So, within walking distance of my hotel. A Clover Club complete with the dreamy view made for a perfect nightcap over the twinkling metropolis.
I could hardly believe it, but Thursday was my final day working out of the office. We all headed out as a team for farewell drinks after the five o'clock whistle, first at a new bar called Bunker and then back to M Pub for some cold pints and live music.
Friday was a public holiday, and so I was a tourist again, and would remain one for the remainder of my trip. With my work days behind me, my accommodation also ran out. The company didn't mind paying for my return flight on Sunday, as long as I was able to sort my own hotel for the last two nights. I left it to the last minute, and in the end, I just wound up booking two extra nights in the Urbana, although I did have to switch rooms because my own was not available. The new one would be ready after 2pm, but I had to check out of my first room before noon. And with such a short time left in Bangkok, there were places to go and things to do, so I left my bags in the lobby and headed out!
I took the river ferry up towards Khaosan Road and booked a bike tour for the following morning. Back in 2012, when I spent my Easter vacation in Thailand with Ally and Courtney, we did a nighttime cycle around Bangkok through Grasshopper Adventures that remains one of my favorite memories of the trip. And since Grasshopper also offers a morning tour of the city, it seemed like a no brainer to sign up for it!
Then I hopped the bus to Dusit Park, where I planned to visit Vimanmek Palace, the last bona fide tourist attraction on my nearly-complete Bangkok to do list. The world's largest teak mansion, Vimanmek was once inhabited by King Rama V, though only for around five years. An English speaking guide took me on a private tour of the stunning home. What made it so compellingly intriguing for me was the personal side of the Thai monarchy on display. While many royal residences are decorated with oil paintings and silver statuary, Vimanmek was filled with family photographs and gifts from friends.
In addition to the stunning park, a few other museums are also located on the grounds, so I checked out one detailing the history of Thai fabrics and another concerning royal white elephants before heading back home, with a stop for pad Thai before another boat journey to Sathorn pier.
I wanted to be fresh as a daisy for my bike tour the next morning, so I decided to have a quiet night. (Because it was a Buddhist holiday, there was also a county-wide ban on alcohol for twenty-four hours, making it easy for me to lay low.) I wandered up Convent Road to Patpong, which hides an authentic French bistro in the midst of the debauchery of one of Bangkok's best known raunchy nightlife districts. In candlelit Le Bouchon, I feasted upon fois gras ravioli and an off-the-charts poached pear with ice cream. (Mercifully, they were still allowed to drizzle the ravioli in port and poach the pear in red wine despite the daylong prohibition.)
Grasshopper Adventures certainly did the right thing by putting the word adventures in their name. If you are up for a leisurely cycle along quiet paths, their tours are not for you. But if you're up for a wild ride through the heart and soul of Bangkok, look them up next time you're in town!
Many of the paths we rode along were scarcely wide enough for a single file line of cyclists. A few inches in the wrong direction, and you'd either be up against someone's wall or in a foetid canal. But what a way to see the city. We stopped for tasty Thai snacks under a bridge, explored a neighborhood temple and even rode a ferry with our bikes.
As our group wound its way back towards the Grasshopper Adventures headquarters at the tour's conclusion, I spied a structure in the distance that was undeniably the Giant Swing, a tourist attraction I'd read about but never seen. So after a root beer and wipe down in the air conditioned waiting room, I said goodbye to the group and headed over.
Back in the day, a certain festival involved Brahmans swinging in arc formations in an attempt to grab bags of coins. The ceremony was cancelled in the mid-1930s due to fatal accidents, and the structure deteriorated over the ensuing decades. Alas, all that remains these days are the swing's massive pillars, themselves replacements of the originals, which had decayed beyond repair.
However, the temple adjacent to the swing, Wat Suthat, is most impressive indeed, with large wooden doors (said to be carved by King Rama II) and a stunningly painted interior. My Frommer's guide boasts that none other than Somerset Maugham declared its roof line to be the most beautiful of all Bangkok's temples. Who am I to disagree?
I had some tasty tom yum near the river before another ferry took me back to Sathorn. And I popped back up for one last stop in the office to collect my ties, suit jacket and laptop before heading home. After all the biking and wandering in midday Bangkok heat, one last swim in the Urbana's pool was certainly in order upon my return.
For my last night, Kim and Punch were taking me out in Thong Lor for a crazy Saturday night on the town, Bangkok-style. We had an amazing dinner at a place called Soul Food Mahanakorn, before bar hopping all over the trendy district. At one spot, the Iron Fairies, a sultry jazz singer, Tere', who turned out to be from Philadelphia, serenaded us barflies with classic numbers and indulged my request for The Way You Look Tonight. Although bars close early in Bangkok, it was still a night to remember, for sure.
You'd think a 2pm flight would still give you a nice chunk of the day to enjoy before heading to the airport. But between packing, checking out and allowing for uncertain traffic conditions, all I had time for was an ice coffee and some local street food before heading off, but hopefully many future trips to our Bangkok office are in the cards for me!
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