Bangkok - (Spring 2025) - Day 3
Benchasiri Park
Spent some time wandering around this park while waiting for the mall next door to open.
EmSphere Mall
The EmSphere is a newer mall with multi-stories of shops and an Ikea at the top. One floor was dedicated to cars with actual autos being displayed all around an upper floor. We, however, were really just here for the food. It has a great 2 level food court with many common western brands but mostly Asian offerings as you would expect.
Charoen Gang (EmSphere Mall)
This stall had a decent sized menu and good seating in the mall. I think all the dishes had a decent amount of spicy heat to them so it was a bit hotter than my usual brunch time meal. They had lots of curry offerings but I decided on the spicy ground pork dish (downed with a lot of water to cool my mouth).
Su Mae Ping Chiang Mai (EmSphere Mall)
This was a good place to try the traditional northern Thai sausage. The sausage is filled with meat and different spices and is slow roasted in a spiral. You could buy just a portion of the sausage instead of having to down the whole thing.
Grocery Store inside EmSphere
I find it always fun to wander around grocery stores when I travel to see the different things that you can buy and also see what items from home that are available in foreign lands.
On a side note, I also like how places outside the US are not uptight about eyecare products. It seems like you can just buy contact lenses without a prescription everywhere else in the world.
Over here they even have vending machines with contacts.
In Asia, if you don’t have a prescription for glasses, you can just get a free exam before you buy a pair.
Ferry Down to Khao San Road
There is no really smooth public transit way to get to the Khao San Road area from Sukhumvit by rail but you can take the SkyTrain to the river and then hop on a cheap ferry ride and get fun boat trip with good views along the way. You can stay in the AC inside the cabin or go up top to take photos.
Alleyways leading to Khao San Road area
Sawasdee Terrace
Stopped on the way to Khao San Road for a snack. The beer was cold. The food was meh. The location is great as you can perch roadside and people watch while relaxing.
Khao San Road
The famous Khao San Road area. It is expectedly touristy and lined with bars and shops. Still a good bargain hunting souvenir area. At night it lights up with its gawdy signs and the street is lined with market stalls and filled with people as everyone comes out once the sun is down and it cools down a bit.
Mango Smoothie
I find nothing as refreshing as a mango smoothie when it’s hot out.
Suksabai
Off on one of the side alley roads in the Khao San area, this bar has a good set up for people watching. You can sit under the shade and have fans blasting you from behind in the midday heat.
Hoi Tod Chaw Lay - Thong lor
We headed out to the Thong Lo district to check out bars in that neighborhood. We first stopped at this small pad thai restaurant. The storefront had the racks of eggs and piles of protein on ice where they cooked up front and the seating was in the back. It was a nice and tasty stomach coater for the night ahead.
Rabbit Hole
The Rabbit Hole bar in Ho Chi Minh City told us that we should check out the one in Bangkok. They are not affiliated - just the same name. This one was very dark inside so it was hard to take good photos. They had drinks named after different cities in the world with ingredients that are representative of that part of the world.
Alex Cigar & Whisky Bar
I wanted to check out another cigar lounge in the city and there was one in this area. I had run out of my own cigars so bought a Cuban one here. They have a cigar room but they wouldn’t let me take photos inside for some reason. Good whiskey selection and got great service since we were the only ones there at that time.
#FindTheLockerRoom
This is a fun little speakeasy bar. Fun in the way you need to figure out how to open the lockers to enter and a fun atmosphere inside with a lively bar and chatty locals. The bartender is a rockstar and cooks up creative drinks. The menu is set up by different decades with ingredients tied to the drink names that they give to the time period.
Some locals recommended this spot to me because I told them I was looking for some good pork larb.
Dry Wave Cocktail Studio
Close to the FindtheLockerRoom bar, this upstairs bar felt like Spain to me. It had a stylized design with soft pastel colors with a Thai owner that spoke with a European accent. The ceiling had a wavy design which made the place feel warmer than a place with hard corners.
Their menu had the classics but also their own twist to the classics. It was amazing that I didn’t tip over my drink with the stem glass that didn’t have a base.