My first Loy Krathong

[saucier01]

Disclaimer?..a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black a day makes things a bit fuzzy.

 

Loy Krathong?..

 

This was my first experience with this holiday. I?ve always wanted to be in Thailand for it. In the past I had been there for other major holidays so this one I really wanted to be at.

 

I normally would never include any flight details, but this time I think it is necessary. I got an American-Thai, Thai-American to Bangkok and back, which was ok?.

 

Only having 2 hours between planes at Narita on the inbound leg was not good. I hit Narita on a heavy travel day and did not have e-tickets. So I had to check in at every leg of the flight. Plus I had to change terminals at Narita. Which should not be a big deal but it became one.

 

I arrived in Narita terminal 1, hit the toilet, then chain smoked a few cigs before I caught the bus to terminal 2. I still had about 90 minutes before my flight. Not bad, I figured that I could check in and grab a few beers and hang in the smoking area.

 

I wish. I waited in line for 70 minutes. Normally I am a very laid back traveler. Not this time. I ended up forcing my way up in the line, and getting my boarding pass. It?s my outward leg and I needed to be in LOS.

 

I get my boarding pass which is hand written, and head to the gate. I wait in line another 10 minutes to go through the security check. Then another 5 minute wait for the monorail or whatever it is to take me to the gates. I?m down to 5 minutes before my flight departs. I say fuck it and have a real quick smoke. The smoking area is only steps from the gate. My nerves are shattered at this point and the three things I want most are my girl, whiskey, and nicotine. I make my plane.

 

That was the first time I flew Thai. I was so happy with their service. Every trip before that I flew on, United. Never again. The Thai Air staff was some of the friendliest I have ever flown with. I had two double bourbons and slept most of the way to Bangkok. The GF meets me at Don Muang and we head to the Royal Orchid. I?ve stayed there a few times in the past and like it. For me the location is great. Close but far enough away from PP.

 

My first night is pretty laid back. We go to where the GF works and start drinking. My bottle of JWB takes a serious pounding before we head over to Radio City on PP 1. Radio City hasn?t changed one bit. Same singers and music, that?s ok. The staff knows me there, and I get great service.

 

Now I switch to observations and bullet points, just because I?m lazy. The things I can remember I will elaborate on. 

 

Restaurants?.New finds are in asterisks

 

Seafood Market on Suk Soi 24?..The first time I have been there in 3 or 4 years. I will never go back. The seafood is fresh but way over priced. Service is poor. Not a worth a satang. Dinner for 3 was $150. Lots of food, but not much quality. Must have some problems in the kitchen. Great for tourists that don?t know any better.

 

Cabbages and Condoms, Suk. Soi 12?.It was our favorite restaurant. Seems to have slipped in a short time. Went there twice in June and only once in November. I will prolly go here again, but not for sometime. It was supposed to be my grand Thanksgiving dinner. Turned down heading to Pattaya for big chicken (turkey). Our favorite dishes were not as good as before. Service was still good, but food quality has slipped.

 

**Mango Tree**, Soi 37 Tantawan Surawongse?..Our new favorite restaurant in Bangkok. Nice laid back atmosphere. Great drinks and AWESOME food. Try the Tom yum gung. The best I have ever had. A very chill place, difficult to find but worth it. Plus it?s close to PP!!!

 

**Lao Restaurant**?..Sorry forgot the name?.Suk. Soi 36, close to the Emporium and bustation, about 200 meters in from Suk. The 3 of us hit this place on a quiet night. The food was good and so was the service. As usual we got enough food for 10 people and finished all of it. Notable dish was the whole deep fried snakehead fish. Forget the fried rice, you?ll get better at Foodland, which ain?t saying much. They have live entertainment that was distinctly Lao. Will prolly go here again. CHEAP!!!

 

**Good View Restaurant**?..I might have the name wrong?.Location?the Chao Prya?.sorry that?s the best I can do  5555555. Me thinks its close to Saphan Kwan. All around a nice place. I liked everything about this place. Very few farangs around. When the 3 of us were there I was the only farang. Great views of the river, and all the boats passing. I remember the food being good but that?s about it. I will have to go back there again. They have one of the new electric Tuk Tuk?s to take you from the restaurant to the main road.

 

**ETC**?.Royal Orchid Sheraton?..excellent cuisine?..pricey??great service?..great food?..I pigged out on sushi and a hamburger for lunch. The GF went for the Tom yum and something else. We were both very happy with the food. I can?t classify this as a new place for me, but it is the first time I have written about it. Lunch for two 2400THB. They have a lunch buffet for about the same price but we passed on it because I insisted. I dined there a few more times during my trip.

 

**Ad Makers**.... Somewhere near the U.S. Embassy?.Standard Thai food?They have live music and they play allsorts of covers. Thai and country and rock. The food was good. One plate that I really enjoyed was the Thai omelet. I?d go here again but earlier. We went so late that the place was empty. I remember it being reasonably priced.

 

Somboon?.Walking distance from PP. You don?t go to this place for the atmosphere, you go for the food. I go for the Curried Crab. This is by far the best dish they have. I can?t get enough of it. I eat it until I go into a food coma. I?ve sampled a large portion of their menu and have liked everything. I highly recommend this restaurant.

 

Enough about restaurants

 

Clubs?.

 

Spasso?s in the Grand Hyatt?..

 

A great place?.Went there 3 times in 9 days?..They always have great live music. The band that was there in November I had seen before. They mix up their performance so it?s different every night. Service is beyond expectations. We were so generous with tipping the bartender that he told us not to tip anymore that night. We continued to tip and were greeted with a multitude of shots on the house. Great people watching. I think this is probably my favorite club in Bangkok.

 

***Rivas*** ?.in the Sheraton Grande Suk. This place is a lot different from Spasso?s. I find the atmosphere more laid back. Not nearly as much energy as Spasso?s but a club I will go to again. I do have to say that the men?s water closet is the coolest I have ever been in. The wc is all covered in blue tiles, with gold fixtures. The urinals are these cocoon type things. I had a difficult time finding my way out. First time that has ever happened to me. Yes I was relatively sober at that point.

 

***Q-Bar***?Suk Soi 11?..Nice club with lots of good looking people. Hit the place on a Sunday and it was packed. I think there is a 600THB cover charge that gets you 2 drinks. There was a good energy in the place. Saw several of the same working girls from Spasso?s in there. I would probably go back here again, but only to drink on the upper level. I didn?t like how crowded the main floor was. The staff at the entrance were a bunch of assholes.

 

***Tawanadaeng Brewery***?..or the German Beer Bar on Rama 3. Great place. Huge place. Good food. The best beer in Bangkok. Try the lager. All brewed to German standards. This is one of those Thai places that have food, booze and entertainment. Can?t say much about the entertainment, but the rest was great. IMHO it is a great place to go with a large group of people. We were a small party of 6. There were tables of 20 or more. The more the merrier. Good Thai and German dishes. Did I mention how good the beer was? I had 3 liters of their lager. I will go back here many times. Went there in June but that is a story for another time. GREAT BEER. Plus the price is right, for 6 of us it was only 4000THB.

 

Radio City?.I like this place. It is my homebase on PP 1. I have been there so many times. The staff knows me and I always get great service. I also keep a bottle of JWB there. The music is always the same but it is a good place for people watching. When Radio City closes it is easy to get to Lucifer?s. Just take the stairs up. Lucifer?s is an ok place. I can only take it for about an hour. The music is mixed between techno and gothic?.not really something I go for. Lots of eye candy. Loads of the BG?s head there after work.

 

Loy Krathong??

 

A very interesting day. We were out of the hotel early to go shopping then head over to the GF?s room. We agreed to meet later at the hotel. Traffic sucked. I was staying at the Royal Orchid Sheraton. So getting back there was a bitch. Plus coming back from the GF?s a very bloody motorbike accident occurred on my route. Got back to the hotel and the place was swamped with people. There were so many people in that area placing their krathongs in the river. Not to metion all of the festivities at the hotel.

 

The GF finally made it to the hotel and we headed out to PP. Catching a taxi was easy. We did some drinking while waiting for her friends to finish work. The plan is for all of us to meet at Saphan Kwan. Getting there was another ordeal. Trying to catch a cab on a major Thai holiday when PP has just closed is a bitch. We waited for more than 20 minutes before I agreed to pay for Tuk Tuk. The Tuk Tuk ride was worth what I paid for it. Better than any rollercoaster I have ever been on. I?ve got a video clip of it.

 

We get to Saphan Kwan and there are thousands of people. There is a midway and the concert area. We chill with the music for awhile before our group heads over to the midway. We want to float our Krathongs. Access to the river was very limited. The water that is there is not enough I am told. So the decision is made to float them later.

 

Then we start playing the games. The midway games are like anywhere you would find at an American Carnival. Impossible to win. I wasted 300THB trying to win a bottle of Sang Som. I let the GF waste 500THB trying to pop balloons with darts. She did get a prize of a fly swatter. I did the ring toss for a bottle of Mekong. I didn?t win. Yeah it was a waste of money, but we had fun, that?s the most important thing. It was a 100THB cover charge to get in. Once again I was the only farang around. I?m sure there were some at the concert, but I didn?t see any.

 

We finish up on the midway and our group heads back to the Royal Orchid to float our krathongs. No traffic now as it is 3am. All krathongs launched safely. I didn?t have to worry about falling into the water. There was a guy there that lowered all the krathongs into the water. Even that late there were still fireworks along the river. It was a beautiful thing.

 

We say goodnight to our friends and head up to our room. I have a special surprise for the GF. A bottle of Dom ?96. She loves champagne as much as I do and this is an extra special treat for her.

 

I?ve got to say that I enjoyed Loy Krathong very much. Much more fun than Song Karn. I can take one day of Thai holiday craziness but not 3 or 4.

 

More to come???