Bkk

[coinlockerbaby]

Hey there, Im heading to Bangkok in August,

I passed through Thailand last ten years ago on a brief stopover and did the big sights (emerald buddha, Chinatown etc), but it seems that since then the city has really come into its own as a funky, forward-thinking metropolis (well, except for that coup, but we wont talk about that...) Flicking through guidebooks, Im really surprised by how much the city has to offer.

Ideas so far:

BMK and Siam Centre for shoes, clothes (Western sizes?)

the medical museum where they keep the body of Thailand`s worst serial killer pickled (and parents take their naughty kids and threaten them that he`ll come back to get them - way harsh!!!!!)

And the skyscraper shaped like an elephant.

Any superfuture inside tips - where are the happening hoods, the most vibrant streetlife, more fashion conscious markets and malls, best places to buy fakes, cool little oddball sites, overrated places to avoid etc? ( btw as Im gay, Im not so much into the "ho" scene. Unless they have brothers).

Also I have two specific questions:

August - will it rain every day? I mean I can deal, but wanna be prepared...

And also: Im gonna be in town for the August 12 Queens Brithday Holiday. Whats the deal there? Will everything close down? or shops, malls still be open?

Cheers.

[fashiontard]

check out the mega bazaar chatuchak.. u can find anything from food to illegal pets to clothes

http://www.bangkok-city.com/chatuchak.htm

[poly800rock]

check out RCA. do a seach, there are millions of threads on bkk. analyst covered EVERYTHING you need to know to have a good time/

[Analyst]

The weather seems to be changing just a tad each year. This year, the rainy season is already full on with 15 minute thunder showers every afternoon. It will probably get worse throughout the summer, so it's not the best place to sport your hot new kicks unless you're cabbing from location to location. Last year the rains got so heavy that even Thonglor (party neighborhood) flooded - first time in a number of years.

August 12 is a holiday, so schools and most offices will be closed. That said, all shopping centers and malls throughout the city will be open. Party-party.

Here are some spots:

Thonglor (Sukhumit Soi 55) - Local party spots at Escudo and Song Salung (mostly hip-hop) and the pubs on Thong Lor Soi 10 (Boose, Jet, Gigabyte). You won't find many farangs at these places or the Isaan girls from Nana.

Nana/Asoke (Sukhumvit Soi 11) - Here you'll find Bed Supperclub playing house/trance and Q-Bar hosting some international DJ of the month. Very international scenes as both places but a little too heavy on the obvious working girls, especially at Q-Bar. Wouldn't be too bad if they weren't all the GI-Joe variety.

RCA (around Rama IX) - Most lively party spot in Bangkok with a string of clubs/pubs down a long stretch. Route 66 has the best hip hop and Slim would be a close second. Astra and Flix host the international drum & bass/house/breaks scene. Overall, RCA is very young and a good mix of local, international, university, professionals, lounge girls off the clock, etc.

Patpong (Silom 4) - Aside from the obvious red light district there are also several hidden spots around Soi 2/1 namely Breakz, which features excellent local jungle/house DJs. Also, there are plenty of gay clubs in the area mostly on Soi 2

Khaosan Road (old town) - This is the acclaimed backpacker strip: lots of dreadslocks and Israelis. The Club has been getting a lot of hype lately: mostly tourists with glowsticks. Also, Cafe Democ is supposed to be around there somewhere. I've never been but have heard good things about the place.

Those are probably the most obvious places to check out. I'm totally scratching the surface here but if there are also plenty of other excellent spots maybe 2 or 3 layers below the surface.

Do a quick search as most of your questions have been discussed. But if you have any other specifics do ask away! Cheers...

[sybaritical]

Sapan Poot Night market. It's a scaled down Chatachak that runs every night apart from Monday. gets going about 9pm and enbds about 2am. Pick up raw and distressed Thai Levis for 300 baht, authentic original converse for 700, vintage and brand new tees and polos for 100 Baht ... food is great too. They have this potato and fish egg thing which is awesome. Loads of stalls sell it so grab a beer and sit by the river and eat when you're done shopping.

Ask a Tuk-Tuk driver to take you there and then walk back to wherever you're staying through the flower market. Just watch your pockets.

[coinlockerbaby]

Thanx analyst for answering the nitty-gritty questions!

Most excellent info!!

[coinlockerbaby]

Oh what the hell...one more question while Im at it...

how does the rainy season work?

Here in Japan they have one too, which is usually a totally overated nonevent.

But in Thailand is it ususally restricted to the one torrential downpour per day? Or water nonstop, all day? Coz that would suck.

[Analyst]

Seems like the only thing I can contribute constructively to around here is partying/shopping/eating/getting shady in Bangkok, while I nurse my pitiful bar of rep.

Anyway, typically the rainy season starts around July and runs to about September, give or take a few weeks. This year the rains starting kicking in around early May. Most of the time this consists of thundershowers about twice per day and last around 20-60 mins each time. I've only experienced a few instances where it just rained all day long for two days straight and this was outside of Bangkok.

Around August and September, the durations start lasting much longer and thus lead to small floods around Bangkok where the canals can't drain fast enough. Bangkok isn't too bad compared to the other provinces (Hua Hin and Northern Thailand), where flash floods and mudslides can occur.

[Tisswat]

Analyst, I'd rep you if I could. You are certainly one of the more contributing members in superjetset. It's a shame your rep does not reflect that. I enjoy reading your posts, so please keep it up.

[Analyst]

Thanks, Tisswat....hey, I'm going to be in Amsterdam in early June for a night before setting sail for Russia, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, etc. You going to be around?

[Tisswat]

Thanks, Tisswat....hey, I'm going to be in Amsterdam in early June for a night before setting sail for Russia, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, etc. You going to be around?

Sounds like one hell of a trip. PM me when you're in the neighborhood.

[sybaritical]

More rep is forthcoming if that's what you need. Shouldn't worry about it too much if I were you.

When you hitting London? We got some great Thai food ....

[Analyst]

You know, I've actually never been to London. I've been dying to get a chance to check out the city. I'll let you know. In the meantime, you've probably got enough info about BKK from me. I'm going to sad to leave this place in a few months. Come back and visit if you can!

[poly800rock]

You know, I've actually never been to London. I've been dying to get a chance to check out the city. I'll let you know. In the meantime, you've probably got enough info about BKK from me. I'm going to sad to leave this place in a few months. Come back and visit if you can!

you going out to HK?

[coinlockerbaby]

So I just discovered theres a Buddhist shrine to David Beckham in BKK!!!!! Apparently there is a small golden statue of him at the altar and you can pray to Buddha/Beckham to grant your wishes etc. I knew Thais were Brit-soccer crazy, but still....

Anyone know where this temple is? Sounds like its worth a look. Its called Wat Waris I think, or I could have gotten that a bit wrong...nothing showing up on google...

[Tisswat]

Beckham is depicted in gold among many other figures in Wat Pariwas. I believe it's located in the chinatown area of Bangkok, but I don't know the exact address (perhaps Analyst can help you with that). I wouldn't expect too much though:

I think there is a proper Beckham statue in Japan somewhere.

[coinlockerbaby]

Excellent!!!!! Cheers!!! Anything else special in BKK? Where is the building shaped like an elephant???

There is a statue of beckham somewhere on a little island here, yeah...and a few years ago there was also a larger-than-life one, constructed completely of chocolate, outside a department store in Shibuya. It was for a chocolate brand he was endorsing at the time. I really wanted to go and lick it...

[beast]

the medical museum where they keep the body of Thailand`s worst serial killer pickled (and parents take their naughty kids and threaten them that he`ll come back to get them - way harsh!!!!!).

Whats this about? Who is this serial killer? Sounds too bizarre to be true?

Are they really allowed to pickle his body and display like that?

[Analyst]

At the Songkran Miyomsane Forensic Medicine Museum which is part of Siriraj Hospital, you can find lots of medical oddities that have been preserved: brains, amputated limbs, stab wounds, bullet wounds etc.

The most famous exhibit is that of "See Ouey", is Thailand's most famous serial killer from the 1950's. His crime was kidnapping children and eating their fresh hearts and livers. After he was caught and executed, the authorities decided to embalm and preserve him at Siriraj, after conducting an in-depth autopsy to detect abnormalities that could have contributed to him becoming a serial killer. Parents still use his name to scare kids into behaving and going to sleep, or else "See Ouey will get you"....

Pretty crazy stuff at the museum. Admission is free, though.

[beast]

At the Songkran Miyomsane Forensic Medicine Museum which is part of Siriraj Hospital, you can find lots of medical oddities that have been preserved: brains, amputated limbs, stab wounds, bullet wounds etc.

The most famous exhibit is that of "See Ouey", is Thailand's most famous serial killer from the 1950's. His crime was kidnapping children and eating their fresh hearts and livers. After he was caught and executed, the authorities decided to embalm and preserve him at Siriraj, after conducting an in-depth autopsy to detect abnormalities that could have contributed to him becoming a serial killer. Parents still use his name to scare kids into behaving and going to sleep, or else "See Ouey will get you"....

Pretty crazy stuff at the museum. Admission is free, though.

Thanks! Sounds real bizarre to be true.

Thats like preserving Dahmer's stomach.