Bangkok:
Arrived in Bangkok. I have been to this action-packed Asian city about a dozen times now, and each and every time is just as eye-opening as the first.
You are either going to love or hate Bangkok. At first glance, you’ll probably dislike it—it’s hectic, chaotic but truly exhilarating. Once you peel back its layers, give it a chance, and learn your way around (which is the absolute key), you will be completely fascinated. If you are traveling around Asia, you’re going to find yourself here a great deal because it serves as the ultimate hub of Southeast Asia. Consequently, Barbie and I will be coming in and out of Bangkok many times throughout this trip.
With the introduction of so many budget airline carriers to the area—AirAsia being the most prominent—travelers have really benefited. Airfares from here to Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Myanmar, Vietnam, or the Philippines can be as low as $20 one way.
Bangkok is a sprawling metropolis with many different areas, each boasting its own distinct character. Our plan is to stay in as many different districts as possible to experience every flavor the city has to offer.
Leaving the US in the Dust
When I first visited Bangkok back in 1991, it was clearly a Third World country. The development over the last 25 years has been truly astonishing, catapulting it into the present through super-charged economic growth. Modern airports, futuristic shopping malls, sleek new skytrams, internet everywhere—in many ways, Bangkok has outpaced development in major cities in the United States. Frankly, I feel like the US has been left in the dust. The dumbasses in Las Vegas can’t even get a proper monorail running up and down the Strip, or any sort of functional public transportation system off the ground, for that matter.
We utilized the BTS Skytrain quite often here, and it is by far the most efficient way to get around central Bangkok. It’s simple to use, super clean, and completely eliminates the need to step into a ripoff taxi or deal with scammy tuk-tuk drivers.
Khao San Road: The Epicenter of Mayhem
Upon arrival, we headed straight to the Khao San Road area in the Banglamphu District. Khao San Road is the most famous backpacker ghetto in the world and the absolute epicenter of Southeast Asia’s backpacking universe. Here, you will see an unbelievable amount of travelers from every corner of the globe, including plenty of burnout hippies on the “Pancake Trail” working their way through Asia. If you’re young (20-25 years old), on a budget, and looking to mingle, staying in the Khao San surrounding area (but not on Khao San Road itself) at least once is a fun option.
That being said, I’ve got to alert you travelers out there: the vibe here is rapidly changing. My first visit to Khao San Road was all the way back in 1991. Back then, the Banglamphu / Khao San area was such a cool, authentic place to hang out—it was the absolute epitome of an international world traveler ghetto. Flashing forward 25 years to this visit in 2015, the vibe has definitely shifted. Honestly, 25 years from today, the area will probably be unrecognizable, and the entire raw appeal of Khao San Road is almost certain to be completely gone.
For now, though, it still holds onto a piece of its chaotic soul. At sundown, Khao San Road turns into one of the most action-packed, eye-opening streets in the world. It is filled with tons of street food, blinding neon lights, live music, roaring tuk-tuks, aggressive touts, bars, guesthouses, international hippies, massage parlors, and open-air clothing shops. It is pure, unadulterated fun and complete, utter mayhem. I guarantee you will feel alive visiting this area at night. It’s a scene everyone needs to experience at least once.
To escape the absolute craziness at night, the surrounding side streets—like Soi Rambuttri & Soi Rambuttri alley—offer a nice little respite and a slightly more mellow scene.
After a few nights of the Khao San madness, we switched our tack and moved over to the Sukhumvit area. Sukhumvit is much more upmarket, serves as one of the busiest tourist districts in Bangkok, and is where a ton of Western expatriates reside. It is also home to the famous red-light areas of Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy. Some people might find them repulsive; others consider it the world’s greatest adult playground.
Harvard Diplomas Available
One of the many hilarious things sold openly on Khao San Road is fake IDs. You can get a forged driver’s license from literally any US state, fake airline employee IDs, fake college diplomas… and they look 100% real. I’m seriously contemplating picking up a Lufthansa employee ID and an updated International Press pass. Barbie, meanwhile, is debating whether to buy a diploma from Harvard University—mostly because she knows she has no shot at getting one in real life, and she jokingly thinks holding the paper might increase her brain cells without her having to actually attend class.
Update 2026: On my most recent visit to Khao San Road, these fake ID’s are no longer available as far as I could see.
Another massive benefit of staying in the Khao San Road area is its proximity to the Chao Phraya River. The river serves as a main highway, allowing you to take river taxis and bypass the brutal car traffic entirely. Boats run up and down the river constantly, and it is a high-energy, fun, and efficient way to commute alongside locals and Buddhist monks. It’s a great means of transport to visit the famous Bangkok temples like the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and Wat Arun. The piers at each stop are absolutely bustling with activity, packed with vendors selling assorted crap and tons of street food stalls serving up awesome, sometimes unidentifiable food.
Bangkok is also famous for its nightlife, offering an abundance of female companionship for foreign travelers looking for a “girlfriend experience” with a beautiful young Thai princess. It’s a paradise for single guys, or even guys looking for a temporary escape.
Upon checking into our hotel, Barbie and I had a good laugh at a sign prominently posted on the lobby wall warning about unregistered guests. Barbie didn’t quite get the underlying meaning of the sign, so I had to explain to her that “guests” or “friends” was hotel shorthand for hookers. She laughed it off in total disbelief, thinking I was completely bullshitting her.
That is, until last night. We were walking up to our room when Barbie was abruptly stopped by hotel security and asked to show her passport to avoid the 500 Baht ($15) “unregistered guest” surcharge! I just wish I could have captured the look on her face when she realized they thought she was a working girl. As they say: Only in Thailand.
A Foodie’s Delight: Malls and Markets
I’m not going to bore you by listing every single one of our daily activities, but let’s just say there is so much to do here that you never seem to have enough time. I would seriously consider renting an extended-stay condo here in the future just to get into a daily routine and experience this fascinating city like a local. I’ve never lived in Manhattan, but I sense an extended stay in Bangkok would provide a similar high-energy vibe—but with a significant added “edge” because it’s a completely foreign way of life and significantly less expensive. Not having English widely spoken makes it a challenge, but in a really fun way.
When it comes to food, I have to mention the super-modern malls. They all have their own massive food courts, and they are absolutely nothing like the cheap fast food junk sold in American malls. They are an absolute foodie’s delight, and it’s where we feasted every single day for lunch. We hit almost all of them, including:
- The Emporium
- Terminal 21
- Central Chidlom
- One Bangkok
- Siam Paragon
- Central Park
- Emsphere
- Central World
We also hit up plenty of traditional street food markets where the locals chow down. They are dirt cheap, located all over Bangkok, and are a great way to experiment with various local dishes. Cleanliness at times can be suspect, so you have to use your judgment. My rule of thumb is to only visit the stalls that are crowded with locals where the food turnover is incredibly high.
Missing out on street markets would be an absolute shame. I would eat at them even more often, but Barbie being a notoriously picky eater puts a bit of an obstacle on my adventurous side of food exploration. On the positive side, her picky nature probably saved my Loose Stools Index from completely plummeting.
Our time in Bangkok is officially up after six action-packed nights, and it was a total blast as usual. Now, we’re off to our next destination in Thailand.
- Loose Stools Index: 8
Really pleased with this solid score, considering the sheer variety of random street food I inhaled. Things are holding together nicely.
Thru the Binocs
The Magic of Technology: As I mentioned, Bangkok is a massive, sprawling concrete maze with traffic coming at you from all angles, street signs written entirely in Thai, and sois (side streets) shooting off in every possible direction.
In the old days, navigating this city by foot required you to be seriously street smart, have a flawless sense of direction, and rely on a shitty paper map that was usually not to scale and completely inaccurate. If you actually found your destination back then, it felt like a massive, heroic accomplishment.
Fast forward to today, and having the indispensable Google Maps on your iPhone takes 100% of the hassle out of it. It’s amazing how un-intimidating it makes the city, allowing even total simpletons to find their way around by foot without having to constantly drive themselves nuts asking for directions from locals who don’t speak a word of English.
That being said, while walking is easy now, you would still have to be absolutely crazy or one serious, certified Bad Mamma Jamma to ever attempt to drive a car yourself around this city.
Big Doug & Barbie Drop Out of Society 