Offering the best views of one of Thailand’s busiest cities, the SkyBar at Lebua definitely forced me to reluctantly push through my fear of heights. I felt my heart pulsate, anxiously shivering with each beep as the elevator slowly ascended to the top of Thailand’s tallest building.
Dusk had crept upon us after a day of exploring the largest city in “the land of smiles” via candy pink tuk-tuks and cruising its famous canals. After a few days of exploring the gilded temples and palaces of the swarming metropolis, we were determined to spend our last evening in Bangkok checking out the city’s flickering lights from a glass bridge with the most stunning rooftop view from the 63rd floor. A feeling of serenity swept over me as we hovered 820 ft. above Bangkok’s barely moving gridlocked traffic that is known for its impatient flow of mopeds and beeping horns. The fact that this was the spot where some of my favorite scenes in “The Hangover Part II” took place was a fun bonus (Yup, I had to try the Hangovertini)!
Feeling light years away from the SkyBar’s well-manicured greenery and brightly colored cocktails, the murky waterways of Bangkok’s canals have a deep and winding history that goes beyond their heavily polluted appearance. Nicknamed the Venice of the East, the canals were created in the 16th century to help speed up the voyage around the city for foreign merchants.
A long, shallow wooden boat with a bright red canopy glided under a bridge on the canal and pulled up to our obscure pier just long enough for us to quickly jump in. Engine rumbling as we slowly pulled away from the pier, we started our picturesque journey down the narrow waterway. Snaking through the canals on a long-tail commuter boat left me mesmerized as the breeze gently blew across my face and caught on to my blown-out tresses. Thonburi, located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, is one area where waterways continue to be one of the best ways to explore the district.
Crisscrossing the district, I found myself caught between a world that intertwined modern day conveniences with life of a bygone era. Wood-framed stilted houses, street art, freshly laundered clothes hanging out on a line and shop patrons eating street food under umbrellas lined the waterfront.
A huge scene, street food is practically a way of life in Bangkok. I found that I ate the freshest food on the street and loved that I could watch it being prepared! From spring rolls to dumplings, noodles to curries and my all-time favorite…banana roti! In the town that I grew up in, Asian food choices pretty much boiled down to Chinese or the local Benihana. Green curry chicken had been my go-to Thai dish since trying Thai cuisine for the first time at 22 years old (mild please!). There was just something about peanuts in my noodles that had me running for years from Pad Thai in the States. Bangkok open me up to discovering a new appreciation for the popular dish. I just couldn’t get enough!
Although the Pink Bar had yet to launch during my visit to Bangkok, I do hope to return one day to check it out (and indulge in more yummy Pad Thai!!!)
What is your favorite Thai dish?
“When I do not walk in the clouds, I walk as though I were lost.” - Antonio Porchia