Originally Posted by
sdfcardinals
My flight from ICN to BKK is scheduled to land at ~2130 local, so my plan was to stay awake for as much of the travelling as possible and to hopefully be in my hotel room by midnight to finally crash after a 24 hour travel day. That's the plan anyway
As far as the nightlife, that does sound a bit disappointing. I actually had to look up in Urban Dictionary what a "punter" was, and while I learned something new, that was never what I was looking for. Sure, some pictures of the famous clubs and red light district spots will be a cool thing have, but I am a happily married man that wouldn't dream of betraying the trust of my wife, who by the way has been amazing during the process of planning this trip. I am more interested in just "experiencing" the city nightlife with a few drinks and street food and retreating to my room when I get my fill.
Soi Cowboy is the leading gawker spot these days...the lights as a backdrop attract a lot of people for pictures, and some bars have outside seating. Others put their best girls outside to try to draw people in, and there are even a couple of ka-toey places. Many have happy hours going until 9 or so both outside and inside.
I'm told it's becoming a lost art, but if at the massage place they show you to a room with a bathtub and a raft then you probably want to back out gracefully (though they may take your money first). The ones with lines of chairs and the foot massages visible to all will be fine.
What I'm hoping to be able to do is to squeeze in a couple of day trips that aren't too far from Bangkok proper, such as visiting the river Kwai, and seeing a few different temples. Oh, and eat my weight in Thai cuisine. That too.
Kanchanaburi (with the bridge) is reachable with daytrips but it can take the better part of that. Ayutthaya is a really good daytrip (no shortage of old temples there) that is even do-able yourself by train. Wat Arun - Grand Palace - Wat Po central wats will have lots of other people but are worthwhile. You can even take the Skytrain to the river (Saphan Taksin) and catch the water taxi at the pier there (guidebooks no doubt will have all this info).
It'll all be memorable, even if you hit a few speed bumps.