Night-life....

Before we left England we swore that when we got to Bangkok that our recent lethargic attitude to going out and socialising would change. It was very easy to blame a lack of money or the immense cost of an English ‘night-out’ as the reason we rarely went anywhere. I think in 15 months we went out in Manchester about 3 times and in London about 5 times. I think to be honest we’ve just fallen into that 2 sided trap where we have gotten used to enjoying nights in on the sofa watching movies and being free from having to make unduly taxing conversation, and we’ve also given ourselves long enough of a break off alcohol to feel our bodies recover. Why is it that hangovers seem worse the closer I get to 30...? Surely I’m not getting too old..? It’s not long since I was back in Roatan, partying like there was no tomorrow. So what happened in a year and a half to make me change from having to convince myself it’s a good idea to stay in as opposed to now where I have to force myself to go out? Well...I’ve come to the conclusion that I never really used to feel my hangover that badly before because I never really felt that good in the first place. When you drink nearly every night (god bless Sundowners), you’re pretty much permanently hung-over anyway. It seems that now, not only are we going from sober to drunk far quicker than ever, but that the force of the hangover is far greater regardless on the substantially smaller amount of alcohol consumed.
It’s probably this reason that has meant that we have managed very few proper nights out. Even fewer when you take out those nights out that actually ended up being more shopping than drinking. The problem is now we can’t really use the excuse that we can’t afford the taxi home, or the drinks out for that matter, or that there isn’t anywhere near us worth going to. However, we now have a new excuse... having faced 36 bouncing 6 year olds whilst suffering from a hangover once or twice before, I have learnt that teaching and drinking are just not compatible.

A few weeks ago we had our first visitor and had grand plans of going out to loads of places and showing her all sites of Bangkok. It doesn’t matter what kind of a budget you’re on here, there really is something for everyone. You can do it cheaply, either by going to small local Thai hangouts and paying the equivalent of 70 pence for a large bottle of Chang or Singha, or you can go to Khoa San road and hang out with every other foreigner on a budget; eat a square meal and drink yourself silly for less than a fiver. While there are the very cheap options for a night out, it is also possible to go out and burn money really quickly. There are a wide selection of bars for the wealthier locals, expats and more discerning tourist. A few of these places have decided to charge you more simply for the privilege of pushing you closer up to the smog line in the sky. For the price of 320 baht a cocktail (about 5 quid; quite cheap for London but very extravagant here), you can stand on the roof of one of the taller buildings in Bangkok and in very fine surroundings survey the city below you. The experience although somewhat extravagant for a regular night out, is nice to take people who are visiting. The view (once you get used to standing on the edge of nothingness and manage to open your eyes) is pretty unforgettable. Now we have another thing to add to list of ‘must do’ nights out in Bangkok, aside from the ping pong and Katoey shows that is.

The photos are from our night out with Kate at the Sky bar, 64 floors up.