DurianSeed

Silom Village is nice little getaway from the chaos and hassle of Silom Road. It's set back off the main road just slightly giving you a break from the roaring traffic in this small arcade of shops and restaurants. The shops are very much aimed towards the tourist, and while all the usual gifts and souvenirs that you see all over Thailand are here, there are a few shops selling some very nice and unique items (at inflated prices no doubt). For anyone planning to visit here, I'd reccommend going in the evening around 7pm or 8pm, eating in one of the restaurants, which offer traditional Thai music/dancing entertainment, and follow this with a look around the shops.

I love taking out of towners to this temple on a nice hot day. Then everyone gets a workout as you climb up to one of the best views in Bangkok. The rest of the grounds are pretty cool as well but rarely explored.

Must see temple because you get a little river tour besides just the normal temple hunting. This is one of the first temples I went to in Bangkok and will always be a special place to visit.

Jim Thompson is a personal hero of mine, and I went to the house with that bias so keep that in mind when reading: Cool.

My first 12 months as a Bangkok resident I lived across the street from the night bazaar. Several times each week I would get off the train, and instead of going home to my apartment I would go to the beer garden. Now that it seems it's demise is inevitable I can say that I will definitely miss the night bazaar, and especially the beer garden when it is gone. The market itself was always a high priced tourist trap... Chatuchak market at triple the price. But the beer garden offered free Thai style live entertainment in the form of live English and Thai-language rock & dance music plus coyote dancing on a stage at one end of the beer garden. The beer garden itself seems to be large enough to seat about 1,400 people... maybe more. There is a very good selection of Thai food on offer, and the drink of choice is usually a beer 'tower' holding anywhere from 2 to 6 liters of beer, consumed by a group of friends enjoying the live entertainment, the hot food, cold beer and outdoor ambiance of one of Bangkok's low-end landmarks. The customers include foreigners and Thais together,with a broad range of demographics. The service staff is numerous. Literally hundreds of young men and women (mostly university students) competing to take your food or drink order. The girls are almost always in skin tight dresses with beer company logos printed on them, and they make great eye candy and do a lot for the enjoyment factor. This is a place where price is a consideration. Four people can go here to eat, drink, listen to music and watch the dancing for three or four hours and walk away having spent 1,500 baht. All in all, while the market is overpriced, the beer garden offers one of Bangkok's better 'value' venues.

The CPB won a court decision allowing them to evict all tenants so a new mall and condo can be built. It's too bad really as Bangkok doesn't really need more of either. Good place to visitors but gets old fast if you live here. Worth a visit if you're passing through. Open from 6pm-12 or so which is nice since JJ market is so hot to walk around during the day.

I had been traveling to Bangkok for many years and had yet to stop by the Jim Thompson house. It was not until my parents came to town that I made it a point of taking them there. After taking them I wished I had gone earlier. The tour is well worth it and seeing the house and the collectibles is amazing. Jim lived a very interesting life in SE Asia. The tour won't solve the mystery of where Jim ended up but seeing the house is quite a treat. I suggest a morning at the house prior to going to MBK since they are so close to each other and both reachable via one skytrain stop.

This core of the Bazaar continues to live on even though there appears to be a new project looming on the horizon to take the land. I like Suan Lum and hope it lives on. The shops are fun to cruise through and I always find some t-shirt there I like. The small designer furniture shops are fun as well and usually I see something unique. The food court is okay but nothing amazing. The beer gardens are fun for the beer but the food has been hit and miss at times. There is plenty to do and see here and I always take out of towners here. This place is a gem and I hope it stays put in one for or another.