Lumpini Park, Culture, Caturday Cafe and Kinky goings-on on Silom 4 Alley!

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Siam Heritage Hotel

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I've had the hangover from hell today and have literally been in bed all day; that will teach me to go out drinking in the gay district, Silom 4 Alley; more about that later. We had quite an eventful time yesterday, visiting some of the lovely places here in Bangkok, places I have read about, but never would have believed I would be here experiencing for myself.

The weather was exceedingly hot when I ventured to the top of the Siam Heritage, over 35 degrees by the afternoon; I just thank God I have air conditioning in my hotel room. We had a big day planned, so after a wonderful breakfast at the Siam Heritage, we made our way out into the madness of Bangkok and took a walk to Lumpini Park, right in the centre of the city.

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Lumpini Park

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Lumpini Park was stunning and an oasis during the soaring temperatures that engulf this city every day. As soon as I got there, the sweat was literally dripping off me; I was absolutely drenched. As I walked under the shade of the trees, I was struck by how green and lush everything is. Bangkok does have an awful lot of rain, and Darrell and I are staying here slap bang in the middle of the monsoon season. It hasn't dampened our spirit however, in fact it makes for a far more interesting time. The showers, when they come, are only brief and welcome after the extreme heat and humidity at one hundred percent!

There are park keepers all over this well cared for public space, busy doing their duties, keeping the park looking in tip-top condition. All the trees are adorned with local flowers, in wonderful shades of pink and orange, they look amazingly vibrant against the backdrop of the lake, that is central to Lumpini Park. Little did I know at the time, but the lake was full to bursting with lizards and other reptiles. Only when I reached a pagoda situated on the bank did I see a huge lizard sat under one of the wooden benches. I have to admit, I was a little shocked at first, but quickly remembered where I was.

Gingerly, I walked over to the end of the pagoda, looking over the side, and low and behold, there were loads of even bigger reptiles swimming around. They were that big, they actually looked like baby crocodiles; I'm sure they are pretty harmless, but I didn't want to get too close just in case. Walking further along, past traditional Thai buildings, I noticed a family sat in the grass feeding a large lizard, much as we would feed the ducks in the UK. These creatures are obviously well thought of and looked after here, but it was still a bit of a culture shock for me, seeing it up close.

Like everywhere I have been to in this part of the World, there are always stray cats, everywhere you look; Lumpini park was full of them. As we were leaving, I noticed a one lying at the side of the road; at first I thought it was dead. After a minute it moved ever so slightly, opened his eyes and clocked me. One meow and a whole family of cats came running towards us; we were surrounded! I can only assume they were hungry and after food, but sadly we didn't have any. Usually we carry cat food around with us when we are abroad, but we just hadn't had time to buy any.

It is worth coming to Bangkok, just to visit this park alone and if I am honest if it wasn't for the searing heat, I would have been there longer. It was time for us to find an air-conditioned shopping mall, so we could at least begin to cool down a little.

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BTS Sky Train & Brutalist Architecture

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Having left the park, we made our way through the streets of Bangkok, which really have a distinctly dystopian feel. The brutalist architecture of the Sky Train Monorail system is stark and gives this city a really crazy feel to it. Don't get me wrong, I love the system and the concrete, being a fan of this type of building technique myself, but this train in the sky rattling past every few minutes, just adds to the fast-paced environment, Bangkok projects. It is a very utilitarian way to build a public transport system, and it really doesn't do much for the over all aesthetics of the place. Bangkok certainly isn't a beautiful city, although it does have pretty places to go and unwind. In the main however, it is a working, developing city, modernity mingling with the traditional, and stares you straight in the face, and I like it!

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Caturday Cat Cafe - Ratchathewi

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After an hour's cooling downtime in a local shopping mall, we took the BTS skytrain from Siam to Ratchathewi Station for a spot of lunch at the Caturday Cat Cafe. Darrell and I always make a point of visiting these venues when we travel in Asia. They are so popular here, and it is easy to see why. With very little living space in the big cities, it is easy for people just to pop into one of these cafés to get their cat fix. An hour of petting is more than enough to de-stress and unwind, and they are adorable places to sit, chat and meet local people!

We paid twenty-seven pounds for our visit to this lovely little café. For that we had lunch and drinks, which were amazing by the way. I had a blended berry iced smoothie, all freshly made and tasted divine. I also bought a few souvenirs and a cat bag to die for, and all for such a reasonable price. Similar cafés in London were charging up to seventy pounds each for a trip, and the ones here in Thailand are also far cheaper than those in Seoul.

After removing our shoes, we were given a one and a half hour time slot to just sit and play with the cats. A Scottish fold almost immediately adopted us and plonked himself down on my cushion, which was fine, he was worth it and I could go and pet some other moggies. Some were more friendly than others, but all of them looked well cared for, which is a must for me.

The café was covered in cat trees and toys to keep the cats entertained. It was a little odd eating lunch with a cat perched above my head, but I soon got used to it, even with a paw hitting me on the head at times. One wall was covered in old retro TV sets, which was a little strange at first, until you realised this was where their beds were. A little Bengal cat sat longingly looking at one of the TV's, when a member of staff came over opened one up, and he jumped inside; what a great idea and it just added to the kitsch charm of the place. If we have time, we will certainly come again!

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Royal Monument & University

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From Caturday we took a long stroll back home; in total, I walked over twenty thousand steps yesterday and my feet didn't even hurt. That is an achievement for me, knowing that all the weight I have lost, has given me extra energy to do all the things I want to do, without puffing and panting and getting out of breath.

We popped to the Royal Monument and University on the way back to the Siam Heritage, just to marvel at the superb Thai architecture, which is unique to this part of the World. The gardens were so well-kept and looked after, as they all are in Bangkok, and it was a joy looking at the exotic flowers and fauna that sprawled right across this vast complex. This impromptu stop gave us a short rest before the carnage of Patpong!

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Silom 4 Alley - Gay District, Bangkok

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Now, this is where things got a little messy. When we got back to Patpong we immediately headed to Shenanigan's for a well needed drink to cool down. Well, that turned into three pints of Stella by 4.30 pm, and a determination to just stay out and get even more wasted. I've heard good and bad things about Patpong and most of what I have seen so far pointed in one direction. This was a district for drinking and partying and since I won't be coming back here anytime soon, I thought why not jump head long in.

From Shenanigans, we went for another two pints in O'hara's just around the corner and finally ended up in the gay strip of Silom 4 Alley. Here we visited a few of the gay bars, ending up at The Banana Bar, sheltering from a rain shower. By now I had had far too much to drink and Darrell and I went into the bar to watch a show. It started off tame enough, with the usual drag queen and cabaret show, and then things got a little kinky, shall we say.

Ten men entered the stage with very little on, each with a number, and we were asked what our favourite number was. Being totally drunk by this point, we played along and ended up chatting and talking with number 24 (My favourite number by the way) for most of the night; all well and good, but with English not his native language, it became a very expensive night buying drinks. Everyone understands the language of alcohol, and things became a bit blurry thereafter. I do, however, remember a rather raunchy live show on stage, which nearly made my eyes pop out of my head and thought it was probably a good time to leave, before I spent every penny I had.

I don't even remember getting home, just the hangover this morning, which was one of the worst I have ever had. Oh, I've said the usual, 'I'm never drinking again' stuff, but actually I really enjoyed the night, even if it did cost me eight thousand Thai Baht, which is about two hundred quid. My venture into gay Bangkok life is well and truly over, and it is unlike anything I have ever seen, or likely to see again. It was the oddest end to an otherwise relaxing, cultured day, rather different to the cat café, but I wouldn't change it for the World.

If you come to Thailand, you must visit Silom 4 Alley, it really is a great place to see and dip into, but certainly not a district I could find myself going to too often. At 51 years old I am knackered now after just one day, imagine me after a week, I'd probably be in my box!

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