Chinatown at night

Bangkok's Chinatown (Miki Studio / Shutterstock.com)

If you are staying in Bangkok for a few days then a visit to Chinatown a must.

In fact, you should spend at least half a day and the evening there to see, smell and taste the two different worlds of this large Chinese enclave within Bangkok. Wander around, sniff the scent of the many typical Chinese herbs and enjoy a delicious meal at one of the many restaurants in the evening

The journey there

The easiest and most fun way to go Chinatown to go is on your own with public transport. Make sure you end up at an MRT (Metro) and travel easy to the terminus of this line, the large train station Hua Lampong. From there you walk to exit 2 marked 'Railway station'. You walk there through a wide corridor with many historical photos depicting the history of the Thai Railways. The fourth photo on the left shows, among other things, a photo of Queen Beatrix and her son Prince Alexander during their visit to Bangkok on January 20, 2004.

When you are outside you will see a footbridge over the canal on the other side.

Wat Traimit Samphanthawong

You cross the parking lot via the zebra crossing and walk over that bridge. Then cross the street and turn left. Within a few meters you cross the street again via the zebra crossing and then again. In fact, you cross two streets and you will see a pole with direction signs at the third street. On the front are street names in the Thai language and on the back in words that are more understandable to us. Follow the arrow pointing right towards Yaowarat Road. You then pass a large temple with the euphonious name Wat Traimit Witthayaram Wora Wiharn.

It's definitely worth looking around there. An exhibition has been set up on the 2nd and 3rd floors that you can visit. If you have not yet paid enough respect to Lord Buddha, you can repair this mistake on the 40th floor for 4 baht. These prices apply to foreigners, otherwise none would ภาษาไทย visit Buddha more.

Walking fifty meters further you will come to a large roundabout where you turn right. A few steps further you will see a small Chinese temple with a Happy Buddha. In fact, you are standing at the rear of the aforementioned temple complex.

Looking straight ahead you will see a split of two roads, take the left road. So not Thanon Charoen Krung on the right. Continuously you will come across a number of small Chinese restaurants and a little further you will have arrived in the heart of China Town.

Evening walk

Will give a little hint how to proceed. You may also want to take a look at the Chinese temple on the opposite side at the start of this road. However, continue on the right side of the road and turn right at the 7-eleven store. You will find a lot of sellers of amulets there. At the next crossroads we take the road to the left. At the next crossroads we turn left again and this time walk on the other side of the street because that side is more interesting.

In the meantime, take a look around and let it all sink in. Keep walking straight ahead and turn left at the 2nd crossroads. You will come across stall after stall of fruit traders. Once you reach another intersection, turn left again and you'll be on one of Chinatown's main streets, Yaowarat Road. It is nice to walk into the next narrow alley and watch all the activity there.

Further explanation is hardly important, because what could be more fun than just wandering around and soaking up the atmosphere of this typical part of the city. Banjer but delicious to the left or to the right as your feeling indicates.

In the evening it seems as if you have ended up in a completely different China Town. The eateries are popping up like the well-known mushrooms and so are the many very small entrepreneurs who populate the sidewalks in large numbers. Amulets appear to be in vogue among the Thai people and the supply is therefore overwhelming. We Westerners don't understand a thing about that and what all those people looking through a magnifying glass see either. It's still a fun spectacle.

Eating in Chinatown (Artistpix / Shutterstock.com)

Dining out

It is a real pleasure to have a bite to eat in this special atmosphere at night and there is plenty of choice for that. At the end of a street I see a large, overcrowded restaurant where people are literally hanging out with their legs. My preference is for less crowds and at a certain restaurant a lady lures me in. She is slightly crooked and, as I learn later in the evening, is 76 years old.

The name of the case? 'Chinese and Thai Food' and no further indication. I am very pleased to see the activity. Grandma has the wind under it and hands out her commands to the staff left and right. They let it all pass without a murmur. In the open kitchen, the cook, occasionally assisted by a helper, is at work. Grandma, the cook, the staff, together they form the decor that you can thoroughly enjoy. As with most Chinese restaurants, no frills whatsoever, at least if you don't want to consider the plastic tablecloth as such.

Very, very good

Looking at the menu, I come to the conclusion that my knowledge of Thai and Chinese is of no use. In addition, the pictures shown are so unclear that I really can't make sense of them. Grandma comes to my rescue and points her finger at a certain dish with an accompanying picture that is unclear to me. “Very good, very good” she adds. When I ask what the dish actually is, the “Very, very, very good.” When a somewhat younger man comes to the rescue, we come to the conclusion that the very good dish must depict crab. If only I had said that in Thai right now because 'Phoo pad phong curry' is a name I know and is also one of my favorite dishes. Do not choose the curry this time, but the 'stir fried pepper' preparation.

Especially in the evenings it is teeming with these kinds of restaurants where you can fully enjoy not only the food but also the special atmosphere around it. It's often the little things that can make life so cozy, but you have to want to see them.

If you've ended up wandering somewhere and perhaps you've completely lost your sense of direction; do not panic. For a small fee, a taxi or tuk-tuk will take you back to the Hua Lampong station where you will return to your familiar world via the underground.