Hot nights in Bangkok

Roadside food stalls at night, Bangkok, Thailand.

As the lyrics to the Murray Head song go …

“One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble

Not much between despair and ecstasy

One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble

Can’t be too careful with your company

I can feel the devil walking next to me”

It is probably pretty unfair, what people don’t realise is that Bangkok is a pretty safe city (if you discount the maniacal driving that you sometimes encounter) and for the most part, there are no issues with walking around the streets at night in whichever part of the city.

The City of Angels (no, not Los Angeles) seems to grow up at night, if Bangkok in the day is akin to a flamboyant teenager, its more like a seasoned worldly-wise forty something at night. Amid the glow of neon, the smells of the street food and the constant throng of people, there’s a certain magic that begins to appear. With the scorching sun that beats down on the streets gone for the day, everything cools down and people start hanging out outside of the malls and other air conditioned havens. The smartly dressed office workers and day tourists also slowly disappear from the scene, to be replaced by a more colourful breed of Thai and farang roaming the streets.