Monthly Archives: December 2023

December 31st, 2023

We decided to have New Years eve dinner at the hotel.   The Courtyards in Bangkok are a lot nicer than the Courtyards in the states and they go all out for Christmas eve and New Years eve dinner buffets.   It was an international buffet with a lot of good food but I especially liked the sushi and sashimi.  Consistent with my previous experiences, the staff went out of their way to make it feel special.  Similar to the Bustaraunt, there was a saxophone player playing along with music along.   I wondered if this was a trend here in Bangkok.

After dinner we went for a walk to see the Christmas lights.  The hotel we are staying at is close to three major malls called Emsphere, which just opened up, EmQuartier and Emporium.  I have watched Bangkok change over the years and Bangkok now has some of the biggest and best malls.  The food courts take up multiple floors with restaurants from around the world.   Gordon Ramseys has two restaurants in Emsphere.  Although Thailand is a Buddhist country, the malls go all out with Christmas decorations.

When we returned to the hotel, the doorman asked if we were going to go back out to see the countdown and the fireworks.  I thought to myself that if I were to ring in the New Years in a public place with fireworks,  I should probably do it in a place like Bangkok where it is 80 degrees as opposed to Times Square in NYC.   A younger version of me wouldn’t have missed this, all I wanted to do was to go bed! Continue reading →

December 30, 2023

We went on the Bangkok Bustaurant, a double decker bus that has been converted into a restaurant with a kitchen downstairs and a dining room upstairs. This was a unique upscale dining experience complete with a live saxophone player.  Thai dishes were served as we circled through the bustling streets of Bangkok for two hours.  I was surprised at just how fun this was.  As we passed through the crowds in Chinatown, I remember walking through those crowds and here I was was above it, with a bird’s eye view, in a an air condition fine dinning restaurant that moved through the streets  of Bangkok.

I wasn’t going to get great pictures of the local attractions and decided that I wasn’t going to try and focused on enjoying the event as opposed to capturing it.   It was some of the best Thai food that  had eaten.  It was fun and unique experience and noticed that as we passed through various areas, there were many curious onlookers pointing at the bus and waving.  I would definitely do this event again. Continue reading →