Bangkok is a huge city, but most of its expat community is centered around a few notable areas – Sukhumvit, Silom, Sathorn, Ari, and a few other small burghs. It’s no coincidence that most of the hotels, restaurants, and nightlife is located here too. What some people overlook is that every single one of these areas is on the east side of the Chao Phraya River, which roughly bisects Bangkok – but what about the west side?
The Chao Phraya River represents somewhat of a psychological barrier to most Bangkokians…
Much like New York, Bangkok has its ‘cool’ areas and its ‘uncool’ areas, and generally speaking, the west side of the river is uncool. Why do I bother writing about it? Well, it’s just an interesting fact about Bangkok that isn’t often acknowledged, and also, I live on the west side of the river, which is broadly called Thonburi. But thankfully, things are starting to change. One day, I might even end up living on the cool side of the river.
Bangkok. Like a smear of gum on the bottom of your shoe.
When we moved over here from Ari, where we had lived for 3 years previously, my wife’s mother showed a lot of concern. “But