Bangkok, Thailand Travel Guide
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Patpong
Patpong Shoppng in Bangkok
Overview: Patpong in Bangkok is a world in itself. It draws hoards of tourists: backpackers, shoppers and party-goers. Patpong is a world-famous shopping, restaurant and nightlife area comprised of a few streets (sois) within the Silom/Sathorn district in Bangkok. It deserves a mention and a visit due to Patpong’s reputation of being a place of excellent bargain shopping, great restaurants and its seediness. When you step into the Patpong sois (streets) during the day, it appears these streets are empty and most businesses are closed. That’s correct, except for some restaurants. In the early afternoon, the bars open up. The late afternoon to evening is when life starts to come around. Tables, some scaffolding, vehicles full of boxes and people start clamouring about setting up vendor stalls in the middle of the Patpong streets and on the sidewalks. The Patpong Night Market starts.
Patpong’s night bazaar turns into a full-throttle bizarre experience. It can be disgusting or it can be exciting, depending on the individual. When night comes, Patpong’s gamut of go-go clubs open up, music pumps and the staff and scantily-clad girls run about and call out to tourists to visit their clubs. Needless to say, night time may not be a place to take your kids to Patpong.
In the meanwhile, the market stalls, packed in the Patpong sois like sardines, teem with lights and tourists – young and old and all from different parts of the world. Patpong’s night market offers anything from beautiful representing varies aspects of Thai life and culture to jewelry to clothes. It can be difficult to manuever and negotiate paths on either side of the market stalls with all the tourists going back and forth, stopping and making abrupt movements.
There is certainly no shortage of places to eat in Patpong. You can get pick from street vendors to local restaurants, which are your best bets for cheap, authentic Thai food, to high end restaurants.
Location: Patpong is located in the Silom/Sathorn district between the parallel streets of Silom Road and Surawong Road.
Cost: Depends on you
Accessibility: Patpong’s night market is wheelchair accessible. However, you do have to fight the crowds and it is crowded. The vendors set up right on the streets. As for restaurants, a lot of them have steps at the entrances but some of the Patpong restaurants have outside seating. Around Silom and Surawong, you can find less populated and more accessible restaurants to eat at. The staff, however, of the restaurants, are more than willing to help you up steps. Restaurants and bars are both situated alongside sidewalks. So, you can go up a sidewalk and then wheel into any of the restaurants or bars that don’t have steps.
Getting There: Cab it or tuk-tuk