Rachada

Last night me and three girls from the hostel went looking for this party strip called Rachada Soi 4. We heard that it was a young Thai spot with over twenty bars, way off the farang (foreigner in Thai) radar. We took a train, then a cab, and ended up driving up and down Soi 3 trying to find a single club in the midst of blocks and blocks of outdoor noodle stands. As it turns out, the number four in Thai sounds like three in English. After we sorted out the mixup, we found Soi 4 and walked the strip trying to figure out how to chose a bar. Finally heard a familiar "da, da, da, da, da" hook from a Thaitanium track booming from the speakers at Snop, so we went in.

I have never in my life been anywhere that people were so startled to see me. I don't think foreigners ever go to those bars. People stared. People giggled. People came over to shake our hands. We ended up dancing with a posse of Thais to a very eclectic combo of current hip-hop, 50s pop, 90s heavy metal, and Thai ballads and rock songs. The twist seems to be a very popular dance move right now. Only one guy in the group spoke English, so he had to translate for all of his friends as they waited their turn to make small talk.

Bars in upscale Sukhumvit joints cost about 600 baht to get into (around $20 Canadian) and around 200 baht ($7) for drinks, which is a fortune here. The Rachada bars had no cover and my friends bought a bottle of rum, mixer, and a bucket of ice for 400 baht. (I stuck to my cola.)