A bit late with this one but just incase anyone is on holiday in Thailand and in the Bangkok area. The TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) and the Federation of National Film Associations have co-organize the World Comedy Film Festival for the first time in Thailand and Asia. The event was taking place from 10-16 June, 2009, at Siam Paragon Cineplex and the SF World Cinema at Central World, so as I said sorry this ones a bit late.

The mascot of the festival is the Nang Talung shadow puppet named “Teng”, which has been part an ancient form of Thai entertainment and part of Thai tradition and history of storytelling and movie making.  The puppets are usually made of cowhide and rattan. The shadow puppet show will feature all sorts of characters, but almost all shows will feature a clown (Teng), an old man and a dim-witted old woman who are all great favourites with the fun – loving audiences. Humour is always a part of the stories.

In a recent post discussing shopping in Bangkok I suggested that after the sun goes down you should head off to the night markets dotted about this city. If however shopping is not your thing there are many other nightlife experiences to be had in Bangkok, without the obvious Thailand bar girls!

1. For a romantic experience you should head for one of the evening dinner cruise that slowly meanders along the Chao Praya River. I have posted already about the Loy Nava, one that I have experienced myself but there are many others to be had if it’s not exactly romance your looking for. These types of cruises are an ideal way to see the city from a different angle, learn about about its history and culture or just enjoy the cool river breeze.

2. If it’s the club scene you are looking for then you won’t be disappointed. Bangkok nightlife club scene is alive and kicking hard, even with tight closing regulations! You can find clubs in almost every part of Bangkok with most of them open every night of the week offering different styles of music.  If it’s a trendy type bar you want then start with the bedSupper Club or try the loud music in the mega-clubs of RCA, Flix or Slim.

3. For that feeling of sophistication you should try Cocktails on a Rooftop Bar at sunset. Not only is this a great way to beat the rush hour madness in Bangkok you can also avoid most of the sunset mosquitoes. The highest drink you can sip in Bangkok would be from the Rooftop Bar on the 83rd floor of the Baiyoke Sky Hotel or try some real sophistication and relax on the open air decks of the Moon Bar on top of the Banyan Tree Hotel.

4. Live music is available in Bangkok if you look hard enough. I should say good live music is available if you look hard enough! From Thai acoustic music in your hotel lounge to freeform jazz in a smoky club, Bangkok does have it all on offer even large stadium type concerts. Don’t think these will be easy to find, most marketing and advertisements will be written in Thai so if live music is your thing do some research before you get there.

5. Bangkok’s not known for its theatrical shows but for something spectacular you should not miss out on the Siam Niramit Cultural Show and Thai dinner. Performed on the worlds largest stage this show combines Thailand’s historical and spiritual heritage in a blaze of colour. There are many other cultural shows on offer in Bangkok some good some not so good so beware when booking any of these and ask in some forums for what other people have seen.

This is just a few suggestion of what Bangkok nightlife has to offer except for the obvious shopping and Go-Go bars most tourist end up frequenting. There is nothing wrong with Go-Go bars and shopping but it can become boring after a while so the next time you visit Bangkok try and think outside the traditional tourist paths.

Just recently I came across the information that The Park Plaza Sukhumvit Bangkok are providing their guests with a simple two page booklet titled ‘Thailand Visitor Update’. This little gem provides listings of practical information most visitors would find useful like what’s on in Bangkok, transport tips, public holidays, as well as information on local weather and the upcoming trade shows in Bangkok.

“So what” you may say, this has been done for ever in other hotels. However if you have stayed in a hotel in Bangkok you will know that this information is never there. Yes the rest of the world has been doing this for a while and indeed many hotels in Bangkok have tried this but most of the literature I have ever seen in Bangkok hotels are out of date by at least 3-4 months.

Download a copy of the First Issue by Right Clicking HERE and saving the .pdf file.

The Park Plaza have said this bi-monthly booklet will be made available to guests in their bedrooms but also it can be requested via email to cover the periods of your stay. I have never stayed in this hotel, in fact I’ve never stayed in any hotel that far down Sukhumvit but from what I’m hearing maybe I should have a look at this part of town for my next trip to Bangkok.