The pandemic has given this Bangkokian a new appreciation for the crazy capital city of Thailand and the ways its inhabitants celebrate life

[This story first appeared in Koktail Magazine Issue 4.]

Illustrations by Veronica Guarino.

A skytrain zooms by up above. Pad Thai sizzles in a wok beside me. Motorbike taxis roar past. A construction site somewhere fills the air with the sound of shredding metal.

I can hear everyone’s conversations as we walk shoulder-to-shoulder along this narrow pavement. Water dripping from overhead makes us squeeze even more tightly together to avoid it. This can only be Bangkok, a cacophony of chaos. But it’s music to my ears.

Post-lockdown, a beach bum might seek out the beachy-est of destinations—say Bali or Bondi—to compensate for their deprivations. But for those who have just been starved of life’s energy and human noise, it’s Bangkok that makes the loudest beckoning call. This city’s scale of animation and hubbub has always been unrivalled; we make New York seem suburban.

Bouncing back from the pandemic, Bangkok has proven so many Covid commentators wrong by showing how little things have actually changed. That Isan sausage vendor wasn’t just going to quit selling her sausages, and those office workers, sweating through their suits, weren’t just going to stop buying them to bring back for the team’s daily gossip sesh. Crowds in the shopping malls make it seem as though it’s payday sale every day, and it seems it’s going to take much more than a pandemic to end our love of bodily contact.

What the pandemic has undeniably changed, though, is perspectives. I hate crowds, and nobody is a fan of this die-hard traffic. But I have now a newfound optimism for these things. They tell us that friends are seeing each other again, that suitcases are being packed, and drinks are being shaken. They are the signs of a life that we’ve all ultimately missed.

Bangkok, in all its glory, is a symbol of life in full steam. After two dreary years of social distancing and cancelled parties, being in this city is the perfect antidote. To bring back the mood for celebration and to inspire the festivities yet to come, six Bangkokians share their experience of the best parties they’ve been to.

Dinner Party

“The best party I’ve been to is actually one that I hosted. It was a dinner party I had at my condo in Bangkok with just us four girls. I cooked, and a friend prepared a playlist for the evening. It wasn’t for any special occasion. I just wanted to bring people over for dinner, and I think that’s my favourite part about it: to be able to have good friends coming together for dinner and many, many (many) bottles of wine.”

– Erin, 26

An Excuse to Dance

“My favourite party was at the beginning of 2021 when going out was still not an option. Our friend used to live in this amazing house with a pool, so we had a couple of really fun and intimate house parties. Since there was a cap on gatherings, we were a small group of under 10 people just catching up and dancing together at a time when it was hard to find moments to dance. I think these house parties provided a lot of light and laughter in a time of huge uncertainty, and I’m very thankful we were able to spend that time together.”

– Tika, 28

When the After Party is the Party

“Can an after party be the best party? There’s one that definitely comes to mind for me. It all started with a few pre-drinks and bites at The Commons Thonglor, and then—you guessed it—we went to Beam. When the club closed at around 2am, we really didn’t feel like ending the night, so we went to this underground place that was still crazy packed. This was just after restrictions were lifted, so I’m guessing everyone wanted to party for as long as possible. My memory is kind of blurry at this point, but I think we met so many new people, and one guy invited everyone back to his place for an after party. A lot of us went, and it turnedout that his condo was pretty insane: it was absolutely huge, with amazing views of the city, super high ceilings, marble bathrooms and everything. The sound systems were even better than at the club. We ordered about 20 pizzas, the PlayStation came on, and people just continued dancing and drinking. I probably left there at around 8am, and I actually can’t remember who that guy was now.”

– Guy, 24

Started Small, Now We’re Here

“When I was in my early teens, I used to organise a small, low-key beach party near my family’s place in Phuket. It’s quite a hidden spot through some trees where there’s no path. But you get there and there’s an isolated beach people didn’t know about. It used to be just me and about 10 other friends, and we just played football, had some beers and a barbecue. But each year that we’ve done this, more people would join and by the last time just before Covid, it was around 150 people. It was pretty awesome. We upgraded the place to have a full DJ set, amazing sound systems, and more food and drinks. Some police did come by at around 3am. We thought we were going to get arrested but in the end, they just told us to keep the noise down! I can’t wait to do it again now that the pandemic’s over.”

– Ed, 30

My Best Friend’s Wedding

“The best party I’ve been to would probably be my best friend’s wedding reception. She recently got married, and the reception was held at the Four Seasons. The venue was beautiful, and being by the river meant the whole ambience was just so elegant and romantic. My friend is also quite a foodie, so of course the catering was flawless. Her sweet tooth also meant we all had about three different types of cake because she couldn’t decide on one. For the music, she had an incredible jazz singer perform live during the dinner and drinks. Once the elders began to leave, the young ones stayed for the after party where there was a great DJ and open bar. It was just super fun to dance with everyone all dressed up and tipsy, celebrating love with our closest friends. It was the perfect setting, company, and reason to party for me.”

– Belle, 33

Like it’s the Last

“One of the most heart-warming parties I’ve been to was one that me and my siblings organised for my dad’s 75th birthday. We had a small dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya, the only guests being me, my mother, my two sisters, and a few of my dad’s closest friends, including his best friend whom he met when they were six. My dad gave a very moving speech about his life’s journey, his lessons, and his gratitude. He also pointed out that it might be the last time he would have a gathering with all of his family and close friends like this, so he cherished the evening even more. It was very touching, and it made me think a lot about how we should appreciate our friends and family and make the most out of life.”

– Poom, 46