The Happiest Little Places in Bangkok

by - 3:00 PM


When I arrived in Bangkok on my 21st birthday I had the aftermath of an inferiority complex dragging me down, the ghost of an ex haunting me and a failure that wasn't a failure to anyone but me crushing me. Did I expect to be happy, or at least feel okay while I was in Bangkok? No sir, absolutely not. I'd prepared myself for countless hours of crying. And the I found myself in the soi, the side streets of Samsen Road, and things changed. It started with the most amazing piece of street art by Dutch artists Edo Rath and my personal favourite Ox Alien. That seemed like a good omen to me. Not much later I found a few places not far off that wall where, to my own surprise, I felt happy. These places helped me get back on my feet when I was lost and down in a strange country on the other side of the world. And who knows, maybe you'll find some happiness in these places too!

THE OASIS HOSTEL
"Wherever you go, you always come back to The Oasis," I heard a guy say on one of my first days I stayed at this hostel. I brushed it off and shrugged. Belated teengae rebellion, you kow: I don't let nobody tell me where I will and won't come back.
As it turned out, the guy was right: I stayed at The Oasis Hostel twice. It's a nice clean place with the best beds I've slept on while I was in Thailand.The rooms may not be huge, but there's plenty of space to hang out in the yard. They play music in the yard as well, not too loud, just loud enough to have something in the background. Literally the only thing I didn't love about the yard is that the fake grass stays damp for about a day after a rain shower. So one day I put my backpack on the grass, the water was absorbed by my backpack and everything that wasn't covered in plastic suffered a little water damage - including my notes for this post... People are just hanging out in the yard all the time and if you're a bit socially awkward like me the staff will draw you into the conversation and make you feel so welcome. There are usually loads of Dutch people staying at The Oasis, but please don't think of that as a bad thing; we're pretty awesome.
Big plus at The Oasis is the link with OnPoint Travel, run by a Canadian and an Australian guy living in Thailand. They helped us plan our trip all the way from Bangkok to Luang Prabang in Laos. They saved us from at least a dozen panic attacks with their service.
Last but not least: you're super close to all the landmarks and Khao San Road, but far enough away to enjoy some peace and quiet.
(Tye, you owe me a beer now! ;) )

"THAT BREAKFAST PLACE ON THE CORNER"
This just goes to show what an amazing travel blogger I am: I have no idea what the breakfast place on the corner of the street The Oasis is on was called. I just know they served some good food. I had breakfast there every day when I stayed at The Oasis and some days when I was so down I didn't want to get out of bed, the promise of their pancakes was my motivation.
You can choose between pan-fried breakfasts served in really cute pans, fruit salads and pancakes. I've never had a more healthy breakfast than when I was staying in Bangkok. The fruit you buy in Europe has nothing on the fruit served in Thailand. Topped with yoghurt it's probably like the breakfast they serve in heaven. My absolute favorite dish were the banana pancakes with chocolate though. They actually put banana in the batter and this makes the pancakes so much more amazing. The best news of all: the place is open till 2pm so you can have both breakfast and lunch here.



SAAM HOUSE RESTAURANT
You know those horror stories about eating food from food carts in Asia and getting the worst case of food poisining ever? Those are the stories that keep insecure first-time travellers from eating at Saam House Restaurant. When you go there for dinner, you're literally eating on someone's front porch with a view of their living room, including random mountain bike and pet bird. The food is prepared just outside the house, in an alley. And you know what? The food is freaking amazing! So amazing that when my dad asked where we should eat that night I'd start chanting 'SAAM SAAM SAAM', which led all the Thai to shoot me some puzzled looks, because 'saam' is Thai for 'three' and I sounded like a mentally challenged toddler. Totally worth it though. 

The first few days in Bangkok I had trouble eating, but here that wasn't a problem. The spring rolls were perfect for my upset stomach and I'm still craving them to this day. But if you find yourself at Saam House Restaurant, order the chicken with cashew nuts. It's delicious. The chicken is so tender it almost falls apart in your mouth.
One thing though: if the menu says a dish is spicy, it really is spicy. To the point where tears stream down your face, as my dad found out. Though that might have been his own fault for eating a chilli pepper whole because he'd mistaken it for a piece of tomato. Lucky for him to fruit shakes at Saam House do a great job at extinguishing chilli pepper fire. Do yourself a favor and order a banana, mango, pineapple or watermelon shake with your chicken. You won't be disappointed. I swear, when mankind invents teleportation devices, Bangkok is the first place I'll go, just for Saam House Restaurant.

Honestly, happiness was the last thing I expected to find in Bangkok. Not in a hostel, not in restaurants. But I did. I had some relapses and breakdowns those first few days in Thailand, but these places helped me find my feet in my new gap year situation. Good food and good company, that's all you need in life, isn't it? I hope you'll find those things here too if you ever visit Bangkok.

x Envy

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12 Fellow Ramblers

  1. I have ever been to Thailand let alone Bangkok but I would love to go! I have heard so much about the city! and all these places sound incredible xx corinne

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    1. Thailand is a nice place, but I'd recommend Laos and Cambodia! Bangkok is very crowded and busy, I was actually glad when I got out of the city.

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  2. Such a fab post! I love seeing other people's adventures around the world, all these places sound amazing! The idea of staying in a hostel is not one I love but The Oasis sounds like it's something I could manage!
    Tara xo
    http://taradaniella.com/

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    1. Thank you! I still have so many more adventures to share. Hostels aren't that bad though, you just have to check reviews and see if your hostel is a party hostel or a quiet one - it can make all the difference.

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  3. A friend of mine visited Thailand about 2 years ago. She had the absolute best time of her life.
    She said its a really great place to find yourself. Guess i'm gonna have to head there one day!
    Lovely post!
    -Lauryn
    www.ElegantChances.com

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    1. If there's one thing true about Thailand, it's that it's a great place to find yourself. I was so lost when I arrived and by the time I left I'd finally found my feet again.

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  4. It sounds amazing and the food sounds amazing and now I'm hungry!
    Your blog posts really bring your travels to life.
    Cora ❤ http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/

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    1. Sorry not sorry for making you hungry! It always makes me so happy to hear you enjoy my travel posts.

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  5. Such an amazing post, my travel posts never turn out this way. I would love to visit Bangkok x

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    1. Thank you! I hope you get to visit Bangkok, it's a good starting point for a trip through Southeast Asia. I bet your travel posts are awesome in their own unique way!

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  6. I am so happy for you that you had so much fun!! And also very jealous that you got to go, I'll have to wait until my student traveling budget is more than 300€ per vacation haha.
    I became hungry just reading your descriptions of food, I want to go check out these places :D

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    1. I wish you could have come with me! But €300 can get you to the Netherlands so you'll have to come to Rotterdam one day soon ;) I'll write some more about all the great food in December I think.

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