Once we got dropped off by our taxi we grabbed a beer and got ont tinternet. My friend Joe was in Bangkok and staying near to Khao San Rd, I figured if he hadn’t been horribly murdered or robbed then we would just get a room at the same gaff. I was too tired to try and mission around looking at rooms so having a recommendation here was a godsend! We got some maps up and located the place – Jenny’s Restaurant just over the canal. They had a room, it had a bed, that was about as far as my priorities lay at that point. It was a little run down but had fans and a private bathroom and £8 for the night wasn’t too shabby at all. We paid up and got our heads down for a few hours before our first night out in Bangkok.
In the week before I got there I had a message from my friend Rick saying that Goldie and Fabio were playing on the day of our arrival. This was the first Drum & Bass he’d seen since moving here and surely a sign from the gods of what to do on our first night! The hotel restaurant was packed out (a good but disappointing thing) so we got some food near to our hotel in a small restaurant using the old “don’t worry what it looks like just go somewhere busy” technique. The restaurant wasn’t much to look at but the prawns with black pepper and tempura squid were excellent. Add two large beers and a meagre £10 bill and we were set for the night.
The night was on the other side of Bangkok. Again we didn’t really have the time or inclination for public transport so we hopped in a cab – £4 for a 15 min cab ride wasn’t too bad at all. Rick told us to ask to go to Nana Plaza and I had googled the address of the pub we were meeting. The taxi driver pulled up and pointed down a side street “Nana Plaza there”. We got out. It wasn’t. We suddenly felt very screwed over. My maps showed us to be quite far from where I had googled before, but with no other phone or data connection we felt pretty lost & hopeless.
Forgive me for being philosophical but I suppose that’s where we’re at these days. So reliant on the internet and technology to guide us that when it’s taken away and you are in a huge unfamiliar setting you can feel quite isolated.
Back to the real tale and through the beauty of a small diet coke and free McDonalds wifi we managed to re-check the details and finally found the place.
When we got in it was superb. Goldie was going back to back with Fabio and the whole place had a full on. Soul:ution vibe – hard to find anywhere outside Manchester. The price of entry and drinks were all pretty similar to the UK but it was a first night celebration and good value for it!
We got a taxi back afterwards for a few quid and then crashed out.