Five Unexpected Highlights to Seek Out in Bangkok

Thailand is undoubtedly one of Australia's favourite holiday destinations, and Bangkok is one of the world's most visited cities by international tourists. The sprawling metropolis makes room for the old and the new — one minute you're cruising down the Chao Phraya river, the next you're travelling through the city at breakneck speed on the BTS skytrain.

We've going to bet that a few of you have been to Bangkok before. Maybe you've even trekked up to Chiang Mai and Pai, or soaked up some sun scuba diving off one of Thailand's many islands. That's why we've left some of the obvious Bangkok destinations out of this article, like the mind-boggling Chatuchak markets, the opulent Grand Palace and the silk-lovers heaven that is Jim Thompson House. If you're in the country's capital and looking for a fun way to spend a few days, we recommend giving a few of these a visit.

Drink at high altitudes

Bangkok has quite a nifty reputation for its rooftop bar scene, so we decided to check out the highest one we could find — it was the Sky Bar at the Lebua State Tower (also known as the rooftop bar from The Hangover 2). Come alone or come in a wolf pack to the 65th floor — the service is friendly and the cocktails are outstanding. We could drink their blueberry sour G&T's all damn day, but there's also a Hangovertini for those looking to stay in theme. Sunset is generally the best time to arrive but, then again, we're yet to find a bad time to drink at high altitudes.

We also climbed to the top of Moon Bar at the Banyan Tree Bangkok, located on the 61st floor. It's extremely easy to pass the hours when you're seated against the glass wall overlooking the city — with free bar snacks that were constantly replenished, no less. There was a smart casual dress code at both of these rooftop bars, so it's worth checking ahead to make sure drinking in the clouds stays firmly on your conquered list. Yes, both of these places were a bit pricier than your average 60 Baht bottle of Chang beer, but if you're after a nice night out, this is it. What can we say? Bangkok has us now.

Work Your Way Out Of Escape Hunt

Escape rooms are becoming a bit of a thing in Australia, but we tried out the Bangkok version at Escape Hunt anyway. For the uninitiated, escape rooms are like playing real-life Cluedo: you get 'locked' in a room, left to solve a murder mystery before your time is up. In our case, we had an hour to figure out who had killed a female painter — one of her three boyfriends, or the groundskeeper?

This was totally awesome. And if Bangkok hasn't already tested your relationship with your travel partner, this certainly will. You're allowed to get clues from your host, but each clue deducts one minute off your time, so we recommend only using them when you're desperately seeking some Sherlock intuition. Thankfully, we made it out with just under two minutes to spare, and we were given the cutest tweed detective gear to put on and take photos in.

Check Out Cat, Dog and Bunny Cafes

Cat cafes did originate in Asia, so it's no surprise there are a few here in Thailand's capital. We're not sure exactly how many cat cafes Bangkok has, but we know there are at least three. Purr Cat Cafe Club is one of the more prominent ones in Sukhumvit, and in a city filled with apartment buildings and high rises, it's no wonder Bangkok locals are looking to spend some quality time with a furry friend. Purr is run by a Thai sitcom actress and houses 14 fluffy Persians cats. At the cafe you can have cat-shaped brownies and whiskers drawn on your hot chocolate. There is also Kitty Cat Cafe and Makura Cat Cafe in Bangkok if you can't get enough of your feline friends.

Cats not your thing? Don't even worry about it. Bangkok also has a cafe that specifically houses Siberian huskies called True Love Cafe. There are 17 of these adorable pups running around, all of different colours and sizes. One final animal establishment we'd like to throw out there is the Lucky Bunny Cafe & Restaurant, which houses happy, healthy rabbits. All of the cute, all at once.

Food and (Safe) Sex Together At Last

With a tagline like 'Our food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy', how could you possibly refuse a meal here? There are mannequins covered in elaborate condom costumes which are hilarious and honestly quite impressive, but Cabbages and Condoms is not the money-grabbing, photo-opportunity establishment you might first think. Cabbages and Condoms was initially created to promote a better understanding of sexual health and family planning, as a portion of the profits go towards the Population and Community Development Association (PDA). It's all in the name of an excellent cause, so you might as well get amongst.

The menu is strictly Thai cuisine, and there's plenty to choose from. There are a few Cabbages and Condoms located all over Thailand, so if you're heading over to Thailand but not staying in Bangkok, there's still a chance to check this out. Grab a handful of free dingers on the way out and have yourself a safe and merry day.

Choose Your Own Adventure: Thai Street Food

Let's be honest, this section could be a whole article to itself. Thai street food is the best kind of street food — cheap, unpredictable (in a good way), and, above all, delicious. The rules are simple: eat anything that looks interesting, ask questions later and try something new every time. On a personal note, I spent two years of my childhood living in Thailand, so I had a slight advantage of knowing that (1) My chances of death were slim if I chose wisely, and (2) I could identify some of the strangest looking toppings on Thai snow cones.

Boat noodles (kuay tiew rua) are a Bangkok street food staple, and there is a whole alley dedicated to this delicacy located near Victory Monument. For other noodles on the run, a safe bet is the readily available stir-fried wide rice noodles (pad see ew) or Pad Thai. Our favourite savoury snacks were easily the bacon-wrapped enoki mushrooms, as well as the ever-present and super cheap grilled pork sticks (moo ping).

For sweets you can't go passed mango and sticky rice (kao niao mumuang) — it's traditional and delicious. For some who are keen for a little lucky dip, give the Thai snow cone (nam kang sai) a go. You fill the bottom of the bowl with anything from black jelly, chestnuts, sweetened taro to red beans, then place a mound of shaved ice on top of that and cover with flavoured syrups and condensed, evaporated or coconut milk, depending on how sweet you want it.

Top image thanks to Scalino, Lubua photo taken by Vicky Chung via Flickr, cat image thanks to ironypoisoning, Cabbages and Condoms image thanks to micamonkey, street food image thanks to jaaron.