Ken Logro

I either think things through to a fault, or jump straight into it: this time a weekend in Bangkok. I missed the city; it had been three years since I last visited. I had little to nothing planned than to visit my favourite bar in the world and of course, Ploy.

Wasted no time and made a beeline for Ku straight from the airport. No check-in baggage privileges. Gotta love free will.

It was my first time staying in Yaowarat, and I wondered why I hadn’t chosen the area sooner. Phra Khanong, where I had always stayed, was quiet and residential just the way I liked it, but a tad too far from everything else.

I stayed in a very cheap and comfortably residential pocket of Yaowarat, in walking distance to many food options and even some cultural spots I’d been meaning to go to, like Baan Trok Tua Ngork and Bangkok Kunsthalle. Not to mention that walking in itself is a treat here. I brought my camera along with a clearer intention to take photos, and for a weekender I was fairly satisfied with that.

Something about old buildings repurposed as art galleries really gets me going. It’s not anything novel, but at the same time the unique context of the buildings always has some symbolical if not visual dialogue with the artwork exhibited in it, which adds more to the experience more than a whitewall gallery would.

I especially loved this assembled Akha house in one of the tall rooms of the building. There’s a palpable tension between the vernacular house that smelled of charred wood, and the concrete building itself that had supposedly burned down some years ago. The sight and smell of it reminded me of my family’s farmhouse in Capiz, miles away from Bangkok.

I missed Ploy! Was a shame she couldn’t join me at Badwater, which funnily enough was closer to Phra Khanong than Yaowarat, but I digress. Another excellent concept by the team behind Ku, no surprises there. Cheers to lovely Mint who humoured me there and the next day at Ku. My favourite, and probably one of my favourite cocktails ever now, is this one they called Beet Wine.

Gluttony, but one must have one’s pad see ew

Gluttony [2] at Charmkrung, with Ploy

Best meal of the trip. The most delicious beef curry

So happy to finally try Gallery Zezë as well, on top of Badwater. I was looking forward to these two new spaces as I’ve been longtime followers of the people behind them. Zezë is as close to a simulacrum of a Ken kind of bar as it gets. Bangkok really gets it. Many thanks to Tul and Thyme for sharing their world with us.

Resident bar cat, Maengmum

Ku for afters, because why not? 15min walk away. Bangkok best

Auralee shirt, GU shorts, Lemaire sandals, Toteme bag

Krua Apsorn with Bangkok fam, bien sûr

At this point it was my third massage in a row

Black basket bag from the sweetest Ploy, full of mangosteens

Last stop at Ku

And just like that the weekend was done! I enjoyed every bit of it, but it felt strangely like I’d spent a whole week if not two. I think I’ve succeeded in filling my cup so I’m now content with enjoying my fresh bedsheets in stormy Manila. Now it’s back to no alcohol till September! Ciao