Fright-Fest, Bangkok Style

So, I’m not sure how many of you know about my abiding love for Halloween. Those of you who ARE in the know probably chanced upon that knowledge by seeing me in one of my “legendary” Halloween outfits. Also, if you hang around me enough, particularly if we happen to be shopping or walking by department store windows, you’ll have heard me lament as to the sad state of affairs in terms of American men’s fashion. I mean, WHY did the state of men’s fashion devolve from the splendor of Louis XIV to what it is today? I think it had something to do with those English Puritans!! Are there any social historians in the house? I once wrote a paper on Victorian fashion and another on sumptuary laws with a particular focus on fashion. They were quite fun to research! Anyway, I digress……this entry is about BKK Halloweens, not my angst about the state of men’s fashion in the US. Before we move on though, I have to say that you be expecting to read a piece of men’s fashion in BKK in the future and how I’ve been very, very good about not going out and blowing an entire month’s stipend on the excellent and unique array of new threads to floss ~ translation: …not going out and spending all the money set aside for my monthly living expenses on new clothes to wear. Ah, I bet you’re thinking…only Hong could combine all of those words into one sentence with a straight face…I know, I know, you’re all missing me terribly right about now.

Long story short: I love Halloween, because I can be feathered, powdered, trussed, penciled, inked, painted, wrapped and be gawked at as I walk down the street and still feel absolutely fabulous! In fact, the more stares I get, the more successful I feel that I had been in creating that year’s costume. The other thing is…mind you, that Halloween is the only time of year that I do such things ~ Here are a couple of photos from last year’s costume:


Pictured on either side of me are my good friends and still-roommates-in-spirit Hilary Jane Case as Groucho Marx and Michael Vincent Mills-Santos as Yoko Ono – aren’t they fabulous?


This is a better view of the full outfit. If you're having a hard time guessing what I'm supposed to be, let me help you out -- I'm a phoenix!

One thing I do have to note is that I was very much caught by surprise at just how big of a deal Halloween is here in the City of Angels (not LA, mind you). Here’s why, according to a tourist website (they describe it so excitedly, I wonder if I can be a travel writer…and what the heck does pedestrianised mean, anyway??):

Halloween welcomes a street party in Bangkok's trendy pedestrianised bar strip - Silom Soi 4 - where the many bars, clubs and restaurants combine themed decorations and promotions. Thais love to celebrate holidays so much that they adopt western festivals like Halloween with gusto, even using the contraction "ween" as slang for scary. Many venues around town have themed parties on this night, but the most spontaneous and reliably fun are in this regular nightlife haunt. Many people come in costume, some outrageously dressed, and the elaborate decorations cover nearly every available space.


Still the place to go in Bangkok for the coolest vibes and the hippest people, Silom Soi 4 is actually a lane lined with unpretenious bars and clubs. Importing the best offerings from abroad, and sometimes their DJs too, Soi 4 sneaks a few local hits into the mix.

The clubs come and go and are mostly small enough to retain a sense of intimacy, with the chance to meet trend-setting Thais and party-crazed expats. There are some larger, see-and-be-seen clubs, often full of the wealthy and beautiful set, those seeking upward social mobility or just serious raving.


You don't need to go a full moon party to check out the Thai spin on clubbing and Soi 4 is as good an introduction to the vibrant Bangkok scene as you're likely to find.

Silom is one of the main thoroughfares in Bangkok, now serviced by the new skytrain (above the road). The sois (lanes) branch off Silom, odd numbers one side and even the other.

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At any rate, I give my honest opinion in stating that – Halloween and nightlife in Seattle REALLY SUCKS in comparison to BKK – and this is coming from somebody who gets tired at 9:30pm!! Soi 4 (soi is the Thai word for a side street branching off from an arterial. I think it’s ingenious because as long as you know the main streets, you will always know which part of town you’re talking about. Some sois pretty much comprise their own little neighborhoods, each with unique identities and flare), as our snazzy description above was able to encapsulate, is a bustling center of nightlife in the Silom area. It is literally a “red light” district of BKK – this area because of all signs and lights hanging over the soi. Now, I know that you’re thinking that it sounds like I go to these types of places a lot, but I really don’t. It’s just that BKK is full of them! Here are some photos that might help you understand what I mean:






Ah, Bangkok…