If you haven’t already chosen a place to celebrate New Year’s Eve, 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand, you might want to consider staying at home. Or, at least, going to one of the less popular Bangkok New Year hotspots. That’s because just about anywhere Thais and visitors to Thailand would normally celebrate New Year, 2013 in Bangkok — Central World Plaza, the Oriental Hotel, Asiatique, Bed Supper Club — is already completely booked up, or likely to be so crowded who would want to bother?
That also extends to outside Bangkok, as millions of Thais (literally) have left the capital to go upcountry to visit family and friends. In fact, according to The Bangkok Post, 100,000 tourists are expected to celebrate New Year 2013 on Koh Samui and Wat Prathat Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai is packed to bursting.
As for me and my friends, we’ve avoided the typical Bangkok New Year’s Eve hot spots for almost every year I’ve been in Thailand. We even avoid the downtown area as it’s overcrowded. Plus, when you’ve got to get back home in a taxi late at night, you’ve more of a chance of having a car accident due to all the drunks on the road.
This year, my New Year’s Eve for 2013 in Bangkok will be spent enjoying a nice meal out with friends at Sizzler (they have a huge salad bar, awesome entrees and it’s only about 300 baht per person) just a couple of blocks from my house.
I’ll then do a bit of grocery shopping right before the supermarket closes, and be back home by 10 o’clock in time to watch the New Year’s Countdown in Bangkok on TV and get a good night’s sleep.
However you decide to celebrate your New Year’s Eve, 2013, in Bangkok, however, do make sure it’s fun, festive, unusual and, above all, safe.
Happy New Year from everyone at Tasty Thailand. We hope you have a lovely one!