Sutti Mansion

For the next few blog posts I am going to focus on places I called home in Bangkok. I had two primary residences during my initial 3 year stay. Then Kade and I stayed in a couple of other places for 1 1/2 more years after returning from our time in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 2004.

Sutti Mansion, near the Thong Lor BTS Station (skytrain), is an extended-stay, serviced apartment. It was our last apartment before returning to the USA (and on to Asheville) to live. Two other friends of ours - Kyoko(from Japan) and Bjorn (from Sweden) - also had rooms here. The best part about this place was the proximity to a popular area of Bangkok:  Soi Thong Lor. I enjoyed getting massages on Thong Lor, and I also loved the coffee shops and supermarkets. There were also great Japanese restaurants. Kyoko took me to some unique ones for some excellent sushi. Great times we had! 

At the opposite end of Thong Lor (from the BTS side) lived a family of Burmese I had befriended. In fact, the mother of the family, Thit, was a student of mine at AUA, the English language school where I taught when I moved to Bangkok in 2000. We kept in touch, and a few years later she asked me if I could tutor her three boys. I am going to add a picture (when I find it) of them as well. Lastly, a prime reason for staying at Sutti Mansion was the easy access to Soi 38, where you can find inexpensive yet tasty Thai street food from dusk to dawn!

The kids from Myanmar, and their mom, Thit.
In their home at TY Court.  And another of TY here.

Same group plus a former student at AUA Language Center.

I was just in BKK!  And more, Sutti Mansion II!  I was thinking again to live in BKK again and tried to stay at the same place.  It was still the same, but the rent seemed to be increased!  Thong Lor is a very stylish place now and a lot of pub where they serve tasty draft beer branded Belgian, German, and so on. A lot of wine bar, coffee shop, too!  More Farangs are working at the cafes, restaurants, and bars!!  I went to Singaporean Kao Man Gai shop on soi tong lor, where you and Kade introduced me.  I also went to eat Pratunam Kao man gai.  The Singaporean shop was more tasty.  - a e-mail from my Japanese friend (June 2013)

My reply:  I enjoyed walking down to Thong Lor my first couple of days in January.  Even made a video in a coffee shop.  Sutti Mansion still looks the same, yes, but Thong Lor seemed more run down to me.  There were some businesses that had a new look back in 2005, but now seem dirty.  Maybe it's b/c I have been in the US a long time, and have gotten used to things here.  However, if I lived in Bangkok, Thong Lor would still be a draw.  The food stops are good, including the places you mentioned.  I think of Thong Lor, you and the visits to Starbucks, Baskin Robbins and the Japanese places.  I certainly was impressed with the condo and hotel development along Sukhumvit in January.  

Around the 2 minute mark, he points to the Thong Lo BTS station.  Right next to it is Sutti Mansion.