Alright, I’m going to be honest here. As I planned out my trip which had taken a very different turn to what I imagined before I left Australia, I had one thing in mind that I HAD to do. Ever since I heard about Bangkok’s Unicorn Cafe on BuzzFeed it became a high priority thing to do on my bucket list. I didn’t necessarily need to stop in Bangkok, I’ve been there twice before but because it’s where the Unicorn Cafe was, I had to go there. I also wanted to get a dome lens for my GoPro but that’s hardly as exciting as UNICORNS!
I caught the overnight bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and arrived around 5:30 am. The bus ride actually wasn’t too bad but it might be because I was comparing it to the woeful ones in Nepal! It was drizzling rain when I arrived in Bangkok and I was secretly pleased because it had been so hot in Chiang Mai! I got a taxi to my hostel (and paid too much, bloody Bangkok already ripping me off!) and wasn’t able to check in but could shower and eat the free breakfast so I took advantage of both those things happily!
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I spent most of it wandering through some of Bangkok’s biggest shopping malls. MRK, Siam Discovery and Siam Paragon were full of beautiful shops but for this broke backpacker, it was merely a browsing affair. Besides I could hardly fit anything else into my backpack! I tracked down a dome lens after much searching and that satisfied my spending craving thankfully.
The following morning I set out to find this magical wonderland called the Unicorn Cafe. It actually wasn’t as far as I thought, just a few stops on the BTS. The closest stop for the Unicorn cafe is Chong Nonsi and from there it was about a five-minute walk. The pink shop is tucked away in a back street of a business-y district of Bangkok. It looks a little out of place but the packed building proves that no matter where you are if there are unicorns then people will come!
I arrived at a pink wonderland, filled with plush My Little Pony’s, a big Unicorn statue and wallpaper covered in unicorns. It was a girly overload and I loved it! The place itself was tiny and it was wall to wall full of magic. I’d arrived at peak time and most places were already filled with people dressed up in unicorn onesies and drinking rainbow coloured drinks. Managing to grab a little table to myself I looked through the sugar-laden menu to find something delicious to eat. The prices were a little more expensive than I’d been allocating for meals but I figured I could call this morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea so decided to lash out! It’s amazing how you justify things when you really want something!
I ordered a Galaxy Italian soda and a Chocolate Toast. I could already feel the sugar crash that would be happening later! As I sat and watching everyone around me, I couldn’t help but wish I had someone to share this fun and hilarious experience with. My food came and I devoured it. It wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever eaten but the whole spectacle of the brightly coloured food and drinks made up for it! Besides I wasn’t here for the food, i was here for the unicorns!
As I finished a girl walked in and asked if we could share a table because there were no free ones. We struck up a conversation and I discovered she was from Holland and here on a business trip. She’d ducked out from her program for the day to come and see the Unicorn Cafe. She was lots of fun and I ended up staying another hour as we acted like little girls, wearing the Unicorn onesies and ordering more rainbow coloured food. I was glad that we’d met because it had made my experience of the Unicorn Cafe what I had hoped! A hilariously fun time!
She had to leave to go back to her seminar and I was starting to feel the effects of the sugar crash so we shared a taxi and said our goodbyes. Today was one of the reasons why I love travelling. Literally anything could happen! I could have enjoyed my chocolate toast on my own and left the Unicorn Cafe feeling a little unsatisfied but instead I left with a new friend and feeling like I’d had the proper Unicorn Cafe experience 🙂
I had a quick wander through another very fancy shopping mall, the Emporium before heading back to my hostel to chill out for the rest of the afternoon. All that sugar had evaporated and I was buggered!
The following morning I checked out of my hostel and headed to the train station. I was bound for Penang and it was going to take two trains and a ferry to get there! I’ll let you know how I go!
J. X
A Blonde and Her Passport 