Tuesday 24 March 2026

Good morning Bangkok. It's Tuesday and we're looking at 28-35°C (82-95°F) with clear skies. USD is at ฿31.73-33.27. Gold steady at ฿70,250. PM2.5 warning in the North and Northeast, with pollution expected to worsen over the next seven days. Severe weather alert tomorrow: thunderstorms, hail, and strong winds across 40 provinces. Bangkok has a 10% chance of thunderstorms today. The Motor Show opens tomorrow. Here we go.

Time Out's 2026 Best Cities ranking, based on surveys of 24,000+ locals across 150 cities, has placed Bangkok 8th in the world and 2nd in Asia (behind Shanghai). That puts Bangkok ahead of Seoul (#9), Tokyo (#10), Hong Kong (#15), and Singapore (#23). Chiang Mai also made the list at #32 globally and #9 in Asia, making Thailand the only country with two cities in the top 50. The full global top 10: Melbourne, Shanghai, Edinburgh, London, New York, Cape Town, Mexico City, Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo. Time Out highlighted Bangkok's food scene, nightlife, arts community, and cultural calendar. The BMA pointed to the upcoming Bangkok Art Biennale (October 2026), Formula 1 coming to the city, and Tomorrowland in Chon Buri (December 2026) as factors boosting the city's profile. 76% of Bangkok locals surveyed said they feel a sense of belonging in the city.

Bottom line: Let's be honest about what makes Bangkok special and what the rankings don't capture. Yes, the food scene is world-class. Yes, the nightlife is unmatched in Asia. Yes, the cultural energy is real. But Time Out rankings measure the best version of a city, not the 2 PM Tuesday traffic jam on Sukhumvit or the 42°C heat index in April or the AQI hitting orange in February. The real Bangkok is both: a city that can serve you a life-changing ฿60 pad kra pao followed by a world-class cocktail on a rooftop, all while your Grab driver navigates a flooded soi. That contradiction is exactly why people love it here. The ranking is deserved. But if you told the average Bangkok commuter on the BTS at 8:30 AM that they live in the world's 8th best city, you'd get a very Thai smile and a very tired nod.

The Middle East situation took a darker turn yesterday. Iran warned that any US strike on its power grid could trigger retaliatory attacks on Gulf water and energy systems, including desalination plants that millions of people depend on. Meanwhile, Iran is reportedly charging up to $2 million per tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, tightening control over which vessels get through. Trump delayed planned strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure for five days, saying talks are "making progress," though Tehran called it psychological warfare. Separately, the UK convened emergency economic talks as the war threatens higher inflation and energy costs globally.

Bottom line: Here's why this matters from your Bangkok apartment. Thailand gets a significant portion of its energy supply chain through routes affected by Hormuz. If Iran follows through on threatening Gulf infrastructure, the global oil price (already above $100/barrel) could spike further. Thailand's fuel crisis would deepen. Diesel prices would climb again. And the downstream effects hit everything: your Grab fare, food delivery costs, electricity bills, and the price of anything that travels by truck. The 30-day Iranian oil waiver from last week offered temporary relief, but if the rhetoric escalates into action on Gulf water systems, we're in a different scenario entirely. This story isn't over.

A Spanish-Japanese fire restaurant that earned a spot in the Michelin Guide in 2024 and retained it for 2026. Chef Roger Sole leads the kitchen with an open flame concept where everything is cooked over binchotan (Japanese white charcoal) in full view from the counter seats. The fusion works: Spanish boldness meets Japanese precision. Think seared tuna tartare, premium seafood paella with authentic depth, grilled wagyu with miso accents, and the dish everyone talks about afterward: the miso cheesecake, which is apparently an "umami flavor bomb" that people describe with the kind of reverence usually reserved for religious experiences. The set menu starts around ฿1,000+ per person, with a la carte available too. The space is intimate (counter seating around the open kitchen), energetic, and some nights feature live performances. 4.7 on Tripadvisor. 5.0 on Chope with 141 reviews. 4.8 on Google with 560 reviews. 18K Instagram followers. Book ahead as this place fills up fast.

TIP: Sit at the counter for the full experience of watching the chefs work the flame. The tuna usuzukuri and the paella are the two must-orders. Save room for the miso cheesecake. If you're on a date, this is one of the best spots in Thonglor.

24 March 1882: Robert Koch announced the discovery of the tuberculosis bacillus, a breakthrough that would eventually save millions of lives. The date is now marked as World Tuberculosis Day. 144 years later, Bangkok's healthcare system is dealing with a different kind of crisis: Ramathibodi Hospital started capping outpatient medicine supplies yesterday because the energy crunch is affecting everything, including medical logistics. Koch proved that understanding a problem is the first step to solving it. We're still working on the "solving it" part.

See you tomorrow morning.

— Devon

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