Tuesday 31 March 2026

Good morning Bangkok. It's Tuesday and we're at 27-34°C (81-93°F) under cloudy skies. AQI in the city is moderate at around 60-80, manageable but not great for long outdoor exercise. The North is still suffocating: Chiang Mai remains in the unhealthy zone with haze hanging thick and PM2.5 readings well above safe levels. Chiang Rai is slightly better but not good. If you're heading north for Songkran in two weeks, be aware that air quality typically doesn't improve until mid-April rains arrive. Gold at ฿69,900-70,100. USD at ฿31.61-33.15. SET at 1,447.05. Diesel at ฿38.94. LANY is tonight. And tomorrow, driving in Bangkok gets more expensive if you break the rules. Let's get into it.

If you drive, ride, or Grab your way through Bangkok, pay attention. The Royal Thai Police's "Warning Before Fine" period ends today (March 31). Starting tomorrow, April 1, officers will issue actual fines for 10 major traffic offenses. During the warning phase, over 196,000 warnings were issued through the police's digital ticket system. That was Phase 1: getting drivers used to the idea. Phase 2 is enforcement. The 10 targeted offenses are the ones most frequently linked to fatal accidents: speeding, drunk driving, sudden lane changes, running red lights, and not wearing helmets, among others. This applies everywhere, including tourist areas like Phuket and Chiang Rai, and it applies to everyone, expats and tourists included. During the 2026 New Year "Seven Dangerous Days" period (December 30 to January 5), Thailand recorded 1,511 crashes, 1,464 injuries, and 272 deaths. The government is under pressure to bring those numbers down before Songkran, which historically is even deadlier than New Year on the roads.

Bottom line: If you ride a motorbike without a helmet, this is your last warning. If you've been running the occasional red light on quiet sois at 2 AM, that's over. If you use your phone while driving, put it down. The fines aren't enormous by Western standards, but they're enough to be annoying, and the digital ticket system means you can't just smile your way out of it anymore. The bigger picture: Songkran is April 13-15, which means the roads will be packed with holiday traffic, fuel is expensive, and drivers are stressed. Tighter enforcement is a good idea. Just make sure you're not the one funding the police budget.

Passenger boat operators on the Saen Saep Canal and Chao Phraya River are raising fares by ฿2 starting today (Monday March 30 per the original announcement, likely in effect by Tuesday). The reason is straightforward: diesel went from ฿33 to ฿39 per liter, an 18% increase, and the old fare structure is no longer sustainable. This is one of the clearest examples of how the fuel price hike flows through the economy. It's not just about your car or your Grab. It's about every form of transport that runs on diesel: boats, buses, trucks carrying your groceries, delivery bikes bringing your food. The ฿2 increase sounds small, but for the hundreds of thousands of commuters who use the Saen Saep canal boats daily, it adds up. The government has also moved to freeze prices on essential goods to prevent further cost-of-living pressure, a signal that they know the fuel hike is rippling faster than expected.

Bottom line: If you commute by canal boat, expect the new fare immediately. If you use the Chao Phraya express boats, same story. The ฿2 sounds trivial until you multiply it by two trips a day, five days a week. That's ฿80/month more for a commuter. For context, ฿80 buys you a solid street food lunch. The essential goods price freeze is a band-aid but a necessary one: it prevents the worst-case scenario where fuel hikes cascade into food price spikes before Songkran. The Hormuz deal should help stabilize supply within weeks (crude arriving early April), but prices always lag behind supply improvements. April is going to be tight.

This is not a cafe. This is a fever dream of haute couture and haute patisserie that somehow exists on Ploenchit Road. Cafe DIOR is nested inside the Dior Gold House, a 1,000-square-meter gilded structure that reinterprets the facade of Dior's original 30 Avenue Montaigne townhouse in Paris, surrounded by tropical gardens. The menu is created by Chef Mauro Colagreco, the Argentine-Italian genius behind Mirazur in the south of France (three Michelin stars, formerly #1 on the World's 50 Best Restaurants). Every dessert is inspired by Christian Dior's love of gardens and botany. "L'Abeille" (The Bee) is a honey mousse infused with jasmine on a hazelnut base, topped with a delicate white chocolate bee. "La Rose" is coconut mousse with lychee and raspberry shaped into an actual rose. "Le Soleil" combines caramelized banana and chocolate. "La Lune" is a buttery croissant filled with pistachio jam. The floral cocktails (neroli, jasmine, lavender) are equally extraordinary. The interior features a monumental bamboo installation by Thai artist Korakot Aromdee, with bespoke furniture by Saran Yen Panya of 56th Studio. It's a dialogue between Parisian elegance and Thai craftsmanship. Reservation required (90-minute limit). 4.5 stars on Tripadvisor. 4.3 with 315 reviews on Google. A 5-minute walk from BTS Chit Lom. Not everyone’s cup of tea but if it is, you’re going to love it.

TIP: Book ahead through the Dior website or call directly. They enforce the 90-minute limit, so don't plan to camp out with a laptop. Order one savory item and one dessert minimum. The "L'Abeille" is the showstopper. Go during a weekday for shorter wait times. This is not a budget spot (expect ฿800-1,500 per person), but it's a once-in-Bangkok experience. Perfect for a birthday, anniversary, or "I just survived March 2026 and I deserve this."

31 March 1889: The Eiffel Tower was officially completed in Paris after two years of construction. It was built as a temporary exhibit for the 1889 World's Fair, and critics called it "a truly tragic street lamp" and "a half-built factory pipe." It was supposed to be demolished after 20 years. 137 years later, it's the most visited paid monument in the world. Meanwhile, on Ploenchit Road, Dior has reconstructed a version of its original Parisian townhouse in gold, served it with jasmine-infused honey mousse, and called it a cafe. Some things that start as temporary end up defining a city. Bangkok has always understood that instinct.

See you tomorrow morning.

— Devon