![Thailand's Four Seasons Tented Camp [not my image]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1238/850583372_25406fece7_o.jpg)
Good wine, designer shoes, elephants, and Thailand’s Four Seasons Tented Camp all converge in my new globorati post.
Tag: Thailand
Millennium Films has optioned “Bangkok 8,” the first in a three-book bestselling mystery series by John Burdett. “V For Vendetta” helmer James McTeigue is attached to direct.
In “Bangkok 8,” a detective with the Royal Thai Police Force tracks the murderers of his partner, and also a U.S. Marine. The trail leads through Bangkok’s drug and sex trade, and corrupt colleagues. Burdett, who just published “Bangkok Haunts,” the third Thai-flavored novel in the series, lives in Bangkok and knows the terrain. ICM auctioned the books last week, and Millennium’s Avi Lerner stepped up and got the property over several studios. Lerner will produce with Boaz Davidson, John Thompson and Joe Gatta.
The intention is to adapt several of the books and shoot in Thailand.
I recommend Burdett’s books highly.
And by the way, speaking of Thai-related flicks, when does that new Rambo movie open? May of 2008, according to Wikipedia.
That’s the subject of my newest Globorati post.
On Wednesday night A and our friends Austin and NG ventured out to Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium to see Thailand host The Netherlands in an international friendly. Holland won 3-1, though the scoreline flattered the Thai team. The Oranje were superior technically and physically and simply outclassed their opponents. Thailand did, however, score a consolation goal in the second half.
(Side note: Holland is home to the tallest people on the face of the planet; that made for some extreme differences in height when the Dutch players stood side-by-side with the diminutive Thais on the pitch.)
I was particularly interested in seeing Holland’s Dirk Kuyt, the player in the white uniform in the foreground above; he’s a striker at Liverpool and I was impressed with his pace and skill. Here’re some more pics:
Rajamangala Stadium.
Thailand scores.
A Clockwork Orange: Dutch supporters after the game.
I recently spotted some exotic potato chip flavors at my local 7-11. And, being a snackfood aficionado and naturally inquisitive to boot, I had to pick ’em up.
My report follows.
Lays Barbeque Spareribs flavor:
Taste: A hearty blend of seasonings lends this chip a full, spicy flavor. Strong finish with hints of cayenne. Musty aroma. Fleeting aftertaste.
Packaging: The Statue of Liberty suggests this exceedingly bold chip’s rightful association with the American frontier mentality.
Suggested pairing: Chang Beer.
Lays Seafood Mayonnaise flavor:
Taste: Highly-acidic hints of Gulf of Thailand squid, Lao mackerel, and Mekong catfish coupled with an earthy mayonnaise bouquet. Heavy shrimp paste seasoning. Intense and lingering aftertaste.
Packaging: Despite the chips’ arguably over-aggressive seasoning, the Eiffel Tower is a fitting tribute to the product’s roots in a storied Gallic culinary tradition.
Suggested pairing: Sang Som.
Tasto Tuna Salad flavor potato chips:
Taste: Surprisingly nuanced and delicate. Tuna — perhaps more of the canned than the sashimi variety — intertwined with mild suggestions of tomato and lettuce flavorings. Rustic aroma. Slightly buttery aftertaste.
Packaging: Rather uninspired.
Suggested pairing: Chocolate Milo.
Categories
Weekend at the Beach
A and I just returned from a lazy beach weekend in Pranburi, south of Hua Hin, on the Gulf of Thailand. Here’re some pics.
The view from our outdoor bathroom.
Our balcony.
A squid boat.
Here’s the full set of images.
![Thai Cinema [not my image]](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/205/510390118_75d08b50f3_m.jpg)
I’m interested in learning more about Thai cinema, so I was happy to stumble upon a great blog called Wise Kwai’s Thai Film Journal. From its description:
Regularly updated news on Thai cinema from Wise Kwai, a Thai film fan and copy editor for an entertainment weekly in Bangkok. Featured films include Ong-Bak, Tropical Malady, Suriyothai, Monrak Transistor, Last Life in the Universe, The Eye and of course the greatest of all Thai westerns, Tears of the Black Tiger (Fah Talai Jone).
Remember the article about the quest for an odorless durian? Well, NPR’s Michael Sullivan recently did a delightful radio story on the subject.
Categories
Pattaya Reborn
My latest Globorati post is about how developers and hoteliers in the resort enclave of Pattaya, Thailand are aiming to shed the city’s bad-boy rep.
Categories
Thaksin to Buy Man City?
Is Thailand’s ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra aiming to snap up English football club Manchester City?
Toppled Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who earlier made an unsuccessful bid for Liverpool, is planning to buy another English soccer club, according to a Web site close to Thaksin seen Monday.
The site — http://www.hi-thaksin.net — said that the former prime minister was ready to pay more than 6 billion baht (US$185 million; €136 million) for the Manchester City Football Club with partners from China and the Middle East.
Nopadol Pattama, Thaksin’s lawyer and de facto spokesman in Thailand, said he had read about the bid on the Web site but had not yet had time to ask Thaksin about it.
Thaksin, one of the country’s richest people, was toppled in a bloodless military coup last September following months of mass street protests accusing him of massive corruption and abuse of power. He has since been spending time at his home in London and traveling in Europe and Asia.
In 2004, the then-prime minister made an unsuccessful attempt to buy Liverpool and had also reportedly expressed interest in acquiring other English soccer clubs.
Note: Perhaps Everton FC would be a better fit, given the club’s prominent Beer Chang advertising partnership.