Tag: Thailand

World Cup Ambush Marketing, Thai-Style

German Sausage Flavored-Chips

I recently purchased these potato chips at Bangkok’s Big C. (Big C is a Thai hypermarket, sort of like Wal-Mart but with an open-air meat section. Thailand has several hypermarkets, such as French-based Carrefour and Tesco Lotus, a UK/Thai joint venture.)

Anyway, I saw these chips and I thought, in this order:

1. Wow — World Cup ambush marketing! (The lack of official sponsorship, the ball with Adidas-esque markings, etc.)

2. German sausage flavor? You better believe it. I haven’t tried ’em yet but I have high hopes.

Categories
Misc.

Stop Me if You’ve Heard This One

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An Ecuadorian, an American, a Thai, another American, a Nepali, and an Israeli walk into a bar in Bangkok…

Okay, so there’s no punchline, but there should be one. Regardless, here’s a pic from a recent night on the town. The nationalities I mentioned in my setup are accurate, from left to right.

Imagine my surprise, given my long and storied history with the tiny Andean nation of Ecuador, to bump into a guy from Guayaquil who’s on vacation here — after all, Ecuador has only 13 million people, and most of them do not travel to Asia. His name is Jose. Great guy. We talked for a while about everything from Ecuadorian cuisine to his country’s chances at World Cup 2006 Germany. It’s a cliche, but hey, it’s true: small world. Very small world.

The Coolest T-Shirts in Bangkok

Bangkoker -- the coolest tees in BKK

The coolest T-shirts in Bangkok — if not all of Southeast Asia. That’s the subject of my latest Gridskipper post. Check it out.

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Misc.

My Story on Billy Cobham’s Thailand Debut

I’ve got a story in today’s International Herald Tribune/Thai Day (Thai Day is a Siam-specific IHT section) — it’s a review of drumming legend Billy Cobham‘s first-ever concert in Thailand. The story’s not (yet?) online, sadly. If you’re reading this from the Kingdom, pick up a copy of the paper; for those of you outside Thailand, well, you’re outta luck. But here’s my lede:

When the drummer for the opening act launched into his manic solo Tuesday night at the Thailand Cultural Center, he may well have felt intimidated by his proximity to greatness. That’s because not far away – lounging backstage, perhaps, or seated serenely in the wings — drumming legend Billy Cobham was in the house. When Cobham later took the stage and struck up his band for what would be his inaugural Thailand performance, he displayed not only his staggering percussive genius but also his subtle aptitude for marshaling disparate sounds from around the globe.

Hua Hin

Hua Hin, Thailand

I’m happy to tell you that my spirits, which had been slowly and quite unfortunately depleted by the demands of Bangkok life during the hot season, were rejuvenated markedly this past weekend. That’s because I spent a few days at a delightful little beach resort outside Hua Hin. Here are some pics. Yes, I am well aware of the fact that I live an extraordinarily difficult life. I’m doing my best to cope. That’s all I can say.

Hua Hin, Thailand
The view

Hua Hin, Thailand
The beach

Hua Hin, Thailand
The flora

Prawns Wrapped in Bacon
The food (prawns wrapped in bacon)

Categories
Misc.

Mango with Sticky Rice

It just so happens that one of Bangkok’s most famous mango with sticky rice (Khao Niaow Ma Muang in Thai) stands is less than 100 meters from where I’m staying. I am a lucky man. Here’re some pics. You get your order to go and then mix up the ingredients — in addition to the mango, you’ve got your cream and some peanuts, all packaged up dainty-like. A dessert — nay, meal — like this will set you back about 80 Baht (roughly US $2), which is expensive for BKK street food. But oh it’s worth it. Take my word: it is worth it.

UPDATE: I sampled this fine dish yet again yesterday, and the price is actually 60 Baht (about $1.50). In addition, Bangkok expert John E. writes in pointing out that you don’t actually get peanuts to sprinkle on top. Instead, I looked closely at what comes in the package (see the far left of the second image below) and they appear to be — wait for it — Rice Crispies. Seriously. Some mango with sticky rice recipes make reference to topping the dish off with sesame seeds, but I like the idea of Rice Crispies much better.

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The Best (and only) Creperie in Bangkok

Crepes & Co, Bangkok

Get thee to Gridskipper and check out my gustatory musings on Bangkok’s Crepes & Co.

Categories
Misc.

Lee, Sachi, and TWINF

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I had the pleasure of meeting Lee and Sachi Lefever two nights ago. I’d corresponded with Lee for a while but I’d never had a chance to meet him or Sachi in person.

As luck would have it, we were all arriving in Bangkok at the same time (I was coming from Jakarta and they were coming from India). So we met up and had a few drinks at Saxophone Pub. They’re both enthusiastic and interesting people, and I’m delighted to have had a chance to hang out with them.

Lee and Sachi quit their jobs in Seattle in December and are currently traveling around the world. And they’re chronicling their experiences on their excellent blog, The World is Not Flat (otherwise known as TWINF). In addition to making good use of moblogging technology, their site is radical in that they’re soliciting travel advice from the public. They’ve got about eight months to go, so be sure to check out their site and contribute your own recommendations.

Below’s a pic Lee took of us on a Bangkok Skytrain platform using his Treo Smartphone (a gadget of which I am highly envious), and here’s his account of our night.

Categories
Misc.

Haircut, Bangkok-Style

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So I got a haircut today — the first one in a while. Best trim I’ve ever received for the equivalent of $10 US (400 Baht). Multiple washings, massage, blow dry, consultation with hair style manuals, application of exotic hair gels, etc. If you’re ever in Bangkok, go to The Blue Wave in the bottom of the MBK Center. And tell ’em Newley sent you.

Side note: the young lady pictured here was actually not the one who cut my hair (she was merely an understudy, it appeared, and was blow drying my hair between two stages of cuttings). The one who got the honor of shaping my coiffure was a 30-something Thai man with dyed blonde hair; he moved around me with imperiousness and was not in a joking mood.

After he’d finished, I had to argue with him for a good five minutes in order to escape without getting the “white hairs” colored out of my mane. He kept saying “only 20 minutes, only 20 minutes — all hair color same same,” while I insisted, repeatedly, “no thank you, no thank you!”

Categories
Misc.

49 Photos from Chiang Mai and Pai

I’m back in The Big Mango (Bangkok) after the return 15-hour overnight train ride from Chiang Mai; I’m sleep-deprived and disoriented, but because I love you all so much, I’ve uploaded a bunch of new images for your enjoyment.

A few of my faves:

Wats in Chiang Mai:

Wats

Wat

Wats

A bridge near my guest house in Pai:

Bridge at Night

The train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai:

Train

A couple of self-portraits taken from between cars:

Me

Don't Jump!

My friend Somchai, a monk I met at a wat in Chiang Mai. He’s 26 years old and speaks excellent English; he has a B.A. in languages and an M.A. in political science. We had a chat about the controversy currently swirling around Thailand’s president, Thaksin Shiniwatra. Somchai took quite an interest in my journal, as you can see:

My Friend Somchai

And, finally, three simple words to live by:

A Word to the Wise

That’s all I’ve got for now, folks. I’ve received some emails asking questions about my travels, itinerary, and other stuff. Bring it on — just leave a comment on this post and I’ll try to address your query or observation in my upcoming dispatches.