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18 12, 2008

A Star Wars Bike Ride and a Very Strange Temple

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:52+00:00Bangkok, Biking|0 Comments

My friends J and E and myself went on one of our semi-regular bicycle rides in Bangkok last week. As you may have read on this blog before (or seen elsewhere), we enjoy getting out to explore the hidden corners of the city in all its gritty, awful, wonderful glory. But we weren't prepared for how epic this ride would be and how quickly we'd be reminded of how truly surprising Thailand is. We also weren't prepared to handle our incredibly poor sense of direction, as you'll see below. The Star Wars reference is easy to explain, but as for the strange temple... I'm just glad I had my camera.

14 12, 2008

Meanwhile, in Bangkok: History’s Most Ironic Motor Rally

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:52+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok...|0 Comments

The appearance of the below ad in the Bangkok Post, an otherwise solid and reputable publication, has caused quite a bit of tittering in the Big Mango; I heard about it from four or five people before I saw it myself and had to take a picture. I guess it's nothing new in Thailand - the PAD (People's Alliance for Democracy) preaching a form of government that's anything but democratic; porn is illegal to purchase, but red light fantasies galore are easy to find; and customer service desks often offer anything but. Thailand is a land of contradictions - many of them maddeningly upsetting - so it's nice to see a funny one every once in a while...

7 12, 2008

The Bangkok Girlie-Bar Game

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:52+00:00Bangkok|0 Comments

I'm not really sure how to approach writing this post, but it's something I wanted to get down on (e)paper, so I'm going to try. First off, I've never really been one for the whole bargirl scene; there's just something about my psyche that isn't turned on by paying for sex. I'm not judging people who do, but it's just never been my thing, and let's just leave it at that. At any rate, Bangkok being the city it is, with the plethora of adult entertainment it has, if you're a guy, you will inevitably find yourself looking at gyrating naked girls on a stage at some point in your time here. I found myself in just such a place the other night and was frankly surprised at how unlike the stereotypical titty bar the place was - in some respects, anyway.

5 12, 2008

Meanwhile, in Bangkok: Weird Vehicle Stickers

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:53+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok...|0 Comments

Well, as the airport is open and things are back to 'normal' (which in Thailand usually means the political scene could implode at any second), I thought I'd put something light up, in the form of two stickers I saw recently. The range of window decals on vehicles here is always fun to keep tabs on, such as the "I Love Farang - I Speak English!" stickers, which are usually inside taxis where the driver can't speak English and has no particular feelings on foriegners either way (although this guy has the regular mass-produced variety beat hands down). But at least it's never boring.

28 11, 2008

Are the Bangkok Protests Really as Bad as They Say?

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:53+00:00Bangkok, Current Events, Politics|0 Comments

I generally try and stay away from writing about Thailand's constantly shifting, often ridiculous and usually baffling politics. This is due to the fact that I'm admittedly kind of dense when it comes to politics; I see them as I see art - I know what I like and don't like, but as for the theories on origin or dissection of ideology, I really have no idea. I find that, generally speaking, politicians can't be trusted and money talks, and that's all you need to know. The ongoing protests in Bangkok are definitely double-plus un-good and have been covered quite well, but I've seen some things in the news that kind of shocked me which I wanted to extrapolate on.

7 11, 2008

On Politics and Extra-terrestrials

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:53+00:00Current Events, Politics|0 Comments

Well, even though there have been billions of words written around the world about the campaign that Barack Obama just won, I thought I'd put my two cents forward because, well, this is my blog and that's what blogs are for. In a word - elated. That's what I feel. I don't believe I'm alone when I say that 'catastrophic' is too small a word to describe the train wreck that was George W. Bush, but now, finally, we can start to see the light. I'm not saying Obama will save the world, the country or even fix the economy or lower taxes; but he's certainly the best chance we have to start heading in the right direction. But there's one thing bothering me...

1 11, 2008

Meanwhile, in Bangkok: Hairless Knuckles

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:53+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok...|0 Comments

Everyone knows that Asian men, for the most part, have very little body hair, while it's similarly known that many western men are gorillas in comparison. Most of us, thankfully, fall somewhere in between. But I noticed this banner ad at the Siam BTS station a few weeks ago, and commented to my girlfriend that I was surprised that the guy in the picture had hairy knuckles, as not a lot of Asian women like hairy dudes (she then reiterated that she'd like me to shave my chest, but that's a different story). At any rate, yesterday I noticed the same ad at the same station, but with a slight difference.

22 10, 2008

The Dreaded Visa Run

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:53+00:00Thailand, Tips on Visiting, Travel|0 Comments

The first time many people hear the term 'visa run' it makes no sense. Is it when I leave my credit card in a taxi and run after it? Was there a run on visa applications? But the longer you live in Thailand (and most any country, I would imagine), the better versed in the complicated - but necessary - trial of the visa run you become. Essentially, all a visa run means is that you have to check in with the immigration authorities at the border by leaving and then coming back into Thailand. This can mean anything from a two-month holiday around Asia to literally getting stamped out of Thailand and turning around to get stamped right back in again. Navigating the rules and regulations can be tricky, but you learn fast enough - you have to.

14 10, 2008

Meanwhile, in Bangkok: Mecca Cola

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:54+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok..., Religion|0 Comments

One of the first things I do in any new country I'm visiting is hit a convenience store. You'll never find a more compact display of what makes that country unique. In Korea they have kimchi (fermented cabbage) flavoured fish sticks; in India, they offer little packages of sauces for about 2 cents that taste better on their own than any Indian food I've ever had outside of India; in Japan, they have 8-oz beer cans. Convenience stores are a great barometer of the culture. To be honest, I've been in Thailand so long that things in convenience stores no longer seem strange - until I saw this in a little store in the Bangkok suburbs while out biking (and lost) the other day: Mecca Cola.

8 10, 2008

Chinatown Vegetarian Festival – More Fun Than a Bucket of Snakefish

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:54+00:00Bangkok, Religion, Video|0 Comments

My crazy neighborhood is no crazier than during the period from September 28-October 7, when the Chinese vegetarian festival takes place. During this time, the sois (alleys) around my apartment are packed with crowds of people dressed in white, food stalls selling all manner of food, Chinese opera singers, parades, firecrackers and even the odd acrobat or two. It's quite the sight. The festival is similar to the Christian observance of Lent, but the rules are a bit different and the celebrations seem to be a hell of a lot more fun. Although to be honest, I haven't spent that much time praying in front of a statue of a naked guy nailed to a tree - it might be really enjoyable, who knows?