Bangkok

gregtodiffer.com x Dress-Lace Lace Dress- Lovely Flared Skater Skirt

gregtodiffer.com x Dress-Lace Lace Dress- Lovely Flared Skater Skirt / Scattered Sequin Embellishment

This gregtodiffer.com x dresslace online lace dress with a lovely flared skater skirt and a scattered sequin embellishment would make a lovely addition to your dress collection. The dress is created with two layers, an underskirt lining and a mesh covering on which the sequins are attached. The primary color of the dress is white with sequins in are pink, blue and pale green. The back of this dress has a zipper closure. The sleeveless design of this dress makes it the perfect choice for a warm […]

Greg2010-10-11T08:48:22+00:00Bangkok|0 Comments

Bangkok’s Biggest Burger. Seriously.

As the inevitable slow (death) march towards the ubiquity of American junk food gains pace, the relative healthfulness, price and availability of delicious Thai street food becomes even more precious. Witness the opening of Thailand’s first Krispy Kreme shop, which got a ludicrous amount of attention and lineups more akin to a Justin Bieber concert than a lump of fried dough. But every once in a while in Bangkok you must indulge, and I recently found a place that takes indulgence to a whole new level with the most outrageously oversized hamburger I have ever seen. While I try to avoid disgusting displays of the gluttony that western culture seems to have a trademark on, I've written about mutant hamburger fads here before. Once I saw this monster, I knew that it was too insane not to write about.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:28+00:00Bangkok, Food|0 Comments

The Irony of Shoe Shopping in Thailand

One of the problems with being a big guy in Asia is that, well, you’re a big guy in Asia, where the locals are generally considered... uh, well, let's just say there's only one person here that I have to look up at to talk to. A bit of detail for you here – I’m about 6’2” (187cm) and weigh about 260lbs (117kg). At home in Canada, I’m a bit bigger than normal, but not huge; many of my friends there are bigger than me, both vertically and horizontally. But being a big guy in Asia presents its own set of Lilliputian problems, most of which revolve around clothes, especially shopping for shoes. Let me share my story.

Greg2017-03-01T07:27:31+00:00Bangkok, Shopping, Thailand|0 Comments

Vanishing Bangkok: A Visit to Baan Bu Metalwork Factory

Any city that's been hanging around for 228 years is bound to have its fair share of lost treasures and forgotten secrets. Thankfully, Bangkok isn't developing at the same speed as Beijing, where historical corners of the city are being steamrolled to prepare for condos and shopping malls, so there are still plenty of old corners and secrets to enjoy. My friend Lenka and I found one of these lost treasures one of our city bike rides, where we ride by the phrase 'ever narrower' to get lost, explore, and experience the real Bangkok. What we found was Baan Bu, a community in Bangkok Noi that produces exquisite handmade bowls the same way they've been doing for centuries.

Greg2017-10-17T09:41:05+00:00Bangkok, Biking, History|0 Comments

A Morning with the Tourism Authority at Ratchprasong

The Thai government has been working overtime in the wake of all the red shirt mayhem that went down a few months ago to reassure everyone that all is well and things are back to normal. Of course, looking at the big picture and the deep social scarring left from the protests it might be a bit of a misnomer to say things are 'back to normal', but on the surface (where most tourists reside), things look pretty regular. However, businesses are still hurting, so to help drum up interest in the Ratchprasong area (where most of the fires and shootings took place), the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) organized a special press tour of the affected area, which I was lucky enough to be invited to.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:29+00:00Bangkok, Current Events, Politics, Thailand|0 Comments

Five Things I Wish I Knew About Thailand Before I Got Here

After a few years as an expat, you look back on your first days/weeks/months here and smile. Or cringe. Usually cringe. The amount of mistakes and cultural boo-boo's you make in your first foray into fitting into a new culture is often the source of much guffaws for Thais, and - hopefully - act as benchmarks for the progress you've made in adapting to living in the Land of Smiles. However, hindsight is 20/20, and I was thinking recently about a few things I wish I had known before I came overe here. It could have saved me a few grief-filled afternoons, but... then again, I wouldn't have some of the cool stories I do. At any rate, here are my top five things I wish that I had known before I moved to Thailand.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:29+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Thailand, Tips on Visiting, Travel|0 Comments

Bangkok’s Darwinian Filters

Life in Bangkok tends to shatter many preconceptions that many foreigners have; that's a given. One that’s most often seen is how loosey-goosey some standard guidelines of day-to-day existence can be over here when compared to back home – simple things like how close you can comfortably get to moving traffic, the cleanliness of restaurants, or where children are allowed to play. After a while here, the elasticity with which these rules are enforced become second nature, but every so often I get a reminder of how anally-retentive and just plain stupid we in the west can be. Like the following true story of this woman who put a bit too much faith in technology.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:30+00:00Bangkok, Culture|0 Comments

Bangkok in a Bun: How a Weird-Ass Treat Symbolizes the City’s Awesomeness

There’s a lot of strange things to be found in Bangkok, from the driving ‘rules’ to the cultural norms to the variety of food. For first-time visitors it’s usually exhilarating, confusing and draining all at once, and rarely is it boring. It’s hard to imagine what could accurately depict all the intangible pieces of Bangkok’s jigsaw as a single image, but it struck me the other day that the closest I could come was one of Bangkok’s favorite treats – and something that makes absolutely no sense to us foreigners the first time we see it: the Bangkok ice cream sandwich.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:30+00:00Bangkok, Food, Thailand|8 Comments

On Bangkok’s Curfew… and Snacks

As you likely know, Bangkok has, for the past several nights, been under curfew. This isn't something I've experienced since I was about 15 years old, so to say it was a bit odd is an understatement; knowing that you'll likely be arrested by the army if you're outside after 9pm is the adult version of a kid running home at sunset to avoid the monsters that come out after dark. Seeing the city asleep has been very strange. Normally buzzing with the sound of cars, motorbikes, music, food and general city sounds, the city is quiet and lifeless. Standing on your balcony looking out out across the blinking lights, I felt a bit like Will Smith in I Am Legend, but without all the abs.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:31+00:00Bangkok, Current Events, Politics, Thailand|0 Comments

The Role of Twitter in the Bangkok Protests

Well, despite my vow to avoid writing about politics, here's another post about the situation in Bangkok. As the redshirts tear up the city, again, and the army tries to beat them into submission, again, it's like some sick version of Batman vs The Joker - neither side wins, everyone loses, wash, rinse repeat. I don't mean to crack wise - the situation is tense, deadly and will have long-term repercussions for the entire country. Being stuck amid events like these is not something that us North Americans are used to, and I've written before about how it changes your perceptions of reality. It also really opens your eyes into the machinery behind situations like this, most notably the machinery of how information is distributed and consumed. In this regard, it's been a salient - although deadly - crash course in the power of Twitter.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:32+00:00Bangkok, Current Events, Politics, Technology, Thailand, Web Media|0 Comments