Over on Twitter I’ve been posting a series of images comparing old photos of Bangkok with the same location as seen from Google Street View. It wasn’t a project I planned, but I stumbled onto a thread of old pics on TeakDoor.com dating from 2008 and started scrolling. I saw one that I thought might make a good comparison pic, and it worked out pretty well. So I kept going.
I've written before about how Thonburi is the 'uncool' side of the river, often called Bangkok's Brooklyn or the hipster side of the river or some other cutesy term. But that reputation won't last long. I was excited to finally hear that Thonburi's newest attraction is now open, Lhong 1919. I was even more excited to get a private tour before it opened to the public, and even more excited to get invited to the grand opening. Like most of Bangkok, it's all who you know.
The Search for Captain Bush’s Grave started when my friend Andrew sent me an email asking if I knew anything about the old abandoned house that sat, forgotten and forlorn, across from the Sheraton Hotel. The house itself is gorgeous but decaying; it sits as if slumped in a beanbag chair, shutters falling off, paint peeling, bricks missing, weeds growing through every crevice. And the street that it sits on? Charoen Krung soi 30 – aka, Soi Captain Bush. […]
Bangkok’s history is fascinating. Its spaghetti-like maze of streets and alleys that have been worked and reworked since before the city was founded in 1782, and peeling back the layers of 230+ years of history reveals some incredibly interesting stuff.
One of the best ways to appreciate this is with a book called Bangkok Then & Now by Steve Van Beek, the 4th edition of which was just released. Steve is an old Bangkok hand and in his forty-plus years in Bangkok has amassed an impressive collection of photos and information on the capital throughout the years. (Read this post where […]
This post will only really be understandable to those who are familiar with Thailand’s recent political past. I’m not going to try to weigh in either way on the political problems that the country is dealing with (there are plenty of others who do it far better than I), but I did read something the other day that struck me as incredibly interesting, and it was too thought-provoking for me not to post about. […]
I find it really interesting that even after all these years in Bangkok, I can still be completely caught off guard when it comes to the nuances and differences between Thai culture and my own. After 12 years I like to think that I understand at least a good chunk of how Thailand works, and if not, at least be experienced enough to anticipate a change here and there, but everyone once in a while, I’ll have the wool pulled over my eyes and end up thinking, “Of course it’s like that, you idiot!” This recently happened to me when […]
This particular entry isn't my normal Bangkok-focused blog post, but it's a topic close to my GeekHeart so I thought I'd put it up anyway. A few weeks ago the Bangkok Post asked me write a 2,000-word story about superhero films, which I quickly agreed to because I am a nerd. I started writing off the top of my head and soon had over 3,000 words; cutting it down to just over 2,000 was hard, but they accepted it, so I guess it's good, and they told me they liked it. Anyway, since I'm a huge geek (in the manliest way possible) and I think this is fascinating stuff, I thought I'd throw it up here. This version is my original version, which differs slightly from the one the paper printed after a bit of snipping, as they are wont to do. Enjoy, fellow geeks!
On July 26, 2001, I stepped out of Don Meuang (then spelled ‘Don Muang’) airport into the Bangkok heat. It was the first time I had been out of Canada since I was 4 and I was eager to explore, to find places and see things few had found and seen, to blaze new trails and sink into the warm bath of all things new and strange. As soon as I got out onto the congested sidewalk, with the oppressive heat, whistle-blowing security guards, snaking taxi queue, and humid air thick with exhaust, I turned around and walked right back inside, wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into. Not a great start for an intrepid explorer. Forgive me if this turns into a bit of “When I was young…” but this is a quick look back at how Bangkok – and myself – have changed as I pass my tenth anniversary in Thailand.
While browsing the local Kinokuniya the other day - in my humble opinion, the best English-language bookstore in Bangkok - I came across a couple of gems that I knew I had to put on my website. There's a famous old saying in Thailand that in a marriage, a man is the front feet of an elephant and the woman is the back feet; they are both responsible for support, but the front feet lead. (I often joke that in my case, I'm the front feet and the back feet, and my girlfriend is the guy who sits on top and beats me with a pointed stick, but I digress). At any rate, the battle of the sexes certainly isn't a foreign concept here, and although these books are written with a western relationship in mind, I'm curious as to how a Thai would view them.
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.