Meanwhile in Bangkok…

Meanwhile, in Bangkok: Air-Conditioned Dog

This might seem a bit goofy and probably dirty, but one of the first things I noticed when I moved to Thailand was that dogs all had huge, swinging balls. I'm not trying to be gross, I'm serious - think about it: almost every dog you see back home is neutered. But not in Bangkok - they're swingin' around in all their glory. This, of course, leads to a larger stray dog population and - much like us humans - if they want to prosper in a city this weird and harsh, they have to develop some serious street smarts and survival skills. Which is why I took a photograph of this dog.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:09+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok...|0 Comments

Meanwhile, in Bangkok: Old Fashioned StairMaster

Exercise space is at a premium in Bangkok - with scant parks and even scanter (is that a word?) running/walking surfaces that aren't filled with vendors, dogs or motorcycles, getting out into the great outdoors to burn some calories isn't as easy as it should be. But thankfully, the enterprising folks at the brand new (and pretty beautiful, might I say) Park Ventures Ecoplex took some initiative and designed some handy exercise helpers directly into their building! While it would be pretty cool to have, say, a pulley system to lift to you to the roof, or a fireman's pole to bring you back to ground level, they went with something low-tech, but still serviceable. Too bad it's, uh... well, take a look.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:16+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok...|0 Comments

Meanwhile, in Bangkok: Elton John Vroooom!

There has been a lot written about Thai truck drivers putting artistic mudflaps on their trucks, usually with pretty awful paintings of Al Pacino in Serpico. Sylvester Stallone in Rambo, or even Clint Eastwood in one of his many awesome spaghetti westerns. Supposedly, the idea is a message to cops that the driver is not to be messed with, man, because he might just FLIP OUT and make you sorry you ever pulled him over! By doing what, I don't know, but in the Red Bull-addled brains of the truck driver, it will probably be heroic and bullet-y, because that's a better story than bribing your way out of a triffic ticket. But I digress! I saw this lovely little piece of vehicle art the other day and wondered what kind of message it would give a cop if he pulled you over.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:22+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok...|0 Comments

Meanwhile, in Bangkok: Star Wars Protest Graffiti

With all that's been going on over the past year or so in Bangkok, it seems that protesting has supplanted takraw as the national sport. I would list it as simply a passtime and not a sport, but when it's 36ºC outside and you're marching for several kilometers to hold up heavy signs and/or burn down a shopping mall and/or shut down an airport, protesting turns into a tiring, logistically-complicated event. That's why I made a special trip to take a picture of this sign I saw from a taxi last week. With a whiff of Banksy and a schmitz of George Lucas, I'm not

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:24+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok...|0 Comments

Meanwhile, in Bangkok: Upskirt Prevention

As with any place, the longer you stay there, the more you start to see things repeat themselves. Sometimes it's every month, sometimes it's every decade, but a lot of things tend to move in circles. One of these things that comes around every year in Thailand is the issue of how short the skirts of university girls should be. Every year the hemlines inch upward, and every year the Department of Anti-Turpitude gets quoted on the front page of the papers on how this isn't Thai culture and the girls should be ashamed of themselves and why can't they just dress like we did in the 1920's? Far be it from me to be outraged at a bit of leg, but there actually have been a few times where I've done a double-take at the length (or lack thereof) of a skirt. One must be very careful how they walk if they're to avoid a free show for those in the vicinity, which is what this girl did one day at Siam Square.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:25+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok...|0 Comments

Meanwhile, in Bangkok… Thai Want Ads

Maybe it had to do with the rise of Craigslist, or maybe it was like this before I got here, but either way, scanning the job ads in a Thai newspaper can often be a bit of an eye-opener compared to the classifieds in western countries. I've written about resumes in Thailand before and the same crazy rules apply - put down stuff that you'd never be able to get away with back home and see what sticks. I came across this ad while perusing the paper today and thought it was kind of cute how specific they were.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:28+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok...|2 Comments

Meanwhile, in Bangkok: Trolls and Buses

The colorful tour buses that ply Bangkok's streets and Thailand's highways are - for some reason no one's ever been able to explain - splashed with crazy paintings in an acid-trip kaleidoscope of color. Everything from Disney cartoons to Grimm's fairy tales to heavy metal dreams are represented on these things, some better than others but all equally creative. There seems to be no end of what the artists will create. Of course, some of it is borderline inappropriate; it's a bit odd to see a bunch of grade 3 faces staring out of windows a few inches above cartoon Valkyries with huge boobs fighting a horde of drooling orcs. At any rate, I was driving down the street one day and saw this terrifying creature on the back of one of these buses.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:29+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok...|0 Comments

Meanwhile, in Bangkok: Shirts to Shock Parents With

I've grown quite fond of the crazy t-shirts that one can find wandering Bangkok's forgotten malls and hidden shopping dens; they offer everything from cutesey Japanese manga characters to X-rated slogans and pictures. Although shirts in my size (XL to XXL depending on which brand it is) rarely have anything cool on them, I'm still able to find the odd gem with a pithy slogan or cool picture (except my "On the Eh Team" Canadian flag t-shirt which I had to order online). But what really makes the whole thing pop is that a lot of times, Thais don't seem to understand the subtle meaning of their shirt's slogan. Or, like this girl, they do, and just don't give a crap.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:30+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok...|0 Comments

Meanwhile, in Bangkok: Babysitting, 7-11 Style

I'll be the first to admit that I usually like children like I like a piece of plastic sitting on a table: quiet and not bothering me. But even a grumpy old fuddy-duddy like me occasionally enjoys the company of children and the unabashed evil innocence they display. With the knowledge that I - gasp! - may even have one myself one day, I've tried to soften up a bit as I lurch toward old(er) age. But when I saw this poor kid sitting in the 7-11, I didn't really know what to think. Pre-pubescent masochist? Victim of bullies? Or just one really bad babysitter? You decide.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:34+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok...|0 Comments

Meanwhile, in Bangkok… Unholy Ice Cream Topping

Thai food is, after Indian food, my all-time favorite cuisine in the world. Many people would call me crazy for even saying that, as Thai food is usually seen as the end-all, be-all food in terms of sheer taste bud-exploding goodness. Fair enough. But there is one thing that Thais have not yet nailed, and that's their desserts. Oh sure, the sticky rice and mango is to die for and here and there you'll find certain dishes that are okay, but the efforts often don't make it to what we as westerners would call 'palatable'. Exhibit A: an ice cream sundae with corn topping.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:35+00:00Food, Meanwhile in Bangkok...|0 Comments