Bangkok Blogs

Today the wait has come to an end when the new Thailand Prime Minister has been appointed by His Majesty the King. It wasn’t too big a surprise as there had been a lot of speculation over his possible appointment and people are apparently quite content with his arrival. Even the relatively well educated population in Bangkok seem to have welcomed his appointment. Besides, the King seems to like him and that’s probably why there’s been overwhelming support for him.
His name is Surayud Chulanont, aged 62. He’s a retired army officer and adviser to King Bhumipol. He’s widely respected by military, civilian leaders as well as the general population. He’s generally believed to be the cleanest and least corruptible political figure Thailand has at the moment. Before his retirement two years ago, he had clashed on several occasions with Toxin accusing him and his administration of systematic corruption and dodgy business dealings in public, gaining a lot of support from anti-Toxin fans.

He’s an enthusiastic supporter of the fight against corruption that seems fully integrated with Thai politics. Unfortunately, he never had a major political role because of his military position but he’s still renowned for his active external participation. I still remember a few years back when Thailand had a row with Burma over the Burmese minorities living along the borders and he sorted things out for everyone by setting up a big refugee camp for those refugees who have since been living in Thailand.

Despite his limited political role, he won more and more popularity from the Thai people. According to a recent survey before his appointment, Bangkokians regarded him as an appropriate choice. They said Thailand was desperate for domestic reconciliation and he was ideal for that. They were right.

I watched his swearing in ceremony on TV this afternoon and was impressed with his ability to answer questions by various journalists. Unlike Toxin, he takes things more seriously and never wastes time talking bollocks. He may not sound as talkative and entertaining as the deposed PM but everyone is aware of his sincerity and friendliness. It’s also a bit of a surprise to me that he didn’t mind answering a question in English to a foreign journalist and to be fair I thought he spoke better English than Toxin too.

I truly believe he’s the sort of leader that we can trust in time of crisis like this. He’s extremely skilled and experienced in many respects and I’m delighted he did the right thing by coming out of retirement to fill the vacancy. Obviously 12 months is not quite enough but hopefully he’ll be able to resolve the political differences for everyone. Though slagging off politicians is one of my favourite pastimes, on this occasion I reckon this guy is an exception, rather decent and respected, and I wish him well and look forward to his input.

I guess many of you here are already experts on Bangkok in many aspects including nightlife but what I’m going to talk about today is a bit different because it’s about places Thais like to hang out. So, if you fancy a bit of change for a night out you should find my briefing and a few tips useful.

Unlike the usual farang places on Silom or Sukhumvit, Thai bars strictly check your ID so make sure you’ve got it with you either a copy of passport or a driving licence will do. Police raids are not unusual and for this reason you shouldn’t do any drug because you could get nicked by the police and end up spending a night in a nice Thai jail. Besides, try to dress a bit more decent as Thai clubs normally don’t allow flip-flops and shorts.

The first place I’m going to talk about is RCA on Rama 9 Road. It’s a favourite place for Thai teens and uni students who turn up to drink the night away with their friends. At weekends, you can expect thousands and thousands of these kids in RCA. There are some nice clubs but they’re always outstripped by clubbers, so you should arrive a bit early to get a nice table.

When you get to RCA, try to shop around looking for the place of your liking and don’t just follow the crowd. Most clubs in RCA have no entry fee so you can always leave for another club. The most popular bars are of course Route 66 and Slim/Flix which get packed faster than the others. They mainly play hip-hop and stuff like that because that’s what Thai youngsters are into.

Another place I think is worth mentioning here is Ratchada that many foreigners say is the best kept secret in the city. It’s a big area with many nice clubs and the good thing is it opens until after 2 p.m. You can tell the taxi driver Ratchada and he should know where it is. Most clubs are on Soi 4 and they’re full of Thai party goers most of whom are really friendly and you should join them for a drink or two.

On Soi 6 you’ll find a few nice bars with Bali being the biggest. Because it usually opens all night, you should be prepared for a big crowd some of whom have been pissing up all night long and looking for a fight. In Bali, there are also lots of underage kids though nobody knows exactly how they’re let in.

As some of you may know, when having a night out, it’s best to avoid a fight with a Thai. I’m not saying farang blokes are weak or Thai guys are tough but if you are set to have a brawl with a Thai, my safe bet is they’re going to either beat you up with the help of an army of friends or knife/gun you down. So just ignore them and bugger off if you feel there’s going to be any real trouble. Good luck.

If you are a fan of shopping, there is every reason why you should love Bangkok. Whatever you may want, you’ll find it in the city and if you can’t find it in Bangkok my bet is you’re not going to find it elsewhere. Since there are countless shopping malls around, I’ll only include the best known and most talked about ones here.

The first stop is the new Siam Paragon ‘Super Mall’ that is both gigantic and absolutely amazing. Dubbed ‘Harrods of Bangkok’ it’s an upscale shopping mall and you can find all the top brand names that are available in the West. Not the best place for those of you bargain hunters, but it’s definitely worth checking out. The extortionate prices of products sold in Paragon well reflect the massive investment of 300 million Pounds. So unless you really have extra cash to spare, don’t waste your time looking for good bargains as you’re not going to find one.

Next is MBK or Maboonkrong which is the most popular shopping mall in Bangkok. On average, it attracts about 250,000 visitors every day and has virtually everything you may want to buy in Bangkok. Loads of small shops make MBK the ultimate place for shopping. Besides, there’s a big cinema on the top floor so if you fancy watching some good film, it’s surely worth checking out. On the same floor there are also a few Internet cafes with fast broadband connections, usually crowded with foreign tourists.

Siam Square has always been the most popular hang out place among Thai teens and students. They usually go there to either attend private tuition classes (a big fashion in Bangkok) or just hang out with their mates. There are a few nice restaurants and hairdressers in the Square but it’s not a great place for shopping. You’re likely to find only girlie stuff and those unnecessary items at rip-off prices you know what I mean. I haven’t been there for ages but heard there are still some teens who hang out regularly doing nothing but hoping to attract the attention of some modelling agency. Well done kids, keep on dreaming.

Another major shopping mall in the Siam area is Siam Discovery. After a massive revamp that lasted a few months, Siam Discovery has turned itself into another main luxurious shopping mall in Bangkok rivalling the likes of Siam Paragon and The Emporium. Though not quite as big as its neighbour Paragon, it’s still a decent mall with all the brand name products and a nice cinema on the top floor too.

You can easily get to any one of these places by the convenient BTS. Apart from MBK where you need off at the National Stadium station, all the other places are directly linked to Siam BTS station so it’s more like killing two birds with one stone when you get off there.

Finally, unless you are happy to be ripped off by shop assistants, I would recommend bringing a Thai friend or someone to accompany and help find some good bargains for you. Wherever you end up, I hope you enjoy your shopping.

Today’s probably one of the biggest days in years for Thailand and especially Bangkok when the brand new airport Suvarnabhumi was officially opened for all commercial flights. It has ended the long saga of alleged constant government corruption that lasted over 40 years and made Suvarnabhumi the longest and most expensive airport to build in the world.

The airport is located in the Province of Samutprakan, 15 kilometres east of Bangkok. It’s got the tallest control tower (about 130 metres tall) as well as the largest single building in the world. Suvarnabhumi also has two massive parallel runways and two large taxiways to handle both departures and arrivals at the same time. Apart from that, the airport also has a cool 120 parking bays, 5 of which are capable of accommodating the new Airbus Super Jumbo Jet A380. The five-storey car park can accommodate about 5,000 cars. In the first few years of operation it is expected to serve up to 45 million passengers on an annual basis.

The total cost of the construction was a whopping 1.7 billion Pounds, making it the world’s most expensive airport. It has now replaced Bangkok International Airport (Don Muang) as Thailand’s primary airport for all commercial domestic and international flights. It’s also expected to be used as a major hub for international flights across Southeast Asia making Thailand a true centre of the region ahead of arch rival Singapore. Well, that’s what Thai Rak Thai politicians liked to say to the media anyway.

I haven’t got a clue how they came up with such a name but as some of you may realise Suvarnabhumi is actually pronounced Su-Wan-Na-Poom in Thai so it’s highly likely that many taxi drivers will get confused when foreigners try to tell them where they want to go. To get round this issue, I’d suggest simply saying Bangkok Airport to the taxi driver rather than trying to pronounce the name whose pronunciation is far from easy.

Despite its ludicrous cost of construction, most Thais now look at the bright side and hope the investment will pay off handsomely to Thailand’s economy. So far it has already generated some employment for the local people and many prominent Thai economists have predicted that over the long run it will be hugely beneficial to the Thai economy. Analysts say the airport will give Thailand a real competitive edge over other Asian countries and attract more visitors to the country.

You can expect most Thais to be really proud of their brand new airport but there is one person that must have been less than happy about the opening of Suvarnabhumi. I’m talking about the recently ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinnawat. He would have wanted to showcase the airport to the world by himself and as a result reduced the ongoing resentment harboured against him by millions of Bangkokians.

Unfortunately though, such a chance was blown out of the window when last week’s coup ensured he would not be in Thailand for many months to come at least. So you can imagine how painful it must have been for the poor bugger to watch the opening ceremony on the BBC in his London house. Haven’t got much to say but serves him right !

In central Bangkok you can see countless skyscrapers dominating the skyline but there’s one tall building that always stands out from the rest of the crowd – The Baiyoke Tower. The Baiyoke Tower was officially opened in 1998 and has since been by far the tallest building in Bangkok and Thailand. It’s well over 300 metres tall and has a whopping 1,700 windowpanes in total. The area inside is also massive covering something like 30 standard football pitches. As far as staircases are concerned, there are about 2,000 steps from the bottom to top of the building so I would strongly recommend taking the glass lift unless you want a bit of exercise in which case I’d call you a whacko.

Tourists find the Tower absolutely fascinating because it’s not only beautiful but also gives them many good views of the Thai capital. To be on the viewing area on the top floor of the building is once in a lifetime experience. The views are absolutely amazing; you get to see many other skyscrapers in Bangkok, the traffic jams suffered by people below as well as the growing cobweb of motorways. There’s always great photo opportunities for visitors too and after you finish taking pictures, there’s a nice bar to sit, have a drink and take in the stunning views.

I’ve got a mate who works in one of the restaurants on the 76^th floor. He often says to me how much he enjoys his work up there. According to him, there’s also more than 5,000 people working in the Tower so maybe it can be considered Thailand’s World Trade Centre? It’s also ironic that Bangkokians know very well about the skyscraper because they can see it from distances wherever they are but the majority of them have never actually been up to the top of the Tower.

If you want to pay a visit to the Baiyoke Tower, the quickest way during peak traffic hours would be through the BTS. You can get on from any station but you must get off at either Chidlom or Payathai which are the two nearest stations to the Tower. If you don’t mind a bit of Bangkok heat, you should then take a motorbike taxi which should cost you a maximum of 20 baht and you’ll be dropped off by the concrete giant in no time. Otherwise a metered taxi is a viable alternative.

The Tower is in the central Pratunam area which houses loads and loads of stalls selling stuff from clothes, shoes to electronic goods. To avoid the massive crowds, however, you should try and get there before 10 a.m. unless you want to share some sweat with pedestrians that usually include some whose smell is notoriously far from pleasant.

Thanks to my personal admiration for modern architecture, I really love this building. So if you’ve got a bit of time and money to spare, it’s always worthwhile paying a few hundred baht to be on the viewing deck to see for yourself how breathtaking the views of Bangkok are from 300 metres high.

There is one mode of public transport that is massively popular among Bangkok civilians and foreigners alike; motorbike taxis. Motorbike taxis are part of everyday life in Bangkok which has always been dogged by traffic congestion. They are a viable form of transport providing a quicker, albeit riskier answer for commuting in Bangkok. They mainly serve two purposes i.e. short hauls up and down sois and long hauls to beat the traffic on major roads during peak traffic hours.

Motorbike taxi stands can be found at nearly every corner of Bangkok and drivers wear orange vests so passengers know they’re on duty. To avoid being ripped off, you should negotiate a fare with the driver every time before you put your arse on the pillion. It’s also noteworthy that some Ya-Ba powered drivers may go very, very fast racing off down the road so make very sure that you keep your arms, legs and feet close to your body otherwise you might lose one of them against another car or lorry.

Some people say you can get fresh air sitting on one of these bikes. Wrong. In reality, you’re fully exposed to traffic pollution. Countless times, I’ve been stuck behind a black smoky bus and had to hold my breath as long as I can to avoid inhaling too much carbon dioxide into my body. Upon your arrival, you may also be mistaken by your mates for having just smoked 30 cigarettes or so thanks to the black smoke that has darkened your face very thoroughly.

When riding on a motorbike taxi up and down a soi, you normally are not required to wear a helmet. However, if you happen to be on a long haul on a major road such as Sukhumvit, you should ask for a crash helmet from the driver because you could be stopped and fined by the police. A 20 baht trip could then end up costing you 500 baht or more depending on the mood of the disgruntled Bangkok police.

The vast majority of motorbikers in Bangkok are friendly and absolutely harmless but it’s always suggested you watch out and avoid those dodgy ones whose eyes can look extremely drugged and bloody horny ready to gang-rape any unfortunate female passer-by at night, especially on quiet sois with few residents.

Unless you are in such a rush, I wouldn’t want to recommend taking a motorbike taxi. However, I reckon you should at least once try and ride on one of these things. It’s a lot more fun and marvellously scary. Don’t take it on a regular basis though, because your life expectancy will be shortened, day in day out.

The pros and cons of taking a motorbike taxi have been discussed and I have to say that I’ll for now just stick to the bus, metered taxi or the BTS. Whatever you take, I must thank you for using public transport. We’ve already got enough exploitative motorists on the roads and more personal cars will not help but instead hinder the attempts to solve traffic woes in Bangkok.

Bangkok is a fast growing modern metropolis with numerous foreign influences as can be seen over the course of its rapid expansion. Bangkokians are happy to embrace capitalism and globalisation in exchange for a better standard of living and to do this properly, they need to be able to communicate with foreigners by learning foreign languages.

English has undoubtedly been by far the most popular foreign language among Bangkokians. It’s a compulsory course from secondary education up until university levels. Most people seem to love the language and with good English skills, you’re more likely to get a decent job as a result. English language schools can be seen everywhere you go and they generate a good source of income for the owners. Moreover, many farangs living in Thailand benefit hugely from increasing demand for native speakers of English too. It all seems rosy for the English language in the City of Angels.

However, the trend is set to change according to a recent survey which reveals that more and more Bangkokians have now chosen to learn Chinese as a second language. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, there’s a relatively large Chinese-Thai community in Bangkok. In fact, about 15% of the Bangkok population are of Chinese race. That’s nearly 2 million people. The other reason is of course the ever increasing economic and cultural power of China whose economy has been growing at a staggering 10% per annum on average over the past 2 decades.

Personally, I’d love to be able to speak Chinese too but I find it too difficult. I used to learn it for 2 years before I left Thailand for a spell in the UK and I don’t mind admiting to failing it every semester. Think that well sums up my biased perception of the language. Many of my mates say I will be at a disadvantage if I don’t start learning Chinese soon. They might be right or they might be wrong, I don’t know and couldn’t care less.

According to another recent study, however, it has been revealed that many Bangkokians now encounter difficulty spelling or even pronouncing Thai. How ironic it is. People are putting a lot of time and effort into mastering foreign languages but they come unstuck with their mother tongue. It’s such an irony but many Bangkokians don’t seem to care much.

To be perfectly honest with you, I reckon Thai is a beautiful and dynamic language and it would be a massive blow if it was replaced by either English or any other foreign language. Yes, such a fear might be a bit overblown but evidence of poorer use of Thai by Bangkokians, in particular the young, is for real and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Not sure if this is relevant but I myself mainly watch British TV, including soaps (Eastenders and Corrie), dramas and other major shows downloaded off the Internet. I also read BBC news on a daily basis. Mind you, however enjoyable this article may seem, it’s been written by a hypocrite!

I woke up this morning and, after having a quick shower, grabbed a newspaper left by grandpa to see if there would be any interesting news apart from the military coup which has dominated the front pages over the past week. There wasn’t really anything that was of my interest as it’s a Sunday and most newspapers only like to cover celebrity gossip and all those sorts of bollocks which I think is pointless and makes reading Thai language newspapers a complete waste of time.

Anyway I did come across this story about how a young Buddhist monk was caught red-handed spending 3 nights shagging a girl in his temple. The story went like this; he was put into a temple and forced to have his head shaved to become a monk by his parents who thought the lad was becoming too big a yob and the only way to calm his teenage aggro down was through extreme Buddhism i.e. keeping him in the bloody temple. This measure is quite popular amongst Thai parents who run out of options to deal with their unruly young boys.

The parents were relieved to learn their boy spent the first night peacefully in the temple and thought they did the right thing in placing him there. However, three days later they received a phone call from a senior monk who said that the boy had now finished his spell and must leave the temple as soon as possible. They did not say why so the parents turned up at the temple and learnt that their boy did not follow any Buddhist ritualistic routine but spent the past 3 nights with his 14 year old girlfriend who managed to sneak into his bedroom instead.

Obviously he let his parents down and they all had to leave the temple hanging their heads in shame. I don’t know what they did to him afterwards but presumably some sort of punishment must be on the cards. If that’s the case, I feel sorry for the lad. I mean they shouldn’t have forced him to do things against his will in the first place. But who cares since this is Thailand and parents have the final say.

Thai parents often argue that they never try to run their kids’ lives but just want to do the right thing for them because they’re far too young to make informed decisions by themselves. Well, arguably it is true in some cases but there is a dilemma here; because Thai kids are so used to having their parents decide for them what they should or should not do, they become overly dependent and as a result very naïve in relation to their farang counterparts.

Thais can be socially naïve and lack sophistication thanks to their upbringing and family controlled environment but again this is understandably why foreigners find them charming, considerate and polite. However, we’ve witnessed that Western culture is fast eroding the Thai way of living, including how children are brought up, and I have to say that it’s a matter of time before Thai people fully adopt Western values, the fact which I’m not looking forward to. Globalisation and multiculturalism is not always a good thing!

Like most Thais, I live in a soi which requires a bit of walking when commuting unless you are a lazy tourist having to use a taxi all the time. Soi dogs have been around ever since the first sois began to appear. Up until now I was rather sympathetic with soi dogs as they don’t have the owner to care for them. However, that has shifted drastically over the past few months when I’ve myself clashed with them on several occasions. It is true that most of these soi dogs just ignore pedestrians and are harmless but some of them can be very aggressive going bonkers at people, especially small kids who are an easy target.

Soi dog population has always been on the rise because there are people willing to feed them on a daily basis to make sure they keep reproducing. It would be a surprise if any of you haven’t experienced a live action of soi dog reproductive behaviour on streets. Since they’re dogs, the concept of birth control is alien to them so it’s obvious that the authorities should try to do something about it.

We live in one of the world’s most vibrant cities and should be rid of any threat by animals. Put simply, I fail to comprehend why we still have to put up with this unnecessary threat when walking in Bangkok sois. In the UK you would most likely be affected by dog turds left by irresponsible dog owners having failed to clear up the mess but other than that you’re good for the rest of the day.

I feel sorry for many young Thai kids that have been victims of soi dogs. If you read Thai newspapers, you must have at least once or twice come across news of little toddlers being injured by soi dogs. People will talk about it for a few days, then forget about what has happened, and wait for a repeat of attacks again.

The situation is getting farcical and I’m demanding an end to it now! Why is it so difficult to reduce the soi dog population in Bangkok? I’m not a Muslim and therefore have nothing against dogs. In fact, I’m a dog lover and have 3 dogs at home but I don’t want to see them roaming the streets everywhere. If people can’t control the dogs, why feed and let them carry on breeding? I’ve decided to make a formal complaint to my local council and demand they start acting before long. I’ll try to get through their thick heads and explain to them what needs to be done.

I don’t recall the exact figure of the soi dog population in Bangkok but I’ve heard it’s in the region of hundreds of thousands so such a problem is not going to be easily solved. In case you did not know, unlike Bangkok, the Isaan region has never had a problem of soi dog nuisance; as soon as soi dogs appear, they’re caught, kept safely, and wait to be… cooked!

To begin with, please let me introduce myself to you. My name is Sirote, a university student in Bangkok. I’m starting to write articles on Bangkok today and hope to bring the best of my experiences to make a better understanding of the city for everyone. My written English is not perfected but I’m sure it’s readable. Mistakes are not avoidable but I’m optimistic they won’t be too big a deal. So thanks in advance and enjoy reading!

It’s a bit of a mission to think about what I should first write on this very first day isn’t it? Obviously not! It’s been exactly 3 days after the elective dictatorship of Thaksin Shinawatra was overthrown in a surprisingly popular military coup supported by many Thais and more importantly the much revered King Bhumipol. Today I went out to do a bit of research on the aftermath of the so-called bloodless revolution. As a student and former Politics A-level taker, I’m relatively interested in the issue and spent some time travelling different parts of Bangkok to see for myself what it really was like.

In contrast to what I saw on TV 15 years ago during the last military coup when I was a mere toddler, everything is absolutely normal. People just carry on their lives even though a few tanks are still visible on streets. In fact, as you may realise, many people including university students and tourists take this rare opportunity to take pictures of themselves with patrolling soldiers. Some are even allowed to carry the gun. No kidding. Wednesday’s coup was just phenomenal. I mean people largely seem to have supported it though most of them were at first paranoid and scared which was perfectly understandable. I myself am not a big fan of government removal by force but must admit there can be exceptions in extreme cases like this.

Well, to be fair it’s undemocratic but how would you remove an elected dictator? Of course by force! I’m fully aware what the West makes of the situation and it requires a great deal of patience but please, please just wait and see. Mark my words, things will gradually be sorted out. It’s just a matter of time. For example, a new interim civilian government has been promised so that’s the first sign of relief. I’ve heard they’re approaching the former WTO director Dr Suphachai Panichapak about the possibility of him taking the top-job. All Thais know he’s a decent and extremely competent man based on his previous work domestically and internationally so we’re hoping he’ll be able to at least win back international acceptance for Thailand.

Thaksin might be having a ‘deserved rest’ in London at the moment but I’m convinced that he’s also being reduced to tears. Worth at well over 2 billion pounds (yes, might actually be even more than that), he’s ironically the richest but unhappiest man in Thailand (OK, he’s not here right now). I have no doubt that Thai society, like many others, is rife with materialism but I do hope my Thai counterparts have learnt some lesson from him and try to live a happier (always attainable) rather than a richer life. See you next time.