Archive for May, 2009
Robber’s Delight
You may live in a high floor Bangkok condo with tight security. Your main means of transport is the secure Skytrain and life around downtown Bangkok seems peaceful and safe. But watch out. The city may look completely different when you live in a single house in one of the labyrinthesque green sois. We got
Read more…
The Yellow-Green Party
Finally. What we doubters have all been longing for, will happen. Thailand’s political purists, standard bearers of their so-called new politics, will form an own party and dare to lower themselves into the lowlands of politics by going for political positions. Thereby allowing themselves to retract earlier declarations of seeking no political position. “Slap my
Read more…
Love Fish & Chips? An Old Classic
An old Bangkok classic that is. Sometimes the urge prevails and I need a real filler. Haven’t been there for ages. But there’s hardly a more authentic Fish & Chips shop in Bangkok than Offshore Fish & Chips near Soi Cowboy. The décor is shabby – since how long again Offshore is there? Can’t recall,
Read more…
Consumer Protection: Not Lost In Bangkok’s Probably Biggest Building
No kidding. That building is huge. The new home of Thailand’s Consumer Protection Board OCPB at Chaengwattana’s new Government Administrative Center up north. Kind of post-Soviet modernism. Massively impressive with its unending atrium. The Election Commission‘s in the same absolutely monstrous, still unfinished überbuilding. But my trade of the day was the Office of Consumer Protection,
Read more…
So You Want To Run A Thai Film Festival?
You heard it. We were looking forward to the Phuket Film Festival under the directorate of Scott Rosenberg who was kind and willing enough to write this exclusive report for us. Scott cancelled the fest 15 minutes too early … And you think the title says it all? Sit back, relax and enjoy the back
Read more…
Brave New Thailand
Emailed a reader: “Did you see the proposed new prior permission required before each program is broadcast rules for all TV and radio programming in Thailand that were laid out today? Unbelievable …. if Thaksin had proposed anything near this, the PAD/yellow crowds would be in the streets.” Here’s the Bangkok Post’s editorial on the
Read more…
Freedom, At Last
Salvation could have arrived years ago. It probably was the world’s oldest ready-to-use but unused public transport. Finally, after years of poisonous struggles of vested interests forcing Thonburi residents to face more senseless years of gridlock the suffering of thousands of commuters has finally come to an end. The first Skytrain route to venture across
Read more…
For Buffet Lovers
Decadence marked the fall of the Roman empire, right. So be it. If you don’t mind to kick over the traces once in a while, this one’s for you: American Express Cards has that campaign 1 For 1 Dining: Some of Thailand’s finer festaurants have teamed up with Amex – and your partner dines for
Read more…
Thaksin, The European
With his latest acquisition of yet another, this time Montenegrin passport – these things don’t come for free – former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has not only become a European citizen who could proudly say – based loosely on JFK’s famous speech – Ich bin ein Europäer. Thaksin has strengthened his position as Thailand’s
Read more…
Sorta Henry Miller? Lawrence Osborne’s Vulgar-Prose “Bangkok Days”
I personally only have distaste for Henry Miller. A former girlfriend, the love of my life, was once presented a Henry Miller book by her secret lover. That book seemed to have made up her mind. Soon after she vanished. Leaving much behind. But not the Henry Miller. Maybe I should give Henry again a
Read more…