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"The Rounds" Friday, February 18, 2005
* * * * * * * * * * Headlines U.S. Consular Officials to Visit Pattaya Another Bar Closing Wednesday, February 23, 2005 Latest Book by Dean Barrett Released New Cajun Cookbook from Bourbon Street Restaurant Thailand Connect, Offshoot of Baht & Sold What Does the South Need for Tsunami Relief? Dates for Annual Visit by U.S. IRS Representative Set * * * * * * * * * * Lately, the mail service from Yahoo has been terrible, at least here for me. I just tried to log on repeatedly, but kept getting the "This page cannot be displayed" message. Yahoo is the corporate gorilla on the e-mail block -- and almost entirely irresponsible. Even novice web masters know having a way to contact them is critical, yet Yahoo does not have any easy way to get in touch with them. When my mailbox "broke" about 2 years back, it took me nearly a week of intensive research to find a way to let them know -- nearly a week I had NO access to my Yahoo e-mailbox. And even once I finally found a way to contact them, it took close to 2 weeks for them to fix the problem. Nor was any explanation -- forget an apology -- forthcoming. A LOT of us out here East of Eden use Yahoo and Hotmail, so for those services to be competently operated is important -- for business people, mission-critical. [Saturday, February 12, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * I finally made it down to The Corner Bar on the corner of Sukhumvit Soi 11 and the Green Route last night and had a really good time. All but 1 or 2 of the old staff walked off the job the night before, distressed that Taffy instituted a new accounting system they weren't clever enough to defeat -- they had been scamming the previous owner, according to Taffy, big time. The former owner said he was taking in a certain amount each month -- and Taffy took in well north of of half that (gross) in just 2 evenings, 8 hours per evening. Given local wages, etc., to clear only US$2,000 on such receipts is absolutely ludicrous. But Taffy has enough girls at New Square One Pub to fill the gap until he can hire additional staff for The Corner. I didn't think to take my camera, so there aren't any pictures on Taffy's sub-web site on http://BangkokAtoZ.com at http://BangkokAtoZ.com/Taffy's, but that's something I'll take care of post-haste. Meanwhile, the place opens at 1700 and closes at 0100. Taffy's Sister-in-Law, Khun Daraporn, is running the bar, and understandably is going through the teething problems any new manager experiences, but she's so darned nice in her own right it's impossible to be irritated about that. Besides, the difficulties are background ones that don't affect customers, so there's no reason not to pay a port call there. The bar is presently being fairly extensively renovated, though it is open. Taffy plans (tentatively -- this being Thailand!) to have a Grand Opening Party March 4, 2005. Look in upcoming columns for confirmation and further information. The Corner Bar is located on the corner of Sukhumvit Soi 11 and The Green Route (where the soi ends in a T-intersection). Parking is available on the other side of the Green Route nearby. Stop by -- and tell Daraporn that Mekhong Kurt sent you! [Sunday, February 13, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * U.S. Consular Officials to Visit Pattaya I got the following e-mail from the American Citizen Services Unit of the U.S. Embassy here announcing a visit by consular officials to provide citizen services next Friday, February 25, 2005
Dear Pattaya Area
American Citizens, Subscribing to the free e-mail notification service has provided useful information for U.S. citizens; you may want to consider it for yourself. This a good chance to obtain basic consular services for residents of the Pattaya-Jomtien area without having to travel all the way to Bangkok to do it -- something a number of friends down that way just loathe doing![Tuesday, February 15, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Another Bar Closing Wednesday, February 23, 2005 Another closing of the bars for the day is in the offing, this time just for the 1 day, not starting the night before. Wednesday, February 23rd marks the annual Mahka Bucha Day, which is the first day of the period for people to make pilgrimages Phra Phuttabaht, the Buddha's Footprint Shrine, and is regarded as a major day on the Thai Theravada Buddhism. You can read a good short discussion of Theravada Buddhism here: http://www.country-studies.com/thailand/buddhist-doctrine-and-popular-religion.html. Enforcement of the law pertaining to the serving of alcohol -- but not to the closing of venues that serve only beverages which include any alcoholic ones -- is very uneven on such days. That said, no alcohol is supposed to serve on these days. If you like your liquor and don't want to risk being unable to find a restaurant (or wherever) that is serving, you had better stock up in advance (remembering that so far the enforcement of no booze sales in outlets selling it for off-premises consumption -- 7-Elevens, Family Marts, other markets/supermarkets, etc. -- appears to be strict.)
(Public holidays in Thailand:
http://www.asiatravel.com/public_holiday.html.)
* * * * * * * * * * Latest Book by Dean Barrett Released Locally-based American author has just has his latest literary work released. I got a copy just about 3 hours ago, so I've not had a chance to read it so I can review it, but I want to get the word out about the release as soon as possible. (A review will follow in a later column.) Dean is leaving for the U.S. this Saturday for a month or more, but I have a few copies I can sell you on his behalf, though you'll have to wait until he comes back if you want your copy autographed. (And no, I'm not getting a commission but doing it as a friend.) The book has the makes-one-pause title "The Go Go Dancer Who Stole My Viagra & Other POETIC TRAGEDIES of THAILAND." [Yes, the capital letters are on the cover of the book.] Notice the word "poetic;" that's the format of Dean's writing in this book. But don't be put off by that, as many people are -- after all, songs are basically poems set to music, just as operas are plays set to music. As the book has *just* come out -- yesterday -- I'm unsure of it's availability elsewhere, but I talked to Dean and he says it is with Bookazine, but he doesn't know if it's on the shelf yet. I always enjoy reading Dean's works, and this time is no exception. [Thursday, February 17, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * New Cajun Cookbook from Bourbon Street Restaurant I think I'll stay with the book theme while I'm at it. Doug Harrison, proprietor of the Bourbon Street Restaurant here in Washington Square (Sukhumvit Road and Sukhumvit Soi 22), and co-author Lowell Barton have just come out with a Cajun cookbook -- one that draws on using Thai ingredients. Titled It's HOT, it's a soft-cover, A-4 sized book printed on glossy paper with generous photographs. The cover is white, with a picture of a red chili pepper below the title, and is visually attractive -- the sort of book you could leave out as a coffee table book. It also discusses the history of herbs and spices in a succinct, informative essay. It also discusses each individual herb, spice, and other seasoning (such as lime juice). I got this cookbook just a few hours ago -- at the same time I got Dean Barrett's latest work. I did read some of the introductory material and thumbed randomly through the rest of the book, and I must say I think I'm going to be suitably impressed once I get a chance to go through the culinary book in depth. The authors make 2 particularly striking points: (1.) Thai cuisine and Cajun cuisine are among the 2 fastest-growing cuisines in the world, and, (2.) many of the herbs, spices, and other flavorings used in the 2 cuisines are the same -- making them very complimentary, even when you mix them. I've done so, with great results. For those of you unfamiliar with Cajun cuisine, it is closely related to Creole cuisine, yet there are distinctions. Further, New Orleans Cajun cuisine is noticeably different from that across the rest of southern Louisiana, home to this superb cooking. You can read an excellent and brief discussion of the 2 cuisines at About Louisiana cuisine. Perhaps the main thing to know about both is that they are spicy -- sometimes really spicy, as in Thai cuisine spicy. My paternal Grandfather's best friend was married to a Cajun, and she and her daughters were the first I remember ever introducing me to this fabulous food. I was positively delighted when I discovered Doug's restaurant -- especially since it is located right in the middle of my usual hangouts. (It's tough writing this; I haven't eaten since yesterday, and it's now nearly 3:30 P.M. -- and I keep thinking "Barbecue shrimp? Blackened salmon? WHAT???" Back to the Cajun-Creole-Thai cuisines' links. Awhile back an American friend, his Thai wife, and I went to Bourbon Street Restaurant. The wife wanted to try American food, but hadn't a clue what to order. The husband ordered her Cajun-style barbecued shrimp -- and she was an instant convert. There are drawbacks to Cajun and Creole cuisines; they tends towards the fatty in a some of the dishes, so as a steady diet, aren't the best. Wherever you are, if you can find genuine Cajun/Creole cooking and haven't tried it -- do so. Then buy Doug's and Lowell's cookbook! [Thursday, February 17, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Thailand Connect, Offshoot of Baht & Sold I've written before about the successful Baht & Sold; Thailand Connect is the hard-copy successor to that initial plain-paper tabloid-style advertising medium. The former still has an online presence, where you can run ads up to 35 words for free. The former broadsheet has been superseded by the latter, which is a beautiful, glossy paper, magazine, not a broadsheet. The February edition of Thailand Connect weighs in at a hefty 50 pages -- and that's despite the magazine suffering a loss of advertising in the wake of the tsunami disaster last December. Thailand Connect includes columns by on-the-scene writers in a variety of destinations around the Kingdom: Chiang Mai and Region; Udorn Thani, Korat, and Region; Bangkok and Region; Koh Chang; Pattaya and Region; Phuket and Region plus a Krabi feature; Koh Samui and Region; Suirn; and a night scene column about Bangkok. (You'll need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the magazine and its columns online. There are 2 versions of the latest version, which is Version 7.0, one basic at about 12MB, the fuller one at about 20MB. The link takes you to the download page for various versions, not just 7.0.) The advertising magazine is enjoying great success due to the unflagging efforts of its founder, the affable Daniel. In an amazingly short time the magazine as rapidly blossomed, and not only in format, layout, and number of pages, but, critically, number of distribution points. And the advertising rates are very reasonable. For example, a business-card size ad with color runs 1500 baht/month. While for now the publication is a monthly one, given the wide distribution and circulation, that's a bargain -- I plan to take one for this web site, in fact. In most places, the magazine is free, though if you pick one up at a news stand it runs 50 baht. If you spot one, give it a look. The columns alone make it worthwhile. [February 18, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * What Does the South Need for Tsunami Relief? The anecdotes of experiences people visiting the tsunami-stricken South are increasing geometrically, and all of them share one common theme: there are enough supplies/money/volunteers. The people down there have told numerous people they don't need or want any more aid, much as they appreciated it in the aftermath of the disaster, but they don't want to descend to a welfare existence: they want tourists to return to revive the local economy. Some places that were completely untouched have been shunned by visitors who apparently assume that if the South was hit, the entire South was devastated, and that simply isn't the case. But the impression is reinforced by ill-informed travel agents elsewhere and continuing news coverage of the devastation of Phi Phi Island, also coincidentally located in Krabi Province. Ao Nang, a seaside town in Krabi Province, is an example. It's untouched -- yet deserted despite that. While I've not been down that direction, everyone says the whole area is stunningly beautiful. There is absolutely no reason not to go, if you're a sun-'n-surf person. Much of the South's income derives from tourism, and much of it was completely unaffected by the tsunami. Think about the ripple effect. A hotel employing, let's say, 200 people has to close. The owners and the employees lose out. Further, goods and service providers those 200 people use lose 200 customers -- affecting those merchants and service providers. Multiplying this out, those merchants and service providers themselves suffer at least some loss, if not out-and-out closure -- and they may have to let at least some employees go. Some years ago someone did a study related to what would happen, economically, in Bangkok if Soi Cowboy were to be shut down overnight and the staff unable to find other employment in the area. At the time, the claim was that the soi provided livelihoods to a few hundred people -- yet around 8,000 people would lose their livelihoods -- above and beyond the Soi Cowboy workers. Hair dressers. Street vendors. Motorcycle taxi drivers. Mom-'n-Pop shops. Doctors who count on the girl trade. Etc. etc. etc. Are there still no-go areas? -- from what I understand, yes. But only a few. A little research can clarify the situation. Even areas heavily struck, such as Phuket, are recovering with amazing rapidity (a real credit to the people of Thailand and the foreigners who helped them get things jump-started). So, if you want to help now and are contemplating a holiday, at least consider the South. Hey, you can always plan a holiday that includes just a couple or three days there, with the rest of your trip open-ended, then make your own call whether you stay on -- or move on. There are excellent deals to be had in places ranging from hotels to clothiers. A friend stayed about a week down in Phuket last week for about the entire week and told me he spent far less money than he had budgeted. And he had photos to back up his contention the island resort is "visitable" again already. Again -- the Southern people are grateful for all the assistance the world so kindly provided them. Now they want to be able to hold their heads up high and say "I've got a job." [Friday, February 18, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Dates for Annual Visit by U.S. IRS Representative Set I just received another e-mail from the American Citizen Services Unit announcing the dates for the annual visit by an Internal Revenue Service representative. Here's the e-mail in full:
Greetings from the
U.S. Consulate. [Friday, February 18, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Enough for one go . . . Until next time -- Mekhong Kurt * * * * * * * * * * E-mail Change Notification Sign-up Sign-up here for e-mail notification when I add or change something on the site. Just go to the sign-up page. * * * * * * * * * * Where Is *Your* Name??? So you've been a slacker and still haven't signed up for the free BangkokAtoZ.com Updates Mailing List??? ;-) Well, get with the program and sign up right now to be notified via e-mail whenever we add something to the site -- that way, you don't even have to visit the Updates Page to see if there's anything new -- we'll let you know by e-mail. If you want to sign up, just go to the sign-up page. I'm pleased to say that more and more of you are signing up, and I urge all of you not to hesitate! * * * * * * * * * * Where is *Your* "Traveler's Tale"???
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-- send me a line! Just send me a *query* note at * * * * * * * * * * Linking to BangkokAtoZ.com
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Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 by Kurt T. Francis, except as noted otherwise. Materials by Christopher G. Moore, Dean Barrett, Richard K. Diran, Sonia Pressman Fuentes, and Hardy Stockmann are copyrighted © by those respective authors. All rights reserved. Please see the Copyright Notice for further information. Click here for our Privacy Statement Please direct all inquiries to mekhongkurt at bangkokatoz.com |
