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V. Siam Optical -- Recommended Relief from Mobile Phones in Cinemas Tour Cancellations in the Tens of Thousands Famous Religious Statue Destroyed Excellent Sukhumvit Soi 23 Eatery Reasonably Good Highly-Placed Intelligence * * * * * * * * * * Just a reminder you can sign-up for free to receive the BangkokAtoZ.com Updates (plain text) e-mail to always know when I add something new to the site or modify it in some important way. A great way to be sure YOU don't miss something of interest, best of all is that this service is absolutely FREE! * * * * * * * * * * V. Siam Optical -- Recommended This is a long-established optical shop on Sukhumvit Road almost directly opposite the intersection of Sukhumvit Road and Sukhumvit Soi 22. (The folks there also sell watches in the adjoining shop; there's a doorway connecting the two). This shop is popular with foreigners and Thais alike, and with good reason. I've bought two pairs of glasses in Bangkok, one at V. Siam, the other at a competing shop, but only because it was a Sunday and V. Siam was closed -- and I had lost my one and only pair of glasses, without which I'm virtually nonfunctional. (If the telescope at Mount Palomar every gets broken, the astronomers can borrow one of my eyeglass lenses!) I had occasion to visit the shop today, as somehow I managed to warp one earpiece, and I hoped against hope the guy there -- the shop is, I think, a family affair -- would be able to repair it. I entered, told the lady my problem (by the way, everyone speaks excellent English) and showed her the damaged earpiece. She handed it over to the older gentleman, whom I have always assumed to be the patriarch. He told me it wasn't a problem and to wait a few minutes. In short order he had my glasses repaired. When I asked him how much I owed, he countered with "Didn't you buy your glasses here?" That was a bit complicated. As it happens, yes, I did by a pair of glasses from him. About two years ago I was down Jomtien way and an earpiece fell off and couldn't be repaired, leading me to buy a new set of frames for the lenses I had bought at V. Siam. I explained that to the gentleman, and he smiled as he said, "No charge. Do you need a new pair?" I do, and told him so, but didn't plan to buy any that day. You can rest assured I assured him I would be back -- and I will. The service is superb, and the previous pair of glasses I bought were perfect; my vision was crystal-clear. And the price was highly competitive. My lenses and original frames were both imported, the lenses from Germany (surprise, surprise) and the frames from Italy (more surprise, surprise). The lenses are a special glass that allows a strong prescription such as mine with glass about half the thickness they would be were they made of ordinary optical glass. They also are shatter-proof and automatically darken in the sunlight. The frames were made of some very strong composite material. More importantly, the earpieces were spring-loaded -- not uncommon, but a major consideration for me when buying frames. And they were quite attractive. The price? -- The lenses were THB1,872/US$48 for the two while the frames were THB2808/US$72, for a total of THB4680/US$120. One caveat: that was awhile back, so I would expect those prices to have risen. Still, in the U.S., Canada, Europe, etc. I would expect to pay far more. The shop also offers sunglasses, both regular and prescription. Eye examinations are conducted using state-of-the-art computerized equipment. A final note. V. Siam isn't just a neighborhood shop; people travel considerable distances to buy their glasses there -- I have friends who do so.
V. Siam Optical [Monday, March 20, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Relief from Mobile Phones in Cinemas How many times have you been in a cinema, gripped by the film -- and other patrons' mobile phones are ringing? Irritates you, doesn't it? I rarely go to the cinema, but before I enter the auditorium on those rare occasions, I set my phone to silent mode. I remember once at the long-gone Washington Theater I was watching a film along with a lot of other people when a guy's phone rang and he began blathering away at the top of his lungs, ignoring first polite requests to can it or go outside, then nasty comments, then even the usher's repeated demands, and finally the cinema manager's. This went on about fifteen minutes. But (heh-heh), he darned sure didn't ignore the police officer who came in, snatched him bodily out of his seat, yanked his phone out of his hand, then, when the guy got angry and started shouting, threw him down, handcuffed him, and hauled him out. The entire audience burst into loud applause as the officer as he exited, prisoner in tow. That's one officer who should have got a medal, bonus, and promotion! Anyway -- relief is coming (and I sure hope it comes to Thailand). An outfit called called NaturalNano in the U.S. has come up with a way to block the signals of mobile phones inside cinemas. It's too bad it takes a technological solution to take care of a problem that ought to be a matter of simple courtesy, but given the handful of jerks who are utterly inconsiderate of others. Just how do the folks at NaturalNano perform this technological black magic? Microscopic tubes. Yes, you read correctly: microscopic tunes, tubes filled with signal-block stuff such as copper that are added to the paint to paint the cinema. Of course, the potential applications go far beyond cinemas, at least if this technology can be combined with a clear "paint" to cover windows. How about concert halls, for example? As a former teacher, I instantly thought of schools. Prisons (if they are without open-air windows with bars) are prime candidates. The list goes on. I can hear the howls from doctors, law enforcement personnel, and other people on call, legitimately on call. There's at least one way to accommodate them. If they identify themselves to the staff and give the place's number to their hospital/police station/whatever, then a staff member could come quietly summon to the phone. Of course, the staff would have to know where the person is seated -- it would sort of defeat the purpose if right in the middle of a concert the public address system boomed out "Calling Dr. Schmuck! Calling Dr. Schmuck!" at jet-engine-roar levels -- to be heard over the concert! I can think of one place where it is easy to see why it would be better not to use this technology: places of religious worship. In those, no one wants to have someone trotting down the aisle to fetch someone during a ceremony. In those places, one can only hope the folks present will set their phones to silent mode, and if they are not people who need to be constantly available, to turn their phones off, period. Do you know why I don't go to a cinema often? It is for precisely this reason. The few times I've been to one here, I was flat disgusted by the frequent chirping of phones and people blathering away. (Mobile phones didn't come in until after I moved here.) Bravo!!! [Tuesday, March 21, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Tour Cancellations in the Tens of Thousands Today's Bangkok Post is running a story reporting that the Tourism Authority of Thailand's head Khun Juthama Siriwan has said that about 65,000 would-be tourists, mostly from Singapore and China, have cancelled planned trips here, mostly in March and April, the story is headlined "Politics takes toll on tourism, reports TAT." That isn't a huge number compared to the total number of arrivals here each year, but it has got to be attention-getting to anyone involved in the tourism and related industries. I keep thinking, "When's the bad news for this important segment of the Thai economy going to stop coming?" Last year (and to an extent even today) it was fear inspired by the terrible tsunami. The current stand-off between PM Thaksin and his opposition continues unabated. Just in the past few minutes I got an SMS news alert saying about 5,000 protestors are in the Central Business District on Silom Road, hoping to garner more support from ordinary citizens and businesspeople for their movement to oust the Prime Minister. The same alert adds that about 10,000 are protesting (again) in front of the Embassy of Singapore over the sale of Shin Corp. to the Singaporean government's investment arm. For late-comers, the conflict over the sale of Shin Corp. centers on two major areas. First, the Opposition claims the sale was illegal because the Constitution mandates, for example, that the telephone airwaves are reserved for the public good and are a national interest, among other claims. Second, the Thaksin family are said to have paid no takes on the nearly US$2 billion sale. I guess potential visitors are canceling their holidays here for fear of violence, though there has been practically none, if the media is correct. It is true that the numbers of people opposing each other over whether the Prime Minister should stay or go has risen. Let me say I don't think foreigners would be at any risk even if things turned ugly, so long as they stayed away from flashpoints. I know people who have been through coups here who say foreigners never were in any danger -- again, as long as they stayed out of the way. I would even hazard to guess that Singaporeans would be safe, unless they loudly proclaimed themselves to be such, considering that Thais realize that Singaporeans make up but a tiny percentage of the world's ethnic Chinese. "Jai yen yen" -- Thai for "[Keep a] cool heart." [Tuesday, March 17, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * As is probably self-evident, being an expatriate can have it's odd moments. And being one in Bangkok is certainly no exception. Yet there are those times one does have to marvel at the inherent humor. As I write this, I am sitting in the Texas Lone Staar Saloon. Sounds more like a saloon out of the American Old West than the sort of establishment than a Westerner -- no pun intended -- would expect to find out here in the mysterious, exotic Orient. So, the very establishment is an oddity in its own right. The owner is here from very early morning until early afternoon, and when he his here he screams at the ladies who handle the CD player to "Take that junk off and put on some good music!" His idea of "good music" narrows down to a handful of C&W discs, not so odd in itself, other than the limited number and the fact he'll roar the same thing even with every customer saying, "Wait! Wait! -- I like that CD!" Anyway, it *is* a country-and-western sort of place, so one does expect to hear cowboy music here. At the moment, what music am I hearing? -- Rap, for pete's sake! Can you even imagine going into a roadhouse sort of place in, say, Cheyenne, Wyoming and hearing rap??? I would as soon expect to hear Beijing Opera in a McDonald's in Kansas City! Come to think of it, maybe this shouldn't strike me as odd. I remember a few weeks after I had arrived in Tianjin, China, in 1985 to teach at Tianjin University. New teachers were always hosted ,soon after their arrival, by the university president at a welcome banquet. We four new teachers were walking from our residential building to the building where we were to have the banquet. I have to interject here that to this day, universities (and lots of other places in China) are infested with loudspeakers, which are used to broadcast wake-up calls to exercise, "news," propaganda (hum -- put that under "news"), and Chinese music, with the rare Western saccharin pop song permitted. One of my colleagues and I were walking together, and he stopped suddenly, asking, "Hey, isn't that Willie Nelson?" And I'll be doggone if it wasn't. All the music that played as we strolled along was cowboy music, and I don't mean Inner Mongolian cowboy music. What next? -- a Wagnerian opera at an open-air Thai restaurant in the remote countryside? You know, it wouldn't surprise me nearly so much now as it once would have done. . . . [Tuesday, March 21, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Famous Religious Statue Destroyed It's sad that such a revered monument as the Phra Prom statue, which belongs to a Hindi god but which is widely revered by Buddhists around Asia and was popular with tourists of every strip, was destroyed in the early hours of this morning. It seems that about 1:00 A.M. this morning a man described in one report as "depressed" but in another as "mentally retarded" scaled the fence around the statue and set upon it with a hammer, almost completely destroying it. Whether he was depressed or suffering from some form of mental disorder, it is also unfortunate he was killed by bystanders, though details on this part of the series of events remains sketchy at this hour. The statue was adjacent to the Hotel Erawan Hotel -- in fact, the site is commonly referred to as "the Erawan Shrine." I've seen it, several times, and am glad I had the opportunity to do so. It was beautiful, and I never ceased to be amazed by the crowds it attracted. Locals would go there to pray for whatever their private wish was. While there are many such places around the Kingdom, Erawan Shrine is a highly revered site. At this point there hasn't been anything in the media suggesting what, if anything, authorities might try to do in terms of repairing what little is left (or replace) the famous statue -- heck, it's too early to expect them to know themselves. And *I* sure don't have a clue. I won't be surprised if this event causes a considerable uproar, and I can't blame folks for being extremely upset. Imagine how any of us might feel were someone to commit such a similar act against a religious icon we deeply revere and value. Even non-believers can appreciate the beauty of such a statue and the impact it has on believers' lives. [Tuesday, March 21, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Excellent Sukhumvit Soi 23 Eatery A friend passing through town on his way back to the States after a three-month holiday down Phuket way called me yesterday to invite me out for the evening, though we had already visited earlier in the day. After visiting a couple hours at the Texas Lone Staar, we moved on to Soi Cowboy, a venue with which my friend was not familiar but wanted to visit. By the time me made our way down there, it was late evening. (See the next story for a bit more about Soi Cowboy.) We bounced around there until closing time at 2:00 A.M. (which was a bit hard on me -- I'm almost never out that late, so thank goodness I'd slept three-four hours between my visits with my buddy!), then walked out onto Soi 33, our intent to drop by the 7-Eleven near Sukhumvit Road then to take taxis to go our respective ways. But that was not to be. Whilst strolling down the soi, we came to a place still open, the first thing to catch our attention. All that was visible was an open kitchen with a narrow hallway down the left side of the single shophouse. There were a couple doormen, so we asked if the place was still indeed open and serving food; yes and yes. As the sign advertised both Thai and international food and we had a hankering for Thai food, in we went. What a delightful discovery The Love Scene was! Heck, the name alone is intriguing; it's certainly not one I would have thought up for a restaurant. Reinforcing that statement is that I certainly didn't see any, um, "action" of that sort going on between patrons and staff. Anyway, while we were neither one all that hungry, we ordered three dishes: fried morning glory (a perennial favorite of mine), Isaan beef, and preserved duck eggs -- the last entirely new to both of us. I've eaten countless hundreds, probably thousands (no joke) Chinese hundred-year-old [black] eggs and love those, so thought "What to heck -- let's try these." We debated ordering three dishes, given that we weren't looking for much more than a snack. Well, the long and the short of it is both my buddy and I are converts. While the morning glory came in a smallish portion -- I considered ordering a second plate -- it was probably the best I've ever had. My friend had had it, but only as part of other dishes such as soup, not on its own, and he was quite smitten with it. The vegetable stems were just right -- not to soft, not to hard, and not too tough. And the sauce was delectable. (I don't have a clue how to make the sauce.) And there were just the right amount of red peppers for our tastes. Any self-respecting Thai would have probably snorted and said if he had wanted morning glory ice cream he would have ordered morning glory ice cream -- but, hey, we aren't Thai. Anyway, I'd rather have a smallish dish of such excellent quality than a largish one of so-so quality. The Isaan beef was a bit of a mystery as we agreed there was nothing about it that seemed to suggest Isaan cuisine. To those of you who might know what I mean by "Isaan cuisine," Isaan is the region of Thailand adjacent to Laos -- i.e., the northeast of Thailand -- and Lao cuisine has a strong influence there. But was the dish ever delicious. It was thin slices of some of the most tender beef I've ever eaten. Nestled in a bed of vegetables, the slices were doused with some sort of mildly spicy sauce I didn't recognize, but the taste was heavenly. We debated about ordering a second order, but decided we would be plain pigs were we to do so. Rounding out our limited sampling was the order of preserved duck eggs. The eggs weren't black, as are Chinese hundred-year-old eggs, and the taste is considerably different, more than accounted for by the fact these were duck eggs, not chicken eggs. I've been thinking all morning how to describe the flavor, but I'm still rather baffled other than to say the flavor of egg is very mild. I dipped the egg pieces into some generic, slightly sour, hot sauce the waitress had brought, and just like the other two dishes, the eggs were very good. The service was way superior to what we thought we would get at a place such as The Love Scene. For starters, most of the staff with whom we interacted -- and that was several -- spoke good to excellent English. And their service was as good as their English: efficient (served with amazing speed given that the place was nearly full), friendly, and with those beautiful Thai smiles. [The Thai government ought to patent the Thai smile!] So what did we pay for all this? With the two bottles of water we had, the tab came to 340 baht. (By the way, I think the place serves alcohol, but I didn't check. I do know there were some people with alcoholic beverages, but they may have brought them in from outside.) To quote a famous actor-turned-politician in the U.S., "I'll be back!"
Love Scene [Thursday, March 23, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * As I mentioned above, my friend and I made a short cruise through Soi Cowboy before going on to The Love Scene to eat. We stopped in four Soi Cowboy establishments, three of which are historically favorites of mine. I continue to like the regular places, and will continue to go to them -- if they will make one modification that ties in with the story above The Oddities of Bangkok Redux. That is, I will IF they stop playing nothing but rap music. Yep, that's right -- rap music ruled the day in every single place we went. (Note: it's Friday morning as I write, and this morning I stopped at the Subway Sandwich Shop by Villa Supermarket about 5:00 A.M. to have something to drink and read the paper before I walked on over to Washington Square -- and much to my shock, rap music was playing there.) In the case of Washington Square, I know for an absolute fact the vast majority of patrons prefer other types of music (and dislike rap a lot). I realize music is a matter of taste, but it strains credibility to think the majority of patrons in Washington Square, Soi Cowboy, and Subway Sandwich Shops prefer a non-stop diet of rap music over other genres. I don't mean to get into an argument over the merits of rap music. I happen not to like it. I don't think of most places catering to a cross-section of foreign tourists of all age groups as being places I would seek out in search of rap music. It certainly could serve as the musical theme of a given nightclub, and if pitched to the right audience that club could be quite successful. After all, there are jazz clubs, rhythms-'n-blues ones, etc. The music aside, Soi Cowboy seemed to be doing okay; the soi was certainly bustling enough, if not wall-to-wall with visitors. But I did notice a fair number of visitors sticking their heads into various bars and immediately walk away. I don't know why, but if no one is stopping, then that's a bit worrisome. I didn't have the chance to talk with any owners, so I don't know how the bars are doing. (I haven't been there since Christmas.) Despite my lip being a bit curled over the music, I still recommend you pop into Soi Cowboy and sample some of the bars there. [Thursday, March 23, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * I got some critical intelligence late this morning from a good American friend who had just come from a regular briefing American receive from the U.S. Ambassador. After a long-standing ban on U.S. beef [due to the mad cow disease], imports of Yank beef is now back in-country and has been shipped to local stores and restaurants. Seems the U.S. and Thailand worked out a way for Thai agricultural scientists to test and certify beef imported from the States when they find it meets Thailand's health regulations. Don't get me wrong. Unlike some of my fellow Yanks, I like beef from Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, and Canada (which is essentially the same as U.S. beef, in my experience.) Yet each has its own distinct flavor. If you are a fan of U.S. beef, then rush right on out to your nearest grocery that deals in international food or to the nearest restaurant that does the same. [Thursday, March 23, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Saturday, March 25, 2006 Well, if a guy is going to blow it, he may as well blow it completely -- and have I ever, in terms of copyright violation, with this story. It was penned by Fred Reed, an expat American living in Mexico who has his own [adult-oriented but NOT porno] website www.FredonEverything.net in his regular column "Their Own Self" on March 21, 2006. If you came directly here, skipping the home page, let me repeat my apologies to Fred here. Do visit Fred's website; discretion is advised. He's an excellent writer. The following is from a friend of mine who forwarded it to me (which is why I felt authorized to steal his e-mail!) from near where I grew up, a retired Colonel who shall remain anonymous, for obvious reasons (once you read his contribution. He speaks of Dean Barrett, who is in and of himself a fairly controversial figure in the literary scene. Yet, to sell Dean short is to sell oneself short. As The Good Colonel {the author of the e-mail] comments, Dean has keen powers of observation. Of course, NGO personnel come here and berate Western males for "exploiting" these ladies. It has always struck me that the same NGO personnel never -- never once -- talk about the girls' exploitation of the Western man. They -- the girls -- are quite happy to be set up to receive, say, US$1,000/month [from, in their dreams, an unlimited number of boyfriends] so they can take care of their own immediate needs, take care of their babies, take care of their families, and, if they have enough left over, take care of the greasy-haired "boyfriends" who push their selling their sex. Dean understands this exactly, and captures it quite well. And the Colonel understands that Dean understands. A LOT of folks think I am blowing smoke. Well, read on, and if you have two brain cells to rub together, believe. "Their Own Self" © Column by Fred Reed
"The
Bargirl Who Stole My Viagra:
A bit back I was in Thailand and
doing a pub crawl with my friend Dean Barrett. Dean is a perceptive writer,
highly literate, a transplanted New Yorker, and the Kipling of the bar scene in
Bangkok. He gave me his book of poetry, The Bar Girl Who Stole My Viagra and
Other Poetic Tragedies of Thailand. Any man who has spent time in Asia will
resonate to it. This is a frank discussion of the way it is, not only out here East of Suez, but in many parts of the world. The darkly humorous part of this is that Asians blame Westerners. Who started the concubine system -- long before Westerners? -- We long-noses learned at the feet of the Masters, did we not? Who is the main source of AIDS in Thailand? -- Thais, not Westerners. Sigh. [Thursday, March 23, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Reasonably Good Highly-Placed Intelligence Things may be getting rough for the ruling party, whether elections occur or not. It is unlikely, according to inside sources who ask to remain anonymous, that the ruling coalition will win all 500 seats-- and that as a result, the government will have to go into care-taker mode again. (These sources are foreign, not domestic, but they have strong and extensive connections on the local level.) According to reasonably well-respected international media, the current political impasse is beginning to have effects on the investment climate here. That said, the stock market remains relatively stable and the baht has strengthened a bit against the U.S. dollar. Interestingly, the Prime Minister went to Government House today for the first time since protesters set up camp there awhile back. That may be a good move on his part, as some observers have been claiming he was staying outside Bangkok to avoid the opposition. That may be an even better tactic than it may appear at first blush given that some folks, both locals and foreigners, have slammed the opposition for boycotting the pending election, asking what kind of democratic parties sit out an election. [Thursday, March 23, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * I just got an e-mail confirming that the folks at Radio Bangkok are set to launch my show on their [Internet-only] radio station, probably starting to airi it over this weekend. Though the inaugural show is quite short at about four minutes long, I'm really looking forward to its being available. While an Internet audience is of course smaller than a free-to-air broadcast, at least initially, going the Internet route does provide some advantages both to me and to the audience, the chief of which is a listener doesn't have to be online at the moment the show is uploaded to catch it -- the show will be downloadable. As it is in MP3 format, it can be played on a variety of devices. I may be seeking suggestions for stories and the like in future, though not right this second, as I have to work it out with the folks at the station so suggestions can come through them for screening; that way, they can give me ones they've already approved in principle. Though it's still early days, we have a number of ideas in mind besides a straight presentation based on this column. For instance, I suggested to Bill, the man with whom I'm dealing, the possibility of interviews with and vignettes of interesting Old Thai Hands. (They abound!) Other possibilities are percolating. You can watch the Radio Bangkok Broadcast Schedule to find out just when the show goes online. I will also put a direct link to the show at the top of this column and on the homepage of this site the second I know the schedule myself. I want to give credit where credit's due and say the folks at Radio Bangkok have done a most excellent job adding in music at the opening and closing of the show. Thanks! As I get familiar with the required software, this is getting plain fun for me! [Friday, March 24, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * 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 If anyone reading this has a website and want to link it to BangkokAtoZ.com, you can copy-and-paste the banner and text link below into your site; they are live links to this site's homepage:
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