Happy Easter, Bangkok! Hopefully you’ll be reading this while tucking into some sort of gourmet Easter Egg.
Don’t lie to us; we can see the chocolate smears on your chin.
As always, Bangkok’s been busy this week, both in terms of news and Friday night traffic (we’re blaming you, Dinosaur Planet.)
As the Airport Rail Link held people hostage for hours on end, adult film stars were parading their very best dancing skills at a motor show, and the new, harsher punishments for visa overstays came into action. There was tragedy at the hands of terrorists in Belgium and, closer to home, we learned of the two young Cambodian girls who drowned after being kicked off a Suang Luang district pier by a 12-year old boy.
It hasn’t all been bleak, however, so we bring you the best of the week’s news, views, videos and social media updates.
Enjoy…
News
Adult movie star reveals marriage to Harold “the farang”
We’re not entirely sure why this made such a splash on the Bangkok news desks this week, but we’ll obviously continue to perpetuate it. Former Thai porn star “Nong Nat” Ketsarn Chaichaleamphol told her fans this week that she had married a foreigner named Harold four years ago and was being looked after by him. Thaivisa quaintly point out that although Harold’s age was not given, “he appeared somewhat older than the young woman”.
CRAZY.
So-called politically incorrect map sparks debate on social media
A satirical map hit the headlines this week for labelling various regions of Thailand from the supposed viewpoint of Bangkokians. Amusing names include ‘Eat Dog’ in the northeast, ‘Factories’ in the Eastern Seaboard and – our personal favourite – ‘BOMB! MOTHERFUCKER BOMB!’ in the south.
Thailand move to final stage of qualifying for 2018 World Cup
Thailand’s football team made history on Thursday night after a draw against Iraq, which saw them advance to the final stage of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers – the best that Thailand has done in the World Cup since 2002, apparently.
Blogs
A lesson in not taking any bullshit from the bargirls of Bangkok
We are naive at best when it comes to navigating the bar girl scene of Thailand, but Budget Bobby’s regular column is quick to educate on how to avoid getting absolutely rickrolled and ripped off during a night on the tiles. His latest feature recounts two episodes of how he got his own back after a couple of Nana Plaza/Soi Cowboy’s finest attempted to pull a fast one on him.
Why Asia can be great for single women
Asia is often referred to as the single man’s paradise, but what about for the unattached western women that find themselves over here? This blog explores the upsides of being single in Asia, even if the dating opportunities for western women aren’t quite what they are in the West.
Seriously, I know where the airport is
This insightful Ajarn blog is a personal exploration in how our perceptions of a place naturally shift as the years go by, and how rose-tinted glasses don’t last for ever – especially not in Bangkok. It also highlights one of the most annoying traits of the city’s expat population – keyboard warriors that tell you to go home as soon as you express even a small iota of some Bangkok related displeasure. Just because you’re not in your home country doesn’t mean that you aren’t able to see the entirety of a place, flaws and all.
Some 1960s train safety posters to have nightmares about
The Locomotive Engineer School this week published some throwback train safety photos from the 1960s that are decidedly graphic. The posters, offering advice like ‘don’t put your head out of a train window’ and ‘don’t sleep on the railway’ pull no punches when it comes to the illustrations.
Yikes
Forum Discussions
What was Bangkok like during the 2014 coup?
This Reddit thread asks about whether day-to-day life was significantly different during the 2014 coup d’etat. The consensus appears to be that, while the temporary curfew and TV programming were very much noticeable, the banalities of everyday life for most people stayed pretty much the same. Seasoned coup veterans seem to agree that the coup of 2010 was comparatively much more pervasive.
Let’s make sweeping generalisations about Thai women according to their place of birth
Thaivisa members live up to their reputation good and proper in this thread, which seeks to find out where the best Thai girlfriends come from – Isaan or Bangkok. The best ones call out the question for relying so heavily on second-hand stereotypes while the worst manage complete dehumanisation of womankind.
And then there’s this:
Seems like a great guy
YouTube
Bangkok’s Dinosaur World is now open. pic.twitter.com/GAdrUTJzG4
— Phil / Ajarn.com (@Ajarncom) March 25, 2016
Your Friday #Bangkok #traffic forecast: Shitty with a chance of road rage. #Rama4 pic.twitter.com/Ry6x8Tvoge
— Bob James (@NotThatBobJames) March 25, 2016
The number of OOF autoreplies I am receiving suggests that a lot of people have taken time off to celebrate a rabbit that lay chocolate eggs
— KristoferA (@KristoferA) March 25, 2016
On street #haircut in #bangkok #thailand
A photo posted by trijack (@trijack) on
And that’s been The Week On Sukhumvit; see you next time!
