Good morning, Bangkok!
Anything important happening today? Hmm, can’t think of anything…
One event that this weekend will likely be forever remembered by, however, is the dawning of Pokemon Go across Asia Pacific. That’s right, Siam Paragon is right now full of people stuck to their smartphones searching for Pikachu.
Today, many Bangkok residents will walk more than 100 meters outside for the first time in their lives.
— Ben (@mrbenhutch) August 6, 2016
And they say that this generation is doomed…
Anyway, aside from our lives now benefiting from an extra layer of augmented reality, it’s been another busy week in Thailand.
One story particularly tickling netizens this week is the 19-year old British tourist who suffered a number of badly broken bones after a severe fall from a waterfall in Mae Wang. Instead of taking responsibility for her decision to climb the slippery rocks without equipment or expertise, she’s blaming the guides for not telling her that it was dangerous.
She said of the waterfall,
You don’t expect these things to be dangerous, but they are.
Call us crazy, but we think climbing a waterfall in the Thai jungle is, if anything, very likely to be a dangerous endeavour. That’s just us though.
Let’s see what else has been lighting up the Bangkok news desks this week.
News
Bangkok supplies of Guinness and Kilkenny running low
All those partial to an Irish pint might be given their cues to panic right about now — the last 50 kegs of Guinness have landed in Bangkok this week until the next shipment is dropped in November. Kilkenny is also running low. Prepare yourselves accordingly.
Government officer investigated after cruel online trolling
Pongsak Kensing, a governmental finance officer in Isaan, posted a photo on Facebook this week of a gas station worker, with a caption bearing the hashtags ‘what an ugly human being?’ and ‘how dare it be born’. Classy.
Firstly, he lied about, saying his phone had been stolen and used to post the demeaning message, before later admitting it and publicly apologising to the woman in question. He’s now under investigation by his employers.
While it all sounds a tad overblown, it does beg the question, when are we going to stop being dicks to each other online?
Blogs
30 tips for impressing Thai people
This is a great satire on how to impress Thai people beyond a simple wai or sawaddee kha. Some tips seem like general good advice for anyone hoping to make a good impression — “shower regularly” — while others are a little more Thailand specific: “Always say that you can take more spice in your food than your Thai wife – even if your wife is not Thai. Everyone should have a least one Thai wife.”
17 ways travelling in Thailand is amazing
From low-cost hotels to kitten cafes, this is a sweet blog on Thailand’s best bits and why so many travellers come and visit here year after year. It’s easy to take Thailand for granted when you’ve lived here for a while, and posts like these are a great way to jolt us back into gratitude.
Road To Ultra review
This is a good review of the ever-popular Road To Ultra music festival, which was held in June this year at the Bitec Convention Centre. Headliners included Avicii and Martin Garrix, while plenty of other top names in EDM also held court. This reviewer delves into the pros and cons, including extortionate drink prices and quiet opening sets.
Forum Discussions
Navigating the fundamental differences I have with my Thai wife
This is actually quite a sad Thaivisa thread on what it’s like to live with a wife or girlfriend who you seemingly have nothing in common with. Titling his post, “She’s petite and light-hearted but hopeless,” the poster tells of his wife’s beauty but apparent inability to hold a deep conversation, cook or, er, clean their home properly. It’s unclear what level the poster’s cleaning ability is at.
Other members chip in to the conversation, with many echoing the original poster’s position. It seems like some guys have over-committed early to their girlfriends solely on the merit of their being petite before actually finding out if they have any sort of compatibility with them.
One poster sums it up:
Yikes.
Why do Thais make merit with red Fanta?
This Reddit thread explores the widespread and puzzling (at least to outsiders) phenomena of Thais placing bottle after bottle of red Fanta on their spirit houses to make merit. Various hypotheses are thrown about, including the fact that it symbolises blood as well as the straightforward explanation that, “my mum told me Buddha loves red Fanta”.
Can’t say fairer than that.
YouTube
A couple of days ago I managed to walk onto the wrong plane. Thai Airways stewardess checked my Nok Air ticket and directed me to my “seat”.
— Derek Hopper (@derekmhopper) July 31, 2016
Hey, let’s all wear the same trousers while we travel round Thailand pic.twitter.com/3Rqu7vhF1g
— Jerome Taylor (@JeromeTaylor) August 2, 2016
The amount of nose jobs in this city is amazing. The Asian nose will soon be an endangered species.
— Nianne Hendricks (@niannelynn) August 4, 2016
And that’s been The Week On Sukhumvit — see you next time!
Featured image is by JohnPickenPhoto and used under a Creative Commons licence, with an added cat via Imgur/ethan97
