Welcome to Sunday, Bangkok!
Another absurd week in the Land of Smiles — what with the somewhat ridiculous launch of ‘Dinner In The Sky’ (for those who enjoy spending cash on a culinary experience hanging off the side of Emporium), a new ‘penis lightening’ treatment, and the reveal of the former ‘hairiest girl in the world’… without any facial hair.
Hell’s bells.
Let’s see what else has been entertaining and enraging Bangkok this week…
Post Contents
News
Husband kills wife after row over Facebook likes
A tragic story this week from Krabi about how a 22-year old woman was apparently murdered by her jealous husband after they argued about men ‘liking’ her Facebook photos. She died from a gunshot wound to the neck. Her husband, Adisorn Namrob, was apparently on parole at the time for drug charges. They had only been married for 6 months.
You can now get laser whitening for… your penis
In another truly #ThailandOnly case, we learned this week that men in Bangkok are now able to receive laser treatment to lighten the skin colour of their penises. Offered at Lelux Hospital, an aesthetic clinic in Nonthaburi, the treatment promises to make the penile skin lighter and ‘pinkish’ without requiring any pain or recovery period. The hospital have advertised their service to men coveting a ‘pink, white Pikachu’ — a Pikachu being Thai slang for a penis — and to ‘end the problems caused by dark penises’.
Don’t even want to know.
423 road deaths during the 7 dangerous days of New Year
The New Year holiday in Thailand is notorious for its increase in traffic accidents, injuries and fatalities compared to the rest of the year. The final morbid tally for the 2017/2018 period was 423 deaths, 4,005 injuries and 3,841 crashes nationwide between 28 December and 3 January.
Drink driving and speeding were found to be the most common cause of crashes, with over 77% of total accidents involving motorcycles. Nakhon Ratchasima saw the highest number of deaths.
Blogs
How to instill discipline in the Thai classroom
An interesting, if controversial, blog post on the Ajarn website this week about one of the author’s pet peeves about teaching in Thailand — a lack of discipline in the classroom. He seems to be at a total loss of how to achieve this, blaming students and resorting to walking out of lessons once he loses control of the class, now teaching primary school part time. Aside from a reference to a high-decibel whistle, the only solution he can come up with is corporal punishment — a traditional approach, he says, that works.
As many of the commenters say, the problem lies with the teacher if you’re always having the same problem with discipline in the classroom. And corporal punishment? While it may keep kids quiet, it’s not exactly the key to a positive learning environment. There’s a reason why most of the world’s top tier education systems have left it behind.
55 provinces in Thailand that don’t get much tourist traffic
The Thai government have recently agreed to various tax incentives to encourage Thais and tourists to travel more widely in Thailand, publishing a list of the least visited provinces in the Kingdom. Take a look if you fancy taking the road less travelled.
Falling out of love with Chiang Mai
A compelling post here on the Paper Planes blog seemingly explaining why she hasn’t blogged for a while but actually a great insight on what it’s like for an expat blogger to fall out love with the place they’ve decided to call home — in this case Chiang Mai. She lists many of the obstacles faced by expats in Thailand — visa issues, sickness, the perils of working in red tape nirvana — as well as more personal battles — her dog being attacked by soi dogs, troubles with social media, and a long distance relationship.
Forum Threads
A bar girl vs a date: which is the best option?
Thaivisa is on a hot streak with this thread discussing a blog post devoted to that evergreen question: which is better — a bar girl or a normal date? And whaddya know — many commenters are throwing one into the ring for bar girls! We’d have to hedge our bets and say that ‘better’ depends on what you’re looking for from the encounter.
One wise member responded with the following food for thought:
What are your opinions on travel blogger Richard Barrow?
A good introductory lesson here on Reddit on probably Thailand’s most famous travel blogger, Richard Barrow. Redditors discuss the ins and outs of his Twitter feed and various blogs, and whether or not he’s worth following. While he may not be an entertainer, it’s hard to deny how useful and comprehensive the information he puts out is — an incredible resource for people wanting to fully experience all corners of Thailand.
YouTube
Dinner in the Sky meeting: “We’ve already nailed overpriced and pretentious. How about obnoxious?”
“What about super bright flashing strobe lights?”
“Perfect.” pic.twitter.com/brAiHDq0iR— Greg (@BkkGreg) January 6, 2018
89 baht for a small fries from Burger King. Wow! Can I afford to eat fast food anymore? pic.twitter.com/z1oN8IUzxG
— Phil / Ajarn.com (@Ajarncom) January 3, 2018
Bangkok Weather Update: Classic Tropical Sundown pic.twitter.com/xW5L3QcDq0
— The Shellman (@NeilShelley) January 3, 2018
Spotted in Bangkok this evening near the Emporium. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a flying restaurant (FB Friso Poldervaart) https://t.co/BILg5z20Gs #Bangkok pic.twitter.com/JAPCQvL0rW
— Richard Barrow in Thailand (@RichardBarrow) January 3, 2018
Back in Bangkok after 2.5 years.
The consensus reality hit me like a wall of hot sewage air.
Flashy opulent wealth next to rotting slums, all engaged in constant consumption.
“Radioactive candy” comes to mind.
More cyberpunk than any Western city I’ve seen.
— Euvie Ivanova (@euvieivanova) January 4, 2018
Only in Thailand pic.twitter.com/oLttxqmpMD
— Chrome Crumpet (@ChromeCrumpet) January 2, 2018
Might need to work on customer service a bit. #Thailand pic.twitter.com/A2eUlf4gDP
— Bill Glenwright (@BillGlenwright) January 2, 2018
And that’s been The Week On Sukhumvit — see you next time!
Featured photo by Dani Aláez on Unsplash
