Welcome to Sunday, Bangkok!
Another busy week — we’ve had vandalising scousers in Chiang Mai, the unveiling of a durian pizza from Pizza Company (WHY GOD WHY) and a Brazilian man in speedos falling from the third floor of Swampy airport.
Ah, Thailand.
Let’s see what else has been entertaining and enraging Bangkok this week…
Post Contents
News
‘Jet-setting’ monk handed 16 more years in prison for underrage rape
Wirapol Sukphol — the so-called jetsetting monk who famously travelled by private jet with his designer luggage — has been found guilty of having sex with a minor and sentenced to an additional 16 years in prison.
The victim, now aged 32, was underage in when Wirapol apparently raped her over a period of two years from early 2000 to mid-2001, and he even fathered a child by her.
He is already in prison, serving 114 years for public fraud, money-laundering and computer crimes — although will only serve 20 of those according to Thai law.
Chaos in Similan Islands following new entry limits
The Similan Islands — once touted as an untouched paradise — were thrown into disarray this week after tour operators failed to understand new regulations and entry limits in place at the marine national park.
The islands had been closed for five months in a bid to help the coral reef systems recover from heavy tourist numbers and park chiefs decided to cap the number of visitors to 3,325 per day (and just 525 divers).
Tour operators are now required to present copies of their clients’ IDs as well as a full roll call of the names of visitors arriving on each boat before they will be issued tickets. Confusion reigned this week when most tour staff apparently did not understand the new rules and many were unable to provide the correct documentation.
Liverpudlian arrested for vandalising historic Chiang Mai gate
Thai police arrested a Liverpudlian and a Canadian — and are after a couple more — after they were caught spraying graffiti on Tha Phae gate and a shophouse front in Chiang Mai this week.
Lee Furlong from Liverpool and Brittany Schneider from Canada were caught on CCTV tagging the heritage site at 4am ‘Scouser Lee B’, while two others were seen spraying ‘Maro VDF’ on the front of a TSK Exchange Shop on Prapokklao Road. Once caught, Furlong apparently said they were drunk and were remorseful for their actions.
If convicted, such a crime could carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison as well as a hefty fine apparently.
Blogs
How to survive Bangkok’s tourist traps
A handy guide here on surviving Bangkok’s tourist traps, including better alternatives, the best times to visit if you do go and how to make the most out of them while you’re there.
Written by seasoned Thailand expat and travel writer Chris Wotton, there are plenty of excellent tips here — perfect for putting into action the next time your family are visiting and fancy a trip to the floating market. Groan…
Thailand’s elephant tourism industry still has a way to go
Another good article here on how to be a better tourist in Thailand and consider the consequences of your travel footprint.
Under the spotlight is Thailand’s elephant tourism industry and how there is still plenty to do before it can declare itself ethical and in the best interests of the animals themselves.
While it seems like things have changed in recent years — more tourists are knowledgeable about the ethics of elephant handling and know to avoid places that abusing them — we were shocked to read that there had been a 30% rise in the number of captive elephants in the country over the past 5 years.
The article provides lots of advice on how to choose an ethical sanctuary, but fails to address some of the underlying community problems that arise if you simply get rid of the darker side of elephant tourism, namely, what happens to the mahouts left behind. A programme of re-education and immersion into another industry is needed so they are not forgotten.
Forum Threads
Has your Thai girlfriend had plastic surgery?
An interesting Reddit thread here on men with Thai partners discussing whether they’ve had any cosmetic surgeries. Even considering Thailand’s obsession with looks and the proliferation of cosmetic treatment centres in Bangkok, there are a large number of people admitting that their girlfriends and wives have forgone the natural looks.
Nose jobs appear to be the most common procedure according to the thread — and certainly seem to be if you’ve spent much time with Thai girls on rooftop bars and various Thonglor haunts amirite — with breast enhancement not too far behind.
Most people seem to be accepting of their loved one’s modifications, but some are more hardline and even threaten to dump their other halves if they did the same. It’s all relative, we suppose.
A roadmap for online dating in Bangkok
A funny Thaivisa thread here from a man looking for some advice on the presupposed direction that an online dating relationship should follow.
The thread is started by an American man looking for a Thai women who is willing to relocate to the US and has four different women to choose from — one of which proposes no sex before marriage and tells him that she loves him within a week of video calls. I mean, even for Thailand, that’s crazy.
We have to agree with the respondents who tell the poster he’s looking for a mail order bride rather than a ‘normal’ relationship with a Thai woman. To visit Thailand, meet and fall in love with a Thai woman, then organically work out where you want to live and grow old together is one thing, but to seek Thai women online while in the US with the express purpose of moving them over to live with you is quite another. Particularly as he’s already considering whether he should propose before actually meeting them in the flesh and the ins and outs of sin sod.
Amen
YouTube
Motorcycle taxi driver gave me this today. No padding, no strap, cheap plastic. May as well have used a bucket. pic.twitter.com/NTs9fPDlb5
— Greg (@BkkGreg) October 18, 2018
Motorcycle taxi driver gave me this today. No padding, no strap, cheap plastic. May as well have used a bucket. pic.twitter.com/NTs9fPDlb5
— Greg (@BkkGreg) October 18, 2018
I don’t think Thais were cut out to be drivers
— Glenn (@_GlennCollier) October 18, 2018
Dress code at Makro, Koh Chang. No underwear allowed. pic.twitter.com/eMywkFdRpx
— Ian (@iamKohChang) October 17, 2018
Huay To waterfall about 20km north of Krabi Town. First time visiting here and we like :) #Krabi pic.twitter.com/3CnzXpzVuL
— Jamie in Phuket 🌴 (@jamiemonk) October 18, 2018
Hairy Potter#Pattaya #พัทยา #Thailand pic.twitter.com/8aR6kpaWHg
— TaaSaparot (@TaaSaparot) October 17, 2018
At the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, up to 7,000 POWs, who sacrificed their lives in the railway construction, are buried. Another 2,000 are laid to rest at the Chungkai Cemetery. Today, the Duke remembers those Commonwealth servicemen and women who gave their lives. #dukeinthailand pic.twitter.com/BAH3dqcJ9P
— UK in Thailand 🇬🇧 (@ukinthailand) October 17, 2018
A Bangkok sunset at 3 different optical zoom points. pic.twitter.com/r1Xd3o9PGV
— Raj Palsingh (@HipsterYogi) October 18, 2018
#LumpiniPark looking quite splendid earlier.
Still warm in the sun but I’m sure the air felt a bit fresher. Hopefully winter will arrive soon. #Bangkok pic.twitter.com/aFYKztbb0a
— Talking Bullocks! (@roastbeef69) October 18, 2018
Just another typical Bangkok commute with a motorbike travelling the wrong why up the expressway. Credit where credit is due. He’s wearing a helmet. pic.twitter.com/15bPmbbp7W
— BangPhli_Li (@laf1973) October 18, 2018
Just another typical Bangkok commute with a motorbike travelling the wrong why up the expressway. Credit where credit is due. He’s wearing a helmet. pic.twitter.com/15bPmbbp7W
— BangPhli_Li (@laf1973) October 18, 2018
This little dude is loving the chilli sauce 😂 pic.twitter.com/Cc0HlfpdRB
— BKKEnemy (@BKKEnemy) October 17, 2018
I’m accompanying my wife to the shopping mall. She needs to go to “the purple bank” and ‘the yellow bank”
— Phil / Ajarn.com (@Ajarncom) October 15, 2018
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Who would you go to Koh Lipe with tomorrow If you could?🌴 -Tag someone below
And that’s been The Week On Sukhumvit — see you next time!
Featured photo by rawpixel on Unsplash
