Welcome to Sunday, Bangkok!
Another busy week in the Land of Smiles…
IT RAINED. People went wild on Twitter and Facebook. The world moved on.
Also — the infamous Bangkok Hilton, otherwise known as Bang Kwang Central Prison, won a place on the world’s most dangerous prisons — to the consternation of the prison officials — and a discovery was made of the Forest of Panties in Issan. This is pretty much exactly what it sounds like — locals have sex in said forest and leave their pants on the surrounding branches as some sort of filthy check-in procedure.
#ThailandOnly.
Of course, that’s not all that’s been entertaining and enraging Bangkok this week…
News
Swedish tourist charged after alleged bomb threat on Koh Samui flight
In what might indeed be a case of miscommunication, Swede Anders Johan Christian was charged this week after he apparently made a bomb threat on board a Bangkok Airways flight to Koh Samui. Although it’s unclear exactly what was said or the context in which it was said, it’s believed to have stemmed from Christian allegedly telling a flight attendant his bag may explode if not arranged quickly in the overhead locker, although Christian denies this. Lost in translation?
Scottish pensioner died after skydiving accident in Pattaya
This is the tragic news that 69-year old James McConnell died during a skydiving accident where he plunged into a reservoir, instead of the designated airstrip at Thai Sky Adventures airbase in Pattaya. He was apparently on holiday with his family.
Gen Prayut invited to White House during call with Trump
A call this week between US President Trump and Thailand PM Prayut saw the two leaders discuss the North Korean threat in the Asia-Pacific region, and for Trump to extend an invitation to Prayut to visit the White House. It’s thought the call came about after various Southeast Asian leaders felt neglected after Trump’s focus on North Korea has hitherto only involved China and Japan.
Blogs
A day in the life of a prisoner in Klong Prem
This is a fascinating look in on the life of prisoners — one male and one female — in two of Bangkok’s prisons. Rangsiman Rome and Pronthip Mankong — both now released — have provided Coconuts with a look into what a typical day looks like as a prisoner.
It makes for inevitably grim reading — everything from terrible food and communal sharing in a ‘house’ system to women only being allowed 2 sanitary products a month and isolation for imprisoned farangs who can’t speak the language.
It’s also an interesting look at how behaviors change in prison. How some women become ‘tomboys’ to enjoy prison privileges, before being released, getting married to a man and having children. How men imprisoned are often grouped according to their hometowns which leads to a kind of mafia system.
A fascinating read.
Bangkok’s most underrated neighbourhoods
We love this profile by BK magazine on 4 of Bangkok’s coolest neighbourhoods: Yen Akart, On Nut, Saphan Kwai and Ratchatewi.
Lower Sukhumvit they ain’t.
If you’re looking to move to a neighbourhood with cheap rents but plenty still going on — and plenty of good eats — you might find some location inspiration here…
From a MTV VJ to a Bangkok hooker
Now before you start complaining about click bait (punny), this hooker isn’t one of Soi Cowboy’s finest. This is the story of Sittipon ‘Oz’ Chanarat who went from video jockey on MTV to a journalist with the Bangkok Post and finally to big game fisherman.
Anglers won’t be the only ones interested in Oz’s story — his is a journey that involves the infamous The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists and, of course, ghosts and spirits.
Forum Threads
A tale of a stupid girlfriend and losing 18k baht
We can never get enough of Thaivisa relationship woe stories — and this one’s a corker. The poster is lamenting the loss of 18,000 baht after he paid for his girlfriend and her two children to take a holiday in Phuket. After getting in a taxi at the airport, the girlfriend is convinced by the presumably unscrupulous driver to blow off her 12,000 baht a night hotel many miles away and go to a much cheaper and closer hotel in central Patong instead.
She calls her boyfriend, the original poster, to tell him of the change in plans, assuming he’ll be pleased at the news not realising that he has already stumped up quite a bit of cash for the original hotel she was due to stay at, which he had booked for her. She apparently doesn’t realise the error of her ways and the poster is consequently enraged by her dim wittedness.
Advice is, of course, forthcoming from other Thaivisa members, and often memorable. A particular highlight:
Perish the thought
YouTube
Me in Samut Prakarn this morning. pic.twitter.com/m4rYrjKGB4
— Phil / Ajarn.com (@Ajarncom) May 5, 2017
What could possibly go wrong ??? 💦 🍻 ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/Tg7WatsAdb
— David Rice (@Ricicles237) May 4, 2017
Thai guard in my neighborhood wearing a winter hat and coat. Says the rain is making him really cold.
— Lucky Erawan (@LuckyErawan) May 5, 2017
Well, there’s Ratchada /Ladprao sois flooded then. #Bangkok pic.twitter.com/KAz4PzKqcf
— Signore Sammy (@signoresammybkk) May 4, 2017
And that’s been The Week On Sukhumvit — see you next time!
