Happy Sunday, Bangkok!
Another busy and rainy week in Thailand as we slowly start to transition out of the rainy season and into glorious winter — temperatures are expected to reach a chilly 11-16°C on the peak of Doi Inthanon this week!
Other news includes the fact that the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are due to be released in the Land of Smiles on 3 November and — slightly more macabre — a 24-year old Thai man confessed to killing his elderly neighbour and attempting to eat his liver after taking yaba. Si Uey reborn?
Let’s see what else has been entertaining and enraging Bangkok this week…
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News
Woman accused of fleeing with 50k baht dowry claims she was just out of town
The latest real-life soap opera to grace our computer screens in Thailand this month is the strife of Boonchuay Moontham, a 32-year old who was persuaded to propose to his girlfriend, Arisa Yodsutham, after three weeks. After receiving the 50,000 baht dowry from her paramour, Arisa apparently left town, leaving Boonchuay believing that he was duped and filing a police report.
Arisa has since come forward to give her side of the story, saying that she was simply out of town with her mother and that she and Boonchuay were in contact on LINE the whole time. She has also accused her fiance of being a drunk and that she only pressured him into an engagement so quickly because she was worried about him returning to his ex-wife and their two kids.
Boonchuay has apparently requested the return of half the 50,000 baht dowry but Arisa has said she would like to keep the entire sum as this episode has damaged her reputation.
48-year old American proposes to 24-year old Isaan girl after 10 days together
This is a story (with accompanying video!) that’s due to be featured on TLC in more depth about 48-year old David from Kentucky who proposed to his girlfriend of “around one or two weeks”, 24-year old Annie, from a poor village in Isaan.
It’s a classic mid life crisis in Thailand story: we learn that David suffered a grizzly divorce back in the states, ballooning up to 350 lbs and suffering numerous health issues. Annie, he says, makes him feel a lot younger than his 48 years. Women that are half your age will do that for you, we suppose.
Where to find draft beer at 7-Eleven
There’s been a lot of backwards and forwards this past week over whether 7-Eleven selling beer on draft is illegal or not. The latest ruling is that it’s A-OK, and Khaosod English has rounded up a few Bangkok branches that are providing that sweet sauce.
Blogs
How to renew a UK passport in Bangkok
A very detailed and useful guide here on the Ajarn website on how to renew your British passport right here in Bangkok. Includes exactly what you need, costs, where to go and expected time frames. We were surprised at the pretty quick turnaround times — just be prepared to fork out good money for photocopies of every single page of your passport!
Koh Klang: the other side of Krabi
A great trip report in the Jakarta Post on Koh Klang, a tiny Muslim fishing village in Krabi province. This is a long way from the Krabi most of us are familiar with: alcohol restrictions, modest clothing, sleepy homestays, rice fields and more. Some good photos included here too, if you’re keen on finding out more about this part of true ‘hidden’ Thailand.
Forum Threads
Can I trust this Isaan ‘virgin’ I’ve been speaking to online?
An interesting insight here on online dating in Thailand as a western man. The poster is planning a holiday to Thailand in the near future and has been chatting with some women online as a way to “make contacts” before his trip. Sure. He stumbles across a promising 33-year old woman: she can’t speak English, has apparently never had a boyfriend of either Thai or western nationality and is “potentially a virgin”.
He, of course, heads to Thaivisa to see whether this online Isaan girl is to be trusted. After all, what man wouldn’t want a 33-year old virgin that can’t speak their language?! Other posters’ responses range from cynical to supportive, with seemingly no one pointing out the obvious — why would a girl without any dating experience or agenda be on an online dating platform hooking up with western men?
What causes expats to brag about and embellish their past?
Another Thaivisa post here, exploring why a certain breed of expat feels the need to brag about — and possibly make up entirely — their past before they moved to Thailand. We all know a few people like this, usually spouting off from their bar stool about their dangerous life and accrued riches back at home.
There are plenty of examples of ‘expat bullshit’ in the thread if you fancy a giggle: we particularly enjoy the one about a man who lived out his last years in Thailand, bragging about his achievements as a Major in the British army, even writing an unchecked memoir on his heroics. In reality though, he “was known by the girls in the bars as ‘short time Brian’.”
YouTube
Sneaky Foodland, very sneaky! pic.twitter.com/XvhCMrV9et
— Glenn (@_GlennCollier) October 4, 2017
Minesweeper pic.twitter.com/fH0Yv9pjPW
— Stickboy Bangkok (@StickboyBangkok) October 3, 2017
Socializing in the digital age of antisocial media #Thailand #nightlife #SocialMedia #DigitalTransformation pic.twitter.com/zQN1RGf05j
— Jim Algie (@jim_algie) October 5, 2017
Cool #prisma pic I took of Chid Lom BTS station. #Bangkok pic.twitter.com/1FpE9SJLoD
— Greg (@BkkGreg) October 5, 2017
Sunsrise at Doi Ang Khang. Morning all :) pic.twitter.com/Im1iZn4Erd
— WJ (@WJChaAm) October 4, 2017
And that’s been The Week On Sukhumvit — see you next time!
