Thai Art II

As mentioned yesterday, I visited 100 Tonson Gallery to enjoy a new exhibition: [Locution-(re)-locations...] by the artist Phaptawan Suwannakudt.

I thought I would showcase a few more of her works.

Painting:


With detail of Thai script in the skirt:


My personal favorite. Just black ink on long, white, film paper (click to see details):


I hope you enjoyed and feel inspired. ^_^

Super Rich

Super Rich does not describe my current financial status. "Super Rich" is the best currency exchange office in the Bangkok area. Their rates are consistently the best. Expats often use this company to exchange their money into Thai Baht.

There is now a "Super Rich" office in the BTS station of Chitlom. Yay!

Chitlom's "Super Rich" branch:


There are other branches; you can find another in the BTS station at Phrom Pong.

Food Request

A reader mentioned that I haven't been posting food pictures lately. And she really wanted to see what I've been eating. *sigh*

Okay, okay. I am eating! Today's food court lunch was:



Rice with some kind of green vegetable (I'm sorry, I honestly have no idea what it was...@_@) and glass noodles with mushrooms. It was super yummy and too much for one small person. The cost was 40 baht (=120 yen/ $1.20)

I eat out a lot more these days, because I like to study after, and my electricity bill is lower too -- since I'm not using the air conditioning at home. ^_^

Anime in Bangkok

I'm a bit of a nerd and like all things geeky. This includes anime, and I stumbled across a manga shop in Central World.



[Oh! Anime] is located on the 6th floor of Central World department store, in the central area. I've noticed while sitting on the trains, Japanese anime seems to be quite popular here among Thais. Who can blame them? Japanese stories are always quite unique and cater to every taste. I remember a friend telling me there was a manga about a guy losing his hair!

It's kind of neat to see these manga with the Thai script though....

If you're wondering about my favorite manga, that's easy. It's "Fushigi Yugi"/ 日本語で「不思議ユウギ」 Another I like for laughs is "What's Michael?" -- about a dancing cat. =^_^= I used to enjoy manga to practice reading in Japanese. These days, I've got my nose buried in my language studies.

Esplanade Exploring

About a month ago, I ventured out to this shopping mall. Esplanade is most famous for its huge cinema complex, bowling alley and ice skating rink. I walked around to check out the smaller shops.

The lobby entrance:


This ice cream shop reminded me of an Apple store...iLawsuit? (laughing)


An eyebrow trimming shop...I guess it's important for some women...


There are a lot of independent clothing shops. But I loved the selection of shoes. Wearing these will make you smile everyday:


Esplanade is located on Ratchadaphisek Road. MRT Thailand Cultural Center. Open 10.00 ~ 22.00.

Akbar

I met up with an old friend last Friday. When she asked what I was in the mood for, I replied: Indian. She picked this restaurant, Akbar, in Nana. Akbar is famous with expats in Bangkok due to their delicious Tandoori chicken.

My friend and I ordered the same: a huge platter of various curries, tandoori meats: chicken, pork and fish, and naan bread. The staff will ask if you'd like it spicy or not. We both tried somewhat spicy and it was just enough to burn the tongue. Nice!

Our order:

- lentil, fish & okra curries


We finished our meal with chai tea.


The total cost was about 500 baht (1,500 JPY/ $15 CAD), including a glass of wine and service charges. ^_^

Akbar is located in Nana, Sukhumvit Soi 3. BTS Nana, walk 10 minutes. Map and info HERE.

Crepes & Co. Birthday

My partner in crazy, Ms. D, celebrated her birthday with a huge party at Crepes & Co. Twelve of her equally funny friends shared a long table, telling stories and laughing. It was a lot of fun!

As this party was from 10.00 ~ 12.30, I ordered the shop's huge "Brunch Special". For 490 baht, (=1,300 yen/$12 CAD) it included:

- a 3-fruits plate (watermelon, honeydew & pineapple)
- 2 croissants,

- yogurt w/ honey (!!)
- omelet w/ 2 pieces of toast

- 1 coffee
- 1 tea

- 1 glass of juice (apple)
- and the finale: a maple and cream pancake!! ^_^


It was funny, because, before I ordered it, Ms.V warned me that it was a LOT of food. But I was determined to eat and enjoy myself. I was so full, however, I skipped dinner that night.

Crepes & Co. is located on Sukhumvit Soi 12. They offer many variations of this brunch special. You can select the type of bread, the flavor of juice, kind of coffee, and egg style. A bit pricey, but a nice splurge!

The Rink @ Central World

As Central World suffered a fire last year, The Rink, an ice skating rink, has moved. Originally on the 7th floor, near the cinemas, The Rink is now located on the first floor, in front of B2S bookstore.

The cost is 250 Baht, including skate rental. There are shelves for storing your shoes and bags too.

Storage area:


Lessons are available too but many of the teachers teach....HOCKEY!! There are, surprisingly, only 2 teachers for figure skating.

The counter:


Skate times are listed in their brochure below:


I joined the 12.30 ~ 14.00 group. The ice itself is a little bumpy and reminded me of skating on ponds back home. The Rink is long and narrow, so turning can be a problem. For beginners, staff provide little "penguins" with handlebars. You can push these around and they help with balance.


The Rink is in an atrium, so expect to see people watching you from the upper floors.

View of lights and atrium:


The best part about skating here? The low temperature! It's about 26C, and felt wonderful. When I stepped out of the mall, it was a hot 36C! For those snow bunnies living in Bangkok, who need the occasional break from the heat, The Rink is the place to go. ^_~

The Rink is located in Central World. Walk from BTS Siam or Chitlom. Cost is 250 baht for 1.5 hours of skating (skates included). Bring your own water, as there are no drink machines nearby. Open from 10.00 ~ 22.00. Location: 1st Floor. Follow the signs to the B2S bookstore.

Alliance Francaise

Parlez-vous le français ? ^_^


I was interested in studying French, so I headed over the Alliance Francaise to check out their school complex.

Alliance Francaise is more than just a French school. They have an auditorium for music and theater, classes for French and Thai, professional courses in art, design, music and fashion, a library, and several cafes. Their most famous cafe, [Cafe 1912] is listed in the Lonely Planet Guide.

Unfortunately, they do not offer the education visa for French language studies.

Alliance Francaise is located at 29 South Sathorn Road. From Sala Daeng BTS, it takes about 15 minutes on foot. Their website is HERE. Cafe 1912 is featured on another blog HERE.

Soi Convant IV

Soi Convant's most famous resident is the foreign friendly, BNH Hospital. Doctors here can speak several languages, so there is not need to feel uncomfortable.

The hospital entrance:


Walking further down, I came across a cute cookie/ sweets shop:

I think the superhero guys are suffering a little from "beer gut"....

Help us! We're trapped!! Let us out! Let us out! ^_^


The selection:

They all looked really delicious!

Soi Convant II

I continued exploring and snapping photos of things I found interesting:

A flower shop whose name doesn't quite conjure up images of love:

Maybe the owners meant "rap" which is the Thai word for "love". ^_^ I hope that's what they really meant. ^o^

An Italian village?


There were several houses along this street for rent too! Looked just like Spain or Italy. Really nice!

A cafe that I will check out on another day....

I really wanted to go in, but I had already blown my 100 baht per day budget. I'll be sure to go back and visit and make a report!

Introducing...Soi Convant

Soi Convant is in Sala Daeng, and features some unique places of interest to the Bangkok expat. We'll take a look at the sights and hidden gems on this street in the next few posts.

Walking to the end of this Soi, looking toward North Sathorn Road, you'll find a large Anglican church. I tried to go in, but the doors were all locked!


A wooden sign on the grounds says services in English are held twice every Sunday morning.


**Today's Bonus!** Are you in love with Judas? I am. ^_^

Nail Me Salon

While walking around the Thong Lo area, I stumbled across a sign that made me laugh out loud. The shop actually is called "Nail Me". I thought it was a sex shop at first, but it's just-- a nail salon. I decided to pop in to this cheeky place and give it a go.


The shop is, what I would call gothic/french in style. Colors are dark purple and black. The chairs are huge and comfortable.


The manager of the shop spoke lovely English, even though I kept answering her in Thai (oh well!). Prices range from 250 Baht for file and paint, to 1600 for acrylic nail extensions.

The color selections:


The service was excellent and I would highly recommend this shop. The manager especially is really kind, saying goodbye to me by name! ^_^

**Bonus** Hey guys! While your lady is getting her nails done, you can drop in here: Fat Gutz. It's a rum & whiskey bar, located right next door! Enjoy! ^_^


Nail Me salon is located on Thong-Lor (Sukhumvit Soi 55) just before Soi 12. Shop is on the 2nd floor. Watch for the black and purple sign on the street. Open 11.00 ~ 21.00. 日本語のメンユーがあります。

Melt Me Cafe

I researched to find the *best* gelato in Bangkok, and this shop: Melt Me, in Thong Lo, was the winner.

The gelato case (click to see more detail):


I headed over on a Saturday to treat myself. The shop features not only wonderful flavors of gelato, but also handmade chocolates and milk from Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan. Drinks, cakes and other sweets are also available.

The chocolate display case:


Handmade chocolate selections:


I know I'm a pig for eating too many chocolates, but you don't have to rub it in!!!


Customers can test taste the gelato before purchasing. Two flavors in a small cup costs only 99 Baht. (=$2.27 CAD/ 227 JPY).

My picks: vanilla and forest berry


My huge iced coffee:


The theme inside is based on "Alice in Wonderland", with one large "tea party table" featured in the center of the shop. It's bright and sunny, and the perfect place to take a rest, enjoy some Italian gelato, and people watch.

The tea table:


Counter top guys:



Melt Me is located on Thanon Thong Lo (also called Sukhumvit Soi 55), then turn down Soi 10. To get there, you can walk from BTS Thong Lo station, exit 3. The walk will take 15-20 minutes. Or, hop on a songtao (long bus) to Soi 10. Map HERE (see A). Prices from 99 Baht & up. 日本語のブローグはこちらです。

Nakhon Pathom (part 6)

The last stop on our day trip was the famous Phra Pathom Chedi. This is the largest pagoda in Thailand, and according to our guide, the largest in the world too.

It took 17 years to build and was completed in 1870 AD. During our visit, it was being restored.


Inside, there are wonderful wall paintings depicting how the chedi was built. Basically, workers placed a bone of Buddha inside a box, and placed that on a small alter. A small chedi (looking like an upside-down teacup) was built over the shrine. Over the years, additional layers were added, building up the current size today. If you were to strip away the layers, it would be similar to the Russian "Matroyshka" dolls. (see HERE)

Another interesting point about this chedi: there is a statue of Buddha which has a unique pose. There are only 2 statues in the world displaying this pose. One is in Borobudor, Indonesia (been there! See pictures below) and the other is in here, in Thailand. So, it's quite special.

The unique Buddha in pose:


Unfortunately, rain fell heavily during our visit here, so it was difficult to enjoy the enormous size of this chedi. After this visit was completed, we headed back on our train, this time, I sat in the non-air conditioned coach car, enjoying the countryside as it passed by....

Non-air conditioned car (Air conditioners on trains are quite strong. Be sure to bring a sweater!)


The view:


Information about this trip:
It was organized by a Meetup.com group, and the tour guides were from "Tour in Thailand" company. Web sites: HERE and HERE. The trip was from 8.00 ~ 19.00. Cost: 499 Baht (=$15) per person, including snacks, drinks, lunch and all entrance tickets.

For those who like Buddhism and/or Buddhist temples:
The largest temple in the world is Borobudor on Java island in Indonesia. It's a one hour flight from Bali and can be completed in a day trip. This place is just incredible and after the Grand Canyon, was one of my favorite sight-seeing spots. I hope you can go someday. ^_^




**Bonus** Today is "Coronation Day" in Thailand. On this day, in 1950, His Majesty, King Bhumibol, was crowned Rama IX, the 9th king of the Chakri dynasty. Celebrations are held at the Grand Palace, and feature Buddhist prayers, formal ceremonies and a 21 gun salute. Fireworks can also be heard throughout the city. Long live the King!^_^