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Most stuff appears open here, but the things that aren't open are mostly due to Chinese New Year and extended family activities. Beer is flowing everywhere I walk past, but not as many people out in the area I'm in, which is largely Thai-Chinese. Tons of Thai-Chinese have big banquets tonight and red envelope poo poo and handing out oranges poo poo (I just got back from 4 hours of this). Mom and pop shops should sell tomorrow too, but you can't always tell. Sometimes they get really serious during elections. Hotels are always exempt by law, at least in central Bangkok.
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Feb 1, 2014 16:32
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Anybody know any good tattoo parlours in Bangkok? I'm looking for somewhere higher quality and I don't at all mind paying for it. I'll probably be coming in around the 20th, which is hopefully after all the riots have died down.
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Feb 1, 2014 17:21
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I've come to the conclusion that the fancier the restaurant in Thailand, the worse the food is. And this is especially true for anything remotely geared towards foreigners. The cost to taste ratio is extraordinarily bad. The best meals I've had have been a 45baht curry in MBK and a 35baht curry from a street vendor.
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Feb 1, 2014 17:52
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Generally speaking, yes. There are exceptions, but they're usually A) international or B) few and far between. The best Thai food is had at the shophouse level and below. Gold Bay Leaves is a rare exception to all of this - fancy, fusion & authentic Thai cuisine at international standards served streetside from a shophouse by a retired five star hotel chef. Most of the time you get Taling Pling, which is where you take international clients and visitors who ca't handle the earthier stuff.
ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 18:00 on Feb 1, 2014 |
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Feb 1, 2014 17:57
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I'm in Bangkok as a dumb tourist in Siam square right now till Tuesday. I'm going to ask the ignorant foreigner question in whether shopping complexes are open on election day and where are the places I should avoid? I may go stockpile food like an idiot survivalist but am hoping it's not as bad as some news (read: poo poo rag Daily Mail) suggest.
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Feb 1, 2014 18:19
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You don't need to stockpile anything but maybe beer, heh. Most stuff will be open. Avoid Asoke intersection and, well, Ratchaprasong (where you're staying). From where you are, just head to Silom or Sukhumvit for stuff.
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Feb 1, 2014 18:28
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Even without the elections and alcohol ban stuff, stockpiling beer is always sound advice. It's one of the first things I do after checking in to a hotel if I'm staying for more than a couple of days, just for in-room usage. The hotel minibar rates are always atrocious and you can get your singha beer for 50% off at the 7-eleven across the road
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Feb 1, 2014 18:55
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Atlas Hugged posted:I've come to the conclusion that the fancier the restaurant in Thailand, the worse the food is. And this is especially true for anything remotely geared towards foreigners. The cost to taste ratio is extraordinarily bad. The best meals I've had have been a 45baht curry in MBK and a 35baht curry from a street vendor. 23 hours on my flight home with food poisoning would agree with you....
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Feb 1, 2014 19:14
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Cheesemaster200 posted:23 hours on my flight home with food poisoning would agree with you.... What gave you food poisoning?
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Feb 2, 2014 03:03
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Vietnamese food!
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Feb 2, 2014 08:15
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Looking to get out of Thailand for Songkran, and flights from Chiang Mai to KL are reasonable enough. Are there good beaches and sights close enough to KL to make this week worth it? Looking to eat good food and chill somewhere pretty. Penang flights are dumb expensive so that's out. E: And how reasonable is going from KL to Kota Kinabalu or something? Too much in one week? MothraAttack fucked around with this message at 08:41 on Feb 2, 2014 |
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Feb 2, 2014 08:35
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KL itself is pretty landlocked. I recall looking into this once because I was down there with family for two weeks and considering a break. I swear it was like 3-4 hours minimum in a bus to get to anything like a beach, more for an island. Given the constraints of flying direct out of CNX, you are kinda stuck unless you want to sit in buses or trains and maybe even ferries. I was thinking maybe Vietnam, but even there you'd be stuck in Saigon or Hanoi, not exactly on the water. EDIT: Not to worry, Bangkok Airways will fly you to Trat for only 10,000 R/T, after which you can cross over to Koh Kong. Woohoo, what a bargain!
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Feb 2, 2014 08:52
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ReindeerF, I'm told you're the Bangkok guy in the know. Two questions: first, fellow goon Rental Sting and I will be in town around February 12th and would be happy to buy the first rounds if you'd like to meet up; and second, we're staying at a friend's apartment right by the Thong Lo station. Know of any places to eat and drink nearby that we shouldn't miss?
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Feb 2, 2014 09:23
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Yo, I do my best. Some other younger folks also have a better take on different aspects of Bangkok. Thong Lo has about a million bars and restaurants, but most of them are what would be called "hiso" (high society), which, in Thailand, usually means a lot of mediocre food, drinks and atmosphere for 10x the price. I can't even begin to think of all the names that have come and gone there over the years. There are a few exceptions. Iron Faeries is actually very well done, for example. Food's not amazing, but it's good, and the place is beautifully put together. I personally love this little izakaya joint called something like Izakaya Mokkori (the latter of which Ganguro King informs me means 'having the feeling of a powerful erection') just on the right at the first corner coming from Sukhumvit - black door, red/white lanterns hanging outside and you'll know you're in the right place when you walk in and the owner and staff all yell really enthusiastically. Outside of that, I haven't lived at Thong Lo for about 5 years now, so I'm a little rusty. Mostly when I head over there, I'm at Bourbon Street on Ekkamai shooting the poo poo with the 10:00-01:00 crowd. I guess the Soi 38 night market, just opposite Thong Lo (go up onto the BTS platform, come back down opposite Thong Lo) is worth grabbing some food and beer in. It's hit or miss, but there's some good stuff there. Face restaurant, further into Soi 38 on the left, is really beautifully done. Food's overpriced and not up to par for the price, but it's worth stopping in for a relaxed drink in a very pretty, chill place. Vientiane Kitchen over on Soi 36 can be kind of funny. It's a legit Laos/Isaan place with a traditional dance show. I normally avoid anywhere with a show, but this place actually is legit AND it has the added benefit of tons of oafish sex tourists being dragged there by their bargirlfriends for a True Cultural Experience, which makes for some pretty funny poo poo to laugh at sometimes. They have Beer Lao, though, and the food is pretty good. So, I dunno, if you want to do something quirky, maybe? I also always pimp Gold Bay Leaves, which is about 5-6 BTS stops further toward Bearing (Punnawitti BTS), exit BTS on the left side headed toward Bearing on the sidewalk and walk about 5 minutes past a Tops and other stuff until you get to Soi 101/1, first big soi on the left. Take a left and about 100m into the soi on the right you'll see a guy in a chef's hat in a shophouse restaurant with tables on the sidewalk cooking some of the best food in town - and THE best fusion Thai food. Cheap, too. That's all that hits me off the top of my head, but I'm sure I missed 10,000 things, heh. Happy to come have a beer if it all works out! I may be on business that week, but I'll try to schedule around it since nothing's planned yet. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 12:51 on Feb 2, 2014 |
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Feb 2, 2014 12:43
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Beer Lao is the best kept secret in South East Asia. I ordered it on a whim because of the price and never looked back.
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Feb 2, 2014 15:13
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Atlas Hugged posted:What gave you food poisoning? Spent six weeks eating cheap local/street food for six weeks in Nepal, India, Thailand and Cambodia. The last day of my trip I decided to get the "Thai curry sampler" at a fancy restaurant in Bangkok and got food poisoning that night and for the flight back.
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Feb 2, 2014 16:02
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Atlas Hugged posted:Beer Lao is the best kept secret in South East Asia. I ordered it on a whim because of the price and never looked back. It's a secret...? I don't think I've ever met anyone who went to Laos who would shut the gently caress up about it. Also Chang supremacy.
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Feb 2, 2014 17:48
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eviljelly posted:It's a secret...? I don't think I've ever met anyone who went to Laos who would shut the gently caress up about it. Also Chang supremacy. I’ve never met someone outside of Southeast Asia mention it and many of the people I met this trip who have been here for years have never even tried it.
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Feb 2, 2014 18:17
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It actually only started showing up in Thailand in the last 2-3 years en masse. Before that it was spotty whether you'd find it or not. There was a brief attempt to import it with national distribution via ThaiBev (Chang), but that went tits up when the ASEAN (or APEC?) no-tariff deal on alcohol passed and Thailand, which is a hilariously closed market with some very high and corruptly targeted alcohol taxes, threw a fit. Before and after that, it's basically been fully imported. Now you can get it at many places around Khao San and a number of farang joints elsewhere, as well as on the shelves at Villa, Foodland and sometimes Tops. Beer Lao Dark is excellent and often available at Villa. 43 Baht for a small bottle 555. You know, half again more than you pay for a large bottle in Laos. Anyway, yeah, when I first moved here it was like one of those things people would bring back cases of after a trip and be all 
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Feb 2, 2014 18:24
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What's a good place in SE Asia to spend a couple of months working remotely without many distractions?
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Feb 2, 2014 18:25
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Define distractions? No nightlife or pretty beaches nearby or just not a noisy area or what?
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Feb 2, 2014 18:34
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Does this mean you need fibre internet? And what's your budget?
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Feb 2, 2014 18:36
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Atlas Hugged posted:I’ve never met someone outside of Southeast Asia mention it and many of the people I met this trip who have been here for years have never even tried it. I've seen Beerlao sold in Yunnan for about 6RMB (1USD) so it does get around. Leaving in 24 hours for a week in northern Luzon (Sagada and Banaue). Actually the last day will be in Manila since the only direct Banaue-Manila bus arrives at 5 AM and my flight leaves at 10:40 PM. My goal tomorrow is to get out of Manila ASAP and ride buses all day to Sagada via Baguio. The mountain roads must be pretty bad since transportation there is incredibly slow.
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Feb 2, 2014 18:53
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tzz posted:What's a good place in SE Asia to spend a couple of months working remotely without many distractions? Uh, without distractions? Phrae and Phayao were pretty ho hum, as I recall. Phayao is slightly more scenic because it has an okay lake. Both places had internet but I can't vouch for the quality. Both places had a Tesco Lotus or something similar, so there's that.
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Feb 2, 2014 19:44
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tzz posted:What's a good place in SE Asia to spend a couple of months working remotely without many distractions? Wrong continent man!
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Feb 2, 2014 20:06
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ReindeerF posted:Define distractions? No nightlife or pretty beaches nearby or just not a noisy area or what? I don't mind nightlife per se, but I want to avoid super touristy places and I need a place where I can work comfortably without much noise. Pretty beaches and beautiful scenery are a definite plus (I actually got the idea after reading this). I've never done this digital nomad thing and I want to be careful not to turn into a drunken unproductive slob. caberham posted:Does this mean you need fibre internet? And what's your budget? Not really, I just need something realiable and fast enough to upload pictures and stream short videos. I'd like to spend as little as possible, but I was thinking about $2k/month tops excluding airfare. The obvious choice seems to be Chiang Mai: low prices, tons of monthly rental options and khao soi, but it's a big city and I've already been there. For reference, my first option was Bocas del Toro in Panamá, but I have to go there again in a few months and I'd rather eat something nice that's not made of beans and rice. eviljelly posted:Uh, without distractions? Phrae and Phayao were pretty ho hum, as I recall. Phayao is slightly more scenic because it has an okay lake. Both places had internet but I can't vouch for the quality. Both places had a Tesco Lotus or something similar, so there's that. Phayao looks like what I was looking for and I can always flee to Chiang Mai if things get overly boring.
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Feb 2, 2014 20:44
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I saw/bought BeerLao Dark this past weekend at my local liquor store in Baltimore. It was tucked away at the back of the store and covered in dust. I guess they are starting to export globally.
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Feb 2, 2014 23:20
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ReindeerF posted:Beer Lao Dark is excellent Yeah, Beer Lao Dark is a great beer. It's one of the few dark beers that works well in the tropics. It's definitely not as scary as it looks. I wish it were easy to get a steady supply on Koh Tao, outside of Oktoberfest type activities. I've never seen it here in Australia but I'm sure it's possible to get it, but 
Finch! fucked around with this message at 01:48 on Feb 3, 2014 |
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Feb 3, 2014 01:39
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tzz posted:I don't mind nightlife per se, but I want to avoid super touristy places and I need a place where I can work comfortably without much noise. Pretty beaches and beautiful scenery are a definite plus (I actually got the idea after reading this). I've never done this digital nomad thing and I want to be careful not to turn into a drunken unproductive slob. That might be good if you actually want to have a quiet office and a desk and a place to focus that's separate from your home. I've spent extended time working 'on the road' and while those pictures of laptops on a beach are cutesy, they aren't really practical if you need to sit down and actually focus (also the glare is terrible, and the internet is usually slowwww).
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Feb 3, 2014 02:27
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Going to nominate Myanmar ABC Stout as the only other regional beer competitive with Beerlao Dark. At 8%, though, there's no way it can beat Beerlao Dark's smoothness.
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Feb 3, 2014 02:32
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Is the dark beer made like a dunkel with malty flavor? No? Then it's a lovely dark beer 
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Feb 3, 2014 02:44
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NoDamage posted:A coworking space opened recently in Chiang Mai that seems to target remote workers: http://www.punspace.com/ I've always thought that something like that would work fairly well on Koh Tao, but the Internet access is average, power supply is poor, it's a relatively expensive place to live, and the island is full of gorgeous Swedish backpackers and too much partying. That said, there are a lot of people working remotely from Koh Tao... we just do it independently.
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Feb 3, 2014 02:47
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Everyone's different, but I've done this digital nomad thing off and on, with varying degrees of success, in different places, for years now. Cambodia about sunk me in terms of productivity, but I, personally, found the best balance in Ao Nang (TH), Battambang (KH), Chanthaburi (TH) and Hua Hin (TH). Still stuff to do, still nightlife in each place (albeit less and more local in Chanthaburi & Battambang), but high speed internet, good mix of accommodations and so on. I'm not really a Northern Thailand kind of guy, preferring Central & Southern, but I'm sure I could do one of the Maes up toward Chiang Mai or something over in Isaan with no problems for a month here or there. Plenty of beautiful areas and still some nightlife and amenities as well.
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Feb 3, 2014 03:19
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Beer Lao and Beer Lao Dark are both way easier to find in NYC than anyone has a right to expect. When I first lived in Thailand there was no Chang, Carlsberg came out with it just then. Finding a Beer Lao was like finding a unicorn. I used to drink Asahi if they had it and whatever if they didn't as I felt like Thai beers (especially Singa and Chang) had a revelatory formaldehyde smell when opened and resulted in worse hangovers than I'd earned.
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Feb 3, 2014 03:50
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I'll be in Bangkok from the 12th to the 15th, if anyone wants to meet. ReindeerF a 'status update' of the protest would be great. I hear it's just mainly crowds?
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Feb 3, 2014 04:12
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MothraAttack posted:Going to nominate Myanmar ABC Stout as the only other regional beer competitive with Beerlao Dark. At 8%, though, there's no way it can beat Beerlao Dark's smoothness.  ABC is brewed in Singapore
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Feb 3, 2014 04:17
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ReindeerF posted:Everyone's different, but I've done this digital nomad thing off and on, with varying degrees of success, in different places, for years now. Cambodia about sunk me in terms of productivity, but I, personally, found the best balance in Ao Nang (TH), Battambang (KH), Chanthaburi (TH) and Hua Hin (TH). Still stuff to do, still nightlife in each place (albeit less and more local in Chanthaburi & Battambang), but high speed internet, good mix of accommodations and so on. I'm not really a Northern Thailand kind of guy, preferring Central & Southern, but I'm sure I could do one of the Maes up toward Chiang Mai or something over in Isaan with no problems for a month here or there. Plenty of beautiful areas and still some nightlife and amenities as well. As soon as I read tzz's post I thought Battambang as well. You don't need to worry about visas for Cambodia, just get a business visa on arrival (tick the box that says "Normal Visa") and after a month go to a travel agent and convert it into a 6 month multiple entry. $25 for the one month then about $165 for the 6 month which can be extended indefinitely. If you fly in you may need "proof of employment" but you can either try to explain to them exactly what it is you do or just fabricate an official looking letter beforehand. They literally won't even bother reading it, it's just a formality. If they ask for that sort of thing at a land crossing then the correct paperwork is green and has a US president on it. You'll get nothing done in Siem Reap and even less in PP. Avoid Sihanoukville like the plague, nobody gets out alive. Possibly Kampot though?
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Feb 3, 2014 06:55
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Skandiaavity posted:ReindeerF a 'status update' of the protest would be great. I hear it's just mainly crowds? There's been some violence, but it's contained. It's seemed to me for weeks now that Suthep is a gasbag with nowhere near the support the red shirts muster, and his protests have been dwindling massively. Because he has the institutional support of the military and other very important people things could always go pear-shaped at any moment, and we still have to see what's going to shake out post-election, but as of this moment things are pretty calm. Most of the Yellow sites are nothing more than craft markets that feature food and massages and entertainment on the weekends for wealthy Bangkokians to shop at while they "protest." No one bothers to listen to the people ranting on stage. There was a huge market atmosphere at the Red Shirt protests too, but there were a shitload of people and they were very organized and much more dedicated, frankly. EDIT: Or, as every Bangkokian Yellow Shirt supporter I know puts it, "We got to work, can only go night and weekend." In other words, "We're working people, not like those poor lazy red shirt leeches who get paid to lay around all day. Oh no I spilled something - MAAIIDDDD!!!" This whole topic makes me want to blow my stack, such arrogance and mendacity and ignorance and plain old stupidity on all sides. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 07:09 on Feb 3, 2014 |
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Feb 3, 2014 07:04
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That's pretty much exactly what I was told when I asked why was the Asoke site so barren during the day and suddenly filled up at 6pm every single day. Protesters gotta work!
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Feb 3, 2014 08:00
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I had to put on pants today. Goodbye Southeast Asia thread.
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Feb 3, 2014 08:11
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