Unbiased and Sometimes Random Info on Thailand

Here’s a snap from my phone of the infamous Krisdadoi Chiang Mai gardens. There’s a 70bht entrance fee (at least for farangs) but worth it. Beautifully manicured gardens and even a little waterfall, a restaurant and some resort villas.  The gardens are pristine but I’ve read mixed reviews of the hotels guests with the main complaints being the lack of English spoken by employees and the 30 minute distance from central Chiang Mai.

I always thought this was the whole purpose of resorts high up in the northern Thailand mountains… Total solace..  If you’re not looking for absolute, natural beauty or a one-ness with nature then stay somewhere in the middle of the city, hello!

I just wanted to take the time to announce the soft-launch of a very promising new site dedicated to the advancement of jazz music in The Kingdom of Thailand, Chiang Mai in particular called none other than Jazz In Chiang Mai.  This site is ran by yours truly and is just another extension of my love for my adopted country, Thailand, the Land Of Smiles.

I endeavor to have prominent figures from the Chiang Mai jazz scene contribute their knowledge, views and opinions on the beautifully semi-unscripted music known as jazz.

I played in a school jazz band in school as a child but have not touched an instrument since then.  While I may change that some day I will be on the sidelines merely as a lover of the genre.  What I can do is help advance the genre here in Thailand by using my own personal instrument of expression, the keyboard and the internet.   I’m hoping with a combination of my web marketing skills and contributions from esteemed jazz musicians and some tender loving care that the Jazz In Chiang Mai site will achieve its goal of spreading the musical love throughout the Kingdom if not the world.

If you’ve lived in Thailand for any amount of time you know that Thai people in general have a deep belief in ghosts.  This may be an Asian thing in general, but I’m speaking here on first hand experience and that is with Thais.

I’ve been warned by villagers when visiting the rice paddies of Isan (northeastern Thailand) that I was crazy for going on a midnight ride to a sala in the middle of the paddies by myself.  At first I was told because the local boys are out looking for trouble and a farang walking around in the middle of nowhere by himself is glutton for punishment.  Makes sense but I don’t see any menacing looking folks around so I went anyway.

When I returned the villagers couldn’t believe it.  They asked if I saw any ghosts.  I told them, “Of course not!”.  They looked like they had just seen a ghost themselves at my nonchalant return from the fields.  They proceeded to tell me of all the ghosts that wander the rice fields at night and I’m lucky I didn’t run into any!  Hey, everyone has their beliefs so I just smiled and moved on to a new subject.

Another example.  Our previous apartment was in a very high end building with both very affluent Thais and foreigners residing there.

One day I went down through the lobby and saw the security guards and staff hanging a string that wrapped around the entire perimeter of the building.  When I inquired what it was all about I was told it was some ghost/spirit protection for the building.  Wow.  Very well then.

My most recent experience with the Thai fascination with ghosts was on a trip to Baan Tawai in Chiang Mai.  While my wife and I walked around shopping we noticed our SUV with the back hatch opened and the driver sitting there eating.  We walked over to grab some more water and my wife pointed out a spoonful of this guy’s rice on the floor by the tree.  She asked him what it was and he told her, very seriously, that it was for the ghosts so they leave him and the vehicle alone.  Again, wow.

I felt like I had let Tupac Shakur and B.I.G. down for not pouring some water or beer onto the ground for my “homies who couldn’t be here today”.

To wrap this up while it may seem silly to people like me, it’s part of their Thai-Asian culture and it’s something to be understood if not embraced by you.  Thailand is a wonderful place to visit and live and there’s always something about their culture to experience and learn.  Ask questions, ask why about everything and you’ll soon get a deeper glimpse into the real Thailand and its people.

While driving through the little villages of North-Eastern Thailand also known as Isan, we drove down a small dark road that was a shortcut to the main road.   While it wasn’t odd to see the Thai villagers wandering around the road carelessly, my eyes couldn’t help but notice these villagers weren’t dressed in the typical Isan style, or ‘chill out at home’ clothes as we’d call them back in the West.  But these girls were dressed to impress!  Wow!  They looked like they dropped from the sky from outside a Bangkok night club.

Low and behold as we drive pass we see they are terribly made-up ladyboys!!  Their make-up was far worse than even I could have pulled off (eh hem, if I were so inclined, of course)!  All I could do was laugh, smile and shake my head.  You just can’t NOT see katoeys in Thailand.  Even in the dark dirt roads of the secluded rice paddies there’s a good chance you’ll run into them!   We went back to get a photo for this post  and they were gone.  Apparently they’d already found some suitors or their boyfriends had already picked them up.  Either way it was quite entertaining to witness and it gave us something to talk about during the long, arduous drive back to Krung Thep a.k.a. Bangkok, Thailand.

If you haven’t already noticed, most of the models in the media here are either biracial or of light complexion.  It’s the ‘in’ thing in Thailand and many parts of southeast Asia I’ve come to realize.  You’ll see a good deal of advertisements regarding face whitening cream, or skin whitening cream, hair bleaching and even specialized underarm lightening cream being advertised in all media around southeast Asia such as Thailand, Philippines or Malaysia.

A friend of mine has used every face whitening cream under the sun and over the years the only one that has worked is a cream called ‘Baschi‘.  It’s actually pretty cheap.  A lot cheaper than the big brands being advertised and apparently it’s more effective.  Her facial complexion is very quite and she swears on it.

Anyhow, she now has gone on to open a kiosk selling Baschi Cream and other cosmetics that simply ‘work better’, tried and true with the bulk of her business being repeat business.  You can see the Baschi Cream kiosk at the Central Rama III mall in Bangkok or via their website www.BaschiCream.com.

Gusto is a local Thai-Chinese family run cafe located at the foot of River Heaven Condominium development.  It has a nice flare, adorned with Mac and Apple magazines and books and even a large plasma television on the wall.   The beans are fresh and from the North of Thailand giving a medium to full strength flavor with only a short finish.  The service is very personable and they serve not only fresh brewed coffee and espresso but a range of favorite Thai snacks as well.   If you’re traveling ever in this part of Bangkok which is situated near Rama 3 road stop on by for a fresh cup of joe and a nice atmosphere be it inside or al fresco in the slight breeze!

UPDATE: This quaint little mojo stop has closed down.  Apparently their location nestled away only next to a large condominium complex wasn’t enough visibility for clientele.

With its spacious, foliage adorned grounds and slightly worn-down classrooms, there is nothing obviously off kilter about the Kampang Secondary School. The school is located in the north eastern part of Thailand known as Isaan that is typically populated by generations of traditional Thai rice farmers.  Every morning at 8am they all gather outside to sing the national anthem and watch the flag being raised. They then are allowed time to use the bathroom before heading off to their home room classes. Kampang is proud of its restrooms. Clean, and surrounded by blossoming tropical plants.  They have even won national awards for their pristine lavatories.

But there is something different about them too. Between the girls’ toilet and the boys’, there is one sign hanging with a half-man, half-woman figure in blue and red. This is the transsexual toilet, and outside, in front of the mirrors, some decidedly girly-looking teenage boys primp their hair and apply make-up.

‘Uncomfortable’

The headmaster, Sitisak Sumontha, estimates that in any given year between 10% and 20% of his boys consider themselves to be transgendered or ladyboys – boys who believe that they were born into bodies of men and were meant to be girls.

“They used to be teased every time they used the boys’ toilets,” he said, “so they started using the girls’ toilets instead. But that made the girls feel uneasy. It made these boys unhappy, and started to affect their school work.”

So the school offered to build the ladyboys their own bathroom, and they welcomed it. Triwate Phamanee is a lanky 13-year-old who is adamant that he will one day change his gender.  “We’re not boys,” he told me, “so we don’t want to use the boys’ toilet – we want them to know we are transsexuals.” Vichai Saengsakul, 15, agrees. “People need to know that being a ladyboy is not a joke,” he says, “it’s the way we want to live our lives. That’s why we’re grateful for what the school has done.”

Story Credit to BBC.com

This is just a quick post to note that a friend recently received his first non-immigration O (marriage visa) to stay in Thailand for 90 days.   This was done in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at the Royal Thai Consulate.  The require documents for this were:

• Passport
• Application forma
• Copy of wife’s Thai ID card
• Copy of wife’s Thai house book
• Letter from wife (Thai citizen) asking that a Non Imm O visa be issued
• Copy of marriage certificate
• (Optional, but supplied to the consulate nonetheless) Copy of children’s birth certificates

His wife signed all documents related to her.  He arrived at about 10:00am and there was about a 45 minute wait to submit.  They require 1 business day to process things and the pickup time commences at 2:30pm the following business day.  Take care to note both Thai and Malaysian holidays as well as weekends.

This visa was a single entry non immigrant “O” visa food for 90 days as he did not have the required 18 months until expiration on his passport.  It’s been said that for the 1 year multiple entry, non immigrant 0 visas you’re required to show at least 400,000 baht in a Thai bank account or a minimum of 40,000 baht monthly income.  I’ve heard recent reports that applicants aren’t being called out on this but to be safe I’d recommend you have this proof.

Getting a Thai visa in the region is typically a great deal more difficult than attaining one in your mother country before you come to Thailand.  Often times honorary consulates will require nothing but a form and a letter for Imm B’s.  As I get updated reports in getting visas in the southeast Asian region I’ll post here on the Thailand Travel Depot blog!

I just heard quite a story from my very good friend and business traveller.  He made a reservation at the Evason Hideaway Resort in Hua Hin (Operated by Six Senses).  Him and his wife were in a car accident en route to the resort and she as hospitalized with a broken femur.  Yes, that’s a shocking and bitter end to their holiday in Thailand, but it gets more interesting.

My buddy then called Evason Hideaways Six Senses reservation center and told them what had happened and that they’d need to cancel their reservation.

They refused saying it was a full-prepayment reservation and that they wouldn’t refund his money.  So he’s in the hospital dealing with this, now livid that he has to pay for a very expensive vacation that he cannot attend due to a car accident.  When he asks to speak to the GM, Alan Thomas he doesn’t even get condolences about his wife in the hospital or their ordeal as a whole.  Not only does he parrot that they will not get a refund, he started quoting Shakespeare!  I asked my friend what would cause a General Manager of a supposed top flite resort like Evason Hideaway to start quoting Shakespeare on the phone to a distraught long time hotel guest when he’s trying to rid himself of any further grief, he had no idea.

I find it quite shocking that the GM of Evason Hideaway in Hua Hin not only didn’t offer any type of sympathy for their situation but he stood by his ‘we cannot cancel this reservation’ stance.  I’d expect a truly nice resort to have some humanity and understanding about the situation.  They were on the way to their resort when the accident occured!  Had they been going to a real resort that had real management in another city, perhaps it would never have happened.

Either way I find Mr Alan Thomas’s actions not only grossly inhumane but absolutely not even within the realm of how an executive in the hospitality should treat someone, anyone.   Let’s not even get into the fact that this guy, my friend, has been going to Evason for over 7 years, multiple times a year!

I was at Evason Hideaway a few months ago and ran into enough problems that I should have warned Dr. Friend not to go back there.  There was hair in my food, 2 times.  I figured it was mine at first then realized it was long, woman hair and my wife had been nowhere around the food.  Oddly, it was in my salad both times.

Also, I found the edges of the pools rotting, some tiles missing giving a tattered look while swimming.   All of the wood on the outside of the pool villa suites were rotting and needed treatment or replacing sorely.  The golf cart to pick us up would sometimes take over an hour to arrive if it ever came at all.  And we’re not saying in some $100/night room, this is a pool villa suite!  I can’t even imagine the awful things that happen to their standard guests staying in the hotel-building!

I’ll never go back to Evason again.  Not only from the experience I had last time, but also due to the treatement by Alan Thomas and their management as a whole.  That’s just not hospitable and when I’m on vacation, I want someone to treat me and my family well.  That’s all.

I just wanted to make a quick post here for a personal driver and tour guide that I’ve known and used for years when traveling to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  His name is Neak Yorn.

He started as a motorbike taxi driver, but would accommodate an unmarked private car at my request as I simply can’t take driving around sweating on a motorbike all day.  I require air conditioned car service, he made it happen.

He’s had some rough medical problems and friends of mine have helped him out with that of which he is very grateful for.  He’s good people and has never lead me wrong.  He’s YOUR man in PNH!  I hear he drives a tuk-tuk now, but as I mentioned, you name it and he’ll make your transportation happen.

You can hit him up direct by email neakyorn at hotmail dot com!