Khao San Road: Backpackers’ Paradise

September 30th, 2008 Posted in Travel
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When you hear Khao San Road in Bangkok people will know it’s a backpackers’ paradise. Also from the scene The Beach when Leonardo Dicaprio went to town to buy supplies back to the island. Khao San means raw rice in Thai. Back in the days the street was a major rice market for Bangkok.

We ate at this unique cafe. Ya it’s a cafe full of antique stuff.

I forgot what my friend ordered but it came with a teddy bear rice. Isn’t it cute!?

Flight of the gibbon is one of the roadblock in the Amazing Race Asia season 2. Too bad we didn’t have time or else we would have tried it.

We also saw some old books and old back packs. If anyone wants to sell something or buy some used stuff your most welcome ;)

Along the road there are lot’s of lodges and hostel for people to stay. The accommodation varies from ‘mattress in a box’ style hostels, to full Western-standard luxury.

In case you run out of clothes just like us, the t shirts and dresses are very affordable. You will have to know how to bargain, the opening price is always higher than it is.

Khao San Road has developed over the years into probably the most profound worldwide example of a “backpackers’ ghetto”, with relatively cheap accommodation compared to other areas of central Bangkok.

Crafts, paintings, clothes, pirate CDs, DVDs, fake educational diplomas, fake driver’s licenses, food, second hand books as well as many items useful to backpackers are among the common goods traded along the road.

Source wiki

Isn’t it cute? a tuk tuk hung on top.

Would you have a facial here?

Interesting counter

I wonder how many beer bottles are hung up there?

What a big Durex ad in case anyone forgot. Be sure to have safe sex :P

We were walking by and we saw a drunk guy lying on the sidewalk. I think it’s a cop that’s trying to ask him to get up.

Walking distance from Khao San road, stands the Democracy Monument.

By the way did you know that in Thailand, Ronald McDonald is in a sawadee position. Putting the hands together as if in prayer and nod slightly, saying sawasdee or more politely, sawasdee-krap to a man and sawasdee-ka to a lady. The nearest translation of sawasdee is probably “Greetings.” It can mean “hello,” “good morning,” “good afternoon,” “good evening,” or “good-bye.”

Source Geocities

I was a little disappointed i didn’t get to see any stalls selling fried bugs and insects. My friend and i thought that we can be adventurous and perhaps try some fried bugs. We’re open to it :P

Till next time…

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F1 2008 Singapore GP: In Pictures

September 30th, 2008 Posted in Just stuff
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boston.com’s The Big Picture has compiled a great set of pictures that tells the story of the F1 2008 Singapore GP. Some of the pictures capture the emotional roller coaster that Fernando Alonso went through.

During Qualifying Round 2, Devastation after a fuel pump failure:

After the race, Jubilation, Winner of Singapore GP 2008:

More after the jump.

The Big Picture: The Singapore Grand Prix [boston.com]

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I Was Amazed By Fantasea Cultural Theme Park @ Phuket

September 29th, 2008 Posted in Travel
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That is right, i use the word amazed by Fantasea theme park. It’s one of those things whereby you just go there without knowing what to expect. I didn’t even know it was a theme park. All of us went there thinking we’re just watching a show. Photos will explain it all.

Once we got down from the mini van the entrance was stunning. There was a lake and the surrounding was beautiful. There were people all dressed up in Thai costume to greet you.

Look at the fishes, they are huge! We were standing next to the lake to take pictures and the water was splashing out.

Exquisite, you are surrounded by Thai culture.

As you walk in the enchanted carnival village, it is like a journey through Thailand’s architecture and history.

Each souvenir shop has a unique facade. They are silk, leather, handicraft, ceramics, jewelry and unusual items about elephants and siamese twins.

Illuminated games.

I was playing the fishing game and i sux. Your suppose to fish out the orange piece but the yellow ones are easier to fish out. They are magnets. Well i’m sure you know how it works ;)

Golden Kinnaree Buffet Restaurant From the carnival village leads to the blue lake and the entrance to the restaurant. According to a southeast mythology, Kinnaree is a half bird half woman. Kinnaris have the head, torso, and arms of a woman and the wings, tail and feet of a swan. She is renowned for her dance, song and poetry, and is a traditional symbol of feminine beauty, grace and accomplishment.

A 4,000 seat dining facility. You can enjoy popular Thai dishes and international cuisine.


Palace of the elephants theater. This is where the show takes place. Look at the whole scene, it’s seems so unreal. By the way, the sky is real. And this is directly opposite the restaurant. In the middle there are elephant rides. You will have to drop off your camera and video recorder and even your mobile phone, they are not allowed in the show. As you walk in, you will pass by impressive dress and make up of some species half man half bull. You can take pictures with them, but you will have to pay. It is at a affordable price. We took pictures feeding the baby tiger. At the same location, there is a walkway where they call the hall of fame. You can see celebrities pictures hanging on the wall.

The show is created by international experts and local professionals, and it has nine stunning theme for the shows; Thai culture, magical illusions, 4-dimensional effects, aerials performances, acrobatics, indoor pyrotechnics, special effects, elephants circus and stunts. I have to say it was an unforgettable experience. It is something you simply have to see it to believe it. We were lucky, we had vip seats right in front so we saw everything to the max, including the elephants peeing and taking a dump on stage while people quickly clean up the mess during the show. The stunning 140 acre theme park cost a whopping 100 million USD! For those who have not visited do make plans to visit when you are at Phuket. Something not to be missed!

Till next time…

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F1 2008 Singapore GP: Winners and Losers

September 29th, 2008 Posted in Just stuff
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The good folks at PF1 has produced an excellent write-up of “Winners and Losers” for the Singapore GP.

Quote:

Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1st
It just goes to show that good things come to those who can do a Basil Fawlty impression. Alonso was the big beneficiary of the Safety Car lottery, but what was quite clear was that he had a car that, on performance, deserved to come first. This was no Nelson Piquet at Hockenheim lucking into a place he didn’t look capable of achieving on his own.

We now have six big talents in F1: Alonso, Raikkonen, Massa, Hamilton, Kubica and Vettel.

Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 13th
On Saturday he took P1 with what could easily be the qualifying lap of the year. Riding on board with Felipe Massa his pole time looked effortless and Sunday proved that he had virtually the same level of fuel as Raikkonen and Hamilton. So, an immense achievement on Saturday. The second he responded to the green light that told him it was clear to leave the pits on Sunday his race was over. And none of it his fault.

Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 10th
Though he was in good company at the back, Kovalainen should have been able to keep his Mclaren ahead of Jenson Button’s tortoise-like Honda at the very least.

Rubens Barrichello, Honda, DNF
The first time Singapore GP fans will be thinking – how come the most experience driver in F1 history has no idea how to throw his gloves properly.

Funny and entertaining! More after the jump.

Singapore GP: Winners and Losers [Planet F1]

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F1 2008 Singapore GP: Well done, Alonso!

September 28th, 2008 Posted in Just stuff
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From being the fastest in Practice 2 and Practice 3, to the lowly 15th in Qualifying due to mechanical failure in Round 2 of Qualifying, Fernando Alonso stormed to claim the first ever Singapore GP win in its maiden race!

It’s his first win of the season, and hopefully there’ll be more to come after this! Renault has shown consistent improvement over the past few races, hopefully it’s due to some technological advancement that was done on the car and more of good things can be done to improve the car for Fernando Alonso for more wins in the future!

Nico Rosberg was 2nd, and Lewis Hamilton 3rd to increase him drivers’ championship points gap to 7 ahead of Felipe Massa. It’s sad how Massa’s race was ruined due to technical error. Ferrari ended with no points when Kimi crashed, what a disastrous showing by them this race.

On to the Japanese GP on 12th October 2008!

Photo credit: Planet F1

P.S. Anybody noticed the mini-debris flying all over the tracks when the cars zoom by? They look like pieces of paper/plastic/leaves. Is it normal and just more visible under those light conditions in a night race, or are they something else?

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Why Is Phra Phrom In Front Of The Malls In Bangkok?

September 28th, 2008 Posted in Travel
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Phra Phrom is the 4 face buddha in Thailand also known as the Erawan Shrine. We wanted to visit 4 face buddha temple in Bangkok, but according to the receptionist we asked, she told us there isn’t any. She did tell us where to go where by we can just go there and pray. Once we got there, we found out it was in front of a mall. There are lot’s of little stalls on the streets selling flowers and incense for praying. Lot’s of people were praying on the corner of the street right next to the mall. What a weird place for praying.

Look at all the jasmine flowers they are all stacked up.

What i hear is you must pray Phra Phrom in all 4 directions clockwise but some say depends on your gender and time that you are praying, it could be anti-clockwise, not too sure. Research if you are serious in praying the Phra Phrom.

A lot of foreigners and locals was praying. We went to a few malls and also see Phra Phrom is located outside of the malls. We also offer jasmine flowers that comes with incense cost 30 baht. I didn’t know there was a direction i need to follow but i did what the majority was doing which was moving left. Still don’t know why Phra Phrom is in front of all the malls. But i guess they are there for a reason. For those who know you can share your experience with me. Till next time…

# Updated to correct clockwise/anti-clockwise confusion.

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Mushroom In My Bathroom Again!?

September 27th, 2008 Posted in Just stuff
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I had been really busy for the past 2 weeks, since 2 of my bff was visiting from the U.S. When i got home picking them up from the airport, i can’t believe what i found popped up right outside of my bathroom.

Gives me the creeps. Now it’s outside of my bathroom?! It must have been the damp mat that’s beside it. Mushroom can only grow when there is water for them to survived. I asked my bf to take care of it but he says just leave it, it will die by itself just like the other one. But this mushroom looks different from the other one that grew inside of the bathroom.

I took away the damp mat and make sure there was no water there. We were traveling for a week and when we came back we saw the dead mushroom.

I used “solutions for your shrooms” and pour bleach into the area. I will be calling the landlord and ask her to fix the damage wood.

Till next time…

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Revenge of the Parasailing guide

September 22nd, 2008 Posted in Travel
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In Phuket, I went for parasailing, and from a supposedly fun activity, it turned out sour, at least for me. Don’t worry, I’m all fine, all healthy and unhurt, but the experience leaves a sour taste in the mouth, and I’ll tell you why.

We walked down the beach to find the best rate for parasailing, which was going for about 1000 Baht per person. We managed to find out that is willing to give us a rate of 800 Baht per person (there were 3 of us), with a guide that will follow us up and take care of us, so we said okay.

Our friend were supposed to go first, but seeing her freaking out, I volunteered to go first. They strapped the gear on me, and I had to stand and wait while they get the boat ready. The guide, not the same one that agreed on the price with us, came over to me and said, I will take care of you, 100 Baht. Of course, on principle, this wasn’t what I agreed on in the first place, and I said, this is not what I agreed on.

This is another sly tactic of a con, getting you to agree to the base price, and after getting you ready and all, telling you there’s extra charges, normally a small percentage of the base price. It usually works, because people will not want to go through the hassle and reverse the decision that they made. Apparently, I read in some research before that overturning a decision is much more difficult than making the decision itself. So if it’s just a small thing, i.e. a small percentage on top of the base price, people would usually agree, grudgingly or not.

But of course, when such tactics are used on me, it doesn’t usually work, at least not so easily. I said, we agreed on 800 Baht, and that includes a guide who will take care of us, and he said, no, that’s not the same. I said, if that’s not the same I’m not gonna do it. He then said, okay, okay, it’s the same.

I had a bad feeling then. The feeling that I get is the same feeling that you will get when you suspect your waiter would spit in your food. I had a split second to decide whether I should go ahead, but since we’re already there, I’m all strapped and ready, I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and go ahead.

It was a bad decision.

It all went fine when we went out, and I had a great view of the beach, and I kinda enjoyed it, save for the paranoid me who noticed that the string that linked me to the boat are kinda worn out. However, when I was coming down, he shouted for me to run, and as I tried to run in the air, my feet hit the ground with such force that I felt extreme pain shooting from my feet up and fell backfirst. I couldn’t get up for about a minute, with my feet and ankles in extreme pain. When I tried to stand, it hurt, so I lied down for a while more until the pain goes away.

To me, it felt like the guide wanted to teach me a lesson for not wanting to give him the additional 100 Baht. I worry for both the girls that would go up, and I complained to the person who seemed to be the leader of the group, and asked him to tell the guide to take care of the girls. You don’t take care of me, that’s fine, but take care of the girls.

To my relief, the girls got a painless landing. The guide would swing himself down and run first, before letting the girls down.

Thinking back, I either should’ve just said “okay”, or “if you really take care of me, maybe”. At least I can argue about what we agreed on earlier after he has done what he should’ve done and took care of me. I probably shouldn’t piss these people off before they actually perform the service, similar to how I should treat waiters if I don’t want them to spit in my food. These people aren’t professionals, they’re just people waiting to extract as much cash from the tourists as possible. No point giving them the benefit of the doubt.

At the end of the whole thing, one of them has the cheek to even ask for tip. No sir, no can do. Not while I limp back to the hotel.

Lesson learned, and watch out! Be savvier than me, and don’t repeat the mistakes I did.

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It’s a good time for bargain hunters…

September 19th, 2008 Posted in Just stuff
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If not for his multi billion warchest and killer instincts for the difficult-to-estimate valuations of companies, Warren Buffet can be considered an ordinary bargain hunter, just like any other that keeps an eye on the sale periods and discounts thrown by retailers for off season items. Much unlike the stock trading gamblers out there, he champions value-investing, in which you buy things (that has a bright prospect) at a much lower price than its actual value, instead of buying things at any price hoping for it to grow in the future.

He also doesn’t succumb to the oh-i-have-to-jump-in-now-or-else-i’ll-miss-it temptations.

It is chaotic times like this that bargain hunters like Warren Buffett sweeps in with his warchest and gains control of high-potential companies at a discount. Definitely someone we can all learn from. Be patient, be mindful, and have lotsa liquid cash ready for opportunities like this.

Stars Align For Warren Buffet [wsj.com]

Photo credits: William Coupon/Corbis

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If you thought Enron was bad, wait till you hear about Lehman Brothers..

September 19th, 2008 Posted in Just stuff
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Courtesy of Consumerist, we have a list of top 10 bankruptcies in US history according to a slideshow by CNBC. Enron’s assets before filing for bankruptcy was $63.4 billion, while Lehman Brother’s pre-bankruptcy assets is 10 times, no you didn’t see it wrong, it’s a whopping TEN TIMES the value of Enron when it collapsed a few days ago.

3. Enron
Assets: $63.4 billion
Date Filed: Dec. 2, 2001

2. Worldcom
Assets: $103.9 billion
Date Filed: July 21, 2002

1. Lehman Brothers
Pre-Bankruptcy Assets: $639 billion
Date Filed: Sept. 15, 2008

Are we going to hear the employee sad stories who dumped all of their life savings and their kids’ college funds into the company’s stocks? I mean, I bet nobody thought Lehman Brothers, a company that huge, would ever file for bankruptcy.

But they did.

And that is why, boys and girls, we should never put all our eggs in one basket, no matter how safe the basket seemed like.

Source:

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