Down with Angkor

This weekend, I ventured to Seam Riep for a little R&R. Seam Riep was a very nice place and is where everyone stays that is planning on visiting the sites of Angkor. Seam Riep is very small, but growing rapidly due to the influx of tourism over the past 10 years or so. The city was very clean and most local either rode old school bikes or took motorcycles taxi's (Tuk Tuk's).

On Saturday I enjoyed some site seeing. A purchased a day pass, hired a tour guide and a tuk tul and off we went to many of the sites. A day pass was $20, Tuk Tuk for the day $15 and Tour Guide for the day was $20.

The structures were phoenominal. Defiantly was not aware of all the history surrounding Cambodia. We went to the Over-Grown Temple, Angkor Wat and the old capital city which contained a massive temple current being restored by the Indian Government. Saturday night, we ventured to a local restaurant and enjoyed some local curries, dumplings and Angkor Beer.

We did not do to much on Sunday. In the morning we attempted to go to a famous fortune teller about 30 min outside the city down an extremely bumpy dirt road, but by time we got there it was full with a long wait. Lunch, tic tac toe with local kids and more Angkor beer filled out the rest of Sunday before heading back to Bangkok.

Beer of Choice

This is my new beer of choice, Beer Lao brewed in Lao. Beer Lao is not well distributed in Bangkok, so as one would expect I take advantage of the times that I do see it on a menu. Not sure if it is in the USA, but according to a NYT article, it is rather well known throughout the beer community.

Angkor, Cambodia

After spending the last 3 months in Bangkok, I realized that I am in need of some fresh air, stars and quiet nights. As such, I have decided to head to Angkor, Cambodia this weekend with my friend Aom for some intense sightseeing and relaxation. It will be a quick trip, leaving Saturday Morning returning Sunday Evening but I hope it should do the trick.

Angkor Wat is a world heritage site and I have been told it is one of the best.

It is still weird to me living in the East and going to these places that I once thought I would never get to. Never once did I think that I would take a weekend trip to Angkor Wat but its cool and I enjoy it.

I think now after 7 months, I am starting to get the travel bug...Pictures to come early next week.

As always, I remain.

Future Wheels?

Sick little ride right there. Dual exhaust mini with suicide trunk doors......

Horse Track

Coming down the home stretch

First to admit, horse betting is not my strong suit. I bet 100 baht or $3 on the number 11 horse to place. The number 11 horse took last place.

View of Horse Track to the Right

View of Horse Track to the Left.

Bhudda Bless

This is Bhudda Bless (Not sure on the spelling), my new favorite music group. Last night, they opened for Ozomotli. I am not sure what the songs are about but these guys seem to be class acts.

Ozomotli in Bangkok?

Something really random happened to me yesterday. Walking to my new found food spot (Central World Grocery Store) I noticed an advertisement for a free Ozomotli Concert presented by The State Department & The American Embassy.

Ozomotli was alright and I enjoyed the tunes.

Nascar Roots May go Way Back - WSJ

Article from WSJ - USA

Deep-fried Twinkies, jars of moonshine and kegerators set up in the backs of recreational vehicles at Alabama's Talladega Superspeedway. To one scholar, these aren't just the trappings of a modern-day Nascar race weekend -- they're evidence of a hidden past.

"It's almost a direct carryover from the Middle Ages," says Karyn Rybacki, a professor of communication studies and public relations at Northern Michigan University. Ms. Rybacki, who studies stock-car racing, says the cultural elements of Nascar races -- where fans travel many miles to attend, wear the colors of their favorite teams and virtually knight popular drivers -- may be directly descended from medieval times, when people came in droves to make merry before another fast and dangerous form of competition, the joust.

Dale Earnhardt died after a crash with Ken Schrader at the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18, 2001.

"The more I dug into the history, the more I saw the parallels," says Ms. Rybacki, who has presented papers on the topic and wrote about it in a recent anthology "The Sporting World of the Modern South." She notes that the late Nascar hero Dale Earnhardt carried the moniker "The Black Knight."

"Instead of the horse, you have horsepower," she says.

Ms. Rybacki says the similarities first struck her when she received a grant more than a decade ago to research fan behavior at the Daytona 500. She likens the giant mugs of beer, sausage and roasted turkey legs popular at Nascar concessions to the foods served at medieval festivals. "It was almost like being thrown into a Renaissance fair without the medieval costumes," she says.

Current Book or Study Material

Book of the Month - The Bourne Legacy



As this is a first edition and will be worth serious bucks someday, I am using a book cover to protect against any mishandling.

A Typical Bangkok Storm

Interesting Scene

Nothing like enjoying a beer and seeing an elephant walking down the street.

The Weekend

Greetings from a ridiculously hot Bangkok. A couple pics from the weekend.

Temple in Bangkok - Went to a ceremony on Saturday Morning with Aom. Ceremony was pretty cool, but I did not wear socks so taking off my shoes on the scorching hot marble did not feel good on the feet.



Money Expo - Nothing smells like commerce more than the Money Expo 2009!! This was pretty lame, congested with Banks offering credit cards / home & auto loans and Insurance. I did manage to find one interesting investment offering. Essentially it is a CD (Certificate of Deposit) but each monthly they do a lucky draw and if your number matches you win a monetary sum. I find this remarkable and very cool, because it is a risk free lotto ticket. The ticket that you buy pays you annual interest, gives you a chance to win big money in a monthly drawing and then returns your money at the end of the required investment term, which is 2 - 3 years.

Final Selection

After 6 months, I have decided on my go to bar. Its called The Roadhouse and is located 1 Train Stop away from my apartment in Silom / Sala Deang Area.

The Roadhouse offers daily specials, highlighted by Taco Tuesdays, 3 Tacos for 150 Baht. The Roadhouse has a couple sport tables, and numerous TV's.

Its no OG, but will do for now.

The Weekend Agenda

Greetings Dedicated Vicious Thoughts From the Far East Readers -

This week has been completely unproductive, as such I am looking forward to the weekend and the festivities that it may bring. Thailand had Tuesday & Friday off this week, so needless to say nothing was really accomplished regardless of the fact that the company that I work for is in a complete tailspin.

The weekend is looking strong with many things on the agenda. Brief Summary;

Thursday Night - Birthday Party at Cafe Trio. Cafe Trio is an art / jazz bar located next to my apartment building. Usually pulls in a good crowd that likes to get rowdy.
Friday - Beach or Erawan Waterfall
Saturday - NBA, MLB or NHL Action in the morning, Gym & Pool in the afternoon
Sunday - NBA Action (Hopefully The Nuggets) in the morning and then HORSE TRACK

I am very pumped to go to the track this weekend. I heard that all the betting sheets are in tie, as such I am bring along my trusty friend Aom for some insiders advice & assistance.

Pictures to follow on Monday

As always I remain

Out with the Old, In with the New

Thailand celebrates Cinco de Mayo????

I dont think they do, but nevertheless we had today off of work (Thai Holiday) and I celebrated in good fashion by enjoying a Beef Burrito & a Cola from Sunrise Taco's.  Also, The Four Seasons is having some sort of Cinco pool party (My apt window looks down at the Four Seasons Pool) and there are a group of old guys absolutely pounding drinks, yelling & throwing each other in the pool which is very entertaining.

Holla Atcha Boy's Business Thought of the Day:

Based on personal experience and some in depth thinking over some Thai Whiskey, in order for the global economy to move forward, I suggest the following;

- The Retirement Age should be lowered by 20% - 30% in all countries with positive citizen growth

- All Companies adopt FIFO (First in First Out) when doing any strategizing / restructuring.

Based on personal experience, I feel that the older more seasoned veterans often come up with the most insane / unthinkable business ideas & practices which in turn often lead companies down wrong paths.  Lowering the retirement age and reducing old weight, would allow all companies the ability to import / utilize fresh ideas from upcoming business professionals.

In other news, I went to Hua Hin this past weekend.  Hua Hin is the nearest tourist / beach resort town to Bangkok and is very nice.  The beach was alright, nothing to write  home about but the town was quiet and the resorts are very nice & tropical.  I played some golf and enjoyed The Bourne Legacy poolside.  I shot an 82 and had a caddie even though I took a cart (She came with the cart).  That was a little awkward as there is no need for a caddie when one takes a cart.  The caddie was not very good, she would tell me that is broke right and it would always break left.  Nevertheless, she was very nice and we enjoyed a couple of Cola's together during the our 5 hour round.                

I am more focussed on growing my mustache than I am on work & I have started to bowl regularly.  

As always I remain

One Sick Ride

Noticed this ride while doing a little street shopping in Bangkok. Probably one of the better rides in the city. Reminds me of my BMX bike as a kid. Had blue grips, a black spray painted frame and blue rims, best ride on the block. Probably would still have that bike if Matt Mesink's Older Brother run over it with their family van.

Thai Style Aerobic Work-Outs

I was very lucky to come across this massive work-out in Lumpini Park the other day. It occurs every day at 5 PM and lasts for 1 hour. There are 4 or 5 classes located throughout the park, I am assume at different levels.

I especially get a kick out of the instructor, dude has every move down. One day I will participate in this class

Surin Island - Khao Lak Thailand

One of the better places that I have been to in Southern Thailand, Surin Island National Park, Khao Lak Thailand.

Toilet in Bangkok

Adventures on the Weekend

I had a good weekend. Although I am still paying for my activities today at work, it was well worth it. Highlights from the weekend:

Saturday - Went to a bar opening with a friend on Koh San Road called Mulligans. The bar was pretty cool and they had a decent band playing. My friend, Aom invited some of her other friends. One being a cool dude. He goes by Sinbad, has a tattoo on the back of his skull, wheres a top hate and loves car bombs. Car bombs in Thailand are no joke. They give you a full pint of Guiness.

Sunday - Recovered on Sunday, did not manage to put on pants (only boxers) until 5 PM. Sunday evening, I got invited by Aom & Sinbad to go to this bar in Chatachuck Market. This bar was amazing. It was 7 PM and the place was packed with young thai people all dancing on tables and putting back frozen drinks. Everyone there was rad and liked to dance. This place was deffiently the best bar that I have been to in Bangkok so far.

Holla Atcha Boy

Sports and Scooters

About once or twice per week, I manage to catch a live sporting event.  At the moment, you are able to catch live NBA Games Saturday and Sunday Morning and usually a live NFL Game at 2 - 6 AM on Monday Morning depending on the schedule.  You also can catch a live NCAA Basketball game throughout the week in the AM.  

Did you ever wonder what a camera man does during commercial breaks??  What do you they look at?  Come to Thailand and you will find out.  During live sporting events, they do not go to commercial breaks.  Viewers watch whatever the camera man feels is important.  Sometimes you see chicks in the crowd, sometime you are zoomed at the sky, sometimes you are watching the players on the sideline / bench or you are just looking directly at the ground in front of you.  I like it better than commercials.    

Scooters are cool, yet very dangerous.  I used to own a scooter, which I enjoyed.  I also enjoyed taking motorbike taxi's to work every morning here in BKK.  Its quick, easy, cheap and seems safe until Monday morning.  On Monday morning, I went to my usual motorbike pick up spot down the street from my apartment, jumped on the back and we went to the next road light via driving against rush hour traffic on a busy street hugging the curb.  Motorbikes always go to the front of the line they are always the first in the intersection.  As we are going through, I am not paying any real attention, but then all of a sudden I heard a noise and look up to see a motorbike driver about 20 feet in front of me about 20 feel in the air doing flips as his motorbike slides along the street in front of him.  He landed on his butt, and started to look around as people rushed to his aid. 

It was sketch / eye opening.  The motorbike driver was okay, thanks to his helmet. 

I now walk to work. 

  

Christmas Vacation

Sorry for the delay in posts! I was on vacation with my mother and Kim in Bangkok and then in Krabi, Thailand which is about a 1.5 hour flight south from Bangkok. Krabi is a beautiful place, offering numerous white sand beaches and crystal clear water.

I do not have much to write about the vacation. It was fun, I enjoyed my company, the beach, the weather and the views. Although I do have one story to report.

One night I decided to venture to a fishing village which was about a 1 - 2 mile walk down the beach. I was hoping that I would get down there and the fisherman would be selling their freshly caught fish which they could cook on the bbq there and eat for dinner as this was right around 5 -6 PM. Before venturing out on my journey, I decided to eat some french fries for energy. My mom decided to come along as well and we ventured off.

Upon getting to the end of the beach, we noticed that there was no way for us to get around these large rocks without having to swim around. Not knowing what was really there and also to avoid the dirty water in the bay, we decided to turn back for the hotel. We were walking and walking and I started to get a little stomach ache which I thought was from the fries that I ate for energy before we left.

Due to my un-easy stomach, I felt like the walk back was taking for ever and started to panic as I needed to use the bathroom number 2 style asap. I started to walk faster, and faster almost going into a light jog but this did not seem to help the problem.

I had to pull the trigger. I told my mother "Just Keep Walking" as I sprinted into the water and had an aqua dump.

That was my awkward moment from the trip.