Street Smart Sukhumvit Dedicated to Sukhumvit, Bangkok's longest road! Here you'll find unique LOCAL knowledge not available in your typical, tired guidebooks PLUS pics, reviews, link and events - all about Sukhumvit! Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 3 0 72 4532

Articles from Street Smart Sukhumvit

A Conversation With A TAXI Driver (PART 3) 2007-08-30 03:27:00 The rain was brutal. The traffic was hell. And I was bored to tears. Then I noticed that the TAXI driver, a man in his thirties, with curly hair and longish, immaculately shaped nails, was watching me from his rearview mirror. "Wanna hear a joke?" he asked. "Yea, sure," I said, "Anything is better than having nothing to do on a rainy day. So beua (boring)~!!" "OK, here goes," he began, "What kind of rot (Thai word for "car" or "vehicle") is longer than rot fai (literally means "fiery car" = train)?" (English translation: what kind of a car/vehicle is longer than a train?) My brain was, of course, in its default "SLEEP" mode, so I was in no condition to do any deep thinking. "Erm... I dunno, I have no idea," I said. "It's rot tid (traffic)!!" he said, looking so delighted. "HAHAHAHA~~!!!!" ******************************************************************* In order to understand the joke completely, here's a quick Thai language lesson: - the word rot means car or vehicl ...

Big Echo Karaoke (Asoke branch) 2007-08-28 09:07:09 The fact that I am so relieved to be typing these words instead of saying them (due to my hoarse voice) is proof already that the Big Echo branch in Asoke is a real MUST for all karaoke lovers (and those who love to watch fools make complete asses of themselves trying to belt out tunes). Here are all the GOOD POINTS of the Big Echo: - first of all, it's actually a franchise, so you can be sure of a certain standard of quality (I went to the branch in Asoke Tower) - they have different room sizes depending on how many people are gonna let it rip - each room has at least two microphones (to minimize fighting between *AHEM* so-called "aspiring singers") - you'll be surprised how RUTHLESS people can be when they have a mic in their hands!! - high tech, idiot-proof equipment lets you do song searches according to title, language, popularity, and artist's name (plus you can also indicate whether the artist is a male/female/belongs to a group). Everything is computerized, so yo... ...

FREE on Sukhumvit~!! (How to be a moocher) 2007-08-23 13:59:00 I’ve heard it all… comments about how living in Sukhumvit is a hazard to your wallet.   “Sukhumvit is too hi-so!” (short for the Thai slang “high society” meaning high-class, pretentious and expensive) “Too many Japanese and other expats in Sukhumvit drive prices up!” “The guards in Emporium give me the evil eye whenever I show up there with baan-baan clothes!” (“baan” literally means “house”; it’s another Thai slang meaning very comfortable/cheap looking).   What’s a skinflint to do?   Fear not, my miserly readers. No need to do anything drastic yet like move to the suburbs or worse, thang changwat (outskirt provinces/the countryside). After all, Sukhumvit is in Bangkok, which is the capital city of Thailand, which still has one of the most affordable costs of living in the world.   If you know where to look, you’ll find there are LOTS of cheapo stuff just hanging around, waiting to be picked up, used and abused on Sukhumvit.   But I’ll go one ...

My Harry Potter Alter Ego 2007-08-17 11:58:00 I don't know whether I should feel proud or REALLY worried... You scored as Lord Voldemort, Evil and power hungry, you strike fear into the hearts of all wizard kind. Lord Voldemort 85% Severus Snape 80% Hermione Granger 70% Sirius Black 65% Draco Malfoy 65% Albus Dumbledore 60% Harry Potter 55% Ginny Weasley 55% Remus Lupin 45% Ron Weasley 45%Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is...?created with QuizFarm.com ALL HAIL LORD VOLDEMORT~!! streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.comsukhumvit bangkok thailand ...

Mechanics Alive!! 2007-08-15 12:00:59 Don't miss "Mechanics Alive!!", a very entertaining and informative exhibition being held until 30 September at the Thailand Creative and Design Center (TCDC) on the 6th Floor of Emporium, Sukhumvit 24. A collaboration between the TCDC and the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre from London, "Mechanics Alive!!" showcases very colorful and witty wooden automata (an automaton means any toy or decorative item that has movable parts which are usually powered by a clockwork mechanism) from famous English designers. What is so cool about this exhibition is that each wooden automaton tells a story. All you have to do is press a button and watch the story unfold before your eyes. There's "The Dream" by Paul Spooner, a bizarre story featuring a horse on a window and a snake-like monster coming out of the closet... It returns back to the closet right before the sleeping woman wakes up... She looks around, wonders whether it was all just a dream, and goes back to sleep. "The Lion Tamer" presen... ...

SukhumvitAngel to the Rescue~!! 2007-08-14 17:39:00 As some of you might have known already, I have a soft spot for clueless, gullible tourists (need proof? Read my blog entry here). And so it is with extreme PLEASURE that I introduce to you... "S/A" ~!! As in "SukhumvitAngel"!!! Personalized Glitter Graphics The protector of all clueless, gullible tourists~!! She has very useful supernatural powers such as: - extra sensitive sense of smell (to sniff out tourists who are sweating due to stress/nervousness)- an unusually large heart (because her heart goes out to all those helpless tourists)- "muay thai" skills to punish those evildoers who try to cheat tourists (used only as a last resort)!! Her first assignment: In a temple (that shall remain nameless) somewhere in Sukhumvit, S/A spotted a kind-hearted tourist who was busy trying to decide which birds to be bought and released (for those who don't know, Buddhists consider it good karma to buy and then release caged animals into the wild - though Sukhumvit is the furthest a ...

SSS featured on Travelhappy.info~!! 2007-08-13 04:50:00 Yee-haaa~~ I dunno whether this good fortune is due to my good karma (but I'm sure it CAN'T be coming from my 'plan' before to slaughter some sacrificial chickens to bring up my votes)... BUT I am truly HONORED that a seasoned travel writer has deemed my beloved bloggie worthy of a mention~!! Chris Mitchell of Travelhappy has written an article about this silly little blog of mine on his site... And he actually used such words like "superb", "impressive", "worth checking out" and... wait for it... my absolute favorite: "It captures the organised chaos of Sukhumvit perfectly. " Check it out here http://travelhappy.info/bangkok/street-smart-sukhumvit (Maybe this time I should pop into Church?) streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com sukhumvit bangkok thailand ...

SSS featured on Travelhappy.info~!! 2007-08-13 04:50:00 Yee-haaa~~ I dunno whether this good fortune is due to my good karma (but I'm sure it CAN'T be coming from my 'plan' before to slaughter some sacrificial chickens to bring up my votes)... BUT I am truly HONORED that a seasoned travel writer has deemed my beloved bloggie worthy of a mention~!! Chris Mitchell of Travelhappy has written an article about this silly little blog of mine on his site... And he actually used such words like "superb", "impressive", "worth checking out" and... wait for it... my absolute favorite: "It captures the organised chaos of Sukhumvit perfectly. " Check it out here http://travelhappy.info/bangkok/street-smart-sukhumvit (Maybe this time I should pop into Church?) But just in case my "luck" runs out, I can still depend on you guys for some "earthly votes", right? streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com sukhumvit bangkok thailand ...

Thailand Backpacking: Travelhappy.info 2007-08-13 04:09:11 Travelhappy is a personal guide to travelling in Thailand and South East Asia written by Chris Mitchell, a British freelance writer currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. His website is an exhaustive directory chock-full of information about how to backpack across Thailand (as well as Southeast Asia). Want to find decent but cheap hotels in Bangkok? Overwhelmed by the choices of activities in Cambodia? Scared you might run out of money and get stranded on a strange land? Fret not; soothe all your fears (curiosities) HERE!! ... Thailand

Thailand Backpacking: Travelhappy.info 2007-08-13 04:09:11 Travelhappy is a personal guide to travelling in Thailand and South East Asia written by Chris Mitchell, a British freelance writer currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. His website is an exhaustive directory chock-full of information about how to backpack across Thailand (as well as Southeast Asia). Want to find decent but cheap hotels in Bangkok? Overwhelmed by the choices of activities in Cambodia? Scared you might run out of money and get stranded on a strange land? Fret not; soothe all your fears (curiosities) HERE!! ... Thailand

Superstition and Spirituality on Sukhumvit 2007-08-11 12:58:11 In these uncertain times, mortals on Earth rely on "extra" protection from the supernatural. This is the reason why eventhough most Thais are Theravada Buddhists, they see nothing wrong with adopting other beliefs and superstitions coming from other sources, such as Hinduism, animism, Confucianism and other forms of Buddhism (such as Mahayana). Usually unnoticed by non-locals, these signs of devotion and worship are EVERYWHERE: inside houses, at shops' entrances, inside vehicles, on the streets, attached to buildings, worn close to the skin, even dangling UNDER vehicles. Presently, "JATUKAM fever" is gripping Sukhumvit! Jatukam (full title: "Jatukam Ramathep") amulets, believed to offer protection and guarantee wealth, have been reaching record-breaking prices! Some bemoan the Jatukam phenomenon as a sign that Buddhism has been corrupted and people have turned to greed and desire (others go so far as to claim that this proves that the national religion is actually aninism, ... ...

StreetSmartSukhumvit on FuelMyBlog.com~!! 2007-08-09 17:21:00 My dearest lil' bloggie is featured on www.fuelmyblog.com as one of "Today's Top Blogs" in the TRAVEL section~!!!!! Gosh~~~~ ( *blushing, sputtering and basically speechless* ) ** After about 5 minutes of staring unblinking at the computer screen ** Okie dokie, guys... You wouldn't mind VOTING for me, would 'ya? Please go to www.fuelmyblog.com, scroll down to the "TRAVEL" section, and direct your mouse to my pic (the blue Sukhumvit street sign). A small window will appear, saying "click on small image for blog info". If you click on my blog's pic, the voting window will appear. (if my blog pic isn't there, click on "more" - look for the blue Sukhumvit street sign pic!). You basically have two choices: You can FUEL THIS BLOG or You can SNUFF THIS BLOG Oh oh oh~ please pour gasoline (plus beer, Tequila, whisky, ether  or anything flammable you got on your hands) on it~!!! I promise I will beseech ALL the deities in the cosmos to give you good fortune, l ...

StreetSmartSukhumvit on FuelMyBlog.com~!! 2007-08-09 17:21:00 My dearest lil' bloggie is featured on www.fuelmyblog.com as one of "Today's Top Blogs" in the TRAVEL section~!!!!! Gosh~~~~ ( *blushing, sputtering and basically speechless* ) ** After about 5 minutes of staring unblinking at the computer screen ** Okie dokie, guys... You wouldn't mind VOTING for me, would 'ya? Please go to www.fuelmyblog.com, scroll down to the "TRAVEL" section, and direct your mouse to my pic (the blue Sukhumvit street sign). A small window will appear, saying "click on small image for blog info". If you click on my blog's pic, the voting window will appear. (if my blog pic isn't there, click on "more" - look for the blue Sukhumvit street sign pic!). You basically have two choices: You can FUEL THIS BLOG or You can SNUFF THIS BLOG Oh oh oh~ please pour gasoline (plus beer, Tequila, whisky, ether  or anything flammable you got on your hands) on it~!!! I promise I will beseech ALL the deities in the cosmos to give you good fortune, l ...

'Baan Raai Coffee' Made Me 'Naa Taek'~!! 2007-08-07 17:23:00 It’s going to take more than just coffee, food and a 24-hour opening to drag me back (kicking and screaming) to “Baan Raai Coffee”!   Oh sure, the location is VERY convenient (right beside the Ekamai BTS station). And it sure looks very impressive, with its open courtyard, ancient-looking brickwork and lots of greeneries (pic at the left - taken during the daytime). And the fact that it stays open 24 hours a day sure makes it stand out from the other, usual eateries/coffee houses on Sukhumvit. Plus it also serves unique kinds of Thai coffees.   I arrived at “Baan Raai Coffee” with very high expectations, and so did my foreign guests – a couple honeymooning in Thailand. In fact, my foreign friends were the ones who asked me to take them there, since they read about this place before.   Right off the bat, I knew something was wrong. Since it was a very steamy and humid night, we decided to sit inside (I mean, who’d want to keep wiping sweat and shooing mosquitoes away w ...

Chen Shark's Fin 2007-08-05 15:29:55 This is THE place to go if you feel like stuffing your face with Chinese comfort food but can't afford an emperor's ransom for it~!! Opened not long ago, Chen Shark's Fin offers the typical Chinese fare such as crab fried rice, drunken chicken, stir fried spinach with garlic, spicy and sour tofu and dimsums, all with REASONABLE prices (150 baht per small dish, double the price for big dish) PLUS free crackers, peanuts and chestnuts (for dessert). But of course, with these prices, don't expect anything awe-inspiring with the decor - we're talking about kitschy, tacky stuff like a HUGE sticker depicting nighttime Shanghai plastered on one wall, a collection of faded Hong Kong pictures on the other, cheap looking colorful lanters and mismatched room dividers. But who cares about the decor; you're here for the FOOD, baby~!! And besides, when it comes to Chinese food, one should be HIGHLY suspicious if the place is SO tarted-up anyway. When it comes to Chinese food, hellish decor ...