Good day,

Above is a video that recently came my way from the fine people at Jet Set Zero. It’s episode three of season eight and filmed in Chiang Mai, Thailand. They were filming and I happened to show up in the same guesthouse as themselves. Suffice to say we ended up hanging out and I make a brief cameo at 1:27 and tell these guys they need to start hustling over street food.

Jet Set Zero is a cool concept and glad to have met them.

Tips hat,

Greetings,

Got a call to watch the Muay Thai Fights at MBK in Siam Square area of Bangkok. Luckily I live there and it’s just down the street. Meet up and it was quite the spectacle. Believe it runs every Wednesday night from 6:30-8:30 and features lots of international fights. Sadly a Canadian guy from Ottawa got destroyed by this Chinese guy. Kinda reminded me of the China vs N. American economies but we won’t get into that.

There is a large lively crowd, intense music, it’s televised, has charismatic ring ladies and is generally a good time if you’re into that type of thing. “Nothing like the smell of tiger balm in the evening”. I will note that no one from Thailand lost. I almost felt at one point it was as though they’d have a great fighter from Thailand and bring some lamb from another country to get slaughtered, if that makes sense.

Personally, never been a fan of watching people beat each other.

Interesting update coming later.

Greetings friends,

My visa expires soon, that is causing me stress. Not stress in a holy sh!t my wife is having an affair with the lawn maintenance man or I just realized that I forgot my kid in the mall type way but stress no less. Stress in a something has to change and it has to change in a few days. I know many people read guidebooks until their eyes fall out and plan trips for a year or two in advance, that is not the case here.

Have to leave Thailand in 5 days and could go anywhere, where to go!?

The plan is Europe for the summer and if I don’t go, I’ll regret it.

Flip side is, if I do go, I’ll regret it.

The beauty of never planning ahead is that you’re totally free. The problem is that whatever choice you make could have gone over smoother had you planned. The flip side once more to this equation is that if you live a spontaneous life with many connections, whenever you do plan, something cooler comes along so you’re basically screwed any way you look at it.

Anyways, what I’ll miss most is the guy below. He’s the man.

P.S: Always take advice from a stranger to heart.  You’ll get the most honest advice ever. The Pancake guy I chill with but never buy from just told me I come to the 7/11 and other places way to often, he’s like don’t you think your internals could use a rest sometime? Then he gave me a hand pound and said peace out, treu(sic) story.

It’s a small world after all…

We live in a massive world when you look at it from a geographical point of view. When you start thinking of all the people who live on it, it’s even bigger. 6+billion people, woah, what the!?? The reality is, when you link up all the minds of the people and the people they’ve met… People tend to cluster and like attracts like. The more you travel, the more you realize that.

It’s actually a very small world, whoever coined that term is a genius. Rolled over to dinner last night at a friend of a friends. They were surfing buddies throughout Indonesia in 2001, cool guy. Turns out him and his wife just came back from a 3 year stint in Arusha, Tanzania. What are the odds of meeting a friend’s friend in Bangkok who also knows a lot of the crowd you do in Africa?

The world’s an interesting place and the more you get out there, the more you meet people who are similar. Also met some other cool Canadians, Aussies and a dude from Atlanta. If travel is something you want to do, you gotta go out and do it.

Chances are you’ll meet someone on the other side of the planet that you have more in common with than someone you’ll meet round the corner… Remember, the reason you really know your childhood friends is because your parents decided to live in the same area, think about that one for a second, where are you going? Who are you? You’re not your parents…

Egregious tip of the hat,

P.S: Don’t expect to know where you’ll end up if you go, just know that if you DO GO, you’ll probably end up where you belong, even if you’ve never even heard of the place before.

It’s Easter, make sure you spend it with cool people if you aren’t lucky enough to spend it with family. If you don’t even celebrate it or care to know what it’s about, that’s cool too. Suffice to say, I’m off to a friend of a mutual friends for, well, Eastern Dinner!? A friend of a mutual friend, never said that before. Then again, isn’t that just a friend of a friend?

Was hanging out the other day and some moto guy was like “Need a ride” and I was like “no, but I”ll play some checker with you.” Everyone travels for a reason, everyone lives the life they do for a reason. I travel because I love meeting people, it’s that simple. Money is what lubricates your existence on this planet but friendly encounters is what makes it all worthwhile.

Cordially,

What’s happening?

The other night I was invited for drinks at a place called Beerology in the Crystal Design Center, about 20km from the downtown core of Bangkok. What started with a drink at Beerology led to dinner at Est. 33 followed by after dinner cocktails at QBar before some enjoyable time on the dance floor of BED Nightclub. It was a wonderful evening.

Beerology was sadly underwhelming. They did have a large selection of beer but almost none on tap. They also boast being a microbrewery but their house beer only came bottled. The place looked nice but was tucked away on the second floor and seriously lacked a “let’s hang out and have a good time” vibe.

Suffice to say, we left shortly after our first pint.

Next up was Est. 33 which is a very nice restaurant that brews their own beer. It’s also owned by the company Singha Beer which was established in 1933, you see where they get the name from; yes? This place had it all, the layout was wonderful, the vibe was great and the food was delicious. They had three beers on tap which was perfect as it was a lager, copper and a dark beer. I opted for the lager, no regrets.

After a few beers and even more laughs the party moved to QBar which is on Soi 11 off Suhkhumvit. I had heard about this bar and even visited their blog before so was quite excited about having a chance to visit. They also host the “Grey Goose Lounge” so some vodka sharks were in order. My only regret was that having not had caffeine for ~5 months, a vodka cranberry would have probably been wiser.

QBar has a very nice layout with a lounge type atmosphere on the top floor with a large patio. The ground floor is a night club which plays an eclectic mix of music that basically wants to make you move. A few sharks later and it was time for Bed.

When I say it was time for Bed, I mean it was time for Bed Super Club which is just around the corner. This venue was for lack of a better word “Sweet”. Also in the white room, instead of couches it had massive beds which basically looked like couches but were big enough to be a bed, the photo explains more.

It was also quite interesting how the doors to either room looked like space shuttle or airplane doors, you’d have to see it to know what I’m talking about. The other room was playing harder electro music and had a lively crowd on the dance floor.

I will not be returning to Est. 33 or Beerology simply because they are too far out of town and I doubt the opportunity will arise again. If I was at the Crystal Design Center (CDC), would not hesitate to have drinks or dinner at Est. 33 again, thoroughly enjoyed the place.

QBar & BED are both places I’ll most certainly return to. I’ll be at QBar to enjoy the Grey Goose lounge and partake in the festivities of the dance floor below. I’d save BED for later in the evening when really in the mood to let loose, if that makes sense. Both of them are very central and easily accessible by any mode of transportation.

It was a great evening and a very pleasant change of pace. Many people come to SE Asia and love taking advantage of the plethora of bargains available. Yes, we can get beer from the 7/11 for ~$1 a pop and drink it on the street, what many fail to realize is that if you wish to up your game a bit, you can enjoy incredibly nice venues which cost roughly the same as a run of the mill place back in North America.

If you’re looking for some fun and don’t mind dropping a little more coin which is still basically like no coin compared to most places in the world, keep these places in mind. You’re welcome in advance.

Tips hat,

What’s going on? It’s funny how people often have illusions of what traveling around the world is like. Everyday is a party and everyday is great. The reality is, most days are considerably better than the ones spent working or waiting in traffic but boredom still creeps in, especially when you rent an apartment in a foreign city. Unless you’re incredibly introverted and would normally just be sitting alone at your computer back home, do make a large portion of your budget “entertainment”. If not, what’s the point in being so far from your friends and family?

Yesterday I was bored as I had spent ~4-5 days basically just going to the gym and toying around on the internet.I knew I was meeting people for dinner but didn’t expect it to turn into a most wonderful evening of dinner, drinks and dancing in Bangkok. It’s crazy but almost all of my “in the flesh” friends from Bangkok started out online, the internet is “incroyable”. Most have to do with travel but have also met gents from an investment group I’m proud to be a member of. It’s cool meeting people from the net who share similar interests, always plenty to talk about.

Enough about all that. Basically the Got Passport family is going back to the USA for a while and they were in town for the night. Myself and about a dozen other of their friends got together for the delicious dinner shown below in the photos. I love eating “Thai Style” or is it “Asian Style” or just “Sharing Style?” Order something you’d like, everyone else does. Order lots of rice and share, share, share. You basically get to try ~10 dishes. At the end the bill is split, it’s a no brainer.

Afterward met for drinks in Siam Square with my South African friends. Some friends from the US were leaving today and on Khao San Road so we cabbed over and met them. Very pleased to NOT be living in that area anymore but really pleased it exists. No matter what day of the week you can take a cab there and guaranteed excitement awaits.

Ended up hitting a few side street bars and touring around mingling with the plethora of uniquely strange personalities you most certainly meet. I’ve said it before but it’s true, Khao San Road is the backpacking mecca of the world. That one street has people from all over the world at any given time. Many people don’t like it and I can see why, they would say it’s tourism gone bad or something like that, I’ll leave those people to their opinions based on the lives they lead.

Like all evenings on Khao San Road, it ends up at “Le Club” which is arguably one of my fav clubs out there. It’s upscale for Khao San and just plays hard house music. There is always a lively crowd and things always get out of hand in a most magnificent manner. Somehow lost my friends near the end of the night but made new ones, the ladies below from Norway.

Shortly after I got egregiously ripped off on a pad thai deal gone bad. Gave her 100 baht and she gave me 20 change?! Huh? As I protested she began violently swinging her spatula in the direction of my skull, I knew she meant business so I fled on foot until I got in the confines of a cab. How awesome is it that you can get ripped off on a huge after bar meal and still only pay $2.75US!?

The entire evening which included two sky train fares, a wonderful meal with great people in a nice restaurant, as many drinks as you pleased in two separate districts of town, an over priced meal after the bar and two cab fares was ~$33US. I was out for ~10 hours, that’s $3.33US an hour for uninhibited fun, wow.

There is a reason why Bangkok is popular, what would $33US get me on a “wild night out” in Ottawa? Let’s just say a cab home is ~$20 and we’ll leave it at that. Even just looking around as I type this, I’d be paying ~$200+ a night for this hotel room downtown in any Canadian city. Go east my friends, the Pet Shop Boys got it wrong, go FAR east!

Cordially,

P.S: This lady has a mini grocery store selling fresh produce and fish from the back of her pickup truck, that’s what I call hitting the streets with your idea.

Greetings,

Woke up today to something foreign, an alarm. I had somewhere to go, the Bangkok Food Tour to be exact. Through the powers of social media I came in contact with these fine people who started this business about a month ago. After some chit chat, I was scheduled in to tag along on one of their tours. It was a perfect fit as I’ve been writing lately about how I want to discover more of what Bangkok has to offer as I know it has a plethora of palate pleasing potential.

We met at 10AM in the oldest part of Bangkok, immediately I was intrigued. You’ll know I love “old town” in every town and care much less about anywhere else. The tour started on the first street ever made in Bangkok. It’s crazy how every city regardless of how large all started, well, somewhere? After that we went to a local duck vendor who is renown for his delicious duck. I used to hate duck, as I had it on an airplane once and it gave me problems and nightmares. Had it a few other times at gourmet restaurants (duck confit etc…) but that was it. I’m converted.

The flow of the tour was you go from location to location, usually an old well established generational family joint and then see a bit of the surrounding area as you go. I loved the food aspect and enjoyed visiting the wat and King Rama 5th monument. We also visited a church and a Hindu temple which I didn’t much care for. We’re in Bangkok a Buddhist country so it’s relevant and interesting, especially as we’re in old town and the wat is ~270+ years old.

I won’t go into detail about the other dishes except the papaya salad, as it would be a spoiler. We had several stops and it ranged from local diners to upscale restaurants owned by those with royal lineage. It was a really good mix of what’s out there. Regardless of it all, the duck was still my favorite, simple and delicious. We also made a stop in a place that used to be inhabited by a wealthy family, it turned into a hospital during WWII and in 1999 was converted in to a high end restaurant. The papaya salad we had there was great but I’ve been enjoying them for some time so it was nothing new, hence not my favorite.

This Bangkok Food Tours is about a month old. If I have any suggestions it would be to have 1-3 more small food stops and cut out the church and hindu temple. Also I was completely fascinated by the “old city” aspect. I’ve been in Bangkok 4-6 times now and didn’t even know about this part of town. I’m sure there are other interesting buildings or locations that could be incorporated into the walk on the way to other local delicacies.

Suffice to say, I had a fun time and would recommend this trip to anyone new to the area. That being said, I’ve been here a while and still enjoyed it so anyone really. It’s a cool alternative tour so I’m curious what it will be like in ~1-2 years as it becomes increasingly refined and most certainly popular. There was 2 guides and both of them spoke perfect English and were very helpful and personable.

I had a good morning, thanks for the tour!

Totally unrelated news, found a sweet 9 hole course off the BTS station but my excitement was quickly exhausted when I found out it was members only. Oh the benefits of actually living somewhere. Apart from that, they shut down the street that cuts Siam Discovery and MBK for the Royals as they left. It was a ~10 car caravan and really interesting to watch.

Tips hat,

P.S: Just got this photo in the mail, nice parting gift.

Greetings,

Today was cool in a Hard Rock Cafe in Bangkok along with a haircut type way. Met up with a German lady I had met in Koh Tao in 2009 and had lunch. Did what guys like me do which is screw around online and eat egregious quantities of food. Apart from that met up with two lovely Lithuanian ladies from London. (I am not making that up and you know how I love alliterations). Suffice to say the ladies from Lithuania that I met at Songkran wanted some food and beverages, Hard Rock seemed logical.

It’s under construction but the main area is finished. Hard Rock Cafe is cool as it’s the same basically anywhere you go. Also, not a huge fan of live music here but the band they had playing was pretty sweet. A few songs left me scratching my head, ok not scratching but like ehhhhhh. I will tell you this, when it comes to making GLOBAL HITS… The Black Eyed Peas, U2 and Lady Gaga run game. I’ve heard their music everywhere in this world. If I hear “Tonight is going to be a good night” one more time, not sure what will transpire.

I’ve been eating so much Namtok Moo lately that I’m starting to moo like a cow. Note moo in Thai means pork. I am starting to feel like a porker though. I’m talking ordering a few portions at a time and randomly eating cold spoonfuls from the fridge. This can’t be good for the old “cholesterol count”. I’m in denial, I’ve never been tested so I assume everything is cool. That makes me think, maybe I should!? Moving on…

Ever walk around a city center with hair my first photo? Then randomly say to yourself “I am getting a hair cut, immediately”. It happened promptly as if a sudden epiphany. Saw myself in a window and decided enough was enough. I was in Siam Discovery and rolled to nearest hair whatever place. I will note, done with Barbers where their breath smells like whiskey and whatnot.

Suffice to say, arrive and they charge ~$15 for a styling and ~$50-$70 for a haircut and style… I humbly replied that I’m not good looking enough to warrant such an egregiously priced hair cut, let alone in Bangkok no less. Went to this other place which was nice and more reasonable ~$13 a haircut with 2 washes!? They’re getting skimp in North America. You wash, cut, wash. Yes?

Seeing how I’m becoming obsessed with trying new dishes. I’m going on a Bangkok Food Tour tomorrow courtesy of the distinguished staff who run the sophisticated operation. It’s a 3 hour cultural and food sampling tour. I am VERY EXCITED as I want to know the names of more dishes. I love rolling into a place and ordering Namtok Moo like I know what I’m talking about.

Also glad it’s tomorrow as its 1:25 now and I’m going to go to bed as it starts at 9:45. Thing is, if it was any other day of the week I’d be up later stalking the New York & Toronto Stock Exchange like a starving Eagle looking for a sardine before a satisfying siesta, of sorts. There are few things on this planet as satisfying as watching a stock that you’ve dumped cash into climb.

Finally, sometimes a haircut just makes you feel good. Glad to have ditched that mop which grew out of control while living in that treehouse in Tanzania. Sadly, one of the gents I worked with for 5 weeks and became very close friends with passed away on Zanzibar yesterday. The circumstances aren’t so nice so I won’t go into further detail. He was one of the happiest guys I knew and EVERYONE in town loved him. He was 36 and left behind a a wife and 4 kids.

Cordially,

P.S: Is it weird that I’ve been having dreams lately where I’m back at my old job chilling out with my boss like nothing happened? I think it’s kinda weird. In every dream something comes up which reminds me why I quit.

Greetings,

If you’re like me, you have a typical tourist problem of not knowing what to order, ever. Most little street stalls don’t have English menus, heck some don’t even have menus. As a result, we tend to eat too much chicken fried rice, too much pad thai, soup and whatever else is easy. Broke the mold and found myself eating namtok moo…

I was determined to try something new. I just stood near the chef until he made something tasty looking. Then pointed as though “me too”. It was delicious. Another way is to look around the other people eating and let the lady or gent working there know what it is.

As a result? Had my first Namtok Moo (moo is pork FYI). I’d seen a dish that resembles it many times. Arguably one of the best Thai dishes I’ve had yet. It’s got everything I love AND MORE. It’s also a great first date or pre-interview dish loaded with garlic and onion and some random herbs.

Anyways, love it so much just ordered one now in room service. Turns out the one in room service was ~same size, 2x the price and about 79.232% as good. Go figure? That said, it wasn’t cooked over an open sewer, which is nice, yes? Also had a papaya salad. If you get one, seriously say “Nitnoy spicy”. I like spicy but if you don’t you may not even be able to finish it.

Try the point and eat game, it’s a game changer.

Just say NO to (whatever) fried rice!

Cordially,

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