Thailand – Eat Like a Local

Thailand’s borders have at times included parts of Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), and Laos, and all these peoples, along with Chinese, Indians, Indonesians, ethnic Mon and Khmer, Persians, Europeans, and the Thai themselves, have added ingredients to an extraordinarily diverse cuisine.

Thailand has four regional food styles — northern, northeastern, southern, and central — and in cosmopolitan Bangkok you get a chance to try them all. The city itself is in the central region (the country’s fertile “Rice Bowl”), where many of the dishes most familiar to foreigners, such as tom yum goong (spicy shrimp soup), tom kha gai (coconut soup with chicken), and the red and green curries, originate. Central food owes much to the influence of the royal kitchens, where coconut was first added and a fondness for sweeter tones was developed.

The other famous dishes som tam (spicy green papaya salad) and laab (minced meat or fish with chili and lime) are from the northeastern region of Isan, where spicy food is served with sticky rice and raw vegetables to cool the palate. (Both are ubiquitous in Bangkok and elsewhere in the country.) Traditionally, you eat sticky rice by making a small flat disc of the rice, which you wrap around some food. Other Isan specialties are insects gathered from the rice paddies. The black water beetles (maeng da or “pimps”) are a particular favorite, with those-in-the-know choosing the females bearing tasty orange eggs.

Bangkok has a huge variety of both Western and Thai food in air-conditioned comfort, but many Thais still prefer to eat at food stalls, and not just because they’re cheap. Vendors specialize in one or two dishes, and bad ones quickly go out of business, so the food quality is astonishingly consistent. You’ll find different specialties in each neighborhood: Chinatown has kway tio and ba mee (noodles), Dusit is known for northern dishes, Phra Athit Road in Banglamphu has southern-style curries as well as the Indian staple roti. Ubiquitous are gai yang (grilled chicken), yum (spicy salads), joke (rice porridge), and pad Thai (thin noodles with shrimp, bamboo shoots, and peanuts). Food-poisoning scares are hugely exaggerated — if you see a crowd of healthy diners, join them. And remember: the super-sweet Thai iced tea should be avoided from vendors working off a block of ice — even frozen local water can make you sick.

Bangkok International Airport is OPEN, Thailand Travel Information

Utensils: Many Thais are baffled by foreigners’ repeated requests for chopsticks. Thais only use chopsticks for Chinese or noodle dishes — everything else is eaten with a fork and spoon (the fork is used to push food onto the spoon).

Tipping: Outside of posh restaurants, there is no need to leave a tip, save for any loose change left over from your bill.

Mouth on fire?: First-timers might have some difficulty with the liberal use of chili in most Thai dishes. Water won’t extinguish that fire; eat rice or something sweet instead. Give chili a chance, even if it stings at first, because it lends balance to the dishes. Once you get used to it, make sure that restaurants don’t assume you want your dish mild just because you’re farang (a foreigner).

Last Minute stuff and Duty-Free Shopping at Hong Kong Airport

Last-minute shopping is always possible at the Airport Express Hong Kong or Kowloon Stations. Above Hong Kong station you have the IFC mall ( which carries Fancl House, Origins, L’Occitane, CK Jeans, Mango, O.Z.O.C, Links of London, Swarovski, Papyrus… Or shop at the Dickson Warehouse at Kowloon Station, where you can get renowned brands at clearance prices.

Should you find yourself on Lantau island before your departure, another option is the Citygate Outlets in Tung Chung. The five-level mall, attached by a walkway to the Novotel Citygate Hong Kong, is only 10 minutes from the airport by taxi or S1 airport bus. Open from 10am to 10pm, the mall includes a host of discount shops and factory outlets selling Vivienne Tam, Laura Ashley, Esprit, Levis, Le Saunda, Joy & Peace, Follie Follie, Quicksilver, Adidas, Nike, New Balance, Timberland, Columbia, Aji Ichiban, Fortress, OSIM and SaSa. Other choices include one of the first Jill Stuart factory outlets in Hong Kong, an I.T outlet, a Polo Ralph Lauren factory outlet, Lancel, Lanvin, Bally, and Kate Spade .Discounts may range between 30 and 70 percent.

And if you’re still long on conscience and short on time, there’s always duty free shopping at Hongkong International Airport’s refurbished SkyMart in the departure area and the new SkyPlaza located in Terminal 2. Both offer acres of space and browsing before your flight. This is the place for duty-free shopping at Hong Kong airport. The SkyMart has a “Downtown Pricing Guarantee” that the price you pay for a product will be the same as for an identical product downtown. The SkyPlaza includes shops like Adidas, Calvin Klein Jeans, Chanel, Mango, Swatch, Coach, Hermes, Ermenegildo Zegna, BVLGARI, and Giordano. Duty-free prices are competitive with Singapore and Dubai though electronic items can be a tad high-priced at times. Pick up a duty-free Hermes silk tie at Hong Kong airport for HK$1,200, a Zegna tie for HK$1,150 or a BVLGARI Rose Essentielle eu de parfum 50ml for HK$540. Take your pick.

Cosmetics store in Hong Kong

COSMETICS & FRAGRANCE SUPERMARKETS
The best buys in this category are noteworthy in terms of availability, not price—check out scents that have been introduced in Europe but not in the U.S. And I am not going to mention a brand just because it’s new or hot in Hong Kong, such as Kiehl’s (the latest thing), because you can easily get Kiehl’s for less money in the U.SMany big-name cosmetics companies manufacture for the Far East in and around Hong Kong; often they will have a product with the same name as the one you use at home, but it will be slightly different. They may also have a product or shade that you have never heard of and will never find again anywhere else in the world.
If you just wander through any of the malls, especially Harbour City, you will finds tons of little shops selling brands that may interest you—a few local labels, some European brands that don’t have good distribution in the U.S., and many Japanese products.

BONJOUR
Locations all over town.
This is a chain possibly devised for adolescent girls; I’m not crazy for it, but your 12-year-old might enjoy it. It’s a knockoff of the SaSa concept (see below).

BOOTS
IFC mall, Central (MTR: Central).
Boots is a British chemist that sells several of its own brands of makeup and treatments, among other things. Some Watson’s stores carry the line at in-store boutiques, but there is a growing trend toward free-standing stores for beauty items only (these are not Boots stores as we know them in the U.K.), with an emphasis on well-being products. The line No. 7—a riff on No.5, as in Chanel—is an excellent color cosmetics selection at a moderate price.

SASA COSMETICS COMPANY
Locations all over town.
SaSa has emerged as one of the leading discounters in Hong Kong, with branch stores everywhere. Note that all branches are not created equal; some have more stock than others.
Many goods come directly from sources in the U.S., which makes them much cheaper locally—but not cheaper than athome, if you are American. Shop carefully. Also note that some items are closeouts and discontinued lines.

WATSON’S, THE CHEMIST
24-28 Queen’s Rd. (MTR: Central), and many other locations.
There’s a Watson’s on almost every big, busy block and mall in Hong Kong; I stop in all of them because they’re not all the same. Selected stores have a Boots department (see above). Watson’s is actually a drugstore-cum-general-store that sells many things, including other lines of makeup and treatments.

Suvarnabhumi Airport december 2008
updated : December 3, 2008

Suvarnabhumi siege ends
Rush to get airport functional again. PAD leaves, claiming ‘final battle’ won as Somchai no longer PM
People’s Alliance for Democracy followers last night started bidding farewell to Suvarnabhumi Airport, bringing an end to their eight-day siege that has caused incalculable damage to the country and the economy.

Suvarnabhumi Airport authorities are now rushing to reopen the regional aviation hub, shuttered since it was hijacked on November 25. Bangkok airport reopen | Friday, December 5th 2008

Serirat Pasutanond, acting president of Airports of Thailand (AOT), said earlier that Suvarnabhumi Airport could be officially reopened to passenger flights on December 15, but after the PAD began to vacate the premises, he said resumption of services would depend on inspections of the extent of damage to systems and facilities.

Officials from the airlines and the International Air Transport Association will today start checking security and other systems. More than 200,000 foreign and Thai travellers were stranded by the forced closure of both Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports. Hardest hit are the country’s international image, tourism and related industries, with damage estimated in excess of Bt100 billion. Serirat reported that the airport had already lost Bt350 million in revenue, while the shutdown of cargo services had caused lost business opportunities and other costs approaching some Bt25 billion.

Thailand Travel Warning

Thailand travel warning

24 countries have issued travel warnings about traveling to Thailand, 10 of the 24 countries have raised the level of alarm of travel warning following the government’s violent and abusive crackdown on PAD anti-government protesters. The 10 countries are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Japan and the UK, ten counties that account for over 60% of Thailand’s tourism revenue.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has an update of latest travel warnings in Thailand and latest information on the ongoing conflict on its their website, stressing that the effected areas of conflict are contained to small areas in Bangkok and not in popular tourist areas.

Over a thousand foreign travel agents and media reps were told that foreign tourists could travel in other areas of Bangkok and to all other destinations outside Bangkok in Thailand safely.

Thai protesters at Bangkok’s international airport updates

December 1st, 2008
Thai protesters to end government headquarters siege
BANGKOK, Thailand — Anti-government protesters said Monday they will give up their siege of the government headquarters and join the thousands who have occupied Bangkok’s international airport.

Parnthep Puapongpan, a spokesman for the People’s Alliance for Democracy — which is leading the protests — did not say how soon the demonstrators will end their sit-in of the Government House.

The protesters have camped out at the government headquarters since August 26, forcing lawmakers to meet elsewhere. Thousands of them have also taken control of Suvarnabhumi international airport, grounding flights and stranding countless passengers.

November 30th, 2008
Thai protesters allow some planes to leave
BANGKOK, Thailand — Anti-government protesters occupying Bangkok’s international airport have allowed more than three dozen commercial aircraft to leave for a naval base where stranded passengers can try to catch flights back home, an airport authority spokeswoman said Monday.

By Monday afternoon, 37 aircraft had left the Suvarnabhumi international airport, where hundreds of demonstrators have brought air traffic in the capital to a halt. All but one airplane, which flew empty to Shanghai, landed at the U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield about 140 km (90 miles) southeast of Bangkok, spokeswoman Monrudee Gettuphan said.

Authorities have estimated 100,000 passengers have been stranded since protesters led by the opposition People’s Alliance for Democracy seized the airport on Tuesday. The alliance also has taken over another, smaller airport the government had been using as its temporary office after being shut out of its headquarters by other demonstrations.

At times, the protests have turned violent. A pair of explosions injured 49 people — three of them seriously — when what was believed to be a grenade was launched at protesters at the Thai government house, said Dr. Petchpong Kumjornkijjakarn, director of the Eruwan Rescue Center. The government house has been under the control of the protesters for the past three months.

November, 29 th, 2008
Thai protesters force police away from airport
BANGKOK, Thailand — Anti-government protesters occupying Bangkok’s international airport forced police into a hasty retreat Saturday after officers tried to stop more demonstrators from joining the thousands whose siege has brought air traffic in the capital to a halt.

The 100 or so officers left behind nine police vans. Protesters promptly let the air out of the tires.

By Saturday, demonstrators parked their cars on the main highway leading to the Suvarnabhumi international airport. They also set up several checkpoints along the roads around the airport, using razor wires, abandoned cars and airport luggage carts. Masked men milled about, wielding metal sticks and baseball bats.

What to wear in hong kong December

If you come in fall ( September – Mid-December ), as this is firmly the best time to land in Hong Kong. At this time you can still wear T-Shirt and shorts for most of the season, although you’re advised to bring a sweater for evenings, especially towards the end of the fall.

When you come in Winter weather in Hong Kong (Mid-December - February) , Sweaters will be needed for most days and a light jacket or coat for evenings. Despite the locals, gloves and scarves are only needed by those particularly susceptible to the cold.

Thursday, 27 November 2008

Bangkok International Airport and Don Mueang Airports still Closed Down

Due to the Airports of Thailand (AoT)’s suspension of services at Bangkok International Airport / Suvarnabhumi International Airport, all inbound and outbound flights were cancelled since 04.00 hrs. during 25-26 November 2008, causing inconvenience to over 3,000 passengers. The stranded passengers who fly with THAI have been accommodated by Thai Airways International.
UPDATE: Bangkok International Airport/ Suvarnabhumi Airport will remain closed until 6pm of November 29, according to Airports of Thailand Acting President Serirat Prasutanond. He also added that Don Mueang Airport would be shut down until 6pm of Friday, November 28.

Travel Warning : Mumbai Terrorist Attack

Indian security forces are gaining control of the situation in Mumbai. More than one hundred people have been killed in a coordinated terrorist attack that targeted at least seven sites, including two hotels, the Taj Mahal Palace and the Oberoi. There is still confusion at the scene, but police seem to have secured both hotels. For further developments, please consult news sources or your state department.

Bangkok after protest : Should I cancel Chistmas plans in Bangkok because of unrest?

Protesters in Bangkok Thailand have been occupying key government buildings since late August to demand the resignation of the government, and have taken over Bangkok’s international airport.

What is happening now?

Last weekend, the protesters vowed that – after months of paralysing protest in Bangkok - they were embarking on the “final battle” of this struggle against the government.

They spent several days seeking out suitable targets for this latest debilitating assault and alighted on the airport.

bangkok after protest

The airport is important in more ways that one – as a key tourist transit point its disruption has obvious implications for Thailand’s economy, and it was also a pet project of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, loathed by the protesters.

The Thai army chief, Gen Anupong Paochinda, has now made an intervention, urging fresh elections to be called and demanding the protesters vacate the airport. He has previously publicly called on Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to stand down.

BANGKOK, Thailand on world travel warning list – NOVEMBER 26: A passenger sleeps inside Suvarnabhumi airport on November 26, 2008, in Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands of passengers are stranded after Suvarnabhumi Airport had been ordered closed because of anti-government protesters. The closure, ordered around 9 pm yesterday, is preventing all out-bound flights. In-bound planes are still being allowed to land.