A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand

[chonburifc]

On things bread, personally find "standard" bread from super kind of gummy. Not the best for sandwiches, after kept for awhile. Kopitiam roti is like eating air, ala toastbox or yakun style.

Prefer the more rustic (if you call it that, or "fancy") types from pastry or bakery shop like SwissBake or Cedele. Mutigrain, rye etc. Good enough to eat on its own with some spread, but freaking expensive from S$5-7 a loaf. But can get day old bread at 30/40% discount from Swissbake or late "happy hours". Quality win hands down, as you don't get the whiff of preservatives or bad transfat stuff (as from some local bakeries cutting corners).

View attachment 8713

hehehe, me awaiting for my baker to start work soon. kns, 15 jan then can join me.

 

[Charlie99]

hehehe, me awaiting for my baker to start work soon. kns, 15 jan then can join me.

only a few days time, do not worry too much, brother.

 

[rotikosong]

While I did not stay in a hotel at Mae Sai, I am always interested in what accommodations are available. A long time ago, the only decent hotel in town was Wang Thong. Now many 3-4 star places have sprouted up. The 3 best hotels just by judging on facade and a quick stroll in the lobby (in order), appear to be:

Piyaporn Pavillion

This is also the closest to the new shopping center (Hong Fa Plaza) - which isn't much to say unless you must have your Black Canyon/Hot Pot fix. Closest too to border crossing, Talaat Mae Sai and the night hawkers (more on this).

Hong Fa Plaza. Finally, elevators come to Mae Sai. Elicits a lot of screams from weak-hearted girls. Men finally discover what down-skirts are all about

Piyaporn Place. There's a whole bunch of hotels named Piyaporn. That's some rich lady. Walking distance from border albeit a little further, maybe 1 km walk.

Chour Palace. A little further even. Maybe 1.5km from border.

This hotel has yet to be opened - still in final construction. Called Bird. It's pretty far from border, maybe 3 klicks. It's near the Amphur, somewhat near Tesco and the Bus terminal. It merits mention because the architects appear to have taken the design from "Dummies Guide to Designing an Arp Nam Joint"

 

[chonburifc]

morning guys. today is children's day so will be expecting a bigger jam on tol of the regular weekend and hi Season jam.

 

[Froggy]

Scene out my room 7am River Kwai

[video=youtube;ke0KXRpgszU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke0KXRpgszU[/video]

Breakfast now

 

[Charlie99]

Brother [joetys],

Cognac and coffee for breakfast?

 

[Froggy]

Re: A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand ? Feasible?

Another video of River Kwai at 7am
[video=youtube;tkSnBDhsUIM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkSnBDhsUIM[/video]

 

[Froggy]

Re: A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand ? Feasible?

Party at River Kwai's Sweet Bee Resort last night

[video=youtube;whjcjswe3Wk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whjcjswe3Wk[/video]

 

[Froggy]

Re: A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand ? Feasible?

Sabai sabai

 

[rotikosong]

This pic particularly nice. I cannot believe you used an iPhone to take it. Either the new 5 must be good or you are really tokong when it comes to iphone photog.

 

[Froggy]

This pic particularly nice. I cannot believe you used an iPhone to take it. Either the new 5 must be good or you are really tokong when it comes to iphone photog.

iphone 5 yes. But I normal guy taking normal photo only la

 

[Froggy]

Lunch now, deer meat, wild boar meat and others

 

[rotikosong]

This is Mae Sai main town center. You can see the border crossing into Tachilek, Myanmar in the foreground. The border crossing is only open during daylight hours and you can go into Tachilek for a 500B fee. This gives you a visa limiting you only to the surrounding area - you cannot fly onwards for example to Yangon from Tachilek's airport. The visa does allow you to travel to Shan state e.g. Kengtung which is the focal city of the Tai Yai people, but you need to fulfill some other requirements e.g. you need to hire an "official" taxi and a guide and have hotel reservations etc. Kengtung is about 4 hours away.

I did not go into Tachilek this time - have been there twice in the past. There's a market on the other side where you can buy all sorts of black market stuff (cigarettes, DVDs, fakes) + casinos + golf + the Shwedagon Pagoda (which you can see below).

Another view of Mae Sai. It gets really crowded certain times of the year e.g. Songkran, New Year's - many people from Myanmar come in to do tamboon at wats in Mae Sai.

 

[chonburifc]

enjoying a bottle of leo beer (customer again :p) while waiting for electrician and signboard makers to do their job. for all my ventures, i always make sure i am around when the contractors are doing their work. once anything not to my expectations, i stop them immediately.

brought my bmx along to explore neighborhood a little bit.

 

[chonburifc]

was quite confused earlier cos' who's at where? for a moment, thought joetys is in mae sai and roti is in kanchana.

joetys very ho miah hor. just holiday in hk few days ago and holiday again.

kns, got time come help me lah. gurantee lost 2-3kg. :p

 

[chonburifc]

hehehe. motorcycle taxi taught me how to do a bunny hop. not bad, think got half a foot. dun play play, me, ah pek can also do buuy hop liaoz.

 

[Froggy]

was quite confused earlier cos' who's at where? for a moment, thought joetys is in mae sai and roti is in kanchana.

joetys very ho miah hor. just holiday in hk few days ago and holiday again.

kns, got time come help me lah. gurantee lost 2-3kg. :p

Aiyo company outing la pii. You think I like to travel so much meh? Rather rest at home play with my dog.

 

[Froggy]

Found a new joint tonight, The Right Bank. Looks classy can dine in and out. After 9pm a jazz band will start playing ourside

We started dining inside but reserved a table outside when the band starts

Lobster bisque

Foie Gras

A big slab of ribs

The outside

I have to admist the crowd is not as happening as Wine I Love You that I frequent.

 

[rotikosong]

When night falls, the main strip of Mae Sai sees many street food carts open.

This is Khao Laam (sweet sticky rice in bamboo)

Lots of the vendors are Tai Yai (you can tell because their pasa Thai sounds different and not so fluent) so Tai Yai food is found abundantly
Khao Ji Tai-Yai style (they put a sweet sauce on top)

Khao Tam Nga (Sticky rice pounded with sesame)

This is a quintessential Tai Yai dish. I keep forgetting the name. Essentially it is rice flour made into a thin batter. You add lime joice, chilli, fish sauce, vegetables, meat, egg and then steam it.

In some of the stalls, you eat sitting on the floor. You certainly don't see this often in Bangkok. Anybody seen this in other parts of Thailand?

Another Tai Yai food. This is for "gin len" (snack). You take a slice of the Makok fruit (I've never seen this outside Thailand) which is like a very sour,hard, mini-apple and dip it in a dried nam prik.

 

[sleaguepunter]

Found a new joint tonight, The Right Bank. Looks classy can dine in and out. After 9pm a jazz band will start playing ourside

Lobster bisque

Foie Gras

I have to admist the crowd is not as happening as Wine I Love You that I frequent.

uncle joe type of food too atas for my wallet.