The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) are organizing a steam train trip from Hua Lamphong Station in Bangkok to Ayutthaya. This will take place on Wednesday 5th December to celebrate the birthday of His Majesty the King. The special trip will start at 8 a.m. from Hualamphong Station and return from Ayutthaya at 4.30pm. Tickets are available for 500 passengers at stop stations – Hua Lamphong, Samsen, Bang Sue, Bang Khen, Don Mueang, Lak Si and Bang Pa-in. The round-trip ticket price is 140 baht.
A tunnel of colourful LED lights will decorate the Ratchaprasong intersection during the festival season. The festival of lights will run from Saturday 1st December to 12th January, with LED lights festooning the road, the BTS Skywalk and pedestrian overpasses in the area around the Gaysorn shopping centre. The tunnel of light, 20 metres long and 16 metres wide, will be turned on nightly from 5.30 to 11.30 but on New Year’s Eve, the lights will stay on until 2am. In addition, there will be performances by artists and musicians on Saturday as well as on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The opening ceremony is this Saturday at 6 p.m.
My dad, who is now on Facebook, posted this today.
Surprised to see me? Yep! Still alive and kicking in the sunny Southern California over here. The Return of Khun Stephen Cleary spurs me to start planning my return to Thai-Blogs as well. It’ll take me a while to put my multicultural hat back on, but I’ll see what I can do. 
How have y’all been?
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Just recently, last Friday night to be more exact, the Paknamweb Team were invited to witness, for ourselves, Bangkok’s latest extravaganza, Playhouse Theater Cabaret at the renowned Asia Hotel.
On arrival, we were met personally by the very friendly and courteous management team who had drinks in our hands before we could even sit down. And then, before we could even raise our glasses we were introduced to one of the stars of the show, the gorgeous Ms Oot. Originating in the Rose of the North, Chiang Mai, the Playhouse team just moved into the Asia Hotel on 19 October, “We had wanted to attract a wider and more international audience” said Thomas Swain their social media and community specialist.
The cabaret is choreographed by Ramon Vizmanos from The Philippines, a flamboyant and gracious performer himself who was first dancing on stages when he was still in his diapers! As for the skills on stage, Ramon told us, “Our performers had to take three months of intensive preparation, and till this day, three hours of training and rehearsal before they can take to the stage”. So, with the hottest mixture of the most experienced and highly trained performers and crew east of Chelsea Football Club, we were then expecting, of course, a razzamatazz…..
Unlike most other cabaret venues in Thailand, we were delighted to see that the Asia Hotel does NOT seat thousands of spectators who need to get out their binoculars to get a decent view of the show. Instead, the maximum capacity is just 350 people. Thomas explained, “We much prefer to give our audience that boutique homely feel, where they too can have the opportunity to interact with the show”. In fact, Granddad could take a table so near the stage that he would need his ventilator at the sight of the most beautiful and exquisite dancers!
What Playhouse Theater Cabaret also doesn’t offer, however, is slap-stick sleaze. Thankfully instead, they have put together a professional cast, comprising of extremely talented and energetic young performers of every gender. So, if its full-in-face totally erotic transgender action you are looking for, you had better go to Pattaya!
Starting off with a very usual Thai-traditional attire and dancing melody, I thought, “Oh no… not another Thai-style show with a handful of performers”. But, how wrong was I to be! Instead we were breath-taken at twenty or more different set changes, including a cast of forty performers, whose ‘quick-change’ routines would have won them a place of the Final of America’s Got Talent. With stunning interactive backgrounds, we were taken aback by a myriad of kaleidoscopic color and creativity. The sensational around-the world modern-era performances ranged from: Pop dance to 80s dance to love ballads to Chinese opera to Mary Poppins to Flamenco and breakdance. And that’s just an example!
Personally, my favorite performance of the night was a wonderful rendition of Mr Bojangles in true Fred Astaire banjo and tap-dance style. As for my wife, Ms Su, she just loved the splashes of improvised comedy added throughout the show – and not forgetting, the shear beauty of the performers and their costumes. “The best fun I had all year”, said Su enthusiastically at the end of the evening – after taking ‘free’ pics with the cast. Yes, in contrast to other cabaret shows I could mention, there is no charge to take pics with your favorite performers here!
So, if it’s family-friendly night out of variety and awe you are after, get on hopping down to Playhouse Theater Cabaret the next time you are Bangkok!
Every Night of the Week.
1st Show 20:15 – 21:30.
2nd Show 21:45 – 23:00
Show Only: 1,200THB per person
Show & Dinner: 1,800THB per person
Asia Hotel Bangkok
296 Phayathai Road (in front of Ratchathewi Skytrain Station)
Tickets can be booked/purchased online, via respectable agents or at the hobby of Asia Hotel
For more details see:
http://www.playhousethailand.com/
On Monday afternoon, HM The King made a rare trip outside of Siriaj hospital to revisit his dairy farm project in Chitralada Palace. Nearby he also visited the Chang Ton Museum. In English this is called the Royal Elephant National Museum. These buildings, opposite Dusit Zoo and next to Thai Parliament, used to be the stables for the royal elephants. In particular for the white elephants that were treated almost as deities. Any white elephant found in Thailand automatically becomes the property of HM The King. If you are in Bangkok visiting Dusit Zoo then you might also like to take a look this elephant museum which is just across the road.
Thailand’s famous Temple of the Reclining Buddha has gained further global prominence following a 45-minute tour by U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during their November 18-19 visit to the kingdom.
Known as “Wat Pho”, the historic Bangkok landmark was the first stop on President Obama’s itinerary after his arrival on November 18, where he was personally escorted and guided by the Abbot, Phra Suthee Thammanuwat.
Widely televised in the U.S. and around the world, the President’s tour included four key locations – the principal hall; the pavilion housing the Reclining Buddha; the main stupa; and the Contorted Hermit Mount, where hermit statues in traditional exercise postures are on display.
It was particularly significant because Thailand was the first foreign country visited by President Obama following his historic re-election, and making the temple his first stop was considered a gesture of respect and friendship towards the Thai people.
Located right next to the Grand Palace, another popular tourist icon, Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest temples in Bangkok. The total area of 80,000 square metres houses more than 1,000 Buddha images, as well as one of the largest single Buddha images, the 46-metre-long Reclining Buddha.
It is considered the first public university of Thailand, teaching students in the fields of religion, science and literature through murals and sculptures.
The temple is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage since the 1955 establishment of a school for traditional medicine and massage inside the temple grounds. The school helps keep alive the long-standing wisdom of Thai traditional healthcare in terms of herbal recipes, diagnosis and treatment of general ailments, massage inscriptions and drawings, etc.
The temple tour was an initiative of the US Embassy in Bangkok, which felt that starting the tour with a cultural touch would be most appropriate. “The temple and Thailand would like to thank U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Kristie Kenney for helping to choose the temple, which has certainly helped bolster Thailand’s reputation,” Deputy Abbot Phra Udornkanarak was quoted as saying in one media report.
A variety of profile photographs is essential
OK. So, you have just arrived in the Land of Noodle Soups & Nose jobs and you want to make it big as a famous actor, model, stuntman or even comedian. Actor (also means actress, so ladies do not be put off!) and ‘model’ can mean anyone acting etc…. either on the big screen or in print ads. Chances are however, you will have more chance of winning the Thai lottery than becoming a huge success!
Now, most folk who have never worked in the lucrative world of ‘modelling’, automatically flinch at the word ‘model’ and imagine one to either have a hunky six-pack, or , if you are a lady of course, looks to have any man watering at the mouth. In reality, a model may be nothing of the sort; he/she maybe 65 years of age and weigh-in at 250 pounds. It all depends, quite simply, on what the client needs.
with… two of Thailand’s most wanted models
Having worked on-and-off in the business for donkey’s years, I have constantly seen all the same mistakes made by wanna-be stars. Now, would you go to a job interview as a DJ wearing a black dinner jacket and top hat? Doubt it. Often, of course, there are no actual job interviews for actors/models; you are usually chosen as a possibility for a job by your profile and photographs; the latter of super-importance.
First & foremost, put together the best pics of you possible; a big variety of photographs; pics that will be relevant to clients’ need. Just a few weeks ago I was responsible for finding “25-30yr farang lady to act as businesswomen in Thai soap opera”. Sure enough, my email inbox in the morning had lady applicants sending me photos of them in bikini, sexy stockings and very visible cleavage. The lady who I did finally choose, sent me polite pics of her in skirt and neat blouse from her English language classes. Remember, if for instance, the ad reads “foreigner, ‘gay’ looking” and you want to apply, then send them pics of you posing gayish (as one of my profile pics here). This message is so simple to understand but 90% of applicants are ignorant of it; they are wasting their own and client/productions’ time.
Even my wife, on the right not left!, can getting a TV acting job if she knows how to apply!
There is an extreme amount of competition these days (compared to the days of yesteryear) and this is especially applicable for ‘good-looking foreign ladies’. The competition is now flooded with ‘beauties’ from the former Soviet Union; be warned. The competition is far less for ‘old’ foreigners, South Asians and, blacks especially. Many of the TV commercials made in Thailand are foreign productions; ie.. Indian, Japanese and even European etc….
If you prefer to sign-up personally with modeling agencies than scouting the Internet for freelance work, then select professional/worthy agencies that have been in the business for years. Again, there is no need to look like Matt Damon or Victoria Beckham; agencies need all types of age, height and size etc…. a respectable agency will take all the photos for you, however, they will be the owner of those pics and not you! Under no circumstances, pay an agent a fee! Any agency who asks you to pay any kind of money is a scam! A proper agency will take their approx. 30% commission if they find you a job.
Ok… stayed tuned for Part Two and direct modeling/acting contacts!
The British Embassy has just released a travel advisory for this weekend for travelers in Bangkok. There will be a large anti-government demonstration on Saturday and it might continue until Sunday. Their intention is to bring down the government.
BRITISH EMBASSY: A large anti-government demonstration is expected to take place in the Royal Plaza at the intersection of Si Ayuthaya Road and Rajdumnoen Nok Avenue from 0900 on 24 November. The demonstration, which could attract up to 100,000 demonstrators, may run on until 25 November and is likely to cause serious disruption in the local area which includes Parliament, Government House and tourist attractions such as Dusit Palace, the Benchamabophit (Marble) Temple and Dusit Zoo. You should avoid this demonstration and any other protests.
The map below shows some of the tourist attractions near the rally site. These include Dusit Zoo and Vimanmek Teak Mansion. If you want to go to these attractions then you need to approach from the northern end. We are not expecting violence but you just never know whether “an invisible hand” will be there to stir up trouble. Anyway, I will be there and will tweet live updates on @RichardBarrow.
His Majesty the King will make a rare public appearance on his birthday on the balcony of the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall in the Royal Plaza. Last year, HM The King made an appearance before a small audience at the window of the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall at the Grand Palace. The event this year will be the first time since 9th June 2006 that His Majesty has appeared on the balcony of the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. Back then, a sea of Thais wearing yellow shirts, representing Monday the day that the king was born, flooded the Royal Plaza and all the way down Ratchadamnoen Nok as far as the eye could see. The government are hoping that this year will be just as big.
Big Bite is a series of outdoor markets featuring the best of the city’s small-scale food producers. Sample big bites of their food for free. If you love what you taste, purchase bigger portions of the items to eat or take home.
When: Sunday the 9th of December, 11am-2pm
Where: Maduzi Hotel Parking Lot
Cost: Free, Donation Suggested
Big Bite Bangkok donates what you donate to In Search of Sanuk, a volunteer project in Bangkok helping less fortunate kids and their families.
It has been a long time coming, but it looks like the extension to the Saen Saeb canal boat service will start on 5th December 2012. At the moment the boats run from Pratunam and Phan Fah Bridge all the way out to Wat Sri Bunruang. The BMA has recently announced that from 5th December 2012 to 5th June 2013 they will provide a free boat service between Wat Sri Bunruang and Min Buri district office. This extension will give an extra nine piers along 11km of waterway.
According to tweets by the BMA, there will be seven boats running on this new route during two daily periods: 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The nine piers are as follows:
Rongrian Phrommit Phitthaya Pier (ท่ารร.พร้อมมิตรฯ), Ramkhamhaeng 123 (ท่ารามฯ123), Surao Mosque Pier (ท่าสุเหร่าอัสสลาม), Ramkhamhaeng 167 Pier (ท่ารามฯ167), Pratunam Bang Chan Dan Tai Pier (ท่าประตูน้ำบางชันใต้), Pratunam Bang Chan Nuea Pier (ท่าประตูน้ำบางชันเหนือ) Wat Bamphen Nuea Pier (ท่าวัดบำเพ็ญเหนือ), Minburi Market Pier (ท่าตลาดมีนบุรี) and Minburi District Office Pier (ท่าสำนักงานเขตมีนบุรี).
The annual light and sound show during the River Kwai Bridge Week 2012 has been confirmed for 7-16 December. From Monday to Thursday there will be one show in the evening at 7 p.m. From Friday to Sunday there will be two shows at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. There are two prices for the tickets. Regular seats are 300 Baht (3,000 seats) and VIP seats are 500 Baht (180 seats). In the past, tickets have been sold at ThaiTicketMajor but no sign of them being sold yet. I will be going this year and so you can follow updates about the show on Twitter @RichardBarrow.
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) announced flight schedule adjustments and temporary suspension of flights to the North during the Loy Krathong Floating Lantern Festival. Dr. Sorajak Kasemsuwan, THAI President, said that during 27-29 November 2012, people in the northern provinces will participate in the tradition of releasing floating lanterns during the Loy Krathong Festival. As floating lanterns are released at night, THAI is adjusting its flight schedule and temporarily suspending certain flights on the Bangkok-Chiang Mai-Bangkok route and Bangkok-Chiang Rai-Bangkok route as a precautionary measure to avoid floating lanterns being suctioned into airplane engines.
Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Mai ranks as the top destination for Thais wanting to travel during the upcoming cool season. According to the survey, conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), some 39% said that they wanted to go to Chiang Mai, 11% said they chose Loei province, and 9% said they wanted to go to the resort island of Phuket. NIDA conducted the opinion poll among 1,245 Thais nationwide at all educational levels and careers.
Regarding travel companions, 73% said they wanted to go with family, 19% said with friends, and 8% said with lovers. For each journey, most of them said they planned to take three to four days for a holiday and to spend around Bt14,500 per person. Concerning types of accommodation, 30% said they would stay at resorts, 23% at hotels, and 20% at relatives’ or friends’ homes. 42% said they searched for tourism information from the internet, 41% from relatives and friends, and 23% from television.
A spectacular procession of royal barges will be on show in Bangkok on 9th November 2012, as part of the Royal Kathin Ceremony. Representing His Majesty the King, HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will preside over the ceremony at Wat Arun, or the Temple of Dawn, in Bangkok. He will travel to the temple in a royal barge procession along the Chao Phraya River. The procession consists of 52 traditional style barges arranged in five columns, based on battle formation from ancient times. This is made up of four major royal barges, eight barges with animal figureheads and 40 smaller vessels. The five-column flotilla stretches 1,200 meters in length and 90 across. A total of 2,311 sailors serve as oarsmen.
PHOTO GALLERY 01: Royal Barge Procession >>>
PHOTO GALLERY 02: Behind the Scenes in the Navy Dockyard >>>
The bow of the Royal Barge Suphannahong is made into a head of a Royal Swan or Hamsa, painted with gold lacquer and richly decorated with glass ornaments.
The Royal Barge Narai Song Suban H.M. King Rama IX has a figurehead of the god Narai with four arms bearing a trident, a scepter, a discus, and a conch shell on his celestial transport, a Garuda.
The bow of the Royal Barge Anantananakkharat is made into the seven heads of a Naga, gold-lacquered and richly decorated with glass ornaments.
The graceful prow of the Royal Barge Anekkachatphuchong is intricately carved and gilded in a delicate pattern of small Naga figures.
Ekachai Hern How Barge and Ekachai Lao Thong Barge are Reua Ku Chak to lead and tow the Royal Barge Suphannahong in case it demands extra driving power. Both barges are gold-lacquered with the tapering column figureheads of a cross between a crocodile and Naga known as Hera.
Krut Hern Het and Krut Tret Traichak are Garuda barges with a painted and gilded figurehead of a Garuda holding a Naga, one in each of his hands and feet. A red body is Krut Hern Het and a pink body is Krut Tret Traichak.
Pali Rang Thawip and Sukrip Khrong Mueang are Krabi Barges with crown figureheads of Monkey Warlords, carved and gilded with a green body of Pali and a red body of Sukrip, respectively.
Krabi Ran Ron Rap and Krabi Prao Mueang Man are Krabi Barges with uncrowned figureheads of Monkey Warriors, carved and gilded with a black body of Nilaphat and a white body of Hanuman, respectively.
Asura Vayuphak and Asura Paksi are Asura Barges with carved and gilded figureheads of Ogre-faced birds. Asura Vayuphak’s face, hands and feet are indigo in colour with a purple coat. Asura Paksi’s face, hand and feet are green in colour with a coat of a purple front and green back.
Seua Thayan Chon and Seua Kamron Sin are tiger barges of the Reua Phiket class. The hull is ungilded but painted in the colour and style of a tiger’s body and with a tiger’s head painted on the bow.
Map of where to watch the Royal Barge Procession >>>
Towards the end of the rainy season and the end of the Buddhist Lent, usually in October, local people come together to race boats on canals and rivers. The timing of these events are set by the phases of the moon. For Phra Pradaeng in Samut Prakan it is on the 4th day of the waning moon of the 11th lunar month. Which translates as being on 3-5 November this year. This will take place along the waterfront in Phra Pradaeng in front of the district hall. I’m told that the racing will take place from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. However, if it’s anything like the last two years, they won’t start until after 2:30 p.m. I will be there on Saturday for the first day and you can follow me on Twitter @RichardBarrow for updates to the schedule.
