Analyst

so, back in BKK again this weekend. 

Looking for a chill time this time round.

 

Where's good for coffee?

Local Thai cuisine?

Chill rooftop bars?

Little quirky boutiques of local designers?

Good shops for some outerwear? Acronym, Stone Island, Arcteryx etc..

Coffee go to Casa Lapin in Ari or on Soi 26 Sukhumvit. Also Rocket Coffeebar on Sathorn Soi 12. 

Rooftops. Vertigo at Banyan Tree, Sirocco. These places can get a bit crowded. I also like Scarlett at Pullman G on Silom. 

Speakeasys/jazz bars are the thing right now with Maggie Choo's, Iron Fairies, etc. 

Not much outerwear like Acteryx. The best you'll do it North Face at any mall. There is no market for this stuff given the weather. 

For boutiques, go to Siam Square and explore the alleys. Used to live in BKK for 9+ years but this stuff may be out of date. Things change there quickly. 

anyone have suggestions for a nice hotel to stay at?

we are 3 dudes, travelling to bkk for the weekend end of this month.

 

which locations should we ideally look at for nightlife?

For you guys coming into town, stay anywhere on Sukhumvit Rd. around the Nana or Asoke area. Depending on your budget, you can find something to suit your taste. Westin, Grand Sukhumit Sheraton are around the Asok intersection. 

Soi 11 Sukhumvit has aLoft which is a Starwood property. Plenty of clubs and bars on that street. Levels goes til morning. Crowd here are tourists, Thai Indians, expats, Euros, etc. 

Locals mostly party in Thong Lo on Soi 10 at Muse, Funky Villa, etc. Not bad but easier if you have locals taking you in. 

If you want to go sleazier then go to Climax at the bottom of the Ambassador Hotel also on Soi 11. Also goes til 5am. That's the after hours joint where all the working girls go to after they clock out around midnight or 2am, depending on where they work. 

Spending new year eve in BKK staying Riverside. Any advice on where to see the new year in?

Depends on the type of night are you looking for and the people that you want to be around: locals, expats, hookers, etc. You can pretty much find any type of experience that you want. Figure that out and come back here....

Cactus on Soi Cowboy or Baccara on Soi Cowboy. Excellent english language speaking skills and the most class in town. 

Can you recommend some specific tailor shops by name? I was under the impression Rajawongse was good, but it sounds you are against it. If not them, then who?

Read it again. I mentioned 2-3 names.

I've spent some time trying various tailors here in Bangkok. For the most part, I would say that you get what you pay for. For suits and shirts turned around in 24-48 hrs, you have plenty of Indian suit shops on Sukhumvit Rd., primarily concentrated between Asoke and Nana (Rajawongse, Rajas, Gulati, etc.). And for these you will pay around 200-400 USD for a fused jacket cut from a template with oversized shoulder pads and pants cut from (sometimes) polyester and wool blends. While the bolts say "made in Italy" on the selvedge, my understanding is that the "wool" is actually from China and even Thailand and is woven in Italy, so that it can feature "made in Italy" tag.

Most of the shops are sales fronts as no actual stitching happens there. And most of them tout an impressive clientele of US Secret Service agents, DEA agents, embassy attaches and the odd president. Given these archetypes don't represent what I would probably consider a decent suit, I would be prepared to insist on specific details that you want even if they insist that they know "suits" and "fashion". They can sometimes be pushy so if you know what you want make sure you stay firm.

Recently, I've been more partial to the Thai-Chinese tailors in Bangkok (Narin, Tanika, July), who run smaller and quieter operations. Price points are usually much higher, depending on the fabric selected, but the workmanship is far superior to what I've experienced with the Indian suit shops. Both Narin and Tanika stock Italian and English fabrics like Loro Piano, Zegna, Holland & Sherry, etc. A suit cut from these bolts will cost between 1200-1900 USD and will take about 3-4 weeks for 4 fittings, including the initial measuring. This price would include full canvassing for the jacket, which should be stated from the beginning. The rest of the suit can be built entirely to your preferences (minimal shoulders, hand picked stitching, high armholes, ticket pocket, surgeon cuffs, etc.) with excellent materials (horn buttons).

After examining the Zegna or Hugo Boss (Reda) suits at Central Chitlom in Bangkok selling for 40,000 to 50,000 THB and comparing them to the quality of the suits cut at Narin or Tanika, I don't think I would ever buy a suit off-the-rack ever again. The lack of detailing from an off-the-rack suit, at that price point, is appalling and looks as machine-made as ever. No picked stitching on the lapels and they all sport faux surgeon cuffs. I suspect some are even fused or partially fused (glued). Not ok, especially at that price point.

I've had good experiences going to Buddy & Family in MBK. Basically you go inside all the way to the back and go up the narrow stairs. On the second floor, they have a Union Special for chain stitching, which costs 100 THB.

I took my Momotaro 0905SPs, purchased in Tokyo, in to have them tapered. They took in each leg from the inseam side and even used similarly pink thread. The job cost 200 THB and they finished in two days.

Take 5 and Tanner Lee & Na use this place for all their chainstitching.

can anyone recommend some hotels in bangkok?

or at least a good area of bangkok to be staying in - conveniently located, etc?

I would stay somewhere close to the skytrain. You might want to check out hotels in the Asok area, which directly on Sukhumvit. This puts you near a lot of street food and night life. In the area is the Westin, Sheraton, and Millennium Hilton.

If you want a place more boutique-ish there's the Dream Hotel and Eugenia Hotel, both also on Sukhumvit.

Another area that is still directly in the city center but a little quieter is Sathorn, which is also the financial district. There's the Sukhothai, which is my favorite hotel in the city, and Banyan Tree, which is one the tallest buildings in the city. Vertigo and Moon Bar in the Banyan Tree are excellent places for drinks at night.

MTM?........

Hey poly. Good to see you again. When are you back in SEA?

Just got back from Hanoi and HCMC. These cities have changed so much in the last few years.

Hanoi was extremely charming but a little sleepy for my tastes. HCMC was a lot of fun. I didn't venture outside of District 1, though.

yo, sorry to resurrect this from the dead, but i just moved to bangkok and have a few questions.

first, where would be a good place to go for reasonable quality cheap khakis/chinos (preferably slim fitting)?

second, where's good for nightlife now? i'm living near the suttisan mrta stop right now while i do my tefl so anything close to there would be especially awesome but i don't mind travelling. just don't want to end up locked into going to khao san all the time which is what a lot of westerners seem to end up doing.

and if anyone here wants to meet up i'd be down. i'm planning to be here for at least 6 months and more likely a year. hit me up.

Get your khakis at the Gap, just recently opened at Paragon and Emporium! Fresh chinos! hehe

Plenty of fun to be had around Suttisan. You're very close to Ratchada/Huay Kwang, so check out any of the clubs around Soi 6, Soi 4 and Soi 8. The crowd is a little rough and very local. On the plus side, you won't have to deal with any pretentious attitudes in these places. Just don't get into a fight with anyone

There's actually an awesome undercover restaurant/pick up joint directly on Suttisan Rd. Opens at 11pm and goes til 5am. Looks and feels like a restaurant but lots more going on in this place. I think they throw in a free room before midnight.

Good luck out there and go get'em!

On around the anniversary of last year's protests, this year the situation has gotten much worse with no chance of compromise in sight between the government and protesters. Last night, the crackdown started around the Khao San backpackers street after a single shot was fired from either the gov or protester's side. So far, it seems that after last night there are 18 dead including a Japanese cameraman from Reuters and 807 injured.

Perhaps it's unsurprising that all this is taking place right before Thailand's biggest holiday, Songkran, which starts on Monday. The protesters are largely from the poor Isaan area in the northeast and are being used as cannon fodder by a small cadre looking to pressure the PM to dissolve parliament for new elections. For the most part, the government is supported by those in Bangkok, the educated professionals and the urbanites.

This year, Bangkok's main shopping district has been closed for over a week as protesters have been camped around the Rajapasong and close to the Siam Square areas, much to the dismay of most Bangkok citizens. So Siam Paragon, Central World, Erawan, Gaysorn, Central Chitlom, Siam Discovery, Take 5 and Siam Center have been closed (MBK open).

This link to photos taken by the AP are some of the most riveting that I've seen so far:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/unrest_in_thailand.html

This youtube vid also captures the chaos last night when the first shot rang out in the Khao San/Victory Monument Area:

I'm leaving for HK for a week on Monday to wait out all the chaos in BKK. I'm just praying that the airport stays open til then. A week ago, the security leading to the airport seemed pretty airtight when I picked up my wife, who was coming back from the states: three army checkpoints. But then again, the reds are getting more desperate and have overran several police positions in the last few days. I'm hoping this all ends soon.

You should try the new Take 5 store in Siam Square. Looks like they have Momotaro, Samurai, Eternal, etc.

Here's a link to a few pics of the new store from Benny of Take 5 HK's blog.

http://www.wretch.cc/blog/BennySeki/14841022

Vasque Sundowner GTX. Forget the chinese version, but if you can find some of the original Italian made pairs then I would highly recommend them. You can still find them randomly at various outfitters.

two things - i've had trouble breaking them in, and i've never done a trip with them, so i don't want to be stranded with them just in case. also, they're the japanese mountain light, and i don't want to completely fuck them up, because i wear them when not hiking too.

Checking in from Bangkok.

Don't know any other denimheads in the city, even though I'm sure there are many lurking about and mostly rocking Evisu or old Levis. The only other guy was Largo, but he moved back to NYC.

The weather in BKK is great right now to wear 15oz denim, compared to other times of the year. Unfortunately, I'm in the office during the week and don't get a chance to wear denim to the office. Here's to all the other weekend warriors on here

Ben, I heard that the speaker is not as good as the 9000. Can you confirm that? Apparently they reduced three speakers down to one for the 9700. thx

Just got the bold 9700 from at&t. i like the phone a lot, the screen's a bit small, not a big deal though. build quality is ok, could be a lot better. camera is good. trackpad is nothing amazing honestly, i miss the trackball, but i'm sure the trackpad is better in the long run. keyboard's a bit stiff and small, i'll get used to it though. call quality good. overall good phone. still have to call at&t to activate visual voicemail.

anybody know a good way of cleaning the track ball? mines fucked up atm:(

I've had to replace my trackball two times already. it's going to get gummed up no matter what. just a matter of time.

Anyone try the trackpad on the 9700 yet?

I recently took a business trip/holiday back to Tokyo and went to the Flathead store in Jiyugaoka, a quaint neighborhood with small boutiques and old-fashioned patisseries.

The store is on the second floor of a small building located behind a very large Gap and fairly close to the rail station.

I couldn't take any pictures inside. I was looking for Stockburg wallets, which must be special ordered and usually take around 4-5 months for delivery. They did have a few samples in the store, both new and finely aged. The cordovan wallets are a bit pricey but the sample which had been used for six years looked amazing.

Afterwards, on the way back to the rail station, we stopped by a famous French pastry shop called Dalloyau for a late afternoon dessert. Apparently Dalloyau has been around since the 16th century and opened their first shop in Tokyo in the early 1980s.

Pistachio macaron with all the fixins'.

My wife got the strawberry tart.

I ended up not buying anything at the Flathead store in Jiyugaoka. The wait time for ordering the Stockburg wallet from Nagano just seemed a bit discouraging. Or perhaps deserved only for the truly committed. But, I think I'm going to have to head to Nagano at some point to go to their actual store and workshop.

But the rest of the trip outside of work was filled with trips to various burger joints (delicious) and other denim spots. I picked up some Momotaro denim in Ueno, which were much harder to find than I had originally thought. Bears in Shimokitazawa, Americaya and OT Emotional in Harajuku didn't have them. At the end, I found them at Hinoya on the corner. Cheers

I was going to say that MBK should have them, but I'm not sure where exactly. You might want to check with Largo or Poly. I believe both of them know exactly where to look.

You may also ask the couple at Tanner Lee and Na, who sell imported Japanese repro denim on the first floor of MBK.

If you're still here tomorrow, you definitely find them at the Chatuchak Market at Mo Chit BTS stop. You would want to go here during the weekends. Sunday morning is a good time to go.

Will be in BKK for a few days in a couple of weeks. First time visit. Anyone know of any decent (vinyl) records stores there?

I'm into a broad range of stuff, but i guess funk, soul, hip-hop, disco, early house. More interested in s/h, but will take what i can get. Cheers

Bangkok doesn't have a lot of record stores that sell vinyl. Jazzbah Records in Siam Square Soi 4 is probably the most established one. Overall vinyl selection is pretty limited. And the costs just a lot of aspiring DJs away from vinyl. In clubs most locals who spin at Club Culture (Victory Monument) or Breaks (small D&B/breakbeat club in Silom Soi 2/1) bring their own CD-Rs.

That said, I've seen small kiosks in the Suan Lum Night Bazaar where some guy has a few crates of vinyl with surprisingly a decent selection of jazz records. You'll also find the random guy and vinyl crates at the Chatujak Market on the weekends. Lots of indie records. I wouldn't be surprised if you find some vinyl in MBK (BTS: National Stadium).

Marmite. Pretty brutal stuff. My advisor was eating it like peanut butter on crackers. I wasn't prepared for the distinct taste of yeast extract.

It's been a few years since I've been back to Paris, but the Rex is a fun place if you're into tech house, minimal techno, deep house, etc. They bring in a lot of DJs from UK and US e.g., Terry Francis, Jeff Mills, Josh Wink, etc.

B-Uhr, several companies make them. Stowa, Sinn, Laco, IWC...

Looking at the crown and strap, it looks like a copy of the IWC Big Pilot, with a chronograph thrown in.

^I can pop by, but will be flying to bangkok this thursday-sunday.

No H1N1, srly.

Oh btw, was thinking of getting my hair done by the toni&guy @ MBK in Bangkok. Anyone care to comment?

Toni and Guy in Siam Discovery next to Siam Center is much much better. Ask for Tammy.

Moga is also pretty good. Not as pricey as T&G.

I've been kicking myself for not coming to Bali sooner, despite being in Southeast Asia for the past few years.

I'm staying at a private villa in Seminyak, an area littered with excellent restaurants, hotels, bars, etc. directly north of Kuta. So far, I haven't ventured into the backpacker's haven quite yet as hanging out with crunchy backpackers doesn't seem very enticing.

Last night, we went to Ku De Ta, one of the most notable night spots in Seminyak, which has spawned its own CD series and clothing line ala Hotel Costes. Nevertheless, the food there is well prepared, the service is top notch and the talent is plentiful. Perfect place to have a Cohiba and watch the sunset.

Tonight, we ventured to Jimbaran, about 35 mins by taxi from Seminyak, and had dinner at Menega Cafe, home to what is supposed to be the best grilled seafood on the island. While I would recommend the food there (white snapper, king prawn, lobster), I felt the service was poor given that the Cafe draws a huge crowd every night and is a extremely understaffed. Definitely get a table far as possible from the kitchen as smoke from their grill seems to bellow endlessly until about 9pm, when the crowd finally slows. And reservations are a must.

The Four Seasons is also an easy walk from Menega Cafe's beach front. Nice place to get away from the seafood crowd and watch the sunset before dinner.

Tomorrow, we're going to go diving, hopefully finding the elusive mola mola i.e., sunfish, and check out Ubud, near the center of the island.

I'm going to Bali next week and was wondering if anyone could share their experiences there i.e., nightlife, restaurants, spots, etc.

This is going to be a PG-13 trip, and I'm staying at a villa in Seminyak.

Thanks in advance.