Nichada Thani: a Stepford in the tropics

While in the Northern suburbs I wanted to make a quick stop at Nichada Thani, Bangkok’s very own “Discovery Bay”. I had only just learned of its existence. Like its Hong Kong eqivalent, DB, NT is a planned community cut off – by design – from the city around it. It is gorgeously landscaped, a wealthy expat suburban community of jogging paths around an artificial lake, luxurious villas, an international school, domestic helpers doing the grocery shopping in golf buggies and a Starbucks overlooking a swimming pool where a smattering of Russian women, African and Indian teenagers – all exuding the easy and unmistakeable aura of privelege – sipped frappacinos, tapped on macbooks and chatted in English. The development is undeniably very pleasant, but also slightly disturbing. It is just so jarringly fake and ruthless in its denial of the realities lurking just outside its borders. And obviously, I am not the only one who thinks so, judging from the compellingly revamped version of the promotional video below:

Day 5 12.00am Ari

I dropped the chic (and expensive) vintage store Museum of Everything Jinglebell, with its girly and flamboyant fashions, before meeting a friend for a lunch of street food on Soi Ari: a bowl of noodles, followed by coconut cakes made from two kinds of batter (one salty and one sweet) with corn and chives, and sweet tamarind.

Day 2 3pm Siam Square

 
Facing off over Siam Square Soi 11: the Little Zoo cafe, home to raccoons, meerkats and fennec foxes, and the excellently-named girly boutique, Daddy and the Muscle Academy.

 

Day 2 Sala Daeng skytrain station 8pm

Life on the streets

Exams

Wish me luck.

Sex on the brain

Above, a rather poorly worded business sign in Hong Kong’s Kennedy Town. Below, a range of vibrators (surprisingly) on sale at my local pharmacist. I was particularly taken by the names: the Millionaire, the French Man, the Tennis Coach and the Fireman.

And what to make of this menu item..?

MK Street

  

2 x 2 x 2

 

  

Current reading…

Mangatastic.

Lost in translation

The Japanese character for pork 豚 translates as “dolphin” in Chinese!

Tokyo boys by Ryan Chan

  

Taiwan’s new year for marriage equality

Taiwan’s Equal Love campaign has launched this ad for the Chinese New Year, featuring two members of a male couple (in matching sweaters) celebrating the occasion separately with their families and fielding the classic CNY question – double edged in this context – “When will you get married?”

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