Category — Thailand

The New York Times suggests how to spend 36 hours in Bangkok if you want leafy temple complexes, graceful neighborhoods and inviting restaurants. Basically, some peace and tranquility, in contrast to the mesmerising chaos that is Bangkok.

36 Hours in Bangkok

Technorati Tags: 36 hours in Bangkok, holidays, Bangkok, puppy, Thailand

After Ong Bak and Tom Yum Gong comes Tony Jaa’s third starring role and directorial debut. Check out the trailer below for Ong Bak 2…

It doesn’t seem to bear any continuity to the original Ong Bak, but at least we see more action, albeit this time with Tony Jaa experimenting with a few varied martial arts techniques. Watch the trailer for more..

Via Film Drunk

Sangworn, a mahout (elephant driver), stands with his 13 year old elephant, Bussaba, at his temporary camp September 26, 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand.

While the elephant is a symbol of Thailand, it is a fairly common site to see the unemployed and homeless animals roaming the city streets begging for food.

The tame elephants dodge the traffic as their mahouts sell sugar cane by the bag to tourists who then feed them. Thai officials frown upon the practice and have passed laws banning elephants from roadways but the mahouts still come risking fines in order to survive.

Elephants have been big business for the country for centuries but now they are reduced to a major tourist attraction. Elephants are trained to paint, play musical instruments, and even kick soccer balls. Until Thailand banned logging in 1989, many Asian elephants were laborers working in the jungles.

Via The Big Picture

Technorati Tags: elephants, mahout, Thailand

The Wat Pa Maha Chedio Kaew temple, which sits in Thailand’s Sisaket province, is made of more than a million recycled glass bottles!

Its nickname, “Wat Lan Kuad” or “Temple of Million Bottles“, features glass bottles throughout the premises of the temple, including the crematorium, surrounding shelters, and even the toilets. There’s an estimated 1.5 million recycled bottles built into the temple.

The bottle-collection-turned-building started in 1984, when the monks used them to decorate their shelters. The shiny building material attracted more people to donate more bottles, until eventually they had enough to build the temple standing today.

Read more on Inhabitat

Technorati Tags: architecture, recycled glass bottle building, Thailand, Wat Pa Maha Chedio Kaew temple

Following the Tony Jaa hits Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong, director Prachya Pinkaew returns with more relentless, intense Muay Thai action.

Replacing Jaa here is Jeeja Yanin, who plays an autistic female kickboxer raising money to help her ailing mother by beating it out of the gangsters she knew in her past.

Brilliantly choreographed fight scenes drive the film, while the eponymous confectionery fuels the film’s unique heroine.

Here’s a 7 minute clip from the end of the film, where the fighters battling it out on the ledges reminds me of a Mario Bros game:

If you’re in London between now and the 6th November 2008, you can check out the film at the ICA.

Technorati Tags: film, martial arts, Muay Thai, Prachya Pinkaew, Jeeja Yanin, Thai boxing, Thailand

Here seems to be a demo reel for an upcoming movie called Bangkok Adrenaline. I don’t know too much about the film, but it seems to star a promising new martial arts guy called Daniel Oneill.

As you can see, the action shows lots of flashy aerial tricks and variations. Hopefully, the film will turn out well!

Thanks William!

Technorati Tags: Bangkok Adrenaline, Daniell Oneill, film, martial arts

Southernoise Gluttony tries out delicious looking bbq chicken butt in Bangkok. Street food such as this is adundant there.

BBQ @ Bangkok

Via Tastespotting

Technorati Tags: barbecue, chicken butt, cuisine, Thailand

I saw these “bread artworks” if you can call it that a year ago or so. They’re made by Thai artist Kittiwat Unarrom who uses dough as his medium to sculpt gruesome renditions of hand, feet, heads, torsos and other body parts.

From looking at the photos, the results look really realistic with eyes, lips and other details constructed out of cashews, raisins and the like. A lack of hair and blood-like glazes make the work all the more creepy.  I’m not sure I could stomach actually eating one of these.

Sold at his family’s bakery in Ratchaburi, Thailand, he displays the parts wrapped like food in plastic and hung from meat hooks. Apparently, the art is in fact edible and tastes like regular bread.

Watch the video below to see Unarrom at work and some visitors’ reactions.

From Coolhunting

Technorati Tags: body part bread, cuisine, Kittiwat Unarrom, Thailand

Buddhist monks process around Bangkok’s Hua Lam Pong temple on Asalha Puja, which commemorates the day when Buddha delivered his first sermon to his five disciples.

Via BBC

Technorati Tags: Bangkok, Buddhist monks, Hua Lam Pong temple, Asalha Puja

A supporter of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) tries to break through riot-police lines while marching toward the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 20, 2008.

Via Activate.us

Technorati Tags: Bangkok, People’s Alliance for Democracy, riot-police, Thailand