Bangkok's Lebua Hotel has another controversy cooking

Bangkok's Lebua Hotel -- already before in the media with bad press -- has another think cooking: literally.
Somewhere in the firmament of Michelin-starred chefs there must be one willing to accept $8,000 for a single night's work. The only catch is that this particular dinner at a Bangkok luxury hotel has stirred up a mighty controversy, and two dozen chefs around the world have declined to cook it.

I personally find this quite disgusting in its hypocrisy:

Bangkok’s Lebua hotel, which is organizing the dinner, is no stranger to publicity - or to Michelin-starred chefs. Last year, it put on a decadent feast billed as the meal of a lifetime for $25,000 a head. Six three-star Michelin chefs were flown in from Europe to cook the 10-course meal, each plate paired with a rare vintage wine.

On April 5, the Lebua is offering another 10-course spread, this time for free. The hotel has invited 50 of its biggest-spending customers to the dinner prepared - it hopes - by three top-ranked Michelin-starred chefs.

There is one twist. Before dinner, guests will be jetted to a poor village in northern Thailand to spend the afternoon soaking up the sights of poverty. The dinner and full-day excursion will cost the hotel $300,000.

Links of Interest:

• Article from International Herald Tribune
  
• Lebua State Tower in Bangkok
• Bangkok's Lebua Hotel: Another Day, Another Controversy
  

Bangkok Dangerous Movie remake with Nicholas Cage

Bangkok Dangerous, starring Nicolas Cage to be released this fall, is a remake of the original Pang Brothers film from 2000. Generally, American remakes of great Asian films don't turn out very well, but with the original directors onboard, and Nicholas doing his nutcase act, this might be a winner.

Here's a short YouTube clip with all the necessary ingredients: strippers on Soi Cowboy, a transvestite review, fast motorcycles, Thai boxing, big guns,and a targeted politician who looks like a slightly older and plumper Abhisit.

YouTube Clip of the upcoming Bangkok Dangerous

Songkran 2008 Video from Soi Cowboy

Another effort at videotaping Songkran at Soi Cowboy in Bangkok on Sunday the 13th. The main focus of the video is two girls who are dancing and hugging for the camera, but in the background you can see a water fight developing that is probably more entertaining.

Click here to watch the video.

Links of Interest:

• original post from Bargirlsrpeople2: Songkran Video: Sunday 13 April 2008

Songkran 2008 image galleries and photos

Songkran (Thai new Year) 2008 was -- like in the previous years -- unbelievable fun. I was right in the midst of the action on Soi Bangla, and got drenched in water for the two days straight this event is held in Phuket.

There is a more traditional way of participating in Songkran, and for all the moaners out there: it was your free choice. My girlfriend chose the more peaceful option and went home to her parents.

To get your own idea how Songkran 2008 went: the first photo galleries and images of Songkran 2008 are out on the Internet (I did not dare to bring my camera with me).

Links of Interest:

• Songkran 2008 mayhem on Soi Cowboy
  

DJ Tiesto in Bangkok mid-April 2008

Bangkok is not rare in international-rating nightlife events, but that Tiesto is coming to play is really great news. I will not be able to make it, but if you like this kind of music, mark April 17th and 18th in your calendar!

Tiesto is coming to town. If you like DJs - Tiesto is one of the best. On the 17th he is playing at The River and on the 18th he is playing at Club 808.

Chakri Memorial Day

Today, 7 April, is being celebrated as Chakri Memorial Day in Thailand, a public holiday which marks the founding of the present Chakri Dynasty by Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great, also known as Phutthayotfa and posthumously named Rama I.
The name Chakri (จักรี) comes from the title Chao Pharaya Chakri, given to Rama I while he was a general in Taksin’s army. This title was held by the greatest warlords of the Ayuthaya Kingdom and was meant to reflect the prowess of the holder on the battlefield.

Rama I ascended to the throne on 6 April 1782 and ruled the Kingdom of Siam for twenty-eight years. During his reign, Phutthayotfa consolidated the Kingdom in such a way that here was no further fear of invasion from enemies. King Rama I has been praised as an accomplished statesman, a lawmaker, a poet and a devout Buddhist. Thus, his reign has been called a “reconstruction” of the Thai state and Thai culture.

As an experienced military campaigner, he knew that the city of Thonburi was vulnerable to possible Burmese attack from the west. So he ordered the establishment of a new capital on the opposite side of the Chao Phraya River thus creating Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (กรุงเทพมหานคร; “Bangkok” is simply the city’s nickname). In building the new capital on Rattanakosin Island (whose eastern bank has long since joined the mainland through land reclamation), Rama I constructed the Grand Palace that now houses the Emerald Buddha.

On Chakri Day the national flag is proudly displayed throughout the Kingdom. The Prime Minister, other government ministers and high-ranking officers, students, public and private organizations, as well as people from all walks of life take part in wreath-laying ceremonies. They make merit for the great kings of the Chakri Dynasty who dedicated their lives for the betterment of their subjects.

HRH Bhumibol Adulyadej is the ninth King of the Chakri Dynasty. A Royal ceremony is performed by the King to pay respects to King Rama I the Great, the founder of the Chakri Dynasty. On this day, accompanied by members of the Royal Family, His Majesty presides over a religious ceremony performed to give merit to the deceased rulers at the Grand Palace’s Royal Chapel, then pays respects to predecessors at Prasat Phra Thep Bidorn (the Royal Pantheon) and lays a wreath at the statue of King Rama I at Memorial Bridge.

Links of Interest:

• Grand Palace Image Gallery

Bangkok's Lebua Hotel: Another Day, Another Controversy

Lebua Hotel seems to thrive on controversy. The hotel is now involved in a lawsuit with the general manager of The Oriental over a message Kurt sent to his managers to escort Lebua spys out of his hallowed property. Not everybody is pleased with the Lebua for their background, nasty temperament toward their more venerable neighbors, and their insatiable appetite for publicity, no matter good or bad. And most of it is bad.

The International Herald Tribune had this to say about their upcoming feast.

"Bangkok's Lebua hotel, which is organizing the dinner, is no stranger to publicity - or to Michelin-starred chefs. Last year, it put on a decadent feast billed as the meal of a lifetime for $25,000 a head. Six three-star Michelin chefs were flown in from Europe to cook the 10-course meal, each plate paired with a rare vintage wine.
On April 5, the Lebua is offering another 10-course spread, this time for free. The hotel has invited 50 of its biggest-spending customers to the dinner prepared - it hopes - by three top-ranked Michelin-starred chefs.
There is one twist. Before dinner, guests will be jetted to a poor village in northern Thailand to spend the afternoon soaking up the sights of poverty. The dinner and full-day excursion will cost the hotel $300,000."

The Electric Newspaper goes over some of the lawsuit filed by Lebua Hotel against the general manager of The Oriental.

"It's a battle of the stars. Bangkok's five-star hotels, that is. With back-stabbing, snubbing and animosity worthy of a TV soap opera, Bangkok's famed Oriental hotel is now embroiled in a defamation suit filed by a competitor.
The lawsuit, filed on 17 Jan, highlighted the nastiness behind the scenes at some of the world's top luxury establishments. News of the spat was made public yesterday after The Oriental's general manager appeared at the Bangkok Criminal Court for a preliminary hearing.
Mr Kurt Wachtveitl, the general manager, is accused of defaming Bangkok's lebua hotel in an internal memo warning that the competitor was on the prowl for qualified hotel staff. The lawsuit is a first for Thailand's hotel industry and stands to harm the reputation of hotels across the country, the Thai Hotels Association said.
According to The Nation, Thai Hotels Association president Chanin Thonawanik was quoted as saying: 'What will the world think of Thailand when the world's best hotel is involved in a lawsuit? 'This is (a) first in Thai hotel history and will certainly damage our reputation.'
In the memo dated 30 Nov 2006, Mr Wachtveitl accused the lebua of poaching 26 employees from The Peninsula Hotel, another five-star competitor, and expressed concern that The Oriental could be targeted next. 'Effective immediately, no management members from lebua ... are allowed at The Oriental,' the memo signed by Mr Wachtveitl and sent by e-mail to department heads said, according to the court complaint. The memo added: 'Should you come across any of their management members in the hotel, please make sure they are escorted out of our premises immediately.'
The Nation reported that the lebua has filed two complaints, including a criminal case accusing The Oriental of forwarding the memo to general managers at nine other Bangkok hotels."

The International Herald Tribune also reported on the messy lawsuit by upstart Lebua against Thailand's most historic hotel.

"Bangkok's famed Oriental hotel is embroiled in a defamation suit filed by a competitor, highlighting the back-stabbing and animosity that thrives behind the scenes at some of the world's top luxury establishments.
The lawsuit was filed Jan. 17 but only made public Tuesday, a day after The Oriental's general manager appeared at the Bangkok Criminal Court for a preliminary hearing. Kurt Wachtveitl, the general manager, is accused of defaming Bangkok's lebua hotel in an internal memo warning that the competitor was on the prowl for qualified hotel staff.
The lawsuit is a first for Thailand's hotel industry and stands to harm the reputation of hotels across the country, the Thai Hotels Association said. The Oriental consistently ranks among the best in the world in surveys. In the memo dated Nov. 30, 2006, Wachtveitl said the lebua poached 26 employees from The Peninsula Hotel, another 5-star competitor, in two months and expressed concern that The Oriental could be targeted next."

But Chris Baker, guest columnist at New Mandala really gets down to the details of what's going on, but leaves much unanswered. So who is this Rasi Bualert?

"The principal owner of lebua is the family of Rasi Bualert. She always gets tagged as “arms dealer” which seems a bit unfair. Too narrow. Their real estate empire went spectacularly bankrupt after 1997, but they kept going by refusing to repay their creditors. Last June, the Supreme Court ruled that they had to repay 10 billion baht to Bangkok Bank, but I don’t know whether they complied. Their biggest debt was to Krung Thai. The Bualert acquired the building now housing lebua from the developer and architect Rangsan Torsuwan after he was charged with masterminding the attempted murder of the chief judge of the Supreme Court."

The Nation has some background on Rasi Bualert financial problems a few years ago.

"Bangkok Bank has filed a bankruptcy suit against high-flying businesswoman Rasri Bualert and her associates for failing to honour debts totalling almost Bt10 billion. Nine other defendants named in the lawsuit are D Five Co, Charoen West Enterprise, Royal Charoen Krung, Kongchai Bualert, Anand Chanthrakul, Sa-nguansri Dejpornthewan, Parichart Puchatham, General Sawat Phatchuenjai and General Prathuang Wongchan.
The Bankruptcy Court has agreed to hear the case and scheduled June 22 for the first hearing. In its court filing, Bangkok Bank charged that D Five and Charoen West Enterprise had borrowed money from its branches, with the other defendants acting as guarantors. The total debt, principal plus interest, owed to the bank is Bt9.72 billion. The bank said it had asked the defendants to settle the debt but had not received any payment. It believes the defendants now have more debts than assets, making them liable to bankruptcy proceedings."

The New York Times also mentions Rasri Bualert and her financial shenanigans, along with other Thai millionaires who refuse to repay their debts and somehow stay in business to the present day.

"Workers are, for example, putting the finishing touches on the 63-story Royal Charoen Krung Tower. Promoted as Southeast Asia's largest building, the tower, a 3.6-million- square-foot monolith with residential time-share and commercial space, looms over the pharmacies and jewelry shops around it.
First scheduled to open in 1996, the Royal Charoen Krung fell behind schedule in part because Rangsan Torsuwan, the flamboyant architect who designed and owned it, was forced to sell it.
The buyer was Rasri Bualert, a real estate tycoon and Thailand's only female arms dealer. Ms. Rasri helped pay for the project with a loan from the government-run Krung Thai Bank, a loan that is now among the nonperforming loans that account for at least 60 percent of the bank's overall portfolio. Last year, auditors from PricewaterhouseCoopers, reporting that the bank had weak lending standards, singled out the loan as a glaring example.
Ms. Rasri declined to be interviewed for this article. Krung Thai officials did not return phone calls."

Links of Interest:

• original article by Frisko Dude
• Bangkok hotels comparison guide
• Lebua State Tower in Bangkok
• Oriental Bangkok special hotel rates deals
• review of The Oriental Hotel in Bangkok
  

Bar smoking ban in Thailand

Dave The Rave muses in his always interesting Bangkok nightlife blog about the reactions to the smoking ban that has come into law recently (and I am not talking about the "I smoke you!" you might hear form the local Thai bar girls).
As always, implementation is sketchy and some a re a lot more 'equal before the law' than others. The smoking ban seems to be a very important issue to some Farang, while other people feel there are bigger problems to deal with.

Soi Cowboy
Down in Soi Cowboy, the smoking ban has been enforced in every bar. Smokers can be seen having a cigarette outside the bars in Soi Cowboy. Some smokers are openly displaying their disdain for the new law. Meanwhile, non-smokers are arguing that it is high time that smoking is banned in all bars right across Thailand. Non-smokers are clearly saying butt out! On the other hand, there are smokers who feel hard done by after all these years.

Nana Plaza
In Nana Plaza, the authorities have not enforced the smoking ban. Non-smokers should be aware of this fact. However, in Angelwitch Go-Go Bar they have banned the Thai staff from smoking inside the bar. This is something of a compromise to the situation. Customers are allowed to smoke in all of the four Rainbow Bars. Therefore, rival go-go bars do not want to lose customers to them. The smoking ban has to be a rule for all if it is going to work.

Regarding the smoking ban issue, I think that non-smokers have a very good argument here. If there is supposed to be a smoking ban, then it should be enforced nationwide. However, we are talking about "Amazing Thailand" where things are definitely not always black and white.I know a few anti-smoking Westerners who feel VERY strongly about this issue. They are bordering on being anti-smoking activists! Hey guys, this is not Farangland! While I do see their argument, some farangs can be intolerable complainers. You can see some of these intense arguments on the chat forums. Do these people not have anything better to do with their time?

Links of Interest:

• Dave the Rave
  

The Oriental in Bangkok

For almost 130 years royalty, dignitaries and distinguished travellers have all followed the legendary Chao Phrya River through the heart of Bangkok to the doors of one of the world’s most luxurious hotels – The Oriental, Bangkok.
The rooms and suites are sumptuous. The restaurants and bars are in a class of their own. The spa is one of the most beautiful in the world. All are rich in history, filled with the stories of the celebrated guests who have made this hotel an essential stop on their world travels for over a century.

“If only all hotels could be like this.” Conde Nast Traveler USA.

The Oriental, Bangkok is renowned for its sheer extravagance of its rooms and suites - and one of the world's most beautiful spas.Whatever the purpose of your stay in Thailand, you'll find we have everything you could wish for to amuse and delight you. Whether you choose one of the newly renovated rooms or suites, you're staying in a little piece of history.And to set just the right tone, when it's time for bed you'll find a quotation from a famous author about the wonders of sleep, waiting for you on your pillow.

Links of Interest:

• Bangkok hotels overview
• The Oriental Bangkok
  

It is high season in Pattaya and Bangkok

Right across the realm it is high season in Thailand, according to Dave the Rave and Stickman Bangkok that is.
The tourists have poured into the hot spots, especially Bangkok and Pattaya. For the tourist industry it is always a good thing to have foreigners from all walks of life pouring into Thailand. Despite some testing times Thailand still remains a top destination for millions of travellers.

Pattaya

Down in Pleasure Playground, Walking Street has turned into Crawling Street. It is literally teeming with people and pedestrian traffic is at its highest level. Several long-term expats have told me that they have never seen Pattaya so crammed with foreigners. Pattaya is on a high season high!

Pattaya Walking Street

Bangkok

Bangkok is also teeming with tourists, but they consist of a lot of married couples, families and a surprising number of elderly folks. Therefore, the married couples and families are out and about doing the regular rounds, which will include some tourist traps no doubt. I think some old hands here tend to forgot that Bangkok is a BIG draw to those who wish to enjoy classy hotels and restaurants. Also, the sightseeing and shopping opportunities are endless. This leads us to realise that only a minority of this type of tourist are going to be seen partying in the notorious neighbourhoods of Patpong, Soi Cowboy, or Soi Nana.Nana Plaza Bars in Bangkok

Soi Cowboy in Bangkok

Sometimes there appears to be mixed reports with one person saying that there are a lot of tourists and another saying that they think it is quiet. Remember that Bangkok is a HUGE sprawling metropolis and tourists can be in any number of places. One thing you will notice is that the kinds of visitors to Thailand varies much more than it used to. For example, you would not think that families or older people would go to Pattaya for a holiday, but surprisingly a lot of them do.

From Stickman Bangkok:
"It's high season and hotels in the popular tourist spots are packed. The bars aren't however and this confirms a trend which started a few years back and become more obvious in the 2006 / 2007 high season when the mix of visitors to Thailand started to change." ...
"The bar owners screaming that the take was down this year compared to what they made in the silly season last year aren't joking. Most venues were 20-30% down on New Year's Eve compared to last year." ...
"Down in Phuket, prices have been creeping up and it seems that the girls are getting in on the act too. Some of the girls beneath the Tiger Disco in Patong have been demanding barfines of 1,000 baht. Mortgages for the deed itself must be reaching scary levels."

Links of Interest:

• Dave the Rave on Pattaya and Bangkok bars and nightlife
• Stickman Bangkok Weekly

Thai Studies at Thammasat U.

One of the few times I actually agreed wholeheartedly with something written in the Bangkok Post:

"Academic research and diverse views on Thailand supplied by foreign scholars help Thai society see itself more objectively, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn said yesterday.
''As outsiders, they can see us from afar more clearly because we ourselves are too close to the subject,'' the Princess said while addressing some 500 academics at the opening of an international conference on Thai Studies at Thammasat University.
A wide range of topics and papers will be presented and discussed over the three-day conference, including the ''sufficiency economy'', censorship, the southern violence, Buddhism, sexuality, gender inequality and the monarchy.
In the seminar yesterday, academics lashed out at the inapplicability and irrelevance of the sufficiency economy concept in Thailand, saying the promotion of the principle was a political maneuver of the coup-installed government and Thailand's elite.
One of the critics, Peter Bell from the State University of New York at Purchase said the principle was not a coherent and viable economic theory. The United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) recommendation for other countries to apply the approach was not relevant, he added. ''The concept is simply a strong critique of Thai capitalist development. It comes with a sense of anti-globalization in light of the financial crisis in 1997,'' Mr Bell said.
Andrew Walker of the Australian National University's Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, said the sufficiency economy had become an ideological tool used by the elite to take the pressure off them to address any serious redistribution of income or resources.
HRH Princess Sirindhorn said Thai scholars should conduct their own local research to compare notes with foreign academics' work because better understanding can help the country solve its problems more effectively.
Prof Charles Keyes, a respected anthropologist at the University of Washington, traced the changes of Thailand over the past 40 years in his keynote speech. He said that Thai villagers had left the sufficiency economy behind to unequivocally embrace the global capitalist system, but their economic decisions, aspirations and life choices remain significantly tempered by the Buddhist teachings based on moderation and self-reliance.
Piriya Krairiksh, an art historian, said that although research on Thailand has shifted from the hands of amateurs a century ago to professional academics, their common aim to create a ''united, free and good'' Thailand remains elusive."

Links of Interest:

• Bangkok Post
  

HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana passed away

Both articles from the Phuket Gazette; I leave this uncommented, as such sad news stands by itself.

Phuket Gazette:
"After months of receiving treatment for cancer, HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana’s condition deteriorated last night and she passed away 2.54 am this morning. She was 84.
The Princess had been receiving treatment for cancer at Siriraj Hospital for months. Well-wishers had flocked to the hospital since the news spread that she was admitted.
The Princess is the elder sister of two kings of the Chakri Dynasty, HM King Rama Ananda and the current monarch HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The royal funeral will take place at the Dusit Mahaprasart Throne inside the Grand Palace. People who want to pay their respects to the Princess should attend the Sala Saha Thai Samakom at the Grand Palace from 1 pm to 4 pm today.
The mourning period started yesterday and will continue until the 100th day of her departure, the Royal Household Bureau has announced."

Phuket Gazette:
"The Royal Household Bureau today asked for staff at all government offices, state enterprises and educational institutions fly the national flag at half-mast and to wear black for the next 15 days as a mark of respect for HRH Galyani Vadhana, who passed away early this morning.
An emergency meeting of the Cabinet today concurred the request.
Students, however, may continue wearing their school uniforms as usual.
The Cabinet also asked for all government officers to postpone or cancel any public celebrations or fairs already scheduled to take place during the national mourning period of 15 days.
They also asked government officers to deter any such merry-making events from taking place during the next 100 days while vigil is being kept over HRH Galyani’s body.
The Ministry of Interior asked for all private entertainment venue operators to also observe the national mourning.
The Phuket Governor’s Office this afternoon confirmed to the Gazette that at this time this was a request only."

New Google Maps mashups from Thailand

Chiangdao's English language Bangkok Map is a mashup between Google Maps and Moffle.com that brings you with a user friendly and useful tourist map for anyone visiting this great world city. Descriptive map pins will show you the locations for tourist attractions, metro stations, shopping, hotels, restaurants and much more. Give it a try.

Chiangdao's Bangkok Map has it going on!
With recently added street maps for Bangkok, Google Maps is becoming a vital travel tool to use while visiting this city!

Bangkok Google Maps Mashup from BangkokRecorder

BangkokRecorder.com has created a fantastic mashup of Shopping, Hotels, Attractions and other must-see spots around BKK. It also maps the transit lines and locations for airport, train and bus stations. Combine this mashup with Moffle perhaps to add some context to these satellite-mapped locations. [Via Gridskipper]

JaideeGolf lets you interact with Thai golf courses:

Jaideegolf is a new golf mashup for Thailand (and other world locations) that lets you map the course, the holes and also measure distance from the pin to the hole! Give it a try on the Amata Spring Country Club and try the tools on the directly on the map.

• Thailand Google Maps now available in English language
  
• More Thai Google Maps mashups here..
• Google Maps streets and roads added for Thailand
• Moffle
• Thaigoogleearth.com (in Thai)
• Thailand: All 50 Bangkok Subdivisions as polylines
• Thailand: all 76 provinces
  
• Bangkok Hotel Map