Sports Supplements in Thailand

As far as I know the reason for the lack of products and the high prices is due to the rules for selling this sort of stuff in Thailand. Some sort of medical type permit is need as far as I can gather which makes producing and importing things like whey protein in and into Thailand quite expensive.

After looking around for a while I finally found a site that seems to have what I need with a great selection of whey protein and other bodybuilding supplements. Although they are based in Phuket they offer free delivery to anywhere in Thailand no matter how much or little you order which is great. They also take paypal which is handy for those of use without credit cards registered in Thailand.

I’ve ordered the 1kg Dymatize Whey Protein which I’ve had before from another supplier and at the Phuket Health Shop it retails for a very reasonable 1300 baht including free shipping to Bangkok or anywhere else in Thailand. You can visit their website by clicking on the link below:

• Phuket Health Shop

If you know of any other places to get sports supplements in Thailand please leave a comment below.

Phi Phi Police ‘Beat Up Tourists,’ says Phuket Expat

I read a story on another Thailand blog from an expat who says he witnessed a brutal police bashing on the party island of Koh Phi Phi. He is keen to get in touch with the people who got bashed as they were taken away by the police never to be seen or heard from again.

You can read the report here and its coverage on a Phuket website here.

Phi Phi does have a pretty lively party scene with lots of annoying farangs working as bar touts (especially that guy who stands on the corner asking you if you know where you are going). I wish the police would check their work permits rather than bashing people.

Did you hear anything about this incident? Even been on the end of some rough justice Thai-style?

If you’ve spent much time on the roads off Bangkok you’ve probably seen a few cars with matte black paint jobs. Although the longer you spend out on the streets you will find a whole array of colours in a matte finish. Most of the cars that have had this treatment are the high end cars such as Porsches, Lamborghinis and Audis. But it’s not uncommon to see the odd Toyota Vios or Camry that has had its colour changed to a matte finish.

Although traditionally, to acquire this finish you would have to repaint the car now you can get it done with stickers or a matte wrap which is professionally put onto your car. The main benefits of this is that it is cheaper than a new paint job and is easier to reverse with the wrap being peeled off.

I do like the look but it looks better on some cars. I saw a Mini Copper today in blue which didn’t look so great. I think black is the best but white can look nice and depending on the car other colours can be pulled off. The fact that it can be undone makes it more tempting as when you get bored with your matte car you can go back to the glossy finish.

If you want to get it done there are a few places in Bangkok that do it. One of them is guys at Wrap@Car. Let us know if you’ve had it done or you’ve seen any interesting colour schemes around Bangkok and Thailand.

• http://www.wrap-a-car.com/home.php

There isn’t much on Google yet but I’m sure that will change soon.

I think it was too far inland to create a tsunami.

Did you feel an earthquake in Bangkok or Thailand tonight?

Reading Thai isn’t as hard as it first seems and although I’ve only just started it definitely seems worth while.

Not only will you be able to read menus and street signs but you will be able to look words up in the dictionary and know how to pronounce them without relying on the the dodgy transliteration or karaoke Thai.

I think it is a more accomplish-able task than learning to speak Thai as you can never learn all the words and phrases but at least with reading, once you have learnt how to read you can then read all words. Knowing what they mean is another thing though!

If you are like me and have been putting off learning to read Thai this website might be just the thing you need to get you going:

• http://www.phil.uk.net/thailand/learn_to_read_thai_tutorial_1.html

Phil teaches you a few letters at a time and then shows you some words using those letters so you can get reading straight away. This is a much better way to draw people into reading Thai as opposed to making them learn all the letters first. This way you can start seeing results early on.

Can you read Thai? How did you learn? Leave a comment to share any tips or resources that helped you.

Another week in Bangkok, another Sunday Lunch in Bangkok.

Its not quite that frequent but my quest to visit all the places in Bangkok that do a Sunday Lunch is starting to pick up. So far I’ve been to The Londoner, Molly Malones, the Robin Hood and now the Dubliner.

Unlike the other pubs that I’ve been to in Bangkok that do a roast dinner the Dubliner does not do an all you can eat carvery style Sunday lunch. I wasn’t aware of this when I went in there and when I found out I was a bit disappointed but sometimes less is more and if you are like me and tend to eat as much as you can rather than eat as much as you want, being limited to just one plate can be a good thing.

The price is about the same as the other pubs in Bangkok that do a Sunday Lunch costing ฿400 (about £8) and as you only get one serving isn’t as good value. The food is nice and arrives very quickly after ordering. You don’t choose what meat you want – you get it all: chicken, ham and beef. The meat comes with your own portion of gravy, roast and mashed potatoes, peas, carrots, sausages, cauliflower cheese and a Yorkshire pudding so its not a small amount of food. There is no starter or desert though. One plate is a good amount and after eating it I felt better than I do after two or three plates at the all you can eat carvery places in Bangkok. The pub is nicer than the others I have been to in Bangkok as it has lots of windows and you can see out on to Sukhumvit road. The Dubliner has three floors with a pool table on the top floor and as we were leaving an authentic (Thai) Irish band were setting up.

I’d recommend the pub and the food served at the Dubliner, Bangkok, but if you are looking for an all you can eat roast dinner you will be disappointed. Next time I go I will probably have the Irish fry up as it looked even better than the roast and cost the same at ฿400.

• Name: The Dubliner
• Where: 440 Sukhumvit Rd (between Sukhumvit Soi 22 & 24). 5 mins walk from Emporium
• Nearest BTS: Prom Phong
• Website: http://www.thedublinerbangkok.com/

Has today been the coldest day ever in Bangkok? It certainly feels like it! It is almost Songkran, the Thai new year/Easter holiday which is usually the hottest point of the year and comes right in the middle of the hot season. But today as I stepped out of the lift and into the cold air I realised my usual Bangkok uniform of shorts, t-shirt and flip flops had left me a little under dressed. The skies were grey and there was a cold wind blowing.

The temperature in Bangkok today, according to a few weather websites, has been around 20°C which compared to most places around the world is pretty warm but out there where it is mostly about 10°C hotter. So while it is cold it’s not been the coldest day ever in Bangkok which according to wikipedia was 9.9 °C (49.8 °F) in January 1955.

But I’m not complaining. It makes a very nice change to be able to walk around and do exercise without building up a sweat. Its started to rain now though which puts a dampener on things but its great to have the air con off and the windows open and still be cold!

The best online resource for finding out which films are showing and where is the Movie Seer website: http://www.movieseer.com/th/index.aspx

If you are on the road, however, you might be interested in this iPhone app that lets you know what films are showing at the popular Major Cineplex chain of cinemas thoughout Thailand: http://itunes.apple.com/th/app/major-movie/id321230030?mt=8

Just make sure you don’t forget to stand up!

Like back in Blighty the best place to find a good Sunday Roast in Bangkok is a pub and the best type of pub to find one is at one of the many British or Irish themed pubs found around the city. One of these pubs is the Londoner Brew Pub on Sukhumvit just at the entrance to soi 33. At the Londoner you will find the Super Sunday Family Carvery Buffet being served from 12:00–15:00 and 18:00–21:00. This is an all you can eat affair with a massive selection of foods to chose from; bigger than anywhere else doing a Sunday Lunch in Bangkok that I’ve been to so far.

The appetisers include smoked salmon and a massive range of salads as well as a variety of soups. The main has all the trimmings you would expect including Roast Beef, Roast Chicken, Roast Lamb and Roast Pork. For dessert Dutch Apple Pie and Custard and a good selection of cakes and other puddings. Although most of these are found at other pubs in Bangkok doing a roast dinner they are all ‘help yourself’ including the dessert so you can really eat as much as you want!

The price for all this is 470 baht which is a bit more than the Sunday Lunch at Molly Malone’s but only about 70 baht.

I’m pleased to report back that the food is very nice here and is on a par with Molly Malone’s but with a bit of a better selection. The only downside is the pub itself which is a little bit too big for a Sunday lunch and can feel a bit empty whilst you are eating although if it is very empty you might be able to get a booth seat which is more cosy.

Overall the Londoner is definitely worth a visit if you like a good Sunday lunch.

• Name: The Londoner Brew Pub
• Address: 591 UBC II Building, Basement B 104, Sukhumvit soi 33
• Nearest BTS: Phrong Phom
• Tel: 02-261-0238-9
• Website: http://www.the-londoner.com/
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/londoner33

Although I love Thai food I do miss Western food from time to time. One of my local Western style restaurants in Bangkok is one of the Sizzler chain’s outlets in my local shopping mall. The food is pretty good at Sizzler in a Thai imitation of Western favourites kind of way and it has an amazing salad bar (all you can eat for about 150 baht / £3) but one thing that surprises me about it is how busy it is. It always seems to be full and if you go there for dinner you often have to queue to get a seat. They have a member of staff on the door that takes your name and assigns you a place in the queue and they even bring out cold drinks to the people waiting for a table. I don’t think people are queuing in a Krispy Kreme type way, they just genuinely want to eat here because they like it rather than it being cool. I guess to the Thais, and its 99% Thais who eat here, going for a burger and chips makes a nice change from rice and som tam just as it does to me.