who's the king? dosa king!

on a random exploration into nana chard to find indian food, dosa king caught my eye.
for one, it's rarer to find restaurants that serve south indian food, and for two, especially one that specifically announces its dosa. dosas inevitably remind me of one of my old roommates' mom, who would always make dosas for us whenever we stayed over. dosas are large, thin, crispy, savory crepes that may or may not have filling (usually a potato bhaji) and served with sambars and chutneys. dosa king had a pretty good regular masala dosa that was especially crispy, had good sambars with it (i think one was a yogurt and one was a lentil), and a mildy spiced potato/onion bhaji. very homey.
lexie and i also ordered their vegetable korma (creamy, comforting vegs), kabuli channa (tomato based chickpeas dish), and garlic naan (buttery and garlicky enough)."
bev-wise, i had the badaam milk, a pain i subjected my-lactose-intolerant-self to because of its deliciousness: mildly sweet, almond milk spiced with cinnamon and cardamom. lexie got a creamy, tropically mango lassi that was also delightful.

badaam milk, mango lassi, and dosas with sambars.

vegetarian north & south indian food. about 150B/dish; about 100B/drink.
located @ 153/7 sukhumvit soi 11/1
and for all you web-savvy: www.dosaking.net

serithai park

so, i'm discovering that bangkok has all these parks tucked back in sois that you need to be a little savvy to find (or have a friend who runs a lot).
sirithai park flanks a canal/khlong that you could walk along for around 2 hours, i've heard. in the park, it's wider so that it's more like a lake. it's got some nice gazebos, paved paths, and plenty of carpety-grass for picnicking (i strongly suggest an isaan picnic).
plus, like any good bangkok-ian park, it has tai chi in the mornings, draka courts, evening dance-aerobics. downside is if you want to play soccer - none allowed on the pristine grass.

located on Serithai Soi 43, (about 200m into the soi) across from the Bueng Kum District Office.

In high school my favorite week of the year was Spirit Week, when everyone dressed up in different themes for each day. In Bangkok, every week is Spirit Week. But its not like high school where you can be Too Cool or Indie to participate. Here it is SO COOL to participate! This is the most spirited city! That said, I have to say--- my strongest recommendation for Bangkok so far (in my 5 days here) would be for this: Holidays.

Holidays are awesome!! Here is a short list of reasons why.
1) Everyone has off work!
2) Themes!! Such as decorations and spirited clothing/jewelry/patches.
3) Races. Who doesn't love a road race?
4) Special songs. :-)
5) Food and treats
6) Kids performances!
7) Balloons.
8) Fireworks and other firey things

All of these things were featured on the King's Birthday, December 5th!! The day included waves of yellow, candlelight ceremony, Thai dancing, beer and lots and lots of sanuk. I can't wait for the next holiday.

1 fish, 2 fish, big fish, even bigger fish

who knew that in our little area was one of the best fishing spots in thailand was just down the street. bung (or beung) sam ran is known for its ginormous fish. seriously, it's amazing. check out this whopper (it's small in comparison to many of the other fish we saw caught) that we saw some guy catch.i think for the serious fisher, it might seem a little too easy to catch giant fish; it only takes 15 minutes or so to catch something child-sized. they've got giant mekong delta catfish, arapaima, and some other mutants. i wonder if they stock this place.

but, i haven't really gone for the fish. i'm just not that into it. i coming to this lake and picnic. it is so serene and calming to feel like you're in the country. it's beautiful and quiet and if you sit on the far side of the lake, no one bothers you and you can sit and enjoy the outdoors for hours. pick up some sticky rice and grilled chicken at the soi on the way in and you're set for the most relaxing afternoon of your life.

nitty gritty: in addition to human-sized fish, there is also a coffee shop, restaurants, arcade, massages, ice cream, convenience store, hammocks. it's like a little convenient village. you can rent a bungalow, (1 or 2 stories, with or without AC between 600-2000B; 200B extra if you spend the night). if you want to fish, it's 500B/rod, 1000B/license per rod.
Bung Sam Ran. Nawamin 42, several km in (catching a motorcycle taxi from the mouth of the soi is best).

webby: www.Bigfishingbungsamran.com

baiyoke tower 2

it's hard to miss the baiyoke 2. it is obviously the tallest building in bangkok at 309 meters tall and is an easy landmark to spot if you're lost.

1 fl - if you're just going up to the observatory, it goes straight up from here. otherwise, head up to the 18th fl.
18th fl - hotel lobby (also where to buy buffet tickets, fruit cafe, coffee shop, gift shop)
77th fl - if you want a *slightly* thrilling ride, head up to the 77th fl for a glass elevator ride down - so very willy wonka.
82nd fl - Crystal Grill (i.e. buffet), 400B a person for dinner (it includes admission up to the observation deck). you can eat any kind of food here, just to name a few: roast lamb, indian braised beef curry, made to order fruit crepes with french vanilla ice cream, tacos, vietnamese shrimp salad, standard thai fare, sushi & nagiri, shishkabobs. as a frugal chinese-american woman, what can i say; it's a great deal. the food isn't the BEST, but it is a great spread and i definitely felt satisfied in quantity and quality as well as a great city view throughout the meal.
83rd fl - Roof top Bar. nice view, not the greatest ambience, but the city does look nice from up there.
84th fl - rotating observation deck that sounds strangely similar to an old metal rollercoaster as it rotates. on the stairs up from the buffet, the mural in the stairwell is of deep space, replete with alien statues for your posing pleasure. 200B just for the deck.

one night view of bangkok from the rotating observatory

on the 76th, 78th, and 79th floors are more buffets (bangkok sky grill - int'l; stella chinese buffet) but unfortunately, i haven't been and can't comment on them.

Baiyoke 2 Tower, located at 222 Ratchaprop Rd, Ratchathewi, 10400
very near Pratu Nam (just a short jaunt)

i am beginning...

as a new (long-term, hopefully) resident of bangkok, i want to love *really love* this city. so thus begins the "organized" collection of my experiences in travel guide form. whoever you are reading this, enjoy! i hope you find bangkok to be as lovable as i do with all that it has to offer.