joe louis was a puppeteer?

joe louis theater puppet show

the famous puppeteer, sakorn yangkhieosot, had a nickname that was eventually mispronounced "lui" and then was subsequently re-nicknamed "joe louis." (of if you're my friend from pomona, ca. who knows 800 people named "jose luis," has unintentionally re-nicknamed him again.) so, sorry all you boxing fans; thai puppetry is perhaps the furthest thing from man-pummeling.

for anyone with the means, i grab you by the shoulders and implore you to visit the joe louis theater. thai puppetry is so uniquely thai and performed so fluidly; it is thoroughly enjoyable. it is an impressive feat of choreography as each thai puppet requires 3 people to operate it. and not only that, each operator also mimicks the motions and stance of the puppet, so all three puppeteers and puppet act as one synchronized performer. traditional thai musicians and narrators accompany in characteristic half-chant-half-song. the show is entirely in thai with barebones english captions to communicate what is happening in each scene, yet is completely understandable by the adept performance. it's amazing what emotions puppets are able to express (ever see "being john malkovich"?).
currently, they're showing "the birth of ganesh," portraying ganesh's origin - a "large child" created from the sweat (yes, sweat!) of a high god's reincarnated courtesan after war broke out in heaven. he got the elephant head because his father didn't realize he was his son and decapitated him in war. then he resurrected him and found a replacement head by asking his servant to go in a northerly direction and cut off the head of the first creature that was facing a westerly direction. but you knew that already, didn't you?thai puppeteers regard puppets with great respect, referring them to as "him" or "her" rather than "it" and making an offering of respect to the artist's forefathers at the start of each show. afterwards, the actors also invite any interested audience members to pay their respects or make merit to ganesha.

joe louis theater, suan lum night bazaar
"birth of ganesha" shows nightly 8-9:15p, documentary at 7:30 (thai only)
900B/foreign adult, 400B/thai adult, 450B/foreign adult with thai work permit, 300B/child or students with id.
webby: www.thaipuppet.com

chiang mai, v. 2.0

chiang mai

i'm sure this will only be #2 of many chiang mai visits. such a manageable-sized city. so many natural attractions. so much culture.
biggest tip: rent a motorcycle for ~250B/24 hours and go wherever you like. on to the attractions!

going up doi suthep-pui... the doi suthep-pui national park is the closest national park to chiang mai city and sits just north-west of the city. easy to get to, you can take a red pick-up (song taew) from anywhere in the city. aside from the huay kaew and montathan waterfalls (in my last chiang mai post), head up a little further for this legend:
king na naone of the lanna kingdom in the 14th century got a hold of a buddhist relic (buddha's shoulder bone?) and stuck it on the back of a white elephant and released it into the jungle, proclaiming, "may this elephant stop suddenly when it reaches a suitable place to house this relic." it ran up the mountain and at some point stopped to rest and trumpeted three times. so the king built wat phalad on that site. it sits over a stream that runs down the mountain. quite peaceful and scenic with no tourists whatsoever. no anybody really. shrines overlooking the mountain stream. the elephant went further up the mountain, reached a point where it stopped, turned around 3 times, trumpeted another 3 times and then died. so the king built wat phratat doi suthep on that site, which is a major tourist attraction. i'm a horrible person to review wats since there are just sooooo many in thailand and they just are the same after a while. what's different about this wat doi suthep? it's big, it's well-kept, it overlooks the mountain, and has a heart-rate raising staircase up to the wat. besides that, it's kind of like every other wat in thailand.lots of vendors at the base of the wat. here's a vendor with her daughter adorned in traditional hill-tribe dress selling northern thai sausages. 100B entrance fee for non-thais.

further up doi suthep and unrelated to the white elephant legend, phuping palace is one of the royal vacation houses that the royal family still uses. while the buildings are closed to the public, the extensive landscaped grounds are available to stroll. if you like botanical gardens, you'll enjoy phuping palace. 50B entrance for non-thais, 20B thai.

as the fifth highest peak in thailand, doi pui is still further up the mountain and offers a 3km (roughly 1-2hr loop) hike up to the summit from the campsite. it is quite a hike, the second half being more difficult terrain than the first. don't expect a spectacular view at the top, it's mostly blocked by jungle. see? but, if you like hiking, it is a very good and unpopulated hike and it's free. here's part of the trail:
khantoke...
khantoke is a northern thai tradition of serving a meal on a raised tray (called "toke") to honored guests. in the 50s, a businessman invented modern khantoke to entertain special vips, introducing the now widely available popular dinner show. sit on the floor, enjoy unlimited northern thai food, and watch some great thai dancing and traditions. there are several venues ranging in price all over the city. i visited two, the original khantoke dinner called the old chiang mai cultural center and khum khantoke. overall, i'd say that khum khantoke is a better experience but i had a lot of fun at both and wholeheartedly recommend both.
just cause you want to know, here are pros/cons of each.
old chiang mai cultural center: well-established, better dancers (you can tell they pick their dancers by their skill over their attractiveness/size), separate hill tribe show performed by actual members of each of those tribes, 370B/person (including food, pick-up and drop-off at your hotel).
webby: http://www.oldchiangmai.com/index_en.php khum khantoke: it's more of a "show," meaning that it's more about the photo-taking and the production. better food, prettier venue, more photo ops (for tips), really fun. cons are that it's a bit pricier at XXX, further out of the way.
webby: http://www.khumkhantoke.net/

gardens...
i'm getting tired of writing so these reviews will have to be in haiku form.
tweechol botanic garden:
sculpted shrubbery
nature manipulated
hey, it's a hotel!webby: http://www.tweecholbotanicgarden.com/map.php
ratchaphruek garden:
celebrate the king
international landscape
a fading world's fair
free admission, open 10a-6p except mondays, located next to the night safari.

mae sa valley...
home to various orchid farms, elephant farms, monkey centers, and hill tribe cultural centers, there's a lot to do the mae sa valley (25 km north of chiang mai).
mae sa waterfall - you like to semi-vigorously hike? 10 tiers of waterfalls and a heart-stimulating 1+km hike.
eats (honorable mentions)...
the salsa mexican restaurant - inventive tasty mexican food (and jamaican, too). even more than the food, i have to promote their mexican coffee. liqueur-y, creamy, subtly orangey, spiced, delicious mexican coffee. it warrants suffering through consuming caffeine late at night. located on huay kaew, just NE of the central mall.

libernard cafe - a plus coffee. homey bungalow ambience. hippie-foodie-friendly banana whole-wheat pancakes. being there, you just want to hug somebody. hidden off the main street at 41 moon muang.the amazing sandwich - you want to feel like you're in america? go get a no-frills, no-nonsense sandwich you'd make if you weren't too lazy to buy all the imported ingredients. webby: http://www.amazingsandwich.com/

until next time, chiang mai...

i now understand how kobe cattle feel

bangkok marriott resort & spa

since i'm officially a bangkok resident, there aren't many opportunities to stay in hotels. well, that, and i don't have enough money to hotel hop. a friend recently came to visit and invited me to come join her vacation-o-luxury. i just have to say:
I LOVE THE BANGKOK MARRIOTT RESORT & SPA

i've visited (but not stayed at) other top hotels in bangkok, of which the best are along the chao praya river, but this one, in my opinion is the one i recommend to anyone looking to be treated like royalty. turn down service, broadband internet, fresh fruit, featherbeds, robes and slippers add those nice touches to your stay in the room, but it's the hotel grounds that keep you from wanting to ever leave again.

i believe i've figured out the technique to transform my body into lazy, tender kobe meat:

step 1: consume large amounts of delicious, decadent food.
the three i tried were the following (in order of enjoyment):
trader vic's in the US is mediocre, unfortunately, skewing my expectations to be low. however, despite the second-rate name, is a fantastic pacific rim fusion restaurant. everything we ordered was matched beautifully, blending flavors well and using the most quality ingredients. if i didn't feel bad for my friend who was paying, i would have ordered the wagyu. highlights: tuna sesame encrusted diakon radish with wasabi mayo topped by caviar; avacado gazpacho with green apple and watercress; lamb yakitori with eggplant and mushrooms, sided by a rich pumpkin puree (900B); and crispy red duck and foie gras, with bok choy and apple taro cake (800B). you're drooling, aren't you? trust me, if your wallet's thick, you want to eat here.

riverside terrace which was an outdoor buffet on the patio overlooking the chao phraya river. lots of goodies including teppanyaki, crepes, mongolian bbq, italian pastas and pizza to order, grill, indian, oyster/shellfish bar, and an extensive dessert spread. thai boxing and traditional thai performance (dancing/acting) throughout the evening. priced at 1100B/person + 10% service, buffet dinner 6-10:30

numero uno cafe is a nice little chocolate shop and deli/bakery with an alluring display of pastries and sweets. a la carte menu with pastries, deli sandwiches and lunch fare, fondues, and chocolates. roughly 160-510B for breakfast, lunch or dinner. i got to try both their chocolate afternoon tea buffet as well as their after-dinner cheese/chocolate and cognac buffet (both 500B). have i ever told you i have problems with self-control? though they're meant to be post-meal treats, they became my meals. beware, my brothers and sisters with poor self-control, these are small, but very calorific buffets. cherry chocolate cake. nice presentation, eh?

in addition to these restaurants, they also have these spots that i didn't try:
benihana - japanese grill, teppanyaki okonomi (370-4900B). a little grill show as your meal's cooked.
the market - breakfast buffet. a la carte 95-510B. lunch/dinner 699 buffet. noodles, sushi, etc. 170-980
rice mill - chinese, dim sum 180-3000B

and for bars:
elephant bar - tapas, fusion bar food 175-295B
longtail bar - riverside, live music "kim" 170-980B bbq grill food - light fare
loy nam - pool bar, snacks and salads 180-300B

step 2: get a massage.
nothing says "pampered" like a great massage. the mandara spa (also available in room or poolside) offers steams 950, wraps 3-4k, scrubs 2-3k, massages 2250-5520, poultices 3200, facials 2700-5520, baths 950, steams 950, men's stuff 4k-9500. i got a deep tissue massage

step 3: be sedentary and expend as little physical energy as possible.
though the marriott resort has a fitness center with tennis and fitness classes, you should avoid them if you hope to keep your body marbled with fat. the thai cooking classes may be ok, though, if you maintain a very slow pace and try not to move too much while cooking. the pool is the perfect place to work on your golden tan while using little-to-no energy.

but if you decide to veer off the course of kobe cultivation, this place also has:
- manohra cruise - old rice barges converted into personal cruise ships. dinners or overnight cruise to ayutthaya.
- it's own malls and shopping.
- the hotel grounds are also beautiful decorated with lush tropical gardens.

bangkok marriott resort & spa. 257 charoen nakhon @ krungthep bridge. 02-476-0021
room rates between 5,400B-42,000B (if you're a guest, you receive coupons to all the restaurants)
webby: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bkkth-bangkok-marriott-resort-and-spa/

not your average ooooooklahoma

whenever i hear the phrase "dinner theater," a distant memory from a high school school orchestra trip to st. louis resurfaces: a bland dinner on a ferry boat (i.e. you can't get off) while watching a poor production of 'oklahoma!' accompanied by synthesizer. i don't search dinner theaters out.

rest assured, studio 9 patravadi theatre in the old city is nothing like 'oklahoma!' 3 major selling points to studio 9:
1. good thai and thai fusion food. i highly recommend the banana flower salad, the paprika chicken, and the magic chicken (translated from thai, it means "miraculous chicken").
2. thai traditional and contemporary art forms mixed to create original performances. i've seen acrobatic interpretive dance and an interpretation of eve and the serpent using thai dance and puppetry as well. the larger patravadi theatre is a great center for fostering thai performing arts and encouraging new works. i likey. when you come to studio 9, your show is included in the price of your meal.
3. it is super comfortable and hip and overlooking the chao phraya river. in case you happen to hate good food and entertainment, you'll at least enjoy being there. sleek and modern decor.

one waiter totally hit on dave. and when dave gasped when the acrobat made a drop-move, he made a point of coming over and saying, "don't worry, it's only show!"

it's only show!!
studio 9 (patravadi theatre). 69/1 soi wat rakang, arun amarain, siriraj, bangkok (across the chao phraya river).
since it is kind of confusing, there's a little map below.
entrees btw 100-300.
open sun-thur 11am-10pm, fri & sat 11am to midnight. performances fri & sat @ 7:30pm. make a reservation and ask for a table near the river. (02)866 2144

webby: www.patravaditheatre.com