As someone who has a deep seated fear of dentists since childhood (thanks to primitive dental instruments, blood, and fierce female nurses and dentists then), I avoid going to the dentist as much as I can. As such, my last visit was a few years ago and my teeth were way overdue for a good cleaning.
So I finally plucked up courage today and visited the dentist for a cleaning and I was pleasantly surprised - of course, the grating, screeching sound of metal on tooth still caused my toes to curl and body to stiffen involuntarily but the overall scaling procedure was relatively painless. I skipped the polishing procedure as apparently, unlike in Singapore where scaling + polishing usually comes together, the two procedures are separate and they will do what you ask them to do here.
The total cost of consultation and scaling - THB 500 or SGD 20. The same will easily cost double this amount or more in Singapore.
Now this is what I call affordable!
Tuesday 9 May 2017
Places of Interest: Pentatonic Rock Bar Chiangmai
The Pentatonic Rock Bar is located at the Zoe in Yellow corner, a lane just off the city centre, in Chiang Mai. There are many pubs and nightspots here and the area is frequented by tourists from all over. Here is their Facebook page
The Pentatonic Rock Bar is not much to look at (interior/exterior) and its menu is sparse – beer only (at 120 baht) and no cocktails. But if you are looking for real rock/metal music, this is the place.
A few bands take to the stage each night, each playing for about an hour. Once in a while, guest bands drop by.
The night usually starts off slow with some quieter, slower music, before the thrash kicks in later on, usually after 10pm. Some songs that I have heard there before include:
Holy Wars… And the Punishment Due – Megadeth
Symphony of Destruction – Megadeth
Master of Puppets – Metallica
Enter Sandman – Metallica
Raining Blood – Slayer
Walk - Pantera
In short, this place is definitely worth a visit for rock & heavy metal lovers. A word of caution though - a quick search on online reveals that several tourists have been assaulted while in the area, so it is best to keep a low profile and watch your surroundings while you are there.
The Pentatonic Rock Bar is not much to look at (interior/exterior) and its menu is sparse – beer only (at 120 baht) and no cocktails. But if you are looking for real rock/metal music, this is the place.
A few bands take to the stage each night, each playing for about an hour. Once in a while, guest bands drop by.
The night usually starts off slow with some quieter, slower music, before the thrash kicks in later on, usually after 10pm. Some songs that I have heard there before include:
Holy Wars… And the Punishment Due – Megadeth
Symphony of Destruction – Megadeth
Master of Puppets – Metallica
Enter Sandman – Metallica
Raining Blood – Slayer
Walk - Pantera
In short, this place is definitely worth a visit for rock & heavy metal lovers. A word of caution though - a quick search on online reveals that several tourists have been assaulted while in the area, so it is best to keep a low profile and watch your surroundings while you are there.
Generic Finasteride in Thailand - Firide
I have been using Finasteride for male pattern hair loss for close to two decades now and, to save money like many others on the drug, I have been buying Proscar a long time ago and then cutting in up into four pieces (I was on Avodart for a few years but stopped when I saw no significant inprovements + it was not available without a prescription in Thailand).
Today, I visited my regular pharmacy and was told Proscar was out of stock. I then tried a pharmacy in the neighbourhood and, while they did not have Proscar, I was pleasantly surprised when the pharmacist whipped out a box of Firide instead.
Firide is generic Proscar, made in Thailand. It is manufactured by Siam Pharmaceutical - it is apparently one of the top pharmaceutical companies in Thailand. Firide contains the same amount of the active ingredient, 5mg Finasteride, as Proscar but at a significantly lower cost.
Here is a cost comparison of the different options I have gone through over the years.
Bought in Singapore:
Finasteride 1mg (per box SGD 90, about THB 2250)
Proscar 5mg (per box SGD 120, about THB 3000)
Bought in Thailand:
Proscar 5mg (per box THB 1300, about SGD 52)
Firide 5mg (per box THB 950, about SGD 38)
It is noteworthy that one box of Finasteride 1mg only lasts for 30 days while one box of Proscar/Firide lasts for three months (assuming you cut each tablet into four pieces).
So, if you are on Firide, one month's supply of Finasteride will cost you only THB 950/3 = THB 317 or SGD 12.70 - much cheaper than in Singapore any day!
Today, I visited my regular pharmacy and was told Proscar was out of stock. I then tried a pharmacy in the neighbourhood and, while they did not have Proscar, I was pleasantly surprised when the pharmacist whipped out a box of Firide instead.
Here is a cost comparison of the different options I have gone through over the years.
Bought in Singapore:
Finasteride 1mg (per box SGD 90, about THB 2250)
Proscar 5mg (per box SGD 120, about THB 3000)
Bought in Thailand:
Proscar 5mg (per box THB 1300, about SGD 52)
Firide 5mg (per box THB 950, about SGD 38)
It is noteworthy that one box of Finasteride 1mg only lasts for 30 days while one box of Proscar/Firide lasts for three months (assuming you cut each tablet into four pieces).
So, if you are on Firide, one month's supply of Finasteride will cost you only THB 950/3 = THB 317 or SGD 12.70 - much cheaper than in Singapore any day!
Friday 5 May 2017
Thai Laundromats
Usually found at residential places where there are many students or workers, Thai laundromats are usually simple, spartan setups designed to get the most returns for minimal investment. Steel bars enclose the washing machines to prevent burglars from carting them off while CCTV cameras watch over the premises to prevent thieves from getting at the coin boxes.
Thai Ingenuity - DIY Electric Car
Came across this vehicle while walking along the street one day. It was in a motorcycle shop that was full of self-built choppers - all were reasonably priced too! Anyway, this car was kind of like a hobby project for them - it runs on electricity, comes with automatic gears, seats two, and is fully air-conditioned as well! Although it was for sale, it cannot be driven on the main roads. From the looks of it, it does not look like it can withstand much of a collision as well.
However, if you want a small, compact car that will turn heads around the neighbourhood, this is the one for you!
Friday 20 January 2017
Beer Woon - The Beer Slurpee/Slushie
While many are divided over whether it is sacrilege to drink beer with ice in it, here is something that straddles between the two – the slurpee/slushie beer. Known as ‘beer woon’ in Thai (translated literally as ‘jelly beer’), this is the coldest beer that you will ever drink.
How it is made:
A specially made barrel that has a motor to spin it is usually used. Water, ice, salt, and the beer bottles are then put into it. The combination of ice and salt create freezing temperatures while the spinning action chills the beer and prevents it from freezing.
The result? A supercooled bottle of beer that slushes right inside the bottle and tastes like a 7-Eleven beer flavoured slurpee. You will have to drink it fast though, as the slush will melt quickly at room temperature.
How to make it at home:
An easier method is to simply put the beer into the freezer. Some bars and restaurants are actually using this method over the spinning barrel.
What I usually do is keep my beers in the fridge. Whenever I want a beer woon, I will chuck the chilled beer into the freezer for about an hour and a half. When I take it out, it would have frozen over just nice. Of course, your timing will differ according to your fridge size and temperatures you set the chiller and freezer at.
By the way, short of opening the bottle, one method to check whether the beer has frozen over is to tap a few times on the beer bottle, on either the sides or bottom, with an object such as the beer opener. If the beer has frozen over already, the taps will create a reaction that causes the beer to slush inside the bottle – you will see this clearly. If the beer does not slush, it probably needs more time in the freezer.
The verdict?
The beer woon tastes of more ice than beer. It is supercold but tastes bland – similar to what you get when frozen liquids in your freezer are melted down. It is all right as a novelty or on really hot days but due to its bland taste, I would rather stick to standard beer.
A specially made barrel that has a motor to spin it is usually used. Water, ice, salt, and the beer bottles are then put into it. The combination of ice and salt create freezing temperatures while the spinning action chills the beer and prevents it from freezing.
The result? A supercooled bottle of beer that slushes right inside the bottle and tastes like a 7-Eleven beer flavoured slurpee. You will have to drink it fast though, as the slush will melt quickly at room temperature.
How to make it at home:
An easier method is to simply put the beer into the freezer. Some bars and restaurants are actually using this method over the spinning barrel.
What I usually do is keep my beers in the fridge. Whenever I want a beer woon, I will chuck the chilled beer into the freezer for about an hour and a half. When I take it out, it would have frozen over just nice. Of course, your timing will differ according to your fridge size and temperatures you set the chiller and freezer at.
By the way, short of opening the bottle, one method to check whether the beer has frozen over is to tap a few times on the beer bottle, on either the sides or bottom, with an object such as the beer opener. If the beer has frozen over already, the taps will create a reaction that causes the beer to slush inside the bottle – you will see this clearly. If the beer does not slush, it probably needs more time in the freezer.
The verdict?
The beer woon tastes of more ice than beer. It is supercold but tastes bland – similar to what you get when frozen liquids in your freezer are melted down. It is all right as a novelty or on really hot days but due to its bland taste, I would rather stick to standard beer.
Tuesday 17 January 2017
Places of Interest: The Giant Chiangmai (Cafe & Restaurant)
Finally paid a visit to this place a few days ago after hearing so much about it. It The Giant is at the Mae On area and getting there was not easy - the road is rough, steep, and narrow (definitely not recommended for bigger vehicles and in wet weather!). This probably also explains why there is a songthaew or taxi service available for the last leg of the journey, which has the steepest slopes, up.
The Giant is an interesting place for a coffee/meal - basically it is a cafe/restaurant built into the side of a hill (I guess this makes it not a true treehouse) and has some nice scenery. And that's about it. They have a small menu which I feel is overpriced for what you get and there is nothing else to do except a zipline which you can ride back and forth for 200 baht.
From the looks of it, most people are there only for photo-taking and because they have heard so much hype about it. Overall, The Giant is a good idea but it's inaccessibility, average food, and lack of things to do make repeat visits unlikely - I know I will not be back.
Here is their Facebook page
From the looks of it, most people are there only for photo-taking and because they have heard so much hype about it. Overall, The Giant is a good idea but it's inaccessibility, average food, and lack of things to do make repeat visits unlikely - I know I will not be back.
Here is their Facebook page
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| The entrance |
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| From the entrance, there are two ways to the main seating area |
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| Left way: a flight of steps lead downwards to a seating area on the side |
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| Right side: a bridge made of wooden planks lead the way. |
Classic Cars & Bikes
Unlike Singapore, you do not get penalised for owing motor vehicles and especially, older ones. As such, there are many collectors and enthusiasts of classic cars and bikes, such as the one below, and you can often see these vehicles on the roads.
Thai Ingenuity: Portable Outdoor Battery
What do you do when you need some electricity outside but standard batteries do not have enough power? Just hook up a car or motorcycle battery and you are good to go!
Price of a Honda CBR125 - Thailand vs Singapore
Happened to see some motorbikes on sale today at a shopping mall. It costs THB 79500, which is about SGD 3180. And you own it for life.
In comparison, a similar bike costs about SGD 6000 in Singapore with about half going to the Certificate of Entitlement, i.e. permission to own it for 10 years. After 10 years, you will need to pay again to renew the COE for another either 5 or 10 years.
What a ripoff...
In comparison, a similar bike costs about SGD 6000 in Singapore with about half going to the Certificate of Entitlement, i.e. permission to own it for 10 years. After 10 years, you will need to pay again to renew the COE for another either 5 or 10 years.
What a ripoff...
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| Add caption |
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