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
 |
| The entrance |
 |
| From the entrance, there are two ways to the main seating area |
 |
| Left way: a flight of steps lead downwards to a seating area on the side |
 |
| 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...
 |
| Add caption |
Monday, 9 January 2017
Places of Interest: Dutch Farm - San Kampaeng
Stopped by a place known as the Dutch Farm on our way to the San Kampaeng Hot Spring yesterday. The place has a small aviary as well as rabbit and sheep enclosures but is mainly a place where ponies are reared. Nothing much but a nice place for taking pictures and feeding the ponies and sheep. If you have kids, they will love it. Worth a quick look.
 | ||
Tickets at 100 baht for adults and 30 baht for kids.
|
 |
| The rabbit enclosure |
 |
| A cute bunny with a mohawk... LOL |
 |
| Entrance to the pony enclosure |
 |
| The sleeping quarters of the ponies |
 |
| Feed the ponies - fresh grass at 10 baht a bunch |
 |
| A really small pony |
 |
| Here comes the sheep |
 |
| Some nice backdrops for photos |
 |
| A small man-made bridge and waterfall |
Chevrolet Camaro - Transfomers
I was driving past a car showroom today when I saw a Chevrolet Camaro in it that looked exactly like Bumblebee in the Transformers movies. Is it cool or what?
Not sure if the car comes with a right hand drive instead of a left hand one though.
Not sure if the car comes with a right hand drive instead of a left hand one though.
Monday, 24 October 2016
RIP His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away on 13 October 2016, Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok. A truly great man who devoted his life to improving the lives of the millions of Thais in the country, he will be sorely missed and remembered always.
Here are some pictures of His Majesty covered by a few major publications:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)