Thailand is called the "Land of Smiles" (for good reasons which I will not go into here) but there will definitely be fewer smiles next month if the Government goes through with their current plans.
But before I talk about the controversy, think for a moment of why people love Bangkok so much. People like Chiang Mai for the temples and the history. They like Southern Thailand for the beaches and the scuba diving. But what is so great about Bangkok? There is pretty much only one thing that people come to Bangkok for: Amazing nightlife.
But, starting March 1, most of that that will be changing, as all bars outside of special designated zones are closing at midnight. That's right. Midnight. As the Nation newspaper reports:
In Bangkok, the zones designated for entertainment venues cover the Patpong area, and New Phetchaburi and Ratchadaphisek roads. Inside the entertainment zones, nightclubs and bars can stay open until 2am, while pubs and discotheques must close at 1am.
What about bars that are not in one of those three zones? Believe it or not, they'll be closed at Midnight.
And this is not only for Bangkok, but for all of Thailand. Of course bar and nightclub owners all over the country, especially those in tourist areas, are crying foul. It will be interesting to see how this turns out. Will the government really be successful in enforcing these new rules? Is a new Thailand really emerging? Or will this just be another money-maker for local police?
Hey I was wondering.. do Thai people mostly eat with chopsticks or forks? Cause when I go to a Thai place here in Chicago.. the cheap ones you have to ask for a fork.. but the expensive ones you get both.
Yes, it's an unrelated question, but a good one.
In general, Thai people eat with forks and spoons. But it's not the same as in America. Traditionally, in Thailand you would never put a fork in your mouth (it is sharp, afterall!) but instead you use the fork to push food onto your spoon, which you then put in your mouth.
I think the main reason for using a fork and spoon is that the Thai rice that comes with most meals is not served in clumps, like Japanese rice (for example). So it would be very difficult to eat it with chopsticks. On the other hand, Thai sticky rice is so sticky that it would also be difficult to eat with chopsticks (and so it is eaten with the fingers). Chopsticks are, however, used with some dishes like noodles, soup, and dim sum.
- Stuart
Here the new issue comes. The Minister of Tourist Ministry in Thailand has just argued that there should be the exeption for regulation in some tourist attraction besides those four areas in Bangkok such as Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Samet Island, etc.