Thailand Weekly Vol. 33
Thailand news and stories delivered free every Sunday 🇹🇭
Happy Sunday everyone. Just arrived back home from an early-morning bike trip down to Si Racha. Had to head down there to get another resort on board for all these hotel discounts we’ve been giving you here on Thailand Weekly the past month! If you know, you know… 😉. Anyways, hope you have a great week ahead!
Bangkok Officials Plan More Jobs, Shelters For Homeless
Bangkok Deputy Governor Sanon Wangsrangboon says that more shelters and job opportunities will be created throughout the city in a bid to tackle homelessness and displacement in Thailand’s capital. The statement came this past week in a meeting between city officials, NGO’s and other related parties. Sanon said that Bangkok’s homeless population falls into three categories:
Long-Term Homelessness
Newly Homeless
Homelessness Due To Mental Health
Sanon went on to say that most people experiencing homelessness right now fall into the second category, and that if jobs can be created for them, they have the highest likelihood of finding their own accommodation and getting their lives back on the right track. He also mentioned that addressing the issue is a real challenge that requires public cooperation. Homelessness shouldn’t be looked at as a burden on society, but instead, as a group of people that need the right support.
Our Take
Always nice to see some movement in the right direction when it comes to helping out those that are less fortunate, but that’s one tough nut to crack. Homelessness seems to be one of those social issues that hardly any countries with more than 20 million people have been able to solve. Such a complex problem with so many factors at play. It would definitely be nice to see more outreach programs, but hey, that’s easy for me to say as a ‘Monday morning quarterback’.
BMA Ready To Tackle Winter Smog
With air pollution on the rise once again, various agencies and branches of government have plans in place to mitigate poor air quality in parts of Bangkok over the coming months.
BMA spokesman Ekwaranyu Amrapan says that “Bangkok faces problems from unsafe air quality every winter, which affects people’s health, especially minors and the elderly. Based on the joint efforts of many agencies, including the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the National Research Council of Thailand and the Thailand Health Organization, we will solve the problem of PM2.5 pollution at its root.”
Mitigation strategies include the activation of ‘dust detectives’ to study the causes of pollution, better traffic management, educational programs in all schools beginning October 28th, and the launch of a real-time dust forecasting system that links pollution data with BMA traffic data.
Our Take
Ahhh yes, the winter smog. Of all the things that make Bangkok one of the greatest cities in the world, poor air quality isn’t one of them. I’ve written about this before, but when the pollution gets especially bad (mostly in January and February), schools will actually shut down and go remote for a week or two at a time. It’s not like the city becomes unliveable for months on end (so if you have a trip booked here then, don’t worry), but there are definitely days where it’s better to just stay inside. I don’t really understand how they’re attacking the problem at ‘it’s root’ based on the mitigation strategies listed above, but I do hope that at some point, significant action is taken to minimize those hazy winter days. It’s definitely not the healthiest time of year to be living in this city.
Thailand Travel Tip
Thailand is an easy place to explore at surface level. The tourist areas are well-defined, the locals are friendly, and things are relatively straightforward. Having said that, as soon as you want to start pulling back the hundreds of layers that make this country extra special, it can get difficult. Local restaurants, activities, attractions, nightlife, etc. can be tough to navigate. Bangkok’s back-alley noodle shops. Koh Samui’s secret beaches. Chiang Mai’s speakeasy bars. They’re all special places, but can be almost impossible to find unless you have local friends. That’s why we created Teenee. It’s a handpicked list of some of the best things Thailand has to offer overlaid on an easy-to-navigate map interface. Every spot is recommended by Thais or Expats that live over here. With the ability to search, filter, and enjoy bite-sized videos across 375 recommendations in Bangkok, Samui, Chiang Mai, Phuket, the Andaman Coast, and more, it’s like having a local friend in your pocket at all times. You can also share and read comments from other users that have visited the pin you’re interested in to get food suggestions, extra tidbits, etc.
Here’s some user comments from pins inside the App to help paint the picture for ya…
Toddzilla (visited Basilicom Restaurant on Samui) – “Once again, Teenee didn’t dissapoint with a great recommendation, I’m going to give the like button a little tickle for this place… awesome food and large portions.”
Tandi (visited Kawins Kitchen on Samui) – “Eat here! Just do it… best meal of our trip and they do classes to. Had Vietnamese spring rolls, chicken satay, and black pepper slow cooked beef stir fry!”
Rick (visited เสบียง C’est Bien Restaurant on Phuket) – “Another place on point by Teenee… just finished lunch here and it was excellent. Not the typical tourist restaurant. OG Thai food.”
This is something that Chris and I created ourselves as a way to share our love of Thailand with the world. None of these pins are sponsored and the small subscription fee of 2 bucks a month or 10 bucks a year is what allows us to focus on just one thing… the Thailand traveller. Click here to check it out.
Thailand Ready For Upcoming APEC Summit
With the 2022 Bangkok APEC Summit just three and a half weeks away, Thailand is making all final arrangements to ensure that everything on the ground runs smoothlyand efficiently. The Government has declared special public holidays in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, and Samut Prakan during the event to ease traffic and enhance security, three Bangkok-area airports (Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, and the air force-supervised airport) are being fitted to welcome the 38 arriving aircraft, and cultural performances and souvenirs have been finalized. APEC 2022 will bring together representatives from 21 countries and economic zones that make up 60% of the global economy. Presidents and Prime Ministers from large economies such as China, the United States, Canada, Japan, Indonesia, Russia, South Korea, and Australia will all be in attendance.
Our Take
Funny enough, this event is being hosted about a 10-minute walk from my condo at the far end of Benjakitti Park. I suspect there’ll be crazy security all throughout this part of Bangkok while the event is taking place. Cool to see Thailand get a bit of a spotlight on the international stage. I’m a firm believer that they’re amongst the best in the world at putting on events and welcoming people to their Country, so I suspect that everything will be a success and run smoothly. I didn’t include it in the actual story component above, but the Thai government is also making Thai food a marquee part of the galas, dinners, etc. I love that.
Only In Thailand 🇹🇭
This week’s ‘Only In Thailand’ segment hits especially close to home as it involves a fellow Canuck! A 37-year old Canadian man was in some hot water this past week as videos of him rollerblading down Sukhumvit Road weaving through traffic circulated on Tik Tok and Facebook. Police brought him into the station for questioning, but the wildest part about it all is the fact that he told police he was out “exercising and soaking up the atmosphere of Thailand”. It sounds like he didn’t realize it was against the law, so he made an apology, promised not to do it again, and said that he’d accept whatever punishment comes his way under the law. Haha, that’s such a Canadian answer… “eh there, sorry bud. Totally my fault. Won’t happen again eh.” Classic. 🇨🇦😂
Press Worthy 🔥
