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Dum-dee-dum... My sad bitter tears for the disappearance of Onnut Square turned into tears of joy at the sight of this new open market (OK, so the market isn't exactly SUPER new; it's just that I haven't had the chance to check it out 'til now).
This was how Onnut Square (right next to the Onnut BTS Station) looked like before:
And this is how the area looks like now:
Not so much different, huh~??Except that Onnut Square had AIRCON (and that's one GIGANTIC difference in my book~!!).
Anyway, this new market sells more or less the same stuff like Onnut Square before: clothes, accessories, more clothes, cosmetics, and still more clothes, costume jewelry, and even more CLOTHES~~!!!!
I promised myself I would just TAKE A LOOK AROUND and NOT BUY ANYTHING... I am so very ashamed to admit that my willpower wasn't strong enough...
Yes, boys and girls... I succumbed to temptation and bought this bangle~~!!!!
Aaaaarrrggghhh~~~!!! (*slaps self~!!*)
Oh, one more difference with Onnut Square is that this new market has more FOOD (*burp*)
And did I mention dirt-cheap traditional Thai massage~?!?!
(Found this VDO in YouTube... I think this was taken at this exact same place inside the market...)
Now that I think about it, perhaps it's very good that this market has no aircon... Coz that means I woulda probably spent more time there... and ended up buying more "stuff"~!! But since the place was sooo... HOT N' HUMID, I was sweating buckets already in a few minutes... and I quickly GAVE UP and ran back to the (airconditioned) BTS...
Is it a specter of bad tidings~?? If I were still a kid, I'd run away in fright from this dude, that's FO SHO~!!!
I mean, just take a look at that pasty white face (which reminds me of the Joker in Batman), messed-up make-up, matted hair... and let's not forget the pants~~!!! *snicker*
But I guess you gotta give credit to this guy... He performs in front of Lotus hypermarket in Onnut (Sukhumvit 77), which isn't really the BEST place to have any kind of show... with aaaaaaaaaaaall the crowd, noise and pollution~!!
I was ecstatic when I received a happy email from Laura, whose beloved dog Milly went missing in early March (read it ):
On Saturday evening I was watching my two older sons playing football at Bangkok Patana School and I had a call from a lady saying she was sure that her neighbour was feeding Milly outside of his gate. This lady had seen Milly's poster at the vet's in Thonglor 10 (where Milly disappeared). Needless to say, I've had many calls before so I wasn't putting my hopes up too much.........
I was at soi 14 Pridi, off 71 Sukhumvit in 15 minutes and meandered my way to some smaller sois............and there was Milly playing in the soi with another dog. I got out of the car and called her name once.......she turned and crawled to me crying......and I did the same, silly me.....and got on all four and cuddled her. The good Samaritan who had been feeding her is Khun Poom who wouldn't accept any money for having fed her for a month.
The incredible thing is that this small road is 200 m away from a bridge that crosses the klong and a moo baan that my husband often takes to go home after work to Moo Baan Panya. It took me five minutes to go back to our home. Milly was getting closer and closer to our home......would she have made it all the way to Panya?
Milly was ecstatic when she got out of the car.......she run in and out and rejoiced at meeting everyone at home. It's as if she had never been gone..........she went missing on the 8th of March....
Thanks to my friends who walked the streets before daybreak with me......... those of you who drove around Bangkok looking out for Milly.........looking under bridges and markets....... walked your neighbourhoods........ and to those of you whom I have not met but you so kindly took an interest and called me or wrote to me encouraging e-mails. Thank you all!
Happy with Milly,
Laura
Here's a pic of Milly back at home:
*wipes sweat from brow* PHEUH~!! Despite being on the street for two months (and repeated declarations from the Cap that the pooch had probably ended up in some Korean soup), Milly has been safely reunited with Laura.
This is truly a Sukhumvit story with a HAPPY ending~!! (And I ain't remotely talking about massage~!! Heh heh~!!).
Y'all know I have a soft spot for critters... especially those who are in need.
I got an email from Billie Manshall of SCAD(Soi Cats and Dogs) - a non-profit organization that helps strays in Bangkok about a farang woman named Laura who lost her beloved pooch Milly.
To: Billie Manshall
Billie,
I am getting quite desperate.........Milly jumped from my arms in panic when I attempted to take her to the Animal Hospital on Saturday at 19:00hrs. She ran like the wind in spite of her infected front paw into Thonglor.
Jenny and another friend helped me walk the sois 55 and 53 but we couldn't find her. I was happy she was not run over.........we stopped looking at midnight. Our daily search begins at 6:00 with bicycles, walks and cars. Even our 70 year old gardener went on his bike on his day off to search for Milly!
We've put posters along soi 53, 55 and 63. On Monday morning my eldest son (29) saw Milly coming out of our office's carpark at 7:00 in the morning. He got out of the car and tried to call her but she ran away in fright. Our sons don't live with us so Milly wouldn't have known Derek very well.
Lots of guards and motorcycle taxi drivers remember Milly and the big farang running early on Monday.....but she hasn't been spotted since.
Can you help? Perhaps spreading Milly's photograph? I'm not sure what else can be done but Milly seems to be getting closer to Moo Baan Panya, soi Onnut (77) where we live.
Best wishes, Laura
SO BANGKOK PEOPLE, if any of you see this darling of a dog Milly, you can contact:
Laura (Milly's owner): 081 826 8440
Billie Manshall: billie@scadbangkok.org SCAD: info@scadbangkok.org (http://www.scadbangkok.org) Wendy Edney (SCAD Health Center's General Manager): + 66 (0) 81850 9065
P.S. Laura says, "If one can corner Milly into an enclosure and close a gate, fine, but I don't think anyone will be able to catch her unless her paw is really bad and she can't run. Remember, when well, Milly runs like the wind!
I think it would be better if you call me and we'll be there like a shot."
Nang Nak is perhaps the most famous Thai ghost EVER. Her immortal, blood-soaked story has kept countless Thai children awake at night (and behaving well – if not, their mothers threatened Nang Nak’s ghost would come and eat their brains aliiiive~!!).
While historical proof is hard to come by, the Thais still believe in Nang Nak, even until today. In fact, she has her own shrine in Sukhumvit (pics of the shrine are below this long-winded explanation) and is worshipped as a protector of military conscripts and bringer of good luck (especially winning lottery numbers).
The legendary tragic story of Nang Nak has been retold many times in the Thai media (TV dramas, DVDs, comic books, you name it~!!), most famously in the 1999 movie titled “Nang Nak” directed by Nonzee Nimibutr (pictured left).
The story is always quite similar: sometime between the 18th and 19th century Siam (today's Thailand), a beautiful young woman named Nak married a young man named Mak. They lived peacefully next to the Phra Kanong klong (canal).
Unfortunately, trouble was coming to interrupt their blissful married life: Mak had to leave the pregnant Nak to fight in the war (some claimed it was against the Burmese).
Worse, Mak was injured in battle, and this delayed his return. Unfortunately for the forlorn Nak, she died during childbirth (her baby was stillborn)… thus husband and wife were never reunited in this life.
Nevertheless, Nak’s love was so strong that her spirit refused to leave this world. When her husband finally returned from the war, her ghost (as well as the ghost of her unborn child) bewitched him, making him believe that everything was normal.
The neighbors started to notice that Mak was behaving very strangely: talking to nobody, eating the air (he thought he was eating Nang Nak's cooking), acting as if he was carrying a child, etc… Then the community realized, to their horror, that there was a very persistent ghost among them~!!
Things started to get REALLY nasty when the villagers tried to alert Mak and convince him that both his wife and child were actually dead. This provoked the fearful wrath of Nang Nak herself, who basically killed ANYONE who stood in her way (I wouldn’t go into specifics, but let’s just say that Nang Nak didn’t tend to play nice… oh and she preferred agonizing, blood-curdling tactics as her killing methods~!!).
The desperate villagers tried various ways to force Nang Nak to leave this world, but to no avail. They hired shamans, voodoo masters, witch doctors, WHATEVER you call ‘em… None was successful. Worse, Nang Nak was becoming more and more PISSED OFF and VIOLENT~!! Her incredible power came from, some said, the belief that she had the power of TWO beings (herself and her unborn child), so “typical” exorcism methods were utterly useless against her.
One day, the ghost of Nang Nak was busy preparing food when she dropped a lime (some said it was a knife) to the ground. Now, since traditional Thai houses are built on stilts (pictured right, taken from the Jim Thompson website), it would be very inconvenient for anyone to actually leave the kitchen, go down the stairs, pick up the dropped object, walk back up the stairs and re-enter the kitchen.
But for Nang Nak, this was not a problem. Since she was a supernatural being, she simply stretched her arm a few meters to the ground and picked up the lime (or knife) that she dropped. Unfortunately for her, Mak happened to see it by accident. He got (understandably) scared out of his wits and fled to a nearby temple, with Nang Nak in hot pursuit.
Now, Thais believe that temples are sacred grounds, therefore ghosts weren’t allowed inside. But because Nang Nak was no ordinary ghost, she was able to enter the temple and terrorize even the monks themselves~!!!!! (In the 1999 “Nang Nak” movie, there was a particularly hair-raising scene when Nang Nak crawled on the temple ceiling, much to the horror of the monks cuddled in total fear below her~!!)
Things looked REALLY dire… until a powerful monk came (some said from Thonburi) and succeeded in placating Nang Nak’s rage. He managed to make her realize that she was causing more harm than good being a destructive, possessive, murderous ghost and convinced her to leave her husband be (and this world). Nang Nak bid a tearful farewell to her beloved Mak and agreed to be “exorcised” by the monk.
I know two versions of the final exorcism: one version said Nang Nak's spirit was put into a ceramic jar, which was then dropped into a river.
Another (flashier) version said the monk cut the center of her forehead and made it into a belt buckle which he wore until his death. The belt then supposedly came into the possession of His Royal Highness Prince Chumbhorn Ketudomsak, passed down for generations and is now lost....
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Well, buckle or no buckle, this fascination and devotion to Nang Nak survives until today.
Tucked inside Sukhumvit 77 (Onnut), is a small (but famous~!!) shrine dedicated to Nang Nak (also called Mae Nak) and her unborn child.
The shrine is deep inside the Wat (temple) Maha But grounds, right next to the Phra Kanong klong (canal).
People flock to this shrine mainly for two reasons:
1). Men come here to ask Nang Nak to spare them from being conscripted into the military (in Thailand, all Thai males must serve in the military for 2 years) – understandably, Nang Nak would be sympathetic since it was military duty which wrenched her beloved Mak from her.
2). Devotees also come in droves to ask her for winning lottery numbers. There are two holy trees near her shrine (one is pictured on the left), wrapped in colorful sacred sashes, where people believe “hints” of winning lottery numbers would be revealed.
* Obviously, women who are pregnant (or wishing to get pregnant) are advised NOT to come to this shrine~!! You wouldn’t wanna parade your bulging stomach to a bloodthirsty female ghost who lost her baby in childbirth~!! That’s just ASKING FOR TROUBLE~!!
Naturally, when people come here, they bring appropriate offerings for both Nang Nak and her child. Particularly popular are: traditional Thai clothes (pictured right), jewelry, make-up, toys and sweets. Devotees also cover her (very creepy-looking~!!) statue with gold leaves.
As for myself, I’ve never had any supernatural encounters, so I’m still keeping an open mind.....
But today’s encounter with an old woman in Nang Nak’s shrine has gotten me looking over my shoulders~!!
When I went to visit the shrine, I asked an elderly female attendant there (who was standing next to the gold leaf-covered statue) whether I could take pictures of Nang Nak’s statue (I mean, I thought it would be kind of rude just barging in there like a SWAT team and snapping pics, y’know~??).
The woman looked very friendly and peaceful. But when I asked her (in my most polite voice), her serene expression turned VERY unpleasant IN AN INSTANT and she told me in a very stern tone that I was NOT allowed to take any pictures.
NOBODY should be taking Nang Nak’s pictures, she claimed (which I know for a fact to be UNTRUE, because I have come across pictures of her statue many times before, usually taken by farang photographers, such as this one taken by Richard Barrow from thaiblogs.com - check out the original article HERE).
(As you can see here, Nang Nak's popularity is evident - check out all those "gifts"~!!)
Anyway, the crotchety old woman then came closer to Nang Nak’s statue and caressed the statue’s arm fondly and with such tenderness that I swear, the hairs at the back of my neck stood up~!!
“Nang Nak doesn’t like people bothering her,” the old woman said, looking at the statue with devotion so fierce in her eyes it creeped the hell out of me. She then turned to look at the statue's eyes, and said, "Isn't that right~??" as if expecting the statue to back up her claims. “People will just destroy everything~!!” Her voice rose and she shot me a look of pure accusation. I thought I saw something “more” there… Anger?HATRED?
Now, perhaps the heat and humidity were making me feel very uncomfortable… or perhaps all the smoke from the devotees’ joss sticks was preventing enough clean oxygen from reaching my brain… or maybe it was the mumblings of another woman next to me, her eyes transfixed on the gold leaf-covered statue in front… But right there and then... I got a VERY FORBIDDING feeling.
In short, I was totally creeped out.Not scared shitless, mind you… but I didn’t feel comfortable in pressing the issue at all.
I DID think about taking the pics SECRETLY (I mean hell, I’ve taken some forbidden pics many times before already~!!), but OK, I felt that the mood around me was NOT in my favor anymore. Was she just a senile old woman? Or was she telling the truth? Would I invoke the uncontrollable rage of Nang Nak if I went ahead~?!
I am now sorry to say that I completely CHICKENED OUT~!!!Me, the logical, cynical SSS~!!! I totally lost my balls (pardon my French; it’s just a figure of speech) because some creepy old lady had such a strong NEGATIVE reaction to me taking pictures of a feminine, gold leaf-covered statue in the heart of Sukhumvit~!! AAAARRRGGGHH~!!!
I am now (sheepishly) offering these other pics I managed to capture AROUND the temple and soi.
CLICK ON INDIVIDUAL PIC FOR A BIGGER VIEW (and more info).
Pii Mak jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~!!! (for those who don’t know, this is Nang Nak’s blood-curdling call to her husband, repeated again and again in numerous Thai TV dramas, and thus forever imprinted in the Thai psyche~!!)
Common Name(s): street food vendor, “the roti guy”, “the somtam lady”.
Description: most members of this species usually sport an apron, moneybag and sometimes a hat. Long-haired females are often seen wearing a headband and /or are in ponytails (pictured right).
Habitat: can be found throughout Sukhumvit, but are especially prevalent around Nana (Sukhumvit 3), Asoke (Sukhumvit 21), Promphong (Sukhumvit 24), Thonglo (Sukhumvit 38 and 55), Ekamai (Sukhumvit 63), Phrakanong (Sukhumvit 65) and Onnut (Sukhumvit 77).
Commonly Heard Call of the Wild: “Au aray kha/kap?” (What do you want to order?) and “Sai thung reu sai jaan?” (Take-out or dine-in?).
Common Name(s): Sukhumvit Virgin, clueless and gullible tourists.
Description: sticks out like a sore thumb due to the ever-present map, camera around the neck, waist pouch and a head that doesn’t stop turning around. Other telltale signs: unusual, un-Sukhumvit-like behavior such as eating in the BTS car (pictured) and playing tonsil hockey in public.
Habitat: hordes can be seen around Nana, Promphong and Thonglo as well as BTS stations and Starbucks shops. The Sukhumvit turisticus rarely ventures to other parts of Sukhumvit.
Commonly Heard Call of the Wild: “Where is ______ (insert a place here)?” and “How much?” (in English).
Common Name(s): streetwalker, "coyote dancer", bar girl, “masseusse”, and to some – “shameless hussies”.
Description: easily recognizable by bright plumage (and tight clothing), lots of uncovered skin, usually long hair, long claws, heaving cleavage, and a kilo of gold around the neck (pictured left).
Habitat: the early sois of Sukhumvit, concentrated around Nana and Soi Cowboy. Can also be found in Sukhumvit 22 and 33.
Commonly Heard Call of the Wild: “Hello, handsome man~!!” and “Buy me ‘lady drink’, please~!!” (said in a special kind of English called "coconut English").
Common Name(s): hi-so (short for "high society"), in-crowd, HYB (hip, young and beautiful), and unflatteringly - spoiled brats.
Description: Hard to pin down, due to the species’ chameleon-like characteristics, but at the moment: either sleek black or bright plumage (though of a different style and kind from the Sukhumvit nomoneynohoneyda), plus blingin' rocks as adornment, dresses, chunky neck gear and big shoulder bags. Some members of the species like to mix baan-baan (comfortable/homey-looking) plumage with accessories that equal a normal office worker's monthly salary (pictured left). But don't be fooled; look for telltale marks such as “Chanel”, “Dior”, "Louis Vuitton", “Hermes” (pictured right)…
Habitat: Emporium in Sukhumvit 24 and Thonglo (Sukhumvit 55). High concentration in J-Avenue’s Au Bon Pain and Iberry - prime prancing environments where even a dara (star/celeb) can mingle and relax without being accosted by screaming fans, as shown by the picture on the left: Thai comedian Udom "Nose" Taepanich enjoying some sweet sherbet at J-Avenue's Iberry shop with some private company. The Sukhumvit hisofashionistacus can also be found after 10 pm around nightspots such as “Escudo” (Thonglo) and “Booze” and “Zantika” (both in Ekamai).
Commonly Heard Call of the Wild: Thailish (a unique mixture of Thai and English), such as “That shop is divine, ching-ching~!!” (That shop is divine, REALLY~!!) and “Let’s go pai tiew~!!” (Let’s go out and have fun~!!).
Common Name(s): sexpat, sex tourist, DOM (dirty old man), “customer”.
Description: comes in all shapes and sizes but the stereotypical “customer” is usually sweaty, hairy, with a hanging beer gut and roving eyes. Some even foam at the mouth at the mere presence of the Sukhumvit nomoneynohoneyda species.
Habitat: Panting packs of Sukhumvit sexsexion can be easily found around Nana and Soi Cowboy, and to some extent, Sukhumvit 22 and 33.
Commonly Heard Call of the Wild: “How much?” (said in a COMPLETELY different tone and attitude from the Sukhumvit turisticus’ call of the wild!), “My place or yours?” and “Are you sure you’re over 18?! Can I see your ID card?”
Common name(s): “okusan” (literally means “person who stays at the back of/inside the house” in Japanese), khun nai (“madam” in Thai)
Description: somewhat drab feathers (some call it “conservative”), set and blow-dried hair, fair-colored hide. Often accompanied by their young offspring(s), many members of this species prefer to seek shelter and protect themselves from the Sukhumvit sun by carrying an umbrella. Easily recognizable by the species’ frequent 45-degree bowing.
Habitat: concentrated around Promphong area (Sukhumvit 24, 39, 49), this long-named species also frequents Starbucks shops and Fuji Supermarkets (plastic bag pictured left).
Commonly Heard Call of the Wild: “Ah, konnichiwaaa~!!” (meaning “hello”, usually said in a high-pitched voice) and “Sumimasen~!!” (meaning “excuse me”).
Common name(s): TAXI driver, khon khap rot (“driver” in Thai).
Description: usually male, with short hair, long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Some keep their nails longer than other “lower class” male Sukhumvit species (to show that they don’t have to do hard physical labor, pictured right).
Habitat: highly mobile and can be found all over Sukhumvit, theSukhumvit taxicus sometimes completely disappears during the long Songkran holiday (and heavy downpours, dammit!).
Commonly Heard Call of the Wild: “Mai pai!” (Not going! – usually uttered during heavy traffic or rain), “Mai chai khon thai ro?” (You’re not Thai, are you?) and “Choop phuying thai mai?” (You like Thai women?).
There are many ways to get from point A to point B in Sukhumvit:
- the Skytrain is fast, clean, airconed and relatively cheap; but it only runs along the main Sukhumvit road and my ~ those stairs sure are steep! Better stick to the side with an escalator.
- metered taxis are very comfortable and Bangkok taxi drivers are some of the nicest and friendliest in the world; but if you get stuck in traffic you will probably reach your destination the next day
- buses are cheap but take forever to come!
- siilors go deep inside small sois; just make sure you know the usual price or risk getting fleeced
- NOBODY takes tuktuks (samlors) unless you're a gullible tourist with the word ~SUCKA~ written (in Thai) on your forehead
- if you've graduated to motorcycle taxis... CONGRATULATIONS! You are now a LOCAL! They're fast, cheap and can be found anywhere on Sukhumvit. What's more they know shortcuts; handy when you're running REALLY late.If possible, only ride them when you're going deep into the soi; you wouldn't wanna end up as one of the 'stars' on those "Drive Safely" campaigns with your brain matter splashed across main Sukhumvit Road. A note to big-boned farangs: try to make your body as small and narrow as your driver's as he will be zig-zagging between vehicles! Kneecaps are especially vulnerable!
sukhumvit
bangkok
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