Heartbreak that many ramen fans in the “bay area” know all too well…
You MUST MUST get to Santa Ramen before they open at 1730 to join the queue! Otherwise, you’ll never be able to taste the ultimate decadence of stewed pork and instead you’ll have to settle for the plain old decadence of tonkotsu cha-siu ramen instead.
It’s good stuff, but it’s not the good GOOD stuff…
There are noodles down there, lurking under the broth.
In the interest of “fair and balanced” ramen blogging, here’s an order of miso ramen
Santa DOES have a sense of humor, as evidenced by the sign below.
Guess too many people were asking stupid questions so they had to put up a sign. Bet they’re still fielding this stupid question, probably asked by stupid people that don’t read…
WAHAHAHAHAHAH
Santa’s moving to just south of the 92 on El Camino Real. That means easier parking and a Nijiya Market to buy stuff in after your large helping of steam ramen goodness! They’re not sure about when yet, but your roving correspondent visited the site and saw stockpots the size of small Tokyo apartments in the front, so they may be opening up before the end of the year…
Lodging in BKK
One of the most oft-repeated questions I get about my travels is “how do you afford it”? Here’s the answer, one of the Jedi secrets. Ready? Here it comes…
I try to make sure that all my other costs don’t exceed the cost of my airplane ticket.
Generally, I do much of my travel off-season so tickets are cheaper and the travel budget gets smaller. I use that figure as a benchmark to budget. And yes, there’s method to the madness.
My normal SOP is to stay at hostels. They’re cheap, they often have character and you can meet fellow travelers and make new friends for hanging out. Now the caveat is knowing which hostels are great and which ones inspired horror movies. Hint: You don’t want to stay in the latter. Generally all the hostels I’ve blogged about are in the former category although I’ve stayed in some dives that deserved mention and warning about.
So my experience staying at HI-Sukhumvit would be in the “great” category. The place is a 5 minute trudge from the Thong Lo Skytrain, through a night market and then another 1/2 block. It’s a great location for exploring the city because many of the sights are within striking distance of the Skytrain or the MRT. If you arrive at night, give yourself a little more time as you’ll surrender to the sights and smells and wind up eating.
The patio in front of the hostel
The hostel is all of a 5 story building, with a lounge area and laundry facilities on the roof. They have both private rooms and dorms. The dorms have the firmest (that means it’s great!) mattresses I’ve ever been on in a hostel AND great air-con. The common bathrooms are almost Japanese in cleanliness.
View of the Rama IX bridge from the hostel roof
Firm beds in a dorm room! I like!
On the last two nights in BKK, I decided to treat myself (as do most flashpackers) to a hotel stay. BKK has very nice hotels and due to the exchange rate, they’re affordable. Let’s put it this way. For the price of a 1 star in Manhattan, I can stay at a 4 star boutique hotel. Which is what I did.
No more bunk beds and loud sleepers!
Dream Hotel BKK has a sister location in Manhattan that costs three times as much. The BKK one is a better deal and has better service. They have free wi-fi and the rooms were comfortable, but it wasn’t the essence of travel where you meet people and hang out and drink beer on the roof until 0400. This hotel, however, hit the perfect spot for decompressing before my return to “the world” two days later.
The desk and the flat screen HD TV with satellite and DVD player
My own can! WAHAHAHAHAH
Dream is located about 10 minutes walk from Asok Skytrain and the Sukumvit MRT stop; half of the walk is down Sukhumvit Road where you pass a McDonald’s, the Westin and the Sheraton. Twas not a bad location either.
What the Borg did after they were discharged…
HI-Sukhumvit
23 Sukhumvit Soi 38,
Phra Khanong, Khlong Toei,
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
+66(0) 2 391-9338
http://www.hisukhumvit.com
Dream BKK
10 Sukhumvit Soi 15
Klongtoey Nua, Wattana,
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
+66(0) 2 254-8500
http://www.dreambkk.com
BKK Icons
A preview of what’s to come. I’m waaay too tired to do a proper post now. More later!
Wat Po, the reclining Buddha. He’s relaxing. I’m sleeping!
Aussie legs and others at the Bed Supperclub
Self portrait in BKK MRT
You have to REALLLY want to see it….
The sights on the MTR (yay advertising!)
So what exactly is being advertised? Think I may buy…
The price of tradition
The price of MY traditions tonight was sweating through my clothes. Not a pretty sight. Nope. No way. Let’s put it this way. I went to the gym to cool off. And also fit in a workout. And take a loooong shower.
Yeah, you’ve seen this before. But this is how it looks when it’s 33C outside and shot from the lower deck!
My traditional “first night” things. Do the seksiest commute EVER and get some wonderful comfort food.
This is where to eat
This is WHAT to eat
It was an ordeal walking from the new Central Pier (which has morphed into a very tacky and dead mall) to the part of Central where Tsim Chai Kee is. And interestingly enough, many of the buildings that the elevated skyway ends and where people usually walk through for some aircon relief were CLOSED. Closed at 2000. I guess they’re afraid that people will enjoy their aircon too much so they close the buildings down. Go figure.
Excessive heat and humidity does things to people. Coming off the MTR at TST, I witnessed an altercation between two men, one fat guy screaming at another not so fat guy as he got off the train. There was a lot of woofing between the two, said woofing getting louder as guy #2 was getting further away from guy #1 by riding up the escalator. The more space between the two, the louder they got. They should have just gotten the hint by the copious laughter all around them, shut up and threw down. Probably ain’t gonna happen.
Heeey S-A! Hope it all works out and you didn’t fall asleep in class…
Obligatory KLCC shot
Right when I clicked the shutter, a raindrop hit the lens dead center!!
The “Staff Canteen” sounds so offputting
One of the “secret” amenities of Singapore Changi Airport are the Hawker Centres hidden away in each terminal; in the basement of Terminal 1 and on a secret mezzanine level between 3 and 4 in Terminal 2. Went to Terminal 1’s today.
Except it’s not a “hawker centre” but rather a “staff canteen”. Doesn’t sound as cool, does it? I guess it’s not a true “hawker centre” because they’re open only to 2100 on the weekends and 2000 on weeknights so it won’t become a hangout? It’s impeccably clean AND has great air-con.
Did I mention that’s it really big AND they sell magazines and convenience items too?
I found an outpost of my favourite beehoon beef noodle place that I found at Harbourfront Food Centre on my last visit, so I had to have a bowl!
All “beefed” up and halal too!
The pictures don’t adequately show how big this place is. There are two walls full of food stalls and there’s patio seating outside too. It’s not listed on the Changi Airport website but if you ask any of the staff, they can point you in the right direction. Or you can take the lift and get off where it says “Food Center Level 1”. Apparently, I was told that Terminal 2 has better food! Will find out on Monday next week…
Here’s the view from my seat
Terminal 1 Staff Canteen
First Floor
Singapore Changi Airport
Cheesie Meme
I got hit with a meme from Cheesie!
Fun to see that she’s actually been here to this dusty corner of the internet. Kanna comply with meme tho because she quotes here specifically:
Guys not excluded. I dun care! Make do with whatever you have! Unless you’re bald, you die die also have to do it Link
Well, I am excused cuz I AM Bald! Just like Bruce and Jean-Luc! WAHAHAHAHAH
However, I will be in KL this Wed and Thurs in case you’d like to share some cheese and verify my “follically-challenged” status…
Aiyah, a public service announcement…
UPDATE: Click here. Guess the producer no longer has a job. Or his freedom.
Street food is one of the staples of traveling. In a nutshell, street food is a reflection of the tastes and priorities of the society you’re visiting. What does this say about mainland China?
Chopped cardboard, softened with an industrial chemical and flavored with fatty pork and powdered seasoning, is a main ingredient in batches of steamed buns sold in one Beijing neighborhood, state television said. Link.
Original CCTV report
Now keep in mind that this isn’t a a “western propaganda outlet” muckraking to make the motherland look bad, this report was from CCTV, the state propaganda arm! Kudos to whoever approved this story (assuming he still has a job there) and had the guts to see it through…
Really makes you think about where and what you eat and whether or not “cheap food” is such a good deal. I think it depends on where you are. I’ve usually no qualms about eating from a hawker stand in Singapore or in piss alley in Shinjuku or even one of the remaining Dai Pai Dongs in Hong Kong. Those countries make an effort to regulate food stalls and there are laws and fines that are enforced for violations. Even here in San Francisco there are regulations as such.
But obviously not mainland China. They’ve got a LOT of work ahead of them…
Here’s a Japanese story on the CCTV report…