Exploring Sunday’s Lard Yai market in P’Town

from The Guide Phuket - March 2020

Weekend getaway at the Best Western Patong

EXPLORING SUNDAY’S LARD YAI MARKET IN PHUKET TOWN

Every Sunday, the famous Thalang Road in Phuket old town transforms into a lively market with a large selection of street food, clothing, antiques, and accessories, surrounded by the unique Sino-Portuguese architecture of the neighborhood.

Lad Yai can be directly translated to “Big Market” in Thai southern dialect. Every Sunday, the renowned Phuket’s heritage Thalang Road, in the heart of Phuket old town, transforms to become a walking street with beautiful lights in the evening and the exquisite backdrops of century-old Sino-Portuguese houses.

The night market is prominent for its local street food and laid-back atmosphere, which attracts a big crowd of locals, expatriates, and travelers every week.

You can discover Phuket signature dishes along your walk through the street. OwTow is a savory menu that uses a soft, sticky dough stir-fried with small clams, egg, taro, pork crackling, spring onion, and sprinkled with crispy shallots. It is mildly

spicy and flavorful.

Mee Hoon Kradook Moo is a very simple dish that can be placed on the dining table from breakfast to dinner or even between the meals. It is stir-fried vermicelli with a black soy sauce, topped with chives and crispy shallots. It is always served alongside a hot clear soup that has been simmered with pork ribs and bones for hours until the pork meat is ready to fall off the bone.

In addition, you will find several local favorites, such as grilled sour glass noodle sausage, Khao Mok Gai, deep-fried pork and chicken with sticky rice, as well as other Asian cuisines, such as dumpling and Gyoza. Western-style menus such as baked mini pizzas, BBQ pork ribs, kebabs, and burgers are also available while the seafood menus can be found at affordable prices. The shellfishes are very fresh and the vendors are happy to cook your selected ingredients to your liking, whether you prefer spicy food or not.

BARGAINING IS NO SHAME; IT’S AN ART!

If there is one thing that westerners have some difficulties to understand when arriving in Thailand is that (almost) everything should be bargained here; it’s a tradition, especially at markets that sell clothing and other souvenirs (you would not try to negotiate on food). As a rule of thumb, consider what price would make you happy, and start the negotiations slightly below that price. A THB 300 shirt, for example, could easily be bought for THB 200. Give it your best smile and you’re all set!

You will also find fashion accessories along the way, as well as house decorations and souvenirs to bring back home. We even spotted a tattoo artist working on henna projects and some vendors selling plants and flowers to decorate your home.

The night is lovely and lively at Lad Yai market with plenty of musicians along the street. In the middle, you will find a small stage with various artists performing, some as a band, some on their own. It is also common to find open-mic karaoke and a talented guitarist who plays and sings the 70s’ to 80s’ playlist. The gimmick of the night was an old lady in her 80s’, who still danced professionally with her dancing partner.

SHOPPER’S DELIGHTS

Located on Dibuk Road, this indy shopping mall recently celebrated its 4th anniversary. The mall offers a good mix between clothing shops, restaurants, souvenir boutiques and grocery store on two separate floors while providing regular events to keep the crowd, consisting mainly of locals, entertained. It shares its parking lot with the now-famous Phuket Indy Market on Thursdays and Fridays, so make sure you go there early on those dates if you wish to get a parking spot, as the market takes over from 4:00 pm. < WEB: www.limelightphuket.com

JUNGCEYLON PATONG

Patong has its own shopping center, by the moniker of Jungceylon. The mall opened in 2006 and covers an area of 200,000 square meters. It is well-known for its full-size wooden boat, located in the central atrium, linking the various buildings together. Plenty of places to shops, including local and international brands, and a large avenue filled with restaurants and places to relax under the shades. WEB: www.jungceylon.com >

TURTLE VILLAGE MAI KHAO

The exclusive shopping destination for the best dining and shopping on Mai Khao Beach. Cuisine choices match wonderfully with the gift, souvenir, antique and clothing selections. Outlets include Bill Bentley Pub, the only English pub on Mai Khao Beach; The Coffee Club; Swensens; Supermarket Turtle Mart; Jim Thompson; Narai Phand; Private Collection; Ferera; Paul Ropp; Anita; Eleph; Marie France Van Damme; Unique Art; Tanya Living; Basil; Phuket Happiness Trip; Cashmere Hut; Joy Isomare; Bangkok B.P. Pharmacy, while the new phase include the like of 7 Eleven, Pizza Company, Etam, OVS, Anello and Esprit.

VILLA MARKET CHALONG While Villa Market is known for its imported products, which please foreigner living on the island and looking for comfort food from home, the Chalong’s venue is much larger than just a regular supermarket, and offers some restaurants, a DIY store named HomePro, a Banana IT store for all your computer needs, and several other clothing and souvenir shops. It is also home to a large market every Tuesdays, where locals love to stop by and grab some delicious food before heading home. Beware of the limited parking spaces on that day.

CENTRAL PHUKET, PHUKET TOWN

Central Phuket is the largest shopping center of the island and goes into the top 3 largest shopping malls in Thailand, comprising of two separate buildings: the long-standing Central Festival, which opened in the 90s, and the newly built extension Central Floresta, which opened its doors in September 2018. Both buildings offer a combined area of 185,000 square meters and host more than 700 different shops, from luxury watches and clothes to everyday items. WEB: www.centralfestivalphuket.com

PREMIUM OUTLET PHUKET TOWN

Brand-name clothing and sports accessories at bargain prices, this is the brand promise of Premium Outlet. Apart from numerous Thai brands, other international names can be found on sale, including Lacoste, Guy Laroche, Levi’s, Lee, Adidas and Nike and feature discounts of up to 70%. It is open daily from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm and can be found on Bypass Road, not far from the Toyota Dealership. WEB: www.outletmallthailand.com

THREE APPS TO HELP INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY

For many businesses in our increasingly technical world, future success will depend on how well they can take advantage of digital tools such as apps.

These days, it’s all about finding and optimizing the right apps, which may explain why app usage has grown so much in recent years. In fact, 81% of workers worldwide are using more apps now than they did five years ago, reports a recent Slack and GlobalWebIndex study.

Many of the apps most valuable to businesses are those that can step in to make work processes simpler, more productive and more collaborative. As you shop around for the tools that can help your business grow and function more efficiently, consider looking for the following capabilities. 1. Improve communication.

Workers are the heart and soul of your organization, and keeping them clued in to what’s going on company-wide is key to keeping them engaged, supported and empowered. That’s why many organizations are moving beyond email to an efficient workplace collaboration software like Slack. The digital workplace connects you to the

people and tools you work with every day, no matter where you are or what you do. In Slack, teamwork and communication happen in channels. This new way of working enables teams to establish a single place for the sharing of messages, tools and files. Channel content can be organized by team, project or whatever else is relevant to the users. Chatbooks, a company that creates photo books, for example, uses

Slack channels across remote teams in different time zones to manage marching orders, product quality control, and speedy customer support.

2. Create transparency.

Today’s employees, particularly millennials, highly prioritize trust and transparency in their dealings with companies and organizations. To truly feel aligned and engaged, they must feel empowered to make decisions; however, that’s hard to achieve when they don’t have the information and resources they need. If you want everyone on your team to be able to find, access and share that crucial information, you need to have the right system in place. Using Google Drive to create a Moon’s, which integrates Trello with Slack so shop managers across branches can collaborate on day-to-day issues.

“Modern work is more technologically driven than ever before, resulting in a fastpaced workplace and increased pressure with heightened demands,” comments Jason Mander, chief research officer at GlobalWebIndex. “While apps and other tech tools help workers become more productive and collaborative, it’s about providing better versions of them, not more, and carefully selecting consolidated solutions.”

Optimizing technology can be a boost to your business, but bombarding workers

THREE WEBSITES TO VISIT TODAY!

Coursera

Continuous development is a critical skill in today’s economy, and attending online classes does not have to be expensive. As a matter of fact, it is 100% free on Coursera, an online education platform that offers classes from various universities. WEB: www.coursera.org

“digital home” for all important documents is an easy and convenient way to ensure that happens.

3. Get organized.

It’s hard to focus when computer desktops are packed with multiple notes, files and calendars that get clogged up easily. That’s where Trello can step in to help users visualize and organize workloads. The project management tool has been a boon for Seattle-based ice cream company Molly with too much technology (just for technology’s sake) can backfire by making them feel overwhelmed. Tools like Google Drive, Slack and Trello can help by letting employees decide how and when they wish to receive notifications and engage, so they face minimal interruptions and are able to remain productive and efficient.

This article was originally published by Brandpoint and is reproduced here with full authorization.

Mint

Did you know that almost half of the population in Thailand has zero savings and lives paycheck to paycheck? Time has come for a change. With Mint, you can create your online budget for free, and easily record all your expenses into different categories. WEB: www.mint.com

Project Gutenberg

If you’re an avid reader, chances are you’ve already come across Project Gutenberg, an online database of more than 60,000 e-books that are free to download. You can search for books by authors or by using the search engine available on the site. WEB: www.gutenberg.org

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THE GUIDE TO THAI LANGUAGE EP6: BODY & BODY PARTS

Head - หัว Hua Face - หน้า Naa Forehead - หน้าผาก Naa Pak Eye - ตา Taa Eyelash - ขนตา Khon Taa Eyebrow - คิ ้ ว Kiew Ear - หู Hoo Cheek - แก ้ ม Gaem Nose - จมูก Ja Mook Mouth - ปาก Paak Tooth - ฟัน Fan Tongue - ลิ ้ น Lin Chin - คาง Kaang The Human Body

Neck - คอ Koh Hair - ผม Pom Skin - ผิว Pew Shoulder - ไหล ่ Lai Back - หลัง Lang Arm - แขน Kaen Elbow - ศอก Sok Wrist - ข้อมือ Koh Meu Hand - มือ Meu Finger - นิ ้ ว Niew Nail - เล็บ Lep Body - ล�ำตัว Lam Tua Chest - อก Ok

Belly - ท้อง Tong Leg - ขา Ka Knee - เข ่ า Khao Foot - เท้า Tao Toe - นิ ้ วเท้า Niew Tao Brain - สมอง Samong Heart - หัวใจ Hua Jai Lung - ปอด Pod Stomach - กระเพาะอาหาร Krapoh Ahaan Liver - ตับ Tab Kidney - ไต Tai Muscle - กล้ามเนื ้ อ Klam Neua

While we certainly hope you won’t have to visit a hospital while you are staying in Thailand, rest assured that the quality of treatments you would receive in private hospitals in Phuket and Thailand, in general, are on par with what you could be expected in the West, if not better. After all, Thailand is a big player in the medical tourism industry, and for good reasons; most doctors have international experience, translators are readily available if needed, and of course, the costs of treatments are much cheaper than what you would be asked to pay in other countries. Visiting a hospital in Thailand

GETTING TO KNOW You can archive when you believe – Coach Stefan Lange

With more than 20 years of experience in personal training and a life-long involvement in sports, Coach Stefan Lange is the Performance Coach, Personal Trainer and Disabled Representative at Thanyapura - Active Living. He has transformed the body and mind of several people and he recently gave us the opportunity to get to know him better through this interview.

Please tell us about your background

I am originally from Hamburg, Germany, a city that is surrounded with water. My father taught me a lot when it comes to sports, and from a very young age, I learned how to swim, sail, windsurf, and play football. My first sport was Judo, which I practiced from the age of 6 – 10, then I learned gymnastics, swimming, followed by boxing for more than eight years.

When I was 22, a friend of mine asked if I heard about a new sport that originated in the USA. He said they called it triathlon. He explained that it consisted of swimming,

THE GUIDE PHUKET | MARCH 2020 cycling, and running, and I was like, ‘What’s new? This is our daily routine.’ When the weather was good we would swim in the sea. Every morning, to go to school, we must ride the bicycle very fast when we were a little late and when we didn’t have a bicycle, we ran. He said a triathlon competition would be held nearby our hometown. We didn’t have any race bikes but we were filled with confidence. We attended the competition with trekking bikes and we were the first three in the race!

I also had an opportunity to meet with Jürgen Zäck. He’s a German triathlete and a hero for many Asians as he brought triathlon to Asia. He has a lot of Thai students who later run their own things in Thailand in different places.

Starting a career

I first studied lifeguard and medicine, and then moved to physiotherapy. I started working in a free park with swimming pools and sports facilities and at this time, I met a diving instructor who had his own company. I worked

When I came back to Germany, I worked in one of the biggest sports centers in the world called Club Meridien. The main center is 63,000 square meters, all indoor. I started teaching gymnastics, aerobics and step aerobics. In 1990, the presenter of step aerobics was looking for a presenter in Germany and I became a top presenter for step aerobics there. One day, a man came to me and asked if I wanted to be his personal trainer. It was 1996. I was very excited that he asked me to do the job. This man shot sports programs on television. He also brought many friends from the television industry to train with me, such as Boris Becker, who was a top tennis player.

Later on, I built up my own gym and it went well so I wanted to build another one in Spain. However, when I came back from Spain, I had an accident.

A tragic accident – the beginning of a new chapter

It happened during my cycling training. I was on a race bike and a car coming on the side crashed into me. I wanted to stand up but I couldn’t. I couldn’t feel my legs and after spending a long time in the business, I knew what that meant.

At the hospital, I was told that my TH12 spine bone was broken and they thought I would be paralyzed for the rest of my life.

They brought me to a special hospital and in the first week, there were more than 500 people visiting me. I was struggling with my thoughts, but then I met with a man in a wheelchair, moving the wheelchair with his chin by pressing the control bar. I saw him and I realized that I can still use my fingers and arms. This opened a completely new chapter for me. I told myself that I would try to move a little bit every day and I called it diplomacy with millimeter.

My first goal was to sit on the bed and say hello to my physiotherapist when he came to my room. I couldn’t hold my upper body and when I tried to sit, I would fall. I needed four weeks and when that physiotherapist came in, I managed to sit on the bed, lift my arm and said hello to him. He responded ‘Wow Stefan! Really good!’ and I was so proud.

During the sixth week, they opened my corset and said that I could sit in a normal wheelchair but I had to be very careful with my upper body. For five weeks, I mostly spend time on the bed. Once I could sit in my wheelchair, I was gone with it. I quickly got out of my room, and out of the hospital. They caught me outside at the park, near the hospital entrance. I watched the normal light, I saw the cars and people walking around. The nurse came after me. She was very panicked and said I needed a special paper to get out.

In my room, there were three other patients. I told them not to lay down the whole day and invited them to go out with me and do cardio training on the wheelchair. We went up to the helicopter parking on the top of the hospital then headed to the forest. We went down around the small lake, which was about 1.8 kilometers. Interestingly, after three weeks, their health results were so much better so the doctor allowed me to continue to train them.

Rolling forward

After nearly three months at the hospital, they offered me a job to work in sports therapy. I worked at the hospital for 8 years as a Sports Therapist, and they offered to pay for my education, in order to increase my knowledge on this subject. I worked there from 2000 – 2008. On the side, I also opened a gym for people with disabilities. We had more than 400 gyms in Hamburg, but mine was the only one available for people with disabilities. The facilities and training were designed for disabled people.

In 2008, I left the job at the hospital and went to Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands in Spain. Lanzarote is a really nice place for sports. Ironman in Lanzarote is one of the hardest. It can be fresh in the morning when you jump into the north Atlantic at 17 degrees Celsius, then at noon, the weather can be 32 degrees Celsius. I lived there until 2013 and during that time, I created my own race called Vuelta Playa Blanca, which is specialized for wheelchair users. I also created a training center for wheelchair users in Playa Blanca. In the first year there were 30-40 people attending while the third year, more than 150 wheelchair users joined the training and the race. It’s been 10 years and the race is still popular while I organize it from here [Phuket].

I couldn’t do it alone and my Spanish was not good enough. When you do things like this you need a friend. My best friend, Jose Vasquez, is the director of H10 Hotels, which is a hotel chain. I told him my idea and he was one of the first to offer special prices of 4-star hotel rooms for wheelchair users. Without him, I would never be able to organize this.

From Playa Blanca to Phuket

In 2013, I received a call from my friend, who worked at a 5-star hotel in Phuket. He sent me a health result from a doctor and asked if I could help him. The result was bad and he could have died within three months if he didn’t do anything.

It was in November when I received that call and I canceled everything to come to see him. He went to pick me up at the airport. I walked past him as I didn’t recognize him at all. He was about my size before, but at the airport, he was 118 kilograms. In the car, he explained how much stress he has been through and that his job gave him a lot of pressure.

On the way to his house, I saw a sign ‘Thanyapura Sports’. The next day, he showed me the gym in Bangtao where he expected to train but when I looked around, I told him it’s impossible for him to train there with loud music while he’s under a lot of stress. Then I remember the sign Thanyapura Sports so I asked him about it. Initially, he said it would be too expensive but I insisted we should give it a try.

We checked it out, got offered a good price and we agreed to train here. That was my first contact with Thanyapura. He got better eventually and the doctor told me that his health was fine and he could take care of himself so I went back to Europe. The second time I came back to see my friend, Phillip [Thanyapura President and CEO] reached out to me and asked if I was interested to work at Thanyapura. I still remember the moment we talked. I said yes, it’s a very good opportunity and this is the reason why I’m here now.

Your core is the key

The core is always essential. It’s in between your upper and lower body so if the core doesn’t work, the upper and lower body cannot function together well. Any kind of sports and activities that you need to connect your legs and arms, you have to be stable over the middle. It’s an important part to build strength in your body.

When you train the core, it’s not only about sit-ups. There’re a lot of different options. In my class, you can see how many different offers you get to work with the core.

People who train here impress me by showing up on their training routine, not only in my class but in any training classes, which show continuity and respect. We have people from elite athletes to normal people and it’s amazing to see how they transform through our training. Now they feel good, confident, stronger, and better.

Also, here is the perfect place to train. You can do the same in Germany but what makes this place so special for the training is 12 hours between day and night. It is almost the same amount of time. In Germany, in winter, the night is so long and it decreases the motivation to train. Here, the temperature is averagely 29 degrees throughout 365 days of the year, which is good for the body and Thanyapura is the perfect place to improve your whole lifestyle, from physical training to nutrition and mind training. I’ve never seen any other places that offers so many options for vegan food. There are also doctors who can guide you about your health results, a nutritionist and therapist to support you along the way to a healthier lifestyle.

You can find more information about Thanyapura Health & Sports Resort on their website at www.thanyapura.com.

WHAT’S ON GUIDE OUR FEBRUARY FAVORITE MOMENTS IN PHUKET

This February, we were treated with an exceptional wine tasting from Fin Wines at the Andara Wine Boutique, a sensational brunch at the stunning Red Sauce restaurant, chicken wings galore at Hooters Phuket, and some beautiful pieces of art from a talented local artist.

On February 7, 2020, Fabulous Wine organized a wine tasting at the Andara Wine Boutique with wine producer Gerhard Kracher, from Australia.

On February 9, 2020, Rosewood Phuket inaugurated their first brunch of the year at their flagship Italian restaurant, Red Sauce.

The exclusive brunch is happening on the second Sunday of each month and is priced at THB 2,500 net per person or THB 3,500 including a free-flow of wines and Prosecco.

On February 4, 2020, Hooters Phuket welcomed the second round of their national wing eating competition, with the Grand Finale happening on July 3, 2020, in Pattaya.

During the contest, participants were required to eat 20 Hooters signature chicken wings in the shortest amount of time possible. The winner of the finale will cash in THB 100,000 and the coveted title of fastest wings eater in the country.

Hooters Phuket also showcased some of their new menu items and cocktails, including a few options where the profit is donated to a cancer research organization. Hooter Phuket is located in Patong.