Mango Metro – Volume 7, Issue 8 – July 2013

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JULY 2013 • VOLUME 7, ISSUE NO. 8

On the Road to Mandalay

Page 4

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Volume 7, Issue No. 8

July 2013

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4 mango metro JULY 2013

ON THE ROAD TO MANDALAY

By Dave Stamboulis

M

andalay, Myanmar’s former royal capital and its second largest city, has been enshrined in travel romance ever since the English poet and writer Rudyard Kipling penned a verse about it, later crooned by Frank Sinatra as “On the Road to Mandalay” on Come Fly With Me. Never mind that Kipling wrote the ode while passing through Moulmein, some 500 kilometers south, nor that he actually never visited Mandalay, for Myanmar’s northern gem still has plenty of beautiful sights for the present-day traveller to take advantage of.

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The city sits on the banks of the Ayeyarwady (or Irrawaddy) River, which runs all the way through the country, and a commanding view of the river and town is to be had from Mandalay Hill, which towers over the surroundings. Locals and tourists make daily walks up to visit the many pagodas built on the hill located in the heart of the city.

From here, you can see the adjacent suburb of Amarapura, the ancient capital, which is the location of Mandalay’s most visited tourist site, the U Bein Bridge. The U Bein Bridge is the world’s longest wooden teak bridge, over a kilometer in length, and at its most scenic in the late afternoon, when throngs of workers make their way back home, and then at sunset, when the whole bridge is silhouetted in red and pink sunset glow.

U Bein is also just as fascinating in the early morning, when monks cross the bridge doing their morning alms runs, and workers carrying large loads on their heads compete with crowds of bicyclists crossing back and forth.

Visitors also need to make a pilgrimage to the temple complex at Mingun, just north of the city, site of the white Hsinbyume temple, which dates from the early 1800s, and is built to resemble the mythical Buddhist Mount Meru. The main Mingun temple lies in ruin, uncompleted, as King Bodawpaya was told by an astrologer that it would cause his death if finished. There is also the world’s largest bell here, the 90ton Mingun Bell, which still peals when its outer edge is struck. One can take a boat on the Ayeyarwady as an idyllic way of getting to Mingun.

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Just south of Mandalay is Paleik, also known as the Snake Temple. In the 1970s, several pythons came to this temple and curled up around the Buddha image, and they have been protected, cared for, and revered ever since.

The entire temple is festooned with python statues and murals, and every morning the snakes are taken out and washed, fed, and prayed to in what is certainly one of the world’s more bizarre tourist attractions.

While the center of Mandalay is quite modern, there are still a few attractions worth a visit. The old Royal Palace was mostly burned down during WWII and was rebuilt into a museum-type sight. However, the original Shwenandaw Monastery still remains, and this temple made entirely of intricately carved teak is well worth a visit, and quite active as a major learning center for monks.

As Mandalay was one of colonial Burma’s main cities, the legacy of the British has been a well-planned and easy-to-navigate grid of numbered and lettered streets. It is easy enough to walk around the city center, but for a bit of nostalgia and Mandalay flavor, try taking a local trishaw, a three-wheeled cycle rickshaw, found on just about every corner. Many of the drivers speak good English, and with a bit of bargaining, can make for a great tour guide and taxi driver all in one.

Besides sightseeing, make sure to sample some of the great regional fare that is part of the Mandalay way of life. The city has a sizeable Shan minority, and their ethnic dishes can be found at the night market and elsewhere at vendor stalls. Don’t miss trying kao shweh, a local Chinese Muslim noodle dish, served with spices. Burmese tea stalls are also an institution and a great place to meet locals, get travel tips, and relax while drinking small cups of Indian style sweet chai, also the national drink here.

See many more Mandalay area photos from Mango Metro before taking your own trip at http://goo.gl/qWF3Q

mango metro JULY 2013 9

10 mango metro JULY 2013

OFF TO THE RACES

By Voicu Mihnea Simandan & photos by Regin Reyno

I

f you’ve taken the Skytrain on its downtown Silom line, you have likely seen from high-above, through the tinted glass of the air-conditioned car of the train, the well-kept and sunny fields of the Royal Bangkok Sports Club, right there as you passed through the Ratchadamri station.

If you were riding to work on a weekday, you wouldn’t have probably seen any players on the grounds, but at the weekend, you might have seen cricket players hitting a wicket in the smouldering Bangkok heat and, surprisingly, a huge crowd in the stands.

Were they there for the cricket? Has cricket become that famous in Thailand? The answer is a simple ‘no.’ The crowds were there for the horse races and the chance to place a bet. Yes, we do have horse races in Bangkok, and yes, it is one of the very few places where you can legally bet in Thailand, the other options being muay thai fights and the Thai lottery scheme. In both sports, the huge crowds that they attract are there mostly just for the opportunity to bet rather than to watch the races or the fights.

The history of the Royal Bangkok Sports Club (RBSC) goes back to the reign of King Rama V, who shortly after his return from a visit to Europe in 1897, provided the land the racetrack stands on today, in an attempt to introduce and promote quality horse breeding and various field sports in Thailand.

But getting to the correct entrance of the Royal Bangkok Sports Club can be a bit tricky, as the Ratchadamri BTS station, the stop that you would think would be the most likely to get off at, is not the best place. Although Gate 9 is right in front of the station, it is reserved for members only. What you have to do is either walk around the sports club to the corner of Siam Paragon or take the BTS to Siam station. From here, take Exit 6 and then walk a few meters to the intersection of Rama 1 Road and Henry Dunant Road. Then walk down Henry Dunant for 700 meters until you reach Gate 3, located right across the street from Chulalongkorn University. If you’ve been in Thailand for too long and dread walking any kind of distance, then you can easily flag a motorbike taxi at the corner and tell him to take you to ‘sanam ma,’ which literally translates as ‘horse park.’ Initially, the name of the road itself was called Thanon Sanam Ma.

If you’re there to gamble, then I suggest buying the day’s betting booklet, which has the race program, the names of the horses, the stables they come from, the prizes for the winners, plus, most importantly, their standings, with the previous wins and loses. The English version of the booklet costs 100 baht while the Thai one is only 30 baht. It’s a fair price, having in mind that someone had to translate everything in English and make sure the booklet was printed on time. If you’re just interested in watching the races, then you might want to purchase a CD with the recording of the previous week’s race, basically the only souvenir you can walk out with. It also costs 100 baht.

The entry ticket is 100 baht for both Thais and foreigners alike. The moment you reach the ground floor of the stands, you realize that this is not going to be a fancy experience, with ladies wearing their Sunday dresses and hats and with the men being the gallant gentlemen who accompany their beloveds to an entertaining afternoon at the horse races.

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As you walk up to the second or third levels, you pass through some really grimy areas where men place their bets and women have set up stalls to sell different snacks, fruit, and refreshments. There’s even a canteen. But the real shock comes when you walk onto the terrace to watch the races and realize that there are no seats and that everyone is either standing or sitting on the concrete steps. The crowd around is pretty rough, consisting almost exclusively of middle-aged Thai men with gambling problems and who have to show up to the course if they want to bet, as betting can be done only on-site.

ously at not having made enough or having bet on the losers.

commentary can be of some help or can be really annoying, with the announcer mentioning the time every thirty seconds. While you’re waiting for the race to start, you can just admire the horses coming up in the next race, which are paraded in front of the stands. Also, there are plenty opportunities of buying fruit and drinks from hawkers who only add on to the rubbish piling up on the floor.

ties they organize at the RBSC, so check their website for more details (www. rbsc.org). Unfortunately, new membership is restricted to the Thai elite and is based on invitation only.

There are ten races a day, usually two or three weekends every month. The course track opens at 12 p.m. and stays open until 6 p.m. It is more than enough time to lose all your money or to make some extra cash from your lucky bets. In case you run out of cash, two ATMs can help you support your gambling addiction. The minimum bet is 50 baht, and there’s no limit to how much you can bet. According to the Asian Racing Federation (www. asianracing.org), of which Thailand is a full member, the total yearly betting turnover at the horse races in Thailand is a staggering 70 million baht. If you Although owning and taking care of horses is an expensive business, you win and trust your luck, there are quite a few Thai lottery tickets sellers who realize that la crème de la crème of Thai society won’t be joining you, and will entice you even more. you’ll just have to accept where you are and wait until the next race. Unfortunately, the stands at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club are maybe the only Being surrounded by a mass of concrete, the 3G connection is really bad in public place in Thailand where smoking is allowed, and thus, you have to the stands area, so you’ll have to wait until you’re out to update your Faceput up with cheap cigarette smoke floating around you and with a ton of book status with some cool pictures from the races. If your passion is phocigarette butts discarded on the floor. tography, then make sure you bring your zoom lenses, as the horses are quite far off.

But, the races themselves are well organized and the huge display broad in front of the stands tell you everything you need to know, from the time left Watching the horse races at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club in Bangkok until the next race to horse numbers, standings, and dividends. Waiting time makes an interesting experience, but if you’re not a gambler, one visit to the between races is about twenty minutes, and if you understand Thai, the live track will be more than enough. But, there are many other sports and activi-

Alternatively, you can also watch horse racing in Bangkok at the Royal Turf Club (RTC) on Phitsanulok ������������������������������������������������������������������ Road in the Dusit District. Actually, the races alternate each weekend between the RBSC and the RTC, but the Royal Turf Club The race starts at the opposite end of the track, and the prizes for the winning has no website and the dates of races here can be found only in Thai media. jockeys range between 70,000 and 130,000 baht. There are up to twenty The Royal Turf Club was built in 1961. Entry fee is 50 baht. horses participating in each race, with one participation per day from each horse. When the race starts, you can barely see anything in the distance, but The Royal Bangkok Sports Club has established collaborations with many as the horses keep galloping on the grass-covered track and approach the international clubs and has partnered up locally with Gymkhana Club in finish line, strategically chosen to be right in front of the stands, the crowds Chiang Mai. Horse racing up-country north takes place at the Chiang Mai becomes excited and everyone stands and cheers for their chosen bets. All Army Race Track on Mae Rim Road, Saturdays and Sundays in the afternoon. the while, an ambulance and a support car drive on the inside of the track to Also, every year, you can attend these three major horse racing cups: Chakri offer assistance to both jockeys and horses in case of accidents.

Cup (April), Queen’s Cup (August), and King’s Cup (December), which are held at various locations throughout the Kingdom of Thailand.

The horses cover the 1200-meter distance in less than a minute, and if you have brought a pair of binoculars with you, you can at least enjoy half of Here are the meetings for the rest of the year at the RSBC: that time following the advance of the horses to the finish line. Alternatively, you can also rent binoculars from the people selling the race booklets in • July: Saturday 6th & Sunday 21st front of the Sports Club.

• August: Sunday 4th & Sunday 18th Once the horses have crossed the finish line, all you have to do is wait for the display board to announce the winners and the dividends won. All around you people discuss the race, make reckless accusations of corruption and match fixing, grunt and grumble at this or that horse and jockey, and either sigh in relief when the dividends show up on the board or swear vocifer-

• September: Sunday 1st, Sunday 15th & Sunday 29th • October: Sunday 13th & Saturday 26th • November: Sunday 9th & Sunday 24th • December Sunday 8th & Sunday 22nd

12 mango metro JULY 2013

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GREEN PEACE

By Dave Stamboulis.

Additional photos by Raquel Mogado

I

hear a lot of people talking about how polluted, grimy, congested, and just plain stressful living in Bangkok is, and yet while all of the adjectives do have their merits, I’ll bet a large number of the complainers have never been to Suan Rot Fai, the Thai State Railway Park. I’d never been to Suan Rot Fai before a few weekends ago, and not only was I bowled over with being impressed, but I am feeling like I’ve had a long vacation out of town since then.

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Suan Rot Fai is located slightly northeast of Chatuchak Park, along one of the city’s largest connected green belts. The park sprawls over 150 acres in a space that was once a golf course for the State Railway Association that was subsequently turned into a park. On weekdays, you might feel like you have stumbled into Bangkok’s quietest nature zone, while on weekends, the crowds do come, but everyone is enjoying the place and despite the groups, the greenery will still mightily move you.

There is a lot to do in Rot Fai Park, but the top activity is bicycling. This, for sure, is the largest area of Bangkok that is a car-free zone and where one can feel completely safe riding a bike. There are loop paths around the park of about three kilometers, and many folks seem just content to circle the park repeatedly, enjoying the birdlife that flocks to the various canals, ponds, and waterways that dot the landscape, or taking in the giant monitor lizards that

mango metro JULY 2013 17

laze on the grass. One can rent bicycles at the northern gate of the park for a bargain at 20-40 baht a day, and there are even mountain bikes and largesize frames for large-sized farangs. If your significant other doesn’t ride or uses the “I’m tired and lazy” excuse, never mind, as there are tandem bikes as well (the type where only one person pedals and the other sits on the back and enjoys the ride!).

There is so much open green space in the park that you can have a full twosides football match, or fly a kite or throw a Frisbee, as I saw several folks doing. Additionally, there are plenty of benches along the bike paths and huge trees with hanging thick branches under which to shelter from the sun, not to mention have a picnic, as they also rent bamboo mats for 20 baht at the gate, and there are dozens of vendors selling grilled chicken, som tam, and all the other essentials for a feast. Unfortunately, cold beer is the only thing missing from this party, as the government’s latest draconian alcohol laws say no drinking in the park, and there are plenty of security guards roaming around making sure that, ahem, your Chang stays in a brown bag.

In addition to the bicycling and green grass, there is yet still more to do in this incredible park. There is a swimming pool, an outdoor weight/fitness area, a children’s play area, tennis and basketball courts, and even a small lake where kayaks are available for rent! But perhaps the most appealing spot to me was the Butterfly Garden, a free (yes, completely free), living museum where a lush garden has been sealed off from the sky by mesh covering, and is home to dozens of species of exotic tropical butterflies, some of them quite large, like the giant Golden Birdwing. There are plenty of avid micro photographers spending hours in this living greenhouse, and the beautiful collection of butterfly species, which are also fairly well described on signboards in Thai and English, makes a stopover here a must on any park visit.

Students and families made up the brunt of the park-goers when I visited, along with plenty of photographers out practicing their techniques on the birds and butterflies. For those with their own bicycles, coming here must be of even greater pleasure, as you can throw your bike on the BTS, get off at Suan Rot Fai State Railway Park – Map link: http://goo.gl/maps/zi3Ow – Mo Chit, and cycle over to the park within five minutes, only crossing a road open daily from 5 a.m.-9 p.m. The best way to get here is to take the BTS to Mo Chit station or MRT to Chatuchak station. From the station, get out with motor vehicles once. on the Chatuchak Market side and cross through Chatuchak Park (the one There aren’t too many vestiges of the State Railway left here anymore, other with the lake in it visible from the BTS station) to its northwest exit. From than some old steam cars that sit dormant, and the odd railcar serving as the gate here, cross Kamphaeng Phet Road and immediately enter another a rain shelter lean-to, but their legacy is well appreciated. I’d put this park park gate, which leads into the southern end of Rot Fai Park in a few minon any ‘top 5’ things-to-do list in Bangkok, and most certainly will be going utes. It is another 15 minutes on foot to reach the northern end of the park back again for more fresh air and open, car-free green space. where they rent bicycles and sell food, so you might want to take a taxi or motorcycle from the BTS to the northern gate and rent bikes from there.

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WELCOME TO THE BANGKOK SLAUGHTERHOUSE

By Voicu Mihnea Simandan

D

ignity is hard to come by these days, especially if you’re poor and live in the slums. To be valued for who you are and to be treated fairly and with respect, regardless of social status, is something that has eluded many of the inhabitants of Klongtoey, Bangkok’s poorest slum. Also known as the Bangkok Slaughterhouse, in this slum, people not only battle for dignity, but they also battle for survival on a day-to-day basis.

To have a bowl of rice and some fermented sauce to put on top every night is already a win, and to go to bed that same night, knowing that you were able to stay off drugs and did an honest job, is what dignity is all about.

Unfortunately, the war is never over, and every day, the community of Klongtoey wakes up early in the morning and goes to bed late at night knowing the cycle of poverty will never end. But as long as you’re not in jail, you’re not addicted to drugs, you haven’t contacted AIDS, and the police and mafia isn’t after you, you have a chance to survive. You have a chance to live a dignified life, albeit deprived of most of the luxuries people in uptown Bangkok take for granted.

Father Joe Maier, the priest from Klongtoey, has by now reached the status of a legend, not only in his slum community (for he is adamant that he belongs there), but nationally and internationally too. For his charity work, he has received praise from the higher-ups in Thailand, and every year, famous people visit him and his outreach programs to congratulate him on a job well done.

But for Father Joe, these visits and the accolades he’s been bestowed with mean close to nothing. What really matters to him are the people of the Klongtoey slum, for whom he cares regardless of religion, background, or nationality. His first book, Welcome to the Bangkok Slaughterhouse (Asia Books, 2005), is a mini-record of the lives of some of the thousands of people who have crossed path with Father Joe, more often than not, asking for a roof over their heads, for a hot meal, or simply just for some advice.

The twenty-four short stories that make up the book are divided into three sections: ‘The Children,’ ‘Struggles,’ and ‘Heroes.’ As these titles suggest, the stories are about ordinary people who, when faced with extraordinary situations, battle hard to come out on top. Not all succeed, as sooner or later, all children with AIDS succumb to death, police catch up with the small drug dealers (rarely going for the big sharks though), and children starving for love fall prey to pedophiles.

They are stories worth reading. They are stories of children, mothers, teachers, community leaders, and wheelchair-bound people who roam the rickety boards of the slums in the hope of surviving another day.

The book opens with “A Ride on the Wild Side of Mercy,” the story of Note, a nine-year old boy who’s not only an orphan, but he’s also got AIDS, which he

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received at birth from his infected parents. He likes to take care of Galong, a 35-year-old kindergarten student with a form of Down’s Syndrome. “When Note dies, as die he will, we will look after Galong as best as we can, perhaps not as good as Note, but certainly better than the bar where we found him,” writes Father Joe in the ending of the story.

trol drug addicts, to handicapped people who keep their dignity and make ends meet doing honest work.

In ‘Struggles,’ the second section of the book, we see Father Joe caring for orphaned children; we see a Catholic priest taking care of the cremation of a homeless person at a Buddhist temple and crying his heart out at the loss the three surviving children had suffered.

Welcome to the Bangkok Slaughterhouse and The Open Gate of Mercy, as well as Greg Barrett’s biography, are available at Kinokuniya, Asia Books, or can be purchased for delivery throughout Thailand from www.geckobooks.net and is also available in print or Kindle e-book formats via amazon.com.

Welcome to the Bangkok Slaughterhouse ends with a ‘happy’ story, in a Klongtoey sense, in which a young woman doesn’t give up even after her parents disappear, even after her uncle and aunt die, even after the two fathers of Most, if not all, children of Klongtoey are street smart and able to take care of her children leave her or end up in jail. To be able to continue being a good themselves from a very young age. But, when four friends hear that there’s a member of your society, even after life has knocked you down more than five baby elephant at Dusit Zoo who lost his mother times, makes indeed for a happy ending. to poachers, they decide to skip school, hire a tuk-tuk, and go to the zoo. They find the elephant Father Joe has been living in the Bangkok slums and tell him that if he can escape from the zoo, for the last forty years, looking after the spiritual they’ll take care of him. and physical welfare of many of the inhabitants of Klongtoey, the largest slum community in Then there’s Tik, a slum girl who had been looked Bangkok totaling a population of over 130,000. after by Father Joe’s Mercy Center since she was He has opened kindergartens all over the capital, two weeks old, when her mother went to jail with over 4,000 slum kids enrolled. once again, this time for a really long stretch. Fifteen years later, Tik is a drug addict,“one of those To put and keep a slum child in school requires, kids who fall through the cracks, slip through what is for most uptown Bangkokians, a very your fingers – one of the almosts, the what-ifs, small amount of money, so the Mercy Center is the near-misses, a poor, sad and heart-breaking always grateful when people become their pacould-have-been.” trons, thus making a huge difference in the lives of many less-fortunate children.

Most of Father Joe’s stories are tragic and heartbreaking, from teenage girls who drown in the In 1973, Father Joe Maier opened the Mercy Chao Praya River while high on glue, to 12-yearCenter, a shelter for street kids and a home for old girls who are used by their caretakers to mothers and children with HIV/AIDS. He has also transport drugs while their parents are in jail. But, established the Human Development Foundathe most recurring theme in ‘The Children’ chaption, a non-denominational, community-based ter of Welcome to the Bangkok Slaughterhouse is organization, which has been initiating projects kids struggling to live normal lives at the Mercy to help the poor since 1974. Visit their website Center while AIDS consumes them from the inat www.mercycentre.org to find out how you can side. Then we have the children who have been help. You can choose from doing volunteer work, victims of pedophiles, sometimes within their donating money, or sponsoring a child’s care and own homes, and the legal battles Father Joe’s education. team went through to keep these kids safe.

If you are fascinated by the story of this priest In Klongtoey, safety means that children can go to school and can return to from the United States who come to Thailand as a missionary in 1967, I also a home where they won’t have to put up with drunk, drugged, or abusive recommend reading Father Joe’s more recent book, The Open Gate of Mercy parents. But keeping these children in school and battling the local police and (Heaven Lake Press, 2012), which is written in the same style and with the the slum mentality of ‘mai pen rai’ is hard work, as more often than not, people same pathos as the book reviewed here. Greg Barrett’s biography, The Gospel have enough problems of their own to possess the emotional strength to of Father Joe: Revolutions and Revelations in the Slums of Bangkok (Jossey-Bass, care for drug-dealing, incestuous pedophiles who reclaim their children from 2008), an award-winning literary nonfiction book about Fr. Joe Maier’s life the Mercy Center. journey is worth reading too.

But nothing’s worse than a fire in the slum, when in a matter of minutes, dozens of families can lose their entire belongings, not to mention the roofs over their heads. But what’s special about the Klongtoey slum is that, in times of dire need, they do come together as a united community, and even after a devastating fire, people start picking up their lives and rebuilding their houses almost immediately.

Love in the slums is an expensive commodity, but there’s plenty of love in Father Joe’s books. Even if it’s depicted as love between the homeless, the infected with AIDS, and the drug addicts, it is still a universal feeling that can be discovered in the most unusual places. But, also, there’s a lot of hatred in the slums of Klongtoey – hatred for the drug-dealing rivals, hatred for the authorities, and even hatred towards under-aged daughters by their mothers who push them into prostitution.

The last section of the book is dedicated to the unsung heroes of the slums who put their lives at risk for the benefit of the entire community. These could be anyone, from teachers who organize major cleanups in the wake of a meningitis outbreak, to community leaders who drive out out-of-con-

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20 mango metro JULY 2013

There are more than a few things that New Zealand is world famous for: Rugby and the All Blacks, the world’s best lamb meat, kiwi fruit, kiwi birds and the wonderfully friendly kiwi people, incredible natural scenery and the world’s most bountiful oceans are amongst them.

With the new premises, also came a bigger kitchen and the opportunity to now show Bangkokians that New Zealand can also serve up some of the best meat the world has to offer. The pasture-fed steaks are carefully aged to ensure a product that is both tender and contains all the flavours that are created by naturally grazing one of the world’s most beautiful and fertile countries. Famous world over, New Zealand lamb has also gained a starring role on the menu, which now offers one of the most complete seafood and meat selections of any menu available in Bangkok.

Snapper NZ, Bangkok’s first New Zealand-themed restaurant, brings the best of these great kiwi attributes to downtown Bangkok, where you can enjoy the best seafood from the world’s greatest ocean and the most ten- No menu is ever fully complete without an outstanding drinks list beside it, der beef and lamb from the world’s most beautiful mountain farms, all in a and Snapper NZ has put a lot of work into making sure customers have the relaxed, natural atmosphere that is quintessentially Kiwi. best opportunity to try world-famous New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir at realistic prices. Bangkok’s most complete and wide ranging When Craig McLean came to live in Bangkok in the early 90s, there was one selection of New Zealand wines is complimented by wines from our Austrathing this vibrant, bustling city could never offer him, his favourite taste of lian cousins, as well as a beer, spirits and cocktail list that is of international home. It took another twelve years before Craig was able to realise a vision standard. of bringing the best of New Zealand’s fish’n’chips and seafood to Thailand, a well-kept secret he was sure the locals would love.

Snapper is not just a restaurant; it is a glimpse of a nation’s obsession with the production of the highest quality natural food products on the planet.

Snapper arrived in Bangkok in 2011 as a small restaurant featuring New Zea- It is also a glimpse of the New Zealand lifestyle and persona – natural and land’s fresh and crisp take on the traditional world favourite – fish’n’chips. relaxed. The combination of the two will undoubtedly have you wanting to A popular addition to the increasingly social environment on Sukhumvit come back for more.

Soi 11, Snapper NZ was soon expanding its menu to include many other New Zealand seafood items ranging from deep ocean fish to New Zealand’s sweet shellfish and fresh full-flavoured Omega 3-filled salmon, all served in a number of different and exciting ways.

Snapper was quickly recognised as a new food and beverage concept within the busy Bangkok night scene and attracted instant media attention and a number of awards. In its first year of operation, Snapper NZ was awarded ‘Bangkok’s Best Fish’n’Chips’ by BK magazine and was listed amongst Bangkok’s top restaurants by the prestigious Thailand Tattler and CNN Go. It rapidly became obvious that expanding the menu alone would not be enough to satisfy Bangkok’s demand for the best of New Zealand seafood, and Snapper NZ took over the adjacent premises and tripled in size. Now seating almost 150 customers, Snapper NZ stretches two floors over three shop houses and also includes a significant outdoor dining area.

Development of the new Snapper was enhanced by design work created by award-winning New Zealand designer, Callum Panckhurst. Much of his original artwork was shipped up from New Zealand, while his selection of local materials and crafts have enhanced the atmosphere to embody a feeling representative of the natural, relaxed atmosphere of New Zealand that fits right at home in Asia.

SNAPPER NZ – www.snapper-bangkok.com 1/20-22 Sukhumvit 11; Parking at Villa Supermarket car park on Sukhumvit 11. Tel. 02 651 1098.

Email: snappernz@snapper-bangkok.com.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SnapperNZ. Dinner: 5 p.m.-12 p.m.; Lunch: Sat. & Sun. only, from 12 p.m. Reservations recommended, dress code casual.

mango metro JULY 2013 21

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