ADHERE THE 13TH

This tiny, smoky Banglamphoo bar is well known by blues lovers, both Thai and farang. You need to practically climb over musicians who sit casually in the middle of the bar to order a drink. It’s a place for regulars and backpackers and is the essence of an intimate live music setting. (read more...)

Spain’s other capital smothers you in gourmet treats and Art Nouveau jewels. (read more...)

Another Side of the Sea

Chumphon is often overlooked as a beach destination, with most people opting to vacation at its nearby island neighbors such as Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao. But Chumphon also offers a beautiful coastline, waterfalls and tourist attractions. Golfers can get their swing on at the beachfront Novotel Chumphon Beach Resort and Golf (110 Moo 4 Paradonpab Beach, Tambon Paknam, Muang, 077-529-529, www.novotel.com) and the 86-room hotel is now offering rates of B2,000 for a superior room and B2,500 for a deluxe room, breakfast included. (read more...)

Dear Mr. KIA, A sordid story involving drugs, girls and social activism has led me to seek your advice. I won’t bore you with the details, but now I’m in desperate need for “backup.” I’m a wimp with zero muscle mass, and I’ve managed to piss off some people who would now like to exercise their revenge through physical abuse. So Mr. KIA, where in Bangkok can I get myself a personal bodyguard so I can stop sleeping with one eye open?—Dead Meat (read more...)

Google applications are by far the best online workrelated tools, but if you want to use them offline, they can be a little tricky. (read more...)

Greek Feast 

The annual Greek food festival returns to Crepes & Co. (18/1 Sukhumvit Soi 12, 02-653-3990/1, www.crepes.co.th. Open daily 9am-midnight). More than 15 Greek specialties have been added to the already extensive crepe menu. Enjoy a healthy meal of horaitiki (Greek salad), keftedes (meatballs) and moussaka (eggplant casserole). Finish things off with Greek coffee. Through Oct 31. (read more...)

Panupol Sujjayakorn, 22, won the World Scrabble competition held in 2003 in Malaysia. Since then, he has placed second in 2005 in the US and placed ninth at the Players Championship in Dayton, Ohio. Now, he’s working with the Thailand Crossword Association (Scrabble is a trademark, the generic name is “crossword games”) and regularly places first in national events. (read more...)

Enjoy gourmet meals at prices that won’t make you gag

By Nuttaporn Srisirirungsimakul

During this time of political and economic uncertainty, we all are more conscious about spending and saving money. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up the luxury of a good meal. And the good news is that many of Bangkok’s finest restaurants offer multi-course set lunches for a fraction of what a meal would normally cost there at dinnertime.
Here are some great places to treat yourself and impress your business partners without breaking the bank. (read more...)

Kongkiat Khomsiri, 32, wrote the scripts to blockbusters Bang Rajan, Kunpan, Rak Jang and The Unseeable and co-wrote Ong Bak. In 2005, he made his directorial debut with horror flick Long Khong, as one of the seven Ronin Team directors. (read more...)

Channel your inner Bruce Lee (or Zhang Ziyi) and never walk in fear again

Photos by Gregoire Glachant and Siripannee Supratya, Illustrations by Manasya Sachorfah

We girls have a reputation for staging bitch fights and slap fests, but let’s face it, these are just recreational. In a dingy alley, surrounded by thieving, sexually starved thugs, the windmill technique will look hilarious on their mobile phone videos, but it won’t get you home safe. (read more...)