How long have you had this job? Why have you chosen to be a motorcycle taxi driver?
I have been doing this for eight years. I chose to do it because I was unemployed at that time. I like it because my family and I can live on this job, and it’s my own business—no stupid boss. Most of all, making more money depends on me being diligent!
How do you become a motorcycle taxi driver?
First of all you have to deal with an agency that you want to work with. If they agree to work with you, you have to register at the Department of Land Transport and get a motorcycle taxi license. You can’t just sit on a corner in a motorcycle taxi uniform any more.
How many clients do you service per day? What’s your income?
Normally I work from the late morning until 9pm. I give about 100 rides and make about B300 per day. I prefer to drive on main roads because you can make more money there than in the smaller sois. I also have an overtime job picking up people late at night.
Have you ever had trouble with gangsters?
Not with gangsters but my friends and I had an encounter when a big agency tried to take us over… But I have no idea if other motorcycle taxis have had trouble with gangsters at all. I think the problem has actually been fixed by the policy of the Thaksin government, so it should be better now.
Have you ever had any weird clients?
Some. This well dressed guy once asked me to give him a ride to MBK and when we were almost there, he just jumped off and ran away! I didn’t want to lose my wage so I tried to catch him but he got away. It was a waste of time. Another time a client asked me up to his place and offered to give me more than I charged him. It was weird! I said, “no thanks.” I’m always afraid of thieves robbing my motorcycle when it’s dark.
What’s needed to be a good motorcycle taxi driver?
Being a skillful driver is absolutely necessary. Moreover, you should be judicious, safe, and always take good care of your customers and yourself. The job is quite dangerous so you have to be focused at all times. I don’t give rides to drunks because it’s just too dangerous. I always tell them to take a taxi instead.
How do you think people perceive motorcycle taxi drivers?
I think most of people look down on me but there’s nothing I can do about that. I don’t understand why they walk all over me while others treat me well by giving me more money.
Advertisement
It all began with the singing dancing man. Some liked him: “Nice legs, great eyes.” Some didn’t: “Why him? Ugh, those thighs!” Some loved him: “What’s his number? I’m a fan.” Some hated him: “I hate you, singing dancing man.” Like, love or hate, singing dancing man served his purpose (to get your attention), as coverboy on a four-page teaser introducing BK Magazine to Fun City.
The first proper issue of BK hit the stands March 16, 2001—30,000 copies strong. The feature story was a school-themed yearbook of characters populating our urban neighborhood. Gracing the cover were Paradorn Srichapan (Class Jock) and Tata Young (The Comeback Kid)…with a dog. Note that this was long before their short-lived romance—are we psychic? No comment. (And no comment on the dog.) Also in this issue: Samak Sundaravej was The Principal, Janista Liewchalermwong was Prom Queen, Phanthongtae Shinawatra was The Scion and Sonia Cooling was The Bad Girl.
The military look was hot back then, and we did our bit to perpetuate the trend. We did LOTS of shopping in 2001, with features on his ‘n’ hers custom suits, open-air markets and holiday shopping secrets.
While everyone else was digging in Kanchanaburi caves, we told you places to find gold nearby without a shovel: the Hard Rock Café (gold records), dessert shops (thong yib, foi thong, thong yod), movie theaters (Gold Class seats), etc. Aren’t we clever?
We also did LOTS of traveling in 2001. We foresaw China as a hot vacation destination, giving you travel features on Yunnan, Xinjiang, and Shanghai. In general we stayed fairly close to home, taking you to Phnom Penh, Dubai, Sydney, Singapore and Osaka—but also Pattaya, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Nayok. Oh, and Vladivostok.
This was the year of the steakhouse, and New York was a prime cut above the competition. Brewpubs were also big in those days—remember Hartsmanns Dorfer and Taurus Brewhouse?
Oh, poor Ministry of Sound, we hardly knew ye! This was the year that nightlife zoning became a big issue, and, as you would expect, we had a few things to say about this. Our helpful government also made our phone numbers two digits longer. More blasts from the past? 2001 was the year of Moulin Rouge, Pearl Harbor, Jan Dara, the first Shrek and the first Legally Blonde.
To celebrate our first anniversary, we ran our first Readers’ Choice Awards. Top honors went to Ministry of Sound (best new and best dance nightspot), Q Bar (best drinks), Saffron (best new restaurant), Baiyoke Sky Tower (best restaurant with a view) and Spasso (best pickup spot).
Even way before J Avenue, H1 and Playground, Thonglor was hip and happening. Filled with funky shops and cool bars like Bar Buree, this soi of sanook always had something fresh and new. Time would prove that it would only get bigger and better. It was steak and Italian in 2002, which saw the openings of places such as Papa Alfredo’s, Delicatezza, Café Buongiorno, Park Avenue and The Outback Steakhouse.
Before Astra and the new RCA, we had Ministry of Sound and this was its year. Not since the days of Taurus or The Palace had we seen anything like it in Bangkok. Too bad it couldn’t last forever. Or even a couple of years. Let’s not forget white-hot Bed Supperclub. This achingly sophisticated, too-cool venue was the most happening place to dine out and boogie the night away.
We see the early stages of mall madness with the opening of Gaysorn Plaza, which gives our Favorite Shopping Mall and our pick for worst parking place, The Emporium, some friendly competition. These two malls had a major impact on our tastes that year as we went heavy on the designer brands and luxury items.
Thai film was a featured topic as we reaped the rewards of our first homegrown B400 million epic, Suriyothai, by M.C. Chatrichalerm Yukala. We also decided to shed some light on the unsung heroes of the film industry at the time. Directors like Sua Tia (Butterfly in Grey), Pen-ek Rattanalueng (Fun Bar Karaoke and Mon Rak Transistor), Nonzee Nimitbutr (Nang Nak, OK Baytong) were featured; they talked about the struggle of making quality films in a what was a known as a “poor man’s profession.”
Don’t you just love cartoons? We re-capped the year’s highlights with hilarious drawings that poked a little fun at our PM, Viagra, nightlife zoning, designated smoking, girls going braless and Paradorn.
After one year of the nightlife zoning policy, things were the same with more “surprise visits” from Interior minister Pracha Maleenont. Since night crawlers couldn’t stop their Friday night habits, new bars kept opening—do you recall the burst of Ratchada Soi 4? And the now-defunct dbl O took over Ministry of Sound.
Though it wasn’t in theaters until October, Fan Chan a.k.a. My Girl set the standard for all Thai films from 2003-2004. Fan Chan fever also brought back oldie songs (“Chatri” and “Sao Sao Sao”) and vintage fashion that year. It was also a year of huge production films: from Gangs of New York, Matrix Reloaded, Charlie’s Angels, Chicago, Hero and Hulk to LOTR The Return of The Kings. Indie films like Y Tu Mama Tambien, Blissfully Yours and Kill Bill Vol. 1 won many awards—the last one also caused an obsession with head-to-toe yellow sport suits.
After taking us high up in the sky with plenty of rooftop eateries, foodie entrepreneurs moved down to the river to bring us restaurants with the best Chao Phraya views. Good View, Khinlom Chom Sa Phan and To-Sit Pier 92 are still our favorite riverside outlets.
Girls, look at the guy by your side—does he look like someone from our funny “Evaluation of Thai Males”? One thing we know is that guys have been taking care of themselves since the Ayudhya Era—and much more these days. It went beyond skincare to cosmetics for “Real Men.”
In 2003, many mega-projects were in their infancy stage, including Siam Paragon, MRT and BMA urban planning—can you remember how hard it was to get from Lad Phrao to Hua Lamphong before the subway? And could you imagine how long it was gonna take before the opening of Siam Paragon?
When mainstream marketing strategies got old, textbook thinking got dumped. So we got to see Lukked taking a shower in the middle of traffic, a huge party of mini cars, and creepy mannequins at bus stations.
And no one could forget the grandest event of the year, the APEC summit. Many streets got a new look, there were fewer traffic jams and some other great improvements—for one week.
This year we highlighted many international concerts in our BK Picks, whether it was Jay Chou, Black Eyed Peas, Linkin Park or Sting. F4 fever was in the air: The four Taiwanese boys were on everyone’s lips, their TV series Fantasy 4ever pretty much emptied the streets during hours it was broadcast and their concert in Bangkok was even bigger than Mariah’s. Hope they enjoyed their 15 minutes.
Like F4, H1 was hot, hot, hot but is now not, not, not. The Mahachon Party began with glory as well but retreated in disgrace with its failure in the election. Nong Nat’s MPEG almost got her fame and fortune—but then women’s rights activist senator Rabiabrat came along. And yet another brat son of a politician ended up on the front page of the papers.
The reality craze kicked off in 2004, with round-the-clock Academy Fantasia and The Star spawning various imitators that propelled many an unknown into stardom.
The battle between low-cost airlines resulted in lower and lower prices, but worse service. In October, we compared the airlines’ strengths and weaknesses. We also got the subway, which experienced more than a few hiccups in the early days.
Big changes came in the first issue of 2005. We changed the BK logo and made the inside layout simpler, cleaner and easier-to-read. New columns included Recipe Request, First Person and Street Talk.
BK raised the topic of women, sex and love in late 2005, and this became one of the hottest—and most controversial—issues. We also launched our Sexpert column, Savage Love and the first pan-Asian sex survey—so we could find out just how kinky our readers are!
Like the airport, Siam Paragon opened “on time” though it could not be called “finished,” according to our definition of the word. Bangkok is now a battlefield of shopping malls, and we made that our cover feature in December. Before that was the opening of the unique Playground! store and J. Avenue.
Among all the sins, gluttony might have been the most prevalent last year as we covered a lot of dining venues—new ones were opening every week. The highlight was our round-up of old but nice grandfather restaurants around Yaowaraj, Phra Arthit, Tha Phrachan and even Silom. On the other hand, venues from abroad opened branches here—Wyndham Thai, Koi, Mistral, Crystal Jade and Tour de France.
The cool breeze of nightlife became hotter with the launch of the bigger, brighter, more luxurious Route 66—along with the openings of Astra, 3Some, Re-Feel, Hip Hop 2, it guaranteed a truly reborn RCA. Thonglor, Ratchada, Silom and Sukhumvit were also blessed with new bars and pubs.
Tata Young was on our first cover when she was en route to “going inter,” but in 2005, she had “already” become an international artist with more than a million copies sold. We had her as our First Person, along with Vanessa Mae, Hugo, Pen-ek, Danai Udomchoke and Sarocha Porn-udomsak in 2005.
We’re weekly! They said it couldn’t be done, but we’re putting the magazine out every seven days. Highlights so far have included the results of our Sex Survey, conducted with our sister publications in Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai, and an issue devoted to our favorite cutting-edge tech toys.
Many people think we’re a tourist or expat magazine. In fact, 88% of our readers are Thai. More numbers: 58% are women, 80% are single, 92% are 20-39.
Though we’re based in Bangkok, BK shares content with HK (Hong Kong), I-S (Singapore) and SH (Shanghai). This gives us a bigger range of stories and columns to choose from and allows us to expand our coverage throughout the region.
We really do pay our own way. We have strict standards for food reviews, which is why they’re so popular. Unlike other publications, we won’t write a review based on a free meal organized by the restaurant. We never call ahead, we never identify ourselves (unless threatened!) and we never let someone else pay the bill. And if a venue isn’t worth your time or money, we’re not afraid to say this. Believe it or not, we feel bad for restaurants that earn only one or two stars. So if we hear a previously poor venue has turned things around, we’re happy to go back and review them again.
Rocker Gene Futon worked at BK in 2003. In the same year, one of the Sretsis sisters, Klyduan “Ib” Sukhahuta, was a member of our sales department.
In the Bangkok Yearbook feature in our inaugural issue, the Class Wit was none other than our current editor, who was then at the Bangkok Post. We described him as “Most likely to: Sell his own mother for a free wine tasting.” Guess things don’t change all that much.
Our previous editor now works for the Post. Honestly, there was no secret agreement.
You know those readership numbers that newspapers and magazines claim? We’re one of only a handful of publications that are independently audited. So when we say we have 90,000 readers, we can prove it. And this doesn’t even count the number of people who read BK online (www.asia-city.com).
Only our writers get bylines, but BK could not exist without our brilliant Art, Admin and Sales departments. There are also our distributors, who help get the magazine out. And we can’t forget our advertisers—they make it possible for BK to be free! Special thanks to our old friends: Accor Hotels, Anothai, A Garden, Bed, Chivas, Hong Kong Noodle, Heineken, Boonumsin, Tongsai Bay, Tony’s Roma, Old Map & Print, Lavazza Coffee and Starbucks. And thanks to our especially generous sponsors: Chivas, Heineken, Nokia, Shangri-La and Visa.
Advertisement
Lab Series Skincare for Men, creating products with guys’ needs in mind, launches three new skincare products for metrosexuals. Instant Moisture Gel (B1,400/50ml) is oil-free and refreshing. When used consistently—daily, nightly or after shaving—your skin will look healthier. Instant Moisture Eye Gel (B1,400/7.5ml) wakes up tired eyes by decreasing swelling and wrinkles. Instant Moisture Lip Balm (B850/10ml) protects lips from nature’s effects and brings back softness and smoothness. It’s not sticky, heavy or glossy so you can enjoy its cooling sensation as often as you want. (Try 1/F, Central Chidlom, 02-655-7777.)
Joining the famed Divana Massage & Spa on Sukhumvit 25 is DVN Spa (8 Sukhumvit 35, 02-261-4818/-9. Open Mon-Fri 11am-11pm, Sat-Sun 10am-11pm. www.dvn-wellbeing.com). The sister outlet is located in a beautiful contemporary Thai house with garden in a two-rai compound. Treatments are available a la carte or as packages such as Green Grass Steps (B1,450), an 80-minute program consisting of a pepper berry foot soak, mandarin & grapefruit foot scrub, aloe-vera rub, DVN Foot Massage and warm herbal compress. Another favorite is Flourishing Four Hands (B2,850), an aromatic body massage by two therapists. Future plans for DVN include a new outlet, Divana Kaya, on Thonglor Soi 17.
Molton Brown, London purveyor of plant-based bath products, invites you to try their new White Mulberry Collection. Pamper your hands with the Fine Liquid Hand Wash (B1,100) and Soothing Hand Lotion (B1,100). White mulberry root combined with oils of mimosa, green tea and elemi (a fragrant resin from tropical trees) smells so good you’ll be sniffing your hands all day. Want to try before you buy? Experience a sensuous hand washing at the Molton Brown counter at Paragon, where the attendant dries your fingers one by one. (Try M/F, Siam Paragon, 02-610-9000.)
Riding nine years of success in the Thai bike market, LA Bicycle launches new products for better and easier driving. The lively orange E-ZE1000 (B24,000) is a cross between housewife bike and motorcycle. It has the classic front basket and pedals, with the addition of a battery driven motor and headlight. EX-450 (B17,000) is a blend of racing motorcycle and bike. With battery power, disc brake and v-brake, you can pedal it or drive it. EX-250 (B12,000) looks part Harley Davidson with big forks and mini side wheels. (Try LA Sale & Service, 58/1 Phuthamonton Sai 2 Rd., 02-865-4191-2, www.la-bicycle.com)
Advertisement
How did you get started?
About two years ago, I sold food in a small food stall in a village outside Bangkok. Unfortunately, the owner wanted to change the stall into some other kind of business so I had to move out. Then someone introduced me to work here in Bangkok as a part-time dek jaek. After I started working as dek jaek, about a year or so, I was promoted to a full-time inspector.
What is the duty of dek jaek?
Dek jaeks are supposed to distribute flyers to houses in an assigned neighborhood. Flyers range from McDonalds, Lotus, Carrefour, Robinson, Burger King and many others, and you’ve got to hand out all those flyers on the very same day. I ended up making about B210 per day.
What is an inspector and what is your duty?
An inspector’s main job is like a dek jaek, except inspectors must wear company uniforms, distribute flyers to pedestrians and work near our customer’s location like Robinson, Emporium, Lotus and more. Working hours are 11am to 2pm five days a week. Staff have to distribute about 11,000 flyers a day, so I just make sure that there’s one per house or person.
What else?
I also have to inspect our dek jaek staff to check whether or not they have completed their distribution routes or if they’ve just cheated and thrown most of the flyers away. So I have to go sifting through garbage bins, water pipes and inspect all the nooks and crannies of a building just to make sure that my staff is doing what they’re supposed to be doing.
Do you like this job?
I like what I am doing now. It’s an easy job and I feel very comfortable. I have to travel to many spots in Bangkok depending on the company, but I am lucky to have my own motorcycle, so it makes the travel easier and quicker. I only have to work a few hours a day leaving more free time in the afternoon to take on other kinds of part-time jobs, so I can make more money. The freedom and good opportunities to meet new people makes me really happy.
Advertisement
It’s the dream of many hotel chefs to run their own standalone restaurant, but very few actually have the ability and then the opportunity to make that move. For Marco Cammarata, it took 20 years of working for other people before he was finally able to see his name on a restaurant’s front door.
“This is the moment of truth!” exclaims the native of Torino, who at 35 still retains his boyish looks and seemingly boundless energy. For the last six years “Marco” was the face of Rossini’s, which became one of Bangkok’s best Italian restaurants under his watch. As word spread of his talents, he built up a large following and received offers to work elsewhere.
But he was waiting for the right opportunity. “I could have gone to another country, but it didn’t make sense. I stayed at Rossini for six years because I want to be here in Thailand. And I wanted to have my own place, but it had to be the right place.”
One of the factors that convinced him was the location, on the ground floor of the mammoth Siam Paragon complex. Being in the biggest shopping mall in Southeast Asia gives Chef Marco the chance to reach a much wider audience. “It suits my vision. I don’t just wanna cook. I’ve always had big dreams. For me this is about promoting Italian culture, trying to be at the top for Italian cuisine—in town, in the country, in Asia, in the world.”
Modern and minimalist with glass walls on three sides, a long open kitchen and a second-floor wine bar that overlooks the dining room, the atmosphere at Bel Guardo suits Chef Marco’s cuisine, which is undoubtedly Italian but modern Italian, especially when it comes to presentation.
“There is more than just spaghetti, you know. There are so many different ways of cooking. There are different varieties of cheese, and we want to promote them. We want to promote a greater variety of regional dishes. We want to promote a different way of presenting this food.”
The menu is modest in size but features gems such as a refreshing salad of watermelon, pink grapefruit, fennel and basil (B230), “simple” soups and pastas tarted up with luxury ingredients like green pea soup with seared foie gras and prawns (B600) or black truffle gnocchi with Castelmagno cream (B350) and superb seafood mains like grilled ocean trout with green asparagus and marsala-tomato fumet (B750).
After our luxurious lunch and an espresso, we chat with Chef Marco.
What does “Bel Guardo” mean?
It means good “look”—so a good view, a nice panorama. The walls are all windows, so you can see out and you can see in. The kitchen is open, so you can see the show of the cook and the cook can see the guests. And upstairs in the wine lounge you can really see things. It’s like you’re on top of a hill.
How does it feel to have your name on the window out front?
That is something I definitely wanted. Over the last 10 years I have met many people here. By putting my name there I want people to understand that this is my promise. It is like a “warranty.”
Compared to Rossini’s, this modern décor, music, location—is this closer to your true personality? Does it suit your food better?
The atmosphere over there was fantastic, but it was just different. Here the food looks so beautiful in this type of light. Over there maybe it was a little dark.
Does this environment inspire you to make your food differently?
Yeah, exactly. I think a bit more about what I put on the plate and the way I put it on the plate. It doesn’t have anything to do with the content of the food, but the design is a little bit different. Lately I’ve been liking more clean, more light, more minimalist.
Now we get to see you in action. How do you like working in an open kitchen?
I like it very much. In a kitchen like this it has to be very clean, very organized. It’s more of a challenge, but I like it much better.
You can tell us: Where do you go in the mall for a quick bite when you’re hungry?
Here!
Take a break from your shopping and enjoy the view at Bel Guardo. Open daily 10:30am-11pm, G/F Siam Paragon, 02-610-9380/-1. AMEX, DC, JCB, V
Advertisement
To try and categorize Singapore’s The Observatory is to flounder amid labels that don’t stick: This technically-proficient yet soulful sextet draws influences from classical, jazz, experimental and rock. Coming for their third show in Thailand (the 2005 Pattaya Music and Fat festivals were #1 and #2), so::on’s Signalized Soul, The Observatory is like your favorite plant—it just grows with time.
How has Blank Walls been received?
Leslie Low [vocals, guitar]: We seem to appeal to people who are laid-back and quiet. We’ve been fortunate to garner some interest locally, and there’s been a small group of supporters that attend our gigs. As for overseas, it’s been a slow climb up a steep hill. But we’re enjoying the climb so far.
Evan Tan [programmer, bass]: People, especially girls, have been telling me they prefer the first album, Time of Rebirth. But [these same] people later told me Blank Walls is a grower and that they understood why we were doing what we were doing.
Despite its plaintive beauty, your music is dense and Leslie’s lyrics are quite impressionistic. Does this prevent you from getting radio play and mainstream acceptance?
Vivian Wang [vocals, keyboard]: Singapore radio has serious hang-ups when it comes to something local, firstly, and secondly, when it doesn’t mimic the typical MTV/radio- friendly band, music and persona. It’s about ratings, as well as keeping advertisers happy.
Unlike your last two gigs here, the so::on show isn’t supported by a corporate sponsor and won’t be pulling in crowds in the thousands. Do you think your actions could influence more performers from the region to play smaller shows in Bangkok?
Leslie: As I’ve mentioned, we are quite independent ourselves. Corporate sponsorships or not, if the vibe is right for our music, we would definitely love to take part in it. Our music isn’t stadium rock [so] it actually works better for us not to play huge festivals.
Advertisement
