What are the concepts behind Siamese Blossom?

Panpong: Bangkok has been driven by commerce for so long. That’s why you’ll see rows of townhouses that look so stiff, compared to beautiful homes designed as residences. So when we got to design this project on Ramintra Road, we wanted to build a fully functional townhouse where the focus is on the back of the house. The garden there creates a green space instead of just a sad backlot. 

Do you think this award will change things here?

Puiphai: I don’t think so. I think the only way to make this eco-friendly trend sustainable is for the government to offer benefits, such as lower taxes, to any development that is eco-friendly. Green buildings are more expensive than normal ones. So the government should create these laws to persuade developers to think more about the future.

Panpong: I hope it will encourage real estate developers to think more about the clients who must live in those buildings. They must make the building more livable, rather than just thinking about maximum profits. If you build a more eco-friendly house, inhabitants will save money in the long term.

What do you want to see more of in Thai architecture?

Puiphai: I wish Thai architects would explore the international stage more because it’s really good to bring our designs to the world and have them acknowledge us more. When I went to Hong Kong to accept the award at MIPIM Asia for best residential development for IDEO Morph 38, I saw people from many countries, but no Thai was there. It’s a bit lonesome. 

What do you think about our laws blocking foreign architects from working here, such as in the case of Ole Scheeren?

Puiphai: It’s good that we have a world famous architect come here to design a beautiful building for Thailand like Ole Scheeren with the Mahanakhon project. But we should do things lawfully, too. The law specifies that buildings here must have a licensed architect from Thailand, so they should follow the law.

If you could plan a better Bangkok, what do you want to do?

Panpong: We should better connect the old town and the new town which is now the city center. It takes too much effort to reach the old town today.

Puiphai: I’d prefer not to drive a car for the rest of my life. I want Bangkok to be a pleasurable city to walk in. A good city must be a city where people can walk everywhere easily, not like now with the Bangkokians faced with bumpy sidewalks full of signs and motorcycles.

More on Siamese Blossom here. 

Thai society is a gossip society. That’s why my works always speak bluntly. I want people to see and fix problems directly.

The massacre of October 6, 1976, changed me and made me focus on politics. Previously, I was interested in Buddhism and believed that suffering was only in our mind. But the massacre made me understand that those who are in power are the ones who make us suffer.

I dropped out of college to be a teacher in Kampaengpet with the hope that I could create works like Vincent Van Gogh, who didn’t go to art school. But witnessing villagers’ suffering, poverty and daily problems like husbands beating their wives made me realize the difficulty of expressing such things. So I finally came back to finish studying arts and started working as social activist.

An artist’s duty is documenting today’s society. We should record the suffering of unknown people. We artists are the ones who have the time to reflect on these problems, not those who are struggling to make a living.

The poorest are always the ones who get trampled on. They live in fear that they will be in trouble if they rise up against the powers that be. I knew a man who lost his land because of the village head. When he filed a complaint, he was beaten by the police, who were just cronies of the village head.

Thai police are actually hit men in uniform. Many local activists were killed and disappeared after fighting with those in power. Police even hire professional hit men from prison to do certain jobs. Once the work is finished, they put them back in.

We’ve never had real democracy here. The power structures haven’t changed since we got a constitution 80 years ago. We’ve never developed people’s minds. Why do people still worship ghosts or trees to get lucky numbers from the lottery? 

Administrating this country is a job for to everyone. We don’t just vote so that a thief can rule our country. We pay taxes to choose a ruler who will take care of our country. Even a single voice, yours, is not weak. You can change things.

You can buy this country with B12 billion. Just throw out B30 million to 400 representatives for your party, then the election canvassers who control the villages will do the rest. This structure has never been changed. That’s why our country has gotten stuck like this.

Reforming this country is desperately needed. All of society must be involved, no matter whether you are farmer, student or office worker. Many Thai farmers suffered from being tricked by giant Thai food companies, who made them slaves until debt makes them go bankrupt, and they are forced to go work as laborers or prostitutes abroad. We need to shed light on this vicious circle.

Reform might sound utopian, but it’s better than doing nothing.

I want to put all the bad politicians in corrals at Sanamluang and let people come to look at them like animals at the zoo. They can see the ones who have done wrong to our country up close. You can’t even put them at a regular zoo because they are too stinky for the animals to bear. Also, their money would be seized and shared with the people in their constituency.

We don’t want another coup d’état because generals in this country are really stupid. They never understand the real problems of this country. They just sit around drinking B200,000 bottles of wine given to them by capitalists.

The army must be reformed, too. They shouldn’t have generals anymore. These generals just play golf and become “advisors” for giant companies. It’s like they are hired to protect these capitalist thieves. 

I wish we could run this country according to Dhammic socialism, which was invented by famous monk Buddhadasa. He said we should control bad people, give more freedom to good people and take more taxes from rich people.

We must change people to stop admiring the rich. The rich should be suspected of being thieves who are corrupt or sell ya baa (amphetamine) because there is no way that salarymen earning B15,000-B30,000 could ever able to buy the kinds of mansion they live in. 

Red shirts are hypocrites. The government and the legislators tore down the constitution by proposing that notorious amnesty bill. But now the government and red shirt academics are saying they must stick to the law of this constitution and that is why the new elections must happen in 45 days. 

Red shirt cronies such as Weng Tochirakarn are just dogs who want to get rid of feudalism. But then they will oust Thaksin and make the country socialist. 

Our education system just teaches children to be slaves to capitalism. You can study to work in the system or just sell noodles and dump that decades-long education that can’t be used in real life.

Confidence is essential to being a human. If you were born to just make a living, you’re the living dead.

Remember that you are valuable. Be confident you can be anything that you want and live a life that is worthwhile every day.

Graffiti is fast, direct and amazing. It’s completely different from what I studied at university, fine arts. There, creating work involved a long, drawn-out process. But with graffiti, I can make something great in just 30 minutes!

I couldn’t stop after doing my first graffiti. I would paint everywhere I went and it got me in trouble.

I had to move out from my apartment to get away from an angry, high-ranking soldier. I got very drunk and graffitied his home. The next morning, he declared he would hunt me down. Luckily, I was not around whenever he came looking for me.

Then I painted an abandoned wall in my neighborhood, and it turned out the plot belonged to that same angry man, too! Later, I found the stuff in my rental room had been moved and some stuff was missing without any sign of a break-in. That was it! I moved out to live with some friends in town.

I used to paint only random things that I thought were cool, or just my name, or my face. That’s why I used Alex Face as my alias.

Good graffiti connects with people. Spray paint is expensive so every baht must give something back to the people. I started to pick up on local problems and play with the environment around me to express my ideas.

People can be touched by street art. One time an aunty came up and asked me why I was painting a picture of a kid at a garbage dump. I told her I wanted to remind people that so many kids have been dumped like this, too. She was so moved that she just murmured her agreement and walked away sobbing. 

You reach points in your life when you don’t know what to do next. I was stunned when my girlfriend told me she was pregnant. I sat crying in the dark, my mind totally blank. I was happy to be having a kid but I was just this poor artist who couldn’t guarantee anything for them.

Taking a journey can give you strength. My girlfriend told me to travel up to Chiang Mai to meet friends there. It really helped. I regained my focus and realized I would have to work harder to make everything better for us.

My Mardi the Bunny character was actually inspired by my daughter. When she was just born, her face looked so grumpy, like she was thinking really hard or worrying about her future in this troubled world. I sketched her face and started creating Mardi, a little child who wears a ragged rabbit suit. Rabbits also symbolize being a victim in this world.

Painting on the street lets me learn more about life. People always come up to talk about what I am doing and how they relate to each place, especially in the slums.

Outsiders have this perception that the slum is a scary place, but it’s just like elsewhere, with families taking care of their kids or parents.

Everyone erects their own thin wall whenever they meet a stranger. But once you knock it down, you will find just how easily we can get to know each other.

Art can help calm people, including those who create it. I’m always frustrated every time I have to face selfish people in the city. But graffiti helps me relax as I can release my feelings and regain my optimism through the nice people I meet.  

I love that Bangkok is full of random things: signs, people, cars or drain holes. It’s not a perfect city. It’s like people’s lives. It might look like an ugly town to some but it’s a wonderland for me. If you can survive in it, you will have so much fun.

You can measure the freedom index of a city by its graffiti. A city with limited graffiti means there’s strict control on people’s actions. In Bangkok you can find street art and graffiti all over the place. Artists just ask permission from owners directly, then spray!

You don’t need to be rich to be generous. One time I was riding my bicycle to an area really far away in the Suanpueng district of Ratchaburi. I got stranded from the other cyclists and I was completely exhausted with no water left. I just threw my bike on the ground.

A man saw me, gave me water and even said I could stay the night at his place for free. He said “My house is really big. I built it myself. You can stay here as long as you want. I just live with my daughter.”

In fact, his house was a really, really small shack. It just seemed really big to him because he has a big heart. And more than that, he only had one arm—he built the house with one arm. Meeting him was one of the greatest experiences. I’ll never forget it.

I wish I could travel more. I would love to go to the Philippines to the areas that Typhoon Haiyan destroyed. I would like to do some graffiti there. It’s the least I could do try to lift their spirits. I’d need a big budget, though, and I just don’t have that much money.

Miracles always happen when you’re on a journey. It makes me feel so lucky to have been born a human. 

How did Gay the Rabbit start?

I just wanted to parody Jay the Rabbit, which was such a huge hit on Facebook last year. I chose to make him gay because I am gay, and I think most offices can’t simply be divided into hetero men and women. There must be gays, too. Also, the name fits perfectly. Although I don’t have great drawing skills, I think the important thing is the stories, which carry the message that gays also have parents, bosses, as well as both gay and straight friends, especially cha nee or girlfriends who they are very close with. 

Some people say you’re simply riding on the coattails of Jay the Rabbit’s success.

In the beginning, yes. But now, I think we’ve proved that we have our own content and fans who love our style. All of my gags are split between my gay friends’ experiences and my own. People don’t compare it with Jay anymore. I’m on good terms with Jay the Rabbit, too. 

What kind of jokes do people like most? 

It’s usually those about cha nee friends, dished out in a sarcastic but endearing way. Like how women try to pick up guys in a gay bar. Many people are familiar with these scenes, so they get the humor. When the jokes are too gay-specific, they’re less popular. This shows the diversity of our fans, 60% of our fans are women. 

What brings women here? 

I think they are curious. They want to know what gays are thinking. As you know, it’s hard to define who is straight or gay these days. So they come to collect knowledge about gay men. Some of them are also “Y-Girls” who fantasize about gay romances.

They also come here for a laugh. Reading the comments is a must—many of them are so hilarious. They’re often funnier than the original post! 

Can you name a particularly memorable comment?

I posted a gag about Gay the Rabbit being kicked out of home after his mom found out he was gay. I normally don’t post things in real-time but schedule them. When it went online, fans really came together to comfort Gay, like it had just happened. I checked the page hours later and it was overwhelming. Many people had shared their experiences of coming out to their parents with comments like “I also went through this,” “My mother didn’t talk to me for two years.” But the one that touched me the most was one guy who had already came out to his parents. He said he showed the post to his mom and they smiled about it together. 

Do you have these experiences with your family?

No. Well, not yet. They don’t know that I’m gay. My mom even tried to act as match-maker to get me hitched with her friend’s daughter. She drove me to the girl’s house. I was freaking out. Luckily the girl wasn’t around. I’ve since banned my mom from ever being a match-maker.

Visit Gay the Rabbit at www.facebook.com/iamgaytherabbit

Being a chef wasn’t my first choice. I had to help my stepmom at Sa-Nguan Sri restaurant, in Ploen Chit. I dreamed of being a diplomat as I was inspired by the diplomats who always ate at our place. So I studied diplomacy at Ramkhamhaeng University. 

At the time, I sold cigarettes illegally with my friends at pubs around Bangkok and we got caught. I had to pool all my savings, about B600,000, to pay the fine. I was so depressed. So when I got an offer to work at a restaurant, I just took it. 

It was Blue Elephant in Copenhagen. I had this small hope that if I went, I might be able to continue my diplomatic studies at Oxford. 

Don’t depend on others; you should be able to do most things yourself. The abbot at a Thai temple in Denmark told me this. I was asking for advice after I was offered the chef position at Blue Elephant for another five years. I was reluctant to accept as I wanted to continue my education. I finally said yes because I felt the job really suited me. 

Being on top can give you cold feet. I was appointed chef at just 19 years old and had to manage staff who were all at least 10 years older than me. It was hard to gain their trust. And when you’re the boss, who can you ask for advice? 

Being observant and showing attention to detail are my ways to gain people’s trust. 

You don’t need to do everything better than others but you must know more than others. I finally came back to work at Blue Elephant in Thailand for another six years, before founding Thai Cuisine Connections (TCCC), which gives advice to restaurants abroad.

I was nearly burnt to death. My worst kitchen nightmare happened five years ago with a gas leak at a fair where I’d set up a mobile kitchen. When I tried to stop the leak, a big fireball engulfed me and my colleagues. My face and hands were all burnt. Luckily it was not that serious. But I could smell my burnt flesh. I’m still scared every time I hear a loud bang.

Cooking is meditation for me. I can fully concentrate and enjoy being creative at the same time. Serving people good food is like making merit, too.

Taste is everything with food. Participating in Iron Chef reinforced my opinion that no matter how fast you can make something or how good looking your dish is, it’s worth nothing if it’s not delicious.

Namprik platu is my favorite dish. I’ve always enjoyed eating chili paste with fried mackerel. It’s a nostalgic thing from when my mom used to make it for me. When I do it, I mash the fish meat into the rice like pet food. It’s superb.

I welcome the arrival of Michelin chefs in Bangkok. I’m sure that we are one of the top cities for gastronomy, so I think it will be good to see more restaurants get inspired to go to the next level. 

Mass production destroys the attributes of Thai herbs. I grow all my own basil, sweet basil and lemongrass because they’re so much more aromatic. 

It’s terrible that Thai people don’t have much chance to consume our great quality products as they’re all exported. We only get the normal products to eat here. But I will use the very best ingredients at my new place, Siam Wisdoms. Many people are doubting my ambition because these ingredients are expensive, but I will prove them wrong.

The best Thai restaurants in the world can’t be anywhere else but in Thailand. We have everything here to create the greatest Thai food. 

Thai fine dining isn’t just putting good looking pad Thai on a plate. There might not be that much difference in taste between a B50 or B500 pad Thai, but fine dining must combine great service, atmosphere, the very best ingredients and, of course, the chef’s creativity.

I have no doubt that some street food stalls are truly delicious, but they don’t have the same atmosphere as a fine dining venue. So it’s all about choice.

Thai food is about rounded-flavors. For me, it’s not about which recipes are the authentic ones, as all families have their secret recipes, especially at aristocratic homes. 

Food is alive. It changes over time. Thai food is a dynamic mix of Chinese, Indian and Khmer cuisines, cultures and traditions. The climate is also a factor. Because the weather is hotter here, it makes people crave sweetness.

I love to collect cookbooks. The oldest one that I have is a French cookbook from the 18th century, while the earliest Thai one I have is Mae Krua Hua Pah, which was first written in 1908.

I dream to open a Thai cooking school that can be one of the best ever as I will gather the great Thai chefs to teach there.

There is no reaching the summit in this profession. New generations always come up, and they have more passion, so you need to keep advancing yourself.

What did you do before?

I used to work in a company as a marketing officer but I quit after eight years to become a taxi driver. I just got bored in the corporate system and wanted to do something where I could meet people directly. Driving a cab you meet different kinds of folk, from high to low class: construction workers, white collars, celebrities and even politicians. I could have gone on doing that for years.

You must have gotten your share of drunks.

Yes. The worst is when they run away without paying.

So how did you become a driver at U Drink I Drive?

I saw this commercial on very late at night on Channel 3. So I just applied. I’ve worked here for four months now.

Did you have to train before driving your customers’ high-end cars?

Taxis are all Japanese so I was sent off to Limousine Express, which is the partner of the company, to try my hand at driving expensive European autos like Mercedes, BMWs or MINIs.

Any favorites?

I love both Mercedes and BMW. I love the SLK most, both in terms of maneuverability and speed. BMW is kind of more fun to drive, though, as the acceleration usually has more kick than Mercedes. 

Where are the hottest spots?

Fallabella. I must pick up a customer there at least once a night. It’s always crowded. Other hotspots are around Thonglor Soi 10 and Ekkamai, at places like Funky Villa, MUSE, Nanglen. Many of our customers have already gotten busted for drunk driving before so they don’t want to get in trouble again. Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest. I have 3-5 customers from 9pm-5am. 

Any memorable customers?

This one girl, who was so drunk the guys at RCA told her she was too drunk to drive home and called me. I drove her back to her condo. She was barely able to walk straight so I asked her if she’d be OK and if she needed me to take her stuff back to her room, like her laptop and bags. I ended up having to carry everything—including her. That’s our service. We treat customers like our family. And we also have small camera attached to our ear, so friends or family of the customers can monitor the situation, too. So the next day, she asked her friends, “How did I get home?” And they told her about U Drink I Drive. She was really surprised and intrigued so she called us to find out about the service.

Any message for those who are still drunk driving?

If you plan to drink, just use public transport. It’s the best option. But for ladies, I understand that there is safety issue, so ask a friend to drive you home or just call us. 

Rates are B500 for 0-5 kilometers, B550 for 5-10 kilometers, B600 for 10-15 kilometers, up to B1,500 for 50 kilometers. 091-080-9108 or  www.udrinkidrive.co.th 

When anyone mentions Suphan Buri, discussion tends to turn to the 100-year-old markets or the many edifices bearing the words “Banharn-Jamsai,” the names of Thai ex-prime minister Banharn Silpa-archa (a local) and his wife. Now, though, Suphan Buri is also gaining a lot of attention as home to Phu Toei National Park, a serene and scenic stretch of land in Dan Chang district that gives you the chance to explore nature without venturing too far from the city. Still, it does offer a proper escape—there’s no mobile phone signal and no electricity when night falls. The only lit spots are the bathrooms and ranger stations. During winter, temperatures can be as low as 5-10 degrees Celsius, while the night sky is a sea of stars. Find out what else you can see and get up to just a three-hour ride from Bangkok. 

Forest Exploring

Trekking is clearly the most popular activity here. Once you reach the national park, choose the trekking route that suits your taste: waterfall or pine forest. The latter is a pretty special experience as Phu Toei is the only national park in the central region to boast a pine forest as they normally only grow on mountains 1,000 meters above sea level. Here, it’s only 763 meters above sea level, yet there are hundreds of pine trees believed to be 200-300 years old. The Tapoenkee Waterfalls trekking option requires a bit more exercise, as the seven-kilometer route takes you up and down through dense tropical jungle, passing countless streams, bamboo forests and waterfalls as high as 15 meters. You will eventually reach the park’s three main waterfalls: Tapoenkee Yai, Tapoenkee Klang and Tapoenkee Noi, which is the nearest to the camp site, Tapoenkee 3rd Ranger Station. The highlight is certainly Tapoenkee Klang waterfall, where you have to use ropes to climb the steep rocks as the water falls all around you. The name Tapoenkee actually derives from the local Karen word “kee,” which means headwaters. Contact national park headquarters before you go as you must have a ranger to act as guide. A day trip including meals is B150 per person plus a fee of B400 per ranger. The best time to go is from October-February as there’s lots of water and less rain. They also have other environmental activities for you to partake in, such as reforesting.

Conquer the Summit

If you’re still standing after a long day of trekking, your next challenge is to try to climb to the summit of Thewada Peak, the highest point in Suphan Buri at 1,123 meters. In order to get to the top, you’ll need to undertake a steep 45-minute trek over slippery steps and rocky outcrops with the help of ropes. The recommended time to visit is sunrise when you will see a blanket of fog lift from the valley. As the road is quite tricky, you can only reach the foothill by 4WD. After dragging yourself to the peak, you’ll be amazed to find a golden pagoda perched atop the mountain shining beautifully in the morning sunlight. You can visit here any season, but the best time is winter to lap up the cool breeze and to witness the sea of fog covering the forests of three provinces, Suphan Buri, Kanchanaburi and Uthai Thani, which is home to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Thung Yai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary.

Waterfall Abseiling 

If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, just 10 minutes’ walk from Tapoenkee 3rd Ranger Station is a small but gorgeous waterfall called Tapoenkee Noi and apparently the 10-meter rockface is ideal for abseiling. The fun activity is overseen by experienced rangers who prepare all the abseiling gear and conduct basic training and guidance for newbies—contact the national park headquarters in advance. The cost is B1,500 per person for a small group of visitors, B1,000 per person for 10-20 people and B500 for 20 people or more. The waterfall is full of water year-round, but the best time to make a splash is still September to January. 

Cultural Karen

While few people really know of this national park in Suphan Buri, even less is known of the local Karen people. These people settled here around 200 years ago migrating here from the forests up north and to the west. Visit Tapoenkee village to get glimpse of their daily life. Here, they grow crops like corn and a special species of rice that grows on the hill rather than in paddy fields. Do note, though, that the inhabitants here are devout Buddhists who like to stay sober, so there’s no alcohol allowed. If you want to learn a bit more about their culture, they also offer dance shows for visitors. Contact the national park office for bookings. 

Cave Wonders

Apart from all the forests, waterfalls and scenic views, Phu Toei also has caves. The most fascinating ones are Tapoen Ngern and Tapoen Petch Caves. The cavernous Tapoen Petch is 10-meters-high and consists of beautiful stalagmites and stalactites that shine like diamonds under torchlight. It’s a similar case at Tapeon Ngern Cave, but the rocks are more white in color. Lastly, Tapoen Thong Cave has an impressive main hall, but unfortunately the entrance is largely blocked by the overgrown stalagmites and stalactites. At the entrance is a Buddha image worshiped by locals. Getting in the cave is quite tricky; you’ll need to enlist a ranger. 

Essentials

Phu Toei National Park 035-446-237, 081-934-2240, 089-246-0255, [email protected]

How to get there

By car

Take Highway No.340 (Bangbuathong-Suphan Buri) to Dan Chang district (200 kilometers) then take Highway 3086 to Ong Phra district and turn right onto Highway 3480. Take a right turn onto Rural Road No. 4031 and take another right turn to Rural Road No.3142 to Phu Toei National Park Office. 

Entrance fee 

For Thai citizens, it’s B20 for adults and B10 for children. Foreigners are B100 for adult and B50 for children. For vehicles, it’s B30 for a car. Those who don’t have a 4WD car must hire one from the national park office at a rate of B1,200 to the pine forest and B2,000 to Tapoenkee station. 

Where to stay

Only tents are offered at the camp site at B250 per night. It’s B30 per person if you bring your own tent.