A relatively small space just a couple of blocks north of Khao San Road, on Thanon Samsen, just beyond the bridge, Ad Here the 13th was a dopetastic blues joint.
With enough room for five small tables, a bar and the band’s equipment the place seemed cozy even at 9pm when we were the only people there. The many pictures, paintings and record sleeves hanging from the wall, plus all the random objects on and around the bar give it an air of smokey blues bar sans the smoke. (Which is something that made me very happy.)
Before the clock hit 10, there was standing room only but I never got that stuffy feeling. The vibe at the place was just lovely and the music, the guitar, the bass, the harp… as bluesy as it can get.
The drinks are quite good too. Cocktails are not too strong but well done and a very good deal considering the overall experience. You’ll drop 150B for a big Long Island, 120B for most other drinks, and 80 to 100B for beer.
Things begin to slow down around midnight so Ad Here the 13th is an excellent spot to start your night, or simply put, an excellent spot, period.
I wonder if it’s inherent of human nature to always stand for something. When Haidt talks about the great insight of Asian religions (and he should have included the words “and philosophies”), I can’t help but think that the ying and yang to which he refers can also be attained by society as a whole allowing the individual to pursue his/her own ideology. (i.e. A coexistence of moral matrices as opposed to living outside of one.)
Yesterday I had to make a visa run but I didn’t think it would be such a hassle since it didn’t involve leaving the country or even the city. (Free 2-month tourist visas won’t be available again till April so there was no sense in doing a border run.)
I asked a thai friend to call the immigration offices to verify whether I could get an extension at their office in Sathorn or not. They said yes. When I got there I saw a HUGE poster on the wall stating:
“On Monday 28th, September 2009, service for visa extension, re-entry permit, issue and change visa, resident permit, resident certificate, aliens registration and 90 days address report area in Bangkok will be moved to Government Center, Chaengwattana Road Soi 7. (Except special Labor of Laos, Cambodian and Myanmar nationalities service at old office.)”
I asked, just in case, and they sent me away to Government Center.
To get there ride the BTS all the way to Mo Chit and then take the van to Prakkret. When you exit the Mo Chit BTS station, you’ll see a number of grey and white vans parked at the foot of the staircase on the side opposite the Mo Chit Bus Station. The vans are all marked in Thai but asking one of the handlers for “Prakkret?” got me into the right one and with 25 Baht I was on my way.
Once at Government Center (ask the driver to drop you off there), walk past the mototaxis and up the street you’ll find free shuttle buses to the immigration offices (which are housed inside a massive building).
The process was fairly quick and 1900 Baht plus a 4cm x 6cm photo later I had a month’s worth visa extension.
“You can add health care reform to all the other cornerstones of American society that Conservatives fought against: womens’ suffrage, civil rights, social security, Medicare.”
“…we agree. But no politician has emerged on the national stage as undefined and unqualified as Sarah Palin, and her public persona–which is anti-intellectual by definition–discourages substance. Instead, we get winking. One could hardly imagine her giving a complex speech about race in America, or speaking eloquently about our country’s relations with Islam. Not just because she couldn’t write such a speech (Obama has speech-writers, of course) but because she wouldn’t–such necessarily academic discussion is antithetical to the persona she’s created for herself and that her supporters have come to love.”
I’m really feeling what these guys are doing. I wonder if they have a counterpart on the right. And by counterpart I mean someone exposing prejudice, ill conceived positions and general regurgitation of talking points from the left’s fan base in the same simple and straight forward kind of way (i.e. not James O’Keefe).
During one of the “red shirt” riot scenes in Bangkok on 13th April 2009, when a gas truck was hi-jacked and reportedly threatened to release the flammable contents near Din Daeng Area, an unknown individual emerges as Batman. The super hero was able to divert the attention of the protesters, opening an opportunity for the rescue team to retrieve the gas truck.
On another note: I was riding a cab some nights ago and caught a real life Batman walking the streets. This Batman was not like the one in the video but more like the one in the movie. The one starring Christian Bale. Dude’s outfit was legit. Also, he was diesel and looked all kinds of serious walking in the middle of an empty road around midnight. And I have 3 other witnesses who can corroborate my story.
One of the things that caught me by surprise here in Southeast Asia is the popularity of this song. And it’s not simply a farang thing-Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand-Pitbull’s getting love from all over.
Posted by R. 
