Koh Lanta Island

For our one-week mid-term break, we decided to visit an island in Thailand called Koh Lanta.  Here are the top eleven things we did there:

#11 - Collecting sea shells and painting them.

#10 - Using the outside shower in the "backyard" of our hotel villa.

#9 - Learning how to cook authentic Thai food.

#8 - Appreciating the importance of food presentation.

#7 - Swimming through the Emerald Cave.

#6 - Buying gasoline from a glass bottle.

#5 - Riding a motor bike on the open roads of Koh Lanta.

#4 - Enjoying lunch over an ocean inlet with a gorgeous view.

#3 - Sharing a smile with the locals.

#2 - Witnessing remarkable nightly sunsets a few steps from our hotel villa.

#1 - Making way for "traffic" on the busy Koh Lanta highway.

Happy Birthday to Me!

To celebrate my birthday this year, I thought it would be fun to have a dinner party and form a band to play for my friends and colleagues. (I would have to play drums, of course.)  

The Music Place turned out to be the right choice.  It has a big stage, good food, great service, and they let our band practice some songs before opening hours.

It's easy to find right on Pratcha Utit Road at soi 16 just south of the Mengjai intersection.

Here is the sign they made for me just outside the restaurant.  In Thailand, it is common to use "mister" plus your first name.

The restaurant staff decorated the place very nicely just for my special event.

They have a keyboard and drum set already set up and they just upgraded their sound system.  Our playlist for the night included Hey Jude, Hotel California, Give Me One Reason, Let It Be, Zombie, Hard Day's Night, Mustang Sally, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, and Don't Look Back In Anger.

It's not easy moving to a new country and trying to organize a band in a couple months, but everything worked out just fine.  My band for the night consisted of two musicians from the restaurant, one colleague from work, and a singer who responded to an ad on Craigslist!

I'm drumming so fast you can barely see my hands!

What a great birthday!

Best Xiao Long Bao So Far

We have been looking high and low in Bangkok for some xiao long bao equal to that in Shanghai and Singapore, but with no luck...until now.

The sign outside the restaurant reads:
"Paradise Dynasty
Legend of Xiao Long Bao"

They might look strange and are definitely not ordinary, but they are deeeee-licious.  The card near the back of the picture is the recommended order in which to eat the colorful Xiao Long Bao.  The flavors are as follows:

Tan - Traditional Pork

Green - Ginseng

Brown - Foie Gras

Black - Black Truffle

Yellow - Cheesy

Pink - Crab Roe

Gray - Garlic

Orange - Szechuan (Spicy)

If you dare, visit Paradise Dynasty restaurant at the Siam Paragon mall and let us know what you think!