Beautiful architecture at the temple of Wat Pho near the Royal Palace in Bangkok
Greetings from Bangkok, Thailand, the home of beautiful temples, reckless tuk-tuks, and most importantly, Pinky Tailor. We arrived very early Thursday morning on the first flight from Hong Kong (thanks to our wonderful business manager who also happens to be writing this post), and upon arrival headed straight to legendary Pinky Tailor for our traditional suit fitting and shopping spree. As Pinky himself would explain to us while carefully taking each and every one of our measurements…twice…the Dins have been going to his shop for over 10 years. Each year we show up in full force, wide-eyed like kids in a candy store as we head to the third floor to search through hundreds of fabrics and linings, and each year we leave with the sleekest and finest looking suits we could possibly ask for (and at a great price too…for all you parents reading, don’t worry – we haven’t completely maxed out our credit cards just yet). We returned that evening to the Sukosol hotel for whom we would be performing for over the next few days, and where we would call home during our time in Thailand. From its gorgeous pool to its endless buffets the Sukosol was the sanctuary the Dins needed after a busy stop in Hong Kong and before an even busier one in Singapore.
The exterior of Mahatun Plaza, where the legendary Pinky Tailor is located
It was not long before our resident foodie, Lee Seligman, had us out and about in search for food, and we came to one of the most delicious street Pad Thai restaurants in all of Bangkok called Thip Samai. The line was down the street, winding around ten or more chefs, each frying shrimp or artfully making a fried egg thin enough to engulf an entire helping of Pad Thai. The freshly squeezed orange juice paired well with our main course, of which we each had two, and we joyfully returned to the Sukosol to get ready for our full day of singing and sightseeing to come.
Everett and Leon chowing down on the "Superb Pad Thai" at the fantastic Thip Samai restaurant
Our first performance of the day began bright and early as we traveled down the street to Sri Ayutthaya School to perform for the students, and get our first taste of “fame” as many of the Dins were swarmed by students after the performance to chat and take pictures. We returned to the hotel to the best surprise of them all…CLEAN TAILS!!! Yes, you heard me right…The Din & Tonics would once again smell fresh and clean for the first time since…well you probably don’t want to know. We split from there, with many Dins heading into the heart of Bangkok to test their bartering skills at the markets and eat more savory food. We ended the night with a performance in a banquet hall of the hotel. It was a great success and a chance to officially unveil our brand new album “The Dark Side of the Lime.”
On-stage in casual gear at the Sri Ayutthaya school
Saturday was our last full day in Bangkok and was filled with return trips to markets, more delicious food, river boat rides, temples, and of course, more singing. The Sukosol’s boutique hotel is called the Siam. It has to be one of the most spectacular hotels I have ever seen, and served a perfect venue for our final performance in Bangkok. With only 39 rooms it is an intimate setting, but that did not stop the Dins from putting on a great show for our audience, which included the owner of the hotels and foreign ambassadors. We concluded our brief tour of Bangkok by hitting the town Saturday night. A small group of us went out to Sukhumvit Soi 11, a famous night market and bar street in the city. The beer was good and the people-watching was even better. And with that our stop in Bangkok must come to an end as we gear up for Singapore. So long Bangkok! We will see you again in two years.
En route to our next stop!
Signing off,
Will Jaroszewicz #228
