Good evening from a surprisingly windy Bangkok. Seriously… I was just walking home from dinner at the famous Terminal 21 Food Court a few hours ago and nearly got blown over on my motorbike taxi. Jeez…
Anyways, hope you’ve had an awesome weekend and enjoy the week ahead. Volume 63 incoming!
Is Southern Thailand The World’s Greatest Movie Set?
Phuket, Krabi, and Phang Nga have been a constant source of inspiration for filmmakers due to their unique landscapes and almost ‘extra-terrestrial’ rock formations. They provide the perfect backdrop for movies in search of spectacular, tropical, or exotic settings and this week, I thought it’d be interesting to highlight some of the most famous movies that have been shot in the South over the years…
The Meg 2: The Trench (2023) - Phuket
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) - Krabi
The Hangover II (2011) - Phuket, Phang Nga, and Bangkok
The Beach (2000) - Phuket and Phang Nga
Fast and Furious 9 - The Fast Saga (2021) - Krabi
Man With The Golden Gun (1974) - Phan Nga
Our Take
I was just down in Phuket a week and a half ago and was talking to someone about how the Island has really started to become a hub for film production, so it got me thinking… what’s been shot down there? Well after a bit of research, the answer is a lot. In fact, WAY more than I had originally thought. The list I outlined above is far from extensive (here’s a full list on IMBD), but does include some of the bigger titles. I was pretty amazed that one of the best battle scenes from Star Wars Episode III was a Krabi shoot. That’s an iconic segment and neat that it was shot down there.
American YouTuber In Thailand Lands In Hot Water
American YouTuber Nathan Bartling, popularly known as ‘My Mate Nate’, is facing heavy criticism from Thais on the heels of hiring 50 Thai police officers to participate in a hide-and-seek game as part of a YouTube video. The game took place in an abandoned shopping mall, where Bartling and his team had 10 minutes to hide while the officers had an hour to find them. The controversy arose as commenters questioned if the police officers joined the game during their duty hours and expressed concerns about their availability for emergencies. Some condemned Bartling and the police for their perceived recklessness while others argued that the game provided valuable training for the officers. The release of the next episode of the series remains uncertain due to the backlash received. The Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police warned both Bartling and the police officers involved that they would face legal consequences if they failed to obtain permission to produce the video.
Our Take
Hahaha… I laughed for a few reasons at this story.
One, I personally don’t think it’s a huge deal that Nathan hired cops (who I can only imagine were off duty) to star in his YouTube video.
Two, I thought it was hilarious that there were some people who said the the shoot was “good training” for the cops. Absolutely classic.
All in all, I got a chuckle from this one on all fronts and hope that there’s no real issues for Nathan or the cops that participated.
Thailand Travel Tip - Travel Insurance
There’s a lot of different travel insurance companies out there and often times it’s a pain to find the right one. We get all sorts of emails about this topic from those of you that watch our videos over on Retired Working for You, so I decided to include the company I use in this week’s edition of Thailand Weekly. SafetyWing is a travel insurance company that provides awesome coverage for anyone that lives abroad, but their rates and coverage make it ideal for those vacationing overseas as well. I think I pay in and around $50/Month for my coverage, and I was impressed with their service when I actually had to make a claim last summer. Everything was taken care of, and I had a solid experience overall. Signing up takes a couple minutes and is super straightforward, so if you have a trip to Thailand booked (or anywhere for that matter) at any point in the near future, I’d definitely recommend considering them for insurance coverage.
Thailand Is Agoda’s 2nd Most Popular Destination
Thailand's tourism sector is experiencing a robust recovery, with data from online travel platform Agoda revealing that the country is the second most popular destination globally on their platform with Bangkok also being named the top city. The findings are based on booking data from January to May of this year. Thailand also ranked fourth in terms of domestic trips, following the United States, Japan, and Malaysia. To further boost interest, a partnership between Klook (another large Asian-based booking platform) and TAT has resulted in a significant increase in international tourist bookings to Thailand from places such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia. The partnership aims to showcase the Kingdom’s various activities such as day trips, sightseeing tours, and spa experiences.
Our Take
I remember during COVID there were a TON of naysayers who thought that Thailand would never recover from the pandemic and that the ‘golden days were over’.
“Thailand tourism will never be the same”
“Thailand’s golden days have come and gone”
“No point of going to Thailand anymore”
These are just a few YouTube comments I remember reading from our videos, and although the country still has a long way to go before returning to 2019 levels, I definitely feel confident pushing back on those naysayers now as Thailand is well on its way AND operators in the tourism space have showed such admirable levels of resiliency. They deserve the rebound 2023 they’re getting (thus far) and all future tourism growth as well.
Only In Thailand 🇹🇭
Thai food company CPF, in partnership with Nanoracks LLC and Mu Space Advanced Technology, is embarking on an extraordinary mission… the "Thai Food Mission to Space" program. Their goal? Ensuring that their Thai chicken products meet the stringent safety standards required to feed astronauts while up in the cosmics. Well, the results recently came in and after thorough testing, it was determined that CPF’s chicken products met NASA’s safety standards.
“Thai food is globally renowned for its rich flavours. As astronauts venture on their new space mission, they will embark on a unique culinary journey, enjoying the delightful tastes of Thai cuisine onboard their spacecraft.”
Man, I wonder if the Pad Krapow that WE launched into space would meet the standards? Haha. Only In Thailand 🇹🇭