Future Park, which is the name of the nearest shopping complex to where we live, it is currently under going remodeling. Really it is four large shopping areas seperated by some very ugly circuit roads and concrete fly-overs, it was ugly enough to begin with but now the pedestrian overpasses have been fractured to make way for new ribbons of fly-over, it is a MAJOR inconvenience, backing the traffic up half an hour either side. It's ugly, it's smog filled, it's inconvenient, modern, capitalist, industrialisation .... you know your soaking in it.
Yesterday we headed to Zeer, computer heaven from the top floor you could see the old Airport, only a few planes remain circling on the tarmac their fins protruding upwards from their steel backs waiting hungrily in the hopes some hapless tourist won't realise they have come to the wrong place. Zeer itself, is a lot like many of these malls in Thailand, the top two floors are abandoned, the middle floors don't have real shops market stalls set up through the central spaces, it lends the whole place a post apocalyptic kind of feel where squatters have moved back into the market space but chosen to set up in and around what would have been the traditional shops, whether the rents on the actual shop space are too high or more probably the squatters are here semi legally (as most of the goods are certainly illegal copied software and the like), it all adds to the shark fin soup, the spice of squalor and hint of chaos, with just an edge of blag. The ground floor has high end mac and camera shops to make the shopping experience complete.
The confusing thing about pirate software (not that I would ever buy any) is the vast diversity of packaging for the same product (or is it the same) the kaleidoscope of permutations on the latest version of a one application is mind numbing (I saw 7 different packages). I bought a new memory stick and left it at that, it's all too confusing for me. Later back at future (ha ha) I got some more memory for my laptop and watched another day grind it's sun into the dusty haze of Bangkok to extinquish daylight hours.
It's almost Christmas and all the boys and girls at KFC look very strange in their Santa hats, it just doesn't feel like Christmas over here, no matter how many Christmas trees and how much tinsel goes up, it feels like a pretense perhaps because in true Thai style they have managed to embrace the commercialism of the festive season ignoring it's religious roots. Now I'm not into the whole missionary thing, the natives can stay uncivilized and as heathen like as they desire. Buddah after all doesn't sound like such a bad dude, but to celebrate Christmas given all that just seems like an easter egg, all tasty sweet chocolate shell and hollow on the inside.
While we are on the whole Buddhism thing though, they seem to practice a very strange version of it here, we saw several bunches (posse, murder. I am unsure of the correct collective noun, perhaps a meditation is the right phrase)So we saw several meditations of monks, huddled excitedly around plasma screen t.v.s and merrily leaving the Mall with large boxes and bags of worldly goods rustling and bumping against their saffron robes? The temples are full of the gentle click clacking of devotees shuffling fortune telling sticks wishing to see a glimpse of their future and praying for an auspicious wedding or birth, they mix images of Buddah with those of various Hindu dieties it seems to be a very come one come all, b.y.o. superstitions and beliefs kind of Buddhism.
One more week and then the holidays so take care of yourselves..
N.J.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Bangkok 05 December
Wow, hard to believe, I left Australia a little over a year ago, it seems like a very long time ago. Christmas is nearly here and I have just finished last years christmas card (oops). So you can all enjoy 2006 again (yay).
I teach with a guy, lets call him Charlie (because that's his name), he came to me the other day covered in nasty puss filled spots, he said they weren't itchy, he had a temperature, he felt tired and nauseous, I told him to go to the Doctor. The Doctor told him he had a "chalk allergy", I love it a teacher with a chalk allergy, of course after a week on the antihistamines he went for a second opinion, "German measles", I can barely wait to hear what it will be diagnosed as next week.
Anyway, Today was the Kings birthday, which was a big deal all over Bangkok, I believe their will be fireworks tonight at the Grand Palace and who all knows what else but I'm sure it will be wizard, with lashings of ginger beer all round! I have spent the day wrestling photoshop to the ground creating the aforementioned christmas card, (I must learn how to use photoshop one day soon).
My friend Sam is back (yay) this time without his Mother (yay), this time with his cousin Scarlet (double yay). So after one false start (the weekend before when we managed to not meet up by getting together on seperate nights, yes about as complicated as that sounds). This time to avoid any confusion I went and meet Sam and Scarlet at their current cat-sitting place of kippering. We headed to Ari BTS and were sucked into a dim sim / Yum cha kind of place The Shrimp Har gao was great, the crab won tons brilliant, the chicken feet Scarlet and I elected to leave to Sam who had inadvertently (I think) ordered them by using a Thai menu instead of the English one.
After lunch we headed to the Snake farm in Silom, we confidently crossed the road brushing aside the "scam guy" who was trying to tell us the Snake farm was closed (ho, ho, I've heard that one before). A helpful lady on the other side of the road hurried us toward the Snake farm, we got there to discover, oh no, scam guy was right, it really was closed. Sam I have discovered has zero tolerance for sticky Bangkok, we jumped in a cab and cruised together with Huey Lewis and Gwenth Paltrow all the way across town to the Grand Palace, (Go Bkk radio whose English language station is suffocating under a duvet with a heart warming '90s family sitcom).
The Grand Palace (was open) the Emerald Buddha is smaller than I expected but the wat it is enclosed in is stunningly ornate, A small dude sat in the corner meticulously repainting the gold on the walls oblivious to the revolving film of tourists who wander in, pay their respects, and wander out again. How many tons of gold paint and glittery shimmering coloured chips have been used in the Grand Palace is anyones guess. There are buddhas you can make merit with, done by applying thin gold leaf which creates a flaky sort of King Midas with eczema effect. There are Hindu Bulls with feeding troughs of waxy candles in front of them, Huge ornate demigods with impressive lower canines and Singhas with real butt holes engraved under their tails.
There were some chaps looking terribly smart in white uniforms with lots of medals on, they were guarding about the place and we passed under the balcony where the King does his royal waving and such from on occasions such as today. We leapt into a taxi and Scarlet realised she had bought a lovely new purple skirt. We arrived in Khao san rd and I enjoyed a falafel roll while Sam bought cd's, we wandered to "Don da moon" and drank the first bottle of Thai whisky as the sun set. Again jumped in a taxi and headed to "Condoms and Cabbages" for dinner, expensive, but the money goes to a good cause and the christmas tree made out of coloured condoms (with a special star shaped tickler on top was worth seeing. From here I managed to get us lost twice before I heard a voice behind me.
It was one of the other guys I work with lets call him John (that's not his name). He showed us the way to Soi Cowboy and we found ourselves in Bacarra bar, lounge chairs in a circle around a small stage, the small stage has maybe half a dozen poles with at least twice that many bored looking Thai girls in Hawaian print Bikini tops and matching belts (which they were wearing as skirts). But the real reason people come here is so you can develop neck pain, the ceiling is made of glass and danced upon by girls in school uniform sans underwear, as the songs change they rotate which piece or pieces of clothing they wear, John was getting a crick in his neck, At some stage he and sam disappeared upstairs to sit "pool side" at that bar while Scarlet and I discussed politics (or something). Bacarra bar was an experience, women to me are much more attractive with there clothes on. Do men really find this erotic or do they just believe they should?
Finally made it home far too much Thai whisky later. Last image of the evening as "John" dropped me off home, watching Sam's image disappearing in the dust alone on a muggy dusty Thai high way. Sam did you make it home o.k? How was your hang over?
I teach with a guy, lets call him Charlie (because that's his name), he came to me the other day covered in nasty puss filled spots, he said they weren't itchy, he had a temperature, he felt tired and nauseous, I told him to go to the Doctor. The Doctor told him he had a "chalk allergy", I love it a teacher with a chalk allergy, of course after a week on the antihistamines he went for a second opinion, "German measles", I can barely wait to hear what it will be diagnosed as next week.
Anyway, Today was the Kings birthday, which was a big deal all over Bangkok, I believe their will be fireworks tonight at the Grand Palace and who all knows what else but I'm sure it will be wizard, with lashings of ginger beer all round! I have spent the day wrestling photoshop to the ground creating the aforementioned christmas card, (I must learn how to use photoshop one day soon).
My friend Sam is back (yay) this time without his Mother (yay), this time with his cousin Scarlet (double yay). So after one false start (the weekend before when we managed to not meet up by getting together on seperate nights, yes about as complicated as that sounds). This time to avoid any confusion I went and meet Sam and Scarlet at their current cat-sitting place of kippering. We headed to Ari BTS and were sucked into a dim sim / Yum cha kind of place The Shrimp Har gao was great, the crab won tons brilliant, the chicken feet Scarlet and I elected to leave to Sam who had inadvertently (I think) ordered them by using a Thai menu instead of the English one.
After lunch we headed to the Snake farm in Silom, we confidently crossed the road brushing aside the "scam guy" who was trying to tell us the Snake farm was closed (ho, ho, I've heard that one before). A helpful lady on the other side of the road hurried us toward the Snake farm, we got there to discover, oh no, scam guy was right, it really was closed. Sam I have discovered has zero tolerance for sticky Bangkok, we jumped in a cab and cruised together with Huey Lewis and Gwenth Paltrow all the way across town to the Grand Palace, (Go Bkk radio whose English language station is suffocating under a duvet with a heart warming '90s family sitcom).
The Grand Palace (was open) the Emerald Buddha is smaller than I expected but the wat it is enclosed in is stunningly ornate, A small dude sat in the corner meticulously repainting the gold on the walls oblivious to the revolving film of tourists who wander in, pay their respects, and wander out again. How many tons of gold paint and glittery shimmering coloured chips have been used in the Grand Palace is anyones guess. There are buddhas you can make merit with, done by applying thin gold leaf which creates a flaky sort of King Midas with eczema effect. There are Hindu Bulls with feeding troughs of waxy candles in front of them, Huge ornate demigods with impressive lower canines and Singhas with real butt holes engraved under their tails.
There were some chaps looking terribly smart in white uniforms with lots of medals on, they were guarding about the place and we passed under the balcony where the King does his royal waving and such from on occasions such as today. We leapt into a taxi and Scarlet realised she had bought a lovely new purple skirt. We arrived in Khao san rd and I enjoyed a falafel roll while Sam bought cd's, we wandered to "Don da moon" and drank the first bottle of Thai whisky as the sun set. Again jumped in a taxi and headed to "Condoms and Cabbages" for dinner, expensive, but the money goes to a good cause and the christmas tree made out of coloured condoms (with a special star shaped tickler on top was worth seeing. From here I managed to get us lost twice before I heard a voice behind me.
It was one of the other guys I work with lets call him John (that's not his name). He showed us the way to Soi Cowboy and we found ourselves in Bacarra bar, lounge chairs in a circle around a small stage, the small stage has maybe half a dozen poles with at least twice that many bored looking Thai girls in Hawaian print Bikini tops and matching belts (which they were wearing as skirts). But the real reason people come here is so you can develop neck pain, the ceiling is made of glass and danced upon by girls in school uniform sans underwear, as the songs change they rotate which piece or pieces of clothing they wear, John was getting a crick in his neck, At some stage he and sam disappeared upstairs to sit "pool side" at that bar while Scarlet and I discussed politics (or something). Bacarra bar was an experience, women to me are much more attractive with there clothes on. Do men really find this erotic or do they just believe they should?
Finally made it home far too much Thai whisky later. Last image of the evening as "John" dropped me off home, watching Sam's image disappearing in the dust alone on a muggy dusty Thai high way. Sam did you make it home o.k? How was your hang over?
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Bangkok 27 Movember 2006
Time for another episode of "ya gotta love those crazy Thai people"
It's more stories of stupidity, woe and deceit that keep bubbling up from the cauldron of discontent known as Suvarnabhumi. The land around the new airport had a growth surge as interested parties snapped up the houses and real estate in the area to enjoy the projected benefits of increased revenue through services and proximity to the new airport. Now these same entrepreneureal types are complaining about the aircraft noise! Having lived on flight paths several times already in my cheap accomodation history I would have thought these bargain hunters would have realised you can't have an airport without aircraft noise.
Taxi drivers who service the airport don't want to use their meters (plus the 50 baht tax), they want to play fleece the newly arrived tourist while he's still jet lagged and vulnerable, but the police (such party poopers) are fining these law breakers for not using their meters, so today two thousand or so of these taxi drivers protested about police harrassment bringing transport around the hub to a virtual standstill till a mediator was brought in to negotiate, now call me a weirdo but could this scenario fly in any other country?
Anyway off my soap box now, weekend was good went round to check out Kevin and Ian's new place in Ekkamai, trying to find the place was hell, Thailand is not big on logical addresses, street signs or house numbers, not sure I have ever seen a letter box (except in apartment buildings). We trundled out of Ekkamai station and down Sukhumvit soi 63 (which is also discreetly known as Ekkamai rd), eventually found the right soi than just wandered around the narrow cobweb of lanes trying to avoid getting trapped amongst the dead ends and moth carcase, some how trace our way to the correct silken thread. Eventually we heard the sounds of laughter and the smell of an excellent Indian curry.
Anyway kittens, I have midterms to write (still) not to mention lesson plans so I'll catch y'all latter,
Love N.J.
It's more stories of stupidity, woe and deceit that keep bubbling up from the cauldron of discontent known as Suvarnabhumi. The land around the new airport had a growth surge as interested parties snapped up the houses and real estate in the area to enjoy the projected benefits of increased revenue through services and proximity to the new airport. Now these same entrepreneureal types are complaining about the aircraft noise! Having lived on flight paths several times already in my cheap accomodation history I would have thought these bargain hunters would have realised you can't have an airport without aircraft noise.
Taxi drivers who service the airport don't want to use their meters (plus the 50 baht tax), they want to play fleece the newly arrived tourist while he's still jet lagged and vulnerable, but the police (such party poopers) are fining these law breakers for not using their meters, so today two thousand or so of these taxi drivers protested about police harrassment bringing transport around the hub to a virtual standstill till a mediator was brought in to negotiate, now call me a weirdo but could this scenario fly in any other country?
Anyway off my soap box now, weekend was good went round to check out Kevin and Ian's new place in Ekkamai, trying to find the place was hell, Thailand is not big on logical addresses, street signs or house numbers, not sure I have ever seen a letter box (except in apartment buildings). We trundled out of Ekkamai station and down Sukhumvit soi 63 (which is also discreetly known as Ekkamai rd), eventually found the right soi than just wandered around the narrow cobweb of lanes trying to avoid getting trapped amongst the dead ends and moth carcase, some how trace our way to the correct silken thread. Eventually we heard the sounds of laughter and the smell of an excellent Indian curry.
Anyway kittens, I have midterms to write (still) not to mention lesson plans so I'll catch y'all latter,
Love N.J.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Monday, November 13, 2006
Bangkok 13 November
Weekend, was pretty cool.
Went to Chatuchak, and bought some new sneakers, looked at undies but I really don't feel the need to emblazon my ass with "hello kitty" or any other cutesy cartoon motiff which is about all you can get (well that or crutchless undies for the working girl). Followed that with a trip over the river to my friends for a swim and mexican dinner. The weather is fantastic at the moment, everyday another perfect blood and gold sunset with pink and orange skies.
I would love to tell you about the characters who were in attendance at dinner but I fear it will have to wait for a semi fictional account so I can avoid litigation.
So sunday I finally found myself in little India, sandwiched between Thewet flower market and China town proper. A rabbit warren for the senses, bright swathes of clothe from India, silk, rayon, chiffon layered in rainbows everywhere you look, the garish colours of Indian sweets, clouds of incense fight there way between the crowds pressing down the narrow aisles. women in Saris wind their way between a phalanx of men who exude that slightly sleazy predatory oil that Indians are so well known for. I got totally lost and disoriented which is great fun if you have the time to look for yourself and then together work out how to get the hell out. You burst out onto one street after another and are faced with another rabbit warren, going with your instinct or getting out your map which probably doesn't have the little street your on listed anyway.
I did finally find my way back to the dock. Bkk at the moment around the banks of the Chao Phraya (and various other places) is still sandbagged as the water regularly leaps over the retaining walls or simply seeps up through the cobble stones on the streets that run along the river bank. The paddock outside our house is currently a swamp, in fact I saw a woman navigating her canoe across it just the other day. I finally believe Bkk is sinking, though by the time next years rains come I'm sure everyone will be desperate for them once again.
A new system of discipline is being implemented in the classroom tomorrow as one child complained about the old system (it's no wonder these kids are spoiled). We are actually going to be allowed to send kids to the principal. I think it's a great idea, hopefully it will result in better classroom behaviour but we shall see.
Anyway, it's time to go. Catch y'all later.
Love Nikki Jayne.
Went to Chatuchak, and bought some new sneakers, looked at undies but I really don't feel the need to emblazon my ass with "hello kitty" or any other cutesy cartoon motiff which is about all you can get (well that or crutchless undies for the working girl). Followed that with a trip over the river to my friends for a swim and mexican dinner. The weather is fantastic at the moment, everyday another perfect blood and gold sunset with pink and orange skies.
I would love to tell you about the characters who were in attendance at dinner but I fear it will have to wait for a semi fictional account so I can avoid litigation.
So sunday I finally found myself in little India, sandwiched between Thewet flower market and China town proper. A rabbit warren for the senses, bright swathes of clothe from India, silk, rayon, chiffon layered in rainbows everywhere you look, the garish colours of Indian sweets, clouds of incense fight there way between the crowds pressing down the narrow aisles. women in Saris wind their way between a phalanx of men who exude that slightly sleazy predatory oil that Indians are so well known for. I got totally lost and disoriented which is great fun if you have the time to look for yourself and then together work out how to get the hell out. You burst out onto one street after another and are faced with another rabbit warren, going with your instinct or getting out your map which probably doesn't have the little street your on listed anyway.
I did finally find my way back to the dock. Bkk at the moment around the banks of the Chao Phraya (and various other places) is still sandbagged as the water regularly leaps over the retaining walls or simply seeps up through the cobble stones on the streets that run along the river bank. The paddock outside our house is currently a swamp, in fact I saw a woman navigating her canoe across it just the other day. I finally believe Bkk is sinking, though by the time next years rains come I'm sure everyone will be desperate for them once again.
A new system of discipline is being implemented in the classroom tomorrow as one child complained about the old system (it's no wonder these kids are spoiled). We are actually going to be allowed to send kids to the principal. I think it's a great idea, hopefully it will result in better classroom behaviour but we shall see.
Anyway, it's time to go. Catch y'all later.
Love Nikki Jayne.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Bangkok 9 Nov.
It is no longer technically a bloodless coup, some taxi driver felt compelled to commit suicide in protest, worse, it was his second attempt! After the failure of the first attempt a government official foolishly said he didn't think he was serious, so the taxi driver (not wishing to loose face) Had to make damn sure he got it right the next time. (Some people say I take politics too seriously but hell I wouldn't kill myself over it).
The fifth of November here was massive (a coincidence) It fell on Loy Kratong, which is a huge festival which happens amidst great fireworks, and thanksgiving for the rains and rice harvest at the end of rainy season (November's full moon). People make little floating flower rafts with incense and candles atop and set them adrift down rivers and Klongs across the nation, pushing bad energy and thoughts away and praying for a better new year. the best ones were made out of bread or pastry so they had the double bonus of feeding the local fish so simultaneously making merit with the Buddah. The worst employ polystyrene bases which then pollute the very waterways which ironically are the same ones the people are praying their thankfullness to.
We had another Parent teacher day, wow some of my Parents are hard core. One set of Parents had graphed their sons results, (the two EP1 and my semester together) so we could see if his grades were up or down in each half year (thankfully they were up). He then asked how we could get his mark up to 90% (I don't know if this kid is capable of that). Some parents want more homework, others less, you can't please any of the people any of the time so it seems sometimes.
My kids were telling me today that English is easy and Thai lessons are hard so that at least makes me feel I am on the right track, In two weeks we tackle the sexual organs (and good and bad touching) in Science that should be a wild week.
Anyways better scram.
The fifth of November here was massive (a coincidence) It fell on Loy Kratong, which is a huge festival which happens amidst great fireworks, and thanksgiving for the rains and rice harvest at the end of rainy season (November's full moon). People make little floating flower rafts with incense and candles atop and set them adrift down rivers and Klongs across the nation, pushing bad energy and thoughts away and praying for a better new year. the best ones were made out of bread or pastry so they had the double bonus of feeding the local fish so simultaneously making merit with the Buddah. The worst employ polystyrene bases which then pollute the very waterways which ironically are the same ones the people are praying their thankfullness to.
We had another Parent teacher day, wow some of my Parents are hard core. One set of Parents had graphed their sons results, (the two EP1 and my semester together) so we could see if his grades were up or down in each half year (thankfully they were up). He then asked how we could get his mark up to 90% (I don't know if this kid is capable of that). Some parents want more homework, others less, you can't please any of the people any of the time so it seems sometimes.
My kids were telling me today that English is easy and Thai lessons are hard so that at least makes me feel I am on the right track, In two weeks we tackle the sexual organs (and good and bad touching) in Science that should be a wild week.
Anyways better scram.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Bangkok 29 October
When we arrived back home it had been raining, The street had puddles that were half way up your calves, the klong was well over it's banks, and the paddocks we see from our balcony window now have little canoes that gently navigate amongst the reeds, though what the folk in them are doing I have yet to ascertain. Now the puddles have thankfully subsided and I am once again in the made panic of writing a million lesson plans, before school starts.
I have been offered a gig training the TEYL course for spencer, which considering I was only a student on it six months ago seems like tremendously rapid promotion, but I figure it will look good on my resume if nothing else.
Went to a drama course on Friday, the lunch was fabulous, real cheese plates and smoked salmon and other delectable and delicious morsels, the course was ok but not terribly relevant for us as English and not drama teachers, a least Kevin and Ian were there to keep me entertained and I went and stayed at Taz's place in Thonburi after.
Went to the forensic museum today, fabulous, weird, spooky, it's full of pallid human organs floating in glass blocks of formaldehyde. I will never eat, smoke, drink, get on a motorbike, in a car or go near a bullet or knife again, it's amazing. The head sliced in half, each in its own block, the two slabs separated down the bullets trajectory (forehead to rear base of the skull) leading me to assume the victim must have been on his knees, the brain tissue in the groove feathered and fringed amongst the normal tight coils of brain. The many little foetus, with chicken skin and tight little fists, some with screwed up little screaming faces, others like astronauts in gravity free, free fall umbilical cords still in place, others still in utero, twins one in free fall the other still tucked in the womb, the cover peeled back like a sleeping bag with the corner unzipped. A small infant who drowned sits in a cross legged pose looking serenely like a little buddha a row of jagged stitches all the way up his torso where the autopsy was carried out. In the Thai tradition many of these exhibits have coins, sweets and toys scattered about for the little ones to take into the after life. There are three naked mahogany coloured mumified adults, 1 naturally so and two executed rapist/murders who stand in nasty metal drip trays, that remind one of Hanibal Lecters sunday roast. There is a whole section devoted to the horrors of the 2004 Tsunami disaster and the logistical and forensic nightmare that it posed for all involved.
The museum is part of a museum trifecta, the anatomy museum (unfortunately currently closed for renovations ). The forensic described above and the parasite museum, the horror stories of all the different kinds of insect borne diseases, worms and other nasties was squirm inducing, the photo's of bums in the air with great stringy mountains of worms being unceremoniously hauled out was nasty, something I never had to deal with while nursing, my ghoulish nature in conflict with my squeamish inner self. I feel inspired to rush to the nearest hospital and make sure all my shots are up to date, in fact I'm sure it's time I had boosters for everything and perhaps one of those hygenic plastic bubbles to walk round in might be nice too. Thankfully one of my girlfriends called and I had to drag myself away before I could sink into complete paranoia.
Anyway I must away and teach before the school works out I only come here to connect to the Internet and write lesson plan
I have been offered a gig training the TEYL course for spencer, which considering I was only a student on it six months ago seems like tremendously rapid promotion, but I figure it will look good on my resume if nothing else.
Went to a drama course on Friday, the lunch was fabulous, real cheese plates and smoked salmon and other delectable and delicious morsels, the course was ok but not terribly relevant for us as English and not drama teachers, a least Kevin and Ian were there to keep me entertained and I went and stayed at Taz's place in Thonburi after.
Went to the forensic museum today, fabulous, weird, spooky, it's full of pallid human organs floating in glass blocks of formaldehyde. I will never eat, smoke, drink, get on a motorbike, in a car or go near a bullet or knife again, it's amazing. The head sliced in half, each in its own block, the two slabs separated down the bullets trajectory (forehead to rear base of the skull) leading me to assume the victim must have been on his knees, the brain tissue in the groove feathered and fringed amongst the normal tight coils of brain. The many little foetus, with chicken skin and tight little fists, some with screwed up little screaming faces, others like astronauts in gravity free, free fall umbilical cords still in place, others still in utero, twins one in free fall the other still tucked in the womb, the cover peeled back like a sleeping bag with the corner unzipped. A small infant who drowned sits in a cross legged pose looking serenely like a little buddha a row of jagged stitches all the way up his torso where the autopsy was carried out. In the Thai tradition many of these exhibits have coins, sweets and toys scattered about for the little ones to take into the after life. There are three naked mahogany coloured mumified adults, 1 naturally so and two executed rapist/murders who stand in nasty metal drip trays, that remind one of Hanibal Lecters sunday roast. There is a whole section devoted to the horrors of the 2004 Tsunami disaster and the logistical and forensic nightmare that it posed for all involved.
The museum is part of a museum trifecta, the anatomy museum (unfortunately currently closed for renovations ). The forensic described above and the parasite museum, the horror stories of all the different kinds of insect borne diseases, worms and other nasties was squirm inducing, the photo's of bums in the air with great stringy mountains of worms being unceremoniously hauled out was nasty, something I never had to deal with while nursing, my ghoulish nature in conflict with my squeamish inner self. I feel inspired to rush to the nearest hospital and make sure all my shots are up to date, in fact I'm sure it's time I had boosters for everything and perhaps one of those hygenic plastic bubbles to walk round in might be nice too. Thankfully one of my girlfriends called and I had to drag myself away before I could sink into complete paranoia.
Anyway I must away and teach before the school works out I only come here to connect to the Internet and write lesson plan
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Bangkok 18th October
No sooner had we crossed the border than one girl on our pick-up sighed "Thailand, it's just like home". I knew exactly what she meant. It feels weird, Thailand has so quickly started to feel like home but then I always have been a wherever I hang the little dress of the moment, that's my home kind of girl.
The last few days in Cambodia dissolved away, we spent a few days in Kep another fabulous little colonial era town on the beach front, we ate spiced crab (the local speciality) while watching the sunset. Then the last couple of days back in shiannoukville. The hard sell on the beaches becomes wearing all too quickly, because it's low season the seller to potential customer ratio results in perpetual badgering, especially if you don't want a manicure, pedicure, the hair on your leg ripped out with fast twirling pieces of string, bracelets, massage, postcards, etc. There is very little that makes you feel more like a fat western over indulged flabby pink wealthy capitalist pig then an hour on a cambodian beach.
Children beg the empty plastic drink bottles from your hand while the last drop is still lingering on your lips. Breakfast costs more than most cambodians earn in a month, it can be hard to swallow.
Really wealthy tourists are sheltered from all of this, chauffered from airport to private hotels with private beaches and back again. Backpacking is an exercise in social taxation, we pay to alleviate our guilt.
The last few days in Cambodia dissolved away, we spent a few days in Kep another fabulous little colonial era town on the beach front, we ate spiced crab (the local speciality) while watching the sunset. Then the last couple of days back in shiannoukville. The hard sell on the beaches becomes wearing all too quickly, because it's low season the seller to potential customer ratio results in perpetual badgering, especially if you don't want a manicure, pedicure, the hair on your leg ripped out with fast twirling pieces of string, bracelets, massage, postcards, etc. There is very little that makes you feel more like a fat western over indulged flabby pink wealthy capitalist pig then an hour on a cambodian beach.
Children beg the empty plastic drink bottles from your hand while the last drop is still lingering on your lips. Breakfast costs more than most cambodians earn in a month, it can be hard to swallow.
Really wealthy tourists are sheltered from all of this, chauffered from airport to private hotels with private beaches and back again. Backpacking is an exercise in social taxation, we pay to alleviate our guilt.
Kampot 8th October
We made it back from Bokor hill station, it was as promised quite a trip. Starting out at the crackers of dawn, we were all loaded (so many sheep to the slaughter) into the back of a silver pick-up, luckily I had the best seat just behind the cab where I could see all the twists and turns ahead. The road was potholed till the entrance of the park where it degraded into a muddy track. Thank god the sky was blue but after days of near continuous rain and two land slides in the last week it was always going to be an adventure. The truck picked it's way up the side of the mountain swerving and staggering up the road, in back it felt like horse riding ducking and weaving out of the way of oncoming branches as the tires dipped jolted and scrabbled for grip in the muddy ditches.
We were surrounded almost constantly by butterflies, floating, hanging in the air then wafting behind in our slip stream. Huge black ones big as your hand with great white mascarade mask eyes on their wings, fantastical shimmering opalescent blue ones, two different kinds of bright orange patterns of and the most common a pappery cream and beige one with a raged lace edge wing. There were dragonflies in flourescent pyjamas and huge beetles flying unsteadily on frantic wings, hauling their great glistening black and aquamarine exoskeletons through the air in apparent defiance of gravity and the laws of physics. Long snakes in jackets of black, green and grey disturbed from their sunbathing shimmied back into the jungle, after two hours we arrived at the black palace of King Shianouk.
Built in 1965, never used, gutted by scavengers who sold the marble and ebony for what they could get during the dark years of war. The palace now is hollow, forgotten and not terribly interesting so on we went. We carried on another half hour up the road to Bokor Hill station proper.
Built in 1922 and abandoned in the 1940's, subsequently used during the fighting between the Vietnamese and the Khmer Rouge, it has the reputation of being haunted (cue atmospheric mist).
Our first stop on the hill top was the post office, the mist was amazing wafting across the hill in and around the ruins, the post office has most of it's rear walls lying in thick slabs on the floor, it was bombed repeatedly by the vietnamese as the khmer hid inside. The roof tiles lie flat across the concave roof skeleton but remarkably the shell still holds solidly together on it's skinny stilt legs, with the access bridge ready to endure many more footfalls. Opposite the post office is the cliff edge where apparently 7 or 800 souls were "assisted" over by the khmer rogue, we glimpsed the fabulous view before the wraith like mists filled out to a dense fog.
We walked from here up to the Hotel / Casino, a huge building in which condensation dripped seemingly through the ceilings and walls, you could almost hear the tinkling piano breathing on the air, the click of gambling chips as they shushed across the green velvet, tendrils of mist wandered in and around the remaining fixtures. We only had 30 minutes here and then we were hurried by our guide down the stairs to the ranger station where some of us had elected to stay the night. One fabulous vegetable curry later we visited the wat, the only building still functioning under it's original purpose though I believe it had a hiatus during the war years. Next stop the catholic church and as the mist thickened to heavy cloud rain enveloped us and the tour party left, abandoning Glen and I to find our own way through the dense unnavigable fog. We stumbled on down the hillside in the direction we had seen the ranger station before it wrapped itself in it's cloak, just when we were really starting to wonder if we had strayed it appeared out of the fog in front of our noses. It was good to find our bags and settle into our rooms.
Two hours later the rain had cleared and once more we headed up to the casino, the place is huge wandering from room to room the the remains of a marble stair top here the bottom bombed out long since, the remains of beutiful parquet flooring there. Six rambling floors of hidden staircases folding around and onto each other, it wasn't the first time I would feel lost in the confusing magic of the place.
The mists had rolled away enough to prepare for a brilliant sunset, we finally got the fabulous view out over the edge of the cliff down toward Strahl Island. With the colour symphony lighting the sky the jungle below, hom to monkeys and tigers sent up cold curls of smoky mist, a pot reluctant to boil. The last pinks and oranges faded into darkness and the wind started it's gentle howl we headed home to eat.
Dawn broke crisp and clear, hard and sharp without atmosphere and we headed out to the hotel Kiri built with a decidedly art deco facade to house the new casino and hotel built by neccesity as the ghost stories sprang up on the heels of the suicidal gamblers who cashed their final chips to balance the tally sheet over the cliff edge which bounds the edge of the old casino.
Hotel Kiri's ceilings dripped onto the floor forming stalagmites and tites, the buildings here curiously lack the atmosphere of their predecessor. From here, I wandered back up the hill past the old Bokor Palace befriended by a posse of three monks it was fun to discover more of the old relic in company.
On to the hotel annex and the town hall, again art deco styling and khmer rouge bullet holes were de rigueur in there respective times. Finally to the servants quaters and royal villas. The royal villas were fabulous, great view, surrounded by what must have been a rockery moat water feature, no doubt replete with beautiful fish. The aesthetic of the place was surprisingly modern, with floor to ceiling windows, and great green tiles in the bathroom. As I wandered back through the black mud I encountered one of natures less popular animals and he bit into my leg. Luckily Glen is smoking again and as soon as he touched it with the smouldering tip of a cigarette it pulled it's head away, blood dripping from it's gaping black maw and I flicked it off my leg. Ooooooooh, yurrrrrrk, my first leech, kind of taking the 1920's theme too far, thank god modern mediciene has moved on. Then as the afternoon rolled around it was time to cue the mist and rain and head back to Kampot.
The hellish road is one way up in the morning 8-12 and down in the afternoon 2-6 but not apparently if you are the nephew of the premier (Hun Sen). he came driving up in his fancy Lexis, military police, girls and guns in tow. You could see the fear in the eyes of the khmer as they hurried to let this guy pass. (Later I found out he has been known to get out of his car and shoot people he thinks are driving too slow, or who generally piss him off for one reason or another).
We were surrounded almost constantly by butterflies, floating, hanging in the air then wafting behind in our slip stream. Huge black ones big as your hand with great white mascarade mask eyes on their wings, fantastical shimmering opalescent blue ones, two different kinds of bright orange patterns of and the most common a pappery cream and beige one with a raged lace edge wing. There were dragonflies in flourescent pyjamas and huge beetles flying unsteadily on frantic wings, hauling their great glistening black and aquamarine exoskeletons through the air in apparent defiance of gravity and the laws of physics. Long snakes in jackets of black, green and grey disturbed from their sunbathing shimmied back into the jungle, after two hours we arrived at the black palace of King Shianouk.
Built in 1965, never used, gutted by scavengers who sold the marble and ebony for what they could get during the dark years of war. The palace now is hollow, forgotten and not terribly interesting so on we went. We carried on another half hour up the road to Bokor Hill station proper.
Built in 1922 and abandoned in the 1940's, subsequently used during the fighting between the Vietnamese and the Khmer Rouge, it has the reputation of being haunted (cue atmospheric mist).
Our first stop on the hill top was the post office, the mist was amazing wafting across the hill in and around the ruins, the post office has most of it's rear walls lying in thick slabs on the floor, it was bombed repeatedly by the vietnamese as the khmer hid inside. The roof tiles lie flat across the concave roof skeleton but remarkably the shell still holds solidly together on it's skinny stilt legs, with the access bridge ready to endure many more footfalls. Opposite the post office is the cliff edge where apparently 7 or 800 souls were "assisted" over by the khmer rogue, we glimpsed the fabulous view before the wraith like mists filled out to a dense fog.
We walked from here up to the Hotel / Casino, a huge building in which condensation dripped seemingly through the ceilings and walls, you could almost hear the tinkling piano breathing on the air, the click of gambling chips as they shushed across the green velvet, tendrils of mist wandered in and around the remaining fixtures. We only had 30 minutes here and then we were hurried by our guide down the stairs to the ranger station where some of us had elected to stay the night. One fabulous vegetable curry later we visited the wat, the only building still functioning under it's original purpose though I believe it had a hiatus during the war years. Next stop the catholic church and as the mist thickened to heavy cloud rain enveloped us and the tour party left, abandoning Glen and I to find our own way through the dense unnavigable fog. We stumbled on down the hillside in the direction we had seen the ranger station before it wrapped itself in it's cloak, just when we were really starting to wonder if we had strayed it appeared out of the fog in front of our noses. It was good to find our bags and settle into our rooms.
Two hours later the rain had cleared and once more we headed up to the casino, the place is huge wandering from room to room the the remains of a marble stair top here the bottom bombed out long since, the remains of beutiful parquet flooring there. Six rambling floors of hidden staircases folding around and onto each other, it wasn't the first time I would feel lost in the confusing magic of the place.
The mists had rolled away enough to prepare for a brilliant sunset, we finally got the fabulous view out over the edge of the cliff down toward Strahl Island. With the colour symphony lighting the sky the jungle below, hom to monkeys and tigers sent up cold curls of smoky mist, a pot reluctant to boil. The last pinks and oranges faded into darkness and the wind started it's gentle howl we headed home to eat.
Dawn broke crisp and clear, hard and sharp without atmosphere and we headed out to the hotel Kiri built with a decidedly art deco facade to house the new casino and hotel built by neccesity as the ghost stories sprang up on the heels of the suicidal gamblers who cashed their final chips to balance the tally sheet over the cliff edge which bounds the edge of the old casino.
Hotel Kiri's ceilings dripped onto the floor forming stalagmites and tites, the buildings here curiously lack the atmosphere of their predecessor. From here, I wandered back up the hill past the old Bokor Palace befriended by a posse of three monks it was fun to discover more of the old relic in company.
On to the hotel annex and the town hall, again art deco styling and khmer rouge bullet holes were de rigueur in there respective times. Finally to the servants quaters and royal villas. The royal villas were fabulous, great view, surrounded by what must have been a rockery moat water feature, no doubt replete with beautiful fish. The aesthetic of the place was surprisingly modern, with floor to ceiling windows, and great green tiles in the bathroom. As I wandered back through the black mud I encountered one of natures less popular animals and he bit into my leg. Luckily Glen is smoking again and as soon as he touched it with the smouldering tip of a cigarette it pulled it's head away, blood dripping from it's gaping black maw and I flicked it off my leg. Ooooooooh, yurrrrrrk, my first leech, kind of taking the 1920's theme too far, thank god modern mediciene has moved on. Then as the afternoon rolled around it was time to cue the mist and rain and head back to Kampot.
The hellish road is one way up in the morning 8-12 and down in the afternoon 2-6 but not apparently if you are the nephew of the premier (Hun Sen). he came driving up in his fancy Lexis, military police, girls and guns in tow. You could see the fear in the eyes of the khmer as they hurried to let this guy pass. (Later I found out he has been known to get out of his car and shoot people he thinks are driving too slow, or who generally piss him off for one reason or another).
Kampot 6th October
The road to Kampot was pretty good, only pitted with soccer ball sized pot holes, like riding along the base of a peanut slab as opposed to the top of a picnic bar (to use a chocolate analogy). The man who drove had mugged stan from South parks hat and tied a jaunty red pom pom to the top. After the bus station argy bargy hadn't (despite all signs to the contrary) errupted into violence, we were off, off past the old men with filmy glaucoma eyes and limbs lost to the plague of mines which are still scattered liberally across the countryside. Public health care? I think not!
The sights one encounters on the road are enough to force my Mother into premature labour with an entire rubbish dump of small felines, men and boys calmly sit cross legged on the bonnets of their decrepit old station wagons as they fly along between towns swooping past flocks of helmet free motorcycle drivers, unthreashed rice poking it's heads out of white sacks teethered to any and all free space a mile high on the dirty black 100cc Hondas.
Kampot itself is tiny, you can walk around it, catching your own tail in the process, in 30 - 40 minutes, full of guest houses and food joints it's not an unpleasant place to laze away some sunset hours. Tomorrow must be an auspicious day as 3 different wedding parties are gearing up in separate parts of town. Thank god the weather has finally relented in time for the wild rumpus to begin. We have nestled into the rusty keyhole where the proprietor (from Manchester) bears an uncanny resemblance to my friend Adam... a decidedly porky version of Adam. He's very friendly and we squeeze all the information we can out of him as we make our plans to go to Bokor hill station. Oh and did I mention how good the drinks are in his bar! I ordered a black russian and recieved a tumbler 3/4 full of Ice and alcohol and a bottle of coke on the side, wow. Alcohol is duty free over here, and it's cheap, beer is often cheaper than water, with frugal Scottish blood coursing through our veins, beer o'clock comes early in Glen land.
The sights one encounters on the road are enough to force my Mother into premature labour with an entire rubbish dump of small felines, men and boys calmly sit cross legged on the bonnets of their decrepit old station wagons as they fly along between towns swooping past flocks of helmet free motorcycle drivers, unthreashed rice poking it's heads out of white sacks teethered to any and all free space a mile high on the dirty black 100cc Hondas.
Kampot itself is tiny, you can walk around it, catching your own tail in the process, in 30 - 40 minutes, full of guest houses and food joints it's not an unpleasant place to laze away some sunset hours. Tomorrow must be an auspicious day as 3 different wedding parties are gearing up in separate parts of town. Thank god the weather has finally relented in time for the wild rumpus to begin. We have nestled into the rusty keyhole where the proprietor (from Manchester) bears an uncanny resemblance to my friend Adam... a decidedly porky version of Adam. He's very friendly and we squeeze all the information we can out of him as we make our plans to go to Bokor hill station. Oh and did I mention how good the drinks are in his bar! I ordered a black russian and recieved a tumbler 3/4 full of Ice and alcohol and a bottle of coke on the side, wow. Alcohol is duty free over here, and it's cheap, beer is often cheaper than water, with frugal Scottish blood coursing through our veins, beer o'clock comes early in Glen land.
Shiannoukville 5th October
Well apparently the army is running out of funds back in Thailand and they are not sure how much longer they can fund their military coup, (after all tanks need petrol and as we all know the price of that has skyrocketed).
Anyway, getting to Shianoukville from Thailand has been the travellers cliche, an "interesting" experience.
The first night I stayed in Koh Kong, which I heartily recommend everyone to avid like the plague if at all possible, the place is inhabited by the shiftiest tourist fleecing blokes I've had the misfortune to run across in a while. Piece of unsolicited advice number one. change some money (ironically called the real in Khmer) Before you cross the border, once you have of course paid off the dodgy motorcycle taxi dudes.
The road to Shianoukville (I use that word extremly loosely in this context) was fine, great, sealed all the way once you joined the phnom phen to Shianoukville part but before that we had 7 hours of travelling in orange mud up to our axels. The road is basically under construction, bridges are in the process of being built, our trusty mini-van would drive onto a bamboo raft which would then splutter it's way (with a converted car engine doing the powering) across the river, this happened four times. The worst part of each crossing was the quagmire at either edge of the river and our young driver (sporting a very cute spiky hair cut) after each of these gear grinding wheel spinning events would claw his way out from our metal cocoon to check all the essential bits were still connected to each other under the van. He arose from these forays with cutting edge ochre frosting clinging voguishly to those little spikes.
The leaden sky continues to drool rain like an arthritic old dog, seaside holiday destinations in the rain have a bleak abandoned tone and Shianoukville is no different. The joyful colours of funky clothing racks are abscent from the streets and the throng of back packers are still melting the last rays of the Ibitha sun, partying at the Goa trance clubs, or furiously earning those last important dollars before descending like locusts on the post monsoonal asian continent.
Shianoukville has exhaled since I was last here, she is a much bigger city and beautifully compartmentalised. Victory hill funky and slightly seedy with three Indian restaurants in the small strip it feels a lot like par ganj and is the dreadlocks of this town. The city itself has a fabulous bookshop run by a crazy German but not much else going for it. The long beaches are strung with bungalows holding hands along the length of the slightly dingy cream coloured sand. Here you can sit and suffer the usual deluge of girls flogging the usual hippy shit, bangles, braids, fruit, massage, manicure, etc. In the evenings I love the little restaurants that spring up like mushrooms along the beach front, so you can sit under the stars, waves lapping at your feet while munching on seafood and guzzling French wine. You can not help but love the old French colonies at meal time.
Anyway, getting to Shianoukville from Thailand has been the travellers cliche, an "interesting" experience.
The first night I stayed in Koh Kong, which I heartily recommend everyone to avid like the plague if at all possible, the place is inhabited by the shiftiest tourist fleecing blokes I've had the misfortune to run across in a while. Piece of unsolicited advice number one. change some money (ironically called the real in Khmer) Before you cross the border, once you have of course paid off the dodgy motorcycle taxi dudes.
The road to Shianoukville (I use that word extremly loosely in this context) was fine, great, sealed all the way once you joined the phnom phen to Shianoukville part but before that we had 7 hours of travelling in orange mud up to our axels. The road is basically under construction, bridges are in the process of being built, our trusty mini-van would drive onto a bamboo raft which would then splutter it's way (with a converted car engine doing the powering) across the river, this happened four times. The worst part of each crossing was the quagmire at either edge of the river and our young driver (sporting a very cute spiky hair cut) after each of these gear grinding wheel spinning events would claw his way out from our metal cocoon to check all the essential bits were still connected to each other under the van. He arose from these forays with cutting edge ochre frosting clinging voguishly to those little spikes.
The leaden sky continues to drool rain like an arthritic old dog, seaside holiday destinations in the rain have a bleak abandoned tone and Shianoukville is no different. The joyful colours of funky clothing racks are abscent from the streets and the throng of back packers are still melting the last rays of the Ibitha sun, partying at the Goa trance clubs, or furiously earning those last important dollars before descending like locusts on the post monsoonal asian continent.
Shianoukville has exhaled since I was last here, she is a much bigger city and beautifully compartmentalised. Victory hill funky and slightly seedy with three Indian restaurants in the small strip it feels a lot like par ganj and is the dreadlocks of this town. The city itself has a fabulous bookshop run by a crazy German but not much else going for it. The long beaches are strung with bungalows holding hands along the length of the slightly dingy cream coloured sand. Here you can sit and suffer the usual deluge of girls flogging the usual hippy shit, bangles, braids, fruit, massage, manicure, etc. In the evenings I love the little restaurants that spring up like mushrooms along the beach front, so you can sit under the stars, waves lapping at your feet while munching on seafood and guzzling French wine. You can not help but love the old French colonies at meal time.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
30 September 2006
It just gets better and better.
They did a survey to which most people responded that they wanted the next prime minister to be an honest man (most??? what are the others hoping for?). The tanks and coup soldiers have now been told not to let dancers and performers near the tanks and not to give their weapons to tourists to pose with. It all just gets weirder and weirder.
Steve came and took my gerbils away for their holiday as I am off to Cambodia for a holiday, there was supposed to be a party for the end of term for staff, but it was all a bit farcical really and we all ran away early, couldn't wait to get out of the place myself. Appauling Thai karaok and lots of
Exams are not much fun as a teacher either, I spent all afternoon marking them (after spending all morning giving them. Still can't decide whether to go back next term or not, like everything there are pros and cons. Especially as I don't believe anything the velociraptor tells me really.
They did a survey to which most people responded that they wanted the next prime minister to be an honest man (most??? what are the others hoping for?). The tanks and coup soldiers have now been told not to let dancers and performers near the tanks and not to give their weapons to tourists to pose with. It all just gets weirder and weirder.
Steve came and took my gerbils away for their holiday as I am off to Cambodia for a holiday, there was supposed to be a party for the end of term for staff, but it was all a bit farcical really and we all ran away early, couldn't wait to get out of the place myself. Appauling Thai karaok and lots of
Exams are not much fun as a teacher either, I spent all afternoon marking them (after spending all morning giving them. Still can't decide whether to go back next term or not, like everything there are pros and cons. Especially as I don't believe anything the velociraptor tells me really.
Bangkok 25 September
And so Thailand, no stranger to military coups (19 in modern history apparently). carries on. I realised the size of the Thai military as I drove into Bkk, every intersection had somewhere between half a dozen and a dozen khaki clad large automatic weapon carrying guys lolling about on tanks or armoured vehicles (with the obligatory sniper on top). sheltering under camouflage netting with a vase of flowers wilting under the humid monsoonal breath. Every third post had a large aerial stuck out the side, a huge old tv antenna like those relics abandoned from the days before satellite dishes.
This was the weekend when the military coup became a carnival, (roll up, roll up, ladies and gentlemen), and so they did, hundreds of tourist, Thai and foreign alike queued for photos, fete stalls, balloon sellers and of course (this is Thailand) food vendors all rolled up, some schools organised tours and the military obliged in providing explanations and brief guided tours of their equipment, since when did the fall of democracy and martial law become so warm and fuzzy. Of course there are still those malcontents in various universities who complain about the smallest little inconveniences like monitored, restricted and closed down media (admittedly much of it Thaksin owned), and of course the ban on public gatherings of more than five people with a political agenda, after all, how will they establish a new democracy (as they have promised if they keep that rule in place.)
Went to Chatuchak on the weekend, (where I saw all the troops on the way) saw a woman wearing a T.shirt, which said "I'm sorry girls, I'm gay" on it, confirming my long held suspicion that most people over here have no idea what their t.shirts say, which makes me wonder why I bother worrying what I wear, often in the evening you see women wandering up and down the streets in their pyjamas, then sometimes during the day you see worse and wish they had stuck to the pyjamas.
On a different note the count down to the new airport opening continues, four days left. (I love Thailand sometimes, it can be so quirky). Rumor has it the new airport is haunted, so they had a whole bunch of monks go through and bless it today, while this was going on a man claiming to be possessed broke in speaking in tongues, The gods, must be appeased, the Thai's seem to practice a Hindu flavoured Buddhism spiced with a (un?)healthy sprinkling of Chinese superstition, so we shall see (ooooooohhh).
Meeting with the velociraptor (otherwise known as Darrin) my boss tomorrow.
N.J.
This was the weekend when the military coup became a carnival, (roll up, roll up, ladies and gentlemen), and so they did, hundreds of tourist, Thai and foreign alike queued for photos, fete stalls, balloon sellers and of course (this is Thailand) food vendors all rolled up, some schools organised tours and the military obliged in providing explanations and brief guided tours of their equipment, since when did the fall of democracy and martial law become so warm and fuzzy. Of course there are still those malcontents in various universities who complain about the smallest little inconveniences like monitored, restricted and closed down media (admittedly much of it Thaksin owned), and of course the ban on public gatherings of more than five people with a political agenda, after all, how will they establish a new democracy (as they have promised if they keep that rule in place.)
Went to Chatuchak on the weekend, (where I saw all the troops on the way) saw a woman wearing a T.shirt, which said "I'm sorry girls, I'm gay" on it, confirming my long held suspicion that most people over here have no idea what their t.shirts say, which makes me wonder why I bother worrying what I wear, often in the evening you see women wandering up and down the streets in their pyjamas, then sometimes during the day you see worse and wish they had stuck to the pyjamas.
On a different note the count down to the new airport opening continues, four days left. (I love Thailand sometimes, it can be so quirky). Rumor has it the new airport is haunted, so they had a whole bunch of monks go through and bless it today, while this was going on a man claiming to be possessed broke in speaking in tongues, The gods, must be appeased, the Thai's seem to practice a Hindu flavoured Buddhism spiced with a (un?)healthy sprinkling of Chinese superstition, so we shall see (ooooooohhh).
Meeting with the velociraptor (otherwise known as Darrin) my boss tomorrow.
N.J.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Bangkok 23 September
And further settled.
The CDR or council for democratic reform as the coup like to call themselves, have added an extra letter to their title and have become the council for democratic reform under constitutional monarchy, but hang on a minute which constitution? hasn't the constitution been suspended with the introduction of "Martial law"?
I am supposed to be going in to pick up my passport from immigration on monday (final stage of the work visa shennanigans) all "government offices are open and operating as normal, it's all very odd. The new government have mind you made a call for public unity, requesting no political meetings or gatherings of more than 5 people and no anti coup media coverage. Some dozen or so community radio stations and newspapers have been closed due to their criticism of the coup and it's leaders. The newspaper I read has dedicated a lot of space to the king, much in the vein that all radio stations played patriotic music and all t.v. stations showed footage of the monarch during the 24 hours of the actual "coup".
A rally was organised yesterday by the anti coup faction, the leader was phoned by the head of the CDRM and requested not to have his protest, he went ahead, 20 protestors turned up and they were grossly out numbered by the forrest of reporters who turned up to rubber neck. Nothing bad happened and everyone went home again.
The fortune tellers wadded into the debate today, predicting a long time of prosperity and political stability as a result of this coup, some attributed it in part to Pluto's recent demotion to "dwarf planet" hmmm.
There is much debate about the "legitimacy" of the coup and it does in some regards highlight many of the flaws (etomologically) underpinning democracy today. In most "mature" democracies we find ourselves, at election time, faced (like a football stadium) with a choice between parties whose major differences consist of the colour shirts and scarves worn by their fans, and their ability to convince a "star" to stand under their banner. Meanwhile burgeoning democracies following these faltering molds struggle with educating the voting public who generally speaking are naive of the various corruptions power bestows on their leaders. They are too easily ensnared by election promises which amount to little more than small time bribery on a big time scale. In both these scenarios the educated classes become frustrated at their lack of political clout versus their clarity of political vision and so the desire to install Plato's republic manifests in online debate or in Thailand in military coup.
The time has come for greater political accountability and greater public access and contributions to the political process. In the technological age we now live in there is no excuse for these kinds of channels of communication and public participation not to be embraced. True democracies where the voices of the people are heard in parliamentary debates can happen, it could (and perhaps should) lead to the collapse of party politics but from it's ashes could emerge true democracy, by the people for the people. Well we can all dream can't we.
N.J.
The CDR or council for democratic reform as the coup like to call themselves, have added an extra letter to their title and have become the council for democratic reform under constitutional monarchy, but hang on a minute which constitution? hasn't the constitution been suspended with the introduction of "Martial law"?
I am supposed to be going in to pick up my passport from immigration on monday (final stage of the work visa shennanigans) all "government offices are open and operating as normal, it's all very odd. The new government have mind you made a call for public unity, requesting no political meetings or gatherings of more than 5 people and no anti coup media coverage. Some dozen or so community radio stations and newspapers have been closed due to their criticism of the coup and it's leaders. The newspaper I read has dedicated a lot of space to the king, much in the vein that all radio stations played patriotic music and all t.v. stations showed footage of the monarch during the 24 hours of the actual "coup".
A rally was organised yesterday by the anti coup faction, the leader was phoned by the head of the CDRM and requested not to have his protest, he went ahead, 20 protestors turned up and they were grossly out numbered by the forrest of reporters who turned up to rubber neck. Nothing bad happened and everyone went home again.
The fortune tellers wadded into the debate today, predicting a long time of prosperity and political stability as a result of this coup, some attributed it in part to Pluto's recent demotion to "dwarf planet" hmmm.
There is much debate about the "legitimacy" of the coup and it does in some regards highlight many of the flaws (etomologically) underpinning democracy today. In most "mature" democracies we find ourselves, at election time, faced (like a football stadium) with a choice between parties whose major differences consist of the colour shirts and scarves worn by their fans, and their ability to convince a "star" to stand under their banner. Meanwhile burgeoning democracies following these faltering molds struggle with educating the voting public who generally speaking are naive of the various corruptions power bestows on their leaders. They are too easily ensnared by election promises which amount to little more than small time bribery on a big time scale. In both these scenarios the educated classes become frustrated at their lack of political clout versus their clarity of political vision and so the desire to install Plato's republic manifests in online debate or in Thailand in military coup.
The time has come for greater political accountability and greater public access and contributions to the political process. In the technological age we now live in there is no excuse for these kinds of channels of communication and public participation not to be embraced. True democracies where the voices of the people are heard in parliamentary debates can happen, it could (and perhaps should) lead to the collapse of party politics but from it's ashes could emerge true democracy, by the people for the people. Well we can all dream can't we.
N.J.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Bangkok 22/)9/06
And so the dust has settled.
This has to have been the most well mannered coup d'etat I have ever heard of. The military (who are calling themselves "The council for democratic reform" ) have a female spokesperson (for a kinder and gentler political dictatorship). In fact they have even had time (and presence of mind) to take polls and yes the vast majority of Thai's approve of the coup. Even the King has said it's ok with him, and as everyone knows if it's ok with the King it's ok with everybody else. There is a belief that a coup is a legitimate political tool. Weirder and weirder, instead of arresting (or shooting) the ousted leaders they have merely been "shifted to inactive posts", except of course the Caretaker Prime minister Thaksin who is conveniently out of the country, and (also conveniently) has just bought himself a brand new expensive house in London last month.
Presence of mind has been a key component of this coup, everyone kept there heads and everyone kept their heads(thank you pulp fiction). We all got the day off work, tourists got to have their picture taken with khaki clad guys in tanks while holding copies of the Bkk post boldly declaring "coup d'etat" (that's a headline they've recycled). children played with soldiers in the streets, everyone wore yellow (the Kings colour) and got to hand flowers to the guys with guns (groovy man) it was a real love-in of a coup, the next day at school, we raised the same flag the kids sang the same National anthem, pledged allegiance to the same King and we wait to see what this coup really means.
My Boss Darrin , otherwise known as the velociraptor, was explaining to me today that democracy doesn't really work in "these Asian countries" (I noded my head in the appropriate places) he propounded further that a fair dictatorship is really best for them, this idea of a benign dictatorship like Plato's arguments for a limited democracy appear superficially to the likes of me riddled with flaws, perhaps luckily, our conversation was interrupted, I did mention I have two job interviews next week for alternative positions didn't I.
Anyway time for a nap.
Love N.J.
This has to have been the most well mannered coup d'etat I have ever heard of. The military (who are calling themselves "The council for democratic reform" ) have a female spokesperson (for a kinder and gentler political dictatorship). In fact they have even had time (and presence of mind) to take polls and yes the vast majority of Thai's approve of the coup. Even the King has said it's ok with him, and as everyone knows if it's ok with the King it's ok with everybody else. There is a belief that a coup is a legitimate political tool. Weirder and weirder, instead of arresting (or shooting) the ousted leaders they have merely been "shifted to inactive posts", except of course the Caretaker Prime minister Thaksin who is conveniently out of the country, and (also conveniently) has just bought himself a brand new expensive house in London last month.
Presence of mind has been a key component of this coup, everyone kept there heads and everyone kept their heads(thank you pulp fiction). We all got the day off work, tourists got to have their picture taken with khaki clad guys in tanks while holding copies of the Bkk post boldly declaring "coup d'etat" (that's a headline they've recycled). children played with soldiers in the streets, everyone wore yellow (the Kings colour) and got to hand flowers to the guys with guns (groovy man) it was a real love-in of a coup, the next day at school, we raised the same flag the kids sang the same National anthem, pledged allegiance to the same King and we wait to see what this coup really means.
My Boss Darrin , otherwise known as the velociraptor, was explaining to me today that democracy doesn't really work in "these Asian countries" (I noded my head in the appropriate places) he propounded further that a fair dictatorship is really best for them, this idea of a benign dictatorship like Plato's arguments for a limited democracy appear superficially to the likes of me riddled with flaws, perhaps luckily, our conversation was interrupted, I did mention I have two job interviews next week for alternative positions didn't I.
Anyway time for a nap.
Love N.J.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Bangkok coup 20/09/06
Well another day another bloodless coup detat. The last time their was a coup in Thailand was the first time I was here, it seems like ever time I come to Thailand something happens, this either means I am spending way too much time in Thailand or that it really is an unstable floundering democracy.
Last time round I was living over by democracy monument where it all goes on. The roads had been blocked by khaki clad types and still people were shimmying across pipes that criss cross the stinking fetid klongs threading their way around Bkk, ignoring blokades and going where they pleased, rats up a drainpipe they all crowded into the streets to wave flags. In the end the King had to step in and sit the two chaps who were causing all the fuss down. Like errant school boys he let them crawl on the ground on National television.
One wonders is this really the end of Thaksin, He seems to have a touch of the feline for political lives, of course he's not up there with Hun Sen (coincidentally rumor of coup is rife in his country too). Thaksin is currently in New York. Will he return? Seems to be the question. Today was declared a public holiday and all schools and universities were closed (many blocked by military). They waited about incase Thaksin returned. as yet nothing seems to be happening on that front. Martial law has been declared with the promise of "a return to democracy as soon as possible" One must ask what kind of democracy they are returning too.
Consider, Thaksin did in fact win the last lot of elections making him the democratic leader of Thailand (not a hanging chad in sight). Although deeply unpopular with many (especially intellectuals) surely one must stand by the umpires decision, or risk bringing the game into disrepute. Then of course there are the rumors of electoral commission corruption and fraud not to mention staged "murder attempts" but is all of this just rumour, Thai's (like many others) love a good rumor and gossip. Surely though at the end of the democratic day a country gets the government it deserves.
Tomorrow my friends is another day let's see if the dust settles or the fur flies.
Love N.J.
Last time round I was living over by democracy monument where it all goes on. The roads had been blocked by khaki clad types and still people were shimmying across pipes that criss cross the stinking fetid klongs threading their way around Bkk, ignoring blokades and going where they pleased, rats up a drainpipe they all crowded into the streets to wave flags. In the end the King had to step in and sit the two chaps who were causing all the fuss down. Like errant school boys he let them crawl on the ground on National television.
One wonders is this really the end of Thaksin, He seems to have a touch of the feline for political lives, of course he's not up there with Hun Sen (coincidentally rumor of coup is rife in his country too). Thaksin is currently in New York. Will he return? Seems to be the question. Today was declared a public holiday and all schools and universities were closed (many blocked by military). They waited about incase Thaksin returned. as yet nothing seems to be happening on that front. Martial law has been declared with the promise of "a return to democracy as soon as possible" One must ask what kind of democracy they are returning too.
Consider, Thaksin did in fact win the last lot of elections making him the democratic leader of Thailand (not a hanging chad in sight). Although deeply unpopular with many (especially intellectuals) surely one must stand by the umpires decision, or risk bringing the game into disrepute. Then of course there are the rumors of electoral commission corruption and fraud not to mention staged "murder attempts" but is all of this just rumour, Thai's (like many others) love a good rumor and gossip. Surely though at the end of the democratic day a country gets the government it deserves.
Tomorrow my friends is another day let's see if the dust settles or the fur flies.
Love N.J.
Bangkok 17/09/06
Well Lynda was in town last weekend, was great to see her, we hit the markets and she introduced me to her favourite restaurant, which sells awesome chilli basil clams but unfortunately is closed down for good the day after she left.
Somethings about Thailand are so distinctly unique, there is a certain disused petrol station which still has the pumps and so on in tact, but now no longer sells petrol, as soon as the sunsets, swarms of little vendors plop down their tables and a cafe/pub/bazaar opens up. somehow ordering a "bucket" of Margarita (which arrives delicately with three straws) for Lynda, Taz and I takes the tropical romance out of any drink.
Anyway it was good getting to see some other little back streets of Bangkok and to have some one to wander about chatuchak with.
There has been much talk in the papers and on-line this week vis-a-vis new visa regulations, but the air is so thick with contradiction and most seem to believe nothing has really changed.
Just two more weeks of school and the semester is over, It looks at this stage like a three week holiday in Cambodia then one mad week lesson planning before the new term starts, will be the agenda.
The main road just down our street is lined with seafood restaurants, at night, they too spring like mushrooms from the fetid gutters as darkness descends. The food is actually pretty good but the ambience is crap, the roar of traffic, the pall of dust which hangs in the humid air the sick flourescent light grovelling out of the doorways of the six or so brothels on the strip. No matter what you order it always comes with a greasy omlette on the side. It ain't sashimi at Bar Rashi, but for all that it ain't bad.
Chuiwawa N.J.
Somethings about Thailand are so distinctly unique, there is a certain disused petrol station which still has the pumps and so on in tact, but now no longer sells petrol, as soon as the sunsets, swarms of little vendors plop down their tables and a cafe/pub/bazaar opens up. somehow ordering a "bucket" of Margarita (which arrives delicately with three straws) for Lynda, Taz and I takes the tropical romance out of any drink.
Anyway it was good getting to see some other little back streets of Bangkok and to have some one to wander about chatuchak with.
There has been much talk in the papers and on-line this week vis-a-vis new visa regulations, but the air is so thick with contradiction and most seem to believe nothing has really changed.
Just two more weeks of school and the semester is over, It looks at this stage like a three week holiday in Cambodia then one mad week lesson planning before the new term starts, will be the agenda.
The main road just down our street is lined with seafood restaurants, at night, they too spring like mushrooms from the fetid gutters as darkness descends. The food is actually pretty good but the ambience is crap, the roar of traffic, the pall of dust which hangs in the humid air the sick flourescent light grovelling out of the doorways of the six or so brothels on the strip. No matter what you order it always comes with a greasy omlette on the side. It ain't sashimi at Bar Rashi, but for all that it ain't bad.
Chuiwawa N.J.
Bangkok 17/09/06
Well Lynda was in town last weekend, was great to see her, we hit the markets and she introduced me to her favourite restaurant, which sells awesome chilli basil clams but unfortunately is closed down for good the day after she left.
Somethings about Thailand are so distinctly unique, there is a certain disused petrol station which still has the pumps and so on in tact, but now no longer sells petrol, as soon as the sunsets, swarms of little vendors plop down their tables and a cafe/pub/bazaar opens up. somehow ordering a "bucket" of Margarita (which arrives delicately with three straws) for Lynda, Taz and I takes the tropical romance out of any drink.
Anyway it was good getting to see some other little back streets of Bangkok and to have some one to wander about chatuchak with.
There has been much talk in the papers and on-line this week vis-a-vis new visa regulations, but the air is so thick with contradiction and most seem to believe nothing has really changed.
Just two more weeks of school and the semester is over, It looks at this stage like a three week holiday in Cambodia then one mad week lesson planning before the new term starts, will be the agenda.
The main road just down our street is lined with seafood restaurants, at night, they too spring like mushrooms from the fetid gutters as darkness descends. The food is actually pretty good but the ambience is crap, the roar of traffic, the pall of dust which hangs in the humid air the sick flourescent light grovelling out of the doorways of the six or so brothels on the strip. No matter what you order it always comes with a greasy omlette on the side. It ain't sashimi at Bar Rashi, but for all that it ain't bad.
Chuiwawa N.J.
Somethings about Thailand are so distinctly unique, there is a certain disused petrol station which still has the pumps and so on in tact, but now no longer sells petrol, as soon as the sunsets, swarms of little vendors plop down their tables and a cafe/pub/bazaar opens up. somehow ordering a "bucket" of Margarita (which arrives delicately with three straws) for Lynda, Taz and I takes the tropical romance out of any drink.
Anyway it was good getting to see some other little back streets of Bangkok and to have some one to wander about chatuchak with.
There has been much talk in the papers and on-line this week vis-a-vis new visa regulations, but the air is so thick with contradiction and most seem to believe nothing has really changed.
Just two more weeks of school and the semester is over, It looks at this stage like a three week holiday in Cambodia then one mad week lesson planning before the new term starts, will be the agenda.
The main road just down our street is lined with seafood restaurants, at night, they too spring like mushrooms from the fetid gutters as darkness descends. The food is actually pretty good but the ambience is crap, the roar of traffic, the pall of dust which hangs in the humid air the sick flourescent light grovelling out of the doorways of the six or so brothels on the strip. No matter what you order it always comes with a greasy omlette on the side. It ain't sashimi at Bar Rashi, but for all that it ain't bad.
Chuiwawa N.J.
Bangkok 04/09/06
Went into Bangkok on the weekend to catch up with my old tefl buddies, god the transport in Bkk sucks, especially in the tourist mecca that is khao san rd. I headed over there to pick up a few cds and a pair of sneakers. Once the sunsets though getting out of that part of town is a right pain. Oh yes once the sunsets the river ferry stops and you are left at the mercy of the bus system or the plague of dodgy cabbies and tuk tuk drivers who furtively peak at you with their beady little eyes and their tails of a brothers, wife's cousins shop who has just the whatever it is you are looking for.
So I consulted my favourite map, the one which supposedly lists the bus systems of Bkk, I actually quite like catching busses here, successfully catching one leads to such a sense of achievment. Especially considering they barely pause at most stops, so you need to clamber on board while the thing is still in motion, anyway I digress. So I hopped on the first bus that said it went to Siam, but not according to the conductor who told me I need to catch a "29" so I leapt off again. 29, hmm it sounded vaguely familiar, I reconsulted my map the number 29 was not to be seen on the route I was on. Then I remembered the no. 29, I was told to catch it once before by a conductor, but I have yet to see one of these mythical beasts. I now firmly believe the no. 29 to be the phantom farang bus of Bkk, existing only in the fetted heat oppressed minds of Bkk's public transport flunkies.
Anyway I did finally get to my destination only an hour late, (sigh).
Apparently they are building more stops on the skytrain, it is projected to take 3 years, (bear in mind the airport was only 5 years overdue) in the mean time predictions are traffic will get worse as the road works begin on the skytrain route, (double sigh).
Crikey, Steve Erwin, I guess he provoked the wrong creature on this occassion. honestly it was only a matter of time wasn't it, the man was in the local lingo "a bloody idiot". OK, lesson plans.
besos N.J.
So I consulted my favourite map, the one which supposedly lists the bus systems of Bkk, I actually quite like catching busses here, successfully catching one leads to such a sense of achievment. Especially considering they barely pause at most stops, so you need to clamber on board while the thing is still in motion, anyway I digress. So I hopped on the first bus that said it went to Siam, but not according to the conductor who told me I need to catch a "29" so I leapt off again. 29, hmm it sounded vaguely familiar, I reconsulted my map the number 29 was not to be seen on the route I was on. Then I remembered the no. 29, I was told to catch it once before by a conductor, but I have yet to see one of these mythical beasts. I now firmly believe the no. 29 to be the phantom farang bus of Bkk, existing only in the fetted heat oppressed minds of Bkk's public transport flunkies.
Anyway I did finally get to my destination only an hour late, (sigh).
Apparently they are building more stops on the skytrain, it is projected to take 3 years, (bear in mind the airport was only 5 years overdue) in the mean time predictions are traffic will get worse as the road works begin on the skytrain route, (double sigh).
Crikey, Steve Erwin, I guess he provoked the wrong creature on this occassion. honestly it was only a matter of time wasn't it, the man was in the local lingo "a bloody idiot". OK, lesson plans.
besos N.J.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Bangkok 27/8/06
The adventures of Kevin!
Two days ago I got home and put the gerbil cage out on the balcony as I always do so they can enjoy the fresh evening air and then sat down to unwind with the newspaper, about an hour later Glen arrived with some fruit and went to feed some to the gerbils only to discover the cage door was open! Now gerbils are not the smartest or most co-ordinated of creatures but Kevin does have a sense of adventure and has climbed out of the cage door before (always when I have been watching). Glen looked about the balcony a little then fearing the worst looked down he drain. There was movement he went and got a candle to illuminate the situation and sure enough there was Kevin down the drain swimming and scrabbling away.
Now the drain is quiet deep and nothing seemed to fit down the narrow neck to scoop the poor wee beasty out, time moved on and I worried how long had Kevin been swimming, I know he works out in the Hamster wheel all night but still he must be very tired by now. Glen handed me a rolled up towel and I stuffed it down the drain, I couldn't see anything, I didn't want to stuff it too hard and push his head under, but I didn't want to not push it far enough and have him not be able to reach it, I tried once, twice, three times and on the fourth attempt as I pulled the towel out and peered down into the dark drain the movement had stopped. I reached for the candle and as I did I saw a movement in the towel and out crawled a very bedraggled Kevin.
Too add insult to injury he stunk and so he then suffered the indignity of a bath, he has a small cut over his right eye and it looked nasty today and so now we wait.
Yesterday we went to "Dreamworld" Bangkok's version of Disneyland. It is garish, so pink even Barbie would consider re-designing, finally relenting and letting GI Joe paint the gym camo for her after all. Once inside you are confronted with pink flower beds contorted and clipped to grow in unnatural heart shapes. pink flamingoes and love seats as far as the eye can see. We covered our eyes and ran the gauntlet of kitsch. Free at last we started with the hanging roller coaster which was great fun. It had corners, you know the kind, your whole body tenses up and then that climatic moment, that terminal velocity moment, when your body realises it is completely out of it's depth amidst a wave of tingling shivering you become pliable and if you were projected into a brick wall now Humpty dumpty would start looking like a together dude.
We did the water rides, the "Grand canyon" and "the big splash" which were really just glorified excuses to get wet but in this heat that is not necessarily a bad thing. We found ourselves outside the Hollywood action auditorium just in time for the next showing, incredible over acting and shonky plot lines, the special effects explosions weren't bad though. Tim, something you could do in your backyard on weekends to bring in some extra cash.
We tried the monorail in which the carriages looked about as stable as cardboard boxes covered in tinfoil, but it gave you a nice over view of the park, we followed it up with a trip on the cable car from which I could see Chok chai school where I work and Cinderellas castle, though trying to tell them apart was tricky. Glen and I went on the Hurricane, Poi and Adrian piked out, hanging upside down is quite an unnatural sensation. so we ran back through fairy tale land and finally out again into real live Bangkok, I was left with the feeling that I had spent the day at the Sydney Easter show the Indianna county fair or even the Upper Hutt AMP show, candy floss and popcorn included, Pluto pups, deep fried mars bars, show bags and grans home made jams aside.
Lesson plans wait for no-one I'd better go write some.
See ya N.J.
Two days ago I got home and put the gerbil cage out on the balcony as I always do so they can enjoy the fresh evening air and then sat down to unwind with the newspaper, about an hour later Glen arrived with some fruit and went to feed some to the gerbils only to discover the cage door was open! Now gerbils are not the smartest or most co-ordinated of creatures but Kevin does have a sense of adventure and has climbed out of the cage door before (always when I have been watching). Glen looked about the balcony a little then fearing the worst looked down he drain. There was movement he went and got a candle to illuminate the situation and sure enough there was Kevin down the drain swimming and scrabbling away.
Now the drain is quiet deep and nothing seemed to fit down the narrow neck to scoop the poor wee beasty out, time moved on and I worried how long had Kevin been swimming, I know he works out in the Hamster wheel all night but still he must be very tired by now. Glen handed me a rolled up towel and I stuffed it down the drain, I couldn't see anything, I didn't want to stuff it too hard and push his head under, but I didn't want to not push it far enough and have him not be able to reach it, I tried once, twice, three times and on the fourth attempt as I pulled the towel out and peered down into the dark drain the movement had stopped. I reached for the candle and as I did I saw a movement in the towel and out crawled a very bedraggled Kevin.
Too add insult to injury he stunk and so he then suffered the indignity of a bath, he has a small cut over his right eye and it looked nasty today and so now we wait.
Yesterday we went to "Dreamworld" Bangkok's version of Disneyland. It is garish, so pink even Barbie would consider re-designing, finally relenting and letting GI Joe paint the gym camo for her after all. Once inside you are confronted with pink flower beds contorted and clipped to grow in unnatural heart shapes. pink flamingoes and love seats as far as the eye can see. We covered our eyes and ran the gauntlet of kitsch. Free at last we started with the hanging roller coaster which was great fun. It had corners, you know the kind, your whole body tenses up and then that climatic moment, that terminal velocity moment, when your body realises it is completely out of it's depth amidst a wave of tingling shivering you become pliable and if you were projected into a brick wall now Humpty dumpty would start looking like a together dude.
We did the water rides, the "Grand canyon" and "the big splash" which were really just glorified excuses to get wet but in this heat that is not necessarily a bad thing. We found ourselves outside the Hollywood action auditorium just in time for the next showing, incredible over acting and shonky plot lines, the special effects explosions weren't bad though. Tim, something you could do in your backyard on weekends to bring in some extra cash.
We tried the monorail in which the carriages looked about as stable as cardboard boxes covered in tinfoil, but it gave you a nice over view of the park, we followed it up with a trip on the cable car from which I could see Chok chai school where I work and Cinderellas castle, though trying to tell them apart was tricky. Glen and I went on the Hurricane, Poi and Adrian piked out, hanging upside down is quite an unnatural sensation. so we ran back through fairy tale land and finally out again into real live Bangkok, I was left with the feeling that I had spent the day at the Sydney Easter show the Indianna county fair or even the Upper Hutt AMP show, candy floss and popcorn included, Pluto pups, deep fried mars bars, show bags and grans home made jams aside.
Lesson plans wait for no-one I'd better go write some.
See ya N.J.
Bangkok 20/8/06
Again almost a month has passed since my last posting, rainy season continues.
Yesterday I went to a local water fall which was very beautiful, it started raining and Poi became very scared at the prospect of landslides, the water positively gushed down the mountainside it was all pretty amazing. She is Stephen's TA and need I add brilliant. Next month all the National parks in Thailand will double there price of admission, making it a ridiculous 400 baht to go to them. Thailand is rapidly removing itself from the backpacker circuit with policies like this. Fortunately with a work visa I get to pay local prices which is currently 20 baht but which will also double to 40 baht next month.
Last weekend was the Queens birthday, therefore a long weekend and we went to Ayutthya which was the capital of Siam during the fifteenth century till it was sacked by the Burmese, some of the ruins were lovely, little boys frolicked amongst them attempting to foist postcards upon me, but considering I have still to send the flotilla I purchased in Chang I restrained myself. Some of the ruins have been restored, restoration is a funny kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario, if you don't the remains crumble away to rubble if you do to much you risk making the whole place look tacky and fake.
It was great to get out of Bkk for the weekend and empty my head. School is rife with rumors and intrigue it's bizarre but the Thai's seem to love intrigue and gossip, personally I can't be bothered. I had an observer in my class the other day, observing my little ADD boy, luckily it was a day when he was behaving well.
My TA is still driving me bananas, he is like having an extra child in the room not an assistant at all. but as most of Thailand it is a boys club and he is a friend of one further up the food chain so is unlikely to be fired. Anyway I must write some lesson plans I promise to write sooner next time.
N.J.
Yesterday I went to a local water fall which was very beautiful, it started raining and Poi became very scared at the prospect of landslides, the water positively gushed down the mountainside it was all pretty amazing. She is Stephen's TA and need I add brilliant. Next month all the National parks in Thailand will double there price of admission, making it a ridiculous 400 baht to go to them. Thailand is rapidly removing itself from the backpacker circuit with policies like this. Fortunately with a work visa I get to pay local prices which is currently 20 baht but which will also double to 40 baht next month.
Last weekend was the Queens birthday, therefore a long weekend and we went to Ayutthya which was the capital of Siam during the fifteenth century till it was sacked by the Burmese, some of the ruins were lovely, little boys frolicked amongst them attempting to foist postcards upon me, but considering I have still to send the flotilla I purchased in Chang I restrained myself. Some of the ruins have been restored, restoration is a funny kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario, if you don't the remains crumble away to rubble if you do to much you risk making the whole place look tacky and fake.
It was great to get out of Bkk for the weekend and empty my head. School is rife with rumors and intrigue it's bizarre but the Thai's seem to love intrigue and gossip, personally I can't be bothered. I had an observer in my class the other day, observing my little ADD boy, luckily it was a day when he was behaving well.
My TA is still driving me bananas, he is like having an extra child in the room not an assistant at all. but as most of Thailand it is a boys club and he is a friend of one further up the food chain so is unlikely to be fired. Anyway I must write some lesson plans I promise to write sooner next time.
N.J.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Bangkok 30/7/06
Well yesterday we went on a school field trip to "the Buffalo farm". Thailand as I think I have mentioned previously has one of the best police forces money can buy, and we had a police escort for the two hour drive both to and from the farm, there were 20 mini vans of us and the police car (complete with sirens and flashing lights) simply blocked traffic at intersections insuring our convoy stayed together.
To give you some of how over the top the parents of my kids are a dozen of them followed us all the way out to the farm, wandered about behind us all day and then reclaimed their children so they wouldn't have to endure the mini van ride home. Those parents who didn't come spent a lot of time on their mobile phones checking in with their kids. Did I mention all of my kids have state of the art cutting edge mobile phones, far superior to the hunk of 90's junk I have, but hey I barely use the damn thing anyway.
After the day watching the farmers and trying to keep children from killing each other with wooden machetes available for purchase from the souvenier shop. After I went into the city and caught up with friends for the obligatory chill out bottle of whisky and met a girl who's school is looking for staff and prepared to pay a lot more! Interesting! It's also in a part of Bangkok I really like, the old city, which is really attractive and full of historical canals, of course it is probably prohibitively expensive to live in that neighbourhood so commuting may become an ugly reality if I am prepared to allow myself to be poached, and of course I would have to give up science teaching, which is both a blessing and curse in equal measures. But I am getting ahead of myself.
Tony (the French swimming teacher) was asking me for my political opinion on the middle east, I guess I may have to glance at some newspaper headlines and make some pat ill informed response to such questions, trying to become offay enough with middle east politics to come up with a well informed intellegent response seems to require a degree in political science. Religion one of the three great evils, increases it's damaging influence on our faltering planet. It's so much easier when he just tells the children to jump "through zee houp, or een zee houp", and leaves Political analyses alone.
All else is going along fine so I must wander away and plan some lessons.
Love N.J.
To give you some of how over the top the parents of my kids are a dozen of them followed us all the way out to the farm, wandered about behind us all day and then reclaimed their children so they wouldn't have to endure the mini van ride home. Those parents who didn't come spent a lot of time on their mobile phones checking in with their kids. Did I mention all of my kids have state of the art cutting edge mobile phones, far superior to the hunk of 90's junk I have, but hey I barely use the damn thing anyway.
After the day watching the farmers and trying to keep children from killing each other with wooden machetes available for purchase from the souvenier shop. After I went into the city and caught up with friends for the obligatory chill out bottle of whisky and met a girl who's school is looking for staff and prepared to pay a lot more! Interesting! It's also in a part of Bangkok I really like, the old city, which is really attractive and full of historical canals, of course it is probably prohibitively expensive to live in that neighbourhood so commuting may become an ugly reality if I am prepared to allow myself to be poached, and of course I would have to give up science teaching, which is both a blessing and curse in equal measures. But I am getting ahead of myself.
Tony (the French swimming teacher) was asking me for my political opinion on the middle east, I guess I may have to glance at some newspaper headlines and make some pat ill informed response to such questions, trying to become offay enough with middle east politics to come up with a well informed intellegent response seems to require a degree in political science. Religion one of the three great evils, increases it's damaging influence on our faltering planet. It's so much easier when he just tells the children to jump "through zee houp, or een zee houp", and leaves Political analyses alone.
All else is going along fine so I must wander away and plan some lessons.
Love N.J.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Bangkok 11/07/2006
My God has it been almost a month since I last wrote, that is monumentally slack.
In my own defence I have been really shagging busy, and still haven't managed to create a worksheet. (sigh).
WellI had a mad weekend last weekend, went out with the guy's from my TEFL course, dancing and leaping about till 4am, that was some serious aerobic workout, then the police came and busted the bar for selling booze after midnight, and wouldn't even give us our bottle back so we left. I found some flop house in the neighbourhood to stay in, weird though it may sound it is cheaper to do that then to catch a taxi home.
The next day Sam Twyford-Moore who I was at Uni in Sydney with turned up, his Mum & Aunt were into some craft fair,so we ran away. I intended to take Sam to see the Royal barge museum and the canals of "Asia's venice" But they are still (a month later) scraping the filth of the Chao Phraya off the royal barges and the museum was closed! I took him to see the temple of the dawn instead which looked a little like it was a mosaic made out of Grandmas old china, we were underwellmed.
We wandered around some of the old streets of Thonburi which was cool and came across a market where you could make merit with the Buddah. It was pretty cool the water boiled with fat fish alternately beaching themselves on the bottom step and getting washed back into the filth in the wake of each passing ferry as they threw themselves at the food that merit makers poured into the water. You could buy everything, baby turtles, eels, fish of all kinds, frogs we watched the punters buying them and setting them free, we watched for quite a long time. We watched the Thai guy under the stairs scoop the recently freed animals and put them back in little plastic tubs, just like those they were freed from, I wonder how his kama is? He spends all day swimming about in the Chao phraya and is still alive (a miracle if ever I saw one) so I guess someone must be looking out for him.
Then we ended up on Khao san rd and I introduced Sam to Thai whisky while England's world cup soccer hopes sank quietly away. We found a flop house and the next day I struggled my way to Chatuchak to return a slightly (only slightly) damaged Sam to his parental embrace.
I have had a stonker of a flu this week, I hadn't had one in so long I had quite forgotten how fucked up it makes you, I mean seriously, I am quite a small sized human being, how can I be producing so much snot, where are those giant snot generators hiding? Then I got a nasty infection on top so I finally caved and got some antibiotics, I do so love a country where you rock into the pharmacy and hand over $3.00 to receive a course of prescription only medication (Would madam like some valium with that?).
Of course I blame the flu to a large part on the inside out ways of Thailand, when you are on the streets (where I hardly need add it's really fucking hot) it is polite to cover up as much of yourself as possible, so of course you get hotter then as soon as you step inside where there is some privacy and you are permitted to strip off a few layers, the locals turn up the air-conditioning to ferocious and you can see the ice forming under your nose.
So it went something like this, I caught a bus (for 9 baht) into town it was open air but I had a seat the whole way and it was a pleasant enough journey, then as I wandered about my errands it rained and I got a little damp, I leapt on the bus home, little did I realise it was air-conditioned, I had to stand half the way the air-conditioning was turned up to penguin comfort levels and it cost me 22 Baht, so I have the 22 Baht flu (or is that the catch 22 Baht flu?).
This weekend was Buddhist lent, which meant lots of merit making was going on all over town, the Thai's practice a strange sort of Buddhism which reminds me a lot of Catholisism it seems to be very heavy on the ritual and the money.
Anyway it's time to sleep, for tomorrow is another today already. Love N.J.
PS: Last years christmas card is finally in production!
In my own defence I have been really shagging busy, and still haven't managed to create a worksheet. (sigh).
WellI had a mad weekend last weekend, went out with the guy's from my TEFL course, dancing and leaping about till 4am, that was some serious aerobic workout, then the police came and busted the bar for selling booze after midnight, and wouldn't even give us our bottle back so we left. I found some flop house in the neighbourhood to stay in, weird though it may sound it is cheaper to do that then to catch a taxi home.
The next day Sam Twyford-Moore who I was at Uni in Sydney with turned up, his Mum & Aunt were into some craft fair,so we ran away. I intended to take Sam to see the Royal barge museum and the canals of "Asia's venice" But they are still (a month later) scraping the filth of the Chao Phraya off the royal barges and the museum was closed! I took him to see the temple of the dawn instead which looked a little like it was a mosaic made out of Grandmas old china, we were underwellmed.
We wandered around some of the old streets of Thonburi which was cool and came across a market where you could make merit with the Buddah. It was pretty cool the water boiled with fat fish alternately beaching themselves on the bottom step and getting washed back into the filth in the wake of each passing ferry as they threw themselves at the food that merit makers poured into the water. You could buy everything, baby turtles, eels, fish of all kinds, frogs we watched the punters buying them and setting them free, we watched for quite a long time. We watched the Thai guy under the stairs scoop the recently freed animals and put them back in little plastic tubs, just like those they were freed from, I wonder how his kama is? He spends all day swimming about in the Chao phraya and is still alive (a miracle if ever I saw one) so I guess someone must be looking out for him.
Then we ended up on Khao san rd and I introduced Sam to Thai whisky while England's world cup soccer hopes sank quietly away. We found a flop house and the next day I struggled my way to Chatuchak to return a slightly (only slightly) damaged Sam to his parental embrace.
I have had a stonker of a flu this week, I hadn't had one in so long I had quite forgotten how fucked up it makes you, I mean seriously, I am quite a small sized human being, how can I be producing so much snot, where are those giant snot generators hiding? Then I got a nasty infection on top so I finally caved and got some antibiotics, I do so love a country where you rock into the pharmacy and hand over $3.00 to receive a course of prescription only medication (Would madam like some valium with that?).
Of course I blame the flu to a large part on the inside out ways of Thailand, when you are on the streets (where I hardly need add it's really fucking hot) it is polite to cover up as much of yourself as possible, so of course you get hotter then as soon as you step inside where there is some privacy and you are permitted to strip off a few layers, the locals turn up the air-conditioning to ferocious and you can see the ice forming under your nose.
So it went something like this, I caught a bus (for 9 baht) into town it was open air but I had a seat the whole way and it was a pleasant enough journey, then as I wandered about my errands it rained and I got a little damp, I leapt on the bus home, little did I realise it was air-conditioned, I had to stand half the way the air-conditioning was turned up to penguin comfort levels and it cost me 22 Baht, so I have the 22 Baht flu (or is that the catch 22 Baht flu?).
This weekend was Buddhist lent, which meant lots of merit making was going on all over town, the Thai's practice a strange sort of Buddhism which reminds me a lot of Catholisism it seems to be very heavy on the ritual and the money.
Anyway it's time to sleep, for tomorrow is another today already. Love N.J.
PS: Last years christmas card is finally in production!
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Koh Chang
The bus ride to Koh Chang started off the morning of the Kings big anniversary party, a blessing in many ways, the roads were very quite as the crowds of yellow were already well ensconced around the royal palace and those who weren't were crowded around the telly's in their homes. Ekami too was quiet and we picked up our connection with little trouble. The ferry ride mind you was very funny, I think my favourite companion was the gay boy, his ensemble was pretty (in pink) much every cliche you can think of but the footwear was nothing short of inspired!
How can you top brand new shiny white gumboots with pink lace wrapped around the top and tied daintily in a bow on each side, it set off the pink baseball cap and adhered to the ancient rule of matching, hat shoes and handbag.
With hardly a foreigner in sight the Thai tourists made up the bulk of fellow travels and prices everywhere fell dramatically to match, I wandered about the plethora of dive schools and finally decided on one of the only bunches that were open... what a bunch of cowboys, I should have known by the late departure time (10 am for a dive trip). Sure enough the boat ran aground and we all dove back to shore.
We ended up staying in a bungalow on white sands beach which is beautiful although I imagine quite crowded in tourist season, the waves were quite wild and fun to play in, the ocean was warm, encouraging all day swimming and the afternoons were great for cocktails on the beach as the sunset, in fact one evening we even saw the perfect sunset, you know the kind where the sun actually sinks into the water and you can here it going tssssssh. but there was enough cloud cover off the horizon to do the whole colour symphony thing, God must have had a special angel on sunset duty that night. Of course there was the usual glut of sunset photographers wrapped in futile attempts to capture what is essentially an experience, sunsets are one of the great impossibles of photography though I perpetually have to fight the primal urge to try.
The bars and restaurants along the sunset beach all sell a variety of seafood which is fantastic though some are inexplicably half the price of others! After we wandered down to one of the bars supposedly showing "the world cup" but instead of the soccer we were treated to highlights from the Kings day, this has become a theme, and although it appeared inexplixable at first I have gradually come to understand that this is because of the amount of illegal gambling that has become associated with the event. The rights to televise it were sold to Thai national t.v. instead of either of the cable channels (a source of great controversy in itself) and now the channels that have it are not showing it because they all simultaneously are showing old footage of the King! The powers that be know that no-one would dare criticise the King so a point is being made. (though there is a joke circulating about how in the good ol' days in Russia (under communism) there were two t.v. channels on the second was a soldier telling you to turn back to the first, but here in democratic Thailand we have 7 channels that all show the same thing, now that is choice.
Koh Chang being "Elephant Island" has a number of large beasties (and elephants as well). Baby elephants are very cute though the one that I went over to pat decided that was the perfect moment to take a dump! Washing elephants with a nail brush is an experience some tourists actually pay money for? Hmmm, I guess it saves the animal trainer a job.
The trip back to Bkk started with similar elements of farce that I am coming to expect in Thailand, the ferry couldn't dock because the tide was too far out (again), after an hour a ditch digger arrived and hauled the thing to shore, I climbed aboard wondering how the hell they were going to get the thing back out to sea (and if there was now a hole in the hull, (at least it was open air and the water was warm so drowning was not a realistic fear). Sure enough they again used the ditch digger and we eventually got back to the main land, the bus journey passed without incident and soon I was on the local bus home, it's funny how some men seem not to have realised that certain after-shave has more aroma indicators in common with toilet cleaner than with exotic flowers and spices, and why is this always the case with the guy whose armpit is hovering too close to my nose.
Now safely back at the salt mine otherwise known as Chokchai Rangsit, I came into town today to see a movie and noted that Thailand, for being dubbed the "land of smiles" seemed to have just as many po-faced commuters on the sky train at 9am as the London underground, Interesting, maybe I will do a comparison smile count on public transport in different parts of the world at 8:30 or 9am and find out who really is the "land of the smiles" and who is the "land of pissed off commuters".
Anyway better get to my movie.
Love N.J.
How can you top brand new shiny white gumboots with pink lace wrapped around the top and tied daintily in a bow on each side, it set off the pink baseball cap and adhered to the ancient rule of matching, hat shoes and handbag.
With hardly a foreigner in sight the Thai tourists made up the bulk of fellow travels and prices everywhere fell dramatically to match, I wandered about the plethora of dive schools and finally decided on one of the only bunches that were open... what a bunch of cowboys, I should have known by the late departure time (10 am for a dive trip). Sure enough the boat ran aground and we all dove back to shore.
We ended up staying in a bungalow on white sands beach which is beautiful although I imagine quite crowded in tourist season, the waves were quite wild and fun to play in, the ocean was warm, encouraging all day swimming and the afternoons were great for cocktails on the beach as the sunset, in fact one evening we even saw the perfect sunset, you know the kind where the sun actually sinks into the water and you can here it going tssssssh. but there was enough cloud cover off the horizon to do the whole colour symphony thing, God must have had a special angel on sunset duty that night. Of course there was the usual glut of sunset photographers wrapped in futile attempts to capture what is essentially an experience, sunsets are one of the great impossibles of photography though I perpetually have to fight the primal urge to try.
The bars and restaurants along the sunset beach all sell a variety of seafood which is fantastic though some are inexplicably half the price of others! After we wandered down to one of the bars supposedly showing "the world cup" but instead of the soccer we were treated to highlights from the Kings day, this has become a theme, and although it appeared inexplixable at first I have gradually come to understand that this is because of the amount of illegal gambling that has become associated with the event. The rights to televise it were sold to Thai national t.v. instead of either of the cable channels (a source of great controversy in itself) and now the channels that have it are not showing it because they all simultaneously are showing old footage of the King! The powers that be know that no-one would dare criticise the King so a point is being made. (though there is a joke circulating about how in the good ol' days in Russia (under communism) there were two t.v. channels on the second was a soldier telling you to turn back to the first, but here in democratic Thailand we have 7 channels that all show the same thing, now that is choice.
Koh Chang being "Elephant Island" has a number of large beasties (and elephants as well). Baby elephants are very cute though the one that I went over to pat decided that was the perfect moment to take a dump! Washing elephants with a nail brush is an experience some tourists actually pay money for? Hmmm, I guess it saves the animal trainer a job.
The trip back to Bkk started with similar elements of farce that I am coming to expect in Thailand, the ferry couldn't dock because the tide was too far out (again), after an hour a ditch digger arrived and hauled the thing to shore, I climbed aboard wondering how the hell they were going to get the thing back out to sea (and if there was now a hole in the hull, (at least it was open air and the water was warm so drowning was not a realistic fear). Sure enough they again used the ditch digger and we eventually got back to the main land, the bus journey passed without incident and soon I was on the local bus home, it's funny how some men seem not to have realised that certain after-shave has more aroma indicators in common with toilet cleaner than with exotic flowers and spices, and why is this always the case with the guy whose armpit is hovering too close to my nose.
Now safely back at the salt mine otherwise known as Chokchai Rangsit, I came into town today to see a movie and noted that Thailand, for being dubbed the "land of smiles" seemed to have just as many po-faced commuters on the sky train at 9am as the London underground, Interesting, maybe I will do a comparison smile count on public transport in different parts of the world at 8:30 or 9am and find out who really is the "land of the smiles" and who is the "land of pissed off commuters".
Anyway better get to my movie.
Love N.J.
Bangkok 05/06/06
All is not well in the gerbil house, I am having second thoughts about having named the gerbils, Basil and Manuel as Basil has taken to beating the crap out of Manuel and I had to seperate them and have now given Manuel to one of the boys from school. I should have taken his photo before he went, he was very cute, they are all very cute they look like the tiniest little scraps of fur as they flow over your hands and are very keen to play. We have discovered mind you that they are nocturnal and very keen to play all night!
School is settling into a rhythm but they do expect rather a lot of you in extra activities, it's actually all the decorating of the room that takes time. I don't have that many contact hours, but I do have a hell of a lot of marking and have to be here all the hours I am not teaching, and as there is no staff room (Like the new airport it is still being built). I have to sit while the kids break into ten kinds of chaos.
The Thai's are mad about their king, the slightest thing that could be taken as an insult is to be avoided, The king was born on a monday, apparently monday's colour is yellow, not just any yellow but violent daffodil yellow, and we all have to wear it every monday to pay respect. I mentioned yellow was a terrible colour to wear, and was immediately chastised, I wonder how much "lesse majeste" I would be in if they new I lined the gerbil cage with old news print which often features pictures of the various royals.
Off to Koh Chang for the long weekend so I shall try to send this when I get back, or something. Off to dive with the fishies and chill.
PS: Very funny, the Thai's had a screening of Khan Kluay especially for elephants, some people rode their elephants in so they could watch for free, all of a sudden drive in has a whole new meaning, (though how you make out in the back of an elephant is a thing that doesn't bare thinking about really).
School is settling into a rhythm but they do expect rather a lot of you in extra activities, it's actually all the decorating of the room that takes time. I don't have that many contact hours, but I do have a hell of a lot of marking and have to be here all the hours I am not teaching, and as there is no staff room (Like the new airport it is still being built). I have to sit while the kids break into ten kinds of chaos.
The Thai's are mad about their king, the slightest thing that could be taken as an insult is to be avoided, The king was born on a monday, apparently monday's colour is yellow, not just any yellow but violent daffodil yellow, and we all have to wear it every monday to pay respect. I mentioned yellow was a terrible colour to wear, and was immediately chastised, I wonder how much "lesse majeste" I would be in if they new I lined the gerbil cage with old news print which often features pictures of the various royals.
Off to Koh Chang for the long weekend so I shall try to send this when I get back, or something. Off to dive with the fishies and chill.
PS: Very funny, the Thai's had a screening of Khan Kluay especially for elephants, some people rode their elephants in so they could watch for free, all of a sudden drive in has a whole new meaning, (though how you make out in the back of an elephant is a thing that doesn't bare thinking about really).
Bangkok 23/05/06
My second day teaching was infinitely better than my first, Chang, my A.D.D. kid was obviously on his meds today and the difference was amazing, in fact when he is on his meds he doesn't even want to join in boistrous games, he quietly sits doing his work while other children run around him, he is actually pretty bright if you can keep his concentration on one thing for long enough to complete a single task, though watching him medicated also makes me a little sad, it takes the sparkle out of his eyes and the spring out of his step.
The class gerbils are getting so much attention, I feel sorry for the little blighters, I don't know how many pencils I fish out of their cage at the end of each day. The kids are mostly very cute and good, and we are still having fun though preparation for each class takes a phenomenal amount of time and may yet kill me, and don't even start me on resources or lack there of, and this let me remind you is a very well funded private school.
It's now the 28th, time slipped on away from me there, I made it through my first week, but the gerbils did not, expelled! Yes apparently some parents complained that they might give their children diseases!! They told me I could put them in a tree! Half the point of the Gerbils is to teach children responsible pet ownership, how can I do this if they are living in a tree? Not to mention that I trod on a snake the other day (luckily on it's head) but I don't think my gerbils would last a week in a tree with all these snakes around! So they have come home to live in relative peace. After a week they already so chubby, Kevin is the darkest, Basil the fatest and Manuel the sleek little dopey one who spends all her time sleeping.
My passport has been sent off to convert the nonimmigrant B visa into a work permit, all this paper trail and rubbish you have to follow in Thailand is ridiculous. Jury is still out on whether I like teaching or not.
The class gerbils are getting so much attention, I feel sorry for the little blighters, I don't know how many pencils I fish out of their cage at the end of each day. The kids are mostly very cute and good, and we are still having fun though preparation for each class takes a phenomenal amount of time and may yet kill me, and don't even start me on resources or lack there of, and this let me remind you is a very well funded private school.
It's now the 28th, time slipped on away from me there, I made it through my first week, but the gerbils did not, expelled! Yes apparently some parents complained that they might give their children diseases!! They told me I could put them in a tree! Half the point of the Gerbils is to teach children responsible pet ownership, how can I do this if they are living in a tree? Not to mention that I trod on a snake the other day (luckily on it's head) but I don't think my gerbils would last a week in a tree with all these snakes around! So they have come home to live in relative peace. After a week they already so chubby, Kevin is the darkest, Basil the fatest and Manuel the sleek little dopey one who spends all her time sleeping.
My passport has been sent off to convert the nonimmigrant B visa into a work permit, all this paper trail and rubbish you have to follow in Thailand is ridiculous. Jury is still out on whether I like teaching or not.
Singapore 16/05/06
I arrived in Singapore accompanied by a mad Canadian woman, she attached herself to my hip at Bkk airport and chatted in my ear incesantly from that moment on, she was like Michelle on speed! She claimed to also be an English teacher and be working in Chang Mai I quickly discovered she is the most neurotic whinger, I have ever met (oh yes all you English folk take heart. I am really not sure how much of her story was true and how much fabricated in her mind, (she tells me, she really is being stalked by her exhusband 40 years on??? At least in her mind). She seemed ridiculously old to be so untogether, scatty is a word that I am reluctant to use, it seems too mild and cute, an insult to scatty folk the world over to have to share a category. She had arrived in Singapore with barely any money what so ever and ended up borrowing off me to be able to afford to eat, she whinged about her health and her back and I ended up having to hall her stupid suitcase on wheels up stairs for her.
After we had visited the embassy the next morning I managed to wrest her from my side and head off for some peaceful exploring, she appeared surprised at my desire for some respite from her, she had told me earlier she couldn't walk anywhere, so I headed out on a nice long relaxing walk
She was reading the celestine prophecy (really need I add more), I saw her at the airport at the end of my trip, she had left herself 10 minutes (if that ) to get there and check in, she obviously loves the stress, for without it what would she have to complain about. Anyway...
One of the most fantastic things I quickly discovered in Singapore is the amount of fabulous vegetarian food, little India is amazing, colourful, interesting, in fact just like India but clean! Fabulous, why didn't I get a job here?
Singapore, ah what to say about Singapore, it is an Island which has dedicated it's soul to facadism, sentosa Island is so prefabricated I felt myself wanting to claw beneath it's plasticity, it's unreal Disneyfied self.
Yet other parts of Singapore are beautiful and peaceful. Singapore has a way of making you feel relaxed, I think it is it's vast amounts of green, if you want to build I think you can only get a permit to go up, at least that is how it appears when you look up, the architecture is great, it is obviously a well planned city, if countries in Asia can be equated to European cities, Singapore is it's Germany, the trains always run on time!
It's a country not designed for sitters, everything has a designated place it sends the message, look I'm beautiful but please don't touch me, parks are not made with the idea of having children run free range and bare foot, they are made with steep slopes and carefully planned concrete pathways. Yet in a snap it can go from this to the hyper cool colonial charm of Raffles boulevard.
On the plus side it has multicultural comfort the likes of which at least superficially appear flawless.
I flew Air asia, welcome to no seat number, no service and killer eyelash world, Yes it is a first in the queue at the departure gate best dressed in the seat department, mind you the best seat in has got to be a matter of opinion, unlike most punters I prefer the seats at the back (further from impact) so even by keeping my bum in seat till the last possible moment, I still got a window, warning to tall folk, leg room is not something cheap airlines are big on.
Speaking of all things airline I saw a review of film "United 93" by a Mary Riddell while discussing the passengers on that ill fated flight she says, and I quote
"...they saw a universe where those of good faith must take all necessary risks to ensure that the earth keeps turning round the sun and that they are there to see it rise again" well they are patently not here to see it rise and though one can not but feel remorse at this waste of human life, I must ask does the arrogance of human kind constantly astounds me, honey the earth will keep revolving around the sun, it has for millinea, just what makes Ms Riddell think any actions of small weak carbon based creatures is going to change it?
As a final note on Singapore, It took me two days to realise the reason I couldn't buy gum anywhere is because it is illegal!!!
After we had visited the embassy the next morning I managed to wrest her from my side and head off for some peaceful exploring, she appeared surprised at my desire for some respite from her, she had told me earlier she couldn't walk anywhere, so I headed out on a nice long relaxing walk
She was reading the celestine prophecy (really need I add more), I saw her at the airport at the end of my trip, she had left herself 10 minutes (if that ) to get there and check in, she obviously loves the stress, for without it what would she have to complain about. Anyway...
One of the most fantastic things I quickly discovered in Singapore is the amount of fabulous vegetarian food, little India is amazing, colourful, interesting, in fact just like India but clean! Fabulous, why didn't I get a job here?
Singapore, ah what to say about Singapore, it is an Island which has dedicated it's soul to facadism, sentosa Island is so prefabricated I felt myself wanting to claw beneath it's plasticity, it's unreal Disneyfied self.
Yet other parts of Singapore are beautiful and peaceful. Singapore has a way of making you feel relaxed, I think it is it's vast amounts of green, if you want to build I think you can only get a permit to go up, at least that is how it appears when you look up, the architecture is great, it is obviously a well planned city, if countries in Asia can be equated to European cities, Singapore is it's Germany, the trains always run on time!
It's a country not designed for sitters, everything has a designated place it sends the message, look I'm beautiful but please don't touch me, parks are not made with the idea of having children run free range and bare foot, they are made with steep slopes and carefully planned concrete pathways. Yet in a snap it can go from this to the hyper cool colonial charm of Raffles boulevard.
On the plus side it has multicultural comfort the likes of which at least superficially appear flawless.
I flew Air asia, welcome to no seat number, no service and killer eyelash world, Yes it is a first in the queue at the departure gate best dressed in the seat department, mind you the best seat in has got to be a matter of opinion, unlike most punters I prefer the seats at the back (further from impact) so even by keeping my bum in seat till the last possible moment, I still got a window, warning to tall folk, leg room is not something cheap airlines are big on.
Speaking of all things airline I saw a review of film "United 93" by a Mary Riddell while discussing the passengers on that ill fated flight she says, and I quote
"...they saw a universe where those of good faith must take all necessary risks to ensure that the earth keeps turning round the sun and that they are there to see it rise again" well they are patently not here to see it rise and though one can not but feel remorse at this waste of human life, I must ask does the arrogance of human kind constantly astounds me, honey the earth will keep revolving around the sun, it has for millinea, just what makes Ms Riddell think any actions of small weak carbon based creatures is going to change it?
As a final note on Singapore, It took me two days to realise the reason I couldn't buy gum anywhere is because it is illegal!!!
Bangkok 13/05/06
Well I just finished writing 56 lesson plans in ten days, at first I thought I had to write 70 but as it turns out my Math ain't that good (god help the poor little blighters I will be teaching that to! Oh and as I have not yet received the curriculum for Social studies that is on hold.
So for those of you who don't know I have gone from being a casual english teacher to being a home room teacher, I will be teaching english, math, social studies and science/health to a bunch of seven year olds, I think I mentioned that sex education comes into it, ohh the tittering of little giggles, I can hear it now, and then there is how the kids will react! So after all these years I have found myself doing my Mothers job! weird huh.
I have actually enjoyed writing the lesson plans and am looking forward to some of the classes, I think it will all be a bit of a shock to the school, I plan to have fun with my class, science will involve experiments (I have two sorted already oh there will be bubbles and their will be spongey things). There will also be field trips, after all i am only planning on being there for a year so if they don't like my methods it's all the same to me.
This week I have to fly to Singapore, never having been on a "business trip" before I am very excited, these private schools have so much money it's ridiculous, but what I really want is some decent english reading books, I have been spoiled after working at the beautiful (and well stocked) Waverley library and having access to both UTS and USyd libraries for so long. We need Captain underpants, we need Captain knowledge and we need some other half way interesting english language, books it's no wonder the kids don't want to read when all you offer them is Richard Scary.
Anyway enough about work, Oh yes I should mention I have invented my own superhero for math, "Captain infinity" and his side kick "Polygon" (who is a cat always drawn amidst a cloud of bird feathers).
Anyway I am now regretting my decision not to have taken the job I was offered down in the restive south, as if you are a teacher down there you get free self defense lessons and half price off the retail value of weapons!! wow, what a bargain, apparently this is in response to 47 teachers being killed down there in the last 2 years! hmmm maybe not...
Very excited today, New Zealand makes front page news in the Bkk post!!! I mean Thailand (like every other country in the world has the front two or three pages exclusively for local news, but not today no sir. Apparently a N.Z. woman, a drunk driver had over 426 milligrammes of alcohol in her blood, apparently the article goes on to state you can die if you have anywhere over 400 mg, now there is a science experiment for my little kiddies! The best thing about the Bkk post is the little International asides, there was also a little article on how an Australian was endeavouring to sell New Zealand on ebay apparently the auction lasted 3 days before ebay pulled it.
Now for the gross story of the day, woke up the other day with a really itchy shoulder eventually went and looked at it in the mirror, something had bitten me in the evening but I hadn't really paid much attention but boy now I wish I had. My whole shoulder looked not just angry but irate, it had nasty looking pustules and everything, Glen declared it looked like some medieval pox, it has cleared up to a mild rash now, but I still worry I may be host to some nasty alien parasite, whose pupa are, as I write, furtively burrowing and growing waiting to burst (oh god, I really should never have watched alien!).
Have I talked about the apartment yet? It is small, two rooms with an onsuite, but the rooms themselves are reasonably spacious, both rooms have a balcony which has a nice pastoral aspect (it looks out over a field or two of grass, we have workers in conical hats, buffalo and birds (all seasonal), after rain the birds and bugs really get going and that is great. We can watch the sunset from our balcony or the sofa, it comes partly furnished, the aforementioned sofa is faux leather and dips toward the middle in a very uncomfortable saggy sort of way, on the plus side it does convert into a bed for those who need a place to crash for a night or two. a glass topped table, wardrobe and tv cabinet are it besides the bed, ah yes the bed.
Beds in Asia are as hard as bloody rocks, in fact they appear to be rocks with a bit of straw wrapped over them to disguise the fact. The first purchase was some nice foam squabs to make it possible to sleep.
Alright, I shall sign off for now, catch y'all later.
PS: congratulations to Karyn & Lawrence.
So for those of you who don't know I have gone from being a casual english teacher to being a home room teacher, I will be teaching english, math, social studies and science/health to a bunch of seven year olds, I think I mentioned that sex education comes into it, ohh the tittering of little giggles, I can hear it now, and then there is how the kids will react! So after all these years I have found myself doing my Mothers job! weird huh.
I have actually enjoyed writing the lesson plans and am looking forward to some of the classes, I think it will all be a bit of a shock to the school, I plan to have fun with my class, science will involve experiments (I have two sorted already oh there will be bubbles and their will be spongey things). There will also be field trips, after all i am only planning on being there for a year so if they don't like my methods it's all the same to me.
This week I have to fly to Singapore, never having been on a "business trip" before I am very excited, these private schools have so much money it's ridiculous, but what I really want is some decent english reading books, I have been spoiled after working at the beautiful (and well stocked) Waverley library and having access to both UTS and USyd libraries for so long. We need Captain underpants, we need Captain knowledge and we need some other half way interesting english language, books it's no wonder the kids don't want to read when all you offer them is Richard Scary.
Anyway enough about work, Oh yes I should mention I have invented my own superhero for math, "Captain infinity" and his side kick "Polygon" (who is a cat always drawn amidst a cloud of bird feathers).
Anyway I am now regretting my decision not to have taken the job I was offered down in the restive south, as if you are a teacher down there you get free self defense lessons and half price off the retail value of weapons!! wow, what a bargain, apparently this is in response to 47 teachers being killed down there in the last 2 years! hmmm maybe not...
Very excited today, New Zealand makes front page news in the Bkk post!!! I mean Thailand (like every other country in the world has the front two or three pages exclusively for local news, but not today no sir. Apparently a N.Z. woman, a drunk driver had over 426 milligrammes of alcohol in her blood, apparently the article goes on to state you can die if you have anywhere over 400 mg, now there is a science experiment for my little kiddies! The best thing about the Bkk post is the little International asides, there was also a little article on how an Australian was endeavouring to sell New Zealand on ebay apparently the auction lasted 3 days before ebay pulled it.
Now for the gross story of the day, woke up the other day with a really itchy shoulder eventually went and looked at it in the mirror, something had bitten me in the evening but I hadn't really paid much attention but boy now I wish I had. My whole shoulder looked not just angry but irate, it had nasty looking pustules and everything, Glen declared it looked like some medieval pox, it has cleared up to a mild rash now, but I still worry I may be host to some nasty alien parasite, whose pupa are, as I write, furtively burrowing and growing waiting to burst (oh god, I really should never have watched alien!).
Have I talked about the apartment yet? It is small, two rooms with an onsuite, but the rooms themselves are reasonably spacious, both rooms have a balcony which has a nice pastoral aspect (it looks out over a field or two of grass, we have workers in conical hats, buffalo and birds (all seasonal), after rain the birds and bugs really get going and that is great. We can watch the sunset from our balcony or the sofa, it comes partly furnished, the aforementioned sofa is faux leather and dips toward the middle in a very uncomfortable saggy sort of way, on the plus side it does convert into a bed for those who need a place to crash for a night or two. a glass topped table, wardrobe and tv cabinet are it besides the bed, ah yes the bed.
Beds in Asia are as hard as bloody rocks, in fact they appear to be rocks with a bit of straw wrapped over them to disguise the fact. The first purchase was some nice foam squabs to make it possible to sleep.
Alright, I shall sign off for now, catch y'all later.
PS: congratulations to Karyn & Lawrence.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Bangkok 02/05/06
Well, we took the apartment i mentioned in my last entry, we looked around at some others, but they were dreary or too expensive. I have a great view of the sunset at night which is fabulous, though once I moved in I discovered the shower is only cold water, but I am actually used to it now, and being summer time here now it is easily hot enough for the experience to be pleasant.
I bought a bus map of Bangkok the other day, this is possibly the single most useful item I have purchased since I have been here, once you have the busses sussed life takes on a whole new meaning, though having said that it can easily take an hour to travel from one part of Bkk to another. From home to Bkk can take anything from one to three hours, depends on the bus the time of day, oh etc, etc.
The other day I discovered that baseball caps are not the only hat that can be worn backwards, I saw a guy with his motorcycle helmet on backwards!! He had the bit that goes across the back of your neck across his forehead, mind you the thing was strapped on and not worn like some kind of top hat as many motorcyclists do over here, I fail to see what kind of use they are in accidents when worn in this fashion.
In other surprising sights of the day, I saw a fireman on a motorbike speeding to some emergency or other, I understand that given Bkk traffic issues this is a handy solution to the congestion issues but where do you suppose you put your hose?
One of my favourite sights at night while walking aimlessly around streets, has to be through the almost closed Iron teeth of door shutters you can always catch glimpses of the warm red glow of Chinese shrines. Many homes here simply do not have conventional doors and sliding garage doors or grills often feature at the fronts of houses, the residents don't like to close them up completely due to the stiffiling heat that becomes trapped inside, but they want some level of privacy. It has the charm of making you feel like life is being lived right there in front of you, I love it.
I have officially started work, I have some books, and some curriculum outlines, of course the subjects I have curriculum for I have not got the books for and vice versa, I have heard a lot about the Thai education system and so far it is certainly living up too it's press. I have meet some of my students but school itself won't start for a few weeks yet, apparently i am supposed to be writing lesson plans, of course i can't start without curriculum and books, tomorrow i have three meetings so hopefully some things will get sorted out. Face is incredibly important in asian society and apparently it is more important to look like the Thai expectation of your job description than to actually be good at your job, so I am wearing my suits (as i only have two they are on very high rotation at the moment). Apparently they are going to make me some more (well at least I will have some extra changes of clothes).
The books have a section on "good touching" and "bad touching" and include words like scrotum, penis and vulva. (oh boy is that a class I am looking forward to). It is the first subject in one of the topics I teach, so it will be "Good morning girls and boys, I'm your new teacher, lets talk about penises!" (oh joy) at least it is a few weeks away yet. In the mean time I have a bunch of lesson plans to write to keep me busy.
Not much more to report, so I'd better cook up some noodles in a jug, yes they sell jugs over here just for the purpose as so many people eat instant noodles at least once a day.
I bought a bus map of Bangkok the other day, this is possibly the single most useful item I have purchased since I have been here, once you have the busses sussed life takes on a whole new meaning, though having said that it can easily take an hour to travel from one part of Bkk to another. From home to Bkk can take anything from one to three hours, depends on the bus the time of day, oh etc, etc.
The other day I discovered that baseball caps are not the only hat that can be worn backwards, I saw a guy with his motorcycle helmet on backwards!! He had the bit that goes across the back of your neck across his forehead, mind you the thing was strapped on and not worn like some kind of top hat as many motorcyclists do over here, I fail to see what kind of use they are in accidents when worn in this fashion.
In other surprising sights of the day, I saw a fireman on a motorbike speeding to some emergency or other, I understand that given Bkk traffic issues this is a handy solution to the congestion issues but where do you suppose you put your hose?
One of my favourite sights at night while walking aimlessly around streets, has to be through the almost closed Iron teeth of door shutters you can always catch glimpses of the warm red glow of Chinese shrines. Many homes here simply do not have conventional doors and sliding garage doors or grills often feature at the fronts of houses, the residents don't like to close them up completely due to the stiffiling heat that becomes trapped inside, but they want some level of privacy. It has the charm of making you feel like life is being lived right there in front of you, I love it.
I have officially started work, I have some books, and some curriculum outlines, of course the subjects I have curriculum for I have not got the books for and vice versa, I have heard a lot about the Thai education system and so far it is certainly living up too it's press. I have meet some of my students but school itself won't start for a few weeks yet, apparently i am supposed to be writing lesson plans, of course i can't start without curriculum and books, tomorrow i have three meetings so hopefully some things will get sorted out. Face is incredibly important in asian society and apparently it is more important to look like the Thai expectation of your job description than to actually be good at your job, so I am wearing my suits (as i only have two they are on very high rotation at the moment). Apparently they are going to make me some more (well at least I will have some extra changes of clothes).
The books have a section on "good touching" and "bad touching" and include words like scrotum, penis and vulva. (oh boy is that a class I am looking forward to). It is the first subject in one of the topics I teach, so it will be "Good morning girls and boys, I'm your new teacher, lets talk about penises!" (oh joy) at least it is a few weeks away yet. In the mean time I have a bunch of lesson plans to write to keep me busy.
Not much more to report, so I'd better cook up some noodles in a jug, yes they sell jugs over here just for the purpose as so many people eat instant noodles at least once a day.
Bangkok 23/04/06
Happy birthday QQEII
Well there we were, house hunting in the rain, Glen and I and a Sth African chappy stuffed in the ironically titled "space cab" of Steve's pick-up. Headed out to Rangsit it started absolutely chucking it down, the traffic slowed to a crawl and under each fly-over flocks of motorcycles huddled together nervously craning forward, clucking to each other, waiting to see if the worst of it had blown away. Finally we drove past the scene of an accident, where I discovered that in Thailand, vehicles involved in an accident can not be moved until the police have visited the scene, even if the accident takes up the entire space of a duel lane carriage way motorway. Waiting for the police has been known to take up to 6 hours!
Anyway, as we drove about every time we saw a prospective accomodation site Steve would leap out of the car in the driving rain and attempt to discover if there was any accomodation available (there never was). Trying to find accomodation in the price bracket we are looking at is, difficult. It is too cheap for real estate agents to bother with, most renting is done privately through friends, or family or just crusing the streets looking for "too let" signs, it is dodgy at best. finally we saw an apartment block which I liked straight away, the rooms were big and bright. (Many Thai houses are dark, they perceive light to equate with heat). Airy, two balconies, only one room but a seperate lounge room so that is all good. After that we called it a day.
But in other good news, the school does have two swimming pools, which I am allowed to use after 5pm (yay).
Well there we were, house hunting in the rain, Glen and I and a Sth African chappy stuffed in the ironically titled "space cab" of Steve's pick-up. Headed out to Rangsit it started absolutely chucking it down, the traffic slowed to a crawl and under each fly-over flocks of motorcycles huddled together nervously craning forward, clucking to each other, waiting to see if the worst of it had blown away. Finally we drove past the scene of an accident, where I discovered that in Thailand, vehicles involved in an accident can not be moved until the police have visited the scene, even if the accident takes up the entire space of a duel lane carriage way motorway. Waiting for the police has been known to take up to 6 hours!
Anyway, as we drove about every time we saw a prospective accomodation site Steve would leap out of the car in the driving rain and attempt to discover if there was any accomodation available (there never was). Trying to find accomodation in the price bracket we are looking at is, difficult. It is too cheap for real estate agents to bother with, most renting is done privately through friends, or family or just crusing the streets looking for "too let" signs, it is dodgy at best. finally we saw an apartment block which I liked straight away, the rooms were big and bright. (Many Thai houses are dark, they perceive light to equate with heat). Airy, two balconies, only one room but a seperate lounge room so that is all good. After that we called it a day.
But in other good news, the school does have two swimming pools, which I am allowed to use after 5pm (yay).
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Kanchan 20/04/06
Song Kran is finally over, five days of mayhem, talcum powder war paint and kids packing water pistols with twin water cylinders on their backs, their teenage peers get someone to drive the family pick-up round town with a huge oil drum of water on the back which they liberally fling water out of. Motorbikes hum up and down he street with entire families riding up and down in an effort to join the fun, in no time at all the roads are slick with water and the milky scum of talcum powder paste.
The streets are lined with people who have rolled like oil drums out of their homes and shops and someone gets to hold the hose, every house has moved some huge speakers out onto the street and dance music floods up and down the street, competing and drowning each others musical choices in sonic waves (which weave in and out and in between the waves of water being flung about). Everyone is soaked all day. It has a real carnival atmosphere and the chicken on a stick sellers are out in force to support it, and did I mention the amount of beer and whisky that are consumed, All day partying takes it's toll and some revellers are at the end of the day to be seen sleeping it all off in quiet doorways.
The girls who work in the restaurant had a great time, O, in particular seemed to enjoy it, she loves any opportunity to harass farang, In fact lots of the staff here at the frog have great personalities, they like to spend their lunch breaks down swimming in the river and lounging in the hammocks in the gardens.
The Bangkok post keeps a running tally of the holiday road toll which is massive, it is rather tastelessly called a "target" which this year was down on last year (and below the projected amount by about one hundred deaths) but still massive. The mess on the streets afterward was incredible, plastic bags and empty booze bottles collected like autumn leaves in the gutters.
They have also had two lots of elections here in the last two weeks or so, the laws in this country are crazy, you can not buy alcohol on the day before or the day of an election. Even though you can't vote after 6pm on election day you still can't have a drink! I think it's so you don't get into alcohol fuelled arguments over politics but who knows! Like any law in Thailand there are those who obey it and those who pay off the cops, so certain bars (notably the girly and dodgy kind) were still open for those who need a drink to cope with the ideas involved with the politics of Thailand (trust me that's all of you!).
The streets are lined with people who have rolled like oil drums out of their homes and shops and someone gets to hold the hose, every house has moved some huge speakers out onto the street and dance music floods up and down the street, competing and drowning each others musical choices in sonic waves (which weave in and out and in between the waves of water being flung about). Everyone is soaked all day. It has a real carnival atmosphere and the chicken on a stick sellers are out in force to support it, and did I mention the amount of beer and whisky that are consumed, All day partying takes it's toll and some revellers are at the end of the day to be seen sleeping it all off in quiet doorways.
The girls who work in the restaurant had a great time, O, in particular seemed to enjoy it, she loves any opportunity to harass farang, In fact lots of the staff here at the frog have great personalities, they like to spend their lunch breaks down swimming in the river and lounging in the hammocks in the gardens.
The Bangkok post keeps a running tally of the holiday road toll which is massive, it is rather tastelessly called a "target" which this year was down on last year (and below the projected amount by about one hundred deaths) but still massive. The mess on the streets afterward was incredible, plastic bags and empty booze bottles collected like autumn leaves in the gutters.
They have also had two lots of elections here in the last two weeks or so, the laws in this country are crazy, you can not buy alcohol on the day before or the day of an election. Even though you can't vote after 6pm on election day you still can't have a drink! I think it's so you don't get into alcohol fuelled arguments over politics but who knows! Like any law in Thailand there are those who obey it and those who pay off the cops, so certain bars (notably the girly and dodgy kind) were still open for those who need a drink to cope with the ideas involved with the politics of Thailand (trust me that's all of you!).
Friday, April 21, 2006
Kanchan 14/04/06
Ten days again since last I wrote.
Went out to visit Grumpies new place, he has a cool little A-frame house down river, it has lots of different kinds of fruit trees and a big tree which is apparently haunted, to stop some one cutting it down the owner has poured a large circle of concrete around it perfect for sitting and fishing off. Grumpy was very pleased with his five fish he caught the day we were there. His view onto the river, with it's bluish green lilly pads surrounding a little Island is very picturesque and relaxing. The old boy who looks after the banana plantation on Grumpies land came over and we drank some beer which gave me the opportunity to learn a few more Thai words.
Hired a bike and went up to Erawan, my god, I have never seen it so crowded, it is Thai school holidays at the moment and the place was swarming with families, I still enjoyed it but the lower pools did sound much like being at the local swimming baths with the volume of kids squealing. The top pools were much quieter, the monkeys thought so to, a baby one came down and was making toward Glen's stuff, he had to leap out of the pool and rescue it a security guard turned up not long after and scared the monkeys off with his trusty catapult. The kissing fish are a lot less enthusiastic when their are so many visitors to choose from. A lovely day out.
I swam in the river here the other day, encouraged by the amount of others doing so, but the water felt greasy, the long termers tell me the cess pits leech into the river, and yesterday I saw a condom floating lazily down stream so I have decided that once was enough.
Song kran has started, Thai new year, it involves a hell of a lot of water throwing, everyone ends up soaked all the time, mostly it is concentrated in the afternoon and stops at night, so you can actually get out and go to the bank (or work) and things in a relatively normal fashion. In Bkk though on Khao san rd. the powder and water throwing goes on all night, I guess that's what happens when tradition meets the party crowd. Tomorrow night is full moon, so who knows what will happen then.
Found a good restaurant the other night, lots of Lao and Essan style food, had a great snake head fish and again had a laugh at the menu, in is not so much the food (which is often unusual) it is the way they translate it into english. they use words we would never use to describe food, I should have written some of the little gems I discovered in Lao but the ones in this restaurant included "Fried duck mouth" and "Hot and sour pork colon salad" (mmmm, up there with rectum rissoles surely). While speaking of food after Erawan we went to the Mae nam, a restaurant recommended by Earl and tried the weirdest "chinese style black eggs", the yolks were indeed black and very creamy to the taste, the "white" of the egg was a translucent dark, dark orange, they were quite tasty but very rich.
Right I am off for another soaking, later dudes, oh yeah and happy new year. (I'll try to find out which year it is, the Thai calendar is completly different to ours.)
N.J.
Went out to visit Grumpies new place, he has a cool little A-frame house down river, it has lots of different kinds of fruit trees and a big tree which is apparently haunted, to stop some one cutting it down the owner has poured a large circle of concrete around it perfect for sitting and fishing off. Grumpy was very pleased with his five fish he caught the day we were there. His view onto the river, with it's bluish green lilly pads surrounding a little Island is very picturesque and relaxing. The old boy who looks after the banana plantation on Grumpies land came over and we drank some beer which gave me the opportunity to learn a few more Thai words.
Hired a bike and went up to Erawan, my god, I have never seen it so crowded, it is Thai school holidays at the moment and the place was swarming with families, I still enjoyed it but the lower pools did sound much like being at the local swimming baths with the volume of kids squealing. The top pools were much quieter, the monkeys thought so to, a baby one came down and was making toward Glen's stuff, he had to leap out of the pool and rescue it a security guard turned up not long after and scared the monkeys off with his trusty catapult. The kissing fish are a lot less enthusiastic when their are so many visitors to choose from. A lovely day out.
I swam in the river here the other day, encouraged by the amount of others doing so, but the water felt greasy, the long termers tell me the cess pits leech into the river, and yesterday I saw a condom floating lazily down stream so I have decided that once was enough.
Song kran has started, Thai new year, it involves a hell of a lot of water throwing, everyone ends up soaked all the time, mostly it is concentrated in the afternoon and stops at night, so you can actually get out and go to the bank (or work) and things in a relatively normal fashion. In Bkk though on Khao san rd. the powder and water throwing goes on all night, I guess that's what happens when tradition meets the party crowd. Tomorrow night is full moon, so who knows what will happen then.
Found a good restaurant the other night, lots of Lao and Essan style food, had a great snake head fish and again had a laugh at the menu, in is not so much the food (which is often unusual) it is the way they translate it into english. they use words we would never use to describe food, I should have written some of the little gems I discovered in Lao but the ones in this restaurant included "Fried duck mouth" and "Hot and sour pork colon salad" (mmmm, up there with rectum rissoles surely). While speaking of food after Erawan we went to the Mae nam, a restaurant recommended by Earl and tried the weirdest "chinese style black eggs", the yolks were indeed black and very creamy to the taste, the "white" of the egg was a translucent dark, dark orange, they were quite tasty but very rich.
Right I am off for another soaking, later dudes, oh yeah and happy new year. (I'll try to find out which year it is, the Thai calendar is completly different to ours.)
N.J.
Bangkok 30/03/06
Bangkok has been much the usual. I caught the train to Hua Lamphong as I thought it would be nice to stay in China town this time, it was mid-day and hot and I didn't really know where the guesthouse was I was looking for so I ended up walking to the Chao Phraya and catching the boat to Phra Athit again, it's not so bad staying here as long as you avoid the Khao San and don't let drunk guys carry you across flooded soi's after a thunder storm.
Early in the morning I came across a boulevard of broken dreams. A klong where all these people lived along it's edges drinking at 7am (cans of beer through straws), It's funny how you can just run across these little pockets of people who evaporate with the sunrise, where do they go? I have noticed that all the beggars in Bangkok seem to congregate in Chinatown.
Today I went to check out the school I am going to teach in, it is like a Disney castle (just like I had been told it is) but it really looks kinda fake, even from a distance, it is beautifully presented with pictures of Nemo and Mickey and Minnie and other children's cartoon characters all over the place. It has two big swimming pools (complete with penguins and fake Ice?) Art rooms, Music rooms and a gym. Our language school area is still being built which could add to the chaos at the start of the year, or it could be happily ever after in this magic kingdom.
After Steve took me to look at houses and they appropriately looked like gingerbread cottages, or the houses in the Truman show or something, anyway I will look at a few more yet I am sure.
Then I went back to China town, I really like that part of town it is so crazy and cluttered but the pollution is bad, bad, bad. I saw a guy sleeping in a basket which was pretty weird.
As I was walking back to my guesthouse this storm blew up and I watched as thunder and lightening crackled all around, really close some of it! Sheets of corrugated iron getting torn from roofs and guttering thrown into the traffic in the streets, and it rained! I took shelter in an ice cream shop which was just opening as it all started and I sat there eating strawberry sundaes with the girl who ran the shop while wondering if our roof would stay on. It did, the opposite side of the road seemed to be where all the action was. You know when a storm is really bad by the amount of cockroaches that come scrambling up out of the sewers and trying to get into the shops, eurgggh.
The mechanics across the road kept fishing their belongings out of the gutter as they were being washed out of their shop and attempting to float off down the road. (Luckily being a mechanics shop most of their stuff was too heavy to float, then half an hour later the sun came up and I carried on toward my guest house, some streets were clear but others were flooded and navigating home took some doing, twice turning down offers to be carried across flooded streets, ahh the age of chivalry is not quite dead yet.
There is an election on sunday (today is Thursday), there has been a huge amount of protesting and anti-Thaksin (the prime minister) rallies, I plan to be out of town to avoid the riots when he gets back in, in fact this election may take a long time to be resolved so Thailand may be heading back into some political dire straits, I wonder if the King will have to step in and sort it out again, it seems every time I come here something like this happens I think I was here for both the political/economic crisis in 1997 and for the political protest and unrest in 1992 where some demonstrators were shot. So stay tuned, though I'm sure it's all over your tv news anyway.
Till next time.
N.J.
Early in the morning I came across a boulevard of broken dreams. A klong where all these people lived along it's edges drinking at 7am (cans of beer through straws), It's funny how you can just run across these little pockets of people who evaporate with the sunrise, where do they go? I have noticed that all the beggars in Bangkok seem to congregate in Chinatown.
Today I went to check out the school I am going to teach in, it is like a Disney castle (just like I had been told it is) but it really looks kinda fake, even from a distance, it is beautifully presented with pictures of Nemo and Mickey and Minnie and other children's cartoon characters all over the place. It has two big swimming pools (complete with penguins and fake Ice?) Art rooms, Music rooms and a gym. Our language school area is still being built which could add to the chaos at the start of the year, or it could be happily ever after in this magic kingdom.
After Steve took me to look at houses and they appropriately looked like gingerbread cottages, or the houses in the Truman show or something, anyway I will look at a few more yet I am sure.
Then I went back to China town, I really like that part of town it is so crazy and cluttered but the pollution is bad, bad, bad. I saw a guy sleeping in a basket which was pretty weird.
As I was walking back to my guesthouse this storm blew up and I watched as thunder and lightening crackled all around, really close some of it! Sheets of corrugated iron getting torn from roofs and guttering thrown into the traffic in the streets, and it rained! I took shelter in an ice cream shop which was just opening as it all started and I sat there eating strawberry sundaes with the girl who ran the shop while wondering if our roof would stay on. It did, the opposite side of the road seemed to be where all the action was. You know when a storm is really bad by the amount of cockroaches that come scrambling up out of the sewers and trying to get into the shops, eurgggh.
The mechanics across the road kept fishing their belongings out of the gutter as they were being washed out of their shop and attempting to float off down the road. (Luckily being a mechanics shop most of their stuff was too heavy to float, then half an hour later the sun came up and I carried on toward my guest house, some streets were clear but others were flooded and navigating home took some doing, twice turning down offers to be carried across flooded streets, ahh the age of chivalry is not quite dead yet.
There is an election on sunday (today is Thursday), there has been a huge amount of protesting and anti-Thaksin (the prime minister) rallies, I plan to be out of town to avoid the riots when he gets back in, in fact this election may take a long time to be resolved so Thailand may be heading back into some political dire straits, I wonder if the King will have to step in and sort it out again, it seems every time I come here something like this happens I think I was here for both the political/economic crisis in 1997 and for the political protest and unrest in 1992 where some demonstrators were shot. So stay tuned, though I'm sure it's all over your tv news anyway.
Till next time.
N.J.
kanchan 01/04/06
Last night I was out late, I went out to say goodbye to Tarryn one of the girls from my TEFL course. I went to her place and several other guys from the TEFL course showed up, we ended up in some english pub in Sukumvit, where one of the teachers from our course appeared an hour or so later. I left about 11:30 so I could catch the metro to Hua Lumphong and then I walked home through China town, I didn't realise how many people live on the streets in Bangkok, lots and lots of people sleep literally on the streets, under a blanket, with odd assortments of possessions set up around them to mark their space and make it homey. One person had a cd disk set up silver side out on top of her little pile of possessions, at the time I just thought it was odd, unusual but now I think it was her circular evil eye mirror set up to watch over her as she slept.
I made it to Khao san rd by about 1am, I had never seen the place at that time and wanted to see just how awful it can be, I was surprised it was not as awful as it could have been. As I walked down the street This guy yelled out hello and I realised it was a guy who had lived on Phangan when I was there for a year in 1997, funnily enough he didn't recognise me (we all look the same us Foreign girls). He makes a habit of clumsily trying to chat up chicks, I guess it must work often enough for him to keep at it, though how it ever works I can't understand, he is an egotist who relies entirely on meaningless flattery. (Mind you I reckon that the fact he has moved his opperation to the middle of the night on a strip where there is lots of really drunk chicks speaks volumes).
Then as I was almost home Taz, one of the other girls from the course came leaping out of a bar and dragged me in for a drink, it was good to see her again, and her boyfriend insisted on feeding me deep fried crickets, they stick in your throat a bit but otherwise very much like any other snack food, surprisingly tasteless except for the added soy. So it's a small city after all, this Bangkok place, while in the bar I bought a cool hand puppet with a squeaker and poke out tongue, it will be good for the class I tell myself, it's just an excuse I wanted it, he's so cool, I shall call him Quackers.
Arrived in Kanchan this morning, Charlie has gone to Egypt, Grumpy moves out to the country on Monday, and Earl has already moved out, people are swimming in the river again, there has been a lot of rain recently so it's had a chance to get clean, the waterfalls will be beautiful, I should go up in the next couple of days. It's nice to be out of Bkk for a few days but I suppose I should start work soon.
I made it to Khao san rd by about 1am, I had never seen the place at that time and wanted to see just how awful it can be, I was surprised it was not as awful as it could have been. As I walked down the street This guy yelled out hello and I realised it was a guy who had lived on Phangan when I was there for a year in 1997, funnily enough he didn't recognise me (we all look the same us Foreign girls). He makes a habit of clumsily trying to chat up chicks, I guess it must work often enough for him to keep at it, though how it ever works I can't understand, he is an egotist who relies entirely on meaningless flattery. (Mind you I reckon that the fact he has moved his opperation to the middle of the night on a strip where there is lots of really drunk chicks speaks volumes).
Then as I was almost home Taz, one of the other girls from the course came leaping out of a bar and dragged me in for a drink, it was good to see her again, and her boyfriend insisted on feeding me deep fried crickets, they stick in your throat a bit but otherwise very much like any other snack food, surprisingly tasteless except for the added soy. So it's a small city after all, this Bangkok place, while in the bar I bought a cool hand puppet with a squeaker and poke out tongue, it will be good for the class I tell myself, it's just an excuse I wanted it, he's so cool, I shall call him Quackers.
Arrived in Kanchan this morning, Charlie has gone to Egypt, Grumpy moves out to the country on Monday, and Earl has already moved out, people are swimming in the river again, there has been a lot of rain recently so it's had a chance to get clean, the waterfalls will be beautiful, I should go up in the next couple of days. It's nice to be out of Bkk for a few days but I suppose I should start work soon.
Vientienne 27/03/06
Back in Vietienne, just got back from a two day hike to the Elephant tower, which is a look out you stay at over night in the middle of the nature reserve "Phou Khao Khouay" It is next to a salt lick where wild elephants come to, well lick salt.
We started out in the morning, me hiking over those stupid little bamboo bridges and fallen logs in the only pair of shoes I currently have (DM mary Janes). Let me just point out that however fashionable they may or may not be they leave a lot to be desired on the hiking frontier. (I will also note while on the subject of my footwear, that an overweight German in an orange hawaian shirt and a black leather sort of waist coat thong thing covered in tatoos on Don det told me I looked weird, if he did not look so much like a biker dude, moustache and stuff I may have said something about pots and kettles but as he looked mildly deranged as well as mean my preservation instincts kicked in).
Anyway back to the hike, Lao is full of the coolest little frogs, and I mean little but they can put on a great hop, they were the first "wild" life I saw, I mean I know they are wild and all but I guess I just associate wild with things that could possibly do me damage (butterflies and dragonflies also come into this category). We had started early and as we followed the river upstream we were lucky enough to come across a little family of otters, out for their breakfast, they were quite far away and we had to be very quiet, it was hard to contain my delighted squeals (yes otters make me act like a five year old I admit it). But some of our party didn't realise that the flash on the camera is not a good idea around wild life and unfortunately they disappeared all to quickly. The fact that I did not drown said camera flasher I still view as a small miracle that may hasten my beatitude once I am gone!
So creeping about in the jungle with two guides, Mr Tho and his son Auto (OK his name wasn't really Auto but he just reminded me of the simpsons dude)a couple of Dutch guys Karl and Sven (if you think thats bad, I had a bungalow next to a German called Wolfgang for a few days) and Kathy the French flasher all trying our best to be sneaky was difficult, I am surprised we saw anything at all, I disturbed a skinny yellowish snake who was sunning himself on the path, he almost turned into a spring coiling himself out of the way so fast. This eco-tourism is great go out into the forest and see how many poor little furry, feathery and scaley buggers you can scare the bejesus out of! It was beautiful and the walk was not terribly arduous, but we didn't really see much else till we got to the tower itself, The tower is made out of wood and is basically a circle with a bunch of matresses and mosquito nets strewn about it, but it does have a great view and so we ate and drank away the late afternoon (Auto, bless his rubber jandals carried the beer and lao lao in his back pack). With the early evening sure enough first the uninspiring though apparently very rare goaty things wandered past on their way to the river and not long after the elephants rolled into view and up to the salt lick, they were great, the politics of salt licking is something I don't quite understand but the elephants know who gets first lick and you don't want to be upsetting one of them, they are BIG.
I can't believe how late we stayed up, but you just didn't want to miss anything and the plague like noise of the crickets makes it impossible to sleep even if you wanted to. The trek out the next day was very laid back, probably because we were all still dozy from lack of sleep and too much adrenalin, still nice to have a shower and put on some clean clothes. At the end of a couple of days like that you can brush the salt off your body onto a bundle of greasy fish and chips, and still have enough left over to fill half a salt shaker. (have I put you off your dinner yet?).
Went to the market this morning and there was a whole avenue of marigold and incense sellers in the dawn light it was really beautiful, the last sunset was fantastic, much clearer than yesterday, but the heat has been pretty intense, I'm sure Bangkok will be just as bad!
We started out in the morning, me hiking over those stupid little bamboo bridges and fallen logs in the only pair of shoes I currently have (DM mary Janes). Let me just point out that however fashionable they may or may not be they leave a lot to be desired on the hiking frontier. (I will also note while on the subject of my footwear, that an overweight German in an orange hawaian shirt and a black leather sort of waist coat thong thing covered in tatoos on Don det told me I looked weird, if he did not look so much like a biker dude, moustache and stuff I may have said something about pots and kettles but as he looked mildly deranged as well as mean my preservation instincts kicked in).
Anyway back to the hike, Lao is full of the coolest little frogs, and I mean little but they can put on a great hop, they were the first "wild" life I saw, I mean I know they are wild and all but I guess I just associate wild with things that could possibly do me damage (butterflies and dragonflies also come into this category). We had started early and as we followed the river upstream we were lucky enough to come across a little family of otters, out for their breakfast, they were quite far away and we had to be very quiet, it was hard to contain my delighted squeals (yes otters make me act like a five year old I admit it). But some of our party didn't realise that the flash on the camera is not a good idea around wild life and unfortunately they disappeared all to quickly. The fact that I did not drown said camera flasher I still view as a small miracle that may hasten my beatitude once I am gone!
So creeping about in the jungle with two guides, Mr Tho and his son Auto (OK his name wasn't really Auto but he just reminded me of the simpsons dude)a couple of Dutch guys Karl and Sven (if you think thats bad, I had a bungalow next to a German called Wolfgang for a few days) and Kathy the French flasher all trying our best to be sneaky was difficult, I am surprised we saw anything at all, I disturbed a skinny yellowish snake who was sunning himself on the path, he almost turned into a spring coiling himself out of the way so fast. This eco-tourism is great go out into the forest and see how many poor little furry, feathery and scaley buggers you can scare the bejesus out of! It was beautiful and the walk was not terribly arduous, but we didn't really see much else till we got to the tower itself, The tower is made out of wood and is basically a circle with a bunch of matresses and mosquito nets strewn about it, but it does have a great view and so we ate and drank away the late afternoon (Auto, bless his rubber jandals carried the beer and lao lao in his back pack). With the early evening sure enough first the uninspiring though apparently very rare goaty things wandered past on their way to the river and not long after the elephants rolled into view and up to the salt lick, they were great, the politics of salt licking is something I don't quite understand but the elephants know who gets first lick and you don't want to be upsetting one of them, they are BIG.
I can't believe how late we stayed up, but you just didn't want to miss anything and the plague like noise of the crickets makes it impossible to sleep even if you wanted to. The trek out the next day was very laid back, probably because we were all still dozy from lack of sleep and too much adrenalin, still nice to have a shower and put on some clean clothes. At the end of a couple of days like that you can brush the salt off your body onto a bundle of greasy fish and chips, and still have enough left over to fill half a salt shaker. (have I put you off your dinner yet?).
Went to the market this morning and there was a whole avenue of marigold and incense sellers in the dawn light it was really beautiful, the last sunset was fantastic, much clearer than yesterday, but the heat has been pretty intense, I'm sure Bangkok will be just as bad!
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