Sunday, December 16, 2007
December 15th
Election time again, All the hatches are battened and the next two consecutive weekends have been mandated dry, as the Thai people go out to vote, in a post Thaksin Thailand the names and faces may change but the political animal complete with imbeded corruption and nepotism will survive to fight another day. We bait our breath...
Last weekend to celebrate "constitution day" (read a day off school for a constitution written by the current military leaders who wrote it last year, but despite which the public holiday remains the same) my friend Tracey and I went out to Rawai beach and caught a boat to Coral Island, it was beautiful, you could walk into the ocean off shore where there is a reasonably sized coral reef and the water of course is clear enough for fabulous snorkelling, we lazed on the beach and read our books. Now with the arrival of tourist season proper there are so many falang around it's weird. The atmosphere of the town and the local people is changed everyone seems in that much more of a hurry and the focus has become more mercenary.
School is in the mad run up to exams and this final review week has been largely sacrificed to an event known as "provincial sports day" on any given day, half of my class were missing attending either Thai dance or band practice for this weekends opening ceremony (I kid you not) They are going to have the entire school (and every other school in the province) march the streets (read an hour in the mid day sun) then stand about in said heat for a further two and a half hours as the dancers etc do their thing.
Then of course there are the actual exams, I don't know if I have raved about this before but unlike America which is very proud of it's meritocracy (even though I have read arguments [Alain deBotton]that believe it is more of a luckocracy. Here in Thailand they embrace a mediocracy where it doesn't matter how badly a kid does in school they will never fail, they continue to sit the exam until they pass, even if that means giving the kid the answers. The government has in it's wisdom decided 50% is not enough, from now on every child in the country needs to achieve results of at least 60 preferably 70% one most conclude that if they keep going this way it wont be long before the kids themselves realise that even if they do nothing they will still achieve results closer to 100% than 0 as fat boy slim's T'shirt wearing fat guy said "why try harder".
One of my parents, after my persistent badgering has finally decided to get his kid checked for dyslexia, he is taking said child to an "eye doctor" for a check???? I have, as gently as I can, attempted to explain it's not a vision problem. I believe the boy is only mildly dyslexic and a bright kid who could do better if he could read more easily. My Thai teaching assistant has written a letter in Thai to go to the doctor, so hopefully the doctor will explain to the parent where he needs to go for the right kind of tests. We shall see...
Anyway Tracey's leaving party is tonight, her and her replacement Gizzy should be here soon, catch y'all on the flip side.
PS: those of you who had doubts about the opening ceremony will be thrilled to know there was a torch, there was a cauldron lit by it, there were fireworks it was extremely OTT.
Last weekend to celebrate "constitution day" (read a day off school for a constitution written by the current military leaders who wrote it last year, but despite which the public holiday remains the same) my friend Tracey and I went out to Rawai beach and caught a boat to Coral Island, it was beautiful, you could walk into the ocean off shore where there is a reasonably sized coral reef and the water of course is clear enough for fabulous snorkelling, we lazed on the beach and read our books. Now with the arrival of tourist season proper there are so many falang around it's weird. The atmosphere of the town and the local people is changed everyone seems in that much more of a hurry and the focus has become more mercenary.
School is in the mad run up to exams and this final review week has been largely sacrificed to an event known as "provincial sports day" on any given day, half of my class were missing attending either Thai dance or band practice for this weekends opening ceremony (I kid you not) They are going to have the entire school (and every other school in the province) march the streets (read an hour in the mid day sun) then stand about in said heat for a further two and a half hours as the dancers etc do their thing.
Then of course there are the actual exams, I don't know if I have raved about this before but unlike America which is very proud of it's meritocracy (even though I have read arguments [Alain deBotton]that believe it is more of a luckocracy. Here in Thailand they embrace a mediocracy where it doesn't matter how badly a kid does in school they will never fail, they continue to sit the exam until they pass, even if that means giving the kid the answers. The government has in it's wisdom decided 50% is not enough, from now on every child in the country needs to achieve results of at least 60 preferably 70% one most conclude that if they keep going this way it wont be long before the kids themselves realise that even if they do nothing they will still achieve results closer to 100% than 0 as fat boy slim's T'shirt wearing fat guy said "why try harder".
One of my parents, after my persistent badgering has finally decided to get his kid checked for dyslexia, he is taking said child to an "eye doctor" for a check???? I have, as gently as I can, attempted to explain it's not a vision problem. I believe the boy is only mildly dyslexic and a bright kid who could do better if he could read more easily. My Thai teaching assistant has written a letter in Thai to go to the doctor, so hopefully the doctor will explain to the parent where he needs to go for the right kind of tests. We shall see...
Anyway Tracey's leaving party is tonight, her and her replacement Gizzy should be here soon, catch y'all on the flip side.
PS: those of you who had doubts about the opening ceremony will be thrilled to know there was a torch, there was a cauldron lit by it, there were fireworks it was extremely OTT.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
25 November
Sorry this blog is being eclipsed by the rise of facebook, I will do my best to pay more attention.
School is good, the new term has begun and the children are much better behaved this term, it's amazing how much of a struggle that first term is to imprint them with the idea of what is acceptable class room behaviour and what is not, but by the second term they know what to expect. Some of them are very sweet.
Many of the children in my class have complicated little lives. One of the little boys in my class came to me the other day and explained that he had lost his bag. He had, he told me, left it at the place of the woman he was living with because his Dad had told him he couldn't stay at home when his Mum's boyfriend comes over. Mum is a bar girl so basically the grand parents bring him up most of the time. We are doing past tense verbs at the moment and he declared that he knew the past tense of drink it is "drunk" he assured me. hmmmm.
Last night was Loy Krathong, or in literal translation the "float your boat" festival all the kids came to school dressed up and made little banana leaf boats to push away last years bad luck. we went to visit a beach we hadn't been to before it was beautiful, a long ride on the bike but nice to get to the beaches that are a little further away now the tourist season has begun.
If you want to read the Captain's log of my recent dive trip with Mandy please follow the link.
http://www.yachtwillow.com/captainslog/
O.k catch y'all soon.
School is good, the new term has begun and the children are much better behaved this term, it's amazing how much of a struggle that first term is to imprint them with the idea of what is acceptable class room behaviour and what is not, but by the second term they know what to expect. Some of them are very sweet.
Many of the children in my class have complicated little lives. One of the little boys in my class came to me the other day and explained that he had lost his bag. He had, he told me, left it at the place of the woman he was living with because his Dad had told him he couldn't stay at home when his Mum's boyfriend comes over. Mum is a bar girl so basically the grand parents bring him up most of the time. We are doing past tense verbs at the moment and he declared that he knew the past tense of drink it is "drunk" he assured me. hmmmm.
Last night was Loy Krathong, or in literal translation the "float your boat" festival all the kids came to school dressed up and made little banana leaf boats to push away last years bad luck. we went to visit a beach we hadn't been to before it was beautiful, a long ride on the bike but nice to get to the beaches that are a little further away now the tourist season has begun.
If you want to read the Captain's log of my recent dive trip with Mandy please follow the link.
http://www.yachtwillow.com/captainslog/
O.k catch y'all soon.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Phuket 22 October
Another holiday period roles to a close, it's been fabulous.
Mandy came to visit from Australia, we took a live aboard diving and sailing trip to Koh Ha, Hin Muang and Hin Daeng. We saw lots of beautiful corals and colourful fish, cute little yellow box fish, they are such a bright shade of yellow, A Khul sting ray nearly scared me to death (a crikey moment) when he suddenly rose out of the sand right in front of me. The night dive was amazing! Not usually a fan of these things it was really cool from the hairy white tarantula like crabs to the shimmering phosphorescence (like swimming amongst the stars on a black moonless night) it rocked! We did some unusual cavern and long swim through dives, the dive leader lost his false teeth and the recovery dive was in near perfect 35 meter visibility, unfortunately we did not recover said choppers I think there is a parrot fish out there pretending to be a shark and scaring all his mates.
I discovered I am a crap sailor, I need bigger boats that rock less to be comfortable. We met some great people and a wonderful time was had by all.
Mandy and I stayed on Koh Phi Phi with a fantastic view out over the bay, we discovered the joys of cocktail hour and the tasteful glasses they tend to come in on the island.
We finally made it back to Phuket in time to enjoy(?) the last few days of the vegetarian festival, man it's intense. In the morning it starts with the devotees all going to the temple and getting pierced, they then shove things through the facial piercings, lotus flowers, pineapples, the barrel of an AK47, but most commonly knives, great big long knives. There is then a parade through the streets. The guys with the knives are joined by men carrying biers upon which are statues of the nine gods, when these pass by onlookers throw firecrackers to ward off evil spirits and cleanse themselves. Also in the parade are posses of young men carrying axes, at each intersection they circle and whack themselves on the back with said axes, while walking they alternately hit themselves in the forehead with the ax or cut their tongues on the blade, it's just too gruesome to watch. And this goes on every morning from 7am till 11am for a week. Every evening there are also activities, fire walking, climbing sword ladders etc. The last evening people go crazy with firecrackers, the sound is deafening (we had ear plugs) the smoke is almost impenetrable and it goes on till about 3am, boy are we all cleansed and free of evil spirits for at least a year, amazing! I will endeavour to post some photos.
Back to school next week N.J.
Mandy came to visit from Australia, we took a live aboard diving and sailing trip to Koh Ha, Hin Muang and Hin Daeng. We saw lots of beautiful corals and colourful fish, cute little yellow box fish, they are such a bright shade of yellow, A Khul sting ray nearly scared me to death (a crikey moment) when he suddenly rose out of the sand right in front of me. The night dive was amazing! Not usually a fan of these things it was really cool from the hairy white tarantula like crabs to the shimmering phosphorescence (like swimming amongst the stars on a black moonless night) it rocked! We did some unusual cavern and long swim through dives, the dive leader lost his false teeth and the recovery dive was in near perfect 35 meter visibility, unfortunately we did not recover said choppers I think there is a parrot fish out there pretending to be a shark and scaring all his mates.
I discovered I am a crap sailor, I need bigger boats that rock less to be comfortable. We met some great people and a wonderful time was had by all.
Mandy and I stayed on Koh Phi Phi with a fantastic view out over the bay, we discovered the joys of cocktail hour and the tasteful glasses they tend to come in on the island.
We finally made it back to Phuket in time to enjoy(?) the last few days of the vegetarian festival, man it's intense. In the morning it starts with the devotees all going to the temple and getting pierced, they then shove things through the facial piercings, lotus flowers, pineapples, the barrel of an AK47, but most commonly knives, great big long knives. There is then a parade through the streets. The guys with the knives are joined by men carrying biers upon which are statues of the nine gods, when these pass by onlookers throw firecrackers to ward off evil spirits and cleanse themselves. Also in the parade are posses of young men carrying axes, at each intersection they circle and whack themselves on the back with said axes, while walking they alternately hit themselves in the forehead with the ax or cut their tongues on the blade, it's just too gruesome to watch. And this goes on every morning from 7am till 11am for a week. Every evening there are also activities, fire walking, climbing sword ladders etc. The last evening people go crazy with firecrackers, the sound is deafening (we had ear plugs) the smoke is almost impenetrable and it goes on till about 3am, boy are we all cleansed and free of evil spirits for at least a year, amazing! I will endeavour to post some photos.
Back to school next week N.J.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
My god is it September already?
Just back from Bangkok. As usual far too many nights out far too late! Clubbing till 6 in the morning eating porridge at the street stalls before bed, the guys in Bkk. do it every night, I don't know how but there you go!
I went on a canal journey by long tail which was great, of course I am such a crap tourist that I had left my camera at home down in Phuket, so don't hold your breath for pics of that trip. We wove our way past peoples back yards and watched people having their evening bath in the Chao Phraya (which has to be one of the filthiest looking rivers I have ever seen). Some of the houses in the Thonburi area though are very well cared for and obviously belong to wealthy families.
I went to Lumpini twice for dinner and noticed the quality of the entertainment has improved, the place is still under threat of closure but the market sellers don't believe it will ever happen.
I went to a club called saxophone which had very cool personalised swizel sticks in it's cocktails, it played cool jazz and hot funk, the beautiful lead singer had cutting edge technology lipstick, it had a light on the tube which lit your lips as you painted and a mirrored case which you looked in as you applied, if James Bond was a woman this is the kind of makeup she would demand (with a poison dart gun at the other end of the tube of course.
We went to a new club where the attentive staff all have torches (CSI style) to illuminate the way to your dimly lit table when you arrive, and to shine on the bill when you leave. They work in tag teams their is the guy in the suit who watched our table and signalled a shirt but no jacket waiter over every time some one required a drink poured (at our table) or a cigarette lit. That much attention is just too much for me!
There are some fun new adds on the sky train for skinny milk and a scary one for chocolate tube shaped cookies called "collon" ewwww.
The markets were visited, margaritas were drunk and I was completely exhausted and glad to be home last night!
I went on a canal journey by long tail which was great, of course I am such a crap tourist that I had left my camera at home down in Phuket, so don't hold your breath for pics of that trip. We wove our way past peoples back yards and watched people having their evening bath in the Chao Phraya (which has to be one of the filthiest looking rivers I have ever seen). Some of the houses in the Thonburi area though are very well cared for and obviously belong to wealthy families.
I went to Lumpini twice for dinner and noticed the quality of the entertainment has improved, the place is still under threat of closure but the market sellers don't believe it will ever happen.
I went to a club called saxophone which had very cool personalised swizel sticks in it's cocktails, it played cool jazz and hot funk, the beautiful lead singer had cutting edge technology lipstick, it had a light on the tube which lit your lips as you painted and a mirrored case which you looked in as you applied, if James Bond was a woman this is the kind of makeup she would demand (with a poison dart gun at the other end of the tube of course.
We went to a new club where the attentive staff all have torches (CSI style) to illuminate the way to your dimly lit table when you arrive, and to shine on the bill when you leave. They work in tag teams their is the guy in the suit who watched our table and signalled a shirt but no jacket waiter over every time some one required a drink poured (at our table) or a cigarette lit. That much attention is just too much for me!
There are some fun new adds on the sky train for skinny milk and a scary one for chocolate tube shaped cookies called "collon" ewwww.
The markets were visited, margaritas were drunk and I was completely exhausted and glad to be home last night!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
16 September
It's still pretty damp over here, Of course it was melting tarmac temperature last friday for sports day (many kids had to be removed from the field or just plain passed out). apparently it's the same every year, the headmaster assured us it would not rain when we asked, in fact when we asked what the back up plan would be should it rain he just said there was not a plan B, it would not rain, they had prayed to Buddah, and what do you know it was a scorcher! It was a great day for me.
I did nothing but eat drink and very occassionally applaud in a sedate school marmish way (which incidentaly I'm not terribly convincing at most of the time, I too often sucumb to the urge to laugh at myself!).
Cultural insight of the month: Thai people (and Thai society in general) consider insisting and direct imperatives rude, even when you are consulting a doctor, dentist or other professional, in the west we expect these kinds of people to tell us what is in our best interests to do, but here they tend to say unhelpful things like "You could have a skin graft, it's up to you" leaving you wondering if it's necessary an aesthetic option or simply another procedure which you could have done if you wanted. Luckily it wasn't me in need of the skin graft one of the guys at work who seems to spend more of his time in the presence of the medical fraternity than that of his class, accident prone takes on new meaning.
Anyway better go get soggy again.
Take care dudes.
I did nothing but eat drink and very occassionally applaud in a sedate school marmish way (which incidentaly I'm not terribly convincing at most of the time, I too often sucumb to the urge to laugh at myself!).
Cultural insight of the month: Thai people (and Thai society in general) consider insisting and direct imperatives rude, even when you are consulting a doctor, dentist or other professional, in the west we expect these kinds of people to tell us what is in our best interests to do, but here they tend to say unhelpful things like "You could have a skin graft, it's up to you" leaving you wondering if it's necessary an aesthetic option or simply another procedure which you could have done if you wanted. Luckily it wasn't me in need of the skin graft one of the guys at work who seems to spend more of his time in the presence of the medical fraternity than that of his class, accident prone takes on new meaning.
Anyway better go get soggy again.
Take care dudes.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
1st September Phuket
The weeks melt away, glacial time suffering the effects of global warming. Thailand has had a plebiscite basically a choice between agreeing to the new constitution as written by the current military junta or postponing elections into the murky future.
Meanwhile the government has it's hands full closing down you tube sites and quelling protests on the streets of Bangkok, so s.n.a.f.u. as they say.
Saw the king on the t.v. the other day and he doesn't look very well, the rainy season has been in full swing and the school is gearing up for sport day (oh yeah) I feel a farce coming on. apparently every year it rains all week and then is fine on sport day. Some how I remain unconvinced!
Watching the news today it is awash with stories of the ten year anniversary of the death of Dianna "the princess of Wales", it reminded me that it is ten years since I was living on Koh Phangan, it was from a hotel room in bangkok that I watched the news unfolding in the Paris tunnel. Funny to be almost in the same place ten years on, Thailand has become my country of residence by default.
Not feeling very loquacious today, three weeks till the end of term and some holidays, (yay). Might wander into Patong this evening to pick up some software and stuff. Stay tuned for a fluffier post coming soon.
Love N.J.
Meanwhile the government has it's hands full closing down you tube sites and quelling protests on the streets of Bangkok, so s.n.a.f.u. as they say.
Saw the king on the t.v. the other day and he doesn't look very well, the rainy season has been in full swing and the school is gearing up for sport day (oh yeah) I feel a farce coming on. apparently every year it rains all week and then is fine on sport day. Some how I remain unconvinced!
Watching the news today it is awash with stories of the ten year anniversary of the death of Dianna "the princess of Wales", it reminded me that it is ten years since I was living on Koh Phangan, it was from a hotel room in bangkok that I watched the news unfolding in the Paris tunnel. Funny to be almost in the same place ten years on, Thailand has become my country of residence by default.
Not feeling very loquacious today, three weeks till the end of term and some holidays, (yay). Might wander into Patong this evening to pick up some software and stuff. Stay tuned for a fluffier post coming soon.
Love N.J.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Phuket 15 August
While we were on Phi Phi Island I noticed that the sand was white on top but just underneath black, volcanic sand I assumed, then I discovered it is actualy the silt left over after the tsunami. There are still pieces of brokrn tile everywhere and bungalows being rebuilt. Some areas are still abandoned and many of the post cards you buy still show the area pre tsunami with twice as many palm trees as currently reside in the shallow wedgew of land that lies between the two main beaches of Phi Phi Don.
It seems every weekend at the moment is a long one (yay) bring on the four day week, Last weekend was the Queens birthday, the weekend before Buddhist lent, this weekend they have a referendum (perhaps it will stop the rioting in Bangkok). It means no alcohol sales from midnight the day before, apparently Thai people can't be trusted to not kill each other in an alcohol fuelled frenzies if they have different political opinions (or if the prevailling party is not the one they desire). Weird but true some people take their politics that seriously, unfortunately a large proportion of voters are hopelessly under informed, ill informed or simply misinformed as the government tightens controls on media outlets, and restricts access to sites like you tube and other public forums. Perhaps a democracy will be voted on in October as promised but if this new constitution is not passed perhaps not. In the mean time we will have to buy our alcohol on non-election days and have pool parties on the long weekends while the citizens of this land are taking care of business.
Later N.J.
It seems every weekend at the moment is a long one (yay) bring on the four day week, Last weekend was the Queens birthday, the weekend before Buddhist lent, this weekend they have a referendum (perhaps it will stop the rioting in Bangkok). It means no alcohol sales from midnight the day before, apparently Thai people can't be trusted to not kill each other in an alcohol fuelled frenzies if they have different political opinions (or if the prevailling party is not the one they desire). Weird but true some people take their politics that seriously, unfortunately a large proportion of voters are hopelessly under informed, ill informed or simply misinformed as the government tightens controls on media outlets, and restricts access to sites like you tube and other public forums. Perhaps a democracy will be voted on in October as promised but if this new constitution is not passed perhaps not. In the mean time we will have to buy our alcohol on non-election days and have pool parties on the long weekends while the citizens of this land are taking care of business.
Later N.J.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
2 August
The long weekend started in the rain (but it is rainy season!) we caught the boat out to Koh Phi Phi the vessel featured a tour guide with princess leia hair buns, and they looked extremely odd on him, but he didn't seem to notice and I failed in my attempts to photograph him so your just going to have to take my word for it till the next time I go to Phi Phi.
Any way the weather cleared as we approached Phi Phi Don, we quickly found ourselves a beach bungalow (with swimming pool) and headed out to explore the surrounds. The town was bigger than I expected and totally orientated to tourism, in fact it seems hard to imagine there is employment of any other sort on the Island.
The weekend was fabulous, I got in that sea kayaking, took on a wild monkey (he wanted my cinnamon swirl and I wasn't prepared to give it up) I was armed with a kayak paddle, he was merely armed, (I guess that's why they call it an arms race).
There was lots of swimming, the food and cocktails on the beach at sunset were fabulous, the midnight banana and chocolate pancakes were great.
We went to the viking cave where there are rock paintings of viking ships (reported to be only 100 years old mind you, I wonder if people in a centuries time will go to visit my graffitii if I did it with ochre on a cave wall.
We went to visit Maya bay, made famous as the set for the hollywood movie "the beach" it is swarming with tourists (and this is low season!).
Even had time for my first rock climb since Australia, all good, but got back to school knackered. Just in time for a class field trip to the zoo, tried to feed some students to the crocodile but they simply weren't interested (too well fed) curses maybe next time.
Well it's the middle of the night (again) time to catch some zzz's promise to post some photos on the weekend.
Love N.J.
Any way the weather cleared as we approached Phi Phi Don, we quickly found ourselves a beach bungalow (with swimming pool) and headed out to explore the surrounds. The town was bigger than I expected and totally orientated to tourism, in fact it seems hard to imagine there is employment of any other sort on the Island.
The weekend was fabulous, I got in that sea kayaking, took on a wild monkey (he wanted my cinnamon swirl and I wasn't prepared to give it up) I was armed with a kayak paddle, he was merely armed, (I guess that's why they call it an arms race).
There was lots of swimming, the food and cocktails on the beach at sunset were fabulous, the midnight banana and chocolate pancakes were great.
We went to the viking cave where there are rock paintings of viking ships (reported to be only 100 years old mind you, I wonder if people in a centuries time will go to visit my graffitii if I did it with ochre on a cave wall.
We went to visit Maya bay, made famous as the set for the hollywood movie "the beach" it is swarming with tourists (and this is low season!).
Even had time for my first rock climb since Australia, all good, but got back to school knackered. Just in time for a class field trip to the zoo, tried to feed some students to the crocodile but they simply weren't interested (too well fed) curses maybe next time.
Well it's the middle of the night (again) time to catch some zzz's promise to post some photos on the weekend.
Love N.J.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Weekend
Fantastic weekend, Stayed at a Muslim fishing village, (damn it what happened to cocktail hour) but the sound of the call to worship in the morning was actually beautiful, melodic and achingly melancholic, much nicer than the tuneless pre-pubescent boys who wail out the call from some mosques I have had the displeasure to sleep in budget accomodation next to.
The tour the next day to James Bond Island and pottering by boat around the limestone Karst cliffs, in and out of mangrove swamps, lunch on the beach and swimming in the Andaman ocean was terrific.
Actually passed on the sea kayak in the end as they won't let you paddle your own canoe (and you all know how I hate anybody else to paddle my canoe)But it was a fabulous weekend if I had more time I would give more details, but flat out with mid-term exams at the moment and a long weekend to plan for, more soon.
Love Nikki Jayne.
The tour the next day to James Bond Island and pottering by boat around the limestone Karst cliffs, in and out of mangrove swamps, lunch on the beach and swimming in the Andaman ocean was terrific.
Actually passed on the sea kayak in the end as they won't let you paddle your own canoe (and you all know how I hate anybody else to paddle my canoe)But it was a fabulous weekend if I had more time I would give more details, but flat out with mid-term exams at the moment and a long weekend to plan for, more soon.
Love Nikki Jayne.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
19th July 2007
Sorry it's been so long cats and kittens, I am in deed still alive just partying too hard, you know how it goes.
Let me start at the beginning, well as I'm sure you all know by now, I have been struggling with the powers that be to restore my passport etc, etc to a level of legitimacy appropriate to my continuing lifestyle here in Thailand.
Phuket immigration really didn't want to know, I turned up there, shiny new virgin passport in hand. I told my tale of woe and the official (who was camp as a row of tents) look very perturbed said "This is very hard for me" and I sat for several hours as he pissed about trying to avoid doing his job. eventually he rang Bangkok then told me he couldn't help me and I would have to go to Bangkok.
So I went to Bangkok, I arrived at the airport and bumped into one of the guys who lives in the same building as I he chatted in my ear at the airport, he chatted on the plane, he chatted on the bus into town, my ears were pleased to get away from him, and then Bangkok happened, I went and stayed at Kevin and Ian's place, we went out we danced we drank we laughed, it was too much fun till too late in the morning it was daylight before bedtime it was rasberry mojitos it was electrolyte drinks before bed, it was Harry Potter and fuzzy days segue into fuzzier nights.
One night Kevin's friend Paul asked me to go and invite an amazonian style Blonde who was sitting alone to our table over, I did, she had a firm handshake a voice pitched several fathoms below feminine and he was a good sport about talking to her all night although she was not exactly what he had in mind when he had first spied her (he did get her phone number though so maybe he did know all along). The evening unfolding around me was one of the funniest events I have ever had the pleasure to be a part of.
So still muzzy I made it to immigration where I rode the emotional roller coaster at first it seemed a simple matter, then they discovered the original paper work for my visa is "missing" they decided they couldn't help me, but I say if you can't help me no-body can so several hours later Suvarnabhum come through for me, a subsequent visa issued at the new airport was traced and the paper work faxed over, they re-issued my visa and it didn't cost me a satang (yay).
I hear you ask. Why don't they just put all these records on one data base that any immigration/border crossing official in the country can access? Ahh you foreigner you, this is Thailand, the "It doesn't matter" attitude can be a real pain in the ass when you are trying to get anything done you just have to learn to live that way or go slowly mad.
When I arrived at the airport (to fly back to Phuket) they took one look at my passport with it's shiny new visa and immediately started chatting, talking and laughing, I was their long lost friend, they issued me with a new multiple entry visa on the spot, there was smiling and wai-ing. What it is to be popular, what it is to have no clue as to why I'm popular, oh I love the cultural chasm, it's like living in a dream, your never quite sure which tangent your life will veer up next, whether the street is made of water downed concrete or whether the wheel will fall of your bike it's a mystery.
It's a mystery, but it's a more honest reflection of the true instability of our lives, we deny this by building social institutions in an attempt to control the unpredictable nature of well nature, we lacquer the gaps with our own habitual "lifestyles" and then we're shocked when the fabric of this world is damaged. Here you can't build let alone maintain the comfort of these illusions, your living your life raw. Oh it's all getting a bit deep, better go.
Catch y'all on the other side of the weekend.
N.J.
Let me start at the beginning, well as I'm sure you all know by now, I have been struggling with the powers that be to restore my passport etc, etc to a level of legitimacy appropriate to my continuing lifestyle here in Thailand.
Phuket immigration really didn't want to know, I turned up there, shiny new virgin passport in hand. I told my tale of woe and the official (who was camp as a row of tents) look very perturbed said "This is very hard for me" and I sat for several hours as he pissed about trying to avoid doing his job. eventually he rang Bangkok then told me he couldn't help me and I would have to go to Bangkok.
So I went to Bangkok, I arrived at the airport and bumped into one of the guys who lives in the same building as I he chatted in my ear at the airport, he chatted on the plane, he chatted on the bus into town, my ears were pleased to get away from him, and then Bangkok happened, I went and stayed at Kevin and Ian's place, we went out we danced we drank we laughed, it was too much fun till too late in the morning it was daylight before bedtime it was rasberry mojitos it was electrolyte drinks before bed, it was Harry Potter and fuzzy days segue into fuzzier nights.
One night Kevin's friend Paul asked me to go and invite an amazonian style Blonde who was sitting alone to our table over, I did, she had a firm handshake a voice pitched several fathoms below feminine and he was a good sport about talking to her all night although she was not exactly what he had in mind when he had first spied her (he did get her phone number though so maybe he did know all along). The evening unfolding around me was one of the funniest events I have ever had the pleasure to be a part of.
So still muzzy I made it to immigration where I rode the emotional roller coaster at first it seemed a simple matter, then they discovered the original paper work for my visa is "missing" they decided they couldn't help me, but I say if you can't help me no-body can so several hours later Suvarnabhum come through for me, a subsequent visa issued at the new airport was traced and the paper work faxed over, they re-issued my visa and it didn't cost me a satang (yay).
I hear you ask. Why don't they just put all these records on one data base that any immigration/border crossing official in the country can access? Ahh you foreigner you, this is Thailand, the "It doesn't matter" attitude can be a real pain in the ass when you are trying to get anything done you just have to learn to live that way or go slowly mad.
When I arrived at the airport (to fly back to Phuket) they took one look at my passport with it's shiny new visa and immediately started chatting, talking and laughing, I was their long lost friend, they issued me with a new multiple entry visa on the spot, there was smiling and wai-ing. What it is to be popular, what it is to have no clue as to why I'm popular, oh I love the cultural chasm, it's like living in a dream, your never quite sure which tangent your life will veer up next, whether the street is made of water downed concrete or whether the wheel will fall of your bike it's a mystery.
It's a mystery, but it's a more honest reflection of the true instability of our lives, we deny this by building social institutions in an attempt to control the unpredictable nature of well nature, we lacquer the gaps with our own habitual "lifestyles" and then we're shocked when the fabric of this world is damaged. Here you can't build let alone maintain the comfort of these illusions, your living your life raw. Oh it's all getting a bit deep, better go.
Catch y'all on the other side of the weekend.
N.J.
1st July 2007
We went to Kata beach this weekend, I think I like it best of all the beaches, it has a nice shady area under some pine trees at the back of the beach and now in off season it's pretty quiet, the waves were quite surfy and I enjoyed a swim there, after we stopped off at "the green man" a brit style pub and watched a rugby game with Rick.
Rick is one of the guys I work with at school, American and younger than his 26 years he is having a break from med school to get some Muay Thai and beach time in.
Tony flair has been replaced by the stolid Gordon Brown and several car bombs have not exploded on London's streets, the media here is interesting, I came home from work and flicked on the t.v. "fox" was on talking with much anxiety and hand wringing about the "terror alert" in London so I figured I would head immediately to the BBC to get a less hysterical version of this exciting breaking news, the BBC had on a documentary news piece about American presidential hopeful Barac Obama and the state of America's education system??!? What does this say about the polarisation and focus of media sources, the value of localised news is now weighed according to the fears and interest level of it's audience, interesting.
My Mum of course was due to arrive in London that day I think, what is it with Mum and her timing of her arrivals in London to coincide with Bomb attacks?
Anyways, I'd better wander away. Take care, N.J.
Rick is one of the guys I work with at school, American and younger than his 26 years he is having a break from med school to get some Muay Thai and beach time in.
Tony flair has been replaced by the stolid Gordon Brown and several car bombs have not exploded on London's streets, the media here is interesting, I came home from work and flicked on the t.v. "fox" was on talking with much anxiety and hand wringing about the "terror alert" in London so I figured I would head immediately to the BBC to get a less hysterical version of this exciting breaking news, the BBC had on a documentary news piece about American presidential hopeful Barac Obama and the state of America's education system??!? What does this say about the polarisation and focus of media sources, the value of localised news is now weighed according to the fears and interest level of it's audience, interesting.
My Mum of course was due to arrive in London that day I think, what is it with Mum and her timing of her arrivals in London to coincide with Bomb attacks?
Anyways, I'd better wander away. Take care, N.J.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Phuket 17 June
This week included Wai Kru day, which is basically give flowers to your teacher day, I got some really beautiful ones and some are still making my apartment smell beautiful.
The kids in my class have been full of beans as ususal, the thai teacher in my room has absolutely no control over them and they break into a mini riot almost whenever it is not my class, I don't know how she can teach in those conditions, I forsee some meetings with the headmaster and the Parents in some of these childrens near futures.
The weather has been a bit sad and drissly this week, and we have moved up a gear into some serious humidity, the rain though is extremely polarised, it breaks out in one part of town but a 10 minute motor bike ride away the weather has been perfect all day, almost spooky in it's oddness. We went to the butterfly garden today, it was a great way to spend the afternoon, watching butterflies unsteadily drift from one flower to a banana to feed and back again, the leaf wings are amazing they really do look like dry leaves. They also have a rather large collection of hairy tarantulas, creepy.
Anyway here's some pictures to keep you amused.
N.J.
The kids in my class have been full of beans as ususal, the thai teacher in my room has absolutely no control over them and they break into a mini riot almost whenever it is not my class, I don't know how she can teach in those conditions, I forsee some meetings with the headmaster and the Parents in some of these childrens near futures.
The weather has been a bit sad and drissly this week, and we have moved up a gear into some serious humidity, the rain though is extremely polarised, it breaks out in one part of town but a 10 minute motor bike ride away the weather has been perfect all day, almost spooky in it's oddness. We went to the butterfly garden today, it was a great way to spend the afternoon, watching butterflies unsteadily drift from one flower to a banana to feed and back again, the leaf wings are amazing they really do look like dry leaves. They also have a rather large collection of hairy tarantulas, creepy.
Anyway here's some pictures to keep you amused.
N.J.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Phuket 9th June
Anyone who fancies working here by the way has a very good chance of getting a job as a couple of people have left recently (when they found out how much work is actually involved in teaching), I think like every where else at the moment there are not enough teachers to go round.
Hoping I might get picked up by the cops again this weekend, deliberately planning on leaving my licence at home hoping a second violation might get me forty days in Paris Hilton's mansion as well, the media here (Fox, if you can call that media) is in an absolute feeding frenzy over the whole thing, watching Fox is one of the most bizarre experiences I know they can segue between a story about starving children and famine in Africa to one about (insert name of this months favourite teen queen)'s life spiralling out of control in a heart beat, it makes my head hurt (not to mention other bits), it's just too weird. Everything is either an "alert" or a fox news extra, the only thing possibly more alert than fox news is a platoon of meerkats (and I don't mean those lazy fuckers at the sydney zoo, who haven't seen a predator in so long they just snooze all day, put em in the tiger cage for a day just to get them back in shape) but I digress. Annnnyhow
ent to visit some more beaches today, the roads are beautiful with all those orange/ red flowers in bloom on the trees at the moment, being off season I get the long stretches of golden sand and picture postcard azure waters to myself, went to Surin and Kamala. Kamala is odd it looks like the tsunami went through there 6 months ago instead of two years ago, it has a kind of "currently under construction" abandoned air to it, it is the place where the monument is, I rather like the statue, it was only put up last year and is rusting already! I recognised one of the resorts from the amateur video footage of the arriving wave which seemed to be in constant loop on western media that boxing day.
Tomorrow I am going for a sunset walk up Rang hill, I love those places they are usually such beautiful tranquil places to let a couple of hours of your life melt away.
Anyway sugars more later.
Besos N.J.
Hoping I might get picked up by the cops again this weekend, deliberately planning on leaving my licence at home hoping a second violation might get me forty days in Paris Hilton's mansion as well, the media here (Fox, if you can call that media) is in an absolute feeding frenzy over the whole thing, watching Fox is one of the most bizarre experiences I know they can segue between a story about starving children and famine in Africa to one about (insert name of this months favourite teen queen)'s life spiralling out of control in a heart beat, it makes my head hurt (not to mention other bits), it's just too weird. Everything is either an "alert" or a fox news extra, the only thing possibly more alert than fox news is a platoon of meerkats (and I don't mean those lazy fuckers at the sydney zoo, who haven't seen a predator in so long they just snooze all day, put em in the tiger cage for a day just to get them back in shape) but I digress. Annnnyhow
ent to visit some more beaches today, the roads are beautiful with all those orange/ red flowers in bloom on the trees at the moment, being off season I get the long stretches of golden sand and picture postcard azure waters to myself, went to Surin and Kamala. Kamala is odd it looks like the tsunami went through there 6 months ago instead of two years ago, it has a kind of "currently under construction" abandoned air to it, it is the place where the monument is, I rather like the statue, it was only put up last year and is rusting already! I recognised one of the resorts from the amateur video footage of the arriving wave which seemed to be in constant loop on western media that boxing day.
Tomorrow I am going for a sunset walk up Rang hill, I love those places they are usually such beautiful tranquil places to let a couple of hours of your life melt away.
Anyway sugars more later.
Besos N.J.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Phuket 30 May
Yesterday we went to Patong beach the road is not as good as some of the others and the drifts of sand that collect at the heat frayed lips of road where the tarmac disolves into rubble add to the sense of peril, I really hate those Thai guys who with no shirt or helmet blat on past (on the inside) at tremendous speeds, I guess they are hoping to die before they get old (I'm guessing I missed that boat already).
It was nice to have a swim about but the water is too full of jet skis and speed boats pulling along those paragliders. The paragliding experience costs 700 bhat for a 5 minute circuit of the bay, the tourist is wearing a life jacket and strapped into a safety harness but as the parachute lifts off the ground some Thai guy swings himself with agile ease into the strings of the chute and pulls the strings to direct it around the prescribed circuit to the left and then away from the trees on landing, it reminds me of nothing more than having a monkey on your back, I can't imagine it being an enjoyable experience, I eschewed.
We stayed into the evening and went to Soi Sea dragon and some of the other brightly lit streets that run back from Patong, we were too early in the evening really, the bars were full of girls playing connect four with each other or the odd farang, there is an air of expectation, some of the girls indulge in wriggling and writhing on the poles and platforms set up outside or on the roofs of the discotheques, many of them have no sense of rhythm (Whoever said white people can't dance has obviously never been to Thailand) and their seductive dances are exaggerated to the extent where they become a parody of sexuality, a farcical dance of sad desperation, just as weird in many ways (too me) are the tourists who bring their children into the street, they must realise what these kids are going to see by being here, I guess the Europeans have always been a lot more open about such things than the conservative mores the English (and subsequently those of her colonies) were brought up with.
Got busted by the cops on the way back for not having a drivers licence on me, they are in cahoots with the taxi mafia, Phuket is really organised to fleece the tourist every which way, it annoys me sometimes, maybe enough to make me glad when my contract ends in March, anyway time to go do some shopping.
Later guys, love N.J.
It was nice to have a swim about but the water is too full of jet skis and speed boats pulling along those paragliders. The paragliding experience costs 700 bhat for a 5 minute circuit of the bay, the tourist is wearing a life jacket and strapped into a safety harness but as the parachute lifts off the ground some Thai guy swings himself with agile ease into the strings of the chute and pulls the strings to direct it around the prescribed circuit to the left and then away from the trees on landing, it reminds me of nothing more than having a monkey on your back, I can't imagine it being an enjoyable experience, I eschewed.
We stayed into the evening and went to Soi Sea dragon and some of the other brightly lit streets that run back from Patong, we were too early in the evening really, the bars were full of girls playing connect four with each other or the odd farang, there is an air of expectation, some of the girls indulge in wriggling and writhing on the poles and platforms set up outside or on the roofs of the discotheques, many of them have no sense of rhythm (Whoever said white people can't dance has obviously never been to Thailand) and their seductive dances are exaggerated to the extent where they become a parody of sexuality, a farcical dance of sad desperation, just as weird in many ways (too me) are the tourists who bring their children into the street, they must realise what these kids are going to see by being here, I guess the Europeans have always been a lot more open about such things than the conservative mores the English (and subsequently those of her colonies) were brought up with.
Got busted by the cops on the way back for not having a drivers licence on me, they are in cahoots with the taxi mafia, Phuket is really organised to fleece the tourist every which way, it annoys me sometimes, maybe enough to make me glad when my contract ends in March, anyway time to go do some shopping.
Later guys, love N.J.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
19 May 2007
I survived the first week of school, unlike last year I still have a voice (though it now has a slight husky quality in a very unsexy way), the kids here have no sense of discipline, they don't know about standing in straight lines and some of them find it impossible to stay in their seats, there has been shouting (me not them), there has been line writing and break missing, parents written to and the naughty chair has been used, nearly had one boy in tears, oh I'm so mean, I'm hoping for the dragon reputation (goes with the red hair). So we will see how we go next week.
I'm still really liking the new school, the sense of community is much stronger but because it is so much bigger than Chockchai each department has quite rigid policies and child centered learning has in part been sacrificed for curriculum centered learning in order to keep all the classes at any particular level on the same page (literally, especially math which is run by a
Sth African who suffers from megalomania).
My Teaching assistant (you are all dying to know) is really sweet, she again has no control over the kids but what she does in her lessons on the whole discipline front is up to her (though of course it has a negative flow on effect in my classes and the Thai language teachers are even worse).
A week later and this is shaping up to be a really boring post, sorry guys, I had an observation this week and the class was a disaster, but it's worked out really well because I got lots of tips and suggestions on ways to improve in the feedback session, I have started using some of them and it's an improvement.
The kids here are considerably better versed in English than those in Bangkok, two of my kids don't speak Thai much at all and several others don't have it as a first language, many of the children are fluent (for their age) in three languages with a smattering of a fourth, sometimes trying to teach them stuff I feel a little fraudulent.
Enough of the work stuff. In Phuket it is easier to be a vegetarian than it was in Bangkok, (except at school where they have a sometimes policy on the vegetarian food front, oddly they have a section for vegetarian food though often some chicken or some such has found it's way into the soup). There is a big Chinese community down here though and they of course are much more serious about their vegetarian food especially around the temples where their is a selection of vegetarian restaurants.
Phuket though is a dangerous town to live in, one of the guys at school had a burglar in his house last night and another guy is limping around the place after a motorbike accident. It seems every week there is a new incident of some kind or another to one of the staff, I saw a girl come off her bike in front of me at the lights the other day, she was ok, it's the second accident I have seen since I've been here.
on the other hand the beaches are beautiful, and just being under 30 minutes away from one is fantastic, we went to Rawai this weekend, one of the quiet beaches (by Phuket standards) and it reminds you how great it is not to be in Bangkok, or more specifically not to be in Rangsit. We ate beautiful food on a table in the sand, it was couriered over the road for us from the nearest restaurant, I wandered around the rocky outcrops and swam in the turquoise ocean and found little secluded bays every where you park your bike along the road, it's all delightfully relaxing.
Saw both Spiderman 3 and Pirates of the caribean 3 this weekend, neither impressed me very much, choreographed fight scenes, mawkish romance and bombastic sound tracks are as predictable as sunshine in sth east asia.
So lets see if the tanks roll in agin on Wednesdy, the King is nervous, the mood of the people is hard t gage, we're all holding our breath here (not so much in Phuket but certainly in Bangkok. I have no passport at the moment so lets cross ou fingers.
Later, N.J.
I'm still really liking the new school, the sense of community is much stronger but because it is so much bigger than Chockchai each department has quite rigid policies and child centered learning has in part been sacrificed for curriculum centered learning in order to keep all the classes at any particular level on the same page (literally, especially math which is run by a
Sth African who suffers from megalomania).
My Teaching assistant (you are all dying to know) is really sweet, she again has no control over the kids but what she does in her lessons on the whole discipline front is up to her (though of course it has a negative flow on effect in my classes and the Thai language teachers are even worse).
A week later and this is shaping up to be a really boring post, sorry guys, I had an observation this week and the class was a disaster, but it's worked out really well because I got lots of tips and suggestions on ways to improve in the feedback session, I have started using some of them and it's an improvement.
The kids here are considerably better versed in English than those in Bangkok, two of my kids don't speak Thai much at all and several others don't have it as a first language, many of the children are fluent (for their age) in three languages with a smattering of a fourth, sometimes trying to teach them stuff I feel a little fraudulent.
Enough of the work stuff. In Phuket it is easier to be a vegetarian than it was in Bangkok, (except at school where they have a sometimes policy on the vegetarian food front, oddly they have a section for vegetarian food though often some chicken or some such has found it's way into the soup). There is a big Chinese community down here though and they of course are much more serious about their vegetarian food especially around the temples where their is a selection of vegetarian restaurants.
Phuket though is a dangerous town to live in, one of the guys at school had a burglar in his house last night and another guy is limping around the place after a motorbike accident. It seems every week there is a new incident of some kind or another to one of the staff, I saw a girl come off her bike in front of me at the lights the other day, she was ok, it's the second accident I have seen since I've been here.
on the other hand the beaches are beautiful, and just being under 30 minutes away from one is fantastic, we went to Rawai this weekend, one of the quiet beaches (by Phuket standards) and it reminds you how great it is not to be in Bangkok, or more specifically not to be in Rangsit. We ate beautiful food on a table in the sand, it was couriered over the road for us from the nearest restaurant, I wandered around the rocky outcrops and swam in the turquoise ocean and found little secluded bays every where you park your bike along the road, it's all delightfully relaxing.
Saw both Spiderman 3 and Pirates of the caribean 3 this weekend, neither impressed me very much, choreographed fight scenes, mawkish romance and bombastic sound tracks are as predictable as sunshine in sth east asia.
So lets see if the tanks roll in agin on Wednesdy, the King is nervous, the mood of the people is hard t gage, we're all holding our breath here (not so much in Phuket but certainly in Bangkok. I have no passport at the moment so lets cross ou fingers.
Later, N.J.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Phuket 03 May
So, the first few days in the new job, it's going really well, love the fact that I have lots of company and everyone gets on, no politics as yet, it's a very different structure and set-up from Chockchai, we'll have to see if I like it so much once the kids actually arrive. Lesson plans here are really minimal, which could be a bad thing for me as I like my classes to have a structure, I like to be able to refer to a guide, so I will probably write my own anyway. Everyone here scuba dives so I should have no drama finding buddies but of course the season is almost over so we shall see. Oh and did I mention that we clock in and out at work using our fingerprints, it's all very James Bond (or Kim possible).
I hired a bike for the month (Don't read this next bit Uncle Chris) I am still extremely nervous on it (your Gran drives more recklessly than me) and haven't tried night time yet (mostly because the street lighting is minimal if it exists at all), while in Patong the other day mind you I discovered what I suspect is one of the main causes of the high death toll here. Driving (like at home) the Thai's believe should be done on the left hand side of the road, except every now and again of course, when they don't and suddenly you come across a road where you have to drive on the right!!!?! They also only follow the traffic lights if there is traffic, if the road appears clear they just ignore the red light, sometimes it's chaos out there I spent my first couple of days not even making it out of second gear! I have relaxed some what now but the motorcycle helmets are not even glorified bicycle helmets, they won't be protecting much and thats if the wearer actually has the thing done up!
I went into Patong on my last day before I started work and discovered the back streets away from the intense tourist area are actually quite nice, beautiful old fashioned architecture crowded in by the usual Thai soi life, noodles on the street and the familiar ordours of asia. Every second house runs some kind of semi retail business out of their front room, the sight of little sparrows feeding straight out of the huge open sacks of rice, which are all on display for the shoppers convenience.
Anyway I have lesson plans to write, later guys.
Love N.J.
I hired a bike for the month (Don't read this next bit Uncle Chris) I am still extremely nervous on it (your Gran drives more recklessly than me) and haven't tried night time yet (mostly because the street lighting is minimal if it exists at all), while in Patong the other day mind you I discovered what I suspect is one of the main causes of the high death toll here. Driving (like at home) the Thai's believe should be done on the left hand side of the road, except every now and again of course, when they don't and suddenly you come across a road where you have to drive on the right!!!?! They also only follow the traffic lights if there is traffic, if the road appears clear they just ignore the red light, sometimes it's chaos out there I spent my first couple of days not even making it out of second gear! I have relaxed some what now but the motorcycle helmets are not even glorified bicycle helmets, they won't be protecting much and thats if the wearer actually has the thing done up!
I went into Patong on my last day before I started work and discovered the back streets away from the intense tourist area are actually quite nice, beautiful old fashioned architecture crowded in by the usual Thai soi life, noodles on the street and the familiar ordours of asia. Every second house runs some kind of semi retail business out of their front room, the sight of little sparrows feeding straight out of the huge open sacks of rice, which are all on display for the shoppers convenience.
Anyway I have lesson plans to write, later guys.
Love N.J.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Phuket 28 April
So much has happened since last I wrote I barely know where to begin, I will start with the Similan Islands.
The dive trip was fabulous, all of the people on the boat were really easy to get on with and the atmosphere was friendly and relaxed. My dive buddy Steve arrived from Sth Africa an hour or so before we left so he merrily slipped into a coma as the bus departed from Phuket town, we were delayed waiting for a French pilot to arrive but then we made it uneventfully to the boat.
The room was a double and not the bunk room we booked (you should have seen my face, oh shit almost captures it) but it was actually more like a triple and I'm sure half of you remember we all used to share beds like a litter of puppies in the old varsity days (the reason I have always understood the Michael Jackson defence). They also didn't seem to have been informed that I don't eat mammals (reptiles, insects) and try to avoid birds, I suspect it's because we booked through an operator and not through the actual tour company I will endeavour not to make that mistake again. (though bizarrely I think it was actually cheaper the way we did it) perhaps they have agents to sell of the tickets they can't, anyway I digress.
The first night just after the boat had moored I retired and it started raining, then came thunder and lightening, I wondered if I should check the life jackets were really under the bed as promised, I watched through the small round porthole but the perspex really didn't give a view of the majesty of the storm. I struggled out onto the deck and it was fantastic, as the storm got closer the captain decided to get up and move some where more protected, it was wild, a few fellow divers had wandered onto the deck and we stood enjoying the show and waiting for the call to abandon our ship, it's amazing how small a little boat feels when your standing on deck in the midst of a black, no moon night whose pelting rain is only encouraged by stabbing forks of lightening. I understand how people believed an angry God, blinded by rage was thunderously striking out to smite down anyone foolish enough to piss him off.
So let the diving begin, I have to say, it was the best diving I have seen since the great barrier, the soft coral beds like fields of candyfloss in pink, blue, greens and yellows, loads of anenomes, nudibranch worms, I got blase about Trigger fish there were so many, turtles, clown fish peaked out from every anenome, fish so friendly I reached out and petted one, he just continued to float in front of my eyes so I petted him again, his skin felt soft and elastic not hard and scaly as I was expecting. We dove in the night, we dove in the morning we dove a wreck, there were scorpion fish, stone fish, and lion fish schools of blue fish, squirrel fish, and occassionally you would just find yourself in the midst of a school fish in completely surrounding me as I swam lazily in the same direction. We floated over forests of staghorn coral with so many little strippy fish hiding amongst their protective antlers. We swam through coral archways. We saw leopard sharks, moray eels, a nurse shark and rays.
On one dive (when my buddy was busy feeding the fish with the contents of his stomach) I was given a new buddy and everyone in my dive team except me had a camera, it's a weird spin on Socrates the unexamined life, we seem to now ask ourselves the question is the unphotographed life worth living? It was so much fun having a dive buddy I actually know, it improved my underwater somersault skills no end, so next time you need a buddy you know who to call!
I could go on but all you non divers have dropped off to sleep by now and the rest of you have seen it too, I know. suffice to say I will be doing it all again soon, though of course the Similan parks is now closed for rainy season.
So anyway I have taken the job here in Phuket, I am actually really excited about it, I have meet a few of the people I will be working with and they all seem really easy going. There will be five teachers at my level so I wont be as isolated or pressured as I was last year.
I then went to Bkk and had to get hold of as much of my stuff as I could and brought it down here to Phuket. I spent the first night with Kev and Ian, we drank vodka while Kevin punctuated the conversations with a choice selection of parrping noises, the next night was whisky and collecting my stuff from the armpit of the universe (otherwise known as Rangsit). a night at the movies, "Pan's labrynth" which I really enjoyed, (Steve and Clinton acted like big girls, which is why one loves to go to the cinema with them, I like to watch people who really buy into the movie). Then a final night playing pub trivia.
Back in Phuket, I went to work for "orientation" I took all my documents and stuff thinking I would need them to sign my contract for work, but this was not required and the whole thing was a bit of a waste of time if you ask me. After I was driving (a motorcycle again) with my bag in the front basket to look for a house and a guy drives by on his motorbike and steals my bag out of the basket (I couldn't believe it, I though he was joking) but no he kept driving and that was that! of course my bag had everything as described above in it, passport, travellers cheques, mobile phone, wallet, work shoes, hair clip, and loads of papers for work.
I quickly lost sight of the guy but not before I memorised his licence plate and thought about as much about him as I can remember. I stopped as soon as I saw some people (at a "massage" shop of course) the girls were very kind and gave me their phone and called the police who came straight away and I gave my description. Then I had no money (the girls offered me some very kindly, who says all Thai prostitutes are after is money).
I still had a motorbike full of petrol, so I went to the Police station in Phuket town, useless, I went to the bank I have an account with, (Kasikorn bank folks) useless, wouldn't give me access to my account without my passport, I just sat stunned at this woman's desk having visions of starving to death in Phuket, I can't do anything without money. Tried to call the toll free travellers cheque number but no public phone in Thailand will service free calls, by this stage I am getting really hungry so desperate by now, I went back to school.
School came to my rescue, I used their phone and the travellers cheque people came through for me (yay), then my supervisor (Linda) at school mentioned that she "knows" one of the top detective's at the Chalong police station, so it's down there to make a second report (they poured scorn upon the pathetic effort made by the central Phuket police so if shit happens in Phuket guys go to Chalong police station, they speak English and act like they care a little).
The detective inspector feels pretty confident that I will be getting some stuff back, they were surprised I knew so much about the thief, the registration particularly threw them, so fingers and toes crossed I will be seeing my stuff again soon.
Just so we don't end on a negative note I got the money back from Visa that was stolen off my credit card earlier this month so I'm hoping that sets a precedent for Nikki to get her stuff back.
After all that excitement I finally decided on a place to live, I have given in to my inner rock star and will live in a hotel room for a couple of months, it has t.v, it has a swimming pool, (note to self: must remember to throw t.v. in swimming pool before I leave), it is fully furnished including linen, it comes with a great communal atmosphere (ooh goody instant friends), it's close to school, but I think I have sent everyone an email with the address and phone no. if you weren't on the list and feel you should be drop me a line.
It's funny when you move some where you think you should be immune to the tourist rip-offs you forget that to thieves you still look like just another tourist! I have after all now had my wallet stolen in every country I have lived in (with the exception of New Zealand, and in the case of England and Australia from my house while I was in it!!!) I shall be less complacent in future.
Besos Nikki Jayne.
The dive trip was fabulous, all of the people on the boat were really easy to get on with and the atmosphere was friendly and relaxed. My dive buddy Steve arrived from Sth Africa an hour or so before we left so he merrily slipped into a coma as the bus departed from Phuket town, we were delayed waiting for a French pilot to arrive but then we made it uneventfully to the boat.
The room was a double and not the bunk room we booked (you should have seen my face, oh shit almost captures it) but it was actually more like a triple and I'm sure half of you remember we all used to share beds like a litter of puppies in the old varsity days (the reason I have always understood the Michael Jackson defence). They also didn't seem to have been informed that I don't eat mammals (reptiles, insects) and try to avoid birds, I suspect it's because we booked through an operator and not through the actual tour company I will endeavour not to make that mistake again. (though bizarrely I think it was actually cheaper the way we did it) perhaps they have agents to sell of the tickets they can't, anyway I digress.
The first night just after the boat had moored I retired and it started raining, then came thunder and lightening, I wondered if I should check the life jackets were really under the bed as promised, I watched through the small round porthole but the perspex really didn't give a view of the majesty of the storm. I struggled out onto the deck and it was fantastic, as the storm got closer the captain decided to get up and move some where more protected, it was wild, a few fellow divers had wandered onto the deck and we stood enjoying the show and waiting for the call to abandon our ship, it's amazing how small a little boat feels when your standing on deck in the midst of a black, no moon night whose pelting rain is only encouraged by stabbing forks of lightening. I understand how people believed an angry God, blinded by rage was thunderously striking out to smite down anyone foolish enough to piss him off.
So let the diving begin, I have to say, it was the best diving I have seen since the great barrier, the soft coral beds like fields of candyfloss in pink, blue, greens and yellows, loads of anenomes, nudibranch worms, I got blase about Trigger fish there were so many, turtles, clown fish peaked out from every anenome, fish so friendly I reached out and petted one, he just continued to float in front of my eyes so I petted him again, his skin felt soft and elastic not hard and scaly as I was expecting. We dove in the night, we dove in the morning we dove a wreck, there were scorpion fish, stone fish, and lion fish schools of blue fish, squirrel fish, and occassionally you would just find yourself in the midst of a school fish in completely surrounding me as I swam lazily in the same direction. We floated over forests of staghorn coral with so many little strippy fish hiding amongst their protective antlers. We swam through coral archways. We saw leopard sharks, moray eels, a nurse shark and rays.
On one dive (when my buddy was busy feeding the fish with the contents of his stomach) I was given a new buddy and everyone in my dive team except me had a camera, it's a weird spin on Socrates the unexamined life, we seem to now ask ourselves the question is the unphotographed life worth living? It was so much fun having a dive buddy I actually know, it improved my underwater somersault skills no end, so next time you need a buddy you know who to call!
I could go on but all you non divers have dropped off to sleep by now and the rest of you have seen it too, I know. suffice to say I will be doing it all again soon, though of course the Similan parks is now closed for rainy season.
So anyway I have taken the job here in Phuket, I am actually really excited about it, I have meet a few of the people I will be working with and they all seem really easy going. There will be five teachers at my level so I wont be as isolated or pressured as I was last year.
I then went to Bkk and had to get hold of as much of my stuff as I could and brought it down here to Phuket. I spent the first night with Kev and Ian, we drank vodka while Kevin punctuated the conversations with a choice selection of parrping noises, the next night was whisky and collecting my stuff from the armpit of the universe (otherwise known as Rangsit). a night at the movies, "Pan's labrynth" which I really enjoyed, (Steve and Clinton acted like big girls, which is why one loves to go to the cinema with them, I like to watch people who really buy into the movie). Then a final night playing pub trivia.
Back in Phuket, I went to work for "orientation" I took all my documents and stuff thinking I would need them to sign my contract for work, but this was not required and the whole thing was a bit of a waste of time if you ask me. After I was driving (a motorcycle again) with my bag in the front basket to look for a house and a guy drives by on his motorbike and steals my bag out of the basket (I couldn't believe it, I though he was joking) but no he kept driving and that was that! of course my bag had everything as described above in it, passport, travellers cheques, mobile phone, wallet, work shoes, hair clip, and loads of papers for work.
I quickly lost sight of the guy but not before I memorised his licence plate and thought about as much about him as I can remember. I stopped as soon as I saw some people (at a "massage" shop of course) the girls were very kind and gave me their phone and called the police who came straight away and I gave my description. Then I had no money (the girls offered me some very kindly, who says all Thai prostitutes are after is money).
I still had a motorbike full of petrol, so I went to the Police station in Phuket town, useless, I went to the bank I have an account with, (Kasikorn bank folks) useless, wouldn't give me access to my account without my passport, I just sat stunned at this woman's desk having visions of starving to death in Phuket, I can't do anything without money. Tried to call the toll free travellers cheque number but no public phone in Thailand will service free calls, by this stage I am getting really hungry so desperate by now, I went back to school.
School came to my rescue, I used their phone and the travellers cheque people came through for me (yay), then my supervisor (Linda) at school mentioned that she "knows" one of the top detective's at the Chalong police station, so it's down there to make a second report (they poured scorn upon the pathetic effort made by the central Phuket police so if shit happens in Phuket guys go to Chalong police station, they speak English and act like they care a little).
The detective inspector feels pretty confident that I will be getting some stuff back, they were surprised I knew so much about the thief, the registration particularly threw them, so fingers and toes crossed I will be seeing my stuff again soon.
Just so we don't end on a negative note I got the money back from Visa that was stolen off my credit card earlier this month so I'm hoping that sets a precedent for Nikki to get her stuff back.
After all that excitement I finally decided on a place to live, I have given in to my inner rock star and will live in a hotel room for a couple of months, it has t.v, it has a swimming pool, (note to self: must remember to throw t.v. in swimming pool before I leave), it is fully furnished including linen, it comes with a great communal atmosphere (ooh goody instant friends), it's close to school, but I think I have sent everyone an email with the address and phone no. if you weren't on the list and feel you should be drop me a line.
It's funny when you move some where you think you should be immune to the tourist rip-offs you forget that to thieves you still look like just another tourist! I have after all now had my wallet stolen in every country I have lived in (with the exception of New Zealand, and in the case of England and Australia from my house while I was in it!!!) I shall be less complacent in future.
Besos Nikki Jayne.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Phuket 13 April
Well much water under the bridge since Cambodia, crossed uneventfully back into Thailand though that last hour and a half to the Poi pet border is as bad as everyone tells you. Rumour has it that some airline or other has paid off the government in order to keep the road in this condition, suffice to say my bum had a great massage and a bottle of palm sugar smashed in the bus, luckily only a smidge got on my backpack, the two Danish girls were not so lucky.
Made it to Bangkok only to turn around and head straight down here for this job interview, I have been offered the job, pretty much the same deal as last year and pretty much the same pay in the end, the school is much better resourced but the holidays are not quite as generous as they could be, a lot more staff, 25 teachers 4 or 5 teaching exactly the same level as me, so the support structure would be much better, the year would not finish till the end of march, I'm still dithering on this decision.
As usual I went on line to see if I had any mail and sure enough someone had stolen my credit card (eep) and my credit card was showing a lot less money than it should (double eep), so I rang all the emergency support lines and now I have to fill in statutory declarations, fraud reports etc in order to try and get it back. I guess after all the time I have spent travelling sooner or later this was bound to happen and I am very happy that it was merely my credit card not my computer or my usb with all my photos of the last year, or my ipod or my kidneys (like you hear can happen in the back streets of some dodgy Indian cities). One must after all maintain a sense of perspective (after of course wishing that karmic revenge will swiftly be visited upon the villain).
Today is the first day of Songkran or what used to be Thai new year, everybody goes crazy, kids drive round in the back of pick ups squirting people with high powered water guns and the people on the street fire back with hoses and anything else that comes to hand, add copious amounts of alcohol into the mix and well it's very "sanook" (fun) but also highly dangerous, two more days to go. But at least they have stopped measuring the death toll with a "target" figure next to it as they did last year which was just too surreal.
The swiss man who got seven years in prison (reduced from 50) for spray painting black paint on the Kings picture haws been pardoned and sent home.
Coincidentally two more days till my dive trip to the similans, the weather has been really rainy the last few days and the skys quite leaden, the national park closes at the end of the month, I hope we have not left it too late in the season!
Anyway suffice to say Phuket is quite a pretty town, it has pockets of old Sino-Potuguese architecture, I am actually staying in a rather attractive historic building, but there is a crazy Ugandan down the hall who keeps following me about like a puppy which is a bit freaky, his Mother died recently and I think he's looking for some one to transfer all that emotional baggage to, thankfully I have this dive trip to escape to tomorrow. The local transport though is expensive and so everybody pretty much drives round on those little scooter motorbikes, I am reluctant to buy one as the death toll for foreigners on those things here is horrendous (possibly because they let any fool [like me?] drive one), but at least I actually own a licence that says I have passed a test and am competent to ride one, I suspect most of these guys don't.
Anyway, everywhere was shut today so tomorrow I will endeavour to find somewhere to post this, take care dudes.
Love N.J.
"So it goes" section:
R.I.P. Kurt Vonnegut Jr, drank like a fish, smoked like a train, and still clocked 84, "Lonesome no more" I take it
Made it to Bangkok only to turn around and head straight down here for this job interview, I have been offered the job, pretty much the same deal as last year and pretty much the same pay in the end, the school is much better resourced but the holidays are not quite as generous as they could be, a lot more staff, 25 teachers 4 or 5 teaching exactly the same level as me, so the support structure would be much better, the year would not finish till the end of march, I'm still dithering on this decision.
As usual I went on line to see if I had any mail and sure enough someone had stolen my credit card (eep) and my credit card was showing a lot less money than it should (double eep), so I rang all the emergency support lines and now I have to fill in statutory declarations, fraud reports etc in order to try and get it back. I guess after all the time I have spent travelling sooner or later this was bound to happen and I am very happy that it was merely my credit card not my computer or my usb with all my photos of the last year, or my ipod or my kidneys (like you hear can happen in the back streets of some dodgy Indian cities). One must after all maintain a sense of perspective (after of course wishing that karmic revenge will swiftly be visited upon the villain).
Today is the first day of Songkran or what used to be Thai new year, everybody goes crazy, kids drive round in the back of pick ups squirting people with high powered water guns and the people on the street fire back with hoses and anything else that comes to hand, add copious amounts of alcohol into the mix and well it's very "sanook" (fun) but also highly dangerous, two more days to go. But at least they have stopped measuring the death toll with a "target" figure next to it as they did last year which was just too surreal.
The swiss man who got seven years in prison (reduced from 50) for spray painting black paint on the Kings picture haws been pardoned and sent home.
Coincidentally two more days till my dive trip to the similans, the weather has been really rainy the last few days and the skys quite leaden, the national park closes at the end of the month, I hope we have not left it too late in the season!
Anyway suffice to say Phuket is quite a pretty town, it has pockets of old Sino-Potuguese architecture, I am actually staying in a rather attractive historic building, but there is a crazy Ugandan down the hall who keeps following me about like a puppy which is a bit freaky, his Mother died recently and I think he's looking for some one to transfer all that emotional baggage to, thankfully I have this dive trip to escape to tomorrow. The local transport though is expensive and so everybody pretty much drives round on those little scooter motorbikes, I am reluctant to buy one as the death toll for foreigners on those things here is horrendous (possibly because they let any fool [like me?] drive one), but at least I actually own a licence that says I have passed a test and am competent to ride one, I suspect most of these guys don't.
Anyway, everywhere was shut today so tomorrow I will endeavour to find somewhere to post this, take care dudes.
Love N.J.
"So it goes" section:
R.I.P. Kurt Vonnegut Jr, drank like a fish, smoked like a train, and still clocked 84, "Lonesome no more" I take it
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Can Tho 30th March
The boat trip back from Phu Quok to the main land featured most of the same enterpainment we had en(dur/joy)ed on the way over, a Vietnamese Kylie Minogue, I am not familiar enough with Kylie's work to know which song was being covered but familiar enough to recognise the tune. The old "Black is black" number from the 70's complete with gold lame bikini clad boot scooters was pretty scary! All the sets, outfits and video editing style was circa 1984, it made me feel as though in a dream watching a parallel universe's version of ready to roll or solid gold (the dancers were the vietnamese lost twins of the solid gold dancers).
We are now in Can Tho, the biggest city in the Mekong delta, it has a beautiful foreshore, promenade and the kids here (like those all over this part of the country) love to fly their kites. We hired a boat this morning and went to a couple of floating markets where the kalediscope of colours and commerce was so intense it is hard to focus on any one thing or get a clear shot at a photo, it was pandemonium, it was great, we went on up and down canals to fruit farms and dry markets. I had a fabulous time but the markets between Sieam Reap and Battambang are more interesting and vastly larger I think.
Tomorrow we are back to Chau Doc for a few more days then I must head back to Thailand and check out some potential schools for the new school year.
Nikki Jayne.
We are now in Can Tho, the biggest city in the Mekong delta, it has a beautiful foreshore, promenade and the kids here (like those all over this part of the country) love to fly their kites. We hired a boat this morning and went to a couple of floating markets where the kalediscope of colours and commerce was so intense it is hard to focus on any one thing or get a clear shot at a photo, it was pandemonium, it was great, we went on up and down canals to fruit farms and dry markets. I had a fabulous time but the markets between Sieam Reap and Battambang are more interesting and vastly larger I think.
Tomorrow we are back to Chau Doc for a few more days then I must head back to Thailand and check out some potential schools for the new school year.
Nikki Jayne.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Phu Quock 15 March
So, far no luck on managing to get these things posted, may have more success here on the Island. We stayed in Chau doc three days the last hotel we stayed in had a fabulous view out over rhe river where I would just sit and watch the river traffic, the toilet was amazing, it was like a throne room, a long tiled floor lead to a small stair case upon which rested the throne from which an imperious view of the minions below could be had. Vietnam is huge on package tours and if you wish to do anything other you are at the mercy of the public bus conductors who endeavour to charge you four times the correct price on things, this can easily sour your experience in the country and I think it's one of the reasons Vietnam has such a bad reputation amongst the independent travel scene.
We then headed to Rach Gia, the bus trip was eventful, there was the woman who sat at the end of our row who as the bus pulled out took out about a hundred packs of cigarettes (hero brand)all intricately bound together with an elaborate web of rubber bands, she (in full view of any passenger who wanted to observe), began strapping these around her body, two deep then popped a large blouse over the whole when she was done rendering her a much fatter woman than the one who had got on the bus, now I have no idea why or to where she was smuggling this contraband though I did comment to Glen if he wanted to begin swallowing his condoms of heroin now would seem to be the appropriate moment to begin as apparently no-body here would bat an eye at such behaviour (yes Mum I am only kidding). After all the bus was due to cross no international border (at least not while we were on board, suffice to say it was all a bit weird) The bus conductor girl did indeed try to charge us four times the correct price, we ended up paying twice the correct price (hey she's in with smugglers I'm not pushing my luck), there comes a point where you just have to let go. The bus raced along through town after town (without bathroom breaks) houses stretched the whole way pretty much the road ran along side the river and the houses strung out along the way were half on land with there rear ends hung out to dry on stilts over the river (reminding me of my increasing desire to avail myself of bathroom facilities).
No matter the size or quality of building materials used to construct some of these shacks every place has a tall elaborate aerial poking from it's roof, proving that in deed the people within may not be able to afford anything else but damn it they have t.v., the asians are mad for it I discovered (unbelievably) that the Thai people per capita are the biggest consumers of t.v. globally, I've seen Thai t.v. and much like the t.v. here it is rich with a diet of cheap home made vaudeville style entertainment and similar quality soap operas. A smattering of USA fair (the ubiquitous Jerry Bruickhiemer productions) and re-runs of Hollywood blockbuster movies.
As the bus rambled on and my bladder began to feel like it might just explode the bus paused (as it frequently did) I leapt off, and was directed into the house of some person who just has the misfortune of living next to the bus stop, very weird, I waved my hellos and thank yous' as the bus beeped out the front and I dashed through the front room, lounge and kitchen startling every family member in turn on my frenzied dash to the bathroom, it was very funny in retrospect.
After an uneventful night in Rach Gia we caught the boat to Phu Quok, Phu Quok is quite beautiful and laid back, it still hasn't attained the level of tourism that is it's due so everything is a bit basic but the beach is quite beautiful and most of the roads are dirt, the place is over populated with ridge back, blue tongued dogs and lizards (also ridged back and in some cases blue tongued). We are staying in one of the string of beach side bungalows but to my chagrin not the one with the beautiful three breaching porpoises and mermaid statues on their beach front, (this mermaid may yet make the 2007 Christmas card as something rating higher on the takk scale seems almost impossible to discover.
Despite it's still relative obscurity as a tourist destination there are a number of foreign tourists Glen thinks they are Russian I personally think they are from Urksomestan. Anyway I'll see if I can't get these posted tomorrow.
Cheers N.J.
We then headed to Rach Gia, the bus trip was eventful, there was the woman who sat at the end of our row who as the bus pulled out took out about a hundred packs of cigarettes (hero brand)all intricately bound together with an elaborate web of rubber bands, she (in full view of any passenger who wanted to observe), began strapping these around her body, two deep then popped a large blouse over the whole when she was done rendering her a much fatter woman than the one who had got on the bus, now I have no idea why or to where she was smuggling this contraband though I did comment to Glen if he wanted to begin swallowing his condoms of heroin now would seem to be the appropriate moment to begin as apparently no-body here would bat an eye at such behaviour (yes Mum I am only kidding). After all the bus was due to cross no international border (at least not while we were on board, suffice to say it was all a bit weird) The bus conductor girl did indeed try to charge us four times the correct price, we ended up paying twice the correct price (hey she's in with smugglers I'm not pushing my luck), there comes a point where you just have to let go. The bus raced along through town after town (without bathroom breaks) houses stretched the whole way pretty much the road ran along side the river and the houses strung out along the way were half on land with there rear ends hung out to dry on stilts over the river (reminding me of my increasing desire to avail myself of bathroom facilities).
No matter the size or quality of building materials used to construct some of these shacks every place has a tall elaborate aerial poking from it's roof, proving that in deed the people within may not be able to afford anything else but damn it they have t.v., the asians are mad for it I discovered (unbelievably) that the Thai people per capita are the biggest consumers of t.v. globally, I've seen Thai t.v. and much like the t.v. here it is rich with a diet of cheap home made vaudeville style entertainment and similar quality soap operas. A smattering of USA fair (the ubiquitous Jerry Bruickhiemer productions) and re-runs of Hollywood blockbuster movies.
As the bus rambled on and my bladder began to feel like it might just explode the bus paused (as it frequently did) I leapt off, and was directed into the house of some person who just has the misfortune of living next to the bus stop, very weird, I waved my hellos and thank yous' as the bus beeped out the front and I dashed through the front room, lounge and kitchen startling every family member in turn on my frenzied dash to the bathroom, it was very funny in retrospect.
After an uneventful night in Rach Gia we caught the boat to Phu Quok, Phu Quok is quite beautiful and laid back, it still hasn't attained the level of tourism that is it's due so everything is a bit basic but the beach is quite beautiful and most of the roads are dirt, the place is over populated with ridge back, blue tongued dogs and lizards (also ridged back and in some cases blue tongued). We are staying in one of the string of beach side bungalows but to my chagrin not the one with the beautiful three breaching porpoises and mermaid statues on their beach front, (this mermaid may yet make the 2007 Christmas card as something rating higher on the takk scale seems almost impossible to discover.
Despite it's still relative obscurity as a tourist destination there are a number of foreign tourists Glen thinks they are Russian I personally think they are from Urksomestan. Anyway I'll see if I can't get these posted tomorrow.
Cheers N.J.
Chau Doc 10 March
Here I am back in Vietnam, I'm actually sick as a parrot (are parrots sick because their green?) So I am on the antibiotics and trying to keep food down. I caught "the nasty" in Cambodia though, Cambodia appears so dirty and poor compared to its neighbours (with perhaps the exception of Laos).
Vietnam still impresses me with it's lush pastoral peace, the people are tall and elegant accentuated by their choice of simple elegant dress, the women don't go in for any of this coy side saddle motorbike riding they wear practical pant suits or traditional Ao-dai (which look fabulous) and are infinitely easier to get around in. Chau doc is a nice city, bigger than anticipated we caught a boat here from Phnom Penh yesterday, I love the boat rides, up through the floating villages and past everyones back yard, fascinating stuff. The food is not as good as I remember but so far I have not really been in the right frame of mind to appreciate it. Bottled water, especially the brand called "water world", includes reassuring notes on the side telling you it contains 0% Coliforms, salmonella and fecal streptococci (amongst others), so less full of shit than the Kevin Costener movie which shares it's moniker, I wonder if you have to pay extra to get such nutrients included in your beverage??!? (I think I may have got some for free in Cambodia).
When the boat docked, there were a number of little cyclo dudes who swept us away to our hotel, it always surprises me that there is still such a big industry in people powered craft, nothing makes you feel like an over priveledged fat westerner quite as much as being peddled around by a rake thin wizened white haired guy who looks old enough to be your grandad. This people powered transport has been superceeded by the motorised versions in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. At brekfast this morning we sat by the river and I watched a woman who spends all day ferrying people across the river, she must have unbelievably muscular arms, I think I would struggle just making one crossing on those hand powered craft, I'll try to include a photo.
Right I'm off to wander up the promenade and gaze at Sam mountain, catch y'all later.
The promenade was great, I loved the some what austere looking fish sculpture, in fact they really groove on sculpture here, a cow sawn in half (eat your heart out Damian Hearst) I do note that communist sculpture often appears very blockish in form but surprisingly not unpleasantly so. The local children like to fly kites along the river front and it adds to the relaxed atmosphere of the town, anyway time for dinner and to post this (hopefully).
Besos, Nikki Jayne.
Vietnam still impresses me with it's lush pastoral peace, the people are tall and elegant accentuated by their choice of simple elegant dress, the women don't go in for any of this coy side saddle motorbike riding they wear practical pant suits or traditional Ao-dai (which look fabulous) and are infinitely easier to get around in. Chau doc is a nice city, bigger than anticipated we caught a boat here from Phnom Penh yesterday, I love the boat rides, up through the floating villages and past everyones back yard, fascinating stuff. The food is not as good as I remember but so far I have not really been in the right frame of mind to appreciate it. Bottled water, especially the brand called "water world", includes reassuring notes on the side telling you it contains 0% Coliforms, salmonella and fecal streptococci (amongst others), so less full of shit than the Kevin Costener movie which shares it's moniker, I wonder if you have to pay extra to get such nutrients included in your beverage??!? (I think I may have got some for free in Cambodia).
When the boat docked, there were a number of little cyclo dudes who swept us away to our hotel, it always surprises me that there is still such a big industry in people powered craft, nothing makes you feel like an over priveledged fat westerner quite as much as being peddled around by a rake thin wizened white haired guy who looks old enough to be your grandad. This people powered transport has been superceeded by the motorised versions in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. At brekfast this morning we sat by the river and I watched a woman who spends all day ferrying people across the river, she must have unbelievably muscular arms, I think I would struggle just making one crossing on those hand powered craft, I'll try to include a photo.
Right I'm off to wander up the promenade and gaze at Sam mountain, catch y'all later.
The promenade was great, I loved the some what austere looking fish sculpture, in fact they really groove on sculpture here, a cow sawn in half (eat your heart out Damian Hearst) I do note that communist sculpture often appears very blockish in form but surprisingly not unpleasantly so. The local children like to fly kites along the river front and it adds to the relaxed atmosphere of the town, anyway time for dinner and to post this (hopefully).
Besos, Nikki Jayne.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Schools out for summer
My god a month since I last posted (I'm not dead, well at least I don't think so).
"Schools out for summer" (yay).
Man was that teaching gig hard bloody work, and strange! the characters who teach English in foreign climes are a weird ecclectic bunch to say the least (I must write some bad fiction using some of these guys). Yes the year is over (thank god) and no I haven't decided what to do next year yet, I am going to have a holiday and recover, I must say I don't particularly like teaching. (the actual classes are fine but the preparation and politics is god awful). I think it's just too many personalities and odds on someone is going to be having a bad day, it's not a bad means to an end kind of job (ie: it makes travelling easy) but not something I plan to make a career out of (much to my boss's chagrin he adores me and wants me to stay).
The partying is wild at the moment as so many people are moving on and goodbyes all around. So the bars of Bangkok are seeing a lot of us. I must say many of the bars here are completely uninspired, they figure if they turn the lights down low enough people will sit in any old environment as long as the alcohol is cheap enough, sadly they appear to be right as epitomised by the mats they just roll out along the filthy footpaths of Khao san rd after dark and are always packed with back packers drinking whisky and soda through straws out of communal buckets. As you can gather from my tone I tend to demand slightly more from my surrounds (hey a stool at least guys it's too damn close to the rats down there on the ground) I prefer a margarita even if it does come in a plastic cup and why they bother to encrust the edge with salt and then serve it with a straw strikes me as weird.
I went to the New zealand embassy the other day (wow did my accent ever sound like that?) they surprisingly (I thought) handed me Glen's two passports more or less without demanding id very strange, I kept thrusting my own passport at them but they really didn't seem that interested. The new New Zealand passports have a big nasty back page with a "chip" inside and are only valid for five years (my current passport is not due to expire till 2013 though I believe they won't let you into the states with an old style passport anymore. They still have that very distinct new passport smell though, it's almost but not quite as good as the new book smell.
I fly to Cambodia in a few days, I'm kind of worried about crossing the border with not one but three passports on me (of which only one is my own) I'm not sure that it is entirely legal to carry someone else's passport across international borders and I wonder if the new chips will make the thing beep and I will be spending my birthday in a prison cell in Sth east Asia. (that is just a joke really).
Other things I have done since last I wrote included Chinese new year (year of the pig) apparently extremely lucky for us goaty types, chinatown was packed and crazy as usual but I still managed to bump into one of the guys I work with (how weird is that), there are literally thousands of people in this city and I must know only about half a dozen and yet this is not the first time I have just randomly bumped into someone I know in a completely different part of the city.
Saw a very young girl (maybe 9 or 10) with a t.shirt with extremely inappropriate english language on it, I nearly told her parents that I thought the t.shirt was not a good idea it was a promotion for Rancid (a punk band) I'm sure the parents wouldn't want to know their daughters shirt told mother fuckers to fuck off (then again maybe they felt it was an appropriate warning). I was at Chatuchak market again today and decided to once again try some new weird looking drink, it looked invitingly like raspberry kool aid but tasted like sweet tears, weird.
I packed the house and am storing all my stuff at the house of one of my colleagues I can't believe I have collected so much stuff in a year, what on earth am I going to do with it all (not to mention all the resources I have accumulated for teaching (In just one year) just like my Mother I couldn't bare to throw them out, if I decide not to return to teaching I will just have to be brutal.
Basil and Kevin have been given away to good homes. So I guess it is the end of the Mickey mouse factory for me, (though initially cynical I now admit the idea of making your school look like disneyland to encourage kids to want to go to it is in deed a stroke of genius).
If I had been anything like a good correspondent I could write much more about the exciting adventures I've been up to but honestly I can't remember them now.
Anyway I am now ceasing to make sense, I will write from Cambodia.
Love Nikki Jayne.
"Schools out for summer" (yay).
Man was that teaching gig hard bloody work, and strange! the characters who teach English in foreign climes are a weird ecclectic bunch to say the least (I must write some bad fiction using some of these guys). Yes the year is over (thank god) and no I haven't decided what to do next year yet, I am going to have a holiday and recover, I must say I don't particularly like teaching. (the actual classes are fine but the preparation and politics is god awful). I think it's just too many personalities and odds on someone is going to be having a bad day, it's not a bad means to an end kind of job (ie: it makes travelling easy) but not something I plan to make a career out of (much to my boss's chagrin he adores me and wants me to stay).
The partying is wild at the moment as so many people are moving on and goodbyes all around. So the bars of Bangkok are seeing a lot of us. I must say many of the bars here are completely uninspired, they figure if they turn the lights down low enough people will sit in any old environment as long as the alcohol is cheap enough, sadly they appear to be right as epitomised by the mats they just roll out along the filthy footpaths of Khao san rd after dark and are always packed with back packers drinking whisky and soda through straws out of communal buckets. As you can gather from my tone I tend to demand slightly more from my surrounds (hey a stool at least guys it's too damn close to the rats down there on the ground) I prefer a margarita even if it does come in a plastic cup and why they bother to encrust the edge with salt and then serve it with a straw strikes me as weird.
I went to the New zealand embassy the other day (wow did my accent ever sound like that?) they surprisingly (I thought) handed me Glen's two passports more or less without demanding id very strange, I kept thrusting my own passport at them but they really didn't seem that interested. The new New Zealand passports have a big nasty back page with a "chip" inside and are only valid for five years (my current passport is not due to expire till 2013 though I believe they won't let you into the states with an old style passport anymore. They still have that very distinct new passport smell though, it's almost but not quite as good as the new book smell.
I fly to Cambodia in a few days, I'm kind of worried about crossing the border with not one but three passports on me (of which only one is my own) I'm not sure that it is entirely legal to carry someone else's passport across international borders and I wonder if the new chips will make the thing beep and I will be spending my birthday in a prison cell in Sth east Asia. (that is just a joke really).
Other things I have done since last I wrote included Chinese new year (year of the pig) apparently extremely lucky for us goaty types, chinatown was packed and crazy as usual but I still managed to bump into one of the guys I work with (how weird is that), there are literally thousands of people in this city and I must know only about half a dozen and yet this is not the first time I have just randomly bumped into someone I know in a completely different part of the city.
Saw a very young girl (maybe 9 or 10) with a t.shirt with extremely inappropriate english language on it, I nearly told her parents that I thought the t.shirt was not a good idea it was a promotion for Rancid (a punk band) I'm sure the parents wouldn't want to know their daughters shirt told mother fuckers to fuck off (then again maybe they felt it was an appropriate warning). I was at Chatuchak market again today and decided to once again try some new weird looking drink, it looked invitingly like raspberry kool aid but tasted like sweet tears, weird.
I packed the house and am storing all my stuff at the house of one of my colleagues I can't believe I have collected so much stuff in a year, what on earth am I going to do with it all (not to mention all the resources I have accumulated for teaching (In just one year) just like my Mother I couldn't bare to throw them out, if I decide not to return to teaching I will just have to be brutal.
Basil and Kevin have been given away to good homes. So I guess it is the end of the Mickey mouse factory for me, (though initially cynical I now admit the idea of making your school look like disneyland to encourage kids to want to go to it is in deed a stroke of genius).
If I had been anything like a good correspondent I could write much more about the exciting adventures I've been up to but honestly I can't remember them now.
Anyway I am now ceasing to make sense, I will write from Cambodia.
Love Nikki Jayne.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
01/ Feb.
I went out with Poi on the weekend (eat your heart out Sammy) and a bunch of other girls from work, it was a lot of fun, you order your drink at your table, they bring the bottle to your table and then some guy hovers about pouring your every drink. (very weird) Bow did take over pouring once or twice, for a small Thai girl she's a fish, I was impressed, she is lots of fun.
There was a band who played cover songs a mix of bubblegum and hip hop, the band at least took themselves very seriously, they looked like they had spent a lot of time working on their image (somewhat less on the music, but one can't have everything. There is no dance floor in these establishments, when the mood takes you, one stands up and dances at there table (kind of dancing around your handbag-zilla) Of course some people did eventually take to dancing on the table.
01 February 2007
O.K I have been very slack, virus issues with the computer, job hunting stuff and general living gets in the way. Last weekend I went into Bkk to my favourite bar (the one that used to be a petrol station, it's so weird drinking margaritas from a salt encrusted plastic cup (oooh yeah it's all class baby). The lady boy waiting staff were very keen for me to try some of the Thai herbal cocktails with names like "Tiger strength", "Blood dragon" and "cupid of sex" (oh there was more) I was worried they may contain blood (or other bits) of possibly endangered animals so I declined even though they promised to "Increase healthy" "cure your hipper tension" (hey these days it's the only part of me still hip) or most worrying "relieve heart beating fast".
Anyway, suffice to say the grenades that someone threw outside the old airport this week were really not much news, no injuries not even very large pot holes in the road, Bkk is becoming a little stranger with each passing day.
There was a band who played cover songs a mix of bubblegum and hip hop, the band at least took themselves very seriously, they looked like they had spent a lot of time working on their image (somewhat less on the music, but one can't have everything. There is no dance floor in these establishments, when the mood takes you, one stands up and dances at there table (kind of dancing around your handbag-zilla) Of course some people did eventually take to dancing on the table.
01 February 2007
O.K I have been very slack, virus issues with the computer, job hunting stuff and general living gets in the way. Last weekend I went into Bkk to my favourite bar (the one that used to be a petrol station, it's so weird drinking margaritas from a salt encrusted plastic cup (oooh yeah it's all class baby). The lady boy waiting staff were very keen for me to try some of the Thai herbal cocktails with names like "Tiger strength", "Blood dragon" and "cupid of sex" (oh there was more) I was worried they may contain blood (or other bits) of possibly endangered animals so I declined even though they promised to "Increase healthy" "cure your hipper tension" (hey these days it's the only part of me still hip) or most worrying "relieve heart beating fast".
Anyway, suffice to say the grenades that someone threw outside the old airport this week were really not much news, no injuries not even very large pot holes in the road, Bkk is becoming a little stranger with each passing day.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Bangkok 18 January
Well theory 1 was discarded after the insurgents declared the bombs were not theirs, they stated that they only bomb the southern provinces which they believe rightfully belong to Malaysia, in some bizarre way they think this will encourage the Thai government to give the land back. I guess I can see the twisted logic behind this (though it did take some serious contemplation to see their argument).
Anyway that makes Thaksin and his cronies Theory 1 and certainly the most popular theory there is (naturally) a new theory 2 (hardly new it was theory 3 the day after my last post) and that goes along the lines that the current government planted the bombs in order to blame the Thaksin regime and so justify their denial of his re-entry to the country and further legitimatise the government installed by the recent military coup. Not wanting to sound completely dismissive but this theory smacks of conspiracy theory to me. One thing for sure though the bombs were so small they were not intended to cause any real damage, the three people who were killed were extremely unlucky.
We are heading into the final stretch of the school year, with only 5 or 6 weeks to go and exams to write (again) can you believe they make kids as young as 5 sit exams four times a year here. The cool thing about teaching is I can actually see how far my kids have come in a year, they can almost hold a conversation in English now (the good students that is) the shockers are at the level the good kids were coming into my class so they have come a long way also. Thinking about taking a job down on Phuket, but it will be a year contract and I'm not sure I want to do another full year,
Pro's it will be on Phuket, great for diving and beautiful, I won't be stuck in the suburban hell that is Rangsit (hello Upper Hutt with humidity) weather cooler and all that jazz.
Con's won't get paid as well as Bkk, Cost of living higher, strange books, big school, bigger classes. hmmmm.
There are no longer canoes in the field outside the bedroom window, there are now grazing cattle, it must be spring? Anyway chicadees, catch y'all later.
Nikki Jayne.
Anyway that makes Thaksin and his cronies Theory 1 and certainly the most popular theory there is (naturally) a new theory 2 (hardly new it was theory 3 the day after my last post) and that goes along the lines that the current government planted the bombs in order to blame the Thaksin regime and so justify their denial of his re-entry to the country and further legitimatise the government installed by the recent military coup. Not wanting to sound completely dismissive but this theory smacks of conspiracy theory to me. One thing for sure though the bombs were so small they were not intended to cause any real damage, the three people who were killed were extremely unlucky.
We are heading into the final stretch of the school year, with only 5 or 6 weeks to go and exams to write (again) can you believe they make kids as young as 5 sit exams four times a year here. The cool thing about teaching is I can actually see how far my kids have come in a year, they can almost hold a conversation in English now (the good students that is) the shockers are at the level the good kids were coming into my class so they have come a long way also. Thinking about taking a job down on Phuket, but it will be a year contract and I'm not sure I want to do another full year,
Pro's it will be on Phuket, great for diving and beautiful, I won't be stuck in the suburban hell that is Rangsit (hello Upper Hutt with humidity) weather cooler and all that jazz.
Con's won't get paid as well as Bkk, Cost of living higher, strange books, big school, bigger classes. hmmmm.
There are no longer canoes in the field outside the bedroom window, there are now grazing cattle, it must be spring? Anyway chicadees, catch y'all later.
Nikki Jayne.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Bkk 03 Jan.
We arrived on Koh Chang and wandered the beach looking for a bungalow, last time we were here it was low season and we had our pick, this time finding something in our price range was much more of an issue, we eventually settled on one in a mountain setting literally amongst a rubber tree plantation, but still only a stroll from the beach, it is nice to have some quiet space.
It certainly is winter time here, you don't notice during the day but at night the temperature sinks with the sun and a blanket of some sort is required, the kindly bungalow dude has given us two (thin) duvets, so that should about do it.
The Thai dependance on the motorbike as primary mode of transport brings about some funny scenes, the guy in a santa hat with a great big Christmas tree slung across his handlebars, shoulders and trailing on the ground behind, crazy dude.
Koh Chang is crazy with children, over run in fact with Swedish children (and their respective parents), also Russians, Germans and the odd antipodean, children are amazing they have more heart then fear and happily feed the dirty soi dogs water poured into their own hands before their Parents can stop them. so many dogs, so many puppies, Thai dogs in little T.shirts and jackets (I did mention it is winter yah), and one huge Rottweiler roaming the beach in believe it or not a little doggie Santa suit.
Thai people love their dogs, apparently they love the King's dogs too, and you can buy a dvd from the 7/11 (and all good retailers) which is nothing but footage of the Kings dog!!? Siamese cats on the other hand do not love dogs, I watched a cat at dinner, she stretched and rolled and ate fish on the sidewalk while one of those stupid yappy ball of fluff dogs barked frantically amongst a forest of wire cables and power points under a table on the other side of a wall of glass. you could see the disappointment in her blue eyes as the owner pulled the hair ball away before it had completed the task of electrocuting itself.
I love the shops here as well, all Giovanni's distant Indian cousins have shops here, Kanchanna Armani, K.C. Armani, Krishi Armani, one is really spoilt for choice on the tailoring front.
Christmas eve had all the Northern europeans photographing christmas decorations on the beach, and wearing santa hats with their bikinis an unusual combination. There seems to be some bizarre and ill-advised swimsuit quantity ratio going on, it must state that the more weight you have the less swimsuit material you require. The beach was awash with the melted wax bodies of octogenarians in bikinis, ample assed cellulite gifted girls in thongs, Men with Walrus moustaches (and waists) in speedos, while lithe young things skip about the beach in three quater length wet suits. Europeans butter themselves in coconut oil and scatter themselves (crucifix style) under the suns blunt force rays. Thai's smother themselves in maximum strength sunblock and skin whitening cream, dressed often head to toe and huddle under the dappled shelter provided by the broad leaved trees. Some Thai are so sun conscious that I saw a couple fixing the electricity cable (with a giant pair of what looked like dodgy garden shears) wearing, balaclavas, gloves, hats, long pants, and shirts, in the 34 degree heat.
Every night following one fantastic mettalic molten sunset after another the beaches come alive with fantastic bar-b-q seafood, and entertainment descends in fire twirling frenzies while floating lanterns are sent off into the night sky.
The days before New year were rife with police scams, fining everybody for minor law infringements in aid (I suspect) of financing the cops New Years party, one has to maintain a sense of humour while being fined 200 bhat for whatever fanciful infraction of the law one is assumed to have committed.
I had a fabulous time scuba diving, playing with the little nemo's in their anenomes, and did a really cool swim through, saw a puffer fish, (parrots, mackarel, Angels, Butterflies, Triggers, Amazing neon blue fish, schools and schools of fish, christmas tree worms, lots of coral it was all fun, except my ear is still blocked from all the wax shifting around.
New years eve began with a perfect sunset to the sounds of crap Karaoke. "And so my flend, the time ha cum" yes sirre he did it his way (not need I add Frank Sinatra's or Johnnie Rottens), It was a carnival of fire dancers, terrible (and I mean really terrible) "Coyote dancers" now I know why the Queen objects, it's not to do with the supossed lasciviousness of said performance, it's the cringe factor. There was wave after wave of floating lanterns set free, Drifting out over the inky sea carrying away the stresses and bad thoughts from the last year so we can begin the new year with a clean slate. There was mohitos on the beach and then there was fire works, cascades of shimmering sparks showering down all around us, waterfalls.
Midnight came
and we wandered home.
Well as I'm sure you are all aware by now, in Bangkok (where we were not) 8 bombs were let off six around 6pm and two just after midnight. Then one in Chang mai. Amazingly only three people were killed, and twenty odd injured, considering where they were set this seems remarkable. There are two schools of thought on who and why.
Theory 1) The southern insurgency have moved their protest further North and attacked the capital in a bid to draw attention to their cause. / supporting evidence: Bombs planted in tourist areas, access to bombs and bomb making equipment, track record, we have long wondered why they have not brought the fight north. / contrary evidence: different style of bombs used, Current political minister of security says "we checked and found no evidence linking southerners to the bombings" . (yeah, I'm convinced by that statement).
Basically weak supposition and circumstantial evidence support this claim, this theory is favoured by the deposed Thaksin political cronies. Mind you evidence used to rebut this theory also appears wishy washy.
Theory 2) Thaksin and/or his political cronies planted the bombs in order to create political unrest and scare people into demanding his return to power, while convieniently blaming those "southern muslim terrorists" and feeding into current hypersensitivity associated with these flammable words and combustible sentiments. / supporting evidence: bombs were small minimizing casualties, different style of bomb assemblage and detonation used. / contrary evidence: It feeds into the current coup makers hands too neatly.
This theory is supported by the media (who are answerable to the current coup leaders) and would keep tourist dollars flowing into the country (by allaying foreign phobias associated with "terror" in it's current political definition) and delay the return of Thaksin who has expressed on several occasions his desire to return to Thailand.
On current evidence, I find myself leaning toward theory 2, but the whole thing smells like chowder, we will probably never be told the truth, this country runs the risk of weaving itself into a basket case with the flax of deceit, power and corruption, they need to untangle these webs before the end of the reign of Rama nine.
Anyway enough for now, later.
N.J.
It certainly is winter time here, you don't notice during the day but at night the temperature sinks with the sun and a blanket of some sort is required, the kindly bungalow dude has given us two (thin) duvets, so that should about do it.
The Thai dependance on the motorbike as primary mode of transport brings about some funny scenes, the guy in a santa hat with a great big Christmas tree slung across his handlebars, shoulders and trailing on the ground behind, crazy dude.
Koh Chang is crazy with children, over run in fact with Swedish children (and their respective parents), also Russians, Germans and the odd antipodean, children are amazing they have more heart then fear and happily feed the dirty soi dogs water poured into their own hands before their Parents can stop them. so many dogs, so many puppies, Thai dogs in little T.shirts and jackets (I did mention it is winter yah), and one huge Rottweiler roaming the beach in believe it or not a little doggie Santa suit.
Thai people love their dogs, apparently they love the King's dogs too, and you can buy a dvd from the 7/11 (and all good retailers) which is nothing but footage of the Kings dog!!? Siamese cats on the other hand do not love dogs, I watched a cat at dinner, she stretched and rolled and ate fish on the sidewalk while one of those stupid yappy ball of fluff dogs barked frantically amongst a forest of wire cables and power points under a table on the other side of a wall of glass. you could see the disappointment in her blue eyes as the owner pulled the hair ball away before it had completed the task of electrocuting itself.
I love the shops here as well, all Giovanni's distant Indian cousins have shops here, Kanchanna Armani, K.C. Armani, Krishi Armani, one is really spoilt for choice on the tailoring front.
Christmas eve had all the Northern europeans photographing christmas decorations on the beach, and wearing santa hats with their bikinis an unusual combination. There seems to be some bizarre and ill-advised swimsuit quantity ratio going on, it must state that the more weight you have the less swimsuit material you require. The beach was awash with the melted wax bodies of octogenarians in bikinis, ample assed cellulite gifted girls in thongs, Men with Walrus moustaches (and waists) in speedos, while lithe young things skip about the beach in three quater length wet suits. Europeans butter themselves in coconut oil and scatter themselves (crucifix style) under the suns blunt force rays. Thai's smother themselves in maximum strength sunblock and skin whitening cream, dressed often head to toe and huddle under the dappled shelter provided by the broad leaved trees. Some Thai are so sun conscious that I saw a couple fixing the electricity cable (with a giant pair of what looked like dodgy garden shears) wearing, balaclavas, gloves, hats, long pants, and shirts, in the 34 degree heat.
Every night following one fantastic mettalic molten sunset after another the beaches come alive with fantastic bar-b-q seafood, and entertainment descends in fire twirling frenzies while floating lanterns are sent off into the night sky.
The days before New year were rife with police scams, fining everybody for minor law infringements in aid (I suspect) of financing the cops New Years party, one has to maintain a sense of humour while being fined 200 bhat for whatever fanciful infraction of the law one is assumed to have committed.
I had a fabulous time scuba diving, playing with the little nemo's in their anenomes, and did a really cool swim through, saw a puffer fish, (parrots, mackarel, Angels, Butterflies, Triggers, Amazing neon blue fish, schools and schools of fish, christmas tree worms, lots of coral it was all fun, except my ear is still blocked from all the wax shifting around.
New years eve began with a perfect sunset to the sounds of crap Karaoke. "And so my flend, the time ha cum" yes sirre he did it his way (not need I add Frank Sinatra's or Johnnie Rottens), It was a carnival of fire dancers, terrible (and I mean really terrible) "Coyote dancers" now I know why the Queen objects, it's not to do with the supossed lasciviousness of said performance, it's the cringe factor. There was wave after wave of floating lanterns set free, Drifting out over the inky sea carrying away the stresses and bad thoughts from the last year so we can begin the new year with a clean slate. There was mohitos on the beach and then there was fire works, cascades of shimmering sparks showering down all around us, waterfalls.
Midnight came
and we wandered home.
Well as I'm sure you are all aware by now, in Bangkok (where we were not) 8 bombs were let off six around 6pm and two just after midnight. Then one in Chang mai. Amazingly only three people were killed, and twenty odd injured, considering where they were set this seems remarkable. There are two schools of thought on who and why.
Theory 1) The southern insurgency have moved their protest further North and attacked the capital in a bid to draw attention to their cause. / supporting evidence: Bombs planted in tourist areas, access to bombs and bomb making equipment, track record, we have long wondered why they have not brought the fight north. / contrary evidence: different style of bombs used, Current political minister of security says "we checked and found no evidence linking southerners to the bombings" . (yeah, I'm convinced by that statement).
Basically weak supposition and circumstantial evidence support this claim, this theory is favoured by the deposed Thaksin political cronies. Mind you evidence used to rebut this theory also appears wishy washy.
Theory 2) Thaksin and/or his political cronies planted the bombs in order to create political unrest and scare people into demanding his return to power, while convieniently blaming those "southern muslim terrorists" and feeding into current hypersensitivity associated with these flammable words and combustible sentiments. / supporting evidence: bombs were small minimizing casualties, different style of bomb assemblage and detonation used. / contrary evidence: It feeds into the current coup makers hands too neatly.
This theory is supported by the media (who are answerable to the current coup leaders) and would keep tourist dollars flowing into the country (by allaying foreign phobias associated with "terror" in it's current political definition) and delay the return of Thaksin who has expressed on several occasions his desire to return to Thailand.
On current evidence, I find myself leaning toward theory 2, but the whole thing smells like chowder, we will probably never be told the truth, this country runs the risk of weaving itself into a basket case with the flax of deceit, power and corruption, they need to untangle these webs before the end of the reign of Rama nine.
Anyway enough for now, later.
N.J.
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