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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