Bao-Bao's Blog

No Joke - It's Called Johk

2012-02-10T09:06:00.000-08:00

Ground pork is spooned from a dish into a hot pot of johk

If you're out walking in the morning - especially in a commute area - you're likely to see a knot of people queued up to buy johk. Chinese would call it congee and some Westerners might call it rice porridge, but johk is a delicious dish, even if it comes in a bag.

Pronounced most closely to the English word "joke" it's basically just boiled (or in some cases twice-cooked) rice, reduced to a soft soup. Johk that's cooked from raw rice tends to have a little firmer consistency - or "tooth", if I may liken it to al dente pasta - than johk made from already cooked rice, but both are good, I think. Both involve boiling the rice to a very soft consistency.

I first had it served to me about 30 years ago by a Taiwanese friend studying here in the US as part of his medical training. I was visiting him for dinner at his home, and he began the meal with a bowl of chicken-based congee. I was in love. No, not with him, that didn't pan out... I meant with the porridge. We've stayed friends, though, and time spent with him in Taipei will probably pop up here at some point.

Ladling johk into a to-go bag

Johk starts out as a very thick glorp that is thinned down with chicken, pork or another flavored broth to be served. Some carts have it already thinned and very hot so the additional ingredients can settle in and/or cook a bit in it while it's in the dish, similar to Vietnamese pho, which I'm misspelling because I don't have an available font with the correct "o", sorry.

Additions to the bowl are most commonly ground pork or little pork meatballs, but they could also easily be duck eggs or chicken eggs (already soft-boiled, not raw or fully cooked), scallions/green onions, grated or chopped ginger and other add-ons that vary from place to place. Regardless of what's added to it a steaming bowl brings a heavenly scent up to the nose and a smile to the face.

You can add most anything else to it to your personal taste: fish sauce, shoyu (soy sauce), sugar, chilies (dried/flaked or in vinegar) and the likes. Let it steep a couple of minutes to allow the flavors to blend and then have at it.

At the beginning today I made a reference to dishes and bags, so let me clear that up. The stand I used photos of was primarily a to-go or take-away cart, and you can see the guy in the striped shirt holding what looks like an aluminum dish in his left hand. What it actually is is a funnel with a spout about 2.5 to 3" wide. He places the funnel into a plastic bag, ladles the johk into the bag, then seals the bag with a rubber band. The customer then carries the bag off with them to the office or wherever they're headed. You get a better look at the ladling action in the second photo.

I've read that it's a fine preventative for - or help with - a hangover, which is partly why you're likely to see it being sold in the wee small hours of the morning as people stagger towards home. No joke.

Deuan Pen (Full Moon) - A Song Everyone Knows

2012-02-09T08:07:00.000-08:00

The song itself begins at 2:25 in the clip

Some time back I'd posted a clips of Thai TV commercials for Thai insurance, and one featured handicapped children singing "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever will be, will be)". After asking some Thai friends I'd learned that the 1956 song originally sung by Doris Day in the Hitchcock movie "The Man Who Knew Too Much" was a song many Thai know.

It certainly fits in with the overall mai pen rai attitude most Thai strive for, but it did surprise me to hear a song quite so old still being familiar. It's a good example of a song that's lived on and become recognizable to people in many different places; one example being the regular signing of the song at British football games.

Another song that strikes an even more resounding note in the hearts of many Thai is "Deuan Pen", or Full Moon. It's a song about longing to be "back home"; something we've probably all been able to identify with at one time or another in our lives.

While life in the country isn't as profitable or glamorous as some might guess city life to be it is where many Thai were born and raised - and where their families and homes often remain, waiting for them to return. If you ever notice the song being played or sung while in a crowd, look around you. Along with many joining in to sing along you'll see longing and wistful looks on plenty of faces, and the occasional tear being wiped away.

My favorite version is an instrumental by Saksit Vejsupaporn, a somewhat teeny-bopper singer/pianist who goes by the name of ToR+. I couldn't find a YouTube clip of him doing it, but I did find one of popular Thai singer Carabao performing it live at a large event, with a spoken introduction by Nawarat Pongpaiboon, the man accompanying him on the khlui (flute).

The lyrics - as translated by thai-language.com - are below:

ดือนเพ็ญ Deuan Penh (The Full Moon)

เดือน เพ็ญ สวย เย็น เห็น อร่าม
deuan pen sŭay yen hĕn à-ràam
The full moon is beautiful and cool and appears to glow

นภา แจ่ม นวล ดู งาม
ná-paa jàem nuan doo ngaam
The sky is bright and beautiful

เย็น ชื่น หนอ ยาม เมื่อ ลม พัด มา
yen chêun nŏr yaam mêua lom pát maa
When the breeze blows the air is cool and pleasant

แสงจันทร์ นวล ชวน ใจ ข้า · ...
săeng jan nuan chuan jai kâa · . . .
The light of the moon causes me . . .

คิด · ถึง ถิ่นที่ จาก มา
kít · tĕung tìn têe jàak maa
. . . to reminisce about the place from whence I come

คิดถึง ท้อง นา บ้าน เรือน ที่เคย เนาว์
kít tĕung tóng naa bâan reuan têe koie nao
. . . [and] to recall the fields and homes where I use to dwell

เรไร ร้อง ดัง ฟัง ว่า · เสียง เจ้า ที่ คร่ำครวญหา
ray-rai róng dang fang wâa · sĭang jâo têe krâm-kruan-hăa
The clamor of the chirping crickets cries out to me in lament

ลม เอ๋ย ช่วย พา กระซิบ ข้าง กาย
lom ŏie chûay paa grà-síp kâang gaai
Oh, breeze, please bring the news [about home] to me . . .

ข้า ยัง คอยอยู่ · ไม่ หน่าย
kâa yang koi yòo · mâi nàai
. . . I am waiting patiently

ไม่ · เลือน ห่าง จาก เคลื่อน คลาย
mâi · leuan hàang jàak klêuan klaai
[My heart] will not stray from [my] home.

คิดถึง มิ วาย เมื่อ เรา จากกัน
kít tĕung mí waai mêua rao jàak gan
I will always remember when we parted

กองไฟ · สุม ควาย ตาม คอก · คง ยัง ไม่ มอด ดับ ดอก
gong fai · sŭm kwaai dtaam kôk · kong yang mâi môt dàp dòk
I hope the fires which warm our buffalo haven't yet died out

จันทร์ เอ๋ย ช่วย · บอก ให้ ลม ช่วย เป่า
jan ŏie chûay · bòk hâi lom chûay bpào
Oh, moon, please tell the wind to blow . . .

สุมไฟ ให้ แรง เข้า · พัด ไล่ ความเยือกเย็น หนาว
sŭm fai hâi raeng kâo · pát lâi kwaam yêuak yen năao
. . . harder [to keep the fires lit]; blow to chase away the chill

ให้ พี่ น้อง เรา นอนหลับ อุ่นสบาย
hâi pêe nóng rao non làp ùn sà-baai
. . . to let our people sleep in comfort

ลม เอ ย ช่วย เป็น สื่อ ให้ · นำ รัก จาก ห้วง ดวง ใจ · ของ ข้า นี้ ไป
lom ay yor chûay bpen sèu hâi · nam rák jàak hûang duang jai · kŏng kâa née bpai
Oh, wind, please help take a message of my heart’s love

บอก เขา น้ำ นา
bòk kăo náam naa
. . . to the hills, fields, and rivers [of my home]

ให้ เมือง ไทย รู้ว่า
hâi meuang tai róo wâa
To let Thailand know that . . .

ไม่ นาน ลูก ที่ จาก ลา · จะ ไป ซบ หน้า กับ อก แม่ เอ ย
mâi naan lôok têe jàak laa · jà bpai sóp nâa gàp òk mâe ay yor
. . . soon your son who has been away will come [home and] nestle once more at his mother’s breast

Health Tip: Yoong Means Mosquito

2012-02-08T06:19:00.000-08:00

Internet image. I don't have that nice a camera.

A tip today for those of you who have somewhat dramatic reactions to the common mosquito bite. I tend to sport rather large welts about two hours after a bite, but it can take up to two days for it to show on some people. What has happened is that while a mosquito is getting a drink of your Type O or whatever it is you run through your system she leaves some saliva behind, and said spit contains a protein that causes the reaction in your system. I said "she" because it's the female whose bite causes the problems.

The Thai name for mosquitoes is yoong, and while they can breed rapidly in standing water any time of year they're more prevalent there from May through September, the general window for the Thai rainy season. Those are - naturally - also the months where more cases of mosquito-borne Malaria tend to occur. Mosquitoes are also enthusiastic carriers of dengue fever. Don't let either of these sicknesses scare you off, but educate yourself and become aware of how to prevent exposure to the best of your ability.

Most tourists aren't out in the rural areas where these diseases are much more common, but it's a good idea to check your home country's online disease control site for advisories, regardless. A word to the wise and two to the not so wise. In the USA call your county health department and ask them to look up where you plan to be going, or just go in and let them explain the recommended immunizations or prescribed medications. Before my first trip to hike Cambodia's ruins I was advised to take Malarone, an anti-malaria drug.

Getting back to mosquitoes, though: gan yoong (mosquito repellent) is easy to find at any pharmacy, Boots, or Watson's sundries shop, so don't bother to take it with you. The active ingredient for most of these is deet. My personal favorite is Jaico (to the left above) although the packaging may be slightly different as this picture was from a while back. It's a milky liquid in a roll-on formula with a 20% deet content. You don't have to cover yourself with it; just a few stripes of it down your exposed neck, arms or lower legs will work.

I have three friends who swear by the Avon product Skin So Soft bath oil, and while I've had success with it in the US in the past I can't personally vouch for it's effectiveness there... although it probably works just fine. You can find Avon products in Thailand malls, but you might want to bring a small bottle with you, just in case.

Your best chances of being bitten are in the first few hours after sunrise and in the early evening. That means if you go for a morning walk in Lumphini Park or a stroll in the evening you'd be well advised to wear some protection, and this time I'm not referring to extremely thin latex.

For those planning to "rough it" in a simple countryside bungalow or local home you'll probably find that there's a phaa moong (mosquito net) in place to use over your bed when you sleep, and if there's one there I suggest you use it. They know their homes better than we do. If you've noticed more mosquito activity around your bungalow than you're comfortable with and there isn't a net, ask for one. If you're staying in a hotel and don't leave windows open on lower floors you probably don't need to give this another thought.

I mentioned in another post about the outdoor seating area of a nice little place in Bangkok called Just One. On my very first evening in Thailand years back (before I knew better than to wear shorts in the evening in Bangkok) I sat with my legs beneath the tablecloth there while having dinner and paid the price for it.

Don't scratch mosquito or other bug bites... it just invites infection. Cover broken skin with a plaster/bandage.

If you find yourself with bites, don't scratch. Breaking the skin leaves you vulnerable to infection, and if you do scratch yourself open you'd be better off covering it up with a band-aid/plaster.

There are all sorts of home remedies for the itching that comes with a mosquito bite, and if you have one that works for you you might as well stick with it. If you don't, you might have luck with the anti-itch potion below. Its active ingredient is Witch Hazel, and it did help me some. Others say over-the-counter antihistamines have helped, such as Benadryl, Zyrtec, Chlor-Trimeton, or Claratin. Ice packs can help, too.

The best idea is to try to avoid being bitten in the first place. In this case an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

"Up To You!"

2012-02-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

I recently noticed this gum in the US, and it made me laugh. If it were on sale in Thailand I'd call it a targeted market!

The Thai are overall a very gracious and easy-going bunch of folks. Generalizations always leave room for debate - and as the fine print often says "your results may vary" - but I've found it to be true a good 90% of the time, and that's a far higher ratio than here in the USA. There are exceptions, of course. City life and interactions with tourists (read: the unpleasant or boorish) can warp most anyone, and there are bad apples in every barrel.

To make another generalization, if you look like a tourist in any type of tourist area you're liable to have a difficult time getting yourself where you've hired a tuk tuk to go without being pressured to stop at a jewelry store, a tailor or perhaps a whorehouse of some sort. If I'm offering suggestions to anyone traveling to Bangkok alone for the first time one of them is to just enjoy watching them howl noisily by from the sidewalk, actually. Away from tourist areas they're better, if you can make yourself understood - but that's another topic for another day.

Thai hair gel at BigC in Bangkok

Today's topic really is more for interpersonal exchanges, and (usually) not for business deals. A fruit cart may well have a hand-made sign showing that something is Bt20 per kilo, but business deals are often open for some bartering. In fact, you're usually expected to barter some. A tip for a Rented Admirer, while intimately personal, is still a business deal, although most times you'll still be left to decide what you think is a fair gratuity for time and effort - "Oh, up to you!"

You've read examples of their good nature here before. They don't want to disappoint or displease you because you're a guest in their country. For example, if you're pointing off to the right while asking a Thai at an intersection "Is the post office this way?" and they don't know they're just as likely to smile, nod their head and perhaps even say "yes". It may sound charming to you reading this, but if it's 95F/35C and you've already walked a half mile looking for the post office and then go another two city blocks in the wrong direction it isn't as endearing, trust me. At that point, even if you did decide to throw all common sense to the wind and lose your cool about it [a social No-no] they're long gone, and there's no satisfaction to be had.

I have dear friends there who, after having already discussed and agreed that "I don't know" or "I don't understand you" is a perfectly fair and acceptable answer, will still indicate they understand something. It then soon turns out they didn't, and we back up and try again. Mai pen rai.

Some of you reading this will hear today's title phrase in Thailand; probably often. "Where would you like to go on your days off?", "What do you want to do?", "Where would you like to have lunch?", "How much should I tip?" and other questions that involve a decision (or a preference) tend to generate the blanket reply of "Up to you". With a couple of folks there I've learned to say "You know what I'd really like? I'd like go give you my choice and let you decide." It's polite, shows some respect, shows generosity (genuine or not) and puts the ball back in their court, so to speak. It's usually met with a pleased smile and a proper answer. Usually.

I'm planning a trip there this Spring and have a couple of those returned questions still hanging, awaiting an e-answer. Adds a little suspense to the plans, I guess. Who knows? I may end up with a free week or two on my hands. I always have more folks I'd like to see than time to be there, so we shall see what happens.

The Slums Of Pattaya, Pt 2: The People

2012-02-03T15:04:00.000-08:00

Note the boy with his treats as were were heading back to the truck

Yesterday I posted a little bit about the slums around Pattaya, some within blocks of the comfy hotels most of us wake up in; perhaps admiring a beautiful view before waddling our way down to a complimentary breakfast.

A boy carrying his
baby sister

Meeting the people who live there was a little uncomfortable for me, for a few reasons. To start with I speak precious little conversational Thai. More importantly, though, I was dealing with human beings - none of which had woken up one morning and said "hey, I know... let's all give up everything and go live in a corrugated metal shack out in a field of garbage"! No, these were people who have feelings, too, and both pride and self-consciousness are human feelings. Thankfully I was taught not to stare or call attention to those who are in any way "different", so that part came naturally to me.

It was somewhat difficult to keep a look of pity off of my face when faced with such abject poverty, though. Besides, I was silently grumbling as we drove in about heartburn after eating too much at the buffet, and some of these people had undoubtedly gone to bed hungry the night before. It kind of helps keep things in perspective, if you know what I mean.

I 'd dressed down that day, not wanting to appear to call any more attention to our different economic levels than necessary, and while some of the people who came to get the supplies were a bit self-conscious about it, they were - to a person - welcoming and gracious to we outsiders. Our reception would probably have been a little less so had we not been in the company of the charity folks in their familiar vehicle with the weekly groceries, but I'll never know. I'd like to think nobody would set the dogs on me.

People waiting patiently for their turn

Word spread quickly that we were there once we'd parked, and the people filed out of their homes and towards us in a quiet and orderly fashion, with none of the pushing ahead I'm used to seeing here in the US for nothing more than food samples at the grocery store. As their names were read from the list they'd come forward, smile and wai and take their food packs without even looking to see what was in it. It was food, and they were thankful for it.

A woman gratefully accepts groceries from a volunteer

What followed was the more entertaining part - for me, anyway. There was a small treat or two for each of the children at each stop, and there were plenty of kids. Some treats were edibles, some were small toys, and although I didn't get a slew of pictures of beaming faces, they were overjoyed to have something new to play with. Things as simple as those stress-relief squeeze spheres or shaped items you'd get at a convention or trade show were quite a novelty there, as was anything that lit up or blinked. Small stuffed animals were naturally also a big hit.

Boys and their toys - the same around the globe

Some of you read about my trip to Las Vegas last April to again mingle with 100,000 others at a broadcasting convention (at least one of you did because I noticed your post idea lifted from it) and I regularly pick up a LOT of these child-appropriate giveaway items at conventions to take to Thailand for this very purpose. Trust me - a child in Koh Pai doesn't give a hoot if a bean bag dog says "Sony" on it!

Not to downplay or in any way denigrate the unfortunately impoverished people in my own home country (of which there are many), but coming from a country where conspicuous consumption has been raised so far above an art form that it's become somewhat of a perverse national directive it was really refreshing to spend some times with Thai folks who truly appreciated what they had.

There are millions upon millions of people in need around this weary planet of ours, but like I've said here before: although we can't save the world, we can save little pieces of it. I was lucky to have been included in one tiny speck of helping a few along that day.

Slumming In Pattaya. Really... I Mean IN The Slums

2012-02-02T17:58:00.000-08:00

One of the nicer family homes I've visited.

You know, it's so easy to take the most basic of our creature comforts for granted: our homes. I'd wager almost none of you reading this live in a home that looks anything like the dwelling above, and an entire family lives in it. I've met them.

For lack of a better word we're blessed that we don't have to.

Homelessness is not nearly as far-fetched a possibility as most of us would like to think, either. There were over 650,000 homeless people in the United States in 2009, and I don't think things haven't gotten any better here in the past couple of years. Latest figures indicate there are well over 6,000 in San Francisco alone.

The folks in the slums of Pattaya I'm writing about today and tomorrow are essentially mere squatters, often living on land by the grace of stealth or the tacit permission of the landowner, both of which are "iffy", at best. Their domiciles are constructed out of whatever they can locate to bang together. Those of you who have seen a heavy Thai rainfall can imagine what it's like trying to stay dry in one of them.

The "Happy Feet" movie poster makes for an interesting juxtaposition here.

As you're whizzing along in a baht bus past fields of green overgrowth there may be an entire neighborhood not 50 yards away behind it. Regardless of the circumstances behind them living there, these people are some of the poorest of the poor; walking miles every day with a pole over their shoulder selling fruit from the baskets hanging at either end, perhaps doing some form or menial labor or doing no more than scavenging through the dump to pick out recyclables to trade in for enough to feed their families.

Hopefully your neighborhood will never look like this one

A charity I've been involved with for a handful of years makes regular rounds to families living in some of the poorest of conditions not all that far from where you'd be likely to stay on a tourist's visit to Pattaya. One trip I took photos on a delivery day to show friends here in the USA who were asking about the students myself and my family sponsor there, and I thought I'd let them see why it was difficult for them to come up with the funds for food, let alone the uniforms, supplies and fees for a year of schooling.

One of my students lives in a home very like the one above. They have one plug inside for electricity, and one tap outside for water, although it isn't potable. Water stands on three sides of the shack every time it rains, and mosquitoes breed by the tens of thousands. Still, every time I've visited them their clothes are clean and pressed and the insides, while humble, are kept up the best they can.

The charity takes donations from groups and individuals for the weekly food distribution, and there's a rhyme and reason to it; they don't merely drive out into the slum and start handing our the hand-packed bags of rice, tomato paste, cooking oil, ramen noodles, fish sauce and such, but you don't need to know how they keep track of families to make sure the ones they've been helping continue to get help. They do.

Volunteers I can't reach for photo permission distribute food bags

May I make a suggestion? When you get home tonight and close the door behind you, be grateful for the walls around you and the roof over your head, regardless of how the rest of your day went. We truly are very, very lucky to be living as well as we do.

Tomorrow you'll hear a little more about the project and see some of the people I meet when I ride along.

An Explanation Before Moving On

2012-02-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

Two images from a flight over Thailand, stitched into one

In looking back, the last couple of posts about my late friend Pee's rise and fatal fall in the go go business were a lot heavier than I'd like the tone of the blog to be - and I'm sorry about that - but his story had been on my mind for some time now. I felt that since he'd passed it might be a way to relieve some of my own sadness, and if it raised the awareness in just one person and saves a single life I'll gladly take the heat for it.

The post from last Friday spoke of me standing high above the shore and watching the waves pounding the rocks below. The shore and the forest are two of my best "thinking" spots, and since it had just arrived in the mail the previous afternoon you can be sure I had that photo of Pee and I in my pocket that day. The disaster the surfers were flirting with on the rocks was another reminder of Pee and his job, although I wasn't quite ready to share about it here just yet.

Likewise the posts from January 19 (On Having a Dream - Especially Today) and the Thai safe sex info in the next day's Better to Light a Candle, both of which were written just after I'd heard that Pee had passed on.

My thanks to those who left comments or sent emails of condolence. I won't publish them here, but I appreciated them. One asked for a photo of him, but that's not going to happen - and anyone who may have met or spent time with him from his Soi Twilight time knew him by a different name, anyway. Pee wasn't a close friend, but he was a friend; one who definitely didn't deserve the cards he was dealt, as far as I could ever see.

Thanks for listening... now let's move forward.

The Rise And Fall Of A Go Go Boy: Conclusion

2012-01-31T07:49:00.000-08:00

Although this story is about a go go BOY, HIV doesn't discriminate between males and females

[This the second of two parts about a friend of mine who was working the World's Oldest Profession in Bangkok. If you found this via a search Part 1 was yesterday. There are places where those with HIV can get the treatment they need to prolong their lives if they choose to make the effort, but the best course of action is prevention. If you play, be safe. If you can educate someone else as well, all the better.]

Tiger By The Tail - Conclusion

Pee had no idea of how much time he was out, but told me later that when he first regained consciousness he saw an almost blinding white brightness through his slightly-spread eyelashes - so bright he wondered if he was still alive or in heaven. He drifted under again briefly and was greeted again by the same bright light, although now it was joined by a pain.

He opened his eyes more and realized the light was sun pouring through the window onto him, seemingly made even brighter by the white sheet his face was pressed against. As he became more aware he could tell he was face down on the bed, and the pain was radiating from a point below his waist line in the area he usually called his "back door". He could tell something was very wrong, but the effects of whatever he'd been drugged with still had a blanket over his conscious thinking and he turned slowly to sit up, feeling the need to use the bathroom.

Then he saw the blood. There was blood and another bodily fluid he was no stranger to smeared around on the sheet where he'd been lying, and when he managed to stand up with the help of the nightstand he saw more where he'd been sitting. There was the sickly sweet smell of blood and the somewhat starch-like smell of semen.

He staggered off to the bathroom, leaned on the vanity counter and looked at himself in the mirror, his mind racing despite the after-effects of the drugs. Turning and looking over his shoulder he saw the mess was spread on his lower back, on his sides, on his buttocks and down his thighs. Not a lot, but a mess, nevertheless. He was still woozy so he sat on the toilet and realized for the first time since coming to that he was alone in the room.

He stepped into the shower and washed himself thoroughly, as though he could make it all go away by scrubbing himself well enough. He examined himself after drying off, and other than some bite marks on his shoulders and some scratching on his sides he had no cuts or other injuries, and the bleeding had stopped. There were no towels, and he walked out into the main room naked and wet, hands covering his genitals out of nothing other than habit. Although towels were strewn about the room they were all used and dirty in a manner we don't need to go into here. He finally pulled the top sheet off of the bed and wrapped it around himself before going over and closing the drapes.

The farang was completely gone. His small bag, clothes and personal items were all missing. Pee hadn't noticed when he'd first gotten up and gone into the bathroom, but he'd packed and taken off while Pee was still unconscious. Pee's clothes and small bag were still in the room, although not where he'd put them the night before. Someone had gone through them, and while his wallet, ID and money were still there his "regular" phone was gone. The spare was still zipped into the pocket inside the bag, though, and he called Dum, his co-worker from the club. Although Dum had been sound asleep he hurried to the hotel, met Pee and helped him back to his room, where he cried on Dum's shoulder; partly from the humiliation and shame and partly from the pain that sharply reminded him he'd been violently violated somehow - he just couldn't remember how.

The short version of the "what the hell happened" story is this: the farang had checked in just hours before offing Pee, using a credit card that had yet to be registered as stolen by the rightful owner. He'd paid the night clerk to look the other way, brought Pee back to his room, and then invited a number of others to join him for a party. The night clerk said there were at least six, and Pee was the party favor.

Pee - for a couple of reasons - couldn't make himself go back to work for a few weeks, but he called Tum back home, and after swearing him to secrecy he told him what had happened. Tum, naturally, was worried that Pee had been exposed to HIV, but Pee refused to even speak with him about the possibility. Pee had himself tested for STDs (he'd received a couple as parting gifts at the "party") and he stayed away from work as long as the doctor advised.

Subscribing to the "if it's my time to die, it's my time to die" line of thought Pee returned to work several weeks after he was raped. He had a photo he'd received from the farang over a year before and had copies of it printed and circulated among friends in other clubs, hoping someone might spot him, but that never happened. Anyone familiar with how things go in a club area know how lucky the guy was that he wasn't spotted.

Three months to the day of the rape Tum took the bus down to visit Pee, accompany him to get his HIV test and stay with him until his results came back.

Pee tested positive. Later it was determined to be a particularly difficult to treat sub-strain.

Even knowing it was a distinct possibility he'd be positive Pee was stunned numb, while Tum was inconsolable and cried on and off for the rest of that day. Pee wept some also, naturally, but he'd been steeling himself with the aforementioned fatalistic attitude learned at his father's knee years before, and his tears were more for Nee and his daughter. Tum also felt that this was an unalterable death sentence, even though I spoke at length with Pee about treatment. He took medications for a while, but had trouble tolerating them and finally just said "if it my time, it my time".

Despite being intelligent on so many other levels Pee believed this was beyond his control. He began going to the temple on a daily basis, meditating and praying for hours at a time. He ate well and still exercised, but he dropped his gym membership and began to decline offs. "I have enough money," he said one time on the phone "If I die my family will be good. They have a house, they have the farm, they have the animals and a lot of money in the bank" - and he was probably right.

"Yes, but they won't have you, Pee," I tried to explain one time. "Think of Nee and your daughter." He couldn't be swayed, and as I was feeling somewhat hypocritical for pushing him (I abhor how people all too often push their dogma on others) I backed off.

Pee's popularity declined with his looks and his health, and after he left his original club the places he worked became less and less desirable. Eventually he was only getting offers he knew were risky or dangerous to his health and the siren song of home finally won out. He packed up a few things from his rented room, gave away the rest to friends and called Dum. "I'm finished. See you in a few hours." Dum met him at the bus station. He told me later that he couldn't keep from crying at Pee's appearance when he climbed slowly down off of the bus.

From the bus station Pee returned to what he used to joke about as his "Farang Palace" - the house that multiple Jacks had built. Nee still wanted to marry him, and so a ceremony was arranged and they began what they both knew was to be a shorter than usual life together. Pee loved his daughter and happily took over as many of the daily duties as he was able to, just to spend the time with her - while his health continued to decline.

I asked Tum to please promise to send updates on Pee, and I told him if I could I'd make time to go see him when I was there this Spring. Tum promised he would, but since Pee was no longer seeing a doctor, taking any medication or accepting any help whatsoever there usually wasn't much to report, other than he wasn't doing well - which I could guess myself.

Two weeks ago while I was preparing a family party to celebrate several January birthdays my phone chirped to announce the arrival of a text message, and it was from Pee's phone. Being the eternal optimist I'd hoped it was some good news from him (sometimes he'd text a greeting for my birthday or other holidays), but it wasn't from him - it was from Tum.

Six words: "Pee die today. Email to me."

I stopped what I was doing and sent Tum a short email asking for a little more detail. He must have been right there to receive it because he replied within 15 minutes.

"Pee happy now," he began. "Now he in heaven and resting much. He sleeping three days before, no drink no eat. Nee and me stay him all. He stop breath today, now his spirit go to heaven. Pee want me send you something. What address you?" I sent back my mailing address, thanked Tum for letting me know and for being a good friend for Pee and went about my duties setting up the party, although my thoughts returned to Pee's death more than a few times throughout the day.

The next morning when I was doing my usual routine of candles, incense and trying to make peace with the universe I offered up a wish that his passing was peaceful and that his journey continued smoothly. As usual I added the hope that perhaps someday our paths cross again somehow.

Three days ago an envelope arrived from Thailand, and I saw it was from Tum. Inside was the photo from years back of Pee and I that my translator friend had taken. Our arms were still over each other's shoulders, and we were both still smiling. There was a piece of note paper folded in thirds over the photo. When I opened it up I could see writing too shaky to be Tum's, so I know Pee had written it. It said:

"Remember happy times.
From friend Nong Pee."

I'll look at that picture and remember him often.

Tiger By The Tail: The Rise & Fall Of A Go Go Boy

2012-01-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

Soi Dungthawee - where Pee worked for a number of years

When I first met Pee he was a strikingly handsome young man of 22. He was at the peak of both his desirability and his go go boy years at a club in Bangkok, making what was to him and his family a small fortune each month. He was bright, upbeat and a delight to talk to, even through his English was pretty limited and I'd needed a Thai friend to help with the translation. Although I'd taken a couple pictures of him myself my friend took one of us together, arms around the other's shoulder. Before I left I'd dropped copies of them off to him at the club.

He had been one of my earlier interviewees, and like some of the others I'd been able to keep in touch with him and get updates every so often. Even if schedules didn't allow time for a lunch or dinner visit I spoke on the phone with him every time I was in Thailand over the years.

In a photo I received of him at 27 he was a mere shadow of his former self; hollow-cheeked and scarred by the skin condition that had ravaged his face and upper torso on and off over the past year. His eyes rested deep in their sockets, surrounded by dark skin highlighted by even darker circles beneath them. His beautiful high cheekbones were still there, but unless I'd looked directly into his eyes I might have walked right past him on the street without recognizing him.

In the picture I'd received two months ago he was worse. He had a colorful towel draped around his shoulders and was sitting on a beautifully finished wooden bench in front of the equally beautiful family home his tips had built - but a world away from the high life of the Big City. Beneath the towel his once gym-toned torso appeared the most gaunt and bony I'd ever seen. He'd made an attempt to smile.

I hadn't seen a photo of him for about nine months, and although my medical knowledge is limited to "playing doctor" every now and then in my youth it looked to me that barring a miracle Pee wouldn't live even to see Songkran, one of his very favorite play times of the year.

"Oh, Pee..." I said quietly to myself as tears welled in my eyes that morning. I figured I now knew why I hadn't heard from him for a while and I sat down and emailed Tum, his best friend who lived nearby. Tum had sent the photo for Pee, but there was only a very short message with the picture. Tum and I weren't really friends - Tum thought all modern medicine was suspect and was one who discouraged Pee from getting the help he needed early on - but if my emails were about Pee's health he'd usually reply fairly quickly.

He did this time, too, and said that Pee was resigned to letting go and moving on and that he hadn't been well enough to email me himself, other than just the short note with the photo, in which he (as usual) was more concerned about how I was doing.

"It what he want," said Tum, and although I knew that to be true, it seemed a lot sooner than I'd thought it would be. "He so tired, he want sleep."

Tum is gay and has always had a crush on Pee, but Pee had fallen in love with Nee, a girl in his village, and had a daughter by her. Nevertheless, he and Tum had been best friends as far back as either of them could remember, and had remained so - regardless of following different paths sexually. Tum had always hoped for more than just friendship, but that had never came to pass, other than one evening Pee had followed Tum's lead after they'd both had a couple bottles of beer. While he found it physically pleasurable, he didn't feel the connection or desire he had for girls, and they only shared that single evening of intimacy.

Tum had stayed in the village while Pee went to seek his fortune, or more accurately the fortune he'd heard was there for the taking in the clubs of Bangkok. Tum had warned him of the dangers of drugs and disease and was probably the nagging reminder that kept Pee safe. Although Nee had moved into Pee's family home for help caring for their infant daughter Tum became the "doting auntie" and would check in daily to help after Pee had gone off to Bangkok.

Through a friend who already knew the ropes Pee quickly found work in a club on Soi Dungthawee (also known to many as Soi Twilight) where his astoundingly good looks and bright attitude made him a customer favorite, and he rarely had a night without an off - sometimes two, sometimes three, depending on the details involved. He worked six nights a week, keeping only Sunday to himself for laundry, rest and prayers at the temple. Sunday was the only day he didn't go to the gym, also, but he worked hard at keeping himself in tip-top shape.

Pee had arrived in Bangkok armed with as much safe sex information as Tum could drum into his head, and although he says he took some foolish chances (collecting extraordinarily large tips) during his early months in circulation he soon learned of the dangers involved and made the vow to himself not to lose focus of his goal of a long life with Nee and his daughter while helping his family over the years. Gazing dreamily out the window of the restaurant we were having dinner in before he went to work one evening he said he'd be happiest when some day he could sit outside and see the sunset outside of his own home up North.

Pee was consistently careful with every customer after that first few months - even if it killed a deal or got complaints registered against him with the club - and still was making plenty of money. He'd have himself tested on a regular basis, even though he very, very rarely would bottom and risk a condom problem. If the customer's appendage was of an acceptably thin circumference and he felt comfortable trying it he'd sometimes make an exception, but it was rare. His looks, charm and his own equipment bought him a lot of grace.

He learned how to successfully manipulate an unpleasant or risky situation with a pushy or insistent customer, and, more importantly, how to firmly say "no" if he had to. He didn't ever try drugs and preferred to be in his room watching TV or reading if he wasn't being paid to do otherwise so he rarely went out and got drunk.

While working and with a customer he didn't care for the feeling of being "out of control" so he learned to skillfully nurse a drink. If the customer with him was distracted or off in the bathroom Pee would often pour most of it out or send it away with a waiter. That worked better in his own club, of course, but he had other tricks he'd shared with me one visit.

The money rolled in faster than he'd ever dared dream. Pee bought himself a nice cell phone and clothes to keep himself attractive, but other than his gym membership he put almost all of his money away. Once a month he'd take a break and make the bus ride home to see his family, his girlfriend and his daughter. They'd talked of marriage, but Pee said he wanted to wait until he was done working so he could be "with Nee only". Thanks to his income construction was started on a new home for the family, and due to his thriftiness Pee had it paid for (and then some) before the job was half done. It was a beautiful, two-story home.

Three years ago Pee had a regular customer come into the club that he'd been off with before; someone he'd liked for several reasons that aren't important here and someone he hadn't seen for about nine months. The farang said he'd been busy with work and unable to come to Thailand, but now he was making up for lost time. Pee was happy to accept the overnight off and go back to the man's hotel with him, stopping only for some things at the Family Mart near the hotel.

The man opened a Coke for Pee and didn't seem to mind that Pee wanted to watch one of his favorite Thai shows while he went to shower. When he came out of the bathroom sporting the white hotel towel wrapped around his waist Pee got up to go shower himself. He came back out in an identical outfit, downed the last of his Coke and re-joined his off on the bed to watch a little more television, as they'd done in the past before getting down to business.

About 15 minutes after finishing off his Coke Pee rapidly began to feel dizzy, and found himself being dragged unwillingly into unconsciousness in what seemed like mere moments afterwards. He'd heard about guys being drugged, but he never suspected it could ever happen to him; especially not from this repeat customer who'd always been so gentle and polite. Nevertheless, he knew something was wrong and tried to get up off of the bed to go dress and leave. The last thing he remembered was the sensation of falling, hitting his head on the floor, and his view of the carpeting at an odd angle mere centimeters from his eye before losing consciousness.

[Tomorrow: the conclusion]

Playing Chicken With The Waves

2012-01-27T10:17:00.000-08:00

A surfer makes his way to the path down on the California coast

There was some legal paperwork a ways away from my home that's needed tending to for a while, so yesterday I took the afternoon and got it taken care of. Since I was already near the beach front I took a drive up the coastline for a ways afterwards, stopping at a few spots to stand on the cliff and watch the surf. The waves have been much larger than usual lately - probably fueled by some storm out on the Pacific - and were putting on quite a show while pounding onto the rocks below.

The sound of that much water slamming into the face of the rocks and cliffs was so powerful you could feel it in your chest; a concussive WHOOMP that added a rhythm to the consistent song of the sea gulls and other birds nearby.

The higher surf also brings out the surfers. Being later in the afternoon they were now out of school and work and came like lemmings to the sea, clad in their wet suits and carrying their surf boards. From one vantage point I could see them approaching the path down the rocks to the water and watch the sets of waves, waiting for a break in the sets so they could get to the water as safely as possible.

The young man in the top photo is also in the one below. He made it down the rocks and entered the water without being pulled in - deaths from this seemingly foolhardy practice are very rare - but I didn't watch very many of them try it. Made me nervous.

It was a fine reminder of how small and insignificant we, our lives and our planet are in the Grand Scheme of things.

See you back here on Monday. Have a great weekend, unless you've made other plans.

Thai Smiles, Part 44: Assorted Working Folks

2012-01-26T11:47:00.000-08:00

Selling slightly racist trinkets on a BTS walkway in Bangkok

Spot welding in Jomtien Complex
- without safety goggles

Today's offering is an assortment of workers I've encountered in Thailand, doing their usual jobs. The Thai are often a contented bunch overall, regardless of what it is they do to earn enough to hold body and soul together for another day. That attitude is a gift many of us could benefit from, and some of it is a choice we're capable of making.

There have been more than a few mentions in the past here about finding contentment in what you do, and I've usually put most of those into the file folder labeled sanuk (enjoyable or fun). Pardon the oversimplification but I'll say again that if it isn't sanuk, the Thai don't care to do it. The specific post about it is here.

A tarot card reader wanted to predict my future on the beach.

The nice thing about it that by in large you can find some joy (or at least satisfaction) in the most menial or unpleasant jobs. If you go back and look through the Smiles series you'll see many examples of that, including sewer workers and others doing what must be back-breaking labor.

This traffic officer was taking a break when I walked by

This last picture today is of a woman I met while out distributing food packages to slum families with a charity group. The woman lives with the family members and children she cares for in the shelter behind her, and collects items from the dump to recycle or sell. I try to think about that when I'm tempted to bitch about my own obligations in life. You'll hear more about these folks again soon.

The Vacation Plans Of One Excited Bunny

2012-01-25T15:21:00.000-08:00

Panoramic view from the Bangkok Arts and Cultural Center

In an email I'd sent to my best female friend there I was going on about things I'd planned for my next visit, and her reply began "Who's an excited bunny, then?" Having never heard the phrase before it made me laugh, but she was 100% correct: at about two weeks from my flight date I was one excited bunny.

Although I'm not two weeks away from my departure this time - closer to six, unfortunately - I've already begun to count the days, and if I were a small child again I'd probably be pestering my mother all too frequently how many more days there were left until I got to go, rather like the ageless child request "are we there yet?"

As usual - and despite my better judgement - I've again chosen to repeat the same actions and expect different results and have overbooked my schedule, figuring that all is going to go smoothly and on schedule in a country where the people and culture overall rarely succeed on either level. That's a generalization, obviously, but it's not all that far off the mark.

Part of that is their overall laid-back mai pen rai attitude, and some of it is just an inherent part of the individuals themselves. "Hawaiian time," "Filipino time," "Mexican time," "Tropics time" - I've learned to adjust to them all, so "Thai time" doesn't really bother me, and I'd suggest you not let it bother you, either. Schedule the extra time into your day and you'll keep your systolic/diastolic numbers in much better check. Losing your temper in most any situation will cause you to lose face, and that's not something you want to do there. There are a few other stories about that, if you'd care to reference the thought: "The Golden Rule vs the Ugly Americans", "Keeping a Cool Heart #1" and "Keeping a Cool Heart #2".

Planning too many things in a short visit has bitten me on the butt more than a few times, but something's fallen off the list almost as often and I end up with idle time anyway, just not usually when I've planned it.

I'll be trying some new places to stay this trip and again getting myself out of Bangkok and Pattaya, although calling on the sponsored students will take a week of my time, and that's more than enough of Pattaya for me, truth be known. There's still so much more of the country (and surrounding countries) I'd like to explore. With the help of a Thai friend I've booked some nights at a beach resort that few Westerners go to and will be again outside of Bangkok proper to explore the temples and area in a suburb where a good friend now works.

Not all of my friends know I'll be in the area yet because there won't be enough time to see them all as I'd like to, and the best I'll probably manage with some of them is phoning to say "Hey, I'm here - how about dinner tonight or tomorrow?"

It's not the ideal way to socialize, but sometimes it's the best I can do with the precious few weeks I'll be there and thankfully most of them are understanding about it. Over the years some have dropped off of the list after one of those "you never have time for me" kind of conversations, but again, thankfully, most say "Mai pen rai - see you next trip!" Those are the ones I do see next time - come hell or high water.

Anyway. . . the countdown begins.

Amphawa's Night Market: More Available Light Shots

2012-01-23T09:50:00.000-08:00

Later in the evening, and a ways away from the main activity of the Amphawa floating night market

A couple of days ago someone left a comment on last July's post about the Amphawa floating market, suggesting that Amphawa was also nice by night, too - and I wholeheartedly agree. [If you missed the first batch of night photos about that area, they're here.]

I've long maintained that one hour out among the locals while travelling is worth five at a tourist spot. Not that touristy places aren't worth visiting, because they are or the natives themselves wouldn't go there, but you know what I mean, and although this is generalizing, Soi Cowboy and Soi Twilight aren't really Thailand - they're more what tourists have done to Thailand.

This side street from a car park led you to the canal activity

Although the Rama II park was beautiful [Part 1 here and Part 2 here] and I enjoyed the park display of photo murals of the King in his younger days, and while touring the temples is always pleasant and educational I have to admit the evenings mingling with the locals throughout the market and restaurant area were probably the best parts of my days there.

The best noodle shop I tried in Amphawa - just a block off the main canal

It's not just the aroma of noodle shops and restaurants that drift along on the evening air - although those savory scents certainly enhance a stroll - I think it's the overall unspoiled attitude and graciousness of the people themselves; different than that of those in the tourist-ridden city areas where some have adopted parts of the less pleasant social behaviors of the Western world.

The Thai phrase mai pen rai (meaning "nevermind" or "it doesn't matter") has been overused on many travel sites, but it's really a true part of the culture there, and it's surprisingly refreshing every time I run into it. The woman in the picture above said it with a smile when I apologized after I accidentally bumped the back of her chair while moving out of the way of a motor scooter, and I added another tally mark to my mental list of reasons I love Thailand.

Another of that noodle shop - note the logo if you want to look for the place

No place is perfect, and I believe my compact video recorder was liberated from my bag at the night market there one evening while I was distracted by something, but big deal - I need to pay attention to my surroundings and the possibility of pickpockets as much as anyone else. I was one of a precious few "round eyes" and I stood out somewhat in the crowd anyway, I'm sure. I'd guess the percentage of farang in total was somewhere around 5%, if that much.

Some of the unhurried and polite people strolling along the walkways

The evenings I spent in Amphawa (other than my unexpected time detained in the police station) were really nothing less than idyllic: delightful in all respects.

For much more about the parks, temples, locals and the likes you can click on the "Amphawa" link under Labels in the right hand column. The post today will take it up to 25 about the area, and it's a beautiful place.

Enjoy Your Weekend

2012-01-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

Although dawn today began with a beautiful sunrise, clouds have since come in en mass to thickly blanket the area and a substantial amount of rain has been predicted for the next 36 hours or so. One of the joys of home ownership are the routine upkeep chores, many of which have been haphazardly added to the stack of things in the "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" basket.

One of those (for me, anyway) has been checking the rain gutters for debris, and while I'm glad there are a lot of trees near the house. . . well, you know. I suppose I'd rather be up a ladder for a while than up a creek with water damage in the attic, so there goes a couple of hours I hadn't budgeted for, and that's my writing time this morning.

Add to that, today is my best friend's birthday, so in addition to my fairly full schedule for today I'll be baking a pineapple upside-down cake and preparing dinner for him and a few other good friends.

My friend's birthday cake from last year

I hope your weekend goes smoothly and that you have some time to relax and have fun, too. As time goes by that connection with family and friends becomes more important, so make the best of it!

See you back here on Monday.

As Rare As Hen's Teeth 1: Expat Requests

2012-01-19T12:23:00.000-08:00

"Proper chocolates" are a desired commodity among many expats. In fact, I've never noted it not being greatly appreciated.

The last few trips friends there have asked me to bring them coffee beans, sharp cheddar cheese and what they call "proper chocolate", something that will actually melt in your mouth as opposed to the waxy warm-climate chocolate that's offered for sale in Thailand.

The coffee requests have surprised me because there are several chains there that do quite a trade in it, including that green-colored place based in Seattle that I do my level best to ignore wherever I go. I'd rather go without coffee than support those folks, and personally I put them just a notch below that clown's hamburger chain. My best friend grew up on a coffee farm and thinks they over-roast their beans. "Why would anyone want burnt coffee?" is the question I get from them, and I don't have an answer for that. Anyway, the topic isn't my coffee bean preferences, it's things that would be welcomed by expats and some Thai folks. . . and a pound or two or Peet's coffee (or another quality brand) have always hit a home run with folks there. The person's favorite brand of tea may not be available there, either, and would be a light and welcome gift.

Hot dogs, aside from what pass as sausages in Thailand, are something expats have problems finding there, and there still seems to be an ongoing debate on a few forums regarding what constitutes a "real" pastrami sandwich. Some of this is just quibbling on details from personal preferences, but a decent hot dog truly isn't all that common, from my experiences, anyway.

Fresh and/or perishable items are a challenge, but if you stop and think about it you'll probably find a way; necessity being the mother of invention, and all that. Being that some of you will be seeing friends the first or second day after arriving you can care for things long enough to get them there safely, as I have.

Cheese, for example. After doing some online research without much luck I called a cheese processing company and explained the challenge. The good folks at Tillamook to the North of me assured me that as long as the brick was still sealed, kept as cold as possible until going into my suitcase (wrapped in some clothes as insulation) that it would keep just fine for at least 36 hours, which was much more than enough time for me to get from my front door to my room in Thailand, where it went into the room's refrigerator. The next day there were smiles all around the office when friends found out there was sharp cheddar cheese in the break room. Two full pounds of it didn't last the day, as I recall. By the way, freezing cheese to take along changes its consistency when it's thawed, and I wouldn't recommend it.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) didn't know quite what to make of it, and probably thought the worst because when I opened my bag in Thailand I found the standard notice saying "we have opened your luggage and inspected the contents," which I've gotten somewhat used to finding. If I were looking at a screen and saw something dense the size of a brick I'd probably be interested in seeing what it was, too.

Internet image, not mine

The first time my luggage was hand inspected on the way to the plane was when I was taking four Magic 8-balls to the students I sponsor there, and those items all lined up in a row aroused some curiosity, too. Why 8-balls? See the post from Friday the 13th - or the one about joking about death on a song taew in Chiang Mai.

My notice hadn't been personalized like the one a woman got advising her to "get your freak on" that was in the news a while back (the resolution for that instance is noted by the TSA here), but it gives you a kind of odd feeling to think someone's been going through your things. Unfortunately, it's all part of travel now.

But I'm off topic. Sorry.

Chocolate - at least, the style we're used to in the West - melts too easily to be practical for regular distribution there, and while you can buy the same brands they don't usually have the mouth feel of the creamier style you're more than likely used to. Sees candies is a favorite with one of my best female friends there, and I make a habit of taking her a pound or two each visit. She's an expat from the United Kingdom and provides me with so much help when I'm there that she's well worth the effort. When I arrive at my room there I put the box into the refrigerator and it holds just fine.

Another good friend I'd taken a box to left it open to share with their office mates while we went to lunch, and the photo up top today shows how it looked when we returned. At least they had the decency not to poke a hole in the bottom to see what the filling was and then put it back - with any that were left, anyway.

A commodity that isn't difficult to find but is somewhat expensive is peanut butter. There's a story from way back about my visit to a Thai prison that tells more about the sticky stuff, and if you know a PB-aholic they may be quite pleased with a large container of Skippy Super Chunk.

Another somewhat pricey item in Thailand is beef jerky. I've had a standing request for that for some time now.

Specific spices and herbs have been requested, too. Some prepared concoctions for soup, dip and the likes can hit a familiar place, too, but those are more personalized and you'd need to ask the recipient in advance. Goodness knows they go out of their way often enough to help we visitors - it seems a small thing to do to show how they and their help are appreciated.

That's a start. When we come back to the topic another time I'll share some things my Thai friends are always happy to see.

Is there something you or friends there have trouble finding that you'd care to share with us? Leave a comment, if you would.

Flowers, Part 13: Morning Blooms

2012-01-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

Orchids blooming on a tree in Santhipap Park, Bangkok

A pink Mussaenda shrub blooms

After accompanying a friend to Victory Monument fairly early one morning (where he caught his usual ride to work) I took my time walking back along Thanon Ratchawithi, detouring through Santhipap Park, a peaceful stretch between Ratchawithi and Thanon Rang Nam.

It's an elongated park - seemingly an afterthought amid a well-built-up area - and nothing like the vast expanse of Lumphini Park. About a football field wide it's perhaps 10 fields long, but has paths, benches, ponds and well-maintained flowers and trees.

The last time I mentioned this particular park was a couple of months ago in November, when a young couple became part of the "Smiles" series as they were courting on a bench, the same morning today's photos were taken.

Early morning and late afternoon light are just about my favorite times of day for pictures, and although it can be harsh that's just part of the challenge, I suppose. Anyway, here today are three different "pink-ish" pictures taken in Santhipap Park, and one red herring. . .

Ixora is a common shrub used throughout Thailand, but a dense bunch of clusters are still really beautiful, I think.

That's one carefully carved tangmo (watermelon)

OK, so the last one's not really a flower, but every so often you run into a fruit or vegetable garnish that's been carved so skillfully it's worthy of being included with the real things. The well thought out detail of this watermelon carving reminded me a little of the carved soap flowers from "Don't drop the soap (it's fragile)" post from last September.

Better To Light A Candle Than Just Bitch, I Guess

2012-01-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

Bees pause briefly while carrying pollen (and other things) from one beautiful bloom to another. Get the idea?

Although yesterday's post was more about hope than anything else a comment came in saying (I'm paraphrasing here) "what can be done about it if the Thai themselves don't care?" and it warrants following up on the post here rather than trying to put it into a comment reply. The comment also contained a link and some inappropriate language so I didn't let it go through, but here's my reply:

First and foremost I didn't say the Thai aren't concerned about what I call our Modern Day Plague. Only a total idiot or someone with a death wish would line up to be stricken with HIV or AIDS, and there's far more visible public education going on in Thailand than in the United States - to our shame, I might add. On top of that, it takes two to tango and far too many visitors to Thailand feel that the "anything goes" mentality makes the wishful thought of invincibility in some way a prophylactic of the classic definition... which, by the way, it's not.

Naturally I don't mean to imply that the following could include any of you reading this, but tourists can be reckless, impulsive and selfish even when sober, and far too many regularly tranquilize themselves in the name of having a good time, which can sometimes make things worse.

In that spirit I'll light a candle rather than merely curse the darkness. Here goes. . .

Quite a while ago I posted a piece about safe sex and included a Thai public service announcement about it that's still a fine example of clear thinking on the part of the Thai media. I'm re-posting that clip here:

...and here's a newer one about birthdays (and very thoughtful gifts, I might add):

Nevertheless, it was still estimated as late as 2010 that 60% of sexually active teenagers, more than 50% of males having sex with males and 40% of sex workers didn't use condoms consistently [source: Thai Department of Disease Control]. The highest numbers of new infections in Thailand tend to be in the middle-twenties age bracket, the most popular age for many in the sex trade, where the infection rate is between 25% and 35%, depending on which source you choose to accept.

An unpleasant reminder
of a pleasant encounter

If you have friends in Thailand - especially those in any of the categories in the paragraph above - may I suggest you make an effort to do something to help. Bringing the topic up in conversation may well be awkward, but if you're truly friends it's worth the risk of being seen as a bit forward, and if this person is at high risk (i.e. in "the trade") it's well worth the risk, isn't it?

There are several worthwhile organizations out there that do great work helping educate those in the sex trade with facts and safe sex supplies, and perhaps you could show them a web site or give them contact information. One of these is the Bangkok-based SWING (Service Workers in Group) on Patpong Soi 1. Another I've heard encouraging things about is MPlus+ in Chiang Mai (although I can't personally vouch for them).

There are two in Pattaya that I have had direct contact with and would personally vouch for: Heartt2000 and TakeCare Safe Sex Project.

Heartt2000 is the umbrella over Dr. Philippe Seur and his work helping those who aren't sure where to go and those who think they have nowhere else to go. While some assistance is available through the Thai National Health not all of the more effective treatments are included yet, and that's where Seur is (more than likely) a life saver.

TakeCare volunteers fill and distribute packets of condoms, lube and information to male club workers. Their supplies come from private donations. One year I took them a box of 1,000 condoms and have another case of lube sachets waiting to take on my next trip, but they're fine with cash donations, too.

If you can't do anything else to help while on holiday - wherever that may be - and your holiday just isn't complete without having intimate contact with a native at the very least set a proper example and practice safe sex yourself. Every time.

Feel free to forward the link to this post to Thai friends so they can see the commercials above as well as the information below if you want. I took 15 minutes and scanned a brochure that won't make a lot of sense to you if you don't read Thai, but it might help a Thai avoid infection. I'd like that.

On Having A Dream - Especially Today

2012-01-16T13:22:00.000-08:00

Knowledge is truly the key to the problem

Today is Martin Luther King's birthday. Most of you have heard the "I have a dream" speech, made famous by his presentation on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. Although it wasn't "new" for that day - it was an adaptation of a few speeches previously presented - the thoughts behind it coalesced compelling thoughts for millions. That gave birth to further understanding and acceptance, and helped move the entire process (read: education) of the United States; making progress in combating ignorance, prejudice and fear. That process is far from complete, but great progress has been made.

In the early 1980s a new blanket of ignorance, prejudice and fear was thrown over the collective heads of not only the American public, but of peoples around the world; a new disease that appeared to cross all boundaries, with no discriminatory capability of its own: AIDS. It circled the globe with the speed of modern travel of the time, and soon affected people on every continent of our planet - except Antarctica, as far as we know.

Where did it come from? How was it spread? Who could be blamed for it? Populations everywhere clamored for answers like villagers to their spiritual guides when some new affliction reached where they lived. At first the homosexuals were blamed for it, and that prejudice - coupled with another long standing one - has lasted to this day, despite extensive proof that it is only one of many ways of transmission.

My educated guess is that there aren't all that many IV drug users or heterosexuals in extremely uneducated third world countries that follow this site, so let's leave them and the other fringe transmission possibilities out of the loop today and stick with sex, shall we?

So far I've kept this site acceptable for all but the most innocent of audiences so I'm not going to go into any graphic detail today, but if you look at totals of infection overall the Human Immune Deficiency virus (HIV) that leads to AIDS is primarily spread by sexual contact. A generalization, but one I'm going to run with today.

Let me say that I personally know some Thai/Westerner couples in long-term, committed monogamous relationships, and I think that's wonderful. That's what life's all about: sharing, caring, and being one unit. Today's post is for the others.

If we go back again for a moment to the regular followers of this site I'd think it safe to say that a good number of you are planning to visit the country within the next year or so, if you haven't already. Maybe I'll start a poll on this just for my own curiosity one of these days. Of those folks, there are a number who may be planning to have sexual contact with someone. I say "may", because the vast majority of tourists through Thailand do not go there for the sex, as unbelievable as that may sound to some. By the way, I'm not judging the sex tourists today, so please attempt to keep your knickers from bunching up.

Today's point is that if you're thinking of visiting one venue or another in search of sex you need to be better educated than the sex workers themselves if you wish to protect yourself from exposure to HIV or the wide spectrum of other sexually transmitted diseases that await you in any such situation. The early warning line we got in the USA "If you have sex with someone, you're also sleeping with everyone they've slept with before you (et cetera, et cetera)" is just as valid today as it was a few decades ago, and worth thinking about.

If you believe that the male or female you rent for a while hasn't slept with anyone before you there's an investment opportunity I know of that's just for you - please email me today. Fall in love with a bar boy or a bar girl? Bollocks. I wish you the best of luck in your fool's paradise, and I hope you continue to wear protection for all varieties of sex each time you come back to visit the one who you believe sits and waits for you while you're back home. Let's take a quick look at some of the delights that await you if you don't, shall we?

HIV
Chlamydia
Gonorrhea
Syphilis
Hepatitus B
Hepatitus C
Trichomoniasis (more with female contact)
Bacterial Vaginosis (also more female)
Herpes
HPV - that can cause:
Cancers
Genital warts and
Anal warts

You can add to that any number of miscelaneous UTIs (urinary tract infections) as icing on the cake if you really need to, but the above 10 ought to make you stop and think... at least a little bit. While some of these can be treated, slowed or cured, some are gifts that keep on giving for a lifetime, and a couple can help bring life to a close far earlier than it probably would have otherwise.

Youth often believes they wear a cloak of invincibility, and that's why 85% of Thai youth don't think HIV is something they need to concern themselves with - although 70% of sexual infections occur in this group - and only an estimated 20 - 30% of them use condoms [noted from a study by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs].

So, my dream today is this: may knowledge find a way to do an end run around the rampant cultural, dogmatic and social prejudices that have hobbled the dissemination of information to help peoples around the world make an educated choice, at the very least.

For those of you who already have the information at your fingertips and are not in a monogamous relationship (one that you are as sure of as you can possibly be) please make use of it and be safe - with every partner, every time.

Not a very jolly topic for a holiday, but for some of you out there it's a matter of life and death. Yours.

Friday The 13th

2012-01-13T19:00:00.000-08:00

Walking under an elephant
is believed to bring good luck

In Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory" he and his somewhat loopy 60-something cousin "Sook" bake fruitcakes to send to friends in December. When they're counting their change before buying supplies one year Buddy states he counts a total of exactly $13.00, and Sook - slightly aghast - says "Buddy, we can't mess around with thirteen... our cakes would fall; we'd be likely to put someone in the hospital. I don't even get out of bed on the thirteenth!" Rather than count it again, and "just to be safe", they throw a penny out the window.

I'm not much on superstitions myself, but I regularly find myself in a position while traveling to humor someone who is. For example, in the Philippines you can't go to bed with wet hair because you're liable to die in your sleep. One close Japanese friend insists you can't whistle at night because it's bad luck. A Thai friend backs up a variation of that same belief as he told me one balmy evening while I was whistling while walking that it would attract pee (ghosts) - and ghosts are something you do not want to mess with among the believing Thai - trust me. The exception is if you're in the film industry, as movies about ghosts seem to keep the Thai film industry thriving.

The rooms in the rear of the Om Yim Lodge (where there is no room #13) overlook a picturesque old Chinese cemetery, but I've had friends visiting who were uncomfortable with that, asking "why didn't you get a room facing the front?" For a couple of visits I requested one just to avoid the possible problem. Better view facing the BTS, anyway.

Friday the 13th is winding down where I am, and it's already the 14th in Thailand so I hope everyone I know there is still drawing breath and free of a hospital bed. If the day was to be unlucky for me I seemed to have missed that part, but it was a frantic day of errands, appointments, meetings and the likes - a day that spiraled out of my control somewhere after my morning coffee when the phone rang. Nevertheless, I've gotten through it... so far.

If I'm not back on Monday you can blame it on the wrath of the universe being brought down on me for dissing superstitions.

Or a ghost.

Rented Admirers 2: Comfort's Where You Find It

2012-01-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

A customer stops to chat with the girls after finishing his session

Although we've already done a a story about farang and their rented admirers there's an aspect of the World's Oldest Profession at work here that's more compassionate than others, and that "softer" side fills a void for many who succumb to the siren song of the touts that line club alleys or linger in front of some of the massage parlors in Thailand: they just want to feel desired - possibly even attractive - for a while, at least.

Take as an example the man in the photo above. I use the photo because nobody's identifiable, it was taken some time back and the shop is now part of a construction lot, as is the internet shop nearby where I spoke with the man a short while after the photos were taken. We were at PC stations that faced each other, and I'd asked him point blank "How was the massage? Good shop?" Understandably, he looked a little surprised, so I pointed in that direction and told him I'd noticed him coming out of the place while walking to the internet shop.

"Yeah," he allowed, somewhat sheepishly "They seem to be OK with me there, and there's a lot to be OK with!" He smiled as he motioned down the front of himself, gently noting that he was obese. "That's their job..." I thought to myself, but I didn't voice the opinion. What I did say was "Good. Happy to hear it."

We chatted a bit more before going back to our email and other things, but one thing he mentioned during that short visit stuck with me: he said "It's nice to feel loved. I don't get much of that back home." "Oh," I said "surely you have friends and family back home who love you," and he replied "No, I mean physically desired." I was a little taken aback as I always am when faced with the "Stranger on a Bus Syndrome"; when people reveal things to a total stranger they wouldn't share with anyone in their everyday life. I couldn't think of a way of agreeing with him without being unkind, so I replied that what he was feeling was perfectly human; we all need to feel attractive sometimes, whether we think we are ourselves or not.

I turned on my camera and held it up towards him so he could see the few images I'd taken. He was surprised and laughed "Yup, that's me... Mr. Thirteen-XL!", making reference to a shirt size. I said "They seemed to be enjoying their visit with you - they were offering to share their snacks with you as you were leaving." "Yeah," he laughed as he patted his belly "that may have been the first food I've turned down in six months!"

I shared with him that I'd had weight problems at different points throughout my life, and he gave me a brief but revealing look into his history - one I've heard variations on more than a few times: he'd been a chubby child in a less than ideal family setting and ate for comfort, although he didn't come to that realization until years later. He hid his feelings by being the class clown, but he was a lonesome teenager through high school and college, feeling he'd never have the loving relationship he wanted. Here in the Land of Smiles he'd found a temporary fix, and he was quite thankful for that.

Although these are my own unscientific observations, if you take the time to observe those who are "on the prowl" in either a girly bar or a gay go-go club you can usually identify which of three groups they belong to: the headstrong/bold, the amiable/sociable and the docile/meek. The guy today was of the docile group: feeling he was undesirable he paid for the company and physical closeness, and it's difficult to be critical of that if you're not some bible-thumping moralist, and the more vocal of those tend to end up in the news for playing in the same sandbox.

Not that people from any of the three groups are uniformly free of mental and emotional baggage, but if you ask enough working as those whose time and company are paid for (and I have) you'll learn that those the least difficult to deal with are the docile customers, for a variety of reasons we don't need to go off topic for today. For simplicity's sake say they often are gentle and just looking for the closeness.

Years back I had an acquaintance here stateside that was a nice-looking, successful young man, regularly paying for the company of a sex worker, but not often for the sex; it was the closeness and affection he convinced himself was reality during the time they were together. He was socially awkward and had thus far been unable to get himself to get out into the dating pool and find himself a mate. He's now married with two kids and doing fine, but at the time he was somewhat of a mess.

I think that's sometimes the case with those labeled as "sex tourists" while travelling, too. What do you think?

Walking The Crocodile Farm In Samut Prakarn

2012-01-11T10:32:00.000-08:00

There are plenty of things to see and do in addition to the crocodile show at the Samut Prakarn (also spelled Prakan) Crocodile Farm and Zoo just on the outskirts of Bangkok - more than a mixed group or family could really do in a day, and there's something for those of all ages. While I've seen small children at the crocodile shows I know they're not for everybody, but there are plenty of other options.

Dinosaur statues in one area - there are more than just these two

In addition to the crocodile wrestling shows there's an elephant show going on every 60 minutes, also, featuring a few pachyderms going through the routines you'd see at most any elephant show: playing soccer, twirling a hoop and similar tricks that's definitely appropriate for all ages. There's also a fairly good sized playground, an informative museum, the paddle boats to ride around on and a train you can ride all around the park.

I havent got photos of the limited zoo area, but there are a dozen or so types of animals in pens around the perimeter.

You can eat in several different spots, from walk-away snacks to sit down meals, and since this is a hatchery and farm, there are many many places to shop for crocodile goods ranging from simple trinkets and souvenirs to pricey accessory items.

As you'd also see at many theme parks there are photo opportunities galore, from silly to daring - such as crouching down next to one of the larger show crocodiles out on the "show" island, or beside a large tiger. Granted, these particular specimens may well be slightly sedated for safety's sake (at least, that's what I told myself when I put myself withing striking range) but still...

Pose next to this fine specimen for a photo, ready to pick up in a few minutes

The biggest draw, though, are the crocodiles themselves, and as was mentioned in the introductory post about the place they claim to have 100,000 of them. Many of the pens are open and allow you to get as close to them as anyone needs to be. There are a few examples below.

"Dog pile," crocodile style

Here's one I bet you didn't know: crocodiles hold their mouths open to regulate their temperature.

The line from the movie "Forrest Gump" was "Stupid is as stupid does," and evidently there are stupid people all around the globe, as illustrated by the multi-language signs around the park's enclosures:

I put two photos together to show "before" and "after" when raw chicken is dropped from the elevated walkways

Battling for the snacks - taken from the elevated walkway

That's about all I have for you on the place this round. If there's interest I'll run another set of photos from some other shows I've attended there sometime in the future. I hope some day you can visit there yourself.

Mach Schau: More Crocodile Show Video Clips

2012-01-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

In yesterday's post I mentioned the inherent danger of dealing with crocodiles on turf that quite clearly belongs more to them than the human performers, which includes slipping and falling or allowing your attention to wander while within striking distance, as it's a safe bet the crocodiles rarely lose sight of the snacks walking around them.

Where did I get the term "mach schau"? It's from my youthful Beatles fan days, and it's stuck with me. When they were playing 12+ hour shifts in Germany before hitting it big with "yeah, yeah, yeah" the audience would continue to push them for more, more, more by shouting mach schau (more show) at them. There. Now aren't you glad you asked? Here today are two more clips of the crocodile show.

The first clip shows a crocodile wrestler attempting repeatedly to single out the specific crocodile he wants up on the island-like stage to participate in the next part of the show. In this instance I believe it was the "money shot" portion, where the guys place money thrown by the audience into the crocodile's mouth and then retrieve it with their hands.

The crocodile wasn't in the mood, had a headache or for whatever reason didn't want to play, and the wrestler had a bit of a time getting it out of the water. At one point the crocodile turns and snaps, and by how fast it moved I suspect falling is a legitimate worry for the wrestlers.

In the clip yesterday you saw the thinner of the two trying to get the other to stick their head into the reptile's mouth. The clip below is what happened afterwards. As you'll see, after giving a wai more of prayer than respect - although I'm sure that was part of it - the young man hesitates and makes a false start but eventually puts the front half of his head within the biting radius of the crocodile, to the shouts of the announcer over the loudspeaker and the blare of the old "Hawaii 5-0" theme - both of which I could have done without if I was putting my face on the line, so to speak.

Tomorrow you'll see more of the animals and grounds as we wrap up this trip to the Crocodile Farm.

Showtime: Offering A Crocodile A Little Head

2012-01-09T13:35:00.000-08:00

A young man with more courage than good sense, in my opinion

The Samut Prakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo runs a live show every 60 minutes from 09:30 in the morning through the afternoon, the last one being at 20:30, I believe. You'll find an overview about the park by clicking the link above. I've been there a few times, and since it's usually been for only part of a day I've yet to see all of the place because I tend to get drawn into the small stadium where they do this particular show.

There's always a minor concern as to how animals are handled for circuses and shows such as this, but in this instance there's a chance for the reptiles to get revenge - although in truth it's most likely just natural instinctive reaction on their part. Call it the gruesome streak in me - and maybe that's true - but being the timid soul I am personally makes the vicarious thrill of possible danger a compelling draw. Judging from the crowds the show draws I'm surrounded by plenty of company, I've noticed.

While waiting for a show one afternoon I heard a woman roar in what I guess she thought was the noise a crocodile makes when it's about to attack, and turned to see her teasing her little boy by "roaring" and clamping her hands at him, croc-style. At first he laughed, but after taking a closer look at the size of the beasts now being roused below by a staff member his expression sobered up and she stopped.

The woman in the lower left makes a mock attack on her son

The show begins with a trumpeting musical fanfare of some sort - the Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark themes were really big for a while - punctuated by a man doing his best to whip up the crowd's enthusiasm via loudspeakers around the stadium. I'd suggest not sitting too close to one as they're fairly loud. There's usually some English involved, but most of the audience is Thai so don't expect a lot of details offered in your native tongue, if any.

Maneuvering before the show

Sometimes there's a show girl along to sweeten the pot for some watching, making exaggerated gestures with her arms like a woman showing what's behind Door Number One on a game show, but once the show starts most of the audience is paying more attention to the two men entering the area at ground level, onto an island raised perhaps a foot above the water level of the pond around it. After offering a wai of greeting to the audience as the announcer introduces them to the applause of the crowd they wade out into the pond to about calf-level and begin splashing water up onto the island stage with their hands and arms, making it not only easier to move the crocodiles around, but also for the comfort of said reptilian guests. There are also a few spray holes in the surface of the island that are turned on and off during the performance to help do the same thing.

While one is slicking up the performance area the other is scouting around for the specimens they plan to use for different parts of the show. I'm told familiarity is key for some of the tricks involved, and if you're putting yourself in grave danger predictability is probably the wiser path to choose, I suppose. These creatures have jaws with a clamping pressure of 5,000 pounds per square inch (an alligator can only manage 2,000, but I don't recommend playing with them, either). Most of you are familiar with Rottweiler and "pit bull" dog attacks via the news; they ring in around 400Lb/Sq inch, and a human can manage slightly over 100Lb/Sq inch - just as points of reference.

At the shows I've attended they start out small and work their way up. Maneuvering the creatures is usually done by the tail. While the muscles of their tails closer to the body are quite powerful for swimming and striking if the body is grounded it can't pull its body around by the end of it, so pulling it backwards is the easiest - and safest - way of moving the crocodiles around.

Losing his grip on the tail a performer lands hard during a show

There's one exception to that, though, and that's if you fly backwards and end up on your back, knocking your head on the cement and losing your focus while you try to get up with your head spinning. The crocodile can get turned around pretty quickly, and I once saw a performer nearly end his career after a near-disastrous slip and fall after losing his grip on the tail. There isn't room for one of these to get up to speed in this enclosed area, but they can go as fast on land as around seven miles per hour (10Km/hr), and while I can't speak for you that's faster than I normally move.

The first "tricks" are usually just done with a stick, such as the one held by the guy in the photo below, seeing who's reflexes are best as the guy puts the stick into the crocodile's open jaws. As you can see by the shredded end of the stick it's somewhat of a toss-up as to who's won the most rounds.

The ante is upped when one of the performers gets a crocodile to open its mouth, kneels before it and then "charms" it with light strokes with a stick on the top side of the snout from eyes to nostrils a few times before sticking his hand and/or forearm into the open mouth. Things almost always go according to plan, and the crowd throws money down onto the island to tip the guys - usually currency folded up around a coin to give it enough heft to carry it the distance down from the stands. They pick it up to get it out of the way, thank the audience and stash it away.

Upping the ante a bit further they then proceed to do a similar stunt while putting their heads between the open, toothy jaws. Below is a clip of the performers putting on a show as one tried to get another to put his head into the crocodile's mouth.

Eventually they make it, as the guy up top today proves. If you think about it for a moment, this is an extremely nervy move. Remember, while they have limited side-to-side movement to their "necks" and very little muscle power to open their mouths there's that bone-crushing power to snap them shut. I've taken pictures where the performer's expression is intended to be a smile but indicates a look closer to "get me the hell OUT of here!" Here's another still shot from that same show:

They play to both sides of the arena, so for those of you who prefer an alternate view here's one from the back side:

Here you can see how far into the jaws this guy's head is

The tips come raining down on the guys after these tricks, and you'd think they'd leave well enough alone and quit while they were ahead, but no... they scoop up the money, drag in another scaled participant and, after getting it to hold it's mouth open they put some of the money into it, reaching not just inside and picking up the bills and coins from the crocodile's (immovable) tongue, but deeper down past its palatal flap - the stiff tissue that allows it to keep water out and breath through its nostrils - and that puts them far enough in that if the beast decides to clamp down on their forearm there's really nothing they can do to escape.

A crocodile's natural instinct when it's chomped down on something is to do what's known as a "death roll", which disorients their prey and allows them to drag it underwater where they can break it's bones and often drown it. I know there are clips of unfortunate performers being snapped down on out there on the web, but while I'll joke about such things with friends it's nothing I'd care to watch myself, so you're on your own finding them.

I'd say if you have an opportunity to see one of these shows, do it. Maybe stick around and see it twice. I usually do.

With effort, a performer hoists up one of his fellow performers

Crocodile Farms, Part 1-A: After The Floods

2012-01-06T08:43:00.000-08:00

Apichart Weerawong photo from the Nonthaburi area

There was a comment left yesterday asking whether the Samut Prakarn farm was open after the flooding in October and November. The short answer is "I don't know", but after doing some research this morning it doesn't appear as though they had a problem during the flooding and I'm guessing they're open now. My suggestion would be to call their numbers, though: 02-2703-4891-5 or 02-2703-5144-8

During the floods a couple of months ago there were several stories about widespread crocodile and venomous snake problems in Bangkok, and although I'd read them I figured they were more tabloid journalism than accurate news; you know what I mean - that "Crocodile eats three in Bangkok!" kind of reporting that turns out to be one crocodile eating three chickens on a small farm.

Image from the internet

There are estimated to be 3,000+ crocodile farms in Thailand, but most of those are small independent operations more concerned with trapping and re-selling the creatures than they are viewing places. As I understand it those places weren't so much the problem as was the rising and Southbound flood waters themselves that carried the animals from the wilds to habituated areas, but that's unfounded speculation and there probably were escapees from the smaller places.

Monitor lizards are sometimes reported as crocodiles, too, and while they will give a nasty bite if tested they don't go after humans, as a rule. If they were a genuine menace they'd be a concern in Lumpini Park where they laze around in full view at water's edge, but they're not.

According to the Bangkok Post there were two crocodiles shot and six others captures in Bang Bua Thong (near Nonthaburi, on the Northern outskirts of Bangkok) but the danger of the flooding came more from electrocutions, submerged hazards and contaminated water than it did from the reptiles. A major tourist attraction like the Samut Prakarn farm was undoubtedly protected by sandbagging and other barriers, and in the interest of revenue I'd say they must already be cleaned up and in operation, but you might call them and see if you're planning a trip out there now at the beginning of January. If you find out, let us know in the comments section below. Their main numbers are 02-2703-4891-5 and 02-2703-5144-8.

Another Apichart Weerawong photo from Nonthaburi area

Apologies on the detour, but it was a valid question - and since it's High Season and some of you may be in Bangkok considering a visit I felt it deserved an answer sooner rather than later.

Back to the main topic on Monday. See you back here then.

Samut Prakarn's Crocodile Farm, Part 1

2012-01-05T12:22:00.000-08:00

A crocodile smiles a welcome at the farm in Samut Prakarn

The Samut Prakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo just outside of downtown Bangkok claims to be the largest in Thailand, and that's probably true. It's without a doubt the largest I've seen or heard of, and even if it isn't the largest farm it's home to the largest crocodile in captivity, Yai (meaning large); born at the farm in 1972, a couple of years after it opened. If you want to drop him a card his birthday's June 10.

Nearly 20 feet long and weighing in at 2,465 pounds (or 1118Kg) he is one big reptile, even being awarded his own listing in the Guinness Book of World Records. The photo below is one by the Farm, as both times I've seen him he's been mostly submerged and I haven't gotten a clear shot of him myself.

Nearly 20 feet Yai is indeed a large beast

Yai is just one of 100,000 crocodiles the farm claims to have on its 300 acres of grounds, in addition to a wide variety of other flora and fauna. I didn't attempt an inventory, but there were crocs of every size, color and variety; enough for the most rabid fan.

Youngprapakorn

For those who prefer their reptiles ready to wear there are plenty of shops and places to buy belts, bags, purses, briefcases and other items made from the specimens raised on the farm, both for their skins and for the edible meat.

The farm was opened in 1970, the brainchild of Utai Youngprapakorn. His original intent was much as it still is today: preserve the many varieties of crocodiles from extinction and provide a source of skins for the fashion industry in an effort to curb poaching in the wild. It's probably been a beneficial arrangement for all but those who've been harvested for shoes and the likes.

In addition to the reptile menagerie you'll also find areas for elephants, monkeys, birds, camels, lions, tigers and bears (oh my!) around the grounds, with an elephant show in its own small stadium. It was here on my first visit to the Land of Smiles that I found myself atop an elephant for the first time and crouched tentatively next to a tiger and a crocodile to have my photo taken. The tiger was somewhat sedated, but the crocodile was a meter longer than I am tall, and freshly hauled out of the water around the small "stage" island that a few of us were led out onto to pay Bt100 for the privilege of risking being bitten. Crocodiles have a total of 65 teeth - 35 on top, 30 on the bottom - and a vice-like grip once their jaws clamp down and that made me think twice, but I did it anyway.

There's a train to take you around the park, if you want, or you can hire a horse-drawn carriage to take you and a friend around. Paddle your way around on a small foot-powered pedal boat across a large pond (without crocodiles in it, naturally) or just wander the grounds on foot - there are plenty of places to stop and rest, and the grounds are nicely landscaped; planted to provide shade on the paths.

One small section of a series of elevated walkways above the large crocodile ponds

Presentations and shows happen on the hour (for elephants) or half hour (for the crocodile wrestling) throughout the day from 09:00 to 17:00, and there are other demonstrations and things going on, too. You can purchase raw chicken to drop from the elevated walkways into the snapping jaws of crocodiles who whip their bodies and tails around, knocking each other around in a frenzy to get at said tidbits.

Crocodiles fighting over chicken dropped from the walkway above

Albino and differently colored specimens are on view in many spots, some communally and some in solitary enclosures. I suggested to my Thai friend that maybe these isolated ones didn't play well with others, and looked at me wide-eyed and said "I wouldn't want to play with any of them!"

Rather than make the post too long again I'll split this into two or three parts. In the next post I'll share more images of the crocodiles themselves and maybe some of the elephants. I'm adding a couple of images (below) from their hand-out for those of you who want to read their translations to Chinese and French, and a map giving a rough idea of where it is. More on that next time, too.

http://www.worldcrocodile.com/home.html

DVD? CD? Come Look, Sir! - The Pantip Plaza Touts

2012-01-04T16:04:00.000-08:00

Patpong Night Market - with a DVD stall halfway down the right side

The first real mention made here about the sales touts that accost you if you happen to venture onto their turf was back in March of last year, some 500 posts ago, [Sexy Movie? Sexy Movie? - The DVD Touts ] and it was about how I had a little fun with the guys who surreptitiously sidle up to you and try to get you to look at and buy X-rated movies.

Many of them had a crudely made scrap of paper or cardboard they'd palm and show you, so I made some myself back home and on my next trip flashed mine at them. It was fun, and even before I left Bangkok 10 days later I saw how they'd taken my idea and run with it; they'd made their own laminated versions!

My home made "Sexy Movie" card

The porno market is a very small part of the overall copied media market in Thailand, and although it's illegal to copy and sell movies, music, software and games there you can find them almost anywhere. Even in recognized movie and music chain stores you're likely to see what could only be generously be "grey market" items.

If you buy a computer from somewhere other than a major retailer you're liable to find that the Microsoft Office that you also purchased and had them install isn't legal, either. I've heard stories from folks, but since I'm not that adventurous I haven't tried buying computer gear there... yet. I tend to stick with the rules, anyway, and would likely be sweating like a pig trying to bring any sort of bootlegged items back through US Customs.

That said, I haven't been above purchasing movies and music to enjoy while I'm in the Kingdom, but I leave them behind with friends when I leave. To you purists who are grinding your teeth, I agree: it isn't right to do that, either, but I'm a country mile away from perfect - and my friends are always pleased to have the spoils, so to speak.

In addition to the market stalls - especially in areas where tourists are found - you'll find shops in many towns to buy such items, and if you're lazing in a beach chair beneath an umbrella on any number of beaches you're likely to have some of the same items carried to you by a walking vendor, although those primarily tend to be mainly recent movies and porn. One of these days I expect to hear some beach vendor approaching repeating "Mac? Windows?" as he trudges along, but it hasn't happened so far.

Some of you will remember the Where The Wild Boys Live story that ended with the two go go boys making use of my room to watch some porn VCDs they'd bought on Jomtien Beach that afternoon while I sat in the lobby and wrote for an hour, and it's a fair indicator of how people's curiosity about sex tends to cross all boundaries.

[As a side note: VCD or video compact disc is a format foreign to most in the West, but it's common in parts of Asia. It uses CD discs rather than DVD discs, and often splits a movie onto two discs due to capacity limitations. The video quality usually suffers, too, but you'll see players that play them throughout Thailand. While many are legitimate releases they won't play on your regular DVD player at home.]

The central core of Pantip Plaza in Bangkok

In Bangkok there's an enormous shopping mall devoted to all things electronic, including grey- and black-market items. Point of fact, there are others I've heard of, but since Pantip is an easy 10 minute walk from the Ratchathewi BTS station I've usually gone there. It's a great place to buy batteries, cables and other electronic peripherals, as well as all sorts of other electronic toys and chotchkes. As you can see from the stitched panorama photo above that I took from a higher floor, it's huge; the photo only shows the open atrium area that encompasses half of the total area, if that much. You could spend hours there, and if you get hungry there's a food court, an S&P bakery/restaurant, an A&W root beer burger place and the usual assortment of vendors on the sidewalk out front.

There are dozens of shops on the ground floor selling CDs, DVD and VCD movies, Wii/PlayStation/X-Box game knock-offs, and a fair number of similar stalls around the landing of the 2nd and 3rd floor escalators, too.

Thousands of sleeved covers in cellophane to peruse - and this is only one shop of dozens

The police know they're there, and they know that the police know they're there. More than once I've seen a vendor get a phone call and suddenly lower the shades or curtains over their stand, having been tipped off that uniformed "visitors" are about to arrive. On one visit they all heard at about the same time, and the shuffling and swooshing sounds of stalls "closing down" was a rushed and audible event all around the area. The vendors then either hide inside or stand near their stalls, looking as innocent as possible to avoid losing what stock they had on hand or paying the "fee" to make peace with the officers. If you don't notice what's going on and ask one of them about something you're looking for you'll get "Can not," or "Not have". Sometimes those stalls are shuttered for a day or three, depending.

Examples of pick-up receipts

In fact, most of the time in places like Pantip Plaza they don't have the actual discs on hand in the stall at all. After you pay for your selections from stacks of covers in cellophane sleeves that are clamped onto a clipboard you're given a slip of paper as your receipt and a "runner" is sent off outside of the building to retrieve your selection. You're told to come back in 20 minutes or so, and they then hand you a bag with your items in it.

Naturally, although peeking in to make see if you think you got what you ordered is acceptable you are not welcome to open and peruse your purchases in front of their stand.

Some of such merchandise is kept on premises, but such shop stalls are far into the nether regions of Pantip; far off into the back, or high on the top floors, where the lights are dimmer, let's say.

The cost for these items is less than 25% of what you'd be likely to pay in your home country, but it all depends on how lucky you feel about getting them through customs when you return home. The one time some years back that I did bring a movie home with me for a nephew the agent who was rifling through my bag pulled it out, looked at it and said "Oh... I didn't know Star Wars was out on DVD here yet." "It isn't," I replied, figuring that was 100baht I'd never see again, but he again said "Oh", and put it back into my bag. It made me uncomfortable enough to stop while I was ahead.

As an example of cost, though, I had a man show me a set of extended releases of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy in Blu-Ray, nicely packaged in a metal tin made in Japan, including the earlier 1970s Ralph Bakshi cartoon version for US$25 - and this was nearly a year ago, long before similar sets were released here at well over US$100.

Naturally, I'm not in any way encouraging or endorsing any such behavior, but as the saying goes: you can pay your money and take your chances - and there are chances a-plenty.

A Nice Open-Air Restaurant In Bangkok

2012-01-03T13:48:00.000-08:00

About 16 hours after setting foot inside Don Muang airport on my first ever adventure into Thailand my friends and I found ourselves being led into the open entrance of Just One, an indoor/outdoor restaurant.

Located just off of Soi Nam Duplee - a little more than a block off of Rama 4 Road, it's easy to get to on foot from the Pinnacle, the Trinity Silom, the Malaysia, Vincent's 7 Rooms, Pantip Court and a lot of other lodging. You could also easily walk there from the Lumpini MRT station on Rama 4, at the edge of Lumpini Park.

It was a beautiful evening - especially for we two newbies who were still under the spell of the newness of Thailand (and a little jet-lagged, to boot). My pen-pal friend Voy was schlepping us around and thought it would be nice to be outdoors, and he was right. We sat at a table beneath the whispering leaves that swayed above us and had a magnificent meal.

The only problem was we didn't have sense enough to put on some mosquito repellent, so we were ourselves a buffet for what seemed to be a hundred mosquitoes, by the bites we saw rising on our legs later that evening. Ugh. I learned that very evening to protect myself, and have since. If you find yourself in a similar situation there you can sit inside, where the aircon keeps things quite cool.

Even after a number of visits I still haven't become jaded enough to say it's not a good place to eat, so although these aren't recent photos I thought I'd share them.

The guy who was sweeping up on the morning I wandered by on a walk stopped to visit briefly and allow me to take his picture. He resembles a friend of mine from Isaan who also works in the Big Mango, but that's another story for another day.

Powdered with talc a worker at Just One does some morning clean-up

Happy New Year 2555

2012-01-02T11:45:00.000-08:00

A friendly flower vendor at work one morning

Santa wasn't paying attention and had me on the "Good Boys" list for his rounds a week ago, and he left me a new computer. The one I've been using wasn't a screaming dynamo when it was originally purchased over six years ago, so this new operating system and interface is a quantum leap forward for me, to say the least.

Those of you with me in the later middle-age group probably understand that there's now a long list of things that need to be done to be up and running again: files to be transferred, software to download and re-install in addition to a learning curve that gets steeper each time we're faced with them. It's fun - to a point - and quite frustrating the rest of the time. I'm not complaining, just stating facts. If someone asks me for help with a new device, game or program I usually tell them to ask their child or young relative; they're the ones who seem to best understand the current technology.

So while I expected to be back up and running by today, that ain't gonna happen. I'll do my best to be back with something Thailand related tomorrow, if the Grand Spirits of Technology are willing.

Nevertheless, it is a new year - 2012 or 2555, depending - and I wish you all the very best over the coming twelve months!

Looking Back Over 500+ Posts At Year's End

2011-12-30T14:59:00.000-08:00

The end of a calendar year is often a time of reflection for me, and since the blog has recently passed a minor milestone - today's is the 508th post - I thought it also deserved a pause to say thanks to you who have read my stuff, and to those who've participated in a positive or otherwise constructive way as I've bumbled along here for the past 22 months or so.

Also, I thought I'd share replies to combined questions and observations from emails I've received over this past twelve months as a year-end wrap up.

First off - yes, I've noticed folks elsewhere on the web with more spare time than sense have sometimes taken me to task for nothing more than being graced with enough emotion to see past the world of sex tourism in Thailand, but thankfully many of you regulars appreciate a wider scope of life in Thailand, as I do - and I'm content with that. There are already plenty of sites recycling photos found on the web as their bread and butter, as far as I'm concerned - sometimes with photos having nothing to do with Thailand most of the time.

I don't personally have a problem with most R- or X-rated curmudgeon wannabe bloggers. One of them evidently looks in here every so often to lift an idea, re-word it and post it. Imitation is a form of flattery, I suppose, but I can say with a clear conscience that what's appeared here has been the unembellished truth written by yours truly, unless I've noted otherwise.

It also probably bears repeating that while I freely admit I appreciate a fine male form - much as some of you enjoy seeing photos of those of the opposite sex - I don't feel a need to post lewd photos to build a readership or any other such thing. Again, I'm not playing the game of search engine optimization or any other such ramp-up for a business for me... it's just a hobby that I hope will entertain, and in doing so also help. Maybe even educate; no day's a waste if we learn something new.

Speaking of photos, I've been asked why I use a watermark on 99% of photos I've taken here. The answer is pretty simple, really: while there's no real way to stop people with no scruples from stealing a photo to use for their own sites (usually for profit) the watermark slows most of them down. Although my attorney friends who practice this kind of law would do any necessary pit bull work for me for free they advised the mumbo-jumbo under "The Standard Legalese" - and the watermark, too. The watermark was too large, though, and I adjusted it earlier this year.

In that same folder are the requests for more pictures of the trade workers I've interviewed over the years. Most "night workers" don't want to be identified as such, and as I mentioned in the first post back in March of last year this is - first and foremost - a blog to share my observations and experiences of times in Thailand overall.

As a side note I'll offer that seeing someone visiting or working in a Gay establishment is no more of an indication that the person themself is gay than seeing someone in an auto repair shop and assuming they're a mechanic. For example: a major percentage of go go boys in any given club in Bangkok are heterosexual.

There. That's enough from me for this year. I wish all of you a safe and sane New Year's Eve, and wherever it is you are for what many of my Thai friends call "countdown". I hope you can look back over this year with few regrets - and look forward to 2012 with hope and a heart full of realistic, healthy goals.

Happy New Year!

Another Few Days Away

2011-12-27T08:58:00.000-08:00

As Stan Freburg said - "That's Christmas with a PURPOSE."

Most of you know that I'm close with both my related and extended family, and the holidays are always a good reason to gather together and "talk story" as the Hawaiian branch would say. That's precisely what I'm doing for the next few days. I hope you had a good Christmas or are still having a good Hanukkah. We do both.

It wasn't my intent to post until Friday, but a member of a forum mentioned the story that ran here in September about the unfortunate life of one Go Go boy so I thought I'd say welcome to any new visitors.

I plan to be back posting on Friday.

My 2011 Christmas Wish For You

2011-12-24T09:12:00.000-08:00

Last year I posted the above clip of a choral group singing "Silent Night," and that's what I'll share with you again this year - for a few reasons.

First and foremost: if you leave the religion-specific references out of it it expresses a sentiment that's all too often left behind in the world today, and it needs repeating, I think.

Secondly, it's the most breathtakingly beautiful rendition I've ever heard of the song. If you know of another, leave us the performer's name in the comments section and I'll check it out.

Third, a niece and nephew of mine are among the voices of the large chorale singing this particular version, and since it's my playhouse I'm taking the opportunity to be a bit proud of them both. Nice job.

Here's wishing you all a peaceful and meaningful holiday season. Back in a few days.

The Day The Kid Got His Peaches

2011-12-23T07:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas lights near Siam Paragon, Bangkok

[A couple of decades ago I read an article with a lesson to it that's stuck with me over the years, and in the spirit of the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa holidays I thought I'd share it with you today. It was written by a man named Al Martinez, and had been reprinted in my local paper from another in Los Angeles. If you can make the time in your hectic holiday schedule I hope you'll stop and read it. It's worth the time.]

The Day The Kid Got His Peaches

It happened one Christmas Eve a long time ago in a place called Oakland, California, on a newspaper called the Tribune with a city editor named Alfred P. Reck.

I was working swing shift on general assignment, writing the story of a boy who was dying of leukemia and whose greatest wish was for fresh peaches. It was a story that, in the tradition of 1950s journalism, would be milked for every sob we could squeeze from it, because everyone loved a good cry at Christmas. We knew how to play a tear-jerker in those days, and I was full of the kind of passions that could make a sailor weep.

I remember it was about 11 p.m. and pouring rain outside when I began putting the piece together for the next day’s editions. Deadline was an hour away, but an hour is a lifetime when you’re young and fast and never get tired.

Then the telephone rang. It was Al Reck calling, as he always did at night, and he’d had a few under his belt. Reck was a drinking man. With diabetes and epilepsy, hard liquor was about the last thing he ought to be messing with. But you didn’t tell Al what he ought or ought not to do.

He was essentially a gentle man who rarely raised his voice, but you knew he was the city editor, and in those days the city editor was the law and word in the newsroom. But there was more than fear and tradition at work for Al. We respected him immensely, not only for his abilities as a newsman, but for his humanity. Al was sensitive both to our needs and the needs of those whose names and faces appeared in the pages of the Oakland Tribune.

“What’s up?” he asked me that Christmas eve in a voice as soft and slurred as a summer breeze. He already knew what was up because, during 25 years on the city desk, Reck somehow always knew what was up, but he wanted to hear it from the man handling the story. I told him about the kid dying of leukemia and about the peaches and about how there simply were no fresh peaches, but it still made a good piece. We had art, and a hole on Page One.

Al listened for a moment and then said, “How long’s he got?” “Not long,” I said. “His doctor says maybe a day or two.” There was a long silence and then Al said, “Get the kid his peaches."

“I’ve called all over,” I said. “None of the produce places in the Bay Area have fresh peaches. They’re just plain out of season. It’s winter.” "Not everywhere. Call Australia.” “Al,” I began to argue, “it’s after 11 and I have no idea...” “Call Australia,” he said, and then hung up. If Al said call Australia, I would call Australia.

I don’t quite remember who I telephoned, newspapers maybe and agricultural associations, but I ended up finding fresh peaches and an airline that would fly them to the San Francisco Bay Area before the end of Christmas Day. There was only one problem. Customs wouldn’t clear them. They were an agricultural product and would be hung up at San Francisco International at least for a day, and possibly forever.

Reck called again. He listened to the problem and told me to telephone the secretary of agriculture and have him clear the peaches when they arrived. “It’s close to midnight,” I argued. “His office is closed.” “Take this number down,” Reck said. “It’s his home. Tell him I told you to call.” It was axiomatic among the admirers of Al Reck that he knew everyone and everyone knew him, from cops on the street to government leaders in their Georgetown estates. No one knew how Al knew them or why, but he did. I called the secretary and he said he’d have the peaches cleared when they arrived and give Al Reck his best.

“All right,” Al said on his third and final call to me, “now arrange for one of the photographers to meet the plane and take the peaches over to the boy’s house.” He had been drinking steadily throughout the evening, and the slurring had become almost impossible to understand. By then it was a few minutes past midnight, and just a heartbeat and a half to the final deadline. “Al,” I said “if I don’t start writing this now I’ll never get the story in the paper.”

I won’t forget this moment.

“I didn’t say get the story,” Reck replied gently. “I said get the kid his peaches.”

If there is a flashpoint in our lives to which we can refer later, moments that shape our attitudes and effect our futures, that was mine. Alfred Pierce Reck had defined for me the importance of what we do, lifting it beyond newsprint and deadline to a level of humanity that transcends job. He understood not only what we did but what we were supposed to do. I didn’t say get the story. I said get the kid his peaches.

The boy got his peaches and the story made the home edition, and and I received a lesson in journalism more important than any I’ve learned since.

The Dusit Zoo - Bangkok

2011-12-22T11:13:00.000-08:00

A white tiger in the Dusit Zoo, Bangkok

Located in the Dusit neighborhood of Bangkok, a little ways behind Parliment House you'll find Khao Din Park, home of the most popular zoo in Thailand - the Dusit Zoo. The name Parliment House may sound familiar to some of you who followed the social unrest a year or so ago as a number of large public demonstrations were held in the large open area in front of it.

The Dusit Zoo is part of the Royal Zoological Park Organization, which also maintains zoos in Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nongkla in addition to the Khao Khiao "open" zoo. Having not been to any of the others so far my guess is that the Dusit is the most popular because of it's easy access to so many people. As of now the zoo's been open for 65 years.

The grounds cover around 47 acres (118 rai), and there's a lot to see. There's a tram train that'll ride you around the place for an overall view, or you can pick up a map when you buy your entrance ticket. Fees for the Thai are 50Bt for adults and 10Bt for kids. As is often the case farang pay a little more than that: 100Bt for adults, 50Bt for kids.

The organization estimates an average of 2.5 million visitors come to the zoo each year to see over 1,500 animals, birds and reptiles.

A map showing features of the zoo

There are the normal souvenir shops, restaurants, exhibits and informational displays - even a 7-Eleven, should memory serve. There are demonstrations and shows and plenty of places to sit, rest and people-watch. Naturally there are all manner of school field trips going on during the months when the weather's likely to cooperate and schools are open.

While my friend and I were strolling around one time three school girls came up to me and asked if they could interview me. [As an aside for those of you who haven't been places where students are often learning English any time you're around students in Thailand you're likely to have them come up and ask to speak with you. It's nice to be of help, and frankly sometimes it's more attention than I get back home some days!] They asked me about a dozen questions - why am I in Thailand, what kind of work do I do, what did I like best about the zoo - and one videotaped me and the girl with the microphone, while a third girl took notes on a clipboard.

The zoo is open from 08:00 to 18:00, and can be reached by BTS, taxi, or bus. I've gone the entire way by taxi once, but usually I'll take the BTS to the Victory Monument stop (noted in blue on the map below) where it's easy to catch a taxi to take me the rest of the way. If you want to try the taxi route you can print the Thai map at the end of today's post that's gotten me there once.

Once I went by bus with someone who knew the routes. If you can find your way that way you can take bus 18, 28 or 108, or 528, 515, 539 or 542 if you want one with air-con.

Somewhere I have more photos of the place, but maybe not. If I find them I'll do another post.

Cookies - And Christmas In Pattayaland, Soi 3

2011-12-20T09:51:00.000-08:00

A night short of Christmas lights on a tree in Pattayaland, Soi 3

Because I have an extensive family - some blood relations and a lot of others I've grown close to over the years - I tend to do a lot of baking during the Christmas holidays. This year is no different, and there are somewhere between 400 and 500 finished and waiting to distribute over the next week or so.

In the interest of keeping them fresh I hold most of them in the freezer over the week or so of days I'm baking them. Today and tomorrow will be decorating days, and then I can finish putting the finishing touches on things before the holidays themselves. Some of the local family will join in today an lend a hand spreading icing and sprinkling colored sugar decor on as many as I can get them to do, and then the rest will be done by yours truly later today.

I suspect that the X-Box Santa dropped off early will curtail some of the help from the younger ones today, but then icing never could hold a candle to a grenade launcher and sporting games. Ah, well... it's Christmas.

Back tomorrow.

Suntans: More Than "Black" And White

2011-12-19T13:55:00.000-08:00

A farang on the beach, basted and broiling.

Sitting under an umbrella on the beach in Thailand some months ago I watched an older man in a Speedo (something that probably ought to be a felony in and of itself) getting a foot massage from a younger Thai man. Well, if truth be known I was actually observing the younger man more than the older one, but that was primarily to see if I could get a hook on the relationship between the two. The farang appeared to be in his late sixties, the Thai in his mid-twenties.

They seemed to know each other somehow, but since I resisted the opportunity to eavesdrop I couldn't do more than speculate. From the disinterested look on the young man's face my guess is that the music coming through my ear buds trumped what little they were talking about, anyway. He looked longingly at the shade from the umbrellas all around him as he toiled away in the direct sun of mid-day.

His customer seemed to know the people who ran the chair concession where he'd rented his lounge recliner for the day, and they apparently recognized or knew him, too. At least, one would hope they knew each other as he'd reach out and grab at any of them who didn't give him a wide enough berth to be more than an arm's reach away. Most of it seemed to be in good fun, but some of them either made faces or rolled their eyes as they passed out of his range of view.

When the massage was done the man handed his masseur a bottle of tanning oil, motioning for the kid to oil him up for his next spin at Carcinoma Roulette. I couldn't help but notice that it didn't so much resemble an oiling up as it did a basting; the man was already darker than most roasted fowl you'd see served at a family gathering. "At least his family could save burial expenses and just have him made into an ottoman after he's gone," I thought to myself "He's pretty close to leather now." If he were a third his size he probably have passed for a kahlua pig at a Hawaiian luau. Still, to each their own.

Having been born with enough of a beautiful tone an acquaintance stays in the shade at the beach

I've never quite understood the obsession with sunbathing, myself. Part of that probably comes from my inability to do anything myself other than sunburn and peel time and again, but if you look that up it's really nothing more than damaging your DNA and your skin attempting to repair the damage by shedding itself. I don't try to emulate the pasty look of the "Goth" youth of today, but I respect the power of the sun - especially in the tropics. To put it another way: SPF-50 is my friend.

Now, before you Snow Birds who migrate to sunnier climes from places where the weather takes a colder turn from oh, say, October through March get upset, let me say I fully understand not wishing to live in a country that's somewhat like a blast freezer for a quarter of the year.

A lack of sunshine has been proven to have detrimental effects on humans, too - both mental and physical. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a legitimate condition - I know someone who deals with it each year. When I was in Seattle a month ago I saw a surprisingly large selection of light fixtures and lamps designed to provide artificial sun for both that and to help adjust people's internal circadian clocks. However, 20 minutes beneath artificial sun per day is (pardon the pun) light years away from day after day of sunbathing.

Many Asian cultures view darker skin as being less desirable than lighter skin, and folks go to great pains to avoid the sun. Walk through the personal grooming aisle where the creams and lotions are on display the next time you're in a store in Thailand - or Japan, or China, or Vietnam - and you're going to see more skin-lightening products than you can shake a stick at. If a Thai (male or female) is to wear any make-up on their face you're not going to see them using anything that would darken their skin.

You're also likely to see a similar phenomenon in many Latin America countries, too. One dear friend, born in the Southern part of Mexico has the most gorgeous dark skin of anyone I know, but when he was a child and the family was invited to, say, a wedding, he was left behind at home because he was too moreno (dark) and they were ashamed of him. Go figure.

A handful of years back I read on one forum or another an anecdote from a farang man who'd left his boyfriend in Bangkok while he went for the first time to some beach resort for a week, staying stretched out in the sun most days; getting a deep tan he was rather pleased with. Thinking "now I'm the grandest tiger in the jungle" while coming back to Bangkok he was a bit shocked when his boyfriend greeted him with "Why you do this? Now you black... I ashamed you!" It took him a couple of minutes to realize that to make himself darker (many Thai would say "black" when they mean tanned or darker) seemed like a completely irrational act to most Thai.

I suppose that for aesthetic reasons it's merely a matter of cultural preference, but for health reasons it makes more sense to avoid being one of the walking lobsters you're likely to run across at the Grand Palace along about three o'clock in the afternoon. Sunscreens are available so you don't need to bring a bottle or tube with you, but if you have a specific brand you prefer just seal it in a bag to avoid a leak and bring it along.

And - more importantly - use it. It beats having a doctor carving bits off of you in another decade. Just my two satang on it.

Strolling Into The Tawan Muscle Boy Club

2011-12-16T18:49:00.000-08:00

There was going to be a little more of a story to go with the above clip today, but life threw a curve ball and it didn't happen, sorry to say. Face facts: most of those who'll be interested in seeing it couldn't care less about the story, anyway.

The gist of it had to do with trying to get back to my room after picking up some lantern puzzles at a sidewalk stall of sorts on Suriwongse Road (that January 24, 2011 story is HERE). I'd cut down the side soi where Tawan and the Mango Tree restaurant are to get myself back to Silom and the Sala Daeng BTS and was drawn into the club by the door tout.

I'd been taking a video to show the soi anyway, and evidently the tout didn't care that the red light was obviously on because he looked directly at it and still called me in. There's not much to the clip since I shut the camera off after I sat down. I rarely visit the club unless I'm taking a newbie there, but I sat for a drink and then went on my way.

Thai Smiles, Part 43: Hauy Phong Orphanage Boys

2011-12-15T08:39:00.000-08:00

Talking about the upcoming party with some of the boys at Hauy Phong

A few days ago I made a pitch for donations to the Pattaya Street Kids Project's holiday party at the Hauy Phong Children's Home.

Some of the approximately 400 boys (and girls, on the other side of the road) who would appreciate your help

Although the party is coming up soon there's still time to make a donation. For the relatively insignificant sum of $4US / 2.5GBP / 120 Baht you can defray the cost of one child for this yearly event. I don't smoke and I don't know what they cost where you live, but that's less than a pack of cigarettes here in the US - and it's a far better use of the cash. These are children who haven't much more than the clothes on their backs, and they really put their hearts into this day-long event.

Having lunch at Hauy Phong

You can make donations in a number of ways (see their site HERE) but I've always found PayPal to be the easiest.

The photos today were taken when I was last at the home a couple of days before one of these parties. I just noticed today that while I was taking the photo below of the boy sweeping up leaves Don was taking a photo of two boys who - as of today - are smiling out at you on the PSKSP home page. Just an interesting coincidence I thought worth pointing out.

Give a thought to donating, folks. Note on your donation that you'd like the money to go to the Hauy Phong holiday party, and that's where it will go. 100% of it.

A boy "rakes" leaves while Don takes a photo of two others

Night BBQ In Udonthani Clip

2011-12-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have read portions of the 28-part series "Isaan Oddysey" that ran from February 22nd through May 19th of this year, when I'd hired a friend with his own guide business to accompany me for a week-long road trip up through Isaan to Udonthani.

One evening in Udonthani we ended up at a large outdoor BBQ place, the name of which I didn't note and have long since forgotten. It was across the road from the runways at the airport there, although that's not much of a selling point, I suppose. If you want to read that piece of the saga and see photos from that night, the link to it is here. I really enjoyed it, despite the occasional noise from overhead.

I took a few video clips that evening, and here's one of them showing some of the area where you'd select your ingredients to cook at your table, and some of the band that played a generous amount of more traditional Isaan music in addition to this song. If you follow it to YouTube you can see it in HD, if you have the web speed for that.

As the evening progressed and the music became more "Isaan-centric" more and more of the locals got up to dance, and the irresistible rhythm was impossible for many in the crowd to resist. It was wonderful.

These times out among the locals are some of my fondest recollections of my Thailand visits, and I encourage you to try experiencing them yourself when you go - or when you're there again.

It's well worth the time.

REAL Holiday Spirit(s)

2011-12-13T13:48:00.000-08:00

If anyone up on the roof of the liquor store needs a little something to keep warm, it's just below them.

In 1958 my brother came home with a 45RPM of Stan Freberg's "Green Chri$tma$", a satirical and gently cynical poke at the commercial maelstrom that is the holiday season. In my opinion, it's never been equaled:

Now, I'm a lover of novelty records; I have cases of vinyl to attest to it, but Freberg's nearly seven minute saga still reigns supreme when it come to Christmas records for me. The public loved it, and the radio stations took the heat from Coke, Viceroy cigarettes and the other products that were speared.

The religious story of Christmas is still a central point of the holidays for many followers of the Christian faith around the globe, but once it became a means of making money l-o-n-g ago, all bets were off as far as the world of commerce was concerned. If I were a deeply religious person that might offend me, but I'm not, so it doesn't. The whole idea of "peace on earth, good will towards men" is a sound one that I do my best to honor, but it shouldn't be restricted to the month of December, in my opinion.

This isn't intended to be a rant of any kind, but I thought I'd share Freberg's superb holiday cheer with you today. As I said, there are many other Christmas novelty recordings; Freberg himself tried a follow up - "Christmas Dragnet" - which has its moments, but "Green Chri$tma$" still reigns supreme, and is just as relevant today as it was 53 years ago.

"Christmas Dragnet" is below. I hope you enjoy both of them.

Working The Family Business

2011-12-12T15:36:00.000-08:00

A boy helps his father glaze mortars for their shop

My guess is some of you grew up in a family that ran a business of one sort or another, as I did. While it's not always an ideal situation it's often a good way to learn some healthy work habits. My family's business gave us all an opportunity to learn the meaning of dedication and endurance in addition to hard work, and while we didn't all go on to own successful businesses of our own later in life, some of us did; and that early experience has been a leg up in the business world we all appreciated later on, even if not right at the time!

Girl packaging Q-Tips for her family to sell

My best friend grew up picking coffee on the family farm in the South Pacific, as did his parents - and grandparents. The difference was that earlier generations tended to stick close to home (my friend's mother lives five miles from the house she was born in) and the more current ones tend to strike out on their own for other places and other careers. Today 90% of the high school seniors from that area leave their home island and head off to college or work elsewhere, as my friend did.

While many of the families I've met outside of the cities in Thailand - especially the farmers - are happy to have their children stay and help plant, harvest and keep the place going, it's seemed that traditions are being altered, as they often will be in any developing culture or country, and education and other jobs away from home are becoming less of an exception. One friend there grew up with his parents selling food from a cart near a factory, and now he's working a lucrative job in the electronics field.

Those with a healthy work ethic can be seen getting an education while still being an active part of the family business, regardless of what that is. While a farming family may not have the income to pay for advanced schooling past the basic government education, where there's a will there's often a way. One farmer's son I've known many years found a way to take out student loans and put himself through school, and now has a job that now only allows him more of the life he'd dreamed of but also the opportunity to help his family during slim times. That family bond is usually strong in Thailand, and I think that's a good thing.

Partners working in their motorcycle repair shop

We're deliberately leaving the Fast Money workers out of the mix today, and just taking a look at a few regular folks - the people you may walk by and not notice while out and about; the everyday Joes and Janes. I have a great deal of admiration for these folks, especially those bonded by blood or friendship who can make a go of things. There, as here, I tend to be more inclined to pay a little more to help support a family establishment than a corporate one, be that a food cart, a cobbler or seamstress on the sidewalk or some other small, hole-in-the-wall business.

It reminds me of where I came from, and it makes me feel good to think that I might be helping someone rather like myself out. It seems to work best if we pass it on.

A man working in an electronics repair shop in Pattaya

Taking The Day Off

2011-12-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

My apologies to the regulars - I'm grossly overbooked for the next few days.

This guy's in charge until I'm back on Monday.

Helping Some Kids Have A Happier Holiday

2011-12-08T10:01:00.000-08:00

PSKSP founder Don and some of the Hauy Phong residents. After being involved with the home for so long the kids know him.

Located about 40Km outside of Pattaya, the Hauy Phong Children's Home is home to somewhere around 400 boys and girls between 4 and 17 years of age. Some are orphans by the classic definition, some are runaways and some are children who've been rescued from bad family situations, from life on the streets, or from the horrific world of sex trafficking. There are also cases of their families simply not being able to keep them properly. Originally a correctional facility of sorts it's now a part of Thailand's Department for the Prevention of Human Trafficking.

Here they're gathered together in a safe place, protected by the watchful eyes of an attentive and caring staff and able to have a childhood free of the unfortunate experiences they endured before arriving here. The boys live on one side of the highway that divides the extensive grounds, and the girls live on the other. Being a government organization they're not affiliated with any outside religious organization, so these children are left to live their lives as Buddhist - as over 90% of the country does. Personally I like that.

One of the dormitory buildings - six or seven, I believe - at Hauy Phong

The afternoon these photos were taken I'd gone along with Don, the founder of the Pattaya Street Kids Project to sit on the sidelines and observe while the folks who were involved wrapped up plans for the upcoming 2011 Holiday Party - one of the biggest events of the year for these kids. I'll post again about the home, but today it's all about brightening the kid's lives for this one special day.

Some of the "clean up" crew stopped for pictures before we left.

When we rolled in there were kids bustling about everywhere around the grounds. Some of them were having lunch, some were finished and were back on task, sweeping up leaves throughout the grounds in preparation for both the party and a visit by some local monks. As handy as everyday Thai brooms can be, they're not rakes - and there were enormous areas they were making tidy. Still, the kids happily went about their work.

Their annual holiday party is a full day of food and fun, many of the activities planned and organized by the kids themselves - right down to meal suggestions. While the lunch I saw the three pictured below eating looked like a healthy, balanced meal - and they hardly wasted a spoonful - for this one day they discuss and make a request for a special dish as a treat; something the everyday budget can't be stretched for, such as hot dogs or fried chicken. That's where some of the additional funding from PSKSP comes into play.

Along with the games and meals there's a dance that goes late into the evening. Last year the favored number was "Kung Fu Fighting", and I was told the dance floor filled each time it was played. It probably had to do with a renewed interest in the song after it was used in the Kung Fu Panda movie. I considered inserting the original song video here, but I'm not that cruel.

Each of the kids receive at least a couple of gifts, too - and for many they're most likely the only presents they've gotten the entire year. It's no small wonder why it's such a popular event. Sometimes a family member comes to visit them that day, and they, too, receive a bundle of food to take home.

Food packages are assembled for the big day

The party will be coming up soon, and here's where you can help: sponsorship cost per child is a mere 2.5GBP, or just under $4USD. That's just a bit more than many reading this are likely to spend on a latte today, and less than a fast food lunch.

The link to a page with their PayPal account is HERE. Please consider making a donation and note that the funds are for the Hauy Phong party. They'll get it to the right place.

Bangkok Art And Cultural Centre Exhibits

2011-12-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's post about the BACC (the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre) showed you the front and what some of the insides look like. Today you'll see some of the exhibits that were on display one time when I had my camera and the presence of mind to take pictures.

One grouping featured penguins, a bird almost unheard of in Thailand other than in a zoo. With a second computerized movie featuring them just out a couple of weeks I'd guess it might be a nice exhibit to have there now, but these were there a couple of years ago.

The panels exhibit - done with input from many different people - filled a large area, and depicted a wide variety of topics. Since the museum is a very public place I doubt any of them were directly disrespectful or in violation of Thai law, but there were definitely protest statements among them; some featured familiar faces adorned with a Hitler-type mustache and swastikas. Not being able to read Thai I'm going to err on the side of caution - or cowardice, depending on your level of generosity today.

The second panel below reflected some political unrest, but in light of the flooding recently it's timely now, too.

If you or someone you know are the artists represented here today and would like credit or the images of your work taken down simply email me at the address to the right and I'll be happy to comply. Please let me know something to identify your ownership.

The building itself is a work of art. If you didn't see the examples yesterday, take a look.

The Bangkok Art And Cultural Centre

2011-12-06T11:23:00.000-08:00

The Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre from a spot by the National Stadium BTS station. It's linked to by walkway to the 3rd floor entrance

Sitting in the midst of as frantic a commercial shopping area a tourist is ever likely to visit in Bangkok is a spot where you can escape both the crowds and the heat of the day: the Bangkok Art and Cultural Center, located across from the MBK and Siam Discovery shopping malls at the large Pathumwan intersection.

It's open every day but Monday from 10:00am to 9:00pm and - other than the occasional special event or concert - admission and all of the exhibits are free. I owe a good friend a tip of the hat for this one, as he was the first person I knew to talk about it. I've been there a few different trips, and since the exhibits are displayed on a rotating basis there's always a lot to see.

With its simple artistic rounded front and gracefully curved interior that reminded me somewhat of the Guggenheim museum in New York City it looked a little out of place amid the rest of the massive commercial gorillas that surround (and loom over) it, but as I paused to gaze out of the windows while wandering the halls there that seemed like a good thing, really; it reminded me of the calm you hear about that occurs in the eye of a hurricane, where all around you is raging out of control and yet you're able to stand unaffected.

A different view of the "MBK Intersection" from the June 18th post last year

I don't remember how many levels there are to explore at the center (seven, I think - and pardon my dropping back to the Western spelling) but there's plenty of exhibit space. At least one level had spaces partitioned by glass walls to separate the works but still allow an open and spacious feel to the area, and there were a couple of larger exhibit halls, too.

Looking down the open central area from a higher floor

As I'd usually hope a museum or gallery to be, it was quiet throughout. No piped music or informational recorded loops going to distract from the tranquility of the place. There are a number of spots to sit and discuss the works, and people were sitting and talking quietly among themselves. One man appeared to be deep in thought - or perhaps just waiting for someone he'd arrived with - but he was seated in the same chair the entire time I was visiting one afternoon. In fact, I've just noticed - if you look closely to the left in the panorama shot above you can see him, too.

The center is easy to get to, as well. As I mentioned above it's right at the National Stadium BTS station, but it's also accessable by bus (their web site says you can use the 15, 16, 21, 25, 29, 34, 36, 40, 47, 48, 50, 54, 73, 79, 93, 141, 159, 204 and the air-con 508 lines) and if you're a canal boat traveler you can get off at the Sapan Hua-Chang landing and be about a football field away from the front doors.

If you've been shopping in the malls in Bangkok you're likely to have seen the buildings, but maybe never gone in. I wouldn't want to drag a double handful of shopping bags along with me, but I highly recommend you make a stop there to visit some time. It's a fantastic way to miss the heat of mid-day. Go shopping afterwards.

Next time: pictures of some of the exhibits.

BACC: Bangkok Arts and Cultural Center

Happy Birthday To His Majesty

2011-12-05T07:57:00.000-08:00

The King and Queen (from some years back) addressing a crowd

On July 25th of this year I did a post about His Royal Highness King Bhumibol Adulyadej (also known as King Rama IX) as a younger man, using some pictures I'd taken at a large photo exhibit in Rama II park in Amphawa. The King is 84 today, and while his health has waned over the last couple of years the love and admiration the Thai hold for him hasn't faded a bit.

The Pan Pacific Hotel's birthday greeting a couple of years ago

Rarely leaving the hospital where he's been cared for since what official sources called a respiratory illness landed him there in September 2009 HRH was taken today to his home, where he made a televised appeal from a balcony for unity among the Thai... on what most would assume he meant to be on a variety of levels.

As I write and post this it's late in the evening of his day there, but here's hoping his wish for his land - and his people - comes true.

Press photo of His Royal Hignhess, taken today

Thai Smiles, Part 42: A Resort "Family"

2011-12-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

I nicknamed these employees The 3 Musketeers

One of the nice things about less formal lodging is the opportunity to visit with the people involved with where you're staying. While the Hiltons and Meridians are lovely places they're really not nearly as conducive to casual conversations with the folks that own them - or work there, for that matter. I know of one friend who met their partner while staying at a smaller guest house over a decade ago, and they're still happily sharing life together. In fact, they've got their 12th anniversary coming up soon.

I had the opportunity to stay at a small, family-owned and family-run Thai resort last year, and it was a pleasure I'd gladly repeat. There wasn't a uniformed attendant in sight as we crossed the footbridge from the parking area, and I unwittingly walked right into their home when we arrived, thinking it was the registration area. It was, to a certain extent; the wife came out through a doorway of what was their living room, smiled and greeted me. All I had to say was "check in" and she said "Yes", turned back through the doorway and returned a minute later with two keys, one for me and one for my friend. My friend had reserved the rooms in advance, but still it was nice to not have to stop, fill out a form and hand someone a credit card. I learned afterwards that they rarely get farang here.

The wife did a lot of the cooking in the open kitchen just a few yards away from the open (but well covered) dining area, the sons did some of the serving, and there were a few regulars on staff who did a variety of odd jobs on the grounds: gardening, some construction, basic housekeeping, fishing and the likes. In fact, the first day they were stacking and cementing cinder blocks for a small building in progress, and I thought they were just there for that until I saw them later that day doing other things.

As I expected, the owner's children were pleased to see someone check in who could speak some English and whenever their rounds brought them near me they'd greet me and try out a phrase they remembered, often getting it wrong but happy to hear it back correctly. They'd giggle and repeat it a couple of times before moving along with whatever it was they were doing.

Stopping by in the dining room to practice some English

The owner to the left above didn't speak much English at all, and the guys up top spoke none whatsoever, but clowning around is as universal as a smile and we managed to amuse each other. When I got my camera out to take a picture the owner laughed, jiggled one side of his chest with this hand and said something in Thai to my friend, who translated "He says now he's fat and has boobs like a woman!" I told him I've seen farang in far worse shape on the beach, and when the man heard that translated back he laughed again, nodding his head.

Since I was there for a while you'll undoubtedly see some of these people here again. Welcoming, gracious and polite they personified so much of what makes Thailand such a wonderful place to explore. I love my morning walks in the city, but these days away from the Big Mango are often the highlights of my trips there.

Metalwork one day, painting the next, fishing the third - it didn't seem to matter as long as it was sanuk.

And Still Another One Gone...

2011-12-01T06:21:00.000-08:00

Many of you who regularly read my ramblings have already figured out that I don't drink alcohol or take any sort of mind-altering drugs. While I understand that it's incomprehensible for some of you to think of going through life like that, trust me: I did enough back in my wilder times to be able to say with confidence that my life is far better without them. I wouldn't presume to speak for anyone else, though.

For over two decades I've participated in a loosely-bundled organization where men and women of similar minds share their experience, strength and hope with each other, and it's only natural that in over such a long stretch of time we become close to people we regularly interact with as we share the same paths, learning more about each other, building the bonds of friendship over the years.

One such person was my friend Don, who passed away Tuesday night at the age of 84. I was just finishing up yesterday's post when the phone call came in, and I had to stop for an hour or so before I could again focus on the monitor. He was a fine example of a man, a valued mentor, and someone I will miss like I would a member of my own family, because in some ways he was.

In his memory I'm giving this a rest today.

Travel Tips: Leaving Suvarnabhumi, Pt 2

2011-11-30T10:24:00.000-08:00

Airline check-in counters at Suvarnabhumi

In Part One about flying out of Suvarnabhumi International you saw reference shots of the public portions of the departure area; what you'd encounter before going through Passport Control. Today (with a couple of photographic exceptions, like the one above) you'll get an idea of what it's like past that, on the way to the departure gates.

By the Yak you saw guarding the currency exchange yesterday is a small Family Mart where you can purchase some last-minute items (or cheap packaged snacks), but remember that you won't be allowed to carry liquids and the usual forbidden things through the security still ahead of you and there will be plenty of opportunities to buy souvenirs and duty free items closer to the gates.

At the Passport Control windows they'll stamp your passport with an exit stamp and collect the departure form they stapled to it when you arrived. You did keep that in a safe place, didn't you? You'd better hope so, or you're likely to miss your flight while you arm wrestle with Thai Immigration.

The entrance to Passport Control, with the wait lines out of view

Immediately past those desks you'll come to a downward sloping area that will bring you to the security check point, where you'll have to do the usual screening: all metal out of your pockets, laptops out of their cases, sometimes (but not always) shoes, that sort of thing. No liquids over 3 ounces (88 milliliters), no knives or flammables - most of you already know the drill.

Past Security you'll see guide signs that will direct you to the gate area (such as D6)indicated on your boarding pass. Don't be fooled into thinking it's only a few steps away, because it's not - the boarding gate "arms" stretch out a ways. It's liable to take you at least 10 to 15 minutes to get there, depending on how much stuff you're hauling along with you - and if you make any stops at all along the way to browse, use the rest room, grab a newspaper or whatever.

A personable man selling real designer watches at a duty free shop

There are stretches of moving walkways along the lengthy arms of the airport, and I've usually found them in service. If nothing else they give you an opportunity to look around better for a couple of minutes, instead of having to be vigilant about moving along through a crowd of people hauling their stuff around; all too often oblivious that there are others around them.

I always enjoy the brief respite of a moving walkway

There are many, many places to shop, eat and drink along the way. Duty free liquor and cigarette shops, Tourism of Thailand (ToT) "locals" handicraft souvenirs, duty free fragrances, skin conditioners and make up, and a good variety of eateries. There's even a branch of Mango Tree, the touristy but interesting Thai restaurant on Soi 6 in the off of Suriwong Road. It's a flat out guarantee that some of you know where that location is.

The Suvarnabhumi location of Mango Tree

A variety of shops at an intersection toward the gate area.

The panorama below is similar to the one I used a couple of days ago, but slightly different. The images were taken while looking down one of the gate arms. I kind of like it, so I'm including it today. Something I haven't mentioned is that the portions of these corridors that are translucent are a springy canvas-type material. While they're waterproof to protect from the rain and moisture they also serve as drum heads during a downpour, and create a rumble that can equal slightly distant thunder. It's pretty impressive.

Another reason to allow a little extra time is that walking along these corridors you get some interesting views of the aircraft, tarmac, sky and surrounding areas:

You saw a different view of these windows in the 28 August 2010 post about the window washers at Suvarnabhumi - a job I'd not care to try. While up above they sometimes walk around on the canvas-type rooftop I mentioned above, and I've even observed some of them bounce around on it a bit, as though they're on a trampoline.

Once you've arrived at your gate sign you have a choice of a ramp or stairs down to the actual waiting area where you'd show your boarding pass and then wait to be called to board the plane. There are a few video monitors, usually showing news or a sporting event or some such thing, but I'd strongly suggest bringing a book or whatever you normally use to entertain yourself.

I met someone once who was already online, looking to book their next trip back to the Land of Smiles. That sounded like a good idea to me.

I hope this helps some of you newer visitors. Comments are always welcome, and if I can help with any other questions you can drop me an email any time at baobaosblog@gmail.com.

To Pee, Or Not To Pee (In Public, That Is)

2011-11-29T11:49:00.000-08:00

The man in white in this field should have no problem whatsoever finding an appropriately private place to relieve himself, I'd say.

Is it acceptable to urinate anywhere other than in a recognized rest room or bathroom? For most people in the Western world it's not really a question at all any time we're thinking clearly - unless we're out in the countryside somewhere relatively private. I've never actually tried to lift my leg on one but I've peed near my share of trees over the decades.

From my distant past I recall occasions when I subscribed to a theory that a large volume of beer in your bladder caused pressure on some unnamed nerve to the common decency portion of the brain, triggering the false thought that it was acceptable to release that same large quantity as quickly as possible: in a stairwell, on a neighboring table, wherever possible. Depending on how much alcohol you've already run through your system the decision may become a somewhat moot point, also; countless online images and videos can attest to people's lack of control, if not propriety.

You'll regularly see adults with small children in Taiwan, for example, thinking nothing of stopping a the male child with them on a city sidewalk, opening their fly, and directing them to relieve themselves into the gutter or onto the sidewalk itself. Who knows what they'd do with a little girl - thankfully I've never seen a wee one squatting anywhere that I can remember. Some will turn the boy towards a hedge or flower bed, but I haven't kept that kind of track of it, naturally - it's just an oddity I'm not used to seeing here in the US, unless it's what appears to be a homeless person peeing in a doorway. Goodness knows there are parts of many cities here that have a disturbingly high level of urine scent about them; no need to point out any individually.

Riding along in a taxi one afternoon in a "nicer" part of the office business area of Bangkok I was surprised, though, to see an Asian man in his later middle age walk over toward a hedge along the sidewalk, and, without so much as a glance around to see who else may be nearby in addition to the lanes of stopped traffic open the fly of his well-tailored suit and pee more or less into the shrubbery. I say more or less, because even from the taxi at a casual glance it was no secret that the man wasn't raised in a family that believed in circumcision.

It made me wonder why on earth he didn't use the facilities in the last building he'd been in or why he couldn't hold on until the next ones were available. He didn't seem to be visibly anxious or in distress - indeed, the most striking thing about it was his casual air while "airing" it.

Before anyone goes looking for the "comments" button I'm well aware that Thailand's culture is not like things here, and like I said: sometimes Nature, substances, medical conditions and other reasons can sometimes skew our views on what's proper. It just startled me that particular day, but here's hoping the habit doesn't spread as the norm to those over, say, the age of seven or eight. Bangkok has enough on its palette of aromas already, thank you very much!

Travel Tips: Leaving Suvarnabhumi Airport

2011-11-28T16:24:00.000-08:00

One of Suvarnabhumi's long departure gate arms

[Back on February 3rd of this year there was a post - primarily for newbies to Thailand - about arrival procedures at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok. Today's is intended to make heading out of Thailand a little easier for those same folks, and may or may not be helpful to seasoned travelers.]

Suvarnabhumi International Airport is around 40 minutes by taxi from the areas more commonly populated by most tourists, but it was protected from the past couple of months of flooding. The everyday folks living nearby weren't afforded that luxury, but that's another topic for another day. Let's just say Thailand is Thailand, and what would happen to Bangkok without entrance and egress by air and shelve the cynicism for the day.

The Departure area (Level 4), from Bangkok Airport Online

Arriving by taxi you either carry or roll your bag(s) or grab a free luggage cart and walk by crosswalk across the sidewalk and through one of the front doors of the the huge terminal. I stopped outside of one of them and took the four photos you see stitched together below:

You can see the ground level Arrivals area, where you might have caught your taxi into the city when you arrived.

Once you're inside you can look at the lit sign boards for to find your airline's area and then make your way to their check-in area down one of the long rows of aisles . . .

The vast expanse of check-in counters, domestic and international

This is where you'd get up to the lounge

I took the above panorama of the airline check-in desks from one level above, near a fairly good sized (but somewhat overpriced) lounge where you can purchase light meals items and visit with a friend before going through passport control and into the area where only ticketed passengers are allowed.

It's comfortable, and has many small individual areas with chairs and sofas to sit and talk. Of course, if you have membership in one of the airline frequent flier programs that allows you into one of the airline lounges you'll probably just want to go there, but they're past the security point. Ask at the check-in counter for the location, as they're not all clumped together at Suvarnabhumi.

If someone's come to see you off you can sit and visit in comfort for a bit and just have coffee or tea, if you wish. Eventually I'll run across the photos I took there and post them, but I can't seem to find them today. Don't understand why - I only have 40,000 or so here to look through...

The yak statue seems to be guarding the exchange, passport control, and the toilets.

If you've still got Thai currency you'd like to exchange there's one last chance just to the side of the passport control area, although you're going to have to accept the exchange rate they have posted there that day. Normally they're not out to gouge you, and frankly I tend to just take home what I have in my wallet at this point; it's a safe bet I'll be back.

Once you've decided to go through the passport control area you enter the blocked off area and get in line to have your passport stamped with your exit validation. There are VIP services you may choose to look into that get you through the lines faster, but I've never felt that was necessary, myself. Be aware, however, that you don't really have any idea until you've entered the area if the process is going to take 10 minutes or an hour, so be warned and allow plenty of time. The fine forum ThaiVisa provided two links that I've found handy, so I'll share them here: Suvarnabhumi Arrivals Info and Suvarnabhumi Departures Info

I allow 45 minutes to an hour, and if I'm through there faster I can take my time making what seems to be a two mile walk past the shops and restaurants to the gates or settle in at the airline lounge.

More on those areas next time.

This empty space at passport control is a freak occurrence. I see it switch-backed like the lines in an amusement park most times.

[This is the first of two parts about flying out of Suvarnabhumi International. Part Two is HERE.]

If You Can Peel It, You Can Eat It

2011-11-25T11:38:00.000-08:00

Green skinned oranges, apples, star fruit, carrots, tomatoes and pears at a corner produce stall. All can be rinsed and/or peeled

[To address a recent email, let me repeat that I'm not a doctor and I advise you to adjust your behavior level to keep it within your own comfort zone while away from home. For example, you may keep your hands clean but there's no guarantee whatsoever that any food handler does.]

It's the day after Thanksgiving here in the USA, and my system still hasn't fully recovered from the over-abundance of things I ate a bit too much of yesterday. While lamenting my gluttony I was reminded by a guest of a story I'd told them of an unfortunate day or so I'd gone through after a large and varied meal at an Isaan BBQ place. I'll spare you the details here, but it did put things in perspective.

Even in a five-star hotel there's no guarantee that the food won't give you some problems, but if you don't take some educated chances you're going to miss out on a lot while traveling. The trick is to educate yourself in advance a little bit and not take obviously foolish chances, such as using a visibly already well-used cup to drink water from a communal bucket out in a rural area.

In earlier posts about (attempting to) keep your stomach and intestinal systems within some control, stay healthy while in Thailand - and avoid what my friend calls the "rumbly in the tumbly" we've talked about a variety of snacks that are usually OK to chow down on, like corn, ice cream sandwiches, youtiao, street-side omelets and waffles.

Delicious Thai oranges: ripe and sweet, even with a green skin

Here's another tip, albeit one you need to combine it with some common sense: if you can peel it, you can eat it.

Here at home in the USA it's wisest to rinse off any kind of fruit or vegetables before eating them, and that's also true in Thailand - but having potable water to rinse them off with isn't always possible. Before putting produce away when I get back to my hotel, bed and breakfast or whatever I wash it off as best I can under the tap. Once they've been cleaned I personally feel that grapes, apples, star fruit, mango, papaya and the likes are all reasonably "safe".

Pomegranates, Northeast Thailand

This is another area where using your powers of observation and some common sense can save you dealing with a problem... more often than not!

Bananas: probably the safest produce-type snack of all.

Giving Thanks, Again...

2011-11-24T05:30:00.000-08:00

A fancy turkey dinner, with many traditional dishes

Last year at this time I did a post about Thanksgiving, a holiday that's unfortunately all too often buried beneath an armload of newspaper advertising supplements for Black Friday, one of the biggest retail shopping days of the year.

My thoughts on the holiday and what I think it ought to represent aren't much different today than they were a year ago, other than they've aged and (hopefully) mellowed a bit more.

Here again is the piece from one of my all-time favorite columnists, Jon Carroll. To my way of thinking it neatly ties the whole bundle up with a bow, and has become part of my annual tradition; a somewhat calm port before the storm of The Holidays officially begins. I hope it means something to you, too.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

--------------------------------------------------

A Song of Thanks; A Grat Etude

by Jon Carroll, copyright held by the San Francisco Chronicle

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. It is comfortably free of the strident religious and/or militaristic overtones that give the other holidays their soft emanations of uneasiness.

At Christmas, for instance, we are required to deal with the divinity of Jesus -- I know some of you folks have made up your minds about that one, but not me -- and on the Fourth of July we must wrestle with the question of whether all those simulated aerial bombardments represent the most useful form of nationalism available.

At Thanksgiving, all we have to worry about is whether we can wholeheartedly support (a) roasted turkey, (b) friends and (c) gratitude. My opinions on these matters are unambiguous; I am in favor of them all. I understand that there's another story attached to Thanksgiving, all about a meal that may not have happened at all and certainly didn't happen on the fourth Thursday of November.

The implication of the school-pageant version of Thanksgiving is that everything was just swell between the Pilgrims and the Indians. That's not true, and things got a lot worse before they got marginally better. But Thanksgiving isn't about that -- it's a harvest festival. We can attach some dopey Squanto-give-corn narrative to it, but it's really about how once more the earth has been fruitful and all the crops are safely in the barn. Thus, for me, the thrill of Thanksgiving is undiminished by caveats, codicils or carps. That alone is something to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving provides a formal context in which to consider the instances of kindness that have enlightened our lives, the moments of grace that have gotten us through when all seemed lost. These are fine and sentimental subjects for contemplation.

First, there are the public personalities, artists and entertainers and philosophers, who have been there when they were needed, whether they knew it or not. Let us think kind thoughts about Nancy Pelosi and Helen Mirren, Barbara Lee and Frank Gore, Al Gore and David Milch, David Simon and Mikhail Baryshnikov, Tom Stoppard and Keith Olbermann, Jennifer Egan and Peter Carey, Van Morrison and Clarence Fountain, Don Asmussen and Judith Martin, Duncan Black and Joshua Micah Marshall, Dan Savage and Masi Oka -- this is my partial list; feel free to create your own.

And the teachers, the men and women who took the time to fire a passion for the abstract, to give us each a visceral sense of the continuity of history and the adventure of the future. Our society seems determined to denigrate its teachers -- at its peril, and at ours. This is their day as well.

Even closer. Companions. We all learned about good sex from somebody, and that person deserves a moment. Somebody taught us some hard lesson of life, told us something for our own good, and that willingness to risk conflict for friendship is worth a pause this day. And somebody sat with us through one long night, and listened to our crazy talk and turned it toward sanity; that person has earned this moment too.

And a moment for old friends now estranged, victims of the flux of alliances and changing perceptions. There was something there once, and that something is worth honoring as well.

Our parents, of course, and our children; our grandparents and our grandchildren. We are caught in the dance of life with them and, however tedious that dance can sometimes seem, it is the music of our lives. To deny it is to deny our heritage and our legacy.

And thanks, too, for all the past Thanksgivings, and for all the people we shared them with. Thanks for the time the turkey fell on the floor during the carving process; for the time Uncle Benny was persuaded to sing "Peg o' My Heart"; for the time two strangers fell in love, and two lovers fell asleep, in front of the fire, even before the pumpkin pie.

And the final bead on the string is for this very Thanksgiving, this particular Thursday, and the people with whom we will be sharing it. Whoever they are and whatever the circumstances that have brought us together, we will today be celebrating with them the gift of life and the persistence of charity in a world that seems bent on ending one and denying the other.

Thanks. A lot.

Thai Smiles, Part 41: Still More Random Shots

2011-11-23T10:54:00.000-08:00

School kids on an outing at Rama II Park in Amphawa

It's been a few months since the last Thai Smiles installment, so since I'm preparing my home today for family visiting tomorrow to observe Thanksgiving I'm taking the easier, softer way and have assembled a few photos from around the kingdom over the last few years.

The couple below were on a bench in a park, very near where demonstrations and unpleasantness was to break out just a few months later. While the young woman wasn't smiling at the moment it's clear that the young man was not only smitten, but content!

This young girl below was riding her bicycle to school with a friend of hers as my guide Suphot and I were passing through the outskirts of Surin on our Isaan Odyssey. The first of the 28 parts of that road trip is here.

Last up today is the shot (below) of a woman laughing while chatting with friends at a sidewalk stall in Pattaya one morning as I was walking out to breakfast.

Seeing photos like these always makes me miss wandering around in Thailand. I've been thinking about my next trip lately, and I suppose that's what got me to browsing through them and posting some today.

Home Again, Home Again... Jiggety Jog

2011-11-22T10:05:00.000-08:00

Autumn leaves along a creek in Oregon - somewhat past their prime, but still a colorful reminder of the passing of another season.

I'm home again in California, just in time to make preparations for the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving this coming Thursday, when family and friends will again gather together here in my home. I only had time to be online once or twice over the last week, but thanks to those who checked in and/or sent emails. I'll reply to them all as time allows.

So... where was I for a week? Let me explain...

Since having been bitten by the travel bug at an early age I'd always been one to jump at the chance to take what the younger generation often calls a "road trip"; loading a few things into the car and taking off on short notice for points unknown. At my age today I accept that those days are far behind me, though. Today a journey from home takes some planning and forethought.

It's not that I have to notify caregivers and next of kin where I'm going, or that I have to make sure there are enough maintenance prescriptions and adult diapers on hand to leave home, but life in and of itself graces me with responsibilities and obligations that don't allow the spontaneity of my youth, when I thought nothing of deciding at nine o'clock in the evening to call a friend and say "Hey, want to drive down to San Diego tonight?", arriving in time to have breakfast and wander around in the zoo there when it opened.

WHY I still remember those 12-hour death marches I'll never understand; far too many of us thought we were Hunter S. Thompson back in those reckless days, fueling ourselves with higher octane substances than we'd put into the gas tank, wear and tear to our bodies (and brain cells) be damned. Some foolish souls still do, but thankfully that's their problem - and they're welcome to it.

The brief trip that kept me away from posting for a week was a somewhat bittersweet journey to visit a few friends I'd been meaning to see since the late Spring. One, although still able to get about on his own is closing in on 90 years old, and beginning to show signs of it that he'd dodged for the last few years. Too far away now for our twice-weekly visits I noticed a dramatic change in him when I saw him last week, and it was unavoidable to think that I may well not see him again, at least as he's been the many years I've known him.

Trees in Washington state, blazing with color in a final hurrah before dropping their leaves for the Winter

At my urging he talked a great deal about his childhood, his military years and the rest of his life as someone who dealt with being gay for many decades before being able to accept it. I did my best to make hasty written and mental notes as best I could. In the evening I scribbled them down when I returned to my room at the home of a former "friend with benefits", long since become merely a good and trusted friend.

My elderly friend spoke at length about a world that fortunately I've only read about: the Pre-Stonewall days I'd heard about from other gay men only a generation older than myself; the ones who truly had no choice but to live in secrecy and fear. He still speaks of those days in hushed tones, as though someone moving their walker slowly past his door might hear him. When those younger than I ask why he's so private about it I've taken to saying that he's an "Old School" gay - a term I use with nothing less than full respect.

Somewhere around 60 years ago he dutifully followed tradition, married a woman and had a child that is still probably the brightest spot in his life. 40 years ago he buried the same woman after a sudden illness took her, leaving him a single father - a challenge he rose admirably to. Finally, 20 years ago - nearing his 70th birthday - he met a man that was to become his partner for the next 16 years, until illness took him a handful of years ago. For those of you who feel you'll never find that special someone past the age of 30, please take note of that.

Now he spends his days reading, taking walks and reflecting with no small amount of wonder back over the span of years he's been around. "I don't mean to sound maudlin or depressed," he said to me "but I've lived a good life, overall. A good life. If you told me I'd simply go in my sleep tonight and wouldn't wake up in the morning I'd be okay with that. I've traveled, I've learned many things, I've loved and I've been loved. I've experienced so much - what more could anyone really ask for?"

I can only hope that my thinking mellows to match his as I go along... assuming, of course, that I'm blessed with the same longevity and relatively good health he's had.

It was an emotional farewell before I headed back home to California. For many years I'd have seen him and his partner for an hour or two twice a week - and then him alone for five years past that - but circumstances took him North to be closer to his daughter, so other than phone visits this was the first time we'd talked in person for eight months.

Although it went unspoken I think we both realized that this may well have been our last few days together. For now, though, there's still the comfort in knowing that I can call and have him answer, always beginning the conversation with "I'm so glad you called."

Rain drops early one morning in Seattle - frozen overnight on the back of a leaf.

A Sleeping Volcano

2011-11-15T07:10:00.000-08:00

Mount Shasta is a dormant volcano in Northern California. It towers 3,000 meters (about 10,000 feet) it's visible from a great distance, making the enormous trees that blanket the area around it look like moss on a rock. Still, it's only the fifth highest peak in the state.

Scientists consider it to be dormant, but it will erupt again. The major blast from relatively nearby Mount St. Helens in 1980 showed that activity is possible. St. Helens is a few hours drive to the North, and I'll see that off in the distance from the road later this morning.

I stopped yesterday at a vista point and took the photos I stitched together for the above image, and now - after an acceptable night's sleep - it's on to Seattle.

On The Road Again...

2011-11-14T05:38:00.000-08:00

No, not Thailand or Hawaii... this is from my front porch

The rising sun here finds me preparing for a brief road trip before the madness - uh, sorry, make that joyous hustle and bustle - of the Holiday Season leaps out at us in all of its glory.

Come bed time tonight I'll be somewhere around 475 miles to the North of where I am now, and with any luck at all settled in at the place I've booked for the night. I don't sleep well in my car.

I have a fairly full schedule, but it's a happy one; family and friends I haven't seen for months or years. I'll try to keep up with posts here, but won't make any promises. I just wanted to let the regulars know so there won't be quite so many "what happened to you" emails to catch up with.

Say hello if you see me wandering around in Seattle.

Mixed Blessings For Loy Krathong 2554

2011-11-11T07:18:00.000-08:00

Loy Krathong during calmer times in Bangkok

Nothing's improved in and around Bangkok since the October 27th post (Water, Water Everywhere...) - in fact, the disaster has continued to escalate and spread, become more and more of a jumbled mess by the day as millions attempt to do anything within their power to try to hold back the millions of gallons of water steadily seeking its own level as it flows to the Gulf of Thailand.

Young lovers and their krathong

The ironic thing about having the flood waters at this particular time is that these are the days of Loy Krathong, one of the most popular - if not the most - nation-wide observances and celebrations of the year for the Thai. OK, maybe New Years Eve ranks somewhere as high ("countdown" as some of my working class Thai friends call it) but Loy Krathong is a holiday deeply rooted in the hearts and minds of all dutiful Thai.

For those of you interested in learning the thought and traditions of the festival in more detail, feel free to click either of the two Loy Krathong links above - either will take you to last year's post that explains it all, and today's post will be little more meaningful for you. Go ahead... I'll wait.

Not going for that? Geeez, people are in such a rush these days. OK, here's the short version: during the full moon of the twelfth lunar month each year (usually in mid-November) the Thai set small floating offerings out onto a river or waterway with candles, flowers and incense to thank Phra Mae Khonka (the Mother of Water) for the blessings the waters have brought them - such as a good harvest - and to make amends for their pollution and abuse of those same life-giving waters.

Picking out a krathong for the festival. Millions are used each year.

THIS year, instead of going to the banks of the Chao Phraya river or another waterway to make their offering the water has come to them... and in far greater abundance than anyone in their right mind would have wished for, other than perhaps those who sell sand bags for flood control.

A friend emailed me with a valid thought, though: even though both of his homes are flooded (his work home in the city and his family home in another city) and getting where he needs to be is becoming a nightmare he's still going to find some way of making his offering this year.

"I don't know as I've done anything to upset her myself," he said of Phra Mae Khonka, "but if ever there was a time to ask for her help, it's now." I had to tip my hat to him: his world is in chaos on several levels, and he's still sticking with what he feels is right. I told him "You know, it couldn't hurt, and it just might help. Good for you."

Phra Mae Khonka: for what it's worth, I'm asking a favor I probably have no right to ask: pass as peacefully as you can as you flow to the ocean, and give these people a break.

Thank you.

Repeating an image from a year ago, but it's one that triggers a special memory for me.

Accommodation, Part 16: Elegance Suites Sathorn

2011-11-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

There are a couple of entrances - this is the one I used

A forum friend recommended the Elegance Suites to me and I've had two stays there, both enjoyable experiences. It's no more than a 10 minute walk from the Saphan Taksin BTS station and boat pier, and because of that it's a really convenient place that's not all that far away from many other popular areas.

As a caveat, when I went to look at current rates for the place there was a mention on tripadvisor of it being closed for refurbishing and their own site isn't up and running today but Orbitz was accepting reservations for the coming weekend on a junior suite for two, with breakfast, for $52USD. Of course, being that close to the Chao Phraya river it's probably a crap shoot that it IS open now, but the post is here for future reference, if not for now. I wouldn't book it myself today, but I definitely would again in the future.

The Chao Phraya river from the Saphan Taksin river boat stop - in calmer times

The hotel is on Thanon Charoen Wiang (in the Bangkrak part of Sathorn), just down the road from where Robinsons and the Centre Point apartments are on Thanon Charoen Krung. That intersection is - as the crow flies - somewhere about two football/soccer fields from the Le Bua hotel, home to the Sky Bar. It's also within a mile of the Shangri-La and a short taxi ride to Lumphini Park, the Patpong Night Market and the rest of the night life, for that matter.

Part of the living room, with a view of the bedroom through the sliding doorway

All 76 rooms are suites, most being 43 square meters/463 square feet, all with high speed internet, safe, and sliding doors to separate the bedroom from the rest of the unit. There's a small gym with a couple of treadmills and a half-dozen other machines; simple, but usable.

A portion of the rooftop pool/jacuzzi garden area

The rooftop pool area is spacious and quiet, with a beverage bar, plenty of lounge chairs and a table stacked with clean pool towels. It was quiet enough there that I had a couple of visits with the guys working the reception area who came up to get away from the work phones (and use their own, of course).

The shopping center at the far end of the block.

For those who like to wander around and see how the folks there live there's a lot of area to cover. I took a lot of photos on many morning strolls, as well as to and from the BTS station and other places. At the end of the street (right by the Saphan Taksin BTS station) is a shopping center with a Robinsons department store, a grocery store and several places to eat without subjecting yourself to the McTrash.

Ready for breakfast in the dining room. Part of the buffet shows here.

The dining room was spacious and fully stocked with well-prepared food, both Western and Thai. The coffee was brought to you whipped out of a machine around the corner, and there was an omelet station with a person who knew how to make a proper omelet (at least, while I was there there was).

Suites are available with one large or two twin beds

The beds have been slightly firm, but nothing like some of the extra-firm slabs you can run across in some hotels. The linens were fresh, and the towels in the bathroom were soft and fluffy. Another point worth mentioning is that I believe all of the suites have a shower within a proper bath tub.

No place is perfect, so in fairness I should mention that my taxi driver had a hell of a time finding the place the first visit, and another had to stop and make a phone call on another stay, but that's a minor thing. If I'm staying near a BTS station (which I prefer anyway) most taxi drivers can find the stations, and then it's just fine tuning. Also, one stay there was a wedding banquet in the dining room, and there was a lot of foot traffic in and out of the place that evening... and at 10pm there was some music audible in the suite that the front desk apologized for. The level dropped a bit shortly after I called.

I hope they're doing all right during this current flooding - again, they're within flood range from the Chao Phraya - and I'll look forward to another visit some time in the future.

[As you'll see in the comments below the hotel is now closed, so I've removed the info and links. I'll leave the story as a remembrance of a place I liked, though.]

The Golden Rule vs The Ugly Americans (And Others)

2011-11-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

Planning a strategy is often better than going off half-cocked

One of the more valuable lessons I learned early in this life is how “The Golden Rule” gives far better returns than most any other investment of time and energy. Talking with my imaginary friend this morning I was reminded of the saying “You reap what you sow” also, but I really think “Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you” says it best. You’re free to consider either or neither, and I run into plenty who consider neither on a daily basis here stateside!

Not that I’m never guilty of transgressions in this area, but as the years go by I’ve found that the energy it takes to be civil is really less than is needed to go about furthering ill will. There’s plenty enough of that in the world already, and frankly I have better things to do. We all have better things to do, but some just can’t seem to break free of the selfish and irrational bonds that keep them wallowing in their own quagmire of unpleasantness.

ALWAYS keep your cool
with a police officer

As we’ve covered in a couple of previous posts the Thai overall tend to be far more easy-going than most Westerners. It’s not that they don’t have goals and a desire to further themselves, and not that they don’t have emotions, dislikes and passions that fuel their lives, but they seem to be able to find a gentler way of getting where they’re going. I think it’s all a part of the “mai pen rai” mentality; what some might sum up as “don’t sweat the small stuff - and it’s all small stuff, really”. Especially while on vacation.

I tend to walk around with a smile on my face as much as possible and nod my head in recognition to anyone who makes eye contact with me. When I don't - and I've done some informal and completely unscientific experiments on this - I don't get the same treatment on several levels. The suggestion from here is to consider trying the pleasant manner route.

It's freely acknowledged here that combining a strange place in climates we're not accustomed to with traveler's fatigue while working through frustrations of written and verbal language barriers and you've got almost everything needed for a recipe for Impatience Casserole (not forgetting the garnish of "travel tummy") but it's all part of the adventure. People seem to think that going to a foreign country is like a visit to Disneyland, and I've heard people out of control there, too.

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard some English-speaking person going off the deep end while in conversation with a tuk-tuk driver, hotel registration employee, airline worker, Jatujak shop owner or someone on the street I could pay for a first class ticket back there this very morning. Some of these people are under the false impression that just because they verbally pummel someone they'll win the battle, but I've also seen street justice meted out, too. The Thai are polite, but they're human - and everyone has a breaking point.

I'm not a voyeur to the extent that I'd look into someone's window or hotel door when I'm passing by, but a boisterous argument is like free radio to me, and I've surreptitiously listened in on any and all of those whenever the opportunity arises. Taxi drivers arguing with a tourist over a non-metered fare, club owners going ballistic while providing what they consider to be customer service to a patron, people repeating the same irrational demands over and over at the ticketing counter (as if their outrage will change policy) and far more examples than you'd want to read here today.

There's something in some parts of the Asian culture itself that includes a rule that whoever shouts the loudest and most incessantly in an argument wins, but I can't quite quantify that theory just yet. It's a work in progress. Maybe it's a variation on the theorem that repeating a lie often enough will make it true, I don't know. Goodness knows politicians in the US subscribe to that en mass during election season.

Are there tuk-tuk drivers who will try to take advantage of you in Bangkok? Yup - no question. Are there people selling all sorts of goods and services that are not what they're represented to be? Right again. If you're not willing to roll with the punches and take the chance of being put into an uncomfortable situation, do some homework on travel advisory sites, forums and boards before you go. Actually, that's sound advice even if you are a little more adventurous, even if I do say so myself. It's payed off well for me, anyway.

This doesn't mean it's not wise to stand up for yourself and try to resolve any and all matters in a calm and reasonable fashion; nobody needs to be a door mat - but it's usually best to not allow things to escalate to a hostile level in a strange place, surrounded by strangers. In such situations I make use of whatever damage control is within reach, end the interaction and leave. Sometimes that means getting short shrift, but it beats a fight (or worse).

The point here today is simple. If you want to be treated in a civil manner, don't walk into a situation acting like a self-appointed deity. My guess is that it irks you when it happens wherever home is for you, and that's understandable... you're human.

They're human, too.

Another Quick Flood Update

2011-11-07T08:13:00.000-08:00

NOT what you'd want to see while dealing with the flooding

A good friend of many, many years is struggling to stay alive in a nearby hospital, and my place is there right now - so there won't be much of a written post today. I'll try again tomorrow.

Floodwaters fill the Lat Phrao-Phahon Yothin intersection yesterday, closing the Central Plaza department store and raising fears that the deluge is approaching inner Bangkok.

In the meantime, the relentless flow of water heading South around Bangkok continues. Water seeks its own level, and as the current level of water in the waterways is above street level you can imagine the Herculean challenge to the people of Thailand in trying to keep up with breaks in levees, clogged systems and countless other problems with food, water, health and safety. I wish them luck.

A map from November 4th, showing the floodwater path - in English, this time. Click on the images to enlarge them.

A news photo, taken on the morning of November 7th

Thai-Farang Relationships Pt 2: A True Happy Ending

2011-11-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

For illustrative purposes only. Vee did not work in this club

[In Part One of this story you read about Vee, a 29-year-old Go Go boy from Pattaya and how he met Ted, the farang life partner he'd long sought. This is the rest of that story, or the story as I know it to now. While it's a true story, details have been changed to protect their identities.]

After Ted had returned to Bangkok he stayed in phone contact with Vee, sometimes several times a a day - and it was more or less evenly divided as to who called who. As they discovered they had many of the same desires and goals in life they began to feel more and more connected. While there was a difference in ages between them, Ted was open to working on keeping a younger mind and Vee was more of a mature thinking person than many his age. Vee saw someone who would care about him rather than just care for him, and Ted saw the possibility of some "social security" by way of company, companionship and affection as they both aged.

Within a few weeks Vee had begun spending more and more long weekends in Ted's home in Bangkok. Quickly adjusting to the city life Vee began to network with friends and contacts and look for work. He didn't have much of a higher education but his personality and the contacts he and Ted had in the business world began to offer promise for a future working with more than a speedo on.

There were cultural hurdles to be jumped by both, but by being open and honest they managed to compromise. Vee was a devout Buddhist, Ted had been raised in a rigid religion who's rules he'd adapted and that he remained active in, although he was somewhat closeted about it while doing so. He also found comfort in some of the Buddhist practices and participated in them on occasion, which pleased Vee.

Ted wasn't an aficionado of "gay life" or the club areas to begin with, and Vee had seemingly had his fill of that scene, so not having regular nights out amid the bright lights and deafening music was something they both easily agreed on, although Ted had some concerns that Vee might not truly be "finit" with that lifestyle. "I'd heard that saying about being able to take the boy out of the club but not being able to take the club out of the boy," he said to me one time "but while I didn't throw all caution to the wind I had to take him at his word or drive myself nuts worrying about it."

Vee also had some things in the back of his head that concerned him: what if Ted found another man to replace him being first and foremost, but there were other concerns, most of which were merely fears of the unknown: would he really fit into Ted's world? Would their families welcome their partner?

Vee had only briefly gotten himself involved with the partying side that all too often destroys club guys - yaba (methamphetamine) being the #1 offender, closely followed by exposure to HIV - but there was also the spectre of alcoholism for those who couldn't control their drinking, or the endless "gotta have it" lure of new phones, new motocys, and the likes. Vee dabbled with yaba a few times but fortunately didn't care for it, and he'd managed to avoid exposure to HIV, although there were a few scares that convinced him to set his own limits and stick with them. He'd managed to not only send money home on a regular basis, but build his own savings.

An office job was offered to a joyously happy Vee by a business acquaintence of Teds, and Vee gratefully accepted the 9,000Bt per month salaried position. He exchanged his usual daily garb of shorts and tee shirts for slacks, a white shirt and a tie and dove right into this very new working world. His personality carried him until he got the hand of things, and then he just took off and flew with the opportunity and responsibilities. "I never have to do club work again," he told Ted. "I am happy."

Things went relatively smoothly, and the week after he got the job Vee gave up his room in Central Pattaya, said farewell to his friends there and moved to the Big Mango, into Ted's home. Ted was sensitive to Vee being an adult and had put some things into storage to clear the second room that had been his home office and moved his work station into a corner of the living room to give Vee his "own space", and while Vee noted and appreciated the gesture the room became a shared office and work room after only a couple of months.

Letting their guard down after four months they spoke of monogamy since they'd met. Both claimed they'd been faithful to that point, and they went for HIV tests. Both came up negative, and they stopped using condoms.

At Vee's urging they had a monk perform a wedding ceremony for them. Although their friends and family knew and approved of the couple they wanted this to be a private affair, and made it so.

To celebrate, they went shopping for some new furnishings for their home, one of them being the first proper dresser Vee had ever had in his 29 years. It was delivered as scheduled one morning while Ted was working at home, and after having the men put it in place in their bedroom he thought he'd move Vee's things into it as a surprise for him when he arrived home later that afternoon.

That's when he found my business card.

"It took me a while to open my heart and trust Vee," he told me on the phone "and this just kind of made me feel sick to my stomach." He paused another moment before going on. "By rights I shouldn't have seen this, but I did, and it bothered me." "Good grief," I said "he's been with you about a year. You're still having doubts?" He allowed that while he'd done his best to be trusting that some of the people he knew weren't as convinced that this was meant to be... and told him so. His friends were supportive - because they'd met and been involved socially with the couple - but others weren't.

"He told me early on 'I don't want to be in contact with my old life' - and I respected that. He asked me to sit there while he deleted his online accounts and cleared out his email accounts. He gave me the passwords and said 'change them tomorrow for me,' and I did. I saw him throw his club contacts and his stack of phone numbers into the trash. I carried the bag out to the rubbish myself, but you never know 100%. Then I found your card, and I didn't know if it was new or old or what." I was flabbergasted.

"You know," I said "my cell phone here is only active when I'm in the country. I've only been here a couple of weeks and I head home in two days. What are the odds of you finding my number and calling me today?" "Pretty slim," he admitted "but I'm glad I caught you, because we don't keep any secrets and I meant to talk to him about it in a few hours when he got home from work."

I told Ted "Please tell him I said hello. Tell him how I know him, and tell him I said 'I told you so', because I'd predicted he'd find a decent man if he went about it the right way. I'd love to meet you both and have lunch or something." He said he'd relay my message, and leave it up to Vee if he wanted to reconnect. I waited all evening, hoping for a call that didn't come.

The next afternoon while I was packing a suitcase my phone rang, and it was Ted. "Vee says he remembers you and wanted me to say thank you so much for your help, because without you we'd have probably never met - but he's still somewhat skittish about anything to do with his old life. He says we're happy now, why go back there, and I respect that."

"I do, too," I said "but I'd appreciate an update from you at some point, if you don't mind." He agreed, and I still have his number.

I'll be back there in a few months.