OK, OK... I'm Back (Sort Of)

Lovers walking along the beach at sunset in Chantaburi

After a couple of slightly overscheduled weeks around the provinces I’ve found myself back near the Big Mango, in Nonthaburi. The air seemed a bit better when I bounced through Bangkok again than when I left to head South a couple of weeks back, but that may just be the Pollyanna in me, trying to see the bright side, and despite the cynicism of some there are many bright sides if you look for them.

This trip my health has been more or less problem-free - knock on wood - and while I’ve been getting much less sleep than usual the only complaint I have is that it’s been hotter than I’d prefer, and that in and of itself isn’t a legitimate complaint, anyway; it’s Thailand, heading into their Summer, so what could I expect? One torrential burst of rain down South a few days ago, but otherwise just hot weather.

Most of you already know it’s the everyday experiences that I enjoy the most, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have witnessed and recorded dozens of them again this trip; fodder for future posts when time allows me the luxury of going through the 75+ pages of notes and well over 3,000 images I’ve taken to jog my grey matter when its time to share the stories - like two today of the young couple walking along the beach in Chantaburi. They were obviously in love, and that's always nice to see, I think.

I keep reminding myself that I’m far behind with the regular number of posts, but it’s difficult to sit and write while life in Thailand goes on for everyone else outside my window; I want to be immersed in it as much as I can, while I can. Honestly I could do without the haze and raucous noise of the streets of Bangkok, but the opportunity of interacting with people selling things along the uneven sidewalks running next to them is just too powerful a force to keep me indoors. Besides, there are still so many places to see and things to do here; my “to do” list is still a foot long.

I’ve caught up with a number of friends again this trip, and re-visited some places favored in the past - although some have closed or moved, such as the foot massage place I’d visited for at least eight years, now with a new name and a new owner. That one was difficult to let go of, but worse still was the guy who eight years ago had done the best foot massage I’d ever had and subsequently went on to become a good friend. He’s now in Germany with his partner of a few years, doing the beautician work that had long been his dream. I’m happy for him, but I miss his laugh and company.

I’m currently in the Northern suburb of Nonthaburi for a few days, again venturing into a new area. I had no idea what to expect here, but I’ve again been a bit of an odd duck to the farang/Thai ratio and have enjoyed being in the decided minority. I’ve had that happen in Amphawa, Phitsanulok, Chantaburi and other spots. I like to be far enough from the farang areas that most signs you see in English are for Pepsi, Coke and a precious few other things - although this area has "The Mall", and that's a seven-floor monstrosity with all of the expected Western trappings. 

I'm thankful I could spend a handful of days this trip in an area where I didn’t see a single 7-Eleven, and that takes some doing  here if you're anywhere with a population of more than 500 people... but it’s the Thailand I’ve come to love.

Lots of new stories to share. Thanks for being patient while I took the break.

The same couple at sunset

It Takes A (Global) Village - Thank You

A random visitor map image, showing a partial day last month

There's a proverb that is usually attributed to one African tribe or another that goes "It takes a village to raise a child." I've recently seen it credited to the Nigerian Igbo proverb "Ora na azu nwa", which means it takes the whole community or village to raise a child, but the origin isn't as important here as the thought is.

Bao-Bao's Blog has always been (and always will be) a community effort, and I'll explain how: almost everything I've learned about Thailand has been through the shared thoughts and experiences of those I've come in contact with - here, there, via the printed media and through the labyrinth of the World Wide Web. If it were just myself sitting on my duff and anonymously spouting thoughts as fact it wouldn't have lasted the 10-plus months it's been stumbling along, and I'm grateful for everything I've had the pleasure and privilege to learn from everyone, met or as yet un-met.

This includes those of you who stop in and read my stuff here, and especially those who drop me an email or leave a comment to clarify or share your own experiences and thoughts - and although Thanksgiving has already passed, I wanted to stop and offer my personal thanks to you all.

Regardless of whether you've actually participated or not, I know you're out there... I've seen the numbers. I don't actively track visitor information, but Google itself (hosts and owners of Blogspot) has tracked basic numbers since June 1st, and I'm both humbled and amazed. Since June 1st there have been very close to 30,000 pageloads on this blog, and that's an average of over 150 per day. While that's peanuts to a commercial site, it's a heck of a lot to me. I have no idea what the totals would be if I could see back to the first post in the middle of March.

Depending on the time of day you're reading this, you're quite likely keeping company with a dozen or so others from around the globe. There are at least 50 who return to look in every day - from England, Canada, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, France, Japan, Singapore, Norway, Sweden, the Philippines, the USA and, of course, Thailand.

The blog has regular readers from places I'd never have expected - like the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa, the Grand Canary Islands, Iraq, Nepal, Maldive, Qatar and Kazakhstan. I've put a list of countries I've noted so far at the end of today's post, but I add new countries to it every time I look at the listings. There are also those who defy identification - such as military and "middle of nowhere" visitors that appear near no recognizable places. I welcome them all.

This was never intended to be anything more than a (probably short-lived) place to share about a country, culture and people that I've come to love - but I'm grateful for all of you, every day. Thanks for making this worth the ongoing effort.

VISITORS BY COUNTRY - AS OF 1 DECEMBER, 2010

Africa

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Bangla Desh

Belgium

Bosnia And Herzegovina

Brazil

Brunei

Bulgaria

Cambodia

Canada

Channel Islands (UK Dep)

Chile

Croatia

Czech Republic

Denmark

Ecuador

England

Fiji

Finland

France

Georgia

Germany

Greece

Guam

Hong Kong

India

Indonesia

Iran, Islamic Republic of

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Kazakhstan

Korea, Republic of

Kuwait

Lao People's Democratic Republic

Laos

Latvia

Lebanon

Lithuania

Macao

Madagascar

Malaysia

Maldive (Republic of)

Mexico

Mozambique

Nepal

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nigeria

Norway

Oman

Pakistan

Panama

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Puerto Rico

Qatar

Republic of Mauritius

Romania

Russian Federation

Saudi Arabia

Scotland

Serbia

Singapore

Slovenia

South Africa

Spain

Spain (Grand Canary Islands)

St Vincent / Grenadines

Sweden

Switzerland

Taiwan

Thailand

Tunesia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

Venezuala

Vietnam

A Surprise Visit By The King

[The information I have regarding this unusual set of pictures is sketchy, at best - so if anyone can provide me with more detail I'd be happy to update the post.]

While visiting in Hua Hin a while back my friend wanted to stop and have breakfast at what he's remembering as the beach hotel known as the Sailom Resort. After finishing our meal we walked around the grounds some, and I saw several framed photos of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the wall of an open area near the dining room.

I was told these pictures were taken somewhere in the 1970's when he surprised the people on shore by making an unannounced landing on the beach (without his usual entourage) after sailing from Sattahip on the other side of the Gulf of Thailand. He was far younger and more vibrant-looking than he is today, and it was nice to see the looks on the faces of his subjects during this completely unexpected meeting with their much-beloved King.

The quality of the photos is sadly lacking as I couldn't use a flash and was taking pictures of discolored photos behind glass in low light, but I managed to clean them up well enough to make them worth sharing - I hope.

MORE Than Enough, Thank You

The situation in Bangkok has exploded out of control. Skytrains and subways are closed down, as are many embassies. The military is returning live ammunition fire as tanks and water cannons are clearing some key protest areas, even as some of the protest leaders continue to encourage their followers to burn the place down.

Truckloads of tires are aflame along many streets, as are fires in some shops, stores, portions of major malls, a major television station, the Thai stock exchange, a movie theater and many other spots. It is, in my opinion, an undeclared civil war zone.

There are also reports and rumors of bombings, burnings and demonstrations in many other areas of the country - some documented, some not. Most would agree this is a long ways from being over.

There's nothing more I can offer here today than some images and a prayer that cooler hearts and minds prevail before too much further suffering occurs. My fear is that the violence will be on-going for a while, even if a deal is struck.

There are a half dozen friends entirely too close to the hot spots as I write this - and although they probably can't see this post today, they're in my thoughts and prayers.

Really, people... there MUST be a better way to settle this. Enough.

All of today's images were taken by journalists over the past 24 hours, to the best of my knowledge.

Accommodations, Part 1

Finding, researching and booking a room to stay while visiting a new place can be an odd mix. On one hand, there’s the excitement of the hunt; finding a place that seems to adequately fit our needs and desires, and on the other the molar-grinding frustration of contradictory reviews and misleading web sites – not to mention the often clumsy process of price comparisons while making the booking ourselves, if we’re not using an agency of one form or another.

When it comes to where I’ll hang my usually sweaty hat in Thailand I tend to lean towards the less adventurous, myself. There are plenty of basic rooms available throughout Thailand for less than few hundred baht a night, and if a room with a fan instead of air conditioning and a very basic shared shower/toilet room down the hall rings your bell, more power to you. In my quest to see more of the “real” Thailand I’m learning to be much more flexible about it, but normally I’d prefer something a little more than what many might consider to be “indoor camping”.

If we’re really honest with ourselves most of our apprehensions are more than likely fear-based, and needless, to boot. Will I wake up covered in mosquito bites and worry about malaria the rest of my trip? Will the water from the shower make me sick if I get it in my mouth? Can I really balance myself on a normal Thai “squat” toilet without losing my wallet and everything else in my pocket down the drain? [That last one you’ll see again in a future post].

The old saying look before you leap is the best guide in this case. My suggestion would be to do some real, in-depth research:

1) Decide what you can afford to spend per night on a place to stay
2) Consider the quality of accommodations based on your past experiences/comfort
3) Check online maps to see where the lodging is vs where you’ll want to be
4) Research travel sites, online forums and printed guidebooks
5) Speak with or exchange email others you think fit your travel lifestyle

Being a generation removed from the adventurous spirit of Khao San Road back-packing I stayed in more traditional hotels on my first visit, and that’s the suggestion I’d make here for other “Newbies,” especially those of us in middle to later middle age.

If travel time permits you can also book a couple of nights in one hotel and then check around and book one on the fly after you're there. Internet cafes are everywhere, so you don't have to pay walk-in or "rack" rates. If you aren't there in peak season you may well get a better rate just by speaking with the manager or person in charge at a hotel or guest house.

If you can comfortably afford a room for about $45USD / 33Euro / 49Aud / per night, you should be more than fine. If you check around you’ll find rooms in that range with an in-room safe, a decent view, a good location and breakfast included in the package. If you do your homework you can find the same for less than that.

Remember, this should be someplace you’ll feel safe and comfortable while far from home – and much of what is familiar there. If you can’t afford it, consider saving up a little more before making the trip. Don’t cheat yourself – you’re on vacation!

A beginning, of sorts

There are probably already a million blogs about travel, and easily thousands about what has become my favorite destination – Thailand – but as I’m just as vain as most other writers and not nearly as thick-skinned as some this seems a safer place to post some of my experiences in the Land of Smiles than a public member forum. Here I can do my own moderating and delete what I’d normally grind my molars down a bit further about on a forum. Besides, there are those who are interested in my observations and stories and this will allow them to check in at their leisure as their time allows.

Am I an expert on Thailand, this land I’ve grown so fond of? Not by a country mile, so save your comments. I’ve made a baker’s dozen trips there over the past seven years, and each time I learn a smidgeon more about some sliver of the culture or people or some place I've visited, and this will be a place where I can share... but it’s by no means a reference. If you want that, try doing a Google for something more authoritative.

My experiences may be of use to you, but the anecdotal nature of them will probably put them more into the category of entertainment, since I rarely reference sources. If you find it an enjoyable read, I’ll be pleased enough. If it inspires some sharing of ideas and opinions in a constructive manner, that’s a bonus.

At some point I’ll assemble these entries along with other pieces into book form and who knows, perhaps even find someone interested in publishing it besides a “vanity press” house.

So... sawatdee krub. Nice you found me.