There have been recent reports that since his stay at Siriraj Hospital HM King Bumbhibol had been residing at the royal residence called Klai Kangwon in Hua Hin, begun by Rama VII in the late 1920s. Klai Kangwon means "away from worries", I'm told, and that sounds like a good place to get away to after a prolonged hospital stay, especially as he's heading toward his 86th birthday in three more days.
Possibly also wanting to take a sea-side break he'd also recently headed slightly North for a day trip to Cha-Am in the Petchaburi district to pay a visit to Maruekatayawan Palace, another of the royal summer homes in the kingdom.
A gorgeous, open, airy, teak wonder, Maruekatayawan Palace rests on the shore of the Gulf of Thailand. The overall feel of the place is one of casual elegance; you know you're in a royal residence, but it's so peaceful and relaxing it's easily my favorite so far.
Pink and yellow plumeria dot the grounds at Maruekatayawan
In general the royal residences have, over time, been built to accommodate the wishes of the current ruler, naturally. Maruekatayawan was built by His Majesty King Varjiravudh (Rama VI) in the early 1920s, and is one of the oldest remaining residences. Rama VI personally designed it and saw the interior completed he paid his last visit there in 1925, the year he passed on.
A family rests in the shades on the expansive and well-groomed grounds
Maruekatayawan and the beach it graces are fine spots to relax, meditate, take pictures, have a picnic and relax.
I had a leisurely visit there with a friend one afternoon, and we ended up spending several more hours there than we'd intended. He kept saying "I knew you'd like this", and he was right. I wondered to myself why he hadn't planned a bit longer to stop there - I'd planned to stay in the Big Mango that night - but we did get back to Bangkok that evening, although it was close to the witching hour.
A meeting and receiving hall
For photographers it's a cornucopia of photo opportunities, and I took a lot of pictures as we wandered the grounds. Rather than slam through this wonderful spot in one post I figure we'll do it in at least two installments. Hope that's OK with the majority of you.
Light blue and yellow are the predominant colors for the building exteriors
This mophead hydrangea (hydrangea macrophylla) in Bangkok has nothing to do with today's post whatsoever, but it's a nice image, I suppose.
A request came in a little while ago from reader Kai Jonas, a doctor looking for gay men willing to participate in a survey of travelers and expats being run from Amsterdam in the Netherlands as part of an ongoing project, so I figured I'd put it out there for anyone who wants to participate. I personally have no connection with this research, and while I've completed the survey you're all (naturally) free to make up your own minds if you wish to participate or not. It's not just internet spam... this is a legitimate research project, done with the cooperation of the Amsterdam Health Authority.
What's it all about? In a nutshell, it's about gay travelers and expats having sex while traveling or living abroad. There. THAT got some of your ears up. I'd question their thought that "having sex while travelling or while living abroad has become normal", but maybe that's just me... for the traveling part, anyway.
Since I run a reasonably family-friendly site here I'll offer you the (almost needless) cautionary warning about sexual images in the survey, but the very few you're asked about are clinical in nature and not prurient in the least.
Read the explanatory introductory letter below from Dr. Kai Jonas, the man who sent it to me, and then make your own decision about taking it yourself. They say it takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete, but I'd say that'd only be if you gave the questions a LOT of thought, and I'm guessing most answers will come to you faster than that.
If you want to see results of the survey at some point in the future you have a chance at the end of the survey to provide an email address to receive them. Seemed worthwhile to me.
To take the survey, click HERE, and I've added the doctor's introductory letter below. As usual, the link should open a new window for you.
Thanks for asking, Kai. I hope you get some helpers from this post.
Survey on Sexual Health Risks for Gay Travellers To and Expats Living in SE Asia In modern societies, having sex while travelling or while living abroad has become normal. Yet, there are certain health risks (sexually transmitted diseases or infections = STI/STD) related to this. Little is known on how gay men deal with these risks and how prevention and medical treatment can be improved for this group. In this project, in cooperation with the Amsterdam Health Authority, we want to gather data in order to tailor information and prevention for this group.
Why do we do this from Amsterdam? There are two reasons. First of all, we are gay ourselves and open to the issues of gay men worldwide. Secondly, Amsterdam is an international hub and often sees gay travellers and expats with STIs and STDs. In this study we are seeking information regarding your time in Thailand or Southeast Asia. When we speak of Thais or Thailand in this study it is an example, you may think of other countries, like Laos, Cambodia, etc. too.
You are also going to see sexually explicit images. But it is going to be fun! The study takes, on average, 15-20 minutes.
Your answers are fully anonymous. We are not interested in single cases, but want to investigate trends across many participants. If you have questions regarding the study, please get in contact with the principal investigator of the project, Dr. Kai J. Jonas, k.j.jonas@uva.nl
The study has been approved by the ethics commission of the University of Amsterdam (CE 2013-2835)
Ao Phai beach, on the opposite side of the island from the recent spill
As weeks go, the island of Koh Samet (or Samed, if you prefer... I flip-flop on some transliterations) hasn't had a very good one. The story goes that PTT Global Chemical was pumping crude oil from an offshore drilling platform to a container ship when a leak in the piping allowed somewhere between 50,000 liters (according to PTT) up to 100,000 liters (according to some environmental groups) of crude oil into the Gulf of Thailand, forming a thick layer of gunk on the relatively pristine water of Phrao Bay, on the Western side of the island.
On the map below I've added an insert that shows a little detail of where the spill occurred and came ashore at Ao Phrao. In the main map most of Koh Samet is covered by "Khao Yaem La - Mu Ko Samet", which is the national park whose boundaries cover a large part of the central area and Eastern side of the island.
I recently stayed on the Eastern side of Samet, on the beach at Ao Phai (near the asterisk on the inset map) so when the news began to leak - pardon the weak pun - I was concerned that the beautiful spot I'd visited was now awash in thick, sticky crude oil. Thankfully that was not the case, and I'll post about that resort soon.
Outside my bungalow on Ao Phai beach on the Eastern shore of Koh Samet, a few months back
While the lion's share of tourists vacation on the long stretch of beaches on the Eastern shore, the Western shore is home to some of the more pricey resorts, and I'm sure they're hurting now. Estimates are that it may be up to a year before the mess is truly cleaned up, and although PTTGC has said they'll make good on losses to the fishing and tourist industries, I tend to doubt that's really going to happen.
PTTGC has said they'll cover any damages over their $50 million in insurance coverage, but that remains to be seen, of course. Any of you who've had to deal with insurance companies know that their prime marching orders are to make you put in claim(s) multiple times, reduce any amounts claimed as often as they can and make any payments they're cornered into making for as long as possible. While the corporate resorts may do OK, many of the smaller interests will suffer. That's a sure bet.
The latest news I've read is that the island is essentially shut down at this point; the regular-as-clockwork (or as regular as anything on Thai time can be) ferries and other boats to and from the main pier of Ban Phe have stopped running and most of the people who don't actually live on the island have been evacuated.
The beach at Phrao Bay, bearing the brunt of the mess... so far.
With the oil slick now moving up over the Northern end of the island and heading toward the mainland - Koh Pla Teen, Koh Kudee and Koh Kham seem to be the "guesstimated" targets for it to hit land. Unfortunately there are important coral reefs in its path, and there's great danger of harming or destroying the delicate life there. Let's hope the damage is as minimal as possible.
A friend cornered me during a social event the night before last, breathlessly relating yet another tale of a bar boy who had become the love of his life. As he's quite the butterfly while on the road I had to ask (to his chagrin) which of his rented admirers this might have been.
To be clear: I have no problem whatsoever with people who are primarily sex tourists - whatever floats your long boat, I say. As long as they show their rented admirers some respect and treat them as they'd themselves wish to be treated, what's the problem with being a participant in the transactions of the World's Oldest Profession? My grandfather used to say "as long as you don't do it in the streets and scare the horses", and that's probably as handy a measure to use as any. But I've already veered off topic, so let's return to my friend's new love.
I've known him for at least 20 years, and while he's a good-hearted person overall he's a strongly opinionated, my-way-or-the-highway kind of guy. The closest I've ever come to coming out on top in a debate is to agree to disagree about the topic at hand; the best one can hope for when talking with someone who has more immovable opinions than Thailand has motor scooters. As usual, I simply smiled, said "good for you" and wished him luck. I suggested he keep his emotional guard up and keep his options open. Hearing him speak two breaths later of soon getting back to the clubs in Bangkok I'm guessing that's precisely what he's going to do!
The overwhelming majority of stories I hear from people who are on the prowl while on holiday are more firmly footed in the land of the short term (or butterfly) relationships. I know a few U.S./Thai couples who are sharing life across an ocean between visits, but they're part of an extremely small percentage of couples I've seen made it work. Most I know are happy with a loosely-bound coupling, if they even consider anything more than casual hook-ups.
If you're single and far from home - unless you're joined at the hip traveling with someone - you have the opportunity to savor the moment when the thought comes to you that you're a stranger in a strange land, and, for at least that moment, nobody knows you and nobody that does know you has any idea where you are. That idea terrifies one person I know, but I find it usually makes me feel pleasantly giddy. Granted, you have to suspend your fears for a bit, but your odds of being harmed while walking down a country road in Isaan are certainly no higher than they are in your own neighborhood back home.
So... what the hell does any of this have to do with the "Foreign Affairs" title or the photo up top today? Since you've stayed with me this far I suppose you deserve an explanation, so, as convoluted as it is, here's the Reader's Digest version:
I became a fan of Tom Waits back in the early 1970s. The man's own singing voice can set off nearby car alarms if I'm playing his recordings at much of a volume, but he's a songwriter (and more importantly a storyteller) who can paint a picture with his lyrics that can move me like few others can. How can one not appreciate a song about leaving someone without saying goodbye that begins "I will leave behind all of my clothes I wore when I was with you", or lines like "the rain sounds like a round of applause" or "how can you close your eyes and say good night, and go to sleep without me"?
I've seen Waits perform, but I've only had the opportunity to get proper pictures of him on stage one time - in November 1976 - and one of those photos is the lead picture today.
While I'm out wandering about in Thailand the tune and lyrics to his song "A Foreign Affair" often come to my mind, for some reason. Maybe it's inspired by that "nobody knows where I am" thing, but often it's while observing other people visiting the same place.
I'm posting the lyrics below, and below them are audio and YouTube links to an Asian guy playing and singing a credible version of the song... certainly as good as what I sing to myself while walking. For those of you willing to try Waits' original version it's at the very end of today's post.
A Foreign Affair
When traveling abroad in the continental style It's my belief one must attempt to be discreet And subsequently bear in mind your transient position Allows you a perspective that's unique And though you'll find your itinerary's a blessing and a curse Your wanderlust won't let you settle down And you'll wonder how you ever fathomed that you'd be content To stay within the city limits of a small Midwestern town Most vagabonds I knowed don't ever want to find the culprit That remains the object of their long relentless quest The obsession's in the chasing and not the apprehending The pursuit, you see, and never the arrest Without fear of contradiction "bon voyage" is always hollered In conjunction with a handkerchief from shore By a girl who drives a rambler and furthermore Is overly concerned that she won't see him anymore Planes and trains and boats and buses Characteristically evoke a common attitude of blue Unless you have a suitcase and a ticket and a passport And the cargo that they're carrying is you A foreign affair juxtaposed with a stateside And domestically approved romantic fancy Is mysteriously attractive due to circumstances knowing It will only be parlayed into a memory
The Tom Waits version. You've been warned... his style easily qualifies as "an acquired taste".
From the Rose Hotel, looking down the sub-soi (and Le Meridian's side driveway) to Suriwong Road
Down a narrow sub-soi off of Suriwong Road, past a line of food carts, storage bins (and the occasional worker napping on top of them) lies the entrance to the Rose Hotel, tucked quietly in behind the Northeast corner of the enormous Le Meridian Hotel that faces Suriwong itself.
Although nearby areas are bustling until the wee small hours of the morning, being where it is the hotel is a blissfully quiet spot.
Google street map view - The Rose beneath the green arrow
It's what I'd call a medium-sized hotel: 72 rooms and suites, in a variety of sizes and within a reasonable range of prices - from $50USD for a corner room double to $53-58USD for a standard (with breakast) up to $90USD for a junior suite during the current low season (prices from Agoda, which don't include taxes).
Standard room bed, double occupancy
The rooms may seem small to those who are used to enough room to swing one of the area's feral cats, but I don't spend a hell of a lot of time in my room on vacation, anyway, so I've been fine with them. Some rooms - such as some of the corner rooms - don't allow much more space than the bed itself takes up, but their standard rooms are more than adequate. I've never stayed in a suite there, but you can see the hotel's photos for them here.
Standard room desk, TV, refrigerator and mini-bar
I've stayed there a few times and, other than once when the aircon unit drain stopped working and made a small puddle on the floor beneath it I can't think of anything I've ever been unhappy with, save one thing: the wi-fi isn't free. I hope they remedy that soon, as it seems a needless charge for a place that size and at those rates.
The Rose Hip restaurant is a very pleasant place for breakfast or lunch, and there's always the lovely teakwood Ruen Urai restaurant with its formal (but not stuffy) atmosphere for dinner. The restaurant is just to the side of the front of the restaurant, next to the pool area. While they don't require reservations I'd suggest making one to avoid being told "sorry, all full for tonight" at the reception desk - something four of us had happen once at 19:00 on a weeknight. You can reach them for a reservation via the link above, and look at or download the PDF of their menu here.
I've always had good water pressure and plenty of hot water in the bathrooms
For those who thrive on - or at least dive into the deep end of - the colorful night life in the Big Mango the central tourist hub is within an easy walk, for breeders and non-breeders alike. I've added some numbers to this satellite shot, and there's an explanation just below the image. You may find it helpful to open the image in a new window.
Another Rose hong nam view
1 is the Rose Hotel - as a point of reference. 2 is the Sala Daeng BTS station on Silom Road,3 is the main street of the Patpong Night Market (stories about the daily afternoon setting up are here and here - with a video clip here). 4 is Soi 4, home to several nice places to eat and some gay clubs.
5 is Soi Thaniva, known to myself and a few friends as Soi Yipun - yipun being Thai for Japanese - because it's lined with a wide variety of restaurants and clubs (think "ping pong show") aimed more at the Japanese tourist than the farang, but still an interesting walk, even during the daytime. I ran into a tout there who wanted me to have a beer with him once, and had a somewhat testy exchange with a man offering children another time.
6 is Soi Pratuchai, aka Soi Twilight, where the highest concentration of gay clubs are. There are also several comfortable places to sit, have a drink and watch the parade of tourists and club people; especially delightful if there's any sort of breeze and you're not in a hurry to do anything but relax.
Finally,7 is the general area below and near the Sala Daeng BTS station. In that single block you'll find the Bug and Bee, Coffee Society (a great spot for coffee and free wifi), two worthwhile massage shops (Thai Thai [formerly Siam Sawasdee] and Green Tea to the left of it - both nice for foot massages, manicures and pedicures), a Burger King for those who need a little reminder of Western junk food and a few other places.
The unusual "inner core" of The Rose is above the lobby and cafe
There's hotel parking if you or a guest have an auto, and for those who find a good swimming pool an added bonus there's one of those, too; yet another good place to relax after a day of running around or just to rest before going out for dinner, drinks, clubbing or some combination thereof... whatever floats your boat.
Some interesting angles to one of the hotel's stairways
Although standard check in is 14:00 and check out is 12:00 noon they've (so far) always been as flexible as possible with those times. I don't recall specifics on the laundry fees, but I felt they were reasonable. There's 24-hour room service available, and no - for those who are wondering - there is no additional fee for guests you might invite back to your room. It's not a "short time" hotel by any means, but other than asking for (and holding) your guest's identification they didn't bat an eye at anyone I saw coming through with a "rented admirer" while sitting and writing in the lobby late one evening, just to see.
The Rose plays with several of the booking services, and different sites get different blocks of rooms at different rates, sometimes, so check a few in addition to the hotel's site - which is The Rose Hotel. I'd suggest looking a ways in advance for high season bookings, as it's a popular place.
We're closing in on a couple of dozen hotel reviews so far, and there are still a lot of them to come. I hope at least a couple of them are a help to you while planning your stay. Drop me a line or leave a comment, if you would - whichever you're most comfortable with.
It's Friday, and Friday is usually the time when people's minds turn to thoughts outside of their office or regular weekday routines. I'm no different, really (well, I freely admit to being a bit strange, but that's an entirely different arena) so I'm ready for a couple of days with friends and family.
Sitting out in the back yard with a cup of coffee this morning I watched birds landing in the upper pond of the waterfall to take a morning bath. Every so often one of them would misjudge the flow of the current and end up swept over the edge of the falls. They always catch themselves, naturally - birds can fly, after all - but one this morning kept dipping in, being carried over the brink and coming back to try it again... much like a child shouting "again! again!" when they're tickled by something.
The mild "flirting with danger" aspect of it reminded me of the traveling bands of Thai men who move along the beach of Koh Samed with their fire shows. Some are more skilled then others and some bear the scars of previous mistakes, but they, too, continue to flit about the flame(s) like moths.
So, here's an example of one of the somewhat larger groups doing a portion of a number. The sound isn't important on this one - trust me; the music was loud and the wind caused a roar in the recording as well. Still, an entertaining routine.
Enjoy your weekend - whatever it is you end up doing.
A man peruses the titles on display... or is he thinking about those that aren't on display? Hmmm...
The tourist areas contain such a wide variety of "unusual" things for sale that you quickly become somewhat numb to things and not a lot of it gives you pause for a second look.
Walking along one afternoon in an area where I wouldn't have expected to see a stall selling the readily available pirated DVDs to begin with I passed this table.
I already had my camera out and on, but I was already late to meet a friend for lunch, so I hastily snapped this pic on the way by - hence the slightly blurry shot, sorry. As a friendly word of advice, the folks selling such wares are rarely keen on having you take pictures of their wares to begin with, and not of them, especially. Not surprising, really.
It wasn't the "NEW PORNO" sign that caught my eye, though, as touts can be almost overwhelming with such news along Silom Road and in places such as Pantip Plaza - where the DVD touts can be actually be kind of fun, depending on how you approach the situation. You can read that story in a post from three years ago HERE.
No, actually it was the sub-headers that stood out when I was going through the photos back home. I mean, to me there's nothing odd or shameful about being Gay, but to only rate one step above sex with animals made me laugh!
Looking into one of dozens of classrooms that became a torture chamber
[Fair warning: today's post deals with the torture and murders of nearly all who passed through the Tuol Sleng interrogation center in Phnom Penh, and there are images that may be tough for some to see.]
A now-peaceful courtyard at the former Chao Ponhea Yat High School - a place that became Security Prison S-21
My visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh was disturbing... just as it's intended to be for anyone with any sense of decency toward their fellow man who goes there. If you didn't see the introductory post to the place, it's here. It's a reminder of what inhumane acts are possible in our world, then and now, if nobody stands up and shouts "stop".
When you're standing on an upper floor balcony there and overlooking an open area like the one above after seeing the displays it's a bit difficult to think of it as Chao Ponhea Yat High School, which it was until the Khmer Rouge took it over around 1975.
Then it was full of the chatter, laughter and activity of hundreds of adolescents about to cross the threshold into their adult lives; lives that were to be unexpectedly and forever changed by the circumstances and injustices imposed on many of them during the KR's reign of terror.
Shackles used to "greet" prisoners
If you happened to be thought to be an enemy of the "new order" you were brought to interrogation centers such as this one to confess your transgressions - whether you'd actually thought of or comitted any - and then killed anyway. In other words, you were guilty... period.
The last 14 victims found after the Khmer Rouge fled the scene are buried in this courtyard
In the picture of the courtyard above you can see a frame. There are several large pots on the ground beneath it. To get "the truth" from the prisoners, some were hung upside down from this makeshift gallows-type frame and left there until they talked. If they passed out, they were dunked into the pots full of human urine and feces to revive them.
In larger rooms like this one long rows of prisoners could be shackled together, feet facing feet. There were no creature comforts whatsoever.
There were many other incarceration/interrogation points, but Tuol Sleng (aka S-21) has become the most notorious, possibly because of its proximity to the area known as "the killing fields" but perhaps because of the sheer number who suffered and died at the hands of their countrymen.
Photos taken by the Khmer Rouge were on the walls of the rooms they'd been taken in.
Upon arrival, prisoners were given a number, photographed, forced to give a detailed history of their lives and family information, and told what the rules were. You can see a version of one such list in the photo above on the left.
They were then often shackled together at the ankle in long rows in some of the larger rooms to await their turn to confess. Nothing beneath them on the hard floors, no mosquito netting, and no talking was allowed. Oftentimes entire families were brought in together and subsequently wiped out.
Smaller rooms were more often used as the interrogation points, and many have been restored as a testament to what they were decades ago. A couple of examples follow; the "after" photos taken of the poster above the beds in each room. It was overwhelming.
The bed used to torture an alleged enemy of the state...
... and as he ended up after the "interrogation"
...and another bed...
...and another body...
As you walked from room to room you couldn't help but feel you were surrounded by the spirits of those who met their horrible fates in them, and it made for a somber journey, at best.
There was a large group of students there that day, and I stood outside the doorway of one room to await my turn while they looked from the bed to the enlarged image on the wall and back, not even whispering between themselves.
All but one of them (seen in the picture above) filed out past me, and he stood staring at the photo a couple of minutes longer. Finally he looked down at the floor and turned to leave the room, walking slowly with his arms hanging loosely at his sides. When he passed by me he looked up; a tear just beginning to make a trail down his right cheek.
Piles of skulls and bones found on the grounds of S-21
Well over 17,000 were imprisoned and tortured or killed at S-21, and those that managed to leave there alive usually ended up at Choeung Ek, a short distance away. You're more likely to know that area as the Killing Fields, although it's a far less gruesome place today than S-21. We'll cover that area in the next Cambodia report, and then move on to the more pleasant stops on my visit... and there were many.
There. THAT'S where I wanted this photo from yesterday to be.
For the very new among you, Walking Street is a nightly phenomenon similar to the night market area along the streets of Silom Road and Patpong in Bangkok; assembled and jolted to life at dusk but sleeping by day. Not that there aren't plenty of touts along Walking Street in the daytime trying to pull you into a tailor shop, but the street is open to vehicular traffic, too. At night it's pedestrians only. The main difference is not having to snake through a thousand other visitors between stalls on the sidewalk on Walking Street.
Probably not the "Living Doll" Cliff Richard sang of, but there she stood one night.
While Walking Street is only one of many areas in Pattaya to find a grouping of bars, go-go clubs and discos it's the one more tourists are likely to experience. You won't find as many families with small children along the other slightly darker sois where ladyboys and girls nearer their expiration dates wait for someone to off them, for example.
Walking Street is worth a post of its own, and I'll get to that soon. Today's post is for "Paul", who emailed me to ask where he (as a straight man) might go as an introduction to Pattaya Night Life. Paul said he was recently divorced and going through a renewed stretch of sewing his wild oats and was taking a trip with friends to Pattaya as a self-professed sex tourist. Just to be clear: I don't judge anyone who's fair and respectful of other humans, so while I feel he's likely to miss out on 99.5% of the other things Thailand has to offer, it's entirely up to him.
Not being an aficionado of females as romantic partners on any physical level for decades I was somewhat at a loss, but then it came to me: Walking Street!
Yes, I'm aware that a person could be taken - in more ways than one - in most any bar setting, but I figured this way he could at least get a nice dinner and be measured for a suit before being fleeced, drugged or assaulted (just kidding there - we often have some control over the direction of our own fate if we use a modicum of caution and good sense).
Girls tout for clubs along Pattaya Soi 1, not far from Walking Street
A man looking for a Rented Admirer of the female variety won't want for choice along the main stretch of Walking Street, and some of the side sois, also. There are dozens of clubs with some stunningly beautiful women there, some at the opposite end of the spectrum, and most everything between. Some have more between their legs than others, but that takes us into an area I'd rather cover another day.
It's not all "pay for play" - you can merely enjoy the company of a desirable person for an evening of companionship and drinks in the club, too, so don't get the wrong idea here.
We've covered Rented Admirers a couple of other times, and although the genitalia differs, the idea behind it doesn't - so maybe check those articles out here and here. (I don't judge anyone who's fair and respectful of other humans, just so you know).
"Hallloooo, hansam man!" A common siren song you'll hear as you walk along Walking Street. Well, that and "Hello, my friend! Can I interest you in a suit?"
Some clubs are beginning to cater to those who wish to rent a falang
That said, here are a few shots of lady and ladyboy clubs along Walking Street. They're not reference points for specific people - they were taken some years ago, and workers tend to change jobs/clubs/professions as often as money and whim dictate (kind of like many places in the West), but it gives you an idea of what some of the clubs look like.
For those of you wondering, the bar fine or off fee to have someone accompany you off premesis for any amount of time varies, just as it does in a male club. I'm advised the fee is between 300-500 baht for the club (depending on the desirability of the worker on one level or another) and a tip of around 1,000 baht to your admirer.
One last thing: for those newbies who don't read the posts about gay clubs here, or who found this by a search, be advised that renting a "freelance" admirer from the street is often riskier than renting from a club. A club has a reputation and usually at least some standards and reputation. A freelancer in the shadows of Beach Road may have an agenda... and nothing to lose.
Repeating an image to illustrate a warning that bears repeating
A mini Christmas fern (vesicularia) covers a water-filled planter in Bangkok. I walked right by it on the way by the first time.
Most visitors to a foreign country are on a schedule. I know many of you in other countries have the luxury of far more paid holidays than we in the USA are able to eke out, but even so you have lodging, meals and other expenses to travel; things that can quickly add up in whatever currency you use on a daily basis, so some of us pack our days to their limits. That said, the most precious commodity most of us deal in while away from home is time, and anyone who travels is wiser for making the best use of it.
A Thai salvinia floats gracefully atop the surface of a planter near Chantaburi
I acknowledge the two main schools of thought about holidays - being on the go or barely going anywhere - and there are pluses and minuses to both. I tend to regularly overbook myself, and often rue the decision. Why I keep doing it it beyond me, but I'll bet many of you'd agree with my best guess: I don't want to miss anything.
Some decades back, when my parents were on a cruise through the Panama Canal with my maternal grandmother they'd heard (after my grandmother's bedtime) that the best viewing of the canal transfers would be just past dawn the next morning. They rose early and went up to watch, but didn't want to wake my grandmother up so early. When they were heading back to their cabin to wake her and go to breakfast, there she was in the corridor, a ship steward on either side of her to help her along after noticing her teetering along on her own. Her reply to their "why?" question was simple: "I didn't want to miss anything."
Now, I've thought of that at least a hundred times since hearing the story, and it's been a reference point I've revisited many times while traveling. What you may or may not agree with is what I tend to value most when immersed in a different culture, and that's the details of life as lived by the people where I'm visiting.
Water splashed by a bird bathing next to it decorates a hydrangea. I missed the bird, but I got this view.
Some might consider it a waste, but I'm fine visiting and re-visiting some of the same tourist haunts with assorted newbies. That's because I can appreciate the details I've walked past on other visits. I've been to the Grand Palace at least five times, but I find something new to appreciate each trip. With such an overabundance of detail it's almost impossible not to find something new to stop and appreciate.
I know we haven't addressed the Grand Palace just yet, but we will in the next couple of weeks - it's been covered on so many other blogs that it hasn't been all that high up on my own list. Besides, it's been closed, you see (just joking there - the "Grand Palace closed today" is one of the more common scams perpetrated on tourists).
One small sliver of the detail waiting for you to stop and appreciate
Organized tours are more than sufficient for some folks, but I encourage friends visiting abroad to leave some slack to return to places they're herded past that strike a special note for them. I consider myself blessed to have been able to return to Thailand many times, giving myself multiple chances to stop and smell the roses, so to speak.
Regardless of the time you've allotted to visiting Thailand, I urge you to do what many of us find so abhorrent - miss a few things - and move about slowly enough to appreciate and absorb all the detailed beauty of the land that you can.
To this traveler's way of thinking, getting lost while attempting to take a bus ride, stopping to watch what people buy for breakfast outside the BTS station, the clumsy conversation with a local while wandering the night flower market while purchasing a bouquet for your room: those are the memories that will stick with you far longer than what you bought at Siam Paragon before being herded onto a bus and driven off to the next brief scheduled stop.
Just something to consider when planning your next trip.
Even a quiet canal in Amphawa will reveal a story... if you stop long enough to watch it happen.
Upstairs airline lounge area at Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei
In the post a couple of weeks ago about finding cheap flights to Thailand I mentioned following up with some links I've found helpful for travelling, so here they are today. I'll update and add to these again as I remember others, but this is a start. Mainly gleaned from my own experience, but some also recommended by friends and other travelers I've met while on the road. Feel free to suggest others.
Travel Insurance
Purchasing trip insurance is a choice, naturally, but with life being the unexpected ride it is I think it's more than just prudent to have some; it really falls under the "common sense" heading. Insurance is all about "the transference of risk" (in insurance lingo), and a comfort level with that is a personal choice. I urge you to explore and compare between at least two different companies.
I've used a few companies over the years, but the last couple have been Patriot Travel Medical Insurance , a part of IMG/International Medical Group and Travel Guard, a part of the Chartis Group. Both offer varying levels of coverage for both medical and other eventualities.
Your regular home insurance policy may cover you, but be sure. While there is reasonably priced and competent medical care in Thailand you don't want to be stuck with the bills. Some credit cards also provide coverage, also - worth checking out before you book your trip.
One rainy night in Bangkok
Worldwide Weather Sites
There are many weather sites. Many I know like the Weather Channel's site, but if you don't already have a favorite, I'd suggest Weather Underground - the cleanest I've found so far. Rather than just getting a report for, say, Bangkok, you can specify several different areas within the city, i.e. Suvarnabhumi International airport, Don Muang airport, etc. Naturally, no one site fits all, but I'd suggest starting with this one.
International Time / Clocks
A simple site with a convenient alphabetical table of the current time city by city is here: The World Clock. There are a variety of layouts available, and you can customize it to your needs, too.
Screen capture of the site
Flight and Airport Information
Naturally, you'd think the airline you booked with would have the best source of airline and airport information, and many times that's true. If you plan to hold someone responsible for the times, they're the logical sources. I still browse a couple of others, though, if for nothing else than the additional info available. One of the newer ones (to me, anyway) I've found handy is iFly.com.
We'll cover other reference links again soon. Feel free to alert us to any of your favorites.
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"The copyrights for the contents of this blog - both written words and photographs - are held by the author, unless otherwise noted. Permission to reprint or reproduce any content published here in any other format or form must be granted by the owner previous to use or publication."
Please contact me at baobaosblog@gmail.com. Thank you.
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