Lunch With The Kids

Noodles in Buriram. Too hot, Mom!

Lunch out with a friend seems like a good idea today, and that's going to cut into my time for a written post here.   Since I'm already looking forward to Vietnamese noodles out myself I thought I'd share a couple of photos of kids having their lunch; they're having noodles, also. 

Noodles at the market in Amphawa

Rain In Thailand, Part 2

Mild flooding on Second Road in Pattaya

Since there's an unusually heavy amount of rain in parts of Thailand right now it seemed an appropriate time to add another post on rain in Thailand to Part One.  September is usually the heaviest month of rain there - the season running from June through October - and you can expect some fairly dramatic rain at some point of the afternoon or evening, but parts of the country are being flooded, as they often are every season.

The pictures today were taken two years ago this month, when I was passing through Pattaya and happened to be caught at the mall one evening after dinner. Normally in rainy season I have a zip-lock bag folded up in my pocket for my wallet, camera, passport, whatever - but I'd been shopping some and couldn't manage to keep everything dry, so I'd hailed a taxi. The white spots in the photos are the large rain drops, caught by the flash.

Parked motorcycles on Second Road, axle-deep in water

Motorcycle taxi guys standing in the rain, hoping for a fare

Showing a turn and one of many, many storm drains

The driver was a little put out that I kept opening my window to take photos, but I dried things up before I got out and actually left a little of it cleaner than when I got in!

Youtube poster timpawlosk shared a clip/slideshow taken yesterday in Pattaya that a forum moderator was kind enough to post, and it's such a nice slice of (heavy) rainy day life that I thought I'd include it here today:



As long as we're on the subject of rain, here's the link to the post about Thai pop singer Sek Loso's song about a rainy day, "Fon Tak Tee Nah Taang".

Memories of 9/11 - In An Old Bangkok Cemetery

Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of what's became known as "9/11", a blanket euphemism slapped over the day's events in an attempt to cover wounds still very real for many a decade later. I knew a few who were lost that day; a couple peripherally, one intimately.  The link to that remembrance is here. Since we don't meet here on the weekends I figured I'd have my say on the upcoming anniversary by sharing a visit to a cemetery I made on  a September 11th a couple of years ago.

Many memorials had photos, like the one closest on the left

Adenium Obesum (aka a Desert Rose)

The belief in ghosts strongly held on a variety of levels by many Thais usually keep cemeteries pretty low on the list of destinations for a morning walk, but I'd seen the place several times from the Om Yim Lodge when I'd stayed there and had always meant to explore it, so since it was still early and I figured it would be cooler than in the mid-day sun I took the BTS to Chong Nonsi, made my way down the stairs and looked for someone to ask directions on how to get back there without going through someone's property.

The first woman I asked scrunched up her face as if to say "why would anyone want to go there?" but she pointed to the walkway that cut in off of Naratiwat Road, the same walkway that goes past the Sathorn Inn, a place I'd yet to try. Down the walkway I went, got to a junction that I felt was correct, turned right and came to the front of the cemetery.

Nobody was there. I mean nobody, and it appeared as though that had been the case for some time. Weeds and other vegetation grew freely among the monuments and head stones throughout the grounds, some appearing to be an arm of comfort draped over and around more than a few of them.

All of the writing I saw on the stones was in Chinese, so I'm going to make the guess that it was at least primarily a Chinese-Thai spot, but as there was a significant amount of water standing around the now slightly sunken memorials I didn't  climb up close enough to check all that many.  It was, after all, a resting place and not a theme park.

Being September 11th my thoughts naturally turned back to images broadcast that day; scenes astonishing and horrifying at the same time.  Images you don't want to see but are powerless to turn away from while being overwhelmed by their intensity.

The twin towers themselves took thousands down with them; many as young as the man who was pictured on one of the monuments I walked by.  He looked to be around the same age as the friend I lost, and I thought of Mark as I took a picture of the picture, here to the right.

There were still sashes tied to a couple of the sizable ficus trees on the grounds, leaving no doubt that this was a Buddhist cemetery, as you may have read about in the "tree wat" post. You can see some in the photo below, which also gives you an idea of how close the Chong Nonsi station is. It's visible in the upper right-hand corner of the photo.

Walking around and seeing the lush, wild growth throughout the area I thought of the field in Pennsylvania where the plane carrying my friend plummeted to the ground, and wondered if the land there had also healed and become green again, covering the blackened scar of fuel and fire. Having stopped by the tree above to sit and say a few words to my late friend - wherever his spirit may be now - I wandered back out through the front of the cemetery and went about the rest of my day.

For all of you who also lost a friend, relative, co-worker or lover on September 11, 2001 - may you find some comfort and serenity on Sunday when your thoughts will probably once again be torn out of your control and return - at least briefly - to that horrible day.  I hope you have managed to find closure for your loss in this past decade.  I know I have, but I still miss him.

A Clip From The Calypso Cabaret In Bangkok

By the numbers the first two posts about the Calypso Cabaret seem to be some sort of guilty pleasure for some, so why not indulge people's fantasies every so often? For those who'd rather look at men as men there are a number of additional dancers to the scene, and that ought to take some of the sting out of it for you.

The clip today is a little longer than many posted here (well, there is the night time motocy ride through the back streets of Pattaya clip), but still just a portion of one of the scenes in the show. Performances last right about an hour, and I was also taking the stills so didn't fool with the video very much.

Those looking for the first two photo posts can find them here: Part 1 - Part 2. Located beneath the lobby of the Asia Hotel the show has been a well-crafted and well-executed standard in Bangkok for many years.  There's more information about the location, address, show times and show link in Part 1.

Female impersonation doesn't do much for me, unless it's really done well, and then it's an entertaining illusion. Middle-aged to old(er) men doing drag to any degree leaves me totally cold - uncomfortable, really - as they lumber about in their over-done outfits, big hair back-brushed and sprayed to the point of being a fire danger and squeezed into their outfits; really looking more like over-sized spangled sausages than women.  It's grand fun in some clubs, I know, but...  well, I'm not on this earth to judge.

Years ago I had a Pacific Island man renting a room from me for a few months. He had a face that was borderline pretty to begin with, and with his skin tone and fit figure could effectively indulge in his habit of doing "high class drag", as I used to call it - and he did it very well.

He drank like a fish, though, and while he'd leave the house looking very much like Tina Turner in her "What's Love Got To Do With It" period it was more often than not that he'd arrive back home around 03:00, having misplaced his key and be knocking on the door to be let in.  When I'd stumble to the door and swing it open there would often be a similar version of Tina, but now looking as thought she'd been in a fight: torn fishnet stockings and wig at a strange angle.  It didn't last long.

Nevertheless, I'm not picking on those that find cabaret entertaining, and to prove it I'll post more photos another time down the line.  Those who absolutely can't stand it: you've been warned.

Don't Drop The Soap (It's Fragile)

A bar of soap, a razor knife and a steady hand = one beautiful flower

On your first trip to Thailand you probably saw a stand or shop somewhere along the way selling what looked like delicate flowers made maybe of wax - but if you stopped to look at them you discovered that while they were delicate, they were carved from a single bar of soap.  If you've yet to make a visit there you still have these ahead of you.  You'll find better quality ones ranging in price roughly between 100Bt and 300Bt each.

There are a couple of shops that have awards from O.T.O.P. on display, and those tend to be the more carefully done - and more realistic looking - examples of the craft.  OTOP stands for "One Tambon (province) One Product", and is the name for an organization that makes an attempt at keeping a higher standard of quality for products on sale there.  Naturally, my guess is it's catch as catch can, but my experience has been better quality and a fair price at places displaying what appears to be an official OTOP sign or award.

The little hut in the lobby of the Asia Hotel is home to the best soap craftspeople I've found so far, and usually has a few hundred to select from.  If someone knows of another spot they like, please leave word in the comments section.  It's a family operation, and the father is the prime artisan, but others do nice work, too.   The Asia is joined by a walkway to the Ratchathewi BTS station, so it's easy to get to. The shop is open during the daytime only. Normally they don't want photos taken, but after a number of visits over the years the owner remembers me and was fine with a bit of publicity here.

It must be tedious work, and any fragile medium is prone to mistakes that you can't call for a "do over" on, but a steady hand and some concentration pay off in this skill.

The shop house within the Asia Hotel lobby

The soap of choice is Lux. You can see a packaged bar in the photo up top today, as well as a view of the work in progress and a couple of finished examples in their protective plastic display orbs.  You'll see these at Jatujak Market and other crafts areas, but for a wide selection of quality pieces I recommend the shop at the Asia.  Your selections are wrapped in bubble wrap and slipped into faux velvet bags that are light and easy enough to carry in your carry-on bag.  I've never tried risking one to the rough handling checked baggage gets, but it might work.

If you're in the area, drop in and check out their selection. I think you'll be pleased.

Night Photos, Part 18: In And Around The Pinnacle Hotel

We'll take a look at the Pinnacle Lumpinee Hotel itself another time for the Accomodations series, but since I've just run across some night photos of the place while looking for something completely unrelated my short attention span derailed that search and I prepared some of the Pinnacle images. The location today is the one  on Soi Ngam Dupli off of Rama IV Road, not the one they call the Sukhumvit location.

Since longer exposure images are something I enjoy experimenting with you'll find many other batches of available light "night" photos you're free to peruse any time you like if you like the images today - just click HERE.

The top image is the reception desk, taken one evening as I was coming back from an evening out with friends. Directly above is the Soi Ngam (or Nam) Dupli (or Duplee - don't you just love transliterations?) where you can also see the lit sign for Vincent's Seven Rooms, another nice place to hang your hat, I'm told.

Below is the spirit house for the hotel on one side of the entrance courtyard, in front of a faux stone wall.

Below is the Pinnacle cafe, nearly deserted when I took this while going up to my room.  One lone farang was sitting on the far right was having tea, it looked like, but all but his arm has been cropped out. There's more seating to the left.

One last shot today - from the entryway of the hotel looking down on some of the lights and courtyard decorations.

It's Labor Day Again

Evidently the Thai in this repeated image drew the short straw.

It's the first Monday in September here, and that means it's Labor Day in the USA again. As you read here last year when the holiday fell on September 6th:

To everyone everywhere, no matter what it is you do to keep a roof over your head and food in your stomach my wish for you today is this: may you find satisfaction and take some pride in whatever that is... and Happy Labor Day.

Back tomorrow.

Saying That Final Farewell - Again

Many of you who share middle-to-later middle age with me have already had to work through personal loss on a number of levels: family, partners, lovers, friends, co-workers, and the likes.  We all  lost far too many good spirits in the first relentless waves of AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s, in addition to the natural losses from age-related natural causes, accidents and other diseases, such as cancer.

Looking back one day some years back I realized that over a period of about 18 months I'd attended a funeral or memorial on an average of one every six weeks, and regardless of how many we endure they never seem to get any easier.

Another good friend has passed away, and I'm feeling the loss today. He wasn't a perfect person, but few of us are anywhere near that.  He did love life, his partner of many years, his business - and Thailand.

The flame from yet another candle flickers and goes out, but the thin ribbon of smoke it leaves behind lengthens, and rises toward heaven.

Thai Corn: On And Off The Cob

Steamed in the hull corn on the cob - warm and tasty

Not to take anything away from the sensory delights of those warm, light Chinese donuts known as youtiao in the morning, the satisfying heft of ice cream in a fresh bun on a hot afternoon or the dense, yeasty sweetness of a freshly pressed waffle most anytime - but there is more to snacking in Thailand than those carbo-heavy treats alone.  No, the Thai are snackers supremo, and we've just scratched the surface of things available as you go about your day there.

I've always loved corn, in almost any way you could think of to cook it. I even ate creamed corn with gusto when I was a child - something that horrified most of my friends at the time. Although we got whole corn on the cob from the grocery stores here in California cities, there was nothing that could compare to the field-fresh ears of it we'd have while visiting relatives back East.

Truly fresh corn was a treat worth suffering through the near-stultifying heat and humidity of a mid-Western July. Picked before dawn and just out of the fields a few hours the green hulls were so fresh they clung firmly to the golden niblets inside as we shucked ear after ear of it on the back porch of my grandparent's home in Minnesota, picking the clingy strands of corn silk off while anticipating the bountiful platters of steaming ears that would arrive at the mid-day dinner table an hour or so later. Even without butter these sugar-sweet golden cylinders from heaven were a treat I still occasionally think I can conjure up the aroma of if I really work at it.

Every so often while walking along a sidewalk or road in Thailand I get a teasing hint of that aroma, and it never fails to catch my attention. When I look around I usually find a vendor with one of a few types of corn for sale. It's rarely anywhere near as fresh as I remember from my childhood, but if you get out into the farmlands of the Kingdom, it's there!

Normally what you'll see are the wash-tubs of ears in their hulls, such as the guy up top had to sell. Those are good, but not really practical or very neat to eat on the street. If you're staying in an apartment with a kitchen, try them, though - odds are you'll like them. A couple of times I've taken then directly back to my room, added some butter brought up from the buffet and launched into one (OK, or two) ears of it, and it was pretty darned good.  I suppose it's fair to say most anything farther away from mass-produced is better tasting.

Simpler and almost as satisfying are the carts that sell corn along the street that's already been removed from the cob. You point to the size of cup you want to take away (often a disposable drinking cup), tell the seller what you want added to it - butter, sugar, salt, etc.) and they toss it into a hot wok to heat it before spooning it into a cup, sticking a spoon into it and handing it to you, steaming hot. It's very inexpensive, and a relatively healthy walk-away snack.

Kernels of corn on a steam table, waiting for a final heating and serving

The third type of corn you're likely to see is served as part of a pancake-like patty, made with corn, flour, salt, pepper and other spices. These you can eat with your fingers while you walk along, without trying to manage the spoon-to-mouth thing that's sometimes messy if you're carrying a bag, walking in any kind of hurry at all, or are in a crowd.

Griddled corn patties, as fresh as they get

My favorite of the three are the cups of take-away corn kernels, but like I said: I like them all. If you have a favorite that isn't listed here, leave a comment.  If you're planning your first trip to Thailand, keep an eye out for these, and let me know what you thought of them.

Bangkok's Nightlight On The 84th Floor

Vertical unlit LED panels encircle the 84th floor of Baiyoke II tower

The term "nightlight" usually refers to a small plug-in device that provides a glow in the dark to illuminate a hallway or bathroom, but I've come to call the large LED display atop Baiyoke II (Thailand's tallest building) one, too - the highest one in the Kingdom, anyway.

The LED display at dusk

Above the 83rd floor - which holds the revolving outdoor observation deck - a collar of vertical strip panels encircle the 84th floor at the top of the structure. You get a good view of it in the top photo, but I've not seen it from that vantage point myself (evidently from another nearby building) so I borrowed the unrestricted image from Wikimedia.

The "collar" encircling the 84th floor area doesn't move - you move around the display as you stand on the observation deck, and during the daytime hours there's not much to observe, to be honest.

Each of the vertical panels holds somewhere around 40 round of the round, sealed LED panels, each containing 45 LEDs; 15 red, green and blue lights in each display.

I don't know the wattage or lumens put out by each display, but they're clearly visible for a great distance from the ground - and that's saying something with the haze that often blankets the Big Mango.

Below is what you'd see looking up from the observation deck in the daytime hours, and below that is a close-up look at an individual round LED unit.

Vertical panels of LED units

Detail of one of the LED units

Because these three colors are what are used in creating many visual display units (think your boxy old color TV picture tube, for example) most anything can be splashed around the "screen" around the top of Baiyoke II: advertisements, photos, graphics, moving images, etc.- and so it does, far into the night.

It's a safe bet I've got more photos of the display in action at night, but I'll post those another day after I've found them.

We'll re-visit the tower itself again soon, too...there's a lot more to it than the "nightlight" perched on top of it.