OznAsia

The Thais have a way of using English that makes everything sound better than it really is. I used to stay in Jirapong Apartments. My 'apartment' was a single room with an attached bath and a balcony. But Jirapong Rooms doesn't sound quite so classy. There are often developments called Somethingorother Mansions. These 'mansions' are usually just normal bungalows. Once again, I'm sure you'd prefer to live in a mansion than a bungalow.

Recently I took the Bangkok Butterworth Express. Just to be sure, I checked the 'New Oxford American Dictionary' that came with my computer. It says that 'express' comes

from express train, so named because it served a particular destination without intermediate stops, reflecting an earlier sense of express [done or made for a special purpose,] later interpreted in the sense ‘rapid.’

Without immediate stops? Let me assure you that has nothing whatsoever to do with the Bangkok Butterworth Express. We stopped at every two-bit station between Bangkok and Butterworth. And once we crossed the border into Malaysia I noticed that we often pulled off onto a sideline to allow a freight train coming in the other direction to pass. At times we had to wait there on the sideline for some time. Perhaps the freight train was running late and no doubt it is more important than a mere express train.

And rapid? Let me assure you there was nothing speedy about the way this train moved between the two B cities.

But who am I to complain? I had a whole bunk bed to myself and it was comfortable. We got to Butterworth within two hours of the scheduled time and my friends who had offered to pick me up were still patiently waiting.

So, now I'm in Malaysia until my next express journey.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, thailand, transport, travel

The way my chosen lifestyle has developed over the past (almost) eight years, I have learned to live with little. Because I move on fairly regularly I have to accept that when I do I have to cull many of the possessions that I have accumulated. If I'm looking to stay somewhere for a while, I do start to accumulate things—speakers for my computer, a microwave oven, bedding, etc—but sooner or later I move on and if I can't carry it, I have to leave it behind.

I spent most of last year in Mahasarakham and I was seriously thinking at the time that I would like to stay there semi-permanently. When circumstances took me back to Australia, I put my stuff into storage with an expectation that I would return sooner or later. When the time came to return to Asia, I decided there were other fish to fry so it was time to let go of all that stuff. In Mahasarakham I sorted through my stuff, carried off what I reasonably could and left the rest behind. MSU is setting up a house for scholarship students from Cambodia to live in. We agreed that what I left behind could be put into that house.

For much of 2008 I lived in Jirapong Apartments on the outskirts of Bangkok. That time too I accumulated a few possessions. At the end of the year I returned to Australia via India. I was running out of time when I was sorting and packing. I suggested that if I left stuff in the room for them to clean up they could have anything of value for their trouble. They agreed.

Now I'm back in Bangkok but will stay for only three weeks. I returned to Jirapong. There's not a lot of point in investing in things for the sake of a three-week stay but I do appreciate some basic stuff like an electric jug. I asked if they would have a spare jug lying around, then I went off to the store to buy some of the more disposable things I would need. When I returned to my room, inside was a jug, an iron, various bowls, dishes and other things. I thought they look familiar. It seemed they'd kept much of my old stuff and now I get to use it once again.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, Mahasarakham, thailand, travel

I first met Ead and Tong in Australia many years ago. This was back when I had made just a few visits to Thailand. I was moving towards spending more time in Thailand and had been trying to learn the language by myself. I reached a point where I thought that I needed real Thai people to practise with.

One night I was at a party and saw a guy in the crowd who I thought looked Thai so I went and said 'hello'. Sure enough he was Thai so we chatted for a while. Before the evening was over I suggested that we could get together for a language sharing.

Ead and his wife, Tong, were both studying for MBAs in Brisbane. They invited a few of their friends and we had a little group that got together from time to time to practise each others languages. As a group we did a lot of things together as well as practising language. We often visited each others homes and we participated in Thai cultural celebrations. I saw my first Loy Kratong festival at UQ in Brisbane.

They all returned to Thailand before I made my move there at the end of 2002. Ead and Tong's house became my base whenever I was in Bangkok. They were always good to me. Ead was always waiting at the airport whenever I flew into Bangkok. I see them as my brother and sister in Bangkok.

When I made the decision to return to Thailand again I sent an email to both Ead and Tong telling them I would arrive on July 21 and giving flight details. On June 21 Ead turned up at the airport and there was no sign of me. He rang Tong and asked her to check my email to see if he had the date right. 'No,' she told him. 'He comes on 21st July.' I guess he was just keen to see me.

Thanks Ead and Tong for the love you have both given me over the years. It is really appreciated.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, thailand, travel

Today I had a free day in Bangkok. As you may be aware I particularly enjoy walking around with my camera/s, snapping away. In the past I've often done this in the evening and let me assure you it's way cooler then, but that didn't suit me so I decided to spend the morning wandering.

My friend, Ead, was heading to Victory Monument. I got a lift with him and from there headed on foot in the direction of Din Daeng. I walked up and down the streets and laneways (sois) until I reached the slum area under the expressway.

After I returned to Victory Monument I took the sky train to Siam, had some lunch and spent the afternoon in the relatively new Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. There were several interesting exhibitions and I was able to wander with the sound of live classical music in the background. And it sure was cooler than out in the street.

I pretty much used up all the battery power in my cameras and as I have time I'll process the best and post them on my flickr page. The first of them are there already.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, photography, thailand

My friends, Ead and Tong, live in the suburbs of Bangkok not far from where I was living last year. There is a small canal that runs at the back of their house. When I first visited, some years ago, there was what they described as a 'traditional village' among the trees on several acres of land on the other side of the canal. I gather that the land on which the village stood changed hands a few years back and the village was pulled down. Some time later, squatters built what I would call 'temporary dwellings' on the land. They lived there, apparently happily, for a few years. When I arrived earlier this year much of the land had been cleared and it looked like roads were being built. On my latest visit, last weekend, I see that many new temporary dwellings have appeared. Some but not all of the old ones have gone.

In Thailand, it seems from my observations, builders labourers don't have a permanent home but move onto the site where they are going to be working, along with their families. Before they erect the permanent buildings they build temporary homes like these. I guess there is going to be quite a lot of construction going on there over the coming months and in the mean time these dwellings house Ead and Tong's newest neighbours.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, housing, thailand

One of the things I appreciate about the internet is the way it makes it possible for us to communicate with people we would never otherwise meet. Recently I have been communicating with someone in Cairo and I must say that my knowledge of Cairo is scant. My online friend mentioned being caught in a traffic jam which prompted me to wonder just what a Cairo traffic jam is like.

On my last visit back to Australia some friends who live in Toowoomba were complaining bitterly about how terrible the traffic was in Brisbane. To hear them speak you might think that to be caught in a traffic jam in Brisbane was completely intolerable.

I lived a long time in Sydney. For some years prior to leaving, my work required me to visit schools all over the city. When I got the opportunity to move back to Brisbane, the thought of being able to escape the traffic jams of Sydney was an incentive for the move. Let me assure anyone who thinks Brisbane traffic jams are terrible that by comparison to Sydney, Brisbane's traffic moves very smoothly.

I learned to put Sydney's traffic into perspective after I'd spent some time in Bangkok. The population of Bangkok would be more than double that of Sydney and when all those people are trying to get to or from work the traffic is utter chaos. Anarchy is the norm on Bangkok roads. Lane markings mean little and traffic lights not much more. When you notice the inside lane on a Bangkok road is free, you ease yourself into it and fly along for a little way until you come upon a vendor slowly peddling a heavily laden three wheeler ahead of you. If you're lucky he is actually going in the same direction as you are. For pedestrians it is extremely dangerous to put a foot on a Bangkok road and even on the footpath you have to contend with motorcycles that have given up trying to make progress on the road. When I visited Sydney after living in Bangkok I was surprised at how courteous Sydney drivers are.

Last year I made my first visit to India and when I'd spent a little time in Delhi I realised that traffic in Bangkok isn't so bad after all. You haven't really experienced a traffic jam until you've been stuck for a few hours in Delhi traffic getting absolutely nowhere. And when the traffic is moving fast you have to hope you have a good driver because traffic is moving every which way with horns blaring constantly. I have the greatest respect for the ability of Delhi taxi drivers. Without them I probably would never have gone anywhere. There's no way you'd get me behind a wheel in Delhi. Returning to Bangkok after experiencing Delhi I have to say the traffic is quiet and almost pleasant.

Sometimes I wonder how people back in Australia are coping with the economic downturn. On the news here I see garment workers in Wollongong protesting about the loss of their jobs. If you lose your job in Australia you have to contend with the poverty of living on the dole. Let me assure you, your poverty is relative just as traffic jams are. I have friends in Cambodia who even with a job have a lifestyle way below that of an Australian on the dole. My Cambodian friends who are unemployed are even worse off. They have no running water and no money to buy bottled water as I did when I lived there. If they are lucky enough to have a pump, they boil the water from underground before they drink it. Some boil the river water and drink that but that doesn't kill the germs from the human faeces in the water. Most Australians, even if unemployed, have drinkable water piped into their homes.

If you happen to have lost your job recently because of the economic downturn, I'm sorry about that. As you drive to your next job interview if you get caught in a traffic jam and you think you'll be late for the interview, take it easy. Just think of someone in Delhi trying to get to their interview on a broken-down motorcycle or perhaps someone in Cambodia riding through the traffic on the way to their interview on a borrowed bicycle. Stay calm. I hope you get the job.

Labels: Asia, Australia, Bangkok, Cambodia, India, money, poverty, thailand, traffic

When I arrived in Bangkok less than two weeks ago my flight arrived early in the morning. Thai Airways served breakfast on board. But Ead had to get up quite early to meet me at the airport. He had not had breakfast so on the way home we stopped at a street market a few blocks from his house. It was so busy we had to park a block and a half away. Ead's comment was 'They can build a big air-conditioned shopping mall with underground parking but Thai people still prefer to park in the street and walk a couple of blocks so they can do their shopping in an open market.'

When I reached Mahasarakham last week I was surprised to see that since my last visit in the early part of last year Big C (so what does the 'C' stand for?) had built a new shopping mall - strategically about halfway between the university and the centre of town. This mall comprises one big shop that sells just about everything from electrical goods, sporting equipment, furniture, clothing to typical grocery items such as fresh fruit and vegetables and a wide range of packaged goods, plus there's a range of specialist stores and a food court. You'd think this would attract many of the university students but my observation was that while the place is busy it is not all that crowded.

On the other hand each evening an open-air market appears on the university campus surrounding the canteen. I often go there for my dinner and to pick up some fresh fruit or other items. A huge range of goods is available such as clothing, watches, hardware, etc, etc and generally at competitive prices. The students vote with their feet. This place can be quite crowded.

Six years ago there was quite a good restaurant in one of the Ajahn's Condo buildings. It was open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was very convenient for me, especially for breakfast. But they've closed it now. I've learned that for my simple lifestyle a really easy and healthy breakfast, provided I can boil some water, is instant oats. But oats aren't all that popular in Thailand. You can't buy them at the night market. So, last Saturday morning I took a sorngtheau to the shopping mall to pick some up along with my favourite Thai soymilk that I pour onto my oats each morning.

After I'd made my purchases I crossed the highway to pick up a sorngtheau to take me back to the campus. There was a young woman waiting with a couple of shopping bags on the side of the road.

'Lor sorngtheau mai khap?' (Are you waiting for a sorngtheau?) I asked.

'Ka. Bai nai?' (Yes. Where are you going?')

I assumed she was a student familiar with the university and simply replied, 'Ajahn Condo'.

Shortly I could see a sorngtheau approaching and asked if this was the right one. She said it was so I waved it down. We both got on. It was quite crowded. She got inside but I had to stand on the step at the back.

Off we went, crossed the river and after the river I was expecting we'd turn left but we didn't. I didn't let that worry me because there is another way to get into the university and I figured we would go that way. It is a couple of kilometres further on. But we sailed past that turnoff too. 'Bai Mor Mai?' (Do we go to the new campus?) I asked the girl. No we didn't. She realised I was on the wrong sorngtheau and rang the bell for me. He didn't stop for another 200 metres or so. And then I had to walk with my shopping bags back to the second turnoff. From there I had only another 2 km to go. It was about midday and a hot day.

I had walked about one kilometre. Quite a few cars had passed. In Australia I would have stuck my thumb out. Thai people would happily give a stranger a lift but I don't think they would know what an extended thumb meant so I just walked. I'd gone about halfway and was passing a driveway. A woman was coming out on a motorcycle. She said 'hello' and asked where I was going. I told her and she offered to take me. So I got home safely and not quite so hot and bothered as I might have been. Next time I'll eat some oats first to ensure I have enough energy for a long walk.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, Mahasarakham, thailand

On the day of my flight back to Bangkok I checked the weather report in the Bangkok Post. On Friday the temperature range was 25 to 35.

Today Ead and I took a trip in his car that necessitated it being parked in the sun for a couple of hours. Fortunately he had a screen covering the inside of the windscreen. He has a cube-shaped device that sits on the dashboard and gives a reading of the time, date and temperature. You can see for yourself what the temperature was.



Just checked the Thai Meterological Department for today's temperature range. It says 26 - 36 for Bangkok. Humidity at 4 pm was 56%.

Tomorrow I'll be heading for Mahasarakham. It reached 37.5 there today and they're expecting 39 by the end of the week. The humidity, however, will only be 44%.

I hope to stay in Mahasarakham for a while. Drop back to read the latest hot news.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, Mahasarakham, thailand, travel

So you want to know what is happening in Thai politics? I like this version of the current situation.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, politics, thailand

My lifestyle has become a mixture of travelling and staying put. It would be so easy to make a statement like 'I love travel'. And considering the lifestyle I have chosen for the past six years in particular, or perhaps my whole life in general, one might consider it would be an appropriate statement for me to make. But it's not true! The fact is that I hate travel. I hate the process of packing. I hate carrying all my possessions which equal more than one third of my body weight to strange places where I don't know the way, am not familiar with the transport systems and may not speak the language. I hate having to find suitable accommodation in yet another new city. I hate having to run the gamut of touts who think that your white skin is a symbol of your wealth and they are only too happy to relieve you of some of it. This is the style of travel that I have chosen and I want to say here and now that I hate it.

Of course there is another way to travel. I could stay in hotels that actually get star ratings. I could take taxis everywhere. I could go on guided tours. I could eat in the best restaurants. But what is the point? Except for the view, a five-star hotel in Bangkok, Hanoi or Delhi is just the same as a five-star hotel in Brisbane or Sydney. OK, so maybe the uniforms reflect the local culture. But believe me, when you are doing this you are not seeing the real Bangkok, Hanoi or Delhi. You might as well stay home and watch National Geographic Channel.

I am also not a typical backpacker, if there is such a thing. Hey, I don't want to stereotype backpackers. There's enough people doing that already. But I would like to distance myself from another kind of travel, ie getting pissed in cities all over the world. Getting pissed in Bangkok, Hanoi or Delhi can't really be all that different from getting pissed while watching National Geographic Channel in Brisbane or Sydney.

While I hate travelling, what I do love is being in places that are, to me, exotic. I love to stay in those places for an extended period of time, living amongst the locals. I don't want to live amongst expats. If I want to live among Australians, I'd go back to Australia and do just that. But I know what Australians are like. I lived among them for 55 years. Now I want to immerse myself in 'exotic' cultures; to live among the local people; to live their lifestyle; to learn what makes them tick and perhaps in some way to give a little back to their community. This I love and for the opportunity to do this, I'll put up with the crap that comes with my chosen style of travelling.

I've just spent seven months living in Bangkok. I lived out of town, in the suburbs. I lived in an apartment building amongst Thai people. Two days a week I went to Thai language class. I travelled on buses and trains, occasionally on motorcycle taxis but rarely in taxi cabs.

While living in Bangkok I did accumulate a few possessions: a small bookcase, a little cupboard, books, DVD movies, clothes. I did much the same while living in Mahasarakham, Kompong Chhnang and Melaka. This means I have to make decisions when I move on about what to do with all those excess possessions, all the stuff I can't carry. Occasionally I am able to store a few things in anticipation of a return but often I go through this process. I sort everything into three bundles: the things I absolutely must take with me; the things I'd like to take with me and those I can live without. When I have the 'must takes' in my bags, there is usually not much more room. I add a few of the 'like to takes' based on what fits and what will be most useful and I say goodbye to the rest. I give it away or throw it out.

I had been reasonably comfortable in my room in Bangkok because as well as the things I'd bought I'd also made a trip to Mahasarakham and brought back a suitcase full of useful stuff that'd been stored there. This meant that the sorting process in this, my most recent moving-on, was bigger than usual.

This is one of the aspects of travel that I hate. I hate trying to fit everything in and I hate having to leave behind things that to some degree I've become attached to. I've always been like this and I've always handled this issue in the same stupid way - I procrastinate.

And so there I was an hour before Ead was due to pick me up for the trip to Suvarnabhumi Airport, the bags half packed and accumulated possessions spread in neat piles around my room but there were one or two things that had still not found their way onto an appropriate pile. In particular, behind my desk there were a few electrical cables including the charger and cable for my Macbook computer.

After I reached Delhi I did a bit of writing. I wrote two blogs, one on my first impressions of Delhi and one on a caffeine incident I experienced. I also downloaded the 100 or so photos I'd taken at Suvarnabhumi Airport and processed a handful of them for my flickr page. When the battery started to get low I looked for the charger and that's when I realised what I'd done to myself because of my hate of travelling and my procrastination.

The following day I managed to get online (not on my computer) and find an Apple dealer that I could reach in Delhi. I got on the Metro and took a train ride to Srinigar Garden and found the Apple dealer who told me a replacement cable would cost 8,000 - 9,000 rupees (very expensive) and would take seven days to arrive. My plan was that in seven days I would be in Mussoorie, visiting one of the hill stations in the lower Himalayas, over 300 km from Delhi.

I thought it through and decided to confront the possibility of an attachment to my computer. I've decided, for the time being, to be computerless. Well, not entirely computerless - I still have the weight to lug around and there are, of course, internet cafes to help me communicate with you. I've also made some tentative steps towards getting my charger forwarded to me but it doesn't look like that will happen.

I had decided not to do any blogging until my computer was intact again but my friend Nazia had other plans. I might add that Nazia is a writer and that it was through our writing that we got to know each other and become friends. She was not supportive of the idea that my visit to India go unrecorded. She didn't argue the point. She simply went out and bought me a new notebook. No, not another computer, the old-fashioned kind made of paper that you write on with a pen. It has been hand bound with Indian fabric. It will be a souvenir of my visit to India in more than one way.

Perhaps my friend has an ulterior motive for her purchase. Recently I explained to her that writing was a form of therapy for me. When I have something on my mind, by writing I am able to get it out and to move on. Nazia has agreed to spend some time with me over the next few weeks. Perhaps she wasn't looking forward to my constipated companionship.

And it's working, already I've got this much down. In due course, no doubt I'll have access to a computer, either my own or one in a cafe and I'll be able to share my thoughts with you. If you're still with me, hang in there. There's a lot of pages left in this notebook.

And sooner or later I'll eventually upload the aforementioned blogs stored on my currently inaccessible Macbook.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, communication, India, travel

My friend Nee has been working on Koh Samui for about five months so it's always been on the cards that I'd visit sometime. When Colin, an Australian friend, said he was heading there I decided it was time to make my trip.

There are many ways to get to Samui. You can fly in but it seems none of the budget airlines go there now. I took the train option. I got a sleeper from Bangkok (Hua Lampong) to Surat Thani and then a bus to the coast and a ferry to the island. Samui is about 20 kilometres wide and 25 from north to south. Roads take you close to the coast rather than straight across. The ferry from the mainland will bring you to Nathon on the west coast. Most of the action is on the resort beach towns of Lamai and Chaweng on the east coast.

For my Australian readers I'd suggest that Samui is like the Gold Coast without the high rise but with a very strong Thai accent. It is very touristy with probably more foreigners there than Thais. If you decide to visit Samui, I suggest you consider flying into Kuala Lumpur rather than Bangkok. You can fly on AirAsia from Coolangatta and save a packet. The train that links KL and Bangkok passes through Surat Thani.

I've started posting my Samui pics on my flickr page and assuming I have time will add a few more blogs on different aspects of Samui so drop back in a day or two for more about Samui.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, holiday, KL, Koh Samui, Kuala Lumpur, Nee, thailand, travel

Thought you might like to know what it is like when you need a plumber in Thailand. Actually I'm not sure there are many. Most people do their own plumbing. I don't know anyone who tells me they actually know a plumber. And it's much the same in other Asian countries.

The design of bathrooms here also means that the shower sprays water over the bathroom floor. There is no separate shower cubicle. Some newer places have one but in most bathrooms after you have a shower the floor of the whole bathroom is wet. If you don't mop it up you risk slipping when you come in again.

My shower started dripping last week. There is not much I can do about it because there is nowhere for me to turn the water off while I replace the washer. And the water was dripping and keeping the floor constantly wet. I spoke to the building manager and she said she'd get the fix-it man to attend to it. But he didn't come. Maybe I asked about four times. Eventually he came and changed the shower head. Of course it still dripped. With my limited Thai and his limited English it was difficult for me to explain to him that he needed to change the washer not the shower head. In any case, he should know that. He is the fix-it man after all. He just kept on saying 'mai pen lai' (it doesn't matter). This is a very common phrase in Thailand. He told me that all the rooms were the same and 'mai pen lai'.

I was not happy. I had visions of getting up for a pee in the middle of the night and slipping on the wet floor while half asleep. To me it did matter.

The building manager's daughter and I help each other practise our language each night so that night I explained the problem to Tee with the help of drawing a picture of a shower head and a tap and a washer. She seemed to understand and told her mother and the mother said he would come again the next day at midday.

I'd given up waiting for him at 1 pm and started getting ready to go out for lunch. Just as I was about to leave at 1.15 there was a knock at the door. This time he had a whole tap. I wasn't going to argue the point. I just wanted it fixed. It took him about 10 minutes and it was done. And since, no problem.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, housing, thailand

Some of my friends check my blog from time to time to see what is happening with me. Some have pointed out recently that I have been a little quiet lately and they hear on the news about sometimes violent protests in Bangkok and they have been wondering if I'm OK.

If you too have been wondering let me first say I apologise for the lack of communication. I didn't realise it had been so long since I had posted a blog. Here is what is happening for me: I continue to go to school two days a week. I continue to study Thai. I am making progress but still feel I have a long way to go. My life is busy but not exciting. While I am finding little to blog about I have been quite content with my time here.

About the problems in Thailand. I wish I really understood what was going on but I have to say I don't. I appreciate that for you overseas you understand it even less so to give you a little background, here is how I see it:

As you know there was a coup a few years back to oust Taksin because while he had been taking care of the Thai economy he was also taking care of himself. In Thailand there is a law that says you can't criticise the king. It seemed Taksin thought no one should criticise him either. Anyway they got rid of him, were ruled by the military for a couple of years and got a new constitution and the people elected a new government which just happened to be the supporters of Taksin. Now either the people like Taksin and his supporters or they don't value their votes very highly and were prepared to accept bribes for their votes. Well, that's what people are saying but I have to ask: Are there no whistle blowers? To buy enough votes to win an election there must be a lot of people involved. It just needs one to say no, speak out and someone should be charged. I'm assuming vote buying is illegal in Thailand???

Anyway, there is a group that was against Taksin and played a role in bringing him down. They are called PAD which stands for Peoples Alliance for Democracy. The same people are now protesting against the current government. Perhaps they have a valid argument. The government has never impressed me. But I'm not too sure about the PAD name. I believe their proposal is for the elected members to be only 30% of the seats of the government and the other members to be appointed. One of their leaders has more or less said that Thai people are too stupid to be trusted with a vote. They may be right and they may be wrong but I think their name is wrong. They would be more honest if they called themselves People Against Democracy.

Anyway they've been protesting for a long time and now another group that supports the government has been opposing them and this is what has started the violence. But despite what the media outside Thailand would have you believe the protests are confined to a small area and only affect the streets close to the government buildings. I don't think I would want to be staying in Khao San Road at the moment. That would be a little too close for comfort but I live a long way out of town and so far it's pretty quiet here. It's pretty quiet where I go to school too. Life goes on. People talk about it but in most of Bangkok there is not much happening. I'm comfortable being here. I hope you're comfortable about that too.

If you'd like a little more info on what's happening in Thailand, I suggest you check the Thai English-language newspapers Bangkok Post and The Nation.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, blog, communication, thailand

This blog has not been particularly active lately because I have not been particularly active. Well, I'm active but I'm following a routine and it is not terribly exciting. Two days a week I go into the city to Thai language school. My main priority on the other days is to study Thai at home which I do with the aid of two online dictionaries and off course my good friend Tee who lives downstairs in my apartment building.

Recently I discovered that an eight week Buddhist dharma and meditation class was to be presented at a wat in the city one night a week by an English monk. I went along on the first night, was pleased and have been going ever since. The course is presented on Thursday evenings and as I am already going to my Thai class on Thursday mornings it makes sense to stay in the city but that of course means I have a lot of time to fill between classes. One week I made a return visit to Little India and got some more movies. Was going to go to a movie another time but got there too late for one session and the following session would finish too late for my timetable so I spent a few hours browsing in a bookshop (and spending a little money).

Last week I came prepared with a book to read. I decided to relax in one of my favourite places in Bangkok, the Saphan Taksin jetty. It's always cool there with a breeze coming off the river and I enjoy watching the many and varied boats coming and going. Thursday it was very cool because there was a storm coming which you can see in the photo here that I snapped with my Panasonic FX3. That's the little camera that I bought so I could take it anywhere. It's usually in my bag.

I reached Wat Yannawa a little early for the dharma class so snapped a few shots there too. As you can see the floor is still damp from that storm. I believe the building behind the wat is empty. Bangkok still has quite a few buildings such as this as a result of the Asian economic slump of about ten years ago. Apparently ownership issues are so complex that nothing can be done to either complete or destroy such buildings.

If you are interested in these dharma classes, there is a short version of the talks here and also from this site you can pick up information about other Buddhist teachings and get-togethers in English happening in Bangkok.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, Buddhism, camera, fx3, Panasonic, thailand, travel

The textbook used in my Thai class is in question-and-answer format. The teacher (Khoon Kroo) reads a question and each student takes a turn to read an answer. This has helped to develop my reading skills in Thai but doesn't do a lot for my confidence in speaking when I don't have the book. Sometimes I try to take it a step further and give my own answer rather than the one in the book.

Recently Khoon Kroo started doing something different. From time to time she would take a question and either use it as it is in the book or adapt it and ask each student individually for their personal answer to that question. I like this. If she keeps it up our spoken Thai should improve.

There was a range of new vocab for occupations introduced in the book. And she chose to ask each of us which job we would like to do. Each of the occupation words started with 'nak' which means person or expert. When it was my turn I answered 'nak gaa siian'. It wasn't in the book. I was being creative and saying 'I want to be a retired person' or perhaps 'expertly retired.' But no, she wasn't accepting that. I had to use an answer from the book. I looked down and saw 'nak khiian' expert writer. So that was the answer I gave.

Her response was 'naa beuah' boring. Mmmm.

As the class went on I realised that I was better off giving a frivolous rather than serious answer. We were asked 'What do you do when you are happy?'

'Yim' smile said one student. Each student gave their answer.

When it came to my turn I said, 'juup pheuan kong phom' kiss my friends.

'Pooying reu poochai?' Men or women?

'Mai bpen rai' It doesn't matter.

The next student was Jason, a New Zealander. We often have a joke together probably because we are the only ones in this class from our corner of the world. 'Khoon Jason, khoon bpen pheuan Khoon John?' Jason, are your John's friend? she asked.

'Mai bpen' no answered Jason.

I'm sure my Thai is improving but I wonder if this is good for my self esteem.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, communication, learning Thai

Because I live such a long way out of town and it takes me ages to get there I usually like to do any special shopping on the days I go to school. I finish school at 1 pm so I have time to do a little before I get the train and bus back.

I have an online friend in Delhi who recommended a few Indian movies for me. I got hold of the first one at the IT Mall at Panthip Plaza. This was 'The Namesake', directed by Mira Nair who also made 'Monsoon Wedding'. Both are great movies but very different. My friend's recommendation of 'The Namesake' says we are on the same wavelength. I decided to seek out the other titles on her list.

I decided to go to Bangkok's Little India after school yesterday. It's just past Chinatown and I was told there's a DVD shop there. Two people told me to catch bus number 40 from outside the school in Asoke. 

I waited at the bus stop and after a while bus number 40 came along. I got on. When the conductor came to collect my fare, I told her 'Parhurat'. That's the name of the Little India area. But she shook her head and held up two fingers. 

'Rotmay song?' (Bus number two?) I asked. She nodded. I got off at the next stop.

When bus number two came along I got on. Once again, when I tried to pay my fare the conductor shook her head. She went and talked to the driver, came back and told me two more different bus numbers. I got off at the next stop.

When a bus came along for one of the numbers I'd been told, the conductor was at the door so I asked her 'Bai Parhurat mai?' (Do you go to Parhurat?) She told me no and gave me two more different bus numbers. I decided to give up on the buses.

There were a few motorcycle taxis not far from the bus stop. I approached them and asked, 'Bai Parhurat tao rai? (How much to go to Parhurat?)

'200 baht' one said. Now I expect that I can get an air-conditioned taxi to Parhurat for less than that. This guy thinks I am a tourist and is offering me a special price. I decided to not take him up on his generous offer. Instead I went home.

Today I took a day off from my studies. I took my usual bus and train but stayed on the train a little longer. I got off the train at Hua Lampong, the last station. It is right on the edge of Chinatown. I took a walk through Chinatown. It is quite big and quite interesting. You can buy almost anything there if you know where to look. I took a few photos as I walked. Got lost twice and found my way again both times. After about an hour or more of walking I eventually found Parhurat Road. There were a few Indians in the area but I still didn't find any shops selling Indian movies.

I kept wandering around the area for an hour or more and eventually someone told me where to find the movie shop. I bought all six movies on my list and the Devdas soundtrack CD. Not as cheap as Panthip Plaza but still quite a good price. The woman was ready to make further recommendations but I decided to wait for my friend's advice. 

After that I was ready for lunch. Found a vegetarian restaurant and had a thali. I decided to take a bus back to Hua Lampong station and I noticed one of the buses on the route was bus number 40.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, Chinatown, Little India, movie, thailand