Another link to a creepy Thailand story of a man who was using a baby corpse as a protective talisman. This is apparently known in Thailand as a kuman thong, or "golden child." His downfall: he went to the carpenter to get a case for it made! This happened recently and very close to Lampang where David, Stacey and I traveled this last vacation.
I knew there was something creepy about that place . . .
Monday, July 20, 2009
Wiener DUI?
CBS Channel 4 in Denver reports that the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile crashed into a Wisconsin home on Sunday.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Interlude: Thailand Rant
OK, I don't usually rant about Thailand because I realize that things are DIFFERENT here, but just can't resist sharing about my trip to the bike store.
My Trek Fuel blew a seal on it's Manitou Black fork a few months ago, and I wanted to get it serviced. I tried a couple of local stores, but none of them dealt with Manitou. A few people from the bike hash recommended a Trek dealer, inconveniently located on a congested neighborhood downtown. So I rode the bike over to check it out.
No one in the service department spoke much English. When I told them that the shock was broken, they leaned on the handle bars and bounced on it, then looked at me like I was nuts. "Yes, but it doesn't trigger when the wheel hits something . . ." They didn't understand, so I was reduced to miming. I tried to get the guy to take it outside and have a ride, but no luck. He said, "I call distributor" and told me to pick it up tomorrow.
The next day I walked 40 minutes to the store to retrieve the bike. My radar went up when I got the bill: 100 Baht (about 3 dollars). In the US, it usually costs several hundred dollars to get the shock serviced. Suspicious, I hopped on the bike and rode it off the nearest curb. Sure enough, the shock was still as stiff as a tree trunk and the impact was painful enough to put my elbows where my shoulders used to be. And to add insult to injury, the damn seal came flying off the shock and nailed me hard in the inner thigh. Oil sloshed over my foot.
I took the bike back to the store, where I had one of the week's more infuriating exchanges with the maintenance supervisor:
ME: (Smiling, as one must do in Thailand) I told you to service this damn thing! Were you just going to give it back, take my money and hope I didn't notice?
HIM: (bouncing on handle bars) See? Works good!
ME: It's not working when I hit something. I told you yesterday.
HIM: Ah. That because it need new this. (Holds up a shock seal)
ME: (blood pressure rising) Well then why the hell didn't you put a 'that' in?
HIM: Have to call the distributor.
ME: (barely holding it together) You said you were gonna call him yesterday!
HIM: Distributor not open on Saturday.
ME: So why did you friggin SAY you'd call him? I'm very disappointed, very disappointed. I live very far away! (clumsy attempts at Thai passive-aggressive Jedi mind-tricks).
HIM: I call today.
ME: But why didn't you call yesterday?
HIM: That was yesterday. Forget about yesterday.
ME: But if its closed Saturday, its not going to be open on Sunday!
HIM: (calls and lets the phone ring ten minutes) He not open. (points to bike). This fork old fork, bad fork! I sell you new fork. (goes and gets the cheapest RST fork off the wall and holds it out proudly). See? Only 1000 baht! Very good fork!
ME: Are you kidding? This is Manitou Black! (Top of the line fork)
HIM: But to order part from distributor cost 5000 Baht (about 180 USD)
ME: ARGH!!!!
I here commenced ripping out my hair, at which point the store manager, who spoke better English, came to my rescue. He explained that his bike store doesn't deal with Manitou at all because the only Manitou distributor in Thailand is a rival store across town. Aha! I gave him a very sad, whiny story about how I live very far from the store (15 min), and how I'd come all the way back for nothing, and his employees didn't listen to me or follow through on their promises, how they'd done a shoddy job and tried to pass it off as a real service and charge me for it, and how really I'd be much less upset if they'd just told me when I brought it in that they don't service that brand.
To his credit, he said he'd order the part through the competitor if it was available, and he even gave me a loaner fork to use while we waited on the order. This more than assuaged my urge to run home and post something nasty about him on Craig's list, and is why I am generously not mentioning the name of the store here.
Still, it's outings like this that make me happy to cancel all plans, lock the door on Bangkok, and pass a happy afternoon playing on the internet and watching bad movies on cable.
My Trek Fuel blew a seal on it's Manitou Black fork a few months ago, and I wanted to get it serviced. I tried a couple of local stores, but none of them dealt with Manitou. A few people from the bike hash recommended a Trek dealer, inconveniently located on a congested neighborhood downtown. So I rode the bike over to check it out.
No one in the service department spoke much English. When I told them that the shock was broken, they leaned on the handle bars and bounced on it, then looked at me like I was nuts. "Yes, but it doesn't trigger when the wheel hits something . . ." They didn't understand, so I was reduced to miming. I tried to get the guy to take it outside and have a ride, but no luck. He said, "I call distributor" and told me to pick it up tomorrow.
The next day I walked 40 minutes to the store to retrieve the bike. My radar went up when I got the bill: 100 Baht (about 3 dollars). In the US, it usually costs several hundred dollars to get the shock serviced. Suspicious, I hopped on the bike and rode it off the nearest curb. Sure enough, the shock was still as stiff as a tree trunk and the impact was painful enough to put my elbows where my shoulders used to be. And to add insult to injury, the damn seal came flying off the shock and nailed me hard in the inner thigh. Oil sloshed over my foot.
I took the bike back to the store, where I had one of the week's more infuriating exchanges with the maintenance supervisor:
ME: (Smiling, as one must do in Thailand) I told you to service this damn thing! Were you just going to give it back, take my money and hope I didn't notice?
HIM: (bouncing on handle bars) See? Works good!
ME: It's not working when I hit something. I told you yesterday.
HIM: Ah. That because it need new this. (Holds up a shock seal)
ME: (blood pressure rising) Well then why the hell didn't you put a 'that' in?
HIM: Have to call the distributor.
ME: (barely holding it together) You said you were gonna call him yesterday!
HIM: Distributor not open on Saturday.
ME: So why did you friggin SAY you'd call him? I'm very disappointed, very disappointed. I live very far away! (clumsy attempts at Thai passive-aggressive Jedi mind-tricks).
HIM: I call today.
ME: But why didn't you call yesterday?
HIM: That was yesterday. Forget about yesterday.
ME: But if its closed Saturday, its not going to be open on Sunday!
HIM: (calls and lets the phone ring ten minutes) He not open. (points to bike). This fork old fork, bad fork! I sell you new fork. (goes and gets the cheapest RST fork off the wall and holds it out proudly). See? Only 1000 baht! Very good fork!
ME: Are you kidding? This is Manitou Black! (Top of the line fork)
HIM: But to order part from distributor cost 5000 Baht (about 180 USD)
ME: ARGH!!!!
I here commenced ripping out my hair, at which point the store manager, who spoke better English, came to my rescue. He explained that his bike store doesn't deal with Manitou at all because the only Manitou distributor in Thailand is a rival store across town. Aha! I gave him a very sad, whiny story about how I live very far from the store (15 min), and how I'd come all the way back for nothing, and his employees didn't listen to me or follow through on their promises, how they'd done a shoddy job and tried to pass it off as a real service and charge me for it, and how really I'd be much less upset if they'd just told me when I brought it in that they don't service that brand.
To his credit, he said he'd order the part through the competitor if it was available, and he even gave me a loaner fork to use while we waited on the order. This more than assuaged my urge to run home and post something nasty about him on Craig's list, and is why I am generously not mentioning the name of the store here.
Still, it's outings like this that make me happy to cancel all plans, lock the door on Bangkok, and pass a happy afternoon playing on the internet and watching bad movies on cable.
Friday, July 17, 2009
DAY TWO: AYUTHAYA
Pics from Ayuthaya, Thailand's second capital that was sacked and burned by the Burmese in 1787. It has some fantastic ruins and many of the old temples and Buddhas are still important pilgrimage sites today.
The head of Buddha, stuck in a banyan tree at the ruins of Wat Mahatat, is considered highly auspicious and was visited by the crown princess of Thailand the day before we arrived.
One of Ayuthaya's working temples
This Buddha reclined while Ayuthaya burned . . .
Watchtower from the former summer palace at Bang-Pa In, used by Ramas 4,5 and 6. In their day, they could spot elephants from this tower.
Beautiful Chinese palace at the summer palace grounds, where I plan to live someday when I win the lottery =)
Thai pavillion at the palace with a statue of Rama V (King Chulalongkorn)
The head of Buddha, stuck in a banyan tree at the ruins of Wat Mahatat, is considered highly auspicious and was visited by the crown princess of Thailand the day before we arrived.One of Ayuthaya's working templesThis Buddha reclined while Ayuthaya burned . . .
Watchtower from the former summer palace at Bang-Pa In, used by Ramas 4,5 and 6. In their day, they could spot elephants from this tower.
Beautiful Chinese palace at the summer palace grounds, where I plan to live someday when I win the lottery =)
Thai pavillion at the palace with a statue of Rama V (King Chulalongkorn)
DAY TWO: CALYPSO CABERET
The Patravadi Theater was booked up on this night, so for a little something different we saw the Kathoey Caberet at the Asia Hotel. Kathoey is Thai for male-to-female transsexual and is sometimes called "Thailand's third gender." The procedures for making the transition are relatively cheap here (about 10.000 USD) and the society is tolerant of gender nonconformity.
Calypso puts on a great show, with lots of feathers, Chinese opera, dancing ostriches and (for one brief instant) total nudity onstage!
Calypso puts on a great show, with lots of feathers, Chinese opera, dancing ostriches and (for one brief instant) total nudity onstage!
They can make boobs like that in Thailand? Hmm. Maybe I need to look into this . . .
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Stacey and David in Bangkok
So my dear friends Stacey and David just visited -- they were here June 26 to July 3. I've just returned from an extended vacation and am going through the pics . . . I'll put them up bit by bit!DAY ONE: OLD BANGKOK (KO RATANAKOSIN)
Bangkok has been the capital since 1782, the beginning of the Chakri Dynasty (the "Rama" Kings). The name of the city in Thai is "Grung Thep" which means "City of Angels." The full name of the city is actually 103 words long and is immortalized in a pop song that is oft sung in bars -- sometimes you get a free drink if you can sing the whole thing! (I can't).
GRAND PALACE AND TEMPLE OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA (WAT PHRA KEAW)
The word for Wat Phra Keaw is definitely "bling." Yes, that's real gold! They replace the gold tiles and the gold laced paint every couple of years. This Wat was consecrated in 1782 by Rama I as the personal temple of the royal family.
A yaksha guards the door and scares away the evil spirits.
Monks and hill tribe women in traditional dress pay their respects. Nationalists and devout Buddhists make a pilgrimage to this wat from everywhere in Thailand.
An angel in the City of Angels . . .
Detail from the temple walls:
We were meant to live like this!
The Grand Palace of the Chakri Dynasty, was inhabited by every King except the current one (Rama IX). On the first day of his reign 60 years ago, he opened the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Keaw to the people and took up residence in the "suburbs" north of Bangkok.
WAT ARUN - THE TEMPLE OF DAWNAfter the sacking of Ayuthaya (Thailand's second capital) by the Burmese, the King moved the capital to Thonburi (directly across the river from from the Grand Palace) for a few years. His palace and the home of the Emerald Buddha were here in Wat Arun. Nice, eh?
WAT PHOThe stupas here commemorate the first three Chakri Kings (Rama III has two). This Wat, next to the Grand Palace, was the country's first center for public education and has Thailand's largest collection of Buddha images. It also has a massage school, where we got a fabulous massage. Ah!
Wat Pho is home of Thailand's largest reclining Buddha. He is 46m long and 15m high! Reclining Buddhas depict Buddha's death and final passage into Nirvana.
SANAM LUANG: THE ROYAL FIELDWe were walking innocently over to see if anything was happening . . . and ran into a Red Shirt protest! Needless to say, we hopped in a cab and got the heck out of there.
Even the dogs are wearing Red Shirts . . .
THE PINK PANTHER GOGO BARWe almost didn't get out of the house that night, due to a heavy rain that flooded out most of Soi 4. Fortunately, a taxi appeared to take us to the BTS! We headed down to Pat Pong to check out The Pink Panther, which looks like a normal gogo bar until 11 PM . . .
At which time they pull out all the dancing tables and poles and set up a Muay Thai Boxing ring!
Me, the winner, and the loser. I think the one on the right is the winner.
Well that's quite enough for one day! Signing off for now.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
I've Moved!
So I'm sitting in my new apartment on Soi Sama Han! Moving here is ridiculously easy, by the way. I had a massive hangover from the Hash Ball last night, and all I had to do was sit on the couch and watch movies on my laptop while 5 men rushed around, packing everything in blankets and paper and boxes. Then they left and I put Durian the cat in the car and drove down to Sukhumvit (he wailed and whined the whole way, making this by far the most stressful part). Got to the apartment and laid on the couch to watch some CNN (!) while the movers brought everything in. They even put stuff in the drawers and cabinets for you (last time it took me months to find my dive log that they had put in the bathroom =). So moving here is basically painless.
The apartment looks great, though the floor was a tad dirty and they are working on the apartment next door, producing some interesting noises and smells . . .
More pics tomorrow when my hangover passes.
The apartment looks great, though the floor was a tad dirty and they are working on the apartment next door, producing some interesting noises and smells . . .
More pics tomorrow when my hangover passes.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
I'm Driving!
** Cue Forrest Gump voice**
That's my ca-ar.
I don't know it well enough to name it yet, but it's a VIOS so I thought about Dios. Or Dio. After the Holy Diver guy.
** Cue Rain Man voice**
I'm an excellent driver. Dad let's me drive slow on the driveways on Sunday . . . but never Monday . . .
Har har! Always thinking of Rain Man as I drive here. I never drove in Indonesia, so my only taste of driving on the wrong side of the road (yes, British friends, the right side is the right side for a reason!) was in Australia, where I nearly destroyed Dave and Rene's car on several bridges in the Outback. So here at first I had to stop completely before attempting to inch through narrow gates, toll booths, etc. and had a couple of close calls with schoolgirls walking home and people trying to pass on the left on motor scooters (the outer 1/4 of any lane in Asia is considered public space for standing around, fixing your motorcycle, selling sate, etc.). So it's just something one gets used to.
Anyhoo, am now taking longer drives through traffic and finding its not so bad. As long as you assume that EVERYONE on the road is basically the equivalent of a 14 year-old American kid who is joyriding in Mom and Dad's Olds, you'll be fine. The driving test is your first clue about this: on the day I went, the reaction-time-measuring machine was broken. When I asked if I should come back later, I got laughed at. They just gave me a license anyway, like it was a coloring contest where everyone gets a certificate. Of course, you have to pay out the ass for the privilege, but hey.
So I am now trying to figure out HTF a traffic circle is supposed to work. The only one I recall in America is near my childhood home in Litchfield, OH, pop. 30. So I've never been in a traffic circle where thousands of people are honking and merging and nudging and crashing. I just seems like the stupidest idea on the planet. What's wrong with a LIGHT?
On a more positive note, I drove a whole hour last night to the hash, arriving on time and intact. Was easy cause I had directions. Driving home proved to be more difficult. I was trying to follow the signs back to Nonthaburi, only to realize that half the signs had been mysteriously stolen (or never put up in the first place, more likely). Got completely lost for 20 min. and finally came to a place I recognized, only to realize I was HOME! I can't remember the last time I got lost and ended up in the right place. Hopefully this is going to happen more often from now on.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Adventures in Taste Testing
I have a friend here (Lynn, from Canada) who has an advanced degree in nutrition. She works for a food company here, among other things, as a taste tester (when she isn't rescuing 23 tons of rice that just failed quality control from being dumped in the ocean).
Things I learned about taste testing:
Things I learned about taste testing:
- You don't just get to taste gourmet food. They try to pressure you into tasting things like pig-kidney soup. (When they were cooking it, the whole suite stunk like piss).
- When you're doing a taste test, they actually give you a barf bag (great faith in their product, eh?)
- There are 6 soi dogs who hang out in the back alley (all of them fat) whom they take the uneaten taste-test food to. Lynn says they tend to agree with her whether something's good or inedibile.
Seriously, if your product fails the Soi Dog taste test, it's time to leave the food industry and work at the mall for awhile.
Independence Day
Finally, after almost 6 years in Asia, on June 6 Sarah is moving DOWNTOWN!
No more plunging into a wall of sheer humanity on the subway (Shanghai)
No more getting so wasted in the car, there's no point in going inside the bar (Jakarta)
No more riding a donkey to the club (Kyrgyzstan - JK, no clubs there. But plenty of donkeys).
On June 6, I will live in the most urban, polluted, crowded, sex-touristy locale I could find -- Soi 4 Sukhumvit!!!! Right around the corner from the infamous Nana Plaza, where I will no doubt spend many happy evenings sipping beer and jotting notes for some novel that I will never write. Because it is all so weird, I will never understand it.
And when I get bored, I will go upstairs and ride the mechanical bull. Woo hoo!
No more plunging into a wall of sheer humanity on the subway (Shanghai)
No more getting so wasted in the car, there's no point in going inside the bar (Jakarta)
No more riding a donkey to the club (Kyrgyzstan - JK, no clubs there. But plenty of donkeys).
On June 6, I will live in the most urban, polluted, crowded, sex-touristy locale I could find -- Soi 4 Sukhumvit!!!! Right around the corner from the infamous Nana Plaza, where I will no doubt spend many happy evenings sipping beer and jotting notes for some novel that I will never write. Because it is all so weird, I will never understand it.
And when I get bored, I will go upstairs and ride the mechanical bull. Woo hoo!
Heath Promotion: Free Pie!
In the off-chance I'm home next year with no job and no health insurance, have signed up for the comprehensive physical at Bumrungard International Hospital where one walks down the assembly line of blood-suckers, poop-testers, pee-collecters, gynecologists, etc. in order to be molested in every way known to man. Dave and Stac, it is right before you arrive, so please forgive me if I'm mildly traumatized and need to sit in the corner and twitch now and then.
Anyhoo, when signed up for the physical, got an email to sign up for the special Bumrungard Privilege Card that gives you discounts on plastic surgery, 10% off at the flower shop, and (my favorite) a free pie at McDonalds. Seems like a conflict of interest. Isn't it irresponsible for a hospital to have a McDonalds on the premises, when we know from SuperSize Me that the food turns your liver to fat?
Maybe the McDonalds makes people fat and sick and the hospital gets more business. I bet they give the inpatients McDonald's pie for every meal, haha! Cherry Pie and French Fries.
Anyhoo, when signed up for the physical, got an email to sign up for the special Bumrungard Privilege Card that gives you discounts on plastic surgery, 10% off at the flower shop, and (my favorite) a free pie at McDonalds. Seems like a conflict of interest. Isn't it irresponsible for a hospital to have a McDonalds on the premises, when we know from SuperSize Me that the food turns your liver to fat?
Maybe the McDonalds makes people fat and sick and the hospital gets more business. I bet they give the inpatients McDonald's pie for every meal, haha! Cherry Pie and French Fries.
Monday, May 11, 2009
New Apartment Pics
So for the first time in like, well, my LIFE I actually went apartment hunting and picked myself out a place! (What does it say about me that I've had free housing through work since 2002?) Bangkok has so many wonderful, wacky neighborhoods that it really was agony to choose, and I waffled for awhile between Ratchadamri and lower Sukhumvit. Ratchadamri is very posh, right next to the Four Seasons and the Centrepoint. Lower Sukhumvit is right next to the Nana Entertainment Plaza, home of the world's only "double carousel" and the Casablanca lady-boy caberet show.
In the end, I opted for the place with the bug cart on the corner that sells giant fried cockroaches, and where one can sit on the deck of the local bar and play sex-tourist-anthropologist with the passing crowd. Though there are ample restaurants and shopping within walking distance, the apartment itself is set back in a residential neighborhood near the Tobacco Monopoly. There are lots of single family homes, and other than a few barking dogs, it's very quiet. My bedroom window looks out at trees and a traditional wooden Thai house -- very nice for the middle of the city!
The best thing about my apartment: it's about five steps from my front door and around a little privacy wall to the pool!
Some pics:
Looking from the front door through the living room into the bedroom . . .
Big bathroom with a huge shower!
Kitchen (kind of in the corner of the living room)
Living room (landlord agreed to put in a bigger TV)
Bedroom (already have a plan to cover hideous, sparkly cloth panel behind the headboard . . .)
So now you've seen it . . . come and visit! And we'll have a beer and a cockroach around the corner . . .
Ad from the realtor's web site:
Listing ID:
238
238
Rent Price
22,000.00 Thai Baht
22,000.00 Thai Baht
Living area:
60 total square meters
60 total square meters
Bedrooms:
1 bedrooms
1 bedrooms
Bathrooms:
1 bathrooms
1 bathrooms
Parking available:
Yes (One space per unit)
Yes (One space per unit)
Building constructed in:
1997
1997
Is cable television available?
Yes
Yes
Is there access to a swimming pool?
Yes
Yes
Is there access to a fitness center?
Yes
Yes
Closest BTS or Subway:
Sukhumvit Line - Nana
Sukhumvit Line - Nana
Closest school:
Various International Schools
Various International Schools
Available:
Thursday April 17, 2008
Thursday April 17, 2008
Description of unit:
Spacious and bright one bedroom one bathroom 60 square meter apartment unit located in central Bangkok. Lovely modern apartment unit offers UBC cable, modern furniture, spacious bathroom, hi-speed internet, full size kitchen, maid and laundry services upon request. For more inforamtion on this unit please contact us today.
Spacious and bright one bedroom one bathroom 60 square meter apartment unit located in central Bangkok. Lovely modern apartment unit offers UBC cable, modern furniture, spacious bathroom, hi-speed internet, full size kitchen, maid and laundry services upon request. For more inforamtion on this unit please contact us today.
Description of building:
Modern low rise apartment located in the Heart of Bangkok with walking distance to Nana Sky Train (BTS), shopping, salon, spa, cafe, massage, entertainment and international fine dining. Building facilities include swimming pool, fitness center, on-site management office, parking and 24 hour security guards with CCTV monitoring.
Modern low rise apartment located in the Heart of Bangkok with walking distance to Nana Sky Train (BTS), shopping, salon, spa, cafe, massage, entertainment and international fine dining. Building facilities include swimming pool, fitness center, on-site management office, parking and 24 hour security guards with CCTV monitoring.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
House Hunting Sucks
OK, just returned from marathon day of house-hunting in Central Bangkok. Brain is aswhirl with information (and beer) and trying to process where exactly am going to live next year. Here are the contenders (in approximate order of possibility so far).
1 USD = 35 Thai Baht
BTS = the sky train (the only thing that separates Bangkok's traffic from Jakarta's)
Mike and Meow's Thailand in the Raw (30000B/mo): Lovely, 3 bedroom place that you reach by walking through a market in a very Thai neighborhood. Huge balcony, cat friendly. Has the most soul of the contenders. However, lacks a pool and is a 20 min. walk from BTS. Still. Still. Love it. It would be a rad hash house. Though possibly an overlarge one for a hasher who is rarely home.
It has a balcony frequented by hummingbirds, and would therefore be Durian's first choice (if I was letting him pick).
The Royal Place II (30000B/mo): 2 beds, 2 baths, trippy atrium cum pool thing, running track, and so close to the BTS you could practically somersault out the door and hit the steps. Can't get more downtown unless you're living in a loft above Siam Square (and who wants that?)
If you stick your head REALLY far out of bedroom two, the view is great!
The Royal Place I (22000 - 28000B/mo): My lovely colleague Heather (from Olmsted Falls, we were probably in Elementary School together) lives here, and her apartment has a sweet-as view of the Bangkok Raceway. I have looked at 12 apartments in this relatively empty building, most of which had views of the construction next door. There are two on the 22nd floor that I like because of the views, and the price is pretty good.
I looked in six of the twelve apartments during a 10 minute mad dash through the complex. I was on my way somewhere else when the receptionist handed me an envelope full of random keys. When I started to take them out, she freaked, and said the security cameras were watching. Still trying to figure the logic of that out. Anyhoo, apartments were every style from mod to Southwestern to freaky deaky with frosted glass doors with water fairies on them (whoa!). Some of these would need a really fantastic housing market to be viable candidates -- unless there's someone (like me) around who will almost rent them for the craptastic factor.
My big thing against this place -- the pool here is in a quonset hut and looks worse than the one at the tuberculosis sanitorium in Kyrgyzstan. The one where they made Jenny and me swim with shopping bags on our heads. I'm serious.
Boss Mansion, Ekkamai (15000B/mo). The place is actually pretty cute! It's in Ekkamai (which is basically the Columbia Station of Bangkok, way out at the end of the BTS line), but the apartments were fairly spacious and done in the style of early American bowling alley. The balcony was PHAT! It had its own bathroom, which I found special.
However, if I live this far out, I might as well live in Nonthaburi (where I currently live in suffering, far, far from the action).
Diamond Court, Phrom Phong (30000B/mo): It's perfect. It has everything. It has a little putting green indoors, a fully equipped gym. A lovely pool. It has a yoga studio and masseuses on site. It's a six minute walk to the BTS station.
I have my own theories about why I don't like it (besides the general air of boredom that hangs over Phrom Phong). It was the only one shown to me by a big corporate realtor, and she was clearly an anti-cat realtor. She was keen to take me around for the day, until I mentioned I had a cat. Then she decided she could only show me one property (this one, because all other properties in Bangkok apparently hate cats), and that even then, I would have to "hide the cat, like in a bag" if I was taking it out, and that even then, "it needs to be a little cat." WTF? Aren't cats the same size, relatively? They're not like dogs where you have Chihuahuas and Great Danes and everything in between.
El Patio, Phrom Phong (20000B/mo) -- Hash friends of mine, Ron and Martha, have a really cute one bedroom place in this southwest style condo. Was very keen to get the same for myself! However, since this place is so popular, only thing they had empty was a bizarre 2-bedroom apartment with views directly into the parking garage. Apartment had no kitchen to speak of. The refrigerator was on the porch, which could only be reached by walking through the master bedroom.
What's the point of 2 bedrooms in a place like this? Why not knock out all the walls and make it a studio? Is this place intended for people who take their kids to McDonalds for every meal?
AND A FEW I HAVEN'T SEEN YET, BUT INTEND TO:
The Religious Guy's House (14000B/mo): This is my absolute favorite. Found the ad on Craig's list and answered. This is his response to me:
Thanks for maling me about my house, I am currently on a mission to South Africa,Central Pretoria and I came down here for a missionary purpose,I need a Clean and upright person that will be able to take good care of the house and the person will make a payment of THB 14000 Per Month, please be informed this initial deposit will be deducted from the house rent. An apponitment date will be agreed upon between us, this appointment day is day in which i will instruct someone to come and take you down to the apartment so as to give you the keys and all necessary documentation via DHL Company which you will be keeping in your possession as the true occupants of the apartment as soon as the payment is been confirmed.We don't know when we are going to return to Thailand and from the look of things, me and my wife has decided to stay in South Africa for sometime so as to help spread the word of God; we are looking at a period of 5 years, so get back to us as soon as possible so that we can agreed on a date you will be checking on the place, so please below are some certain information which you will be providing us.And here is our apartment Below.The keys and the documents of the apartment .
Address..
Sukhumvit Suite,Soi 13, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
APPLICATION FORM
1)Your Full Name
2)Your Full Address & Phone Number
3)How old are you?
4)Are you married?
5)How many people will be living in the house?
6)Do you have a pet?
7) pets are allowed
8)Occupation?
9) how long are you willing to stay?
please the package that will be given to you will contain the following
1) Entrance and the rooms Keys
2) Paper / Permanent house form (Containing your reference details)
3) The house documetary file.
4) Payment Receipt...
5) Full address and description of the house. So please let me know if this is okay by you so we can proceed
God, is like trying to visit someone in the CIA safehouse just to have a look! I might give this one a total miss. You're not supposed to deal with out-of-country owners (specific warning from Craig's list - first sign of a Craig's list scam).
Also, am single girl -- not sure holiness of the house would be preserved and reverenced at all times. Can't make promises. Nope.
Penthouse on the River (25000B/mo) Again, this one is so underpriced, you wonder if it's a scam. Still, want to have a look, as really fancy living in a Riverside Penthouse. Waiting for owner's daughter (who has the melodious nickname of NART) to call me back. She speaks no English, by the way. Should be interesting. Instead of Riverside Penthouse, will end up living in Riverside dumpster with cardboard roof.
ARGH! Overwhelmed by complexities of real estate. Going to have another beer and fall into bed, and hopefully dream of the perfect house (which I have not seen yet).
1 USD = 35 Thai Baht
BTS = the sky train (the only thing that separates Bangkok's traffic from Jakarta's)
Mike and Meow's Thailand in the Raw (30000B/mo): Lovely, 3 bedroom place that you reach by walking through a market in a very Thai neighborhood. Huge balcony, cat friendly. Has the most soul of the contenders. However, lacks a pool and is a 20 min. walk from BTS. Still. Still. Love it. It would be a rad hash house. Though possibly an overlarge one for a hasher who is rarely home.
It has a balcony frequented by hummingbirds, and would therefore be Durian's first choice (if I was letting him pick).
The Royal Place II (30000B/mo): 2 beds, 2 baths, trippy atrium cum pool thing, running track, and so close to the BTS you could practically somersault out the door and hit the steps. Can't get more downtown unless you're living in a loft above Siam Square (and who wants that?)
If you stick your head REALLY far out of bedroom two, the view is great!
The Royal Place I (22000 - 28000B/mo): My lovely colleague Heather (from Olmsted Falls, we were probably in Elementary School together) lives here, and her apartment has a sweet-as view of the Bangkok Raceway. I have looked at 12 apartments in this relatively empty building, most of which had views of the construction next door. There are two on the 22nd floor that I like because of the views, and the price is pretty good.
I looked in six of the twelve apartments during a 10 minute mad dash through the complex. I was on my way somewhere else when the receptionist handed me an envelope full of random keys. When I started to take them out, she freaked, and said the security cameras were watching. Still trying to figure the logic of that out. Anyhoo, apartments were every style from mod to Southwestern to freaky deaky with frosted glass doors with water fairies on them (whoa!). Some of these would need a really fantastic housing market to be viable candidates -- unless there's someone (like me) around who will almost rent them for the craptastic factor.
My big thing against this place -- the pool here is in a quonset hut and looks worse than the one at the tuberculosis sanitorium in Kyrgyzstan. The one where they made Jenny and me swim with shopping bags on our heads. I'm serious.
Boss Mansion, Ekkamai (15000B/mo). The place is actually pretty cute! It's in Ekkamai (which is basically the Columbia Station of Bangkok, way out at the end of the BTS line), but the apartments were fairly spacious and done in the style of early American bowling alley. The balcony was PHAT! It had its own bathroom, which I found special.
However, if I live this far out, I might as well live in Nonthaburi (where I currently live in suffering, far, far from the action).
Diamond Court, Phrom Phong (30000B/mo): It's perfect. It has everything. It has a little putting green indoors, a fully equipped gym. A lovely pool. It has a yoga studio and masseuses on site. It's a six minute walk to the BTS station.
I have my own theories about why I don't like it (besides the general air of boredom that hangs over Phrom Phong). It was the only one shown to me by a big corporate realtor, and she was clearly an anti-cat realtor. She was keen to take me around for the day, until I mentioned I had a cat. Then she decided she could only show me one property (this one, because all other properties in Bangkok apparently hate cats), and that even then, I would have to "hide the cat, like in a bag" if I was taking it out, and that even then, "it needs to be a little cat." WTF? Aren't cats the same size, relatively? They're not like dogs where you have Chihuahuas and Great Danes and everything in between.
El Patio, Phrom Phong (20000B/mo) -- Hash friends of mine, Ron and Martha, have a really cute one bedroom place in this southwest style condo. Was very keen to get the same for myself! However, since this place is so popular, only thing they had empty was a bizarre 2-bedroom apartment with views directly into the parking garage. Apartment had no kitchen to speak of. The refrigerator was on the porch, which could only be reached by walking through the master bedroom.
What's the point of 2 bedrooms in a place like this? Why not knock out all the walls and make it a studio? Is this place intended for people who take their kids to McDonalds for every meal?
AND A FEW I HAVEN'T SEEN YET, BUT INTEND TO:
The Religious Guy's House (14000B/mo): This is my absolute favorite. Found the ad on Craig's list and answered. This is his response to me:
Thanks for maling me about my house, I am currently on a mission to South Africa,Central Pretoria and I came down here for a missionary purpose,I need a Clean and upright person that will be able to take good care of the house and the person will make a payment of THB 14000 Per Month, please be informed this initial deposit will be deducted from the house rent. An apponitment date will be agreed upon between us, this appointment day is day in which i will instruct someone to come and take you down to the apartment so as to give you the keys and all necessary documentation via DHL Company which you will be keeping in your possession as the true occupants of the apartment as soon as the payment is been confirmed.We don't know when we are going to return to Thailand and from the look of things, me and my wife has decided to stay in South Africa for sometime so as to help spread the word of God; we are looking at a period of 5 years, so get back to us as soon as possible so that we can agreed on a date you will be checking on the place, so please below are some certain information which you will be providing us.And here is our apartment Below.The keys and the documents of the apartment .
Address..
Sukhumvit Suite,Soi 13, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
APPLICATION FORM
1)Your Full Name
2)Your Full Address & Phone Number
3)How old are you?
4)Are you married?
5)How many people will be living in the house?
6)Do you have a pet?
7) pets are allowed
8)Occupation?
9) how long are you willing to stay?
please the package that will be given to you will contain the following
1) Entrance and the rooms Keys
2) Paper / Permanent house form (Containing your reference details)
3) The house documetary file.
4) Payment Receipt...
5) Full address and description of the house. So please let me know if this is okay by you so we can proceed
God, is like trying to visit someone in the CIA safehouse just to have a look! I might give this one a total miss. You're not supposed to deal with out-of-country owners (specific warning from Craig's list - first sign of a Craig's list scam).
Also, am single girl -- not sure holiness of the house would be preserved and reverenced at all times. Can't make promises. Nope.
Penthouse on the River (25000B/mo) Again, this one is so underpriced, you wonder if it's a scam. Still, want to have a look, as really fancy living in a Riverside Penthouse. Waiting for owner's daughter (who has the melodious nickname of NART) to call me back. She speaks no English, by the way. Should be interesting. Instead of Riverside Penthouse, will end up living in Riverside dumpster with cardboard roof.
ARGH! Overwhelmed by complexities of real estate. Going to have another beer and fall into bed, and hopefully dream of the perfect house (which I have not seen yet).
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Red Shirts, Yellow Shirts
Hey, All! Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately because for awhile our internet was dicey and Blogger was slooooowwwww . . . but since we've had so much excitement lately, I'll put a few pics up . . . (In case it wasn't obvious, none of these are taken by me! They are mostly from the Bangkok Post).I won't even begin to try to explain how Thai politics works (not that I ever probably could, as a non-Thai person). Basically everything going on now has to do with Thaksin Sinawatra (click here for more on him). He's the prime minister who was deposed in the 2006 coup, convicted of fraud and now lives in exile in the UK. He's trying to return to power by any means possible.
So the YELLOW SHIRTS (PAD) are anti-Thaksin supporters, and the RED SHIRTS (UDD) are the pro-Thaksin supporters.
Yellow shirts take over the airport, December 2008
Passengers Stuck in BKK, December 2008
On April 8, 100.000 Red Shirts gathered in Bangkok to demand Abhisit's resignation, camping out at major intersections and bringing traffic all over the city to a grinding halt. In a feat of genius, Abhisit declared April 10 a "National Holiday" (but I still had school, meh!).
On Friday, I was headed downtown to the hash and got off the Sky Train at Victory Monument (one of the big protest venues). I walked around in the sea of red shirts and listened to a couple speeches (they were all in Thai, but the zealous reactions of the crowd were funny/disturbing to watch). It was a county-fair atmosphere with vendors selling food and tons of red-shirt wear (I bought a couple T-shirts for my Dad and me). Everyone was very smiley and helpful to me, though I was obviously a rubber-necker and not even wearing a red shirt!
The next day, the protesters headed down to Pattaya to protest the ASEAN summit. Coincidentally, I happened to be headed down for a hash in Pattaya. I went out and got in a taxi to go to the bus station, and the driver said that all the bus drivers had gone down to join the protest (he was right, as it turned out). So I ended up taking a bus from the middle of nowhere, where the drivers were still working.
There were no apparent problems in Pattaya when I arrived - just tons of police standing around.
However, while we were out in the woods having our run and our circle, all hell broke lose in Pattaya. The red shirts attacked some "Blue Shirts" whom they claimed were government supporters, with molotov cocktails and firecrackers. Then they marched to the ASEAN summit hotel, smashed through the lobby windows and occupied the hotel. For video, click here and scroll down. Abhisit declared a state of emergency and called in helicopters to evacuate himself, followed by leaders from Japan, China, Australia and India.
When we got back to Pattaya around nine pm, everything was quiet again, and life was going on as usual. Apparently all the Red Shirts have come back up to Bangkok. No one knows what they'll do next.Thaksin called in to a Red Shirt gathering around midnight, basically to egg them on to cause more trouble. Grr.
So not the greatest of times in Thailand, but we are all fine and foreigners are not targets of any of the issues, although we've been warned not to go out wearing red for awhile (LOL!)
For the latest news, read the Bangkok Post online.
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