Gridlock

I found this picture on the web. Without actually experiencing it, I can't think of a better way to explain the madness and frustration of Bangkok traffic.


Anyone who has been to Bangkok knows about its traffic problems. The average speed during rush-hour in the Central Business District is something like 5 mph -just a touch faster than walking.

The Bangkok Metropolotin Authority has made some efforts to improve the situation by putting up traffic alert signs in congested areas around town.

The idea is - the sign shows you what roads to avoid (Red) and indicates alternative routes you can take that have less traffic (Green).

There's only one problem...

Saber Rattling 101

When your approval ratings can be counted on two hands and a foot. When the opposition says George Bush could do a better job. When the best thing to say is nothing at all. There's always one way to get everybody back on your side - start a war.

That's what the Thai government seems to be doing these days.

What started out as a routine power struggle between two political parties, has now become a military standoff between two neighboring countries over 4.6 sq km of disputed land that for the last 40 years had sat quietly unnoticed.

I won't go into all the details, but recently a 900-year old temple, Preah Vihear, located on this border between Thailand and Cambodia was accepted by UNESCO as a World Heritage site - more specifically, Cambodia's World Heritage site.

Here's a picture of the temple in question - interestingly enough it's a Hindu temple, although Thailand and Cambodia are both Buddhist countries.




Ever since the French carved up Southeast Asia nearly 100 years ago, there have always been disagreements as to where certain borders should lie. 40 years ago the dispute concerning this temple went before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and it was ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia. And, for 40 years Thailand didn't do much about it - that is, until now.

In a recent censure debate, the opposition party accused the government of passively accepting the 1963 ICJ ruling (by not opposing the World Heritage Status was officially accepted by UNESCO, July 2008), and casually handing over Thai sovereignty to historic arch-enemy, Cambodia. Anyway, as is often the case in politics, it's not the truth that matters, it's the perception of the truth that gets you kicked out of office.

So, in defence of Thai sovereignty, the blood of Thai ancestors, and the right of future generations (and approval ratings), soldiers were sent to the site to defend Thai soil, where they were promptly met by Cambodian soldiers (Cambodia has an election next week). Fortunately, no shots have been fired, yet - although a few Thai soldiers were caught and detained after crossing over into Cambodia. For the most part it has been a textbook example of saber rattling. And everyone loves a good saber rattling.


But that's not the reason I'm writing this blog entry.

Next to my factory is the Korat Army Base - in fact, we share a 12-foot high cement wall along our border. As part of the national saber-rattling initiative, the Army base has tripled, if not ten-tupled, it's regular training activities. What is normally a pitter-pat of gunshots heard from the nearby firing range has become a torrential, non-stop barrage of ammunition fire that can be heard from here to Cambodia.

Here's a sample.

Instead of filming the 12-foot high wall and simply recording the sound of gunfire, I downloaded some pictures of Preah Vihear and made a quick slide show. What you hear is what I heard sitting at my desk while filming my computer screen (hi-tech, right). Anyway, it's loud, and I'm sure the Cambodians will think twice before occupying the temple that was granted to them by a World Court - election year or not.




For a better look, here are the pictures from the slide show.

For the record, this is the land in dispute, I think.


and this is where it is in relation to Thailand.

Prawn Palace

Between Korat and Bangkok is a large reservoir called Lam Ta Khong

The main highway between the two cities runs along it's Eastern shore, which is lined with several dozen seafood and Bar-BQ restaurants. I'm usually hurrying one way or the other and rarely have a chance to stop by and enjoy the traditional Northeastern Thai food or the scenic view overlooking the reservoir.

However, this past weekend, the stars were aligned - I was able to leave work early, Nuch was with me, and we happened to be passing Lam Ta Khong just about lunch time.

With nothing else around, the only reason to stop by Lam Ta Khong is for the food and the view or perhaps for a bathroom break during the hour-long stretch between Korat and Pak Chong. But, my favorite part about Lam Ta Khong is the promotional efforts by the hyper-competitive restaurant owners. To differentiate one place from another, each restaurant has a hawker, a Thai guy usually wearing a ski mask and wide-brimmed hat to protect him from the sun, that stands on the side of the road and through improvised dances and exotic gestures competes with other hawkers to lure you into their particular restaurant.

Here's a video - pardon the poor quality, I was trying to avoid tour buses and semis on one side, while not to running over hawkers on the other.



We chose Prawn Palace (Wang Gung Yai) because the guy out front had by far the most enthusiastic and creative "come to my restaurant" dance. Unfortunately, I didn't get a video. After we had parked, I asked if I could film him, but he said he was too shy. Here's the Big Shrimp Mascot instead.



To start off, we ordered a highly recommended Honey and Lemon drink. I think they added a little soda, as well. I suggest trying to make this at home.


Soon after our food came. We began with a fried fish sprinkled with toasted garlic, some spicy chopped pork, and sticky rice.



The fish is deep-fried, so you don't have to worry about bones - just eat them.

The other reason to stop at Lam Ta Khong is the view. Although it's much more scenic towards the end of the rainy season, when the reservoir is full, it's always refreshing to see a large body water in arid Northeast Thailand.


You may be able to see a small herd of water buffalo grazing at the bottom right.



Finally, here's the cat that came with our table - sat with us for the entire meal, enjoying little bits of fish, chicken, and pork. In my opinion, 'restaurant cat' is the 2nd best life in Thailand after 'beach dog'.

Everybody Loves A Parade

Except me when I'm trying to get my American Fast Food Fix.

There are days when I can't take another bite of rice. I would just assume chew on scented air rather than pick at another plate of boiled seeds. There's something about biting into a thick steak or triple-decker sandwich that tells your stomach real food is on the way. On days like this, rice, which doesn't even need to be chewed, completely misses the spot.

So today, instead of joining the factory staff for the usual rice and curry, I headed downtown for some finger lickin' good Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Unfortunately, I forgot that today was the first day of Buddhist Lent and at 1pm the annual Candle Parade was set to begin in the city center - where the KFC also happens to be. Roads were closed and traffic was rerouted until I ended up several long blocks from where I had planned to park. But nothing was going to stop me on this day, not closed roads and detours, not sweltering heat, and certainly not a parade of life-sized Bodhisattvas made out of orange candle wax.

What did stop me was a line of people standing out the door of KFC. Apparently, giving up fast food for Lent was not a priority for Thai Buddhists this year.



It would have taken me 30 minutes to get my spicy chicken sandwich, so I opted for Pizza Company. I walked in and the waitress told me I would have to wait 10 minutes to get a seat. No thanks. I wanted fast food - instant gratification and I knew there was a Swenson's next door.



Sure it's an ice cream shop, but they usually have hot dogs or french fries. Not on this day - sold out. Unbelievable.



By this point, I had given up. My stomach growling at me, I settled for a quick sugar fix and bought a bag of Pepsi from a street vendor. By the way, you're reading that correctly - a bag of Pepsi.


Only slightly satisfied, I decided to make the most of the situation and take in the parade.

I have heard of these candle floats before. The most famous parade of this kind is held in a province called Ubol and until today, I didn't even know Korat had the same kind of thing.

Overall, I'd have to say it's pretty impressive - the amount of detail that goes into the designs is maddening, and I assume it all gets melted down in the end.




I thought this was odd - speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil.

They make the floats out of candle wax because it's tradition to give candles to the monks who will spend the entire 3 months of Lent at the temple. However, it's probably not the best material to be used for floats, considering the high temperatures. Each of the floats had a guy walking around spraying it down with water to try to keep it from melting.

Circle of Life

I'm sure I recognize one of these fish.

Miss Thailand: Best National Costume Winner

Last night, Miss Thailand made her country proud by bringing home the Best National Costume award at this year's Miss Universe Pageant.

Okay, this is not really the Thai national costume - just a reason to put a picture of a woman wearing a bikini in my blog.

Here's the actual costume that won. Apparently, this year the national costume winner was decided by online votes.

Miss Thailand donned a silk cocoon concept, but instead of emerging as a butterfly...

she turned into a Muay Thai boxer, which can be deemed relevant since Muay Thai is becoming more and more popular around the world, I guess.

Call me pro-establishment, but I still prefer these more traditional Thai dresses (even if they're not officially costumes).

Not so traditional, but these aren't bad either.

Walk in the Park

Although I lived in Thailand for 10 years now, I know amazingly little about Buddhism, and what I do know has basically been knowledge I've picked up on the street.

However, one thing I do know is that as far as major world religions go, Buddhism got a bit of a head start on Christianity - 543 years to be exact, which means if the Buddha were alive today he would be 2551 years old. This is significant for two reasons. First, there's no need to worry about the world ending in 2100, 2222, 2345, or 2500. The Buddhists have been there already, so don't bet the house on numerology.

Second, and the reason I'm writing this blog entry is because for the Buddha's 2500th birthday, the Thai government gave him a special gift on this auspicious day. They donated 2500 rai (about 1000 acres) to build a Buddhism Park. Located a few miles west of Bangkok, it was dedicated in the year 2500 (1957 for us) on Visaka Bucha Day - the Buddha's birthday, which also happens to be the day he of his enlightenment and the day of his death. Basically, Christmas and Easter combined, but without the presents and candy.

This weekend, Nuch and I decided to explore Phuttamontol Park, as it's known in Thai. Nuch had been there when she was young, but didn't remember much. I had heard good things about it, but just recently realized that it was close to our house in Bangkok. So, off we went.

The centerpiece of the park is a statue of the Buddha - apparently, the tallest free-standing Buddha statue in the world. I'm not sure what they mean by free-standing, but I'm sure I've seen taller Buddhas that weren't reliefs or held up by bamboo scaffolding. Impressive nonetheless.

Another view from the backside.

This was taken from a circular path that runs around the Buddha with occasional paths that lead to the middle. That's Buddhism in Architectural/ Landscaping terms.

It's a nice place. The focus is Buddhism and Buddhist history, but it's also great for some exercise, fresh air and hard to find green grass and nature.

Here I am feeding catfish. Once again, trying to build up my Karma credits. I'm afraid there aren't enough loaves of bread.

Enough or not, the fish enjoyed it. I have a video, as well, but filmed it at a 90 degree angle. I'll try to rotate it and post it later.

These catfish were vicious and could probably due the same damage as a school of piranhas. But without any teeth, it would be a much longer and more painful end.

Here's Nuch traversing one of the many canals that crisscrossed the park.

Motivation to not fall in - 4 ft lizards.

While Christianity has 10 commandments, Buddhism only has 5. I can't remember them all, but I know 4 of them are don't kill, don't drink alcohol, don't lie, and don't steal. (Nuch just read this and told me the 5th is don't cheat on your wife/ husband. Ooops!)

Ironically, the maintenance of Phuttmontol is sponsored by various groups and organizations that tend to ignore these core mantras, and with altruism brushed to they wayside, they mark off their area of influence with big green signs.

"Chat Thai" - a Thai political party

Various departments of the Armed Forces

And Thailand's largest brewery, Boonrawd. The maker of Singha beer. I've said it before - Karma works in mysterious ways.

Anyway, back to the park. It's a beautiful spot. Lots of lakes, waterfalls, tree-covered footpaths. Although Nuch and I went for exercise, most people were there for a picnic or a light stroll with their kids. Here's a row of salas/ gazebos, where you can rest in the shade.

The theme of the park is still definitely Buddhism, and different areas represent different parts of the Buddha's life. This is the wheel of life, which I should probably know something about. (Click the link for God's gift to high school term papers and random blog entries.)

Finally, the towering Buddha statue at the center of the park. I just found out it was designed by Nuch's dad's mentor - an Italian artist who spent his life in Thailand. He also designed the Ya Mo statue in Korat.

You can see a string connecting the big Buddha with the little golden Buddha. Usually, when making merit, you will stick a small square of gold leaf on the Buddha statue. Since this big Buddha is too tall and can't be reached, people put the gold leaf on the smaller, representative Buddha and the power of the gold leaf is carried via string to the big Buddha. At least, that's what I've been told.

I'm cheating a little on this last picture. I found it when doing research on Phuttamontol. Fortunately or unfortunately, this one picture does a much better job of capturing the park's atmosphere than my silly blog entry. Enjoy.