Ketchup And Mustard

Sure ketchup and mustard are different colors and different tastes, but somehow they are able to work together to give that extra zest to a McDonald's hamburger. If only Thailand's version of ketchup and mustard could figure out how to do the same. And if they don't do it soon, the Big Chilli and its condiment-filled streets will become known for it's brightly-colored chaos instead of it's traditional, tropical spice.

The yellow team and the red team are at it again. This time the yellow team has taken over the international and domestic airports.

This is the road leading up to the departure terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The red team is hoping the army or police kick them out, but if Thailand's security forces can't get the job done, the red team plant to do it themselves.

Exciting times, indeed. Here's a video of Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Up in Korat, everything is completely normal - except that our air shipments can't get out.

Grilled Fish By The Canal

On a quiet Sunday with no where to go and nothing to do, you can usually find Nuch and I at a local grilled fish restaurant (aptly named, Grilled Fish) that sits next to a small canal.

Here's the kitchen. The fish are salted, so they don't burn as they're being grilled, and they're stuffed with garlic, lemon grass, and other herbs to give them flavor.


The food is cheap and tasty, and the traditional Thai homes along the canal make me feel like I've gone back in time.



To add to the feeling of nostalgia (or what I imagine would feel like nostalgia if I had actually been in Thailand 30 years ago), occasionally a boat will pass by with an old lady selling homemade sweets or steamed shellfish. The lady in this video was selling grilled duck - Peking style.



Lunch is served along with some somtam or Papaya Salad. Simply peel back the baked skin and dig in - beware of bones. I guess I've gotten used to eating food with the head still on.


When the food comes, the restaurant's cat comes.

Far from 5 stars, what Grilled Fish lacks in luxury it makes up for in hominess - accented by some one's laundry hanging up on the back deck.

I think I mentioned this before, but if I believed in reincarnation, and the Big Buddha said I was going back to Thailand, I would choose to come back as a beach dog. However, if all the beach dog spots were filled, my second choice would be a restaurant cat - hopefully, at Grilled Fish.

Making Birthday Merit

The first week of December is a big week for Nuch's family. Her birthday is December 1st, her father's is December 3rd, and her uncle's is December 5th. Although I don't need to buy super, expensive birthday gifts (just kidding, Nuch), I do have to "tom boon" or make merit by making a donation to the local temple. So, Sunday afternoon (before lunch at Grilled Fish), we headed off to Wat Mali.

You can't recognize him with the green fan in front of his face, but this is the monk that married Nuch and I.

Here we are donating what mainly appears to be bathroom supplies - soap, toothpaste, a towel. I guess cleanliness is next to Godliness works for Buddhists, too.

Here the monks are chanting - to wish us good fortune in the future, I think.

I asked what the green thing was for. Nuch's father says its to keep spittle from flying out into the crowd while chanting. I don't think he was joking. My guess is the fan could hide the fact that he was actually sleeping. Until I saw this picture, my second guess was that he was reading the Sunday Funnies.

Here's a video of the monks chanting. With the mellow hum of their voices, you can understand why I thought the head monk was catching some Zzzz's behind his green fan.

Finally, our karma credit back in the black, we got ready to leave only to see this poor temple dog staring in from the outside.

Sorry, puppy. Only humans can be enlightened. Maybe next time around.

Local Fauna

Last night, I stepped outside the back of my house, and this guy was staring down at me. A Thai gecko or Took-Kae. It's about 10 inches long and makes a loud sound - almost like a series of deep hiccups, but instead of saying hic-CUP, it says took-Kae. Hence, the name.

Oddly, it wasn't my first run in with some local fauna this day. I also saw a 4 foot monitor lizard swimming in the temple lake across from where I was having lunch.

Then, in the evening, there was a stingray swimming in the Mall pool next to where Nuch and I were having dinner.

The Deck And Wat Arun

For the last couple of months, Nuch and I have been in a rut of street food or going to one of our regular, nearby haunts, so this past weekend, we decided to go downtown and try something more uptown.

Arun Residence or The Deck is located on the Chao Phraya River just across from Wat Arun or the Temple of the Sun. Although they have Thai food, the menu is mostly Western, which suited me fine, as I'm in one of my moods where I can't eat another grain of rice.

Here's Nuch enjoying the view.

Here's dessert - the food was as good as the view.

Once again, my camera skills fail to capture the moment, so here are some pics from the Arun Residence website:

It's also a cool little guest house.

Concert In The Park

Oh, how times have changed.

Not so long ago, my Saturday evening would have been spent... well, I'm not going to tell you, but it's a far cry from what I've done the last two Saturday evenings.

It starts with a make-believe picnic where dinner is served to a select group of friends (stuffed animals). Dinner is, then, followed by coffee or tea with a choice of cream or sugar. Sounds like easy fun, but pink rabbits and blue elephants, although soft and cuddly, can be difficult to please.

After the picnic is over and all the dishes are washed and back in the toy box, it's time for some entertainment - a concert in the park. The star of the show is, of course, Emily.

Here is her smash hit - Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

With an encore performance of a song about a tiny turtle that ate all the soap in the bathroom

Loy Kratong Visits The Pond

Time for an update on the trials and tribulations of the pond beside my factory.

Last week the pond unwittingly took part in the Thai holiday, Loy Kratong. As I mentioned in a previous blog, Loy Kratong is a ceremony that among other things thanks the river, the canal, or in this case, the pond for all its gifts and to forgive us for causing harm to the water and polluting it.


Ironically, while most people celebrate by floating their (non-biodegradable Styrofoam) Kratong, others celebrate Loy Kratong by getting drunk and tossing in their empty beer bottles.

Loy Kratong 2008

A little late, but here are some pictures from Loy Kratong - a traditional Thai holiday that comes during the full moon of the 12th lunar month. For Loy Kratong, Thais will go to a river or canal with a Kratong (a small float made of flowers) and "Loy" or float their kratong down the river.

Releasing your Kratong down a river is supposed to pay homage to the river and is symbolic of putting the past behind you, starting anew, making amends, or something like that.

More specifically:

1. To worship Lord Buddha in the Heaven.
2. To worship Lord Buddha’s footprint.
3. To give respect to the Goddess of Water.
4. To thank the rivers for their bounty and benefit for mankind.
5. To request the rivers to forgive the loathsome pollution made by man.
6. To launch and deliver wishes to distant relatives.
7. To remember one’s ancestors.
8. To be cleansed from sins and bad luck or to avert a catastrophe.
9. To make a wish for things to come true.

Loy Kratong has also become the Thai version of Valentine's Day (although Valentine's is celebrated too certain extent, as well).

Loy Kratong is particularly special for Nuch and I, as it's the day (three years ago) that Nuch asked me if I wanted to ask her to be my girlfriend. Of course, I said yes.

Here I am with our Kratong floating in the background.

With the river full of lighted Kratong's, it really is a beautiful sight - my camera can't do it justice so here are some other pics I found on the web.

Lighting lanterns has become a tradition in Chiang Mai.

First Sign Of Winter

Having never watched the weather on Thai news, I rely on other telltale signs to indicate that there will be a change in the weather.

For example - Happy Dog's t-shirt.


Since he's only wearing a short-sleeved shirt, I can assume Winter has just begun and can expect temperatures to drop into the low 70's during the evening.

Landslide

In case you're wondering who the world wants to be President of the United States, the US Embassy in Bangkok held a mock election last Tuesday.

Obama won 662 to 53

Like-A-Bike

I stopped by Carl's new house on the way into Bangkok yesterday. It's in a very nice neighborhood that is geared towards westerners living in Thailand, so the streets are all landscaped and well-lit, the sidewalks are in good repair, and the security guards actually stop you when you drive into the compound.

I was most impressed with the floors. Nice solid hardwood floors, instead of the parquet or tile floors that are so common in Thailand.

Here's Carl and Emily. She was showing me the website for Like-a-Bike.

In case you're wondering, this is a Like-a-Bike.

Korat Bus 1967

I came across this website put together by a GI who was stationed in Korat during the Vietnam War between 1966 and 1967.

I'll post more pictures later because he has some great shots of rural Thailand before it "developed", and really shows how much things have changed over the last 40 years.

However, there is one thing that hasn't changed much over the last 40 years - and that's the local bus system.

Here are some pictures of today's local bus system.




Picture of the sunset in 1967, which also looks the same, but that's a good thing.

Sea Horse

Driving to work today, I saw a guy taking his horse for a swim