If You Build It, They Will Come

After 2 years, I thought it was time for a change of scenery when I visit China.  Instead of the pseudo-5 star hotel, The Royal Palace, I recently moved to the Bai He Tian Di or the Lilly Spring Hotel. 

As you'll see in the pictures below, it's much more open, airy and resorty.  The rooms are as nice as the Royal Palace and the price is about the same - so far, I'm happy with it.

There's just one problem (aside from the food being crap, which is a Chinese standard) - it's like a ghost town.  When you do run into a guest or the odd maid roaming the halls, it gives you a bit of a shock, as if you've just crossed paths with a wayward spirit. 

Imagine the Shining, but filmed at a Cancun resort instead of a hibernating mountain lodge.

These pictures were taken from the hotel website, but this is actually what it looks on a regular day.  Beautiful verandas, courtyards, pools, and shops - but nary a soul in sight.

Goldfish At Night

Just a quick video of the goldfish from a restaurant Nuch and I ate at a while back. 

As Nuch says - there are a thousand of fish!!!

Awesome

I'm cleaning out my old blog drawer and found this unposted blog.

It has nothing to do with life in Thailand, and that's why I never posted it, but I thought it would be worth sharing with anyone who grew up in or was/ is part of the Star Wars generation.  In fact, I just re-watched Revenge of the Sith last night.

The only thing that could possibly be more awesom-er is Princess Leah singing back up in her Jaba the Hut slave get-up.

Another Night On Kao San Road

Here's another unposted blog from a random night out on Kao San Rd.  No story here  - just dinner, drinks, and some pictures.

Time to go home.

First Date

More old blogs that have yet to see the light of day. 

These were taken on one of my and Nuch's first dates.  We took a day trip to a local market along the Chao Phraya.

I think I was a little hungover that day.

Korat In The Good Ol' Days

Here's a blog I made almost 3 years go, but never posted.  It's Korat related, so it fits with my and Nuch's recent excursion.

...........

Even worse, now that I have a moment, I'm just going to post some pictures of Korat I found on the web a while back. They were taken some 50 years ago. Things have certainly changed since then, but not that much.

Here's the King and Queen during a visit to the Phi Mai temple ruins.

One of the many old gates that mark surround the walled city of Korat.

The Grandmother Mo monument in front of the Eastern Gate.

Here's the same gate, but many years before.

The ancient mote that still surrounds and protects Korat

Korat Excursion

Here are some quick photos from a recent trip to Korat. excursion

Jim Jum at Koratburi restaurant.

Introducing Stewart and Pitchapa's son, Scott

Here's Stewart espousing the joys of fatherhood

and the benefits of cheap Scotch.

The next day we visited the statue of Ya Mo, the patron saint of Korat.

In the afternoon, we stopped by the noodle shop.  I had not been there in almost 2 years, and they still had my double-stacked blue chairs.  It took me breaking a few of their flimsy white chairs before they realized I needed something sturdier.

After the noodle shop we had dinner at a country shop not far from the factory.

While Stewart, Adisak, and I solved the problems of the world

Nuch had her fortune told

and then we went home.

Was That Wrong?

I came across the photo below on the Thai Photo Blogs website and it reminded me of some of the blindfolded fights I saw when I lived in Chaiyaphum.

Seeing it again, I find myself asking the same question - was that wrong? 

I hope not because it's pretty good entertainment considering anything else Northeast Thailand has to offer.  I mean, no one really gets hurt.  That is - unless you're unfortunate enough to walk blindly into wild haymaker, which I suppose is the reason why everyone is watching in the first place.

Chinese Semantics And Spelling

The Chinese are very particular when it comes to the correct way to refer to its two "special administrative regions", Hong Kong and Macao, and it's "rogue province", Taiwan.  Although they are all independent - especially, Taiwan, the Chinese still consider them under Chinese sovereignty.  

Based on this logic, you would think that a flight from China to Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan would be a domestic flight, but that's not the case. 

So, if it's not a domestic flight, then it must be an international flight, and that would imply that you are going to another country that happens to have it's own government, currency, and passports, but that's not the case either.

The Chinese have found a clever way around this paradox. 

They are not as particular when it comes to correct spelling.

Planking Comes To Thailand

When it comes to communication and bringing the world together, the Internet is perhaps the greatest invention since the Gutenberg Printing Press, and it gives me hope for humanity (at least its sense of humor), when its power can finally be put to proper use.  Planking.

The Planking below was taken by one of Nuch's friends who owns an Orchid Farm.  Apparently, the obedient farmhand in the picture, although a semi-willful participant, had (and still has) no idea what planking is.  In fact, I'm not really sure what it really is - except that it gives me a good chuckle.

Not everyone is laughing, though.  A senior monk in Thailand recently issued a statement that monks should refrain from planking.

Welcome To Le Monte Carlo Cafe

When I visit Haining, China, I stay at the Royal Palace Hotel.  Le Monte Carlo Cafe is the hotel's attempt at an international buffet. 

They have some standard fair, such as rice, noodles, french fries, and dumplings, but there's a large number of dishes that, I think it's safe to say, can not be found on most international menus.

Here's a sampling of some of the "international" dishes I found last week at the Monte Carlo

To start - Jujubes.  Not so bizarre, but they remind me of the movie Ishtar when Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty get lost in the desert because their jujubes did not glow in the dark.

Baked bullfrog with sauce

Jew's ear with garlic - at first, I thought this was just a bad translation, but turns out, it's actually the name of a mushroom.

Kelp - I didn't know humans ate this

Starfish legs - didn't know they ate them either

Cattle Stomach - just because you can eat something doesn't mean you should.

and no Chinese "international" menus is complete without duck tongue.  It seems the Chinese eat every part of the duck (head, beak, skin, tongue, feet) except for the meat.

The above pictures were taken from the web (except for the starfish) because my Blackberry camera sucks.  So, for the sake of posterity here are the original photos from the Monte Carlo Cafe.