Security in Amsterdam

This story I dont understand - when I flew from Amsterdam to England on December 20th I went through exactly this kind of scanner - and it caught the fact that I had forgotten to remove my wallet from my jeans pocket - I guess the story means that they will now use it for everyone - not just tall white guys who look just like a terrorist - as if.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/12/30/airline.terror.schiphol/index.html

Ah - this story elaborates - two of the new scanners were being used experimentally - and no the picture doesnt show your actual body just a generic body with red highlighted areas where they recommend you be groped.

I should know better than to expect any kind of actual reporting from CNN - silly me.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010628819_apusairlinerattack.html

Bangkok railway station - Hua Lamphong

Bangkok's main railway station - a brief look the day after I arrived from Cambodia

Aranyaprathet to bangkok by train - part 4

Final part of the trip from the Cambodian border to Bangkok

Llamas and Deer Oh My.

Sitting in my former bedroom watching the Llamas and the Deer frolicking in the snow - damn them they have taken over the space where we used to play football.

Videos

To see better quality versions of the video clips you can go to the davidpgraves channel at YouTube

Part 4 to follow

Along with some other out of sequence video clips as I sort out my stuff.

Aranyaprathet to Bangkok by train - Part 3

Aranyaprathet to Bangkok by train - Part 2

Aranyaprathet to Bangkok by train - Part 1

Video of the first part of my railway trip across eastern Thailand when I left Cambodia and headed to Bangkok - parts 2,3 and 4 to follow for anyone interested.

Phnom Penh moto trip

Catching up on video uploading now that I have a more reliable upload speed - this was a trip back from lunch by the lake, me on the back of Da's motorbike ridden by her brother, she on the back of her other brother's bike. She was aware of being filmed explaining her attempts to distract me with her behavior. And yes we were indeed on the wrong side of the road going against oncoming traffic on one occasion.

BKK people watching

Sitting in the hotel lobby at midnight watching the wildlife - my evening started early and is over now - in recovery and sobering up - fun times - I could break into some kind of Seussian rhapsody about the Places You'll see and the Things You'll do but not here - details (expurgated) available on individual application (some are just not capable of handling the truth - says Jack).  Sawatdee Khrap.

Goddamn Indians stink

Okay so that is a wide generalization - I have good friends from the subcontinent who do not stink (well I used to have good friends) but goddamn it.  Even the poorest homeless Cambodian peasant shitting washing and pissing in the river manages to be fresh and inoffensive but get stuck behind a well-dressed Indian guy and you are invariably retching and wishing you could bury your nose in your own asshole - what is it with these people?  Ask yourself - when was the last time someone's body odor made you physically repulsed? chances are if you work in an office in the US it was an Indian coworker.  Okay like I said this is a generalization but it is no way racist - it is based upon years of observation in Thailand, Cambodia, China, England and the US - almost nobody has a BO issue any longer except Indian males - if they are indeed to be one of the superpowers of the future we are in for a malodorous existence.

Uploading to YouTube sucks

I have a bunch of videos to upload and share but broadband lack precludes me from doing so - damn it will have to wait until I am back in the snowy UK.

The adventure is slowing down...

So here I am now in Bangkok (with all that that entails/offers).  The last 2 days were hard work travelling - up at 6am on Wednesday to vacate the apartment in Phnom Penh (Da is moving into a cheaper one - she doesnt need airconditioning and the new one gives her parking for her and her brother's motorcycles).  Then it was a 7 hour bus ride to Poipet - with some gastric distress along the way - I had to make a run at one rest-stop and make the bus wait for me.  A peaceful night at a nice clean hotel was followed by crossing the border into Thailand - I still find it surreal walking across aborder expecially between two countries whos governments are increasingly hostile to each other - meanwhile the people cross fairly freely - the Khmers have a market in Thailand and with a border pass and a payment of a thousand riel (25 cents) they can cross as long as they remain within the 1km border zone.  Khmers were being searched by Thai soldiers - I wasnt touched at all - neither was Da as she was with me.  Then I had to leave Da as the train station is 5Km from the border - an 80baht ($2.25) Tuk-tuk ride took me to the station where I then had a 2 hour wait for the train - why am I always so paranoid about being early for trains and planes?  The third class train to Bangkok departed at 13:55 - the 6 hour ride cost a grand total of 48baht - yes that is $1.50 for a 6 hour train ride - I had a 4 seat area to myself so it ws very comfortable - I even found soft seats unlike the wooden seats I had 5 years ago when I made the same trip in reverse.  Periodic checks by very serious looking heavily armed (automatic weapons) soldiers occurres during the first houir or so as we left the Cambodian border - again I wasnt questioned or searched but anyone with a Cambodian passport was intensively questioned and their bags searched - illegal immigration and drugs from Cambodia being an ongoing issue - plus it gave the Thai goons the cnace to intimidate their poorer weaker neighbors - a favorite sport. Spectacular views of the Thai farming countryside in the hot sunshine were the order of most of the day - the train being cool (out of the direct sunlight) due to the windows dropping completely down to chest level.  It was of course dark by the time we reached Bangkok - (19:55) and the trip became a kaleidoscopic rush through an amazing light show (think the StarGate from 2001) - as we approached Hualumpong Station the slums along the tracks encroached ever closer - I guess the land isnt owned or used by anyone but the SRT so the illegal squatters use every meter - literally peoples washing and homes were within touching distance from the windows - I even saw one impromptu bar where the pool table was set up such that one would have to stand on the railroad tracks to play a shot along one side of the table. The voyeurism of looking into peoples homes is really weird especially when the train would pause for a few minutes on the approach and people would go on with their evening routines - washing, eating bathing the kids etc. I shot a hell of a lot of video which tells the whole journey from Aranyaprathet to Bangkok - I will need to split it up into 3 or 4 videos to conform to YouTube's 10 minute limit but I believe the effort will be worthwhile as some people may be interested - I know that outside of my friends/family people have watched some of my videos - my Soi Cowboy video from 2 months ago currently has a view count of 450 and I know train videos are popular worldwide.  So I guess my day today in Bangkok is to be devoted to video editing - I have done all the tourist things - dont need to shop and it is awfully warm - this is the cool season now - but Bangkok deserves its title as the worlds hottest city - it is 33 degrees today (91F) - while it is true that other cities get hotter - Bangkok overall year round has the highest average temperature - and when it is hot in BKK it is REALLY hot - the humidity and the traffic and concrete ensure that - Phnom Penh was equally hot but it has breezes - BKK is just stifling.  So I think I will lay low in the rom with TV and aircon and wait for the wild life to come out after dark.  Videos later.

Sob Sob

Getting ready to leave Phnom Penh in a couple of days - Da has been gradually transferring everything to "home new" - she and her brothers will be living in a different (cheaper) ground floor apartment when I leave - as well as being cheaper they will then be able to store their motos inside rather than paying $20 per month for secure parking. Just returned from lunch by the lake - me on the back of her moto with her brother driving - have some good video of the trip through traffic but cannot upload until I have a better (faster) internet connection - upload bandwidth here is apalling.

Early morning Wednesday will be on the bus to Poipet on the Thai border - will spend a night there (Da's home town) doubtless losing money playing cards with her sister and brother-in-law.  Then Thursday walk across the border - 30 minute Tuk-tuk ride to the train station in Aranyprathet then a 12:55 train to Bangkok - a 6 hour third class ride - wood seats - open sided cars - all for about $8.

This Christmas thing is out of control

As I sit here in the lobby bar of the Flamingos Hotel here in Phnom Penh next to a fully decorated (albeit fake) Christmas tree.  There are Christmas decorations everywhere - not just in the tourist areas - (klitmat as they say it) - the dreaded word "cadeau" is on many lips - the French apparently left behind an excuse for consumer excess - there are actual Christmas carols (no lyrics) on the radio.  Somehow I think that betting on a white Christmas here would be a losing proposition.

Phew...

My Mother is finally having central heating installed just in time for my return to UK - I may be able to survive the temperature drop after all.

Missionary Position? My Ass

How do you explain the presence of Mormon missionaries in a country which is 98% Buddhist? Perhaps give my contempt and absolute hatred of anyone who tries to evangelize and impose their own interpretation of a moral code upon others I was not the ideal person to respond when Da asked me “why they here in Cambodia?”. So I told her - they think your 2500+ year old religion and the code of values that stresses peaceful existence and tolerance is wrong - they think your Buddha is a false idol and that you are damned if you don’t convert to their 300 year old tax-exempt cult of misogyny and racism. They want you to convert and start tithing your income so they can build larger churches and send more kids to recruit to their pyramid scheme - oh wait - you are a woman so work is out - you need to be home birthing babies to perpetuate the cult. It’s all very well to be here in Cambodia as a member of an NGO, whether faith-based or not, doing good works to help people but to see these brainwashed specimens riding around on their nice new mountain bikes (the city is flat) wearing their standard issue Joseph Smith bicycle helmets and sporting their shiny name tags (Elder This and Elder That) attempting to convert people to their cult is sickening to me. I hope their magic underwear chafes in the heat and they go home with a bad case of Tropical Ball Rot back to their lily-white existence - back to good old Salt Lake City where their chaste girlfriends have probably been pulling trains with the BYU basketball team.


Why didn’t the ATF ever have a go at Salt Lake or Provo?

Great export USA - Way To Go Team.

If this offends anyone - tough shit - my views are as valid as yours - the difference is - I won’t presume to try to convert you.

10 books down and many miles to go

A trip/existence like this was just made for reading - definite rehearsal for eventual retirement.


Just finished re-reading The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux as a prelude to reading the sequel Ghost Train to the Eastern Star. The original which I read 32 years ago was an account of the author’s train journey from London through Asia via India, Thailand, Vietnam and other countries to Japan returning via the Trans-Siberian Express. In the sequel he retraces the journey 33 years later. This book may have been the single most influential factor in my desire to travel (and as such formative of my life thus far) - very highly recommend it to anyone for whom travel holds an attraction.

“The best of travel seems to exist outside of time, as though the years of travel are not deducted from your life. Travel also holds the magical possibility of reinvention: that you might find a place you love, to begin a new life and never go home. In a distant place no one knows you - nearly always a plus. And you can pretend, in travel, to be different from the person you are, unattached, enigmatic, younger, richer or poorer, anyone you chose to be, the rebirth that many travelers experience if they go far enough.”.

This passage from the book I am currently reading really summarizes to a great extent what I feel regarding travel. It is all about being out of ones comfort zone the sheer foreignness is a great attraction - the National Geographic Adventure channel has a slogan which also is reflective “Let’s Get Lost”.

“Life is a book - those who do not travel only read one page”.

Fat dumb and happy in Phnom Penh

Just had a wonderful Half Monty English Breakfast at the Green Vespa British/Irish Pub on the riverfront - a true heart-attack on a plate - bacon, fried potatoes, 2 scrambled eggs, an imported English sausage and the piece de resistence - black pudding - ahhh - and with Colmans Mustard - and toast - heaven. I could not imagine the Full Monty Breakfast - that would add fried tomatos, kidney and kipper - that would have broken me. Now compensating with a fat-free double latte. And unbelievably I have lost a considerable amount of weight here despite no "formal" exercise regimen.

Special Herb Pizza for lunch

Is highly recommended but go easy on the "Happy".

PP update

I have conclusive proof of what I thought was the case but which I really did not want to believe.


Khmers (and presumably other Asians) do actually stand on the toilet seat and squat to use western style toilets. I woke up the other morning went to use the facilities and was greeted by a sharp pain in the sensitive regions - the toilet seat had a great big crack in it (in it not on it) - I survived the incident and later challenged Da on how the seat became cracked. She showed me by hopping up there squatting on her heels - the heel pressure of course being in just the spot where the seat had cracked - I just shook my head and left her to it. There has been complete apathy to my appeals for a new seat - and I just cant be bothered to go find out where to buy one- not to mention the uproar that would surely greet the sight of a big tall Westerner parading through the streets of downtown Phnom Penh clutching a toilet seat - I guarantee there would be a parade of people following me. Tip if you ever get into this situation - a piece of cardboard placed on the seat works wonders.



Yesterday Da and her brothers took a one hour motorcycle ride out of PP to visit “daughter wife Papa before” (the daughter of their Father’s previous wife) - apparently some other family member there makes a living catching fresh water crab - so they joined him and she returned with a bag of live crabs - these vicious little bastards were about 3 inches across and pinched like crazy when recaptured as they made their escape from a plastic bowl and made their run fro freedom - I was tempted to let one go and follow him - where was the smartass little shit going to go being about half a mile from the river? However I continued the crab rodeo until I pointed out to Da that if we used a deeper bowl they would not escape - it’s a personal triumph whenever I prove myself to be something other than a brain dead neophyte. So the crabs remained in their bowl for about 3 hours happily (?) splashing and rattling each other. I assumed we were having crab for dinner - but I have learned to my cost that making assumptions here is not a wise thing. Da returned with a large plastic screw-top jar. She added about 3 inches of really foul smelling fish sauce - not the usual edible sort some sugar and some salt - then in went the live crabs - the top was secured - the jar shaken and the crab left to die and rot. For 2 weeks she informed me. Now I always thought that Buddhism taught mercy and kindness to animals but these guys went through a long slow death process - they were expired by the time I woke this morning. Now I knew that Somtam (as it is called in Thailand - god help me if I use the Thai word here and I don’t know the Khmer word) contained fermented crab or fermented shrimp - but the reality of how it is produced was somewhat disquieting - often it is better to be blissfully unaware of the origin of the best most delicious foods. Now I don’t know whether the entire crab body will be used or just the legs and pinchers - that’s what seems to be served but the live pickling kind of messed with my head - I don’t know about crustaceans but I believe that mammals pretty much always soil themselves in their death throes - thankfully this devil’s concoction will not be ready until after I am safely in England - blissfully unaware of the origins of the sausages I will be eating.

Woke up this morning to a roach staring at me from the curtain with its beady little eyes - a quick squirt of the toxic can took care of him - I should have added him to the crab mixture.

Subsequent enquiries determined that the legs and claws are removed upon retrieval from the fermenting mess and the bodies discarded - but serious questions remain.

Weak Dong is big worry for Thais.

Headline in Thai newspaper - obviously they do not receive the same spam emails as I do else length and strength would not be a concern


Okay for the less enlightened - the Dong is actually the Vietnamese unit of currency but I really enjoyed the headline.

Torpor

Following my hectic two and a half weeks as tour guide and facilitator I have returned to my natural state - sleeping late and doing very little.  Reading, eating, eating, drinking and strolling - all in a nice 80+ degrees - all while sincerely sympathising with my less fortunate family and acquaintances in Seattle and Hull as they suffer typical winter weather- sympathy - yeah right. Limited to one goal, one activity per day - today it's a haircut - this is the kind of lazy lifestyle to which I wish to become accustomed - see, the grammar muscles have not yet atrophied. I fear the shock of returning to what others consider normality may be too much - I leave PP in two weeks bound overland to Bangkok and thence to UK - OMG.

Economic stimulus package

I continued my personal program to stimulate the Cambodian economy this afternoon with some hard core shopping.  Item one was a brand new Honda Dream motorcycle - a 125cc present for Da - relatively inexpensive I thought at US$1570. Logically justified as she is currently spending $3 a day on moto taxi rides so it will pay for itself in only what 524 days - LOL.  Then I hit the DVD store - complete sets of all series of Seinfeld, South Park, Weeds, Curb Your Enthusiasm along with some old BBC shows and 40 assorted movies on BluRay - all for US$60.  I am sure more DVDs will follow.  That takes care of all those hours of "job searching" when I get back to Seattle.

Being eaten

Here are a couple of shots of my feet being eaten by fish - as mentioned previously I have never been tickled this much...

 

 

Catchup

We all survived the five day trip to Siem Reap and Poipet - we were all in turns suffering from a nasty chest cold - there was vast consumption of tissues between the 5 of us. Thge last night in Poipet we went to the casino on the Thai borderr - there are multiple casinos in a strip that would look right at home in Vegas (off the Strip) - I rapidly lost $50 playing Blackjack - Da then took over using 3000 Thai Baht that I had - the baht being the currency of choice on the border - she of course went on a winning albeit with odds advice from me - she ended up winning $100 - of course my initial stake didnt get returned so she was flush with cash - which translated into jewellry the next day. Having seen the bus go flying past our hotel at 8am we then watched as it reversed against traffic for a quarter mile to pick us up - good service. Three days of chilling followed - we were all tired from a 5 day road trip. Much shopping was involved - not by me of course - Beth and her friend jetted off to LA this morning - thence to SEA. Having lugged a 12 pack of Coke from the Thai border (liter bottles) I insisted we set up a bling taste test as I refused to believe that Thai Coke was/is sufficiently superior to Khmer Coke to justify what seems to be a family obligation whenever anyone visits the border regions - four out of four of us in a blind test verified that the Thai bottle was indeed vastly superior - never let anyone tell you Coke is the same the world over. Celebrated Thanksgiving the traditional way (well at least I would like it to be traditional) with a 4 cheese pizza made with the special herbal ingredient - Very Happy Thanksgiving. I need to find some more excuses to celebrate before I leave here.

One incident I keep on forgetting to document is the great monkey caper.  Unfortunately I was not personally a witness to this but I have video.  Beth, her friend and Da went for a walk to Wat Phnom - one of PP's tourist attractions - there is something of which you ned to be aware when visiting - the thieving monkeys.  Theories vary on why thyey are such kleptos - faster than a bullet - one ran at da - grabbed the plastic bag she was carying - it didnt contain food - only her mobile phone and other women's stuff - the monkey went up a tree pursued by a screaming Da and other crowds of people - the monkey started to unpack the bag looking for food - dropping things as he went - untill all he had was the phone in his mouth - someone tried calling the phone in the hope that the obnoxious musical ringtone would scare it - it would certainly have worked on me - no luck - after about 15 minutes he finally gave up chewing on it and gravity prevailed = she now had a toothmarked phone - now to me thats a story and a trophy but to her it was tragedy - her new phone is now marred - guess we are buying a new screen ($30).

Things now back to some semblance of normality for the next two and a half weeks until I leave here for UK - my god the time has gone so quickly.

Poipet not such an armpit

Chilling in Poipet on the Thai border - this was a dusty shithole back in 2005 when I passed through but seems to have cleaned up. Da grew up here - we are staying at a decent hotel ($12 per night) with A/C, elevator and hot water - what more could we want - basically across the street from where she used to live and where her sister and husband have a metal fabrication business. Da went into Thail;and to the market this morning but as it cost her fifty cents for a day pass whereas we would have had to pass through immigration and then pay $20 for another Cambodian visa we gave it a pass. The road from Siem Reap which was a potholed dirt track in 2005 and which took 8 hours to go 65 miles is now a perfect straight high class road which correspondingly has a nice high speed to it. Wes stopped off at another of her sisters in Sisophon for lunch and visited the family shrine to their parents and the wat where they were cremated - poignant even to a cynical bastard like me.

Tomorrow an 8 hour bus ride ($6) back to Phnom Penh. Maybe then i can get pictures and/or video uploaded.

Temple Legs.

My god my thighs are killing me after 2 days of climbing temple steps - steps about 2 feet tall and 3 inches deep going up 50 feet at impossible angles. I am so happy I came to Cambodia back in 2005 and saw Angkor before it became so popular. While it remains one of my favorite places in the world it has been overrun by mass tourism - back in 2005 it was busy but only a tenth of what it is now - the mass explosion of tourism from Korea and China has overewhelmed it - many of the places I was able to visit are now closed off for fear of damage by so many people - I feel very fortunate to have experienced it when I did - dont get me wrong - I would still highly recommend a visit - it is truly breathtaking. This morning we took a boat trip out to the floating village on the Tonle Sap lake - amazing how people live. Pictures and video to folow when I get the time to organze things. Tomorrow we are off to Sisophon and to Poipet on the Thai border to visit two of Da's sisters and family. Closing note - yesterday I saw a motorcycle carying two fully grown live pigs = yes live - they were trussed and on their backs across the moto behind the rider squealing loudly - obviously they dont appreciate the Cambodian traffic either - but I suspect their disquiet was to be short lived...

Angkor What?

Two great days in Siem Reap visiting the temples of the Angkor complex and the floating village of Tonle Sap. After the first temple day I was persuaded to have a fish foot massage - imersing ones feet in a tank of water containing hundreds of tiny toothless fish which consume dead skin cells with a scking action - there were 6 people with their feet in the tank and 90% of the fish ade immediately for my feet - I guess all those years of not wering shoes and refusing to even consider such a thing as a pedicure have made my feet a plentiful fod source for these little blighters - I wasnt really too embarrassed by that fact but me reaction to the "massage" was almost certainly embarrassing - I have never been so tickled in my life and that is the one area of my body that is ticklish - thank god I had am empty bladder - I seriously thought I was going to either wet myself or have a heart attack right there. Of course it was all captured on pictures and vdeo which I promise to share some day. I highly reccommend it if you ever get the chance - my feet felt fabulous afterwards

Ahhh Beach Days in November

Returned today from 2 great days in Sihanoukville on the Cambodian coast - warm sunny perfect water slight waves fresh steamed crab and barbequed squid - who could want for better? My daughter made quite a spectacle of herself on the beach - we were for the most part on Khmer dominated beaches rather than with the Euro-trash and backpacker hippies - white girls in bikinis are few and far between. Hotel was 10 meters from the sand - 2 month old hotel - very nice - sea view from the room - $18 per night - only drawback was the late night music from the beach discos - went on until sunrise - next time maybe we will sacrifice the beach view and go with the landward side. Sent my passport off today to get the visa extended for an additional month - was very tempting when the guy asked how long of an extension I wanted - up to 6 months is available - but I did promise my Mom I would be there for Christmas. WE will head up to Siem Reap on Thursday for 3 nights visiting the Angkor Wat temple complex and then over to the west of Cambodia to the Thai border to visit Da's sister and brother-in-law. Sitting at a riverfront cafe right now - unfortunately Beth and her friend have gone for a massage so they are missing the largest elephant I have ever been near who is eating all of the stale bead and leftover fruit from the restaurant - about 6 feet from me.

Steamy...

We had a great view of the King the other day - it was the last day of the anual Independence Celebration and we happened to be in the right place at the right time to see him leaving the palace - open window waving (Beth claimed he was waving specifically at her and based upon the reaction of Khmer men in general to pasty skinned American woman in the non tourist areas I tend to believe her). She had just finished posing with his personal motorcycle guards who were waiting outside the palace. We then got to see him again returning towards the palace - this time standing up in his Mercedes (through the sunroof - he isnt actually short enough to stand up in a car although it's close) waving to hundreds of school kids who had been assembled along the streets - I of course didnt have a camera on this occasion but daughter did. Contrast this public appearance with the Prime Minister who was inside darkened car with army guards everywhere. Both Beth and Jandy (her friend) were very popular with all of the soldiers and sailors who were leaving the parade/function - I guess military boys the world over are no different.

90 degress today with 52% humidity making it feel like 94 apparently. Headed down to Sihanoukville on the coast tomorrow - 4 hour bus ride - 2 nights and two days down there - I will be spending my time stuffing my face with fresh crab and shrimp and just bobing around like a soon to be beached whale - the "kids" (Da, my daughter and her friend) have ideas of discos and shopping in the evenings but I foresee air conditioned bar-stools.

Yesterday we went out to the Killing Fields and the Genocide Museum - my second visit - it hasnt become any less humbling, upsetting and/or depressing - it certainly isnt a fun day but in my opinion a must-see if only to once again reinforce the ability of man to impose cruelty on man and also to reinforce my absolute hatred of Nixon and Kissinger and to highlight the irresponsibility of powerful countries where poor undeveloped countries are concerned. This was the first time Da had been to either location and naturally it affected her on a completely different level - her mother and father and her eldest brother had been part of the forced depopulation of Phnom Penh at the hands of the Khmer Rouge forced to march for many days out to a distant province where ther were then forced to work in the fields for one cup of rice per day - they were all separated for three years before reuniting in 1979 after the Vietnamese invasion - what, you dont know the history of this deplorable chapter of history? - welcome to the club - the "West" ignored the genocide completely - indeed the Khmer Rouge had the Cambodian seat at the UN (supported by the US as the KR opposed the Vietnamese) even as they killed 1.5million of their own countrymen - and they believed in complete slaughter of entire families - better not to leave a child alive to grow up to seek revenge - the slaughter tree at Choeng Ek shows where they simply beat the children to death while holding their feet and swinging their heads against the tree. I found Da in tears at least three times yesterday - not sure whether I should have taken her but she said she was glad she went. Sorry if this descended into a rant about distasteful subjects but I encourage people to read up on this period.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8350313.stm has a surprisingly topical story.

On a far more uplifting note I heard a great story on the BBC World Service today about a US Navy ship which docked in Vietnam today captained by a Vietnam born Captain - his father was CO of a South Vietnamese Naval base at the end of the war - on the fall of South Vietnam he escaped with his family on a fishing boat navigating it to the South China Sea where they were rescued by a USN ship - taken as refugees to US - now the son who was with him has returned home for the first time - pretty cool I thought.

Now we are three

My daughter and her friend from Seattle arrived yesterday for a few weeks visit - which meant giving up the air conditioned bedroom - ever the good host - fan sleeping I am not a fan - but will survive. Da has taken off with the two of them to go get their hair washed styled and cut - now it is pouring with rain - hopefully they dont get caught on the back of a moto in the rain. I had my first Cambodian haircut on Monday - is it really two months since I got my hair cut in Seattle? I was of course an object of great interest as I sat in the chair - of course first problem was that the guy could not reach my head - much slumping down and all was well - cut was all scissors and very carefully performed - my only complaint was that he really didnt take off enough and didnt thin it enough on the top - a constant problem wherever I et my hair cut - but for $2 for about 30 minutes work I could not complain - I was charged the premium "foreigner" rate - for a Khmer it would have been $1.

expenses

Discovered that my cable TV is $5 per month (with CNN, ESPN, HBO etc) and my garbage collection fee is $1 per month - no such thing as trash/garbage bins here - you simply bag the garbage and toss the bag on the heap at the end of the alley or in the street - the truck comes every night and picks it all up - a horde of speculators follows the truck splitting open the bags when they can and grabbing stuff that can be recycled for money (plastic aluminum etc). Power is expected to be about $30 per month and water about $5.

They aren't as superior as they may think they are.

I encountered a cockroach the size of a small puppy in the shower the other night - Da has a habit of doing the dishes in a bowl on the bathroom floor and draining the water through a sieve thingy to remove the food scraps which eventually go into the trash - eventually I say as they have been sitting a couple of days - hence the unwelcome visitors. So, of course, in order to protect that which I hold most valuable while I was showering, I attacked the three inch monster (no I mean the roach not THAT) with a toilet brush - I broke the handle of the brush - the roach merely smiled a roachy smile and chuckled as it moved a couple of feet away. I showered with one eye locked on my friend and then reported the whole incident to Da. She of course wss less than sympathetic - hell they eat the damned things - not in the shower and well fried. I told her I didnt want food left in the bathroom - I think my tone told her I was serious but I never expected any action (Barang Chgooat - Foreigner Crazy). Next day I found all signs of the food were gone and the sieve thingy was gone too and next to the bed I found an enormous aerosol which judging by the pictures on it was sufficient to kill an elephant. So last night I went to shower and sure enough there were 2 intruders presumably wondering where their snack had gone - I determined I was not going to be that snack - I know they don't eat humans but I have seen enough movies. I went to war with the aerosol - unbelievable - one squirt and they were on the floor on their backs doing a backstroke of Olympic standard. Two minutes later they were deader than a roach at a hippie rock festival. These bastards may be favorite to survive a nuclear apocalypse but if it comes to chemical warfare we have got it made. Postscript - this morning they were gone - I assume Da flushed them - I hope to god she didn't eat them (just kidding).

Stuff

Ended up in a Khmer disco club the other night some time around midnight after way to much beer - when will these Cambodian guys ever realize that getting into a beer chugging contest with someone with my body mass is never going to be a winning proposition for them - same resdult with the General in Beijing - I am always going to be the more sober one. No, of course I didn't dance - did you really need to ask? The surreal efect was completed by the huge video screen above the dance floor showing 1970's Benny Hill Show sketches - whoever thought that was a good idea? About 2am we were fishing for cooked noodles - the noodle cart comes along the street below - customers yell - lower cash on the end of a length of rope - a delicious bag of noodle soup comes back on the end of your rope about 2 minutes later - now that is service. I discovered that the Happy Pizza restaurant delivers - now THAT I must check out - not determined yet whether Da approves of pizza with "extra happy" but as she has never tried pizza maybe she will just assume that all pizza comes with that magic oregano replacement herb. The other day Da asked me whether they have Coca Cola in America - I managed to suppress my laughter - it is funny the Khmer are fiercely loyal in their choices of food and drink - they typically do not stray from what they consider their own country's products - for all I know she really thinks that Coke is a Khmer thing. I tried to offer her a piece of bread with peanut butter the other day - you would have thought I had offered her poison - she eats peanuts just fine but peanut butter is way too foreign. This existence is really fabulous - not having a schedule for anything - rehearsal for eventual retirement - I am as relaxed as an overcooked noodle - speaking of noodles had a fabulous fried noodle with egg pork and ham for lunch - 4 people with freshly squeezed sugar-cane drink - $7 for the whole thing - gotta love it here. Wow is it really Friday - English football tomorrow and Da at work to give me the peace and quiet to watch it - next week my daughter and her friend arrive for a stay just lessd than a month - already planning trips to the coast and to the Angkor temples. I cannot imagine how hard it will be to eventually go back to the real world and all that it "offers" - come to think of it this is the real world with real people with real problems and a real way of dealing with them.

Giggling Khmers

Da's neice and her best friend in some kind of hysterics probably a joke at my cost.

Tropical Storm Mirinae - Phnom Penh

The remnants of tropical storm Mirinae approaching Phnom Penh Tuesday afternoon - fortunately greatly weakened since it crossed Vietnam where it killed 50 in flash floods. An hour later while we were watching the King arrive at the end of the boat race festival we were hit with wind and rain unlike anything I have felt in a long time - we were drenched to the bone - no point sheltering we couldnt get any wetter so we walked home the kids enjoying showering under the rooftop downspouts - for obvious reasons no video is available. The only victim was Da's brand new mobile phone which managed to get wet. Opinions differ on how this occurred - her account is that I didnt hold the plastic bag closed tightly enough - my version is that it was already wet before she got it out of her pocket and into the bag - it is obvious which account wins. She was distraught all night - I was the hero this time by assuring her that removing the battery - leaving it in front of the airconditioner and then an hour in the sun and all would be well - it now works perfectly. One has to understand - here having the latest coolest phone is vital for status among your peers - I am using a 10 year old Motorola that I saved for just this purpose - my status is nil and I am the butt of many jokes - but of course I am accustomed to that.

Bon Om Touk Day 3

A short video of the longboat racing

Blog weirdness

The software seems to be formatting pictures weirdly - cropping the edges - the pictures show more than I am seeing.

Bonn Om Touk - Khmer Water Festival

Spent Sunday afternoon wandering the crowds and watching some of the awesome race boats hurtling down the Tonle Sap.  There were an immense number of people - estimates are that the ciy population increases by 2 million for the weekend - seems to be the traditional time for people from the provinces to come visit their relatives in the big city - we spent the evening drinking and eating with Da's relatives who had made the 8 hour car ride from Poipet on the Thai border - as usual wonderful friendly generous people.  These are just a few of the many pictures I took - today we are going back with her relatives and I plan on getting some video.  The event lasts 3 days - I guess the finals are tomorrow.  It is kind of humorous wandering around the crowd - obviously people living in PP and the various tourist cities around the country are accustomed to seeing tall white Barang but the groups of people from remote farm villages stop and stare in amazement.  The visitors are all dressed up in their best clothes and seem to be having a great time - I suspect among the teen/20s this is when a considerable number of potential matches are made however this being Cambodia no such activity would be admitted to. It is refreshing to have so much of the city closed off to traffic and to be able to walk the riverfront safe from maniacal motos - one has still to be wary of the VIP cars which hurtle unabated through pedestrian crowds believing that a blaring horn will part the seas - this being Cambodia there continues to be a separate set of rules for the privileged class.

Boat race practice

Just one of the several hundred boats practicing on the Tonle Sap for the boat races which begin on Sunday. These things are awesome - I counted 70 people on this one - the beter teams are like a machine - every oar perfectly in unison. Should be quite a spectacle, especially if the tropical storm remnants get here on Monday as predicted.

Be careful what you put in your mouth - words to live by

The other night we travelled out to some unidentified part of the city to a restaurant run by one of Da's seemingly infinite number of relatives.  Among other delights we hade snake - yes real snake - a water snake of some kind - not an eel - about 2 feet long and about an inch in diameter choped into half inch segments and fried in the wok.  I ate more than my share and it was very good - most of the bones were crunchy and edible - only a few had to be rejected.  We were eventually left with the head - about 2 inches of malevolent grin - nobody - not even the 4 or 5 Khmer seemed ready to attack that of course they kept on encouraging me - but the eyeballs and teeth just made it impossible.  Eventually Da started to toy with it and break off small pieces - she was about to suck on it - to extract whatever I dont know when she noticed that the fishing hook that had been used to catch the sucker was still in its mouth.  Apologies were profuse from the restauranteur - I can only imagine what would have transpired had I popped the whole thing in my mouth and bitten down - caution paid off.

Pajamas and stuff...

I have mentioned this before I think but I remain fascinated by the way that Khmer women wear pajamas as regular street wear.  I guess it makes sense - cotton loose cool but it remains incongruous in my sight.  Da went out shopping yesterday in hers - I look forward to trying to persuade my daughter to do the same when she visits - I need to start compiling a collection of the most incongruous looking examples. Another thing that continues to amuse is the obvious lack of recognition of what we would consider socially suicidal - I am sitting in the lobby bar of the hotel where I stay when not renting (a hotel used almost entirely by Westerners) currently hearing completely uncensored rap and hip hop music with all the F/N/MF bombs intact - imagine that in the lobby of Sheraton or Westin in Seattle.  Tomorrow Da is leaving at 5am to go with various relatives to Kompong Speu - about 100 miles I think to pay tribute to some dead relative - I declined that particular trip (something about the 5am just didnt ring true with me) she returns on Saturday so I have liberty on Friday to have a night on the town alone - will be fun.  Then Saturday night she works so I get to stay home and overdose on English football on TV in bed with air conditioning and beer.  Sunday the Cambodian water festival starts - three days of boat races on the river - supposed to mark the time when the Tonle Sap reverses course (too much water coming down the Mekong - cannot get out the delta - floods back upstream reversing flow and filing Lake Tonle Sap - the richest ecodiversity-site in the world (after the Amazon apparently) and source of most seafood here)  but from what I can see the river is still flowing very quickly in the "right" direction - there have been warnings that the boat racers face the most dangerous conditions in many decades - will be there to film and take pics.  Aparently 2 million extra people come to PP for the event - the opposite of Thailand where everyone leaves the capital and heads to the proivinces for holidays.  Supposedly 350 boats representing al provinces, schools, branches of government - should be spectacular.

Cambodia Highway 1 - returning from our picnic

A brief video from the back seat of our tuk-tuk dodging traffic on the main Phnom Penh - Vietnam highway. Pay particular attention to the motorcycle of dead chickens towards the end of the video.

Lake side picnic

We took a tuk-tuk about 15 miles out of town to a lake side picnic restaurant - a very precarious walk along planks not designed for my immense weight led us to a platform over the lake - various food vendors arrived by boat and we ordered both from them and from the restaurant - delicious and cheap.

Domestic "bliss"

Yesterday the power went out suddenly at about 930am - the time I knew because I was laying in bed watching CNN - not unusual we thought - there are often power cuts in Phnom Penh - demand usually exceeds supply - I have no clue where and how Cambodia generates electricity - for all I know it is a half dozen (bpram muay) water buffalo turning a wheel somewhere outside of town.  Three hours later we were kind of aware that there seemed to be music coming from the neighbors - hmmm - surely not batteries.  Uh, no - we had been shut off for non payment of the bill apparently - the bill which in our case we did not have and had not seen. Seems the landlord had omited to pay anything and when we moved in and started using power someone noticed.  So a few phone calls ensued and shorthly thereafter a couple of guys in an Electricte Du Cambodge van (apparently another French leftover) arrived - I paid $15 and all was well.  All was well I say until such time as I tried to go to the bathroom.  Zero drainage - zero flushage.  I informed Da and waited for her plan of action - hell I dont know whether you call a plumbr in Cambodia or what - I drew a plunger and showed it to her - a word that is lamentably missing from my English/Khmer dictionary - some devices are universal and should be obligatory in any dictionary. Next I knew I heard hammering - I looked into the bathroom and she was laying on the floor chipping out the tile cement under the toilet with a borrowed hammer and chisel.  Any attempt by me to help was swiftly rejected (honestly I tried). I withdrew - half hour later I heard porcelein sounds and investigated  - she had removed the entire toilet and was now atacking the hole with a length of bendy bamboo longer than she is and a viscious length of wire which constituted a home-made plumbers snake.  Once again (thankfully) my help was rejected - not sure my stomach was really up for the task anyway. She emerged with a plastic bag the contents of which were better left unknown I think.  She then replaced the toilet - and re-grouted/cemented the whole thing.  I was warned not to use the toilet for 24 hours - pee in the shower she said - orders with which under the circumstances I was happy to comply.  Today all was well.  She is indeed Khmer-Superwoman, or maybe they are all that way.  Honestly I tried to help.

Milestone

Today marks a week since I used toilet paper - we dont even own any.  Must say the high pressure hose is really the way to go ecologically and frictionally - as long as you can avoid the self-administered enema.  I know TMI.

Nirvana?

I swear I just passed a monk in the street who smelled of marijuana smoke.  So, that's how you achieve enlightenment?

Busted in Phnom Penh

Our tuk-tuk tried to take a short cut down a road where such vehicles are banned - notorcycle cop yelled at us - driver ignored him - biker came chasing after us and made us do a u-turn - driver pleaded ignorance - the new helmet law gave him anexcuse - he didnt hear the cop - we got away with a yelling-at

Response to a couple of comments

Of course I dont understand her when she blabbers in Khmer - the one phrase I have mastered is of course "I dont understand" - knyom min yool dtay - but what man ever understands a woman even when she is speaking the same language? - this way at least I have a legitimate excuse for ignoring her - it is all too believable that I didnt realize she was speaking to me - her english is improving with practice - obviously - and i am steadily picking up a Khmer phrase per day (the previous is of course more than a little tongue in cheek).


yes - could live here very comfortably and very cheaply for a long time - possibly will do eventually - the Thai condo may end up just being an investment - after a coupl;e of years I may put it on the rental market - the upscale areas in PP are very upscale - gated communities and nothing les than a Lexus gets you in there - not sure thats my style but a place like the one we are renting - maybe in a newer building - occupying the top 2 floors and renting out the shop floor below would be nice - enclosing and airconditioning it all would all be less than 100K - the catch in Cambodia is property has to be in Khmer name unlike Thailand - not ready to trust that far any time in the immediate future - have heard way too many horror stories and I didnt just fall off the Durian Truck.

Da mouthing off for the camera

Phnom Penh street 19 Friday night

Sleepy Saturday afternoon in Phnom Penh

Sitting in the lobby of my previous hotel using their free wi-fi and sipping on Schweppes Tonic.  Breakfasted today on freshly made coffee - albeit Nestle crystals - not going to invest too heavily in coffee alchemy equipment at this time - orange juice and baguette and cheese - very nice - while Da was at market (loving my hot water kettle - I seem to be obsessed). She returned and made a wonderful lunch of cauliflower and pork sauteed in a delicious gravy substance - over the omnipresent rice was fabulous with just the right amount of fish sauce and peppers - culinary heaven - and for pennies. She tells me she works on Saturday nights - all news to me - she models at a beer garden - as far as I can determine this involves dressing up sexily (by conservative Khmer standards) - makeup - hair done up - bare midriff and posing on stage with the star singer - apparently she sings one song herself - they all watch TV and then repeat then come home - US$15 for 3 hours work - a great pay rate for a Cambodian farm girl - and no customer contact - no drinking she assures me - she wanted me to go along to watch - I will next week - this week it fits perfectly with me getting to watch English football undisturbed.

Phnom Penh Friday Night (I guess - have pretty much quit paying attention to days of the week).

Five thirty Friday evening in Phnom Penh - it is raining and the motorbikes seem to have been washed away - how else to explain the absence of the usual rush hour gridlock - where did they all go? The barbecued beef restaurant across the street just poured the charcoal into the cooker - I can smell last night’s remnants burning off the grill - such welcome delicious smoke (chnaang) - by six o’clock the last few nights the street in front was packed with bikes angle parked to the curb with millimeters between them as hungry homeward bound workers and students stopped by for dinner - where will his customers come from tonight? A single Toyota occupies the space - 3 people rather than 20 bikes with 2 or 3 people per bike..


The sounds of Khmer music come at me from every adjacent apartment and from across the street - surely one of the most foreign sounding of languages to our euro-centric experience made the more so by the overlaying of ten different simultaneous songs. I sit here on my balcony inches inside the dry zone from the roof overhang watching water pour from the extended PVC piping - I have finally stopped sweating - feeling cleansed from within - this place has all the benefits of a sauna - “Babs - her skin is like butter” - said in Mike Myers’ SNL voice. I could stay on this balcony for hours watching the activity below, breathing the cooking smells and listening to the soundtrack - in fact I probably will.

Phnom Penh update

Well this is night 5 in Phnom Penh and I have been way too busy to write much thus far. Three nights in hotel then we moved into a rental apartment - quite an experience. What followed then was a period of shopping for everything we needed to support human life - for the most part in a Khmer fashion. Unbelievable how cheaply we were able to achieve that goal - for about US$50 we had cooking facilities (a butane burner suitable for cooking indoors or out), an electric rice cooker, knives of various sizes and shapes, a wok, a frying pan, a large pot for soups, a chopping board and various other plastic storage receptacles. Don’t ask me how she did it - I just stood for about an hour slowly melting in the bowels of the Phnom Penh Psar Thmey (New Market) while she haggled bargained and occasionally made as if to leave.


The apartment is the top floor of a shop-house, the ground floor contains a shop, which one I have yet to take the time to figure out. Entry is through a men’s barbershop across a hair strewn floor, but through a windy series of stairways that isn’t the shop we ended up above (above which we ended) - I need to go to the street sometime and see what is actually below us. The second floor is residential and we seem to have the entire third floor. Huge tiled main room which opens through French doors onto balcony above the street. The apartment came with table and 4 chairs in that room and reasonably enough that is where we eat. Also in that huge room is the refrigerator and a new bed which was delivered on our move in day (paid for out of my first month rent )- that bed has remained unused - that will be the extra bed in case of visitors. In the same main rom is a brand new refrigerator also delivered on first day. The rolling kitchen unit lives in that room but can roll outside to cook.

Above the main room is a loft accessed by a steep set of steps which we have thus far used for storage but I think Da’s 19 year old brother will come stay with us and sleep up there.

Behind the main room is an outside area (albeit covered with corrugated aluminum roof) this is the outdoor cooking and laundry drying area - the bathroom/shower/toilet/laundry room is off the corner of this area - typical Southeast Asian facilities (but thankfully with a western toilet - that would have been a deal-breaker - no way I would squat for 2 months). No hot water but in this climate you certainly don’t need it.

Behind the outdoor area is the main bedroom - windows to the back onto some kind of communal walkway which seems to run most of the length of the block. We have good curtains. This room has the air-conditioner, large wardrobe, shelf unit and queen sized bed. This will be donated to guests should they appear.

In the Asian way all the windows and doors are barred and our final leg of the flights of steps has some kind of sliding security gate which looks as if it came from a medieval dungeon - I swear it would take a tank to get through it - that along with a very large padlock.

Returning to the subject of entering - initially we did enter through the barbershop and I noticed that tonight when Da went to pick up diner she went out that way - no idea whether that is the official okay way to come and go or whether it is just tolerated - guess I can test it by getting my soon to be needed haircut there (has it really been 5 weeks since I left Seattle?}. The other way of entry (and the only way after the store closes and bars its front) is through the back alley behind the apartments. This was almost as far as I got I was all ready to say no to the apartment when I saw it - a real third world slum alley although to be charitable it doesn’t stink and I have not encountered any dogs or other livestock (or rodents) - it is very dark and very low for me - the stairs are kind of scary but as you climb things get better and our place was already decidedly clean and airy - the landlady spent a day cleaning and then Da spent a further day so now it is spotless (relatively).

The residents do not yet seem to have adjusted to having this large headed pasty white Anglais living among them - although there are certainly thousands around town just not in their ’hood - there are astonished stares from little kids and giggles and pointing from girls and women - last night we were on the front balcony watching the lightning and I looked up to the roof - there were 5 girls on the roof leaning their heads over the edge and giggling - even though I was fully clothed!!!! I have become used to giggling when I am not but this was a first. Da seems to have befriended at least two of them as I just went to the bedroom and found that she has two of them in there watching TV with her - I was met with screams and giggles - I retreated back to my front balcony.

My only disquiet thus far is the fact that I cannot get Da to close the bedroom door when she has lights on - she has no care that bugs may be attracted - being native she is immune to such cares - the three of them are in there now with all the lights on and the door wide open - guess I will just have to get used to it - it was the same in Thailand - It does keep the power usage down that’s for sure - she uses a fan rather than the A/C - I don’t mind the little geckos - they are scared of me but the mosquitoes do bite - no malaria risk in PP but annoying when they buzz in your ear. Apparently power averages about US$30 for the month if you use A/C a lot - we don’t so I guess it will be way lower. I saw the water bill for 2 months from the previous occupant - the landlady was staying in just the airconditioned bedroom - her bill was about US$1.50 (dolar fifty for 2 months). We have cable - although I have no idea whether it is official or bootlegged - I suspect the latter. CNN/ESPN/HBO and almost every language you could name along with many Thai and Khmer channels - reception isn’t great but I suspect that may be the length of the cable - mybe I will invest in a signal booster box.

No internet at home but that’s okay it is apparently expensive. I will go to one of the many restaurants tomorrow which have free wifi and post this entry.

For now - her new friends seem to have gone - time for me to shower.

Netxt morning: Sitting at riverfront cafe having just had great coffee and club sandwich - the Cambodians do serve amazing coffee - something good left by the Fench.  Everywhere on the river has free wi-fi - for customers - this is where most of whitey is to be found down by the river not where I am living albeit it is only 3 blocks away. Da and her brother going shopping for more stuff while i am here - they dont want me with tem - they will pay about half the price if I am not there - excited to get an electric kettle and coffee mugs today so I can indulge myself - its the little pleasures which count.

Last night we only used the fan, no air conditioning and we were perfectly comfortable - power bills stand to go even lower.

Going to attempt to upload some pictures - will find out what kind of connection I have shortly - I think YouTube videos will have to wait - uploading and encoding takes forever which isnt practical from a cafe - cant possibly drink enough coffee to justify sitting here for 6 hours - will try uploading small mp4s directly to the blog maybe tomorow.

Laundry Day

I had 3 shirts, one t-shirt, 5 pairs underwear and 4 pairs socks washed, dried and ironed at little laundry stand across from the hotel - 24 hour turnaround - 100THB - that's about US$3.33 - yes three dollars thirty three - not a bad deal I think, plus they are the nicest people with the cutest 2 year old kid you could ever imagine.

Happy with my choice

I am very happy with the decision I made to buy the condo in Jomtien - took a walk out there today and found whole new pluses to the immediate area.  A great fresh food and meat market hidden across the street - no foreigners, just Thais, which means the prices will be about a third of those in the grocery stores which target the Farang.  New shophouse development going up right next to entry way to the complex - bound to be a laundry, a massage, a bar and a restaurant (and probably a 7-11 despite there being one 100m up the street).  The distance from the beach is just right - enough to keep the area peaceful yet only 10 minutes walk. Jomtien Beach is totally different than Pattaya - wide, clean and mostly Thai families enjoying their day off - you dont get accosted every 10m by some female (and some not female) inquiring "where you go - I go with you?" - not that there's anything wrong with that - it has its time and place but gets a little old after a while.  Almost made a big mistake - filming as I walked rather than watching where I was going, encountered a soft piece where they are building a new road and went over on my ankle - thankfully heard no snap and was able to walk on it for about another hour with minor pain - that could have put a cramp on the plans as I am flying to Cambodia tomorrow - will be more careful in the future.
Video later when I get around to uploading it.

Water water everywhere...

Woke up this morning to flooded streets - I never even heard the rain - not an uncommon event at this time of the year and in this less than perfectly designed city  fortunately they do a far better job designing the buildings with high curbs - several streets leading to the beach were torrential rivers washing away the sand as they cascaded into the sea.  Had an appointment with the condo sales guy and I needed to go drop off some laundry so I did my share of wading in flip-flops through some rather unsavory water. A few pictures attached.

Evidently a Dutchman designed this underground garage:

Bangkok afternoon

Took the Skytrain down to the river - level was higher than I have ever seen and there was furious sandbag work going on and some anniversarycelebration of some group - took a walk back to the central business area - here is some video.

Soi Cowboy - a quiet stroll

The reason for this particular street continues to elude me (as far as you know) - there seems to be great concern on the part of many young women regarding "where you going" and there seem to be an excessive number of ATM machines - I just don't understand - but interesting nonetheless.

Thai late night TV

Hmm maybe TV was an inappropriate abbreviation considering...

First you have to understand that Thailand doesn't allow anything overtly sexual on television - all stars in even the most salacious soap opera are fully clothed and any sex is very remotely hinted at - the following was an amazing departure (in my mind) from the normal:

Late night Thai television ad for something approaching the Thai version of Viagra - presumably herbal.

Cute girl in bed - man who actually looked old enough to be her father - comes into bedroom - she looks appealingly at him (in that Thai girl way) -he looks concerned and looks down at his crotch and shakes his head.
Mysteriously they are now in Muay Thai (boxing)ring in shorts and t-shirts with boxing gloves - big ones not Muay Thai ones.

She beckons with one glove in a bring-it-on manner.

He shuffles forward but is unable to raise his arms - significant do you think?

She repeatedly punches him in the head.

Still he offers no action.

She delivers a straight leg kick to the groin - he goes down (no - not in that way).

His cornerman is yelling at him = pulls out a package that looks just like the Viagra and Cialis they sell on the street to us "old" farang (as far as you know).

He pulls out a pill and flicks it across the ring right into the dude's mouth.

He immediately jumps up - adopts a combative pose and charges at the girl.

We hear a scream from her.

Next frame we see her snuggled in bed with a post-orgasmic glow on her face and the guy is asleep next to her.

Sure beats having a NASCAR car emblazoned with "Viagra".

Only on late night TV I am sure.

Thought you would enjoy this example of how Thailand is changing but yet not quite.

Rainy morning in Bangkok

Just chilling outside my hotel - nothing much happens - just if you want to se how I wasted awy this morning with a book while it rained.

ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK - Out to dinner at my favorite restaurant

A brief summary of the 5 minute walk from my hotel to my favorite Bangkok restaurat\nt for a typically fabulous dinner. What you see here is Issan style seafood salad (I gurantee it is too spicy for almost anyone I know) and Phad See Eew Gai (panfried rice noodles with chicken gravy and greens) - about $6 and as good as you can get - 2 beers at about $2 each and a very happy tummy (and burning lips).

Ferry Hull to Zeebrugge and walk around Brugges Slideshow

Took the overnight ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge then spent a rainy grey day walking around the historic town of Brugges. Home of Belgian chocolate, decorative lace and waffles. Then the overnight ferry back home again.

If this is Monday it must be Belgium...

Tonight the overnight ferry to Zeebrugge (casino, bars, showroom) - Monday a sightseeing day in the medieval city of Brugges - then the ferry back again - what P&O Ferries call a "minicruise" - all for the equivalent of about $50 - pictures to follow.

Yorkshire Coast Slideshow

A slideshow movie of various pictures taken on the coast over the last week or so.

hornsea trip

A drive out to another English coastal resort town - more views of the countryside where I grew up - my Grandparents lived out here so we knew every inch of the area shown. Excuse my Mom's driving.

Indoor Squirrel Hunting - the Final Showdown

Mano a Rodent - the Battle for all the Nuts

Indoor squirrel hunting

I left the door open for a few minutes to let in some air - next thing i knew i was in a life or death struggle with a vicious lightening fast rodent. At one point towards the end you see a shot of the leg of my jeans - it was at that point it sprang at my leg and tried to climb me like a tree - mercifully I was able to swat it before it reached the chewy parts... Picture quality is not great but the video was shot under extreme duress. Last minute or so picture breaks up - see part 2 the Final Battle.

Scarborough trip

A day trip to windy Victorian seaside resort town - a glimpse of the English countryside outside my hometown

From the Phnom Penh Post

This story could pretty much just have included the first and third sentences and it would have applied almost anywhere in the world:

FOREIGNERS FIGHT ON STREET 51


An Australian, a Scotsman and an Irishman walked into a bar Thursday night and started bashing each other, municipal police said. A security guard at the establishment – the Walkabout Hotel and Bar on streets 51 and 174 – sustained a head injury while trying to break up the scuffle. Neighbours described the event as not uncommon. The three men were taken into custody and will face charges in connection with the incident, police said.

Videos in progress

Seems to be awfully slow uploading to YouTube and then having them "process" the videos - I guess i could go complain to my Mom's neighbour that his internet connection just isn't fast enough but since I am using it for free that might not be politically expedient.  So the videos will be there tomorrow - or tonight if you are in the colonies - because i am going to bed - it is really weird going back to your childhood bedroom after 30 years - I moved into that bedroom when I was 2 years old and back then it seemed large - now - not so much.  Hmmm there's an idea for another video - a tour of my Mom's house - she will kill me.  I took my niece to lunch last week - we went for a long walk in the park behind the house - both of us grew up in that park (at different times obviously) - we were reminiscing and remarking on the various remodel and improvement projects they have carried out over the years - her verdict - "it is really kind of sad when you get old and things change" - she is 21 - considers she is "old" = OMG....