Festive England and Thailand from afar....

With a good night's sleep I think the daughter is now on a UK clock and seems full of energy and ready for today's party. Even over here I'm not free from the torture of kid's parties. We're heading up to North Wales to some friends for their daughter's sixth birthday party. Oh, the joy!

Here in the land of silence all is, well, er, silent. From living in Bangkok, rural England seems even quieter than I remember. At night the sky is full of stars, easily visible as there is virtually no light pollution and the only sound other than the odd fox or owl is from the distant, and rare, hum of a car.

Thailand is in the news, though not headline stuff. I read the FT on the plane from Singapore and the world view is that Thailand might be about to make a monumental shot in its own foot. With alterations to foreign holdings in Thai companies and the possibility of large multi-nationals being forced to sell their shares to Thais, suggestions of Thai Airways buying out of the stock market in order to return all holdings to Thai hands etc etc, the feeling is that Thailand is about to make itself unattractive to foreign investors. On top of this there is that military government which brought itself to power contrary to the normal rules of democracy. Regardless of how well it is doing or how bad the previous government was the idea of a military government doesn't sit well on foreign ears.

Personally I don't think it will be a problem. If there is money to be made in Thailand then foreign money will find its way in regardless of how many restrictions the government slaps on it. Thailand is a country that just seems to get away with whatever it likes and the world either chooses to ignore it or quietly turns the proverbial blind eye and swallows whatever crap Thailand comes up with.

Saddam is dead. Yes, executed today for his various crimes against his own people and general thuggery over his 25 years in power. Not sure what to think about that. End of an era.

Cold as it is it's nice being back here at this time of year. Festive wintry England with its open log fires, English beer and general yule-tide cheer. There's a lot to miss about England.

Festive England and Thailand from afar....

Jet-lag..

29/12/06
Managed about two hours sleep before the daughter was jumping up and down on the bed singing and demanding attention. Finally I gave in at 5am, having gone to bed at 2am and slept until 4am, and reluctantly got up.

The daylight hours of this time of year are going to take some getting used to. 7.30am and it is still completely dark and showing no signs of getting light. At this time of year it gets dark at about 4.30pm which will no doubt cause a great deal of confusion for the daughter.

Jet-lag

Life Out East - back west for a month...

So now back in deepest darkest rural Herefordshire, near the Welsh border, where the sky is full of stars and the loudest thing at night is the silence. Having been awake for nearly forty-eight hours now I find that I'm suffering from one of my regular bouts of insomnia. So, it's time to catch up on some computer work whilst watching TV - the excellent Ronin is on.

Very good flight with Singapore Airways, up to their usual standards. My only complaint being that the children's meals, for the daughter, were full of junk food rather than anything substantial. The only other thing is that the planes seem to be getting old and are starting to look a bit tatty. But then I guess Airbus could be to blame for that by being late with the delivery of the new 19 A380 on order.

First time flying out of the new Suwarnabhumi Airport. Yep, it really is a shopping mall with planes in. Once you get through to departures it's just like being in Paragon or Emporium. Not a good feeling at all. Thankfully I was flying with Singapore Airways and not Thai Airways as the whole of the Thai Airways check-in area was in complete chaos with the biggest queues I've ever seen at an airport. I can see why so many people are complaining.

Anyone getting VAT refunds at the airport take note: you have to get your receipt and documents stamped outside near the check-in area and then receieve your refund inside, after you have gone through passport control. If you check-in and then pass through passport control without geting your stamp then the VAT refund will not happen. I'm sure I've heard of this happening all ready.

Life Out East - back west for a month...

Setting sail for colder climes and an amusing pic...

Another day with the wife in attendance, her last of the holiday until next week. Been busy saying goodbye to family and trying not to forget to buy last minute Christmas gifts for people back home. Though I managed to forget most. Still it's all finished now and presumably our presence alone will be enough (written with a smile).

Given all the bad press Suwarnabhumi Airport is getting just recently I can't say the thought of going there again is very appealing. With an estimated 1.5billion baht of corrections to be made to bring it up to scratch it doesn't inspire confidence. Just hope they've fixed those runway cracks now.

If I'm not mistaken the short-lived Thai winter has been particularly short-lived this year. Gone are the lovely cold evenings, both of them, and now there's a definite rise of temperature. Though it isn't yet back to its usually sweltering self Bangkok is warming up again. In the north the temperatures have fallen as low as 0c (at the tops of mountains) and in the south the waves have been causing chaos and flooding. Here in Bangkok all is just dandy. The papers reported some frost on a flower perched up a hill somewhere up north. Gangs of Thais decked out in woolly clothes traipsed up there to inspect the small pieces of frost that had collected on a few leaves and take far too many photos.

Well, soon be leaving this mad country and heading for the sanity of Blighty where the shops are no doubt preparing for Easter whilst the government debates whether or not it is PC to celebrate it. It's only a few months since my last visit but I'm sure prices will have risen and the average house price will now be beyond the affordability of just about everyone. Something else would have been banned and petrol (gas for American readers) will be more than a hundred quid a gallon. Maybe Thailand isn't so mad.

Here's an amusing pic that appeared in my inbox. Enjoy!


Setting sail for colder climes and an amusing pic...

Post Christmas come down, De-ja vu and Suawarnabhumi....

So everything has finished now. Presents have been given and received and there's a mountain of paper and boxes ready for recycling. Months of hype and now all over. In a few days there's the new year celebrations and then heads down for another 365 days.

Took the wife to see the new school for the daughter this morning. Went well. She's reasonably impressed by what she saw. Lots of renovations and improvements going on throughout the holiday ready for term start next month. I've requested information regarding the foreign teachers' backgrounds. Slightly paranoid maybe but I'd like to know who I'm entrusting my daughter with and if they're qualified to be teaching whatever subject they happen to be teaching. Interesting to see if they do provide what I'm after.

Went to see De-ja vu earlier. Hmm. Lets just say not the best film I've seen. Reasonable entertainment but so far-fetched that it's off the scale. I've never driven a Hummer, and wouldn't on environmental grounds alone, but just how tough are they? There's one scene where one gets smashed into half the cars in the town and then has a head on with an articulated lorry and drives away with not much more than the odd scratch. I wouldn't rush out to see it if you haven't already. There were three couples in the cinema, including us.

Not long now until we're leaving Bangkok and headed back to cold and foggy England. It's going to be a shock to the system even with the temperatures low here.

Bangkok's new Suwarnabhumi Airport is still making the press daily. Looks like a lot of the contracts given were dodgy and are in line for being scrapped. The build quality is such that there's talk of reopening Don Muang whilst they give Suwarnabhumi an over-haul. I'm sure common sense will eventually prevail and Bangkok will get two international airports.


Post Christmas come down, De-ja vu and Suawarnabhumi....

Christmas in Thailand, cocaine in Spain....

Downtown street scene, Silom area. No reason, just Thailand

Christmas in Thailand! So, not my first but the first with a child. And to be honest it just didn't feel like Christmas at all. Definitely that little something missing, apart from snow of course and a the obligatory Bond movie. The daughter was mildly excited and took a few hours to become enthusiastic about this year's presents, which left Santa feeling a bit pissed off.

Went into town for lunch. Christmas day lunch at the Landmark Hotel in town. Hmmm. Normally this place is good and serves up good food but today it was sadly lacking. Stodgy and bland and completely cold. No hint of Christmas pud, except some sad offering that was mint flavoured and a chocolate cake that had overdosed on sugar and then caramelized itself. No, sad disappointment and cost too much. Like I say, normally the Landmark Hotel is a good place for western food but not today.

Other than that, and numerous Skype video calls back to the UK, it has been a quiet day.

Apparently the Spanish are big into cocaine. I had no idea. They reckon about 94% of the bank notes in Spain have traces of cocaine. Spain is one of the biggest consumers of cocaine, or Charlie or coke or whatever else it is called these days. I didn't know that either. Can we expect to see down and out Spaniards licking euros in an attempt at getting high in the near future?

Keep looking at details of Apple laptops. I'm starting to get hooked on the idea of a change over at some time in the future. They just look great, come loaded and aren't too expensive. I know a few people who use them and swear by them. Maybe.

Christmas in Thailand, cocaine in Spain....

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL WHO HAVE TAKEN AN INTEREST IN THIS BLOG!!!



Sincere thanks to you all.

Tired...

A full day of entertaining and being entertained. Wife's family here this morning until after lunch and then out all afternoon until the evening celebrating Christmas with friends for the kids. Sadly we haven't actually planned anything for tomorrow so it could turn out to be a bit of a let down once all the gifts are opened.

Christmas seems to have been taken to new levels of commercialism here in Bangkok. You really can't escape it. At every shop it's completely in your face hard sell, and tacky glitz wherever you look. News is that more Christmas decorations are being sold in Thailand than back in the UK. Largely because most companies (I'm told 75%) have had to ban celebrations of Christmas for fear of offending Muslims and thereby possibly being sued. A sad state of affairs if true. My wife and I once lived next to a Muslim family who weren't in the slightest bit bothered by our festivities.

The wave and storm stricken south is still not managing to make the front pages here, though widely reported on Thai TV. Apparently there are many people still stranded on Koh Tao where they're suffering from a lack of oil for generators that power many of the establishments. Having been to Koh Tao I still can't imagine any foreigner being too sad about being stuck there, it's a very nice island.

Too much red wine to concentrate anymore.

Tired...

Buddhists taking Christmas holiday, security and Slade...

It's a Buddhist country but an awful lot of people seem to be celebrating Christmas. The moo baan is quiet. Many of the neighbours have gone looking for sand and sea for Christmas, even though there's no official holiday. I'm not complaining, it leaves us in a quiet moo baan. All except a dog yapping somewhere.

The guards on the moo baan were recently changed, and we now have a new security firm looking after us. These guys take their job very seriously and the place is like Fort Knox. There's the usual security like taking ID from any car that is not from here and checking occupants riding in taxis but they also follow every vehicle and check to see where they go within the estate/complex/compound (whatever it is). They're constantly riding around the sois and radioing back on two-way radios. I don't know just how necessary this level of security is but it's nice knowing someone is watching your back.

I thought I'd avoid it living in Thailand but today I heard Slade's, Merry Xmas Everybody, from way back in the seventies. OK, so what did I expect listening to radio from the UK? With two days until Christmas I thought I managed possibly the first ever festive season without hearing it. At least by the time we get back there it should be off the playlists and back to normal radio. Everyone moans about it, including me, but it's got to be one of the best Christmas songs ever. It's a bit of fun and not to be taken too seriously and, sorry for this but, here it is:




Buddhists taking Christmas holiday, security and Slade...

Storms in the south, elephants and cold in Thailand....

Mahoot in Ayutthaya with the dreaded hook used to "control" it. We witnessed one poor sod getting a beating with one of these because it wouldn't walk backwards quick enough.

For the last few days the southern coast of Thailand has been battered by storms and waves reaching up to 4m in height. 1500 fishing boats have been grounded, hundreds of families have been affected and something like 15 houses have simply been washed away. For some reason the papers have been a bit reticent about reporting this. In today's Bangkok Post is was given a small space on the inside pages whilst JK Rowling and the latest edition of the Harry Potter series of books took the front page. Playing down a disaster so as not to have any impact on tourism perhaps?

OK, indulge me, I'm going to moan here. Also in the Bangkok Post there was a big photo of a five year old elephant entertaining school kids in Ayutthaya. The poor thing was dressed as Santa and sitting down spinning a hula-hoop on its trunk. I just don't see that promoting such a magnificent beast as purely a source of entertainment is a good thing. What message does this send to kids? How can the next generation be expected to have a serious attitude to towards conservation if this is the image of an endangered animal that is promoted.

Temperatures in Bangkok are expected to drop to 15c today. Luuuvely! The sun still shines but it is comfortable. The wife is wrapped up in a thick jumper and complaining about the cold, saying her skin is drying and cracking. Hmm, a spot of exaggeration I feel. Up on the peaks of some of the highest hills/mountains in the north it is expected to fall to between 0-3c. The problem is that the natives of those areas are never prepared for the cold and have all sorts of problems and there's a last minute scramble in Bangkok to get foreigners and locals to donate warm clothes. Begs the question: why not prepare earlier in the year?

Moan and gripe over. Back to preparations for first of the weekend's guests.

Storms in the south, elephants and cold in Thailand....

Christmas triple whammy, this blog in the press and pampered pooches...

Inside the Forbidden City, Beijing, China. Taken last year.

The big day draws closer and the daughter becomes more agitated and curious about what Santa will be bringing for her. By default she'll be getting a triple helping of Christmas this year. We're celebrating Christmas on Christmas eve with some German friends in Bangkok. Santa delivers to German households on Christmas eve apparently so she'll be doing some present opening there. Then on Christmas day she gets the main haul, all over by about 8am I guess. And as she's going back to the UK after Christmas she'll be getting presents that Santa has left over there for her. Me thinks this is too much.

Many thanks to Matt here. His weekly column in the Guru magazine supplement that comes with the Bangkok Post was about bloggers and blogging this week. In it he mentioned this blog - first mention in the press. He described it as: a tidy, efficient reflection of day-to-day observations. Cheers Matt. If we ever meet I'll buy you a beer.

It is now comfortably cool here in Bangkok. The temperature currently 64f (18c) and the sun is shining brightly. It's cool in the shade but not exactly cold. Still, Thais are shivering and grumbling about the cold weather and generally feeling it. The wife toddled off to the office this morning in shirt and jumper warning the daughter that she'll get pneumonia if she doesn't wear a jacket today. You can bet your boots she would have had the air-con on in the car though, the thought of opening the windows wouldn't have occurred.

The pampered pooches of the moo baan are currently to be seen decked-out in fancy jackets. Come on, I mean really! Does a dog really need a jacket in Thailand? These dogs could brave sub-zero temperatures quite happily without recourse to the latest fashion labels. The poor little sods are panting and look clearly uncomfortable and embarrassed in front of the much tougher street dogs.

Christmas triple whammy, this blog in the press and pampered pooches...

Crazy kids, foreign beggars, and bands of the eighties...

Overcast beach, Koh Chang, Thailand

Left the daughter with one of her school friends today for several hours. First time she's really done this for more than an hour. She had a great time and when I collected her she looked like she'd an accident with a paint truck. The two of them had discovered her mate's mum's make-up and gone wild with it.

Down on Sukhumvit road today I saw, for the first time I think, a foreign beggar on the streets. Huddled in a shop doorway with a sign saying he was 7,000 baht away from getting a flight home and would do work for cash. Needs food etc. Oddly enough he didn't look too much like a beggar and certainly wasn't malnourished. He was young, fit, healthy looking and clean shaven. I'm sure I read somewhere about him a few weeks ago and he was after 7,000 baht then too. Either it's not going to well or he's on the scam.

I've been approached before by foreigners with the hard luck story about losing their tickets and trying to scrape enough cash together for a ticket out but never seen one actually sitting and begging. I'd be interested to know how much he makes with this.

I check out a blog here regularly which has a weekly "song from the eighties" section. It's started quite a topic of conversation about eighties music, quite interesting. Makes me wonder, what would be the best band of the eighties? The best one hit wonder? And the band/song that most symbolises the eighties? Any takers?

Crazy kids, foreign beggars, and bands of the eighties...

Property market Thailand...

First Thai micro-light. Knocked-up in the early nineties by a retiree from the Thai air force. This thing is a seriously basic micro-light.

Looks like it could be a hot one today. The sun is shining and could heat up later on, though still much more bearable than the normal Thai weather.

Another trip into town today. The daughter is off to her friend's house and I have free time.

Stock market managed to rebound from the one day crash caused by previously discussed silly policy. There are now fears that it might have dented confidence in the property sector. Obviously if you're investing money in Thailand for property and you have to add on a further 30% it's not such a good deal.

I'm surprised that foreigners are still trying to buy property in Thailand anyway. It's recently been made almost impossible and a huge risk. Condominiums are OK, foreigners can own the things outright, as long as no more than 49% of the entire building is in foreign hands. Hence the ongoing construction of some really amazing condos downtown, all priced high and aimed at the foreign market.

Leasing is also a possibility for foreigners in Thailand. You can get a 30 year lease and they are only permitted to give one 30 year extension, so the maximum length you can have the property is 60 years. So inheritance is out of the question. You can buy a house but not the land beneath it. So, if you lease a plot of land and build a house you have to be prepared for giving that house and land back to the landlord sometime in the future. Fine if you're really that desperate to live in Thailand but probably not best economic sense. I guess if you could lease the property and use it as a holiday home and rent it out when you're not using it then maybe it could be a good idea financially. Though I'm sure it is illegal for foreigners to rent property out here.

I know many Thais who own property in the UK which I find very annoying. We are completely open and allow anyone to buy property, businesses etc and it's rarely reciprocated. A tad one sided me thinks.

Property market Thailand...

US marijuana, the Landy, and presents for kids...

Thai street trader taking it easy.

A new study has shown that Marijuana (ganja, weed etc) is the biggest cash crop in the US, greater than wheat and corn together at US$35billion annually. Not sure how that compares with other global producers of Marijuana but that really is quite a haul. And it's illegal. Surely there's an economic argument for legalising it; even a 5% tax on that little lot would bring the national coffers a cool US$1.75billion annually. Convert that to hospitals or schools and factor in the extra employment and it sounds like a good deal. Even compensating for the odd percentage of users who abuse the stuff and suffer side effects it still looks like a winner for the economy and society. Just a thought.

Used the Land Rover again today, first time since last week. Clutch problem fixed, just a leakage, and now it seems to be working better than ever (said with hand firmly attached to wood). Given the recent "wintery" drop in temperature there's no need for the air-con so hurtling along with the windows open and a cool breeze was almost like being back home.

Is there a recommended quantity of presents for kids? Are there upper and lower limits on the number of presents Santa should be expected to deposit, at ma and pa's expense, at Christmas? We've bought what I guess is quite a lot. Make that, I've bought quite a lot. The wife is of the "no more than two gifts" school of thought whereas I'm more in the "she's our only child and daddy's little girl so go mad" school.

We have some friends who favour one gift and know of people who go completely over the top and really do spoil unnecessarily. We're running at six so far, including two biggies, and one or two small items maybe to follow. Is that too much? Does that constitute spoiling? Just one of the things that a parent worries about.

US marijuana, the Landy, and presents for kids...

Funny stories and Christmas shopping in Bangkok...

And the news from Thailand. Yesterday morning it was announced that there would be new rules governing currency movement in the kingdom. 30% would be kept from all transactions and 20% returned when the money left the country. It was a bit more involved than that but that's it in a nut shell. The response was the biggest one day fall in the stock market's 31 year history.

The screech of brakes as the government performed the quickest u-turn in history could be heard for miles. Apparently there is no one to blame and the press shouldn't waste time pointing fingers in anyone's direction, said the guy responsible for what has been described as an utter disaster.

The new government is also keen to stamp out corruption in the Thai police force and give their tactics a makeover. Excellent idea, and maybe they can stop them from hanging out in gangs extorting money from innocent motorists at the same time.

Apparently there's a problem with undercover cops too. They just don't get the "undercover" part of their job. It seems they all go out on undercover ops wearing skin tight black t-shirts, black bomber jackets, dark shades, a lot of bling jewellery and a great deal of bad-ass cop attitude (I blame American TV).

The guy in charge of the changes told them they need to be more like James Bond. Hmmm. So if in the future you see a load of Thai guys in tuxedos driving old Aston Martins, sipping dry martinis and giving it some serious eyebrow movement you know there's a secret police op underway. James Bond, the most known and recognised "spy" in history. "Wait a minute, you're that English secret agent, from England", words of American tourist in Thailand, The Man with the Golden Gun.

We did the Christmas shopping last night. Well, most of it. Christmas shopping in Bangkok courtesy of Paragon and Central World. They are enormous and trying to get around them, and between them in limited time is like running a marathon, carrying shopping bags.

I've learnt to appreciate these places. The service is excellent. Even staff that couldn't speak English were helpful. It costs a bit more but a much better experience than banging your head against the wall with the dicks at places like Panthip Plaza. And when the woman at the True shop told me to come back if there was any problem and she would sort it I felt confident that she will keep to her word, unlike another shop I won't mention again.

The children of Thailand have been asked to donate one baht each to go towards setting up children's TV programming. Hmmm.

Request: Does anyone know where I can get original software in Bangkok? I'm looking for Adobe Premier Elements.

Funny stories and Christmas shopping in Bangkok...

Learning Thai and Bangkok Taxis....

I've been thinking that I really need to improve my command of the Thai language if I'm going to stay here, which it looks more like being the case. We're all reasonably settled, despite me not actually being in gainful employment and struggling to find a way to earn a crust.

I'm kind of conversational in Thai but I'm still a bit rusty and my vocabulary and knowledge of the Thai grammar needs improvement. I'd also like to learn to write. I taught myself to write Thai many years ago but now I can only write my name.

Thai language schools and teachers are a plenty in Bangkok but I'm not a good student. I've never actually studied Thai as such, just picked it up. The best way is by talking and asking questions. Most of my experience came from talking to taxi drivers, an excellent source of experience.

Mostly taxi conversation is based on the drivers many mistresses and ability to drink copious amounts of Singha beer. Every now and then you get an interesting one. Today I had an old guy of 68 who came from Lopburi province. He couldn't speak a word of English but we had a great conversation and he told me all about how he'd moved to Bangkok when he was 15. He was a policeman in the department responsible for royal security and then took to the taxi 25 years ago.

When I asked him about his feelings about taxi driving compared to being in the police he explained that the taxi was much better. Issarapab - freedom. He worked when he liked and how hard he liked and didn't have superiors breathing down his neck continuously. Life is good, life is easy and he meets a wide range of people, though not all good. We went on to talk about how Bangkok has changed over his 53 years here. Basically it has gone downhill. He felt life was better in the past and Bangkok used to be a more picturesque city with less hassle.

I envy people like this. He even spoke in a relaxed manner and it was clear that everything in his life was truly mai pen rai - nevermind. A true embodiment of the traditional Thai spirit of taking it easy.

I learnt a few new words and got some practice. An excellent way to learn Thai. I might still have a few lessons but taxis will always be a big part of my Thai learning curve.


Learning Thai and Bangkok Taxis....

Topless speed bandits...

I saw this and just had to put it up. The latest method to stop speeding in Denmark. So typically European, so un-PC, just great. hats off to the Danes for innovation. Would it work in Thailand?

Follow here.

Topless speed bandits...

Shopping in Bangkok - arghhh!

Fountain in Ayuthaya - no particular reason, I just like it.

OK, I'm trying not to be negative here but there's a distinctly bitter taste in my mouth. Entertaining the daughter and taking her to some bookshops aside I had two objectives for this afternoon's trek to downtown Bangkok and sadly achieved neither.

I recently bought an expensive Canon digital SLR camera. Nothing wrong with that except I bought it from Pantip Plaza - big mistake. From a shop on the second floor (first in the UK system), not far from the top of the up escalator, called AV Center that "specialises" in digital cameras. Within days of buying the thing the auto-focus stopped working. I couldn't do anything about it as I was back in the UK at the time. I checked with a local shop there and they confirmed that it was the lens and not the body that was at fault.

Today I finally got around to taking it in to try and get something done under the "Thai guarantee". The sellers were all smiles when I went in, until I told them I had a problem. Then they became uncooperative and rude, trying to avoid me and avoid giving the answer we all knew was coming. And the answer being: guarantees in Thailand are worth sod-all. It came out in the end. This is not the first time I've had this problem in Thailand. I don't want to appear negative about the place, I like Thailand and I enjoy living here most of the time but customers get zilch protection. A case of caveat emptor.

The second objective was to buy some legal software. Stop laughing, it's true. I want Adobe Premiere Elements (called something like that) in its original format and legal. Possible? Not a chance. IT Square, Pantip Plaza, Data IT, Central World, Power Buy and Paragon. Any chance? None. Try asking sellers for legal software and they laugh. I asked a guy at an "IT" shop in Paragon straight: Is it possible to buy legal, original software in Thailand (except MS Office and Norton)? His faced turned red and he laughed, very embarrassed: I don't think so sir, Thai people like copy.

Some years back a company in China started selling fake Singha Beer in China. You could hear the collective squeal for thousands of miles. How dare China copy a Thai product without paying fair dues? Hmmmm!!

Shopping in Bangkok - arghhh!

Thai street food and Lonely Planet recommendations....

At last the weather is starting to feel more wintry. The wife has dug out her woolly jumpers and I'm working on the computer and not sweating profusely. Happy days!

I mentioned in yesterday's post that the place we stayed at in Ayuthaya offered a very sanitised version of Thai food, adapted to what they think westerners want. This is something that has long annoyed me in Thailand and I've heard it mentioned by others too, so not just a personal gripe.

Looks nice but didn't taste quite so good, prawn fried rice (for the wife) and veggie spring rolls.

I've thought for a long time the best place to get Thai food is on the street or in cheap street restaurants. Hotels and expensive restaurants in Thailand charge over the odds for lesser quality fare. Sure it's cleaner but the taste is not nearly as good as the good old street nosh.

Veggie boat noodle from a street stall - delicious!

Fried rice on the street, with a good dollop of fish sauce (I'm not vegan yet), is about 25 baht and delicious whereas in a good restaurant you'll be paying at least 60 baht and often over a 100 baht and for something that lacks the soul of its street-side counterpart. Pad Thai is another example. The taste of Pad Thai from a street stall can't be touched by the more costly offerings of hotels and expensive restaurants. I've eaten some of these simple Thai dishes at some of the best restaurants in Bangkok and compared to what you get on the street they are bland and set you back a silly amount of money.

The exception to the rule is when you want western food or when you're at a beach. I've found a good restaurant or hotel is the best place for foreign food and street vendors on beaches are a good way to get ill. Just personal experience.

Whilst in Ayuthaya we tried a few Lonely Planet Thailand recommendations. The LP highly recommended a restaurant on Rotchana Road called Moradok-Thai. The place was empty, the service not so good and when the food arrived we found maggots in one of the dishes. I kid you not - maggots! They were in a plate of fried vegetables which all three of us had eaten from and worryingly we also found half a maggot. This is true, not copying any myth or joke. We called the senior waitress who examined the maggots and toddled off. That was it. No apology or explanation - nothing. I wouldn't even mention it if this was a street stall but it was a pricey, by Thai standards, restaurant with a good selection of wines on the menu and dishes starting at 150 baht. Not a good experience.

Our other Lonely Planet Thailand recommendation turned out equally disastrous. LP is a great guide but I've often found their food suggestions lacking. But then they can't be expected to traipse around all the restaurants in the kingdom and get everything right. Still the best guide book on offer.

Anyone for insects? Not everything on the street is good.

The Bangkok Post reports that Taksin's wife, if found guilty of corruption and insider dealing charges, could face a fine of 60,000 baht. Well gee-wizz, that's going to hurt her. Just over US$1000 for the wife of a billionaire. They must be terrified of the outcome! Maybe they'll have to make some cut backs and sell the holiday pad in London.


Thai street food and Lonely Planet recommendations....

Weekend in Ayuthaya...

Returned from the weekend in Ayuthaya. Left the car and went by train. Though Thailand's trains are not the cleanest by a long stretch they are cheap and a great way to see the country. Bangkok to Ayuthaya 20 baht for non-air and 40 baht air-con. This time of year there's no real need for air-con anyway.


Ayuthaya is not the most exciting place on earth but ideal for a weekend relaxing, away from the chaos and traffic of Bangkok. If temples are your thing then they are two a penny. Mostly dating back to Ayuthaya's heyday as Thailand's capital, which ended in the seventeen hundreds due to it being sacked by the Burmese. It seems like the whole place is one big historical park with ancient ruins wherever you look.


As for travelling with children, as we were (child), I repeat, it's not the most exciting place on earth. The daughter is only three so can't really be expected to be that interested in the ruins of ancient temples. I've never been one for temples either and frankly I'm all templed out at the moment. The only other place I want to visit in order to see temples is Sukothai, another old capital. Maybe next year.


We stayed at Baan Kun Pra on U-Thong Road. I stayed there about twelve years ago. It's an eighty year old teak house that's been sympathetically updated and adapted into a small guest house. Conditions are basic but it gives a great feel of old Thai style living. They charge a standard fee of 600 baht per night, regardless of season. The low point is the food, generally sanitized Thai food adapted to what they think foreigners like - the result being a bland offering.

When I get chance I'll write more here.

Weekend in Ayuthaya...

No Angkor Wat and a huge alligator...

Ah, well, Angkor Wat will have to wait. Can't be bothered to make the journey for one night so we'll leave it for another time. Going somewhere more local instead. Early start in the morning I guess.

Found this pic of an alligator making off with a deer in my inbox. That is big!

No Angkor Wat and a huge alligator...

Weekend break to Angkor Wat and clever vegetarians....

Last day of school for the daughter and then I become full-time baby-sitter until she starts school again. Arghh! Work will be difficult: "No, daddy, let your computer have a rest. Come here..." Attention is demanded!

Looking into going to Angkor Wat for the weekend. Don't want to fly, for environmental reasons, if I can help it so options are either drive to the border and then cross, or bus/train. Starting to look like a lot of effort for a short time. The wife has to be back for work on Sunday so we only have a few days.

It's official, we vegetarians are smarter than meat eaters! Check-out this article from Reuters:

LONDON (Reuters) - Children with high IQs are more likely to be vegetarians when they grow up, according to research reported on Friday.

A study of more them 8,000 men and women aged 30 whose IQs had been measured when they were 10, showed that the higher the IQ, the greater the odds of being a vegetarian.

"People who are more intelligent as children, who will obviously keep that intelligence when they are 30, were more likely to say they are vegetarians at that age than those that were less intelligent," said Dr Catherine Gale, an epidemiologist at the University of Southampton.

She added the findings, which are published online by the British Medical Journal, were consistent with other studies showing people who are more intelligent tend to eat a healthier diet and exercise more.

"There is quite a lot of evidence linking vegetarianism to a lower risk of heart disease. People who are vegetarians tend to have lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and they do have a lower risk of dying from coronary heart disease," Gale added.

For each 15-point rise in IQ scores in the study, the likelihood of being a vegetarian rose by 38 percent. Even after adjusting to factors such as social class and education, the link was still consistent.

More than 33 percent of the men and women in the study described themselves as vegetarians but said they ate white meat and fish. Just over four percent were strict vegetarians and 2.5 percent were vegans, who eat no animal products at all, including eggs and dairy.

Coincidentally I was measured with a high IQ when I was 10 years old. But, contrary to what they state in that article, I'm sure I've lost a fair bit of that intelligence over the years. Vegetarianism is the way forward!

Weekend break to Angkor Wat and clever vegetarians....

Vegetarian food in Bangkok and feeling low about schools....

I've come to the conclusion that, despite what you'll read elsewhere, Thailand is not the best place for a vegetarian. Thai food is nice but it is mostly meat-based.

I've somehow got out of the habit of cooking for myself during the day so potato is almost completely out of my diet too. For the first time today I actually felt like something is missing from my diet. Giving up meat was easy, no problem. Never really liked meat that much anyway and never felt comfortable with the way animals are kept prior to being slaughtered for meat so giving up meat was easy. However it left a gap in my diet and today is the first time I've ever really felt that.

I eat a lot of salad and fried rice, once I've explained how to make it without meat. Pasta is readily available and tofu is in a lot of dishes, but usually alongside meat. Fortunately I can still eat noodle soup, minus the meat balls. Ordering noodle soup with no meat is considered very strange behaviour. One seller eventually agreed but gave me a look of disgust for some reason. Anyway, Thailand isn't the greatest place for us veggies.

Downtown there are a few good vegetarian restaurants and there are Indian restaurants that always have a good selection of vegetarian food but away from Bangkok's epicentre and options are thin on the ground.

Last day of school tomorrow for the daughter and I officially announced to the head that she won't be coming back after the school hols. Oddly enough this has left me feeling like shit. I hope we're doing the right thing. She loves the school and talks incessantly about her mates. I think the move is for the right reasons but I just hope we make the right choice of school. As much as she seems to like her school she is completely happy about moving and hasn't once protested. If she had I would consider leaving her where she is until she has to leave but not a word against it so far.

Vegetarian food in Bangkok and feeling low about schools....

Property in Bangkok....

Stampede of the Thai zebra

I've always been interested in property and architecture in Bangkok. It's a scruffy, dirty, largely unplanned place but it all seems to come together quite well. I'm used to the UK where we have a history of interesting and well-built buildings and then the sixties came along and everything went tits up. Now we have ridiculous planners and their silly little planning rules and housing is becoming soulless.

By comparison Bangkok is largely market driven. People generally build what they want, where they want and as a result the streets are more interesting. With the popularity of western style housing estates this is changing but there is plenty of Bangkok that is left to the market and the individual to decide. It may mean that you have a millionaire's mansion next to a slum or low-rise residential development right next to a multi-level office building but the streets are never dull. I will make more of an effort to capture this on camera and post the results here. Watch this space.

Even some of the newer condos being built in downtown Bangkok are becoming more adventurous architecturally. On Sukhumvit Road Le Raffine is building a condo tower, about 30 floors, consisting of two floor condos and each with their own balcony and swimming pool. Consider that, on every other floor all the way up the tower is a pool. Four units per floor, four pools per floor. A series of pools cantilevered all the way up the side of the building. Quite something. Sure to sell like the proverbial hot cake. I don't know the price yet but you can bet your boots it will be as high as the highest pool. But surely a hell of a lot cheaper than if it was in London, New York, Paris etc.

In some ways I'd like to live in a nice condo rather than a house. It's more convenient, tidier, closer to town.... I just feel that with a kid it is nice to have a garden and also we have a dog, still in the UK at the moment, who hopefully will join us. Not sure a condo is the best option for a dog.

Random photo

Praying and making merit at the Erawan Shrine, Bangkok

Property in Bangkok....

Spending money, software and a few pics...

The spending season is well and truly here. The closer the big day gets the more money needs spending. Bought all the daughter's school friends and teachers Christmas presents this afternoon. The Land Rover needs attention, probably a new clutch (oh, whatever possessed me to buy an old Land Rover??). School fees need paying, either at new school or another term at the existing one. Christmas presents need to be bought for family and friends. Tooth still needs capping. We want to try and get a beach visit in before daughter and I head back to the UK. And then we go back to the UK. I'm starting a new business which needs investment. Etc etc etc.... I envy my daughter, being three and a half is great - not a worry in the world.

I've got to buy an original editing suite for video (another purchase). The problems I was having were apparently because I run legal XP and all licensed software and was trying to use dodgy Bangkok software (of which of course I wasn't aware at the time) on the laptop. Hopefully this new expenditure will solve my problem. Oh, and my mobile has almost had it and needs replacing and I drove over my iPod which has now given up the will to work. So, given that I could do with an ice cold beer, here's a picture of a place that serves ice cold beer and some of the best live music in town: Saxophone Pub next to Victory Monument, Bangkok.

Here's a woman selling various meat and meatballs on sticks

Here's a guy out of his depth

Spending money, software and a few pics...

Land Rover problems and Bangkok taxi drivers....

Looks like we might have found a school that ticks all the boxes. At last.

Confectioners, Thai style

It's been a few months since there was a problem with the Land Rover so it was overdue for a break down. And it has. The clutch has stopped working. Not sure if it's just the clutch cable or if it needs a new clutch. Haven't got time to get someone to look at it yet. I guess I can't grumble, it is old and maybe that was the original clutch in which case it has every right to stop working.

Took the daughter to school by taxi. Generally I like taxi drivers in Bangkok, usually chatty and good fun. Occasionally you get an a'hole who is either utterly miserable and rude with it or just plain rude and trying to con you but more often than not they are a good bunch. Today's was an oldish guy and very serious looking. He waited whilst I took the daughter in to school. When I got back he was chatting on his mobile to his mia noi or mistress and very jolly with it.

This seems to be common for taxi drivers in Bangkok. I've been shown more pictures of taxi drivers' mistresses than I care to remember. I don't know if taxi drivers earn a lot of money here or if they have a reputation for being a good catch but a lot of them have their bit on the side in Bangkok whilst old wifey is back in the provinces making ends meet and looking after the kids. The pictures always show dolly-bird types too, young, glitzy girls who you'd think wouldn't take a second look at the crusty old driver in the taxi. If I even mentioned the idea of a mistress the wife would be off like a shot, or worse.

Land Rover problems and Bangkok taxi drivers....

Trouble in northern Thailand and international schools...

Once again the northern border with Burma at Mai Sai has been closed. Fighting between the Shan State Army and the government troops has spilt over into Thailand and, allegedly, the drug trade too.

I've been up there a few times and I think it's one of the nicest parts of Thailand. From Chiang Rai up to Mai Sai and all around that area is some wonderful countryside and some of Thailand's friendliest people. And what I've seen across the border is good too, except the fighting and government oppression of course. Such a shame. I hope this recent outburst subsides quickly, and without large scale murder on either side.

The countryside around Mai Sai and Chiang Rai.

I think I've mentioned before that it's easy to forget living in Bangkok that there's a whole range of troubles in various parts of Thailand that we Bangkokians become sheltered from. Life is easy here, apart from the traffic, and troubles on the perimeter of Thailand are just stories in the paper that can easily be overlooked. For further info about Burma and independent news check here.

Looks like Taksin's two kids could be off the hook as regards their insider trading charges. Next will be his wife and her brother and then, presumably, the big man himself. It's not a done deal yet but looking more likely. If he is proved innocent then what about the validity of the coup and its leaders? Found guilty he would presumably face jail, and I can't honestly see that happening. So if he's innocent of charges laid against him then surely the coup would become a gross over-reaction and democracy in Thailand would have taken an even more serious blow. Could this mean Taksin back in the hot seat? Hmmm, interesting.

The quest for a school for daughter continues. So difficult to find the right mix of good education, excellent facilities, convenient location and affordability. When looking for an international school in Thailand I've found this site here to be a good starting point. Most of the serious players are listed here.

We looked at Bromsgrove International School yesterday. Great facilities, good approach to child development and the teachers seem up to par. The biggest problem is that it is bloody miles from where we live, not on the sky train or underground route and doesn't have an expressway next to it. With strong ties to it's sister school in the UK, which has been going for 500 years, there was a feeling of confidence. And, unlike other "sister" schools, Bromsgrove School in England is also co-ed, so she could go there if we returned to the UK. Got another one to view today if we get time.

Looks like being another scorcher today. Yesterday looks like it was a rare treat rather than a change towards winter.

Trouble in northern Thailand and international schools...

Shopping in Bangkok, Santa and pics

Spent the morning looking at two international schools, possible next step for the daughter, and the afternoon visiting Santa and Christmas shopping. One very tiring day. The schools were ok but no decision yet.

"Mall Art" at Central World, Bangkok

It's hard to say that the Thais are embracing the festive shopping spirit as the malls are full any day of the year. But the decorations are up and the key word seems to be Christmas, the one religious festival that seems to successfully manage to draw in Christians and non alike; neither my wife, my daughter nor I are Christians but we're well and truly in the Christmas spirit. The wife's Buddhist and the daughter and I don't have a religion.

More offerings outside Central World, Bangkok

Thai dance display by the new Erawan Shrine

The Peninsula Plaza on Rajdamri Road has Santa in residence until 25/12. This particular Santa has been flown in from Finland for the occasion and managed to speak to the daughter without her bursting into tears. She smiled throughout and wouldn't get too close to the beard. She's still not quite sure about these beards. No gift for the kids but you get the opportunity to pay 600baht for a photo, or join the Christmas Club and get a discount. Hmm.

The tacky, commercial side of Christmas

Tree envy! I've only got a seven foot one!

Had dinner at the food court on the seventh floor of Central World. They have an Indian food counter where there's a great vegetarian Indian set for 175baht. Good taste, clean and not a bad price. If you have kids be warned, it's hard to get past the sixth floor without being dragged into Toys-R-Us.

I'm sure shopping malls are a modern replacement for the church/temple etc.

Shopping in Bangkok, Santa and pics

Protests and coups, Bangkok immigration staff, and electric vehicles...

I found this thing crawling up the wall next to me in the office. About 4" across.

The protest by the Sept 19 Network took place yesterday with about a 1,000 people in attendance. They started at Sanam Luang and marched to Democracy Monument on Rajdamnern Avenue, Bangkok. A few weeks ago reports were that there would be about 30,000 people in attendance but for one reason or another than number was considerably reduced. By all accounts it was a peaceful protest.

I've said it before but here it is again, life under this particular military government is quite good. I've been asked by people overseas what it's like and if I feel threatened. Nope. And to be honest, having spent many years here on and off since the early nineties this is the first time I've felt that there is someone in power who is genuinely working for the collective rather than trying to hang on to power and milk the country for all it's worth. Despite the democratic issue things are good.

I haven't read too much about the coup in Fiji but I have noticed that the international community has taken a stronger line on that one. I'm sure I read that aid had been cut and there was some pretty damning condemnation. The US, which was one of the biggest critics of Thailand's coup, have sent George Bush Senior and his wife as a rep of George Junior, they are here now. I'm thinking trade and weapons deals.

There was a letter in the Bangkok Post today about the new Suwarnabhumi Airport, again. This time the complaint was the immigration staff. YES, at last I'm not the only one! I've thought for many years now that the biggest problem in Thailand is the immigration staff at Bangkok. It doesn't seem to be the case with other airports in Thailand, just Bangkok. They are rude, impolite, miserable and generally toss your passport at you rather than handing it. They never smile or speak and present a bad image of Thais in general.

Fly into Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai etc and you'll find people with a smile on their faces. But not in Bangkok. Often I travel with a young child and there have been occasions when airport staff have whisked me through the VIP/diplomatic desk. They smile there and you get a conversation out of them. I guess it pays to be "important".

I found a company making electric vehicles on the net. They're called Myers Motors and are based in the US. They make three wheeled bike/cars that can do 70mph but only have a 30

mile range. Looks very similar to the cars featured in Austin Power's Gold Member movie, staring Mike Myers. A connection maybe? I'm interested in electric vehicles but just haven't found one yet that meets all my requirements and doesn't look odd. See more [here].

Today is more like winter in Thailand. The sky is overcast and there's a cool breeze. It's nice and refreshing and hopefully it will stay like this for the rest of the day. Better still the rest of the week. Now I'm being coerced into a Christmas shopping expedition. What joy!

Protests and coups, and Bangkok immigration staff...

Photos of northern Thailand and Burma...

Just been sorting through the photo files on my comp and clearing off any unwanted ones and came across these. Thought I'd share them.

Barber shop, Burmese style.

Hill tribe village, northern Thailand

Merit making and praying at Lanna period temple, northern Thailand.

Golden triangle buddha.

Ad for education company in Chiang Rai. Doesn't inspire confidence.

Photos of northern Thailand and Burma...

Christmas in Thailand...

With two weeks to go we've finally got a tree up. Obviously it's an artificial tree but it's up and decorated and looking pretty good, if a little out of place in Thailand. This provided great entertainment for the daughter who is now waiting for presents to appear under it.

The last ballet class today for this session. No point starting again now until we've returned from the UK in February. It's impressive how well she's taken to it, and the mad running around has started to turn into movements that can almost be described as dancing. The teacher speaks Thai so all instruction is in Thai which seems to be encouraging the daughter to speak more Thai.

Until now Thai was fast becoming her second language as opposed to her joint native tongue. She's always been able to understand Thai but over the last few weeks she's just started speaking a lot more in Thai and moves effortlessly from Thai to English whenever she's speaking to a Thai. Definitely the best time of life to be learning a language.

Still no firm plans for Christmas day yet. How to celebrate Christmas in sunny Thailand? Lunch at a hotel downtown is still a hot favourite or traipse off down to a beach and be very tropical. I must admit that the beach option is gaining popularity with me as we draw closer to our month long stay in the cold UK. Time is running out.

Christmas in Thailand...

International relations, Israelis in Thailand and the weather..

Occasionally there will be a profile of an ambassador or letter from one in the papers here. Normally these will be the usual nonsense written by ambassadors and make for dull reading. In today's Bangkok Post there was a feature about the Israeli ambassador to Thailand, who is also the Israeli ambassador to Cambodia.

She's one of only five female ambassadors in Thailand, the others being South Africa, Norway, Cuba and Bulgaria. Her name is Ms Yael Rubinstein and she came across as a really, genuinely nice person who clearly has a great love of Thailand.

There's something like 140,000 Israelis visiting Thailand every year, quite a high number given the relatively small population of Israel (about 7 million). Israeli businesses appear to be on the rise in Thailand too. Trade between the two countries is increasing and the relationship is looking good.

I've noticed that there are increasing numbers of Israeli owned businesses in Banglampoo too. A good number of the jewelry shops and silver wholesalers on Khao San Road are Israeli owned. In fact, my favourite restaurant in that area is also an Israeli restaurant, that makes excellent chips (OK, so that isn't exactly Israeli food).

Something I've noticed about Israelis, and also people from other nations, is their sense of social cohesion when out of their own country. I don't know if it is true but they appear to work with one another as a community. Thais are good at this. When we lived in the UK we noticed this with the Thai community, who would join together to help each other in business and organise entertainment together. As a Brit I've often felt we lack this. Maybe it's me or maybe I'm wrong but I always feel that we Brits tend to act as independent cells.

At embassy level the British Embassy is definitely a closed club; education and who you know are more important than anything there. I used to have a friend in the US Embassy here in Bangkok and couldn't believe how relaxed they all seem there. I'd occasionally drop by for coffee and a chat and be quite welcome. If I were to try dropping into the British embassy for a chat I'd be shown the door straight away.

There's a British club here but it's typically British; closed door and selective. You have to pay over a thousand pounds to join and can only join if your name is recommended by two other members, and if no other members veto your application. To my knowledge I don't know anyone in the club so I can't join the British club. No real tears about this though.

Maybe there is something in the Israeli or Thai culture that is lacking in British culture, something that binds the people together as a unit rather making them work as separate entities. Whatever it is it's inspiring stuff.

Once again the sky is a sea of blue and the sun is ferocious. It's looking like being another scorcher. Lovely morning here. The moo baan is silent. I can hear my daughter singing as she gets ready for ballet and there's a bird cooing like a pigeon outside. Other than that there is complete silence. Lovely Sunday.

International relations, Israelis in Thailand and the weather..

New businesses and funny...

Setting up a new business is a struggle. Try to balance two new projects at the same time is proving to be a REAL struggle, especially when trying to fit in being a parent every day too. I'm working on two new business ventures at the moment and it is proving to be a headache. I don't want to drop either one but there are only so many hours in a day and I have wife and daughter both wanting attention. Life is tiring.

In order to take my mind off the present struggle I've just been browsing amusing sites on the net and found the following.

New article:

Jealous hubby branded bride's bum

A jealous husband is in trouble after branding his initials on his young bride's buttocks on their wedding night.

Police want to question the 54-year-old after he forcibly used a cattle brander on his 22-year-old new wife.

He reportedly tried to justify the assault by saying he wanted to make sure other men knew she was 'his'.

Police called him in for questioning after his wife contacted a local women's rights organisation.

A police spokesman said: "We want him for questioning. He has some explaining to do."

Funny photos:


Ahhh, the joy of the internet.

New businesses and funny...

Girls drinking and nothing in particular....

Every now and then I become disillusioned with life in Thailand and ponder our future. Should we educate our daughter in Thailand or am I doing her a disservice? Is life here good enough for her or would it be better in the UK? Do I want to her to grow up here? Etcetera etcetera...

A browse through one of the English papers or a look on the BBC website is usually enough to make me change my mind and think that life in Thailand is not so bad after all. I've just read a piece on the BBC about the problem of female drinking. It seems that young women are drinking the same as men and have become violent with it.

[quote: In a survey for BBC Three's Bashing Booze Birds, almost one in 10 people aged 18 to 34 say they have been physically attacked by a drunk woman. And 41% say they have seen a woman who appears to be drunk attack someone else.]

Maybe I'm old fashioned or too conservative but I think that is a terrible state to be in. That certainly isn't what I want my daughter to be doing when she's in her teens. I know that things are never as bad as they claim in the media and that the media has this knack of blowing things completely out of proportion and sensationalizing stories for their own ends but it is real and it does go on. Whilst there aren't women in gangs kicking shit out of each other on every street corner the violence is real, I've witnessed it myself.

All is not perfect in Thailand by any means and the press don't have the same freedom to report the reality of life here but in general it is probably accurate to say that the same age group in Thailand is engaged in more sedate pursuits than weekend binge drinking and smashing bottles in someone's face. I sometimes wonder what is happening to the UK and the people there.

One negative article about life in the UK isn't enough to justify living out our days in Thailand but reading things like that does make me think that life here isn't all that bad.

Another hot "winter's" day here in Thailand. Not a cloud in sight and temperatures rising. Yesterday was a real swelterer. So far we've only had the odd cool day.

A morning of gardening planned followed by another trip down to the library on Surawong to take books back that we forgot the other day. Long weekend, with a holiday on Monday. There might be a last minute escape to the beach after the daughter's ballet tomorrow. Maybe. It would certainly be nice to get some sand on the feet and see the sea again before we head off to wintry England.

Girls drinking and nothing in particular....