He who hesitates is lost.
It says that in the "good book" somewhere - I can't remember where, but I'm sure the Lord was trying to cross a street in Bangkok when he said it.
I discovered on my way to the office this morning that even a pedestrian crossing doesn't mean that you can cross the road without dodging traffic. I say dodging, because if I'd waited for a break in the traffic to cross, I'd still be standing there.
Another saying you might apply to the roads in Bangkok is "The rules are, there are no rules!" Motorcyclists without helmets, cars turning in front of other cars when they're tired of waiting (as opposed to having right of way), motorcyclists going the wrong way down the street, motorcyclists riding on the footpath ...
But no-one seems to care. The lack of a system works, because there is no system. Everyone knows there are no rules, so everyone's happy. It's an anarchist's dream.
There are police though. They direct traffic here and there, though even they don't seem to bother when a random motorist flaunts the rules or turns when he hasn't been waved through. Though the guide books tell us that it's one thing for your locals to go whizzing around without a helmet on, or piling their family of six onto a Vespa, but if the paisty tourist tries it on, they might find themselves slapped with a fine.
And fair enough I think. You don't want every half-wit Aussie who's ever wanted to tear around the streets without a helmet on and four of his mates on the back of a Honda turning up to your country, do you? Oh - too late.
Here's my random Thai fact for today, which I learnt studying a wonderful website called www.Phuket.com: It's very offensive to show your feet - or to do anything other than walk or stand, with your feet - I already knew that. But because of this, it's drastically offensive to stomp on a 1000 Baht note that you've dropped and is flying away down the street! Why? Because like all Thai money, it has a picture of the King on it! And showing disrespect to the Thai Royal Family is a crime.
A little different from the stuff we throw around about Charles, Camilla, Fergie and the rest of them.
D.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
It's yoghurt Jim, but not as we know it
Everything is different over here. Take my lunch for example: a roasted (not just roast) beef sandwich and a tamarind yoghurt.
I liked the idea of the tamarind yoghurt, and indeed, the tamarind portion of said product was very nice. But the yoghurt (the larger portion of the serving) was unlike any yoghurt product I had hitherto experienced.
It wasn't unpleasant, just watery. It kind of reminded me of the Junket mum used to give me - presumably as some sort of punishment - when I was a youngster. But tangier.
I guess, from a marketing point-of-view, "Tangy Tamarind Junket" just may not sell as well as "Tamarind Yoghurt", but I'm guessing it's an untested market.
The roasted beef sandwich was a lot more sandwich-like than the yoghurt was yoghurt-like, but the term "roasted" clearly referred to some sort of Thai roasting process that doesn't involve actually cooking the meat very much. Again - nothing nasty about it, just different.
Now to the language, because I know you're all wondering how I'm going learning Thai, and how I'm getting by while I'm in the process of learning Thai. Well, my Thai skills were summed up by a taxi driver last night: "nit noi" meaning I have "a little bit" of Thai (meaning bugger all).
At the moment, my confidence in speaking Thai is pretty low. I've got a couple of phrases down (hello, thank you, yes, no) and the numbers, but I'm not confident with my pronunciation, so I tend to mumble and nod, and hope they understand what I mean.
The hardest part is understanding someone else when they ask or tell me something. It takes my brain a little while to match the Thai to the English in my head. I'm still a baby at this, so it's like I'm still using my fingers to count - only I'm using wobbly bits of my brain to match Thai words to English.
Today was the hottest day I've had so far. So of course, I wore a thick long-sleeve shirt, and walked through the city for about an hour in the middle of the day. Derr. I needed a shower when I got home from work today.
On the happy side of things, I put a deposit on the cloud apartment today, and I move in on Wednesday! Yippee! So my address will be somewhere in Soi Nai Loet (also spelled Nai Lert, or Nailert - don't get me started).
Provided, of course, that I come up with the cash on Wednesday to take possession of said apartment. Apparently, using credit cards for payment of large sums of money is not common practice, so instead, one must carry three months worth of rent in cash.
I'm looking forward to having a Bangkok address by the end of this week. Thanks to all my fans who posted comments about which apartment would be better and gave me such encouragement. (I'm being sarcastic by the way).
D.
I liked the idea of the tamarind yoghurt, and indeed, the tamarind portion of said product was very nice. But the yoghurt (the larger portion of the serving) was unlike any yoghurt product I had hitherto experienced.
It wasn't unpleasant, just watery. It kind of reminded me of the Junket mum used to give me - presumably as some sort of punishment - when I was a youngster. But tangier.
I guess, from a marketing point-of-view, "Tangy Tamarind Junket" just may not sell as well as "Tamarind Yoghurt", but I'm guessing it's an untested market.
The roasted beef sandwich was a lot more sandwich-like than the yoghurt was yoghurt-like, but the term "roasted" clearly referred to some sort of Thai roasting process that doesn't involve actually cooking the meat very much. Again - nothing nasty about it, just different.
Now to the language, because I know you're all wondering how I'm going learning Thai, and how I'm getting by while I'm in the process of learning Thai. Well, my Thai skills were summed up by a taxi driver last night: "nit noi" meaning I have "a little bit" of Thai (meaning bugger all).
At the moment, my confidence in speaking Thai is pretty low. I've got a couple of phrases down (hello, thank you, yes, no) and the numbers, but I'm not confident with my pronunciation, so I tend to mumble and nod, and hope they understand what I mean.
The hardest part is understanding someone else when they ask or tell me something. It takes my brain a little while to match the Thai to the English in my head. I'm still a baby at this, so it's like I'm still using my fingers to count - only I'm using wobbly bits of my brain to match Thai words to English.
Today was the hottest day I've had so far. So of course, I wore a thick long-sleeve shirt, and walked through the city for about an hour in the middle of the day. Derr. I needed a shower when I got home from work today.
On the happy side of things, I put a deposit on the cloud apartment today, and I move in on Wednesday! Yippee! So my address will be somewhere in Soi Nai Loet (also spelled Nai Lert, or Nailert - don't get me started).
Provided, of course, that I come up with the cash on Wednesday to take possession of said apartment. Apparently, using credit cards for payment of large sums of money is not common practice, so instead, one must carry three months worth of rent in cash.
I'm looking forward to having a Bangkok address by the end of this week. Thanks to all my fans who posted comments about which apartment would be better and gave me such encouragement. (I'm being sarcastic by the way).
D.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Chatting about Chatuchak
Today we hit Chatuchak (จตุจักร) markets. Although, when I say hit, I don't think we even left a mark, let alone made a dent on this place. It was certainly no knock-out blow.
If you're from Australia, and are used to places like Brisbane weekend markets, Eumundi markets on the Sunshine Coast, or even the old Paddy's Haymarket in Sydney, multiply that by about 10,000 and squeeze it into about the same space and you may have some notion of what this place is like.
We walked half the day and didn't see one quarter of what this place has. And it has everything.
Art, clothing, shoes both new and second-hand (second-foot?), bags, kitchenware, food, squirrels in bow ties and hats, puppies, pet paraphernalia, jewellery, trinkets, carvings, watches, phones, muay thai artifacts, and a life-size metal statue of the Predator. And that's just the bit that we saw.
Add to that 20 train-loads of people arriving every hour. It's a happening place. Always something happening.
I bought a colourful yellow shirt with a scene of Asian children playing in the water (see my photos on the home page), and a T-shirt with a chimp's face. I feel like I'm contributing positively to the Thai economy.
Oh, and I think I'm going to go with the apartment on Soi Nai Loet (the one next to the cloud). I'll let you know how I go.
D.
PS. Have set up a Thinglish Treasures pagefor your edification.
If you're from Australia, and are used to places like Brisbane weekend markets, Eumundi markets on the Sunshine Coast, or even the old Paddy's Haymarket in Sydney, multiply that by about 10,000 and squeeze it into about the same space and you may have some notion of what this place is like.
We walked half the day and didn't see one quarter of what this place has. And it has everything.
Art, clothing, shoes both new and second-hand (second-foot?), bags, kitchenware, food, squirrels in bow ties and hats, puppies, pet paraphernalia, jewellery, trinkets, carvings, watches, phones, muay thai artifacts, and a life-size metal statue of the Predator. And that's just the bit that we saw.
Add to that 20 train-loads of people arriving every hour. It's a happening place. Always something happening.
I bought a colourful yellow shirt with a scene of Asian children playing in the water (see my photos on the home page), and a T-shirt with a chimp's face. I feel like I'm contributing positively to the Thai economy.
Oh, and I think I'm going to go with the apartment on Soi Nai Loet (the one next to the cloud). I'll let you know how I go.
D.
PS. Have set up a Thinglish Treasures pagefor your edification.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Living on the edge of the cloud
OK people, I'm trying to get this decision sorted in my head, so I thought if I shared it with my friends and family... They say a problem shared is a problem halved, so if I share it with the potential MILLIONS who read this blog, my problem will be so small I won't even know it's there. Seems logical to me.
View Larger Map
According to Google, there's a giant cloud that has permanently descended on this part of Bangkok. No matter how much you zoom in, there it is. I didn't notice it when we were walking down the street, but my mind was on other things.
This is a lovely apartment. Fairly new, comes with modern appliances and furnishings, nice bathroom and kitchen, and there is a pool, spa, sauna and gym on the roof. THB27,000 per month. Very close to work, but not close to some of the other things that I might want to do on evenings and weekends - such as eat, shop, etc.
View Larger Map
The problem with Light House apartments on Soi 22 is that, from what I gather, it's too far down the Soi, and you don't want to be walking that far to the BTS (train) in the middle of Bangkok's summer.
The apartment itself is great - not huge, but 1 bedroom, reasonable kitchen, tiny bathroom, and a close-up view of Soi 22's electrical cabling, should I ever want to take up a DIY course to become an electrician. It doesn't have a pool, but it does have a fitness room up six flights of stairs (no lift), which kind of does away with the need for a fitness room really, when you think about it.
The bonus with this one is that everything is already there and already included in the price - sheets, towels, crockery, cutlery, saucepans, wireless internet, and someone who will come and swap my sheets and towels for fresh ones twice a week. Hopefully not while I'm using them at the time.
"Tell us price" I hear you all chant as one. THB26,000 per month.
OK, so got that? Cheaper, more convenient in terms of stuff in the apartment, less convenient in terms of location, less fun in terms of stuff in the building.
View Larger Map
Welcome to Soi 26. This was the pick of the bunch in terms of apartment.
It's large - the separate bedroom has a desk and work area - the décor is a lovely French colonial style with chandeliers and the bathroom is a good size. The kitchen is it's downfall. Or it's lack of kitchen more precisely. I think there was one or two hot plates. That's it. It does have it's own washing machine though.
Also, it doesn't come with any crockery, cutlery, cooking implements, or linen. It has a lovely pool and gym, and a laundry room. Wireless internet is trés expensive.
It's very close to the BTS - walking distance if I really wanted to be crazy - and also to shopping centres, street food and restaurants.
All this could be mine for a mere THB28,000 each and every month.
So now you see what I'm working with, what do you think? I need some objective opinions. All comments graciously received.
Oh, and before you ask, I don't think any of them allowed pets, so I won't be rescuing any soi dogs and bringing them home.
D.
Potential address No. 1
View Larger Map
According to Google, there's a giant cloud that has permanently descended on this part of Bangkok. No matter how much you zoom in, there it is. I didn't notice it when we were walking down the street, but my mind was on other things.
This is a lovely apartment. Fairly new, comes with modern appliances and furnishings, nice bathroom and kitchen, and there is a pool, spa, sauna and gym on the roof. THB27,000 per month. Very close to work, but not close to some of the other things that I might want to do on evenings and weekends - such as eat, shop, etc.
Potential address No. 2
View Larger Map
The problem with Light House apartments on Soi 22 is that, from what I gather, it's too far down the Soi, and you don't want to be walking that far to the BTS (train) in the middle of Bangkok's summer.
The apartment itself is great - not huge, but 1 bedroom, reasonable kitchen, tiny bathroom, and a close-up view of Soi 22's electrical cabling, should I ever want to take up a DIY course to become an electrician. It doesn't have a pool, but it does have a fitness room up six flights of stairs (no lift), which kind of does away with the need for a fitness room really, when you think about it.
The bonus with this one is that everything is already there and already included in the price - sheets, towels, crockery, cutlery, saucepans, wireless internet, and someone who will come and swap my sheets and towels for fresh ones twice a week. Hopefully not while I'm using them at the time.
"Tell us price" I hear you all chant as one. THB26,000 per month.
OK, so got that? Cheaper, more convenient in terms of stuff in the apartment, less convenient in terms of location, less fun in terms of stuff in the building.
Potential address No. 3
View Larger Map
Welcome to Soi 26. This was the pick of the bunch in terms of apartment.
It's large - the separate bedroom has a desk and work area - the décor is a lovely French colonial style with chandeliers and the bathroom is a good size. The kitchen is it's downfall. Or it's lack of kitchen more precisely. I think there was one or two hot plates. That's it. It does have it's own washing machine though.
Also, it doesn't come with any crockery, cutlery, cooking implements, or linen. It has a lovely pool and gym, and a laundry room. Wireless internet is trés expensive.
It's very close to the BTS - walking distance if I really wanted to be crazy - and also to shopping centres, street food and restaurants.
All this could be mine for a mere THB28,000 each and every month.
So now you see what I'm working with, what do you think? I need some objective opinions. All comments graciously received.
Oh, and before you ask, I don't think any of them allowed pets, so I won't be rescuing any soi dogs and bringing them home.
D.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Heat? What heat?
It's definitely muggier here in Bangkok, but roasting hot? Not yet.
There's been cloud cover for my first two days in Bangkok, so it's been relatively cool. I still work up a sweat walking down the street, but nothing like I was expecting. "Just wait", Matt tells me.
I've been looking at places to stay today - condos, apartments, flats. About halfway through the expedition I was feeling a little overwhelmed. This is a very different place.
Little streets (soi) everywhere; giant highrises next to delapidated weatherboard houses; trying to listen to Thai and understand what people are saying; converting Baht to Aussie Dollars in my head wherever I go...
I think I just need a little lie down.
A nice quiet evening, a good sleep-in tomorrow, wander around the city and I'll be ready to think about where I want to live for the next 3 months.
But it's the people who make this place - you could live anywhere with these beautiful people.
Kop khun krub.
D.
There's been cloud cover for my first two days in Bangkok, so it's been relatively cool. I still work up a sweat walking down the street, but nothing like I was expecting. "Just wait", Matt tells me.
I've been looking at places to stay today - condos, apartments, flats. About halfway through the expedition I was feeling a little overwhelmed. This is a very different place.
Little streets (soi) everywhere; giant highrises next to delapidated weatherboard houses; trying to listen to Thai and understand what people are saying; converting Baht to Aussie Dollars in my head wherever I go...
I think I just need a little lie down.
A nice quiet evening, a good sleep-in tomorrow, wander around the city and I'll be ready to think about where I want to live for the next 3 months.
But it's the people who make this place - you could live anywhere with these beautiful people.
Kop khun krub.
D.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Nowheresville
So I'm literally in the middle of nowhere.
My flight boards in about 15 minutes, technically I've left Australia, but I'm not yet in another country. Limbo land. Nowheresville.
I'm surrounded by pictures of women popping champagne bottles and spraying seductive perfume, and celebrities wearing expensive watches. Duty Free beckons.
Apparently, I can also get a complete Thai experience meal from Coffee Club for only $14.95! From what I've heard, that seems a little expensive.
The real problem is I never plan ahead. That's always my problem. I'm sitting here, unsure of what to think or how to feel about living in Thailand for the next 3 months and then spending a month touring the Mekong and South-East Asia.
Happy? Worried? Nervous? Excited?
It was the one question everyone has been asking me for the last couple of weeks: "Are you excited yet?"
I think I am - but also a little nervous. A little worried Thailand won't be what I thought it would be, and more than a little nervous that I won't be everything Thailand thought I would be!
But I'll find that out when I get there. I'll just get there one step at a time, one air mile at a time, one taxi ride at a time, one greeting at a time, and before I know it, I'll be back at Brizzy airport walking off the plane wondering what happened to my time overseas.
That's life.
D.
PS. I know I said my next post would be from Thailand - sorry. Disappointment is also part of life. :)
My flight boards in about 15 minutes, technically I've left Australia, but I'm not yet in another country. Limbo land. Nowheresville.
I'm surrounded by pictures of women popping champagne bottles and spraying seductive perfume, and celebrities wearing expensive watches. Duty Free beckons.
Apparently, I can also get a complete Thai experience meal from Coffee Club for only $14.95! From what I've heard, that seems a little expensive.
The real problem is I never plan ahead. That's always my problem. I'm sitting here, unsure of what to think or how to feel about living in Thailand for the next 3 months and then spending a month touring the Mekong and South-East Asia.
Happy? Worried? Nervous? Excited?
It was the one question everyone has been asking me for the last couple of weeks: "Are you excited yet?"
I think I am - but also a little nervous. A little worried Thailand won't be what I thought it would be, and more than a little nervous that I won't be everything Thailand thought I would be!
But I'll find that out when I get there. I'll just get there one step at a time, one air mile at a time, one taxi ride at a time, one greeting at a time, and before I know it, I'll be back at Brizzy airport walking off the plane wondering what happened to my time overseas.
That's life.
D.
PS. I know I said my next post would be from Thailand - sorry. Disappointment is also part of life. :)
Leaving, on a jet plane
I'm off! My flight leaves this afternoon.
I've been packed for two days, and I'm pretty sure I've got everything ready to roll.
My next post will be from Thailand - talk to you all soon!
D.
I've been packed for two days, and I'm pretty sure I've got everything ready to roll.
My next post will be from Thailand - talk to you all soon!
D.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)