Thai Turmoil

Yes, the chaos continues here in Bangkok. But, as anyone who lives here can attest: all protests and isolated acts of violence are confined to a very small part of town. Elsewhere, life goes on. One article, in the Business section of today’s Bangkok Post, was titled: “Violent clashes likely to scare away tourists.” This is another good example of bad journalism, or why editors need to be more attentive. Here is the first paragraph:
“The clashes between security forces and the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have badly affected the tourism industry and destroyed the country’s image.”
First of all, while these clashes MAY cause SOME tourists to cancel trips to Thailand, such a trend hasn’t happened yet. Any decline in tourist arrivals thus far this year is more likely due to economic reasons, not because some backpacker read about protesters taking over government buildings in Bangkok. Secondly, none of these events have “destroyed” the country’s image. Even though the situation yesterday WAS pretty nasty --- two people died and hundreds were reported to have been injured in the mayhem --- it would be more accurate to say such clashes have damaged or tainted the country’s image. Let’s leave “destroyed” for something truly catastrophic.

Nevertheless, these continuing protests, and the government’s harsh reaction to them, are definite cause for concern. Things could more likely get worse before there is a resolution to this conflict. The same article in today’s paper had a comment from Natwut Amornvivat, the president of the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau. “We must inform tourists that the clash area in only one spot in Bangkok,” he said, “and far from shopping, commercial areas, and exhibition and convention centers.” In other words, we won’t worry about a few people (a few dozen, a few hundred, a few thousand, it doesn’t matter: Mai Pen Rai, baby!) getting killed or maimed, as long as it doesn’t affect people’s ability to go shopping things are fine! Yep, this is Thailand.

The first three customers on Saturday morning were all dudes wanting to sell books, all which (both the dudes and the books) smelled heavily of cigarette smoke. We’re talking thoroughly caked and reeking of nicotine. It’s as if these books had been sitting in a room full of Chinese gamblers for the past ten years. I had to wash my hands twice after I had finished sorting through each pile of books.

And then on Sunday morning we were treated to no electricity for a few hours. The good thing was that we were prepared for this outage; the city had sent notices earlier in the week announcing the power cut, but warned it might last from early morning until early afternoon. Luckily, the power came back on shortly after eleven that morning, just before the first big sale of the day and things had become too toasty inside the store.

I got a phone call last week from my kids in Cambodia (children in the Tri family, whom I have been helping put through school the past few years), wanting to know when I was coming to visit. I was hoping to come over this month for a few days, but after having to make the unexpected visa run to Malaysia last month, and trying to save my for scheduled trip to Myanmar in November, I just won’t have enough money to do it. So, I had to tell the kids that I would have to postpone my visit until around the first of the year. But I wanted to get some money to them, and told them to call me back this week and I would tell them when to expect the funds. Normally, if I can’t make it to Phnom Penh (the family lives about 20 km outside of town) I will go to Western Union and send money to my friend Reang Sey at her hotel in Phnom Penh. The kids can then go by and pick up the money from her. But this time I found out that my friend Andy (just back from a fantastic trip to Myanmar) was going over there in a few days, so I gave him a chunk of money, which he promptly delivered to Reang Sey. So, when Huot called me this week, I was able to give him the good news: you have some money waiting for you at the hotel. And I hard further words of advice: Just keep studying hard, eat your vegetables, and don’t blow it all on new clothes or playing computer games!

12:50 AM PDT Permalink |

Fights and Bites

There was an interesting online AP article this week about the Bangkok governor’s election. Most of it focused on Chuwit Kamolvisit, the colorful retired/reformed massage parlor tycoon (note to John McCain & Sarah Palin: this is what you call a real maverick candidate!). Here are a few excerpts:

“Politics is so dirty, so ugly," Chuwit Kamolvisit sighs. "I would rather sit tight in the nightclub, surrounded by girls, smoking cigars, drinking brandy, champagne. That was the perfect life." As for those who disapprove of his years in the hot tubs, Chuwit shrugs. "The sex business is not a problem," he said. "If you don't have sex, that's a problem.”

The next day Chuwit made front page news in Bangkok after getting into a scuffle with a local TV anchor-weasel. Chuwit certainly lost points in the eyes of many voters by losing his cool and throwing an elbow jab at the TV creep. But after reading a translated transcript of the interview that inspired the attack, I can almost sympathize with Chuwit. Yes, Chuwit was evasive and gave murky answers to many questions, but much of what the interviewer asked him was pointless and inane. The oddest moment was one accusation he tossed at Chuwit: “you dare not speak about your weakness.” Huh? If nothing else, it’s an example of how TV journalism has disintegrated (perhaps it’s always been this bad here in Thailand) and how some TV talking heads would be better off seeking employment as hair stylists.

As I was exiting the Skytrain at the Ekkamai station last night at about nine o’clock, my cell phone rang. It was my friend Jay calling. The conversation went something like this:
JAY: “Were you working at your store tonight?
DON: “Yeah, I was there all day, open till close.”
JAY: “Was Kiwi working there too?”
DON: “No. He’s been in Japan all week. It was just me and one of the girls.”
JAY: “That’s weird.”
DON: “Why?”
JAY: “Man, you’re never going to believe this. I just ran into Jimmy Page at the Phrom Phong Skytrain Station. We were talking and I noticed he had a book in his hand. He said he had just bought it from a used bookshop down the street. He told me that a Thai guy sold it to him, that’s why I asked if Kiwi was working at your shop tonight.”
DON: “Well, I don’t look Thai and I’m pretty sure he didn’t buy it from me. With all the rain, we only had a handful of customers after six tonight and none of them looked remotely like Jimmy Page.”
JAY: “I guess he got it from that other shop across the street from the Emporium.”
DON: “Oh well, we missed another celebrity.”

If I’m keeping track correctly, this is the third Jimmy Page sighting in Bangkok this year, two of them by Jay. The Led Zeppelin guitar guru must have fallen for the city of angels, or perhaps fallen for an angel in the city.

One of the regular customers at my shop is an American woman named Sherry. To celebrate her 60th birthday this month, she is taking a trek in Nepal with some of her friends and her son. But just a few weeks ago she wasn’t sure if she was going to make the event or not. She had to be hospitalized for several days after a cat bite became infected. The crazed cat in question was left in her care several years ago, but apparently never acclimated properly. While the cat was being taken to the vet last week, it managed to claw its way through the holding case and jump out the window of a moving taxi on Sathorn Road. No sign of it since then. Sherry doesn’t seem concerned with the fate of the feline: “Good riddance!”

02:10 AM PDT Permalink |

Reading Lists

Not only do I have a definite book addiction, I’m also curious about what other people are reading. If I see someone with a book on the Skytrain or in the airport, I’ll peek to see what they are reading. I run a bookshop, so you would think books would be a natural topic to discuss with friends and family, but for some odd reason I am rarely privy to what others have been reading. To satisfy my curiosity, I sent out an e-mail this week and asked: What are you Reading? Happily, I discovered that reading is not the dying pastime that it’s supposed to have become --- at least among some of the people I know. Lots of people are reading lots of books. Here are a few of the responses I got to my query:

Dave in Orlando: “War by Revolution” by Donald M. McKale, “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Victory 1918” by Alan Palmer
Patrick in Paris: Amitav Ghosh, George Soros, “Great Railway Bazaar” by Paul Theroux, “Canoe to Mandalay” by Maj. R. Raven-Hart
Dennis in Michigan: “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson, “Water for Elephants” by Sarah Gruen, “Adventures of a Female Nomad” by Rita Golden Gelman
Jay in Bangkok: “Suite Francaise” by Irene Nemirovsky, “Fiasco: the American Military Adventure in Iraq” by Thomas Ricks
John in Atlanta: “Running with Scissors” by Augusten Burroughs, “Tales from Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett, “Mike’s Election Guide 2008” by Michael Moore
Susan in Hawaii: “Power vs. Force” by David R. Hawkins, “The Revolution” by Ron Paul, Robert B. Parker “Spenser” novels, T. Jefferson Parker, Bill Pronzini westerns
Jim in Florida: “Killer Angels” by Michael Shaara, “Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein
Lyle in Bangkok: “Breaking the Code” by Gyles Brandreth, “Humble Pie” by Gordon Ramsay, “Father Brown” mysteries by G.K. Chesterson
Pascale in Paris: “Milennium” trilogy by Stieg Larsson, “Echo Park” by Michael Connelly, “Guns Germs & Steel” by Jared Diamond, Arturo Perez-Reverte, Fred Vargas, Paul Auster
Caroline in England: “Dreams of Water” by Nada Awar Jarrar
Yehuda in Havana: “Sea of Poppies” by Amitav Ghosh, “Leo Africanus” by Amin Malouf
Ursula in Bangkok: Doris Lessing short stories, Agatha Christie mysteries, Mary Higgins Clark, Graham Greene
Daniel in Bangkok: “Eat Pray Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert, “Brothers: the Hidden History of the Kennedy Years” by David Talbot
Louise in South Carolina: “Hot, Flat & Crowded” by Thomas J. Friedman, “Nature Girl” by Carl Hiaasen, Doris Kearns Goodwin book about the Lincoln cabinet
Thanegi in Yangon: “Birds without Wings” by Louis de Bernieres, “Carter Beats the Devil” by Glen David Gold, “By George” by Wesley Stace, “Theft” by Peter Carey
Bob in Winter Park: “Child of God” by Cormac McCarthy, “Not in the Flesh” by Ruth Rendell, “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan, “Quiver” by Peter Leonard
Laurie in California: “The Open Road” by Pico Iyer, “Divisadero” by Michael Ondaatje
Carol in Orlando : “All About Lulu” by Jonathan Evison, “Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picoult, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell
Jill in Atlanta: “Freak Unique” by Pete Burns, “Old School” by Tobias Wolff, “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak, “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, Chuck Klosterman
John in California: “The Nine” by Jeffrey Toobin, “The Wisdom of Insecurity” by Alan Watts, “Dirty Sweet” by John McFetridge
Joan in Greensboro: “Kite Runner” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini, “Wideacre” by Philippa Gregory
Roger in Taipei: “A Prisoner of Birth” by Jeffrey Archer, “Blind Faith” by Ben Elton, “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins
Ben in Atlanta: “Dangerous Tides” by Christine Feehan, “Nothing to Lose” by Lee Child, “The Narrows” by Michael Connelly, “Critical” by Robin Cook, “Lessons in Becoming Myself” by Ellen Burstyn, “Protect and Defend” by Vince Flynn, “Where Have all the Leaders Gone” by Lee Iacocca, “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch, “Audition” by Barbara Walters

One of those who responded, Bob Morris, is an accomplished author himself; three of his entertaining Zack Chasteen mysteries have been published this decade. Bob is one of the judges for this year’s Edgar Allen Poe Award, given for best first mystery novel in the U.S. “That means,” says Bob, “I'll be getting 75-80 books to read before the end of 2008.” Damn, that almost sounds like real work. Doesn’t like look much hammock time this fall for Mr. Morris! Bob’s new book, A Deadly Silver Sea, will be out on hardcover in December. And he’s already at work on another one, Baja Florida, which he describes as “a modern-day western set in the Bahamas.” For more on what Bob has been doing, see his blog:
http://surroundedonthreesides.blogspot.com/

The election for Bangkok governor will be held on Sunday, which means the usual moratorium on alcohol sales … starting on Saturday. That’s right; no beer or anything else to make you tipsy all weekend. I’ve talked to more than one local who is heading to Pattaya for the weekend, just so he can sip his Singha without getting busted. The logic behind this odd ban is that the Bangkok authorities don’t want any inbrebiated voters going to the polls. But that certainly never prevented several fairly dubious characters from getting elected to national office in recent years.

Customer comment of the week: One man noticed a copy of “Weddings for Dummies” on a wall display in my bookshop and remarked: “Now there’s any oxymoron for you!”

04:22 AM PDT Permalink |

Film for Thought

One of the regular customers at our bookshop, Ing, is also an artist and filmmaker. She is Thai but attended university in England, is a voracious reader, and speaks flawless English. She and her husband Manit Sriwanichpoom also run the Kathmandu Gallery in Bangkok. Ing’s latest film, Citizen Juling, is showing at the Bangkok Film Festival this week. She produced the film, under the name Ing K, along with Manit and Kraisak Choonhaven. It’s the true story of a young Thai teacher who was tragically murdered by Muslim extremists in Thailand’s Deep South two years ago. But the 220-minute film (yep; nearly 4 hours!) is much more than a documentary of a senseless killing and the unrest in the Deep South, it also delves into the cultural and political complexities of Thailand. The film premiered last month at the Toronto Film Festival. One reviewer called it “powerful and compelling, offering an unflinching and achingly human view of some of Thailand's social conflicts.” It opened at the Bangkok fest on Friday, and will be shown again on Monday. After that, the next scheduled festival appearance will be early next year in Berlin.

I like to follow politics but I’m going mighty annoyed by the B.S. being spewed during the US presidential campaign. The next time John McCain says “my friends” during a speech someone should squirt the contents of a fire extinguisher all over him. Enough with the fake folksly “my friends” shtick already! For a guy who used to seem fairly level-headed, McCain is frequently displaying bizarre behavior. I don’t mind his flip-flopping so much (hey, changing one’s opinion is certainly healthier than stubbornly sticking to mistakes), but the strangely nutty act of picking strangely nutty Sarah Palin to be his running mate shows very poor judgment. While not as sleazy at campaigning as the Rove-ian Republicans, the Democrats are also bombarding the public with inane messages and utter rubbish, such as their “tactic” of repeating the idea that voting for McCain is the same as voting for four more years of Bush. Sorry, but nobody, even a right-wing ex-maverick like McCain, could be as much of a disaster as Bush as been. Sarah Palin, however, is another story. Someone with her “credentials” should not even be part of a presidential ticket. Another embarrassing aspect to the dizzying downward spiral that America is undergoing.

The campaign for Bangkok Governor has been a predictably colorful and noisy affair so far; the campaign trucks are making their daily rounds on the streets of the city, blasting out songs and slogans, while the occasional real life candidate waves to the stupefied masses. On Monday afternoon a tuk-tuk with Chuwit signs passed me as I was walking down Sukhumvit Road near the Ekkamai intersection. I noticed a fellow waving from the back seat, and as he turned his head I saw that trademark moustache: Chuwit himself! Another underdog candidate, Leena Jung, has been doing her best to attract attention in the race, but this week’s events went not according to plan: her falling into Klong Saen Saeb on Wednesday was a bit comical, but a stunt the following day turned tragic when her campaign manager drowned in another city klong.

When my friend Walter went to Myanmar last week, I gave him about ten envelopes with money in them to distribute to friends in Bagan and Mandalay. Yesterday I received a reply from one of the recipients in New Bagan:
“Thank you very much for your kindness and your friendship and also for some tip money for our children through your friend. This tip money is very helpful for the children because now is the time for every family in need of money. Our family wish you good luck, good job and good future. Zin Zin & Family.

Getting a note like that only reinforces to me how important it is that tourists visit and support the people in towns like New Bagan. Myanmar tourism was barely chugging along earlier this year and then Cyclone Nargis struck and virtually paralyzed things. The plight of the people living in the delta area has been well publicized, but what’s less discussed is the economic devastation that occurred in towns that depend almost solely on tourism; places such as Bagan, Nyaungshwe (near Inle Lake), and Hsipaw. With the dramatic drop in tourist arrivals these communties are reeling.

04:11 AM PDT Permalink |

Books … Baseball … Bagan

I walked into the Kinokuniya branch in the Emporium on Monday night, aiming to buy a copy of the new issue of Mojo magazine. They had several copies, but one thing made me hesitate from buying one (other than the exorbitant price): the band Queen was on the cover. Yuck! If I decided to make a list of the “Ten Bands I Could Live the Rest of My Life without Hearing Again,” surely Queen would rank near the top. So when I saw them on the cover of the magazine, which also included an article about the making of the Beatles “White Album” (great record, but I don’t need to read about it ad nauseum), I decided to pass. Instead, I used the nearly 500 baht in savings to buy a book that caught my eye: By George, the latest novel by the talented Wesley Stace. As detailed in this blog earlier this year, Wesley Stace is the real name of the musician known as John Wesley Harding. His first novel, Misfortune was outstanding, evidence of just how talented this man is: great singer, songwriter, book writer, and all around nice person. He even plays a good game of tennis, something I can personally attest to: he and his girlfriend Denise demolished me and a friend in a doubles match about 15 years ago. Watch out Wes, I’ll seek my revenge on the court again one day!

I had thought about Wes just the week before when I read a notice about a new CD, Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails by a collective called the Baseball Project. When I found out which musicians were involved in this project I became quite excited: Steve Wynn (ex-Dream Syndicate and other projects), Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows, Minus 5, R.E.M.) and Peter Buck (R.E.M.). The album is full of baseball-inspired tunes, including “Satchel Paige Said,” “Ted Fucking Williams,” “Sometimes I Dream of Willie Mays,” “Harvey Haddix,” and a song dedicated to Curt Flood. Makes me wish I still had my baseball card collection. The reason I associated Wes with this project was because during that tennis weekend all those years ago, I also attended an Atlanta Braves baseball game with him and Denise. At that game Wes mentioned that Steve Wynn had taken him to see his first baseball game in L.A. the previous year. After that initial exposure to the grand game, Wes became hooked himself. Wes is now living in New York, but hopefully he never became a Yankees fan.

Cool commuter of the week: the western man I saw on the Skytrain on a rainy Friday night, clutching a David Lodge book in his hands. Good taste!

Bizarre customers of the week: The Thai couple who showed up on Sunday evening and stayed for two hours, nursing a single cup of cocoa (why do Thais always order cocoa and rarely coffee?) for nearly two hours and reading the books they had bought from … Kinokuniya down the street. Very odd.

I’ve talked to several people who are traveling to Myanmar this month, including my friend Walter and Andy from the USA. They both report that getting tourist visas from the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok is now easier, but apparently requires an interview. Andy met his mother in Bangkok earlier this month and is showing her around the region. After Thailand, they headed over to Cambodia and then to Laos. This week it’s Myanmar. Both Andy and Walter were kind enough to take some books to the Kuthodaw Library in New Bagan for me. Win Thuya, who started the library, sent me an update on the library’s status this week:
“We are very happy to tell you that after 3 years of work, the Ministry of Public Relations has decided to approve the licence for Kuthodaw Library. The licence is good for one year, starting 25 August. This will make it much easier for us to organise seminars and workshops.”
The library is located just off the main road in New Bagan, diagonally across the street from the morning market. They shut down for an hour or two for lunch each day, but otherwise are open daily. Tourists are always welcome to visit. Thuya and his friends have done an outstanding job stocking the library with books in both English and Burmse, along with lots of newspapers and magazines. The library is free for locals.

04:02 AM PDT Permalink |

One Step Forward

One of the things that I continually complain about in Bangkok is the case of the directionless zombies who plod down the footpaths, stairs, and escalators of the city; weaving to the left, weaving to the right, clogging the middle of the path. Actually, if they plodded that would be a big step forward --- literally. But many of these so-called pedestrians are simply frozen in one place; either chatting with their friend, talking on their cell phone, or texting on their phone. Obviously, they are incapable of walking and performing any other acts at the same time. And all too often on escalators they are standing smack dab in the middle of the aisle so that it’s nearly impossible for someone who is actually moving their feet to get around them. So, imagine my delight when I went to Kuala Lumpur last week and discovered that they have adopted a wonderful, organized system on the escalators: those who want to stand keep to the left, while those who prefer to keep walking can do that on the right side. Incredibly efficient! If would be marvelous if such an organized system was used in Bangkok, but I doubt that the locals would consider anything so logical or efficient.

It’s been an eventful week for weird injuries; I closed the door twice on my left hand, and this morning, while raising my arm in the air (part of my disco-jumping exercise routine) I managed to get a finger caught in the ceiling fan. After I had stopped the flow of blood and washed the wound I rushed off to work, hoping the pain would soon subside. You can bet I looked both ways before crossing any streets.

After the train crash in California last week, the state not only banned train operators from sending text messages while on the job, but they banned all cell phone devices. Good for them. But I highly doubt that such a law would ever get passed in Thailand. I can just hear some freak whining about not being able to use their meu teu. But in light of all the accidents (there was a crash this week in Nakhon Panom; two bus drivers had been racing!) and bad driving habits that abound in this country, it would certainly be a good thing to consider.

I noticed a business sign in Siam Square earlier this week: “Miss Puke Massage.” Doesn’t exactly sound enticing, does it? But Thai words, being the way they are, aren’t always what they seem. Take a word like “Puke.” In the Thai language it would not be pronounced like you think it would. No doubt, it sounds more look “Pook” or perhaps “Pookie,” but certainly not anything that sounds like “Pyook”. And won’t she be surprised when someone explains what “puke” means in English.

Another sign that I saw in a local restaurant this week: “Happy Birthday Mr. Porn.” I was dining with my friend Walter at the time and I kidded him: “Looks like they discovered your nickname!”

05:14 AM PDT Permalink |

Browsers & Politicians

We frequently get guidebook browsers stopping in my bookshop; most of them aren’t looking to buy anything, they are just curious about traveling to another country and want to cull a bit more information before they take their trip. Once in a while someone will actually buy a book but the majority of browsers just look and leave. Not a big problem. But … we also get the total freeloaders; cretins who come in to conduct extensive trip research with no intention of buying anything. We had two hippy-chick backpacker types in the store on Saturday, a pile of guidebooks from various Southeast Asian countries spread out on the table in front of them. The girls huddled, spoke in whispers, and took copious notes. At least they ordered a couple of coffees to drink while they were scribbling --- which made them only semi-scum as opposed to full-fledged scum. The day before we were treated to a single guidebook notetaker; a young Thai woman who studied every single book we had that covered a country in Europe and Africa. Not sure if she was interested in learning more about those countries, preparing to take a very long trip, or just killing time. But like the browsers the previous day she didn’t buy a single book!

Last Saturday I attended a birthday party for my friends Myriam and Denise. Their birthdays are nearly a month apart, but this was their way of combining the dates into one festive party. I met some interesting people of various nationalities (Swiss, French, German, Filipino, Indian), including the remarkable Cherie Aung Khin, the owner of the Green Elephant Restaurant chain in Myanmar. In addition to the outstanding restaurant in Yangon, she has also opened branches in Bagan and Mandalay.

The election for a Bangkok governor will be held on October 5, but the campaign is already heating up. Judging from the number of signs around town, the three frontrunners are incumbent Apirak Kosayodhin, ex-massage parlor tycoon Chuwit Kamolvisit, and Kriangsak “Dr. Dan” Charoenwongsak. Chuwit’s signs --- picturing him with an angry grimace, lower teeth bared, as if he is going to bite someone --- are by far the most entertaining. “Problems?” the signs ask in Thai, “Give Chuwit a chance.” But will voters put their faith in such an energetic and colorful, but unpredictable and controversial character?

On the increasingly ridiculous national political front (has any other country in the world had a Prime Minister who was forced to resign because he hosted a cooking show?), there will be another attempt to name a new Prime Minister this week. But the only candidates being mentioned are all cronies of disposed PM Thaksin Shinawatra, and the leading contender is actually his brother-in-law! Ratcheting up the absurdity factor, one of Thaksin’s sisters is involved in the decision making process. All of which makes the chance of the Thai government becoming “legitimate” anytime soon an almost impossible goal.

New vocabulary words, or ones not often used, tend to slip into common usage during political campaigns (or ballot counting) in the USA. Eight years ago we were treated to “Hanging Chads” and this year we have a puzzling new one: “Earmarks.” And of course Watergate, which occurred more than 35 years ago, continues to inspire a vast pool of silly terms, including this year’s “Troopergate.”

At yet another party I attended recently (two in one month: there goes my anti-social reputation!), there was a discussion amongst expat residents about the Thais and their lack of English language skills. The “discussion” bordered more on complaining and whining: most of these expats belittled the Thais for not having better English skills and not making an effort to improve. Of course that’s a stereotype, and perhaps it’s not fair to say that all Thais have weak English skills. Some Thais actually speak very well, but usually they are ones who have lived or studied abroad. But what about the foreigners who live and work in Thailand and never attempt to learn the language? Most of the whiners at the party couldn’t speak more than a dozen words of Thai, yet they expect the locals to communicate solely in English. It’s always been my belief that if you live in a foreign country you should learn as much of the local language as possible. You don’t have to be fluent, but at least make the effort to learn a few phrases. Before moving to Thailand I studied the language, even learning to read and write. Still, after living here for more than a decade, I’m nowhere near fluent and that frustrates me. Part of that is sheer laziness, plus my focus has been diverted, attempting to learn Cambodian and Burmese. But if I want to get to the next level in Thai, I’m going to need to make more of a real effort. Just chatting with my fruit vendor and taxi drivers ain’t going to do the trick.

04:07 AM PDT Permalink |

KL Trip

The streets of Bangkok were wet when I returned from Kuala Lumpur yesterday morning, and it has pretty much stayed that way in the 24 hours since then. Nevertheless, it’s good to be back in silly old Bangkok. Kuala Lumpur was interesting, and I successfully obtained a new one-year non-immigrant visa at the Thai embassy, but it’s not a place I’d rush back to visit. I don’t know whether it’s because of Malaysian culture, or the heavy Islamic influence that pervades the society, but the overall vibe is not nearly as friendly or feel-good as I find in predominantly Buddhist Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. I’m sure there are some delightful people living in Malaysia, but for some reason I didn’t find many examples in KL.

But I did find one amazing used book shop, a branch of Tower Records (I thought they had all closed!), many good restaurants, and enjoyed just walking around the city and seeing the sights. The LRT underground train system, along with a monorail service, makes it very easy to get around town. I only used a taxi once, and that was because the LRT wasn’t running at five in the morning when I needed to go to KL Sentral and board the airport bus.

While at the monorail station one night, after enjoying dinner at The Ship near Bukit Bintang, I looked over at the Lot Ten shopping center across the street and noticed a “No Music No Life” sign in the window of one shop. That, of course, was the old Tower Records slogan, one that was used at the stores here in Bangkok when I worked for them back in the late 1990s. The Bangkok stores changed their affliation to CD Warehouse, but Tower Records Asia kept open stores in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia. The parent chain in the US filed for bankruptcy not once but twice and eventually ceased operations about two years ago; which was why I surprised to see any remaining Tower stores still open. The one in KL was pretty well stocked and I purchased seven CDs that I haven’t found in Bangkok stores.

The bookshop that I stumbled upon one day while walking back from Central Market in the Chinatown area was even more of a delight. Despite its name, the Junk Book Store, is a treasure trove of literary jewels. Okay, the old store IS a bit junky in appearance, and the stock could use a major reorganization (Alphabetical order? Not here!), but the vast selection of books they have almost took my breath away --- or perhaps that was the carbon dioxide fumes coming from the adjacent street. I found some rare books about Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, along with some hard-to-find mystery goodies from the likes of Rex Stout, Donald Westlake (and his alias, Richard Stark), Ed McBain, Ross Thomas, John Straley, and David Wiltse. The prices weren’t dirt cheap, but when it looked like I was going to buy more than a couple of books, the owner, Adelyn Koh, offered to give me a 20% discount. They have two floors of books, all arranged in haphazard piles. All books by certain authors are conveniently grouped together, and most (but not all) mysteries are in the same section of the store, just don’t expect to find John D. MacDonald in the same row as Ross MacDonald. There is also an additional floor of rare titles that Adelyn will be happy to unlock and show you. For more info on the store, check out their website: www.junkbookstore.com

The array of food choices was wonderful; everything from Malay, Chinese, and Indian places, to international cuisine and the usual fast food franchises. The McDonald’s branch near Central Market, though, had a nice art deco design, making it blend in with the rest of the architecture in the neighborhood. I was using a 2004 edition of a Lonely Planet guidebook, and three restaurants I was looking for had either closed or moved, but the rest of the joints I discovered were all very good.

My favorite dining experience was at an old restaurant called The Coliseum, located next to the movie theatre (opened in 1920) of the same name. It was located only a block from my hotel, in the Little India quarter, so I ended up dining there twice. The food, expecially the “sizzling” steaks, was very good, and the portions were generous. Plus I liked the ambience of the old place, and the efficient service by the veteran waiters, none of whom looked to be under sixty.

09:31 PM PDT Permalink |

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I’ll be leaving the country next week --- but only for three days. Due to an idiotic new twist in the Thai immigration laws, negligence on the part of our accountant, or perhaps both reasons, I must make a visa run to Malaysia. Despite the fact that I have a work permit and I’ve renewed my visa right here in Bangkok the past four years, I must now leave the country and apply for a new non-immigrant visa from a Thai embassy in another country. From all reports, the best place to do this is in Kuala Lumpur. I’ve been to Malaysia for visa runs twice in the past, but those were both done in Penang and happened ten years ago. I’ve never been to Kuala Lumpur before so there is an element of excitement about the trip --- discovering a new city, sampling restaurants, and perusing the bookshops. But I’m still pissed that I even have to make this trip. Meanwhile, I’m collating paperwork that I need to take to the embassy, making photocopies, and of course signing and stamping each ridiculous page. Urrrggghhh!!!

I only hope my flight next week isn’t delayed or cancelled due to those assholes from the PAD (People’s Alliance for Democracy) blocking the road or hijacking the terminal, as they have done this past week, shutting down airports in Krabi and Phuket, and twice in Hat Yai. I can’t fathom how the authorities could allow this to happen. Thai tourism takes another hit. This time, with the lingering uncertainty of just what the hell is going to happen, I fear the economic damage will be heavy. I’m no fan of Prime Minister Samak and his awful People Power Party, but the recent antics of PAD (taking over government buildings!) strike me as very inappropriate if not dangerous and counterproductive.

My regular fruit vendor had additional bad news for me on Monday morning: no papaya today. But thankfully, two days later, his papaya supply had returned and I was a happy camper once again. The day just isn't complete without that luscious fruit!

Anyone been following the Republican convention in the USA this week, especially the news about surprise VP pick Sarah Palin? It all sounds more like Michael Palin and an episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus: truly wacky episodes packed with ridiculous characters making outrageous comments. If nothing else, the week’s events are proof that the absurdity of politics has no limits. One of the most disturbing reports from the convention was an incident in which Republican delegates repeatedly burst into chants of "Drill now, baby, drill now!" during a speech by Palin. A very selfish --- and frequently nasty --- group of people. I can visualize the Republicans' catchy new bumper stickers already: “I’ll give up my SUV when they pry my cold dead fingers off the steering wheel!”

I picked up the latest issue of Mojomusic magazine at Kinokuinya last week. Being an imported copy from the UK it was damn expensive, but in my mind worth the expense: Mojo is always full of interviews, album reviews, and other music news. There’s a depth of coverage that I don’t find in other music magazines. In this issue there was an article about the 25th anniversay of REM’s legendary Murmur album, including interviews with band members Peter Buck, Michael Stipe, and Mike Mills. It brought back memories of when I first discovered the band in 1982, after hearing this mesmerizing song called “Radio Free Europe” at the 688 club in Atlanta. A year or so later REM finally had an EP out, Chronic Town, followed by Murmur. Shortly after that album was released I interviewed Stipe during a concert appearance the band made in Daytona Beach. And next month will also mark the 25th anniversary of the retail store I opened in Orlando; Murmur Records. And yes, I named it after that beloved album.

02:02 AM PDT Permalink |

Accidents will Happen

When accidents happen here in Bangkok, there are always time-consuming complications --- not factoring in the bizarre tendency of drivers who “flee the scene” and abandon their battered vehicle. Take the fender-bender that happened in front of my store on Sunday. A city bus bumped into the back of an SUV, not once but twice! Thankfully, nobody was injured, but all the passengers on the bus had to disembark and walk a block up the street to wait for another bus to come along. The SUV driver and passenger waited for the police and insurance rep to arrive on the scene while other vehicles drove around the scene of the accident. This wait took over an hour, and the ensuing inspection and paperwork process took another two hours. Meanwhile, the bus remained parked in a lane of traffic for almost the entire afternoon, making the afternoon congestion much worse.

On Friday I received an e-mail from my friend Nine Nine in Bagan. He was one of the recipients of some money I had sent via another friend last week. Nine Nine’s plan is to sell souvenirs at one of the popular sunset pagodas in Old Bagan. But he needs transportation to get there from his home in New Bagan. He’s also going to need customers; he hopes tourism picks up before the end of the year. Thus far, this year has been a disaster for the locals who depend upon tourism for their livelihood. Anyway, here is what Nine Nine had to say:
“I would like to request something from you, because if you allow I would like to buy one bicycle to sell my souvenirs arround bagan. If you not allow I will not do like that.”
Well that was considerate, but he certainly doesn’t have to ask my permission for something like that. The money is his and he can do what he thinks is best with it. But still, it was nice that he asked: more bonus points for that kid!

Baseball player name of the week: Rocky Cherry, a pitcher for Baltimore Orioles. That sounds more like an ice cream flavor than a real name. He should team up with Coco Crisp of the Boston Red Sox for a new taste sensation!

The Perspective section, a weekly Sunday supplement of the Bangkok Post, appeared for the last time yesterday. In a mysterious farewell, the Perspective editor wrote: “This is goodbye, no more do we fight a losing battle … with today’s publication the inevitable demise of Perspective will be my biggest personal loss.” But nowhere in the paper is there an explanation as to why this popular section of the paper is being shelved. A losing battle against what? Bureaucracy? Rising costs? Government censorshop? The mystery lingers. And yet the Post continues to print junk sections such as “Guru” and “My Life.” What’s going on over there?

And in Monday morning’s edition of the same newspaper, readers received yet another surprise: a price increase! The cost of the Post is now 30 baht, a five baht spike. A note from the editor on the front page attributed the price hike to the soaring cost of newsprint, but they promised additions to the Sunday paper: “new content, more reading and greater depth.” More reading? What exactly does that mean? A higher word count? Less crap? Less advertising? Whatever the content mix, it’s going to come at a price: the cost of a Sunday Bangkok Post will now be a hefty 40 baht!

In that final edition of Perspective there was a good article about a group of American expats in Bangkok, the Democrats Abroad Thailand, (DAT) who are trying to “awaken the overseas electorate” and get them to vote in the upcoming US election. Good luck. The fact is, that despite the convenience of now being able to obtain a ballot online, overeas American residents must still mail their ballot to the US (specifically, to the state and county in which they last resided) and hope that it makes it through the various postal mazes (both Thai and American) and arrives before the voting deadline. Why can’t a US citizen simply go the American embassy, show their passport, and vote there? It’s absurd that voters still have to mail their ballots overseas and hope that it’s received and counted. There has to be a better and more efficient way to do this.

12:28 AM PDT Permalink |

Reading Binge

I just finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, a new book that was recommended by my friend Margaux in Paris. This book has been creating a big buzz this year, selling more than five million copies around the world. Originally written in Swedish, copies have been translated into several languages, including English. Sadly, after writing the three books in this trilogy and delivering the manuscripts to his publisher, the author, Stieg Larsson, died of a heart attack in 2004 at the relatively young age of fifty. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo more than lives up to the hype; it’s a stunning thriller packed with plot twists and memorable characters, most especially Lisbeth Salander, the anti-social computer hacker/security specialist; a tattooed lady you don’t want to underestimate. I’m looking forward to translations of the other two books in the series.

I also just finished the new Paul Theroux book, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, one that I mentioned in a post last week. As in Theroux’s other travel books, this one is full of funny, wicked, and accurate observations about the people and places that he visits. I don’t agree with all of Theroux’s comments, but if nothing else, he shares his opinions without glossing over anything. During this trip he takes the train from Bangkok to Nong Khai, and across the border to Vientiane, Laos. Theroux had visited the city back in the early 70s, when it was a “wide-open town” catering to US soldiers during the Vietnam War. But on this trip, he encountered “no more than a dusty riverside town, with warm weather and friendly people and a government with obscure intentions.” Theroux ends up leaving town “satisfied that the depraved Vientiane of whores and stoners I had known was gone, replaced by a Vientiane of budget travelers and backpackers.” Come on Paul, give the new Vientiane a chance! Granted, Vientiane is a sleep burg these days, but I think it’s unfair to stereotype it as nothing more than a boring backpacker ghetto.

During his train journey back to Bangkok, Theroux meets an American woman who is “unofficially” working as missionary in Thailand, “spreading the word.” Theroux tells her that, in his opinion, Thais have plenty of spirit already. “Not Christian spirit. They need Jesus” is the woman’s response. At this point, Theroux can’t contain himself any longer. “What is it with you people?” he challenges the sandwich-chomping Jesus freak. I certainly share his perplexed rage. Why do these missionary sorts feel the need to go around other countries (usually ones that they perceive as “Third World”) trying to “save” people who they think are heathens?

Another city that Theroux returned to was Yangon, then known as Rangoon, in Myanmar. In his description of the city this time around he writes: “Soldiers were everywhere, even in the sepulchral back streets. It looked pessimistic, unlucky, and badly governed. It had no bounce. It was a city without visible ambition: no challenge, no defiance.” No bounce? I would certainy debate that and some of his other observations. Each visitor no doubt has a different take on what they see, but to say that soldiers are “everywhere” is just plain wrong. Unless a vistor happened to time their visit during a rare public demonstration or the anniversary of such an event, they are not going to see troops in the streets. In fact, it’s quite rare to see a military presence around town at all. But Theroux redeems himself in the Myanmar chapter by detailing a very generous act he performed while in Mandalay. It’s a very touching moment, one of the highlights in the book.

In other travels, Theroux revisits his old stomping grounds in Singapore (he worked there as a University lecturer for three years) and is horrified by the changes that made the city “unrecognizable” to him. He lobs his biggest batch of verbal grenades at former Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew. In one pargraph Theroux calls him “a cold and single-minded control freak, a puritanical, domineering know-it-all, oddly resentful in the things he says; and Singapore society reflects everything in Lee’s personality.” Later in the same chapter Theroux continues his tirade: “Lee is a vain and domineering patriarch, and with the passing years he sounds more and more like the head of a cult than a political leader. Theroux also takes aim at how Lee has aged: “He had … withered, almost simian features --- not the thuggish scowl of a Triad chieftain he’d had when I’d last seen him, but a pinched and unforgiving look that I associated with unhappy captives, like a caged thing scowling through bars.” Ouch! Theroux certainly sounds like he can’t wait to get the hell out of Singapore. But before the chapter is over, he notes: “And here is the contradiction. Everyone I met in Singapore treated me with the utmost courtesy. I was driven around by the sweetest most solicitous people I’d met on my whole trip.”

The rest of the book is full of more pro and con travel summaries: he likes Istanbul and Hanoi, but isn’t crazy about Phnom Penh or Kunming. He hangs out with fellow writers Orhan Pamuk in Turkey, and Haruki Murakami and Pico Iyer in Japan. All in all, this is another fascinating addition to the ouvre of Paul Theroux.

09:57 PM PDT Permalink |

Across the Border

I’ve been thinking about Myanmar a lot --- yes, once again --- this week, after a series of visits and e-mails from friends. My French friend Patrick is currently travelling in Myanmar with one of his pals from France. He was kind enough to deliver a repaired laptop to one of my friends in Yangon, in addition to a small package for another friend in Bagan, and some photos for waiters at a restaurant in Mandalay. Thankfully, Patrick has been a willing and cooperative courier, and has sent me progress reports every few days. After a week in the Mandalay area (including a trip to see the hill station town of Pyin U Lwin --- dubbed Maymyo by the Brits during their colonial occupation) he is currently in Bagan. He’s trying to get to the beach town of Chaungtha but has been told that there are currently travel restrictions in that area.

Bangkok resident Mick Shippen, another contributor the To Myanmar with Love book from Things Asian Press, is heading over to Myanmar this week also. Mick has travelled there before, wandering off the beaten track to explore pottery-making villages along the Ayeyarwady River. I’ll be looking forward to hearing about where his latest ramblings take him.

Another traveler I met recently, Michelle from the US, just returned from a month-plus (she ended up having to pay a small over-stay fine) trip to Myanmar. She mainly stayed in the Yangon area and took a meditation course while she was there. I met her last month, just a day after I had returned from my own Myanmar adventure. Michelle had been contacted by my friend Laurie Weed in California who wanted to send some money to Jyotish at the Growing Together preschool in Yangon. The school building had sustained damages after the cylone in May and Laurie wanted to donate some money for repairs. So, Laurie sent the money to me via Western Union and I picked it up the day I got back from Myanmar. The following day, Michelle met me at my bookshop and I gave her the money for the school. I also handed her another envelope with money, to give to another one of my friends in Yangon who assisting some upcountry schools. It wasn’t exactly high finance, and changing money from dollars to baht to (and back to dollars again in some cases) to kyat was a bit confusing, but we managed to get all the funds distributed!

But the books remain. About three weeks I received two large boxes of children’s books from Biblionef (www.biblionef.org) in the Netherlands. They aren’t for my shop, but are donations for the Kuthodaw Library in New Bagan. Now, I have to figure out a way to get them there. The plan is take them to Win Thuya in Yangon (he started this community library two years ago), who in turn will make arrangements to get them to the library in New Bagan. The problem, of course, is that there are a lot of books and we have to deal with the airline baggage limits. We can certainly take the whole lot over, but that would mean paying overweight bag fees.

From an online bookseller in Australia, this very detailed description of the condition of a secondhand book they are offering:
“Tan coloured boards with black titles to the backstrip. Bumping to the head and to the heel of the backstrip and a little rubbing to the corners. Browning and foxing to the top text block edges and browning to the other text block edges. Light browning to the internal text to the first two and last few pages. Illustrated dustwrapper (wraparound) with yellow and dark brown titles to the front panel and dark brown titles to the backstrip. Rubbing and chipping to the dustwrapper corners and to the head and to the heel of the backstrip. Rubbing either side of the backstrip region and a little rubbing to the top right-hand corner of the front dustwrapper panel. There is a 0.75" tear to the top right-hand corner of the front panel and a tear measuring 1" x 1" to the top edge of the backstrip. A faint hint of browning to the dustwrapper. More noticeable browning to the verso of the dustwrapper.”

That enough information for you? Well, you certainly would know what you’re getting. But if most people simply read that paragraph, without any preface, it’s likely that wouldn’t have any idea it was about books. After reading that description, I would hesitate to ask this bookseller the simplest of questions. Even something as innocuous as “How’s the weather today?” would trigger a flood of adjectives.

11:08 PM PDT Permalink |

Off the Rails

I found a copy of the new Paul Theroux book; Ghost Train to the Eastern Star at Kinokuyniya this week. I debated buying it --- it was one of those expensive hardcovers after all --- but decided it might be several months before I saw a used copy pass through my shop, so I forked out the baht and bought it. Ghost Train to the Eastern Star is another of Theroux’s train travel tomes, this one retracing the route (most of it, anway; he couldn’t get a visa to visit Iran this time) he took 33 years previously; a trip detailed in his landmark book, The Great Railway Bazaar. I’m only about a hundred pages into this one, but like most of Theroux’s travel collections, it’s entertaining and insightful. I’m looking forward to reading the latter chapters, in which Theroux travels though Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar. By the way, the author photo on the book’s dust jacket (inside the back cover) was taken by Yingyong Un-Aanongrak of the Bangkok Post when Theroux was in town last year.

In politics, the American presidential candidates were trying to demonstrate their moral credentials at a “Forum on Faith” earlier this week. The fact that such a forum was big news speaks volumes about the power that superstitious religion nuts have in American politics --- and in every realm of American society. It’s a shame, but that’s the reality of running for office: you have to profess your faith, and do so loudly, if you want the masses to vote for you. Here in Thailand all the candidates have to do is pay off the voters (and take care of the village chief!) and they are assured of getting elected. No messy religious ceremonies or prayerful declarations to a higher power necessary; just keep the whiskey flowing! People may ridicule the Thai style, but what about the method of electing people that is done in “sophisticated” Western countries? Think about the obscene amounts of money that the candidates have spent in the USA this year running for president. And don’t you think the winner will be indebted to a few special interest groups after the election is all over? And what about the voting process itself? It strikes me as utterly absurb that America doesn’t have a single consistent way of casting ballots. That’s right; it’s up to each individual state to pick the method (usually some sort of machine; some of which are prone to malfunctions) that is used. After the debacles in the last two US general elections (remember those “hanging chads” in Florida), you would think there would be a demand for international election observers to keep an eye on polling stations around the country. But no, that wouldn’t be the “American way,” would it?

Among the many books being sold or exchanged in my shop this week, there were a half-dozen old Mad magazine books from the 1970s. These aren’t the comics, but paperback collections of Mad favorites from the likes of Don Martin, William Gaines, and other zany contributors to the beloved humor publication. If you were an American teenage boy in the late 60s through the mid 70s, Mad was the coolest magazine (other than Penthouse or Hustler; but those were best kept under the mattress) to read.

Spam mail of the week: “The Incredible Pet Nail Trimmer.” I think this one has hit my inbox at least twice per day every day this week. Hell, at least it’s better than the flood of Viagra ads that usually appear. Are there any people on earth who would actually order a product like a pet nail trimmer? Then again, Bush got elected twice, so there is no doubting the gullibility or sheer stupidity of the general public.

It’s music time! Here’s a rundown of my recent CD purchases (yes, still buying real discs as opposed to downloading tracks online) and albums that are grooving me:
Ry Cooder – I, Flathead
Emmylou Harris – All I Intended to Be
Les McCann – Talkin’ Verve
Lamont Dozier – The ABC Years & Lost Sessions
Ryan Bingham – Mescalito
Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs
Terry Reid – Superlungs
John Fogerty – Revival
The Orchids – Good to be a Stranger
Mavis Staples – We’ll Never Turn Back
Tabu Ley/Rochereau – The Voice of Lightness: Congo Classics 1961-1977
American Music Club – The Golden Age
Toots and the Maytals – Reggae Legends
John Martyn – Sweet Little Mysteries: The Island Anthology
Foghat – The Definitive Rock Collection
Nils Logren – Back it Up Live! An Authorized Bootleg
Elton John – Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player
George Jones – The Essential
Pure Prairie League – Pure Prairie League/If the Shoe Fits
Webb Wilder – Hybrid Vigor
Rodney Crowell – Diamonds & Dirt
Artful Dodger – Honor Among Thieves
Bram Tchaikovsky – Strange Man Changed Man
Green on Red – Gas Food Lodging
Wild Swans – Bringing Home the Ashes

02:09 AM PDT Permalink |

Reunions and Travels

Things Asian Press has officially released To Vietnam with Love, as part of their exciting new Asian guidebook series. These promise to be much more than standard guidebooks, but collections of personal essays that are designed to give the “passionate traveler” an insider’s perspective of things to see and do in that country. One of my Bangkok friends, Jan Polatschek, has an essay in the Vietnam book. Jan will also have three articles in the next book in the series, To Myanmar with Love, a volume that also includes contributions from yours truly. That book should (I hope, I hope, I hope …) be published in November.
http://www.thingsasianpress.com/books.htm

Meanwhile, Jan is on the road again. Later this week he heads back to his hometown in New York for his 50th high school reunion. After that event is over Jan is planning road trips around the Northeast, one down South (order some grits for me, Jan!), and an additional foray into Central and South America. Eventually, he’ll return to Bangkok in early December, just before the King’s birthday. You can keep track of Jan’s wanderings on his “Travel with Jan” website. See the link on this page under the “Favorites” listings.

The Bangkok Post has several supplements during the week, such as their outstanding “Database” section (focusing on computer and other tech stuff), which appears every Wednesday. Their “Horizons” travel section on Thursdays is also good, but in my opinion is not nearly as interesting with the absence of Don Ross’s column. Other supplements, such as “My Life” and “The Magazine” are mostly a waste of precious newsprint. But the very worst of the bunch is the “Guru” entertainment section that comes with Friday’s paper. It appears geared toward teenagers or twenty-somethings who have nothing better to do than go “clubbing” every night. Ninety percent of the articles appear to have been written by the editor, a fellow whose sense of humor totally escapes me. Why is this drivel still being published?

Friends from the past keep tracking me down, and I’m delighted! Last month I heard from old pal Erick Rostad, who is now living in the Seattle area. He was one of the first customers I met when I opened my record store in Orlando back in 1983. After I moved to Thailand, we lost contact. I would Google his name every so often with no results, but luckily he did the same and found me here at Things Asian. An additional surprise “howdy neighbor” moment came from another past customer, Shannon Donn. She is now a mother and living in Charleston, South Carolina. She and Erick both game me detailed updates on what they’ve been doing this past decade, and I reciprocated with a report of my own. To top that off, Beth Hoefer, the daughter of one of my high school friends (Does this make me feel old? Yes!), David Hoefer, e-mailed me at my store, asking about a Steve Martin book she was looking for. From what I gather, David has done an outstanding job of raising his daughter: she not only reads books and listens to good music (She’s a Beatles fan, which gets bonus points in my book).

09:02 PM PDT Permalink |

Road to Ruin

What year is it again? In the past week --- well, maybe it’s been about a ten-day period --- I’ve seen five different people wearing “Ramones” T-shirts. Perhaps a Ramones revival is about to occur? Now, that would truly be a trend worth embracing. The music may be thirty years old, but it would it easier to digest --- in my opinion --- than the current crap offerings of deravitive hip hop and machine-produced pop. Gabba Gabba Hey!

I paid a visit to the book section of Chatuchak market last week. And no, I didn’t shop there on the weekend, as so many people do. I hate those congested crowds, so I made my excursion on a Wednesday when I didn’t have to deal with the sweaty throngs. Some of the areas of the market are open during the week, including one of my favorite used book vendors, Mr. Dilok. I go there three or four times a year to rummage through the stacks of old books, searching for anything I think will be sellable in my shop. This time around I was looking for more children’s books and I found a good assortment. I also found some other odd treasures, including a Huey Long biography and some old novels by the likes of Hermann Hesse, Iris Murdoch, Jim Harrison and the recently deceased Aleksander Solzhenitsyn. Always a nice mixed bag of treats at that market if you are willing to get your hands dirty (filthy with dust and dirt) and sort through the unorganized piles of books. For me, there are few greater pleasures.

On the way back from my book buying spree I had a particularly friendly taxi driver, one of those guys who was a sheer joy to ride with. He was a talker, but his spiel went beyond the usual “you like Thai lady?” drivel, plus he was very polite and asked good questions. I don’t usually tip taxi drivers much, but I made an exception for this man. Plus, his taxi smelled good, thanks to one of those jasmine garlands hanging from the rear view mirror. One of those “classic” fragrances that brings to mind my very first trip to this magical place called Thailand.

But, oh those wacky Thai nicknames! Is there any other county on earth where the locals use such silly monikors instead of their real names? I started making a list of Thai people that I know and their nicknames. In virtually all cases I only know their nickname, not the real name. Here are a few of my favorites: Beer, Sand, Golf, Palm, Ball, Bank, View, Top, Arm, Night, Ice, Benz, Mars, Off, Nut, Peach, and Boss.

02:00 AM PDT Permalink |