Jaidan and I headed out to the Grand Sheraton for breakfast this morning. This gave mom time to clean up the apartment as we are having some friends over for a small birthday party for Jaidan this afternoon. Here are a couple of pics from this morning:
Jaidan trying out his birthday present.
Jaidan drying his hair after his bath ... getting ready to head out to the Sheraton.
Today is a major Buddhist holiday so Bangkok is pretty quiet today. Tomorrow, Saturday will see the bars open up once again. However, many of the girls will be missing as they took advantage of the 2 day Buddhist holiday to go home to their villages for a 4 day weekend.
I will add more pics after Jaidan's party is over.
2013 Edition ... like wine ... the Stones get Better with Age! The Stones have to go down as the Greatest Rock Group of all Time due to their longevity and remaining true to themselves.
Make sure you watch this video!!!!
It has been a while since I covered the naughty scene in this blog so having a free couple of hours I headed down to Soi 7/1 to the magic Table. (http://bangkokafterhours.blogspot.com/2013/05/magic-table-soi-71-in-bangkok-at-130-am.html). The Magic Table has an outdoor pool table that is seldom busy and some of the girls are not too bad (at pool ... get your mind out of the gutter); better still, they have an outdoor bar that is excellent for watching the comings (no pun intended) and goings on the Soi. Soi 7/1 is the home of the famous Dr. BJ's bars. (http://bjbarbangkok.com/).
From the outdoor bar at Magic Table I could watch the steady stream of traffic into Dr. BJ's. BTW, the traffic is both male, female, and couples. One of these days I really have to go inside and check it out :-). Dr BJ's open at 10 am for your morning BJ and closes down around 2 am depending on demand. I was there in the pm and most of the customers were in their mid twenties to mid 30's which dispels the old man reputation that Bangkok has. The working girls, coming and going, often for snacks, were OK but not the stunners that you sometimes see in the GoGo bars around Bangkok.
Dr. BJ obviously fills a need a need because there was a steady stream of customers.
The HJ jobs around Bangkok really don't make sense to me. I understand they are cheap (500 Baht), whereas BJ's are 750 - 1000 Baht, but really, hand jobs are something we guys can do by ourselves. At some moment in time I really have to explore that venue as well.
Most of the HJ bars seem to be located in Soi Cowboy (http://singlemansparadise.com/a-handjob-at-the-bar-toy-bar-bangkok-review/ ... warning not PC). Apparently the BJ's happen out in the open. Perhaps they service the inner voyeur in us :-). They have outside bar seats so that would enable me to monitor the comings and goings. I will report on Toy Bar at a later date.
On another note, Bangkok is in a bit of a drought and the water coming out of my tap is brackish and highly chlorinated. However apart from brushing your teeth, it can be avoided. We drink Singha bottled water all the time. Back in the village they drink rain water that is collected in cisterns from the roof.
So, Bangkok remains a city unto itself. It really is unique. I can't understand why more of you are not interested in visiting the LOS.
Today's song is: Taking it Easy ... Eagles 1977 ... a feel good kind of song
The military junta just passed a law stating that any business within 300 meters of a school or university is prevented from selling alcohol. Apparently the students are getting tanked up on alcohol before and after classes. I have mentioned before the problem of junk food vendors within 300 meters of schools and I believe they are more of a long term problem to Thailand.
However, despite the intention of the law, the powers to be should have gotten out their meter sticks and looked at the implication of the law. Apparently there are many 5 star hotels and high end restaurants within 300 meters of schools. I am not sure of the hours that are affected but if it 8-5 then it will have devastating effects on some businesses.
Somehow, I don't think the students are sneaking into the local Sheraton or Marriott for their pre class drink so they are not affected. It is basically the Family Marts and 7/11 convenience stores. I tend to think the problem may be the level of instruction that are driving the students to drink :-)
Today's song is Eric Burdon and the Animals singing It's My Life - Old Fart Performance
It is quiet in downtown Bangkok these days. The bar girls say it is very slow and they aren't making much money. Times will be tough for mom and the children in the village. The number of punters is down and the majority of them are Japanese and they have their favorite bar venues.
There are new types of visitors to Thailand these days. They are young couples and older retired couples. Rumor has it the punters are moving on to Cambodia and the Philippines. The US dollar is doing great but the Canadian dollar is falling as is the price of gold which all Thais follow religiously because gold is often their savings. Much better than money in the bank because you get to wear it and flaunt it (if you have lots).
We have been getting some rain at night this past week which also has an effect on the bar trade.
Today is buy one, get one free at CoffeeBean so when Jaidan wakes up we are off for a walk, a couple of coffee shakes and a blueberry muffin warmed up, most of which Jaidan eats up.
Jaidan will have his 1st bday on July 31st and will no longer be a baby but a toddler. He has actually been walking for a while now and is quite verbal at times but we have no idea what he is saying. He enjoys watching television and listening to music. He breaks out into a dance shuffle at the slightest hint of a tune. He also likes to eat and drink fizzy drinks. he especially likes 100plus which has recently started being imported into Thailand from Malaysia. It is marketed as a lo-cal hydration drink, low in calories but no artificial sweeteners.
Here are some of the latest pics taken with my Asus ZenFone 2 (highly recommended as best bang for the buck)
Today's song is Turn ... turn ...turn by the Byrds ... but first their version of 'Times are a Changin' ... Dylan's song from yesterday.
Times are a Changin ...
Turn ... Turn ... Turn ... 2010 performance
The Byrds (Folk Rock Group 6's-70's) were obsessed by time. They had a total of 5 songs hat were themed around time. The two above plus ... Time Between, She Don't Care About Time, Set You Free This Time.
I must admit having experienced a fair bit of time under the bridge that time has become more important to me, especially free time ... the kind of time where you can do what you want when you want. Life is not a dress rehearsal ... make the most of it. In the immortal words of Ivan Kelly .. Don't fool around ... buy a round!
Actuarial tables are so depressing. They can give you a ball park year when you cash your chips in. According to Canadian data that gives me 20 more years to make the most of. Not so bad given the wisdom I have accumulated and the freedom I have.
Perhaps's folk rock's best known song is a Dylan song ... How Many roads ... You would not believe the many different artists that have sung this song ... I will leave it to you to research. In the meantime, my 2 favourites ...
Springsteen
Canadian Alanis Morissette (I had dinner at her parent's house while she was just a young teenager) ... dad played QB for the Carleton Raven's and Mom taught with me. Very nice people!
Today's song is: Times are a Changing - Dylan 1964
When I lived directly on Soi 22 I used to wake every morning to the sound of roosters. One must remember that this is the center of downtown Bangkok, sort of like Times Square New York. You certainly would not get Roosters sounding off in downtown Vancouver or Ottawa. The PC leftist city politicians would frown upon it. On my side street, off of Soi 22, there are no roosters but their are a couple of free range chickens wandering around. If I ever get short on food ...
I read an interesting article on safety nazis in the US are now demanding that children be placed in their own seat on airlines and also be strapped into a certified car seat as well. Obviously, these safety nazis never had children. First off, most families can not afford to pay for a seat for a child under 2. Second, carry the car seat, while juggling the kid, and your carry-on would be a nightmare. Why do the PC left want to regulate what we 'the people' do.
I have always admired the State of New Hampshire's license plates .... 'Live Free or Die'.
I have mentioned that Bangkok could not exist in North America for a variety of reasons. There are regulations but they are seldom enforced. There are no stop or yield signs on the streets but traffic moves well at most times. You go ... I go ... you go ... but taxis go first. Motorbikes outnumber cars and helmets are optional. You will see families of 4 on one motorbike. My personal record viewing is a family of 7.
Food stalls on the street see no health inspectors. The only time I ever had food poisoning was in a 5 star hotel. Go figure. You can walk around with an open beer at any time of day.
You would think would think anarchy would rule without regulation or enforcement but it all works well. Cops ride around on small 125 motorbikes (2 cops to a bike) but they seldom bother you. You seldom see a fat cop. Yes, there is corruption but it is pretty well out in the open and not hidden like 'Clinton Cash'. (Do read the book).
It is refreshing to live your life without being told what to do by any level of government. An american friend of mine just visited Ottawa (and Canada) for the first time. He was held at immigration for 3 hours as the immigration folks tore his suitcase apart and pored over the photos of school aged children on his laptop, grilling him with questions. My friend works for an international school and writes the school newspaper and shoots photos of the kids to be used in the publication. It appears the Ottawa International airport is used for training immigration officers ... but this is ridiculous!!! This is one American who was not impressed. He did state that the one male immigration officer was a little sympathetic if not empathetic. BTW, my friend is 68.
I had better erase my nude photos of Jaidan in the bath before I fly into Ottawa :-)
Jaidan is now actively getting involved with keeping the apartment clean.
I am running out of underwear! My dear Mother, who recently passed away always gave me underwear as a Christmas present. I really can't remember when the last time I personally purchased underwear. That is, until today. I purchased some at Big C. I purchased LARGE, 34-36. Now in North America, that would be considered medium. When I got home and tried them on ... it really put a new meaning to ... 'tighty whities'. Now, I wear size 34-36 shorts (purchased at Oakley shop) so I know what size I am. The problem is ... these underwear are manufactured for the Thai market and Thai men do not have butts. Serious ... this is the land of flat asses. If I did not have a butt they would probably fit ... but alas ... poor Yorick ... I have a normal Canadian butt.
Today's song is in praise of butts
The original
The Sponge Bob version
The appeal of Thai women is their slimness. Times are a changing and I have documented the Thai school girls that go to school on my soi. They tend to be quite chubby and it is because of the street vendors that setup on the street across from the school and sell all types of high caloric junk food. The future does not look good for the next generation of Thai ladies. The good news is the bulk (no pun intended) of bar girls come from up country where they do not have access to junk food vendors and work out in the rice paddies.
3 Young Ladies a go go at Club Blue Electric in Pat Pong ... no big butts there
I have been busy programming and learning over the past couple of days. I have always looked for an easy to use, inexpensive Electronic Portfolio for students, teachers, and parents to collaborate and share their work. I came across an excellent open source project that I am converting into a turn key system for International and private schools. However, the project has greatly reduced my bottle of scotch (Dewar's White Label) and tested Thavorn's patience, not to mention Jaidan missing his Papa playing with him and bar hopping.
It is only fitting that today's song features education ...
Thavorn, Jaidan and I did get out to Country Road on Soi Cowboy on Thursday night. We usually go on hump day but I got busy programming so we did Thursday. Jaidan is back to being sociable and now is willing to head off in the arms of any pretty bar girl and there is no shortage of them lined up to take Jaidan in their arms.
There is one particular bar girl at Country Road who is quite a character and has taken Jaidan since he turned 8 months. I always worry when she disappears with Jaidan but he seems to enjoy her. On Thursday night he disappeared a little bit longer and I went in search of him. He was nowhere to be found and I worried a bit and then noticed that Jaidan was in the another bat across the soi entertaining a new group of bar girls. He is quite the bar butterfly at times. Of course the Country Road bar girl found it highly amusing I went in search of my boy.
Jaidan is well into the Frankenstein walk and can go about 5 metres at a time without falling. He also does a great imitation of his papa's snoring on Thavorn's prompt but much to her chagrin he does not perform it in public. He also can 'wei' now which is kind of cute.
His most enjoyable activities are going for walks with Papa, whether on his shoulders or in his body carrier, he is most content. He also likes to crawl under my work desk and pull out the plugs to my computers. He has a healthy appetite and loves to lick the soles of our shoes which drives me crazy because of the filth that is on the streets of Bangkok. If there is ever a pandemic in the world, Thais will last the longest due to their immune system getting such a workout.
I tried to explain to Thavorn that we have street sweepers in Canada and she said no big deal they have them in Thailand as well.
Bangkok street sweepers
Canadian street sweepers
Apparently the bars are not all that busy at this time of year (rainy season) but we are in the midst of a drought and many rice crops will fail. There has been precious little rain this year.
Jaidan turns 1 year old on July 31st so we will have to have some kind of party for him. Not sure what at this date, but will come up with something.
Jaidan loves Cats and Dogs.
Here he is with Trey, the owner and operator of 3 bars in Queens Park. Trey's mom just died which made her an orphan and time she spends with Jaidan is very therapeutic for her. She often drops by our apartment to spend some time with Jaidan. In Canada she would be jailed for living off the avails of prostitution. She sees herself as more of a match maker. I quite like her.
Today's song is Hugh Laurie's Protest (tongue in cheek) Song
Opposition to Thailand’s military junta mounts as even mildest protests shut down NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE BEIJING — The Globe and Mail Published Tuesday, Jul. 07, 2015 10:47AM EDT Last updated Wednesday, Jul. 08, 2015 12:13AM EDT http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/opposition-to-thailands-military-junta-grows-as-mildest-protests-shut-down/article25335369/ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had a few people inquire if the military junta's coup impacts my life. In all honesty for the most part I think Thais are better off under the current regime. The Yingluck government was heading for trouble as they could not afford the rice pledging scheme. The rice pledging scheme was just a means of buying the rural vote and it worked. It is not dissimilar to the democratic party courting the Latino and Black vote in the upcoming 2016 US election.
I must admit that I follow the US news much more than the Canadian news. We Canadians are so boring! The US is currently arguing over which money bill gets a woman on it which means that a president gets dissed. It looks like it may be the $20 and not the $10. Of course we Canadian have a PC correct lineup of images on our bills.
I think we have to face the fact that the goal of every politician is to get reelected and that means that policies and plans that they put in place must necessarily be short term whereas a country often needs a longer term strategy. This is what the military junta is trying to do.
They are also trying to get rid of the endemic corruption in Thailand. They are also trying to fight human trafficking and are making headway where past governments were only too happy to have cheap, exploited labor. The politically correct Western governments are only too happy to criticize the non democratic government in place in Thailand.
In the US we will see the Bush dynasty (republicans) duke it out with the Clinton dynasty (democrats). May the party with the most money win! I will take the military junta over that any day. After all, it's not as if I get to vote in Thailand :-)
However, I do admire the 14 students who took on the junta and were quickly locked up for 2 weeks and subsequently released. The junta does not like criticism but I think that is where they are making a mistake. Free speech should still be in effect and who knows, maybe the junta could learn a few things from the students.
Today's song is from 1964 ... It was the summer of 1964 and my first GF kiss.
It has been a pretty quiet 5 days ... not much to write about. My routine is awake at 6 am ... Jaidan and I have breakfast and watch Fox and CNN news for an hour, then it is Jaidan's bath and then we watch some more news until he falls asleep about 9 am for an hour and then Thavorn wakes up. Thavorn needs this catch up time as Jaidan still wakes up 4 times a night. I then go for a 30 minute swim.
Jaidan is now doing the Frankenstein walk for about 10 steps between Thavorn and I. It won't be long until we are chasing after him.
Jaidan and I often head out in the afternoon about 2 pm for a couple of hours to give Thavorn a break. We have fun bar hopping and and Jaidan is a real girl magnet and we both get to meet many new lady's. There is usually a 3 pm shift that arrives in most bars and it is fun to watch the girls prep for the day's work. They all want to hold Jaidan but he is very picky and will shake his head if he does not want to go with someone.
One of these days I should write a book on the lives of bar girls in Bangkok. I certainly know enough of them to fill a book with their life stories.
We have been going to the park in the afernoon i Jaidan and I are not cruising the bars.
Here are some pics:
Learning to swing with Mom
Learning to slide with Mom
Going solo
It is 36 degrees and sticky
Time for reflection ... who knows what goes on in their minds
Going solo on the swing at 11 months ... bad parents?
Trying out the zoom on my phone's camera
More zooming ... not bad for web pics ... I am 30 meters away
A brief respite at CoffeeBean ... Jaidan looking for trouble
Today's song is a Pop Anthology of many of the songs you would hear in Climax or Insanity Dance Discos in Bangkok.
It is a quiet day today as yours truly over did it last night and is a bit hungover today.
Jaidan is his usual self however and is enjoying his chicken leg and reading books. Many thanks to Jeanine for providing the reading books last summer. They are a big hit with Jaidan and he pulls them out 5 times a day to look through the pages by himself. I do read him bed time stories as well.
Jaidan looking at his books that he pulled off the shelf.
Larry Brown would be proud of Jaidan ... despite having only one tooth he is able to strip his chicken leg to the bone.
When we need a break we feed Jaidan Thavorn's purse ... good for an hour of play.
Thavorn had waist length hair but it was time for a change ... She now has a feathered cut that she can style various ways and is much easier to maintain.
It was interesting to watch Thavorn get her hair cut. Probably took 90 mins from start to finish at a hi-so hair salon. Total cost was 400 Baht or about $13. In Canada, the tip alone would be more than 3x that amount.
Last night Soi Cowboy was a bit quiet ... but then again, it is off season and a Wednesday night. I like it when it is not busy as the bar girls are bored and have time to chat with you and improve their English. It is then you get to know the human side of their lives, see pictures of their babies back in the village with Grandma and hear how much they miss them.
Today's song is ... I can't get no satisfaction ... the 2013 edition seems to resonate with me ... boomers still have something to give ...
It is pretty well becoming a hump day ritual to head out about 4 pm to Rendezvous bar with Jaidan to chat with whatever farangs are hanging about. Thavorn shows up about an hour and 3 vodka and orange juices later and we head out for the walk to Soi Cowboy. Along the way I stop so Jaidan can chat with the numerous massage and bar girls. Jaidan is well known and I kind of have to stop and chat.
When we get to Soi Cowboy we head to Country road. The band does not usually start up until 6 pm so we have time for some games of pool. I was stacked up against a German and his Thai girlfriend who were quite good. I was playing well and won the first 2 and lost the 3rd so I retired a winner and gave Thavorn a chance to play. She was up against 2 Thai girls who were obviously cruising the bars for farangs but it was early so they welcomed the competition. She split the 6 games, winning 3 of them. As always the loser pays for the table so winning is good.
We finished up about 8 pm and headed home but we stopped off at Queen's Park to visit some friends. I was hungry so I took a break at Subway for their Wednesday special of a 6" tuna sub. Thavorn chatted with old friends and Jaidan and I cruised the bars chatting with new bar girls and I visited an bar owner I have known for years.
After an hour, it was time to head home but Thavorn bought some street food for herself and Jaidan. Home it was, time to eat, and then into the bath with Jaidan. The 6 beers and 3 vodka are taking their toll so it could be an early night.
