Today's song is: She Came in Through the Bathroom Window .. Cocker Classic
Today is moving day and it is proving interesting. We had booked a truck about 3 weeks ago, and I had Thavorn confirm it yesterday and the man whom we had booked was now unavailable but his cousin was at 1,000 baht more. I sense we are being played a bit. Here we sit with all our belongings awaiting a truck and I said to Thavorn, best call and confirm. She calls and the cousin has just been involved in an accident and can't make it, but he has a friend who can and we get his phone number. I know, without calling, it will be another 1,000 baht mare and Thavorn agrees and calls a friend who has a furniture making business and they have a truck that they contract out with. After a couple of calls back and forth we are booked for 6 pm and it is good that we have this truck because it is covered and we have just had our first rainfall in 4 months!
It is now 3 pm and Tacky and Pee stopped by to say goodbye. I was suffering from caffeine withdrawal so I walked to 7/11 to get a coffee. Definitely an improvement as I am very hungover because of my bar hopping with the 3 kings, King Arthur, King John, and King James. Now this trio is really bad when we go on a bar bender. I seem to remember getting home about 3 am and then getting up for 8 am to finish packing for our morning pickup.
I would think we will get into the village about 11 pm. Hopefully the mosquitoes will be asleep, but I somehow doubt it. Thavorn's mom keeps calling as she is excited to see Tai and Dun again and is really excited to see Jaidan as it has been about 6 months since she last saw him.
That's all my diminished brain cells are capable of generating at this moment. Hopefully tomorrow's post will be from the village. Lots of pics tomorrow. It's a real Rambo/Chuck Norris type of village :-)
Today's song is: With a Little Help From My Friends .. another Cocker song
I went to the Isuzu dealership today to get my 5,000 baht refund and it will take 3 weeks and I get a check for the amount from Isuzu so I will have to open up a Thai bank account in order to cash it. I have been remiss in opening an account as I do not relish the thought of dealing with Thai banking officials. Of course, being a farang, on a retirement visa, I do not fit in the box. I think it is best to go to Thavorn's bank with her in tow to see what we can accomplish. However, I will put it off until we come back to Bangkok on the 1st of September as we are feeling the pressure of our move on Saturday.
On my way back from the dealership I stopped at Emporium (hi-so mall) to get a bite to eat and noticed that the department store had a 50% May day sale so I bought a twin mattress topper for 4,500 baht, regularly 9,000 baht. This will be what I sleep on in the village under my personal mosquito net, hopefully under our personal air con if we ever manage to get it installed :-) After eating, I shopped for new runners as I am committed to losing about 10 kilos in the village. I will run every morning for 30 days in May and continue in Canada. I bought Asics Kayano 22, a shoe I have bought for the past 7 seven years. The shoes were also on sale 5,500 baht (15% May Day sale). When I got home Thavorn politely reprimanded me for not first coming home to get her 'M" card which gets us another 5% off.
I have been researching the rate of repossession on auto and truck sales in Thailand, and as I suspected, the repo business is booming. Read this from 2014!!!
I can't find anything from 2016 for some strange reason :-)
The truck that Thavorn's brother said was available appears to be 3 months behind in payments. From my research, I suspect that a tow truck will be dropping by to pick it up very soon. They do not have to warn you and according to the Thai contract take back the vehicle once you are in arrears of more than one month. One they pick it up, they simply resell it and you are out your investment. The selling price of repo'd vehicles is deepressed due to the number of vehicles on the market.
A much younger Joe Cocker .. with a Whiter Shade of Pale .. of the greatest rockers of his time!
Today's song is: You are so Beautiful .. by Joe Cocker in concert 2013 .. RIP 2014
Today, Thavorn called the Isuzu Dealership manager to find out what was happening. We did not expect him to call with bad news so we initiated the call. He was quite apologetic, stating that the person he had dealt with at the finance company had moved on and a new lady was dealing with him. No big deal as he will refund us the 5,000 baht deposit and has all my documentation together for me. What I plan to do is put the 200,000 baht into Thavorn's account and buy some time in the fall. There is no rush. My father always used to say, 'Never shop for groceries when you are hungry, and never shop for a car when you need one or are excited about it!' He was a wise man :-)
Also today, when I woke up, my Lenovo laptop's keyboard was not functioning properly. The G, H, ESC, Up arrow keys were not working. Not a good situation for a programmer. I was not keen on dealing with the Lenovo service center for the same reason that it requires thinking outside the box. If you buy a Lenovo laptop in Thailand you get the atrocious Thai keyboard that makes the Canadian bi-lingual keyboard look good. Therefore, I had purchased the Lenovo in Singapore. This, in my experience, means that the Lenovo service department will not work on it as it is not on Thai warranty. A lot of the reasons why gets lost in the translation as always.
I read on the internet that many farangs were recommending a repair shop called ProShop Repairs in the IT mall I frequent. So off with laptop in hand I went. The shop personnel spoke good English but told me they could not work on ThinkPads as Lenovo won't sell their 'business' laptop components to repair shops. I then asked where the Lenovo Service Center was (according to the web there was one) and they told me it no longer existed in the mall but suggested I try the Lenovo dealer down the aisle who may know where the service center moved to. When I got there an older Thai guy took one look at my laptop and said their service department could exchange the keyboard in 1 hour for a cost of 4,100 baht. Considering the laptop cost 90,000 baht just over 2 years ago I said deal. One hour later everything is good. Sometimes things can be made to work in Thailand when dealing outside the box.
Thavorn's brother just called and apparently a couple that are friends of his are wanting to sell their truck as they can't make the payments now that the wife is pregnant again.. We told him we would take a look at it on the weekend when we are in the village. Maybe karma, maybe not.
Bad karma today on exiting my building I noticed 2 police officers in the office and an ambulance pulling up outside. It appears one of the long term tenants passed away overnight. I hope he died with a smile on his face. I suspect a heart attack as he was overweight and never walked, always took a MC taxi. He always had a smile and hello for us when we saw him.
Today's song is: San Francisco by Scott McKenzie .. been there many times :-)
We headed off to Big C today to buy just enough staples to get us through until the end of the month. However, at the end of the month we will have to make one final trip to Big C to buy the kinds of things we can't find at a reasonable cost in Wichian Buri, the closest small town to the village. They do have a 7/1, but that is about all, except for locally run businesses that are much more expensive than Big C for most items.
After shopping for groceries, I caved and agreed to buy a dozen doughnuts at Mr. Donut. Yummy and no Mr. Donut in the village or within 200 km. For that matter, no McD's, Subway, Starbucks, KFC ... nothing. Fast food and franchise withdrawal, not to mention no GoGo bars or discos.
However, there are a couple of good things. Clean (but hotter) air, and decent internet connection, almost as good as Bangkok and more consistent in terms of speed. I am sure I add significantly to the local community, both in terms of spending (local convenience store and food stalls) and blood (mosquito population).
Tomorrow, Thavorn is going to call the manager of the Isuzu dealer to see if he has found financing for us. Better to head off to the village knowing what our plans will be.
Awesome motorcycle helmet .. gotta get me one of these .. may the force be with you
Urchin sort of sitting on my computer chair
More and more of these street bars are popping up around 11 pm, complete with bar girls, cheaper drinks, bar fines, prices negotiable after that ... small monthly permit from city district and much larger payment to you know whom :-) I always wondered what happened to all those Volkswagen camper vans of the 60's and 70's. Kind of like an Uber Bar!
Thai thinking skills, especially when applied to problem solving are quite poor. Problem solving and the development of thinking skills are not really fostered in a rote learning environment where the wrong answer may result in some sort of whack. I am sure, given time, the internet will take care of this :-)
The reason I mention this is related to my decision to buy a truck in Thailand. I am sure many of you that have received a good education have seen the following problem:
Your task is to figure out how to join all the dots by drawing 4 straight lines without lifting the pen or pencil, and not going back over a line. Of course, to solve this problem, you have to think outside the box, something which Thais are not good at.
How does this affect my decision to buy a truck? My first Thai girlfriend bought a truck with a salary of 15,000 baht a month. Her truck payments were 10,000 baht a month, which left her 5,000 baht a month, which is barely enough to get by on if you are a Thai and share a room with 4 other Thai girls. However, she had no trouble financing the vehicle because she is Thai, has a Thai identity card, and a job. Now in Canada, her salary would have prevented her obtaining financing, but in Thailand, most Thais earn between 10,000 and 20,000 baht a month, so the auto companies sell to them. No big deal, if they default, they know where to find them by their ID number, and workplace, so repossession is probably a booming business in Thailand.
The difficulty I am having is 2 fold. First, they want me to have a work permit. If I have a work permit they think they can find me to repossess if I default. It does not matter that I could quit and disappear because That does not fit their criteria. Farangs must have a work permit. I could also be teaching ESL and making 30,000 baht a month like many of the punters living in Thailand and qualify for a loan. It has been interesting trying to explain to the business manager that I am retired and don't need to work, (or have a daughter sell her body nightly in a bar to send money home to me) as I have a pension of 150,000 baht a month. The business manger was astonished as he only makes 25,000 baht a month. It did not matter I went to the Canadian Embassy and obtained a signed and notarized affidavit stating what my income was. All of that is outside the box. Farang need work permit!
Next, I tried stating that we should have the vehicle placed in my GF's name. Good, where does she work and how much does she earn a month? I explained, that she is the primary caregiver for our son and I pay her 30,000 a month (big lie). She not have Thai job? She not work for company? I stated no, does not need to. At this point in my mind's eye, she is making more than the business manager sitting in front of me, whom I am rapidly deciding does not understand much of what I say despite continually nodding and stating chai, chai ... (yes). He bites a little and says, okay, she needs a Thai consignor and I say we have one, Thavorn's ex boss who works for a life insurance company, owns 3 bars, 2 restaurants, a garage, and owns many acres of farmland back in the village. He says, that is good and I think, good, it's fucking fantastic, probably the best application you have had in the past 10 years!!
I can see there is still doubt in his eyes, so I mention that I own a software company in Canada that generates another 50,000 baht a month for me which takes me up to 200,000 baht a month which is outer space for Thai incomes. I mention it is also after tax dollars and provide him with a copy of my 2014 Tax return. His eyes cloud over. Very few Thais ever file a tax return as they do not have to unless their earned income is over 350,000 baht a year. He says he will check with the banks and various leasing companies, and at that, I figured I was fucked. He is stuck in the box!
The issue that I have which the aforementioned manager did not ask me is my age. I am 65 and I checked on the net and Thai banks and financing companies often refuse to lend to anyone 65 or over. Why, because the box contains actuary data on Thai males who have typically died by the time they reach 65, usually do some form of cancer (spraying ddt everywhere without a mask) or riding off the road on their 125 cc motorcycle while high on yabba or Thai whisky. It does not matter that my life expectancy is 80 ish and that I carry 250,000 of life insurance that would easily pay off any financing loan.
It also does not seem to matter that I am willing to put 33% down on the truck, so if they have to repossess after a year or so, they can make a killing reselling it, or buying it off the books and using it themselves. And, let's not forget the consignor can buy it 5 times over and would take it over and use it in one of her businesses as it would be a steal!
So what is a farang in Thailand to do? Give up, make the rounds of the banks myself, looking for one of the few that really understands English, guaranteed indexed pensions, and dividend income, and life insured loans.
This is just an update. On Sunday I received a phone call from a Thai lady who did not speak English stating she was a representative of the leasing company contacted by the manager of the dealership. I gave up trying to communicate and passed her over to Thavorn who did not understand what she wanted. I then got passed over to the lady's husband who apparently speaks English, but whom I very quickly realized, spoke and understood it some what. Pension, dividend, after taxes, were not in his vocabulary. I was also concerned about talking about my finances to someone I did not know, over the phone, on a Sunday, but, what the hell, it is Thailand and I am willing to step outside the box.
After 20 minutes on the phone, supplying all the information we had previously given the manager, with paper copies (asked why she was not in possession of them), she said she would have to talk to her supervisor on Monday. Here, in Thailand, the working day is over so I figure our truck purchase is on hold for a while.
Maybe a motorcycle would be easier :-) Some may be wondering why I just don't pay cash. I am still recovering from 5 year divorce and have one more lawyer bill coming. the only winners in a divorce are the lawyers. The longer they draw it out the more money they make. The more questions you ask, the more it costs you.
There are many blogs and web sites that cover life in Thailand. The majority seem to cater to punters on vacation looking to keep up to date on the bar scene and Thai women. Nothing wrong with that :-) Every farang visiting the LOS should come informed. My only criticism of these sites is they sometimes paint a negative picture on the night life and Thai women. I have always thought that the Farang - Thai woman relationship is symbiotic in nature with both sides feeding off the other. There are many tales of woe on the internet of farang men being ripped off by beautiful Thai girls who may have their hooks into 4 farangs at the same time.
Most farangs are here short term, either on vacation, or to complete a task for their company. They fall for a thai girl and immediately want her to stop working the bar. The Thai girl explains that she needs to work to support her momma, poppa, children, lazy no good brothers, etc. The negotiations start where said farang agrees to look after the thai girl and he heads back to his own country and commits to sending 30,000 baht a month so the young lady does not have to work the bar any more. I know many Thai girls that have a few farangs on the line and sometimes juggling them becomes a scheduling problem, but for the most part they make it work. Eventually the farangs clue into the deceit and becomes disenchanted with Thai girls.
This begs the question why Thai girls lie. It is my experience they are often lied to by the farangs themselves,who portray themselves as hi-so when they are not. They are often married back home and decide they can't afford the 30,000 baht any longer and stop sending and communicating. The career of a bar girl is limited by her youth, beauty, and figure. She can not afford to throw away 6 months of earnings waiting for the farang who may or may not come back. This situation is what you read about on many websites. Betrayal and deceit.
On my blog, I try to cover both sides of the LOS and highlight my relationship that works and why it works. I must admit, it took 2 previous failed Thai relationships to find the perfect girl for me. However, I still stay in contact with the 2 ladies as they are good people. Be prepared to adjust your attitudes when delving into a Thai/Farang relationship. I often try to advise farangs and Thai women on how to make it work and the Thai women seem to take the advice to heart whereas the farang male is inclined to dismiss it because they know better, despite only having been in the LOS for 2 weeks. The schools of hard knocks can be very expensive, emotionally and monetarily.
The number one piece if advice I give to Thai girls is; 'Never, ever lie a farang!'. The best advice I can give to farangs is; 'Long distance relationships based on 2 week excursions to Thailand every 6 months, seldom work out! Be prepared to take the Thai lady back to your home country where you can earn a decent wage and really look after her." Many Thai girls do not want to leave Thailand for a variety of reasons. You want a Thai girl who does not already have children and whose mom and dad are self-sufficient or better yet dead :-)
Of course, if you are one of the privileged few on a European or North American contract, working in Thailand, you are a king and can write your own rules, The other safe bet is a retired hi-so farang who can get a retirement visa and live in Thailand full-time. Many young farangs do not understand why 28 year year old beautiful girls are walking around with 55 year old retirees. Most of all Thai women want security and retirees are less likely to be butterflies and wander.
Saturday night Shaun, Thavorn and I headed out at 8 pm for a night out. We got back in at 2:30 am so we obviously had a great time. We started off at the Doll House in Soi Cowboy, followed by Country Road, then Light House, and then Crazy House. We then found Shaun's blue haired cutie from the night before and headed off to Hillary 2 with Shaun, Thavorn, me, and 2 bar girls in tow. After we left Hillary 2 Thavorn and I checked into a local eatery for noodle soup (Thavorn) and Pad Thai Gai (me). We then walked most of the way home and then wimped out and took a taxi from Cowboy home. Another great night of music, dancing, food, and of course, beautiful women who know how to enjoy themselves.
Shaun flies out this afternoon for China to finish off the school year. He already has his next 2 trips to Thailand booked.
Today's song is: Another Saturday Night .. by Cat Stevens
I cooked up a big batch of spaghetti sauce because my friend Shaun really likes it and you can find good spaghetti in South East Asia. He likes it spicy so lots of spicy Thai red peppers :-) Simmer for 6 hours and then give it a taste .. yummy, just right. Pics.
I use fresh ingredients as much as possible including, red, yellow and green peppers, real tomatoes sliced up, Thai red peppers, garlic cloves, and Spanish onions. I prepare everything and the meat and everything gets fried up in a big wok style pan I have. Then into a big pot to simmer for 6 hours. Of course I also use canned pasta paste and some canned tomatoes.
After one month, the male urchin is still having difficulty sitting in my Ikea chair. Pics.
Last night (Friday) I met Shaun at the airport and we headed out for a night on Bangkok. Cowboy was rocking, especially considering we are now into the off season (hot and more humid). I parked myself at the Doll House as they were very busy and had a lot of new girls. New bar girls are fun, because they don't know me so I can pull their leg and tell them anything and they believe me, until one of the mamas-sans clues them in that I am a lifer with a Thai GF and baby boy.
The Doll House has a great happy hour and also plays great music so I parked myself there, drank some vodka Red Bulls to get started and then moved to black sodas. I splurged and bought a few lady drinks to pay for my evening's entertainment. I bailed about 10 pm and jumped on the MRT and then the airport link and timed it just about perfectly as I ended up waiting only 10 minutes for Shaun to show up.
Shaun had never taken the airport link before and agreed it was much faster and cheaper than a taxi. While waiting for the train we noticed 2 beautiful young ladies also taking the train. I figured they were Japanese as one of them had light blue hair which Thais don't usually do. We got off the airport link and jumped on the MRT, right behind the 2 girls. They disembarked at Asoke/Sukhumvit, the same as Shaun and I and as we jumped on the escalator, one of them turned around and spoke in perfect English, 'Where are you going?' I answered Cowboy and she said, 'Why don't you come to my bar as it is much cheaper?' Easily persuaded by 2 pretty faces, I agreed to give it a try. Shaun and I then spent 2 lovely hours chatting to what turned out to be 2 sisters who had been to the airport to see their farang step dad off to Sweden. The older sister was university educated whereas the younger was just starting. At about 2 am we called it a night and we headed off home with the younger sister in tow. Thavorn frowns on me bringing pretty girls home (for some reason) hence 3 rather than 4 :-)
I am interested to hear the rest of the story today over some spaghetti.
Today's song is: Purple Rain .. Prince .. RIP .. unknown for his many, many community works
Wing man Shaun arrives today from China. He is only here for the weekend but apparently needed to escape from China for a couple of night in the LOS. He gets in late at 10 pm so I will meet him at the airport and show him how to catch the airport link downtown to Makkasan station which is a short motorcycle taxis ride away from the entertain districts downtown. It is much cheaper and always much faster on a Friday night to take the above ground airport link. However, it does stop running at midnight.
I was bored yesterday so I headed out to play some pool at Country Road in Soi Cowboy during the afternoon. I like to play with Dum, an older lady who plays a good game. However, I played well and beat her 5 games to 2, with one of her wins coming via my potting the 8 ball in the wrong pocket. When I play well I am quite good, but I can be inconsistent at times.
The Canadian dollar is starting its climb back towards 80 cents US and I look forward to seeing it back on par with its US counterpart. Since January my monthly income has gone up 20,000 baht :-)
I'll finish with another Prince song .. Welcome 2 America Tour
Today's song is: Where Everyone Knows Your Name .. Cheers Theme Song
My three favorites shows of all time are Mash, Cheers, and All in the Family (no surprise there). Like the bar in Cheers, I have my favorite bars in Bangkok, and Hillary 2 is probably number 1 for me.Why?
First off, there are 3 bands that rotate through, 2 every night. If they are not playing at Hillary 2, then they are playing at Climax, which is also part of the Hillary group that features at least 5 venues that I am aware of. When I first started visiting Bangkok, Hillary 2 was one of the first bars I discovered.
I know 1 or 2 singers in each band and they always have a nice hello for Jimmy and Thavorn (who they call pretty girl) On any given nigh, Hillary is filled with expats, Thai women (a few men), and farangs passing through on vacation. It is fairly expensive now, at 180 Baht for a beer, and they no longer run tabs (although 2 or 3 waitresses do for me) which is annoying, but at least you do not get surprised by a large bill at the end of the night. By far the cheapest way to spend the night at Hillary (until 2:30 am) is to buy a bottle of whisky at 2,500 Baht and the mix is free. A group of 4 can then get thoroughly pissed and have a great time for about 850 Baht each which is about $30 CDN.
Most of the Thai women will be free lancers who are looking for a farang or working the bar. The one thing they all have in common is that they have come to party hard. The bands take requests and can fulfill most of them well. Summer of 69 is always a popular request., then again Bangkok can be thought of as the 'Endless Summer'.
There are also 3 Brunswick pool tables but be warned, they are challenge tables where the winner stays and the loser pays. I once lasted 5 games, but I was lucky!
Lastly, the final stats are in for SongKran highway carnage and searching for answers:
Today's song is: Universal Soldier .. Sung by Canadian Buffy who wrote it .. one of my favorites
Now, granted, I am not an expert, but I have been observing parenting behavior in Bangkok and in the village and I have come to the conclusion that Thais, unlike the Helicopter Parents in North America, under-supervise their children. Out of sight, out of mind is a happy state for many of the Thai parents I observe. Mind you, they would all be classified as lo-so but I suspect the hi-so parents follow the same pattern but employ maids and caregivers to look after their children.
The two urchins (for want of a better term) that have been staying with us for the past month and the next 10 days have been a struggle for me. I have slowly been turning into the enforcer as Thavorn states .. 'They don't listen to me!' I have tried to explain that yelling and stating the same thing over and over again with no consequences is a waste of your breath.
Urchins at Play
For example, the male urchin had no idea of how to sit on a chair, or sofa and basically looked like a skinny slob. After seeing Thavorn at first ignore him and then constantly tell him to sit straight up, feet on the floor, etc. and then see him 5 minutes later playing the sloth, I decided enough is enough. When I see him do it, which is less and less, off to the corner he goes, where he sits on the floor for 30 minutes at a time. He is getting the message..
Hygiene! Thais are flabbergasted that after we use the toilet we don't hose down in North America. Thais do hose down, but from my experience, the bar of soap is never touched. Ditto for my experience in mall washrooms. A shake or two and off they go. I have now trained the urchins that they have to wash their hands before sitting down at the table to eat. It has been a constant trial, but they are getting it. They now know they are responsible for scraping their own dishes and washing their plate, glass, and utensils. That too has been a struggle.
Part of the problem stems from the fact there are no tables, chairs, couch, beds, etc. in the village. The floor, which used to be concrete, but which is now tiled, is where all activity takes place. It will be interesting to see how the urchins revert back to sleeping on the floor, under a mosquito net, with no air-con, after having been with us for 45 days. I suspect they have also been eating about 500% better than they do in the village.
At 21 months, Jaidan is significantly better trained than the urchins, but he gets much more attention and care than the urchins do back in the village where the grandmother looks after them in return for the 10,000 Baht a month that we send her. This story is played out thousands of time across Thailand. Once again, as I have mentioned many times in the past, it is all economics. There is no welfare so single moms, which appears to be the norm, have to seek work where they can, and park the kid or kids with the grandmother (grandfather is dead or long gone in most cases).
I am not sure how you get out of this situation. It is not all that different from poor inner city communities (read ghettos) in many North American cities, which have a lot more resources available to them. Bernie .. where are you? Thai lives matter!
Today's song is: Play that Funky Music .. Wild Cherry .. so retro 70 ish
It's starting to warm up in Bangkok as summer approaches. Apparently it is even hotter up North in the village. Good thing I purchased the air-con wall unit for our bedroom back in the village. I can handle temperatures in the high thirties as long as I have a cool place to work and sleep at night. I still think it will be a problem finding someone to properly install the unit. If I had the proper tools and instruments I could do it but I don't. The dropped ceiling should not present a problem.
Toady I headed off to the Isuzu dealer to tell him that I have a Thai person to cosign the purchase of our truck. I try to avoid talking to Thais over the phone as I find their Thai accent makes it difficult for me to understand what they are saying. Thai women sound like men for some reason. I need a cosigner because I am a farang so I do not fall into the usual slots for processing a vehicle sale. Apparently it would have been easier if I was working in Thailand. I think it is because they would have trouble tracking me and the vehicle down because I do not have a Thai ID card. Each Thai gets one when they turn 16 and it has a smart chip as well as a picture on it. It is shown for just about any transaction such as booking into a hotel. Canada should really have one of these cards as well, as it would prevent identity theft and welfare fraud but the PC pundits would argue against it.
After my meeting at the dealership I stopped at Burger King to down some chicken fingers and fries. I think I have mentioned that Bangkok has every fast food outlet in the world. Thavorn and I will try to head out for some music and pool once Jaidan falls asleep. We just ordered a bucket of KFC that will arrive by motorbike at a delivery cost of 40 Bhat. For some reason KFC seems to be the cheapest fast food in Thailand.
The most expensive outlet has to be Starbucks as their pricing seems identical to prices back home but I somehow doubt they are paying their barista's anywhere the same amount of money they pay in Canada. Starbucks must be making a killing here in Thailand. There are at least 10 of them within a 15 minutes walk of where I live.
For those of you who want to know how expensive a country is to eat in you should be aware of the McDonald Hamburger Index. McD's prices their hamburgers according to the standard of living in the country where the Ronald lives. The index is in US$
Switzerland ($6.44 US) is the most expensive place to chow back on a Big Mac whereas Venezuela ($0.66 US) is the cheapest. Thailand is $3.09 US and Canada is $4.14 US. I may have to go check out Venezuela :-)
Today's song is: Monday, Monday by the Mommas and Poppas .. wow .. so retro
Monday is usually a quiet day in Bangkok. Street vendors are not permitted to setup on Mondays for some reason. I am not sure why, but I think it is to give businesses a chance to have their curb free one day a week.
Tacky dropped by for a visit with Thavorn last night and over a couple of pints of Heineken and a few glasses of wine she talked about her future. Tacky turns 29 next weekend and is getting tired of working in bars. At the same time, she is hooked on the money and has refused some farang requests to 'look after' her to the tune of 30,000 Bhat a month. One must remember that a university graduate in Bangkok makes 20,000 Baht a month and therefore 30,000 Baht a month and having to do nothing looks good to me.
However, and this is a big however, I do not have the extended Thai family calling me, looking for money. Tacky has 2 kids, and a sick father to look after. At the same time, she can't work a bar for ever as she ages, she will earn less and less, despite being lots of fun! The downside of staying with a farang, who is willing to look after you is that he may very well turn you in for a new model after 5 years and then you are back in the bar, 5 years older, with diminishing returns.
The life of a Thai bar girl is not an easy life and often does not end pretty. Very few of them put away money from their monthly earnings of 50,000 Bhat for later on in life. It gets siphoned off to relatives, cosmetic surgery, and drinking and partying. If I wrote a book on their lifestyle I would call it fast, furious, and short.
How would I change things in Thailand.? First off, grade 10 and 11 cost money and most lo-so families can not pay it, so many Thais have only a grade 10 education. That has to go! The Thai educational system is also ranked very poorly.
Today's song is: Every Breath you Take .. The Police
Policing in Bangkok is quite a contrast compared to my hometown of Ottawa. In my home town, the boys and girls in blue make a very good living. I would think they are very comfortably upper middle class, in the same pay bracket as teachers, but without the 2 degrees that teachers need. Police college seems to be the ticket to ride. Speaking of riding, the police I see ride around in a full size sedan all by themselves. Said vehicle is comfy and come equipped with a computer to stay on top of things. The usual weapon of choice would be a Glock and maybe a taser. These days the officer is just as likely to be a female as well as male. They work shifts, which is not much fun but seldom get called in when not on duty, and if so, overtime kicks in. All in all I respect the officers in my home town and the job they do, but they are paid well to do it.
Here in Bangkok, the officers mostly attended police college as well. However, policing is a lo-so job and certainly does not pay well. The boys in brown (mostly men) ride around town on a 125 cc motorbike, 2 to a bike, a bike that they pay for themselves. The officers where I live also have to deal with thousands of mostly undocumented workers from neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. If you think domestic violence is a trouble situation you should see a knife fight at the Silom Sauna between nationalities.
The boys in brown have to pay for their own uniform, badges, and gun. Many do not own a gun as they are too expensive for their salaries. There is no police union to look after them and worst of all, no Tim Hortons, which is probably a good thing as they could not afford to buy a Timmy's.
Imagine that 1/3 of your traffic stops do not even have a license, not to mention insurance. The carnage on Thai streets and highways is exponentially greater than Canada. Helmets are mandatory by Thai law and hardly anyone wears them. There are no stop signs, and traffic lights are a suggestion. Speed limits are hardly ever enforced. I often see whole families of 5, no helmets, on one 125 cc motorbike.
However, the boys in brown in my district know me by sight and always have a hello and smile for me. They know their area of the city, something you can't get from the inside of an air-conned or heated sedan. Kind of like walking the beat must have been like. I really feel for them in rush hour Bangkok traffic where they daily stand at an intersection for an hour at a time, wearing a face mask to cut down on pollution. When I see a officer directing traffic in Ottawa (due to an accident, not daily), there is always a sedan present with another officer ready to take over when his/her arms get tired.
I respect the job the boys in brown do for me and I always feel safe in Bangkok where I can walk downtown at night at any hour of the night. However, I would not wish their job on anyone.
I sometimes get asked what Thai people are like. I must admit, I know much more about Thai women as I know very few Thai men. I decided to ask Google (Thavorn tells me Google knows everything) and I came up with some good websites:
http://www.livingthai.org/41-different-thai-personality-traits.html
The above site seems to have an author that is similar to me.
http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Thailand/sub5_8c/entry-3219.html
This would be the politically correct description. Even quotes the Lonely Planet :-)
http://www.aswetravel.com/5-things-ive-learnt-about-thai-people-while-in-thailand/
The above if from someone who visited Thailand and thinks they got the Thai people all figured out.
Three very different websites and 3 very different (but same same sometimes) descriptions of the definitive Thai.
I mentioned in past blogs that I have coached basketball for over 30 years and 1600 games. It was only after about 10 years of coaching (5 undefeated seasons, 6 league titles) that I began to realize how little I knew about the game of basketball. With that in mind, and 6 years of Thai experience (4 years full time in Thailand) I offer up my observations of the Thai personality (mostly lo-so).
1. Thais live in the present. What happened yesterday if water under the bridge, best forgotten, and hence, little learned from. What happens tomorrow will happen, so why worry about, or plan for it. Thai will never Go Moon :-) Because of this, Thais are basically happy.
2. Thais have little ambition. I often joke with Thais that they eat, sleep, and watch TV (substitute Facebook now).
3. Thais have no concept of their place in the world. I love to show that Thailand can be dropped into Lake Superior. Their school system tells them they are superior. They have never been colonized. My brief study of Macro Economics in University taught me a country needs 3 things to be successful. Natural Resources, cheap power, and cheap labor. I suspect Thailand was never colonized because they had very little natural resources so the major colonizing countries passed them by. I would argue, that their cheap labor has resulted in economic colonization in the 21st Century.
4. Thais are resentful of others success and will talk behind that person's back. I believe this is the cause of their political situation failing so many times over the past 50 years. Ying Yang is a Chinese kind of thing that Thais do not embrace.
5. Thais will save face over everything else. They will tell you what you want to hear. If you ask for directions they will give you directions rather than admit they do not know. However, they love to demonstrate what they do know well and are always willing to help solve a problem. I think that is the karma kind of kicking in. What goes around comes around. If something is embarrassing in Thai history, it will not appear in Thai history books.
6. Thai women will do whatever is necessary for them and their family to survive. What they do will be overlooked by their family as long as they are a good provider. In Thai society, the kids look after the parents when they get older, which is very different than North American society where the kids are looking for handouts from their parents. Much of this is economics and the lack of a social system to support the aged.
7. Thais know how to have fun. They love sex and do not have religion telling them what they can and can't do. They love to drink, but sometimes to excess.
8. Thais are nosy. I can't walk down my street without Thais asking me, 'Where You GO?', 'Where Jaidan?', etc.
9. Thais are narcissistic and have embarrassed Facebook as their vehicle for displaying their narcissism. Girls can often been seen on the street or on the subway, preening to their smart phones, taking the pic and posting to their Facebook page. Whenever something is posted, then it too, is posted for all their friends to 'LIKE'. Gold is valued over money as gold can be worn to show how well they are doing in life. Next to gold, objects of desire are the latest smartphones from Samsung and Apple as well as Rado watches.
10. Thais are really honest about somethings. Do you have a boyfriend? Does he know you work in a bar? Does your momma know?, How much do you weigh?, How old are you?, will all be answered honestly. Questions such as, You think I am handsome?, You like me? will all be answered in a manner that will tell you what the Thai person thinks you will want to hear. Thais have no problem lying to save face for them or you.
The reason for today's song is that, indeed, times are a changing and the internet is having a huge impact on the current generation of 15-45 year olds.
I guess I will stop here for today as Thavorn is bored (Did I mention Thais are easily bored?) and we have to go to Big C for some groceries.
Today's song is: One of my favorite songs of All Time .. Paint it Black .. should be Songkran's Theme Song
Today is the 4th day of Songkran, and in most places, the last water mayhem day. The government is a little concerned about the raucous behavior making the news.
DESPITE authorities taking tougher action against law-breaking motorists and the Army’s seizure of drunk drivers’ vehicles, the road toll remains higher compared to Songkran last year. Three days into the so-called “seven dangerous days” saw 181 deaths and 1,777 injuries in 1,661 road accidents nationwide - marking an across-the-board increase from 121 deaths and 1,281 injuries in 1,215 accidents over the same period last year.
What I find most interesting from the above article is this:
Drunk driving and speeding were still main factors linked to 40 and 33 per cent of accidents respectively, while most crashes involved two-wheelers (83 per cent) followed by pick-up trucks (7 per cent). On the same day, officials at 2,129 checkpoints arrested 111,629 motorists - most of whom (32,278) were caught for not wearing a helmet, while 30,625 were unable to produce driving licences.
Almost 1/3 of the motorists stopped did not have a driver's license. I would guess the figure is closer to 50% outside of major metropolitan areas. After all, it costs money to get a license and money is in short supply to lo-so Thais.
A week does not go by without a request to Thavorn to borrow money, from friends and family (extended).We manage to control the requests as I only give Thavorn money as needed. She never wants for anything but she seldom has more than $3,000 Bhat in her purse. She simply tells the borrow that she does not have the spare cash and does not have to lie. We are both happy with that solution. We do lend to those that pay back promptly and are in need. We are the bah-humbug lenders :-)
I read an interesting article today about the spread of Tuk Tuks in Thailand. Apparently this unregulated vehicle is propagating at an alarming rate. No self respecting Thai or lifer in Thailand would be caught dead in a Tuk Tuk. Tourists, apparently love being trucked around in noisy, polluting, open air vehicles which have a tendency to tip over and cost 3 times what an air conditioned, regulated taxi would cost. I would guess we have the Lonely Planet Guide to thank for that. It is amazing the number of tourists, especially back packers I see with that guide in hand. Definitely not my guide to Thailand and usually way out of date.
Apparently some of the Thai ladies are getting carried away and baring their breasts in Thailand during Songkran and the government in quite concerned. I can guarantee you this behavior is alcohol induced as very few Thai girls would ever think of appearing public bra-less never mind topless. It does, however seem to add to the carnival atmosphere :-)
SongKran and the carnage continues. We headed out about 4 pm and Soi 22 was awash with water, music, and fun. Tai, Dun, and I were equipped with super soakers and we refilled from the many bins of ice water available along the street. Thavorn looked after Jaidan for the first 2 hours and then Jaidan started to get a little cold, along with Dun and I took them home to a hot bath and left Thavorn to party along. About 9 pm Thavorn dropped off Tai and headed back to meet some friends and head down to Nana to listen to music and dance at Hillary 2. True to her word, Thavorn arrived back home about midnight for a spicy snack to share with Tai and Dun. Jaidan was fast asleep.
Here are 2 news articles about Songkran 2016:
Songkran road fatalities nearly double 2015 after 2 days
THE KINGDOM kicked off the three-day Songkran festival yesterday in a more traditional and frugal manner, as saving water appeared to be the main goal of authorities and event organisers.
It is really amazing the number of people that die over SongKran week. Thais do not handle alcohol well and they all think they are Grand Prix Motorcycle racers. Combine that with alcohol and you have a recipe for disaster. Mostly male motorbike deaths. Could be Darwin's theory at work here.
Today will be a quiet day as I have no desire to get soaked again and my buddy Shaun is arriving will be arriving on the 22nd so I have to save a little debauchery for that weekend. I find I have to pace myself somewhat as I get a little bit older :-)
Today's song is: The Sound of Silence .. S and G .. 1981, Central Park
Songkran seems somewhat subdued this year, at least on Soi 22. I was able to walk to the 7/11 without getting wet. I can only assume that the populace are listening to the Prime Minister's request to conserve water during this period of drought. I will have to go exploring tonight to see how widespread the bah humbug is :-)
Okay, I stand corrected. Songkran is back to normal as I ventured out at 4 pm and found soi 22 awash in fun, water, and drink. Party time. BTW, I seldom take pictures in Songkran due to the copious amounts of water that are coming at you from all directions. Especially with this farang who is well known on Soi 22 despite the baseball cap and dark sunglasses. I am back home now at 6:30 as Jaidan was getting cold, along with Dun so I took them home and threw them in a hot bath. They are now both chilling out and watching TV.
Dun and Jaidan chillin out while watching TV .. mama soup and BBQ pork on a stick
I am thawing out some pork to fry up with some rice left over from lunch. Thavorn stayed behing with Tai to party a little bit longer. Thavorn loves to party and is only 29 so I encourage her to get out as much as possible. If you love something, set it free .. if it comes back .. it is yours .. if it does not .. it never was :-) words we should all live by.
Tomorrow night Thavorn and I will head out once Jaidan is asleep.
Today's song is a video of Songkran (2016 Pattaya Edition) which started today
So far today I have decided to sit inside and read while sipping a glass of Peter Vella's House Red that I buy in a 4 liter pack that usually lasts me a full week. Yesterday I bought two new fantasy novels by Mark Lawrence who wrote the trilogy 'The Broken Empire' which I highly recommend. His new trilogy is called 'The Red Queen's War'.
Jaidan, Tai, and Dun did venture outdoors this morning and came back very wet but excited to have some fun. I sent them back out with 3 super soakers left over from last years's Songkran. I myself will probably choose Day 3 for my water carnage.
Yesterday we headed out for a walk to the park to try to tire Jaidan out as he has started staying awake until well past 10 pm. Here are some pics:
Tai, Dun, and Jaidan
Jaidan with bubble maker
Thavorn and Tai
Thavorn and Dun
Thavorn teaching Jaidan how Thais eat watermelon
Quick learner when it comes to food
A friend of mine has just recently retired, and I tried to convince him to become a farang in Thailand, but he has decided to become a Gringo in Columbia. I look forward to seeing how his experience in Columbia compares to mine in Thailand. I will try to keep you informed.
Great to dance around the kitchen while waiting for the eggs to boil
Did you know:
Thai men shave with tweezers
Thai women do not have to shave, no arm or leg hair
Jaidan, despite being white, does not sunburn, because he is half Thai
Thai hair is much thicker than farang hair, but sheds more
Jaidan has farang hair, auburn in color
Thai women have very faint eyebrows .. they often tattoo eyebrows
Thai women really want a farang nose .. #1 facial surgery in Thailand
The first time Thavorn traveled with me internationally she was worried I would sell her
Songkran officially starts tomorrow so today is the last day we can walk outside without getting soaked for the rest of the week. To move around dry, you have to take a taxi and hope you get let out somewhere where there are no revelers.
Not much is happening as we are saving 200,000 for the down payment on our Isuzu truck we are purchasing this July. Thavorn is amusing herself by cooking up some yummies. Everything from Prawns to Spring Rolls.
Some pics of domestic life:
Jaidan sneaking into his formula
Caught in the act, unapologetic
Thavorn's spring rolls .. very tasty
The kids watching a movie streamed on to my 34" wide screen monitor
My typical lunch .. fried pork and rice
Jaidan eating the same as me
does not like being confined .. reminds me of Jordan
Today's song is: If I Could Turn Back Time .. Cher
We are rapidly approaching Songkran and I am ambivalent (always try to introduce a new word every post) about my participation. For the past 3 years I have jumped in with both feet over the main 3 days of the water festival. Last year saw a huge increase in the use of ice in the water that is often shot, spilled, or thrown over the participants. The result last year is I caught the worst cold of the decade that took 3 weeks to disappear. However, the spectacle of Songkran is not something to miss and Soi 22 (my street) and soi Cowboy (within a 10 minute walk) are great fun!
Last year's Songkran festival was the most deadly in 6 years.
Songkran 2007: 361 deaths, 4,805 injuries and 4,274 accidents
Songkran 2008: 368 deaths, 4,801 injuries and 4,243 accidents
Songkran 2009: 373 deaths, 4,332 injuries and 3,977 accidents
Songkran 2010: 361 deaths, 3,802 injuries and 3,516 accidents
Songkran 2011: 271 deaths, 3,476 injuries and 3,215 accidents
Songkran 2012: 320 deaths, 3,320 injuries and 3,129 accidents
Songkran 2013: 321 deaths, 3,040 injuries and 2,828 accidents
Songkran 2014: 322 deaths, 3,225 injuries and 2,992 accidents
Songkran 2015: 364 deaths, 3,559 injuries and 3,373 accidents
In North America new Year's is a one night party whereas in Thailand it is 5 days of drunken mayhem but it has a price. Every year the government asks for restraint but once underway, Songkran takes on a life of its own.
I strongly suggest you avoid motorbikes and the back of pickup trucks as those activities are a recipe for disaster. Many tourists are also unaware that everyone is a target and often leave the lobby of their hotel and do not get 100 feet before being soaked. I have seen some fights breakout but ignorance of a countries customs is no excuse for a farang to engage in violence. One should always remember if you get in an altercation with a Thai you will quickly discover they have a 'fight me, fight my gang mentality' and the police will have little sympathy for you.
However, you simply must become part of Songkran at some point in your life. It's an awesome party!
