Fright-Fest, Bangkok Style

So, I’m not sure how many of you know about my abiding love for Halloween. Those of you who ARE in the know probably chanced upon that knowledge by seeing me in one of my “legendary” Halloween outfits. Also, if you hang around me enough, particularly if we happen to be shopping or walking by department store windows, you’ll have heard me lament as to the sad state of affairs in terms of American men’s fashion. I mean, WHY did the state of men’s fashion devolve from the splendor of Louis XIV to what it is today? I think it had something to do with those English Puritans!! Are there any social historians in the house? I once wrote a paper on Victorian fashion and another on sumptuary laws with a particular focus on fashion. They were quite fun to research! Anyway, I digress……this entry is about BKK Halloweens, not my angst about the state of men’s fashion in the US. Before we move on though, I have to say that you be expecting to read a piece of men’s fashion in BKK in the future and how I’ve been very, very good about not going out and blowing an entire month’s stipend on the excellent and unique array of new threads to floss ~ translation: …not going out and spending all the money set aside for my monthly living expenses on new clothes to wear. Ah, I bet you’re thinking…only Hong could combine all of those words into one sentence with a straight face…I know, I know, you’re all missing me terribly right about now.

Long story short: I love Halloween, because I can be feathered, powdered, trussed, penciled, inked, painted, wrapped and be gawked at as I walk down the street and still feel absolutely fabulous! In fact, the more stares I get, the more successful I feel that I had been in creating that year’s costume. The other thing is…mind you, that Halloween is the only time of year that I do such things ~ Here are a couple of photos from last year’s costume:


Pictured on either side of me are my good friends and still-roommates-in-spirit Hilary Jane Case as Groucho Marx and Michael Vincent Mills-Santos as Yoko Ono – aren’t they fabulous?


This is a better view of the full outfit. If you're having a hard time guessing what I'm supposed to be, let me help you out -- I'm a phoenix!

One thing I do have to note is that I was very much caught by surprise at just how big of a deal Halloween is here in the City of Angels (not LA, mind you). Here’s why, according to a tourist website (they describe it so excitedly, I wonder if I can be a travel writer…and what the heck does pedestrianised mean, anyway??):

Halloween welcomes a street party in Bangkok's trendy pedestrianised bar strip - Silom Soi 4 - where the many bars, clubs and restaurants combine themed decorations and promotions. Thais love to celebrate holidays so much that they adopt western festivals like Halloween with gusto, even using the contraction "ween" as slang for scary. Many venues around town have themed parties on this night, but the most spontaneous and reliably fun are in this regular nightlife haunt. Many people come in costume, some outrageously dressed, and the elaborate decorations cover nearly every available space.


Still the place to go in Bangkok for the coolest vibes and the hippest people, Silom Soi 4 is actually a lane lined with unpretenious bars and clubs. Importing the best offerings from abroad, and sometimes their DJs too, Soi 4 sneaks a few local hits into the mix.

The clubs come and go and are mostly small enough to retain a sense of intimacy, with the chance to meet trend-setting Thais and party-crazed expats. There are some larger, see-and-be-seen clubs, often full of the wealthy and beautiful set, those seeking upward social mobility or just serious raving.


You don't need to go a full moon party to check out the Thai spin on clubbing and Soi 4 is as good an introduction to the vibrant Bangkok scene as you're likely to find.

Silom is one of the main thoroughfares in Bangkok, now serviced by the new skytrain (above the road). The sois (lanes) branch off Silom, odd numbers one side and even the other.

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At any rate, I give my honest opinion in stating that – Halloween and nightlife in Seattle REALLY SUCKS in comparison to BKK – and this is coming from somebody who gets tired at 9:30pm!! Soi 4 (soi is the Thai word for a side street branching off from an arterial. I think it’s ingenious because as long as you know the main streets, you will always know which part of town you’re talking about. Some sois pretty much comprise their own little neighborhoods, each with unique identities and flare), as our snazzy description above was able to encapsulate, is a bustling center of nightlife in the Silom area. It is literally a “red light” district of BKK – this area because of all signs and lights hanging over the soi. Now, I know that you’re thinking that it sounds like I go to these types of places a lot, but I really don’t. It’s just that BKK is full of them! Here are some photos that might help you understand what I mean:






Ah, Bangkok…

Apparently, Librarians Are the Same Everywhere

I made my first venture into the Chula Central Library today. It was a little bit of an experience seeing as how everything was in Thai (it’s not like I’m in Thailand or anything…) and I have yet to start taking my Thai lessons, which probably won’t even touch reading and writing for some time.

Luckily, they have computers featuring something resembling the Lemieux Library’s WebCat at Seattle U. I tried desperately to find an English language version of the program and was finally able to find one. All I had in hand was my little pink ID card from the International Affairs Office (IAO) when I went to visit them yesterday. Apparently, you have to get a membership to the library as well. And pay more fees. Why can’t they just have one card that gets you everything on campus? And why does everything come with its own separate price tag?

Anyway, I finally broke down and walked up to what must have been the circulation desk and started the routine – Hi, I’m a new researcher here…hand goes up to signify that I should stop talking and wait. The lady behind the counter dashes off with a smile and brings back one of her colleagues, who I’m quite relieved to find, speaks English quite well.

I explain to her that I’m a new researcher and that I don’t quite know how the library works.

Ok, I’ll give you an introduction.

She hands me a brochure for the library and takes me to the computers and shows me that with a touch of a button, I can change the language setting on the search engine.

Now how come I didn’t see THAT just a second ago? I thought to myself.

I asked her what I needed to do to check out materials.

Well, you have to apply for a membership.

How do I do that?

We walk over to the circulation desk and she works her magic in Thai. One of the gentlemen walks over to a side table and pulls up a few pieces of paper. Attached to these papers is a copy of on my photos that dropped off at the IAO last week. Amazing, they actually WORK with each other?? Apparently, they had JUST gotten the paperwork that very day. They tell me that I could come back tomorrow for it. And no fees. Weird, I thought. Some people tell me there are fees. Others say nevermind. It seems to me that fees are there and once it’s clear that you’re a Fulbright and fit into some kind of special group of people, all fees are waived. I kinda like that. But I’m a little annoyed as well, because I keep worrying that all these fees will eat away at the set amount of money I’ve been awarded for what really matters – boozing! Uh, I mean studying, um, researching, yes…~

So I fill out some more paperwork and hang it off with a smile, despite being somewhat bewildered at this point, since I just filled out an application that was entirely in Thai. Luckily, my translator made some markings to indicate what goes where. Sigh.

I walk over to the computers and start a simple subject search. History. There are all sorts of entries for all sorts of periods. Well that was brilliant, Hong. So I type in “History” and “Thailand.” Having met with my advisor only once, given his crazy busy schedule, I figured that a good place to start, given my academic training (and the fact that it’s my comfort zone), was reading some good ol’ Thai history. Where to start though, where to start?

I chose a book at random and head up to the appropriate floor. Odd, why are all the books here in shelves with glass sliding doors? Let’s go do some exploring. I take about 5 steps when I hear a stern voice speaking to me in Thailand. It seemed to be saying, “young man, just what do you think you’re doing?” I turn around and it’s a little old Thai lady with a serious look on her face, wearing a white blouse with dark gray skirt and a pair of no-nonsense spectacles. I look at her confused and she points the way out. It was then that I noticed a gigantic sign (in English) that read “staff only.” Oh brother…

I begin the routine again…Hi, I’m a new researcher here…

Call number?

I’m sorry?

For the book. Call number.

I don’t know. I can’t remember.

At this point, she pulls out yet another form with both English and Thai on it. She walks me over to a computer and we do a search. And she supervises me as I take information from the screen and write it on the paper. We walk back to her counter.

Library card?

I don’t have one yet. I do have this…University ID though.

She paper clips my ID to the sheet of paper and walks off. But before she does…

“You wait for me,” as she points at the nearest table.

She brings the book over and I start to read. Even the places I don’t normally read like the introduction and the acknowledgements. It was a good thing that I did too. Because I learned that the book covered the first half of the 19th century – up to the time when the best-known economic histories of Thailand begin their narratives. I guess I feel in my element when I can contextualize my research. No better way to do that than to read some history! It was then that I felt like I was starting to get somewhere with my “work.”

Here are some gratuitous pictures of campus buildings. The first is the auditorium and the second is the Faculty of Arts building.

Concerning Fulbrights...

Ok, now that I’m back in Bangkok, it’s time to start looking into getting some work done! I trekked over to campus and popped my head into my advisor’s office. Not there. Mailbox overflowing. Yup, an research oriented academic. I look into his assistant’s office. Also not there. Great. How am I supposed to set up an appointment when the assistant isn’t ever in the office either??

A hop, skip, jump and 10% of the water in my body to the unforgiving furnace that is Bangkok later, I’m at the Fulbright office and meet Khun Siriporn Sornsiri (Program Officer) and Khun Porntip Khanjaniyot (Executive Director) for the first time. In Thai, the letters “p-o-r-n” together are pronounced like “pawn.” Just thought I’d clarify that for everyone =).

PK: Oh! Very nice to meet you. I was expecting somebody a little more…mature based on your emails. The way you write made you sound older; very professional!

HC: Oh, thank you! .

They are very nice ladies and from meeting them, I could tell that they were very ambitious and driven women. No surprise, given the fact almost everyone is the office is a woman. One interesting factoid that I shared with Dr. Earenfight was that in reviewing some of the grants for the last few years, I found that the majority of them went to women whose subjects of study were centered upon issues surrounding women. I wish SOMEBODY would’ve told me THAT sooner! The other thing is, this may seem obvious to many of you, but not to me, is that the people in the Fulbright office have a good deal of influence in terms of the grants that are funded. Learn what they’re about and bam, you’re in. The only trouble is that it’s hard to find out before you actually get to know them. Hah hah! Also it’s not like their contact information is posted on the IIE website. A good resource for future scholars, if you are reading this, Dr. Earenfight, is maybe to try and get in touch with past scholars for the country in which the prospective grantee is interested. That way, you can ask them what sorts of people run the office and what sorts of projects might be more feasible than others or might not have been done before.

The reason I went today was to give them my bank account information so that they can do direct transfers for future grant disbursements and hand over my invaluable American passport so that they can get my visa extended for the length of my stay. Only I run into a snag because being the weird neat freak that I am, I pulled out my “Arrival/Departure Card” that I filled out at Customs and had been stapled to my visa page – I didn’t like it in there because it was sticking out of my passport – anyway, it’s needed to process the visa extension. So I told her I’d bring it in. Khun Siriporn invites me to come back tomorrow and go to lunch with her, Khun Porntip and a Senior Scholar who is arriving tonight, she says I should bring it the card then.

What time should I come in?

Noon.

I don’t recall how long it took me to get there from campus – so I guess I’ll have to leave early. I wouldn’t want to keep everyone waiting…so typically Thai ~

Going “My Way” ... all the Way to the Redlight District!

It’s not what it sounds! My “tour guides” decided it might be fun to give me a sense of what the Patong nightlife is all about. So they took us to My Way Phuket, in one of the several “Red Light Districts” along Patong (it rhymes, hah hah). It’s essentially a cabaret type show where there is singing and dancing and gaudy costumes of all sorts. Only all the characters on stage are male – er, or at least some of them used to be –“Lady-boys,” as they are known in Thailand. The area itself is all lit up in neon, so it felt like I was stepping onto the main boulevard in Las Vegas, only in miniature!


The act we walked in on was something straight out of Bollywood, costumes, music, dance and all the usual fanfare. I think there might have been some sort of story line, but we must have missed it. It was over the top tragic! I loved it!


Would you like a drink, sir?

Just orange juice for me, thanks!

Anyway, my friends explained the whole phenomena of how in places like these, you could “buy” company for the night. I didn’t see anybody who was overtly for sale – I learned this after we had left. So prostitution is technically illegal in Thailand, apparently, but there are ways of getting around it. These escorts, if you will, technically work for the bar. So if you wanted to take a particular one “off-site” you pay the bar. Seems quite technical to me.

The act that I can’t possibly NOT tell you about is the Michael Jackson look-a-like who jumped on stage and lip-synced to his “You Are Not Alone.” I was appalled. I didn’t know what I was watching. It was something like when you drive past a traffic accident and you just have to look and can’t pull your gaze away. Anyway, we stayed long enough for a couple more acts before we left. I must add, that most of the performers looked like very convincing and beautiful women! Um, except for the Michael Jackson one.


Thanks for the uh, introduction, guys!

Oh, you’re welcome! Fantastically tragic, wasn’t it?

Hah hah, yeah…

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So I totally forgot to mention that two of guys I’m running around Phuket with are up and coming young fashion designers for the fashion boutique “Tube Gallery.” Actually, I should say they own and operate Tube. Check out some of their stuff at: http://www.soiwat.org/Tube-Gallery_r41.html

Oddly enough, in a city of over 12 million and a ton of universities big and small, these two are graduates of Chula, the university out of which I’m based. It seems like many of the successful people I’ve met so far in Thailand come out of there. I hope this means good things!

Island paradise, coral reef graveyard…

Today I went to Phi Phi Island and a couple of the surrounding ones. In Thai, you usually pronounce consonants followed by the letter H with a hard sound. I’m not up to par on my linguistics terms, but take for example, the letter K. In English, when you say a word like…ketchup. It’s a hard K. However, there is another way of saying K – a soft one. In which, it sounds more like a G – almost like the word, gather. Long story short, since the P in Phi Phi is followed by an H. You aspirate it. So it’s pronounced “Pee Pee.” The few Westerners on the boat chuckled every time the tour guide said it. He certainly played it up, too.

Anyway, we were on a motor powered boat that featured three propellers situated at the back of the boat. It was one of the larger ones on tour that day. I can’t remember the order the islands we went to, so forgive me =). I was busy enjoying the scenery!

We visited briefly the beach where Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie was shot. It’s called Maya Beach. If you recall seeing the movie, then you know that it’s a beautiful beach that is sort of tucked away behind a couple of rock formations that jut out from either side of the waters leading up to the beach. Our tour guide told us that the tourism authority used to charge 20 baht (about 50 cents) to get up on the beach. However, after the 2004 tsunami, they decided to charge 200 baht – about $5.75. Anyway, we have the choice of whether we wanted to get out of the boat or not. No one raised his or her hand when the tour guide asked if we wanted to get outta the boat. We were all quite content with taking photos from the boat (about 200 feet).

We also went to another tourist hot spot – James Bond Point – so unofficially dubbed because it was the setting for a famous scene in 007:Tomorrow Never Dies, where Pierce Brosnan purportedly jumps into the water from the rocky cliffs surrounding this small cove with bright turquoise water to make some sort of a getaway – how’s that for bad grammar!? To give us a taste of the thrill of being a secret agent, we were encouraged to plunge into the waters ourselves. I was a little nervous given the fact that the waters were so clear that I could see the sea bed – still, I was SO on it! It turns out the water was probably a good 20 feet deep at least. So no jumping on sharp corals for me ~

Anyway, if you don’t remember seeing the movie, Google image the beach. Maya Beach. I’d share some pictures that I took with you. Except I forgot to charge the battery before my trip down to Phuket. And I left the charger in Bangkok. Hah. Ok then. Even after the destruction caused by the tsunami, the beach is quite picturesque.

Another stop on our itinerary was Monkey Beach, so named because it is home to a large family of monkeys of some sort. Don’t ask me what kind. They were gray. And they were unafraid of humans. Much like the fish that would eat out your hands here. As much Animal Planet as I watch, I couldn’t tell ya which species of monkey they are. “Don’t touch the monkey. Don’t feed the monkey. Don’t pick up the monkey. Even the baby. And most importantly, don’t kiss the monkey! Your friend, not my friend!” warned our tour guide – again and again. Nonetheless, there were people from other boats who actually fed the monkeys some bananas. I guess their tour guides weren’t as clear about what they should and shouldn’t do.

I had the best snorkeling experience here at this particular beach. The water was clear and deep. The beach was clean and the sand was soft and white. I am sad to report, however, that all of the tourism to the area has destroyed what once upon a time, must have been a gorgeous marine landscape all along the Phi Phi boat tour routes. I can see this in the way the fish will come up to your hands if you have them closed in a fist as though you were holding something, namely food. I can also see it in the less noticeable but nonetheless veritable coral reef graveyard littering the ocean floor. It’s not even an intact graveyard. There are a million pieces of broken skeletons all over the floor. Much like gravel in a home aquarium; they were probably smashed to bits by the tour boats coming in and out or by the thousands of people that visit Phuket’s surrounding islands. I felt terrible that I was A) part of the species that fueled this destruction and B) part of the subset of said species that was paying money to add to the destruction. Sigh.

Phi Phi Island proper was one of the unfortunate places that was hit the hardest by the watery tower of death. There remains to this day about 500 or so people unaccounted for. The unique geography of the island meant that it felt the full force of both tidal waves that came through – from both sides of the island. You’ll see what I mean if you see a picture. Oh, good grief, I”ll Google is for you =).



Anyway, pretty much everything was washed away except for the largest hotel on the island. Two years hasn’t been enough time for everything to go back up on this fairly remote island about 45 minutes from Phuket; a lot of the structures there are sort of temporary looking.

On Phi Phi, we had lunch served by locals dressed in the Muslim fashion and looking distinctly different from the ethnic Thais up in the central plains where Bangkok is nestled in the Chao Phraya River delta. The food they served was a little different too.

We made one last stop at a much larger beach in the afternoon as we were heading back home. The tide was starting to go out, so many of my fellow snorkelers were swimming dangerously close to the coral reefs nearby. Here on this beach, the destruction was visible along the beach shore. The waves washed the bits and pieces to create a ring of pain (to walk on) on the sand. Still, for the few minutes I spent in the receding waters, I could see that the marine life was struggling to survive. There was some color still in some of the mostly dead formations. After I figured out the little pricks I was getting from underwater were coming from some of the more aggressive fish whose territory I was probably invading, some minor bumps and scrapes and finally, a piece of coral jammed up my big toe, I figured it was time to get out of the water – but not fully. As I examined my foot under the water, my mind flashed briefly on the years I’ve spent watching the National Geographic Channel and I wondered if the blood flowing from my toe would attract sharks. It stung quite a bit to have my toe in the salt water, but I remember from somewhere that salt water is supposed to act as a natural antiseptic and astringent, so I let it soak for a while until the pain went away and after I has washed out all pieces of coral and sand. I walked around the beach a little bit and saw other casualties a lot worse than mine and was thankful I got out when I did because at this point, the coral formations were starting to stick OUT of the water.

By the time we made our way back to Phuket, the tide was so low that the water behind us was brown from all the sand being kicked up by the propellers. Also, we were limited to a small strip of water that had probably been dredged to allow small to medium watercraft get back to the docks. The path itself was marked by a series of tall wooden poles that showed us where the point of safety met with the point of peril.

"The Beach"

Remember that Leonardo DiCaprio flick from a few years back called "The Beach" ? Well, I'm at the island where he was based out of during the filming of the movie -- Phuket, Thailand. For those of you who don't know, Phuket is Thailand's largest island and is a world-famous vacation hotspot and not-to-be-missed tourist destination.

Boy, can I see why! Patong Beach is just one of the many beaches that this island in the south of Thailand features. It’s touristy like you wouldn’t believe! Take a scene out of Disneyland and you’ll begin to get a sense of how many people are running around. Patong’s vicinity is abuzz with activity at all hours of the day and night – so it’s more like an adult Disneyland. Some of the other, quieter beaches are more suitable for families with small children. I hate to admit this, but it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement in the air. Everyone is there to have fun (except the locals, of course, who are working their butts off to sell, sell, sell to the hungry tourists). You can find everything from postcards, cheap sandals, scandalous swimwear, antique replicas and other traditional décor to 24 hours convenience stores, an array of ATM machines, Starbucks’s and even company for the night, whatever your taste!

My clique is staying at the Hilton Arcadia Phuket. It is an absolutely fabulous hotel with excellent service and three different outdoor swimming pools, an onsite spa, fitness center, several dining establishments and even a mini golf course. Most in the group are Thai, so they’re quite comfortable with navigating the island, but somebody who can speak English is always close by – it seems to be the universal language in Thailand, because even the tourists from Europe and other parts of Asia use it to communicate with the locals.

Anyway, having been to Phuket a few times, they know the drill. I find out they’ve hired a driver for the weekend that picked us up from the international airport and drops us off at the hotel. We unpack and met up again to go for lunch. We sail right on by Patong, much to my chagrin. I wasn’t about to pipe up though, since I was the one tagging along on this trip. Apparently, they had been planning this for some time. We make our way along the main highway on the island and spiral along the windy road up to a high point. I see signs for many other touristy destinations such as FantaSea (a recreation of a traditional Thai village for the purpose of entertaining tourists), Simon Cabaret (featuring multi-talented lady-boys), a couple of Muslim graveyards (we are in the south of Thailand, after all) and a bunch of other beaches. We finally stop at a place called Laem Sing (Lam Sing, Lion’s Point, I think, so named because it has a small and rocky promontory that sticks out into the Andaman Sea) – Sing, as in Singha beer! It’s a nice, quiet and somewhat remote beach featuring it’s own rows of beach umbrellas and recliners. We sit down for lunch, which was an experience in itself.

I’ve always known that Thais love food, but I witnessed it first hand, since this is really my first meal with a bunch of them. There are only 6 of us, but they order something like 10 different plates of food, plus rice, soup and fruit plates! Not to mention drinks and appetizers! Somehow, we managed to eat it all, but not before I committed a cultural faux pas ~

One of the dishes we ordered was a whole fried fish in garlic and whatever else. Once we had finished picking at it from one side, I proceeded to…turn it over, so I can get at the other side – mostly since I didn’t get much of the first side as I was waiting to observe how my Thai friends do it. Anyway, they all let out a gasp! What? What did I do?? You’re not supposed to do that! Do what? Flip the fish! It’s bad luck! Uh oh, I thought. Why? It has to do with the fishermen. Oh, does flipping it mean that they’ll have bad luck with their catch? No, flipping the fish is symbolic of flipping the boat! Oh! Sorry, I’ll flip it back. No! Don’t do that. Ok, well, how are we supposed to eat the other side of the fish? Oh, that’s easy. You can either scoop it from underneath or you can remove the bones and eat it after that. Can you show me? Sure.

Anyway, I was mortified. Here I was, being the ignorant American that just upset the whole table. My friend from Seattle piped up and said he didn’t know about it either. So it took a little bit of pressure from me. Still, I felt like quite embarrassed by the whole ordeal.

After we let our food settle, we all got Thai massages on the beach from the ladies working at the beachfront food stand (that was their other income producing activity). It only cost 300 baht for an hour – about $8.50. Score! It was exactly what I needed after having an achy body for the last week and a half from traveling and trying to adjust to a new bed and pillow. Then I went for a short swim ~ I’m at the beach! What else would I do?

Friend from Seattle coming to BKK

Tomorrow, I’m meeting with a friend from Seattle who writes about Asian issues. He’s flying in today and we’ll be flying down to the resort town of Phuket in the morning. Some of you may recall that Phuket was one of the areas in Thailand that was hit by the Tsunami during Christmas time, two years ago. I’m not sure how it’s faring these days, but I will let you know when I come back! I think it will be a good getaway from the hectic-ness of Bangkok for a weekend. I’m going to LOVE getting some sun and a fabulous couple of days at the beach =).

Me Love FOOD ~

Inspired by my recent learning on how to make my way around a food court, I decided to visit Central Department Store and see what they had to offer. I made my way up to their food court, which they dubbed the “Food Loft: The Trendy & Upscale International Dining Experience.” It was definitely upscale and trendy and featured a variety of foods including Chinese, Japanese, Italian, a noodle bar and of course, Thai food. I checked out the Thai counter and zoomed in on what was described as a “curry dish with egg noodles in the Northern style.” Could it be? No, it couldn’t, KHAO SAWY?? (pronounced cow-soy). This absolutely fabulous regional dish was actually available for me to order again! The only place I knew of that served it in Seattle, the Noodle Studio on Broadway, had closed not too long ago. I was pretty bummed and pretty sure it would be quite some time until I saw khao sawy on the menu again. Obviously, I couldn’t read the Thai and pointed at it and was then told what it was.

When I was finished, I headed over to the dessert bar to see what they had to offer. On one side was a bunch of Western style desserts I was all too familiar with. On the other side was a whole array of Thai desserts. No contest there, so I went about asking the lady behind the counter what everything was and decided on a delicious concoction of agar gelatin with chestnuts in a sweet coconut sauce. Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE coconut? All my PIE peeps know from observing how voraciously and frequently I ate a Filipino dessert featuring coconut called buko pandan! Oh, how it miss it so.

I was on the phone with Nika the other day when we discussed how I had been afraid to try the street vendors. I told her that I was going to turn over a new leaf, because I was feeling silly. Also, buying food at full-service restaurants is expensive! She suggested that I order two things on a menu, by pointing at them and taking them to go, so I can try them in the privacy of my own home. That’s exactly what I decided to do today after I left Central Department Store. I stopped at one of the places I often walk by and pointed at the first THREE things on the menu. Rice? Yes, rice. Chicken? Yes, chicken. With a lot of gesturing and nodding and smiling, I placed my order. Somehow or another, she didn’t understand that I wanted three different items and so I got three of the same item. No matter, I ended up enjoying the dish quite a bit. It turned out to be chicken, stir fried with basil, okra, chili peppers, and pole beans…”kraphrao gai raat khao,” or stir fried chicken over rice. I found this out by asking the young woman how I call this dish in Thai. Luckily, there were a couple other people eating at a table nearby who were able to write it out in Thai for me. I asked them how I would write it out in English, but they didn’t know. I simply asked them to say what it’s called in Thai as I transcribe it the best I could. I brought the piece of paper home and looked it up in my handy dandy dictionary that Nika gave me. Oh! It was absolutely delicious and filling in a way that McDonald’s couldn’t even begin to compare to. And another thing. The three servings were my breakfast, lunch and dinner for a day and a half. All for only 75 baht, or about $2.03, which was less than I had spent for my one lunch at McDonald’s the other day.

A Thai Friend!

Today, I made a Thai friend! I was wandering about the Siam Paragon aimlessly when he and his friend came over and said hello. His name is Ricky and his friend’s name is Note, pronounced just how it looks, with a little bit of inflection to make it Thai. Anyway, we had lunch and discussed what I was doing in Bangkok (BKK for short, you may see me use this abbreviation in the future!). They showed me how the food courts work in Thailand.

By the way, I should give you as an aside a short little note that food courts here are WAY different from the ones we’re used to in the US. In the States, they’re almost places to be avoided and you never know about the quality of food there. In BKK however, they’re places to feel good about going to. They have amazing selections and have full-service restaurant quality food and service. And they don’t use cash. They either use special food coupons that you get at an exchange counter or you get an electronic card that can be scanned or swiped at each “station.” Then you pay at a central station on the way out when you’re done eating. It’s so much more convenient than making multiple payments at each different station!

Ricky needed to get a haircut that day and Note was introducing him to the hair stylist that he uses. I think I may go to this place in the future, although it’s a little expensive at 400 baht – it would definitely be a great deal if I were in the US at a little over $10, but I’ve seen haircuts listed for as little as $150 baht. Whether I’m actually going to use those places is a different story, hah hah. It was a terribly hot day so they suggested we go get some ice cream. Well, it was more gelato. In the quaint little shop itself, called iBerry, there were the usual flavors like vanilla, chocolate and pistachio, but there were also a variety of other flavors that were uniquely Thai – well, I don’t know for certain that other SE Asian countries don’t have them too, but for the sake of argument…I got a green colored flavor called “madang” in Thai. In English, it’s called Garcenia. It was sort of citrusy and tangy-tart. Just perfect. We then took a tour of Siam Square, opposite of the Siam Paragon and Siam Center (another shopping complex I’ve only walked through briefly). Siam Center was like an outdoor MBK, only the clothing there was even cheaper than at MBK and came in a variety of styles for men. In fact, there were many store devoted completely to men! I was quite surprised at the creativity of some of the men’s fashion I saw on display. As adventurous as I am with clothing, there were a lot of things I don’t think I could pull off wearing.

After that, they decided I should get some education on how cinemas work here (the movie theater). We debated over which movie to see and settled on a silly B-movie called DOA: Dead or Alive. Basically, it was male-oriented action flick with lots of beautiful women kicking butt on screen. The movie featured a lot of gratuitous fleshy scenes and suggestive language and behaviors. Still, it was entertaining. One interesting thing I should share with those of you who have never gone to a cinematic show in Thailand is that they play the King’s anthem at the start of the movie. Everybody stands up for the duration of the song and sits down again before the movie starts. Luckily, I was told of this custom by a former co-worker (thanks Randi!) ahead of time, so I was prepared for it. Still, it was a little weird.

When we finished with the movie, we decided to go bowling. Note had to go at this point, but another of Ricky’s friends, Kon, joined us. We went to a bowling place…I hesitate to call it alley because it was so much more than that. It was like the bar Manray on steroids. Ironically enough, it was called Blue. If you know anything about the club/bar scene in Seattle, this would strike you as quite funny! Anyway, as I was saying, it was a video bar but with a live DJ as well, bowling alley, karaoke bar, lounge and restaurant rolled into one. There was no smoking and most of the bowlers were fairly young. Blue featured a gigantic and crystal clear Bose speaker system as well as “beds” that you could recline on and have your drinks brought to you. Periodically, the DJ would announce special prizes if you could get a strike on a specific round. As for me, I’ve never bowled so well in my life! I was able to achieve something I’ve never been able to do before and that is to get a Turkey! For those of you who are in the dark, a Turkey is when you get three strikes in a row. In a different game, I only missed one pin through my 7th bowl or round or whatever they’re called. The rest were strikes or spares. I don’t know if I was just incredibly lucky or if there was some sort of cheating involved, but it definitely made me feel good!

Anyway, at the end of the night, we exchanged phone numbers and I said good night. It was about 10 o’clock by the time I got home.

Banks, Embassies, and still MORE Bureaucracy!

So guess what time I woke up today? You got it, 6 am. This is so bizarre, I can’t figure out why 6 am is the magic hour. Oh, so the internet guys were supposed to come at 9 am today. Who wants to bet on what time they actually got here? I had heard that the Thais are notorious for their notion of time, but this was ridiculous! First, I waste an entire Sunday, waiting around for them and now, all of Monday morning (they didn’t get there until 11:45 am)!

This is of course, after I scramble around town to catch the BTS and subway to get to Chula, get lost, walk through a bunch of random walkways and paths through the university’s medical center, only to find the International Affairs office still closed – all before 8:30 am! I rush back home after I leave my photos with one of the ladies at a nearby office with instructions to give it to the right person. God only knows if it ever made it to her with one of my new cards. I haven’t heard back from her yet and I wonder if I will be in the next few days.

At around 9:45 am, I get a call from Khun Kritt asking me if the techs had gotten in touch with me yet. Yes, but they were supposed to be here at 9 am. Really?? I’ll give them a call. Thank you. Let me know if they don’t contact you within 20 minutes. Ok, I will. A little after 10 am, I get a call from the techs. They say they’ll be there by 11 am. Yeah, right, I thought.

Anyway, they finally get here and run all sorts of diagnostics. We finally determined that it was because the modem wasn’t getting enough power. I was running it through the power converter because the power plug for the modem was one of those three-pronged ones and my wall sockets don’t have that shape. Luckily, my “universal” adaptor that I had thought to be useless was just what I needed. How serendipitous. So I’m not sure if I’ll be getting charged that 300 baht, but I don’t really care at this point. At least I have a connection to the outside world again!

The other thing on my list to do today is to open up a bank account. I was advised to open up an account with Bangkok Bank, as they have ATMs all over the place. I had been careful to note where I have seen which banks ATMs in the past few days for sake of convenience. When I get to the branch customer service table, they ask to see my work permit. I produce a letter that was given to my by TUSEF to facilitate this process. I was chagrined when I found out that it was going to be enough. The lady told me that I would need corroborating evidence from the US embassy that I had clearance to open a bank account since I didn’t technically have a work permit. I’m still not sure how I classify in relation to the Fulbright Administration, but it’s certainly not as an employee!

So it’s after 1:15 pm when I jump in a cab and tell him to take me to the US embassy. 100 baht, ok? Ok! It was then that I knew I was being overcharged. I wondered if I had accidentally stepped into the wrong kind of taxi, where you bargain for your price ahead of time or if it was one of those where they had a meter. Anyway, I quickly scanned for a meter and found it, but it wasn’t running. I was very much just wanting to get this taken care of because the banks close at 3:30 pm in Thailand and I didn’t know what I would have to do at the embassy or how long it would take. I paid him the overpriced fare and stepped out of the taxi. A sign read “American Citizen Services 8 am – Noon and 1-2pm. GRRRRIEF! It was almost 1:30 pm by the time I made it through security and I didn’t even know how to get to the service desk let alone explain what I needed from them. At any rate, 25 minutes and $30 later, I got a form letter that I filled out that featured an official signature and a seal that “certified” my status as a Fulbright. I don’t know what they did with the letter when they took it to the back for about 15 minutes, but whatever it was, it was going to help me get my bank account.

I rushed back to the Bangkok Bank branch and triumphantly set the new piece of paper down for all to see. At this point, it was after 2:30 pm. It took another 20 minutes or so for me to fill out all the paperwork and ask all the applicable questions like what the annual fee was for the bank account, what ATM surcharges I should expect, where, when and how I could use it. She handed me my new ATM card and a promotional Bangkok Bank gift wall clock to boot!

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3

Again, I woke up around 6 am for no apparent reason. It was already getting warm outside – I could feel the heat emanating from the windows near my bed. I usually keep the curtains drawn because it helps to keep the heat out and the a/c in. I should mention that it is constantly on when I am at home because otherwise, it just gets a little difficult to breathe it’s so humid!

I call the number that Khun Kritt had given me last night and choose the English menu options. I troubleshoot with the operator for about 40 minutes before we determine that maybe a technician should come out. She informs me that there will be a charge of 300 baht if the problem was on my side of things as opposed to the company’s equipment. Fine, anything to just get this working! She tells me they’ll call me to schedule a time to come fix it. Do you think they’ll make it out today? Yes, probably. Great, I was going to head to the weekend market today at Chatuchak. I figured it was Sunday, so I wouldn’t be able to get service. Anyway, so I stayed close to the condo and walked around a bit. I stopped at the neighborhood McDonald’s because it was the only “restaurant” open at about 10 am. The street vendors were all business as usual, but I have yet to build up the courage to go order from them on my own.

Despite being advised that they were usually safe, I’m still a little concerned. As somebody who has worked in food service, many of these carts are a food handler’s nightmare! There was raw meat sitting out and about and cooked meat kept next to the uncooked meat. Of course, there was no running water and soap for them to wash their hands with, either. Yeah, it might be a little longer before I can confidently go up to one and order a stick of this and a bag of that. As I sat at the McDonald’s eating my chicken nuggets, I began to feel rather silly. Here I was in a fabulous city with fabulous food, and I’m eating at McDonald’s. Truthfully, I was feeling a little embarrassed because I had always thought of myself as a little daring and willing to chance it. After my little food poisoning episode in Manila though, I was a little less hesitant and untrusting of my digestive system being able to handle the food here (the ironic part of the experience in Manila was that I didn’t get sick from eating something made by the locals, it was a chicken sandwich I got at the KFC!!). Anyway, long story short, I received a call from the internet company, but the technician didn’t speak any English. How silly of them, you would think that if I had spoken to the operator in English, they would have set me up with an English speaking tech. All I heard was an “OK,” “sorry,” and click. I wondered if I would be getting a call back or not. When I got home, I put another call into the internet company but the answering system picked up and instructed me to leave a call back number. GRIEF! So I did, when I finally understood what it was asking me to do. I decided to take a short nap and was eventually awakened by a telephone call. It was a rep from the internet company – we agreed that he would be over at 9 am tomorrow. Great, I just wasted an entire day waiting for them to come and they weren’t even coming!

No sense in making it a complete waste! I headed down to MBK to take care of another item on my list – getting some business cards made. I went to one of the many print and copy centers available and instructed them to make some business cards that showed my affiliation with Fulbright, the Thailand-United States Educational Foundation (aka Fulbright Thailand), and Chulalongkorn University. I also asked them to have my local address in Thai with my phone numbers on one side and my contact information in Seattle on the other. Now I can just hand them out to people I meet! Also, it just feels more official that I have my affiliations/title in writing. Thai people take titles and status very seriously, it seems.

Not so Wired

My body went into action this morning at about 6 am. I couldn’t sleep any more after that. I finally got around to eating the noodles and wonton soup with all of its components in separate plastic bags. Now you know why I couldn’t just sort of slurp it down. It didn’t come in a disposable container like take-out in the US.

Last night’s attempt at hooking up my internet wasn’t much of a success. Blast the world and its reliance upon Windows! The instructions didn’t include any directions on how to install the internet for Mac OS. I dreaded the thought of having to purchase another computer. I gave up at about 2 am.

Today was going to be more of a success, I told myself. I had read up on the process of getting a cell phone in Thailand in my various Fulbright handbooks. My home telephone service came with a promotional SIM card. I hadn’t used SIM technology since I was in Manila and not before that for years. Still, I was familiar with how it worked and I knew I just wanted the most basic of phones since I never use any of the special features that cell phones come with nowadays. I consulted my map and found the mother of all discount shopping centers – Mah Boon Khrong – better known as MBK.

I made my way through Tokyu Department Store and into the mall itself. I headed up to the 4th floor as instructed and was awestruck by the sight before me. I was dazzled by the rows upon rows of stalls selling everything from new cell phones, used cell phones, phone cards, phone accessories, phone face plates, chargers, and parts to video games, dvds, consoles, and a variety of other electronics.

I wandered around this veritable maze for about 20 minutes before I found a congenial looking Thai woman of about 40. I asked her if she spoke English. She said yes. Before her (just like at every stall) lay a large, glass display case with dozens of cell phones marked with prices. Despite having been instructed to bargain down the price by a lot more, I was able to get her to sell a basic Nokia phone for a price similar to some of her neighbors. The price included the charger and a warranty. I also asked her to install the SIM card for me and call the cell phone to test it. She also plugged in the charger to show me that the batter was good and that the electrical parts were all functional. At any rate, it cost me 1700 baht. Or about $45 dollars for the cell phone. I’m pretty sure I could have gotten it for less, but I felt I did ok for my first time out to a place where I could bargain.

Now I have a cell phone, yay!

I went downstairs to the grocery store and picked up some other items to munch on. Thailand has such an interesting array of food. I love it! I picked up a tray of beef jerky for about a $1 and some pomelo (citrus fruit similar to grapefruit, but less tart). I got home, had some dinner, talked to Khun Kritt about the internet not working, and crashed.

Bureacracy, Bureaucracy -- Oh! How I love Thee...

Today I went to the Fulbright office and met with Khun Wanida. We had an appointment for 10 am, but I was there by about 9:30 am because 1) I couldn’t sleep and 2) I wanted to give myself enough time to get there. She was very surprised at my earlier arrival and showed me to a conference room where I browsed through the publications of former Fulbrights. I picked up a book on Thai dance, written by a former Fulbright and published in 2004. Boy, do I have a lot to live up to. An entire book??

Khun Wanida was such a pleasure to meet and was instrumental in helping me to secure Chula as a host institution. You can see that the title “Khun” works for both sexes. We went to lunch at a place nearby where I was introduced to Thai omelets, “khai jiaw.” This place specialized in omelets and was thus named Khaijiaw – amazing huh? I finished lunch with a dessert featuring a fruit I’ve never had before (and here I thought I was pretty well versed in Asian fruits!) In Thai, it’s called Sala. I haven’t figured out what it’s called in English yet. It’s kind of like a cross between Rambutan and Mangosteen. It has a flavor similar to Mangosteens but an appearance similar to Rambutans. It was delicious!

We caught a cab to Chula and found our way to the Faculty of Economics. In Thailand, ‘Faculty’ is the equivalent of ‘School,’ it seems. Still, it seems to me more centered upon the professors, the people as opposed to the space, when looking at the distinction between them. It seems very logical and very Thai to me to focus more on the human aspect of learning as opposed to the physical and spatial aspect of it implied by ‘school.’

We tracked down “ajarn” (ah-john, teacher) Isra and revisited my proposal and asked him for input about classes I should enroll for. We also met with a liaison from the International Affairs office, since she is the one familiar with the administrative aspect of things.

The meeting dragged out for quite some time as I sorta came in the middle of the academic year. Given my education level, I wasn’t on the same track timing wise as the undergraduates. A fact that was overlooked when the Fulbright administration and myself were trying to figure all that out. At any rate, I was also stunned by what it was actually going to cost for me to audit classes there. Needless to say, my Fulbright tuition funds were not going to cover a full time load at the university for the year. So we talked for a bit about how to work with what I’ve got. Dr. Isra excused himself (and rightly so, he wasn’t involved with any of this administrative stuff, he’s there for the academic part!). I felt a little embarrassed that he had to sit through all that. Anyway, I left the meeting without having settled on much except that I would classified not as a student, but as a visiting researcher (which I thought had been the understanding all along). I came out of the experience a little frustrated, but remembered what I had read in the Fulbright packet that this was common. Navigating through all of the bureaucracy is a reality of Thailand with just about everything.

I bid farewell to and thanked Khun Wanida for acting as the interpreter through the whole mess and told her I would take care of dropping off a photo of myself and tuition on Monday. I went home and simply crashed for a couple of hours. The jet lag was catching up with me.

When I woke up, it was a little after 7pm. I was feeling kind of hungry so I got dressed and headed out to the BTS. Of course, Bangkok was abuzz with life as usual. But there were different people out and about and different street vendors too. I hopped on the Sky Train and went to the stop that was closest to a shopping destination marked on the map Khun Kritt gave me – Central Department Store. Instead, I found myself at the Siam Paragon shopping center. It is gigantic luxury shopping center featuring the likes of Gucci, Prada, Luis Vuitton, Bvlgari and came complete with a Lexus dealership, a movie theater, a bowling alley, an upscale food court (whatever that means), a gourmet grocery store, an oceanarium and a vast expanse of parking to boot! I was appalled by what I saw. Seattle doesn’t have anything quite like this. It was something like eight floors of endless halls of designer boutiques, specialty shops and marble floors. Think Pacific Place but ten times bigger and with better shops! All I was looking for was a power adaptor so that I can recharge my computer and set up my internet.

I wandered and wandered for about an hour before I came across an electronic goods store. I asked a nearby sales person about where I could find an electrical adaptor – “plug for machine, from America.” Lots of gestures later, he led me to a shelving unit that was something resembling adaptor heaven. Great. Now which one isn’t going to fry my laptop battery and everything else I plug into it? After he sees me and my confused look, he pulls one off the shelf for me to look at. It appears to be a universal one. I took the adaptor and a small power converter to the check out and was given the total in Thai – of course. She turned the monitor so I could see it. I paid her and left the store and wandered down into the food court area, where I spied the entrance to the gourmet supermarket. I had made a shopping list before hand, but it didn’t help me get out of there any faster as I was unfamiliar with the brands they carried for simple household items like dishwashing detergent and deodorant. I think I spent the most time there, trying to figure out which scent wouldn’t make me sick. I also picked up some dishes and silverware, as the noodles and wonton soup were still sitting in my fridge from the night before since I didn’t have any dishes or utensils to eat them with! I also wandered around looking for some sliced bread. I finally broke down and asked one of the store employees. I had scarcely made it past the check out line when an announcement came over the loudspeaker. I looked at my watch and realized it was nearly 10 pm. Goodness, where’d the time go?? I had totally forgotten about being hungry.

I got home and made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the bread I just bought. Again, completely forgetting about the noodles from the night before.

Krung Thep At Last!

So Suvarnabhumi airport is pronounced “Suwannapum.” Not that you would ever know that by reading the official spelling, which has its roots in Sanskrit, I believe. The airport is a gigantic structure constructed mainly from steel, glass, and concrete. Magnificent, yet drab. Stately, yet cold. I’m not a good guess when it comes to giving estimates on a building’s special dimensions, but I’d say the ceilings were about 200 feet from the ground. Is that considered very high for a building like this?? For those who know the SU campus, it’s about the height from the ground floor of the student center to the ceiling at the uppermost floor. Feel free to correct me for the benefit of all =).

As I wound my way through the airport, I noticed just how new the airport really is. Many of the shops were abuzz with workers scrambling to load the shelves and counters! This was after midnight. I’m guessing that’s probably the normal time for those kinds of tasks to be taken care of anyway. It was still interesting to see that many parts of the airport were undergoing the final stages of construction in the form of detail work like decorative floor panels and such. It took about 10 minutes to get through customs since I had the right kind of visa and nothing to declare. Once I got my bags, I was stopped momentarily by an airport security worker at the exit gate who said something to me in Thai as he pointed at one of my bags. When I reacted with a confused look, he asked me in English, where are you from? Seattle, WA, USA. He smiled and with a nod, motioned for me to go ahead. Something tells me that that wasn’t the original question he asked me and that my being an American expedited my move through to the gate.

Finally, I reach the area where friends and family of my fellow passengers were eagerly awaiting their arrival. It was almost like a press conference with people looking as though they were about to jump the metal fences between us. I was told to look for a sign with my name on it. Easier said than done, there’s got to be at least two dozen other name signs in that crowd! Finally, I see a plain black and white sign with “Mr. Hong Chhuor” on it. It was being held by a young lady with a bright yellow polo on. I’ve seen those shirts before, it’s the King’s color and was worn as a sign of the people’s love and support for him throughout the recent coup. I make my way over to her and introduce myself. Hi, I’m Hong. I’m Golf, nice to meet you, Khun Kritt is waiting for you, I will call him now. Mr. Kritt (first name) owns the condo that I’ll be living in for the next year. My fabulous Thai friend Nika, who lives in Seattle, helped me with all of the negotiations on landing my place. It has been explained to me in a most simplistic sense that the word “Khun” is a customary and polite title that means something like “you.”

I see Khun Kritt as he makes his way through the crowds. We load the car and drive off to the condo in Sukhumvit. He asks me all sorts of questions – is this your first time in Bangkok? Thailand? What will you be doing here again? What have you heard about Thailand. I’m in the middle of answering all of his questions when Khun Kritt’s cell phone rings – it’s Nika. Honey! How are you? How was your flight? Is everything ok? Are you hungry? Tired? I assure her that everything was just fine. She wants to speak to Mr. Kritt. I hand him the phone and she proceeds to subject him to a barrage of questions. He hands me the phone again. After I say goodbye to Nika, Khun Kritt turns to me and says, Ping Pong (Nika’s nickname), she’s very worried about you! I know, she’s such a good friend so helpful with everything! Khun Kritt takes me for a short spin around the city and points out a lot of places that I’ll need to get to in the next few days. The bank, the Fulbright Office, Chula, the 5,000 7-Elevens in my neighborhood. He too, asks me if I’m hungry. A little, yes. What would you like? Anything is fine, I’m not picky. They take me to a small open air market and we walk up to one of the street vendors. “Kuaytiaw kiaw,” which amounted to an order of noodles with wonton, which cost me all of 30 baht ( about 80 cents, I’m going to love eating in Thailand!).

We make a pit stop at one of the 7-Elevens and I get a large container of water, juice, and some other items. And head to the condo. By this point, it was almost 2 am. Still, my guides didn’t look phased. I signed the lease and they gave me a bunch of papers that included a map of Bangkok showing where my building is as well as the Fulbright office and Chula. Also circled on the map are shopping centers. Khun Kritt takes extra care to describe to me the different shopping destinations. I wonder why the fixation on shopping centers. I’ll probably be spending more time at the cultural destinations like museums and temples. I thought maybe it had something do with my being American. Still, I was very grateful. Also included in the stack of papers was information about the BTS or Sky Train. It’s essentially a fast moving monorail type transit system in that it’s above ground. It moves pretty quickly though, not unlike BART in the San Francisco area, except it doesn’t go underground. They gave me a brief sketch of the routes as well as the fares. By the time they left, it was nearly 3 am! What an incredibly long day of traveling. Tomorrow I head to the Fulbright office and meet with my academic advisor Dr. Isra Sarntisart of the Faculty of Economics.

San Francisco via Memphis via Shreveport

I’m writing this entry while I wait at my departure gate at the Shreveport regional airport. I pull out my phone to check the time – 5:30 am. My flight leaves in less than an hour. International flights out of a regional airport like the one in Shreveport, LA aren’t so bad it seems. It took me a whole ten minutes to check-in, get through security, and get to my departure gate. It looks like I don’t have that many people coming to Memphis with me this morning. I also notice that I have a missed call and a new message. Who on earth could be calling at this hour? It’s 3:30 am in Seattle, so it’s probably one of my family members. I dial my voicemail and get a recording saying that one of my old messages that I’ve saved is going to be deleted. I listen to it again and decide I no longer need to keep it. Then it tells me another one is going to be deleted…and another…and another. What gives?? Then I realized that the voice messaging system was probably preparing to purge everything that was in my mailbox since my service was going to be shut off at midnight tomorrow, October 12th.

I picked up the voicemail from my mom and return her call. She had a couple of last minute tax questions related to the business. My poor mom helped me to drag my two gigantic bags up to the check-in counter. The one she pulled out of the car was probably half her body weight. Luckily, it has wheels, so she could just pull it – still, I think it’s kind of funny that she could probably fit inside of it comfortably. At 4’11” and somewhere around 100 lbs, I’m amazed at what she does each day. She is undoubtedly the woman I admire most in my life. I think she was probably up before 2 am this morning as part of her daily routine. As usual, she and two of my brothers, Michael and Travis, head out to the family donut shop in the nearby town of Jefferson (pop. 2300 and about 20 minutes drive away from Marshall) and hardly get to work – I mean, get to their hard work! Today, however, mom steps out of her normal day and leaves the shop after she finishes her opening tasks so that she can take me to the airport. They all have to work extra hard today since my mom has left them for a couple of hours so that she can drive me to Shreveport. In East Texas, the towns and cities are fairly spread out. It doesn’t help that the shop is exactly the opposite direction from the airport.

It was about 4:30 am by the time she got back home to get me. She sets down a tray with some orange juice, a zip-lock bag of our signature pigs-in-a-blanket (a real seller at the shop) and a plate of bacon, sausage, and eggs – all the meats of breakfast, as Razz is fond of saying. Such a mom, I thought to myself. Oh, how I miss some things about living at home! Ah, it was good to be “home” for a week, where I could unwind and mentally prepare for my upcoming trip.

Anyway, back to the airport…so here is this petite Asian lady dragging a gigantic bag-on-wheels to the NW Airlines check-in counter. Darn it, no Sky Cap counter to take care of curbside check-in like at Sea-Tac. I figured that I was trading the curbside check-in for being able to breeze through to my gate and called it good.

My heart did skip a beat as I was going through TSA security. While I was waiting for my stuff to come through the scanning device, the lady at the scanning station came back and said she was going to scan my carry-on luggage again. Uh oh, did I forget a bottle of water in there or something?? I thought I had pulled all those contraband items out earlier and put them into my checked baggage. It’s irritating (and sad) that in today’s world, a bottle of water is considered a potential weapon. I know that it’s all just for our safety, but seriously, a bottle of water?

I breathe a sigh of relief as my stuff went through a second time uneventfully. The lady behind me, however, wasn’t so lucky. They led her to a side table where another TSA agent was busy ransacking what was previously another passenger’s neatly packed carry-on. I grabbed my things and proceeded towards my gate with enough time to pull out a notepad and scribble down some thoughts before an announcement came over the intercom saying that they were about to commence boarding for the flight to Memphis. Not a moment to lose…

I tentatively inched forward down the narrow aisle of my Bombardier CRJ 4400 with room for 50 passengers. A good size for the 43-minute puddle jump from Shreveport to Memphis (well, technically, there isn’t really a significant body of water in between the two cities; just trying to liven up my writing a little bit for all you lovely people!).

I find my seat and see that my neighbor is already there. Great, a window seat (I hate window seats, they make me nauseous and I’ve got to consider my ‘bubble,’you know). He gets up to let me in and makes conversation by asking me where I’m headed. Bangkok. Oh, I’m on my way to the Philippines. Really? What for? My dad lives there (my neighbor is Caucasian). Oh, what’s he doing there? Does he work there? No, he has a vacation home in Manila. No kidding! I was there for a month last August. I really enjoyed it there; hope you have fun. How long will you be there for? Two-and-half weeks. Manila is a great city!

I didn’t bother to give him the nitty-gritty details of the extreme and ever-present economic disparity he’ll see upon his arrival. This is common characteristic of capital cities in growing nations like the Philippines; where, if you stay on a main road long enough, you’ll drive through some slums, into a walled and guarded condominium/shopping complex and back into slums again. Of course staying on one road too long is inefficient in Manila traffic. Still, the pockets of wealth are far enough apart that you can’t help but see the effects of overpopulation and poverty all around you…unless of course, you close your eyes and close your heart.


To Tokyo We Go…

The trip from Memphis was uneventful. But once I arrived at SFO, I remembered some the hassles associated with larger airports. I’ve never been to SFO before, so I had no idea which way was forward, back, or sideways. I followed the general movement of traffic, which led me beyond a security checkpoint. Uh oh, am I supposed to leave the secured area? I didn’t do this in Memphis!

As it turns out, I was supposed to leave but I later learned that you could only keep following the herd for so long before you have to break off towards your own path – somehow I ignored this voice in the back of my head and kept moving with the mass of human bodies down a set of escalators and across one of those “people movers,” you know, those flat escalators – who knows what they’re technically called, you all know what I’m talking about! Then I found myself at the parking garage. This can’t be right… I went back up the real escalators and spied a gigantic sign reading “International Flights.” Brilliant, Hong. I walked in the general direction of the sign and found an information desk staffed by a little old man. A sign on the counter said “volunteer.” This could be bad…long story short, I ended up going back to the NWA gate I came out of. Damn it all to hell! I’m tired, I’m hungry, I JUST WANT TO GET TO MY GATE!!!

And so I turned around and went back down the long, long corridor to the International Gates at SFO – like I should have in the first place…I got some lunch at the Il Fornaio café and waited. Naturally, for a flight to Asia, there were a lot of Asian people. What I found quite ironic was that for a flight to Asia, our Airbus A330 featured carry-on compartments that were really quite high up. I’m usually able to reach the overhead storage in a plane without too much difficulty. Today though, I had some slight issues and I am relatively tall for an Asian person. I definitely felt for the little old ladies who were having difficulties putting their luggage away. I helped out the ones nearby as best I could.

So I’m not sure how many of you I’ve told about the Fulbright requirement that I fly a domestic carrier, but there is one. I was a little put out because I had such a great experience flying China Air to Manila that being limited to American carriers brought back many of the less than stellar memories from previous experiences. Here’s an example that might help you understand why I was less than enthusiastic. First, imagine “airplane food.” Undoubtedly, some of you are already wishing that this were more of an abstract concept than reality.

Ok, now imagine airplane food with airplane food service (this is in no way intended as an offense to the airline workers in the audience, as I know there are some =) – and I’m sure that some of the descriptions I’m about to give have nothing to do with you!). So it’s dinnertime on NWA flight 027. The choices are chicken something or another or orange beef. My neighbor and I receive curt, no-nonsense service. She and I both have the orange beef. It was when the flight attendant got to the couple in front of us that our story takes place. I’m thinking that they were en route to Shanghai, as so many of my fellow passengers were. Anyway, when the two flight attendants got to them, they asked the standard, “Chicken or beef.” No answer. “Chicken, or beef.” They turn and look at her blankly. “Chicken…or BEEF?!?” She was practically yelling at them at this point. From my vantage point, I could tell they didn’t speak any English. One would have thought that these flight attendants, regulars for flights to Asia, might have been more attentive to this detail as well. When they still didn’t answer, she slammed the shelf she was serving from and (I kid you not) stormed off to the back of the plane. The other flight attendant yells after her, “I’ll get it!” Apparently the more resourceful of the two, she then proceeds to pull out the menu that was distributed earlier from the back of the seat in front of them and points out their options to them. The menu was written in multiple languages and Chinese was one of them. My neighbors point out their selections, she serves them and moves on. The other lady comes back from her “time out” and proceeds as normal. This exchange never would have happened on a China Airlines flight, I thought to myself. One or the other of the flight attendants would have busted out in Mandarin and if that failed, in one of the other of the 4 or 5 dialects she spoke.


Welcome to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport

Everything’s in Japanese! Including the electronic departures and arrivals board … oh wait, it switches back and forth between Japanese and English. I followed the crowd of passengers to the International Departures gate. I didn’t know we were making a stop in Tokyo, as it was not listed on my itinerary, but I was glad to be on solid ground again after the long flight from SFO to Narita. There was nobody waiting at the exit to tell me from which gate my plane would be leaving or when it was leaving. I just stood in front of the information screen long until I could find my flight number. A group of about 5 older Thai ladies looked confused as well. I asked them if they were headed to Bangkok and they said yes. “Gate C6,” I told them. I locate C6 and see that the I have about 45 minutes before the plans starts boarding. I wander around a little bit and look at some of the shops in the airport. I spy a McDonalds a few doors down. Ah, some things are the same no matter where you are in the world. I walked past a café and set my stuff down near a table and some chairs that looked like they had been made for kindergarteners. But alas, a grown Japanese man and his girlfriend sitting nearby told me I wasn’t in fact, in the kiddy corner. I make my way back to the departure gate and see the same Thai ladies. Where are you going, dear? To Bangkok. Oh! Really? Yes. Are you Thai? No. How come you’re going? I’m going to school at Chula. Is this your first time? Yes. The smiled and made their way to nearby seats. They began boarding shortly thereafter. My Thai lady friends saw me heading to the bathroom as they were standing in line. Come on! Are you going to stay here? No, hah hah, I’m just going to go to the bathroom.

I get to my seat and find that they are my neighbors. This is going to be an interesting trip. Later in the flight, a different one among them strikes up a conversation by asking me what I will be doing in Bangkok. I’m taking up a research grant at Chulalongkorn University. It’s my first time in Thailand. She proceeds to give me a detailed description of exchange rates and how they work in Thailand. She says I should be watchful because although people in Thailand are not out to get me, I should still be careful.

She then tells me how she is going back to Thailand after about 25 years in Florida. Her husband recently passed away and she was “going home to her country.” She’s tired from her years of working three jobs and felt lonely in her big house by herself. Where are you from? Seattle, WA. Are you mixed? Excused me? I then realized she was asking me about my ethnic background, something that is of great interest to Southeast Asians, or Asians in general, I should say. I tell her that my parents are from Cambodia and that I was born there. She asked me if one of them is American (white). No, they were both born in Cambodia, like me. We’re Chinese. Ah hah! You don’t look Cambodian. A lot of people think I am Vietnamese. You look like you’re mixed, like Cambodian, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese…do you speak Cambodian or Chinese? Yes, but not very well. Ok, well you’re still young, you still have lots of time to learn. English is the most important, then Chinese, then Cambodian. Right now is time to learn, you can make money later. I wish my mom thought like you, she’s been wondering why I haven’t decided to keep a job with steady pay yet. How much longer will you be in school, Hong? Don’t worry, you can make money later. Ok, thank you for your advice!

Six hours later and we’re at Bangkok’s brand spanking new Suvarnabhumi airport.

Ready for Take-Off?

Dear family & friends:

I hope this e-mail finds you well and at peace. Tomorrow, I will leave for my long overdue and highly anticipated trip to Bangkok, Thailand. Right now, I'm a little more occupied with some of things I'm going to leave behind with loose ends than by the barrage of new sights, sounds and smells upon my arrival in Bangkok. Still, I think that these minor details will be resolved in their own time. After all, I am coming back home!

I suppose what I'm dreading more than anything is the getting to Bangkok part. From the moment I get out of bed tomorrow until I can collapse into bed again in my Bangkok condo, I will have been traveling for about 25 hours! Now, those of you who have traveled internationally before probably don't find this unusual, but it was hard for me to sit still long enough to get to my family in East Texas! And that flight only took about 6.5 hours of traveling. I'll be leaving out of an airport in Shreveport, LA since it the closest one to my family's home in Marshall, TX. From Shreveport, I head out to Memphis, TN. I know, a little bit backwards – sometimes you have to go backward to go forward…or something like that?? From Memphis, I fly to San Francisco and have time to grab some lunch. Then it's off to Bangkok I go. Some people like non-stop flights because it shortens the overall travel time and you don't have to go through the rituals of boarding and deplaning over and over again. I'm of the opinion that breaking down the nearly 18-hour direct flight from San Francisco to Bangkok might have been the preferred option for me.

I've only ever flown internationally once – that was from Seattle to Manila, with a stopover in Taipei. I think the flight to Taipei was a little over 10 hours. I kept myself occupied with the array of digital entertainment that was available to me for free. I probably watched four movies in their entirety a couple of others that were just too horrible to stomach. Also, I had some fun listening to all of the messages that were being broadcast over the intercom in about, oh, five different languages (well, if you count the different dialects of Chinese). One of the highlights of our trip to Taipei was that they served congee for breakfast, that's right, rice soup! I don't know why I was as surprised as I was. We were flying China Airlines! At any rate, when I grew tired of trying to determine which words meant what in what language and was too antsy to sit through another movie, I could always turn to my fellow PIE (Philippine Immersion Experience) peeps for some good old-fashioned chatter – and you all know how much I LOVE to chatter! After what I felt was an eternity had passed, we had finally arrived at Taipei International Airport. I welcomed the chance to stretch my legs and use a bathroom that wasn't about 3 feet by 4 feet (if that). There was a stall in the bathroom that looked fairly odd. It basically looked like a hole in the ground, but had a seat around the edge and was on a raised floor – has anybody ever traveled to Taiwan (outside of the airport) and can tell me what that is? Katrina??

Anyway, this e-mail should be about my trepidations about Thailand, not my experience in the Philippines (although I'd gladly correspond with anybody who has questions about my time there as well). I mentioned earlier that I would be collapsing into my bed in my Bangkok condo – so let me tell you more about that! I have a friend who lives in Seattle. Nika (aka, Nachanicha Prasitsilpsiri – say that 5 times fast) is from Thailand and is familiar with Bangkok and its various districts. Apparently, the fact that I'm high-maintenance came across without my having to say anything because she helped me to get a place that is in the heart of the commercial district and offers amenities that cater to farang (foreigners) such as myself – Sukhumwit. I'm told that it is also one of the centers of nightlife in Bangkok. This might be dangerous, I thought to myself. Anyway, I'm on the 13th or 14th floor, so well above where any street level noise will bother me. I have my own deck and a swimming pool to keep cool on those sweltering days so often a normal part of life in a tropical country like Thailand (and the Philippines). Not only did she do all the research necessary to look for places within my price range, she made all the phone calls necessary to bargain for all the amenities that I will have as part of my lease. So thanks to Nika, I will have high-speed internet, cable to watch the English language news channels AND she was able to get the landlord to agree to come pick me up at the airport for no charge. Boy, is she skilled. I'd like to see her just have at it at the open-air supermarkets for which Bangkok is well known and bargaining is a must. She also gave me a Thai phrase book – khawp khun khrap, Nika!

The day after my arrival, Friday, October 13, I'm supposed to make my way down to the Fulbright Thailand office (on my own). Also, that's not official name of the office, mind you. They go by the Thailand-United States Educational Foundation (TUSEF). It's going to be an adventure trying to get down there on my own the day after a long flight. But I think I can manage. The fabulous ladies at TUSEF have arranged for me to meet with my academic advisor, Dr. Isra Sarntisart, in the afternoon after I go through a short orientation where they have me sign some papers and hand me a wad of cash. I'm not sure what I'm doing afterwards or if my liaison from the TUSEF office will be accompanying me throughout my tour of the campus. I planned my trip so that I can have Saturday and Sunday to just lounge about if I needed to.

The other day, through the good graces of a one Jo Kirschner, I was able to browse through the blog of fellow Seattle University 2006-07 Fulbright recipient, James Nau. He's in Germany on a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship, which is a little bit different from my research/study grant. Still, a lot of the things he's had to do since his arrival in Germany a little over a month ago will be similar to what I have to do – opening a bank account, getting a different visa to stay for the duration of the grant, making new friends, visiting new places, adjusting to language and cultural differences, etc. Anyway, what came out of my readings of his blog was that I came to the conclusion that I'm going to maintain one as well. I have to admit that I resisted it – mostly because it means that I'd have to write for all of my adoring fans – er, family and friends. Anyway, thanks for giving me the final push, Jo.

I guess one of the differences between James and I is that I already have an idea of what the first couple of days will look like, so I am able to share it with you here. Once I get settled in, I will be sure to send some pictures of my new pad the fabulous people in Bangkok who helped to put this together. I think the approach that I will take is to update my blog fairly often for those who want to check in with me everyday and send out a longer email every so often – we'll just have to see what the feasibility of it all is time-wise. I will send you all a link once I have the blog up and running, but I may be quiet for a few days. Until then, take care!

Love,

Hong