Match Point

I am often delighted by the little unexpected surprises of living in Pattaya.  Because of it's status as a resort city and its year-round warm climate, Pattaya is host to some international sporting events.  The PGA had an event here shortly after we moved in, and the LPGA will have a tournament next week.  But the one that caught my eye was the Women's Tennis Association tournament, taking place about ten minutes from our condo at the beautiful Dusit Thani Resort.  The PTT Thailand Open is one of 19 tour-level events in the Asia-Pacific, leading to the WTA finals in Singapore in October.  Women from over 100 countries will compete on the road to Singapore.  This level is just one stepping stone away from the elite players of women's tennis, and many of the players involved have competed in the "big leagues."  Venus Williams has played here.  It is a good mix of established players and up-and-comers.

I'd never attended a pro tennis tournament before, but the opportunity was hard to pass up.  So I asked Mick to stop at the Dusit last Wednesday so that I could pick up a ticket.  The tournament was going all week, Feb. 8 - 15.  Tim wasn't interested in going, so I bought a ticket for the Friday quarterfinals, allowing me to attend while he was at work.  The ticket office was way at the back of the hotel, and I felt like I was probably walking through the players' dining area on the way.  But nobody stopped me, so I continued through and soon found the ticket booth.  The ladies helped me to find a good seat in the shade with the sun behind me.  I asked them how long they thought it would run, beginning at 3 p.m., and they thought it would go until maybe nine o'clock.  I wasn't sure I wanted to stay for the whole thing, but hoped to see as many players as possible.

After buying my ticket, we picked up Mika and met Jen and her friend for lunch at Mike's Mexican - yum!  Jen's friend has lived in Thailand for a couple of years already (she's from southern Illinois), and knew the restaurant well.  She knew enough to order the guacamole without lettuce.  (The lettuce under the guacamole has always annoyed Tim - seems most of the little bowl is lettuce with a dollop of guacamole on top.)  She also tipped us off to another good mexican restaurant in east Pattaya.  I think that might be a little far for us, but I'll have to check it out.  Mika said she'd never had Mexican, so I started to explain the menu.  Then she laughed and clarified that she'd never had it since arriving in Pattaya.  In fact, she worked at a Mexican restaurant before - and imagine, I was trying to explain the menu to her.  She probably knew more than me!

Friday finally arrived, and I was excited for a completely new experience.  Mick dropped me at the Dusit just before three.  The venue had been transformed since Wednesday - the way to the courts passed through a pro shop selling tennis merchandise, and some very tall girls with big tennis bags over their shoulders could be spotted here and there.  The courts were completely shielded from view with tarps, and scaffolding had been erected for the seating areas.  Spectators walked down a tunnel and up a few steps to reveal the side-by-side courts.  I found my seat about a dozen rows up - the seating areas were all covered, but the courts were bathed in sunshine.  A stiff wind blew in from the bay, which was off to my left (it bills itself as the only professional tennis event offering "Tennis by the Sea.")

The bay is just beyond the court in this shot

The hotel pool behind me

Two players appeared on the main court a short time after I sat down.  I appreciated seeing all the "behind the scenes" activity that goes into a professional tennis tournament.   I was surprised to see that the two preparing to compete actually warmed up together.  I would have guessed each person would prefer to warm up with a coach or something.  The line judges marched in ceremoniously, with the ball boys and girls behind.  They all assumed their positions around the court.  It takes a lot more line judges than what I was aware - I think I counted seven.  The "changing of the guards" took place at regular intervals, with the on-court judges and and ball retrievers lining up and marching out as a new team marched in to replace them.

The quarter-finals began "without further ado," the first of four matches of the evening, with Russian player Vera Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 2010, facing Marina Erakovic of New Zealand.  The Russian came out strong and quickly took the first set 6-2.  But the New Zealander found her rhythm, and they battled through the next two grueling sets, with the New Zealander finally victorious after a three-plus hour match.  Final score was 6-2, 6-7, 5-7.  It was hot to begin with, but they were both drenched in sweat by the end.

warm-ups

Marina Erakovic

While that match continued, a second match was started and finished on the second court.  This one saw another Russian, Evgeniya Rodina, facing Ajla Tomljanovic from Croatia.  This match started an hour after the first one, but finished before, with the Tomljanovic of Croatia quickly winning 7-6, 6-2.

I enjoyed the international mix in the crowd - I had two German gentlemen conversing behind me, a Japanese family to my right, and a Russian man on my left, who was not happy about the results of these first two matches.  I also enjoyed my seat next to the cameramen - I could see the competition from their viewpoint - literally!















After that marathon match, I was afraid play would go late into the night, but the next two meetings were fairly quick.  Next up was Ying-Ying Duan of China vs. Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova.  Hantuchova also came into the tournament with two previous wins here in 2011 and 2012.  She had Duan of China back on her heels fairly quickly, winning the match 6-3, 6-0.

Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 

warm-ups

Ying-Ying Duan of China

The final singles match of the night saw Japanese Misaki Doi facing Puerto Rican Monica Puig.  The Japanese family to my right clearly came to see their country represented - one of the little girls had a hand-made flag of Japan on a pole that she proudly displayed when Doi was on the court.  Puerto Rico is rarely represented in professional tennis, but Monica Puig is one to watch, winning her first trophy in 2014, the first ever for her country.  She also won the Rising Stars Invitational in Singapore.  The young flag-maker beside me was disappointed to see her girl fall to the Puerto Rican, 6-4, 6-2.  The Japanese player looked so tiny on the court compared to the other players, but when I saw her after the match up close, she towered over me.  They must all be close to six feet tall!

Monica Puig of Puerto Rico 

Puig vs Doi

A doubles competition followed these matches, but it was 8:30 p.m., and Tim and Mick had just arrived from work to pick me up.  Yes, I know - Tim working late even on a Friday night :-(  We stopped to pick up some pizza from the new Domino's that just opened near us (!) and called it a night.  So glad to have had the opportunity for another new experience!  (Not the pizza).

In case you're wondering about the finals:

(sorry for the stain - the paper was re-purposed
as a trivet for the dinner table!)

Bright Lights, Big City Redux 3

Day Three in Bangkok:

We wanted to get an early start so we could do some sightseeing before Steve's class at 1 p.m.  I was the first one to the lobby, and decided to inquire at the front desk about a blow dryer, since neither Carol nor I brought one with us.  "Oh, yes, Madame - we will send one right up," was the reply.  Excellent - I scooted back upstairs and got ready to quickly dry my hair. And I waited.... and I waited.  Half an hour went by, and I thought surely Steve and Carol would be downstairs waiting for me by now.  I called Steve and explained the situation, and said I would be right down.  I stepped off the elevator and let the man know I no longer needed the dryer.  "No, please, Madame, the dryer is on its way up!"  I said that it was OK, I would forego the dryer.  But he wouldn't accept "no" for an answer, insisting that "the professor have time!"  So, awkwardly, I got back on the elevator and went up to receive the delivery.  Dried my hair for about thirty seconds and hurried back down to breakfast.  I think the gentleman was concerned about disappointing "the professor."  It's funny, looking back on it, but at the time...

A student of Steve's had recommended that we see the Museum of Floral Culture, a fairly new attraction that sounded right up Carol's horticultural alley.  Steve had wisely asked the nice gentleman at Sasa House (my buddy) to write down the directions in Thai so he could give them to the taxi driver.
Again from my Trip Advisor review:

This is a fairly new attraction, housed in a 100-year-old teak mansion in a quiet area of Dusit. It highlights the talents of internationally renowned Thai floral artist Sakul Intakul. The guide proudly shows the importance of flowers in Thai culture and art in the museum (no photographs allowed inside), then guides you through the lush, tropical gardens outside. The optional visit to the Tea Salon was well worth it - you order your tea before the tour, then they have it ready for you at the end, along with some delicious little sweets, presented beautifully. It was most enjoyable.

The vibe from the guide was quite reverential - he spoke in a hushed voice, carefully pointing out each photograph on the wall, each artifact on display.  It wasn't at all what we were expecting - I think we all expected more living plants and flowers.  This was more about how important flowers are to the Thai culture, and the many ways flowers are a part of their lives.  Photographs of special events (Royal birthdays, for example) showed the prominence and the intricate detail of the flowers.  Art pieces are often created from bits of flowers - seeds, petals, etc. - as well as bouquets and garlands.

these hanging flowers encircled the house

The outside garden was smaller than we expected, but beautiful.  Every plant was tenderly cared for.  We saw one worker carefully shaking some buds from a bush and collecting them in a basket, to be used for a new creation.  There were massive palm and pineapple trees, dwarf banana trees, and countless other plants, along with a relaxing pond and meditation pavilion in the back.  Very difficult to hang onto your stress in a place like this.

dwarf banana plant

beehive

When our tour ended, we were shown to the veranda of the house where we enjoyed the beautiful surroundings.  Our tea was already prepared, and was brought to us on an antique tea cart with handsomely-arranged dishes of sweets under banana leaf cones.  I had the kashmiri spiced milk tea, and it was delicious.  The sweets were lovely.

The morning was getting late, and we'd asked the staff to get us a taxi, but they weren't having much luck.  So we walked out to the road to see if we could flag one ourselves.  Well, no taxis were available, but a tuk-tuk happened by and offered us a lift, so we thought, "Why not?"  The three of us squeezed into the little seat at the back, and we were off.  What a fun ride it was - almost like riding a little kiddie rollercoaster.  With his three wheels, the tuk-tuk driver was able to make hairpin turns, darting in and out of traffic, shifting gears with the stick between his knees, and lifting his hand in a flourish after every gear change.  It was all very entertaining, and I'm so glad I got to try it.

flattering, no?

We had to make a mad dash to clean up when we got back, as Carol and I were going to be speaking to Steve's class about the experience of being an International Service Employee family (Steve and Carol had lived with their daughters in Hong Kong for three years).  My buddy at Sasa House decided now would be a good time to settle up the bill, but was kind enough to let me leave my things in the room until after the class.  So, I had even less time to get cleaned up :-P

Speaking with Steve's class was very enjoyable.  He had maybe fifteen students there, all graduate students, all international, all English-speaking.  Carol went first and shared her memories of her time in Hong Kong, then I spoke about what was good and bad with the services provided for us during our move.  I'd sought out the input of my fellow trailing-wives, who were kind enough to email me some of their thoughts as well.  So I had more than enough to talk about.  I told them how Ford flew us both over for a pre-trip to make sure we knew what we were getting into, which we thought was a crucial step and how a friend of mine did not have the same opportunity.  When Steve opened it up for questions, the students were quite curious about the fact that ISE families have a fairly high rate of divorce.  Steve and Carol had been explicitly counselled about that before they made their move, and Carol shared that in her talk.  These may be future HR managers, so it was good for them to hear what kinds of things they might consider when sending employees out of country.

The students were anxious to get to their tests (not!), so Carol and I made a quick exit and walked the short distance back to Sasa House.  I gathered my things, said good-bye, and waited for Mick to come take me home.  Made some great memories here!

hanging in my
room at Sasa house

Water aeration system seen here, and

in many places in Thailand, was

invented by the current king

Bright Lights, Big City Redux 2

Day Two of Bangkok Redux - We had a leisurely breakfast this morning, then Steve and Carol walked over to the mall so she could look for some gifts to bring home.  I appreciated a little down time, and took the opportunity to relax in my room and do some writing on the blog.

Steve and Carol were invited to lunch by one of the other professors, and this woman was kind enough to let me tag along.  We were taken to the RBSC (Royal Bangkok Sports Club) Polo Club - this is the sister club to the Royal Bangkok Sports Club.  It is a beautiful, old, exclusive facility with lots of brick and wood paneling - reminiscent of the Country Club of Detroit, minus the golf course.  (Apparently they don't play polo there, either).  They do have riding stables and rings, a beautiful lawn bowling facility, huge swimming pool and more. http://www.rbsc.org/sport_fac.php?club=1

Our hostess has had a most-interesting life - she grew up in New York, studied at Michigan State (and somewhere else I can't recall), and began teaching in a tough neighborhood in New York.  She was very disillusioned by her work, feeling like she wasn't making a real difference to the students - teaching them about Shakespeare when it had no relevance in their difficult lives.  She wanted something more.  This was right about the time when the Peace Corps were forming, and she decided to try that for a year, ending up as a teacher in Thailand.  By the end of the year, she had fallen in love with a Thai man, and decided to stay.  She married and had three children.  She lost her husband when her children were still quite young, but she was so in love with Thailand by then that she chose not to return to America.  This American woman was more at home in this foreign country, easily speaking the language and driving in the Bangkok traffic without any trepidation.  I was captivated by her story, trying to imagine all that she had experienced.

Our hostess kindly ordered for all of us, making sure we sampled all of her favorite Thai food from the menu, and everything was delicious.  We enjoyed some fine conversation, and shared some old memories.  She was kind enough to give me her card and offer any help if I should be back in Bangkok.  It was a surprising and delightful afternoon.

Carol was interested in having dinner by the river.  When I googled "best restaurants on the river," the first one to come up was "Steve Cafe."  Well, obviously we had to try it!  As I wrote on my TripAdvisor review:

The first part is how fun it is to find this place. You have to be dropped off outside Thevaratkunchong Temple, then find your way back through little alleyways to the river. You come upon a most unlikely sight - a charming little riverside restaurant with a huge, authentic Thai food menu. 

No signs pointed us toward the restaurant, but Steve's GPS told us the general direction of the river. We passed behind a big temple that was undergoing renovations, and wandered down a narrow alley toward the river.  We came out on a little cement walkway where two Thais were fishing and shooting the breeze.  They knew immediately that we must be looking for Steve Cafe, and pointed us back in the other direction.  We tried another narrow little alleyway, and eureka!  It was like being let in to a secret club.

Had to remove our shoes
before entering

We removed our shoes, and were seated at a pretty little table with a lovely view of the Chao Phraya River and the Phra Pin-klao Bridge.  The all-Thai menu was huge - page after page of dishes to choose from, all authentic Thai cuisine.  We finally settled on a few dishes to share, and settled in for nice food and conversation, with a great cool jazz soundtrack.

(Thank-you, Hiustyn, for showing me the wonder that is Photo Collage Maker!)

The restaurant owners were awesome and called a taxi for us.  We enjoyed an easy ride back to Sasa House.

Bright Lights, Big City Redux

Bangkok Redux!  Tim was off for a week in China, visiting three cities in seven days - Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou.  Our friend Steve's wife, Carol, was coming to visit her husband for a week in Bangkok.  This provided the perfect opportunity for me to return to Bangkok and hang out with Steve and Carol.

We were up early, and our driver headed with us to the airport in Bangkok.  We dropped Tim off, then Mick took me into the city.  Steve had arranged for me to use a room in university housing at Sasa House, where many of the visiting professors stay.  The rooms are quite lovely - very much like a hotel room.  Found the bathroom quite interesting (of course).  A door for the shower and a door for the toilet.  I surmised this was because one was instructed not to put paper in the toilet; so a thorough hosing off was in order before "papering."

I got in around nine in the morning, checked into my room, and scooted down to the dining room for a quick breakfast where I met up with Steve and Carol.  Poor Carol had just gotten in hours before, and was a real trooper being ready to head out for some sightseeing after that 24+ hour flight.  Our first stop was to be the Jatujak Market, where we went the previous week.  Steve wanted to make sure Carol experienced the wonder of "JJ," and this would be her only chance, as it is only a weekend market.  We grabbed a taxi (they happen by fairly frequently, but fares are often an issue - the drivers will offer a set price rather than turning on their meter, and it was often three or four times as much).

Carol is a horticulturist, so she
enjoyed many of the plant stalls

Once again I enjoyed the wonder that is Jatujak.  We enjoyed trying to find a booth from the last time, finally successful after a couple of hours of wandering.  It was a challenge especially because we were dropped off at the opposite end of the market.  Carol enjoyed all the horticulture-based stalls and got some ideas for displays.  It was not so crowded this time - I think because we arrived earlier.  I bought some bags to use for groceries and a pretty necklace with a polished seashell pendant. I enjoyed listening to a busker playing something called a "hand pan."  The sound is very similar to the Caribbean steel drum; the musician said it was Japanese.  It was very calming and meditative.  We got some light refreshment then headed back for some lunch.  Carol was pushing through the jet lag quite well.

We had lunch in the Siam Paragon Mall, a very fancy, upscale mall in downtown Bangkok.  The area has several fancy malls adjacent to one another.  We wandered through the Gourmet Food Hall, very similar to the upscale Wholefoods stores in US.  We ended up at a nice Thai restaurant and ordered some dishes to share.  Then we decided to go look for a museum.

The BTS is the raised rail system in Bangkok - it also has a subway system and a monorail that goes to the airport.  Steve recommended purchasing a Rabbit Card, which allows you to load money to it and bypass buying a ticket each time.  But the lines were extremely long, so I just bought a ticket from the vending machines (Steve and Carol already had Rabbit Cards).  I could see Carol's eyes resisting sleep as we rode the BTS.  When we exited, Steve was using his phone's GPS to find the place.  We walked a way up toward the center of the main roads, Victory Monument.  The monument was erected in June 1941 to commemorate the Thai victory in the Franco-Thai War, and is very Western in style, with heroic military figures surrounding an obelisk.  This is a very busy intersection with people, buses, tuk-tuks (more on that later) and motorbikes everywhere!

After lots and lots of walking and wrong turns, we just decided to head back to the university and get ready for dinner.  It was an enjoyable walk, however, and we got to see lots of the city.  Definitely got our 10,000 steps in for the day - Barb and Helen, you would be proud of me;-)

We found another Taxi to take us back to Asiatique for dinner.  This taxi driver was so entertaining that he was worth the extra baht.  He explained to us that the roads were not so busy this day because everyone was sad that they didn't win the lottery and just stayed in bed!  Apparently this happens on the 15th and 30th of every month.  He explained the lottery in detail, and we learned that here it is run by private companies, not the government like in the US.  You can buy just a few numbers, and the more numbers you buy, the higher the price.  He showed us his ticket, and said he didn't check them yet.  When Steve wondered if maybe he'd won, he exclaimed, "IMPOSSIBLE!"  Steve continued with the topic, asking if he won, would he quit working.  "IMPOSSIBLE!"  Then he explained that his wife would check the numbers immediately, and since she hadn't called in the two minutes following the drawing, his odds of winning were "IMPOSSIBLE!"  As you can imagine, this word worked its way into our conversation over the next couple of days!

Asiatique was lovely, with a cool breeze coming off the river.  (I went to see a Thai movie the other day called "Single Lady," and one scene took place at Asiatique - it was fun to see a place I knew!) It was still daylight when we arrived, and we wandered the lanes, browsing shops and again enjoying the dulcimer-playing family.   Sat down for dinner at a place right on the river called "Ko Dang Talay," and enjoyed sharing some more Thai dishes.  Afterward, we enjoyed hanging out at the river, got some little after-dinner sweets, and took another taxi back to Sasa House.  Good day!

Selfie time

The School of Essential Ingredients

A class about the culture of one's new country is offered by Tim's employer for their International Service Employees (ISEs).  We had the pleasure of participating in one such class last Friday.  It was very informative and quite fascinating.  The class was meant to be an eight-hour class taught in our home, but due to the demands of Tim's work, ours was compressed into one afternoon session.

The instructor came to our condo, and covered a lot of material in a short period.  I could have listened to much more.  She had an interesting background - with a Thai father and an Australian mother, she was raised in Thailand until the age of eight, if I remember correctly, then lived in Australia, attending university there.  She has since returned to Thailand and works in international relations.  She has a wonderful Thai/Australian accent - quite beautiful to listen to.

(Full disclosure: please note that everything here is my interpretation of what we heard - no guarantees of accuracy.  In other words, don't quote me on this!)

Though much of the session was geared toward Tim and his professional interactions, much of what she told us was applicable for both of us.  She touched first on the language, stressing how important it is to slow down when speaking English.  So many Thai have learned English, but it's important to remember that this is their second language.  It is good to simplify when possible, but when complex information needs to be shared, one must slow down.  Non-verbal communication is important as well - eye contact and hesitations will tell you if you've been understood, even when the listener says they understand.  In business, it is a good idea to have the listener repeat what he believes he understands, and to follow up with an email summarizing a discussion.  The email gives the listener time to digest and interpret.  It is not common for Thais to be spontaneous or question, as they don't want to be wrong.

The way we view time is very different than how Asians view time.  Their life tends to be agriculturally-based, not time-based.  Time is more fluid, more of a process than a strict measurement.  They are much more rooted in what is happening right now, rather than what came before or what will happen in the future.  When westerners are asked to draw time, they will frequently draw a timeline - very linear; an Asian will often start in the middle and draw a continuous spiral that gets bigger and bigger, like a vortex.  I found this fascinating!  This is closely aligned with the Buddhist principals - non-competitiveness, the future is now.  "We" is more important than "I."  The Thais practice Tilawat Buddhism, which is different than the Buddhism of the Dalai Lama we are familiar with.  In Tilawat Buddhism, most males spend some of their adult life as ordained monks, but it is not necessarily a lifetime commitment.  It is a time to seek self-enlightenment.  (I thought of the Kairos retreats at U of D High School.)  It is a common practice for Thai Buddhists to give alms to the monks, who come out every morning and walk in a line with their alms bowls and accept food and flowers from the people.  (I have only seen this once in Pattaya, but I am not generally out early in the morning.)

We learned that Thailand has had a relationship with the United States for 182 years, the longest of any country in Asia.  During the Vietnam War, a naval base just south of Pattaya was used by the US army, many of whom took their R and R here in Pattaya and influenced the huge growth in prostitution, eventually earning Pattaya its reputation as Sin City .  Our instructor wanted to assure us that Pattaya is not a good example of Thai culture, anymore than Las Vegas is a good example of American culture.  She encouraged us to visit the area of Chiang Mai in the north, which is a better example of  true Thai culture, as a center of arts and universities.

Thailand has four or five basic areas, and the ethnic characteristics are different in each.  Each area has its own dialect, although Central Thai is understood by all.  The north is heavily influenced by the border with China, and many Thais in that area are lighter-skinned and thicker in build.  In the 1930s, all the Chinese living in Thailand were forced to change to Thai surnames; so when you meet a Thai with a four-syllable last name, it is often of Chinese origin.  The Northeast, or Isaan (a Hindu name), is the poorest and most-mobile people; their biggest export is people, providing manual labor for construction and agriculture.  The Eastern Seaboard is to our east and has been an area of big development in heavy manufacturing, with many international companies establishing footprints here.   And the south is influenced by its proximity to Arabia - these Thais are darker-skinned and smaller in build.  This area, with its beautiful beaches, is popular with tourists; but the far south is also the site of continuing unrest and guerrilla warfare, and has the highest concentration of Muslims.

Social hierarchy is prevalent, but the upper classes are not perceived as better.  Lower classes respect the upper classes, believing that they have earned their positions through suffering in a past life, and vice versa.  People are much less judgmental than in the west.  The love of fun and food cuts through the hierarchy, and the culture is very child-centric. Children are cherished (I have often seen Thais taking pictures of strangers' children, sometimes taking selfies with the child!) Children's Day is celebrated every January, when gifts are given and activities for children are in abundance.  (Brothers' Day!)

As I have said frequently, the King is much beloved by his people.  He is King Rama IX, the ninth of the Chakri Dynasty.  The royal family is believed to be direct descendants of Rama.  The King is very much seen as a father figure, which is highly respected.  He initiated many good projects in the rural areas of Thailand that helped create many new jobs.  Leadership in companies are viewed much the same way, as father figures, and employees expect to be mentored, with the boss making the final decisions.

There is a lovely simplicity to the Thai culture -accepting, non-judgmental, non-competitive and generous.  The heart is the center of emotions, and many feeling words include the word for "heart," which is somewhere between "jai" and "dtai."

Bright Lights, Big City 3

Our friend, Steve, met us for breakfast this morning - the Pathumwan Princess Hotel has a very nice buffet.  They are, however, pretty strict about the closing time.  Although they didn't ask us to leave or rush us through, their clean-up routine was not to be trifled with - tables and chairs all around us were moved and the big floor cleaner hummed past our table.  It was entertaining to see the staff running through their clean-up duties like a well-oiled machine - very efficient.  We got the hint...

We grabbed a taxi from out front to take us to the Chatuchak (or Jatujak) Market.  Our taxi driver was quite chatty; he asked us where we were from, and when he heard we were American, he said how much Thais like America and like Obama.  "He good man!"  I wonder if he says that Thais like your country no matter where you're from?

Chatuchak Market is one of the world's largest weekend markets, covering over 27 acres, with more than 15,000 booths selling almost everything you could imagine.  When we first entered the market, it looked ordinary and unassuming, but every corner revealed more and more treasures.  There are stalls along the main road (which, oddly, is not closed to automobile traffic), but those stalls only scratch the surface of what is Chatuchak Market.  Turn down any one of the dozens of "alleys" into the covered area and you are in a maze of colors, smells, and sounds.  The market is vaguely divided into categories, but we enjoyed just wandering to see what we might stumble upon.  We saw a man cooking prawns in a huge wok - Steve informed us that this guy was pretty famous, so we took a picture with him.  Here's a youtube video of this guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S-jPz0uBvY

We browsed through aisle upon aisle of ceramics, clothing, silks, bags, shoes, trinkets, incense, soaps, teak wares, plants, and jewelry.  I bought a couple of pretty, colorful necklaces.  They even have a section for pets, with lots of birds, bunnies and adorable puppies.  I found this a little troubling, to be selling puppies when there are so many stray dogs in the city; but the puppies sure were cute.  We saw one girl carrying a tiny puppy in what appeared to be a gift bag, feeding him from a baby bottle.

We spent a little over an hour, then stopped for some refreshment.  I had a mango smoothie that was delicious and refreshing on a hot day.  The drink came with a clever "cup holder," a cross between a plastic grocery bag and a drink caddie.  Check it out on the left.
As we headed toward the exit, we came to a booth selling pop-up cards.  Upon closer inspection, the details of the cards were amazing, and the seller said he designed many of them himself - a true artist.  We spent several minutes and several bahts at his booth: K.Popupcards.  The seller was such a lovely, gentle spirit who was modest but very proud of his work.  We agreed this booth was the best find of the day.

Found a taxi to take us back to Siam, the area of Bangkok where we were staying.  Steve took us up to the food court on the top level of the MBK mall.  He explained how the food courts work - you pick up a card when you enter, give the card to whichever food vendors you wish to buy from, then pay on your way out.  He told Tim we could use one card for the both of us, so Tim slid his card back on the register counter.  The clerk was helping another customer and he didn't want to bother her.

 The food court had ethnic foods from many different cultures.  I got some chicken from the noodle vendor, Steve got some roasted chicken, and Tim just had a fruit drink.  The food was good and the sitting area was clean and pleasant.  When we approached the cashier to pay for our meals, she demanded a card from Tim.  We tried to explain to her that we shared a card between the two of us, but she was having none of it.  Everybody must have a card!  (She must be introduced to the Soup Nazi).  With the language barrier, we were getting nowhere.  I asked her to let me pay for mine while we sorted it out, so the people behind us could pay.  But she whipped out her "CLOSED" sign, and forced everyone over to one lane.  Security was called, and we again tried to explain our situation.  She finally let me pay, and we thought we were OK, but she stopped Tim from leaving and made him stand inside.  So Steve and I were on the outside and Tim was being held captive.  (It could just as easily have been me, but I happened to be holding the card when we paid).  Finally, after what seemed an interminable amount of time, they brought the clerk from our entrance over, and she did verify that she did, in fact, find a card sitting on her register counter and didn't know where it came from.  Escaped by the skin of our teeth on that one - thanks, Steve!  Now we know - one card for one customer!

We returned to the hotel lobby and collected our luggage.  Our driver arrived right on time, and we said our good-byes.  It was an exciting and exhausting weekend; we were happy to be back "home" in Pattaya.

Bright Lights, Big City 2

We met our friend, Steve, in the lobby at six p.m.  He is teaching a five-week class at Chulalongkorn University, which he has done every other year for more than a decade, in collaboration with Cornell University.  We grabbed a map and headed out behind our fun, energetic and informative friend.  Since he has been to Bangkok numerous times, he was well-equipped to act as our guide. Our first stop was the BTS station - a raised mass-transit system of trains, somewhat similar to Chicago's L, but more modernized.

We rode the standing-room-only train to a station to the south, then got in line for a boat to carry us up the Chao Phraya River to a  somewhat new restaurant and entertainment venue called Asiatique.  It was a fairly long, sweaty wait for the boat, but was a good opportunity for people watching and catching up with Steve.  The boat ride to Asiatique was quite lovely, with a nice breeze and a good view of that part of Bangkok.

Asiatique was originally developed in the early 1900's by King Chulalongkorn, in collaboration with a Danish national, Hans Andersen, and was dedicated to the exportation of teak wood. It was conscripted by the Japanese to use as a supply port during World War II.  There are a few bronze statues and some historic architecture memorializing the area's past.  Only very recently has it been redeveloped as an entertainment venue.  It reminded me a bit of Zona Rosa in Kansas City, where Ted took us when we visited - mostly pedestrian traffic, lots of shops and restaurants - very trendy.  In addition to the shops and restaurants, it has a ferris wheel, a Muay Thai Boxing venue, a Ladyboy show, and lots of live entertainment.  (I'm not sure "ladyboy" is politically correct, but I don't know another term to use here.  Thais have the word "khatoey," but I'm not sure if that's derogatory or not - I do not wish to offend.)  

We stepped from the boat right in front of Baan Khanitha, a nice restaurant with good reviews, so we took a table on the outside deck.  It was a very pretty building - it made me think more of a southern US-style building, with white walls and glass-paned doorwalls.  Enjoyed some spicy Thai food and reliving our college days with Steve.  We thought when Tim ordered a medium bowl of soup, he was referring to the size of the bowl; but apparently it was indicating level of spiciness!  

After dinner, we wandered up and down the walkways, taking in the shops and street entertainment.  A family of Thai were entertaining the crowd with their amazing skills on the "khims," or hammered dulcimers.  Looked like a father and several of his children, the youngest being perhaps seven or eight.  They played traditional Thai music, like "Hotel California" and "Pachabel's Canon." ;-)  They were fun to watch, and we each bought one of their CDs.  

Steve and I enjoyed a sample of another Thai dessert called "Kanom Buang."  They look like little tacos, but they are actually sweet.  The shell is like a crispy crepe and the filling has coconut and some other delicious sweetness - nice and light.  Caught a taxi back to the hotel and promptly crashed.  Tomorrow, Jatujak Market!