House of Pleasure

And the winner is...Royal Cliff Garden Condominium.  Our lease is up at the end of November, so Tim will celebrate his birthday at our new place.  Mike and Tim will be our last guests at our current place, and Ted will help us break in the new place.  Sounds like good karma to me.  The move should be pretty easy, since we didn't come with much stuff.  We are excited to get to know another part of the city.

Royal Cliff Garden Condominiums

Other than planning for the move, life is getting back into a routine of sorts.  I enjoyed having Mika over for lunch and a swim last week.  We just had a simple salad and fruit out on the deck, and Mika brought a loaf of her delicious homemade bread - yum!  Now that the pool gets less sun during the day, the water is cooling off a bit.  It only takes a few seconds to get used to it, though, and the changing angle of the sun means the pool is more shaded during the day, which equals less risk of sunburn.  So we don't have to wait until after 4 p.m. to swim.  (I feel a bit guilty writing this for my Midwestern readers; but I do miss your wonderful change of seasons, and have been enjoying everyone's Facebook pictures of fall colors and visits to the cider mill.)

Tim and I had dinner at the Beefeater on Friday night, a recommendation from Mika.  It is a nice steakhouse smack dab in the middle of many "lady bars" and "massage" parlors.  Although I was a bit shocked by these establishments when we first arrived, I find that I don't even think twice about it now.

In the restaurant, we enjoyed some nice Australian beef, then went out to walk for a bit after dinner.  The walkways are crowded with "working women," but there is no sense of illicit activity.  Most of the women are just hanging out with their "co-workers,"  on their cellphones or putting on makeup right there on the street.  They smile politely and greet us, "Sawatdeekaa."  One doesn't get the same feeling of danger as one might in a shady part of town in America.  Perhaps because prostitution laws are not strictly enforced here, you don't detect a sense of fear or shame.  They don't hide in dark alleys and avoid eye contact.

When we had our cultural training, our instructor said that educated Thais see these women as lazy, unwilling to work or study to better themselves.  She also said that many of them come from Isaan, an area in northeast Thailand that has historically been one of the poorest regions.  A common perception is that a young woman's way out of poverty is to hook up with a wealthy farang who will provide financial assistance for her family "up country."

How does this reconcile with a country that is over 90% Buddhist?

What is Buddhist attitude towards prostitution? As Buddhists, we have to understand that Buddhism does not blame women who have to work as prostitutes for their living. But prostitution promotes unwholesome acts both on the parts of the men and prostitutes themselves. It is understandable from the prostitute's point of view that she was forced to do it out of poverty and need for survival, but what about the men buying service from her? What necessity do they have apart from the answer to their lustful desire? The Buddha did not look down upon prostitutes. On the contrary he provided opportunity for them to enter the rightful path in the same manner as other. Once he accepted an invitation from Ambapali, a courtesan, for lunch on the next day. After that the Licchavi princes came and offered him an invitation again. He declined as he already accepted an invitation form Ambapali. This courtesan was the same person who later offered him and the Sangha a mango grove for the monks' residence. Jivaka, the famous physician who attended personally to the Buddha and the Sangha was also born of a prostitute. He was never frowned upon for his birth.Being a prostitute is not an obstacle to enlightenment if she is willing and diligently practises dharma. In fact, the experience of a prostitute could help her towards enlightenment sooner than otherwise. Buddhism does not support prostitutes. On the contrary it points out that prostitution is an unwholesome act. Buddhists do not look down upon prostitutes. If they choose to practice dharma, they have an equal, if not better chance to become enlightened.                                                                                                                                     www.buddhanet.net  Hmmm, interesting... And the story of Buddha and the courtesan is quite similar to the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well, isn't it? On a decidedly different note, here's a little tidbit for you sports fans:  Thailand has a basketball league!  I was quite surprised to see a basketball game on TV.  The most common sports on TV here are soccer, badminton, snooker and Muay Thai boxing.  I did stumble upon an NFL game once, too.  I know this is a concern for two certain fantasy football league fans who will be visiting in the thick of the NFL season.  Take heart; there are lots of sports bars with premium cable sports packages!

A Room With a View

October 4th -

Miracle of miracles, I had an empty seat next to me for the long stretch from LA to Tokyo.  It made the trip just a little bit more bearable.  After the marathon day of flying, I arrived back in Thailand near midnight.  Less than twenty-four hours later, Tim was on his way to India for a two-week stay.  I'm afraid we didn't plan that very well.

But I think it turned out to be a good thing, since I promptly fell ill the day after he left.  I probably picked up some cooties on the plane, and it really knocked me out; so I would have been no good for anyone around me.  With my sleep schedule all out of whack and the stuffy, scratchy, achy "creeping crud," as my grandma would call it, I was definitely AWOL.  I finally went out to buy food, but then slept the rest of the day.

By the end of the week, I was up to go look at some potential condos for us.  Our lease here is ending at the end of November, and while it is in many ways an idyllic spot, the surrounding area has very little to offer.  We first toyed with the idea of moving when we learned another condo in our building was just finishing a complete makeover and would be available.  We took a look and really liked what we saw - beautiful teak wood floors, all new kitchen appliances and bathroom fixtures.  They had added a new master bedroom on the gulf side of the building.  With the same square footage as our place, this third bedroom shrunk the living area and kitchen somewhat, but it was still an attractive option.

We thought it wouldn't hurt to look at some other locations, once we decided we might like to try something new.  The construction across the road from us seems like it will be continuing for quite some time, and the lot next door to us is showing some pre-building activity.  We contacted the relocation company that helped us with our initial search, and they lined up a few new places to look.  I was interested in looking specifically in the south end of the city, where many of the best restaurants are located.  Many times when we wanted to go to dinner, we would have to battle the middle-of-the-city traffic to get there.  And our driver lives south of the city, so it would make an easier commute for him as well.

The first place we saw, Royal Cliff, is a group of four buildings on Pratumnak Hill.  This hill used to be the site of one of the royal residences until the 1970s.  The grounds are beautiful, and the location is quite nice - a park across the street, the gulf out one side, and the Sheraton next door.  The units here are nearly twice the size of our current place, with a third room that would be great for an office for Tim.  The inside is not nearly as fancy as ours, but they do have beautiful parquet wood floors and big door walls on either side to allow for a nice cross breeze.  The view of the water is not as beautiful as our current one, with some obstruction, but a nice view of the islands.  A fitness room, squash court and sauna are a few of the amenities we don't currently have.

The second place, Reflection, was further south in Jomtien, and really not to my liking.  Quite modern, with tile floors throughout, and about the same size as our current place.  Also not excited about living twenty-three stories up.

The last place, Golden Sandy Beach, was even further south.  I did like the interior - the bigger kitchen and master bedroom overlooking the gulf, but the fixtures were quite dated, and the surrounding area didn't offer anything more than what we have.  It did have a beautiful view of the gulf, but really felt more like a hotel than a residence - very busy and noisy.

I would have to try to remember as many details as possible to share with Tim when he got back.  Really torn about which way to go, but excited about the possibilities.  Stay tuned...

Home Team

Mid-September 2015

Best part about being back in the states?  Spending time with family and friends.  Because our trip home was so last-minute, we were able to see a few without having to arrange the usual big gatherings.  We love those big gatherings, but the smaller, cozier ones allow for more quality one-on-one time.  We were so grateful to those who were able to carve out some time from their busy schedules.

I stayed home most of the time, since both Tims were going in to work each day.  Being the homebody that I am, it was a pleasure to putter around the house during the day and cook for whoever might be home for dinner.  I did get a chance to do some shopping, hoping to find some good summer clearance sales, and came away with three new pairs of capris.  I wear capris daily in Thailand, so it was a good investment.  I also picked up a pair of work shoes for Tim, and various items we wanted to bring back with us.  (Did you know it is almost impossible to find solid deodorant in Thailand?  It's basically roll-on or spray.  Curious.)

I was able to stop in to both my old libraries and see some of my favorite people.  So many changes, yet still felt like "home."  I was happy to have some "off-site" time with a few of "my gurls."

We were fortunate that two of Tim's sisters happened to be in town at the same time, so we had a nice get-together out at the farm.  His brother and sister-in-law drove in as well.  And I squeezed in a lunch with my sister, brother and his wife.  So nice to see everyone.

Lucky me, the Tigers had some home games while we were back.  Tim and Ted got us tickets for my birthday, and I happily spent a beautiful, sunny afternoon at Comerica Park.  Justin Verlander was pitching, and he was in fine form with eight strikeouts en route to a 7-4 win over the White Sox.  Couldn't have asked for a better afternoon.

Work has begun on the
Woodward Ave. Streetcar

After Tim headed back to Thailand, I had an extra week to enjoy the beautiful Michigan weather.  Mike offered a visit to the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids as his gift to me.  (Did I mention how much I love zoos? ;-)  My boys know me well!)  Tim2 and I drove out to Grand Rapids on Saturday afternoon.  The Art Prize was in full swing when we arrived and parking was precious.  Mike kindly grabbed a spot on the street and let us use his spot in the lot adjacent to his apartment building.

ArtPrize® is a radically open, independently organized international art competition... For 19 days, three square miles of downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, become an open playing field where anyone can find a voice in the conversation about what is art and why it matters. Art from around the world pops up in every inch of downtown, and it’s all free and open to the public.
It’s unorthodox, highly disruptive, and undeniably intriguing to the art world and the public alike.                                                                  - www.artprize.org

This was the seventh annual Art Prize event, with over 1500 entries at over 160 venues around the city.  We were pretty hungry when we arrived, so we went for dinner first.  Restaurants were very crowded, but we finally found a place called "Luna," that had just opened across from Van Andel arena.  We enjoyed some nice fish tacos and "Mexican Pepsi." (I'd never heard of this before; it tasted pretty much like regular Pepsi but came in a cool bottle.)

outside the library

After dinner we join the crowds and walked around the downtown area, crossing the beautifully-lit Sixth Street Bridge across the Grand River.  We weren't able to see a lot of the entries, but enjoyed what we did see.  There were even entries in the river.

in the river

Children's Museum on the riverfront

The next day my boys treated me to a delicious breakfast at San Chez Bistro, then we hopped in the car for the short drive to the John Ball Zoo.  A playful stone dragon greets visitors from its home in the pond outside the entrance.  The zoo is tucked into a hill, so we rode the funicular (look it up.)  Several white-haired visitors rode the funicular up at the same time.  It turns out they were attending a friend's ninetieth birthday party at the ballroom venue at the top of the hill.  That's gonna be me when I'm ninety...

funicular, funicula...

The zoo is in a beautiful, natural setting, with lots of trees and opportunities for some up-close animal-watching.  The brand new tiger exhibit was really two enclosures with a long run between the two, so the tigers can hang out at the pool when they want.  We enjoyed the grumpy-looking howler monkeys, big brown bears, squawking penguins and a stubborn tapir who refused to budge when the trainer brought his lunch.  My ever-competitive boys had to prove who could jump higher, with the contest ending in a virtual tie.  (They will each tell you differently!)  It was an extremely enjoyable day that ended all too soon.

The night before I left, Tim and I went for pizza, then caught the premier of the movie, "The Martian."  It was a very creative, well-thought-out story, more "what if" rather than pure fantasy, especially in light of the newly-announced discovery of water on Mars.  And besides, Matt Damon!  Thankfully we didn't have to wait for a midnight showing, catching a more reasonably timed eight o'clock show.

Tim kindly drove me to my early morning flight the next day.  The good-byes are always hard.  But the sting of "good-bye" was eased in the knowledge that they would soon be coming our way. Thanks again to everyone who went out of their way to make our impromptu visit home a memorable one. <3

The Art of Racing in the Rain

As luck would have it, Tim was called back to the US for some meetings, and asked me if I wanted to come along.  My first reaction was "No."  It is so expensive, and the flight home is a killer.  But when he said so sweetly in an email that he really hoped I would come, I had a change of heart.  Waiting for all the necessary approvals from work, he did not know until about 48 hours before what his flight arrangements would be.  Once he finally got the details of his flights, I quickly got on line and found a seat on the same flights.

Of course, at the last minute, the only seats left were in the middle of the middle seats, insuring an even-more-pleasant experience.  And I wouldn't have Tim next to me to lean upon.  I was surprised to find a fair for less than the tickets we bought to go home in April, which I'd purchased way more in advance.  Still, a good chunk of change, sigh.

Tim came home from India that Thursday, and bright and early Friday morning we were on our way to the airport.  I don't handle last-minute so well; I like to have time to get my head around things.  So I was a bit uneasy (translation: cranky) through the whole rush-rush process - sorry, Tim.  The nice thing about it was that we didn't really have to pack much, since we were going home to our house with all our stuff.  We had plenty of clothes, shoes, etc.  So we went with fairly empty suitcases, planning to bring back more "stuff" upon our return.

All the aggravation was worth it in the end, when we got to see two of our boys.  Tim would have to go into work, so I spent most days at home, finding a couple of days toward the end to get out and visit family and friends.  It was the best birthday present!

Best example ever of "reduce, reuse, recycle."
Tim's birthday was six days before mine,
and he had lots of cake left from his party.
So "Tim" became "Liz" - kind of.  Well-done, Tim!

A few days after we arrived in the US, I heard that Pattaya had suffered some pretty severe flooding.  The rainy season announced its arrival in grand fashion.  My friend, Mika, sent me photographs of some very flooded streets and businesses, and I heard that some areas declared a state of emergency.  Sounds like we picked a good time to be away.

One news story told about a worker at a 7-11 store, who offered to heat up a customer's sandwich because the oven was still working.  Yikes!

Once back in Thailand, we got a good taste of the rainy season for ourselves.  It doesn't rain all the time, but when it rains, it really rains.  The sewer systems are not up to the task, and many streets are chronically flooded each time the big rains come.  Luckily, the flooding recedes fairly quickly, usually within a few hours.  But in the meantime, motorbikes, cars and ground floor businesses bear the brunt.  This is probably why most places have tile floors.  Our condo hasn't had any issues that I've seen.  Being on the fourth floor helps, too.

The locals seem to take it all in stride.  People continue to get around on their motorbikes wearing colorful plastic cover-ups, and businesses keep their mops and floor squeegees handy.  I've even seen motorbikes on the road with the rider holding up an umbrella!  Life must go on...

What I'm reading:  I happened to be home at the time of the St. Clare annual used book sale.  I made the drive over to the east side, hoping to run into a friend or two, and picked up a few books as well.  Just finished "Tell the Wolves I'm Home" by Carol Rifka Brunt - loved the honest rendering of a fourteen-year-old girl who made me care about her from the first page.  A beautiful story of love, friendship and loss in the early years of the AIDS crisis.  Complex, well-crafted characters.

Sunk

A big boat appeared one day much closer than usual, between us and the Sanctuary.  It looked as if it was anchored or attached by a boom of sorts to something under the water.  I checked on it from time to time during the day, and the sun set with it still in place.

The next day we saw what looked like a sunken boat hovering just below the surface near the beach just to the north of us.  The big boat was closer still, and it eventually became apparent that the two were related.  We figured out that the big, barge-like boat was there to raise a sunken boat from the water.

It was a day-long process, with a complicated system of ropes and pulleys, and perhaps air being pumped into the hull?  A coast guard-type boat lingered nearby, its personnel observing the whole operation with their feet up and hands behind their heads.  Another smaller cruiser was back and forth on the scene, perhaps the owners of the sunken vessel.

It was quite interesting to watch the process as it unfolded.  Often one end would appear to be making progress out of the water, only to have the other end sink further down.  Divers would disappear under the sunken boat, adjusting and readjusting the ropes that encircled it.  The operation clearly required lots of patience and know-how.

                                    *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

The second series of Thai language classes were drawing to a close.   I looked for a little thank-you gift for our kruu.  I knew he liked coffee.  I was happy to find a little tin of biscuits with the suggestion to place a biscuit on top of a cup of coffee for two minutes for maximum enjoyment.  Perfect.

The last day of class arrived, and the gift was ready to go in my backpack.  I had just come out of the shower and was considering wearing a dress for that last class, when I got a call from Mick's wife.  From what I could garner, Mick had an issue with the car and would not be able to pick me up in time for class.  Plan B - scratch the dress and seek other means of transportation.  I stopped at the condo office and explained my plight, hoping they would offer assistance.  They suggested I walk up the road and find a taxi - yeah, thanks for that.  I asked them what I should expect to pay, as I've heard stories of taxi drivers overcharging.  They said a taxi would be about 250 THB and a motorcycle taxi about 100 THB.

About five minutes out from the condo, I came upon a motorcycle taxi driver who shouted, "Taxi, madam?"  I asked how much, he asked where, I was able to communicate my destination, and he said 100 THB.  I said, "Okay," he handed me a helmet, and I climbed on behind.  Mick always said the official motorcycle taxis had yellow license plates, and this one didn't.  Still, the motorcyle taxi drivers all wear red vests with a number on the back, and this guy had one of those.  But I bet it is easy to get your hands on a red vest without being an official driver.

I always wondered how one holds on when riding one of these - do you hold onto the driver?  I've seen many women riding side-saddle, but I certainly didn't have the skills for that.  I read somewhere that women were allowed to hold onto male drivers, but men were never allowed to hold onto a female driver.  Well, fortunately I didn't need to hang onto the driver;  once I climbed onto the back of the seat I easily found the foot rests, and there was a handle at the back of the seat.  So it was pretty easy to feel secure, and I enjoyed the ride.  Feeling the breeze as we zipped along, leaning into the turns, we made excellent time and I got to school with five minutes to spare.  I haven't been on a motorcycle since my brother, Pat, got a motorcycle back in the 70's, and got stuck giving all the "little kids" rides down to the corner and back.

Our teacher tried to squeeze as much as possible into our last lesson.  I asked him to show us how to write our names in Thai, and he was surprised to learn my name was "Liz."  He had been calling me "Ris" for all those lessons, and I didn't correct him, thinking this was just his pronunciation.  Here is my name in Thai: ลิฃ  At the end of class he gave us both sheets to practice writing our names.  The staff didn't know my last name for some reason, so they wrote ลิฃ นาวาก, which translates as "Liz Cute."  I guess I'm now at the age when people see me as the cute little old lady!

Mick took care of the car issue and was waiting for me after class.  Mika and I went to lunch to celebrate.  A restaurant recently opened in south Pattaya, called L'Auberge De Pierre.  It is owned by (surprise!) two french men and is a lovely little bistro with the requisite red-and-white checked tablecloths and a pretty red crystal chandelier.  They have an amazing set lunch menu for less than ten dollars, that includes a delicious soup, choice of several entrees, a glass of beer or wine, and a pretty platter of desserts.  What a deal!

Speaking of lunch, any time you are out at lunchtime here, you will see the unique way that Thai store clerks have their lunch.  They don't leave the store, go in a backroom, or even sneak bites behind the counter.  They just find a spot on the floor and spread out their meal like a little picnic.  Just business as usual...