Shots from Around Town

Posted on 26 November 2008 by christao408

Following my very topical entry about Thai politics with something completely mundane, here are some shots I’ve taken the past few days.

Christmas is coming. Even though we’re a 95% Buddhist country, Thais never pass up an opportunity to decorate and celebrate. Especially at a mall. I took this shot at Siam Paragon, one of the larger malls in the center of the city.

While at the mall, I noticed this father trying to position his two sons for a fun portrait. I also noticed that there were three or four people besides me trying to take a picture of him trying to take his picture.

Saturday we did some orchid shopping. Orchids are very inexpensive here so we actually buy live plants and keep them for several weeks (or months, if we’re lucky) until they look sickly. Then we give them to Tawn’s father to nurse back to health.

Here’s a video of our adventure shopping:

Sunday we had a group lunch at Greyhound Cafe at Soi Ari. This is the first group lunch we’ve had in a while, since everyone was out of town. Slowly, though, they are trickling back. On his flight home, Markus met a pair of Americans – David and Boon – who he decided needed to be introduced to the rest of us. A good choice on Markus’ part as they are friendly people. People who won’t be making their side trip to Laos, I might add.

Speaking of which, Stuart brought his friend Rupert who had arrived that morning from San Francisco. On Wednesday I stopped in at Au Bon Pain bakery near our house, only to find the two of them sitting there finishing lunch. Their flight to Burma that morning had been canceled by the protests.

From left: David, Rupert, Markus, Si, Stuart, Matt, Boon, Kobfa, Tawn and me.

Another reader of this blog, Rosalie, and her family are supposed to fly from Australia to Khrungthep today. Nix on that. A high school classmate’s partner is supposed to fly here from San Francisco on Sunday. We’ll see if that happens.

Monday evening we had a get-together for Ee, who is still in town with her infant daughter Vicky. Chris had to return to Melbourne to work, so it was just mother and daughter as we met with several of Tawn’s Chulalongkorn University classmates at a nice new bistro called Minibar Royale on Sukhumvit 23. The food and ambience were nice and I’ll have to go back and try some of the other main courses.

Vicky looks horrified as Uncle Tawn leans in for a picture. Aunty Ko is holding her.

Suvarnabhumi Under Seige

Posted on 26 November 2008 by christao408

Tuesday evening a group of several thousand protesters – members of the PAD, or People’s Alliance for Democracy – set their sights on a new target: Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok’s gateway to the world. Already during the week they had shut down the city’s domestic airport and were protesting elsewhere in the city for the Prime Minister to resign and dissolve the government.

Right: PAD members at the departures level of the airport.

But now we have a truly international mess: thousands of tourists and business people stranded, unable to arrive at or depart from the airport. We have images of protesters acting like thugs and terrorists – a group of six or more protesters surrounded a motorcycle taxi driver, beating him and holding a knife to his throat before letting him go.

It is as if in their pursuit of their political goal, they are willing to drag the entire country down.

“All this will go away if the Prime Minister just resigns,” the PAD says.

Holding an entire country hostage isn’t politics; it’s blackmail.

Prediction: a year from now, Thailand’s economy will be even further in the dumps after foreign investors have decided that this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Tourism will have shriveled another twenty percent or more. Suddenly Malaysia is looking like a better choice for a tropical holiday.

Food for thought: the PAD is largely composed of members of the upper- and middle classes. Groups that are more insulated from the effects of their seige of the airport. Pity the poor member of the working class (who most likely voted for the elected government) and are caught up in this storm, unable to make a living.

Photos from the NY Times. Full album here.

And Trish Heads Home

Posted on 24 November 2008 by christao408

After twelve days in Khrungthep, Trish wrapped up her trip. On her last night here, Trish had some unfinished business: a return trip to the Erawan Shrine. A Brahman shrine located on the property of the Hyatt Erawan Hotel, the Erawan Shrine is a popular destination for visitors and Thais alike.

The shrine’s reputation is for granting wishes. You come and make offerings and say prayers to each of the four faces of the statue of Brahma. As part of making a wish, you must state what price you are willing to pay if the wish comes true. Traditionally, wishers will make some sacrifice or suffer a hardship.

For example, before Tawn took his university entrance exams (in which he had to select which schools he would apply to), he promised that if his wish came true, he would walk all the way home from the shrine (a distance of about ten kilometers). The most common price to pay is to return to the shrine and hire a troupe of classical Thai dancers to perform for Brahma.

On her first visit two years ago, Trish gave offerings to Brahma and made a wish. Since her wish came true, she returned to the shrine and hired the dancers. When faced with the dilemma of how many dancers to hire – four, six or eight – she went for the full troupe.

Joining us was Biing, who was also on his final night in Khrungthep. As coincidence would have it, both Biing and Trish were scheduled on the same flight to Taipei, although Biing was staying in Taipei for a few days as Trish continued back to the US.

Tawn was under the weather and couldn’t join us, but we had a nice dinner at the Jim Thompson Cafe located off Sathorn Road.

This is the same “Jim Thompson” as the silk company, which provided a fitting end to Trish’s trip as she spent a lot of time at the Jim Thompson shops looking at and purchasing silk.

We had an excellent dinner and probably ate too much. Here’s a look at what we enjoyed:

From the upper left, clockwise: Appetizers – chicken wrapped in fragrant pandan leaves, crab cakes with mango sauce; roasted duck in red curry, deep-fried shredded catfish with lemongrass and green mango, stir-fried beef with black pepper sauce, and Northern pork and chili dip with vegetables; Desserts – rice dumplings with candied fruit, lychee and orange with shredded green mango; Homemade coconut ice cream.

Friday morning before driving Trish and Biing to the airport, Trish modeled some of her finished clothes. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to shoot all of them, so she has promised to send me copies when she does her complete shoot in a month or so.

Many people expressed interest in more information about Trish’s company. As things get up and running, I will share those details with you.

So what’s next? No sooner has one guest left than more arrive! Sunday we had lunch with some of the usual suspects plus a trio of visitors from the US, friends of Markus and Stuart.

We had a wedding on Friday night (more about that later), a get together with one of Tawn’s university classmates who is in town from Australia, and I’m busy getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner, which we’ll hold next Saturday.

Whew – busy!

Try-ons

Posted on 20 November 2008 by christao408

After our return from Buriram province, Trish had a fitting at the dressmakers’ shops. I met up with her at the second shop, Ratchata. Here are some pictures – you can click on them to see a larger version.

All in all, Trish was pleased with their progress. There were a few minor snafus – “Wasn’t this zipper supposed to go in the back?” – but all in all, she’s on track to pick up the dresses at the end of the week.

Afterwards, we took a trip to the Anantana Samakhom Throne Hall to see Treasures of the Kingdom V, an exhibit of extraordinary craftsmanship displaying various treasures created in honor of significant occasions such as the Queen’s 6th cycle (i.e. 72) birthday, the King’s 60th anniversary as monarch, and the King’s 80th birthday which was celebrated almost one year ago.

These works of art were absolutely amazing, stunningly detailed and gilded beyond belief. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed. Above, Trish poses in front of the throne hall, in which the exhibit is housed.

Twelve days with Trish come to an end Friday but there are a few more entries to share. Stay tuned.

Royal Cremation Ceremony

Posted on 17 November 2008 by christao408

The three-day cremation of the late Princess Galiyani Vadhana, the King’s sister who passed away in January, took place this weekend with nearly round-the-clock coverage on all the TV stations.

One channel broadcasts in English and that provided some interesting (and repetitive considering things proceeded very slowly) coverage.

Here are a few pictures from the events just to give you an idea of the grandeur given to such a ceremony, a good illustration of the love Thais have for their royal family.

Left: the royal urn was transported from its resting spot at the Grand Palace to the site of the cremation, the adjacent royal field known as Sanam Luang.

The urn is the traditional shape used to hold the royal body or bodies of high-ranking monks. As I understand it from online coverage, the Princess’ body was in a more traditional (although elaborately decorated) coffin and this urn was only for ceremony.

I was asked in a previous post why there was such a long time between the death of the Princess and her cremation. In Thai tradition, a body was usually kept at the temple for 100 days before being cremated. This allowed the spirit time to leave the body and move on to the next life. Especially if the death was sudden and unexpected, Thais believe that the spirit may have a hard time letting go of the body.

This also gives the family and friends time to grieve before saying a final farewell at the cremation.

In contemporary Thai society, this period of time is regularly shortened to seven or fewer days. But in the case of the late Princess, much more time was allowed. This gave more than a million people the opportunity to come pay their final respects (the section of the Grand Palace in which her body has laid in state has been open only to mourners since January) and allowed the Brahmin priests to choose an auspicious date for the cremation.

Khru Kitiya, my Thai tutor, was down at Sanam Luang along with thousands of other people. She shared several stories with me yesterday, including how after waiting for several hours to see the King’s motorcade pass by, she nearly missed him as she was fiddling with a broken strap on her shoe.

Below, an aerial view of the procession as it heads from the Grand Palace.

Above, one of the thousands of people lining the route to pay their final respects to a much-loved princess.

Below, a nighttime view of the cremation complex, in the foreground, with the Grand Palace behind it.

On Friday evening, members of the royal family came to pay last respects to the Princess, making merit for her by donating robes to Buddhist monks.

Saturday morning there was more royal merit making followed by the ceremonial cremation. This was a symbolic cremation in which fires were lit and flowers made of sandalwood were burned.

Below, their Majesties the King and Queen pay their final respects before the King lights the pyre during the ceremonial cremation.

The actual cremation ceremony began late Saturday night (about 9 pm) and various entertainments were held – traditional Khon dancing, for example – as its the Thai custom to signal the end of the mourning period.

Above: taken at sunset just before the actual cremation started in the golden tower in the middle. The chedis in the background are at the Grand Palace.

Early Sunday morning the royal family returned to the site. With the Crown Prince acting on his father’s behalf, royal relics were collected and placed in an urn, then the remaining ashes were placed in another container to be interred at the royal cemetery. Interestingly, the ashes were laid out on a silk cloth in the shape of a body, looking a bit like a grey gingerbread man.

The Prince selected bone fragments with his bare hand, placing them in the urn, being sure to take pieces from each section of her body. It was quite interesting to watch this being broadcast live on television.

The Bangkok Post has a four-minute video montage of images from the ceremony here. Nicely done.

Needless to say, this is just a fraction of what we will see when the sad day comes that His Majesty the King passes away.

Note: I wasn’t planning on doing a full entry on this but found many interesting pictures that I thought were worth sharing. I’ll continue with the rest of the Buriram trip in the next few days.

Loi Khrathong 2008

Posted on 15 November 2008 by christao408

Sorry for the delay in entry. We are up in Burriram province right now, in the northeast of the country about six hours by car.

This evening is the cremation ceremony for His Majesty the King’s sister, Princess Galiana Vadhana, who passed away in January. The highly formal ceremony, with its roots in Brahminism and Buddhism, started yesterday. The entire nation is watching or, in many cases, participating.

Temples across the country are holding a simultaneous ceremony with monks at these temples leading chanting for the late princess. Subjects are placing sandalwood flowers in a replica of the royal pyre that will be lit this evening in Khrungthep’s Sanam Luang, the parade ground adjacent to the Grand Palace.

Everywhere we go, the televisions are playing pool coverage of the events. It is unlike anything the country has seen since the passing of his mother in 1995. Something that exceeds the grandeur of Princess Diana’s funeral in both scope and breadth.

I won’t write about it any more here but there are photos available here at 2bangkok.com.

Last Wednesday we celebrated Loi Krathong at Brent’s riverside house. I’ve written about this holiday before here and there’s additional information here, so won’t go into a lot of detail about it now.

Here’s a two-minute video of it:

We arrived to find that Phrae, the niece of Brent’s maid, was there in traditional Thai costume. Right, she introduces Matthew to Trish.

Matthew is an American who with his partner Sean, operate a jewelry design company called MCL Designs. They sell at Nieman-Marcus and Bloomingdales and, coincidentally, they may be in Kansas City on business soon. That’s where Trish lives, so perhaps they will have the opportunity to meet again there.

Matthew and Sean spoke extensively with Trish, examining her business model and offering suggestions and thoughts. It turned out to be a very useful evening for her. Can you write off a dinner party at someone else’s house?

Loi Krathong occurs on the twelfth full moon of the lunar year, which usually falls in the middle of November. I was able to get a nice picture of the State Tower with its golden dome shining beneath the full moon.

There was a nice group of people present and we had the opportunity to make some new acquaintances. From left to right, Brent, Matthew, Anne (a bag designer – she and Tawn had a lot to talk about!), Sean, Trish and Tawn. The Shangri-La Hotel stands in the background.

In addition to the fine pasta dinner we were treated to a splendid view of the fireworks. The Oriental, Peninsula and Shangi-La hotels coordinate a fireworks display, launched from three barges in the middle of the river. Because of our angle, my pictures didn’t get as full a view as I’d like, but you get the idea:

Above, the Peninsula Hotel and the riverfront are blinded by a pair of explosions. Below, the barge in front of the Shangri-La Hotel.

There was a lot of smoke blowing downriver, which I think makes photographing fireworks difficult.

Afterwards, we headed down to the river, took a short cruise on the Peninsula’s shuttle, then launched our krathong – the rafts filled with a candle, incense and flowers. Below, Trish, Phrae and Tawn light the candles and incense.

Below, about to launch the krathong. Don’t fall into the Chao Phraya River!

It was a very fun evening and, I hope, a memorable one for Trish.

No Longer TV-less

Posted on 11 November 2008 by christao408

For the past eleven and a half months we have been a household without TV. That has been both a source of pride and inconvenience and wasn’t so much driven by principle as it was by finances: the TV in our apartment was part of the furnishings, so when we moved into our condo last December it was left behind.

As our “to finish” and “to furnish” lists continued to grow, a TV didn’t seem like a priority. If we wanted to watch a DVD, there were our laptop computers. And, truthfully, I don’t really like the way that a TV with broadcast television just sucks you in, turning you into a zombie even when there isn’t anything particularly interesting to watch.

So we were in no rush to get a TV even though we planned to get one eventually. The big question was, “Where will we put it?”

Our recent houseguest Bruce commented upon first stepping into our condo, “Wow, it appears a lot larger in pictures.” That’s true: we have just 68 neatly arranged square meters; just about 730 square feet. And one thing that we don’t have much of is wall space.

In ongoing conversations about where we could put a TV, there were three possible locations: In the bedroom on the wall across from the bed, in the living room above the fireplace mantle, or in the office (“slash guest bedroom”). Our thoughts about each:

The bedroom idea (below left) was a nonstarter. I don’t think TVs belong in bedrooms. Just my opinion – you are welcome to have a TV in your bedroom. Plus, if one person wants to sleep and the other wants to watch TV, you have a conflict in the making. On top of it, the sconces would have to be removed.

The living room location (above right) seemed the best bet. We didn’t want the room to be dominated by the TV, but our designer came up with an idea of hiding it behind a decorative screen that could be folded open when we wanted to watch TV.

Just two problems remained: putting the TV there would fill up the mantle space leaving no room for decorative items. Also, the TV would be awkwardly high. From the sofa you would have to crane your neck or slouch way down in order to get a good viewing angle. Not an ideal situation.

The office location, which has a love seat along with my computer armoire, seemed the best option. But the entire reason we had purchased a two-bedroom condo was because when we had a one-bedroom and my “office” was part of the living room, there were many occasions when my work and Tawn’s TV viewing conflicted. Especially when I had evening calls to the US and Europe.

We were at an impasse. Each of the locations had drawbacks. But on Saturday morning we talked about it again – Tawn has started agitating for a TV – and in the process of reviewing our options, we hit upon an elegant “middle path” solution. We would place the TV on a rolling cart, normally leaving it in the office but moving it to the living room when necessary.

We purchased the TV on Sunday – funny story there that I’ll relate in a moment – and now have it placed temporarily on a two-drawer bedside table situated in the corner of the office. The next step is to search for a TV cart that meets our needs. Ultimately, we may ask the nice people at Bangkok Wood Company to custom design something, perhaps a piece that matches the coffee table.

We don’t have a DVD player yet, nor do we have cable (or even a cable outlet anywhere near the TV’s location) so all we can watch is static. We’ll get there eventually. Baby steps, right?

So the TV buying adventure: I’m sure some of this is a universal phenomenon, but I’m amazed at the extent that TV salesmen push you to bigger! better! more expensive! television sets. After doing some online research, a Samsung series 5 32″ LCD seemed our best choice. It is full HD (while Thai TV won’t broadcast in HD for several years, best to be prepared) and received good reviews for color density and other technical specifications.

Needless to say, the salesperson was skeptical that a series 5 would be sufficient for us. Why not a series 6 or the brand new series 7? And only 32″? Surely we would go blind trying to watch that. How could we live with anything less than a 40″ TV? Better yet, why not get a 54″ model?

Here in Thailand, salesmanship is all about the freebies. In the US, I think that price is the point of competition, but here it is about throwing in extras. When we bought our wine cellar, we received a free digital camera. And when it arrived, there was also a small hot pot cooker, a package of powdered laundry detergent (explain that to me!) and two or three other things.

At the Samsung store, we were offered a price of 29,990 baht and that price included a “home theatre system”, an upright vacuum cleaner and a Samsung digital camera. Of course, we don’t need those other things. In fact, the five speakers would completely overwhelm our viewing area and we already have a spare camera from the wine cellar purchase. If we wanted to skip the extras, the price dropped to 26,990.

At Central Power Buy, the initial price was 36,000 baht with nothing included. But when we explained what the Samsung store offered, the salesman conferred with his boss then countered with the 29,990 price and a free Samsung 22″ series 4 (HD-ready) LCD. Two TVs for the price of one. It makes you think they use these freebies to deplete excess inventory.

We chose Power Buy so now have a 22″ LCD that we don’t know what to do with. Maybe I’ll use it to replace my 17″ computer monitor. Maybe we’ll post it on Craigslist and see what we can get for it. Maybe Khun Sudha will buy it for a reasonable price.

In any case, we are no longer TV-less.

Dressmaking Discussions Part 2

Posted on 11 November 2008 by christao408

Trish’s dressmaking adventure enjoyed a second very productive day on Monday. She managed to meet with two dressmakers, one of whom she’s used before, and visited several sources for Thai silks.

Working with Bulan, her pink-spectacled assistant, Trish spent about two hours with each dressmaker, reviewing (and in some cases, redrawing) designs and discussing fits, measurements and fabrics.

After a morning at work, I caught up with Trish at Ratchata Designs, a cozy studio located just a short walk down Sukhumvit Soi 35 on the second floor of an old shop house.

Above: Trish, flanked by Bulan, talk measurements with Tui, owner of Ratchata Designs.

Trish and Tui determined that for accurate fitting, Trish’s customers will need to provide a total of fifteen different measurements. This will provide a much more customized fit, one that allows women of all different sizes to enjoy the designs.

So that clear instructions can be provided to customers, Trish asked me to take photos of all the measurements. I won’t share all fifteen with you, but here’s an example:

When I left them, Trish and Bulan were on their way to Shinawatra Fabrics, a company known for its Northern Thai silk. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it is owned by the family of the former Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in September 2006’s bloodless coup.

I returned home to prepare some food for dinner. On the menu: a curried Doi Kham butternut squash soup with ginger and coconut milk , baked chicken breasts stuffed with herbed chevre, a mixed green salad with organic avocado and peppers, and a homemade loaf of whole wheat buttermilk oatmeal bread. A bottle of 2004 Penfolds Bin 2 Shiraz – Mourvedre was a wonderful accompaniment to the meal.

Upper left: Despite following the recipe, it seems there may be a bit too much yeast. Or maybe the yeast is just super-active. Upper right: The end result is a very full loaf. Lower left and right: Doi Kham butternut squash before and after.

Above: Our table is set as Tawn and Trish pose before digging in.

Thanks to all of you who have left messages of support and encouragement for Trish. I have passed them along and she’s thrilled (and just a little bit nervous) to know there is an audience.

Dressmaking Discussions

Posted on 9 November 2008 by christao408

Despite her early morning arrival, Trish was ready to meet by late morning. Tawn and I picked her up from the Windsor Hotel (conveniently located and very comfortable on Sukhumvit Soi 20) and headed to lunch.

Over a nearly three-hour lunch we poured through all of the outfit designs, reviewing notes and suggestions Tawn and I had received during our “pre-visit” visits with the dressmakers. This needs to be in two-ply. How is that strap meant to be cut? Is this meant to flow from the hips or start tapering before? And other questions and comments like that.

Right: One of the fifteen different outfit designs that we are working with.

We had time in the afternoon to visit the Jim Thompson factory outlet. Jim Thompson is one of the big names in Thai silk and their factory outlet on Sukhumvit 93 has a huge range of colors, patterns and textures available at a very reasonable price. The problem is, since it is the outlet, they don’t have everything and they won’t necessarily have it in stock in the future.

With Trish’s business model, she wants to be able to offer outfits in a wide range of colors. But of course that range needs to be consistently available and accurately represented on the computer (this is an e-business). So we will need to investigate other fabric sources to ensure a more consistent supply.

Late afternoon we met up with Bulan, a former student and former employee of Stuart’s, who has agreed to work as Trish’s assistant the next few days to get her to all her appointments, take her to all the fabric shops and the wholesale district, and to translate and negotiate along the way.

Tawn and I would love to play this role, but we have our jobs to attend to. We’ll check in regularly, though, and sit down over dinner each night to answer questions and help brainstorm the next steps.

Pat’s Back

Posted on 8 November 2008 by christao408

Trish arrived last night at 2:00. Thankfully, I was able to get several hours of sleep before going to the airport and then several more upon my return. When it comes to sleep, I’m not sure if two halves equal a whole or not, but that’s what I have to work with today.

Trish (she was “Patricia” before but has done a bit of midlife reinvention – good for her) is back after her first visit two years ago.

Right: Trish at Wat Yai in Ayhutthaya in November 2006.

A friend and former professional colleague of Albert’s, we were introduced in 1999 when Albert and I attended my sister’s wedding in Kansas City. Family housing was full, so Trish offered us guest rooms at her house, which was nearby.

Since then she has become a close friend of the family, someone who is always a pleasure to have at birthday parties and holiday gatherings.

A widow with two post-university children, Trish has a taste for style and fashion. While she was here two years ago, she had several outfits custom made from Thai silk, based on her own designs. She received so many compliments that she has decided to start her own online business, selling dresses made to order from Thai silk.

The designs are varied and I’ll share more of them this week, but many are geared towards mothers of the bride/groom, or women of a certain age who are brides themselves. Designs that flatter the women who look more like society as a whole, rather than the unfed supermodels that we see airbrushed on the covers of Vogue.

Above, Trish goes through a final fitting on one of her outfits while Tawn’s mother, Nui, looks on.

(Have to give kudos to jojobaDESIGNS who shared a lot of useful information about online retailing. Check out her beautiful jewelry designs.)

Trish chose a great time to visit. The weather has been cool and breezy, the rain seems to be letting up a little, and not only will she be here for my birthday but also for Loy Khrathong.

Over the next few days, I’ll provide more details about Trish’s visit and the dress-making adventures. That should be interesting. Also, there’s some news on the home front: we may finally buy a television after living nearly a year without one.

christao408

The adventures of an expat American who moved to Bangkok for his husband.

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