Market on Wheels

Posted on 1 February 2010 by christao408

Continuing with the topic of food in Thailand, let’s consider how people buy their produce. Certainly, there are western-style supermarkets in Krungthep (Bangkok) and other major cities. Each neighborhood also has its traditional fresh market where vendors line the sidewalks or stalls in a designated area. But perhaps the most interesting way is to have the produce market come to you.

A common site are the independent vendors who drive produce trucks. These modified pickups are packed with vegetables and fruit – many vendors specialize in just fruit – and drive around the small sois (alleys), selling their wares. Usually the husband drives and the wife sits in the truck bed, conducting business just as if she were in a small shop – albeit a shop with very little room to move!

The trucks sometimes park at convenient locations near groups of shops or restaurants. Other times, they just cruise slowly up and down the sois. Quite often they are equipped with a loudspeaker and either the husband or the wife will make their pitch in the nonstop patter of a sideshow busker along the boardwalk. “We have apples, fresh apples from China. Get them for only five baht a piece – buy ten, get two free. Fresh corn from Samut Phrakan, get it today…”

Even in our neighborhood, which is filled with the house compounds of old-money families and medium-rise condos, these truck-back vendors still seem to make a living. Every morning, I hear the garbled pitch broadcast from the loudspeaker, at first in the distance and eventually nearing, passing, and then fading away. One wonders how many more years those sounds will still be able to be heard here in the city. Seeing that they’ve lasted this long, I would suspect they will be here for many years to come.

Street Vendors

Posted on 29 January 2010 by christao408

Krungthep is a city that eats on its feet. Thais have this snacking habit, unintentionally following the “five small meals a day” advice that so many weight-watchers hear. Whether a mid-morning snack of khanom krok, little salty-sweet rice flour and coconut milk pancakes, an afternoon snack of freshly sliced tropical fruit, or a quick bowl of guaytiaw – rice noodles – to stave off hunger, there is always plenty to choose from along a Thai sidewalk.

This picture accurately captures a dilemma that is increasingly common here in Thailand. Alongside the plethora of street vendors is an equally-abundant number of convenience stores. The difference between the two is not price – neither the 7-11 snacks nor the ones from street vendors will bust your budget – but quality.

“Fast food” when it comes from street vendors is made from fresh ingredients, is very rarely more than a few minutes (or at most a few hours) old, has no preservatives, and generally is more nutrient-dense than calorie-dense. “Fast food” when it comes from the convenience stores and Western fast food chains that are increasingly common is quite the opposite, offering few redeeming values other than a quick way to expand your waistline.

And, sadly, that expanding waistline is just what we’re seeing. Childhood obesity is growing rapidly in Thailand and especially here in Krungthep you see more and more children who are wearing X-Large size school uniforms.

In the months to come, I’d like to write more about Thai street vendors and snacks. They are often a bit self conscious when it comes to taking pictures, but I’ll look for some opportunities to share with you more about the foods we eat here.

Dead? Just Paint it Green

Posted on 23 January 2010 by christao408

Every so often I see things that just make me laugh. Well, scratch my head and laugh at the same time. That’s why I have my camera with me nearly everywhere I go. The spray-painted dead palm tree is just such a thing.

Siam Paragon is one of our largest, most glitzy malls. Located right next to the central transfer station of the Skytrain rail system, it enjoys a prominence that other malls’ marketing directors must envy. Knowing that appearances are so very important in cases like this, I was a bit shocked to see that one of the palm trees in front of the main entrance appears to have died.

And then I noticed that the other “healthy” green palm tree wasn’t looking so natural. It, too, was dead and some industrious worker bee from the facilities department had decided to pull out a can of paint and color the dead fronds green! If only that plan had worked out as intended.

Trip to Chiang Mai – Final Part

Posted on 16 January 2010 by christao408

The final full day in Chiang Mai we drove up to Doi Suthep, a mountain that is immediately to the west of Chiang Mai and offers, on a clear day, a nice view of the greater Chiang Mai area. On the top of the mountain is a temple which ostensibly dates back to the late 14th century and is one of the most significant sites for Thais to visit. It is also a very beautiful temple so is well worth the trip up the winding 13 km road from the city.

Stephanie and I picked up my friend Kari, who recently moved back to Thailand from Kenya with her husband Ron. They are both missionaries whom Tawn and I first met when I was attending Union Language School after first moving here four years ago.

The day was drizzly but as we drove up the mountain, the drizzle subsided replaced by a thick fog. On the way up we had to stop and help a family whose pickup truck had slipped into a small ditch at the side of the road. Thankfully, only one tire was in the ditch and with the help of another driver, we were able to jimmy it free.

The base area of the temple has lots of tourist shops, stalls, stands and vendors. It is a bit of a circus. Thankfully there were not too many people there thanks to both the inclement weather as well as the depressed tourism situation in Thailand. There are two ways to reach the temple: you can either take a short cable car ride or you can walk the 300 steps (decorated with beautiful nagas, or multi-headed serpents). Here’s a photo of Stephanie posing before we began our ascent.

One of the vendor’s dogs sitting on the wall, imitating the nagas in the previous photo!

The temple is perched right on top of the mountain and is surrounded by lush tropical forest. The fog was very thick and advanced quickly, swallowing up the mountainside. This picture reminded me of something from the movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”.

Looking down to the area where the monks’ quarters are located. Visibility was down to about 30 meters. Note the lanterns. These are a very typical Lanna / Northern Thai style lantern. Beautiful, no?

While taking pictures the fog started to turn into a mist and, eventually, drizzle. Thankfully we had our umbrellas with us.

The main chedi, or stupa, is covered in gold with four gold umbrellas standing on the corners. On a sunny day it is beautiful and makes a striking contrast with the blue skies. See this photo as an example. Today, however, we just had to appreciate it at a different level. In fact, the fog/mist/drizzle lent an interesting serenity to the place.

Rare to get a shot here with no visitors in it!

I like the drops of water on the statues. After about an hour poking around we decided the dampness was getting to us and descended to the parking lot area.

From the main entrance we looked back up towards the temple and the summit, which was now entirely shrouded in the clouds.

Here’s a video of the few days up there:

While in Chiang Mai we had the opportunity to eat quite a bit of Northern Thai food, which offers some of the best dishes in all of Thailand. Here is a spread we had one night. In the upper left is a variety of vegetables and a Northern style sausage called sai oua. It is served with a green chili dipping sauce (available in varying degrees of spiciness) called nam prik ong. In the center is a red pork and chili dipping sauce called nam prik num. It is more savory than spicy. You eat it with the fried pork rinds in the upper right. That’s right, Thais love cracklins! The bamboo container in the lower left features khao niaw or sticky rice. In the center is a plate of raw veggies and herbs served on ice, which are eaten to cool the spiciness. Finally, the dish in the lower right is a salad made of sun dried pork, shallots, peanuts, cilantro and chilies.

Here’s another view of the sai oua and nap prik ong and khao niaw. I bought some at the Chiang Mai Airport at a vendor who has been around for years and carried it onto the plane. That’s right – you can bring super-spicy green chili sauce onto the plane here as a carry on. Bottled water through security? No. But nam prik ong? Absolutely fine. Everyone knows that isn’t dangerous.

Trip to Chiang Mai Part 2

Posted on 15 January 2010 by christao408

The highlight of our trip to Chiang Mai was a drive two hours south to Doi Inthanon National Park. One of the largest parks in the Kingdom, this is the home to the “rooftop of Thailand”, Doi Inthanon peak. Many people who visit Thailand stay in typically touristy areas, particularly the biggest cities and the beach towns. As lovely as these are, they miss out on the spectacular natural beauty to be found in this country.

This park features several beautiful waterfalls including the impressive Vachiratharn Falls. These falls are all located just short walks away from parking areas making them accessible to almost everyone. Even several months after rainy season, these falls are going strong!

There are also hiking trails if you want to get more of a workout. On our way to the top of the falls, which turned out to be less interesting than viewing them from down below, we found this interesting stand of dead bamboo. There were also several disused picnic tables on the way up, all in areas that didn’t seem conducive to a pleasant picnic.

Near the summit of Doi Inthanon are a pair of chedis built by the Royal Thai Air Force to commemorate the fifth cycle (i.e. 60th) birthdays of their majesties the King and Queen of Thailand in 1987 and 1992, respectively. These are beautiful chedis, both done in modern style. They are very distinct with the King’s chedi having very dark stone and the Queen’s being built in with a violet hue. Since my last visit in 2006 they have installed enclosed escalators to make the climb to the top easier for the thousands of elderly Thais who come here to pay their respects.

The hazy, cloudy view from the top of Doi Inthanon looking southwest towards Burma.

At the top of the peak (2,565 meters / 8,416 feet as marked by the small round metal plaque on the concrete pedestal in the foreground of the picture) is a small shrine to the memory of the Phra Chao Inthawichayanon, one of the last kings of Chiang Mai until his death in 1897. During his 27-year reign, King Inthawichayanon was very concerned about the preservation of the forests and mountains in what was still an independent tributary Lanna kingdom. Following his wishes, the king’s remains were interred at this spot on the top of what was then called Doi Luang. The mountain was subsequently renamed Doi Inthanon.

It was also during his reign that the remnants of the Lanna kingdom were finally annexed into greater Siam. One could argue that the political friction in modern-day Thailand (which has a very distinct north versus central split) has its roots in these ancient annexations.

Part way down the mountain is the Royal Agricultural Station, a large garden area that has acres of greenhouses where different types of plants are grown. The purpose of the project is to identify different species from around the country and also cultivate other species that may be well-suited to Thailand’s different climates. As an example of some of the work done by various royal-sponsored agricultural foundations, opium production in Thailand (which once used to be the world’s top producer) has almost entirely vanished, being replaced by cash crops such as coffee and macadamia nuts.

Tiptoe through the tulips…

Reflection in the pond. The sun kept trying to break through but it rarely lasted.

My personal favorites, the fuchsias. The climate up here on the mountain is very similar to that of my childhood home in the San Francisco Bay Area. We had fuchsias in our backyard that my father tended to with great care. Seeing these in the greenhouse brought back many memories. I used to snap open the flowers, enjoying the “pop!” sound they made.

Mae Ya Falls, Doi Inthanon National Park – Chiang Mai Province. Our friend Kari is standing in the distance taking pictures.

Chris hoping that there isn’t a sudden flash flood!

I’ll continue tomorrow with the second road trip in Chiang Mai, up to Doi Suthep, along with some video.

Trip to Chiang Mai Part 1

Posted on 12 January 2010 by christao408

Stephanie and I waited until after the New Year’s weekend to head up to Chiang Mai, hoping to avoid the crowds of Thais who would be up there in the search of cooler weather. The crowds of foreigners might be lighter, too. What we found surprised us.

Chiang Mai was deserted – no exaggeration, it was mighty lonely up there. I spoke with several locals and the story I heard again and again was that this is the least busy they’ve seen things in many years. Granted, the economy is bad and two years ago the airports in Bangkok were shuttered for a week as part of political protests. Still, with the great value that Thailand offers and the nice weather in Chiang Mai, I was surprised at how quiet things were.

Things got off to a slow start as after boarding, we pushed back and fired up our engines only to be towed back to the gate because of an indicator light. After ten minutes of poking around we pushed back again, only to be returned to the gate. The pilot, an American, came into the cabin and apologized for the delay and indicated that they would have to have a closer look at something related to the oil system. We disembarked and waited about forty-five minutes until given the all clear. Above, a mechanic with a box of oil working on our engine.

Chiang Mai started out sunny the first day with temperatures not too much cooler than Bangkok’s but at least a bit less humid. Stephanie and I stayed at the Imperial Mae Ping hotel, one of the original high-rise hotels in the city but thanks to a remodel and the fine service of the staff, still a very nice place to stay. Considering we paid just US$40 a room in the midst of high season, it was a steal.

There are countless temples in the heart of the city, which is very walkable. We stopped by several of them, taking pictures and talking with people. Everywhere we went, people assumed Stephanie was the Thai and would speak to her, only to be confused when I would be the one responding to the questions as she looked at them with a polite smile and blank expression.

At one temple, the patriarch of the temple, a saffron robed man in his eighties, was sitting in a plastic chair managing the work of several young monks. He waved me over and we chatted for several minutes. He was selling me on the unique attributes of his particular monk and an upcoming ceremony they would have. “Come back and see it!” he said as I bid my farewell.

More to come…

Getting My Thai Driver’s License

Posted on 26 December 2009 by christao408

What did I want for Christmas? Not a new Din Tai Fung location here in Krungthep, although that did turn out to be an early and unexpected surprise. What I really wanted was a Thai Driver’s License. Yes, I drive in Thailand, and for the past four years I have used an International Driver’s License which anyone can obtain at your local automobile association office.

For the longest time, I’ve considered that getting a Thai Driver’s License might be an exciting adventure to write about. With my International licence expiring the fourth of January, I decided getting the Thai license would be better than driving on an expired International one.

Requirements

My search for information began online. There are any number of websites that have information about getting a Thai Driver’s License, all of which seem to have copied and pasted the information from each other’s websites. The only official website, the one belonging to the Department of Land Transport, is only in Thai. Let this be the new source for updated information for those of you wishing to get your Thai Driver’s License. Here’s what you need:

Valid passport with a non-immigrant (and non-tourist) visa. One signed copy each of picture page, visa page, most recent entry stamp and departure card.
Valid international driver’s license. One signed copy of cover, English language permit page and picture/information page.
Proof of address in Thailand. This is most easily done if you have a work permit. One signed copy of all relevant work permit pages. Alternatively, you can get a certified proof of address from your embassy.
Copy of your valid driver’s license from your home country or state/province. Technically, you are supposed to have a translated copy of this information endorsed by your embassy but this does not actually appear necessary.

Unlike what other websites say, you do not need to bring two passport-size photos. The Department of Land Transport (DLT) uses digital cameras for the licenses these days. You also do not need to complete an application form.

Finding the DLT

I went to the DLT office located on Paholyothin Road across the street from Chatuchak Market and just a short walk from the Mo Chit BTS Skytrain station. Take exit 2 and walk past the Civil Aviation Training Center which has a helicopter and single-engine plane sitting out front. The DLT is the next complex on the street.

When I arrived at the DLT, I discovered that it is a very large complex with many buildings surrounded by lots of parking lots. Asking the guard, he pointed me to building 4, which was around the corner and quite far back. This part was a little confusing if you don’t read Thai as the building numbers are in Thai numerals. Certainly handy to read Thai or have a Thai friend accompany you.

Once at building 4 I asked at a counter on the first floor and was directed to the second floor. At the information desk the woman reviewed my documents to ensure I had everything I needed and then gave me a queue number. I headed inside the packed waiting room and noticed that the current number was 560 and my queue number was 837. Yikes!

Looking at the ticket, I noticed it said “Foreigner Counters 15-18” so I headed to that end of the room. A woman approached me and asked what number I had and then escorted me to counter 18. It seems that I bypassed 277 other people in the queue.

The counters are actually cubicles and once inside, I sat across from another lady who spoke English quite well, although I made every effort to communicate with her only in Thai. After reviewing the documents again she asked for copies of two additional pages in the work permit. She waited while I walked to the lobby and paid one baht each for the copies from the ad hoc copy shop. Back in the cubicle, she decided everything was okay paperwork-wise and sent me to the third floor for the eye tests.

Eye Tests

The third floor was a fun experience. After going to the information counter I was pointed inside to the first of three stations. At it sat a woman next to a large color blindness chart – a large circle composed of smaller circles made up of different colors. She had me stand behind a line on the floor about three meters (ten feet) away and pointed at various circles and I correctly named the colors. After about five circles she stamped my paper and pointed me to station two.

Station two was confusing. There was nobody there to administer the test so I sat down and waited for a few minutes until the lady at station one came over and explained that it was a self-administered test. There were two stools at a table and each stool sat in front of a metal box with an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal. Some distance away were two other boxes that had a large red and green lights on them along with a black strip.

You pressed a start button on the table and then stepped on the accelerator, turning on the green light. After a few seconds the light turned red. The objective was to then step on the brake pedal as quickly as possible, before the LED lights on the black strip illuminated from green to red. It took a few tries to get the hang of what was expected of me. On the fourth try I was able to stop quickly enough, proving the rapidness of my reflexes.

The third station was a test of peripheral vision. It was also a hygienic nightmare. You placed your nose on a metal counter – no wiping between customers – staring straight ahead as the administrator illuminated red, green or yellow LED lights to the left or right of your field of vision. You had to correctly name the color of lights while maintaining your forward gaze. Two our of three correct and I passed. Who knows what germs I picked up as well.

My eyes freshly tested, I returned to the second floor. Fellow test takers who were Thai and were applying for their first driver’s license had to proceed to the fourth floor to take a written test and then outside to conduct a practical driving test. Since I already have a driver’s license, neither a written nor practical test are required.

Practical driving course

Conclusion

On the second floor I was back in cubicle 18 after just a few minutes’ wait. The clerk entered the information, had me pay my 205 baht fee (about US $6.20) and asked me to verify that my name, birthday, etc. were entered correctly. She then took my picture a few times and, once satisfied with how it turned out, chatted with me for a few minutes as the license was printed.

It is a one-year provisional license. After the year is up, I reapply and am given a five-year license which can continue to be renewed so long as I’m legally living in Thailand on a non-tourist visa.

All told, it took me about an hour from when I entered the building until my exit, new license still warm from the printer. Now when I see the crazy drivers on the streets here, I feel entitled to lecture them about proper driving habits. After all, I am officially licensed to drive in Thailand!

Under Steam Power

Posted on 11 December 2009 by christao408

Going back in time to Saturday morning, before I came down with this lung infection:

Three times a year the State Railways of Thailand pulls out a pair of their old steam engines, fires them up and operates a round-trip from Hua Lamphong Station in Krungthep to the former capital of ancient Siam, Ayutthaya. The three dates are the birthday of His Majesty the King (December 5), the anniversary of the opening of the first railroad service in Thailand (March 26) and the anniversary of the death of King Rama V (Chulalongkorn Day, October 23), under whose guidance this first railroad service was introduced.

Setting out about 7:15 on a cool Saturday morning, I made Hua Lamphong Station my bike ride destination. I arrived there twenty minutes later and, it being a holiday, found the station pretty busy with people traveling to and from the provinces. Rail travel is heavily subsidized (State Railways has never turned a profit) and so the masses travel its more than 4,300 kilometers of tracks to get to and from their homes in the provinces to their work in Krungthep.

The station itself has a graceful, European style and the exterior is done in Thai Art Deco. While railway operations in Thailand started in 1897, this new station didn’t open until 1916.

There were lots of excited passengers waiting for the ride, taking pictures and looking on with fascination. Families were climbing onto the front of the engine to pose as people took their pictures. The railway officials seemed largely unconcerned with the people on the tracks. The train on the right in this picture actually arrived and departed while I was standing there and it just moved very slowly and honked its horn a few times. Nobody was injured.

Shooting a black steam locomotive is tough. Trying to set exposures is challenging. I also noticed afterwards that the pictures almost uniformly look better in black and white than in color. There’s so much texture.

At eight a.m. the national anthem played as everyone stood at attention. Then, a moment later, the signal man blew a whistle, waved his green flag, and the train slowly pulled out of the station. Had I not been on bicycle, I would have ridden it to one of the stations at the north end of town which connects with the subway. That would have given me twenty minutes or so of a ride without committing to an entire day out of town.

Maybe in March I can coordinate better and take the ride.

Terminal 21 – Under Construction

Posted on 6 November 2009 by christao408

Walking back to the Skytrain station with my Thai tutor Thursday afternoon, I was commenting (in Thai, of course) about how much the area around the intersection of Sukhumvit Road and Soi 21 has changed in the four years since I moved here. There are a few new buildings and another large development called Terminal 21 is now rising next to the Asoke Skytrain station.

The site as it currently appears, looking to the northeast from the east-bound Skytrain platform.

Artist’s interpretation of Terminal 21’s design. This is looking roughly west. The above picture of the construction site would have been taken from the end of the Skytrain platform, which appears to the left of the face billboard in this representation of the building.

Built on the site of a former Ford and Volvo dealership, this very large property is one of the best-located in the city. Described on its website as an “airport terminal” design (whatever that means), it will feature a 9-storey mall including an SF Cinema and a supermarket, a 20-storey serviced apartment complex, 145,000 square meters of office space, and 40,000 square meters of retail space.

Each floor of the mall will be themed on a different city or region of the world. The bottom floor will be the Caribbean and then we will proceed through Rome, Paris, Tokyo, London, Istanbul, San Francisco (which occupies two floors) and Los Angeles.

San Francisco floor, left, and Istanbul floor, right.

Each floor will focus on a particular type of shop – fashion brand names on the Paris floor, food and restaurants on the San Francisco floors and the cinema will be on the Los Angeles floor. Istanbul’s floor will have fashion accessories and leather goods.

Yes, I know what you are thinking. Do we really need another mall in this city? The answer is, definitely not. I think we need more mixed income housing located right next to transit. But that isn’t going to happen anytime soon. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the fact that this is a great location – very transit-friendly as it is located at the intersection of the Skytrain and subway lines – and developments adjacent to transit are generally good for the city. Plus, alternatives to having to go all the way down to Siam Square and Paragon are always welcome.

As the cranes are being installed, they are right at eye level with the Skytrain station’s platform. Nice views.

Nighttime shot of the construction taken on Monday, November 2nd. This is the night of Loi Krathong. Can you spot the full moon?

Here it is!

Stay tuned for more updates as I follow the construction of Terminal 21.

Ever Thought About Moving Back?

Posted on 3 November 2009 by christao408

In response to my recent entry about my fourth anniversary of moving to Thailand, Jason asked a pointed question: “Ever thought about moving back?”

From such a question is born a good blog entry, so here is my answer.

Why am I here?

Before I can think about moving back, I should explain why I’m here in Krungthep in the first place. Tawn received his Master’s degree at University of San Francisco in 2003. As part of the educational visas the US government provides, students are usually allowed to work for one year following the completion of their degree in order to get some practical experience. After that year, though, the student needs to apply for a non-resident visa, usually an H-1B.

Without going into a lot of detail, H-1B visas are difficult to come by, especially in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 when the quantity of these visas was reduced to 65,000 a year, down from around 150,000 previously. Because of their scarcity, only people with highly specialized skills are generally able to get employee sponsorship for the visa. In this case, Tawn’s skills didn’t meet that threshold.

Because of that, Tawn faced the choice of either overstaying his visa or returning to Thailand. He chose to follow the legal path and, not wanting to end the relationship, I chose to follow him here.

The Big Mango: Love It or Leave It?

They say that expats in Krungthep usually either love or hate living here. I find myself somewhere in between, but closer to the loving it side. There are many benefits to living here beyond the fact that Tawn is here. From a cost of living standpoint, for example, we live significantly better off than we would if were living in the US, especially if we were still back in the San Francisco Bay Area.

There are things about life in the US, though, that I miss. Most of all, I miss being near my family. My grandparents both turn 90 next year and my nieces turn four and seven. Everyone is getting older and seeing them once every nine months or so isn’t often enough. Time is short and the opportunities to spend time with loved ones are fleeting.

At the same time, we have ties here, too. Tawn is an only child and his parents are more demanding of his time and attention than mine are. While it is hard for me to be far away from my family, I think it would be harder for Tawn to be away from his.

Would I? Could I?

Even if we wanted to move back to the US, could we? Tawn and I were married this summer in Iowa, one of only five states that currently allow same-sex marriage. Here’s the bad news – news that most Americans (even gay ones!) don’t realize:

We can’t move back as a couple.

Thanks to the poorly named Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the US federal government does not recognize same-sex marriages. Immigration is a federal matter, so as long as DOMA is the law of the land Tawn and I cannot move back as a married couple. Tawn could only move to the US as either a student or by applying for one of those hard-to-get H-1B visas. Even if he did get in, we would be facing a ticking clock with little prospect of him being able to remain in the US over the long term.

[Update: In June 2013, the United States Supreme Court struck down the section of DOMA that is referenced above. Read about the impact of that decision on us here.]

Where Do You See Yourself in the Future?

I am asked this question each year during my annual performance appraisal, not so much because my boss expects the answer to change but because it is part of the Human Resources-designed appraisal process. If I had to pull out my crystal ball, where do I see myself in the future?

In the near future – say the next three to five years – I see myself still here in Krungthep. Even if Congress repealed DOMA, Tawn remains an only child and so I don’t see us moving back to the US anytime soon.

Looking beyond the five-year horizon, I think a lot of the future will depend upon events that happen, particularly regarding the health of both sets of our parents. Changing circumstances may dictate where one or the other of us spends more of our time, be it here or back in the US.

As we get to about ten years, I think we will likely look for options outside of Krungthep. Maybe that means having a country house where we can spend most of our time. Maybe that means living outside of Thailand (not necessarily in the US) for a portion of the year. If we could split our time between Paris and Krungthep, that would be great! Of course, this all depends upon developing jobs where we can move about readily. I already have that job. Tawn doesn’t, yet.

Yes, but would you move back to the US?

In a way, I’m dancing around that question. As much as I miss people (and a few restaurants) in the US, I don’t particularly miss life in the US for several reasons:

There is a lot of arrogance bred of insularity and ignorance. Too many Americans not only have never traveled abroad, they don’t care to inform themselves of the perspectives and values of other countries and cultures. Witness the horror with which Americans react to the suggestion that Canadians, French or Japanese might have something to teach us about how to run a health care system.

Discourse is increasingly shrill and intolerant. Thanks to the splintering of the media, people increasingly seek out and find channels that serve only to reinforce their already-held beliefs and perspectives. I don’t see how that serves democracy well and it certainly hasn’t improved the level of discourse within the US, either on political or social issues. I want to be able to communicate with others, not be shouted at by them.

Finally, the influence of corporations on public life and politics in the US continues to expand to dangerous levels. Many other countries have done a better job putting limits on the legal rights of corporations, deferring instead to the rights of individuals. Many other countries have also done a better job of limiting corporations’ involvement in politics.

To answer your question, Jason, I have thought about it. But even if the legal barriers to moving back were to fall away and even if there were no family ties holding us here in Thailand, I don’t think we would move back to the US, at least not full-time.

christao408

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

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