Nice Customers…and Annoying Creeps

Most customers that visit my bookshop are very pleasant people. The fact that they read books automatically puts them on a higher pedestal than the average cretin on the street. Working retail enables you to observe a rainbow of personality types; the good, the bad, and the bizarre. The majority are a pleasure to deal with, but every once in a while we encounter some true oddballs or mean-spirited characters.

Take, for example, the guy that came into the bookshop on Saturday. He ordered tea and sat down at a nearby table. Not a minute later, he walked up and told the woman that works for me to change the music we were playing. My employee didn’t know what to say to that odd request, so she looked to me for help. I asked the customer, a man in his early 30s, what he wanted and he repeated his demand to change the music. I told him that I’d be glad to turn the volume down (even though it was far from loud), but that I would not change the CD that was playing. He appeared incredulous. Clearly, he was the sort of person that wasn’t used to having his demands shot down. “I asked you to change this music and you won’t do it?” he sputtered. “No,” told the guy again. “I’ll turn it down but I won’t change it.” At this point it looked like steam was going to start rising from his pointy head. “You need to do what the customer asks,” he declared, before adding, “And maybe you should read some of these marketing books you have on your shelves.” I was about to retort with, “Yeah, those are probably the ONLY types of books that a creep like would you read,” but I just rolled by eyes, turned my back on him, and went back to updating our computer database.

Thankfully, just as quickly as this guy had entered the shop, he slithered back out. I couldn’t believe the audacity of this character, waltzing in and demanding that we change the music. What gives him the right to dictate that? Sorry, but my retail habitat is not a democracy. It’s my store and, like it or not, I set the tone. Small shops like mine are a reflection of the owner’s personality, and the music I play is part of that package. It’s safe to say I’m a bit unorthodox in my approach to business, but I’ve been involved in retail for over 25 years and have a pretty good feel for it at this point. I’m not, and never have been, a believer in that nonsense about “the Customer is always right.” Most customers are wonderful and I will do my best to help them, but there are times when the customer is nothing but a pest and I would rather they stay out of my shop.

And what was I playing that was so revolting to this guy? It was Michael Franti’s latest album, Yell Fire!, which I think is one of the best albums released this year. Lyrics such as: “Those who start wars never fight them/And those who fight wars never like them” set the tone for this decidedly anti-war album. I don’t know if the customer objected to the lyrics, the funky grooves and reggae “riddims” in some songs, or perhaps the “ethnic” nature of the artist (Franti is pictured on the cover sporting dreadlocks). Or maybe he wanted to hear Christmas music or something equally bland and vapid. In that case, head over to the mall, dude, or hang out at Starbucks. Hey, I’m an eccentric, moody bookshop owner and at this point in my life I’m not going to change. And I’m certainly not going to bend over backwards to try and please some assertive creep that only wants to sip a cup of tea for an hour. Go “network” and “party” with your conservative pals, pal, but don’t come back and bother us!

On the subject of Michael Franti, he recently released a DVD called I Know I’m Not Alone. This isn’t a concert recording, but a documentary of a trip that Franti took in 2004 to “hot zones” in Iraq and Israel, including stops in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Here is how the film is described:
“Armed with only a guitar, video cameras and the intent to experience first-hand the human cost of war, Franti shares his music with families, doctors, musicians, soldiers and everyday people, who in turn reveal to him the often overlooked human cost of war. With its guerrilla style footage captured in active war zones, the documentary is unlike the many academic and politically driven pieces in the marketplace, instead offering the audience a sense of intimate travel and the opportunity to hear the voices of everyday people living, creating and surviving under the harsh conditions of war and occupation.”

On the positive side of the customer spectrum, Peter, a nice man who used to work in Cambodia, was also in the shop over the weekend. He and his wife Ursula were customers at my bookshop in Siem Reap during the Cambodia days, but have since moved to Bangkok. After a recent work assignment in Sri Lanka, Peter is now off for a two-year posting in Botswana. Needless to say, he was stocking up on some books to take with him.

I also got an e-Mail on Sunday from Tyson, another fellow whom I first met in Cambodia. After a multi-year stay in Thailand Tyson is now in Singapore, but headed to India and Cameroon, before eventually settling down to do more research work in Surinam. He is another voracious book reader with a keen interest in Southeast Asian history and architecture. But he also is involved in freshwater fish research, thus the reason for his next destination.

02:07 AM PST Permalink |

Young Readers

On Tuesday, December 5, it’s the King of Thailand’s Birthday, which means it’s also Father’s Day here in the kingdom. It’s an official Thai holiday so the usual battery of businesses, schools, and government agencies will be closed. And don’t expect to find any naughty dancing or alcohol being sold that day either. That’s right; most go-go bars and karaoke pits will be closed for the night. But expect lots of fireworks and yellow shirts all over town.

Saturday was unusually busy in my bookshop. Crazy and chaotic most of the time: a few coffee drinkers and laptop slackers hanging out, but mostly cool people buying cool books. It seemed like the flow of customers never stopped from morning until evening. I’m not complaining, for the grand result was certainly profitable, but there were times when I was wishing it would slow down enough for me to crack open a book and read for a spell. That never happened.

One young girl – I guess she was eight-years-old or thereabouts - was shopping for books (Mary-Kate and Ashley mysteries!) along with her parents that afternoon. Before leaving the store she announced: “I like books. Reading fills up your mind!” That might sound like a rehearsed line, or something she heard somewhere, but when she said it, it sounded totally sincere. Well done, young lady, and kudos to her parents for encouraging the reading habit.

I’m always impressed when children or teenagers buy books. In this day and age, with so many other unhealthy diversions and entertainment options, it’s seemingly rare to see kids take an interest in books. But every week I see youngsters coming in the store and asking for books by authors such as Anthony Horowitz, Christopher Paolini, Jacqueline Wilson, Lemony Snicket, Todd Strasser, and R.L. Stine. And then there’s the J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter phenomenon. All in all, it’s an encouraging trend.

Collin Piprell, a Bangkok-based writer with several books under his belt (Yawn, Bangkok Knights, Kicking Dogs), dropped by the bookshop last week. Among the books he bought was a copy of one of his own old essay collections, Bangkok Old Hand. Why buy your own book? “I realized I don’t have a copy of that one, and it’s out of print,” Collin chuckled. Meanwhile, he’s working on a Science Fiction novel and hoping to find a publisher that is willing to unleash it on the reading public.

10:34 PM PST Permalink |

Birthday Barbecue

On Tuesday I celebrated my birthday, adding yet another ring to the tree trunk of my life. Perhaps “celebrate” isn’t the best word to use in regards to my birthday. I tend to inwardly grimace at the thought of getting another year older and don’t usually announce the fact that I’m having a birthday. No parties or cakes for me, just a good meal with friends will suffice. Each birthday is a stark reminder that I’m firmly ensconced in middle age, and the sobering reality is that I’m now closer to sixty than thirty.

I got an early morning phone call from my parents back in Florida. That was a nice way to start the day. Tuesday is my usual day off, but this week, instead of my normal morning basketball scrimmage, I had some business to attend to. I made tracks for the Immigration Department on Soi Suan Phlu in order to get a multi-entry permit for my current visa. Without that important little stamp in my passport, the next time I leave the country my visa would be cancelled and I’d have to start the mind-numbing paperwork process all over again.

While I was at Immigration I ran into Lisl, one of the cool customers that shops at my bookshop. The following day she was flying to England and then on to Scotland to visit her mother, so she needed to get a multi-entry permit for her visa as well. Immigration was more crowded than usual, so we waited patiently in line and chatted about music, books, and travel before our passports were finally returned to us. This has become a very fast process. Only a few years ago, you had to submit your paperwork in the morning and then return in the afternoon (after the officials had enjoyed a long lunch) to pick up your permit.

After Immigration, I hopped on the Skytrain and took that to the Siam Station. At the adjacent Siam Paragon shopping monstrosity I rode a never-ending series of escalators up to the Gram music shop where I treated myself to a double disc Isaac Hayes collection (actually three discs if you include the “bonus” DVD) and a new compilation of old jazz and “Psychedelic Soul” on the Chess label. Naturally, I couldn’t get out of the mall without popping into the Kinokuniya bookshop, and I couldn’t leave without purchasing something, in this case the latest Donald Westlake paperback.

Dinner was spent in the company of my good friends Walter (originally from Alabama) and Jack (originally from Roi Et). We dined at the Great American Rib Company on Soi 36, stuffing ourselves silly with deliciously messy barbecue. Forget KFC: this was real “finger licking good” fare. Despite the predictably odd service and communications problems (even speaking Thai didn’t seem to help!), the overall meal was excellent. I ate more than I should have, but I compensated for my gluttony by walking the rest of the way home from Thonglor.

01:22 AM PST Permalink |

Sunday Morning Music & Myanmar Projects

Weekends off from work? You gotta be kidding: not when you work retail! My bookshop is open every day of the week and on Sundays I work the long shift, from nine in the morning until eight at night. I started today by listening to Bob Dylan and the Band’s The Basement Tapes, one of the greatest albums ever made. It’s always been a Sunday favorite of mine, one of those albums that sounds wonderful on a lazy morning. Other albums that get heavy Sunday morning play when I’m at work include Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks and Marvin Gaye’s Anthology. Timeless music that I never get tired of playing.

Besides being a bookshop slave I have spent a lot of time the past two months working on a new project for Things Asian Press. About two years ago they published a guidebook of sorts called To Asia with Love: a Connoisseurs’ Guide to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Edited by Kim Fay, this was not a traditional guidebook but one that offered “personal stories from passionate, knowledgeable nomads.” To Asia with Love was the recipient of many glowing reviews, and that positive response has encouraged Kim Fay and Albert Wen at Things Asian to create more books in the series. Later next year individual country guides will be published as part of the To Asia with Love series. The new editions will be devoted to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal, Myanmar, India, and Shanghai. I have been assigned the task of editing the Myanmar/Burma book. I’m thrilled, excited, and more than a bit scared. I’ve never been responsible for handling a project this big, so I hope I don’t screw things up!

As one would expect, most of my work involves selecting and editing articles for inclusion in the book. But that process can only begin if I actually have some submissions in my hot little hands – or on my computer screen. Finding writers to contribute stories about some aspect of Myanmar travel has been a struggle. Compared to other Asian countries Myanmar gets few travelers, and the resident base of expats is also negligible. And then, of course, there are the political considerations, coupled with the many misperceptions about the country. But what Things Asian is putting together is a travel book, not a collection of political essays. I have great respect for the “Free Burma” collective and all those that support human rights, but politics is not the focus of this book, and our mission is not to lecture travelers or convert them to a particular cause. As I’ve discovered during my travels to Myanmar (and like it or not, that is the proper name of the country) the overwhelming majority of the people want more tourists to visit their beautiful country.

In my quest for writers I’ve combed through hundreds of pages of web hits in search of articles, web sites and blog entries that people have written about Myanmar or Burma. If I find something that looks interesting I contact the writer. Some people respond quickly and others never bother to contact me. Friends, and friends of friends, have also been helpful with providing names of possible contributors.

Naturally, I’ve heard from a few people (and, surprisingly, only a handful) that are suspicious of any travel book about Myanmar that doesn’t take a political stand. These people defiantly get up on their soapboxes and declare that they won’t write anything about the country unless their essay includes scathing criticism of the Myanmar government. Fair enough, but that’s not what we are looking for. I mean, do guidebooks about the United States include travel warnings about rampant crime, or chapters devoted to human rights abuses committed by the Bush regime? Really, you go round and round about the politics of travel, but I remain in the camp of those who believe it’s best to go and see things for yourself. I also believe that boycotts and sanctions do nothing to help the country’s populace.

Perceptions aside, the reaction that I’ve received about the Myanmar book has been overwhelmingly positive thus far. Most people are excited about the idea and are eager to help. Here are a few of the comments I’ve received:
“The Myanmar trip was very profound and special for me”
“It’s one of the most unique travel destinations still available to experience.”
“What I wrote will give you a flavor of the fondness the country holds for me. So far none of the guidebooks I have seen or consulted has touched the soul of Burma.”
“I had a terrific time in Myanmar and think the place deserves more positive exposure.”

I have also contacted, or been contacted by, a variety of writers and travel industry professionals that live in Myanmar. The responses from some of these native Burmese have been among the most positive that I’ve got:
“I would be honored if I can be part of your team.”
“Delighted to read the title: ‘To Myanmar with Love’. Love the title, and your intention of writing of this book to show the positive and good things about our country.”
“I would be delighted to contribute.”

Clearly, these people are proud of their country – despite the overwhelming negative perception that “Burma” has in the international media - and want more people to know about the “good things” that Myanmar has to offer. And I hope this book can help to accomplish that goal.

02:21 AM PST Permalink |

Thanksgiving Day Thoughts

Thursday is Thanksgiving Day back in the United States. This was always my favorite holiday when I lived there: no annoying gift exchanges to worry about, just sharing good food and good times with family and friends. Even though I haven’t lived in the states in over a decade I still like to celebrate Thanksgiving by going out with friends in Bangkok for a good meal. The problem, however, is finding a place that serves anything that remotely passes for a “traditional” Thanksgiving meal. Turkey is a rare bird in these parts, thus the options in Bangkok are sorely limited. The best Thanksgiving spread I’ve found is at Bourbon Street (the restaurant in the Washington Square area near Soi 22), but other diners have also discovered their delicious T-day buffet and the place is usually uncomfortably packed. Several upscale hotels also offer Thanksgiving Day meals, but the price they charge is astronomical, usually hovering around the 2,000 baht per person figure. No thanks! Perhaps I’ll just waddle over to Subway and get a turkey sandwich this year.

And on this Thanksgiving Day I remain thankful that I’m living here in Bangkok. There are times when the city can overwhelm you with its suffocating air pollution, horrendous traffic jams, deafening noise, and sweat-inducing humidity. But all those annoyances are balanced out by the good things. The sights and sounds and smells excite the senses and leave you wanting more. But above it all, the people are the ones that make this city so vibrant. Every single day of the week I marvel at the sweetness of the people, the smiles, and the marvelous zest for life that propels them forward.

I usually make it a point to avoid Bangkok’s famous Chatuchak weekend market – except during the week when it isn't so crowded. One of my favorite activities is shopping for books at Chatuchak’s book stalls. While most shops at Chatuchak are only open on the weekend, the ones located on the outer perimeter, such as the book dealers, are also open during the week. I enjoy going out there every couple of months and rummaging through the unorganized stacks of old books – both paperbacks and hardcovers – in an attempt to find interesting titles to resell in my bookshop, or sometimes just to keep for myself. Trips to Chatuchak, however, are not for the faint-hearted. Besides hordes of other shoppers, be prepared to encounter total disorder, dirt, dust, and a variety of live insects crawling around.

But patience can sometimes be rewarded, with the hunt unearthing some gems. I had made a recent effort to find a Loren Estleman mystery called King of the Corner. I couldn’t locate any copies online, it wasn’t available at any local bookshops, and my parents couldn’t find any copies at the stores back in Florida. It looked like I was out of luck for the time being. But, almost miraculously, I found a copy of King of the Corner buried in a mountain of tattered old paperbacks at Chatuchak. That alone was worth the trip.

And then there are libraries. Check out the link for Kuthodaw Library under my “Favorites” on this page. I discovered this site recently while doing some online research about Myanmar. The man who started this library, Win Thuya, works at a travel agency in Yangon, but is a native of Bagan. I’ll let Thuya tell you about more his library:
“As long as I can remember there was no place to learn and polish your knowledge in my hometown of Bagan. In Yangon, I saw a lot of youth who spent their time at the library, learning vigorously. I felt pity for my friends who were still in Bagan, wasting their time at local teashops because they had no facilities to learn or extend their knowledge. I love Bagan and wanted to do something good for my friends and the new generation in Bagan. This gave me the idea to start a library for the youth, public and students in Bagan.”

And so, with the help of friends and his employer, Gulliver Travels, Thuya started the library a few months ago. I can’t wait to go to Bagan and see it more myself. Meanwhile, click on the link and read more about this great project.

07:51 PM PST Permalink |

The Cuban Blues

One of the very nice customers that patronize my bookshop, Gene Johnson, lives down the coast in Chonburi. During his last visit to Bangkok he reported the opening of a new Cuban restaurant in Pattaya. I was thrilled to hear that news, and asked Gene to find out more about the place. One of the things that I miss most about Florida is the prevalence of good Cuban restaurants.

But Gene’s good news was short-lived. He sent me an e-mail last week saying that the Cuban food had not materialized. He had seen a sign advertising a new place called Cuban Corner and, as I would have also, assumed it was a restaurant. Here’s what Gene discovered:
“I ventured to the corner on Saturday, determined to have a tasty Cuban lunch. I had your recommendations written down and made notes to myself to pick up a menu and/or business cards. The restaurant on premises had a very familiar Thai menu. When I enquired at the office of that Cuban Corner, I was informed that the business is selling Cuban Cigars. They had a very wide choice. However, I am not a smoker. Sorry if I got your taste buds hankering for some Cuban food.”

Needless to say, I was disappointed. I’ll have to put my yearnings for Lechon Asado, fried yucca, and Ropa Viejo on hold for the time being. However, I did find a savory bowl of black bean soup at the recently opened Roadhouse BBQ & Smokehouse Grill on Suriwong Road. I guess that will have to satisfy my Cuban cravings for now.

Meanwhile, I continue to frequently encounter bad or bizarre service at many Bangkok restaurants. Usually the more expensive the restaurant the better the service, but that isn’t always the case. I also find troubling inconsistencies at branches of chain restaurants and even some places that are owned or managed by foreigners. Anyone that has worked at a restaurant understands – or should – the basics of food service, cleaning tables, setting the table, serving customers, refilling drinks and the like. But here in Thailand such obvious basics are either ignored or performed indifferently. If you are a diner and want an extra glass of iced tea, some more rice, or - heaven forbid - a knife to cut your food, you must force a waiter or waitress to make a special trip to your table. And this isn’t easy when they are standing on the other side of the room talking with their friends, watching TV, or perhaps taking a nap. Yes, this is Thailand!

With the “cool season” now upon us (well it’s mid-November but the weather is still toasty) the traditional appearance of outdoor beer gardens has started. This year, however, with new alcohol advertising laws scheduled to start in December, the beer gardens may not be so colorful. Apparently such standard items as umbrellas and canopies with the beer company’s name plastered on them will be banned. That’s advertising, you see. But one other question remains: will waitresses still be allowed to parade around in t-shirts and short-shorts bearing the name of the beer brand they are pushing? And no, topless beer gardens will not be happening in the near future.

08:38 PM PST Permalink |

Religious Fanatics & Other Nuts

I was about to bound up the stairs of the Ekkamai BTS station on Thursday morning when I found two farang pamphlet pushers in my way. What is it this time, I wondered? I glanced at one of the bilingual pamphlets and noticed a drawing of that funky Jesus character on the front. I should have known: the Christian missionary zombies were on the loose again. I stared daggers at the woman who was trying to thrust a pamphlet in my hands. She saw the look of fury in my eyes and quickly withdrew her outstretched hand. Miraculously, I refrained from making any nasty comments or grabbing her entire supply of Jesus propaganda and throwing them into the nearest trash can.

I think you can safely say that I have a very low tolerance for these sorts of bible-thumping characters. I don’t appreciate their obnoxious presence in this peaceful Buddhist country, a place where I had hoped I could escape the myopic Christian pests that infest America. It truly infuriates me to see Christians going to foreign countries and trying to “save” people that they deem to be sinners, heathens, or “lost souls.” What sort of bizarre personality disorder compels them to try and convert others to their own warped beliefs? Hey, I’m not knocking everyone that has “faith in something bigger.” But spirituality should be a personal matter. Believe what you want, and worship whatever, but don’t flaunt your religious theories and superstitions in public. I would love to see the Thai authorities round up all these Christian pamphlet pushers and politely suggest that they leave the kingdom and go recruit in some other foreign locale. Kabul or Baghdad should be nice this time of year.

Holier-than-thou Christians are certainly not a new development. Earlier this week I started reading a travel book by Norman Lewis, Golden Earth: Travels in Burma, and found references to Christian missionaries. First published in 1952, Golden Earth is another one of Lewis’s perceptive accounts of life in an Asian Country (another book, A Dragon Apparent , covers his trips to Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam). Here is what Lewis had to say about Christian zealots:

“I find books by early Victorian missionaries extremely readable. These vigorous men showed an unquenchable curiosity about every aspect of the countries in which they struggled for the salvation of souls. As a result they are full of exact information about geology, the natural history, products, commerce, and the customs of the people. Their books are naturally salted with quotations from the more ferocious books of the Old Testament, and (these men) are scandalized by almost everything they see; but the main thing is that, whether they disapprove or not, they write it all down. With their ignorant fanaticism, their stupid condemnation of all they do not understand, how much more one can learn about the country from them than from so many modern collections or impressions, with their amused tolerance, their tepid well-mannered sympathy.”

In an early chapter of Golden Earth Lewis offers a sample entry from the diary of Reverend Malcolm, an American Baptist missionary who wrote about his visit to the Burmese city of Moulmein (now called Mawlamyine) in 1835.

“The scenery is rendered romantic and peculiar by small mountains, arising abruptly from the level fields…on the summits of many of them, apparently inaccessible to human feet, Buddhist zeal has erected pagodas, whose white forms, conspicuous far and near, remind the traveler every moment that he surveys a region covered with the shadows of spiritual death. Some of the smaller hills I ascended. My heart sickened as I stood beside the dumb gods of this deluded people…nothing is left to prove they have been, but their decayed pagodas, misshapen gods, and unblessed graves.”

Lewis notes that Rev. Malcolm went to Moulmein primarily to “combat polygamy, establish a native seminary, and put into practice a plan for giving English names to the native children.” Although Rev. Malcolm penned his narrow-minded observations nearly 200 years ago, the sort of attitude and mindset that he held still prevails amongst the Christian “faithful” today. I would say that “deluded people” could more properly be applied to these modern day religious fanatics.

07:46 PM PST Permalink |

Whistle while you park

My friend John Buckley visited the bookshop on Saturday, just back from a three-week trip to Myanmar. It was his first visit to that country and from all accounts he thoroughly loved it. Besides Yangon and Mandalay he ventured further east to the mountainous areas around Kengtung and visited minority tribe villages such as the Eng and Lahu. After that he did some trekking in the Kalaw and Inle Lake area, before winding down his trip by relaxing on the beach at Ngapali the last several days. John purposefully bypassed Bagan on this trip, he said, so that he would have a reason to visit again. Sounds like good strategy to me. John was in Bangkok for just one day before turning around and flying back to the states and his home in Vail, Colorado – and work the very next day!

I always suspected that some of Thailand’s politicians and military leaders were strange characters, and an article in yesterday’s Nation newspaper certainly confirmed my suspicions. In an account of General Chavalit Younchaiyudh’s meeting with the Council for National Security it was reported that:
“Chavalit was dressed in a casual white dress. He personally welcomed each of the CNS members before they went into his guest room for talks.”
Well, I’m sure Chavalit must have looked simply stunning in that dress. The article, however, failed to mention which shade of lipstick he used. Sounds like the editors at the Nation were asleep at the wheel on this one!

And more nutty articles, this one from today’s Bangkok Post. The headline above one article stated:
Making Noise About Violence
Beneath that was another bold message:
Women urged to carry whistles to alert others if they are threatened
Khunying Suwimol Puengprasert, head of the “Voice of Women” committee, explained that her group would be selling red whistles that local women can to use to signal when they need help. The whistle, she said, “symbolizes efforts to stop violence against women, while its sound represents women’s cries for help and justice.”
Great, just what we need in Bangkok: more people blowing whistles. Call me jaded, but I don’t think that blowing whistles will help women in the event that they find themselves in a threatening situation. As things stand now, Bangkok is already saturated with too many people blowing whistles. All over greater Bangkok, inside parking garages and outside office buildings and shopping centers, uniformed arm-flailing characters attempt to direct the traffic flow with a whistle attached to their lips. Enough already! If these women go around tooting on their whistles most people will promptly ignore them, assuming that the sound they hear is someone getting “parking assistance.”

I don’t mean to diminish the violent threats that women sometimes face, even here in relatively safe Bangkok, but I doubt that these whistles are going to do much good. Has anyone thought of distributing blow darts?

04:52 AM PST Permalink |

Airports and Not-So-Cool Breezes

I love visiting the TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) website. It is always perversely entertaining. Take this little blurb I found yesterday on their home page:
Suvarnabhumi Airport, a new international airport located 24 kilometres east of Bangkok, was due to be open on September 28, 2006. It replaces the old overloaded airport at Don Muang and accommodates all international and domestic flights to Bangkok.

Perhaps someone should notify TAT that the airport has been open for six weeks already. I find it ironic that they dismiss old Don Muang as “overloaded.” Sure, that airport was operating well beyond the capacity for which it was designed, but from recent news reports I have read about brand spanking new Suvarnabhumi, that airport is also close to being “overloaded.”. Yes, all of a sudden the new airport finds itself having to conduct an “expansion feasibility study.” The end result may involve building an extra runway and a separate terminal for “low cost carriers.” Along with a shortage of toilets and a woefully small arrivals hall, this all sounds like poor planning to me. Will the airport authority decide to relent from their “One Airport Only” policy and allow budget carriers like Air Asia and Nok Air operate out of the mostly abandoned (expect for a few charter flights) Don Muang? There is growing support for such a move, but that might not happen for another year.

My parents were back in Bangkok for two short days this week, and we managed to arrange schedules and meet one last time before they returned to Florida. I met them for dinner on Thursday at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel, the hotel on the river where they were staying with their tour group. We dined outdoors at the hotel’s riverside patio, enjoying warm breezes and great views of the river as an endless stream of boat traffic flowed past. We had a great time talking and catching up on life in our respective countries. I’m trying to convince my parents to go with me to Myanmar during their next Asia trip, and naturally they are attempting to get me back to Florida for a long overdue family visit.

In case you didn’t realize it, “cool season” has arrived here in Thailand. Yes, the rain has stopped and annual proliferation of outdoor beer gardens has started spreading like basement fungus. But you will never mistake Bangkok’s “cool season” for the temperature dips that occur in North America or Europe at this time of year. Here in the Big Mango it’s still pretty hot and steamy outside. Tourists seem baffled that they are sweating so profusely in November, but if the temps get below 27° C. (about 80° F.) they can consider themselves chilled.

07:48 PM PST Permalink |

Booze and Baseball

I found myself in the supermarket one morning this week, stocking up on groceries for the week. I was about to pick up a couple of bottles of beer but quickly realized my mistake: it was the wrong time of day. Yes, the ridiculous alcohol selling hours remain in force. If I want to buy a beer at a supermarket anywhere in Thailand I can only do so from 11 am to 1 pm, and then again from 5 pm until midnight. I suppose there is some perverted logic to these bizarre selling hours, but I fail to see it.

On the subject of alcohol, after living in Thailand for over a decade I’ve noticed definite drinking patterns amongst Thais. The most popular activity for many is going out in large groups and drinking at bars, nightclubs, or beer gardens. But rarely will I see someone have a glass or two of whatever they are partaking in. Sadly, the strategy seems to be: drink until you drop. Puddles of vomit await as these guys – and gals - guzzle down glass after glass of beer or whiskey. The mindset seems to be: why bother drinking unless you plan on getting totally plastered. Sadly, moderation doesn’t appear to be an option for the party crowd.

We had more interesting visitors at my bookshop this week. Bill from Tampa, Florida dropped by to chat, here in Thailand for the very first time. Bill is a basketball playing fanatic and is looking for local courts where he can play. He is trying to recruit me for a game, but I’ll have to wait and see how my left knee feels later in the week. In the meantime Bill plans to visit Benjasiri Park and join one of the regular afternoon games. Another first-time visitor to our muggy city was Pat from Washington. His wife is originally from Laos, so they were in Vientiane visiting her relatives for a few days before making the trek to the big, bad city of Bangkok. Pat must be nuts like me because he likes it here, too!

I never expected to see Ron Washington’s name in the Bangkok Post, but on Wednesday morning, tucked away in the sports pages, there was a short article announcing that Ron had been named the new manager of the Texas Rangers baseball team. For a man that has bounced around professional baseball for four decades as a player, coach, and minor league manager, Ron’s promotion is long overdue and well deserved.

I’ve been a Ron Washington fan since the mid 1980s, back when he played for the Minnesota Twins. The Twins had their spring training camp in my hometown of Orlando, so I had the chance to see Ron play, or in most cases, not play, many times. Ron was never a star, nor even a full-time starter, but he was one of those players that kept his head in the game and observed what was going on around him. After one spring training game in 1987 I ran into Ron and had the chance to talk with him for a few minutes. I probably came off as just another loony fan, but he was polite and answered all of my questions.

Back in the 1980s a promising young player made his debut with the Twins and Ron Washington was assigned to be his roommate. That player was Kirby Puckett, who went on to become perhaps the most popular player in Twins history during a Hall of Fame career. Washington himself bounced around the major and minor leagues for several more years before retiring as a player. But not before putting in a season with the short-lived Senior League, a circuit that was designed for players 35 years-old and over. Ron tore up that league that year and was named the Most Valuable Player.

During his stint as the Oakland A’s third base coach the past decade Ron proved to be a steadying influence on many of that team’s young players. Two years ago, when Oakland third baseman Eric Chavez won another gold glove, he presented the award to Ron Washington in appreciation for all of his help. Ann Bauleke, a former sportswriter in Minneapolis, also has a high opinion of Ron Washington and has stayed in touch with him over the years. “He can see into the soul of players, of people,” she said. I don’t doubt that for a minute. Good luck with the new gig, Ron! I think I’m going to be a Texas Rangers fan next season.

09:21 PM PST Permalink |

Booked All Week

I tend to accumulate books. Whenever I see a title in a bookshop that I want to read I rarely hesitate: I pluck it off the shelf and buy it, regardless of how many other books I have at home waiting to be read. Owning a bookshop only compounds that situation. Every week an interesting book will arrive that catches my eye. I either take it home to read or add it the growing pile of books that are stacked beside my desk. What can I say: it’s an addiction!

As my stack wobbles and threatens to tip over, I keep finding more good books that I not only want to read, I MUST read. You have to prioritize these things, and when a book by one of my favorite authors surfaces, it jumps to the top of my must-read-it-now pile. Last week I picked up the new Rebecca Wells novel, Ya-Yas in Bloom, the third in her excellent “Ya Ya” series. Nobody had traded in a copy of this book at my shop yet, so I was forced to go out and buy a new paperback copy. While I was in a branch of Kinokuniya this week I was delighted to see Michael Connelly’s new book, Echo Park on the shelf. And yes, it’s another of his very addictive Harry Bosch mysteries. To complete this week’s pile builders, my parents brought me copies of the new George Pelecanos hardcover The Night Gardener and Tom Spanbauer’s Now is the Hour. I don’t think I’ll be getting much sleep this week or next.

My parents spent a couple of whirlwind days in Bangkok last week; shopping, dining, visiting my bookshop, forcing homemade cookies on me, and trying to find time for some rest. As expected, they had to deal with the jet lag brought on by the brutally long series of flights they had to take in order to get to Thailand. After flying out of Orlando they took Thai Air’s non-stop from New York to Bangkok. That eliminated having to change planes and endure a multi-hour layover in Tokyo (or someplace like Seoul, Singapore, or Taipei), but that single flight forced them to stay seated for 17 long hours. My mother said that after that marathon sit-in she didn’t mind taking the long walk from gate to curb at Bangkok’s new airport.

Fortunately, we haven’t had much rain the past two weeks. That has helped lessen the imminent threat of flooding in Bangkok. But apparently we aren’t out of the woods yet; huge volumes of water are still flowing down the river from upcountry and tropical storms in the region may yet bring a deluge of precipitation to town. But from what I have seen the past couple of months, Bangkok city officials have done an excellent job of keeping most streets around town free from flooding. Keep on draining!

10:45 PM PST Permalink |

Lights, Flowers, Firecrackers!

Explosive sounds fill the air: Boom! Boom!! Boom!!! If it feels like you’re in a war zone, it would be understandable. But not to worry – at least not worry too much - the sounds you hear are only firecrackers being thrown by brain-damaged teenagers (and maybe more than a few unsupervised adults). It’s the sound of Loy Krathong, perhaps my least favorite Thai festival. In theory, Loy Krathong is a beautiful Thai tradition. People all over the country flock to the nearest body of water on the full moon night in November and float a krathong (a thin, circular piece of banana tree that is decorated with flowers, candles and sticks of incense) and make a wish. Watching hundreds, if not thousands, of creatively designed krathongs floating on the sewage-laden waterways, their little candles flickering under the moonlight, is indeed a lovely sight. But the hellish boom-boom-boom accompianment by youthful firecracker throwers always spoils the atmosphere. Thanks to annual crackdowns by city officials, the Loy Krathong decibel level isn’t as horrendous as it used to be, but once in while those loud explosions still rear their ugly heads. Even though Loy Krathong doesn't officially happen until Sunday, November 5, the firecracker brigade is already out in full force. It's a good thing I don't own a gun: I'd be tempted to retaliate with some boom-boom-boom of my own.

In addition to Thailand’s Loy Krathong festival (which is not an official holiday) you will find other regional festivals on this same full moon night. Over in Cambodia, they celebrate a water festival, but it’s not like the crazy water mayhem you find in April. This festival is highlighted by boat races on the river. In Phnom Penh this is an especially wild and rambunctious event. Sochiet promises to write about it on his blog, so check back next week. In Vientiane, Laos they are celebrating the annual That Luang festival. Lots of lights, fireworks, singing, dancing, and great Lao food. My friend Sengsoulixay wrote to say that he will be going to the festival with friends and family. This is one of those celebrations that everybody in town attends, which promises to make it a memorable night.

Thursday was one of the non-stop days; full of activity and chaos, and seemingly not enough time to do all the things that I needed to do or wanted to do. It started pleasantly enough when I ran into my friend Jane at the Au Bon Pain café in the Emporium. Jane (her real first name is Karanrat) used to be my assistant manager at Tower Records in Bangkok. She is a retail goddess, an all-star, a hall of famer, a superstar. Really, one of the best people that I’ve ever worked with. She is now manager of the CD Warehouse branch in the Emporium. Later that morning Richard from Texas dropped by, back in Thailand for his annual trip. In the afternoon Levi from LA, now living in Bangkok, stopped by to take advantage of the hardcover book sale we are having this month. Levi has some great tales of his days as a police officer in LA. Not surprisingly, he likes to read novels from the likes of Walter Mosley and Michael Connelly. In between interesting customers we were inundated with people selling or trading in books. From morning until late afternoon it never stopped. It was one of those rare days when I didn’t have time to read the newspaper, much less crack open a book or work on this blog. But the bright side of that coin is that we got some great books in stock and I learned more about burglars and fingerprinting.

09:56 PM PST Permalink |

Mother and Father Reunion

Right about now my parents should be in the air, rocketing their way from Florida to Thailand. I haven’t seen them in five years (when they last visited Thailand) so I’m pretty excited about our upcoming reunion and look forward to spending some quality time with them.

Yes, I’ve been the negligent son, staying put in Thailand and roaming around Southeast Asia the past six years instead of going home to visit my family. But during my last visit to Florida, in November of 2000, I was subjected to ballot recounts, hanging chads, raving Republicans, and the ugly reality of George W. Bush serving as US president. I feel guilty for not returning to visit my family since then, but at the same time I found myself increasingly alienated and annoyed by American politics and culture. Thus, the thought of returning to the so-called “land of the free and home of the brave” leaves me with a queasy feeling in my stomach.

I’ve been getting letters - E-mails, actually - from various friends in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, inviting my parents to come and visit while they are “in the area.” But, alas, my parents won’t have time for any such Southeast Asian excursions. After three days in Bangkok they are headed off with some of their friends on a group tour of China for two weeks. They’ll pass through Bangkok again for a couple of days before heading back to Florida, just in time for Thanksgiving.

Here is an excerpt from one e-mail that I got this week from Sengsoulixay Phoudavong, a friend in Vientiane:
“So, did your parents come to visit you yet? I hope that you and your parents will be fine and happy in their trip. I think you feel happy that your parents come to visit you now. For me now the weather in Vientiane is not rainy anymore, but it too hot, and there are many people at my house. Mainly my sister and her children. They came to visit me and my parents, and told about the painful that they face about cost of living. Now everything in Laos is more expensive than the past because the Lao government not control about price, especially rice. I saw their problem and it make tired, because most of my relatives, they are workers. I try to find the way to help them, but now I study, I’m not working yet. These problems that I want to let you know about the fact of Laos. Finally, I wish you and your parents have a good time and good trip in Thailand.”

Sengsoulixay, whose nickname is La, is currently studying at a university in Vientiane. A few years ago he earned a trip to Bangkok and Singapore after being named “Best English Student” at his school. He’s a good example of a kid that has studied hard to get ahead in life. He still faces a difficult road ahead, but I’m confident he will persevere. It always amazes me when native English language speakers can compose readable letters such as the one he wrote. Sochiet in Phnom Penh is another one that has good writing skills. Sure, they make grammatical and spelling errors, but the effort is nonetheless very impressive. To learn how to speak a foreign language with some degree of fluency is one thing, but to be able to read and write is another difficult matter entirely – especially when you are using a totally different alphabet. Take a look at some of the horrid e-mails that native English speakers send (think about how many times you see “your” and “you’re” used incorrectly) and you can appreciate how difficult it is for foreigners to write in English. I’ve learned to speak a bit of Burmese and Khmer, but reading and writing? Forget it! I haven’t even tried to cross that bridge yet.

Speaking of letters I got an e-mail this week from Tun Tun, one of the kids I know in Bagan. Tun Tun’s English speaking abilities are still pretty raw and I know he can’t write, so I’m sure someone else actually wrote and sent the e-mail. Nevertheless, it was great to hear from him and confirm that he and his friends received the photos that I sent last week via my friend Lyle Walter who is visiting Myanmar with her family. I have a feeling Lyle also helped to make this e-mail a reality but I’ll learn more about that when she returns to Bangkok later this week.

09:16 PM PDT Permalink |

Eat Your Vegetables!

Put away the barbecue grill and tear up those KFC coupons: the annual Gin Je vegetarian festival is being held this week in Thailand. That’s right, don’t you dare slither into a McDonald’s for a Quarter Pounder, or slip over to some fancy restaurant and order a grilled slab of steak. This week in Bangkok vegetables rule!

Hey, I admit to carnivorous cravings every once in a while, but I’m also a big fan of good veggies and I always look forward to this annual culinary treat. For most of the month local restaurants and food courts expand their regular menus to include a wide variety of creative vegetarian dishes. I was over at the Fortune Hotel’s restaurant on Monday night and sampled their nice spread of veggie delights. The next day I visited the Mall Bangkapi, where they had a massive gathering of vegetarian food vendors organized on the ground floor.

The Gin Je festival officially lasts ten days and due to its Chinese origins is celebrated the most fervently in Bangkok’s de facto Chinatown, the Yaowarat neigborhood. In addition to its vegetarian aspects, the festival also has strict religious rules. Besides refraining from eating meat and dairy products, participants cannot drink alcohol, gamble, use abusive language, or engage in sex during the festival period. Hey, it’s only ten days, you’ll live!

In honor of the Vegetarian Festival, or maybe just because we wanted a good meal, I took my friends Steve and Larry (who are visiting from Orlando) out to dinner at the famous Cabbages and Condoms Restaurant on Sukhumvit Soi 12 on Tuesday night. Some may call it “touristy” but the restaurant never fails to impress with excellent food, good service, and nice atmosphere. And those free after-dinner condoms are a nice touch, too.

Steve and Larry appear to be enjoying their first trip to Thailand. They started their Asian tour last week with stops in Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi. While in Bangkok they are taking in the usual menu of tourist attractions, including a trip to the floating market, and a ride in a tuk-tuk. They’ve also done the Skytrain, Subway, river boat and taxi. I decided they needed to complete the transportation tango by taking a motorcycle ride. So last night, during prime traffic gridlock time, we all hopped on motos and took them from the bookshop to the restaurant, weaving and rocking the entire route. The Florida boys will culminate their stay in our fair city with a shopping extravaganza on Friday. I think Larry has his eye on an elephant that he saw on the street, but getting the bulky beast squeezed into his suitcase may prove to be an impossible task.

05:22 AM PDT Permalink |

Photo Opportunities

I was trying to find a tuk-tuk on the streets of Bangkok. You would assume that’s an easy task, but after four days of scouring the Sukhumvit and the Petchburi Road vicinity I was shooting blanks. Where is one of those ugly things when you want one? But why was I looking for a tuk-tuk in the first place? Well, I didn’t need to take a ride anywhere, nor was I eager to take advantage of the other services (“No thank you, I am NOT interested in seeing any gem shops, and I do NOT want a ‘special’ massage”), that tuk-tuk drivers are able to provide. What I wanted, plain and simply, was to take a photo of one of those gaudy little vehicles. And the reason for that photo? I received an e-mail from Bob Morris earlier in the week and he had asked me to take a photo of his new book, Jamaica Me Dead, in front of a Bangkok landmark of some sort: glittering temple, sacred shrine, glittering transvestite, whatever. And I thought: what better symbol of Bangkok than a tuk-tuk?

By Saturday afternoon I still hadn’t found any tuk-tuks I was getting more than a bit frustrated. Earlier that day I had spotted one lone tuk-tuk, stuck in traffic almost directly in front of my bookshop. I rushed to get my camera, but by the time I got outside the traffic light had prematurely turned green and the tuk-tuk was lurching ahead fifty yards away, belching black smoke in its wake. But then, in an amazing stroke of fortune, something better came along: an elephant! That’s right, waddling down the sidewalk was a cute little pachyderm. Before snapping a few photos, I bought the obligatory bag of bananas from the elephant’s mahout. Usually the elephant will wave its trunk in front of your face and snatch the bananas from you and then thrust them in its mouth. But this little guy had a different idea. The elephant saw the bananas in my hand and walked toward me, opening its mouth real wide, as if to say: “Just stick ‘em in here, pal!” Meanwhile, I’m thinking: You want me to put my hand in there?! Well, I didn’t have much of a choice. The elephant was standing there with its mouth wide open, ready for a treat, and the mahout was looking mighty impatient. So, I went for it. I dropped the bananas in the drooling cavity of the elephant’s mouth, managing to withdraw my hand before it too was chewed up. And then I took the photos. I hope Bob appreciates the extra efforts I made on behalf of his book promotion!

I had dinner with my e-friend John Buckley on Thursday night. It was our first face-to-face meeting after exchanging several e-mails via an online travel forum. John and I ate at the always excellent Ton Krueng restaurant on Thonglor Soi 13. John was only in Bangkok for a few days, following a two-week tour of Malaysia and Borneo. As I write this, he is headed to Myanmar for about three weeks, and then back to his home in Colorado – where it’s snowing already! Hopefully the flooding in the Mandalay area has subsided and John won’t encounter any hurdles in seeing the sights. After Yangon, Bagan, and Mandalay, he will head towards the Inle Lake area to some trekking around Kalaw. He is also planning a visit to Ngapali Beach, a five-hour ride west of Yangon. I’ll be eager to hear how the rest of his trip goes, especially his idea to chew – and spit – some beetle nut!

During our dinner we talked about travel and the places we’ve both seen. One topic that came up in was the practice of people approaching when you are walking around a foreign city. Most of the time they are trying to sell you something, or offer their services as a tour guide, money changer, or massage procurer. They usually strike up a conversation, saying innocuous things like: “Hello, how are you? Where you come from?” But those opening lines always tend to lead to a proposal of some sort. After you get ambushed a few times by these sorts of characters you become annoyed, guarded, and a bit jaded. The tendency is to ignore the person that greeted you, shake you head, and keep walking. But sometimes these people aren’t trying to sell you anything. They really are being friendly and are genuinely interested in meeting foreigners. Maybe they want to practice their English, or even lend a helping hand if they think you are lost. John met one such man in Malaysia, a fellow that ended up being a helpful guide and a good companion. If he had just ignored this guy, he never would have gotten to know him or learned more about the country and its culture. John and I agreed that it’s sometimes worthwhile to give that person the benefit of the doubt and talk with them for a while. Worse comes to worse, you can always walk away.

There are tours and then there are food tours. Sounds like just my sort of trip! Robert at Globetrotting Gourmet.com is organizing another fascinating Asian food tour - and this one is going to one of my favorite countries, Myanmar. The tour starts in Yangon on December 29 and continues to Bagan, the Inle Lake region (including the Pindaya Caves), Pyin U Lwin, and Mandalay, before concluding the culinary and culture adventure in Yangon on January 13. All the trip details and more at:
www.globetrottinggourmet.com/go/tours/2006NewYears/index.htm

11:12 PM PDT Permalink |