Futons, Books, & Deadly Karaoke

This week marked the last appearance of our in-store futon. After installing a new bookcase at my shop back in January, one of the rows had become a bit too tight for comfortable browsing. The best option was to move a table and get rid of the futon. The futon didn’t belong to us anyway; it was a demonstration model provided by Bangkok Futon (see the link to their website on this page). Since it was such a comfortable piece of furniture, many customers used it for long reading sessions and even naps. But in my eyes the first offenders were the foreigners, usually young backpacking tourists, who would rest their dirty bare feet on the futon during their loitering sessions. These clueless youngsters seem to have no idea of what is culturally appropriate or not. Don’t put your feet there, you idiots! Meanwhile, if you want a quality futon for sleeping or sitting, check out Bangkok Futon’s site.

Like most voracious readers, once I have read all the books in a favorite author’s oeuvre, I either have to patiently wait for their next novel to be published or find another writer that I might like. I’m a big mystery/crime fiction buff, and at this point I’ve read everything from the likes of Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, George Pelecanos, John Sandford, Donald Westlake, Lawrence Block, Jonathan Kellerman, Elmore Leonard, Ed McBain, John D. MacDonald, and Raymond Chandler, … and those are just a few of the ones I can think of right now. In the past month I’ve struck gold by discovering three good new mystery authors, at least new ones for me: Sean Doolitle, Brian Wiprud, and Michael Marshall. Wiprud is the funniest, if not wackiest, of the bunch, straddling the line between Bill Fitzhugh and Carl Hiaasen. Doolittle’s books caught my eye because they were praised by both George Pelecanos and Robert Crais, two of my favorite crime fiction authors. Marshall’s books are the most intense and riveting of the bunch, and probably the best written. Characters such as the Straw Men and the Upright Man are diabolical fiends that make appearances in several of Marshall’s novels. The only unpleasant thing was finding one of Marshall’s novels that I thought I hadn’t read yet, only discovering that is was the same as a UK-published title I had already read. Why do book publishers do this? It’s bad enough when the change the book cover for different markets, or different editions, but changing the actual title should not be allowed!

More absurd tales from the political cesspool, this one from yesterday’s Bangkok Post:
Meanwhile Interior Minister Chalerm Yubamrung indicated yesterday that he would use his “charisma” to convince drug producers along the borders to stop their illicit businesses and turn to legal crops. He is confident that drug producers would want to clean up their act and switch to legal businesses. “It they want to stop selling drugs, I will encourage them to lease land along the border and take up farming. They can hire workers who used to produce drugs to be farm hands. If they can earn about 3,900 baht (about US$120) a month they should leave the evil career,” Mr. Chalerm said.
How preposterous is that idea? Someone is going to give up a lucrative drug business in exchange for the paltry monthly wage suggested by Chalerm? I don’t think so.

Proof that karaoke is dangerous to your health: In Songhla this week a man shot dead a doctor and seven of her friends (one of whom was his brother-in-law) because he wanted to “silence their noisy karaoke parties.” The karaoke fests were apparently regular events at the doctor’s pad, and disturbed her gun-toting neighbor’s sleep. The suspect, Weenus Chukamnerd, had, on previous occasions, verbally warned his neighbors, and had even fired warning shots in an attempt to squelch the noise, but to no avail. “I told them if I couldn’t talk sense into them, I’d come back in three days to finish them off,” recalled Weenus. And he did.

07:21 PM PST Permalink |

Wheels and Bars

The Isan Food Festival, organized by Robert Carmack from Asian Food Tours and the Globetrotting Gourmet, is just around the corner. This promised to be a definite culinary happening, so if you are a foodie, and are in Thailand, make plans to attend. It will be held in Khon Kaen from March 7-16. For more information, go to:
http://www.globetrottinggourmet.com/isan/index.htm

I witnessed a somewhat historic moment, at least by local standards, at my regular motorcycle taxi stand this week. For the first time ever they had a female motorcycle driver! And it was my luck to get her as my driver on Tuesday. I think she was more nervous than I was, judging by her very slow and methodical approach to driving. But hey, I’ll take that approach over some reckless and speed-crazed youngster.

Having the woman driver reminded me of one of the other moto-ladies (for some reason, very few women are hired to drive motorcycles, taxis, or buses in Bangkok) that I used to use frequently. This lady, whose nickname was Dee, worked on the Thonburi side of the river, where I was teaching at the Santa Cruz Sueksa School (I had to teach/babysit sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students) at the time. In those days, before the BTS Skytrain was in operation, I had to use a variety of transportation to get to the school. Starting at my apartment on New Petchburi Road, I would walk to the boat pier at Klong Saen Saeb and take a water taxi to Pratunam. From that point I would take a bus to Siam Square, stop for a coffee at Mister Donut, and then board a second bus to take me to the River City pier, near the Sheraton Royal Orchid Hotel. From there I would take the one-baht ferry across the river to Thonburi. It was there that I would hop on Dee’s motorcycle for the five-minute ride to the school.

I also thought about Thai schools this week for an entirely different reason. I read an online article about a gay student at a junior high school in the US who was killed by a fellow classmate. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Lawrence King, an eighth grader who identified as gay and wore makeup and nail polish, was 15 when he was declared brain dead on Feb. 13. The day before, he had been shot in the head in an Oxnard, Calif., classroom full of students. Police have charged Brandon McInerney, 14, with first-degree murder and with a hate crime. According to the Los Angeles Time, McInerney and some other boys accosted King about his sexuality on Feb. 11. Students apparently often taunted King, who didn't even have a safe home to return to after school: he was living in a shelter for abused and troubled children.

Such incidents, thankfully, are rare, but they highlight the dramatic differences between America and Asian countries such as Thailand. Despite it being deemed politically incorrect, gay bashing remains a relatively accepted practice back in the “home of the brave.” By contrast, here in Thailand, it’s quite common to see very “out” teenagers at public schools and colleges. Sure they get teased a bit, but it’s nothing remotely akin to the cruel taunts and harassment that gay youth in American schools face. In Thailand, tolerance and acceptance are more than norm than condemnation and rage. Thank Buddha for that!

And that brings me to another article that appeared online and in newspapers around the world this week; one detailing the rate of imprisonment for people in the USA. An astonishing one percent of the American population is now behind bars, making it the world’s leading jailer … by far. This study by the Pew Center said that the fifty US states “spent more than $49 billion on corrections last year, up from less than $11 billion 20 years earlier. The rate of increase for prison costs was six times greater than for higher education spending.” Man, that’s staggering. Combine these statistics with others that I’ve read that maintain that violent crime in the US is declining, and what are we left to think is happening? Obviously, building and maintaining prisons has become big business, but so has the legal process of arresting and prosecuting so many people. I’d venture to say that there are too many laws in the USA, and people are being jailed for relatively non-violent minor crimes. Land of the free? You got to be kidding me.

10:26 PM PST Permalink |

Going to the Movies

After not seeing a single film in over a year, I’ve gone berserk and gone to three movies in the past week. Not surprisingly, it’s that time of year when Bangkok finally gets to see many of the films that were nominated for various Academy awards. The first movie I attended, Charlie Wilson’s War, was not one of those nominated for an award, but it was still an interesting, thought-provoking flick. The other two I saw, Atonement and No Country for Old Men, were both nominated for best picture, and both had been adapted from best-selling novels (neither of which, I’m ashamed to admit, I have yet read). I enjoyed both films, but didn’t coming away from either one thinking; “Wow, what a great movie.” No Country for Old Men was the most entertaining of the ones that I saw … and also the most disturbing. In my opinion, the blood and violence throughout the film was more than over-the-top; more detrimental than necessary. But many of the characters in the film were riveting, particularly the creepy dude played by Javier Bardem. Man, if I saw that guy coming down the street, I would flee the scene quickly!

It’s estimated that Bangkok is populated by over ten million people. That’s a dizzying mix of characters any way you look at it. Every morning on the way to work I’m treated to a delightful slice of that mix: the gentle fellow selling corn (sliced from the cob) on the street … the sweet lady who sells bananas (kluay kaek), fried in a tasty batter … the old woman that buys treats for the homeless dogs on Ekkamai … the hard-working workers that are out early each morning repairing the sidewalks on Ekkamai … the flirtatious orange juice lady who has a kind word to say … the polite fruit vendor who wheels his cart past my store each morning. Thinking about all of these common, everyday people makes me appreciate living in Bangkok.

Speaking of juice, listen to how most Thais pronounce that word. They have this odd habit of pronouncing “juice” as a two, or sometimes three, syllable word. It ends up sounding like “jew-ees.” That’s only one of many English language words that get butchered. But, to be fair, the way most foreigners pronounce Thai words is far more painful.

Every week the results of various locally-conducted opinion polls are published in the Thai newspapers. Invariably, either the questions, or the responses, are ludicrous. Here’s one I saw this week in the Bangkok Post, in which respondents were asked about new Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej’s new TV program, and what its focus should be:
“Of 1,976 people recently surveyed by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, 29.9% wanted Mr. Samak to say how his government would address economic problems. The pollsters said 71.7% of those who watched his program rated it as good, while 28.3% said it was so-so. A large number, 45.2%, did not watch his program because they did not know what time it was on.”

04:24 AM PST Permalink |

Barbecued Politicians and other Delights

Thai politics just keeps getting creepier and creepier. Ah yes, a new government is now in place, accompanied by the usual battery of blatant lies, shameless corruption and deception, and more “monitoring” of the media. If I had to pick a theme song that accurately describes the current government, it would be the Fun Boy Three hit from the early 1980s: “The Lunatics Have Taken over the Asylum.”

One of my favorite customers at my bookshop is the irrepressible Heng Thung, a semi-retired geologist and specialist in analyzing aerial photographs. Heng now resides in Bangkok with his wife, but has lived in many countries around the world during his career, the details of which can be found in his first book: The Pigeons and the Witch Doctor. His new book, In the Shadow of a Volcano: the Adventures of Growing up in Java, details his memories of growing up in what used to be known as the Dutch East Indies. Available only at Dasa Book Café in Bangkok!

Thailand has a new, and stricter, anti-smoking law that affects all public businesses and offices, including restaurants and bars. The big question, of course, is: will it be enforced? One test of the new law was my visit to The Roadhouse Grill (on the corner of Rama IV Road and Suriwong) last week. I like this restaurant, but was always annoyed by the fact that they didn’t have a no-smoking section downstairs. Invariably, I’d be in the middle of a meal and somehow nicotine addict at an adjacent table would light up and pollute the atmosphere. I suppose, by calling themselves a BAR and grill, they didn’t have to adhere to the usual restaurant no-smoking laws. No, however, it they can’t escape obeying the ordinance. Last Saturday night I didn’t notice any smokers. But what I found particularly odd was the scene at one table: seven Thai men sitting together and none of them were drinking alcoholic beverages. How weird is that?! My guess: it must have been a church group, or perhaps a group of city officials checking to see if local establishments were sticking to the no-smoking ban.

On the subject of other vices, no alcohol will be sold on Thursday in observance of Makha Bucha Day, a Buddhist holiday. If bars stay open, they’ll have to stick to serving soft drinks, or “disguise” their offerings in creative ways. Hey, this is Thailand. Such things have been known to occur.

Here is my pick for “Quote of the Week”. Barbara Ehrenreich, writing in a New York Times article, had this to say about Hillary Clinton’s chances of slowing down the momentum of Barack Obama’s campaign:
“She might as well be promoting choral singing in the face of Beatlemania.”

What am I listening to this month? Here are the CDs that are receiving the most spins at my place lately; delighting my soul and annoying the neighbors:
Neil Young – Chrome Dreams II
Bettye Lavette – Take Another Little Piece of my Heart
Josh Ritter – The Historical Conquests of
Ali Farke Toure – Radio Mali
Gwen Guthrie – Ultimate Collection
Emmylou Harris – Duets
Stereophonics – Language Sex Violence Other
Jackson 5 – Gold
Powderfinger – Fingerprints: Best of 1994-2000
Steve Earle – Washington Square Serenade
Rod Stewart – Handbags & Gladrags
Teddy Thompson – Upfront and Down Low
Ian Hunter – Shrunken Heads
Crosby, Stills & Nash – Carry On
Future Clouds & Radar - Future Clouds & Radar
Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left
Joan Armatrading – Into the Blues
Kane Welch Kaplin - Kane Welch Kaplin
Blue Magic – Soulful Spell: Best of
Jon Auer – Songs for the Year of our Demise
Tom Jans – The Eyes of an Only Child
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings – Dap-Dippin’ with
Solomon Burke – Nashville
Ray Charles – Live
Tears for Fears – Saturnine Martial & Lunatic

08:09 PM PST Permalink |

Connecting People

I usually take long walks on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings; the lone two days I don’t have to work the morning shift at my store. I’ve been trying to vary my route lately and this past Tuesday I veered off New Petchburi Road, down Soi Soonvijai, headed towards Bangkok Hospital. As I was walking by a group of motorcycle taxi drivers on one corner, I heard this whoop of recognition. I turned around and noticed one familiar face grinning back at me: a driver that I had not seen in nearly a full decade! When I lived at the nearby Maharaj Court, from 1996-98, he was the regular driver for my friend Michael. Those were the days before the Skytrain and I used to take a boat to work to avoid the hellish traffic jams. Later, when I moved down the road on New Petchburi, I would often see this motorcycle guy at another stand outside the Charn Issara 2 building. With his bandana and boots, he always had a bit of a cowboy look to him; I could easily imagine on a horse instead of a motorcycle. Anyway, I was delighted to see him again. He’s one of the many truly friendly and honest fellows who provide dependable and convenient transportation around this crazy traffic-infested city.

The run of slacker customers is continuing; we had two young men, Chinese from the sound of their conversation, in the store last week, sharing one Coke and reading what looked like textbooks for three hours plus. At one point one of the youngsters rested his bare feet on a chair … until I went over and pulled the chair out front under him. “Sorry,” I told the cretin, “these chairs are for customers to sit on.” The little weasel didn’t look too pleased to have his makeshift footstool taken away from him, but I wasn’t pleased at having vagrants like him hanging out in my store. Later, his buddy stepped outside to smoke … and came back in exhaling those noxious fumes. Urrgghh!!!

Before meeting a friend for dinner on Thursday night, I dashed into Gram in Siam Paragon to pick up three CDs I’d seen earlier in the week: an oddball assortment of Led Zeppelin, Johnny Mathis, and Velvet Underground. Actually, the total was six CDs; they were all double-disc “Best Of” packages, selling for only 399 baht each. I tell you, that is the way to fight piracy; offer “value for money” CD packages like that. At the store, working behind the counter was Ratree, who had been working the previous month at the CD Warehouse branch in the Emporium. She also worked for me at the Tower Records in the Mall Bangkapi way back in 1996. CD Warehouse, as you may have heard, will be closing all of its branches in Bangkok soon. They swear that this is their last month, but that’s what they said back in December. They still have a lot of shlock discs to unload, so there is no telling when they’ll actually shut their doors, but the end does appear near.

It’s been an active week for e-mails from Myanmar. My friend Margaux sent me her latest trip update. Besides a very cold trip to the mountaintop boulder known as Golden Rock, she hooked up with my trishaw-driving buddy Myint Shin in Mandalay and seemed to be having a terrific time seeing the sights and meeting people. I had given Margaux some hypertension medicine that a nurse at the Mingun Home for the Aged had requested. She diligently delivered the package to nurse Thwe Thwe Aye and reported:
“The visit to Mingun also was highly emotional! The nurse could not believe I brought those medicines for her. She must have thanked me about 50 times at least and gave me a few giant hugs! I added a small donation of mine and she was simply in heaven. What a beautiful soul this woman is.”

While in Mingun she also delivered some photos to Mr. Pancake, the man who runs a Computer and English language school near the village. A thank you note from Mr. Pancake was among those in my inbox this week. I also got an e-mail from young Mr. 99, one of the postcard sellers I know in New Bagan. Here is an excerpt from his note:
“I am Nine Nine. Do you remember me. How are you and your family? May I know when will you come back to Bagan. According the condition of our business I have no chance to stay in Bagan. Because I have to go another town to work something. This year very few tourist in Bagan. So that our business is going to the ground. This year I stopped my school. Maybe next year I will attend school again. If we have chance we want to see you again. Peace of mind to you.”

This kid is one of the brightest and most personable of the ones that I’ve met in New Bagan, and it saddens me that he has to stop going to school. From his e-mail it wasn’t clear when 99 would be leaving Bagan, or if he had gone already. I contacted my friend Thuya in Yangon, who has family in New Bagan, and within 24 hours they had tracked down 99 and reported that he was still in town. I asked Thuya to relay the message that I would get some money to 99 before the end of March. I have a friend going over at that time and he can deliver the funds. But the more I think about it, I may try and move up my trip (planned for June) and go with him next month. It will have to be a quickie trip, about 8 days, but I feel that I need to do it.

07:01 PM PST Permalink |

Rambo-fications

If you haven’t heard, there is a new Sylvester Stallone Rambo movie that’s just been released. I may be one of the few people on the planet that has never seen either a “Rocky” or “Rambo” film, and after reading about this new flick, it’s guaranteed that my streak will continue. What bothers me most about this new movie is the plot: Rambo “saves” a group of Christian aid workers (missionaries) that have been kidnapped by a Burmese Army infantry unit. Combine that with lots of blood and violence and you have a thoroughly ridiculous film that attempts to deliver a “message.” From interviews that I’ve read, Stallone seems to think that this film will inspire some sort of revolution. Here are some of Ram-bozo’s comments:

"Burma is one giant hell-hole, and yet nobody knows about it. It is near Vietnam, and that would make sense for the character (Rambo). The synergy was perfect” … “If they think this movie is a fantasy, I welcome the opportunity to let me come over there and walk around the country without armed guards following me every inch of the way” … “Let me take a tour of your country without someone pointing a gun at my head and we’ll show you where all the bodies are buried” … “I appealed to the board not to water down my movie. I wanted the violence to be uncomfortable. I wanted it to be miserable. I wanted it to be horrifying. I didn't want violence-lite. I want people to feel the violence because that is what's really happening in Burma. Believe me, it's even worse than what we depict.”

It’s distorted comments like this that mislead the public into thinking that it’s dangerous to travel to Burma, or that the entire country is embroiled in civil war, or that visitors will have armed guards following them around. That’s total rubbish. For anyone that’s actually been to Myanmar recently --- and not to some refugee camp on the border --- they can see that conditions in the country are not remotely that horrific. But a Hollywood film like this is only going to reinforce such negative perceptions and dissuade more tourists from visiting. Wrong message.

On a more positive Burmese note, my friend Margaux is now touring Myanmar for the first time and is loving the experience. She sent me a note earlier this week, reporting that “every second is magic.” What Margaux is seeing and experiencing is typical of the positive reports that most travelers give the country. All of which goes against negative media reports that make people think that traveling there is dangerous, or that the locals are living in fear and afraid to talk to Westerners. Absolute nonsense. As long as you are not a nosey journalist or myopic movie star, locals will be happy to talk with you. I had given Margaux some photos and presents to take to people in Yangon and Mandalay She wrote that she had given out the first batch already and the waiters at one teashop had been thrilled with the surprise gifts.

In an article this week in the Bangkok Post, titled “Call for Strict monitoring of ‘love nests’ for youngsters,” Jiraphan Pimpan, the chairman of the Auytthaya city provincial cultural council, urged police and related agencies to “step up checks at motels” which allow minors to rent rooms, presumably for purposes other than sleeping. Jiraphan’s council also identified other local locations that are used for “promiscuous behavior,” including public parks and a sports stadium. In her infinite wisdom, Jiraphan stated that “The sale of condoms at grocery stores also encourages sex among youngsters.” It sounds like she’d be right at home along with the conservative religious nuts back in the USA.

05:07 AM PST Permalink |

New Year’s Cacophony

One reason I went to Cambodia last week, as opposed to this week, was because I wanted to avoid the Chinese New Year madness. Even though Cambodia is obviously not part of China, like the rest of Southeast Asia, it experiences a surge in tourism during this travel period. It’s also more expensive to travel around the country at this time: provincial taxi and bus fares are increased for some bizarre reason. When I had my bookshop in Siem Reap, the period preceding, and during, Chinese Year was always very busy. Both natives of countries that celebrate the holiday, and expats working in those countries, flee the domestic chaos and visit other countries in the region. I see the same pattern here in Bangkok: many tourists from Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan can be seen around town. But with the weather turmoil this year in China, I imagine the numbers might be less. The only thing I hate about this festive period here in Bangkok (and you can bet all the shopping centers and restaurants are having specials of some sort) is the preponderance of firecrackers being exploded. Yes, it’s time for overt displays of idiotic behavior, combined with deafening noise. My neighborhood was awash with crackling and popping all morning long today. If I didn’t have to work I’d stay inside all week.

Before I left Cambodia last week I gave my kids had enough money for the next several months. I want to make sure that they are able to stay in school, and help the rest of their family (there are twelve children altogether, but only five live with the mother right now). More English language classes and computer training are also in the works, but where they are living now (south of Phnom Penh in Kandal province), there aren’t any such schools in proximity to their house. The boys want to move back to Siem Reap for several reasons. Of course, most of their friends are there, but in Siem Reap, they say, the teachers are better, the cost of living is cheaper, and it’s safer. They tell me that there are too many thieves and glue sniffers in their current neighborhood.

During my Siem Reap stay I visited Maung Maung, the owner of the Mandalay Inn. This was the first time I’d met Maung Maung, or been to his hotel, but we have a mutual friend, one who urged me to drop by and visit. Maung Maung has been living in Siem Reap for seven years, and running the hotel (and adjacent Burmese restaurant) for six years. I enjoyed talking to Maung Maung, but wish I had had more time to stay and sample the food in his restaurant. Right about now, I wouldn’t mind a good hearty bowl of ohno kauk swe, a delicious Burmese noodle dish.

This week I’ve suffering from PTLD: Post-trip Language Disorder. This affliction strikes just after I’ve crossed borders. My brain can’t seem to grasp that I’ve left one country and entered another, so that when I try to speak, I invariably utter the right phrase, but in the wrong language. The confused looks by Thais when I ask, or answer, a question in Khmer remind me that I’ve just screwed up again. I did it again today, speaking Khmer to a Thai friend on the phone. Hopefully, in another day or two, my language abilities will return to something resembling normal. At least until I start brushing up on my Burmese phrases.

05:41 AM PST Permalink |

Dazed in Siem Reap

I had not been to Siem Reap since November of 2006, and it’s been closer to two years since I ventured over to the Old Market (Psah Chas) area where my old bookshop was located. Whoa!!! As I had heard from many people, things have changed greatly in recent years. More buildings and renovations … and more traffic and dust. Walking around the area was overwhelming, and a bit annoying. Crossing the street is an adventure, more so than ever; you never know which way --- or which side of the road --- the vehicles are going to go. Cambodian traffic makes that in Thailand seem organized and efficient by comparison. After an hour of wandering around it was obvious: Siem Reap is not the small, quaint town that I used to know. Along with all this construction and “progress” there seems to be an element of greed in the air too. It’s always sad when a small town loses its charm.

Once again I stayed at the lovely Peace of Angkor Villas, run by Dave and Colleen, and their well-trained staff (especially Saam and Daen). Dave and Colleen also graciously let me book a room for my kids (the four brothers) that I brought from Phnom Penh. Due to the current hysteria about child exploitation and sex tourism (some people see a tourist walking around with Khmer children and automatically become suspicious of your motives), many hotels won’t let underage Cambodian children stay at the same hotels with foreigners. It’s not like they are sleeping with me or any such nonsense; that ain’t gonna happen. But they have to stay somewhere, and they seemed to get a kick out of having their own hotel room. We worked it out so that they got a big deluxe room with three beds, and I got a smaller (and more affordable) single room. That worked out perfectly: they could hang out in their room and watch WWE wresting programs and listen to the cheap radio they had bought, while I rested or read my books.

Nevertheless, young Bo or Channo would occasionally knock on my door and ask if I wanted to go outside and play a game of saey, which I was more than happy to do. I thoroughly enjoy the company of these kids and they seem to think I’m a good guy too. We’re a very compatible bunch. They truly feel like family to me and I’ve vowed to do anything I can to help them with their education, and simply just continue being their friend. I can dole out money each time I see them, but going places together and sharing good times are what is most important.

My friends Rong, So Peng Thai, Tra, and Sophea all dropped by the hotel to visit, and we went out to lunch or dinner together each day. On three occasions we went to my favorite local eatery, the Hawaii Pizza House for breakfast or dinner. Despite the name, they serve a variety of excellent western and Khmer dishes. I’ve been a patron of this family-run restaurant for eight years, following them as they moved to four (or is it now five) different locals in the Wat Bo Road vicinity. It’s always nice to return and see the same familiar, smiling faces --- and the good food!

So Peng Thai couldn’t join us for any of the meals because he was busy handling some tour groups that were in town. One of those “last minute” obligations that invariably comes up. Thai is now a licensed Angkor guide and he’s always out and about, taking groups around Angkor or to local restaurants. He’s good at his job --- he speaks English well and has an engaging personality --- so his services are frequently requested. Thai is saving his money lately for a very important reason; he plans to get married in May. It should be a big event and I plan to be there.

Sophea is still working at the Le Meridian Hotel in Siem Reap, and has started her own silk design company. She’s another one that has worked very hard, using her personality and excellent English language skills to succeed. She has her products for sale at local hotels such as Le Meridian and La Noria. While I was in town she had set up an outdoor booth at the Apsara Terrace of the famous Angkor Grande Hotel as part of a seasonal promotion they are having. She was helped by some friends and her young niece, whom I hadn’t seen in about three years. Man, these kids are growing up quickly!

My kids love to swim; put them in a pool of water and they are in heaven. So, I took them on outings to West Baray (the huge ancient reservoir just west of the airport in Siem Reap) and to the Phnom Penh Water Park. At the park in Phnom Penh the kids spent a solid hour going up and down the big, twisting water slide. No stopping, no resting, just up and down repeatedly. I got tired just watching them do it. Between the slide and the wave pool, they got their quota of water fun for the month.

Another outing in Siem Reap was to the Cambodian Cultural Village. Rong and Tra accompanied me and the boys. I had never been to CCV, and neither had Rong, even though he lives in Siem Reap (and still works at the airport). The Village has a haunted house (good silly fun) and several exhibits of Cambodian “culture,” including shows such as traditional dancing and a Cambodian wedding ceremony. If we had stayed later in the afternoon, or in the evening, we would have seen additional performances too. We had lunch as West Baray, feasting on grilled chicken and fish. This area was where I first met Tra, almost 8 years ago, during my infamous “lost passport” episode. Back then Tra was a tiny little kid selling postcards to tourists. Now he is 22, and working as a taxi driver in and around Siem Reap. But work is sporadic and he is looking for something more permanent.

Back in Phnom Penh, on my final full day in Cambodia, I spent some time walking around town while the kids went back home (they live in Kandal province near the city) with the school clothes and other items I had bought them. Naturally, I can’t resist going into used bookshops, and I ended up buying a Robert Wilson novel in the D’s Books branch on Street 240. Walking back along the riverfront I ran into (or rather, walked around), a very large elephant. While taking photos of the creature, a man walked up and addressed me by name. I didn’t recognize him, until he told me that he was a friend of Mr. Dee, and used to sell newspapers along the riverfront. All of these newspaper and shoeshine kids that used to (or continue to) hand out along the riverfront have grown up in the past decade that I don’t recognize many of them anymore.

09:58 PM PST Permalink |

Cambodian Returns

I returned from Cambodia yesterday; an early morning flight from Phnom Penh to Bangkok, and straight to work later that morning. My first impression upon being back in Bangkok: how clean and refreshing it seems. Really. Cambodia --- whether I’m in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap --- has this constant curtain of dust and grime that sticks to you. Combine that with the pervasive poverty and lingering aura of the Khmer Rouge years (sad to say, but the damage that the KR did to the country, and the successive one-government reign, remains a thorn in the psyche of the populace) I always feel like I need to take multiple showers to cleanse myself.

Despite the occasional weird vibe that I always find in Cambodia, I had a great trip. My Cambodian friends are very special to me; ones that remain very close to my heart. I arrived in Phnom Penh in the morning, met my kids (four brothers from the Tri family) at the Dara Reang Sey Hotel, had an early lunch (or late breakfast; whatever eating at 10:00 is called), and then took a car to Siem Reap. As usual, three of the four boys experienced car sickness on the way, but we fixed that on the trip back, giving them some pills to fix the problem.

It was also nice to see Reang Say and Dara, the two personable sisters who run the hotel. Their father, a very sweet and humble man, was in town this time, too. He’s been supervising the construction of the family’s new hotel in Siem Reap and I missed him the last two trips. The hotel, located just east of the Psah Leu market on Highway 6 in Siem Reap, will open later this year.

While I was having a beer in Dara Reang Sey’s restaurant one evening, I ran into the legendary Andy Brouwer (see his “Cambodia Tales” website for extensive info and articles about the country). Andy moved to Phnom Penh last summer and has been working for Hanuman Travel, and also editing the Cambodia edition of To Asia with Love for Things Asian Press. We commiserated about deadlines and other publishing traumas, and promised to get together next time I’m Cambodia for a proper meal, and perhaps a game of saey (the Cambodian game where you kick around what is sometimes called a shuttlecock). I played with the kids while I was in Siem Reap, the first time I’ve played in over two years. It’s a fun little game, but I’m far from a proficient player. Nevertheless, it was good exercise and helped me work off those evening beers!

More photos and trip stories to follow in a few days. Right now, I’m busy trying to re-arrange the books upstairs in my store. A new bookshelf arrived last week, which will help give us more room for various Non-Fiction books, as well as non-English language sections such as German, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, and Russian.

09:29 PM PST Permalink |

Politics in the Mail

I’ve lived in Southeast Asia for almost 12 full years now, but I still like to hear news from home (or rather, my former home; that being Orlando, Florida). And I’m still an avid follower of American sports (well, Baseball and Basketball, and to a less extent golf) and politics. With the US elections coming up later this year, I’ve been reading as much as I can about the candidates and the primaries that are being held. I’m a registered Democrat and mostly liberal in my views. I’ve never voted for a Republican candidate for anything except maybe a local (city or county) office. But even when it comes to national elections, I often get just as disgusted with the Democratic candidate and end up voting for an independent one.

I went to the trouble of placing an overseas vote in 2004. Or, at least I tried to. The process was/is so convoluted that I was never sure if my ballot made it back to Florida. First, I had to request that a ballot be sent to me (or download a form online) and then mail it back to my original voting precinct in Florida. Naturally, you have to depend upon both the Thai and US postal systems to ensure safe delivery of the letter. But I keep wondering: why can’t the process be simpler? For example, what I can’t I go to the US Embassy in Bangkok, show my passport, and vote? But you can’t. I could go on and on about the screwed up nature of voting in the US. Tales of “hanging chads” and different types of voting systems/machines used in different counties and states should be all the evidence you need that the USA is another country that needs teams of international observers at election time.

It looks like it’s coming down to a two-person race in the Democratic field --- Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton --- although I don’t think you can count out John Edwards just out. In my mind, he’s still the most electable of the bunch, at least in terms of defeating a Republican candidate. Call me skeptical, but I just don’t think Obama (who I like a lot) or Clinton could defeat John McCain in a national election. I’d love to think that American has “progressed” to the point where they could elect a woman or a black man (or African-American, if you prefer) as president, but I’m not that optimistic.

04:22 AM PST Permalink |

Barefoot and Wired

I found the ad pictured above while surfing the Canby Publications website (an excellent site for information about Cambodia: www.canbypublications.com ). In preparation for my trip next week I was checking out the site's listings, trying to catch up on what is going on in Siem Reap nowadays. I haven’t been there since 2006 and I anticipate there will be many changes in the constantly growing town. This particular ad is for the Blue Pumpkin, a very good café with delicious pastries. At least it was good when I lived there earlier this decade. From the looks of the ad, Blue Pumpkin has been inspired by Starbucks. If nothing else, the graphic in the ad depicts my nightmare scenario: barefoot young tourists, toting laptops and hanging out for hours at a time. Stick iPods and a few tattoos on them and the stereotype is complete. That’s just another reason I don’t have wi-fi in my bookshop; I don’t want freeloaders like that hanging out for several hours and hogging our precious seating space. I’m no MBA, but that’s not my idea of a good “business model.” But then again, if they are able to charge outrageous prices for their coffee, ala Starbucks, and have enough space --- and patience --- to accommodate hordes of laptoppers, perhaps they’ll thrive.

In the case of wi-fi, iPods, cell phones, e-mail, and other new technology you can think of; it all overwhelms me quickly. I have to stop and think: how many hours per day do I spend/waste checking and replying to e-mail and surfing various websites? When I walk down the street, or am waiting in the Skytrain or Subway stations, I now see nothing but a sea of people who are wired: under the spell of their iPod, texting away on their cell phone, or inanely chatting to someone on their hands-free phone. In the words of the immortal Marvin Gaye: “It makes me wanna holler!”

In case you missed it, the big “news” this week in Thailand was the furious reaction by a group of Thai Airways flight attendants to a new Thai TV series. The prime time TV show, Songkram Nang Fah (Air Hostess War), was criticized by Somsak Srinual, president of the airline’s labor union, claiming that the show “tarnishes the image of flight attendants and is immoral.” The show, from reports I read, depicts flight attendants "engaging in fisticuffs" and slapping each other a lot. Why? The ladies are trying to win the heart of a “dashing” pilot (presumably one who is not a transvestite). Somsak had this to say: “I’d like to ask (the show’s producers) if the series will improve society or benefit viewers. It introduces violence just to improve the series’ ratings.” Somsak also said that he plans to protest to the Culture Ministry (those guardians of Thai Culture and Morality!), hoping the ministry will “order the removal of scenes of infidelity” from the show. The in-flight manager for Thai Airways, Pichitra Taveerat, faulted the show for the “inappropriate” uniforms worn by the actresses, saying that “the skirts were too short and the attendants showed too much cleavage.” The following day, the show’s producers agreed not to show fighting between flight attendants and edit some of the “steamy scenes,” but maintained that the uniforms worn on the show “were not any shorter than those worn by real-life Thai air hostesses during flights.”

08:21 PM PST Permalink |

In Memory of Rick Rozelle

Rick Rozelle, one of my best friends, died over the weekend. Needless to say, I’m greatly saddened by his passing. I’m going to miss his companionship, intelligence, humor, and kindness.

I met Rick back in 1995, on a Northwest Airways flight from Los Angeles to Bangkok. At the time, he was living in Houston and I was living in Orlando. We both ended up moving to Bangkok the following year: I made the move in March and he crossed the ocean in May. We remained good friends over the years, taking occasional trips to various places around Thailand, as well as to Laos and Cambodia. Rick was one of the few people who shopped at my bookshops in both Siem Reap and Bangkok. Another thing I’ll miss about Rick is trading book tips with him. We were always turning each other on to new authors we had discovered.

In June of 2005 he suffered severe head injuries and was hospitalized in Bangkok for the most of the following year. He never fully recovered, and it was never clear if he remembered his friends when we visited him in the hospital. Later, after arrangements were made, he was transferred to a series of facilities back in his home state of Texas. The only consolation to his passing is that he was with his family at the time. Rick, you will be missed by many!

08:32 PM PST Permalink |

Checking in with Friends

I’ll be heading back to Cambodia at the end of this month, but just for four days. After flying into Phnom Penh I’ll be spending two or three days in Siem Reap, a town I haven’t visited since late 2006. I’m looking forward to seeing my friends there (Sophea, Rong, Thai, Tra), staying at the always superb Peace of Angkor Villas, and dining at favorite local restaurants (Khmer Kitchen, Hawaii Pizza House). I might even have time for a half-day at Angkor, a place I’ve toured dozens of times, but one I never get bored of visiting. And I’m not just talking about Angkor Wat itself, but the entire complex of temples in the area. I think it’s one of the most magical places on earth.

I wouldn’t have minded going straight to Siem Reap, but that would have meant either taking the tiring road trip (and dealing with border hassles in Poipet) or taking the expensive flight (Bangkok Airways has the monopoly on that route from Bangkok, and it’s priced accordingly). So, I’ll take the cheap Air Asia flight to Phnom Penh, meet my “Gang of Four” (the brothers I know that live on the outskirts of Phnom Penh: Huot, Han, Channo, Bo), and take them along for the ride to Siem Reap (and hoping they don’t puke the entire way; three of the four usually get car sick). In the past week, everyone has checked in via phone calls, e-mails, and even text messages, so they all know I’m coming. I’m looking forward to seeing them all again.

I experienced what was akin to a living nightmare this week: walking down Soi Nana. This is probably the closest thing Bangkok has to a human zoo. No, I wasn’t going go-go barhopping; a friend of mine lives in a condo halfway down Soi Nana, and since I’m a vehicle-less fellow, I walked to her place. In doing so, I had to pass the bewildering blur of bars, massage joints, bunches of scary looking tourists, and scores of painted ladies. Needless to say, there were no church groups from Iowa in the mix (unless they were backstage at one of the go-go bars).

I’ve added some links to my list of “Favorites” on this page. One of them is “Crawling from America,” a blog from Charles Martin, an ex-Orlando friend who recently moved to Canada. His observations about the differences in living in the two countries are very illuminating. In one of his recent posts he also mentions Brian Maguire, an Orlando resident who is now hospitalized after a pretty bad motorcycle accident. I have fond memories of Brian; he’s one of those good guys that always has a smile on his face and never a bad word to say about anyone. And he’s a good drummer, too. Brian has been a member of several Orlando bands over the years. He scored bonus points on my scorecard one year when he gave me an advance tape of a new Reivers album (a fantastic band from Austin, Texas that recorded several fabulous but sorely underrated albums in the late 80s and early 90s). Their Translate Slowly album (originally released by Atlanta’s DB Records when the band was called Zeitgeist) is an absolute classic in my opinion. Meanwhile, here’s hoping that Brian has a complete recovery from his accident and is back behind his drum set again soon. www.thereivers.net

Reina Collins, another friend and ex-Orlando resident has a new album out: Austin to Boston. Reina and I grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same high school, although two years apart. But she fled “the city beautiful” long before I did, moving first to St. Petersburg, and then on to Boston, and eventually way out west, to Idaho. Reina is now based in Portland, Oregon, where she performs regularly in area clubs. I may be biased, but I think Reina’s albums are great. Her melodic voice is strong and striking, able to effortlessly sing a variety of material, blending together bits of country, rock, blues, and folk. She calls herself a “roots rockin’ songstress” and that’s a pretty apt description of her style. The new album highlights Reina’s original material, along with heartfelt covers of songs by Joni Mitchell, World Party, and Richard Thompson. Excellent stuff! See the link on this page for her website.

07:25 PM PST Permalink |

Elephant Rock

Besides the deluge of tourists in town, I have noticed a lot more elephants wandering around the streets Bangkok lately, too. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen more elephants in the 12 years I’ve lived here. They seem to be everywhere. But unlike some of the poorly dressed foreign visitors, the elephants are well groomed, well behaved, and don’t pester local merchants for discounts.

Now that most of my book editing work is finished I’ve had more time this past month to read books instead of edit them. One book I’ve almost finished is Passion is a Fashion: the Real Story of the Clash by Pat Gilbert. It’s a fascinating window into the colorful personalities who comprised one of the best rock/punk bands of the late 70s and early 80s. Of particular interest to me was one of the later chapters that touched on the Clash’s tour of Thailand in 1982. According to one member of the band’s entourage, when bassist Paul Simonon fell ill and had to be hospitalized briefly in Bangkok, guitarist/vocalist Joe Strummer invited some monks he had met earlier that week to come to the hospital room and “bless” Paul. While they were in Bangkok, the Clash wandered down to the railroad tracks near their hotel (somewhere in the Makkasan area on Petchburi Road, I’m told) and a photograph from that session ended up being the cover of their popular Combat Rock album, released later that year.

Here are some of the other books that I recently finished, or am in the middle of reading. It seems like a bunch at first glance, but then I remember that growing stack of books at home, and I realize that it's nothing compared to what I need to read. Generally, I have three, or more, books going at the same time: one at work, one at home, and one tucked away in my shoulder bag.

Richard Russo – Bridge of Sighs
Ed McBain – Hark!
Les Standiford – Havana Run
Lorna Landvik – Your Oasis on Flame Lake
Anne Tyler – Digging to America
Ian Rankin – Exit Music
Karen Connelly – The Lizard Cage
F. Tennyson Jesse – The Lacquer Lady
James Hamilton-Paterson – Playing with Water
Leslie Milne – Shans at Home
Cristina Garcia - Dreaming in Cuban
Tom Sharpe - The Throwback

08:30 PM PST Permalink |

Politics and Chic Lit

Meanwhile, back in the city … Bangkok remains as wonderful and chaotic as ever. Daily traffic jams, and daily delights on the streets and in shops, bars, restaurants, and drugstores. You never know who you're going to run into ... or over. Which is a reminder to watch out where you're walking; those motorcycles on the sidewalk will flatten your ass if you aren't looking.

They held national elections in Thailand while I was away and predictably, and disappointingly, the PP Party (People's Power or Pathetic Pranksters?) was the winner. If there is any justice left in this country, they will be disqualified before they are able to take office. This group of goons might make the Thaksin regime look lovable by comparison.

Business continues to be brisk lately: the number of tourists passing through town seems higher than in recent years. Thankfully, most of the tourists are spending money, but as I noted in a post last month, we still get a few slacker backpacker types who are content to drop by and persue our books (usually guidebooks) for an hour or two (or three or four hours, in the case of some diehard loiterers) without buying anything more than a bottle of water or a coffee. It wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t monopolizing a table the entire time.

While I was in Myanmar, my business partner Kiwi related this incident that happened in the store one day: a lady and her husband came in, browsed the shelves, and put some books on the counter, intending to buy them. The woman went upstairs to browse some more, but came down a minutes later, clearly upset. She said that the section labeled "ROMANCE/CHIC LIT" was an insult to woman. She said that it made it seem like women were not intellectual. So she refused to buy the books and left the shop. The husband just smiled as he trailed her out the door. As I’ve said in the past, I clearly don’t believe in that crap that the “customer is always right.” If someone is offended by something in my store, I’m not going to bend over and beg them to stay. Obviously, there more than a few nutcases out there, and this was one good example. It’s not like we invented the term “chic lit.” I don’t think the term “chic lit” degrades women or categorizes someone as “not intellectual” just because they like to read something fun and romantic once in a while. Next thing you know, someone will come in and complain that we’ve got Stephen King book in the Horror section, or that Al Franken is in Humor. Lighten up, folks, they are only labels.

02:18 AM PST Permalink |