Cops and Coroners

I’ve recently read two books by Colin Cotterill, both set in Vientiane, Laos during the 1970s. The protagonist of these quirky and charming mysteries is Dr. Siri Paiboun, a delightfully rebellious doctor in his 70s who is appointed (much to his own amazement) as the country’s head coroner. Vientiane has always been one of the sleepiest capital cities in the world, and it makes a unique and colorful setting for Cotterill’s novels. I just finished reading Thirty-Three Teeth and am looking forward to starting the third book in the series, Disco for the Departed. Looking at his website (www.colincotterill.com), it looks like there are --- or will be --- five books in the Siri series.

I got stopped by the cops this week. Nothing alarming, fortunately; we were on the way to Victory Monument when the motorcycle I was riding, as a passenger, was stopped by police on Rama 9 Road. As usual, we weren’t the only ones; this was one of those infamous Thai traffic stops where they search the locals for drugs and any other contraband that looks “funny.” My driver was asked to hand over his ID card and empty his pockets. The usual questions: what’s that? Where do you work? Where are you going? Upon seeing me, one cop confided to a fellow officer (speaking in Thai): “What do I do? I can’t speak English!” Despite his language handicap, I fully expected him to look through the bag I was carrying, but instead he patted my arm, smiled, and said “Thank You” in English, waving us on. One of those nice “only in Thailand” moments.

For a populace that loves to douse one another with water during the annual Songkran festival, Thais have an unusual aversion to getting wet throughout the rest of the year. You see this tendency anytime it rains: the locals scurry for cover, fearing the affects of the precipitation. Or a more likely reason; they don’t want their new Korean-style hairdos to get messed up. One nice consequence of this mass outdoor exodus is that the sidewalks become less cluttered with vendors and slow-strolling pedestrians, making it a pleasure for us wacky umbrella-armed foreigners to use the sidewalks for actual walking. “Look,” the Thais shriek, “another crazy farang is out walking in the rain!”

Thais may not like to walk in the rain, but they are quick to use rain as a convenient excuse for a variety of things. Late for work again? It’s because it was raining. Feeling sick today? Blame it on the rain. Caught in another traffic jam? It’s the rain’s fault, of course. Did poorly on your final exam? It’s probably due to that damn rain! Yet another politician forgot to pay his taxes? Why, it’s because of all that rain!

03:31 AM PDT Permalink |

Rainy nights … and flight booking weirdness

I was at home late on Tuesday night, reading a book, when I noticed the smell. I opened the window screen and leaned out take a heady sniff: rain was coming. For me, a rainstorm is one of life’s most intoxicating aromas. After indulging in a bit of rain-aromatherapy, I settled down to enjoy the rest of the deluge. The refreshing rains that night and last night have also helped coax down the steamy temperatures we’ve had to endure this month. More rain, please!

I paid a visit to a Bangkok dining institution last week; enjoying a dinner at the Thai Room on Patpong Soi 2. The Thai Room has been around for at least 30 years, dating back to those days when American GIs came to Bangkok for R&R during the Vietnam War. I had not visited the Thai Room in about five years. Actually, I had heard a rumor they had closed, but that wasn’t true. The restaurant is still there; but now it only occupies about half the space that it used to have. The new location won’t win any awards for décor --- and just what are those mysterious dark stains on the walls? --- but the food is still first rate. One out-of-the-ordinary menu item that the Thai Room boasts is Mexican food. That’s right; enchiladas, tacos, burritos, tamales and chili with beans. Besides their excellent Mexican and Thai dishes (the Tom Kha Gai is one of the best I’ve had), they also offer a variety of other international and western dishes. Truly something for everyone.

I got an e-mail last week from Air Asia announcing new baggage charges. What was odd about the announcement was the way it was phrased:
Introducing … Checked Baggage Handling Fee! Yes indeed, they used an exclamation point, trumpeting this announcement like it was marvelous news of some sort, instead of the irritating new policy that it actually is. Now, when booking a flight, they slap a 30 baht charge per checked bag on you. But if you show up at the airport with bags that weren’t already checked in their system, the charge is 50 baht per bag. I think this will only add to the number of passengers trying to lug bulky hand-carried bags onto the plane. Bad policy, Air Asia.

I experienced a further annoyance with booking a flight online with Air Asia recently. There seems to be no clear way to make an online reservation/purchase without having to pay for flight insurance. Once you’ve clicked through their booking process you realize that you’ve been saddled with flight insurance that you don’t want --- and there appears to be no way to undo the damage. By the time you’ve noticed the charge, your credit card has been processed and there is no turning back. I attempted to contact Air Asia but e-mail, but that’s a futile task in itself. All I received was a generic computer generated reply that said:

“As we receive an overwhelming number of emails daily, we are unable to attend to every enquiry.”

That’s hardly reassuring. And it’s certainly a lame excuse for customer service!

Another odd thing about booking online with Air Asia is trying to get an English language page to show up. The secret is to first select not the language you want but a country. That’s right, you can’t get an English language page unless you select Australia, and ONLY Australia. It doesn’t matter that I’m living in Thailand; I have to select Australia to get an English language menu. At least this solves yet another mystery: I always wondered what language those Aussies were speaking!

And now, our musical interlude. Here is this month’s listening list:
Counting Crows – Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
Cat Power – Jukebox
Midlake – Bamman and Silvercork
Various Artists – Bay Area Funk 2
Ben Folds Five – Whatever and Ever Amen (Expanded Edition)
Boney M- The Magic of
Nick Drake – Pink Moon
Various Artists – After Hours: Northern Soul Masters
Gary Louris – Vagabonds
Scott Miller & the Commonwealth – Thus Always to Tyrants
Nina Simone – My Baby Just Cares for Me
Glenn Mercer – Wheels in Motion
Bruce Springsteen – Live in Dublin
Mary Chapin Carpenter – Party Girl & Other Favorites
Robert Forster & Grant McClennan- Intermission: the Best of the Solo Recordings 1990-1997
Mark Knopfler – Shangri-la
Led Zeppelin – Mothership
Luna – Best Of
Tim Hardin – Hang on to a Dream: the Verve Recordings
True West – Hollywood Holiday Revisited
Mitch Easter – Dynamico
The Cardigans – Best of
Sloan – Never Hear the End of it
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Street Survivors (Expanded Edition)
Levon Helm – Dirt Farmer

10:05 PM PDT Permalink |

Beating the Heat

I couldn’t stand it any longer: on the last day of the Songkran water festival, when my bookshop was empty of customers, I changed into an old pair of shorts and a ratty t-shirt, and ran out into the street, armed with my own bucket (okay, it was a plastic pitcher) of water and briefly joined the fray, getting gloriously soaked in the process. In my own mad way, I felt cleansed and rejuvenated by the experience. But the simple communal act of participation was the best feeling.

Meanwhile, the heat wave continues. People keep asking: “Was it this hot last year?” I can’t confirm that, but it certainly feels a wee bit stickier and toastier this past month. Bring on the rains!

I popped into the Emporium branch of Kinokuniya on Wednesday and was delighted to find the new Lee Child book, Nothing to Lose, sitting there on the racks. In fact, I could only see one copy, so I snatched that baby off the shelf and quickly escorted it to the cash register. Less than 48 hours later I had finished reading the book, satisfied once again with another fascinating Jack Reacher tale. This one was particularly timely, offering a thought provoking scenario on what happens to wounded veterans who have fought in Iraq, as well as the fate of “mechanical casualties” such as tanks and other vehicles. In the world of crime fiction Child remains a “must read” author and there are few more interesting characters than Jack Reacher. Get that man a cup of coffee --- and make it a good one!

I’m back to doing my daily Burmese language study sessions. I alternate between reading phrasebooks and dictionaries, and listening to CDs and cassettes with lessons on them. One of the books I’ve picked up is an odd, but occasionally handy one called “Practical Myanmar.” It’s credited as being published by two companies: Myan Com Services, and Book Promotion & Service Ltd. This “revised edition” is dated 1997, but looking through some of the more arcane entries in the book makes me wonder is this thing was first written in the early 20th Century, during the days when Burma was being ruled by the British. Clearly, this book was designed for the sort of British expat resident who hires maids and drivers, rather than a tourist or someone who enjoys meeting and talking to locals (rather than giving orders and making demands!). Oddly, there are no chapters or sections devoted to Buddhism or talking to monks, yet there are sections on railway dining cars (do they even have such things in Myanmar any longer?) and making complaints. Some of my favorite useless phrases include:
“The chicken is hard as a chunk of wood”
“It began the day before yesterday by a shivering fit”
“I noticed the baby’s frock was quite smeared yesterday”
“You are a damn liar!”
“Swimming will improve your muscle tone”

Right, just the sort of “practical” phrases that will NOT win friends and influence people! But this book isn’t the only one guilty of bizarre, if not totally stupid, sentences. I have another course, “Burmese for Beginners” (by Paiboon Publishing; the same company that gave us “Thai for Beginners” and “Cambodian for Beginners”), that includes such gems as “My husband cuts his own hair” and “There are no camels in Myanmar.”

I swear; one of my goals in life is to produce a series of language courses that actually ARE useful for normal people and tourists who like to do things on their own.

08:50 PM PDT Permalink |

Festive Mood

I’m holed up in my bookshop again today, working alone, and watching and listening to the Songkran festivities outside. The construction crew from a building that’s being built on our block have all taken up position next to the traffic light, and every time it turns red, they run out and ambush any vehicles that have stopped. Good, clean, crazy fun.

While the Songkran water festival is loved by almost all Thais, it is equally loathed by most resident foreigners. I’m always struck by the intensity of the dislike that farang residents have for Songkran. Many of them despise the holiday and shudder at the thought of getting splashed --- or drenched --- with water. So, they observe the holiday by barricading themselves indoors for three entire days, not daring to venture out into the streets during daylight hours. Tourists are another breed altogether, and most of the ones that are here in April have come for the express purpose of participating in the festival, so they know what they’re getting into.

Personally, I love Songkran time, especially here in Bangkok. It’s one of those uniquely Thai festivals (well, not too unique; you’ll find similar water shenanigans in Laos, Myanmar, and to a lesser extent in Cambodia) that make the country so fun. And with a high percentage of the populace out of town for the holidays, Bangkok becomes a more pleasant, quieter, and less chaotic city, with none of those notorious traffic jams to contend with. But what I love most about Songkran is the pervasive good vibes. Walk down the streets and into shops (the few that haven’t closed for the holidays) and you see the locals in great spirits. The mood is festive and upbeat. Pickup trucks cruise by, filled with celebrants whooping and hollering. People are having fun, and as long as the water throwing isn’t vicious or over-the-top, I think it’s great.

Yesterday’s business at my shop was actually very good; steady all day long, so I wasn’t overwhelmed with trying to handle it all alone. The first day there weren’t many water throwers on our block, so customers could come and go without too much difficulty. Today, however, is a different story. People, most with smiles on their faces, tell of having to “run the gauntlet” to get past the overzealous construction folks on the corner. But people just deal with it, usually with good humor. Sometimes, when I look out the window and see a truck full of happy Songkran warriors stopped at the light, I sort of wish I was out there taking part and getting drenched along with them.

02:41 AM PDT Permalink |

Happy, Hopeful People

Some more photos today, mostly of the happy children I met in Myanmar. I’m sure they are all looking forward to the annual water festival this week. People will be partying in the streets and travelling back to their hometowns, much like what happens here in Thailand. Many businesses will close for the holiday, even some (but not all) of the popular teashops in Yangon and Mandalay.

But what about the future for the children of Myanmar? When these kids have finished school (and actually, even some of these youngsters are looking at their school days in the rear view mirror; many of them work to help earn money for their family) what are their job prospects? I talked to several kids during my travels, and also adults in their 20s and 30s, who are seriously thinking of trying to get jobs in Thailand and Malaysia. But doing that involves a job broker, a practice that is not without its risks, as evidenced by the tragic suffocation of several dozen Burmese workers in the back of a truck this week. They had apparently paid a broker to take them to Thailand to seek jobs.

I thought about the youth of Myanmar again today when I received an e-mail from Ni Ko, one of the kids I met in Yangon. Ni Ko apparently asked someone at an Internet Café to help him write this note:
“How are you? I am fine and attending school through your money that you offered me. How's everything with you? I kept two books that you gave me till today. I am looking forward to seeing you again.”
Ni Ko had expressed an interest in taking some English classes again so I assume that’s what he used the money for. Another tourist had paid for him to take some classes last year, but once the money ran out the classes stopped. If the kid looks like he’s sincere about studying, I may accompany him to the school next time and pay his tuition for a full year. He may not be able to attend regular school at this point, but I want to encourage any other subjects he is interested in studying.

I also go an e-mail yesterday from my friend Laurie Weed, who has been travelling in Myanmar this month (we actually arrived in Yangon on the same flight last month, and shared a taxi from the airport to our hotel; the May Shan) before going back to California (she also sandwiched in trips to Laos and England recently). Laurie reported that she ran into Ni Ko and the other postcard sellers on the street this week and they send their regards. Happy Water Festival Holiday to them all! I hope they keep those postcards and books dry this week!

03:43 AM PDT Permalink |

News of the Weird

It’s been an amusing week for news in Bangkok. Wan Yoobamrung, the controversial “reformed bad boy” son of controversial loudmouth politician Chalerm Yoobamrung, was all over local newspapers, pictured in his new role as “Mr. Happy Toilet.” Strange but true; as a spokesman for the Public Health Ministry, Wan gets to promote clean hygiene and other such matters. Surely, this is poetic justice for the former hell-raising rich kid. But one question remains unanswered: does Wan smoke on the toilet?

But that wasn’t the most outlandish story to make the headlines. The honors for that one go to Pavena Hongsakula --- a master at getting her name in print --- who held a press conference to warn local women about drinking coffee and orange juice that has been spiked with a “sex stimulant.” According to Pavena, this concoction “triggers an uncontrollable urge to have sex with the men who set out to take advantage of them.” Her source, a young woman named Bee, claimed that she drank one such cup of spiked coffee and “shortly afterward felt a surge of arousal and an instant desire for sex.” Just how absurd is this story? Man, this one is totally off the charts! I suppose Pavena didn’t have any sex slaves to rescue this week, so she resorted to this nutso “news story.” As a former cabinet member of the notorious Thai Rak Thai Party, Pavena has been banned from politics for five years. One wishes that ban would cover public appearances too.

In a possibly related development, news from Cambodia indicates that the government there is cracking down on the “happy pizza” phenomenon. In case you have never been to Cambodia, they have locally-operated pizza joints that specialize in offering “happy” style pizza. What makes the pizzas so happy is the special topping: marijuana. You want that pizza “double happy”? No problem! Or at least it used to be no problem. A police official claimed that they “are strengthening our monitoring throughout the country and its borders. Marijuana is no longer a problem in Cambodia.” Well, that’s comforting: now let’s address the issue of endemic poverty. Anyway, as for the pizzas, besides making one feel ecstatic, eating them apparently had other effects. Another police official claimed that he “saw people take their clothes off after eating this --- especially women. Some people laugh, some cry, and some just jump in the lake.” Just think: combine this happy pizza with Pavena’s mysterious coffee mix, and young women will be eagerly shedding their clothing, jumping into lakes, and having uncontrollable urges for wild sex.

09:56 PM PDT Permalink |

Time for a Festival

I’m too busy to write much today (bombarded with book arrivals at the shop this week!), so this post will consist mostly of photos that I took on my recent trip to Myanmar. Everyone is looking forward to the annual water festival, called Thingyan, that is being held this week and next. This year the holiday will last ten full days! One trend I notice during this hot and humid time of year is that the kids like to dye their hair in various shades of red and orange. Not sure what this has to do with the festival, or the time of year, but with school out of session, perhaps the kids feel like sporting new fashions. But I’ve also seen the dyed hair thing on older citizens, usually elderly Burmese-Indian fellows. I noticed several gents sporting salt and pepper beards --- that were further highlighted with streaks of orange. Wish I’d taken photos of that!

Playing an outdoor game of marbles in Mandalay.

Monks in New Bagan making their morning alms rounds down the main road.

Selling a popular pink-colored drink in downtown Yangon.

Young fruit vendors in Paleik.

Attempting to climb the giant roots of a riverside tree in Paleik.

Making sugar cane juice in Bagan.

Watching the snakes during bathing time in Paleik.

Flower vendor at Mt. Popa.

Postcard vendor in Yangon.

Some of the many ancient stupas in Paleik.

Street musician in Yangon, in front of the Yatha teashop.

More monkeys at Mt. Popa.

Zin Maung Maung poses for a photo in Old Bagan.

Tasty local snacks at a home in New Bagan.

Scenes from the festive kitchen of the Junior Duck restaurant in Yangon.

Enjoying the bumper cars at Happy World in Yangon.

Monks receiving alms in New Bagan.

Trying on the horse head in New Bagan.

Cooling off in one of the swimming pools at Happy World in Yangon.

11:24 PM PDT Permalink |

Mandalay Orphanage Visit

During my last trip to Mandalay I discovered the Myanmar Buddhist Orphanage Association (MBOA) during one of cycling excursions around town. MBOA is more than an organization; it’s an actual boys’ orphanage on 62nd Street, near the 30th Street intersection. When I was there last time they had about 160 boys, but the number has now risen to 187, mostly due to an influx of kids from the Naga tribe.

Orphanage Abbot U Sandimarr and Director U Ko Ko Gyi, along with their assistants, do an outstanding job of running the place and taking care of the kids. The biggest challenge, admits Ko Ko Gyi, is feeding them all. Members of the community occasionally show up with treats such as fruit, desserts, or ears of corn, but supplying the children with three meals each day drains the orphanages funds very quickly.

A had brought some sports equipment to give to the orphans last time, and it proved to be such a hit that I repeated that strategy, expect this time I tripled the amount of balls (soccer balls, cane balls for playing chinlon) and badminton sets that I bought. I also purchased some board games and dominoes sets to give them. Of course, with 187 boys in total, what I brought was grossly insufficient for everyone to share. But there were only so many bags I could carry; even when I let Myint Shin’s take my over in his trishaw instead of using my bike.

In addition to financial support, the orphanage needs clothing and shoes for the children, as well as clean sheets for the bunk beds in the dormitory. Check out the link for “Mandalay Projects” under the Favorites links on this page for more information about this and other area orphanages, as well as the very worthwhile Mingun Home for the Aged (they could use hypertension medicine, such as Amlodopine, for their elderly residents).

01:36 AM PDT Permalink |

Memorable Myanmar

Gaw Chan and his father are both horse cart drivers in Bagan. They are pictured here with their friend from the nearby town of Chauk, who came to assist with the training of a new horse for cart-driving duties. The business in New Bagan, where Gaw Chan lives, has fallen off dramatically since last September, yet he optimistically waits for more tourists to arrive later this year. In addition to English, Gaw Chan (he drives cart #158 and his brother Gaw Soe drives cart #43) is studying German. Dad has mostly retired as a driver but still helps to take care of the family’s horses.

Here are some of the local kids that hang out in front of the NK Betelnut Hotel in New Bagan. Due to the sharp decline in tourism the past six months, these souvenir-selling youngsters no longer earn much money, and can no longer help their families as much as they previously did. The other negative factor is that that for ones that were going to school (and not all of them do), they may not be able to afford to pay for new books and uniforms when the new term starts in June.

This is Myint Shin, my regular trishaw driver in Mandalay. He can usually be found at the trishaw stand on 27th Street, between 80th and 81st Streets. Not only he is a dependable driver, he can arrange other forms of transport (I had him arrange for a car to take a friend and I to Paleik), as well as showing you more of Mandalay’s other interesting sights. He is very proud of his two young daughters, both of whom are good students. He and his wife are hoping for a son to round out their family.

This is Niko, one of the kids who sell postcards to tourists in Yangon. You can usually find him on the stretch of Bogyoke Aung San Road between Bogyoke (Scott’s) Market and the Trader’s Hotel. I found Niko to be one of the brighter of the street sellers. But I told him that he should think of diversifying his product line; most tourists don’t want to buy the same old generic looking postcards. So, I went to a local bookshop and bought two cheap editions of “Burmese Folktales” and Shwe Yoe’s classic “The Burman” and gave them to Niko to sell. I told him how much the books had cost (and where to buy extra copies) and explained how he could sell these and other titles to tourists for profit. I led him through a role playing exercise and had him sell the books back to me. He caught on quickly. Like many of the street sellers, he has dropped out of school to earn money for his family. The proceeds from his sales go to help his mother and three younger siblings. He has no father.

Here are some children having fun on the water slides at Happy World, a popular amusement park in Yangon. With the horribly hot weather, taking a dip in the swimming pools was a great way to escape the heat. I took Niko and two of his friends there one afternoon. In addition to the pools they have a haunted house, rollercoaster, merry-go-round, bumper cars, and other rides.

This is a shot of Niko and his two friends (also postcard sellers) inside the silly little Haunted House at Happy World.

Some more happy, if somewhat goofy, children enjoying the swimming pools at Happy World in Yangon. I’ve been here five times over the past three years and I’ve never seen any other foreigners there --- other than foreign friends who have accompanied me. Needless to say, we become the center of attention; wall to wall smiles and giggles, along with shouts of “Hello” and “What’s your name?”

This is one of the old carvings at the “Stupa Garden” in Paleik. This small grove of ancient stupas and pagodas is located only a few hundred yards behind Paleik’s famous “Snake Pagoda,” where three Burmese Pythons are bathed and fed in front of tourists each morning. This stupa garden is a very atmospheric and serene place; you will most likely be the only ones wandering around if you visit. For some reason, most tourists that go to the main pagoda to see the snakes don’t even know that these stupas exist.

Some of the friendly young waiters at Aye Myit Tar, my favorite restaurant in Mandalay. The curries are a bit on the oily side, but they are very tasty and you get as much of the delicious side dishes (creamed corn, butter beans, tomato salad, gourd soup, green beans, etc.) as your stomach can handle. These boys are very diligent about bringing you more food and refilling up your glass with more water. The outstanding and entertaining (having a crew of five wait on a single table is delightfully nuts!) service that they provide makes the trip worthwhile even if you don’t eat much.

Just as Myint Shin and I were finishing up our meal at Aye Myit Tar one evening, a woman rushed into the restaurant yelling something. That caused everyone else in the restaurant (except for me; the sole befuddled foreigner) to panic. It turns out there was a fire on the street behind the restaurant. Fires are, unfortunately, frequent occurrences in Mandalay at this time of year. Just about a month ago a large shopping center in town was gutted by a big fire. Needless to say, we guzzled our beers, paid the bill, and fled the scene as the sound of fire trucks got louder.

This is Nine Nine (commonly known as “99), a teenager in New Bagan, posing with his new $10 “made in Mandalay” guitar. Like many kids in New Bagan, 99’s income has dropped sharply since the tourist decline. He is planning on working at a teashop until the start of the new school term in June. He is typical of the bright and personable children in the area who meet tourists: he can speak reasonably well in languages such as Spanish, Italian, German, French, and English.

This is a fortune-teller and palm reader in Paleik. He charges only 1,000 kyat (about $1) for a 20-minute reading. This one spoke only Burmese, so my friend Walter used an interpreter (our driver Hla Myo from Mandalay) to help explain what the fortune-teller was saying. If all proves accurate, Walter must be wary of a young, manipulate woman who plans to steal his heart (and his money); he should plan on moving to another country next year; and prospects for his business are good. I guess we should have told the fortune-teller that Walter is now retired!

I’m pictured here with Mi Aung in Bagan. She and her husband Ko Ko are the official greeters at Minyeingon, one of the more popular pagodas for tourists to visit if they want to see a sunset in Old Bagan. In addition to helping visitors up and down the steep, narrow, dark stairway, they sell souvenir items such as paintings and longyis. Mi Aung and Ko Ko are a gracious, friendly couple and will make you feel at home in “their pagoda.” They are the parents of a three-month old boy.

Here are Aung Aung and his buddy Tun Zaw Win, waiters at the fabulous Minthihar teashop in Mandalay. Minthihar has several branches in town, but this one, my favorite, is located at the corner of 28th and 72nd Streets. The teashop offers great tea and tasty food (a variety of rice and noodle dishes, and snacks such as paratha), and they have a handy menu in English. These two boys were especially friendly and helpful (correcting my Burmese language mistakes!) during my stay. They are typical of the young waiters at teashops, providing attentive service and asking their lots of curious questions. Whenever I would wheel up on my bike, dripping with sweat, Aung Aung had a glass of iced water in front of me just as soon as I was seated. Like most teashop waiters, they work long shifts (usually from 5 or 6 in the morning until late afternoon) and live at the teashop. They don’t go to school.

This is one of the many street stalls in Yangon that sell books or bind various printed publications. This one is located on an alley that runs parallel to Sule Paya Road. There are dozens of other outdoor booksellers around the Sule Pagoda area, particularly on the sidewalks of Pansodan Road and Mahabandoola Road. It seems that the citizens of Yangon, at least the older ones, are devoted book readers and don’t mind if the title is a dog-eared copy that was printed in the 1960s.

Dining with Zin Maung Maung and Tun Tun in New Bagan. Every time I come to town (New Bagan is more of a big village than anything) I’m invited to local people’s homes for snacks or full meals. These families are incredibly hospitable and generous. Besides cooking up genuinely delicious meals, they lavish me with presents and enrich me with priceless memories. I’m sometimes puzzled by who actually lives with whom: this is a true community where children and parents continuously come and go, dropping by the homes of their neighbors to share meals and conversation. The door is always open!

I broke down and did it: grabbing hold and posing with one of the big snakes in Paleik. For a small fee you can have your photo taken by the pagoda’s official photographer. This is the “unofficial” one that my friend Walter snapped. The snakes are bathed and fed each morning at 11:00. Paleik is about a 40-minute drive from the heart of Mandalay. You can also combine a visit here with a trip to the airport.

Nine Nine and Zin Maung Maung clown it up with cheap sunglasses at Mt. Popa, the extinct volcano near Bagan. Mt. Popa is home to a series of famous Nat (Burmese guardian spirits) shrines and draws thousands of visitors each day. Walter and I took a group of nine village children here one day while we were in Bagan.

Walter with some of the crew we took to Mt. Popa. One of the kids had just started his stint as a novice monk in Bagan the previous week, thus the robe and shaved head. These noviciation stints usually only last a week or two, and then it’s back to the “real” world again. They are pictured here at the top of Mt. Popa (more of a big hill, actually) where there are several shrines and stupas.

The kids enjoy the view from the top of Mt. Popa. The drive from Bagan takes about 75 minutes. We rented a van for the trip. Some of these kids had never ridden in a motor vehicle before (they are more used to bicycles and horse carts), but thankfully none of them got sick during the journey!

One of the many monkeys that call Mt. Popa their home. On the long walk to the top (thankfully, shaded from the sun), hundreds of these critters scamper all over the place, usually hoping to be fed a snack of some sort.

04:43 AM PDT Permalink |

I Love a Parade

Often times it’s those unplanned, unscripted moments that end up being some of my trip highlights. Such was the case when a temple festival paya pwe parade passed down the main street of New Bagan late one afternoon. Before I saw anything, I heard it; the raucous assembly of locals filing past my hotel. Musicians, comedians, dancers, young girls dressed up in their finest, a “prince” riding his horse; the event provided a pleasant and colorful respite from the oppressive afternoon heat and dust. Here are some shots from this typically festive slice of Burmese life.

07:22 PM PST Permalink |

Myanmar Hospitality

I returned yesterday from yet another trip to Myanmar, this one lasting nine very hot days. Anyone that reads this blog on a regular basis knows that Myanmar holds a special place in my heart and I love traveling there. I think, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it is THE most unique and interesting country in Asia. But, for me, going to Myanmar involves much more than sightseeing or visiting tourist attractions. I’ve been lucky enough to have met some wonderful individuals and families in various cities around the country, and each and every time I arrive they show me what kindness, generosity, hospitality, resilience, and patience are all about. These trips ground me, nourish me, inspire me, and help me to understand more about my own life and that of others. I feel like I absolutely NEED to visit this country as often as I do. In fact, I’ll start planning my next visit again soon.

I’ll post a few short travel reports next week, but frankly I didn’t really do all that much this trip. This was a people trip, and my main objective was to visit friends and help organize a project that will assist needy students in the Bagan area. My main activities this time were visiting friends in Bagan, walking the streets of Yangon, cycling the streets of Mandalay, and making multiple visits to teashops and restaurants.

To start things off, here are some photos of the very special people of Myanmar.

04:32 AM PST Permalink |

Hot and Hotter

A British man, obviously a first-time tourist, wandered into the store yesterday morning and asked: “Is it always this hot?” Well, I told the guy, it gets hotter. For sure, the heat has kicked in the past ten days, but in the words of those famous philosophers Bachman-Turner Overdrive: you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Just wait until April when the asphalt heats up and starts bubbling!

I was playing a CD in the store yesterday and a woman asked: “Is that Nick Drake!?” Yes indeed. She told me that she had been looking all over Bangkok for some Nick Drake CDs but had not found any. I purchased the Fruit Tree boxed set earlier this year at the Music One branch in Major Ekkamai, but I told her that I’ve also seen copies of the new boxed set (3 CDs and a DVD) plus some single albums at the Gram store in Siam Paragon.

I found a paperback copy (jumbo size, of course) of the latest Armistead Maupin book, Michael Tolliver Lives, at Asia Books in the Emporium this week. I’ve been scanning the shelves for the past six months, wondering if this novel would make it to Bangkok or not. I was a big fan of Maupin’s “Tales of the City” series back in the 1980s, and this new novel reprised the case (or most of them) from those wonderful books. The only downside to reading the excellent new installment of Maupin’s tales is that is was over and done with so quickly: it only took me a scant two days to finish the thin book. But it was wonderful running into so many familiar characters again. Maupin isn’t one to put out books every year (unlike the factory-like James Patterson), so I don’t except any more “Tales” novels, if any, for several more years.

I’m a big political junkie and have been eagerly following the American presidential campaign this year. Among the many things that Barack Obama had to say this week, this little nugget stuck out:

"I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible."

Sorry, Barack, but that’s just not true, and it only perpetuates this nonsense that America is the world’s only bastion of liberty and the pursuit of happiness. For certain, mixed race individuals have it tough in every country on this planet, and in some nations they have to overcome enormous hurdles in attempting to become accepted members of the mainstream community. But it IS possible, and not only in America. Comments like Obama’s make me wonder if it’s also possible that he is just another typical politician spewing inane rhetoric; maybe not as pathetic as Bush’s infamously stupid “they hate us because we’re free … they hate our freedoms” comment, but still pretty lame. Obama looks good and sounds good, but will he be the great leader that people are hoping for?

Obama was praised in many quarters last week for his eloquent defense of his friendship and relationship with the controversial Reverend Jeremiah Wright, a man he calls his “chief spiritual advisor.” Okay, it’s admirable that Obama didn’t throw his pal to the wolves just to ease the political heat, but I remain very concerned about Obama’s own righteous religious streak. I don’t trust politicians in most cases, and when they start espousing strong religious beliefs I become doubly dubious. As someone who despises organized religion --- of all kinds --- and the people who adhere to such rigid doctrines, I would love to see the emergence of an American presidential candidate who is not beholden to religious groups, or one who doesn’t seek advice from so-called spiritual advisors or “higher powers.” Why can’t some intelligent politician come out and declare: “I don’t believe that superstitious crap and neither should you.” Now that would be refreshing!

Barbara Ehrenreich had a few enlightening comments to make on her website this week about Hillary Clinton’s own religious affliction:

You can find all about it in a widely under-read article in the September 2007 issue of Mother Jones, in which Kathryn Joyce and Jeff Sharlet reported that "through all of her years in Washington, Clinton has been an active participant in conservative Bible study and prayer circles that are part of a secretive Capitol Hill group known as the "Fellowship," aka the Family. But it won't be a secret much longer. Jeff Sharlet's shocking exposé, The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power will be published in May.

What is it about American politicians that make them so compelled to use their faith as a selling point? Sam Harris, the author of the best-selling The End of Faith, wrote about this religious wrinkle in a brilliant online opinion piece this week. This is what he had to say about Obama’s support of his preacher pal:

“He did not say that the mess he is in has as much to do with religion as with racism--and, indeed, religion is the reason why our political discourse in this country is so scandalously stupid … Why couldn't Obama just cut his ties to his church and move on? … Well, among other inexpediencies, this might have put his faith in Jesus in question … Few suspicions could be more damaging in American politics today. The stultifying effect of religion is everywhere to be seen in the 2008 Presidential campaign. The faith of the candidates has been a constant concern in the Republican contest, of course---where John McCain, lacking the expected aura of born-again bamboozlement, has been struggling to entice some proper religious maniacs to his cause. Like every candidate, Obama must appeal to millions of voters who believe that without religion, most of us would spend our days raping and killing our neighbors and stealing their pornography. Examples of well-behaved and comparatively atheistic societies like Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark--which surpass us in terrestrial virtues like education, health, public generosity, per capita aid to the developing world, and low rates of violent crime and infant mortality---are of no interest to our electorate whatsoever … Can we care for one another without believing that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and is now listening to our thoughts? Yes we can… Religion unites, motivates, and consoles beleaguered people not with knowledge, but with superstition and false promises. Surely there is a better way to bring people together in the 21st century … Despite all that he does not and cannot say, Obama's candidacy is genuinely thrilling: his heart is clearly in the right place; he is an order of magnitude more intelligent than the current occupant of the Oval Office; and he still stands a decent chance of becoming the next President of the United States. His election in November really would be a triumph of hope. But Obama's candidacy is also depressing, for it demonstrates that even a person of the greatest candor and eloquence must still claim to believe the unbelievable in order to have a political career in this country. We may be ready for the audacity of hope. Will we ever be ready for the audacity of reason?”

Amen to that!

04:27 AM PST Permalink |

No Depression

After experiencing a surge in annoying customers recently, it’s been like the proverbial “breath of fresh air” to talk to nice and appreciative people again. There was one grateful gentleman this week, an American working in Japan, who praised my bookshop, and suggested that I open one in Japan. He bemoaned the lack of English language bookshops in big cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto. I’ve heard this complaint from other expats living in Japan, as well as those working in China. Makes you appreciate Bangkok all the more, knowing there are shops like mine, or large chain stores such as Kinokuniya and Asia Books who stock a good variety of English language books.

This week we had a surge in Russian books. We bought a variety of paperbacks, including Russian translations of novels by writers such as Stephen King, Robert Ludlum, Sidney Sheldon, and even P.G. Wodehouse!

I was delighted to get a copy of the new Barry Eisler novel, Requiem for an Assassin (yes, it’s another John Rain “thriller”) in the mail this week from Albert Wen (the head guru here at Thins Asian). I plowed through that rascal in two days, not minding the sleep I lost when I stayed up to finish it on Tuesday night. Another addictively brilliant addition to the John Rain series: both violent and thought provoking.

As a customer, it’s always sad when a favorite restaurant or business that I used to patronize closes. The same holds true for beloved newspapers or magazines. No Depression, a popular --- and influential --- music magazine (one that focuses on sounds that have been dubbed “Alt-Country” or “Americana”) since the mid-90s is going out of business. Here's a portion of the letter that they sent out to subscribers:

Dear Friends: Barring the intercession of unknown angels, you hold in your hands the next-to-the-last edition of No Depression we will publish. It is difficult even to type those words, so please know that we have not come lightly to this decision.

In the thirteen years since we began plotting and publishing No Depression, we have taken pride not only in the quality of the work we were able to offer our readers, but in the way we insisted upon doing business. We have never inflated our numbers; we have always paid our bills (and, especially, our freelancers) on time. And we have always tried our best to tell the truth.

The simple answer is that advertising revenue in this issue is 64% of what it was for our March- April issue just two years ago. We expect that number to continue to decline. The longer answer involves not simply the well-documented and industry-wide reduction in print advertising, but the precipitous fall of the music industry. On the other hand, because we're a niche title we are dependent upon advertisers who have a specific reason to reach our audience. That is: record labels. We, like many of our friends and competitors, are dependent upon advertising from the community we serve. That community is, as they say, in transition. In this evolving downloadable world, what a record label is and does is all up to question. What is irrefutable is that their advertising budgets are drastically reduced, for reasons we well understand.

The decline of brick and mortar music retail means we have fewer newsstands on which to sell our magazine, and small labels have fewer venues that might embrace and hand-sell their music. Paper manufacturers have consolidated and begun closing mills to cut production; we've been told to expect three price increases in 2008. Last year there was a shift in postal regulations, written by and for big publishers, which shifted costs down to smaller publishers whose economies of scale are unable to take advantage of advanced sorting techniques.

Then there's the economy...The cumulative toll of those forces makes it increasingly difficult for all small magazines to survive. Whatever the potentials of the web, it cannot be good for our democracy to see independent voices further marginalized. But that's what's happening. The big money on the web is being made, not surprisingly, primarily by big businesses.

What makes this especially painful and particularly frustrating is that our readership has not significantly declined … and we have taken great pride in being one of the last bastions of the long-form article, despite the received wisdom throughout publishing that shorter is better. Thank you all. It has been our great joy to serve you.

Being a veteran of the retail music business and also a freelance writer for various music magazines in Florida many years ago (including my own fanzine, Dogfood, in which I interviewed the likes of REM, Echo & the Bunnymen, Split Enz, Ultravox, Squeeze, the Ramones, and a young Irish band called U2), this sort of news makes me very sad indeed. I realize that, in this digital age, such trends are inevitable, but that doesn’t make it any less depressing.

02:13 AM PST Permalink |

Oddballs and Ends

The invasion of the weird customers continues. I don’t know what’s going on this week, but are definitely seeing some odd behavior. We were treated to a two-for-one freak special on Monday morning; two young women who came in within five minutes of one another, plopped down at separate tables, and immersed themselves in books. And both walked out an hour later without buying anything; books or liquid refreshments. One of the women took her time meticulously perusing several guidebooks and taking notes, while munching on a bag of chips she had pulled out of her bag.

Later that day we were treated to a very odd fellow who was trying to sell his own book. This guy, reeking of tobacco, launched into a spiel about how his books are “very popular all over the world” and he’s just published a book about tattoos, would we like to carry it. I told the guy, sorry, but we are a secondhand bookshop and we are not interested in stocking new books right now. Well, this guy gets all flustered and says, “Well, if you don’t want to even look at it, that’s the last time I’ll deal with you!” … and promptly marched out of the store. No doubt hurrying off to light another cigarette. I can only hope that’s the last time we’ll have to deal with that oddball. Tattoo this, dude!

Later that evening, a young Thai woman wandered in the shop, ordered an orange juice, and then sat down at the counter in front of the window. She proceeded to loudly slurp her orange juice, examine her shoes, and stare at the window. Bored with that routine, she examined her cell phone for whatever mesmerizing images or messages that it contained. After about twenty minutes, it was obvious what she had been doing; waiting for her boyfriend to meet her!

Is their a People Exterminator I can call to rid my store of these human pests? Actually, it’s not that bad a problem. Most customers are polite, appreciative, friendly, and charming. But once in a while you get the other side of the coin; the pushy, rude, demanding people who feel they are entitled to do whatever they want, without the slightest attempt at politeness. And they stick out like the festering sores that they are.

Then, there was another incident just this morning, but not at my bookshop. I was leaving the Emporium branch o Bangkok Bank, about to exit through one of the doors, when this Thai man decides he’s going to slip in through the door past me --- even though I hadn’t yet exited --- and even though there is an adjacent door he could pull open (if had the strength to do so). This guy looked like the type that spends dedicated time in front of a mirror each morning, fussing over his hairstyle. Whatever his hair fixation, he looked terribly offended when I rammed my briefcase into his ribs as he attempted to squeeze through the door.

A new publication from the Bangkok Post, mylife (how pathetically cute; lower caps and no space between the words!) will debut on Thursday. From the blurb I read, they are attempting to tap into the self-indulgent “me/my/mine” generation market. Here is their explanation of what it’s all about:

“…the bright tabloid liftout will focus on family, health, education and careers, money and the home --- to help our readers improve and enjoy their lifestyle … we’ll help you turn your home into a harmonious sanctuary with the latest design and décor trends.”

Ah, how trendy. Yes, it’s all about “me” these days, isn’t it? My Mail, My Photos, My Yahoo, My blah blah blah. With all this emphasis on the self, I fear we are becoming a world of greedy, selfish individuals who don’t know how to share or care for others.

05:00 AM PST Permalink |

Crazy Sunday

It’s been one of those steady, busy Sundays at the store: lot sof people coming in to sell us books (the flow has barely slowed since yesterday morning; what’s going on?), and others coming to, thankfully, buy some paperbacks, too. But the day has also had its sharing of annoyances: dealing with a lunatic Christian (now there’s an oxymoron for you!) lady who was selling her books --- and commenting on each and every title, as well as detailing her church visit earlier in the day; and putting up with groups of hanger-outers, one of whom who commandeered a table for several hours just to chat. Buy some books? That was apparently not on their agenda. The culprits in this case, and in almost all cases, were young twenty-something backpacker types. Just passing through town … hopefully. Another woman sat at the front counter for over three hours, nursing a single bottle of water, and reading what appeared to be single pages torn from a paperback. She didn’t buy anything either.

Prices for various goods are getting more expensive in Bangkok this year. Items we use on a regular basis, such as coffee beans, sugar, cocoa powder, and milk have all gone up in price. As a result, we have had to raise our own prices on coffee concoctions such as cappuccino, latte, and mocha. Prices for food at other places that I frequently frequent, such as Black Canyon and Au Bon Pain, have also gone up in the past month. At least my apartment rent hasn’t gone up … yet.

I’m still seeing lots of elephants wandering around the city lately; most noticeably on Ekkamai, Thonglor, New Petchburi Road, and Sukhumvit. I understand the feelings of those who get angry about seeing elephants in such a dangerous, unhealthy urban environment, but I have to admit I get a kick out of seeing the great beasts trudging up and down the streets. Odd things like that are what make Bangkok so unique. Nevertheless, city living is certainly not good for the elephants, but unless the police seriously crack down on this practice, the mahouts will continue to bring the animals into the city.

I went to see the animated film Persepolis last week when my friend Nancy was in town. It was showing at the House Rama theatre on Royal City Avenue (RCA). An odd location for a cinema, but we eventually found the correct theatre. The film is based on the popular book (Graphic Novel) by Marjane Satrapi. It’s a memoir, really, of her life in Iran, and later in Vienna and Paris. The film is funny, sad, brutal, and beautiful. Well worth seeing.

05:04 AM PST Permalink |