Night market...

Three hundred sixty five days a year a street near the guesthouse closes to traffic at 3:30pm. A crew of muscled, young Thai men move in to set up a night market on the four blocks that are closed. First comes a framework of steel pipes, then plywood for a table top, metal mesh on which to hang things, and electrical wiring for the lighting and fans. Over this tarps are stretched to provide a covering for all the displays. Next they haul out huge metal lockers that store the merchandise for the sellers and place them next to the correct stall. Each stall is about 6 feet wide. Their work is done until after midnight when they tear it all down and store it for the next day. I once made the mistake of trying to walk on the street during set up and had to jump out of the way of a fork lift to escape being run over.
When the set up is complete the sellers move in to display their merchandise. They string lights, hang fans and put out the merchandise that was stored in the metal lockers. They sell watches(including Rolex of course), jewelry, silk, other fabric, clothing, belts, purses, luggage, keepsakes, souvenirs, etc. As people walk by they say "have a look".
At midnight it's about over and things are stored again for the next day. Someday I may stay up late enough to watch the tear down, but, then again I may not.

When the swallows come home to roost.

The Bangkok Christian Guesthouse is about two blocks from Silom Road which in one of Bkk's major streets. Some trees remain from the wooded area that it once was. It is the traditional roosting area for Bkk's large population of swallows. During the day the swallows disperse throughout the city chasing the insects on which they live.
Sun sets about 6pm year around and about 7pm the swallows come home to roost. However, they do not fly directly to their chosen tree but swoop and fly around for about an half hour. With thousands of swallows swooping overhead you can guess why many of the women walking on the sidewalk choose to hold their purse on their head. By the time the swallows settle in for the night the sidewalk is splashed white. In the morning the swallows fly off for the day and the street washers go to work.
Think Bkk's dirty? The streets and sidewalks are washed every morning!

Funny fruit.

Western foreigners in Thailand (like me) are called farang which they pronounce falang. Guava fruit is quite popular here. It has a crunchy texture and a taste that's like a cross between an apple (which Thai call apple) and a green pear. They call guava farang (falang). So they think it is funny when they see a falang(westerner) eating a falang(guava)

In a Thai grocery store.

In a good sized Thai grocery store the bread shelves are no more than six feet long, they sell eggs in plastic bags and the largest peanut butter jar is about 5oz. There is also peanut butter laced with chocolate (Not so good.). The dairy case is minuscule but there are many shelves of soy milk which contains 20% hydrogenated oil. Thai love 'Twinkie like' sweets to there are many shelves of similar goodies. Rice and noodles are abundant.
Observed from my front step: A motorcycle passenger holding a bowl of liquid without spilling.

It's Friday and I'm back in Bkk for a long weekend...not school Monday for a Buddhist holiday.

Mystery answered.......

Traveling and teaching in Thailand I've been curious why some of the school uniforms are Scouting...green dresses for girls and brown shorts with white shirts for boys complete with scouting insignia. At lunch today with the teachers I asked about. The answer is that Scouting is included in the uniform Thai national curriculum and is encouraged by the king, who, incidentally is hospitalized. My guess is that scouting's emphasis on character building is the key. Last year the English teacher at Wat Salapoon, dressed in a scout leader's uniform told me she was taking grade 6, camping.
The students wear different uniforms on different days. One day a week, at least, it is the scout uniform. Occasionally a student will wear a uniform out of step with the day. Perhaps he/she only has one, or??? I think uniforms are a good idea.
There are never any students in the computer lab at Wat Klong. I use it to check my email. At Wat Salapoon students are ofter there, with their grade. However, they mostly play computer games.
The food we had at lunch with the teachers today was great. I need to get the English names of the food written down for future reference. So often in a Thai restaurant in America I look for the food I've eaten here but can't remember the name.
Correction to yesterday's post: She asked me if I wanted "khow pat" not "cow pie". Khow pat is fried rice.

Exaust sounds!

When I was growing up in the 50's it was popular among us to modify the muffler and exhaust system of our cars. We'd take the muffler off, and if we could afford it, replace the muffler with "Hollywoods" or "glass packs" that gave the car a mellow roar. If we couldn't afford the commercial applications we'd just put in a "straight pipe" with no muffler. It would be louder but not as mellow.
Perhaps you have come behind a car that has a huge canister below the back bumper. That's a resonator that fulfills the same mission of enhancing the cars sound. Bangkok is full of Honda Civics and similar cars so outfitted. It gives the traffic a certain resonant roar.
But it's not only the cars that have been so modified. Most of the huge tour buses have also been given exhaust treatment that gives them a distinct sound. It's a sound that I like.

Four on a..

A motorcycle with four: son in front, dad driving, daughter standing on the seat behind dad and mom behind daughter...no helmets. Child protection?

News flash..."Noodle Stand Reopens!"

The place across the street from the house that was/is to feed us reopened today. I think the lady apologized for being closed. As best as I could make out that was what she was saying. It is very nice to have it open again.
She asked me if I would like "cow pie" for lunch and I said "yes"...at least that's what I thought she said. It turned out to be some very good fried rice, or as she said "flied lice." If I were to guess the closing was caused by Mr. being on a toot. I saw him come stumbling in one morning as I waited for my ride to school.

A temple visit.

When I approach a taxi or tuk tuk and they ask "Where?" I say Wat (Temple) Na Pra Mien and they know where to go. My house is across the street. It's a temple of some note so tour buses regularly stop.
This afternoon I made a visit back to the temple as a huge tour bus full of Thai drove in. The temple yard is shaded by huge Banyan tree shrouded with saffron colored cloth. As the bus unloaded the passengers an elderly nun swathed in her white robe picked up her bull horn and gave instructions? welcome?
The visitors first went to a covered area in the yard where if it were a Catholic Church we say that there were side altars. They knelt, prayed, lit joss sticks, placed flowers (Jasmine) and several struck the gong...each three strikes. Then they took a tour of the temples...actually there are two, the oldest one from 1700s.

Just wait a little...

Thirsty after school I walked across the bridge to the pushcart food vendors and said "Pepsi". A woman smiled at me, said something very loud in Thai, and began serving food to a man on a motorcycle. I stood there patiently for about three minutes and a man came from the temple yard across the street, handed me a plastic bag into which Pepsi had been poured over ice, a straw inserted and said "Pepsi" to me. The woman collected 8Baht (25cents) from me and I enjoyed a cold drink.

The view from my front steps.

Dressed and ready early for school I sit on my front steps and look across to my neighbor's yard. I see grandma and great granddaughter giving food to a monk and then squatting in front of him while he chants a blessing. There is a spirit house (Animist) for the spirits who were disturbing by the building of the people houses. By my front steps an orchid now grows in the pot grandma patched last week. Grandma, after her blessing, sweeps the leaves that have fallen on the front yard(concrete). Bicycles, motorcycles, push carts and pedestrians navigate the bouncy path that separates our houses. A black dog sleeps on the wooden bridge at the end of the path undisturbed by the motorcycles rattling the planks. Doves coo in the trees. A cool breeze pushes the morning air. Nok, wearing very high heels, rides her motorcycle across the bridge on her way to work. Pear and Nuc in their school uniforms leave for school. Leet drives his car out the back way to catch a train to Bkk where he sells Hino trucks and buses. His big Honda motorcycle is parked under the house awaiting a holiday. Other people leave the house behind mine dressed for work. A man who makes his living scavanging stops his bike and gladly accepts the empty glass water bottle I offer him.
Across the bridge I see the world's oldest tuk tuk driven by the world's oldest tuk tuk driver stop to pick up the world's oldest elementary school volunteer. We "Sawatadee-krup" each other and head off to Wat Salapoon. At the school he shows me his instructions written in Thai. I point to the 13:00 and say "Chai-krup" (Yes) and walk into the school. At 13:00 he's parked in front of the school to drive me back to my house.

When the rooster crowed.

On the minibus I heard a rooster crow. I thought "there's no chickens on this bus." It was the driver's cell phone ringing. It brought back a memory.
Some years ago I was riding a local bus in rural Thailand. There was no a/c so all the windows were open. As we went through a village I heard a rooster crow so close I thought we must have almost run over him. About a block later I heard him crow again. I looked behind me and there was a rooster on the floor one leg tied to a seat. Then I knew I was on the chicken bus.

First rain......

It rained a little shower yesterday (Saturday) morning which kept it bit cooler for awhile, though I still didn't need a parka.
Reflections on sidewalks: they are for cooking, eating, sleeping, selling, riding and parking motorcycles, begging, advertising and, if there is any space left, walking.
There is a grandmother with a little girl, perhaps 2 or 3, who are often begging near the guesthouse. As I approach the little girls presses her hands together in the traditional wai. When I approach the next time, after having dropped a coin in the cup when I passed the first time, the girl's wai is replaced be a shy wave. The same beggars are in the same place from year to year although this year I haven't seen the man who inches on his stomach his cup pushed ahead of him. There aren't many beggars in Thailand.
Many blind people are equipped with portable music boxes through which they sing while soliciting contributions. Some have sighted people guiding them.
Minibus here I come cuz it's time to go back to Ayutthaya.

New member of the family.

With the smartest dog in the world, Kjell, coming up lame last year I decided I'd better look for an understudy. Thanks to much help from Lisa and the wonders of IM between Thailand and MN. I bought a 4 mos. old Springer Spaniel at Lake Benton, MN. Lars suggested naming him Trygve which sounds perfect to me. I can't wait to meet him!

Well then.....

Life at Wat Klong Klang School is pretty laid back. Yesterday (Thursday)the 5th and 6th grade teachers were gone to a meeting so I taught a couple of classes. The best I could tell was that the students were pretty much on their own, with a little supervision from the 4th grade teacher, for the remainder of the day. The woman who I thought was only the English Teacher turns out to also be the 4th grade teacher. So when she accompanies me as I teach 5th or 6th her class as no adult in the room. The students seem able to handle the freedom without creating mayhem.
Deep fried bananas were the lunch treat yesterday. Yummy!
Returning to Bkk yesterday I had to pay for my luggage but it nabbed me a seat riding shotgun.

A little mystery.

Dinner for the volunteers is supposed to be from the noodle shop run by a Thai couple across the road. Last week they told me they would be closed for one day, Thursday. Now it is Thursday of the next week and they are still closed. Yesterday while I was waiting for my ride to school about 8:00 a.m. I saw the man come limping home.
You wonder if I'm going hungry? Finding food in Thailand is about as difficult as finding snow in MN or corn in IA. No hunger I just have to pay a couple of dollars out of my pocket.

I'm off to Bangkok...nothing to teach tomorrow.

School culture

Now, well into my second week, I observe a significant difference in the way the teachers treat me at the two schools. Last year at Wat Salapoon volunteers were brought lunch in the teacher's lounge. This year I eat with the teachers in their dinning room as I do at Wat Klong.
At Wat Salapoon I'm acknowledged and then largely ignored. At Wat Klong they make me engage by telling me what the Thai is for various things. It feels good to be included as one of the group.
The teachers are much more accepting of my Thai pronunciation than are the students. To mix up my teaching a bit I ask the students to say a word we're working on in Thai, e.g., father. They keep repeating it until I get it right while the teachers take pretty much any attempt I make.
In the fifth grade class today a girl said to me in very clear English "You are very handsome and very kind." It's a good thing I'm not responsible for grading!

If you're not interested in tractors.......

If you're not interested in tractors you can skip this. Some construction work is being done in the school yard at Wat Klong. While I was admiring the D5 Caterpiller the driver climbed on it, kicked off his flip flops and went to work. He's the first barefoot cat skinner I've ever seen.

What's in a name?

One of my teaching ideas didn't work so well. Name tents, so I can learn names, are not practical because the overhead fans blow them away. At Wat Salapoon I did have the students write their names on a 4X6 card and include their nicknames which they all have. The nicknames included; Pie, Pa, Ma, Nok, Na, James....yes, one boy is nicknamed James.
The male/female ratio at Wat Klong resolved itself today. There were many girls missing last week. Why I don't know.

Sweet!

The volunteer houses are located in a family compound. Next to my house there is a family of four; parents with a daughter who is high school junior and a son who is a senior. We had about an hour of conversation last night. They were helping me with my Thai and I them with their English. There are at least two grandmas in the compound one of whom is very anxious to learn English. It is very rewarding to have this continuing relationship with Thai people.

What is it about 5th grade?

Today I taught 5th grade at Wat Salapoon. The English teacher was a no show but that didn't matter. I'm having the same positive experience with this 5th grade as I had with the one last year. The fifth graders I had last year I have now in 6th and it's not the same. Maybe 5th is sweet year. They're not old enough for an attitude but old enough to know some English.
Sixth grade honor students at Wat Salapoon wear a badge with no apparent embarrassment.
The four volunteers who showed up Sunday have left me alone again. One opted for the offered two night home stay and the other three decided to go to Bkk. I think they were a bit put off by the lackadaisical welcome and temple tour they received. Everyone will be back Sunday. Two of the volunteers from NY work for UBS Bank which is sponsoring their volunteering.

More volunteers.

Yesterday (Sunday) Nick, from Portland, Maine, came to stay with me in the house. He's on leave from AAA and volunteering for 10 weeks. In the evening a couple from the Bronx and a woman from Brooklyn, NY, occupied the house next door. They are all doing a week of language/cultural studies and will begin their volunteer work next week.

Mini bus capers.

To treat myself I hailed a cab rather than taking the Sky Train to the Victory Monument for a minibus ride back to Ayutthaya. What should have been a half hour ride stretched well over an hour when we hit a traffic jam, that at one point, didn't move for 45 minutes.
The minibus doesn't make much provision for luggage. On the minibus the crabby lady said, "Buy two tickets, one for you, one for your bag." As my friend Steve says about himself "I'm not cheap I'm frugal." Me too. I scrunched the bag in front of my knees and put my carryon in my lap and shot the crabby lady a smug look. Smugness abounded when the passenger next to be soon got off and gave me space for my bag.
The real story, however, is the kindness of strangers. Jammed into my seat with my knees pressed against my bag I struggled to reach my money to pay the fare. With some effort I was able to do so and pushed some bills back in my pocket. About twenty minutes into the ride I felt a tap on my shoulder as the woman behind me handed back the 600B ($18.) that had slipped from my pocket.

HAPPY VALENTINES/CHINESE NEW YEARS!

The confluence of these two holidays means more red than I've ever seen. Thai love valentines because they are a very romantic people. They love Chinese New Years because it is a week or more of celebration and they love to celebrate. The strings of firecrackers, much louder than what I'm used to in the U.S., can be unnerving.

Today(Sunday) I head back to Ayutthaya. I think I'll take the minivan. :)

I haven't been so hot since...

Bangkok's weekend market Chatuchuck has to be the mother of all markets. If you've seen an Asian market just visualize one that is exceptionally large. If you haven't try to picture 5 foot wide walks between stalls, many of which are 8'X10', covered by a tin roof, selling everything from silk to pets, that covers the area of a county fairground.
Chatuchuck is certainly an interesting part of the circus. I don't think I've been so hot since I shoveled out a steel grain bin under an August sun. To avoid the highest heat I went first thing in the morning and left before the heat peaked.

Budding Artists!

Thursday as I was teaching the 3rd class I wearied of doing much of the talking with these students who's English is very limited. So, as a change of pace, I asked them to draw a picture of an animal and write the name of the animal in English. I was not prepared for the result. No two were alike and the list included bear, lion, butterfly, moth, praying mantis, elephant, cat, tiger, whale, dolphin, goldfish and more.
Even more surprising than the list of animals, they did have pictures in their books, was the quality of the art work. They obviously have had some art education. Even the poorest quality picture was far better than anything I could do...yes, I know I'm not much competition. Many of them were what I'd expect from secondary school students in a drawing class and all of the animals were easily recognized from the picture. I think that I'll ask them to do that again with the understanding that I keep the pictures so I can bring them home.

An item listed on the menu where I ate today; "FRIED CHICKEN TENDON". I didn't try them.

It doesn't take much to entertain me.

When I finished teaching yesterday (Thursday) I headed to off to Bkk. The tuk tuk driver who picked up at my house and took me to the bus depot suggested that I take a minibus. There is a system of minibuses, 18 passenger vans, that appear to run parallel to the bus system. So I thought, "Aha a compromise between the 700B ($21.) taxi and the 50B ($1.75) bus." Not knowing how much it would cost, I opted for the minibus.
What was the result? The minibus cost 60B($2.), had better a\c, never carries chickens, took half as long and took me to the Victory Monument. The Victory Monument is much closer to the Christian Guesthouse and is on the Sky Train route. That meant I could take the Sky Train for 25B(80 cents) instead of a taxi from the Northern Bus Depot. The taxi would cost 200B($6.) and take much longer in the afternoon rush hour traffic. I am I smug, or what? Guess how I'll travel when I return to Ayutthaya on Sunday?

Language...

In preparation for this trip, Liz, a famous ESL teacher gave me great help. After I emailed her my first teaching report in which I said the students often drop the last sound of a word. She emailed back this story of a Hmong student with whom she worked. The student asked "What is the difference between the number ni, the ni you cut with, have a ni day and goo ni?" A perfect illustration of dropping the last sound. Thanks Liz!

Dogs that look both ways...

As I was waiting for my ride this morning on the busy road in front of my house I had chance to observe the local dogs. There are many running loose. I wondered how they survived the traffic until I observed them looking both ways before crossing the street. This causes me mixed emotions; on the one hand I'm impressed and I don't really want to watch them get smushed, on the other hand, when they bark and fight outside my house at night....well you get the drift.
Tomorrow's Friday and I have no teaching assignment so I will go to Bkk today when I'm done teaching. A hot shower sounds good as a does a softer bed. Even in the tropics I don't like cold showers. Thai mattresses are interesting. They are about ten inches thick and are essentially an upholstered box. They have no springs and about a half inch of padding. I went to the mall and bought a pad which helps some. Still, after four nights my hips hurt.

Remarkable likeness.

Today was my first time at Wat Klang . Many of the students say "Santa Claus" when they see me. While I was having my lunch in the teacher's lounge a student came by and said to the English teacher "You're feeding Santa Claus!"

Failue to communicate.

Monday I asked Mr. Aussawin about the Yellow House in which I stayed last year. I understood him to say it was full of volunteers. Today I asked him where the volunteers in the Yellow House were teaching. He said (I think) "No volunteers in the Yellow House. The owner of the Yellow House needed it for one of his children." That would explain the car parked in the yard.
This is very typical of my experience of communication here. "When will the other volunteers come?" Answer "Canada". It's usually not fatal and part of the adventure.

It is the surpises that keep life interesting.

This morning the school at Wat Klang sent a van to pick me up because it is quite a distance from my house. Ayutthaya is similar in size to the Twin Cities. The city is about a million with another two million in the greater area.
The school buildings are quite different from Wat Salapoon though the layout in all schools is basically the same. They are two story with the north side mostly open air with the hallways on the open air side. The difference is that here at Wat Klang (Wat means temple) the buildings are much older and made of wood versus concrete. Most Thai public schools are located on the grounds of Buddhist temples. I do have at least one Muslim student here.
I'd understood that I'd teach a Kindergarten class today. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that I would be teaching a 4th and 5th grade class. In the 5th grade class, I was about to wind down the lesson at the end of the hour, when, the teacher said "This class is two hours."
Thanks to my friend, Liz, I think I was able to hold their attention for two hours. It's always a good idea to use the old school teacher's trick of having twice as much material as you think you'll need.
My initial impression is that the students at Wat Klang and Wat Salapoon come from similar socioeconomic back ground. I was very warmly received. The students certainly are not regimented but are respectful.

A better ending.

After I finished the 5th grade lesson today (Tuesday) I asked the teacher for the schedule for the rest of the week. She said that I wasn't assigned until Monday. "Oh my" I thought "I came all this way to teach 3 classes a week?" It turns out that the new teacher dosen't want to relinquish any more of her teaching time to me. A trip to the headmistress didn't change anything so I repaired to house to contemplate my options.
Attention to details has never been my strong suit. Such a failure came back to haunt me as I realized that I didn't have a phone number for Mr. Aussawin, my local contact. Perhaps he could help me find more teaching if I knew how to reach him. Teaching only two days a week seemed like a waste. I've gotten acquainted with the extended family next door and one of them teaches English at a vocational school. Perhaps I could help her?
As I sat on my steps considering my options who should appear but Mr. Aussawin. After I'd explained the situation to him he called Wat Klung and the English teacher at that school invited me to teach there Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I will teach at Wat Salapoon Mondays and Tuesdays. I may have to do Kindergarten tomorrow but I suppose I'll survive that. I'm just tickled for the additional opportunity.
After the teaching situation was settled Mr. Aussawin said " I hear you'd like a TV." I asked him how he knew that? In my conversation with my neighbors last night they'd asked how I liked the house. I gave a factual description; two beds, two chairs, a refrigerator, no TV but the air conditioning was nice. They asked if I wanted a TV and I said I'd think about it. I said I didn't understand Thai so much of the programming would be no use. They said there are some English channels and then the conversation moved on to others things.
Unbeknown to me they are the owners of my house and they had called Mr. Aussawin to tell him they'd provide a TV. I hope I didn't put my foot to far into my mouth answering their questions about the house. They are very friendly and I enjoy visiting with them. They inhabit two house across the path from me...siblings living next door to each other and grandma lives there too.

Back in Ayutthaya.

The taxi driver who took me from the guesthouse to the bus depot offered to drive me all the way to Ayutthaya for another $21. The bus cost $1.75. Guess which I chose? You guessed right because I am cheap you know.
There is much different this year; a new house in a new neighborhood, a new teacher and a new handler. As you can guess there are gains and losses with those changes. I will elaborate.
Let's begin with the house. Last year I was in a modern, new, story house. It had a bedroom and bath on the ground floor. Upstairs was another bath, two more bedrooms and large kitchen/dinning room/living room combo. It was equipped with a computer, phone, tables and chairs.
Now I'm in a tiny, older Thai home with two rooms. The main room has two beds, a small table with a tiny refrigerator on it, two chairs and a hall tree. The other room is the bath. Unlike last year's house, which was on small rise, (Ayutthaya is very flat.) at the edge of town looking over a field this one is nestled back in a neighborhood. The bridge which crosses the creek in front of my house is closed at 6pm. This is to keep motorcyles from disturbing the peace. When the bridge is closed I walk through two neighbors yards to get to my house. I've already become acquainted with the man next door and his daughter who is high school. So far I have the house to myself but I expect a Canadian roommate next week. A downside of this arrangement is not having access to the educational materials in last year's house. I understand it is full of volunteers teaching in other schools.
Kai, the woman who was our handler last year was a real character but she took very good care of us. We got to know her family and I miss them, too. This year the handler is a typical guy "Here's your place and here's your key. The woman at the noodle shop across the street will feed you. Bye," Well, that's an exagaration, but you get the drift. The woman in the noodle shop speaks as much English as I speak Thai. I think there will be some stories out of this part of the adventure. My first meal there last night was good.
I taught two classes today and was disappointed to discover the English teacher with whom I worked last year has retired. I miss her. The good news is that the new teacher is much easier for me to understand. The teaching suggestions I got from Liz worked well and I think I'm off to a good start.
My school day began with an audience with the new school headmistress. It was another situation in which her English and my Thai were about equivalent. I see some changes around the school. Last year volunteers were served meals separately in the teacher's lounge. This year I'm invited to eat with the teachers in their dinning room. That's a much better arrangement.
One of the effects of these changes will be to give me more experience of real Thai life which I welcome.
The high point of my day was seeing the students reactions when they spotted me. They were lined up for their morning formation when I walked across the yard. Their welcoming smiles made my day.

A tin ear doesn't help!

I've been using my leisure time in Bkk to recover from jet lag and work on the Thai language. Thai is tonal so a word spelled the same way can have five different meanings depending upon the tone. ( On the other hand I often don't spell the same word the same way twice.) Learning Thai would be easier for me if I didn't have a tin ear.
Thai doesn't have an equivalent to "a" "an" or "the". So we would say "This radio doesn't work." They would say "Radio broken." The noun followed by an adjective. As they learn to speak English they often use that form when they speak. Easy enough to understand.
Thai uses a form of Sanskrit for writing. That makes learning more difficult because I don't recognize any words. When Lisa lived in Cambodia and was learning Khmer she mastered the alphabet, much like Thai, as an aid in learning the language.
Now I'm of to Ayutthaya to teach the English. I plan to enlist the students help in learning Thai.

Still Unexplained.......

My recent travels to SE Asia began with my first visit to Lisa when she lived in Phnom Penh (1994?). I've been asked dozens (more?) of times what is the fascination for me. I've never been able to give a very definitive answer. Last night I met our friend, Kathy B, for dinner. She was on her way home from 14 days in Burma and 5 in Laos. Over dinner she said "Now I know why Al Negstad travels here every year."
It is not an explanation but I did think of a metaphor that might make some sense. Being here is like being in a circus. I don't mean in a pejorative sense. Rather that the sights, sounds, smells and total experience is like being under the big top, except that here, one gets to be a part of the cast however tangentially.
All travel is meaningful in so far as it presents different experiences from being at home. Here in SE Asia the differences are profound; huge pigs transported on motorbikes, push carts vendors selling everything from brushes to food, cadres of street sweepers wielding brooms, motor bikes pulling people in wheel chairs, unusual flora and fauna, five people riding the same motorbike, tuk tuks, farmers herding flocks ducks, water buffalo, rice fields, school children in their uniforms, Buddhist temples, monks begging for food...and on and on it goes.
In that same vein...Bangkok, then, is like the center ring which pulses with life and energy. Awake last night at 3:30am unable to sleep because of jet lag I looked out my window and there were people moving about. The city is quiet late at night yet in some ways never sleeps. Coming back from dinner I was caught in a traffic jam and it was 10:30om!
Of course there is one more thing...it's hot here :) and I like that.

Like winning the lottery!

So I'm back in Bangkok (Bkk) complete with luggage and all. For the first time in three months I'm not cold! Thought I'd won the lottery when I got two seats to myself on the 12 hour flight to Tokyo! That was balanced by sitting next to a 300lb man on the 7 hours to Bkk.
This was my first Delta flight after having used NWA for the trip many times. I am now a fan of Delta. This is based on my scientific experience of this trip. The crossword puzzle in the in flight magazine was do able by a person who finds spelling the same word the same way twice lacking in creativity. Delta rocks!
I'll hang out here in the Christian Guesthouse in Bkk for a couple of days. Sunday I'll bus to Ayutthaya to teach English in the same school where I was last year. I'm much better prepared this year thanks to Liz and her wisdom regarding English as a second language. I'll plan to blog daily while I'm here.