Friday, December 13, 2013

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Yes, it's Christmas time in Bangkok and the shopping frenzy is in full force.  Trees and lights started going up in mid-November…just like in America!

This tree is outside Terminal 21, a large shopping mall, and reaches higher than the sky train (the concrete structure behind the tree).

One day we went to Siam Paragon (another very large shopping mall), and on our way down the glass elevator, we saw a bunch of people wearing red, green, and brown shirts.  Later we found out that those 852 students were setting a Guinness World Record for the largest human Christmas tree!


Who can resist a giant teddy bear at Christmas when it's 80º outside?

The new year is on the horizon, but it's not going to be 2014 AD in Thailand.  Here it's actually going to be 2557 BE!  That is because the official calendar of Thailand follows the Thai Buddhist Era (BE).

Of course, with influence from the West, 2014 is also displayed as the coming new year in Bangkok.  Whenever we write dates, we have to write slowly because it is different than back home.  Instead of 12/16/13 (mm/dd/yy) it's 16/12/56 (dd/mm/yy) or 16/12/13.  It's easier to just write Dec. 16, 2013!



We Ho! Ho! Hope you have a happy, chili holiday wherever you are!

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Father's Day in Thailand

Father's Day in Thailand (December 5th) is also the king's birthday.  He is the world's longest reigning living monarch.  He is also the only monarch ever to have been born in the United States!  

King Bhumibol Adulyadej turns 86 years old this year.

We have been told that people in Thailand celebrate Father's Day by spending time with their fathers, sharing a meal, and sometimes giving gifts just like we do in America.

In Thailand, each day of the week has a color assigned to it.  The color yellow has been designated for Monday and since the king was born on a Monday, yellow is his color.  On the king's birthday, Thai people honor him by wearing his color or by wearing the color that symbolizes good health (pink).  

The king also has his own flag which is yellow, of course.

In addition, the king has a special anthem called Sansoen Phra Barami, which means "Glorify his Prestige."  It is often played at ceremonies, special events, performances, concerts, and even before every movie that is shown in a theater.  Each time it is played, the audience stands through the entire anthem. 





Saturday, November 30, 2013

Thanksgiving

Yes, with a little bit of effort, Americans can celebrate Thanksgiving even while living overseas.

This year our Thanksgiving meal was:
 eaten in a Thai condo, 
catered by a Mexican restaurant, 
hosted by a Canadian teacher and her Filipino husband,
and shared with Australian, German, and Thai teachers!

As one of three Americans at the party, I was given the honor of carving the turkey.


This bird fed 15 hungry people.


All the fixin's.


Delicious pumpkin pie completed the feast.

It was kind of like the famous painting by Norman Rockwell, "Freedom From Want."



Sunday, November 17, 2013

Movember

If you haven't heard of "Movember," then read on.  Every November, men around the world grow mustaches to help raise awareness (and funds) for prostate and testicular cancer.  This year a variety of mo's were grown on the previously fuzz-free faces of my male colleagues at school.

To check your mustache IQ, try to identify these famous mustaches below:












Sunday, November 10, 2013

Ways to Get Around Bangkok

Since we don't own a car in Thailand, we spend a lot of time in different wheeled machines going from place to place.  It also makes it easier to take pictures of other ways people are getting around.

1. Tuk Tuk. Prices are negotiable, the style and color are not.


2. Motor taxi. Prices are reasonable and fairly standard. Look for the orange vest, and leave the job of zig zagging among oncoming cars and other obstacles to the driver!  Helmets are optional.



3. Taxi (color does not matter, but they come in Yellow, Pink, Orange, Lime Green, Purple, Light Blue, etc.  Price is set by meter.



4. Public bus. Fare is collected by an on-board attendant.  Sometimes the ride is free... 


...sometimes you get a front row seat...


...and you always have a real clock mounted in the front.



5. Private bus. Arranged by tour company.



6. Scooter/Motorcycle. Gas is affordable and you can get from point A to point B much faster (not always safer) than a car.  Often used by small families.


7. Car/Truck.  Still a popular choice for many.



8. Taxi Pickup Truck (covered). Prices are in the medium range.




9. Lorrie (bigger truck). Usually for construction workers.



10. MRT/BTS Subway/Railcar: Fast and frequent.



11. Scooter-Kitchen or Scooter-Café. Not for riding, but for eating and drinking!



12. Bicycle-Store. Mobile mops and brooms.



13. Modified Scooter with Bed or Front/Side Carrier.  For moving your small stuff, like water, rice, and friends.



14. Scooter with Sidecar. Our colleagues Pete and Tahnee saw one once and I drew a picture of what it might look like with their dogs riding along.



15. Scooter-Carriage. So far, only spotted, and ridden, in Koh Lanta...and you can rent one for 500 baht (US$16) per day.  It's the red one in the lower middle of this price sheet.




16. Megastore Shuttle Bus: Free!



17. School Shuttle Bus. Free!



18. Covered pickup for moving your big stuff. 800 baht ($25 USD) per trip.



19. A really fast snail. What?



20. So colorful!

Saturday, November 2, 2013

What's for Sale?

     It's nice to see some cats and dogs being cared for here in Bangkok by their human neighbors.  We often see cats and dogs roaming the streets freely, playfully chasing each other in a pack, patrolling their domain, or just lounging around in the tropical climate after a good meal cooked by a local Thai.  

However, an animal can sometimes be in an unexpected location, such as among bunches of bananas for sale in a busy street stall.  We almost missed this little guy as we were walking past!



(The 15 and 30 are banana prices.  Thirty Thai baht equals one U.S. dollar.)



Sunday, October 27, 2013

Koh Lanta Island

For our one-week mid-term break, we decided to visit an island in Thailand called Koh Lanta.  Here are the top eleven things we did there:



#11 - Collecting sea shells and painting them.

#10 - Using the outside shower in the "backyard" of our hotel villa.

#9 - Learning how to cook authentic Thai food.

#8 - Appreciating the importance of food presentation.

#7 - Swimming through the Emerald Cave.

#6 - Buying gasoline from a glass bottle.

#5 - Riding a motor bike on the open roads of Koh Lanta.




#4 - Enjoying lunch over an ocean inlet with a gorgeous view.






#3 - Sharing a smile with the locals.

#2 - Witnessing remarkable nightly sunsets a few steps from our hotel villa.

#1 - Making way for "traffic" on the busy Koh Lanta highway.