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."

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:

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!

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.)