Monk Party

I should start off by mentioning that I'm about to tell a tale that occured several months ago in Sukaithai, Thailand. Ros and I only recently realised that neither of us had recorded this amazing evening - so here it is.
It is very quickly learned in Asia that good food can be found outside of the main streets - especially good CHEAP food. And so it was that Ros and I diverted our course from the main street of Sukathai into what looked like a busy side street. We found plenty of tables, an abundance of food, and surprisingly an abundance of rum also (surprising as most Thai's can't afford to drink liberally).

To our surprise a lady came to us immediately, guided us to a table, placed a full bottle of rum in front of us. Food then promptly arrived, and our new host directed our attention to a large stage where a male singer was performing before 5 stunning dancers who were making some very suggesting pelvic thrusts as part of their dancing routine. A little perplexed we reviewed our environs more closely and realised that we had stumbled upon a private party, and the host had, in the best Buddhist tradition, welcomed us to join them and share in their lavish celebrations.
We also spotted a very nervous looking novice monk (maybe 15 years), and with some effort learned that the party was to celebrate his commencement as a monk (all males in Thailand spend some time as a monk, usually in their teen years). So what better way to celebrate the start of abstinence, celibacy and modesty than by watching about 150 of your extended family go on an eating, drinking and dancing binge, with the hottest babes in town thrusting their groin everywhich way they can?

He was certainly nervous, and so watched from a quiet corner where he was not able nor tempted to look at the stage.

After having a beer in acceptance of their kindness (we couldn't refuse their offers, but it was too much for us to accept a full bottle of rum knowing that it cost them more that it would to feed someone for a week), we were encouraged onto the dance floor...
Suitably embarrassed (both us and the monk), we boogied for about 15 minutes, blessed the monk, and made a speedy exit. We felt sorry for the monk. It was a party in his honour, but there was not one part of it in which he could participate. Not only that, but a few random farang had just hijacked the interest of all the other attendees...

Silly Signs (1)

Yes I've given this blog a number, which suggests that I'm hoping to have more of these...

I may have missread some of these signs, but I've done my best a grasping what each one is on about, as shown below each sign:

Warning: Burning in progress to flush out some lunch

Note: Turtles are responsible for cleaning up this area

Happy elephants here

No comment required

Jim Thompson House

Another highlight, and on the tourist trail for most visiting Bangkok, is 'Jim Thompson House'. The brief story is that he was a silk trader who "single handedly revitalised the hand made silk tradition in Thailand" according to the guides who run tours through his house. He lived in this house during the 50's, built from inspiration across the various Asian cultures - something he was well able to do as he was a trained architect. We were only allowed to take photos of the gardens, so I miss out on sharing some of the art that was in the house, and how well is was presented, but I think you get the drift that I was impressed (I'm writing a blog entry on it aren't I?).













Their website is average (http://www.jimthompsonhouse.com/), but does give a few more photos and some history for those interested. In short, I'd recommend a visit to anyone finding themselves in Bangkok for more than a stopover.

The other thing that I should mention is that at the time that Ros and I visited, there was a textile exhibition in their gallery (yes they also have a gallery and a gift shop that feels lifted from a premium Japanese shopping centre - as did the prices). The exhibition was french in origin and had some amazing works. Soft, heavy, bold, subtle, layered, etc. lots of artists presenting works that were in various textiles that were in many cases as beautiful as they were thought provoking. A nice bonus when all we expected to see was a 'nice house full of interesting stuff'. I'm sure every traveller has had these moment of the 'unexpected bonus' - this is one of mine. I invite you to think of some that you have experienced...

Bed Supper Club

I know quite a few people that have had the pleasure of visiting this cave of luxury in a sea of sexuality and all have recommended it. So in a flash of inspiration, I'm going to follow suit.

For those yet to visit, the Bed Supper Club is a super indulgent restaurant and club in Bangkok near Sukhumvit. The dining area as pictured is a porno pad where all guests recline in cushions in a bed like experience - hence the name (in case you were wondering...). The lighting matches the mood, and the tunes were the best chill out house I've heard in a long time. A refreshing change, as 'chill out house' is becoming so much like wall paper these days (insert violin sounds here - yes I'm old and remember the 'good old days').


The food was more Modern Australian (read meat and veggies) than anything else, although the french touch was certainly evident. Delicious, and fitting for the stupid price one pays to indulge themselves at this establishment. I'll wind up here by saying simply that we had a great meal, danced for a few hours afterwards to some great driving beats, and were wrapped with the experience. I too would like to recommend it to anyone visiting Bangkok - just plan this night on a Sydney budget...

(for more see: http://www.bedsupperclub.com/)

Simple Pleasures

I'm a sucker for simple pleasures, and this is a very brief tale of one: having your face shaved in a foreign country (that is in a developing country). Today I had that experience, and shed a month or so of my facial follicles. I've provided some evidence for you - nice huh?

In this case my trimming was done by one who spoke no english, but we quickly sorted 3 important things:
1) 30 baht (about $1.20)
2) Face only - I'm happy with to grow my locks for a little longer
3) New razor blade (actually this was more by observation)

(Note the 'goaty' dissapeared - this is just the way that he chose to remove the hair. As many J&J people commented when I retained a smigen of facial hair one time "mate, the mo has got to go")

All in all a great experience. So now I have another month to work on developing more scruff so that I have the pleasure again. Will update more once I've visited a street side barber somewhere in Hanoi...

The way of the crabs

Have you ever just sat on a beach and watched how alive it is?

On Ko Lanta (Near Phuket), I found myself with lots of time to kill, just lying on the beach and examining its inhabitants. In addition to the large array of random dogs (they are everywhere in Thailand), I considered myself lucky enough to spot over 10 hermit crabs in just 15 minutes. I don't know about anyone else, but I'd always considered hermit crabs to be a bit of a rarity - I'd only ever seen one hermit crab before this trip. I discovered that they range in size considerably, and could easily been found by the patient observer, just by watching the sand and waiting for the telltale signs of movement. I loved them. Start to track them even. Watching their movements, and trying to work out where they were going. I'd see 3 crabs heading up the beach, left to right, and then anther going the exact opposite way. It's not like ants, seeking each other out simply to communicate by way of antenna transactions - no - they just appeared to be randomly walking about. Still there were lots of them, so they must be doing something right...

But as I watched the beach closer, I noticed that it was the crabs who rule the roost. They are everywhere: large rock crabs, medium size sand crabs, and the perhaps the masters of crab race: the minute sand crab.

They built empires with amphitheaters, massive antennae even, and try to communicate to us via hieroglyphics. This is what I learned from the master crab race. To follow are some examples that demonstrate this:

The Amphitheatre
I'm guessing that the minute crabs must love their cultural events. How else do you explain what clearly looks like a sand scale amphitheatre? (Some of you will say wind, but I dismiss that hypothesis). Perhaps their civilisation is similar to that of Shakespearean English times, where the theatrical stage was the hub of communication, socialisation and education?





The Antenna
If you were the supreme beings of the beach world, wouldn't you want to communicate with the rest of the universe? A SETI program for crabs? Here is proof. They are building antennae that allows them to send sand signals, perhaps.
It amazes me that the nano-crab culture is advanced enough to support both high arts and futuristic science - true markers of an advanced society much like that of the human race. Maybe they want to communicate with us? If so what would be their language?









Hieroglyphics
From their performance spaces we know that the crabs are not afraid to learn from prior civilisations, so perhaps we should not be surprised that their chosen method of communication with humans references the ancient Egyptians? They were masters of the sandy environs in which they ruled...
Although try as I might, I've not been fortunate enough to decipher this one.

All submissions will be gratefully received.