I just got back to the apartment after seeing Meg off at the airport. Meg is heading home to St.John's a month early for a few reasons: 1) extending her Thai visa again would be a pain, 2) her return flight cannot be extended beyond Nov. 4th so she would have had to leave by then anyway, 3) if we do come back to Thailand in January, some additional time home would go a long way in combating homesickness, and 4) she's sick of being around me 24/7 (kidding!).
My flight home is scheduled for December 6th so the countdown is on for my return to the Rock. Can't wait! I'll be in St.John's for a couple of weeks and will then head to McIvers for Christmas and New Years.
P.S. Have a safe flight Meg!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Israel - Hospital stopover
It seems Meg and I are destined to visit numerous hospitals during our travels. Saturday night, after just finished having a late supper, I decided to call it a night since I had meetings in the morning. I hadn't even had a chance to fall asleep when I began to feel extremely itchy. Initially, I tried to ignore it but then I began to suspect I was being eaten alive by bugs. I got up to investigate and discovered that I had a dozen or more "bites" over my arms, back, and neck. After a quick hot shower to help relieve the itching, I tried to go to sleep again, knowing the hotel was fully booked so I wouldn't be able to change my room and that I had to get some sleep for my meetings in the morning (it was now 2am). This time, I used the "cover every inch of my body with clothing" strategy. However, it did not work and I once again was forced to get up to investigate. Unbelievably, I had more "bites" and patches of my face, arms, and body were beginning to swell (I couldn't speak properly)! I was now beginning to suspect that these weren't bites at all but that I was having an allergic reaction to something - perhaps the bed sheets but I've never been sensitive to anything like that before. I notified the hotel staff who arranged to have a taxi take me to the hospital. Due to the swelling, the doctor thought the reaction was more likely due to something I'd eaten (I have no idea what it could have been though) and hooked me up to an IV to put steroids into me to bring down the swelling. By 7am, with my prescription of amoxocyllin filled, I was back at the hotel, just long enough to sleep for almost an hour (I slept in a chair - wasn't taking anymore chances with that bed). By 8am, I got up and got ready for an entire day of meetings. The swelling and itching were gone for the most part so, aside from the lack of sleep, I was in pretty good shape.
The office where my meetings were located was close to the West Bank border. You could easily see a number of the settlements and the fence that runs along the border. I thought it was very interesting that the Jewish and Muslim settlements were so close to each other. Also, Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, was celebrated at sundown on Monday so the clients at the office extended an invitation to Trevor (my boss) and I to attend a company toast - it was welcoming to be a part of a Jewish tradition.
By the time I got to the airport for my flight back to Bangkok that evening, I was ready to drop. It did not help matters that I had to go through f@&king El Al security again, being asked the same questions by four different agents before I even got to the ticket counter. I'm all for security but you'd think they'd make it slightly more efficient. Anyway, after "politely" voicing my annoyance and cursing vigorously in my head for 3 hours, I eventually got to my gate. In the future, instead of the direct El Al flight between Tel Aviv and Bangkok, I will try a different one-stop airline, even if it takes longer (that just goes to show how much El Al pi$$ed me off and what 48 hours of sleep deprivation will do to me).
Despite my trip to the hospital and the difficulty with the airline, Israel itself is a very beautiful country. I regret not making it to Jerusalem and will be sure to make time for it the next time I'm in Tel Aviv. There are a lot of concerns over safety when traveling to Israel but I never felt the need to be nervous so if anyone would like to travel there, I would highly recommend it - just be sure to take the direct Air Canada flight from Toronto instead of El Al....
The office where my meetings were located was close to the West Bank border. You could easily see a number of the settlements and the fence that runs along the border. I thought it was very interesting that the Jewish and Muslim settlements were so close to each other. Also, Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, was celebrated at sundown on Monday so the clients at the office extended an invitation to Trevor (my boss) and I to attend a company toast - it was welcoming to be a part of a Jewish tradition.
By the time I got to the airport for my flight back to Bangkok that evening, I was ready to drop. It did not help matters that I had to go through f@&king El Al security again, being asked the same questions by four different agents before I even got to the ticket counter. I'm all for security but you'd think they'd make it slightly more efficient. Anyway, after "politely" voicing my annoyance and cursing vigorously in my head for 3 hours, I eventually got to my gate. In the future, instead of the direct El Al flight between Tel Aviv and Bangkok, I will try a different one-stop airline, even if it takes longer (that just goes to show how much El Al pi$$ed me off and what 48 hours of sleep deprivation will do to me).
Despite my trip to the hospital and the difficulty with the airline, Israel itself is a very beautiful country. I regret not making it to Jerusalem and will be sure to make time for it the next time I'm in Tel Aviv. There are a lot of concerns over safety when traveling to Israel but I never felt the need to be nervous so if anyone would like to travel there, I would highly recommend it - just be sure to take the direct Air Canada flight from Toronto instead of El Al....
Friday, September 26, 2008
Israel - Flight with El Al
This morning I arrived in Tel Aviv, part of a last minute work trip. I caught a direct flight from Bangkok with Israel's national airline, El Al. Known for their tight security, I got the opportunity to experience it first hand. Even before getting to the check-in counter, El Al security drilled me for 15 minutes. Angus and Meg had dropped me off and were waiting for me, to which security asked, "who are they and how long have you known them?"
Once I got to my boarding gate, security brought me to a small room, privately searched all of my luggage, thoroughly checked my clothes/shoes, and drilled me with more questions. I guess I had a unabomber look going or something.
The flight was uneventful. I simply dozed in and out of sleep. It was a nasty 12-hour flight, I think it takes so long because El Al has to avoid the airspace of various Arab nations.
Currently, I'm settled away in my hotel. My room overlooks the beach on the Mediterranean Sea were numerous people are enjoying various water activities (kite surfing looks like SO much fun!). My first impressions of Israel? Let's just say that Adam Sandler's new movie, "You Don't Mess With The Zohan" is not as inaccurate as you'd probably think. Exaggerated, yes, but not completely inaccurate. Beach tennis ("matkot") is very popular here. :)
Once I got to my boarding gate, security brought me to a small room, privately searched all of my luggage, thoroughly checked my clothes/shoes, and drilled me with more questions. I guess I had a unabomber look going or something.
The flight was uneventful. I simply dozed in and out of sleep. It was a nasty 12-hour flight, I think it takes so long because El Al has to avoid the airspace of various Arab nations.
Currently, I'm settled away in my hotel. My room overlooks the beach on the Mediterranean Sea were numerous people are enjoying various water activities (kite surfing looks like SO much fun!). My first impressions of Israel? Let's just say that Adam Sandler's new movie, "You Don't Mess With The Zohan" is not as inaccurate as you'd probably think. Exaggerated, yes, but not completely inaccurate. Beach tennis ("matkot") is very popular here. :)
Monday, September 22, 2008
The Nutcracker
Bangkok's 10th annual International Festival of Music and Dance is now underway! There are a lot of performances that I'd love to take in (such as the Paul Taylor Contemporary Dance Co. from New York), but since I'm outta here in a week I only had time for one - and I chose a classic - the Nutcracker.
Although it was a little strange to be watching a Christmas show in the middle of September, the show was spectacular. Performed by the Russian Bashkir State Ballet Theatre and accompanied by a full orchestra, the music and incredible dancers certainly got me wishing for snow and presents under the tree. I was a little blindsided by the hot sun and heat when I left the theater!
It was nice to get a touch of culture here in the big city. As I've mentioned before there's not much to choose from in the way of music or the arts here in BKK. So, this interesting festival was a nice surprise. Of course, I attended alone - Sean couldn't handle 2 hours of ballet and it seems my Thai girl friends weren't much into it either ;) But regardless, I enjoyed the show and was happy to be able to catch an international festival like this before heading back home.
Although it was a little strange to be watching a Christmas show in the middle of September, the show was spectacular. Performed by the Russian Bashkir State Ballet Theatre and accompanied by a full orchestra, the music and incredible dancers certainly got me wishing for snow and presents under the tree. I was a little blindsided by the hot sun and heat when I left the theater!
It was nice to get a touch of culture here in the big city. As I've mentioned before there's not much to choose from in the way of music or the arts here in BKK. So, this interesting festival was a nice surprise. Of course, I attended alone - Sean couldn't handle 2 hours of ballet and it seems my Thai girl friends weren't much into it either ;) But regardless, I enjoyed the show and was happy to be able to catch an international festival like this before heading back home.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
I've gotta work on my triple axel landing
To our great surprise, there are a couple of ice skating rinks in Bangkok. Meg and I have been wanting to check one out awhile so today we finally packed our woolen socks and set off. We went to Esplanade Mall where the Sub-Zero Ice Skate Club is located (http://www.subzeroiceskateclub.com/main.html).
The size of the rink was our first disappointment and the fact that it was crowded did not help matters. Some of the rinks we've made in our backyards were almost as big (Justin, Jamie, and I have even made some that were bigger). Also, there was a couple centimeters of water on the ice. Nonetheless, we haven't had the luxury of skating since April '07, so we decided to give it a shot.
The next hurdle was renting skates. The only skates they had that were big enough to fit us were figure skates. So, for the first time in my life, I donned a pair. The word "uncomfortable" was an understatement. They looked and felt like someone took a brightly colored sock and attached a blade to the bottom.
I managed to pitifully shuffle around the rink three times before I had to retire. Oh well, I suppose I could buy a decent pair of hockey skates but it doesn't seem worth it, especially if I can't get out for a game of hockey. That will have to wait until I go home in December. :)
The size of the rink was our first disappointment and the fact that it was crowded did not help matters. Some of the rinks we've made in our backyards were almost as big (Justin, Jamie, and I have even made some that were bigger). Also, there was a couple centimeters of water on the ice. Nonetheless, we haven't had the luxury of skating since April '07, so we decided to give it a shot.
The next hurdle was renting skates. The only skates they had that were big enough to fit us were figure skates. So, for the first time in my life, I donned a pair. The word "uncomfortable" was an understatement. They looked and felt like someone took a brightly colored sock and attached a blade to the bottom.
I managed to pitifully shuffle around the rink three times before I had to retire. Oh well, I suppose I could buy a decent pair of hockey skates but it doesn't seem worth it, especially if I can't get out for a game of hockey. That will have to wait until I go home in December. :)
Monday, September 15, 2008
Just another crazy night in Bangkok
We decided on Friday to head to one of our favorite spots in Bangkok - a really laid back, beautiful community dinner theater where you can eat great food alongside the river, drink nice wine and watch some really interesting performances, including a Thai acrobat who has trained in Canada with Cirque Du Soleil.
So off we go into the crazy traffic that is Bangkok on a Friday night. We expected to get stuck so we left a full hour in advance of our reservation. Luckily, the first taxi we hailed agreed to take us to this slightly out of the way spot. But not quite so luckily, the driver was actually a policeman...yes, a policeman in full uniform driving a taxi...we thought this was a little strange...
But stranger things were about to happen. First he tells us he really needs to go to the bathroom and pulls off into this tiny, dark gas station on the side of the road. As he's getting out of the car I nervously check his hip to see if there is a gun holstered there...luckily he'd put it away somewhere when he switched from law-enforcement duty to driving duty ;) (Bangkok cops are known to wear their guns always - even at the end of a shift when having a few beers with friends - it's always a shock to us to see cops drinking in full uniform with guns at the ready...).
Although I was thinking he was gone to get his buddies from the back of the building to come out and hold us up or something, he returned to the car without incident and kept driving. But it wasn't long before the next strange thing happened. The Cop/Cabbie started a lively conversation about money and salaries. It wasn't long before he was insisting that we tell him how much money Sean makes...he wanted to know if he got paid in Dollars or Baht - how much he made - which company paid him, etc. etc. We were avoiding answering and sort of acting like we couldn't understand his questions and so to help us along the guy pulled out his cell phone so we could TYPE IN THE AMOUNT! Clearly he didn't want there to be any confusion. With our limited knowledge of average Thai salaries (which, sadly are MUCH lower than any North American salary) we made up a number and passed it back. Turns out we didn't do a very good job - it was still about 3 times higher than what the cop said he made.
Now, in general it's not uncommon for Thais to ask questions about salary and how much things cost, etc. It's not taboo here like it is in many other parts of the world. But the fact that this was already a strange encounter paired with this guy's insistence and our knowledge that foreigners are often seen as rich, easy targets got me really nervous. We were getting closer to our destination and I just wanted to hurry up and get out of this car!
But since nothing is ever easy in Bangkok things kept getting worse. Instead of taking us straight to the restaurant the guy took us on the "tourist route" (this means that the taxi driver takes you on the longest most complex route possible in order to drive the meter up and make you pay more). Normally we would have argued and directed the guy to go the proper way - but with a policeman at the wheel we were a little hesitant to start giving orders (you have to understand that cops in Thailand are not like cops in Canada. They do not provide any sense of safety or reassurance. Instead they're quite scary given the amount of corruption that exists in the system).
Finally the driver admitted that he really didn't know where he was going and pulled over to ask for directions. And then a few blocks later he did the same. As he got back in to the car he exclaimed that now he knew! and quickly started to back up....RIGHT INTO A MOTORCYCLE with a man and a little girl on it! YES, the cop ran over a motorcycle. Of course the poor victim looked furious, until he saw who was getting out of the car...as far as we could see the cop didn't really do anything about it. Just jumped out to make sure they were ok and quickly got back in and started off again.
Thankfully we were just about at our destination. One short drive down a small road and the restaurant came into view. We couldn't get out of the car quickly enough! The rest of the night I was sort of in shock about what had happened. Truthfully, it's the only time since we've been living here that I actually felt scared. Sure, people sometimes try to scam you out of a few bucks, take you the long way, or try to trick you into their cousins tailor/gem shop - but none of that is really harmful. This time I really did think that we were going to be brought to a dark alley and held up at gun point! Maybe i was over-reacting. Things that are normal here just seem So foreign to us sometimes! It's hard not to be shocked by it and even a little scared when you don't really know what's going on or if it's acceptable or not. The whole time in the car we really wanted to call one of our Thai friends to see what we should do - but the cop spoke enough English that he would have known what we were talking about.
So just another story to add to our growing list of "crazy things that have happened in Thailand". It's times like this that we're really happy we've kept up with this blog - a few years from now we'll be able to look back and laugh at all the insane things that we've experienced this year...
So off we go into the crazy traffic that is Bangkok on a Friday night. We expected to get stuck so we left a full hour in advance of our reservation. Luckily, the first taxi we hailed agreed to take us to this slightly out of the way spot. But not quite so luckily, the driver was actually a policeman...yes, a policeman in full uniform driving a taxi...we thought this was a little strange...
But stranger things were about to happen. First he tells us he really needs to go to the bathroom and pulls off into this tiny, dark gas station on the side of the road. As he's getting out of the car I nervously check his hip to see if there is a gun holstered there...luckily he'd put it away somewhere when he switched from law-enforcement duty to driving duty ;) (Bangkok cops are known to wear their guns always - even at the end of a shift when having a few beers with friends - it's always a shock to us to see cops drinking in full uniform with guns at the ready...).
Although I was thinking he was gone to get his buddies from the back of the building to come out and hold us up or something, he returned to the car without incident and kept driving. But it wasn't long before the next strange thing happened. The Cop/Cabbie started a lively conversation about money and salaries. It wasn't long before he was insisting that we tell him how much money Sean makes...he wanted to know if he got paid in Dollars or Baht - how much he made - which company paid him, etc. etc. We were avoiding answering and sort of acting like we couldn't understand his questions and so to help us along the guy pulled out his cell phone so we could TYPE IN THE AMOUNT! Clearly he didn't want there to be any confusion. With our limited knowledge of average Thai salaries (which, sadly are MUCH lower than any North American salary) we made up a number and passed it back. Turns out we didn't do a very good job - it was still about 3 times higher than what the cop said he made.
Now, in general it's not uncommon for Thais to ask questions about salary and how much things cost, etc. It's not taboo here like it is in many other parts of the world. But the fact that this was already a strange encounter paired with this guy's insistence and our knowledge that foreigners are often seen as rich, easy targets got me really nervous. We were getting closer to our destination and I just wanted to hurry up and get out of this car!
But since nothing is ever easy in Bangkok things kept getting worse. Instead of taking us straight to the restaurant the guy took us on the "tourist route" (this means that the taxi driver takes you on the longest most complex route possible in order to drive the meter up and make you pay more). Normally we would have argued and directed the guy to go the proper way - but with a policeman at the wheel we were a little hesitant to start giving orders (you have to understand that cops in Thailand are not like cops in Canada. They do not provide any sense of safety or reassurance. Instead they're quite scary given the amount of corruption that exists in the system).
Finally the driver admitted that he really didn't know where he was going and pulled over to ask for directions. And then a few blocks later he did the same. As he got back in to the car he exclaimed that now he knew! and quickly started to back up....RIGHT INTO A MOTORCYCLE with a man and a little girl on it! YES, the cop ran over a motorcycle. Of course the poor victim looked furious, until he saw who was getting out of the car...as far as we could see the cop didn't really do anything about it. Just jumped out to make sure they were ok and quickly got back in and started off again.
Thankfully we were just about at our destination. One short drive down a small road and the restaurant came into view. We couldn't get out of the car quickly enough! The rest of the night I was sort of in shock about what had happened. Truthfully, it's the only time since we've been living here that I actually felt scared. Sure, people sometimes try to scam you out of a few bucks, take you the long way, or try to trick you into their cousins tailor/gem shop - but none of that is really harmful. This time I really did think that we were going to be brought to a dark alley and held up at gun point! Maybe i was over-reacting. Things that are normal here just seem So foreign to us sometimes! It's hard not to be shocked by it and even a little scared when you don't really know what's going on or if it's acceptable or not. The whole time in the car we really wanted to call one of our Thai friends to see what we should do - but the cop spoke enough English that he would have known what we were talking about.
So just another story to add to our growing list of "crazy things that have happened in Thailand". It's times like this that we're really happy we've kept up with this blog - a few years from now we'll be able to look back and laugh at all the insane things that we've experienced this year...
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Flood!
There's a flood happening right outside our window! Ok, it's not the "stock up on bottled water, canned food and then evacuate" kind of flood. But still, the streets are FULL of water.
I heard the thunder storm happening while at work. Now that it's the rainy season it usually rains really hard for at least 30 minutes each day. This is generally accompanied by the loudest thunder I've ever heard and wild, crazy lighting! It's quite a lot of fun while sitting at home comfortably in your pjs. Not so much fun while at work wondering how your going to get home. It's like the tropical version of a blizzard.
Thankfully I have a wonderful, chivalrous boyfriend ;) I attempted the walk back home on my own. The rain had lightened up a lot and I had an umbrella. But when I got to the first place where I had to cross a street I realized I was screwed. The water had flooded all the streets right up to the sidewalk. And clearly there was no WAY I was wading through that - forget about my leather sandals - there could have been any number of scary rodents/slithery things in there! When I called Sean wondering what I was going to do he said he'd come get me and bring flip flops. Yay! Better yet, when he arrived he offered to piggyback me across the deep parts - to the cheers of a group of people in a passing tuk tuk. Sweeeeet ;)
Next time I'll get some pictures - i'm sure this won't be the last bout of crazy rain.
I heard the thunder storm happening while at work. Now that it's the rainy season it usually rains really hard for at least 30 minutes each day. This is generally accompanied by the loudest thunder I've ever heard and wild, crazy lighting! It's quite a lot of fun while sitting at home comfortably in your pjs. Not so much fun while at work wondering how your going to get home. It's like the tropical version of a blizzard.
Thankfully I have a wonderful, chivalrous boyfriend ;) I attempted the walk back home on my own. The rain had lightened up a lot and I had an umbrella. But when I got to the first place where I had to cross a street I realized I was screwed. The water had flooded all the streets right up to the sidewalk. And clearly there was no WAY I was wading through that - forget about my leather sandals - there could have been any number of scary rodents/slithery things in there! When I called Sean wondering what I was going to do he said he'd come get me and bring flip flops. Yay! Better yet, when he arrived he offered to piggyback me across the deep parts - to the cheers of a group of people in a passing tuk tuk. Sweeeeet ;)
Next time I'll get some pictures - i'm sure this won't be the last bout of crazy rain.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
State of Emergency
The political situation in Thailand is beginning to heat up. Anti-government protestors (People's Alliance for Democracy, or PAD) claiming the current government committed electorial fraud in December and that Thai prime minister Samak is simply a proxy for his ousted predecessor Thaksin have been peacefully protesting for the last couple of months for the government to step down. Recently, mobs of protestors took over various government buildings (Ministry of Education, etc) and shutdown domestic airports throughout Thailand (not the international airport though). The first violence occurred early yesterday morning when pro- and anti-government supporters clashed. One person was killed and at least 40 were seriously injured. The government issued a state of emergency, making public gatherings illegal. In response, state enterprise labour unions that support PAD have threaten to disrupt public services (water, electricity, transportation, telephones, etc) today for all government buildings or ministry homes.
With all that said, Meg and I are fine. The protests are isolated to the government buildings, which we are sure to avoid. If anyone would like to keep an eye on the situation, the Canadian Government Foreign Affairs department has a travel advisory website that is regularly updated - http://www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/report-en.asp?country=290000. Also, we are in contact with the embassy here and they are sending us updates on the situation.
Personaally, I think the situation has reached a point of no return, meaning something has to happen. PAD is not going to back down so unless the government does resign then things will probably escalate. Regardless, I don't think we are in any danger - as long as we don't partake in the demonstrations.
With all that said, Meg and I are fine. The protests are isolated to the government buildings, which we are sure to avoid. If anyone would like to keep an eye on the situation, the Canadian Government Foreign Affairs department has a travel advisory website that is regularly updated - http://www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/report-en.asp?country=290000. Also, we are in contact with the embassy here and they are sending us updates on the situation.
Personaally, I think the situation has reached a point of no return, meaning something has to happen. PAD is not going to back down so unless the government does resign then things will probably escalate. Regardless, I don't think we are in any danger - as long as we don't partake in the demonstrations.
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