Change of Scenery

Life sure is funny. Just over a week ago, I called my sister Melanie to tell her I had both good and bad news. The good news? I'd just gotten a raise! The bad news. My company went under 2 days later. Oh, we laughed and we laughed. Mel and I have always had disturbed sense of humours.

I'm sure most people are aware of what happened to my company. By now, most of my co-workers have accepted positions with new companies and I'll be joining them soon enough. For the past 10 days, I've been cluing up things here in Southeast Asia, meeting with clients and partners. It is very unfortunate how everything turned out but I suppose that's the way these things go sometimes and the only thing to do is move on.

I fly home to St.John's on December 6th but I'll be spending the remaining week exploring opportunities with partners and the possibility that they may continue some of the work with our clients.

I had considered taking a vacation to Cambodia but that idea was quickly dismissed yesterday when the anti-government protesters stormed the Bangkok International Airport and brought all services to a halt. Today, they took over the domestic airport so unless I want to travel by bus or train, I'm not going anywhere. Honestly, it's not advisable as they have interrupted ground transportation in the past.

Not to worry though, I'm sure all of this will be sorted out by the time I have to leave. Until then, I have a number of friends to visit so I'll simply hang out with them and enjoy my last week in Bangkok.

Sean

Khon Kaen

This weekend past, I decided to get out of the city and check out more of rural Thailand. At the invitation of some Thai friends (Ann, Art, and Bee), I decided to meet up with them in Khon Kaen, a province in Northeastern Thailand (a.k.a. Isan). It was a great time as Khon Kaen sees few tourists. I met with my friends for a Vietnamese lunch on Saturday, going out with Art's parents who, like most Thai people, are extremely friendly. Afterwards, we visited a temple called Wat Nong Want Muang which I explored and enjoyed thoroughly. We checked out a few other lesser known sites and then went for dinner at a streetside vendor that was serving Isan food , including a delicious barbeque fish. Finally, it was off to a crowded local club called U-Bar, where I was the only foreigner. I got to meet lots of people though and my spoken Thai is gradually getting to a point where I can have basic conversations. I really want to explore more of Isan now, especially the province where Meg and my's friend Tui is from, Si Saket.







Sean

One Year Later

Gee, time sure does fly. It's hard to believe that it has been one year since Meg and I left St.John's to move to Thailand. During that time, we've been fortunate enough to travel throughout Thailand (although we still have to explore more of the beaches), Japan (Toyko is crazy awesome), Mayalsia (the jungles probably being our favorite trip to date), Laos (the most kicked back country in the world), and Vietnam (it's with good reason Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site). Every time we discuss our next trip, we find it difficult deciding where to go. I know too much history about Cambodia not to go but Meg is determined to see Tasmania. Stay tuned....

With only a month left before I head home, there is a lot to do to prepare. For one, Meg and I are desperately looking for new homes for our kitties Gahnomee and Chochie but so far we haven't had any takers. Perhaps it's time to bring them to Thailand. But who wouldn't want to take care of these cuties (picture here investigating their new kennel)!?! ;)



Yes, it does appear that Meg and I will be returning to Thailand in the New Year but not before enjoying the comforts of home with family and friends for an entire month. If anyone is looking for me, chances are you'll find me at Don Cherry's for wing night every Monday and Tuesday.

Sean

Monsoon Season

Monsoon season in Bangkok might be drawing to a close but it is going out with a bang. For the past couple of weeks, we've had torrential rainfall, resulting in streets flooded with black, oily water and bringing out the vermin from the depths of the sewers. Most often, we stay in the cozy confines of our apartment and enjoy the incredible thunder and lightning show but Tui was in an adventurous spirit today so off Tui, Bryan, and I went in search of lunch.



It only takes 15-20 minutes before the side streets start flooding. Sandals are a must as you can't expect to get anywhere without wading through some water. The deepest it got was about a foot.





Had we the appetite for it, we could have snack on the numerous cockroaches making a run for higher ground. They tend to cluster on the walls, wherever they can find a dry spot. Of course, there's no shortage of them running around your feet either but it's not so bad that you can't avoid them...almost.



Sean

Sean's Saturday

With Meg back in Canada, my "habit" of constantly working went into overdrive. Without Meg being here to gently remind me that I have to take time to relax (or eat for that matter), I rarely saw the light of day unless it was to attend meetings (which, thankfully, is quite often). After a couple of weeks, I realized I didn't fancy the idea of dying from malnutrition in front of my laptop and have since been making an effort to step away from my hermit lifestyle.

So, instead of waking up at 6am on a Saturday morning to work the daylight hours away, I've been getting out more with friends and taking time to relax by myself (ok, maybe I still work for a few hours but gimme a break, it's a gradual process). For instance, yesterday I spent my afternoon reading (just started "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini), playing guitar on my balcony (pictured below: a bit of a poser pic, I know), and then went out with friends for dinner to celebrate Tui's last day of work.



We went to the Tawandang Brew-House, a large German beer hall with great Thai food and impressive stage performers - whether its traditional Thai music and dance or an elaborate break dancing show, they have it all. For anyone coming to Bangkok for a visit, I highly recommend the place. By 10pm, people begin standing up at their tables to dance. The Thais love of relaxing and enjoying life to the fullist never ceases to amaze me. It's a good environment for me to be in.



Anyway, rest assured that I am healthy and have forsaken the vampiric existence of living in my bedroom, void of all light. :)

Sean

Halloween in Bangkok

Halloween isn't exactly a popular event in Thailand. From what I understand, it was introduced here for commercial purposes, another holiday for the malls to promote and profit from. Nonetheless, I wasn't going to let that stop me from dressing up and going out, even if I was the only person to do so.

A quick rummage through the closet didn't leave me with many options, it was a choice between being a samurai or...a samurai. So, I broke out the kimono I had bought from Tokyo last December, picked up a plastic sword from the mall, and voilà, instance samurai! (侍 in Japanese)

I ended up going to Muse, a popular Thai club. Unfortunately, very few people were dressed in costume. I would have gone to one of the more popular foreigner hangouts but Muse is just such a happenin' spot.



Sean - (a.k.a. Samurai Champloo's Jin)