Thailand 1: June 2, 2001

Now that Liz and I have been in Bangkok for a week and a half I felt it was time to e-mail you with some sweeping generalizations about Thailand, Bangkok, its people and culture.
Our trip from LA was fairly uneventful. L-o-n-g, but uneventful. I can understand why Darren treasures his first class seats. Next time you think your taxes are poorly spent, think of us squeezed back there among the proletariat, crushed like ants at a picnic. Three crappy movies does not make up for mystery meat and no leg room. Plus, "United Rocks" most definitely does not rock, so I had to use my walkman until the batteries ran out.
We got in at 10 pm and the temperature was a cool 86 degrees. Since then, the mercury hasn't shifted much from day to day. Usually, in the low 90s during the day, cooling down about 10-15 degrees at night. If you stay out of the sun, its not so bad (actually it is, but its bearable). But, if you step out of the shade, watch out. Surprisingly, it can get fairly breezy, so that helps a little. However, if you walk more than a couple of blocks, the sweat starts to roll. Having to wear a suit to work can cause some problems, but that's one of the reasons we start at 7 am. We're in the middle of rainy season, but its only rained a few times. When it comes down, it really comes down. Plus, like DC, a thunderstorm does not necessarily cool things down.
Our housing is great. We're in a modern, 13 story apartment complex about a seven minute walk from the Embassy. We're also right down the street from Lumpini Park, the biggest park in Bangkok. Around dusk, if you walk around, you can see several groups of outdoor aerobicizers. People walk up, join the group for few minutes and then walk off. Women of all ages and a few men. You can also find groups of older women practicing karaoke, ball room dancers, Tai Ching. The park also has a few outdoor gyms. Lots of Thai and Farangs (westerners) jogging and walking. You can eat there too if you want, but eating outside while the sweat drops into your noodles isn't for me.
Our apartment is huge. Two large bedrooms. Three full baths. A sizable den with a fold-out bed, dining room, living room, and large kitchen, plus maids quarters. We've got more closet space than in our house in DC. Our building has a pool and tennis court, plus our own little outdoor gym. We're going to start looking for a maid soon. The building security guard has told people that a new couple moved in, so, apparently, a lot of women are asking about work.
We splurged on a new flat screen TV and VCR, plus we already have cable and an internet hook up.
We live in one of the nicest areas of the city. Lots of high rise apartments and tons of restaurants. On our block, we've got Thai places, Chinese, Vietnamese, steak, vegetarian, Italian (lots of Italian), French and others. At one end of the street, is Central, one of the nicest department stores in the city. It has a huge grocery store with everything you would ever want. Tons of American foods, Thai fruits, dim sum, Japanese products, everything.
Food is also incredibly cheap. You can eat very well for 5 bucks. In fact most things (with the exception of dry cleaning) are a real bargain compared with the States. As you would expect, the Thai food is wonderful. You have to be careful, though, because it definitely is spicier than in the US. The Thai love to eat, and there are tiny street vendors grilling, frying, roasting or peeling something on every street. Until our systems adjust, we have been warned to avoid the street food, though it is tempting.
We're also around the corner from two sky train lines and the Regent Hotel. Liz joined a gym about a mile away. She says it has better machines than her gym at home. The beauty of it all (for her anyway), is that it is across the street from a Starbucks. Of course, there are several Starbucks around town (along with Au Bon Pain, Mrs. Fields, KFC and every other US chain -- it makes Bangkok seem a bit less exotic). She takes a cab, but, get this, I don't mind. Cabs are dirt cheap. No more than a dollar or two, no matter how far you go.
Bangkok is a fascinating city. Like many large cities in developing countries, there is quite a contrast. Small shanties next to modern skyscrapers. Well-dressed young Thai women eating at chic restaurants with older, peasant types passing by hauling trash away to recycle by hand. At first glance, there appears to be construction everywhere. However, its an illusion. When the baht collapsed in 97, so did the construction sector. Apartments, shopping centers, hotels and office buildings are half, a quarter or three quarters built. Almost no new work is being done. Right next to us is a huge apartment complex, 95% done. I don't know when they'll finish. The economy is picking up as Thai industry takes advantage of the low baht to export its way out of the doldrums. But a US economic slowdown could nip the recovery in the bud.
Nevertheless, there is a lot to see in the city. We hope to get out more in the future, but just a ride along the sky train gives you a picture of the city. There is a lot of traffic. Perhaps, not as bad as its reputation, but still it can get pretty jammed. I would say the Thai are better drivers than in many Third World countries. They grudgingly respect traffic lights and use their brakes. However, just because a street says it is one way, doesn't mean that Thai motorists (especially the motorcyclists) believe it. The blocks here a very long and crossing the street can take a while.
Work, so far, has been good. I actually started the day after we arrived. Liz came in to help with administrative details (getting ID badges, setting up appointments) and I had to attend a meeting at the telecomm ministry. I think I bluffed my through with a lot of sage nodding. The Embassy is huge. Its the third largest US Embassy in the world. I'll be doing Econ work for the first year and my section has 6 officers. I'm in charge of a regional UN organization, energy, transportation and telecommunications. I'll be working with some of Liz's old colleagues in the FCC. Our hours are 7-4, but since I'm also working on Admin matters, I've been staying a little late.
We haven't done that much exploring yet. Last weekend, we went down to the river and walked around the Oriental and the Shangri La. Definitely of World Bank guest quality. Liz checked out one of the Wat's last week and I've done some walking around. Tomorrow, we plan to go to Chatuchak market. Its supposed to have thousands of stalls where you can buy anything. We'll let you know what's available.
The other Embassy people are a good group. Our social sponsor lives in our building. She's been here two years and has picked up some amazing furniture. Liz's eyes lit up when we walked into her apartment. (Full disclosure -- so did mine). We went to lunch at my boss's the other night. He's the Econ counsellor and he gets a house. The US has a lot of property in the area and his house is one of 5 in a tree-filled compound. Three stories, old colonial, with a 30 foot long kitchen (no lie) and, get this Darren, a wine cellar. We've gone out several nights and we're meeting a lot of people. I think the Embassy community is pretty active.
Liz hasn't started to actively look for work yet, which gives her some time to acclimate. She's picking up some Thai and can get around on her own.
I'm trying to use my Thai as much as possible. Because I had an 8 week break (primarily for consular training) after I finished my Thai course, I lost a fair amount. Its starting to come back, but I need to work on it. I'm going to try to find a tutor. As an Econ officer, most of my contacts speak very good English, though when we went to the Department of Aviation I got to chat in Thai. This will all change when I switch to consular next year. All visa interviews are in Thai. For now, when I use Thai, many Thais respond in English. Bad, because they immediately assume their English is better than my Thai, but good because at least they respond to my questions, showing that I at least made sense. At the other extreme, some Thais immediately assume I'm fluent and go flying off leaving me hanging on as they go by like an express train. This often happens on the telephone.
We've found people to be very friendly. Hopefully, over time we'll get to meet more Thais, especially when we get outside of Bangkok.
I'm sure more will come to me after I sign off, but that will have to wait for future e-mails. I hope everyone is doing well. Let us know what you're up to.