Thailand 4: July 24, 2001

News from the Far East:

Liz and I met the Prime Minister on Sunday. We were sitting in Starbucks (she dragged me, honest), when he walked up and sat across from us. He said hello, I said "hello, Mr. Prime Minister" and then we began a 30 minute discussion on the pros and cons of privatizing the national telecommunications monopoly. Actually, that last part is rubbish, but I did say hello. Unlike in the States, he was sitting at the window with his wife and daughters with no security. I realize Thailand isn't the US, but its a country of 60 million people and he's worth well over a billion dollars. Yet, there he was sipping his iced latte and munching on a piece of cake. No one bugged him, except for some Starbucks lackey sent over to give him a pitch about the Starbucks secret to success (hint: it involves charging $3 for a 50 cent cup of coffee).

Speaking of sitings, the wild animal viewings have continued. A couple of weeks ago, Liz and I were in a cab with another couple going to a friend's apartment. As we were driving down a crowded street after dusk, we looked up to see an elephant stomping along, complete with an actual "tail-light" to warn passing motorists that an elephant was in the vicinity. Our friends remarked that they hadn't seen that many elephants in Bangkok, which begs the question, how is it that you see them at all? Apparently, they are brought in for tourist viewings, which really is a shame, because they don't belong in the city. Still, quite a surprise to see one passing you on the sidewalk.

Had another run in with the giant lizard in Lumpini Park, though this time, he was with a female friend, shall we say, amorously engaged in the lagoon next to the running path. A bunch of turtles had popped up a few feet away to watch, as though thinking "Two giant Lizards getting it on? This I gotta see!" Later, I saw (what I assumed to be) the male lizard taking a post-coital dip in the main lake, swimming along in a very relaxed fashion.

Last week, our friend Darren was in town on his way back to the US from Cambodia and we took an overnight boat trip to the old Thai capital of Ayutthaya. We boarded the ship at a dock in downtown Bangkok. From the deck we could see hundreds of fish breaching and flopping back into the water. The captain of the boat said they were attracted to the sun, but the Chao Praya is notably polluted so I thought it may have been a failed attempt at mass escape. Anyway, the boat was great -- a converted rice barge, with 9 cabins for overnight guests. We slowly wound our way up north, passing luxury hotels and sparkling temples, mixed in with cement factories and crumbling houses built on stilts over the water that looked like they would collapse from the force of our boat's wake. Large fenced estates sat next to dilapidated shacks, just like in the city. As we passed, we could see kids swimming and bathing, people brushing their teeth and doing the laundry smiling and waving as we passed. It sounds like a cheesy travelogue, but it was true, people seemed pretty happy to just wave to tourists as they went about their daily lives. The river was pretty crowded with water taxis, other tour boats, fishermen, and rice and cement barges. We stopped for the night at a wat and had a candlelit dinner on the boat. The next morning at 6 am, we woke up to give alms to the monks and were on our way. We spent a half day at the summer palace and touring the ruins of Ayutthaya. The capital was sacked by those dastardly Burmese in 1758, but the Thai quickly rallied and drove the invaders out, kicking some Burmese butt all the way to Mandalay. However, the Burmese had already taken much of the jewels and the gold from the city. Notably, the Thai covered several golden Buddhas with plaster, some of which remained forgotten for many years, only to be rediscovered when the plaster chipped off.

Drives along the highway in somewhat rural areas are interesting. Farmers use fire to clear their fields before planting season. So, as you drive along, periodically you pass through clouds of low-lying smoke. Its not like in Indonesia, where all the fires have created huge pollution problems, but its certainly noticeable. Like the US, there are lots of roadside stands, but where the stands in the States sell corn or watermelon or tomatoes, the stands in Thailand sell raw sugar, bags of rice (right out of the fields), limes, orange juice, and roasted sugar cane.

While Darren was here we wandered through Patpong night market. This market, which is packed with tourists and local Bangkok residents looking for bargains, is located in an alley surrounded by sex bars. Yet, the two seemingly coexist. You just have to get used to waving off the touts flashing cards (in many languages) describing the acts you can witness if you follow them. Picture the most bizarre activities you can imagine (well, ok, maybe some of you shouldn't), and you can see them in the bars. One of the many contrasts in Thailand. A modest, Buddhist culture that easily tolerates one of the largest sex industries in the world.

Liz belongs to a large gym attended largely by local Bangkok residents. On Saturday, the gym threw a party at a local hotel entitled "Glitz and Glamour" complete with talent show and fashion show. Liz and I went as one of the few non-Thai couples. The talent show included a (too) scantily clad weight-lifter posing to "Rock you like a Hurricane" by the Scorpions and a mixed female/transvestite group lip-synching to Lady Marmalade. The attire wasn't overly glitzy (or glammy), but the crowd was pretty well dressed. Thai society is fairly style-concious. Of course, the peasants in the fields don't spend much time focusing on fashion issues, but urban Thais of certain social status dress better than their American counterparts. The party also featured a large buffet of Thai and Western snacks. Now, I wasn't a tremendous frequenter of the club scene in the US (I know. They can't believe it here, either.), but my guess is that few American party-goers would have been caught dead in line for the food. Not the Thais. They don't attack the food like ravenous wolves, but they're not shy either. If food is there, its meant to be eaten and they gather up plates of food to bring back to tables to share with friends.

Liz has a job offer from Telecom Asia and is negotiating a salary package. It should be an exciting job, advising the company on Thai regulatory issues. Its a little farther away than the Embassy, but she might get a car and driver.

My work is very busy. Two people in my section are out of the office on vacation so I now also have responsibility for trade, intellectual property issues, and the environment. Plus, I'm control officer for a Congressional visit in August. Lots of meetings, memos, e-mails and phone calls. Its doable, but a lot of running around.

Random notes:

At 6 pm, the King's anthem is played on all Thai TV stations and in public areas. If I'm in Lumpini running, everything stops. People stand still (including me) until the anthem ends and then people resume whatever they were doing. The anthem is also played in movie theatres before every main attraction. Everybody hops up, stands, and then sits for the movie.

Thailand is the second largest market for pick up trucks in the world, behind the US. Thais use them for everything, but you often see them turned into makeshift mini-buses with 6-8 people packed in back. Alternately, you might see them filled with coconuts or other produce with little kids lying in the corners.

We continue to take lots of pictures and I have been experimenting with our video camera. I'm composing what might be called a collage of our experiences, complete with seemingly accidental freeze frames, sounds of mock bafflement as I playfully pretend to have forgotten to remove the lens cap, and artistically jarring camera angles of shoes and walls. All in all, a masterpiece of alternative cinema.