ON THE CORNER

I'm a big fan of corner shophouses in Chinatown here, especially those that maintain the old wood structure. Ran into this worn down beauty after a dim sum brunch with friends. After eating, we wound through the narrow alley of a chinatown choomchon (community), then ended up on a road parallel the river, home to the building above.

We parted ways at the building - they turned right, heading back into the thick of chinatown, while I ducked left to take the river ferry home.

JE' KITUNG

A little something for the memory bank.

I am certain to be missing this next year in Cambridge - yam muu takrai - a pork lemongrass salad, picked up from our favorite neighborhood lunch spot. Eating alone, with Fee conferencing at Ramatibadi Hospital, the meal set me back $1 - sticky rice an extra 15 cents. Oh, so tasty.

LESE MAJESTE

http://socialistworker.org/2009/01/20/facing-prison-for-dissent

BKK SPACES: PED OVERPASS

Modern Bangkok has a penchant for flyovers - rather than integrate pedestrian crossing into massive intersections, the city goes vertical. And there is something about them - a feeling of being above the fray.

HAZY THURSDAY

Taken from the observation deck from the Baiyoke Tower, the tallest building in BKK. Looking southeast, into the morning haze. Used the tower to photo some abandoned towers in the area, while Fee ducked into a conference on a lower floor.

AMPHAWA

Yesterday afternoon, our friend Noon (pictured above) was kind enough to take us on a trip back in time.

We hopped in her CNG-hybrid tinysedan and headed to Amphawa, a town about an hour west of BKK, which has retained its canal-side charm against all odds. Amidst the pleasant throng of Bangkok day-trippers, we nibbled on sweets and, sitting on the canal wall, shared squid and curry from floating vendors. We even managed to buy tasty chocolate truffles that appeared zelig-like while crossing a bridge.*



After dark, we head out on an hour-long boatride. The main attraction were lightning bugs (Noon was disappointed when we admitted that our childhood summers were filled with them) - but the air was cool and we relished the quiet, so absent from the soundscape of Bangkok.

CHA'AM, CHA'ILL

While Fee met with a scholarly monk a few weekends ago, Kevin snuck out to the beach.
Kevin was unashamedly tagging along a weekend trip to Cha'am, about 2.5 hours south of BKK, with a group of friends of a friend. The core of the group graduated in the same architecture cohort from Silipakorn University, the top arts school in Thailand, and most all were coworkers at Art4d magazine, as well as practicing architects and photographers.

The primary focus of the one-night trip was certainly food - a trip to the local seaside market turned into an umpteen-dish feast, which covered two picnic tables on the deck of a very po-mo orange and green beachside house. The eating and drinking and talking went on long into the night. And Kevin realized just how cryptic inside jokes can be, especially when delivered in rapid-fire, call-and-response, slang-heavy Thai. In such times, one learns to laugh simply at others' laughter.


With quite a number of serious photographers in the bunch, there were several periods of photomaking. One, late Saturday night, involved long-exposure 'writing' with flashlights (see the magazine name above, kevin is the 4); another, a long, slightly hung-over group session on the beach before heading back to BKK Sunday afternoon.

3...2...1... 2552* !

We rung in the new year here.

*(As Buddha had his 'a-ha!' moment under the bodhi tree 543 years before JC plopped out in a manger, the current Thai year is 2552)

Absolutely lucked into an improbably quiet spot on the otherwise built-up Ko Chang. Really, if you're in the area, we can't recommend Saffron by the Sea highly enough. Had mellow days of reading on ingenious bamboo hammocks, a little kayaking, a daily dose of mellow snorkeling, and fantastic food.

Gave us both a newfound appreciation for rocky beaches. Yes, heresy perhaps, sand is overrated...