Bangkok Week 9

August 28, 2008

We got a printer! Thailand won its second gold! Some other things happened, too!

These two drinks were specifically chosen to coordinate with the colors worn by their buyer.

Thai-style ice cream, complete with peanuts, coconut jelly, black jelly, and colorful bits mixed in.

Mmm, black jelly.

Purchased? Or stolen?

Taking the printer on its inaugural skytrain ride.

Home-sweet-new-home.

Ooh! So that's what a printer is!

Voila! An excited computer, posing with its recently adopted sibling.

My souvenir from Kunming: Tuocha Cake.

A bunny hand-sewn by one of classmates.

Another souvenir from Kunming: either tea or chow fun.

Watching the gold-medal match of men's flighweight boxing, cheering on Thailand's hero-to-be.

Victory for Somjit... and Thailand!

Thailand's second (and last) gold of the 2008 Olympics.

Heading off to the Homebuyer's Expo at a big conference center downtown.

A construction site for yet another condo among the sea of tall modern buildings.

We were not looking to buy a home, despite what the signs suggest.

We really went for the free popcorn and tote bags.

It was huge; two floors packed with developers, banks, and papers to be given away. So overwhelming, we almost bought a resort home.

A vegetarian Chinese/Thai restaurant near the expo. (And a vegetarian Thai.)

100% sugar in a bottle.

That's not real duck!

We went all the way to the new tower at Chula University to check out the hyped new bookstore.

Here's the bookstore! Good and empty!

A tree spilling its roots.

My swanky non-business cards.

This is how they eat bread here: they cut it up into cubes...

... and dip it into green goo.

Finally! Hi, Chris!

A brilliantly-colored dragon fruit.

Look how nicely people line up to enter the skytrain at rush hour.

The Robot Building! (Note: Stay tuned for a better, head-on shot of him.)

Mr. Robot features many one-storey nuts on the side.

And in which direction would you like to drive?

Bangkok Week 8

August 21, 2008

The camera was traveling in Kunming, China for most of the week, so few photos were taken in Bangkok.

At a swanky GM conference, where they were showcasing new "green" vehicles. They made it quite the media hoopla.

A poster for a "Green" conference in June, featuring a (mystery) MIT professor.

The swanky popcorn in the swanky lobby of the swankiest movie theater in Bangkok (on the top floor of the city's swankiest mall).

The swanky seats. We experienced the comfortable swank while watching WALL-E.

And a slightly-less-swanky vegetarian food court meal after the movie.

A previously shown view of Bangkok, this time while the sun was hidden.

Celebrating the weekend by voluntarily going to sweat.

Taking the world of squash into his own hands.

The best possible use of B10 (25 cents), complete with KFC-customized cone.

Leaning out the window, gazing...

... at the double-rainbow!

Apparently no rainbows in sight from this vantage point.

A coconut pastry and an absurdly tall tarot bun from "Gateaux House".

After the camera's return from Kunming, China, the owner proudly posing with his bronze souvenir (described by the accompanying card as having a "simple and heavy design").

An advertising ploy for a "water-emitting" car.

This guy seems shocked to realize there's a giant toothpaste on his back.

Not scaly fish! Just scaly fruit!

A bum piece of fruit if I've ever seen one.

A Cadbury skytrain pulls into Siam Square station.

And a pink army ascends the escalators at Siam Paragon.

Bangkok Week 7

August 14, 2008

Mostly in Trad for a 4-day weekend including Mother's Day.

Since our bus was at 10pm, we were able to see most of the (faked) Opening Ceremonies. Here's Canada, in all it's glory.

Even after going to the bus terminal and boarding the bus, countries were still marching into the Birds Nest.

We arrived at 3am. This is 7am that morning at the temple, filling the monks' rice containers.

The monks' abode at the temple.

While something long was being said that I didn't understand.

At the store, looking at a Vietnamese souvenir.

Some cookies we brought from Bangkok-- most were consumed by a neighbor's kid.

Inside every monster is a sweet soul.

Yes, this motorcycle was being driven down the road.

Enjoying some "pork" for lunch.

The high-speed internet company, whose dangerous bamboo ladder is taller than the house is wide.

The Melodian! (Or is it a Melodica!?)

Taking advantage of the dangerous ladder's presence to fix the store's antenna.

Read it and weep. (Note: this is a Chinese product.)

Buying durian at the market!

Dinner... with unusually red rice.

Hold your nose! The durian's out...

...and ready to be eaten! For the momentous first time!

An ant reads the comics.

Big smile.

A family photo, while looking at photos.

Enjoying some โค้ก.

Just a glimpse of the many hours spent watching Olympic Weightlifting.

The egg store in town.

Sad because it was too rainy to go out and play.

A proud graduate standing outside his elementary school.

More school.

Even more school. It had quite a nice little campus.

Walking up the overpass that connects the 2 halves of the school separated by a street.

A view from above.

The playground in the pre-school half of the school.

Shave and a Haircut. Two bahts!?

Riding the (remarkably short) truck taxi back home.

Town was tiring, and clearly called for a nap.

A crispy, rolled treat.

We were spoiled: all dishes-- vegetarian!

Fencing! In the Olympic coverage! Of course, it was only one bout, of men's sabre between Thailand and China.

More sandwiches for sale than ever before.

Consternation (or just constipation?) while doing work at the store.

Home-made Pad Thai...

...was the first Pad Thai I've had in Thailand.

Some sticky rice-based desserts.

Enjoying watermelon and tomorrow's newspaper.

A spider on an egg... presumably not hers.

Observing a large wasp, hard at work building her nest... on a rack of snacks for kids.

She built her nest over the course of an afternoon.

Our bus back to Bangkok. Coach buses here have their routes permanently painted on their sides.

You just can't escape Olympic Weightlifting coverage in this country.

Bangkok Week 6

August 7, 2008

A weekend trip to the mountainous area near Khao Yai National Park (NE of Bangkok), and a visit to the new Bangkok Art and Cultural Center.

With 6 people packed in, we headed up to Khao Yai National Park. It's actually a World Heritage site.

Once arriving at Ohm's house, Kom and Ohm rush to hook up the iPod to speakers.

With music blasting, the next task is obvious: arrange some flowers from the garden in a vase.

View and Kom puzzle over how to arrange the grape-like flowers in a vase.

The final product.

This guy came hidden in one of the flowers.

The main road in Khao Yai National Park. It was very steep and generally up-hill.

A glimpse of the view, and how large (and hilly) the area is.

I guess those posts prevent cars from driving too far.

The monkeys thought the street would be an appropriate place to hang out.

I particularly like this guy's expression.

Massage mom, ignore baby.

Mom's always having to multi-task: groom teen and nurse kid.

Apparently they're not afraid of cars.

Salt pits to which, apparently, the wildlife come to feed. See any?

Finally, the water fall (if you can call it that).

At the top of the water fall: Petch, Ohm, View and a tall outcast.

The metaphoric view from the top. Can you spot the swimming farangs?

This guy must've had second thoughts.

The two Doctors from MIT.

And here we have the famed, hyped waterfall.

Walking (carefully) down to the base of the waterfall.

Guess what? The waterfall, from the base!

The farangs enjoying the water.

It's curious that our heads aren't more wet...

A tree taking over a tree?

Group shot!

Got all this now?

Having some fun, back at the house.

Ohm and View start the hi-tech barbecue.

The chef and his domain.

Say... how does a BBQ work again?

Enjoying some vegetarian fare while the bbq smokes away in the corner.

Putting on my mosquito protection.

This is what happens when you try to grill an egg.

And this is why you should not grill corn directly on hot coals.

Deer in headlights.

Ohm's house, during daylight.

Obviously, that's a face perched on that cliff.

A banana fan.

House available. Takers?

A winery, complete with artificial Italian countryside abode.

No idea if there are actually any grapes growing in there!

The masterful garden sculpture.

And the rest of the garden.

Mountains loom in the background.

More winery, more artificiality.

The Guardian of the "Grapes".

Is the backdrop convincing?

And the voice came booming from the skies above: don't trip, it warned.

Some busy bees.

We stopped at a dairy, supposedly famous for its fresh ice cream. Umm... I think someone should help them with their name.

Their boney mascot.

And their take-away product.

The largest bill boards I've seen!

An elephant building, of course.

The new Bangkok Art and Cultural Center downtown.

Its inner architecture is vaguely reminiscent of a certain circular art gallery in NYC.

"Always Roaming with a Hungry Heart", an exhibit of the Princess's photography from the past 6 years.

A welcome, progressive policy...

... of which this guy's taking full advantage.

Enjoying photos from around the world.

Recognize these places? The ducklings in Boston Common, Trinity Church in Copley Square, a street musician in front of the Coop, and some random mountains not in Boston.

A view of Siam Square and the merging of the sky train lines.

On our way out, we took a pit stop in heaven, apparently.

A view of the interior architecture looking down from above...

... looking across from the middle ...

... and looking up from the bottom.

Street art, outside the Art Center.

Mangos in a bago.

My classmates and teacher.

And now they write what?

Bangkok Week 5

July 31, 2008

A typical week-- some group errands on the weekend, and class during the week.

What must be the most posh McDonald's out there-- complete with pastries in a display case and Caramel Cream Frappés.

What must be the most expensive produce in Bangkok -- by a factor of 10.

A vegetable-filled bowl of fire!

Consumed at a rate of one spoonful per minute.

Anyone for a fake iPod? The variety is endless.

Siam Square -- a trendy shopping area -- reflected in a mall's facade.

Where the 2 skytrain lines, 5 malls, and many people converge.

A DQ Blizzard! For 60 cents! From a posh, full-service DQ.

Subject. Verb. Object?

Whoo! An unknown Thai band! Performing on a very small sidewalk!

Although seat belts are deemed unnecessary accessories, headrest decorations are a must.

The cheapest iced drinks in the city (we're talking 10-cents each -- clearly they're enjoyable!)...

... in the basement cafeteria of Chula University.

A rugby game next to Chula's School of Dentistry. Ironic?

The donuts here have a tendency to look... plastic.

Group shot in Siam Square-- a trendy shopping area.

What up, dawg?

A sweet-and-savoury snack.

The view out our apartment window at dusk, displaying unusually painting-like colors.

Aha! A noi-na!

Kind of looks like rotting teeth on the inside. But it IS tasty.

Off to try out a second squash court, again at a hotel.

The court, and the player.

Noodle soup, complete with fake duck, fake meatballs, and fake mystery meat.

And an unappetizingly pink Thai dessert.

A robot-like building on the outskirts of the city.

A dish of boiled peanuts and daikon!

Lots of stripes, and a stubborn orange. Note: oranges are actually green.

I stored our grocery list on my hi-tech phone!

Another traditional Thai dessert -- egg yolks mixed with lots of syrup. Great for the cholesterol.

And one more dessert-- sliced custard on sticky rice.

My classroom at my Rong Rian Phasaa Thai.

The building in which my Thai school is located. (We're on the top floor.)

The fountain and building name outside the school's building. "Wanissa" is their approximation to "Vanissa".

The street name and neighborhood of my school. Despite the transliteration, it's pronounced "Shit Lom".

Lots of condos going up downtown!

8 weeks and 1 diploma for "Mike" later...

... I got my receipt from MIT!

The Doctor, enjoying a cake...

... that he won (indirectly) by completing a sudoku at work!

At a big park at the north end of the Sky Train: taller than a palm tree!

All Rise for the National Anthem at 6pm.

The Thai 'Fro!

Swingin' on the exercise equipment provided by the park.

A maze of walkways.

And a Friday Night mess.

Bangkok Week 4

July 24, 2008

A long weekend in Trad! (Not really Bangkok, and not fully Week 4.)

We headed to Trad on a 4.5-hour bus that departed Bangkok in the late-morning. This is the lunch box the bus company provided to each rider.

And these are some of the stylish seats the bus company provided to its riders.

A view of the front of the bus cabin. Window curtains, ample leg room, and crummy horror videos for all!

A view leaving Bangkok. Note the number of riders on that motorcycle...

A view crossing into Trad (the province).

Main street Trad (the city).

Woah! We found a car with MIT bumper stickers! What are the odds?

2/5 of the diners at dinner on the first night at a "suki" restaurant.

Another 2/5 of the diners at the restaurant.

Taking the plunge?

Filling the monks' rice containers before a ceremony at the temple the next morning-- it was the first day of the Buddhist Lent.

Some of the monks.

Filling our own rice bowls, back at home.

First breakfast!

The brothers dine side-by-side.

The men, expressing various degrees of shock over... who knows what!

A view of the sea.

A genetically-inherited pose.

Walking through a swampland park.

Some of the swampland trees. The area can be flooded during some seasons. Here, it's just muddy.

These are lizard-fish creatures. They have one fin, one set of feet, and move by shimmying their bodies (leaving those funny tracks in the mud).

Not actually the sea-- more like a reservoir. But nice and tropical, nonetheless.

A typical road. This one happened to have a noodle house...

... where we stopped for lunch.

Back at home, in front of the store.

The store!

A view from the store, of the land across the street.

Assembling a Thai dessert-- it's bleached-blonde-like strands of sugar that get rolled up in a thin, savory pancake.

Another dessert, from a relative's stand down the street: sticky rice and coconut. Really delicious when warm!

Longkong.

At the market in downtown Trad. Are those limes or oranges?

An eager lad waits in a parking lot.

Trying sushi!

At a fish sauce factory. No free samples here.

Restocking the ramen stand.

The aftermath of one evening with the mosquitoes. They sensed farang blood.

At dinner Chez Sukkasi.

Looking through photos with dad.

A curious (and ominous) sky across the street.

Sipping coffee from a spoon that was dangerously large.

The father-son water delivery service. (Note: Driver Dad is wearing a Hello Kitty shower cap.)

Aww. The modem's not working with the prepaid internet!

The store's back door, back lit.

Group shot! (Taken by an unsuspecting customer.)

The house (and the mystery car), through the store's back door.

Yogurt-milk drink, aptly represented by a cat with a propeller on his head.

A fly enjoys some yogurt, too.

Stove top ramen. No pot needed!

A snail leisurely goes for a glide after a heavy rain.

Taking a "mazda" truck taxi into town.

The only escalator in Trad, at the Trad "Department" Store.

What's going on under there?

As opposed to the fake kind.

A side street... reserved for motorcycles?

A temple entrance on main street.

More main street Trad.

At a covered market behind the main street.

Rumor has it that brown eggs are healthier than white ones... but what about pink ones?

Off-main-street Trad. (That blue truck is a typical taxi.)

More downtown Trad, and more motorcyles.

Riding home again.

Pinwheel flowers.

A ghost in the living room!

Reading the next day's paper in front of the store.

Some Mexican influence mixed in, at the rear of the store.

Chillaxin' at the store.

The Last Supper.

At the Trad bus terminal.

The sign at our bus's parking spot: "Trad - Mo Chit"

Bangkok Week 3

July 17, 2008

More weekend day-trips.

One of the main canals in Bkk.

On the long commuter boat that travels the length of the canal.

A view out the side.

Another reptilian beast!

Wat Ratchanatda, at the western end of the canal.

The boat driver's rear view mirror. It censors some passengers!

More homes along the canal.

This is how you keep your fellow passengers from being splashed!

Our traveling companions.

Homes, old and new.

The canal eastbound took us to a mall...

... with vegetarian food!

How to dry your laundry.

A mall devoted to electronics and pirated software.

Two mango brothers. One ripe, one, well...

... not so ripe.

One of the bridges crossing the Chao Phraya River.

A market on the border of Chinatown and the Indian community.

Group shot!

Consulting our trusty map... while lost on an overpass.

Anyone seen my scissors?

"Packed" does not do justice to the density of this market.

Boo!

What color drink would you like?

Ice cream... in a hot dog bun!!

Hello, kitties!

Chinatown's main street.

A typical old apartment building.

The "most revered" temple in Chinatown.

A school!

Dried shrimp?

Dried duck?

The gate to Chinatown... is not really in Chinatown anymore.

Putt putt Pineapples.

Inside Bkk's rail terminal.

And outside Bkk's rail terminal.

More typical apartments.

Found the end of the line!

My Monday costume!

Mang kut (Mangosteen)...

... cut open.

Bangkok Week 2

July 10, 2008

Some sightseeing (not too many photos-- don't want to spoil your visit!) and other wanderings around the city.

We took a Tuk Tuk to get to the famous sights.

My first (and last?) Tuk Tuk ride!

A much more frightening experience than I'd anticipated!

A yoh-yaag at the Grand Palace.

More Grand Palace grandeur.

Bling bling.

Phra Siratana Chedi behind Phra Mondop

Something ornate.

On the count of 3...

A boy's lighting incense outside the temple.

Slightly different colors.

He *thinks* he's found a hiding spot...

Okay, which is more imposing?

The hall used to receive foreign ambassadors and honor other Heads of State, and some broccoli trees.

Our umbrella.

An iced tea break, lest we collapse in the sun.

The famed Reclining Buddha at Wat Po. You've probably seen this picture before.

The back of Buddha... still reclining.

More Wat Po architecture.

More Wat Po, with an obstruction in the foreground.

Roof tiles or snake scales?

Group shot!

Wouldn't want to land on this temple...

I wasn't the only snap-happy fool there...

Pick your poison.

A block of the flower market.

Suankularb, Ton's high school.

The tap water canal!?

Granny pants, anyone?

We found a squash court!

It squashed me.

Then we found Jess and her aunt!

And some fluffy desserts.

Tropical fish! (Some like to call them dragon fruit.)

A typical sidewalk.

Gulati's second job!

A famous restaurant to which we have yet to go.

Still more Bkk traffic.

A park in the middle of it all.

With a lake in which I wouldn't swim.

And some art students.

Have I mentioned that Mondays are yellow?

The aisle contained light bulbs...

Say what?

The holy grail of ice cream.

How to jog in 40-degree weather.

In front of the lake at Lumphini Park.

More tropical haven in the city.

This man was not fazed by the large reptilian fellow creeping by.

An elephant family in the clearing.

Resting after a lap around the park.

The famed beer garden...

... at the Suan-Lum Night Bazaar.

Riding the subway for the first time!

In the (clean!) subway.

The "proximity token" used on the subway. You tap it near a sensor.

Bangkok Week 1

July 3, 2008

Arriving in Bangkok and getting acclimated. Also, heat.

Before and after packing two 50-lb bags and a 40-lb carry-on.

In Tokyo, destination Bankoku.

Finally! With all bags in one piece!

First meal in Bkk! "Kanom Jeen"...

The Doctor and his Hood.

A scrabble tournament in a mall.

Lunch from a vegetarian stall at a mall food court.

Kanun.

The newfangled iPod touch!

Much-appreciated Thai ice cream at Chatuchak Market.

Tropical croutons?

Plaza outside the CDN embassy.

Which way?

One of the more effective motorized means of transport.

Go!

Rain outside the apartment window.

Doomsday is coming.

Note the waves on the roof.

Ngoh (?)

Don't we all?

Say, what time is it?

In what direction should the traffic be going, to the right of the yellow line?

'Cause rush hour aerobics in front of a bank is where it's at!

More (colorful) traffic!

The skytrain station outside our apartment (but that is not our apartment).

Chulalongkorn University campus (the oldest university in Thailand).

Faster than a speeding bullet!

Can anyone identify these flowers?

More Chula campus.

The irony kills me.

Tropical workout, anyone?

Some fellows on a tree.

Lam yai (?)

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