Bangkok Week 62

September 3, 2009

A packed weekend that was artsy, merry and Japanese.

Even funky old cars have to sit in Bangkok traffic.

It's Bangkok Arte' Weekend! A weekend festival of artsy vendors, art exhibits and concerts.

(They offered a shuttle from the BTS for the lazybones... including us.)

Attention to detail: including these benches!

Heading "inside". Everything was under a covered soccer field.

The event! Many vendors selling artsy clothes, jewelry, second-hand shoes, etc.

A big Color-Me wall stood in the middle of the field.

Checking out the prices of shirts-I-wouldn't-buy-anyway.

A purchase! A stylish new laptop bag!

A maker of colorful shirts and skirts blends right in with her wares.

Caricatures, sponsored by a bank.

Caricatures, not sponsored by anyone really.

The field was littered with bean bags, so people could just "chill".

Group shot with a background audience.

A boy contributes to the community project while avoiding the flu.

Yes! I made it to the goal!

Can't leave without vandalizing the wall himself.

Finally, dining at the vegetarian Japanese restaurant we stumbled upon last month.

Grilled Chicken!

Mixed tempura... with shrimp and dashi!!!

Look! It's shrimp tempura!

He he he. Japanese food.

Chicken? (Unfortunately, they didn't serve Japanese rice.)

And sushi, of course. This one had ham (along with the standard fixin's).

Ooh. Full now.

The new bag we won at the art fair, full of Japanese groceries.

The next morning, the penguins get ready for another wedding!

Recognize the dress? The necklace from prom?

The bride and groom are linked at the head by a string, and relatives come pour water on them. Romantic, no?

Some of the German relatives sit with a band of teenagers playing traditional music.

The red carpet shot? Featuring everything from mum. Help, my dress-up box is emptying quickly!

The Boston Boys (Wang, on the right, is the one whose sister's getting married.)

Everyone takes pictures in front of the backdrop while waiting for the bride + groom to change for lunch.

Group shot + shadow-of-photographer blocking face. How professional!

This kid couldn't wait till lunch started.

The new family. Quick, one of these is not like the others!

The wedding crashers?

One of many ice sculptures in the dining room!

This table is reserved for Wang's friends. All two of them.

Wang, Fu, Vee posing with drink supplements imported from the US.

The super-grande buffet.

And the vegetarian option. Irony here: these are fresh vegetables made to look like western frozen vegetables.

The couple are projected as they slice the cake with a sword.

And the requisite bouquet-tossing.

No visible progress this week, except for the disappearance of the workers' huts!

Bangkok Week 61

August 27, 2009

A pup, a permit!

Marouy welcomes you from the bottom of his heart.

A belated mothers' day gift.

Marouy can tell there's something great inside the bag!

He's had enough of his new chew already.

Breakfast: rice porridge with an assortment of salty things.

Marouy smiles and watches from the doorway as we enjoy breakfast without him.

An ad for the new car! Driven by its not-so-snazzy older cousin.

At the Toyota dealership, a big Buy-a-Pickup party was hap'nin.

Skillfully trying out the new car.

Lacklusterly leaning on its bed.

The dealership was even giving out juices, desserts and dumplings. (Of course.)

Top's new workplace! "Pichit Air And Sound." (That's what it says in red.)

Top, distracted at work.

Another windmill flower.

Enjoying lunch -- the first of many meals we'd be seeing those dishes!

Olives on an olive tree!

Olives off the olive tree!

Marouy proudly shows off his glistening new ball.

The house glows at dusk!

The acrobatic show-off is at it again.

He has yet to pose nicely for a photo.

Look at me play. Aren't I cute?

The next morning, at the temple preparing lunch for the monks.

The incense, flowers (and money) to donate.

Waiting while the monks dine.

Said dining monks.

The brothers look through a Soup-Up-Your-Car catalog.

Releasing the fish. Too bad the fish were eels this year. Ick.

Just some of the MANY leftovers brought home from the temple.

Sipping a tiny yogurt drink to remove the mouth-on-fire feeling.

A giant lily pad looms over the fish.

Having given up on the soccer ball, moving on to coconuts.

Do I look doofy?

Snails bury inside holes in a coconut palm.

(At least) 3 snails to this hole!

Chomp chomp chomp. Determined to peel the whole coconut.

Suddenly, the process became a whole lot more painful.

Preparing traditional, bright-orange Thai Iced Tea. In goes the condensed milk!

The finished product -- cool, sweet, refreshing.

Mmm. Orange.

A lazy Sunday afternoon at the store.

Recently organized chips and ramen. 22 different kinds of ramen on offer!

The two youngins size each other up.

A sleepy Sunday afternoon inside the cool house.

"Mowing" the "lawn."

Hmm! Mom's dishes... again!

What I thought was going to be an awning... turns out to be a whole addition.

Ever seen a mobile toilet? Pretty big bus for a toilet.

What's that you see? A work permit!?

This calls for celebratory cake!

And celebratory beer, of course! (And a celebratory face.)

Bangkok Week 60

August 20, 2009

A grand ol' potpourri of a week. Some marriage, some sight-seeing, some cold treats, some new feetz.

A mango too sour for words.

More tastes of the new food court: the noodles in the rear claim to be "pho".

Preparing for another wedding -- this one during flu season.

Petch and Fu -- both fellow Boston alums.

Luckily, the chopsticks they used at the wedding were sanitary!

A stare-down with your dinner.

More wedding attendees.

The bride chats with a friend back in Boston.

Three colorful doctors from MIT.

The wedding venue. Not big at all.

Hugging dolphin salt + pepper shakers: the door prize.

The men pose with the couple.

A first-timer to the good ol' Golden Mount.

Taking a good-luck swing at the gong.

Ringing the smaller bells is also good luck. But you gotta do 'em all.

Which pair shall I wear home?

Gazing dreamily down on Old Bangkok.

The mount, decorated for Mother's Day?

Get me down from here! It's a big gold mount!

Another Good Luck Gong.

This sign points to the "Belly Button" of Bangkok. The button itself is under all those coins.

(Requisite) group shot over the old city. Sunny day = squinty eyes.

A series of old wooden doors.

More colorful wooden windows!

"Democracy Monument"... or another big traffic circle.

Said traffic. How did we end up in the middle of it?

Festive flags hanging over a soi in the old city.

"Khao San" street -- Bangkok's backpacker haven.

It was filled with signs, souvenirs, western food and farang!

A European-style sidewalk restaurant that you wouldn't see anywhere else in the city.

Lunch at a more down-to-earth mom and pop shop behind the main street. (But they still see tourists!)

The restaurant's bug-eyed pup.

Could've been Pattaya!

An old European-style building. Now... Starbucks.

Browsing used books. (The red signboard in the background advertises IDs, US drivers' licenses and University Diplomas.)

The street had lots of Pad Thai carts, like this red one. Also, typical tourist clothing shops abound!

We followed these instructions to a tee.

A surprise evening treat! Ice cream-in-a-bun! How spoiled I am.

Sent on the 14th, arrived on the 18th. Ain't too shabby.

My snazzy new gear. Aren't I spoiled?

The Day the Dryer Died!

A swanky Japanese ice cube tray...

... made specifically for small-necked water bottles!

Before and after... took no more than 4 hours.

Casting pillars ... presumably for an awning?

Bangkok Week 59

August 13, 2009

A royal food bonanza! (Apparently the Olympics started a year ago this week.)

Dinner with some blurry old friends from Brown.

Do these balls look "walnut-sized" to you?

Post EZ-Bake.

A fresh batch of cookies in our new bowl (which was quality-tested at MTEC!)

Death by Oatmeal-Raisin.

An impulse lunch at a proper restaurant -- middle eastern to be exact.

Falafel! It's been so long! Oh how I've missed you! (Why are you so expensive in this city?)

Another new hi-rise going up downtown.

The soon-to-be-innards of a quiche!

Using what we could find to roll out the dough.

Ta-daa! Cheddar-tomato-leafy green vegetable quiche!

The Tillamook cheddar from Mexico still hasn't run out!

Mmm, home-made food. How novel.

Lazy holiday-morning-skype with the folks in NJ.

One vendor at the new food court. They sell Japanese curry and... pizza.

The ambiance of the new food court. It has about 10 different vendors!

The vegetarian Japanese curry on rice.

A view from above of some vendors and farang.

The woman from whom I now buy dinner.

Look at all these grilled "meats"! Yum yum!

A Mother's Day Bonanaza at a mall downtown. Here, a promotion on gourmet ice cream on a gourmet roll.

We thought we'd be the only ones coming to this fair... clearly we were right.

It was selling products made under the "Royal Project", including fresh vegetables.

But they were also selling Royal curry pastes, chips, juices, clothing, cloth, souvenirs, etc.

The crowd was compounded by everyone's bringing their mothers.

Here, lots of people take pictures of the same thing. Hi Moms.

Two kinds of mangoes: a sweet, juicy variety and one that remains crisp and tart.

The workers were out working hard all week, but I'm not sure I see much progress. You?

Bangkok Week 58

August 6, 2009

Exploring Bangkok -- believe it or not, there's still more to be seen!

A Sunday stroll down Soi Thonglor, a really hip place for foreigners to live.

We spotted a "Vegetarian Japanese" restaurant. Must return.

The area had so many up-scale malls. This could be any western country!

Check out the cars in this lot!

Visiting a photo exhibit in the lobby of a new high-end condo-slash-premium shopping center.

Lunch at a more down-to-earth place!

The chef makes our lunch.

Said lunch.

A famous Japanese bakery just opened up a second branch -- this one.

The area is quite Japanese!

Walking along the sidewalk-less streets. Like Tokyo?

I bought a new squash racket: 100% guarantee to hit the ball.

More condos going up-up-up. Recession? What recession.

Back at home, one of the 2 pastries we bought from the Japanese bakery.

And poor pastry #2: a chocolate-filled bear.

Not for long.

Have I mentioned how idiotic the skytrain is at rush hour?

Progress: some random bricks on the balcony and trim around the new roof.

Two! Count 'em. That's two months early for a birthday parcel!

Bangkok Week 57

July 30, 2009

Mask Fever (or flu-induced fever?) is sweeping the streets! Grab a mask and jump on in!

Mask Fever has hit Bangkok!

We happened to be walking by Auntie Anne's during their 4-hour free pretzel giveaway.

But how to eat a pretzel with a mask on?

Then we stumbled upon a second Auntie Anne's in a new mall. Guess what? Same promotion!

Free pretzels numbers 3 + 4.

Yum yum. This was "snow" flavor.

The entrance to the new "Coke Bottle" mall.

If these masks are good for anything, it's dieting!

Blending in with the crowd. (You must believe me. Everyone's wearing them!)

Special Sunday breakfast treat.

Too rainy to go picnic in the park? Apartment's the next best option!

Finally, can't resist trying it on.

Typical morning commute! What is this, Asia or something?

Bangkok Week 56

July 23, 2009

It's pup photo time again!

Puppy-face stretches on Saturday morning.

Wishing he could come inside!

A well-stocked store!

Sipping a huge yogurt drink.

The most tropical Mac-on-the-net.

A snack -- unflavored sticky rice and brown sugar.

A dreary Saturday.

The store cashier's desk. Lose something?

Scratch my belly so I can bite you!

Flavoring my lunch with an invisible lime.

A pink wide-noodle dish with veggies and pink tofu.

Dance with me so I can bite you!

Photogenic as ever!

Hm?

An umbrella hangs parallel with a fruit-picker.

Coconuts, man!

The fish look quite bright tonight.

A drop of rain water plops into the top of a basin.

Smiling for the photo, or eying the dessert on the table?

A chili plant. Don't rub your eyes!

Mr Smiley parades around with a bucket.

Look at my bucket! I'm happy!

Enjoying a coffee drink.

Pooped, after too much caffeine.

Seated nicely in the back of the car.

Delivery! Did you order a monk?

Waiting patiently while dad does his shopping.

Lounging around at the store.

The men sit around the table.

Marouy hasn't figured out personal space.

His motto: be pressed up against a human at all times.

Exhibit (2).

Eating his breakfast the next morning.

Looking through photos from the past month.

Only part of the stuff stored in the living room cabinet!

The cabinet's lowest shelves were getting a renovation, so the contents came out to party.

Top works to replace the cabinet's floor.

Lunch at the store: pad thai and old Milo thermoses.

Will making an innocent puppy face get me untied?

Egads, another roof!

Bangkok Week 55

July 16, 2009

Bikes and Bakes!

Vegetarian lunch at a *newly discovered* food court.

Had a great view of some construction downtown.

Two abandoned buildings (cranes and all!).

Peace out yo... a VW Bus managed to find its way to a Bangkok mall.

Finally! A shoe that fits!

At the TCDC's shoe exhibit. Here, shoes by an internationally-known Thai designer.

Ooh, another baking endeavor!

While this guy pecks away at his Thai keyboard.

Inspired by Chris's 4-layer chocolate cake!

Mine was only 2 layers, though. A cop-out!

The finished product... could use some work on my icing skillz.

Back at the Train Park for another afternoon of biking.

This time, mountain bikes with awfully uncomfortable seats!

Twin girls, twin bikes.

Enjoying my tour around the Not-So-Giant Swing.

The Golden Mount, with giant grey clouds looming in the rear.

A whole family bikes by the Golden Mount and Rama 8 Bridge.

Distracting him as he bikes along.

A game of 2-on-2 looks back-bending!

The park even has a public pool for kids.

This visitor came ready to bike, picnic and swim!

A mobile library comes to the park every weekend.

Kids take a drawing course at the water-side.

This little boy was perfectly capturing the park's nature in exquisite detail.

More late-afternoon traffic.

A main thoroughfare past some decent bathrooms.

We took a long biking break to toss around a frisbee.

But it's altogether too hot and humid to sustain!

A dog queues up for some wieners.

A family picnic celebrating a recent graduate.

This little boy wonders how the heck he ended up with this bike!?

An evening public aerobics class. (I got in trouble for taking this photo.)

Aha! We found the other end of the skytrain!

People are living in the house at night!

Finally, trying the afternoon's work.

Mmm, too much chocolate.

The All-Star game was shown live on Wednesday morning! (Obama's pitch was all I was home to see.)

Progress this week: windows and new trim detailing.

It's starting to come together!

Bangkok Week 54

July 9, 2009

A five-day weekend means... a park past its prime, crunchy cookies, sore squash and more!

Next baking attempt: sugar cookies.

Fast-action hands!

Pretty successful.

Pretty excited!

Taking a super-modern fancy bus to Siam Park City, Thailand's oldest amusement park.

The bus drop-off point... pretty official-looking!

The park's main entrance: a massive, tacky and aging castle.

Did I mention that the park is showing its age?

Having our photos taken for our new year-long passes.

Proud of his new ID card.

Boomerang... look familiar?

One day, I'll learn...

A really old, creaking animatronic mouse... the park's mascot!?

Not all rides were open. In fact, most were closed. Here's why!

A random collection of rides of varying (old) ages.

Okay, seriously. No more roller coasters.

Barf break!

Well, here's a nice shot of the ride that shot my stomach.

Smile and pretend to feel well!

An in-house shuttle coaster from 1981 with Bangkok as a backdrop.

The devil's coaster (from the air).

The park's claim-to-fame: its water park. (The largest in SE Asia.)

Taking in the scenery from the park's observation tower.

A pool-side lunch.

Kids play in the (really quite elaborate) lazy river.

Looking awfully pale!

A goofball poses for the picture?

Lounging at the river-side. Did I mention that the park was almost empty?

A truly strange set of water slides.

Studying the slide's maestros.

People either go super-fast... or not at all!

I got stuck half-way down.

A group of guys clearly spend their days practicing getting airtime on the bumps.

A clothed kid sits at the base of the slide, watching others have fun! (He got soaked.)

The world's largest artificial wave pool!

Look, they call themselves a beach!

This photo captures everyone at the park that day.

Posing on the very realistic-looking stepping stones.

Enjoying the showers in the kiddie lagoon.

Modeling with the water fall. (Modeling is clearly my calling.)

Requisite group shot with scenic backdrop.

Beach-side lounge chairs (that you have to pay for, just like in Pattaya).

A giant mushroom houses a beach-side bar.

Let's go surfing!

This sign explains the pool's official Guinness certification as World's Largest.

This little girl wonders why the heck this camera man is invading her personal space.

Mmm. Thai dessert that's quickly becoming my favorite.

Pink delight!

What is going on here?

Boarding a boat... for an adventurous trip through Animatronic Africa!

Realistic, drum-beating African people?

A cheery rubber tiger attacks a rubber zebra.

Boating through the jungle and taking photos all the way.

The closest anyone's gotten to crocodiles!

Aah! Scary animatronics!

King Kong plays with a red girl! What IS going on?

A huge Greek complex houses...

... a dinosaur museum!

Taking on my fellow Japanese.

The park's Main Street... a country-western setting from 30 years ago?

Back at home... reading the final page of Harry Potter 4!

Another water park -- this one on top of a mall in Bangkok. (We were just passing by.)

We (well, I) came to see a no-longer-operating roller coaster... that's now been partially boarded up.

Disappointment abounds!

Top floor of the 7-storey mall. Would've provided a nice view!

Now, like everything else in Thailand, they've turned it into a foodcourt.

Ooh! DQ! What a treat!

The swanky squash court at Vee's parents' new house's development.

Bangkok Week 53

July 2, 2009

Noodles, fried rice, soufflé and more!

At the Noodles Exhibit, demonstrating how to slurp noodles... Thai style?

All sorts of Japanese ramen, on display!

These illustrations shown how Japanese soba is made.

Standing proud in front of another display of Japanese dishes.

The only cheap food joint along the Japanese strip of town.

Sitting patiently in front of the menu.

Our staple! Veggie fried rice!

Before: crossing our fingers that the soufflés turn out.

After: they worked surprisingly well!

Can't wait for his chocolate snack (which has deflated already).

The next morning, amusing attempts to help mum and Bonnie burn a DVD.

Outside the BACC, a busted bench?

Lots of bustle in front of the BACC.

How indecent!

Beatin' away on a tall drum.

A really neat shadow-art exhibit lined the walls.

Lunch at -- you guessed it -- the MBK food court!

Progress report: squaring off the remaining sides of the house.

Bangkok Week 52

June 25, 2009

A fun night on the town, and a fun afternoon on our hot new wheelz!

A night out on the town! First stop...

... a swanky vegetarian restaurant in Siam Square! Shh, no photos allowed!

Paragon's plaza, all lit up at night.

Friday Night Life goes on (Sim Tower-style) inside an adjacent mall.

Palms, stairs and Versace lit up too.

UP to our primary destination! Doesn't he look thrilled?

Posing with Mr. Fredrickson.

Definitely stylish.

The next day, we stumbled upon some royally-made Mint Choc Chip ice cream!

Lunch at a mom-and-pop shop.

The next day, (western) lunch at our own shop.

Mmm... gorilla cheese. Makes my heart melt.

At the "Train" park... formerly a 9-hole golf course!

Some people come to picnic... some to sleep.

Walking to...

... the bike rental! Cheezy bike overload!

My hot new ride! 20B (70 cents) for the day!

Pimpin' out on the Granny bikes. (We chose these because they were the biggest.)

Riding through the park... which has been re-paved 'specially for biking.

Recognize it? The Golden Mount!

And mum's Giant Swing!

This area (for kids? bah!) had proper lane markers and traffic signs.

Touring around the famous sights.

And here's Victory Monument!

Hey! My pal the traffic cop!

Bike parking outside...

...the butterfly garden!

This butterfly mosaic on the floor was 1 of 2 butterflies we saw, though.

Here's the other!

Surprisingly, it was a pretty big enclosed area.

You could even rent sailboats and kayaks!

Some kids play basketball. (You have to think Thai players have a bit of a handicap.)

Posing with his flexible friends.

Finally, the park's namesake!

Wait for me, you stationary passenger car!

Sitting inside an old... segment of a car.

Coke break!

Okay, general heat break.

Lotus plants have taken over this pond.

A former golf course has its advantages! Lots of space to lounge.

Requisite group shot. (Note: I got dressed first that day!)

PLENTY of room to play frisbee... a relatively unknown sport here.

You can guess what whacked me in the stomach half a second later.

Dorothy, happily peddling along.

Funny is the chubby kid riding a small, pink bicycle.

Peace, yo.

Riding more paths. (Note the white lines painted on the LH side of the road.)

Typically Thai: a tree in the middle of the road.

Rush hour traffic toward the end of the afternoon!

An ugly-bugly lime! (More commonly called a Kaffir Lime, coording to Wikipedia... but not considered a lime at all here!)

After months of nothing, signs of life return to the house next door!

One face has now been smoothed over with a layer of cement. Progress?

Chatting with some pixelated blobs in Mexico! Hi!

Bangkok Week 51

June 18, 2009

More doggie daze.

Doomsday 2009 rolls in (over the new house).

Marouy gets a Saturday morning bath... unwillingly.

At least he can relax!

And time for the shower.

Yay! Mom's food!

This is vegetarian! "Beef."

Gathering beer boxes, to test out a "cardboard chair" design.

This is for work, really!

Green break.

Meanwhile, Top works away making a speaker box for the car.

Assembling the "chair".

The finished "product"!!

See? It holds LOTS of weight!

The innards.

Freshly made noodles for lunch.

Help help! Let me out! Or actually, here is fine thank you.

A comparison of the 2 types of rambutan: (top) "school", (bottom) "pink".

Chillaxin' "downtown" near the Trad market.

Gettin' ready to practice my fruit pluckin' skillz.

They're quite high up there!

The fruits of our labor! 6 "Santol" Fruit. (กระท้อน)

Hiding under the car, the morning of the BIG DAY.

Playing with the last of his tennis balls.

It just wouldn't leave his mouth!

Worried... because there seems to be a ball stuck in his mouth.

"Look at this ball! It's in my mouth!"

Butterfly break!

The ball! It's still there!

Can I chew this ball on your feet, please?

Look, I can use my hands to tear at it!

WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BALL???

Help! Let me out of here!

(No such luck for the pup.)

Post-trauma.

Reading and enjoying watermelon while monitoring the patient.

Direct from Mexico, in 6 days!

Bangkok Week 50

June 11, 2009

Activities overflow downtown... and bread overflows at home.

A mini skate park downtown, where tight black clothes are required.

A gang o' skaters.

UP UP and AWAY! Our advanced-purchase tickets came with a free UP folder.

Mmm, lunch!

Guards and passers-by both stop to watch...

... a 2-man band playin' away on the ground.

A huge orchid exhibit at Paragon.

Some colorful orchids.

Requisite pose-with-the-orchids shot.

It was hard to just look at them, since everyone was crowding to take photos.

Thai Airways advertised their "orchid globe".

Lots of variety! These ones hang.

These ones... stand tall.

These ones are scary!

These ones are shocking (apparently).

This hallway contained all the prize-winning orchids.

Okay, not these though. These orchids are just nicely arranged. No prizes.

This one looked much more impressive in person. It won a grand prize.

Pretty in purple.

Requisite group shot, with paparazzi backdrop.

This was purple in person... color distortion courtesy of the camera's color balance.

Grandma wonders how to turn this darn thing on!

A huge display combining many varieties...

...greeted shoppers when they enter the mall.

And on the way home, we won free Baskin Robbins scoops in the BTS!

Mmm, real ice cream!

And royally-made honey for our tea.

Look, the batter fit into the pan!

I guess it didn't like the heat so much!

Whoops. Smart move, Mika.

Mmm, Botched Banana Bread!

Bangkok Week 49

June 4, 2009

All things food : from donuts to an art exhibit!

An exhibit on Bangkok's street food culture, as seen in the NY Times (http://tinyurl.com/q4pa5u).

The title of the exhibit...

... spelled in paper plates!

Accordion cardboard props up the exhibit!

A display of (plasticized) foods that utilize leaves for wrappers.

And a squid-flattening machine.

Grilled bananas are popular snacks.... but these ones are plastic impostors.

An exploded view of a standard street vendor cart.

In a display of "ancient" food containers... Chris's Tupperware!

One of Tupperware's early models from the 60s. So valuable it's enclosed in a display!

Lunch at a small foodcourt (with a veggie vendor).

Not so content with the change-of-scene?

Apparently, she's a star! So, better take a photo!

Finally trying Mister Donut. Incentive? Their 10 B/donut promotion.

Of course.

Bangkok Week 48

May 28, 2009

More guests... and lots more food!

Lychees! My first ever!

They have really juicy flesh, and a large, smooth pit.

At Chatuchak Market on a Friday (!) with Ellen and Helena.

Hot, tired, and having just missed the rain!

Back at the apartment ... not many places to sit!

Cutting up some old camembert and cheddar...

... to make rice-cooker-and-oven Mac and Cheese!

Before the trip into the oven...

...and after! So much for a browned top crust!

Fresh, creamy... and really cheesy!

Skeptical about the make-shift meal.

Still enthusiastic, before the cheese became too much!

The next day, using our hi-tech countertop again...

... to make Corn Flake Cookies!

The finished product. Not too bad, but not like Granny's either!

Yum yum! อร่อยๆ !

A spun-honey-wrapped dessert, stuffed with nuts and sesame seeds.

Once it touches your mouth, the honey returns to a more recognizable form.

Bangkok Week 47

May 21, 2009

New Skytrain stations! New art exhibits! New guests in Bangkok!

Heading off to ride the new Silom Line extension to Wongwian Yai!

Even on Day 2, they've updated all the signs to indicate a new terminal station.

Looking toward the former terminal station, while stopped for 15 minutes (due to operational glitches).

Even the maps in the train cars are updated!

Still waiting for the train to move again.

The former terminal station is single-platform, so riders heading west have to stand here...

...and riders heading east have to stand here!

The north-bound river view now available from the skytrain!

And the south-bound view. Care for a hi-rise?

Lots of condos are already going up on the other side of the river, anticipating this skytrain extension.

A new view of an older part of the city.

The new terminal station! Wongwian Yai! (It means "Big round-about"... and it's a 20-min walk from the monument to which its name refers.)

Looking further down the track, it's clear they plan for future extensions.

The station interior-- with slightly more modern architecture than the other stations.

Lunch at MBK -- haven't been here since with mum & dad!

Stopping at the BACC to see its new...

... International Print and Drawing Exhibit.

It was a really large exhibition with submissions from many, many countries.

Here, a print-making demonstration. Participants sit on cardboard chairs.

The next day, a view of Don Meuang's tarmac from a footbridge.

And the discount imports store at the side of the highway to which we were heading.

It even has its own sign at the side of the highway.

A single side-street has been built up around this store

Our purchases -- they carry mostly Japanese (but some western) imports at discount prices.

Waiting for a bus to take us back.

Our exciting purchases! Cereal, raisins in bulk, wasabi peas, cookies, pasta, woah!

The new Adidas Factory Outlet in the Villa mall next door. Yeah, it's still unrealistically expensive.

Dinner with Ellen and Helena at a restaurant near their hotel.

Waiting for our dinner (it wasn't as dark as this picture makes it seem)...

... and voila! The meal has appeared!

A Thai ladybug??

Bangkok Week 46

May 14, 2009

A rather fruity long-weekend in Trad and Chantaburi.

Papayas grow on a tree at the local Wat.

A shrimp farm in Chantaburi...

...owned by Sittha's dad's brother. (See the resemblance?)

A brand-new bridge built in Chantaburi linking two sides of a river outlet.

A view from the new bridge.

Stopping in the middle of the bridge to take photos.

Posing with the bridge's name plaque. Marouy puts his best face forward.

Lunch at a noodle place in Chantaburi.

The home of a different set of relatives. Here, sorting Mangosteens grown on their farm.

Looking through the photos from the cousin's wedding in March.

Many durian fruits, high up in a tree.

And sugar cane.

These are "long-gong" (perhaps Langsart in English?) growing on a tree. Not to be confused with Longan.

Marouy is eager to explore the fruit trees.

Very young mangosteens still attached to the tree.

Ow! A prickly durian!

A durian hanging in front of a huge rambutan tree.

A close-up of a bunch of rambutan in the tree.

Marouy, curious-as-ever to explore the fruit.

A close-up of the "long-gong" (langsart?).

Carrying in the hardware to cut down some fruit!

First, getting the low ones.

A ripe mangosteen from a nearby tree.

Its fleshy interior.

Now, cutting the harder-to-reach rambutans.

Marouy wonders why his range has suddenly gotten so short.

Dad and a cousin try to feed Marouy rambutan. He's not too interested.

Still hackin' away up in the rambutan tree.

Some of the goods.

A large cluster of stinkers.

Enjoying the fruits of our labor, on the spot.

Mmm. Juicy and sweaty.

Our haul. All coming back to Trad!

A view of a portion of the farm property.

Bagging up the fruit to take back to Trad.

All the fruit we had ended up with back at the house: mangosteens, rambutans and "long-gongs"!

The fruit back in Trad isn't faring so well. These jackfruit have cracked open and started to go bad.

Poor, stinky Marouy gets a bath.

"Mmm. But this does feel a little nice."

Enjoying it as much as possible.

Looking through photos from Chiang Mai.

A bush in bloom near the store.

A huge bunch of orchids in bloom, too.

Marouy eyes the rambutans, having already forgotten that he doesn't care for them.

Why hello, handsome.

Enjoying a home-made pink noodle dish.

Chillaxin' at the store... it was a slow afternoon.

Eating some... rather chewy corn grown across the street.

More flowers in bloom in front of the store.

Marouy enjoys the corn leftovers.

Eating alone wasn't good enough for Marouy.

"Dance with me, bro!"

Looking pretty.

Marouy shows off his flying skillz.

Then it turns into a game of tug-of-war.

Then we removed the human element altogether.

Mmm, fresh, home-made and 100% vegetarian!

Visiting a "haunted tree" that was found buried nearby, and has been turned into a shrine.

Parts of the haunted tree, permanently on display.

Marouy cools off, but still eyes the fishy water.

A huge but airy cracker snack.

Sneaking up on the pup, who's about to go for a dip in the pond.

"LA LA LA! Swim swim swim!"

Re-energized after his dip, and playing with a dead palm leaf.

"Check it out! Isn't this leaf just awesome?"

Pretty boy and his flowers.

Still dancin' and prancin' about.

Stuck at the store during a downpour.

Doesn't this hurt his neck?

It's always nice getting attention from mom.

The two brothers spend the rainy afternoon sleeping in the store.

After bringing kilos and kilos of rambutan back to Bangkok, we finish the last guy on Thursday morning.

And Thursday night, we have a surprise visitor at our humble home!

Bangkok Week 45

May 7, 2009

Lots of oven use and lots of arts!

Using the dark chocolate we got for Christmas...

...to make...

... Brownies!

(Which had to be cut up using an Exacto Knife.)

The finished product (complete with parchment paper still attached).

In celebration of One Year at Work! We'll spring for a cake at Twenty Two.

At Paragon, the Dutch Embassy sponsored...

...a Tulip Exhibition!

It attracted many the onlooker.

Posing with the colorful tulips and cheesy windmill.

They even had Dutch cheese samples.

Stopping to smell... not-the-roses.

Many people had never seen tulips before!

Onto a downtown-wide sculpture exhibition.

The plaza outside Paragon was overtaken by huge cows.

Feet bigger than mine!

Spilled jewels outside the Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre.

A huge walk-through sculpture that spells "Bangkok" (in Thai).

Inside the "Bangkok"... a bird has escaped! Oh no!

Showing off his bling, with the giant jewels.

Inside the BACC, the "Bangkok Bananas!" exhibit continues.

Artists sketch portraits as part of the "art marketplace".

Outside, a boy band attracts MANY lady fans.

The newest member of our furniture family...

... Long John, the pillow.

Working hard with Long John's comforting encouragement.

Now, using our Tillamook Cheddar, courtesy of our Mexican Importers...

... to make grilled cheese sandwiches!

Yay, western food!

Sharing dessert with our newest friend.

The New 'Do.

Bangkok Week 44

April 30, 2009

A really, really hot trip to the ancient city of Ayutthaya.

Peering into the abyss... that is the Internet.

At the Bang Sue train station, there's a "Library Train" parked on some nearby tracks.

A 60km trip on the train costs less than a 4-stop ride on the sky train!

The transport enthusiast in me is excited to finally get to ride the train.

Looking north.

Our "express" train.

A typical 3rd-class car. (It quickly filled up.)

We have arrived at our destination!

A home offering questionable shelter.

Looking down the Chao Phraya River... the same one that passes through Bangkok.

Taking a shuttle boat onto the island of (ancient) Ayutthaya. Worried it might sink?

The one hopping street in the city.

Tuk tuks here are like fish on wheels!

Ayutthaya is home to many ancient temples, of which only ruins remain.

The central stupa still stands, but little else remains.

Ancient Gods from above have sliced off the tops of the corner chedi.

Ruins of Buddha images lay scattered around the temple's perimeter.

Posing on the stairs up the main stupa.

Looking down on the main entrance.

Inside the "dome" of the central stupa. You could also descent into the vault below.

It's said that the 4 smaller chedi lean outward in deference to the central stupa, but I think they're really just sinking.

Recently visited image.

Looking back up the main stupa.

More Buddha parts lounging around.

Really big, old Wat #2, just across the street from the previous one.

The wall around its perimeter barely keeps intruders out these days.

Hot group shot!

A good view of the few structures that are still standing.

Imagine what everything looked like before all the gold was stripped off!

One whole Buddha, and many Buddha parts.

The famous face overgrown by tree roots.

More missing pieces.

What remains is ornate... what's missing must've been, too!

Just slipped out of his fingers.

The central stupa is more like a mound of bricks now.

Getting tired of these pictures yet?

A different gold-wrapped Buddha on the other side of the complex.

The leaning tower of Ayutthaya!

Souvenir and cold-beverage vendors are set up right outside the temple entrance.

Did I mention that it was hot?

The island's central park. It would be nice for strolling... if it were 20 degrees cooler!

Smiling, but thinking about jumping into the pond.

And this is Ancient Road Alignment... whatever that means.

Lily pads that have taken over an entire pond.

Many types of swamp-lovers gather around.

Adding some color to the landscape. The man walking by coordinated with the tree this morning.

A statue... of a former King.

Another ancient temple... that we only visited from the outside.

A "modern" temple that attracts many.

The obvious thing to do with dead flowers, of course.

Pigeons debate whether or not to cool off in a fountain.

Seeking shelter under the guidebook.

A Wat and its Bougainvillea.

Why... it's fried rice for lunch! Surprise!

A woman makes the thin pancakes used in a traditional dessert (by glopping the dough on the pan).

A REALLY HUGE Buddha. Look at the people at the bottom for sense of scale.

Dwarfed by the Buddha.

Trying to pour ice cubes into a bottle. Duh.

Chinese fire crackers hung around the outside of the temple. Looks dangerous to me!

A Bee in a Bud.

Elephants and a motorcycle navigate a roundabout.

A scenic pose of elephantine proportion.

Heading back to Bangkok?

An old teak home, part of the city's National Museum.

Old coconut scrapers.

Enjoying an ice dessert while waiting for a ferry back across the river.

Enjoying an ice dessert while riding the ferry back across the river.

A shiny new fish-tuk!

A hot dog rests under a fan at the train station.

The newly-renovated Ayutthaya train station.

Four men pass by, wondering how to get off this track!

Riding the train back to Bangkok.

A man on his phone... with a phone! (At the Don Meuang Airport Station.)

Ha HAA! The cars have to wait for US for once!

Exiting the train, back in Bang Sue.

A new fruit! Ma Fai, it's called.

They're smooth little balls with purple pits inside a thick-ish skin.

The next day, an extremely ominous sky in early afternoon.

Bangkok Week 43

April 23, 2009

A low-key (read: overly hot) week.

Making cookies-- for the first time this year!

Our hi-tech kitchen counter.

Finally getting to use the 1 kg of chocolate chips we brought back from Bracebridge.

Rollin' them balls of oatmeal and choc chips.

The finished product -- the best cookies (in this oven) to date!

Trimming the orchids.

Mmm! A tiny, helpless cookie.

The hanging (traditionally for New Years) that we bought in Chiang Mai.

Would you like to have your feet massaged by Miss Puke?

A Sudoku tournament at a mall downtown.

Indulging ourselves at the Japanese bakery at the top of the Isetan department store.

Our loot -- what a splurge!

Watch out! Here comes the home made original yeast!

Enjoying some of the Japanese-quality pastries for breakfast the next morning.

Lounging around in lots of colors.

The Yankees' score on Saturday night. SUCKERS! (But embarrassing nonetheless.)

Not much progress on the outside these days. Everything seems to be happening "behind closed doors." (Walls?)