Bangkok Week 82

January 21, 2010

A weekend of weddings, wellness and walking! Woo!

Friday night out, at a Vietnamese restaurant. Can you guess which shop house is the restaurant?

Modern, hip decor, and a surprising friendliness toward vegetarians.

Four fun new dishes. The one on the left is drizzled with veggie shredded pork. (And no, this was not a vegetarian restaurant.)

Dessert of warm sesame-filled balls in ginger soup. Yum!

A cute Chinese car, the Chery QQ. A knockoff of the Daewoo Matiz.

I'm missing a few necessary joints and bone segments!

Heading home from visiting a gym on a tuk tuk -- because it's the cheapest transportation option!

A year later, it still requires 4 hands to dry a thick head of hair!

Heading out for a crazy wed-ful night on the town!

Groom and Bride Set #1: the bride also went to MIT.

All alone! Arrived too early.

Bride and Groom Set #2: about to make their grand entrance.

This event had a string quartet to compliment the MCs' hosting.

A big wedding? The room holds 3600.

Very dramatically slashing up the cake -- which I just learned is fake, but for the bottom layer.

A new wedding costume for me, courtesy of Mum in Mexico.

The roommates reunite... again. Seems to only happen at weddings, these days.

Not MY cake!

The aftermath!

The huge gang of Brownies hang out after the party's over.

Posing for the groom. Not what he had in mind.

There was a huge kiddie fair outside Paragon for National Kids Day. (And the week before and after it.)

A kid at heart, complete with ice cream cone!

Riding the buckin' water buffalo.

This boy is flying high on a trampoline, and squealing like a girl.

Riding home with another big, awkward purchase.

Almost home. Just a few more steps! Don't give up now!

Despite the Pro & Con guidance from mum, still puzzling over which gym to join!

Bangkok Week 81

January 14, 2010

M&C's annual New Years party, this year in the mountainous countryside of Ratchaburi Province. Week 81 -- another square milestone. See you in 19 weeks!

Our first stop: lunch on a river! (Our personal driver on the left.)

Nicole sizes up our technician's Harley Davidson.

Trying out macro mode on some plants at the resort.

A huge banner at the resort welcomes our company by name (although you'd never know it, right?).

A really huge old-school tricycle at the entrance to our "Boutique Resort".

My room! It's just like being back at Oconto!

Two beds and an A/C... fancier than camp was, for sure.

One of the resort's short-legged dogs got lots of attention from our group.

One of my co-workers has the same camera as we do!

The afternoon's activity: sheep feeding at a nearby farm.

The sheep had a definite preference for these leafy greens (over the grassy ones).

These guys never stopped moving! They zoomed from person to person, targeting fresh leaves.

A seasoned shepherd!

Perhaps she shouldn't have entered, if she's afraid of them? (She looks young, but she's also from the company!)

They reminded me of Pepper!

Hey there, Mika. What's up?

Colleagues Tui, Boy and Jojo... chillaxin' with the flock.

Smokin' his grass...

You, too, can have your very own fluffy lawn mower. These guys are probably less effective though.

My colleague Aor (in pink), and her 6' 2" boyfriend, who plays on Thailand's national basketball team.

Back at the resort, the mountains are a beautiful backdrop.

A room that was much posher than mine -- complete with concrete walls and an indoor bathroom!

The accommodation was alright, but the location was nice.

Nicole and Chompoo gawk at something.

Nice landscaping, if a bit artificial.

Really ugly alligator-like fish filled the artificial pond... along with 1 or 2 carp.

Some color, finally! Beautiful blossoms had fallen from a big tree.

The theme of this year's New Years dinner: Cowboy Night! Yee-haw!

Some more colleagues, dressed for the ho-down.

Nicole and Chompoo don plaid in the dinner queue.

I was surprised how many people could throw together a cowboy get-up. These are the nominees for the best-dressed contest.

This guy is one of our data processers!

He was dancing to "I'm a Barbie Girl." What courage! (He's normally very quiet.)

Everyone was shocked!

Fab Four.

The next morning, the lily blossoms outside my tent had opened up in the morning sun.

I waited for breakfast to start outside the tent. View's not too shabby.

Tables around the dining area. Cuter than Oconto.

On the way home, we stopped at a famous candle-making place... I tried an ATV instead.

These waxy sheep are really giant candles!

Different waxes with which you can dip your own. Sound familiar?

Free bananas for all visitors. (An odd concept.)

Lunch at a famous seafood restaurant on a river. The one veggie dish!

Cute egg cups. Didn't buy any, so will have to look at this photo for greenery instead.

Stopping at a famous floating market. I was coerced into trying the "World's Best" lychee smoothie.

A woman makes Pad Thai on her floating food stand.

Not only does the floating market have floating vendors, but its sides are lined with old shop houses.

Boatloads of fruit! Literally.

The market is only open after 3pm. And by 3:30pm, it's packed with crowds.

You almost wish you could escape the crowds by jumping in! (Chicken skewers or coconuts?)

A view from one of the very few bridges spanning the river.

Part of our group stopped for the fish-eat-your-dead-skin foot massage. I'm not convinced.

Bangkok Week 80

January 7, 2010

Back in Balmy Bangkok! Where the heck has the winter gone???

Welcoming our great tree to its new tropical home. (It's in shock.)

If you forget your underwear, you can always grab a pair on your way to the BTS.

Modeling my new shirt and shoes, courtesy of M&D.

Oh, Tannenbaum!

Look, it's larger than life! Thanks, Chris!

A fridge chock full o' chocolate and cheese!

Dinner with Jane after her first busy day running around Bangkok.

Dinner with Jane after her second busy day running around Bangkok!

This is what REAL pad thai should look like!

Ready and eager to dig in.

Cute, thoughtful NZ souvenirs from Jane.

Extremely patriotic chewing gum.

Señor Giraffa still remains unnamed. Send suggestions!

Christmas in Canada

January 1, 2010

A relaxing, enjoyable, full seven days with the fam in Toronto and Bracebridge. Merry Christmas and Happy 2010!

First breakfast in Toronto -- gotta be Tim Hortons!

Let the Christmas Festivities begin!

What an endearing family portrait.

The ladies in the kitchen are busy preparing the feast.

Mr. Mike warms his beer on the fire.

Aha! Another year older -- and still winning.

The tray of veggies makes its way to the crazy ladies.

Erika and her long-lost lover.

Ja, hallo?

Smiling, even though she's looking into the wrong end of the camera.

What exactly is going on here?

Grandma and her two faves.

Everyone but the photographer!

Mum and her two beautiful daughters.

Beautiful, and yet still a little crazy.

The wonderful Christmas Eve buffet spread, sushi and all!

All patiently waiting to attack.

Excited for dinner, or sleepy and ready for bed?

A smiling Henry is excited for the feast.

The reject room!

As the adults hog the real table.

Finally, a brave soul breaks the divide and comes to dine with the kids.

Clearley eats at a desk in the farthest corner possible.

Smiling father and son share a laugh with the camera.

See the resemblance?

Jasmine inspects the mouldy cheese with her dad's extra-strength glasses.

How artsy!

That's almost everyone.

Mum shows her true colors.

This is not a friendly hug -- it's a headlock!

Jasmine guards the most precious pieces of the night.

Sharing a moment ... while waiting for the cake.

The Grandpa Shot.

And the Grandma Shot.

The two hosts, exhausted from a hard day's prep.

Robert and Henry open their Mexican armadillos.

Ha ha ha! Look at the fools in this photo!

So why not laugh back?

Playing with his new draft-stopper.

Already trying out her new piece of silver.

Aww. Perfect holiday card shot.

Sweet sisters.

Family #1: Is mom the shortest now?

Family #2: Mom won't have to worry about being the shortest in this lifetime.

Christmas Morning in Bracebridge: the skinniest tree you ever did see.

Colby is unsure about her new clucking toy!

Mum likes it though!

Colby tries on her spiffy new t-shirt from Bangkok!

Ha ha ha! Thank you, Michael, for the gift you didn't give me!

Wow! New shoes pair 1 of 3! Lucky me!

Psyched about her new photo apparatus from Canon.

Both really into... something!

Dad's giant new swimming trunks. How streamlined!

Comparing specs.

Uh oh! This looks scary! Will it have to come back to Bangkok?

The year of the aprons. One is clearly more tasteful.

Enjoying afternoon tea while perched over the icy river.

Granny and her youngest granddaughter.

Wait no, this is her youngest granddaughter, all ready for a stroll in the snow.

Mum shows off the latest in kitchen swimwear fashion.

The main entrance to Chris's snowy new condo.The main entrance to Chris's snowy new condo.

The annual Christmas Day trip to make sure the cottage is still standing.

Knee-high snow greeted us -- as always!

I borrowed Chris's fancy snow shoes... I'm too important to sink my legs into the snow.

A serene view of a Muskoka lake in winter.

Almost blown over by the wind as we show off the soles of our shoes.

Why, it's some fellow snowshoers! I bet these people actually knew what they were doing.

Cold on the open lake? Just a little bit.

The cottage hasn't collapsed under the weight of the snow... yet.

Uh oh! Gonna have to do a climber again.

Do you think there was a wind coming up from the lake?

What? I can't take the front stairs?

The two manly men, digging their feet all the way down.

Back at the warm condo, Christmas Dinner is almost ready!

Something funny was on TV?

The two striped sisters prepare the meal alone, for once. Actually, it was all Chris's efforts.

The best Christmas tradition of them all: the saltines! I mean, the crackers!

Fun, festive cracker crowns... that barely fit the Big Heads.

Matching Christmas red.

Colby arrived for dinner just a few seconds too late.

Cuddling up for some Christmas night Wheel.

The icy daggers hanging from Granny's bedroom window.

Which of the 108 chocolates to try first? Better touch 'em all!

Exciting cereals for affordable prices!

Reading the mail and checking the calendar appointments.

The veggie store in the snow.

All packed in to drive over an hour to Costco. Priorities!

Yum! A french fried lunch at the Chalet.

From stripes to black -- these ladies know how to coordinate their wardrobes.

Whoda thunk it? A Thai restaurant in Bracebridge. With real beer and everything.

Granny's first time trying Thai food.

Wow. They managed to make vegetarian som tum... we think.

Concentrating hard on her crossword.

Straight out of the box, Granny's off with a pair, in Memory.

After a decade, finally realizing there's a guide to all 3 dozen flowers used on the cards.

Going through her really old silver dollar collection.

Mmm, a homemade sandwich lunch. Don't get that often.

Can Colby please share in the enjoyment?

Granny looks on (disapprovingly?) as I try to stir the rice exactly as she would have.

The finished product. An authentic Granny dish? We'll let the judges decide.

My trusty Kitchen Aids.

The meal's all cooked -- now just resting the feet for a few.

Home-grown Japanese meal of the winter.

Better than eating out!

Colby, relaxing at her favorite spot under the tree.

And having migrated to her real, more comfortable bed.

Someone's been craving these chips for a year.

Colby with her new Best Friend!

A delicious spaghetti dinner!

Colby can't wait to jump down from the lap of this crazy lady.

My great sense of style? You see where I get it!

Heading off to Bracebridge's biggest event of the century...

... the Olympic Torch relay!

Colby couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about.

There was almost 10 minutes worth of junk in the parade, yet the torch carrier flew by like lightning!

Getting excited! It's coming soon!

The entire town of Bracebridge was out for this momentous occasion!

And there it goes, ladies and gentleman! Couldn't even catch it from the front.

Spot the Torch! (Hint: it's labeled.)

Only a few icy daggars hanging over this store front.

Finally, after two gloveless Canadian winters, he invests in a (stylish) pair.

Chris's beautiful new view.

Another "finally". It's the french toast I'd been craving for months!

Cheez Whiz? Gee whiz!

Testing out our new little Christmas tree, before flying him all the way back to Bangkok.

A posh last supper in Bracebridge.

Dad's really excited for his soup.

Trying to figure out how to set Chris's TV on fire.

Colby spending yet another evening on the lap of her new best bud.

Just in time to wrap up 2009 -- a dozen New Years Eve delites!

Enjoying the view from Grandma's Condo. If only they were looking *out* the window.

Looking through photos from the previous week's big night.

You can tell which family portrait Grandpa's admiring!

How we welcomed 2010: at an airport hotel, trying pathetically to stay awake.

Hello 2010 / Bye-Bye West breakfast: Starbucks and a leftover 2L carton of milk.

Beer with Indian food. What more could you ask for on a 15 hour flight?

Christmas in Mexico

December 23, 2009

A fun whirlwind tour of Mexico City and environs.

Surprised and impressed by the bulkhead row on the way to Tokyo.

At the Narita airport, a store devoted to Origami offers lessons to waiting travelers.

Real Japanese sushi!

An assortment of mochi for the road, questionably titled "mochi competition" on the box.

The next morning in Toronto, finally riding the express moving sidewalk! Look as the windows zoom by!

Ah! After 11,300 miles of flying, we finally make it to Mexico and are greeted by tasty homemade sandwiches!

This grey winter sky loomed over for must of our trip, but it remained a nice balance between warm and cool anyway.

Mum and Dad's apartment, all dressed up for Christmas: an abundance of poinsettias.

One such plant.

One of the traditional Mexican ornaments hanging from their pine-less Christmas tree.

Deliciously appetizing fresh breads from the neighborhood's French bakery.

But alas, we left with four birthday pastries instead.

Fresh Mexican cheese, wrapped up like balls of twine!

The fruit and vegetables store has its festive piñatas up for Christmas.

This store specializes in piñata stuffings. A whole store of goodies for filling the whack-a-moles!

Posing with the pastries, piñatas and parent.

A Rudolph car!

Mum, inspecting her apartment.

The Christmasized apartment and the money earner after a hard day's work.

Sharing a laugh over a Pepper picture.

Yay! A giant grilled cheese!

Ah! Ooh! Fireworks -- what a view!

Opening the first Advent Calendar door of his life! Deprived boy.

Fresh and extremely flaky croissants from the French bakery. Melt-in-your-mouth perfection.

Many miles of Mexican countryside while driving 3 hours to see the winter home of the Monarch Butterflies.

Hillside farmlands that look like they'll slide off.

At the base of the hike up the last bit of the mountain -- not tired yet!

Vendors selling crafts of all varieties lined the walkway. Tourist trap!

Mid-way up and already pooped!

Kids, what did we say? Don't play with your walking sticks!

Taking a break, to huff and puff while seated.

Finally at the altitude of the butterflies. Each cluster that look likes dead leaves are hundreds of resting monarchs.

Although most were up in the trees, this monarch was at eye level.

Our guide, who probably hikes the mountain twice a day.

Clinging on for dear life.

Mum stares down two butterflies who are just trying to rest.

Waiting for the sun to come out, so the butterflies will start to flutter.

Another close-up of one guy kind enough to stay near the ground.

Many tall trees, all decked with sleeping butterflies.

After a while, our necks were in pain from looking up.

Even though you can't tell, those are happy butterflies celebrating the sun's emergence.

Made it back down, all in three pieces.

Stopping to look at -- and succumbing to the evil forces of -- more baskets!

A fruit stand at the side of the road, from which we bought 4 kg of mandarinas.

A holiday piñata, being taken home for the first time.

A delicious assortment of mochi, straight from Narita (via Toronto).

A real Kodak Moment: looking through the photos from the butterfly expedition.

Dinner at a local restaurant: cactus!!!

Enjoying a delicious dinner, despite a slightly distracting backdrop!

Posing with my huge lump of pasta! And my father.

A little park near the apartment was all decked up for Christmas, courtesy of Coca Cola.

A dog walker and his remarkably well-behaved underlings.

Really psyched to be adding a new subway system to my portfolio!

Our resident train expert explains the route of the day.

The Zócalo's Christmas decorations were prominently displayed. The giant ice rink was up and running, too.

Diego Rivera's famous mural depicting the entirety of Mexico's history.

Mum's only been here 98 times in the past 3 years.

The National Palace's minimalist Christmas decorations.

Its fountain in the mid-day sun.

A tastefully-decorated tree (complete with spiked crown) celebrating the centennial and bicentennial.

Help, help, he's being swallowed by a giant cactus-like organism.

No goofball in this family.

More crowds visit the city's Metropolitan Cathedral on this hopping Sunday afternoon.

Is it just me, or is this room spinning a bit?

A traditional street performance?

A pro street-chalker.

Which way to the entrance?

A pit-stop at the Spanish Cultural Centre. (Yes, Spanish, not Mexican.)

Holy Smokes! Haagen-Dazs!

An awesome sculpture exhibit by Brit Antony Gormley.

Guess who?

Tee hee!

Blowing bubbles?

So cool. Pixelated steel.

The museum's beautiful courtyard.

About to tumble off the balcony.

Part of another exhibit incorporating car parts into funky art.

Exhibit A: Christmas tree on car roof.

Exhibit B: Christmas tree on car roof!

The famous blue-tiled building.

A crowded Sunday afternoon? Not at all!

On the count of 3 -- charge the enemy!

Taking a quick nap in front of the Palacio de Bellas Artes.

Deep fried food? Buy yours here!

Riding home after an exhausting day of walking.

Using her trusty verb conjugating cheat-sheet to write a note to the cleaning lady.

The neighborhood's clock tower, also its symbol on the metro map.

A group self-portrait. Sad looking souls we are.

Another trip to the temples for mum! Ahh!

At the bottom: smiles and sweaters still on.

Too steep for some!

Admiring the view from the half-way point. Must we continue?

So steep it vanishes from view.

King of the World! Just have to dethrone that couple.

Can't believe they made it all the way up. But, this is nothing compared to the butterfly hike!

Enjoying the peace of being above it all. Above all the hawkers, that is.

And boom, we've transported from the Temple of the Sun (background) to the Temple of the Moon. Magic!

Posing with the top portion of the Moon, which is off-limits to climbers.

A very telling picture. The steps are the height of his mid-shins!

Asparagus.

The city is expanding up the sides of the mountain peaks.

Yummy yum yum! A home-made gorilla cheese sandwich. Sandwich-maker perfect!

Pinocchio's friends from South of the Border.

No limit to the colors at the Ciudadela craft market.

Welcoming the newest member of our family by giving him a birds-eye tour of the market.

Many traditional Christmas ornaments. Recognize them from the apartment?

Funky pewter cacti!

Nanaimo Bars!?!

Cheers! A real Middle-Eastern dinner!

Enough Middle Eastern food to feed a small Middle Eastern army.

The giant tree of lights in the center of The Reforma. Street celebrations abound!

Ooh. Aah. Look at all the lights!

A neighbor's wrinkly orange tree.

Hello. I see you.

My cactus leaves, at a weekly traveling market.

Oh my. Why did we just buy half a kilo of cookies?

Prickly pears?? Whatever the are, they require gloves to handle!

Two kinds of green tomatoes -- each with a thin organic wrapper.

A food court lunch results in some pretty decent pasta. Huh!

Uh oh! Way too much ice cream. Good thing it was delicious.

Home-made sweet potato fries. Couldn't be tastier.

Having lapped up the last of a Mum's Cooking.

Using her gym-enhanced arms to squeeze every drop of juice from the remaining 3.9 kg of mandarinas.

A queue to get into the pastry shop!

Mum's super-neat globe flower.

Why, our annual guest is at the door. It must be the 24th!

Really psyched about his McD airport lunch.

Bummed about being stuck with fresh French pastries.

Bangkok Week 77

December 16, 2009

Bangkok's annual street show wraps up our 2009 in Thailand. A bientot!

Near our apartment, shirts from GAP, Old Navy, Delias, Lands End, Denver Hayes for $1.50 each. Didn't make it far from Cambodia.

So yellow, it's oompa loompaly unnatural!

A nice park near our apartment, where people come to jog in the late afternoons.

We came to throw around a plastic disc. It's like dodging a bullet!

Longingly looking in from the outside -- on the many games of soccer, basketball and takraw.

Straight from the UK, but excluded on this one!

BTS portrait shot, on the way to the International Street Show.

The second annual Street Show, in the park best known for its giant lizards!

They were handing out sitting sheets! Put your bum on its eyes!

The most elaborate setup -- a European aerial acrobatic act.

There were zero lizard sightings, but plenty of birds out to watch the performers.

A Japanese juggler and his live accompaniment.

Using a periscope and a parasol to enjoy the entertainment.

Watching a show? Or waiting for a bus?

Bobbly balloon toys (being sold under the table).

A family came on their unicycles! They weren't an act!

Half of Bangkok came out to see the street performers.

More of the park's bountiful wildlife.

To avoid the heat, the event started in the late afternoon, with a low sun.

Need a seat? Squeeze one more on!

A Japanese mime-in-a-box captivates his audience.

Just outside the park, tons of food vendors take advantage of the crowds. This girl is hard at work helping her family make omelets.

This woman sells fried quail eggs by the box.

My food of choice: freshly shaved ice with "red water".

Yum yum, one of my favourite desserts! Sickly sweet. Great.

Enjoying the show... or his cup-noodles?

This girl gets stuck with the bum view as Mom watches the show!

Baby Mime -- a famous troupe within Thailand.

Young and old, the audience is engaged with their mimes.

Finally, close enough to get a seat...

... for a gig by a Quebecois street performer. An embarrassment to Canada?

Night fell during her act. So did the requisite 6 o'clock stand-for-the-anthem convention.

The main business district overlooks Lumpini Park at night -- you can see the Mexican and Canadian Embassies.

Rama VI stands guard over his park at night.

A skytrain zooms into Silom -- to take visitors to questionable places?

Ooh. Heading home with the crowds after a fun afternoon in the park.

The fierce BTS guards gather at Ari for their nightly huddle.

Phew! Luckily we didn't buy the dangerous kind of vegetable.

Everyone in the bags!

No peeking! And see you soon! Western World -- here we come.

Bangkok Week 76

December 10, 2009

Ho ho ho! Christmas is coming, from Bangkok to Trad!

Ahoy! Trying my most favourite British biscuits! Nobby Oaty Biscuits, at that.

We upgraded to fancy LED Christmas lights, complete with 8-mode control box.

The new Holiday Decorations. Classy, no? Come visit in person to see the 8 different light patterns!

Traveling back to Trad during the daytime. First time since Week 4!

I'd forgotten what the bus terminal looked like in daylight!

"Happy" brand mobile phone carrier sells its top-up cards in equally happy vending machines.

No choice but to eat the bus snacks for lunch -- a slice of heavily buttered bread and a taro paste-filled disc.

Looking through edible souvenirs from both Hua Hin and England.

Hanging the "New Years" lights at the store that got bumped from our apartment.

This boy has such a keen eye for anything edible!

Do I hear the crinkle of a wrapper? Do I see cookies?

Ooh! A slice of orange! I'll have one of those, too please.

Two charming faces captivating the camera.

Oops! We accidentally named our candy brand Oops.

Dusk, a dog and his holiday decor.

My new side job as a Ma Ma (ramen) seller. Thinking of turning it into a full-time endeavor.

Such a festive store!

And another round of Suki in the month-old Suki pot. It's already been used half a dozen times!

Happily chucking stuff into the pot. Hope he's got the right potion!

Digging into the hands-on meal.

Wait! At least two hungry family members are missing from this picture!

The next morning, someone is alert and ready, so as not to miss a single opportunity to mooch!

Please, Mika! I love oranges!

Remember this huge snack from Week 46? Here's how they make it!

Taking the world's most rusted bicycle out for a joyride.

Riding off into the sunset. I mean rubber trees.

The beginnings of another jack fruit or two.

A packed snack store -- where The Store gets its stock.

Tossing the slimy wide noodles in sweet soy sauce...

... to make Rad Na for lunch!

Dad, can I have some noodles? Please?

Aha! We learn how his begging is reinforced.

Mum and son slurp down lunch.

Plopping himself into his big brother's lap. Although he and his ripples might be the bigger brother now.

A happy nap!

Riding the crazy bucking bronco!

He just plunked himself down and stayed there. Personable in a strange way.

Again, he was just stopped there standing, as if there was no person under him.

Sad eyes! (Couldn't figure out why no one wanted to be near him after he went swimming in the stinky murky water.)

Would you like to buy a watermelon? How about a gross?

At Trad's Sunday night market, a fish seller. Goldfish seller, that is.

A special bitter vegetable eaten with chili paste (and grown right outside the kitchen door).

Marouy in his winter wear!

Waking up with a steaming coffee and a heaping rice porridge.

The Thai version of Pepto Bismol... except it's called "Flying Rabbit" and it's white.

Mika's Luck of the Draw Salon moves to the countryside.

Mr Pathetic Face knows he's about to be left home alone.

But we're back in time for lunch! Pad Thai today.

And freshly-squeezed home made orange juice. Doesn't get much more orange than this!

Concentrating too hard on restoring his hard drive.

The sun is low, the shadow long.

Getting all tangled up in...

...a cable holding up a roof awning. Pull hard enough, and you might pull over the store.

Dominating the cable!

Nibbling nimbly.

I give up!

The beautiful blooms of a tamarind tree.

The "holiday" lights have been moved to fully line the front of the store.

Makes more aesthetic sense, I suppose.

Our office's uber-cute Christmas Tree... and our adorable little receptionist Chompoo.

Unfortunately, the snow-sprayed glass looks more like it was pelted by paint balls.

Our Christmas Pudding! Haven't had one in years!

They want to ensure that you burn your tongue on their piping hot product?

What the hell did I do to deserve this giant lump of coal?

A stroll down Christmas Lights lane. I mean shopping mall strip.

The Central World Plaza, inundated by giant decorations.

Bangkok's tallest Christmas Tree (I'm guessing). And boy, is it a sight to see!

An awfully cute reindeer sponsored by the EU.

Two festive trees glistening in the tropical night.

Mr Fuzzy comes out of hiding to see what all the commotion is about.

Grainy Group Shot!

My, what a gift. Bigger than the Gulati Box!

Spot the impostor!

Drummin' on a trashcan, bangin' on a streetlight.

Another elaborate Christmas display outside Paragon.

LEDs strung everywhere you look!

My new, festive family of Scandinavians and Snowmen.

The End :)

England 1 week

December 3, 2009

A whirlwind trip to the UK -- specifically, Sittingbourne, with a small side trip to London.

Waiting to board in Bangkok... although you'd never know it!

And voila! 16 hours later, in the Heathrow tube station!

The famed London Tube. The cars are really tight compared to the Skytrain's.

Transferring lines at Acton Town...

... and realizing for the first time how cold it really is outside!

An intimidating escalator at Victoria Station.

Victoria Rail Station, from which trains to Sittingbourne depart.

Two suitcases enjoying the comfort of an empty rail car on a Saturday morning.

Look, look! Nicole got to use her sunglasses in England, if only for 10 seconds.

We made it this far! Now just one small taxi drive away.

My cozy room, home for 4 days.

Brr. Two sweaters, a jacket and My Hat were not enough to combat a cold British afternoon.

Ooh. British countryside.

The river (and some beached boats) separating the Isle of Sheppey from the mainland.

SHEEP!

Our afternoon's destination: the teeny town of Sheerness (-on-Sea).

The town -- and its amusement park -- get hyped up on the side of a main street building.

The Amusement Park, in its full glory, was underwhelming, to say the least.

The extent of it -- some coin-operated rides and casino games from 3 decades ago.

Not quite the weather for cold drinks, thick shakes or ice lollies.

Aha! I see the sea!

We came to see the sea -- and see we did. We also felt its chill.

More industrial port cities a bit further north.

Walking on the beach, just to say we did.

The beach looks like it's made of stones...

...but really they're shells! (Of the sort people love to eat in Thailand, in fact.)

An odd choice of days for a family picnic.

A new seaside condo in the foreground, and a church in the background.

A row of classic British houses.

That same church, this time from the street.

The Working Men's Club & Institute, built in 1882. Could use a little help in 2009.

We came 6000 miles for a Thai massage.

The one open store in the main street was closing down.

Sheerness's claim-to-fame: The largest freestanding cast iron clock tower in Kent.

Finally, some place open for lunch at warmth.

Our huge British lunches: a huge fish and chips, and a huge omelet and chips!

Woah! Gone!

Back in Sittingbourne, a Bra bank... whatever that is.

Then we stumbled upon Sittingbourne's annual Christmas Lights festival. (Note: it's only 4:30pm in this photo.)

Following the marching band was Mr. Grumpy, pulling Santa in his sleigh.

Along comes Santa on his particle board sleigh to usher in the Christmas Season.

There were lots of games and activities for the kids.

No festival is complete without spinning tea cups!

And candy floss and toffee apples to care for the teeth.

A huge crowd gathered in the square, to witness the lighting of the town's Christmas lights.

A dramatically-lit church on the High Street.

And finally, at the clock struck 5, (a select few of) the lights came on! Impressive, no?

At Sainsburys, to get our fix of UK groceries! Here, the Carbon Footprint we came all the way for, on a bag of chips.

Excited by all the discounts on Christmas sweets.

The cake aisle. I'd forgotten how grocery stores stock a huge assortment of cakes on their shelves.

Nicole checks out, and the reality of everything she's bought checks in.

My (few) purchases fit neatly into a new reusable shopping bag.

One hour later, and the festival has completely packed up and gone home for the night.

Refreshingly warm winter veggie soup for dinner.

The big group next to us was having their Christmas dinner... a month early?

Enjoying a latte and hot chocolate on the company's tab.

Mmm! My steaming sticky toffee pudding! Isn't England great?

Having our hearty breakfast before heading into London for a day of trekking.

Heartily bad for the digestive system, that is! These are the deadly vegetarian sausages!!

Our ride to the train station: an excessively large taxi for two, don't you think?

In comes the train to London. Just over an hour's ride.

One of the many picturesque towns / small cities on the train's route.

A rainbow... an unfortunate indication of the day's weather to come.

And we're spat out onto Cannon Street, one of London's main business districts -- dead on a Sunday.

St Paul's cathedral, from the rear. (The only view that hides the scaffolding.)

The cathedral's blueprint tiled into the ground at its side.

And with Richard's arrival comes the first of many rains that day.

Paternoster Square, next to St Paul's.

Wherever we go, always a statute to mimic.

Crossing the Millenium Bridge under an ominous London sky.

Some lovely riverside properties. I'd take any.

Posing with St Paul's and some crazy city joggers.

Our excellent tour guide points out his neighbourhood.

Old and new mesh together on the south bank.

Exiting the Millenium Bridge, onto the property of the Tate Modern.

Excited to see birch trees... not common in the tropics.

Overwhelmed by the hulking insides of the Tate Modern.

Richard explains the recent redesign of the GBP's notes.

Posing with the London skyline and all its cranes!

Where are we again? Oh yes, still right in front of the Tate.

All sorts of funky architecture lines the wharf.

One of the many bridges crossing the Thames.

Yup, I'd take any of these properties too.

Seagulls enjoy their prime real estate, and don't seem to mind the gloomy weather.

A cute row of shops perpendicular to the riverside walk.

Posing with one lousy pigeon.

A favourite hangout for local skater kids... the smell of fresh spray paint was overwhelming.

The famed eye of London... or something like that.

A riverside vendor tries to sell his gummies in the rain.

An art installation, I assume.

Wet guests queue up to ride the Eye despite the weather. But me? Nope. I chose its toilets instead.

After the two-hour drama, enjoying a soothingly warm drink in a cafe upstairs.

At least they had a nice view as they waited. (Taking a picture on the BB to send home.)

The dreaded building whose bathrooms I hope never to visit again.

The famous shot of Big Ben and his House of Commons.

Almost blown away as we cross back to the north bank.

Some cabinet offices across the square from the House of Commons.

One gawks at Westminster Abbey, while the other wonders where we should go next.

Westminster Abbey, seen from its slim side.

Inside its cathedral.

The Eye peeks out from behind some more modern architecture.

Wondering what on earth that fellow is doing up there.

Posing with the poor little palm tree helplessly trying to survive London's frigid temperatures.

London has Duck Tours, too! And Winston Churchill is riding this one.

The classic shot. Can't leave London without it!

More cute buildings all in a row.

Wondering what's so impressive about this Downing Street anyway.

It was Nicole's idea, not mine. I swear! (Poor chap.)

The entrance to The Mall leading down to Buckingham Palace. Needless to say, we didn't make the trip.

Instead we stumbled upon Tourism Malaysia! Has some prime real estate.

Trafalger Square and the National Gallery, in all their rainy glory.

The start of the theater district and lots of hopping restaurants. (We'd return to this Italian one for dinner.)

Christmas lights and carnival sights near Trocardero.

The famous walk along Regent Street.

Our destination: the famed Hamleys Toy Store.

It had its cute Christmas window displays up.

A Lego advent calendar! Consumerism corruption?

Bearville -- my favourite floor.

One souvenir bear ready to fly back to Thailand.

One kid who feels right at home.

Completely fascinated by a fake-snow powder.

On the 5th -- and top -- floor, looking down.

Nighttime has fallen completely. Dinner time!

Another view of the Christmas lights at Picadilly Circus.

Two cold, waterlogged trekkers stop at a red light.

More bright lights and decorations.

Finally. A warm and toasty place to defrost.

Richard's plain jane burger.

Creamy chicken and chips.

My soothingly creamy cannelloni. Real Italian food -- it's been so long!

Group shot courtesy of our waiter.

Trafalger Square, lit up for the evening.

Riding on a double-decker bus (top deck) for the trip back to the train station. It's a must!

Back at Cannon Street after a tiring day of sight-seeing. Bye bye, London!

The next morning, another hearty breakfast before our first day of training. No sausages for me, please!

The office! Can you believe it!?! McKinnon & Clarke have the whole building.

The property on which it sits. Totally serene and peaceful. No city stress here.

The car park sign is bigger than the company sign.

The lobby has a comfortable, homey feel. Too bad the heating was broken.

Posing with our Directors. We have the same plaque in our office.

The main office! It feels like someone's fireside living room.

And the upstairs, where the engineers sit. Suckers! (But cute, no?)

The view out the second-floor window. They could have M&C horses or something.

In the conference room, five trainees (from Germany, UK, Italy/Switzerland, France and Thailand) gather 'round.

The conference room, which normally sees no more than 4 people, had to make room for 14 this week.

The biscuits the secretary brought in for us. How British!

One fellow (Luis from Spain / Venezuela) gets comfortable with the camera.

The cute office kitchen. How cozy!

The guy standing is the one from the Carbon Trust who conducted the training. The one he's talking to is our boss.

Valentina from Italy / Switzerland gets used to my clicking, too.

Posing idiotically for my two seconds of fame. (Foreground, a colleague from Germany.)

Working hard, or enjoying the tea break?

Group dinner after the first night. This is the closest to a group shot that we got.

Nicole thinks this colleague looks like a famous American actor (whom I've not heard of). See a resemblance? Let me know.

Joking around after the end of the second day's session.

Back at Sainsburys, loaves of bread covered in the Carbon Footprint we just learned all about!

Nicole decides to buy a larger-than-life bag of crisps to take back.

Sittingbourne High Street -- completely abandoned at night. Not even 6pm.

Last night in the UK! Nachos at one of the only open places in town.

Richard actually ventures to try them! Stop the presses!

Last night, last beer!

Bye! See you in another five years!

Last meal in the UK. At a bagel shop (!!!) in the airport.

Toasted sesame with grilled veggies and cream cheese. The bagel was actually not bad! I was impressed! (Or maybe it had just been so long since I'd had a bagel.)

And a Starbucks! Too expensive to buy in Bangkok. Another luxury forgone in the east.

My travel partner has a unique way of ensuring sleep on the plane.

My vegetarian gnocchi at midnight. Despite its looks, not too bad, all things considered.

Hey! The Pain au Chocolat brought all the way back from Heathrow.

All my imported goodies! Looking forward to the Christmas Pudding!

Isn't the UK great? Come one, rest-of-the-world. Catch up!

Bangkok Week 74

November 26, 2009

If you're going to the beach to swim, don't go in the winter! (A road trip to and a weekend in Hua Hin.)

Road Trip!

Destination: Hua Hin.

First stop at Hua Hin: a small mountain viewpoint home to hundreds of monkeys.

This one watched as we ate our lunch.

This one knew there was rice, too. (The restaurant is enclosed by a wire fence to keep them out.)

Enjoying our lunch [Fried Rice #1], while the animals watch us inside our cage. Ironic?

This guy came by to see if we would have the heart to spare some rice.

Someone took the liberty of hanging out on my precious Vios all afternoon.

The Wat on top of the mountain provides an excellent view.

Said Wat on top of the mountain. Rather a windy day.

Carrying the flowers and incense to make merit while up there.

A view north, to the main city of Hua Hin.

A small fishing village we passed through to reach this lookout point.

Requisite Group Shot #1.

These temple bells have a great view.

The monkeys basically lounge around until someone decides to feed them.

Like this guy. Just chillaxin' on a cool Saturday afternoon.

This guy and old lady live there, and feed the monkeys regularly. Corn and bananas.

Action shot! Leaping for his swing!

Enjoying fresh corn on the cob.

This little monkey was caught picking fleas off the poor dog, who was trying to nap.

A bit lower down the cliff, at the same vantage point.

Another shrine on the seaside.

Dragons protect the sea and the clouds.

What monkeys they are.

Now "downtown" in the city, which recently hosted the 15th ASEAN Summit.

A little lost in translation?

A beautiful little park with nicely restored train cars...

... is actually the Hua Hin Library!

Nice new laminate floors, roomy couches to read at, and a selection of books at the rear of the car.

Pretending we came by train.

I did come by train!

Then, got run over by it. Rats.

The beautifully restored Hua Hin Rail Station.

Enjoying the seasonal decorations.

Again, pretending we came by train.

This poodle was fiercely guarding her stall.

Our budget hotel room.

Had a nice little deck with a great breeze.

A view of a real, non-touristy street, and the mountainous backdrop.

Selling seashells by the seashore? We must be near the sea!

The main entrance to the beach is extremely touristy, but otherwise, the beach is quite sparse.

The toe test indicates the water temperature is COLD.

Even this beach dog finds the wind too cool for comfort.

A little choppy? (Hua Hin means Stone Heads... see how it got its name?)

Enjoying the beach's cool sand (and cold breeze).

Horse hooves make more of an impression than people prints.

Did I mention that it was windy?

Ooh, a new windswept 'do.

An array of goodies thrown up by the sea.

A big sea-front property whose fence we peeked over.

Said (classic white) fence.

Kite surfers enjoyed the blustery weather a bit further down. (That mountain is the one we drove up earlier, with the temple and the monkeys.)

Requisite Group Shot #2.

A tradition among Thai teenagers : take this photo at the beach.

We brought our mat, so we may as well use it!

Okay, we have our mat. Now what?

Reading the free weekly Bangkok magazine we picked up at the car rental place.

This masterpiece could win any sand sculpture competition.

Standing on the "Hua Hin".

Hiding discreetly among the natural landscape.

And back at the hotel, enjoying its rooftop lounge...

... as the sun sets.

At the night market, which is becoming increasingly touristy!

A lady makes fun crispy fluff-filled snacks. 10 for 10!

A colourful fruit seller has a well-organized stall.

Our choice of dinner joint featured a fancy dragon day bed.

Dinner! [Fried Rice #2]

LOTS of seafood restaurants lined the night market. I guess that's why people visit the sea.

A Swedish Bakery. What's that on the window? Pepparkakor?

A quieter area of town, lined with small guesthouses overlooking the ocean.

Of course, there were many seafood restaurants over the ocean on a series of piers.

We ordered dessert from this lady. It's literally named "Cup Dessert". She scoops the custard out of the cup and puts it in the box to go.

The main municipality building is all decked out for the holidays!

As is our hotel's lobby.

The "Cup Dessert" from earlier. It's a 2-layered custard: one salty coconut milk layer and one sweet agar-based layer.

Enjoying the dessert and our hotel deck's breeze.

The next morning: western style breakfast!

And the Thai take on scrambled eggs. Note the mini-corn in the foreground.

At Hua Hin's primary food market.

We stumbled upon an old lady selling vegetarian food... at 9am on Sunday!

Buy your eggs by the 10!

Some palm sugar pucks? A discount if you buy 3 kilos.

There were MANY stalls selling dried squids of all varieties.

And the traditional way to sell curry pastes. As mountains.

A huge assortment of condiments for flavouring.

And how many different grades of shrimp?

Finally! The Baby and Poodle seller! I knew they were around here somewhere!

An old house with new dishes.

Another choppy day on the waters.

Glad I'm not in those fishing boats!

As we walk down the fishing pier, almost blown away!

A hardworking fisherman takes a mid-morning nap.

Still windy, even today.

Looking back at the pier restaurants and green waters.

Requisite Group Shot #3.

Another dramatic, blustery shot.

This old man wears his Grandpa Hat as he fixes his boat.

A dog seeks shelter under a truck parked near the pier.

Guys pushing around man-sized ice cubes. Normal, right?

A small, side-soi hidden from most of the tourist shenanigans.

Another poodle dressed for the winter.

A 3-story Wat. New to me!

Stopping at Burger King to write some postcards -- or as an excuse for a cone!

The one card staying inside the country.

A huge new complex devoted to reviving Ye Olde traditional Thai life.

The complex was modeled around the traditional villages built along the edges of rivers.

Here, a large green lined with old-fashioned shops selling old toys and snacks.

These two ladies make an old "Thai Pancake"... fried rice patties, then rolled in a sweet-salty-sesame mixture.

It looks like sandy rocks...

... but it's really tasty! One of my favourite Thai snacks. Too bad it went extinct 30+ years ago.

They have a little carnival area that's open at night.

An old-fashioned coffee shop.

And an ancient congee seller, complete with ancient pots.

Stopping at another vantage point, this one with a small playground. Let's play!

It reminded me of Miami of yesteryear. Kind of run down.

That's right, just a few more steps back...

Finally! A coconut within reach!

Lunch before hitting the road back to Bangkok. [Fried Rice #3]

Requisite stop at one of the many huge souvenir stores on the side of the highway. They specialize in the province's official dessert.

Another pit-stop at a Marshalls-like discount store... except these clothes come straight from the factories down the road!

O.M.G...! The underwear I used to buy at Costco, that they stopped carrying a few years ago.

Safe, sound, and back on solid ground in Bangkok. Bye bye, my lovely Vios. (But next time, I'll take a Jazz.)

The special province-specific dessert that we stopped for on the ride home.

Christmas has come to Bangkok!

Time to get festive! (I told you in Week 65 that he would be back!)

That Australian couple also threw in a tacky gold star.

Only in Thailand do you hang Christmas decorations from the air conditioner.

Bangkok Week 73

November 19, 2009

More fun weekend escapades!

Indonesian-style scaly bum fruits. These ones are crunchier than the Thai ones, with 3 segments instead of 2.

Mom-and-pop-shop fried rice (in an alley under a stair case).

Ooh! 1 kg of butter! This will never run out, even if we try.

Christmas decorations are up and festive at most malls now.

Don't Christmas decorations make you happy?

A big art exhibit by one of the Princesses.

Apparently she's a fashion designer in addition to an artist.

A cute exhibit comparing various countries' "arts-related" exports. Doesn't he look into it?

Concentrating with all my might on the juggling balls. The instructional video didn't help.

Extremely tacky Christmas decorations abound!

A huge monsoon passed over downtown Bangkok as we passed through the interchange station.

A giant Lego fair / construction contest for kids at Paragon.

Should the really huge kid on the right be allowed to compete against the other little boys?

Still a sore subject!!!

10 second after taking the previous picture, a farang kid came over and destroyed this minaret.

Impressively tall Petronas Towers!

A box of mini-Taiyaki from Japan town.

Brothers (re)unite.

Really long walrus teeth... the creepy normal length of Thai green beans!

Sunday's splurge of a breakfast: 3 delicious pastries from a Japanese bakery.

In chocolate croissant heaven.

Still have Canada's famous chocolate chips leftover from last year!

Such nice, round balls. You can guess what happened next!

Crushed by the giant hand from above that rules the Thai baking skies!!

Ooh! A perfectly round, fluffy chocolate chip cookie!

Third batch was (closer to) a charm.

Too poor to afford a table.

Speaking of tables! They replaced all the perfectly good, normal tables at our food court with these hunks of tree!

One type of palm fruit -- the Nipa Palm to be exact. (Read more: http://bit.ly/ouQaq)

The flesh tastes remarkably like a thick chunk of coconut meat. The sweetened juice is what makes it a tasty snack!

After cleaning the balcony floor, the perfect spot for an afternoon picnic!

Relaxing in the cool, almost-winter air...

...until the building next door brought in an industrial exterminator to spray the neighbourhood with chemicals! Had to move the picnic to the next best spot.

An extra-special treat direct from Boston! It's been so unbearably long!!!

Bangkok Week 72

November 12, 2009

A hot hot hot weekend in Trad and Chantaburi. Whatever happened to that winter, anyway?

Another weekend at home with the 'rents and the bros.

Never a dull table. Sweet-and-sour stir fry for breakfast... among others!

The special vegetarian salty-spicy-sour sauce.

Gobbled down already!

Marouy offers to eat my mail.

Mini apple-like fruits dry in the sun.

Shaking the daylight out of his coconut.

The two bros lounge inside to avoid the sun.

Going through old clothes to donate, while Mr. Lazybones watches in the background.

Someone finds the winter jacket from his youth!

Some chilies grow in the back yard. I didn't know one plant could yield both red and green ones.

Surprise! There's a new banana plantation behind the house, too!

The closet I'll ever get to plucking a coconut right off the tree.

A flowering cactus -- not quite like Granny's Christmas cactus though.

Kit Kat! The first western chocolate sold at The Store!

What's up?

Marouy comes over to watch the men play with the new GPS. Can you teach a dog new technologies?

Trying out the camera's "portrait" mode. Not a bad result!

Aha! Finally, the new car's been properly branded.

Enjoying some refreshing sugar cane from the market... couldn't even wait to get home.

Would you like a rice cooker? How about a dozen?

Examining the new Suki pot!

Mr. Fatso sits around without even offering to help stock the shelves.

Blooms' ahoy!

"What's in that little silver box you always carry, anyway?"

A real life Transformer drives down the road.

Ah, Grandma's Hair dessert. Haven't had it in ages!

Hey, ma. You gonna eat that sugar cane?

All the makins for a grand suki feast!

Two kinds of tofu: round and square! (I mean, egg and soy.)

Enjoying the fruits of the new pot's labour.

Family portrait around the newest addition to the kitchen.

The next morning, he's the first one up for breakfast.

Some chromosome donuts to start the day.

Real breakfast: lots of salty dishes, to accompany the rice porridge.

About to depart on a trip to visit relatives in the neighbouring province. Someone knows he's being left behind!

Stopping at the market to buy food to bring with us. Needless to say, we didn't buy these pigs' sacrifices.

Hungry after an early breakfast, so a donut break on the road. Don't drop crumbs on the new seats!

Another, more classic street snack: deep-fried taro and banana slices. Mmmmmm.

This lady opened her store for the day, and then went to sleep. Odd indeed.

Visiting the uncle who runs a shrimp farm.

Staring at... not a whole lot.

Ooh, look at all the dust in the phone!

The mountainous backdrop behind the farm.

Inspecting some flopping fish. Eew.

The scenic, sunny countryside.

Cooling off with a wormy dessert.

Can I help you repair that flashlight, bro? Or can I eat something?

Yowzers! Look at all the dishes! (For everything you see here, we took an equal amount back to Bangkok.)

Bangkok Week 71

November 5, 2009

An artsy weekend, and another year's Loy Krathong festival, during which people set afloat ("loy") their flame-lit krathong on the river.

My Halloween ear gear!

The final remains of the veggie week feast!

Another cacophony awoke us on the weekend. This time, the neighbors' house was being smashed to smithereens.

Heading off to Lim's wedding in style... on the train, of course.

At the very-downtown church.

Inside, each pew was adorned with a colorful bouquet of orchids.

We're not certain, but we think we were sitting on the bride's side of the aisle. Whoops.

At least 20 people from the office attended. Here's a dozen of them.

The classic wedding-in-church shot... the orchids add a Thai touch.

And the walking-down-the-aisle shot.

Another group of office folk, including our CEO.

A classy lunch of Thai-style ramen.

Yum yum! Ma ma! (That's what it's called.)

Woah! Totally forgot we still had chocolates from last Christmas. What a nice surprise.

Another artsy arts fair under the covered soccer pitch in Thong Lo.

Hello up there! It's artsy down here!

Checking out some cute wallets and purses.

People just chillaxin' with the beans.

He claims he's "posing" with the wall of t-shirts.

The theme of this month's fair was "Sea Breeze". Can you tell?

A seller of retro scooters. I doubt he made a sale!

The prince and his castle.

Not sure what kind of artsy display these boxes were from.

Some boys paint canvases. I like Mr Dorky, with his argyle shirt and arm tattoo.

Coconut ice cream... in a coconut!

Chilling with the beans, cooling off with some (coco)nuts.

No prospective sales for this vendor.

Would you like a thick hat for this blustery weather?

No questioning who's the artist behind these paintings.

Can I interest you in a scary postcard?

Applying what they just learned in a mini art lesson.

Would you like some shoes? How about 16 pairs?

Or watches? How about a half-dozen watches?

He won a giant pillow! (It's now sitting on my office chair.)

Hellooooo, kitty!

A colorful building, behind some aging condos.

The first Whole Foods in SE Asia, being heavily advertised...

... turned out to be a real bust. In the basement of a medical center, selling Thai products you could by at any grocery store.

Dramatic lighting on the train home.

A colorful backlog of taxis wait for fares.

Monday night was the annual Loy Krathong festival. We went to a pier on the river.

A table of Krathong, ready to be lit and set afloat on the water.

This woman had made family-sized Krathong!

Kids, hard at work to meet the demand.

Instead of a Krathong, we bought a bag of popcorn.

We missed the parade of traditional boats, so instead got to see hotel shuttles all lit up.

Enjoying some riverside popcorn, as the boats woosh by.

A krathong made of ice cream cones!

Some of the many krathong vendors, from above.

Looking downstream. Lots of festivities (and condos) on the shores.

A very long exposure portrait.

A near-miss, as many boats zip across the river and back.

Some people float their krathong in the canal under the BTS. Some people just float themselves. Ick.

A view upstream, where fireworks would be shot in another 2 hours. Not hanging around for them, thank you.

More 5-star hotels, lit up for the occasion.

Did I mention it was crowded?

In case you wanted a souvenir that you didn't have to toss into the water.

Riding home well after rush hour, but still filled!

A basketful of rose apples.

Or are they nose apples?

Bangkok Week 70

October 29, 2009

A week of food, fairs, footwear and fun!

Despite what you think, these aren't a pile of xylophone keys...

... they're grilled bamboo filled with sticky rice! Duh, a dessert!

This was a nice treat: "larb," the national dish of Laos, normally a spicy meat salad, but veggie this week!

Our vegetarian feasts continue! In the foreground, a huge cabbage stew from Vee's mom.

Yes! Corn and beans yogurt! I couldn't resist.

Woah, is that a red bean in my yogurt, or are you just...?

Bad news devastation directly behind our apartment! Remember the jungle that used to be there?

Vegetarian lunch in this mom-and-pop-shop. In their living room, actually.

Veggie dishes on rice, Thai-style "yakisoba" and spring rolls! All from the street!

A hip little arts fair... sponsored by Vita Milk, if you couldn't tell.

Browsing some uber-cute jewelry. Stay tuned!

A little gift we had customized for Lim and his fiancée.

Some kids "enjoy" racing around the Vita Milk racetrack. (Their parents looked more engaged than they did.)

Help support Flu!

Mmm, a refreshingly radioactive drink.

My huge new shoes you've heard all about! Size 45, suckaz!

A famous dessert I'd yet to try...

... many find it too unappetizing to eat, since its consistency could've come out of your nose.

The giant parking garage-top structure going up next door.

Normally 1 vegetarian seller at MBK became 3 stalls wide during J-week.

A surprise lunch guest! Had to drive to Bangkok for an event next to MBK.

Doing a quick tour of the electronics superstore.

Picked up a box of 6 Dunkin' goodies to send back to Trad.

Cranes still dominate the skyline in Bangkok's most prime real estate district.

Lounging with my new pal, Mr. Deer Couch.

At an exhibit by an artist who combines sculpture and furniture.

You'd think there's something hidden up there!

And nearby, an exhibit of neat shoes. These look like they'd require super-human foot muscles.

He he he! This is a really uncomfortable cardboard couch!

WOAH! A veggie sub from Subway! Too bad we'd already eaten.

Instead we opted for DAIRY QUEEN'S NEW CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM! What's happened to the world!?!

Performing in-home surgery on our printer cartridge. It actually worked!

Another special treat: remarkably spicy chili paste (normally made with tiny shrimp) and raw veggies. One's eager to get the party started.

After some hot Christmas shopping at Chatuchak, a much-needed pink ice break.

We've walked passed this restaurant across the street for 18 months now...

... finally, we get to try it!

View from inside, for the first -- and probably the last -- time.

Hanging the Christmas lights at Villa -- already!

Remember the devastation I mentioned earlier? The view, from up close. (And our apartment!)

Also, an alternative view of The House (TM).

A fresh batch of cactus-like veggies, to have with that fiery dip.

HEY! Celebrating the last official night of veggie week.

Boo :( The last official night of veggie week.

But have no fear! Veggie week will live on (for a looong time) in our house!

Mid-week, and still going strong!

Ah... the first ORANGES of the season.

Visas all done! This one is good for the next 5 años. Christmas, here we come!

Another look at the sad new landscape. Are you thinking what we're thinking?

Bangkok Week 69

October 22, 2009

It's that time of the year again! The time when the entire country goes vegetarian for a week, which makes our lives that much more exciting! The theme this week: food food food!

Friday, the first night of a week of feasts! A savoury soup and spicy basil "meat" stir fry.

Peace! Vegetarians unite.

An advert for the annual BTS-sponsored vegetarian feast.

Back again at Tesco: a buffet of vegetarian meats and seafoods.

Checking out the huge variety of vegetarian curry pastes.

Even the deli counter serves only veggie!

Yes! Vegetarian pastries!

Vegetarian lunch at the Tesco food court.

Two thumbs up to this great week. Thank the Chinese.

Vegetarian ice cream from a traditional coconut ice cream seller. (This form of vegetarianism excludes dairy products.)

Vegetarian head gear... warrior style?

In case you'd forgotten, fresh fruit is vegetarian too.

What's most exciting is that all the street vendors, from whom we normally can never buy, sell 100% veggie!

Lots of dishes! Take your pick!

Yellow yellow everywhere... and it's not even Monday.

All sorts of crazy new dishes! Another feast.

Saturday: 5-nut stir fry, "crab" roll thingy, and my favourite leafy bitter curry.

Sunday's lunch: vegetarian ramen (with a mixed message, since it includes MSG).

Complete with dehydrated protein veggie balls! Bouncy bounce.

Mmm, ramen. It's been so long.

Good ol' crinkly noodles.

This huge machine was blasting outside our apartment at 7am on Sunday morning. Why, you ask?

To lift giant steel beams over our poor building onto the roof of a huge bank complex next door.

Someone was driving too fast!

Tug just a little bit harder!

Twins! (A spicy nori snack, eaten like potato chips.)

Sunday, clockwise from upper left: bitter melon stir-fry, deep-fried taro, another spicy basil stir-fry and orange curry.

Monday: stir-fried greens and meat, crispy spicy meat, tom yum soup.

Tuesday, the feasts continue!

Tuesday: spicy stir-fried sprouts, green curry, spicy red curry.

Whoo! It's a special visa!

Wednesday: spicy bamboo stir fry, ginger-mushroom stir fry.

All week: the transformation continues!

Bangkok Week 68

October 15, 2009

A great Birthday Week. Thank to everyone!

My birthday was full of fun, thanks to many. First...

... Nicole treated me to a classy lunch at Pizza Hut!

(Enjoying the leftovers later that night.)

Then dinner with James, fellow MIT ME alum.

A new veggie restaurant one block from our apartment.

And posh coffee at Wawee after that!

Then two parcels from overseas that have been aging nicely in the closet.

Card from Chris-- is she trying to tell me something?

Modeling the scarf from Chris and skirt from M&D.

And a Thai massage package from the hubby! Ooh, aah!

And a fried egg!

Wait, NO! It's a lamp!

Egads, it's not over yet! A huge ice cream cake from Swensens!

Mmm, the most delicious day of my life in Thailand.

Woo hoo! Cheering on the Sox as they efficiently eliminate themselves from the Playoffs!

Hmm! Shall we bake something? How about Cinnamon Buns?

ATTACK OF THE KILLER YEAST FROM OUTER SPACE!

Let's roll! (Note the raisins in the background that are not inside the roll. Whoops.)

Pre-pre-bake rise.

Post rise, post bake, post frosting! (And post improvised sprinkling of raisins.)

In the hospital? Or at a Thai massage?

The bottom line: cinnamon rolls for breakfast!

Mmm, rolled cinnamon.

Modeling the shirt from Chris.

BAM! Think Halloween is coming?

Have a relaxing sit in the park?

A flute ensemble performs at the mall. Guess what they played? That Nutcracker piece!

More over-the-top Halloween displays.

Lunch at MBK. It's been a while.

Hey there, boxy buddy.

Hey there.

Not totally sure what this outdoor exhibit was about.

Exploring the maze of... stuff.

Jack in a box?

A funky art exhibit / improv cafe at the BACC.

Giving our feet a little R&R.

This giant paper was asking "What does a Livable Bangkok mean to you?"

I was suckered into putting down my thoughts.

My response: Winter All Year!

The new look of our fridge: dinner for a week crammed inside.

From Lydia in Baltimore, in less than a week! Let the celebrations continue!

Finally, some more visible progress!

Bangkok Week 67

October 8, 2009

Many thumbs up this week: a night on the town, a trip outside the city, and a look at the absurd number of condos going up throughout the city.

If you order fries, they will be served on an elegant reusable plate!

Satisfying a long-time craving!

The plaza that hosted the opening ceremonies for the activities surrounding the Climate Change negotiations.

An overcast evening.

Ironic that Green festivities are happening at a monolithic shopping mall?

Diplomatically correct display.

Various important Asian people give the event their mark of approval.

At the reception: free drinks and desserts.

Who's mimicking whom?

FINALLY. After 1.5 years. A fan!

My new BFF.

Brushing up on my English skillz. Been here too long. (BTW, that's a she-man on the cover.)

This slice of pomelo has chompers of its own.

The boys get in a quick game of squash on Saturday morning.

"Would you hurry up and serve already?"

Vee's family's new house! They haven't moved in yet.

Thai people are short, so door handles have to be extra low.

A view of the brand-spankin'-new subdivision.

The balcony earns two thumbs up.

A view from the park in front of their 5-bedroom house. And their Jazz! (Fit, for you Westerners).

Praising the ground he walks on. Or, trying to figure out why the grass is so springy.

Another HUGE housing fair with every developer and bank ever to operate in Thailand.

Oh my! How overwhelmingly large!

At another fair in the same convention centre, colorful cotton t-shirts.

Oooh, finally satisfying a 3+ week craving for western donuts.

Believe it or not, Dunkin is an expensive delicacy in this neck of the woods.

Satisfaction guaranteed!

Bangkok Week 66

October 1, 2009

Another weekend in Trad, this time featuring a new car! And a one-year-old pup. Aww, our boy is all grown up!

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Vulputate Commodo Ligula

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Pellentesque Risus Ridiculus

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Bangkok Week 65

September 24, 2009

A weekend of walking. Notably, a festival celebrating an old community that was, well, closed for Sunday. Great planning on the part of the festival organizers!

We hiked for an hour to pick up a little Christmas tree and decorations that an Australian couple was selling.

Took a "caramel sundae" break to rest our feet.

The (in)famous Soi Cowboy, or the reason why most men come to Bangkok. Considerably more hopping at night.

The lyrical bird-on-a-wire.

We also got their Christmas lights (they're moving back to Australia after a few years in Bangkok).

The mini-tree. Expect to see him again in December!

A Sunday morning splurge: real pastries.

This one was called "red bean". I didn't expect whole red beans!

In the old part of the city, lottery ticket central: blocks and blocks of lotto tickets for sale.

Rows of old buildings, as we head to the festival celebrating this area.

Termites!

A small canal, with reflections of both the trees above and the algae oil within.

Every house had its laundry on display.

Which way d'we go?

Western influence in this gate, which used to be the entrance to the mansion of a former prince.

The lady in the gate. I think she has a more official name. The gate is called "Phraeng Sappasart Gate".

An ad for the "walking street" that is supposedly the hub of the festival.

These shops were actually open, but with nothing of interest inside.

Would you like to buy an emerald Buddha?

The grand gate to the festival ... and lots of closed doors behind it.

This is a famous sticky rice-and-other-desserts shop -- closed on Sundays!

Everyone takes this picture. Not sure why!

A famous old garage, that's been around since King Rama 5 (that's 4 eras ago).

It has a collection of old cars ... presumably he's still working on them?

A really mini Mini.

Some blooming floaters on the side of the road.

One of many fancy umbrellas brought in for the "festival".

What did I say about the laundry? Anywhere else in Bangkok, and it'd be gone before it's dry!

A famous, very old half-wood, half-cement building that's now a school. It needs big-time restoration.

Some of the school's ornate supports.

Photos from various community parties. You see how tight-knit the residents of this area are.

A banana tree in the middle of the city!

See, there are the bananas.

People show up in taxis from all over -- only to be disappointed by the lack of festival.

The one open store: a famous seller of ancient-style ice cream. Most people buy it by the 1kg-bucket.

We opted for a more manageable size.

Cooling off under the tent, for the fair that has yet to start.

A 15-year-old girl rehearses the songs she'll perform later in the afternoon.

"Hey buddy. You know you're not supposed to eat all the desserts."

Giant leaf from a Giant Leaf Tree on the side of the road.

Mum's Giant Swing (from the other side).

Lunch at a veggie restaurant upon which we stumbled.

A really hyper seller of traditional desserts had us sold.

She smokes the desserts with candles so they pick up a strong fragrance.

From L to R: sweet, sticky coconut balls; giant popcorn balls; Thai "mochi".

Excited about his cubic Thai mochi.

Doesn't this house look like it could be in urban New England?

Our food court! Our poor, poor food court!

My pomelo-peeling skillz be improving, yo.

Finally! 2 weeks after the frame goes up, they finally get the tiles on. Note how the scaffolding got chopped off just above the roof.

Bangkok Week 64

September 17, 2009

64 -- another square milestone. See you again in 17 weeks!

Baked "Ziti"? (That's it for the cheddar from Mexico!)

Welcomed back to Thailand with western food.

The apple crumble we'd been talking about for months! Before...

... and all-crispy-after.

Apple Crumble is good for you, right?

Up close and personal.

Another welcome-back western dish.

And later -- no crumble is complete without vanilla ice cream!

I bet we could afford this one!

Condo # 1 for the day: really tall and about 13 yrs old.

Condo # 2 for the day: much newer, but felt like a housing project. And nestled among adult entertainment venues.

Pensive about his lunch.

Forget pensing. Let's eat!

At a design show, a lamp made of birdies (the badminton kind).

And a bench made of freebie CDs.

And a designer chair. Looks comfy! But sitting is forbidden.

These kids were showing off their fancy kangaroo leg extensions.

Check out da trix!

Whadda ya know. It was car-free Sunday, during which moss overgrows all cars.

Those really old-fashioned bikes that you only see in cartoons! (Or photos from the 1800s.)

Fun with pomelos!

Too much fun with pomelos?

Okay, now this is getting embarrassing. (At least I know a career change is possible.)

Dissecting one of the bad boys.

The finished product. (This is how they sell them on the street. My poor implants.)

The only potato chips that qualify as "vegetarian" are plain! Yikes.

Finally, progress on that roof.

All framed up.

And the remaining bricks get their face mask.

Bangkok Week 63

September 10, 2009

A really-very-food-centric week!

A dinner with Wang (left) before he flew back to DC. (His sister got married in last week's album.)

Sup eats all his noodles in one bite.

Fu, Petch's arms, Vee and Joy ... at where else but a food court!

And the former roommates, reunited (for an hour).

"Fried Macaroni" from our food court. I think the sauce is ketchup.

And the dish in the foreground is made with apples! Hmm! (Apples = cha-ching!)

Standing idiotically like this waiting for the train to drive into the shot.

Testing out the chair that supposedly optimizes breathing. Does he look optimized?

Posing with the good ol' Beetle, another display at the TCDC's permanent exhibit on design.

A jazz concert at the TCDC's cafe.

Too cheap to buy anything, we stood at the window for a while listening to the jazz, then left.

A neat night sky over Ari.

After having broken all our glass or ceramic mugs, I suggested a more plastic investment! (NB: Thailand's tiled floors are a real liability!)

The Inari Adventure begins!

Compare: Jasmine is to Japanese rice as a Thai boxer is to a Sumo wrestler.

Some of the makin's : nori, rice wine, and bags in a bag.

Preparing the feast: laying the bags out to cool after micro-boiling.

Who is this man, and who invited him over for lunch?

After being surgically opened, the bags are ready for stuffin'.

The stuffer doin' his stuffin'.

All stuffed now!

And with the leftover rice: "vegetable maki".

A carrot-stuffed log. No other veggies on hand.

The feast! Lots of sushi and a pot of miso soup each. (Plus a tiny wasabi and the shoyu left over from February.)

Super-excited for Japanese food.

The artistic shot of fancy carrots.

Attack of the Killer Inari!

Stuffed, with plenty leftover for dinner.

The blue sky and apartment beckon: come back to Bangkok and visit!

Watch your language!

While stuck in traffic, this motorcyclist stops to buy flowers from the seller.

A seller of snacks and yum, whom I watched for a LONG time while the bus wasn't goin' nowhere.

Can you call this progress?