I just got this fantastic error dialog while installing Adobe Acrobat:

And then Google told me about my new favorite Flickr pool.

16 มี.ค. 2531

ผมจำวันนี้ได้ดีเพราะเป็นวันเกิดของผมด้วย ผมเรียนที่โรงเรียนชั้นประถมและอายุ 9 ขวบ วันนี้ผมดีใจมากเพราะไปหาบ่อ gypsum ใหญ่ข้างนอกเมือง

ตอนเช้านักเรียนขึ้นรถเมล์กับนั่งรถไป 1 ชั่วโมง ผมคิดเรื่องบ่อว่าจะดูอะไร หมายใจเห็นรถบรรทุกและกองหินสูงใหญ่แต่ไม่เห็นมีอะไร ก็เราระทึกใจ

เราเข้าโรงเก็บของไพศาลมีเครื่องกับคนทำงาน ทุกคนสวมเสื้อสีส้ม 1 คนพาเรามาในลิฟต์ใหญ่

หลังจากพวกของเราอยู่ในลิฟต์เราลงมา 10 ชั้นใต้ดิน ประตูของลิฟต์เปิด ถ้ำเงียบและอากาศเย็น เราเริ่มเที่ยว ผู้นำเที่ยวบอกว่าถ้ำขยายออกหลายไมล์ทุกทาง เขามีไฟฉายให้นักเรียนทุกคน หลายอุโมงค์ไม่มีไฟเลย

ขณะที่เสาะหาถ้ำผมเดินช้า เริ่มเดินหลังพวกมากขึ้นเรื่อยเพราะกำลังเสาะหาน่าสนใจมากกว่าฟังผู้นำเที่ยวบอกถึง gypsum ในทันทีผมขาดกันกับพวก

ตอนแรกผมคนเดียวแต่กังวลใจไม่มาก เดินเพราะคิดว่าจะหาพวกได้ แล้วก็กลายเป็นกลุ้มใจ นั่งบนศิลา ผมหนาวและเห็นหรือยินไม่ได้ กู่ร้องแต่ไม่มีใครขานผมเริ่มเกรงกรัวมาก

นั่งบนศิลากับคอยอยู่นาน ในที่สุดก็ได้ยินเสียงมาจากไกลๆ ผมร้องบ่อยครั้ง เสียงดังขึ้น เดี๋ยวผมก็เห็นไฟฉาย แล้วก็เห็นคนสวมเสื้อสีส้ม ในที่สุดก็เห็นครูของผม เขาโมโหมาก

ผมคิดว่าผมแย่ แต่ทุกคนดีใจที่ผมไม่หาย ผมจำได้วันเกิดนี้ตลอดไป

All through my ride yesterday I carried two small chunks of brick in my pocket to threaten stray dogs that might take an interest in me:

I didn’t even have to throw anything. I just held the chunk like I was going to aim for their little mangy heads. The dogs universally cowered and ran away. This is, of course, how Thai people ward off meddlesome canines so all of these dogs know the deal. I did this preemptively whenever I saw a dog by the roadside, but it probably wasn’t necessary because most dogs didn’t seem inclined to chase me.

After I got to Lopburi I checked into “Nett Hotel” (200 baht/$6), took a shower, zoned out on the bed under the fan, etc. When I went downstairs to eat, I saw a cute dog, some kind of poodle mix, playing in their garage/lobby area.

So, I wasn’t thinking — I put my hand down and the little bastard nipped me right in the thumb. It was the tiniest bite, no blood, but I’m pretty sure it broke the skin a little bit. I’m a fucking idiot. After all of the vigilance I had against nasty dogs while riding I get bit by a poodle and it was my own fault.

I wash the spot with soap and water and antibiotic cream…and then I start freaking out because I know rabies is common in Thailand. The chances of me actually getting it are very slim, but a disease that is 100% fatal has a certain gravity. It doesn’t help that when you Google “rabies” you get some great image results of people dying while strapped to hospital beds.

Anyway, the hotel manager was reassuring. It was his brother’s dog, and he was pretty sure it was vaccinated. However, I knew that I was going to have to talk to a doctor or else I was going to spiral down down down into all-consuming anxiety.

I took an incredibly fast minivan back to Bangkok (110 baht and totally worth it) and visited a private hospital for foreigners and rich Thai people called Bumrungrad. (I’ve been there before and had good experiences.) I head into the emergency room — still not certain I actually have an emergency — and had to wait for a while. During this time they sewed up a young woman with a giant gash in her leg and I listened to a lady wail about her husband who just got into a car accident. I seriously almost got up and left because I felt like I was wasting their time.

However, after hearing my story and taking a look, the doctor said that I should have the vaccination. A nurse brought over a syringe of vaccine called VERORAB, shot it into my arm, and handed me a schedule for the next 4 vaccinations. and I was done. The total was only 1308 baht ($38). I can only imagine what this treatment would cost in America.

So now I’ve got to be in cities with larger hospitals on the 20th, the 24th, the 31st, and once more when I get back to America. This sucks, but it sure beats getting rabies.

Tags: Thailand

Here’s my bike, ready to go outside of BJ Guesthouse in Ayuthaya, Thailand:

Just before I left the guesthouse staff topped up the air in my tires with their compressor. They were out fixing up their rental bikes even at 7:30am. Very nice guys. Then, I got on the bike and rode out of town.

In this pic you can see my GPS, which works perfectly and is the most useful gadget ever, and I don’t really like gadgets. It’s a Garmin eTrex Vista Cx. I’ve got a copy of their SE Asia map set loaded onto a tiny MicroSD card. Also, notice how wide the street was in Ayuthaya. Most small cities in Thailand have a broad boulevard which usually doubles as the main road in and out of town, but this was not that road.

Eventually I made it to the real main road out of town (Rt. 309). On the northern outskirts you pass a giant space age-looking wat (Wat Phu Khao Thong) on the left. I rode a piece of junk rental bike to visit it on my first trip to Thailand in 2002. After passing it, I was instantly riding through the countryside. After turning right onto Rt. 347 and riding for a little less than an hour I came to 347’s junction with Highway 32. 32 is a giant 6 lane north-south highway and it sucks. Here is the overpass I rode over to get to the other side of it:

Just after crossing the highway I stopped at a small restaurant for breakfast #2:

The sign says “kuaytiaw muu dtun,” or stewed pork noodle soup, and that’s exactly what I ate:

Highway 32 turned out to be the last remnant of Bangkok’s sprawl. From here I was riding through the countryside, continuing on Rt. 347, a two-lane road with a wide shoulder and not a lot of traffic:

After a while I really started feeling the wind. The whole day I rode against a strong headwind, and despite the 100% flat terrain I was pedaling hard to maintain my pace with the wind working against me. Check out how these flags are directly parallel to my direction of travel:

Combined with the intensifying heat (it was late morning by this point) I started taking lots of breaks. And eating lots of food. At these rest stops, even though I was a sweaty mess, people tolerated my horrible word ordering to find out just why the fuck I was riding up on a bicycle. Everyone I met was polite. Some people were incredibly friendly. I was given a chair and a free ice-cold bottle of water at this old-style gas station:

And free dessert after lunch:

Finally, I entered Lopburi town…

…but my day does NOT end there. Haha. Next: some exciting/embarrassing news.

Stats for today, thanks to my GPS:

Distance traveled: 66.3km
Moving time: 3:26
Total time: 4:46
Moving average speed: 19.3km/h
Overall average speed: 13.9km/h
Route: 309 to 347 to 3196

Tags: Thailand

Riding a bicycle in Bangkok isn’t hard at all.

This morning I loaded up my new bike for the first time and set out for Hualamphong Station, Bangkok’s railway terminus. It’s only a few km away and I had no problems. It seems like drivers were used to seeing other slow vehicles (bicycles, hand carts, etc.) on the road and gave me plenty of room.

Intersections were a little trickier. Motorbike drivers typically pick their way through stacked traffic to the front and race off on green. Obviously, I’m wasn’t racing anywhere, but I just did what the motorbikes did, not wanting to block their path. The worst part about intersections was waiting in the sun and inhaling 2-stroke exhaust until the light changed. In Bangkok, you can wait for a long time.

At the train station I bought a ticket to Ayuthaya for myself (15 baht, a little less than $0.50). Then I bought a ticket at the baggage kiosk for the bike (90 baht, ~$2.50). The kiosk is located just inside the platform area, on the left side near the fence to the taxi rank. To the right of the kiosk there was a line of motorbikes ready to go on the train, so it didn’t seem weird at all to take a bicycle along.

The train I rode ended up being free for Thai people so I got to sit in a 2nd class car with my 3rd class ticket. Thais all had tickets for zero baht and the conductor didn’t even look at mine. This placard on the side of the train says “the state helps Thai people — board this car for free.”

Just before we departed I started talking with an old guy, a former schoolteacher, in both English and Thai. He was real interested in practicing his English (always fine with me) but I was surprised by my ability to understand a lot of what he said with other passengers. Just as our basic conversation came to an end a Scandinavian guy sat down next to me. Right away this genius began to complain to me about how Thais are always trying to get free English lessons. Fuck off, dude. Like everyone is born speaking a language perfectly without having to practice it first.

Upon arrival in Ayuthaya I collected my bike from the baggage car and rode into the main part of the town on the opposite side of the Chao Phraya. I’ve been to Ayuthaya twice before and both times I stayed P.U. Guesthouse. However, they only had an aircon room available for 600 baht. It was nice…but not that nice. I found a room at a guesthouse on the same Soi called B.J. (love the abbrieviations). This place has been around forever and is pretty worn out. But my room is clean and only 160 baht ($4.60) so I can’t complain:

The guys who run BJ also rent bikes and were fixing and painting a few of them on the sidewalk in front as I rode up. They were cool about letting me keep the bike inside the guesthouse.

Tags: Bangkok, Thailand

I just bought a new Trek 3900 from Velo Thailand, a small bike shop on Samsen Soi 2 in Bangkok. This is only a 10 minute walk from where I’m staying in Banglamphu. It’s a pretty standard aluminum mountain bike and it fits me well enough. I was worried about finding a bike in my size in Thailand — I’m tall and have long legs — but it wasn’t a problem.

The price tag on the bike was 11500 baht. Earlier today I visited Pro Bike and was quoted 9500 baht for the same model in the wrong size. The guy in Velo Thailand matched Pro Bike’s price without any hesitation and I ended up walking out of the shop with the bike, a rack, bottle cages, bottles, and new slick tires installed for a little less than 11000. I probably could’ve paid less, but who cares?

The management at New Siam are fanatics about cleanliness and I didn’t even ask if I could bring the bike up to my room. On earlier visits I had noticed bikes parked in a space next to the guesthouse, only accessible from their open-air restaurant. That’s where mine went straight away:

As you can see I’m going to wear a helmet and only carry two panniers and a really small backpack. Neither of these pictures are very good but you get the idea.

Tomorrow the bike and I are taking the train to Ayuthaya, a small city (and ancient capital of Thailand) about 80km north of Bangkok. Bangkok’s sprawl spreads just about that far, and I figured it’d be best to test out the bike in a relaxed spot rather than the capital’s industrial suburbs. I did think about riding north out of the city, but…maybe next time.

Tags: Bangkok, Thailand

Last night I got an Octopus card. This is Hong Kong’s version of a Metrocard.

My first ride was on one of the wooden, double-decker trams that rattle their way through Central Hong Kong. The windows were open upstairs and a cool breeze filled the car as we glided through traffic.

I would’ve explored further but jet lag had me in bed by 9:30.

Today I took the bus to Stanley, an upscale, touristy “town” on the far side of Hong Kong Island. The ride there (as suggested by the LP, I must admit) was amazing. Through a tunnel and then up and over headland after headland on a ridiculously windy two-lane road. From the upper level of the bus I could see right into the gated grounds of some truly palatial homes overlooking the sea. There are some really, really rich people living in Hong Kong. Stanley itself wasn’t too exciting but there was a small promenade with lots of people fishing and some decent places to eat.

I just returned from a ride up to the Peak on the Peak Tram. The ride was interesting, I guess, but the line to buy a ticket (I didn’t know I could use the Octopus) was lengthy. The tram itself was crowded and I couldn’t see anything at all. After escaping from the horrible trinket mall at the top, I took a great ~5km walk on a path around the Peak itself. More estates on the hillside and a smoggy but famous view.

At the end of my walk I had a set dinner at an overpriced restaurant, but whatever, it was pretty good and I’m on vacation.

Back in Tsim Sha Tsui I sat on a bench beside Victoria Harbor and drank a large bottle of cheap Chinese beer with a thousand Filipino guys doing the exact same thing. The best view in the world.

Tags: Hong Kong

Even after spending time in places like India — which has a real corner on the “charmingly decrepit” market — I was surprised at how grimy this building is given its location in Hong Kong. Grimy, but grimy in a good way, filled with tons of people and hand carts and strange mechanical noises at all hours. Also like India: the crowd of South Asian gentlemen hanging around inside and outside on Nathan Road, trying to sell you all kinds of junk. Despite their best efforts I successfully resisted the urge to buy a “copy watch.”

I’m staying at Cosmic Guesthouse in a tiny single room. Really — it’s VERY small. There’s even a cut-out in one side of the mattress to accommodate a support pillar in the center of the room. It’s cheap though, and it’s clean. And if I climb onto the far corner of the bed and look out the window, there’s a great view down Nathan Road towards the Star Ferry terminal.

Tags: Hong Kong

Some initial observations of “Asia’s World City.”

1. Delicious ramen at Hong Kong International Airport:

2. Cavernous arrivals hall:

3. A polluted view from the double-decker airport bus:

4. This looks a lot like Seoul:

5. But this doesn’t:

Tags: Hong Kong

I left Korea in 2005 after almost 2 years working at an after-school English language institute in Seoul. My employer had started playing games with my pay towards the end of my contract. In response I decided to leave 20 days early rather than gamble with a full month’s salary. I narrowly escaped to Bangkok with most of my wages.

This may seem like a real dick move, but only if you’re unfamiliar with the TEFL industry in Korea. It’s a real bad scene, unregulated and rife with fly-by-night operations. The “midnight run” is so common because Westerners working in language institutes have very little recourse when they are taken advantage of by their employers. Why wait around to get screwed when you can take the money and run? BTW I’m certain South and Southeast Asians laboring in Korea have it much worse.

Anyway, after I left I was very upset with Korea — and Koreans, I’m embarrassed to admit — but almost all of my bitterness has faded. I still pick and choose what I like about the country. But I especially miss the food, the friends I had there, the convenience, 24-hour everything, and basically how weird my life was living in Seoul. It was memorable. I would certainly live in Seoul again but only if I was doing computer work.

So, the last time I was in Incheon International Airport I was filled with stress and ready to board a plane to Bangkok with $4000 cash in my pocket. Now it’s 3 years later, a little bit after 8am, and it’s been strange walking around the deserted terminal before all of the duty-free shops and restaurants opened.

Desolate terminal with great Konglish slogan:

Breakfast: Mandu Udong ($3.75)

Shower: $5 at Incheon’s excellent “Rest & Relax” facility upstairs (4th floor). Can you imagine this costing $5 (or even existing) at an airport in America?

Tags: Korea