Forget Thaksin, let's box

Civil unrest is alive and flourishing in the 'Land of smiles'.
The protest has turned into a running brawl, knockouts on both sides, however, the police and their batons seem to be winning the most gold. Someone should remind Thailand that the Olympics are over for another 4 years.
Latest developments hint at employee's of major corporations going on strike in support of the battlers that are ending up either in hospital or the monkey house. Hope nobody is flying Thai airways in the next few days.
I hoped to have some photos to post here, but I couldn't get ringside seats...

30 weeks

Not long to wait now! Today we received another good report, Wannida put on 1.7 kg's over the last 4 weeks, although I can't tell. We payed a deposit for the delivery and were told we have to go back to the hospital every two weeks leading up to the birth.
The best surprise was Wannida received a Paolo Platinum Card which gives her 15 to 40% off all future visits...
Wannida also gave me a shock when she requested the babies bellybutton look like mine (unbeknown'st to me as she was speaking Thai) and promptly raised my shirt to show the Doctor. "Good one honey, a heads up next time would be nice".


Not the latest ultrasound, but you get the idea.

A, B, C... give me a break

Choosing a babies name shouldn't be difficult, there are so many to choose from. Coming to an agreement with the other half, well that's another story. So far it looks like Oil and I might have to pick one out of a hat as we have only agreed on a few possibles (which means Ill consider her suggestions, but really hate them and Oil has tired of the conversation so relented in many cases).
Although we already know the babies sex we're not saying, so any suggestions for either sex would be helpful and appreciated.

Thai's and Thaksin, a love and hate relationship

Another day, another protest. The latest involved 20,000 Thai's storming the National Broadcasting Tribunal (NBT) and surrounding parliament demanding that the Prime Minister resign as he is nothing but a puppet of ex PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who is banned from politics and now on the run in the UK after corruption charges were brought against him and his wife.
His wife was found guilty and sentenced to 3 years, however, she was released on bail pending an appeal just prior to the Olympics and subsequently boarded a flight to London with her children. Their not coming back to Thailand and have applied for political asylum. So what you might ask?
Well, neither the Thai government or judicial system seem interested in asking for their extradition. In fact they have already ruled extradition a hopeless cause, preferring instead to seize Thaksin's assets worth 2.2 billion AUD which have been frozen since the Military staged a coup in September 2006. Soap opera's don't get any better than this, stay tuned for the next episode 'Thai's love Thaksin strike back' or 'Next stop the monkey house'.

Living in the moment

The 'moment'. What does that really mean?
For some people, if not the majority of people born in the western world, it's a question they have never been asked before, let alone thought of. It didn't cross my mind until I stopped analyzing why I did things and how I'd do them differently in the future...
A 'moment' by definition is a brief, indefinite interval of time that is resigned to history before you are even able to say "what just happened" so why dwell on it. My advice is just try and live in the next. I'm enjoying that challenge now.
Don't worry be happy and get on with it, whatever 'it' will turn out to be!


A 'moment'... thanks to digital camera's, I'll never forget!

Getting around in Bangkok

Getting from 'A' to 'B' in Bangkok is easy if you know how. In 2006 the MRT (subway) became operational, and along with the BTS (skytrain) you can access just about anywhere you want to go.

The subway is by far the best way to go, it's both clean and cheap (costing less than 1 AUD to travel 5 kilometres) and you never have to wait more than 5 minutes for the next train. A Japanese company built it, need I say anymore.
Meter taxis and motorbikes are everywhere, however, expect to get stuck in traffic or risk your life (if you travel by motorbike) when your too lazy to walk to a station.
Buses go everywhere and are very cheap, however, as they don't have aircon I'd advise you to give them a miss.

Thai nicknames

At birth Thai babies are named, much the same as in Australia, however, there is a difference. Thai's usually don't have a middle name (I've never met one yet that does). Therefore the birth certificate is issued with the child's given name and the father's surname. The parents then choose a nickname by which the child will be known by. The nickname is not recorded in any official document, however, will stay with the child throughout their life, unless the child decides to change it at some later date. Virtually nobody outside of the child's direct family will ever know or refer to them by their given name.
In Wannida's case, her nickname is Oil. A bizarre choice I know, however, easy to remember and at least it's English spelt. Popular nicknames for Thai's include Pu, pronounced 'Poo', Daeng 'Dang', Taen 'Ten', Si 'Sea' and so on, thus Oil ain't that bad. That said, if I refer to Wannida as Oil in future posts you will know who I'm talking about.

A holiday in Cambodia, Phnom Phen to be exact

After residing in Thailand for six months I needed to leave and apply for a new 60 day tourist visa at an overseas Thai Embassy. I decided to fly to Phnom Phen this time round as I really didn't think much of Penang in Malaysia last year.
Before landing I wondered whether I was really circling above the capital city of Cambodia. It looked so small from the air, similar to a large town rather than a city of over 2 million people.

The taxi ride from the airport to my hotel was amusing, not because they drive on the right side of the road or the preferred currency is US dollars, but because the tallest building which is still under construction will not even be 25 floor's high. It's destined to become a tourist attraction akin to the Centrepoint Tower in Sydney as no other building even comes close.

After settling in for a day and a night, I realised this place has virtually zero road rules and crossing the street required a skillset that needed to be learn't in rather a hurry. Photos don't do justice to the mayhem, so I took digital movies instead. I'll try and post some footage on this blog shortly.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend Phnom Phen as a holiday destination for families. The hotels, transportation and sight seeing opportunities need development. For a single person with a sense of adventure, and is prepared to rough it a little, go for it! PP is the 'wild west' of Asia.
Just don't forget to take out travel insurance... top cover!

Visa runs

A visa run is a 4 hour bus trip to the Cambodian border where upon you leave Thailand, have lunch at a casino, collect your passport which now adorns a 30 day Cambodian visa, then promptly re-enter the Kingdom of Thailand. Another 4 hours later and you are back where you started at 7am that morning. A pain in the neck, however, necessary if you wish to stay in Thailand legally.

My first impression's when walking across the border was this place is filthy and the people are very poor. Nothing like Thailand which lies just 50 yards behind me. The only high-rise buildings you find here are casinos that cater almost exclusively to Thai nationals that cross the border in order to have a gamble. All forms of gambling are illegal in Thailand.

The best part of a visa run is seeing the Thai passport office and leaving Cambodia, however, I'll be back next month as usual.

Picture gallery

Scroll down to see my Thailand photos.

The story so far

I arrived back in Bangkok on 4th January 2008 after having spent seven weeks in Oz visiting family and friends.
Thailand has become a home away from home, offering a climate that suits me to a 'T' and people that are arguably the friendliest I've ever met. It's difficult to fault a country where the people live their lives day by day and seldom ever worry about the past, let alone their future.
I checked into my usual hotel for a week before renting an apartment in Huay Kwang, ten minutes via subway from Sukhumvit Road, the equivalent of George Street in Sydney.
I'm living with Wannida, a Thai lady I met in 2007 who managed to steal my heart which I never ever expected would happen. Good things come to those that wait was ingrained by my mother, and she was right! Thanks Mum.
So it's now August, the rainy season and about time I update everyone on my latest news (for those that don't already know). We're expecting!

Welcome to Pik Thai

This blog has been constructed so family and friends can keep up to date with Pete's travels abroad.