Post 373: Song Kran Festival 2012

The Festival of Song Kran had arrived again, April 13-15, formerly New Year here in Thailand but now little more than an excuse for merriment and a cursory visit to the Temple ....

It’s a time of year when Thai’s travel back to their home towns and villages, a time of year when buses, trains and aeroplanes are full ....

It was time to head up country and put some Kilometres on the Tiger Retro 110 ....

It was hot, uncomfortably so, so I dressed accordingly and enjoyed the odd splash of water from roadside kids ....

In fact, there was no escaping it ....

Invited or not, everybody becomes part of the national water fight ....

Unless you happen to be a Monk ... mai pen rai kap

Post 372: Asian Markets in Crisis

When I say ‘Asian Markets’, I’m referring not to Stock Markets but to grocery stores, small independent businesses, specifically those here in Thailand....

On and off for the past eighteen months I’ve lived on the very outskirts of Bangkok in an unremarkable housing complex containing 140 single room apartments for young professionals and small families. At a little less than £100 per month including all utilities, air conditioning, Thai cable TV and occasional WiFi, it’s probably quite representative of affordable city living for young Thai’s. The ground floor of the apartment complex is home to several commercial live/work units; two small restaurants, one laundry, a florist and two independent convenience stores, all of whom currently survive on trade from the residents......

This is not a unique situation but something that’s repeated in every suburb around the country. Community living where ‘community’ means exactly what it used to mean; local people running local businesses supported by local people, who they in turn support. Micro economies that react quickly to market needs and survive by offering excellent personal service and by always going the extra mile.  It’s one of the greatest reasons for living here, but it’s a situation that rapidly changing.......

For several years these small independent stores have faced fierce competition from major chains who have expanded into the market; 7 Eleven and Family Mart. However, things now seem to be changing more rapidly, thanks in the main to Tesco Lotus, the Asian arm of Tesco UK. They started with Mega Stores, which I guess was inevitable, but now their smaller ‘Express’ stores seem to be springing up all around us. 7 Eleven and Family Mart tend to be franchise operations owned and operated by local people, but Tesco Lotus I fear are not. Given Tesco’s alleged penchant for litigation, I’ll be careful with my words, but I do fear for the future of this small community and countless others just like it across Thailand.........

Tesco monopolising Thai grocery shopping, what next? ..... Monsanto taking over grain production in Nepal? .... Just a thought!     

Post 371: Honda Super Cub .. Tiger Retro 110

I'd seen them on the road, not in numbers that would overwhelm the more familiar Honda Wave's and Yamaha Fino's that travel the Soi's of Bangkok, but in numbers sufficient enough to make me sit up and take notice. The Honda Super Cub, without doubt the most iconic powered two-wheeler ever made, the bike that mobilised the world, the most produced vehicle in history, 53 years in production and more than 6,000,000 produced to date.   

I'd heard that Honda were reintroducing the Super Cub, but I'd only seen pictures, nothing in the flesh. In photographs the new Super Cub had looked lovely, but it was clearly a representation of the original and not a faithful reproduction. The Super Cub's that I was seeing here in Thailand seemed different to Honda's offering, more original, authentic and true to the original design.

Last year in Phitsanulok, I'd bought a beautiful pair of Converse shoes; comfortable, stylish and robust. They've served me well for a year of walking, riding and travelling. While treating them to a jolly good Spring clean I'd noticed something rather strange written on the side: 'COAVERSE' not 'CONVERSE'. Unless Converse are employing dyslexics in Quality Control, then clearly these beautiful shoes that I've loved and worn for a year are not original 'Converse' products. However, they cost half as much as the originals and with the exception of spelling, pass muster at every inspection.

When the opportunity came to get up close and personal with one of these bikes, I took it. Like my beautiful shoes, the only difference between this bike and a Honda Super Cub seems to be literate in nature: The engine side casings don't say 'Honda', but 'Tiger'. This is in fact the Tiger Retro 110, made in Thailand by the Tiger Motor Company in Bangkok. 

It's a faithful, and I assume legal, reproduction of the original. So much so that when the time comes to source replacement parts, you refer directly to the Honda Super Cub parts catalogue. Owners of original Honda Super Cubs might scoff at the this bike, but after a short test ride I fell in love with it, warts and all; low power, four clunky slick-shift gears, brakes to die from and suspension that ignores all advances in technology and knowledge. In a word, The Tiger 110 Retro is BEAUTIFUL. 

A couple of years ago I rode a Triumph Tiger around the world, now the question is ........
Where should I take this Tiger?

Post 370: Bangkok Ghosts II

A few weeks ago, I mentioned the Hopewell Towers running towards Don Meuang Airport in Bangkok, the Ghosts of a mass transit system that was never completed. They've stood for fifteen years and are made from concrete, so should probably stand for a little while longer......

Unfortunately the few sections that had horizontal platforms in place were supported with metal scaffold. Metal prices must be rising because somebody came along and started to steal it .....

....... and on Sunday, just like the Asian economy that had brought them to their current status, it collapsed.

Post 369: Christmas in Bangkok .. New Year in Phitsanulok

Here in Thailand, they celebrate most things .... they don't really need an excuse to drink dance and make merry .... my kind of place. I wandered down to Central World to see the Christmas lights which were really quite jolly, but the crowds were horrendous. Above the main interchange outside of the shopping centre was a huge sign ... 'Happy New Year 2012' .... The last sign that I saw here was 'Peaceful Demonstrators not Terrorists' .... and that was just before the shootings started back in May 2010 

On Christmas Day, I set out on the scooter for a traditional Christmas dinner .... 'traditional' as in here. Chang Wattanna, shrimps and noodles ..... absolutely delicious

For New Year, it was onto a bus with my friend Noo and a six hour journey up to her home town of Phitsanulok. I really like this place, a vibrant city that describes itself as the Indochina Junction .. but I'm not sure why. I love the night markets, the constant festivals, the slow walk of life and the lack of pissed European tourists.

After a night in Phitsanulok, it was off to the home village, Ban Noen Kum a few kilometres from the interestingly named town of Pee Chit.

The New Year countdown started early ..... probably a few days before I arrived. From Bangkok I'd brought fireworks, lots of fireworks. Proper fireworks that fill the night sky and burst the eardrums. In Europe, such pyrotechnics would cost a small fortune, but here they're cheap. They're rudely cheap in fact and 'Safety' seems not to be a problem .... all were ignited using a zippo ... but NOT by me .. the entire bundle of high explosives had cost me less than $10 in Bangkok's China Town ..... so during the ignition stage I was hiding with the kids behind a sturdy brick wall.

Tick Tock Tick Tock .... as midnight arrived, the kum-loy lanterns were released and the night sky filled with an amazing orange light and then it was Karaoke .. so it wasn't all good news.

Post 368: The Ghosts of Bangkok

Living in the Lak Si District of Bangkok, means that I live alongside one of the seven(ish) wonders of the modern world .... The Hopewell Ghost Towers ..or as they are referred to by the Bangkok Post, 'Thailand's Stonehenge'

Back in the 1990's, money flooded into Thailand and the rest of Asia. As property prices across Europe fell and then plummeted, Investors looking for a return on their money, and other peoples money, started looking to the East. Thailand was seen as one of the investment hot spots and property development rocketed ... along with prices. It was of course a bubble, and like all bubbles, it burst. That's what bubbles do, it's their nature and their only point. Amongst the grand development  projects for Bangkok, and there were many, was the Hopewell Mass Transit System. An elevated rail and road system that would run from the heart of Bangkok to Don Muang, the old and now almost defunct, International Airport.

The plan involved a total of 60km of transit system, but in all honesty, it appears that's about as detailed as the plan ever got. Work started in the early 1990's and 'Hopewell' began erecting towers. In all, 6km of towers were erected before work was finally abandoned in 1997. The Asian financial crisis put an end to the half-baked idea and today all that remains are the concrete pillars. Over a thousand of them have stood unused for 14 years. Later concrete flyovers and BTS Skytrain tracks now intersect the line of Hopewell Towers and nobody seems to know what will become of them.

The Hopewell Towers are not the only monuments to the Asian Financial Crisis of the 1990's. The Bangkok skyline is still littered with the empty shells of skyscrapers. Huge structures once designed to house the growing middle class are now home to vines, wild dogs and graffiti artists. The largest of these structures is Sathorn Unique. A high rent 650 apartment/90 retails outlet building standing close to Taksin Bridge on the Chao Phraya River. Forty six floors of ultimate luxury in the very best part of town. The lower apartments already had fitted bathrooms, hard wood floors and most of their fixtures and fittings. But, it's a ghost structure, probably never to be finished, a future uncertain, ownership unclaimed.

I'm not entirely sure what the 'Point' of this post is .... For me, it's things like this that make Bangkok a fascinating place to be. Everything here has a back-story, but the back-storey seldom makes any sense. Why don't they knock the pillars down and use the land? Why don't they finish building Sathron Unique instead of starting to develop new skyscrapers in its shadows? There are no answers, only questions and nobody living in the shadows of these structures seems to mind .... it's all just a part of life in Southeast Asia  .... mai pen rai kap 

Post 367: Bangkok Floods ... the aftermath

The cleaning of Bangkok begins ... but the fallout will probably be with us for an awful lot longer than the waters .....

The flood waters around Bangkok are receding .. slowly. Areas to the North and West of the city are still inundated but life for many of Bangkok's residents is returning to some kind of normality. Districts are organising 'Big Cleaning Days' where the public come out onto the streets and the community take charge of restoring their own districts. When I say the 'public', I really mean the local residents plus a few celebrities and politicians.  We live in an age where the value of a photo opportunity increases in direct proportion to the size of the problem. 10,000,000 people have been directly affected by the 2011 floods ..... and that must equate to an awful lot of votes.

I can almost see the Press Secretaries advising their Masters .. 'Go to Pathum Thani and shake a broom with the masses''. Sadly, the Masters seem to take to their tasks with a certain lack of spirit. They smile for cameras but when the film stops rolling, I suspect that their brooms stop sweeping.

In the trail of the receding waters is garbage ... lots and lots of garbage. In some parts of the city, the regular garbage collection service probably hasn't happened for a month or more. Added to the problem of regular household garbage is the ground floor contents from over a million flooded homes ..... and that's an awful lot of festering rubbish that needs to be collected and disposed of.  This is Thailand so I've no doubt that the garbage will all be collected, probably in record time ... but some will say that this will be achieved despite the efforts of the various authorities.

Political point scoring is rife .... accusations of ineptitude and corruption abound .. but the people just smile and get on with the task in hand. Compensation for flood victims is beginning to flow ... 5,000 THB (£100) immediately for each flooded home and up to 30,000 THB (£600) in the longer term. I can only hope that this compensation ALL flows to the right people.... mai pen rai kap

Post 366: Amphawa Floating Market, Samut Songkram, Thailand

In Samut Songkram, I found a hotel that I can honestly say, I love. It's name is 'The Legend Maeklong', an old colonial building that sits on the banks of the river. In the grounds are four traditional stilted buildings ... stylish, classy and comfortable. It's family owned and the family take great care of their guests .. nothing is too much trouble. It costs a little more than I'd normally pay, but it's still an awful lot cheaper than a mid-week room at 'Motel 6' in the USA. This is a special weekend. Since returning to Thailand, my friend Nongnoo hasn't been feeling well. At first we thought that it was just a bug from the waters in Lak Si. Everybody here was sick to a certain degree, it's the nature of flooding and its aftermath. But, things didn't improve and the antibiotics didn't seem to help. Finally it was a trip to hospital where several medical tests were carried out. The first test results returned positive, but positive in a very negative way. More tests have been done and we await the results ... and waiting isn't  easy ... so we took the break to Samut Songkram and treated ourselves to a little luxury.....     

From the Hotel, a long-tail boat takes us along the water for about thirty minutes. The banks are a hive of activity, vibrant and teaming with life. We head to Talad Yan Yen Amphawan, the less famous Thai floating market...... 

The Amphawa market takes place in the afternoons of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It's less famous and much nicer than the touristy floating market at Damnuen Saduak. Walk down both sides of the river on wooden platforms with no safety rails. Buy fresh food from the vendors on the small boats and eat until your hearts content. The vendors will not speak English, but that doesn't really matter .... you can see everything that's on sale and 'pointing' is a universal signal ....

The market sells mostly fresh and cooked food from the small wooden boats and clothing from the stalls on the banks. But really, it's not about what the market sells, but more about the experience. It's impossible not to like this place .... It has changed over the years but still reflects a side of Thai life that's been lost in the development of other markets. I hope that Starbucks stay away .... but we will see .... mai pen rai kap

Post 365: (Video) Talad Hoob Rom ... Thai Train Market

Post 365: Talad Hoob Rom, Maeklong, Samut Songkram, Thailand .. Market of Closing Umbrellas

You can only have so much fun cleaning and recovering from floods ... not to mention the stench of festering stagnation that still lingers in the air ... you sort of get used to it ... but a break from it is good. I jumped onto a mini bus at Bangkok's Victory Monument .. destination Samut Songkram (I think), price 60 Thai Baht (£2). Mini bus driver are like Jenson Button, but without the safety record ... it was a very swift journey.

There are several good reasons to visit Samut Songkram, and the first reason is 'Talad Hoob Rom' .. the Market of Closing Umbrellas....

Initially it looks like any other market in Thailand ... hot, busy and fragrant. The produce, mostly fresh fish, meats and vegetables, is laid out on any available space and sheltered from the burning sun by large canopies ...... it's only the pathway between the long narrow line of stalls that gives a clue as to the infamy of this particular market ...  

Fresh fish of all varieties .. spices and herbs ... meats that attract a million flies and market traders that seem genuinely happy in their work .....

It's busy .... but all markets in Thailand are busy. Food shopping is a daily activity, a big part of the ritual of family dining. Nobody has any space, but nobody is in a hurry ..... shopping this way is unlike Tesco or Walmart ..... shopping Thai style is an event in itself ....

And then a distant whistle blows ... the market traders become busy. Tables of produce are magically rolled back into the rear of each store ... the tables are on metal wheels that in turn run on metal rails. Produce displayed on the ground remains where it is ...... the canopies are quickly pulled back and sunlight floods into the market. Anxious traders wave at the non-locals to take cover ...... and the rumble of the train moves closer ...

With less than inches and seconds to spare, the train rumbles past ..... driver smiling in the front window. Eight trains per day run into the station at Mae Khlong .... and then return ... so this is a process that takes place sixteen times per day .... three hundred and sixty five days a year. Nobody gets hurt ... not even close .... a perfect example of Driver, Trader and Customer working in harmony to make productive use of an otherwise barren area ..... It is in a word .. 'Amazing'