How much is that Baker in the window?

How can you not love an airport that has a real bread maker in the window of the bakery by Gate Z11 (with smells of fresh bread being pumped out through the vents) and ample, spacious, free showers for weary travelers? The friendliness and exquisite design of the Frankfurt Airport makes up for the zany routing (Bangkok to SFO across the ATLANTIC Ocean??). Is it OK to accept Champagne with breakfast at 5:30 AM? I'm saluting my reentering the world of neat, clean, orderly - it's that Swiss thing. Missing the Thai smiles, silk and happy monks already. But not the constant smell of fish sauce.

The Grand Dame of Bangkok

The Author's Wing of The Oriental Hotel. The elegant residence for many famous authors and a cure for writer's block. When Somerset Maugham came here nearly dead from malaria, he overheard the manager tell a porter that a death on the premises would be bad for business. He recovered and finished the novel he was struggling to complete.
Afternoon Tea here is one of the Seven Gastronomic Wonders of the Modern World-complete with three kinds of sugar. It is Bangkok, after all.

Starbucks competition

This Chai vendor has them lining up around the block. Start with 3TBS cane sugar, add 3TBS palm sugar, condensed milk, some thick orangish syrup and stir...for a GRANDE double the amounts.
Then walk down the street to the "Lifestyle Happiness" Store and if you are not converted, stop in for some quick botox.
Repeat next block.

Up close and Political

Sunday's demonstrations from the window of the Skytrain. Monday's news. The photo of the Victory Monument gives an idea of ONE of the eight locations where protestors assemble. Everyday they publish the gathering points and people grab there whistles and go. It is gaining momentum but unreliable mews civerage.

All Night Wrong

Without a doubt the iResidence Hotel is THE noisiest place in all Bangkok! There are corporate disco parties in the restaurant and bar and rooftop dancing by the pool until the wee hours of the morning. The rooms overlook the Skytrain that arrives and disgorges throngs every 6 minutes. The street traffic is constant. Lobby is like an underground parking garage ticket booth with sewer gas. Do NOT use the word exotic in this place. Thai people do not know how to snarl, but their traffic certainly does - 24 hours a day.

Fashion Police

AND don't forget to leave your shoes at the gate or door of every temple, home and office. Flabby flipflop, tank-top short short tourists can rent sarongs at most entrances for 15 cents. But many are insulted, so they simply refuse and walk away. Somehow my personal variation in the burqa seems to work every time.

Bangkok and Burqas

There is a HUGE Muslim population here - a mosque right down the street. Hard to hear the call to prayer over the subway screeches, tuk tuk horns and protest whistles. Evidently, the current King has given sanctuary to many, many refugees from China, India and all of Southeast Asia - plus there remains a strong residual influence of the former French in Indochina, British trade. Add the influx of Australians, Americans and Europeans to round the population to over 8 million. The result is the most culturally and religiously diverse city I have ever visited.
Exhausting!

Don't trust wily stragers

How can you not just love the puns and typos in this country? This sign was pointed directly at the Guards of the National Palace (that you cannot photograph). Demonstrations continue today with 5 Million people blowing whistles in sort of a call-and-repeat cacophony. Loud but peaceful - except for the guy who lit the tourist bus on fire then went back inside the bus to use the "happy house" - KA BOOM !! (A properly spelled Thai and English word)

Dentures and Durian

In the markets, I understand the myriad of flipflops, used watches, saggy-crotch harem pants, "silk" scarves and waterbottles, but DENTURES!!?! As I paused to imagine the possible seller and buyer, the pervasive smell of fish sauce was suffocated by someone opening a Durian. They are illegal to bring into hotels or open in confined spaces - an overwhelming combination of a three week-old gym bag and a septic tank inspection. I've brought some home just to give the California Agricultural Inspectors something to enjoy on Christmas Eve.

Right across from WTF

The maze of warren-like streets sizzle with frying pans in action, but a simple poached egg on toast WITHOUT lemongrass is difficult to find. Right opposite the street (Sukhamvit Soi 51) from the famous WTF Bar and Gallery is Imaginatively named Opposite Mess Hall - restaurant/bar that marries live performances, story-telling nights and good food. The Australian expat chef, Jess Barnes, makes some very innovative food: savory duck waffle, smoked bone marrow dumplings and a killer poached egg on toast (with just a slice or two of iberian ham). Roasted Brussels sprouts in Thailand? Yes, organic tiny, baby ones from Chiang Mai with lots if friendliness and no formality.

They walk amonk us

Happy Tree - Happy House

In Cambodia at the temples at Angkor, our guide often disappeared a few minutes after drinking a liter of water to visit the "Happy Tree." He was considerate in asking regularly if we wanted to visit a"Happy House" cement shack.
Here at the mega consumer Temple in Bangkok (Siam Center) the experience is a muti-media, neon flashing, video and rock and roll music playing, philosophy dispensing event. Not surprising that it is so popular - water having little to do with the incentive.

Diabetic's nightmare

Even the most sour of recipes has a at least a tablespoon of one of three kinds of sweeteners ( or combination): raw, palm, cane sugar or honey, dried fruits or coconut. These sweet little potato-chip-sized crepes are filled with marshmallow cream off set by a few strands of orange zest. The Thai Abelskivers are make of rice flour, egg, coconut cream and, of course, sugar. Made to order right on the street - a box of 18 for less than 65 cents. I love walking through the food stalls giving them to the little kids. Most folk here look very healthy, fit and agile. Dental care, however, seems to have not taken hold. Maybe it's that sugar thing, again.

WTF unless food is central to your way of life

Someone responded to my Monks shopping in the Amulet Market:
Buddha and Jesus come and go and manifest and transcend and lead their stellar lives and, it happens, for an eternity or a moment (all the same to them) their Presence intermingles and casting a glance at the earth and the path of their followers, they resonate in unison and experience a non-judgmental breath regarding their devotees. WTF??!

B-town clearly regards food as central to a way of life (by some estimates, it is home to 100,00 restaurants while NYC has a mere 15,000). Across the street from a restaurant imaginatively names Opposite Mess Hall, there is a bar and gallery named "WTF." Why didn't some clever LA Restauranteur think of that? I am planning to go tomorrow.
Inshallah

Pad Thai and Protests

After a delightful and most delicious morning at Silom Thai Cooking School (we went shopping in the market, spent time learning about all varieties of Thai ingredients and spices, making our own coconut milk, chopping until dropping, woking and eating), I walked toward the river and right into the "protests" that have been "disrupting" Bangkok. It was huge and took up most of Silom Street. But it was also filled with color, goodwill and the ever-present opportunity to make a baht.

Monks among the Amulets

Local lore has it that these little dangling guys (and Buddhas, various gods, little elephants and large penis') protect you from bad spirits. All the Bangkok taxis have a dashboard full. At the Amulet Market today, the biggest purchasers were in saffron robes. There is also an aisle at the Supermarket for their "Monk Supplies."
I am bewildered...but now well-protected.

Modern Cambodia

Gas stations, hair cuts, electricity and rooms ( with fans!!). Aaah Kuhn means "thank you. They LOVE the word "Aaaah-some!"

Forget Rudolph

Santa comes by way of Red-nosed ELEPHANTS in Cambodia

Christmas Time at the Temple

Christmas in Cambodia is a surreal phenomenon: lots and lots of shiny, glittery things everywhere, high pitched carols drowning out the cicadas and over 300 temples right out of "Tomb Raider" to complete the holiday ambiance. The huge demon on the Preah Khan bridge looks the way she does because she is jealous that all the other deities have Angelina Jolie's lips.