Bangkok
October 10, 2011
Monday Afternoon
Grey Skies
Fog, Low Visibility
Pouring Rain
Dear Friends,
I am OK.
I live on the ninth floor of a modern apartment building. So far, the streets in my neighborhood are passable. From my balcony I can see the canal. Despite the rain, the flood waters descending from the north, and the high tides in the Gulf of Siam, the canal is at a normal level and the commuter boats are operating.
Bangkok
Thailand
26 March 2011
Dear Family and Friends,
March has been my own mad month - of visits and visitors: Ngoc Vi and Thao My; Moon and Kevin; Mai and Mark; Luisa and Dolly; DeeDee and Richard.
Ngoc Vi came to Thailand on a four-day tour with her daughter Thao My. They live near Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
I met Ngoc Vi seven years ago near the cathedral in HCMC (Saigon). After a brief chat, she invited me to her sister's wedding the next day.
Ngoc Vi is a specialist in agricultural productivity. She has worked as a consultant to Vietnamese farmers. This year she left her job and is enrolled as a full-time student. She expects to earn a Master's degree in Business Administration.
Thao My is an energetic, talkative, irrepressible four-year-old girl. Her goal was to ride an elephant here in Thailand. She did just that, all alone, according to her mother, at an elephant park south of Bangkok.
Bangkok
24 November 2010
Dear Family and Friends,
My friend Noy and I celebrated Loi Krathong on Sunday. Along with thousands of other celebrants we floated our krathong on the Chao Phraya River.
Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. In the Western calendar this holiday usually falls in November.
"Loi" means "to float" and a "krathong" is traditionally made from a section of banana tree trunk. Modern krathongs are more often made of bread. Regardless of the composition, a krathong will be decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, flowers, candles and incense sticks. A low value coin is sometimes included as an offering to the river spirits.
Bangkok, Thailand
Noon
Wednesday 17 March
Dear Friends,
To beat the mid-day crush of office workers on the streets, I left my apartment at about 11:00 and walked towards my local barber.
I needed to cross Sukhumvit Road, the main thoroughfare in my neighborhood. But along with all the traffic, I was stuck. The office girls were still working, but the Red Shirts were on parade.
The Emporium
Sukhumvit Road
Bangkok, Thailand
June 30, 2009
Dear Speed Lovers,
I am taking a break from writing my travel letters to visit The Emporium – a high-end shopping mall: Chanel, Hermes, Ungarao, etc, etc, etc.
The Emporium is sponsoring an exhibition of high-end automobiles, built for speed, and I daresay, comfort.
Next to each outrageous auto, an equally outrageous wrist watch is on display: Breitling and Bentley, and Blancpain and Porsche, etc.
Bangkok
January 29, 2007
Dear Family and Friends,
This past Saturday, my friend Noi and I visited one of the most unusual museums I have ever seen.
Just outside Bangkok, The Erawan Museum is located in an unlikely place - an industrial area of factories and busy towns and road construction.
