I have to admit: Its hard to keep a blog and treat it like a diary!
Now it must be said that the last week I really had little til no opportunity to write/type in the weblog. Extra sorry for that because so much has happened since my last entry!!
This might become a rather long entry, so I wil try to cut it into nice easy pieces with each part their own heading, haha...because if I make a seperate entry for each, then you'l read it most likely the other way round.
Wel never mind, its just me doing dificult, or easy.... just depends from your point of vieuw ;-)
To Udon Thani
From the 20th til the 23th Kik and I went to his hometown near Udon Thani, in North East Thailand. What they cal 'near' I discovered, we would say: at the other side of the country....it was a god 2 hours drive from the Udon Thani Airport to the hometown, roughly The Hague - Groningen, or The Hague - Kleef/Germany haha
Well, when we arrived we were picked up by his family, all in all I counted 10 people and got worried that he might have a real large family (though he never said it would be large). To my surprise there was only one pick-up truck with 4 aircon seats indoors and a open space in the back form goods. NO worry, Kik's father and his uncle with a baby went into the truck, Kik as well, and I was given the frontseat next to the driver, Kik's father. And the remaining7? In the open back space of the pick-up truck, with our lugage....and in the burning sun......outsite the airport, not more then one kilometer, we stopped at a busstop and another guy got in the back....Kik's brother Kukei, who left Phuket a couple of days before and went to Udon by bus ( he rather then me, but it must also be an experience, well, maybe one day for the fun of it......).
When we arrived in Kik's hometown, we were welcomed by his grandfather and mother and neighbours and remaining family.
If you like to know more about my Udon visit, just ask me to tell or write you the stories:
_ welcomingparty
- Fathers birthday (50!)
- visiting the farm of 40 rai (more then 60.000 square meters)
- the Isan Festival (140 people on stage)
- the welcoming ceremony in family/ engagement
- buying a husband??
-Mac (and not the comp!! or the hamburger joint)
You see, way too much to quickly type down here. And then I only named general headlines, because there are more things one could tell about those 3 days in Isans Udon Thani!
A principal agreement reached for taking over....
And indeed, after negotiations, which have gone one for weeks, I reached, to my big surprise within half an hour an agreement with the owner of the building and bar, etc. to lease the whole building for 3 years, starting in november 2008.
Ofcourse I wil not disclose any details here for all to read...but am happy to say that it now also includes the penthouse of the owner, so it is now really the whole building. At present it listens to the name "The Orchid Lounge".
When we'll take over in november we'll change some things immidiatly and some will grow into the new formula Kik and I would like to start, try out ;-)
Wel, one thing is certain, we'll run a really little gay boutique hotel of no more then 3 rooms. Kik and I will take up residence on the topfloor, named penthouse, which really is luxurious and wel provided (sauna, jacuzzi, big shower, big walk inn closet, airco all around, european kitchen, two terraces.well...it will do nicely for the comming years though all in all its not as big as I am used to these last years, haha....but then: how often do we actually expect to spend time there?)
And downstairs we have a nice big bar(space) with terrace. neighbour is the famous gay Paradise cabaret My Way.
Also around this subject I can make subheadings you can ask me to talk about or write, when you meet me, or mail me...
about concept idears, interior, limited outsite changes, food, drinks, hospitality, etc. Be curious and we can easily fil another evening of interestingh talk with a nice glass of wine and when cold enough, next to an open fire ;-)
Leaving Holland while going there?
Is a subject I wil now face and be working on for the next 9 months...a hell of a job, and wil have to wait and see how that will develop, but in a way its easy. After having made the choice to marry Kik, that would be the consequence, because Kik can not life in Holland , not with his background, and at least not the coming years at least! And when you marry you do not want to life seperat lives, at leat not me !! ;-)
So, another nut to crack when home!
Farewell party.... Goodby....See you again!!
It is really touching when one is given a farewell party, which is celebrated like a birthday party with gifts, flowers, and all that!
Friends from all over Patong turned up, to a party which was organised as a surprise (which it was, and for sure the way it was done!)
It was very hart not to cry now and then, but I managed ;-)
Kik was ever so wonderfull, caring, attentive, and all that.
The idear of having to miss him for the next months, really hurts....and as I could clearly notice, specially the next day when we were going to be seperated, he as well.
Originaly he wanted to bring me to airport, but then he backed out and asked to say good by at our house. He didn't want to cry and also didn't wanted me to cry....but also prefered not to see me go in public because I could see in his face he really had to fight his tears, as I had to......so it was most likely best to have the goodbye done at home and not at Phuket airport.
It hurts to let go of someone one loves and have been living with for the last 3 months, gotten engaged with, etc...and starting a business together as well.....while so much to do and then one needs to leave the country.
Can't wait to get back!!
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
17.58 09 01 2007 - 2008 23.58
De laatste dagen voor woensdag de 9e vroegen Thaise vrienden al zo af en toe waarom ik wat afwezig was. Gelukkig, als je dat tenminste belangrijk vindt, hebben ze me nog net niet spontaan zien huilen.
Waarom? Ik beleefde de afgelopen dagen weer de laatste dagen van mijn moeder, die vorig jaar op de 9e overleed om 2 voor zes in de middag. De laatste doktersbezoeken thuis, vervolgens eindelijk de rit met de volledig medisch uitgeruste taxibus naar het ziekenhuis. Elke herinnering, woorden gesproken tussen mijn moeder en mij, kwamen terug... ook de onbeduidende zaakjes. Zo herinnerde ik mij dat ik moeders boodschappenlijstje, de laatste door haar opgesteld, met ook spullen om van thuis mee naar haar toe in het ziekenhuis te nemen, nog steeds bij mij thuis ligt. Maar ook de laatste woorden die wij beiden bewust tegen elka ar hebben gezegd...en tja, dan ging er vaak spontaan ook een kraantje open. Vooral de 9e zelf was best moeilijk. De hele dag toen met Ma in het ziekenhuis doorgebracht, maar haar helaas niet meer bij volle bewustzijn meegemaakt. De zorgen, elke handeling van de artsen, de gesprekken met verplegers, onderzoeken, uiteindelijk de gang naar de IC, de telefoongesprekken met mijn broer en zus. Je broer en zus moeten bellen dat ze nu echt moesten opschieten (alsof ze dat al niet probeerden, maar dat kon ik toen ook niet ruiken). Dat de dokters gezegd hadden dat Ma het niet meer zou redden vandaag. Enfin, een heleboel emotionele herinneringen die allemaal terugkomen als een film die in je hofd draait.... dan weer terugspoelend en dan weer vooruit maar uitzetten, nee dat kon nu net dus niet.
Gelukkig had Kik vrij kunnen krijgen Van Simons Cabaret en konden we de avond weggaan, naar Phuket Fantasea. Was daar nog nooit geweest en moets spectaculair zijn. Goed, dus ook het diner erbij geboekt. Goedkoop, ook naar Thaise begrippen , was het niet. Zoiets als een avondje naar het Circustheater gaan bij ons.
Maar moet gezegd: afgeleid werd ik, en of ik wilde of niet, kreeg geen kans met mijn gedachten af te dwalen naar het ziekenhuis anno 2007. Mar goed, honderden spelers/figuranten, 16 olifanten, buffalo's, gigantische decors die wisselden, klassieke thaise dansen, cabaret, illusonisten, en luchtacrobatiek boven je hoofd ana het plafond (logisch)...wat weer bijzonder was want nog niet eerder heb ik 8 luchtacrobaten synchroon ieder op zijn eigen plek een hele serie zien afwerken...echt indrukwekkend.
Enfin, ik kan hiervan een hele beschrijving geven, maar dat komt dan wel een andere keer.
Goed, werd dus knap sterk afgeleid en rond half elf verlieten wij het 'theater' complex die iets weghad van een kerstmarkt, Efteling en Circustheater gecombineerd. O, en er werden de hele tijd kerstmuziek gespeeld!
We waren in Kamale dus had Kik met zijn moeder afgesproken hetgeen ik heel passend vond, symbolisch gezien.
Maar goed, dat laatste uurtje naar 2 voor 12 (2 voor zes in Nederland dus) was lichtelijk slopend. Had graag afgezonderd willen zitten rond het 'uur U' maar juist toen brak er een stortbui los en dan ga je met voldoende verstand niet de weg op. Dus zaten we in een poolbar langs de weg....denk dat Ma daar wel hartelijk om zou hebben gelachen.
Het 'uur U" nadert gestaag, en even voor 2 voor middernacht (2 voor 6 namiddag in Nederland) maak ik een smsje klaar naar mijn broer en zus met "proost, op ma!" nadat ik ze een half uurtje eerder al had ge-smst dat 2 voor 6 Nederlandse tijd, 2 voor middernacht Thaise tijd wij 3-en stil zouden staan bij en proosten op Ma......en zo, net als een jaar geleden, allemaal samen zouden zijn, ook al zaten we op verscheidende plekken op deze aardbol!
In die open poolbar, aan die tafel met Kiks moeder en Kik zelf, voelde ik me neens ontzettend droevig worden, het gemis raakte me vol in het gezicht....raar wat symboliek kan doen over de tijd met iemand. De hele tijd zag ik het beeld vor me van mijn moeder en wij 3-en in dat laatste half uur, laatste kwartier, laatste minuten...zo ontzetend vreemd.
Kik vroeg ineens, waarom ik plotseling zoveel rookte? De ene sigaret na de ander passeerde mijn lippen.......ik keek hem eerst afwezig aan. HIj vroeg of alles goed was. Toen realiseerde ik mij wat hij gevraagd had en antwoordde ik: " IN het ziekenhuis mocht ik vorig jaar niet roken, en mijn hemel, wat snakte ik er toen juist naar...vandaar, want ik beleef alles weer opnieuw en zo echt, maar nu zit ik toch niet meer in het ziekenhuis en kan ik wel roken. Zie het maar als plaatsvervangende stress afweer"
Toen, om 2 voor 6 barste ik in alle heftigheid weer in huilen uit, midden in die poolbar (de lokatie interesseerde me even helemaal niet). Met tranen in de ogen, drukte ik op de verzendknop van mijn mobiele telefoon naar mijn zus en broer en proostte ik op Ma's welzijn, waar ze ook mocht wezen!
De moeder van Kik sloeg de arm om mij heen en zei dat ik niet moest huilen. KIk zei vervolgens dat als ik huilde dat dan met positieve gevoelens moest zijn want anders hield ik Ma's ziel vast en kon zei zich niet bevrijden van deze wereld om zich op de volgende voor te bereiden, een hopelijk betere!
Een mooie gedachte!
Een par tellen later kwamen gelijkluidende smsjes binnen van mijn zus en broer! Wat een warm gevoel, dat we allemaal het zelfde hadden gedaan op het zelfde moment!!!
Net als een jaar geleden voelde ik me weer erg warm en, gek genoeg, ook erg gelukkig en blij hoe alles gelopen was.
In de rotsvaste overtuiging dat Ma dat ook was en is!
Weer een paar tellen later, kon ik me de emoties voor 2 voor van mij afschudden. En ik zei tegen Kik en zijn moeder: "Zo, en dan gaan we nu het leven vieren!".
Nouuuuu, dat heb ik geweten!! Het is uiteindelijk een bijzondere nacht geworden hier in Phuket Patong.
En knap laat en een klein beetje teut maar rolde ik in de vroege ochtend mijn mandje in. Blij en droevig tegelijk, maar blij nog het sterkst. Ma was wederom passend uitgewuifd.
Waarom? Ik beleefde de afgelopen dagen weer de laatste dagen van mijn moeder, die vorig jaar op de 9e overleed om 2 voor zes in de middag. De laatste doktersbezoeken thuis, vervolgens eindelijk de rit met de volledig medisch uitgeruste taxibus naar het ziekenhuis. Elke herinnering, woorden gesproken tussen mijn moeder en mij, kwamen terug... ook de onbeduidende zaakjes. Zo herinnerde ik mij dat ik moeders boodschappenlijstje, de laatste door haar opgesteld, met ook spullen om van thuis mee naar haar toe in het ziekenhuis te nemen, nog steeds bij mij thuis ligt. Maar ook de laatste woorden die wij beiden bewust tegen elka ar hebben gezegd...en tja, dan ging er vaak spontaan ook een kraantje open. Vooral de 9e zelf was best moeilijk. De hele dag toen met Ma in het ziekenhuis doorgebracht, maar haar helaas niet meer bij volle bewustzijn meegemaakt. De zorgen, elke handeling van de artsen, de gesprekken met verplegers, onderzoeken, uiteindelijk de gang naar de IC, de telefoongesprekken met mijn broer en zus. Je broer en zus moeten bellen dat ze nu echt moesten opschieten (alsof ze dat al niet probeerden, maar dat kon ik toen ook niet ruiken). Dat de dokters gezegd hadden dat Ma het niet meer zou redden vandaag. Enfin, een heleboel emotionele herinneringen die allemaal terugkomen als een film die in je hofd draait.... dan weer terugspoelend en dan weer vooruit maar uitzetten, nee dat kon nu net dus niet.
Gelukkig had Kik vrij kunnen krijgen Van Simons Cabaret en konden we de avond weggaan, naar Phuket Fantasea. Was daar nog nooit geweest en moets spectaculair zijn. Goed, dus ook het diner erbij geboekt. Goedkoop, ook naar Thaise begrippen , was het niet. Zoiets als een avondje naar het Circustheater gaan bij ons.
Maar moet gezegd: afgeleid werd ik, en of ik wilde of niet, kreeg geen kans met mijn gedachten af te dwalen naar het ziekenhuis anno 2007. Mar goed, honderden spelers/figuranten, 16 olifanten, buffalo's, gigantische decors die wisselden, klassieke thaise dansen, cabaret, illusonisten, en luchtacrobatiek boven je hoofd ana het plafond (logisch)...wat weer bijzonder was want nog niet eerder heb ik 8 luchtacrobaten synchroon ieder op zijn eigen plek een hele serie zien afwerken...echt indrukwekkend.
Enfin, ik kan hiervan een hele beschrijving geven, maar dat komt dan wel een andere keer.
Goed, werd dus knap sterk afgeleid en rond half elf verlieten wij het 'theater' complex die iets weghad van een kerstmarkt, Efteling en Circustheater gecombineerd. O, en er werden de hele tijd kerstmuziek gespeeld!
We waren in Kamale dus had Kik met zijn moeder afgesproken hetgeen ik heel passend vond, symbolisch gezien.
Maar goed, dat laatste uurtje naar 2 voor 12 (2 voor zes in Nederland dus) was lichtelijk slopend. Had graag afgezonderd willen zitten rond het 'uur U' maar juist toen brak er een stortbui los en dan ga je met voldoende verstand niet de weg op. Dus zaten we in een poolbar langs de weg....denk dat Ma daar wel hartelijk om zou hebben gelachen.
Het 'uur U" nadert gestaag, en even voor 2 voor middernacht (2 voor 6 namiddag in Nederland) maak ik een smsje klaar naar mijn broer en zus met "proost, op ma!" nadat ik ze een half uurtje eerder al had ge-smst dat 2 voor 6 Nederlandse tijd, 2 voor middernacht Thaise tijd wij 3-en stil zouden staan bij en proosten op Ma......en zo, net als een jaar geleden, allemaal samen zouden zijn, ook al zaten we op verscheidende plekken op deze aardbol!
In die open poolbar, aan die tafel met Kiks moeder en Kik zelf, voelde ik me neens ontzettend droevig worden, het gemis raakte me vol in het gezicht....raar wat symboliek kan doen over de tijd met iemand. De hele tijd zag ik het beeld vor me van mijn moeder en wij 3-en in dat laatste half uur, laatste kwartier, laatste minuten...zo ontzetend vreemd.
Kik vroeg ineens, waarom ik plotseling zoveel rookte? De ene sigaret na de ander passeerde mijn lippen.......ik keek hem eerst afwezig aan. HIj vroeg of alles goed was. Toen realiseerde ik mij wat hij gevraagd had en antwoordde ik: " IN het ziekenhuis mocht ik vorig jaar niet roken, en mijn hemel, wat snakte ik er toen juist naar...vandaar, want ik beleef alles weer opnieuw en zo echt, maar nu zit ik toch niet meer in het ziekenhuis en kan ik wel roken. Zie het maar als plaatsvervangende stress afweer"
Toen, om 2 voor 6 barste ik in alle heftigheid weer in huilen uit, midden in die poolbar (de lokatie interesseerde me even helemaal niet). Met tranen in de ogen, drukte ik op de verzendknop van mijn mobiele telefoon naar mijn zus en broer en proostte ik op Ma's welzijn, waar ze ook mocht wezen!
De moeder van Kik sloeg de arm om mij heen en zei dat ik niet moest huilen. KIk zei vervolgens dat als ik huilde dat dan met positieve gevoelens moest zijn want anders hield ik Ma's ziel vast en kon zei zich niet bevrijden van deze wereld om zich op de volgende voor te bereiden, een hopelijk betere!
Een mooie gedachte!
Een par tellen later kwamen gelijkluidende smsjes binnen van mijn zus en broer! Wat een warm gevoel, dat we allemaal het zelfde hadden gedaan op het zelfde moment!!!
Net als een jaar geleden voelde ik me weer erg warm en, gek genoeg, ook erg gelukkig en blij hoe alles gelopen was.
In de rotsvaste overtuiging dat Ma dat ook was en is!
Weer een paar tellen later, kon ik me de emoties voor 2 voor van mij afschudden. En ik zei tegen Kik en zijn moeder: "Zo, en dan gaan we nu het leven vieren!".
Nouuuuu, dat heb ik geweten!! Het is uiteindelijk een bijzondere nacht geworden hier in Phuket Patong.
En knap laat en een klein beetje teut maar rolde ik in de vroege ochtend mijn mandje in. Blij en droevig tegelijk, maar blij nog het sterkst. Ma was wederom passend uitgewuifd.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Christmas and New Year and the 7th of October 2008
Hehe, what a week has that been, pffffff
Xmas celebrations started here on Xmaseve with parties all over..... I went to in total 4 parties that evening/night. Among, have to say, also a birthday celebration. The evening before two bosses of Simon Cabaret celebrated their birthdays with a white party at the More Bar in centre Paradise Complex here in Patong. Quite an affair, because the whole Simon crowd turned out ofcourse.
A crowd by the way I was seeing much more of this last week, and can tell you, not at all booring!
Normally I spend Xmas eve with my mum, but last year I didn't, because we were going to travel together to my sister the next day for a special Xmas lunch she had organised for our direct family. Sadly two weeks later my mother passed away, so in fact we al have been very hapy to have celebrated that Xmas with her in a special way: for a long time my brother and sister and me celebrating together, and O what did my mother enjoyed that!!
Well, one of the reasons being here is that I wanted to add a very new series of memories connected with those days of Xmas, and New Year, BUT not to forget her...which is, I found out, quite impossible. It hits you at the most unexpected moments, so also during all these parties I went to during Xmas.
In the next couple of days I wil download new pictures, made during these last weeks, so you can have a look at them at your leisure!
Last year, on the 31st I made a trip with my mother along all the places she enjoyed visiting when she was living in The Hague with my father and after that with us children.
This time I went on a special gay trip, yea yea, with Kik, with Club One Seven, and as last year (march) it turned out into a very cool, and fun excursion. With lots of swimming below the cliffs of one of the ilands.
We had to hurry back to Patong, just to be in time to drop Kik of at Simon Cabaret, because he had two shows to play. The show must allways go on, is something they live by here, hehe.
After having taken a shower myself, I went to the area of Paradise complex, also known as the gay area here, to wait for Kik and to celebrate the new year together.
I waited in the Orchid Bar, the place were we met for the first time on the first day of my last previous stay in Patong last march (5th). He arrived 5 minutes before midnight, haha... I had ordered a special bottle of sparkling white wine and together with the owner and another friend we settled for the arrival of 2008.
Just before the clock hit 12 I asked Kik to give our friendshipring back to me, and I put it on the table next of me, together with my own. He loked pussled and maybe even a little bit frightend...cruel?? well, read on!
At midnight I wished him a splendid New Year and 2008 hoping that all his wishes may come true! He then wished me in a special way the same for me and while the other two present could only look on, we fel in eachothers arms....then I asked him if he would like to marry me, and he said YES!
Only then I put the ring back on his finger, and he did the same with mine.tears in our eyes, and also, I found out in the two onlookers who got the meening and were very much enjoying it al.
I told Kik, now he had said yes I would like to marry him on the 7th of October this year, which also happens to be my 50th birthday. I was allready planning a damn nice party then, so now I could add this as the new highlight of that event...if ofcourse all goes well, hehe.
Ofcourse, we both tried to hit the phone to call the people we care most about and after some toruble I at least managed to call my close family and best friends to wish them a happy new year and tell them the good news. I thank them al for their support and feeling happy for me!!
After all that calling and finishing the bottle of wine and an extra load of wine from the woner, we set out to circle the bars to wish the people we know there also a happy new year.....in the end ofcourse we wound up with the Simon Gang, as I sometimes like to call them, and hit on Galaxy, the thai disco here...and it was allmost daylight and new year in Nethwerlands, when we fell a sleep, satisfied but exhausted.
On the 1th Kik first visited Temple to do his new year prayers and after we went to visit his mother and brother at Kamala, were I asked her if she had any objections. After a couple of questions in english and a lot of thai words exchanging she warmly agreed and said she was happy for us.
First we needed to explain that men could marry eachother in Holland and that that was excactly what I intended to do with Kik, on the 7th of October. That I was not interested in a fake marriage or just a blessing ceremony, men have here in Thailand but that I wanted only the real thing for him and me.
The evning of the 1th went roughly the same way as the 31th, hehe, with the exception that this time we, Kik and I, because I was invited to join , had to change in a special kind of outfit. After having done so, we went to Paradise, and all of the Simon Cabaret people met there with the big boss of Simon, and in parade roughly 60/80 people all dressed a like, ventured inside the gay street and visited the main bars and cabaret places there as a group. Being the only farang (white guy) in the Simon delegation, I got some atention from tourists and hotel/bar owner, who were wondering what I did in the Simon crowd. Well, it seems that they accept me fully and see them as one of them, in a way that is, as the friend, boyfriend of Kik.
And its great fun to witnes how organisations like Simon, go to relations elsewhere in patong, to wish the owners a happy and prosperous new year! Handing out gifts to the owner and most senior staff and ofcourse receiving back as well.
I understood that this excercise was and is a tradition of Simons on the first day of the new year.
After the whole bunch tooko over the More Bar and after having drunk that place empty most of us went, O yes, again, the Galaxy.
But this time, Kik and I managed to leave earlier then other days, saying I wa snot feeling well...so we manged to be in bed by 4 am in the morning...waking up 10 hours later!!
Hapy now, because I so needed a decent night sleep I can assure you!
Also I ned to get back in some kind of normal ritm again, because that had gone out of the window this last week.
So, also happy to fill in , though I know it has been a long story again, the last weeks events a little bit.
Next time I hope also to download pictures made that time, and maybe add some more stories, but definitly shorter ones, haha
HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS AND THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE A BLESsED, HEALTHY, PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR AND THAT WISDOM MIGHT BE YOUR LEAD!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Motorbikes and scooters, like muscito's
The main form of transport for the average Thai is a scooter or motorbike.
Every one sems to drive one of these two wheel muscito's as I like to call them.
They are needed but are also a pest.
Now everyone can easily attain a scooter/motorbike....I went out looking for one because we live in the hills and living their requires simply a car or a scooter (=ergo motorbike) simply because of the heights one has to cover before one gets to our home, hehe
So, I discovered that I could without a blink of an eye purchase a bike of more then 200CC, 250 even. A big honda motorbike for one, allmost looking like a Harly!! It gives a kick I have to assure you when driving one...and I must say I have here!
I allways refused to get myself on a deathmachine like that, but here one has no real choice. BUT I prefer the automatic, which we call scooters...they go up till 160/180CC !!
When driving trough Patongs traffic one gets overhauled by others left and right, they are like a group of muscito's around you!
Flies is maybe a better word, haha
One need eyes left and right, front and back...because next to al these bikes one also has the tuctucs here, who allmost drive as crazy as the bikers...only in a car you seem to be relativly safe...and you go way les fast because it seems you are easily in trafficjams here...even on a bike!!
Now do not confuse my use of 'bike' with our bike, the manpowered one, I still talk about the motorised bikes here!
And do you know they have a full taxi service of scooters/bikes here...a driver can take up to 3 pasengers, depending on their size and weight ofcourse and they wisk you trough the traffic to your destination. You find them everywhere, and they are avordable at that, also for the common Thai. An ordinary taxi simply takes too long, and if you own a car, you better have a driver because it is rarely that you will be able to find a parkingspot near your destination...often one has to park the car allmost at the other side of the city, ergo, you could just as well have left it home. Sometimes I hear people came by car, and from the place they parked it they needed a motorbiketaxi or a tuctuc to get them to their actual destination.
Sounds familiar?
Hence if you own a car better have a driver in your service as well..they are not too expensive, roughly 10 til 12000 bath I heard last, which is200-250 euro's per month for allmost non stop working...though one has to negotiate carefuly workinghours and such..but for that money one has almost a ful time driver for 6/7 days a week!
Back to the bike story.
I now have to think about buying a scooter of sorts, and Honda is the best buy here at that. Because living on a hill I prefer a sturdy and strong one ofcourse who can easily carry two people, hehe, one of which me ofcourse.
Now I went to a showroom to see what choices one has.
Wel, if one is Thai or one buys for a Thai, one not tonly gets the bike but they trow in 3 years insurrance, free helmet and some other goodies.
When you buy as foreigner you get nothing of the sorts and will have to pay exra for the necessary insurrance, helmet etc AND one gets only one year guarantee instead of 3 years for Thai on the purchsed bike.
O, and didn't I tell you, contrary to our system, all bikes are sold against fixed prices...you can negotiate about allmost everything in this country, except about new motorbikes or cars...so different from Holland/Europe!
Well, the prices differ and in general run between 42 and 55.000 bath, and some big ones, from other brands, and more heavy run up to 70.000 bath, all automatics!
Now the bath is roughly, or was roughly 49 for one euro (but sadly for me the euro seems to weaken against the bath) so I calculate for ease of use 1 euro = 50 bath and then I give a small correction.
so prices differ from 850 up to 1150 euro and for that last one, one can buy the strongest and newest scooter from Honda of around 150/160CC. As far as I know one sure does need a special driverslicense for that in Holland. But not here, haha
Well, Xmas is coming and most likely I buy a new scooter for Kik.....I prefer to know he will drive as safe as one can up and down the mountain when to his work or mother in kamala..rain or sunshine. Because rain is tricky here because when it rains it poors!! And we know ice and snow, they know sand, and sand with water makes a slippery road!
Ergo, I look for a scooter, bike (I seem unable to make up my mind for what name I'll use for these machines, hehe) with as broad tires as possble, enough storage space under the seath so one can bring the most necessary things dry from A to B, etc.
At same time I hate these things as I love them because they are so handy.
When I was with Anad in the Emergencyroom of Patong Hospital (see story below) I saw several scooter accident victims being brought in, brrrrrr
So when I drive I drive safely, quietly and not like crazy flies !!
Well, guess thats it for now folks, till next time, won't be too long I hope ;-)
PS I hope no one minds all the typing errors due to fast typing and being to lazy to re read it all before publishing it on the net ;-)
bye bye
Every one sems to drive one of these two wheel muscito's as I like to call them.
They are needed but are also a pest.
Now everyone can easily attain a scooter/motorbike....I went out looking for one because we live in the hills and living their requires simply a car or a scooter (=ergo motorbike) simply because of the heights one has to cover before one gets to our home, hehe
So, I discovered that I could without a blink of an eye purchase a bike of more then 200CC, 250 even. A big honda motorbike for one, allmost looking like a Harly!! It gives a kick I have to assure you when driving one...and I must say I have here!
I allways refused to get myself on a deathmachine like that, but here one has no real choice. BUT I prefer the automatic, which we call scooters...they go up till 160/180CC !!
When driving trough Patongs traffic one gets overhauled by others left and right, they are like a group of muscito's around you!
Flies is maybe a better word, haha
One need eyes left and right, front and back...because next to al these bikes one also has the tuctucs here, who allmost drive as crazy as the bikers...only in a car you seem to be relativly safe...and you go way les fast because it seems you are easily in trafficjams here...even on a bike!!
Now do not confuse my use of 'bike' with our bike, the manpowered one, I still talk about the motorised bikes here!
And do you know they have a full taxi service of scooters/bikes here...a driver can take up to 3 pasengers, depending on their size and weight ofcourse and they wisk you trough the traffic to your destination. You find them everywhere, and they are avordable at that, also for the common Thai. An ordinary taxi simply takes too long, and if you own a car, you better have a driver because it is rarely that you will be able to find a parkingspot near your destination...often one has to park the car allmost at the other side of the city, ergo, you could just as well have left it home. Sometimes I hear people came by car, and from the place they parked it they needed a motorbiketaxi or a tuctuc to get them to their actual destination.
Sounds familiar?
Hence if you own a car better have a driver in your service as well..they are not too expensive, roughly 10 til 12000 bath I heard last, which is200-250 euro's per month for allmost non stop working...though one has to negotiate carefuly workinghours and such..but for that money one has almost a ful time driver for 6/7 days a week!
Back to the bike story.
I now have to think about buying a scooter of sorts, and Honda is the best buy here at that. Because living on a hill I prefer a sturdy and strong one ofcourse who can easily carry two people, hehe, one of which me ofcourse.
Now I went to a showroom to see what choices one has.
Wel, if one is Thai or one buys for a Thai, one not tonly gets the bike but they trow in 3 years insurrance, free helmet and some other goodies.
When you buy as foreigner you get nothing of the sorts and will have to pay exra for the necessary insurrance, helmet etc AND one gets only one year guarantee instead of 3 years for Thai on the purchsed bike.
O, and didn't I tell you, contrary to our system, all bikes are sold against fixed prices...you can negotiate about allmost everything in this country, except about new motorbikes or cars...so different from Holland/Europe!
Well, the prices differ and in general run between 42 and 55.000 bath, and some big ones, from other brands, and more heavy run up to 70.000 bath, all automatics!
Now the bath is roughly, or was roughly 49 for one euro (but sadly for me the euro seems to weaken against the bath) so I calculate for ease of use 1 euro = 50 bath and then I give a small correction.
so prices differ from 850 up to 1150 euro and for that last one, one can buy the strongest and newest scooter from Honda of around 150/160CC. As far as I know one sure does need a special driverslicense for that in Holland. But not here, haha
Well, Xmas is coming and most likely I buy a new scooter for Kik.....I prefer to know he will drive as safe as one can up and down the mountain when to his work or mother in kamala..rain or sunshine. Because rain is tricky here because when it rains it poors!! And we know ice and snow, they know sand, and sand with water makes a slippery road!
Ergo, I look for a scooter, bike (I seem unable to make up my mind for what name I'll use for these machines, hehe) with as broad tires as possble, enough storage space under the seath so one can bring the most necessary things dry from A to B, etc.
At same time I hate these things as I love them because they are so handy.
When I was with Anad in the Emergencyroom of Patong Hospital (see story below) I saw several scooter accident victims being brought in, brrrrrr
So when I drive I drive safely, quietly and not like crazy flies !!
Well, guess thats it for now folks, till next time, won't be too long I hope ;-)
PS I hope no one minds all the typing errors due to fast typing and being to lazy to re read it all before publishing it on the net ;-)
bye bye
Gaybashing in Thailand....
Yep, dear readers, even here in Thailand shit like that happens, appologise the expression!
Yesterday I was sitting down to make a new entry in my weblog about a fantastic book I read, but then I was called by Kik and he asked me to drop everything and hurry home into the hil straight away. Because such a message was very unusual I left al my stuff and asked the manager of Club OneSeven to keep an eye on it, and I took the motorbike annec scooter up in the hills to our house there!
Arrived I found a lot of household gods amongst of which a large television and such things, clothes and name it.\
At the table was Kik with his friend Anad (I write it wrong but its the way you pronounce it at least). Anad was beaten up.....by his brother! Because his brother and so also the rest of his family had discovered Anad was gay and could not stand that. Anad and his family, except his mother, are muslims!
And as we all know Muslims can be quite intolerant about being gay.....and so he was trown out of the house (!!) by his brother while his father and mother did nothing.
A short while later, Kik had to go and perform in the two shows of Simon Cabaret, I took Anad to hospital where they took an Xray of his nose, which was not broken, luckily! But he got treated for the wounds inflicted by his brother.
I was appaled learning about what had happened, this very nice and decent and caring guy, how he got beaten up for only one reason only, and by his own blood at that, just for being gay!!
Thai families, boehdist that is do not mind gay sons, simply they see it as an extra daughter who can and wil take care of the parents when they are not able to care for themselves anymore, and or support them before they reach that state. Sons are the one who will have to start help caring for the parents of their wives when the time comes, so its simple. And thailand knows no old peoples care, no unemployment money, no social securities, no healthinsurrance for the poor...except that certain medical care is for free here.
BUT when you are from different faith or stock, so to speak, then also different way of how one gets treated it seems. And Anads family comes from Nepal.... and to my surprise are here illigal, as I found out are a lot of people, mainly from Birma!
They are very dependent on those who are wiling to employ them!
Anad, unable to advance in the shoolsystem because of his illigal status, caused by his parents as it seems, can not find ordinary jobs which brings in enough money to support his family...so what does a young 20 year old do in that case in Thailand...you guessed it right: he enters the 'entertainment' industry, and well on the side of the escort, companionship, rent-a boyfriend- for the holiday, and that kind of thing...I met him first when he was playing host at my regular bar....but he thought he didn't earn enough so he switched to another in the mainstreet and indeed started to earn more by way of receiving tips from the customers...which can run up to sometimes 1000 bath a day for spending the time with them, including bedtime, uhum...O how well disguarded I try to write this all down.. BUT also he ran the risk of getting exposed to his , muslim, family, with whom, he was warned it would not fall well. (Kik actually warned for it several times, pointing out that he was not a budhist like the other guys Anad knew, but a muslim, so a different set of reactions would come his way then the tollerant way the budhist families react on gay sons......and sadly that was exactly the way it went...sorry to say!!
Now Anad stays with us till he has found rooms to live in, but they are expensive in patong, so maybe he has to look elsewhere.
Also last night was the muslim new year, they told me, and Anad wanted to go to the mosk....but he didn't dare to go to his regular mosk in Kamala...so he went to the one in patong....for how long? Till the news reaches from kamala that he's gay then he will not be able to go there as well.....
Faith is something beautifull, but not if it starts to run people into the ground just because of sexual orientation one can not help of having!! The Lord created men to his immage, women and men, and as such also all other natural variations of our species, like gays !!
Why is it that people have so much problems with people being different, be he or she gay, invalid, or whatever, we are all creatures of the same creator!! and as such are equal.
MMM, when I write this I get angry again...such a warm, friendly, caring guy, beaten up by his brother while the parents didn't do anything or didn't dare to (!!)
Hope to take him tomorrow to the men2men clinic for a suportgroup or councilling...though we have to be carefull because of his iligal status and we do not want him to get deeper involved in the 'entertainment' industry he was slowly getting involved in........l
BUT decent rooms are so expensibe here, even when shared with other guys...
and we try to prevent him entering accomodations of one of the clubs here because that means he can only get out of it when a customer, or someone else is prepared to buy him free for 30.000 bath (roughly 600 euro's) which is way to much for guys like him.
Well, we'll see what happens!
Yesterday I was sitting down to make a new entry in my weblog about a fantastic book I read, but then I was called by Kik and he asked me to drop everything and hurry home into the hil straight away. Because such a message was very unusual I left al my stuff and asked the manager of Club OneSeven to keep an eye on it, and I took the motorbike annec scooter up in the hills to our house there!
Arrived I found a lot of household gods amongst of which a large television and such things, clothes and name it.\
At the table was Kik with his friend Anad (I write it wrong but its the way you pronounce it at least). Anad was beaten up.....by his brother! Because his brother and so also the rest of his family had discovered Anad was gay and could not stand that. Anad and his family, except his mother, are muslims!
And as we all know Muslims can be quite intolerant about being gay.....and so he was trown out of the house (!!) by his brother while his father and mother did nothing.
A short while later, Kik had to go and perform in the two shows of Simon Cabaret, I took Anad to hospital where they took an Xray of his nose, which was not broken, luckily! But he got treated for the wounds inflicted by his brother.
I was appaled learning about what had happened, this very nice and decent and caring guy, how he got beaten up for only one reason only, and by his own blood at that, just for being gay!!
Thai families, boehdist that is do not mind gay sons, simply they see it as an extra daughter who can and wil take care of the parents when they are not able to care for themselves anymore, and or support them before they reach that state. Sons are the one who will have to start help caring for the parents of their wives when the time comes, so its simple. And thailand knows no old peoples care, no unemployment money, no social securities, no healthinsurrance for the poor...except that certain medical care is for free here.
BUT when you are from different faith or stock, so to speak, then also different way of how one gets treated it seems. And Anads family comes from Nepal.... and to my surprise are here illigal, as I found out are a lot of people, mainly from Birma!
They are very dependent on those who are wiling to employ them!
Anad, unable to advance in the shoolsystem because of his illigal status, caused by his parents as it seems, can not find ordinary jobs which brings in enough money to support his family...so what does a young 20 year old do in that case in Thailand...you guessed it right: he enters the 'entertainment' industry, and well on the side of the escort, companionship, rent-a boyfriend- for the holiday, and that kind of thing...I met him first when he was playing host at my regular bar....but he thought he didn't earn enough so he switched to another in the mainstreet and indeed started to earn more by way of receiving tips from the customers...which can run up to sometimes 1000 bath a day for spending the time with them, including bedtime, uhum...O how well disguarded I try to write this all down.. BUT also he ran the risk of getting exposed to his , muslim, family, with whom, he was warned it would not fall well. (Kik actually warned for it several times, pointing out that he was not a budhist like the other guys Anad knew, but a muslim, so a different set of reactions would come his way then the tollerant way the budhist families react on gay sons......and sadly that was exactly the way it went...sorry to say!!
Now Anad stays with us till he has found rooms to live in, but they are expensive in patong, so maybe he has to look elsewhere.
Also last night was the muslim new year, they told me, and Anad wanted to go to the mosk....but he didn't dare to go to his regular mosk in Kamala...so he went to the one in patong....for how long? Till the news reaches from kamala that he's gay then he will not be able to go there as well.....
Faith is something beautifull, but not if it starts to run people into the ground just because of sexual orientation one can not help of having!! The Lord created men to his immage, women and men, and as such also all other natural variations of our species, like gays !!
Why is it that people have so much problems with people being different, be he or she gay, invalid, or whatever, we are all creatures of the same creator!! and as such are equal.
MMM, when I write this I get angry again...such a warm, friendly, caring guy, beaten up by his brother while the parents didn't do anything or didn't dare to (!!)
Hope to take him tomorrow to the men2men clinic for a suportgroup or councilling...though we have to be carefull because of his iligal status and we do not want him to get deeper involved in the 'entertainment' industry he was slowly getting involved in........l
BUT decent rooms are so expensibe here, even when shared with other guys...
and we try to prevent him entering accomodations of one of the clubs here because that means he can only get out of it when a customer, or someone else is prepared to buy him free for 30.000 bath (roughly 600 euro's) which is way to much for guys like him.
Well, we'll see what happens!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Aankleden tuin
na het bezoek na het immigratiekantoor, gan Kik en ik, met onze taxichauffeur, Oem geheten, op weg terug. Echter, we hebben al vaak gesproken over het aankleden van de tuin met planten met bloemen en dus vraag ik een 'tuincentrum' op te snorren. Al gauw belt Kik met zijn vriend & ladyboy Sandy (Cleopatra in Simons Cabaret) en die stuurt ons regelrecht naar ene bekende van haar waar we alles moeten kopen...tja, zo gaat dat hier...iedereen kent wel iemand ergens voor en dan wordt al gauw de klandizie die kant op gestuurd, als die zich aandient.
OP die plek aangekomen, is het niet het enige op de plantenmarkt die er gevestigd is.
We lopen door het hele assortiment heen en maken keuzes, tevens ben ik lekker eigenwijs en wandel ook langs de anderen en snor daar een paar hele mooie kleine boompjes op die geweldig mooi bloeien en bloemen hebben die werkelijk heerlijk geuren.
Die boompjes zijn best op leeftijd dus dat gaat wel at kosten, maar goed, dan heb je ook wel wat staan, zo denk ik dan maar...hehe....zie ook nog wat andere prachtige bloeiers en de deal is snel gesloten na wat pingelen...krijg uiteindelijk 600 bath korting vor elkaar en reken 2000 bath af, zeg rond de 40 euro ;-)
Kik is trouwens na het inslaan geslagen bij de relatie van Sandy en voordat ik het weet staan er 5 gele rozenstruiken, 5 roze rozenstruiken en 10 rode rozenstruiken op de stoep, daarnaast nog een hele serie bloeiende planten in mooie potten, ook 10 en nog wat anders spul, 10 zakken potaarde, nog een partij lege potten, een bonzai boompje, en hangplant en dergelijke...alleen voor onderhandelen krijg ik hier geen ruimte. Moet dat toch een keertje georganiseerd krijgen, want als je bij 'relaties' koopt is onderhandelen echt een probleem.
Want tja, dat kletst allemaal met elkaar en men ziet het als 'minder' als er dan afgedongen wordt, want dat verlaagt de status van , in dit geval mij en daardoor Kik. Nou geven wij in Nederland en Europa geen snars om zulk ene status maar hier is indruk en houding op zelfs dat vlak belangrijk. Vandaar: moet toch eens zien hoe ik dat zo georganiseer krijg dat het ene zonder problemen met het andere te combineren valt.
Want ook in andere situaties merk ik, dat als ik een betrokkene soms 500 bath of 100 bath geef voor bewezen diensten, Kik daar dan nog een schepje bovenop doet, omdat het anders te krenterig overkomt, en dat is een echte zonde hier, als je dat vermijden kan, moet je dat dus ook doen. Terwijl wij naar iets kijken als geleverde prestaties etc. En, Kik doet dat alleen als het mensen betreft die hij kent, of die mensen kennen die hij kent. Zijn het totaal onbekenden vor hem, dan kan ik gewoon mijn zalige gang gaan en vindt ie het al lang best. Rare mensen die Thai..... zo maken ze het zich trouwens soms af en toe zelf ook knap lastig!
Maar goed...inmiddels heeft Oem, onze taxichauffeur al geconcludeerd dat e.e.a. niet in zijn Sedan kan en kondigt aan van auto te gaan wisselen en met een pick up truck terug te komen....een klein uur later rijdt die dan ook voor en wordt alles door de medewerkers van de resp. tuincentra ingeladen en rijden wij voorzichtig huiswaarts.
Vandaag zijn we met een aantal vrienden druk in de weer geweest alles ene plek in de tuin te geven...en het moet gezegd: het fleurt er echt heel erg van op, en geeft een herlijk gevoel.en het ruikt nu ook anders, heerlijk aangenaam zelfs!
Een dezer dagen ga ik de foto's van dit bloeiende festijn online zetten, kunne jullie het zelf allemaaa zien!
OP die plek aangekomen, is het niet het enige op de plantenmarkt die er gevestigd is.
We lopen door het hele assortiment heen en maken keuzes, tevens ben ik lekker eigenwijs en wandel ook langs de anderen en snor daar een paar hele mooie kleine boompjes op die geweldig mooi bloeien en bloemen hebben die werkelijk heerlijk geuren.
Die boompjes zijn best op leeftijd dus dat gaat wel at kosten, maar goed, dan heb je ook wel wat staan, zo denk ik dan maar...hehe....zie ook nog wat andere prachtige bloeiers en de deal is snel gesloten na wat pingelen...krijg uiteindelijk 600 bath korting vor elkaar en reken 2000 bath af, zeg rond de 40 euro ;-)
Kik is trouwens na het inslaan geslagen bij de relatie van Sandy en voordat ik het weet staan er 5 gele rozenstruiken, 5 roze rozenstruiken en 10 rode rozenstruiken op de stoep, daarnaast nog een hele serie bloeiende planten in mooie potten, ook 10 en nog wat anders spul, 10 zakken potaarde, nog een partij lege potten, een bonzai boompje, en hangplant en dergelijke...alleen voor onderhandelen krijg ik hier geen ruimte. Moet dat toch een keertje georganiseerd krijgen, want als je bij 'relaties' koopt is onderhandelen echt een probleem.
Want tja, dat kletst allemaal met elkaar en men ziet het als 'minder' als er dan afgedongen wordt, want dat verlaagt de status van , in dit geval mij en daardoor Kik. Nou geven wij in Nederland en Europa geen snars om zulk ene status maar hier is indruk en houding op zelfs dat vlak belangrijk. Vandaar: moet toch eens zien hoe ik dat zo georganiseer krijg dat het ene zonder problemen met het andere te combineren valt.
Want ook in andere situaties merk ik, dat als ik een betrokkene soms 500 bath of 100 bath geef voor bewezen diensten, Kik daar dan nog een schepje bovenop doet, omdat het anders te krenterig overkomt, en dat is een echte zonde hier, als je dat vermijden kan, moet je dat dus ook doen. Terwijl wij naar iets kijken als geleverde prestaties etc. En, Kik doet dat alleen als het mensen betreft die hij kent, of die mensen kennen die hij kent. Zijn het totaal onbekenden vor hem, dan kan ik gewoon mijn zalige gang gaan en vindt ie het al lang best. Rare mensen die Thai..... zo maken ze het zich trouwens soms af en toe zelf ook knap lastig!
Maar goed...inmiddels heeft Oem, onze taxichauffeur al geconcludeerd dat e.e.a. niet in zijn Sedan kan en kondigt aan van auto te gaan wisselen en met een pick up truck terug te komen....een klein uur later rijdt die dan ook voor en wordt alles door de medewerkers van de resp. tuincentra ingeladen en rijden wij voorzichtig huiswaarts.
Vandaag zijn we met een aantal vrienden druk in de weer geweest alles ene plek in de tuin te geven...en het moet gezegd: het fleurt er echt heel erg van op, en geeft een herlijk gevoel.en het ruikt nu ook anders, heerlijk aangenaam zelfs!
Een dezer dagen ga ik de foto's van dit bloeiende festijn online zetten, kunne jullie het zelf allemaaa zien!
Visumverlenging
Nu eens weer een kertje in het Nederlands, hehe.
Gisteren ben ik met Kik naar Phuket Town geweest om bij het immigratiekantoor het tweede deel van mijn visum te verkrijgen zodat ik uiteindelijk 90 dagen in Thailand kan blijven.
De Thaise overheid kent bij een toeristenvisum van 60 dagen, die je voor vertrek in je eigen land moet aanvragen, of elders buiten Thailand, de mogelijkheid deze met 30 dagen te verlengen, eenmalig! Daarna zal je Thailand uit moeten.
Toen wij bij het immigratiekantoor aankwamen, op een plek in de stad die ik nooit gevonden had op mijn eentje omdat de Thai niet scheutig zijn met engelstalige aanduidingen en hun schrift voor niet-Thai-kenners gewoon onbegrijpeijk is, gelijk Chinees en Russisch dat ook is voor buitenstaanders, viel me meteen de bureaucratische opzet van het kantoor mij op.
Heel modern trek je een nummertje zoals je dat ook doet, met een zelfde systeem, als op het stadhuis van Delft of bijvoorbeeld Rijswijk. Maar als je dan op je nummer wacht, ontdek je dat die niet werkt.....het is wie het eerst komt wie het eerst maalt. Op het nummerweergave bord zie ik 619 staan en zelf heeft het apparaat mij nummer 660 gegeven, dus denk ik even buiten te kunnen gaan om wat te verpozen...maar nee hoor, hoor ik daar dus hoe het er echt aan toe gaat en loop ik dus maar direct weer naar binnen om inderdaad meteen aan de beurt te zijn!
Het formulier dat ik ingevuld heb, overhandig ik aan de ambtenaar, die en passant van alles en nog wat uitwisselt met collega's om hem heen. Hij controleert of ik alles heb ingevuld, althans dat denk ik dan maar...en vervolgens zegt hij dat ik 3 fotokopien moet maken van drie bladzijden uit mijn paspoort en stuurt mij weg om die te gana halen bij een bureautje elders op het terrein die 'partikulier' gerund wordt en 6 bath armer met 3 kopien kom ik even later weer terug bij de man ana zijn bureau. Ik ga weer zitten en vervolgens constateert hij dat er nog een pasfoto bijmoet. Waar doe ik dat, zo vraag ik hem? En hij wijst weer naar de zelfde plek, de fotokopieplek...want een winkeltje wil ik het niet noemen, kan je het niet noemen!
O, mopper ik in nerderlands, zeg dat dan meteen de eerste keer.....hehe...en vervolgens ben ik wer weg. Kom bij dat 'winkeltje' en ja hoor, werd al verwacht. Kon op een stoel voor de deur plaatsnemen en floep, een camera, polaroid, werd gepakt en een opname gemaakt, 4 stuks...en 140 bath armer liep ik weer terug naar het immigratiekantoor om de hoek.
Kan meteen weer bij de ambtenaar in kwestie terecht, dus dat scheelt in ieder geval.
(trouwens de bath schommelt dezer dagen tussen de 48,5 en bijna 50 per euro)
HIJ bevestigd de pasfot en de kopien aan het formulier, vervolgens vraagt hij aan mij 1900 bath en na betaald te hebben, plaatst hij wat stempels her en der over het formulier en de foto en dropt het formulier op het bureau naast hem en zegt tegen mij dat ik nu moet wachten.
Even later gaat een jongere ambtenaar naar dat tot dan toe lege bureau, gaat zitten en bekijkt het formulier...corrigeert en controleert de inhoud, zet ene stempel, plaatst vervolgens in mijn bijgevoegde paspoort ook stempels en zegt dan tegen mij, goedendag.
En toen stond ik buiten, met een visum tot 28 januari op zak...simpel maar O zo bureaucratisch.
BIj het invullen van het betreffende formulier geen melding dat er fotokopien van het paspoort gevoegd moeten worden, resp. die pasfoto...uberhaupt geen nadere info in het engels...wel in Thai! haha
Daarnaast, 4 ambtenaren die zich in totaal bezig hielden met mijn aanvraag. Geen computercontroles trouwens, dus hoe dat allemaal in zijn werk gaat, geen idee, maar blijkbaar makkelijk.
Het kantoor uitlopend denk ik "wat een kansen" als ik terugdenk aan al dat gereorganiseer wat ik in het verleden gedaan heb.
Zo'n immigratiekantoor is of erg winstgevend te maken of de visumprijs kan stukken naar beneden, als je je bedenkt dat alle visumverleningen en 90 dagen controles voor hen die langer blijven, zo veel eenvoudiger en effectiever kunnen.
Van de 9 a 10 medewerkers die ik er telde, rekende ik snel uit dat er minimaal7 overbodig waren om hun systeem, wat je er ook van vindt, effectief uit te kunen voeren en dan hoeven de medewerkers nog steeds niet hard te werken.
Maar goed, ze hebben werk en als ambtenaar heb je ook status in Thailand en aanzien........dus op zo'n organisatorisch betwetertje zitten ze hier dus echt niet te wachten ;-)
O, en alles met die Thaise glimlach en vriendelijkheid, ook al weet je dat het deels onverschilligheid afdekt, je pruimt gewoon zo ontzettend veel meer van deze mensen dan je elders in de wereld zou doen!
En dat is ook weer wat waard, nietwaar?
Gisteren ben ik met Kik naar Phuket Town geweest om bij het immigratiekantoor het tweede deel van mijn visum te verkrijgen zodat ik uiteindelijk 90 dagen in Thailand kan blijven.
De Thaise overheid kent bij een toeristenvisum van 60 dagen, die je voor vertrek in je eigen land moet aanvragen, of elders buiten Thailand, de mogelijkheid deze met 30 dagen te verlengen, eenmalig! Daarna zal je Thailand uit moeten.
Toen wij bij het immigratiekantoor aankwamen, op een plek in de stad die ik nooit gevonden had op mijn eentje omdat de Thai niet scheutig zijn met engelstalige aanduidingen en hun schrift voor niet-Thai-kenners gewoon onbegrijpeijk is, gelijk Chinees en Russisch dat ook is voor buitenstaanders, viel me meteen de bureaucratische opzet van het kantoor mij op.
Heel modern trek je een nummertje zoals je dat ook doet, met een zelfde systeem, als op het stadhuis van Delft of bijvoorbeeld Rijswijk. Maar als je dan op je nummer wacht, ontdek je dat die niet werkt.....het is wie het eerst komt wie het eerst maalt. Op het nummerweergave bord zie ik 619 staan en zelf heeft het apparaat mij nummer 660 gegeven, dus denk ik even buiten te kunnen gaan om wat te verpozen...maar nee hoor, hoor ik daar dus hoe het er echt aan toe gaat en loop ik dus maar direct weer naar binnen om inderdaad meteen aan de beurt te zijn!
Het formulier dat ik ingevuld heb, overhandig ik aan de ambtenaar, die en passant van alles en nog wat uitwisselt met collega's om hem heen. Hij controleert of ik alles heb ingevuld, althans dat denk ik dan maar...en vervolgens zegt hij dat ik 3 fotokopien moet maken van drie bladzijden uit mijn paspoort en stuurt mij weg om die te gana halen bij een bureautje elders op het terrein die 'partikulier' gerund wordt en 6 bath armer met 3 kopien kom ik even later weer terug bij de man ana zijn bureau. Ik ga weer zitten en vervolgens constateert hij dat er nog een pasfoto bijmoet. Waar doe ik dat, zo vraag ik hem? En hij wijst weer naar de zelfde plek, de fotokopieplek...want een winkeltje wil ik het niet noemen, kan je het niet noemen!
O, mopper ik in nerderlands, zeg dat dan meteen de eerste keer.....hehe...en vervolgens ben ik wer weg. Kom bij dat 'winkeltje' en ja hoor, werd al verwacht. Kon op een stoel voor de deur plaatsnemen en floep, een camera, polaroid, werd gepakt en een opname gemaakt, 4 stuks...en 140 bath armer liep ik weer terug naar het immigratiekantoor om de hoek.
Kan meteen weer bij de ambtenaar in kwestie terecht, dus dat scheelt in ieder geval.
(trouwens de bath schommelt dezer dagen tussen de 48,5 en bijna 50 per euro)
HIJ bevestigd de pasfot en de kopien aan het formulier, vervolgens vraagt hij aan mij 1900 bath en na betaald te hebben, plaatst hij wat stempels her en der over het formulier en de foto en dropt het formulier op het bureau naast hem en zegt tegen mij dat ik nu moet wachten.
Even later gaat een jongere ambtenaar naar dat tot dan toe lege bureau, gaat zitten en bekijkt het formulier...corrigeert en controleert de inhoud, zet ene stempel, plaatst vervolgens in mijn bijgevoegde paspoort ook stempels en zegt dan tegen mij, goedendag.
En toen stond ik buiten, met een visum tot 28 januari op zak...simpel maar O zo bureaucratisch.
BIj het invullen van het betreffende formulier geen melding dat er fotokopien van het paspoort gevoegd moeten worden, resp. die pasfoto...uberhaupt geen nadere info in het engels...wel in Thai! haha
Daarnaast, 4 ambtenaren die zich in totaal bezig hielden met mijn aanvraag. Geen computercontroles trouwens, dus hoe dat allemaal in zijn werk gaat, geen idee, maar blijkbaar makkelijk.
Het kantoor uitlopend denk ik "wat een kansen" als ik terugdenk aan al dat gereorganiseer wat ik in het verleden gedaan heb.
Zo'n immigratiekantoor is of erg winstgevend te maken of de visumprijs kan stukken naar beneden, als je je bedenkt dat alle visumverleningen en 90 dagen controles voor hen die langer blijven, zo veel eenvoudiger en effectiever kunnen.
Van de 9 a 10 medewerkers die ik er telde, rekende ik snel uit dat er minimaal7 overbodig waren om hun systeem, wat je er ook van vindt, effectief uit te kunen voeren en dan hoeven de medewerkers nog steeds niet hard te werken.
Maar goed, ze hebben werk en als ambtenaar heb je ook status in Thailand en aanzien........dus op zo'n organisatorisch betwetertje zitten ze hier dus echt niet te wachten ;-)
O, en alles met die Thaise glimlach en vriendelijkheid, ook al weet je dat het deels onverschilligheid afdekt, je pruimt gewoon zo ontzettend veel meer van deze mensen dan je elders in de wereld zou doen!
En dat is ook weer wat waard, nietwaar?
Monday, December 10, 2007
Nog meer foto's, More pics!
Zojuist de foto's op de mac site geplaatst van de hieronder beschreven bbq en kaartspel, alsmede nog foto's van mijn andere toestel, die ik nu pas kon downloaden omdat ik de batterijcharger thuis had laten liggen en het nogal een moeite koste om hier een nieuwe te pakken te krijgen...ken gebeuren he? ;-)
En die zijn van de housewarming op de 14e november jl....waarna de batterij van het toestel leeg was en ik dus ontdekte dat de charger niet in mijn bagage zat...
enjoy the fun of watching the pics ladies en gentlemen, Kings Birthday BBQ and cardgame as well as some of the Housewarming from my small pocketcamera ;-)
En die zijn van de housewarming op de 14e november jl....waarna de batterij van het toestel leeg was en ik dus ontdekte dat de charger niet in mijn bagage zat...
enjoy the fun of watching the pics ladies en gentlemen, Kings Birthday BBQ and cardgame as well as some of the Housewarming from my small pocketcamera ;-)
5yh December: The Kings Birthday..a BBQ party with a tail ;-)
The birthday of the King is celebrated somewhat different as we are used to in Holland when we celebrate our Queens birthday on the 30th of april.
As I wrote before, in Thailand all sale of alcohol on that day is forbidden, though I discovered that that rule is applied lightly but nonetheles taken seriously and so al restaurants, bras, etc. closed for the day or served only non alcoholic drinks.
Result of al this is that specially those working in the entertainnmentindustry have a day off and so time to socialize among eachother...for which they normally have no 'normal' time, except in the middle of the nights.
So, Kik suggested we organise a BBQ party at the house, and so we did. No problems surving alcohol there on such a day I discovered.....but because Simon Cabaret is no bar or restaurant but a thetercompany, they were not closed for that evening and the non alcoholrule is at al not a problem for them, they hardly serve it anyway before a show starts, or afterwards.
So, preparations of the BBQ was done with during daytime and from 23.30 onwards.......
The guests arrived from midnight onwards.
The whole evening there was not much to do in the city centre of Patong, because most was shut down for the day......very weird, but the celebration of the Kings birthday is mainly a family affair here, blood family or chosen family, but its the families who get together and create a party of some sorts.
So after midnight the next bbq party started off and everybody being in good spirits. With some owners of some bars present, I gave a toast to the King of Thailand, and afterwards, ofcourse, as a dutch guy, also to our Queen...and then the attack on the food started which lasted several hours....
when the were all done eating, Kik's boss sugested a cardgame. Not knowing, I thought it fun to have them do just that.
My mother allways loved cardgames, so I enjoyed watching them playing their game "8 & 9", don't ask me how it goes, but ofcourse they needed to gamble a little bit so stakes were settled on 5, max 10 bath per person per game (roughly 50 bath in one euro).
Around 4/4.30 am I took the opportunity to withdraw upstairs for half an hour or so to take a bit of rest and enjoy some peace....after a while Kik came up to see how I was doing (he played in the game but left it for a moment to check up on me!) when we heard commotion outside.
Kik had a look, and rather quickly was back in the room again telling me the police just raided the downfloor area of our house and all the people who were playing cards were arrested.
Very surprised and rather upset and angry why something innocent as this cardgame warranted such action I went outide, were I tried to ask the police what was happening and why.
I was politly ignored by them. They simply tried their best to "not seeing me". Later I heard that if they aknowledged my presence the whole operation of them would have become far more complicated and les easy, as me being a 'farang' so insteas they just acted as if I didn't excist.
I must tell you that such is a rather weird experience...but with hinsight I was also rather happy the went about it that way!
To make a long story short. The ones who stayed behind were all laughing and thinking it all a big joke and said to me that they al would eturn within the hour and we should keep the BBQ going because they all would be hungry again after being released.......
nothing happened and in the end lot of people did not get any sleep that night and following day...Even the intervention of the big boss of Simon Cabaret could not get them released!
IN the end they had to pay a 12.000 bath fine. Kik's boss made a statement which took us from the hook, so the speak, as hosts. They also got a warning that if any of them would be arrested for the same in the next year, he or she would go to jail, they call it here the monkeyhouse, for 3 months.
And those of us who have gheard about the reputation of Thai jail, know that thats no fun at all...and hence it works a a beautiful warning which is taking very seriously by Thai.
Well, I placed some pics of the Kings birthday party on the website for pics from Mac, as you can find in the message about PICTURES written somewhat earlier ;-)
All in all it has been quite an experience and am happy that in the end all turned out relativly well and all took it in the best way possible without grudges to anyboy.
As I found out cardgames, for money at that, are specially a no go on the birthday of the King, more so then drinking alcohol, for which no punishments were given at all.....strange huh?
But who knows what they really wanted and howcome the happened to drop in on us so late at night at such a remote location......maybe an unknown person or persons hold a grudge against one or more of our guests, because it was not the first strange event happening to some of my new friends here in the past year.
Curious if that story will continue...I hope not, but it seems Thai can hold grudges like no other.
So more lesson learned here!
Cherio, and enjoy the winter or summer, depending on where you are staying :-))
Rob
As I wrote before, in Thailand all sale of alcohol on that day is forbidden, though I discovered that that rule is applied lightly but nonetheles taken seriously and so al restaurants, bras, etc. closed for the day or served only non alcoholic drinks.
Result of al this is that specially those working in the entertainnmentindustry have a day off and so time to socialize among eachother...for which they normally have no 'normal' time, except in the middle of the nights.
So, Kik suggested we organise a BBQ party at the house, and so we did. No problems surving alcohol there on such a day I discovered.....but because Simon Cabaret is no bar or restaurant but a thetercompany, they were not closed for that evening and the non alcoholrule is at al not a problem for them, they hardly serve it anyway before a show starts, or afterwards.
So, preparations of the BBQ was done with during daytime and from 23.30 onwards.......
The guests arrived from midnight onwards.
The whole evening there was not much to do in the city centre of Patong, because most was shut down for the day......very weird, but the celebration of the Kings birthday is mainly a family affair here, blood family or chosen family, but its the families who get together and create a party of some sorts.
So after midnight the next bbq party started off and everybody being in good spirits. With some owners of some bars present, I gave a toast to the King of Thailand, and afterwards, ofcourse, as a dutch guy, also to our Queen...and then the attack on the food started which lasted several hours....
when the were all done eating, Kik's boss sugested a cardgame. Not knowing, I thought it fun to have them do just that.
My mother allways loved cardgames, so I enjoyed watching them playing their game "8 & 9", don't ask me how it goes, but ofcourse they needed to gamble a little bit so stakes were settled on 5, max 10 bath per person per game (roughly 50 bath in one euro).
Around 4/4.30 am I took the opportunity to withdraw upstairs for half an hour or so to take a bit of rest and enjoy some peace....after a while Kik came up to see how I was doing (he played in the game but left it for a moment to check up on me!) when we heard commotion outside.
Kik had a look, and rather quickly was back in the room again telling me the police just raided the downfloor area of our house and all the people who were playing cards were arrested.
Very surprised and rather upset and angry why something innocent as this cardgame warranted such action I went outide, were I tried to ask the police what was happening and why.
I was politly ignored by them. They simply tried their best to "not seeing me". Later I heard that if they aknowledged my presence the whole operation of them would have become far more complicated and les easy, as me being a 'farang' so insteas they just acted as if I didn't excist.
I must tell you that such is a rather weird experience...but with hinsight I was also rather happy the went about it that way!
To make a long story short. The ones who stayed behind were all laughing and thinking it all a big joke and said to me that they al would eturn within the hour and we should keep the BBQ going because they all would be hungry again after being released.......
nothing happened and in the end lot of people did not get any sleep that night and following day...Even the intervention of the big boss of Simon Cabaret could not get them released!
IN the end they had to pay a 12.000 bath fine. Kik's boss made a statement which took us from the hook, so the speak, as hosts. They also got a warning that if any of them would be arrested for the same in the next year, he or she would go to jail, they call it here the monkeyhouse, for 3 months.
And those of us who have gheard about the reputation of Thai jail, know that thats no fun at all...and hence it works a a beautiful warning which is taking very seriously by Thai.
Well, I placed some pics of the Kings birthday party on the website for pics from Mac, as you can find in the message about PICTURES written somewhat earlier ;-)
All in all it has been quite an experience and am happy that in the end all turned out relativly well and all took it in the best way possible without grudges to anyboy.
As I found out cardgames, for money at that, are specially a no go on the birthday of the King, more so then drinking alcohol, for which no punishments were given at all.....strange huh?
But who knows what they really wanted and howcome the happened to drop in on us so late at night at such a remote location......maybe an unknown person or persons hold a grudge against one or more of our guests, because it was not the first strange event happening to some of my new friends here in the past year.
Curious if that story will continue...I hope not, but it seems Thai can hold grudges like no other.
So more lesson learned here!
Cherio, and enjoy the winter or summer, depending on where you are staying :-))
Rob
Friday, December 7, 2007
3 Days in Bangkok and on the way to the 5th of December ;-)
So, it has been a good week since I last wrote into my weblog, but here we are again!
The last week I have spend 3 days in Bangkok, visiting my dutch freemasonlodge Erasmus. Its allways a great joy to pay them a visit simply because they are a great bunch of guys. Hospitable, liberal in allmost every sense of the word, and allways make me most welcome to participate. They are also a great help in discovering how to go about once way here in Thailand.
But ofcourse meeting them only took one day, the other 2 days I spend with Kik in Bangkok.
It had been quite a while since he, and I for that matter, visited Bangkok and to my surprise Bangkok was a village for him.....
In the quarter of Bangkok, where we stayed, Silom area, he seemed to know people in allmost every place we passed.
He had told me he used to work for Japanese in Bangkok and also showed them around Bangkok a lot....so the first day it ment for me a lot of waiting when he met again some person or persons he knew. And as soon as the word spread he arrived in Bangkok his phone seemed to keep ringing all the time..and Thai people call 24/7 I can asure you as much!
Being addicted to thai massage by now, I had a massage every day and have to admit, sometimes even two on one day, just to keep myself going, haha.
Its the Thai way of life which attracts me sofar but also their general attitude. Though I have to admit, also the Thai have their downside ofcourse. It can not all be sunshine, as one knows all too well! But sofar I still have to say that all in all Thaiand still holds a very big attraction to me, so I keep on looking for opportunities to organise a long stay here ;-)
The city of Bangkok was in preparation of the Kings birthday, who has his birthday on the 5th of december....in my country Holland also known as Sint Nicolaas day. But contrary to our Queensday, when all restaurants and bars are open and most retailshops closed, in THailand its the other way round, all retaishops are open and most restaurants and all the bars are closed. On the Kings Birthday its not allowed to poor alcohol !!
This leads to the general attitude that Thai celebrate the Kings birthday in their family surroundings, be it chosen or blood family.. for the tourists its an evening/day on which they have to think of other things to do then just drink and have fun, haha......for a lot of them thats rather difficult I noticed later ;-)
Okay, my next entry wil tell you some of what happened on Kings Day, if I may it call it that......
The last week I have spend 3 days in Bangkok, visiting my dutch freemasonlodge Erasmus. Its allways a great joy to pay them a visit simply because they are a great bunch of guys. Hospitable, liberal in allmost every sense of the word, and allways make me most welcome to participate. They are also a great help in discovering how to go about once way here in Thailand.
But ofcourse meeting them only took one day, the other 2 days I spend with Kik in Bangkok.
It had been quite a while since he, and I for that matter, visited Bangkok and to my surprise Bangkok was a village for him.....
In the quarter of Bangkok, where we stayed, Silom area, he seemed to know people in allmost every place we passed.
He had told me he used to work for Japanese in Bangkok and also showed them around Bangkok a lot....so the first day it ment for me a lot of waiting when he met again some person or persons he knew. And as soon as the word spread he arrived in Bangkok his phone seemed to keep ringing all the time..and Thai people call 24/7 I can asure you as much!
Being addicted to thai massage by now, I had a massage every day and have to admit, sometimes even two on one day, just to keep myself going, haha.
Its the Thai way of life which attracts me sofar but also their general attitude. Though I have to admit, also the Thai have their downside ofcourse. It can not all be sunshine, as one knows all too well! But sofar I still have to say that all in all Thaiand still holds a very big attraction to me, so I keep on looking for opportunities to organise a long stay here ;-)
The city of Bangkok was in preparation of the Kings birthday, who has his birthday on the 5th of december....in my country Holland also known as Sint Nicolaas day. But contrary to our Queensday, when all restaurants and bars are open and most retailshops closed, in THailand its the other way round, all retaishops are open and most restaurants and all the bars are closed. On the Kings Birthday its not allowed to poor alcohol !!
This leads to the general attitude that Thai celebrate the Kings birthday in their family surroundings, be it chosen or blood family.. for the tourists its an evening/day on which they have to think of other things to do then just drink and have fun, haha......for a lot of them thats rather difficult I noticed later ;-)
Okay, my next entry wil tell you some of what happened on Kings Day, if I may it call it that......
Thursday, November 22, 2007
49/2 Ha Sip Pee Road and the seconde Q !
This is the name of the street which runs trough the hills around a part of Patong Phuket, where I rented a house for when I stay here in Thailand!
When hearing the name I thought nothing of it, but when I heard its translation I thought: It has to be the place for me here!!
Ha Sip Pee means 50 years. And well, being busy with my 50th year I thought it a good sign. Also the number of the street, 49. I just turned 49 last oktober.
So, translated my adress here is 49/2 50 year Road.....cool huh?
Now more about the little Thai house itself. Its typically for the Thai layout of a house here, a very modest one that is. Its downfloor area consist of a Thai kitchen and small bathroom with shower and wc, which is no more then a long sink with a two pit cooker and a fridge, O and ofcourse running water. The kitchen is large and further empty, and I will have to fill it whith whatever I might need.
The other half of the ground floor is an open area which contains of a table and two comfi benches. In front of it you find the little garden with a terrace and a path to the main street.
Before you get to the open area you find stairs going up to the first floor, which covers the whole downstairs area, kitchen as well as openair sittingarea.
On this first floor one not only finds a balcony but also a reasonably large sitting/sleepingroom with another bathroom with wc and shower. This room has been frisheid with a kingsize bed, a TV and DVDplayer with cabel (!!) so one can watch allmost non stop movies here, and pretty recent ones I discovered at that! A sofa and wardrobe, another firge and a dressingtable, and ofocurse a table with the sofa.
Simple but most effective. One hardly neds more because one lives mostly outdoors anyway.
Al in al not too expensive as well, to be honest, when living here as a farang its hard to get anything so wel located and so cheap...which surprised me because it is right now high season here!
I rented the place for one year for 10.000 bath per month (which is a discount of 2 months rent but one conditiën: all needed to be payed at once).
I took the place ofocurse, its quite located amidst the green hills and same time very close to the city centre of Patong...only 5/10 minutes on motorbike. The hills are rather steep and walking would really be too much, hehe. But honest, no sane persoon would walk up that hill, and certaily not more then once on a day...and I go up and down several times a day ;-)
Okay I go on with the original story: I rented this place for a year, so I can return here for one and have not to think about accomodation animeren and the expensive it brings me, but also its a place for Kik to stay as well, its closer to his work at Simon Cabaret, his boss lives one street further up the hill, and it might help him to focuss on his career and study he now thinks of picking up again because the worries about his housing are now for the time being at least, behind him.
Sofar I have not spotted any other farang on my little part of this hill and with only Thai around me, who are all very friendly but sadly hardly speak any english as well.
Slowly these past weeks I grow more and more indipendent, getting to know (Thai) friends and getting beter informed by the week.
Kik wil fix the garden in a flower rich environement...neighbours seem to have some plants/flowers which attracts dozens of butterflies....I hope in a couple of weeks or a month or so to have the same amount of buterflies in our garden, its so beautifull to watch them!
Q
O, and to my big surprise two evenings ago a puppy came into the garden and dining area, and hasn’t left since! According to Kik can dogs choose their ‘owners’ for themselfs and its a good omen that the puppy walked in.
I named the little guy “Q”, after Q from James Bond, Q from Star Trak, and Q, the white big dog I had for a while together with Alberto but had to give back to the animalshelter because he was simply not fit to be on his own and could bark extremely loud and did so every time I left the house and or he was on his own. Neighbours started to get crazy about it, though they addored Q. Then stil an Alderman/vice major here I could no longer keep him if I wouldn’t want to get in a serious fight with my neighbours with whom I allways had a very good understanding.
Hopefuly this puppy Q will be different and will not only stay but be very happy and pleasant companion. I started already to buy dogfood, though not for puppies, still need to find that speciallity!
When hearing the name I thought nothing of it, but when I heard its translation I thought: It has to be the place for me here!!
Ha Sip Pee means 50 years. And well, being busy with my 50th year I thought it a good sign. Also the number of the street, 49. I just turned 49 last oktober.
So, translated my adress here is 49/2 50 year Road.....cool huh?
Now more about the little Thai house itself. Its typically for the Thai layout of a house here, a very modest one that is. Its downfloor area consist of a Thai kitchen and small bathroom with shower and wc, which is no more then a long sink with a two pit cooker and a fridge, O and ofcourse running water. The kitchen is large and further empty, and I will have to fill it whith whatever I might need.
The other half of the ground floor is an open area which contains of a table and two comfi benches. In front of it you find the little garden with a terrace and a path to the main street.
Before you get to the open area you find stairs going up to the first floor, which covers the whole downstairs area, kitchen as well as openair sittingarea.
On this first floor one not only finds a balcony but also a reasonably large sitting/sleepingroom with another bathroom with wc and shower. This room has been frisheid with a kingsize bed, a TV and DVDplayer with cabel (!!) so one can watch allmost non stop movies here, and pretty recent ones I discovered at that! A sofa and wardrobe, another firge and a dressingtable, and ofocurse a table with the sofa.
Simple but most effective. One hardly neds more because one lives mostly outdoors anyway.
Al in al not too expensive as well, to be honest, when living here as a farang its hard to get anything so wel located and so cheap...which surprised me because it is right now high season here!
I rented the place for one year for 10.000 bath per month (which is a discount of 2 months rent but one conditiën: all needed to be payed at once).
I took the place ofocurse, its quite located amidst the green hills and same time very close to the city centre of Patong...only 5/10 minutes on motorbike. The hills are rather steep and walking would really be too much, hehe. But honest, no sane persoon would walk up that hill, and certaily not more then once on a day...and I go up and down several times a day ;-)
Okay I go on with the original story: I rented this place for a year, so I can return here for one and have not to think about accomodation animeren and the expensive it brings me, but also its a place for Kik to stay as well, its closer to his work at Simon Cabaret, his boss lives one street further up the hill, and it might help him to focuss on his career and study he now thinks of picking up again because the worries about his housing are now for the time being at least, behind him.
Sofar I have not spotted any other farang on my little part of this hill and with only Thai around me, who are all very friendly but sadly hardly speak any english as well.
Slowly these past weeks I grow more and more indipendent, getting to know (Thai) friends and getting beter informed by the week.
Kik wil fix the garden in a flower rich environement...neighbours seem to have some plants/flowers which attracts dozens of butterflies....I hope in a couple of weeks or a month or so to have the same amount of buterflies in our garden, its so beautifull to watch them!
Q
O, and to my big surprise two evenings ago a puppy came into the garden and dining area, and hasn’t left since! According to Kik can dogs choose their ‘owners’ for themselfs and its a good omen that the puppy walked in.
I named the little guy “Q”, after Q from James Bond, Q from Star Trak, and Q, the white big dog I had for a while together with Alberto but had to give back to the animalshelter because he was simply not fit to be on his own and could bark extremely loud and did so every time I left the house and or he was on his own. Neighbours started to get crazy about it, though they addored Q. Then stil an Alderman/vice major here I could no longer keep him if I wouldn’t want to get in a serious fight with my neighbours with whom I allways had a very good understanding.
Hopefuly this puppy Q will be different and will not only stay but be very happy and pleasant companion. I started already to buy dogfood, though not for puppies, still need to find that speciallity!
"Rob, come have a drink, party with us!"
Luckily I went to sleep rather early last night. Around 0.15 am I shut of the TV and lights. I must have fallen a sleep immidiatly. Till I was woken up by lots of noise outdoors, like it came from right under me. I thought “O NO, not again”. I put on my sarong and took a peek outside my door and guess what? My neighbours just got home and wanted to celebrate a farewell party of one of the guys going back home to northern Thailand. They appologised deeply to have waken me up.
Well, couldn’t sleep right away anymore so I decided to smoke a cigarette on my balcony and watch the events go on next door. Within minutes they started to appologise again for my miscomfort and then the guy who supposidly lives there appeared, saw me and immidiatly invited me over to join and drink with them on the departure of his ‘brother’ back north. (One never knows if its a real brother or a feel-like-a-brother person). O well, why not I thought, Kik not being home still, I put on shorts and a t-shirt and joined the festivities.
Thai like to make a party for whatever occasion. And be it 9 pm or 4 am, they go for it. In the kitchen delicious food was being prepared and before I knew I was sitting with ladyboys all around me and a few guys (who mostly work as go go boys in Paradise complex, not all of them being gay by the way) and drinking to the one upstairs, packing his suitcase for his departure not much later.
When dawn broke, the guy who’s leaving we just celebrated, had left already for an hour or so, the party broke up. All went quite in my little street again and I managed to fall a sleep again, in my own bed, with Kik this time.
He came back late, as is often the case, because some of his friends called him to come over for a talk, and as most Thai would do, he went. And as is mostly the case here, it becomes late, or early, depending from the point you look at it.
Quite a different lifestyle I find myself into, which is a good experience in itself. Thank God I already slept 4 hours though☺ !
Well, couldn’t sleep right away anymore so I decided to smoke a cigarette on my balcony and watch the events go on next door. Within minutes they started to appologise again for my miscomfort and then the guy who supposidly lives there appeared, saw me and immidiatly invited me over to join and drink with them on the departure of his ‘brother’ back north. (One never knows if its a real brother or a feel-like-a-brother person). O well, why not I thought, Kik not being home still, I put on shorts and a t-shirt and joined the festivities.
Thai like to make a party for whatever occasion. And be it 9 pm or 4 am, they go for it. In the kitchen delicious food was being prepared and before I knew I was sitting with ladyboys all around me and a few guys (who mostly work as go go boys in Paradise complex, not all of them being gay by the way) and drinking to the one upstairs, packing his suitcase for his departure not much later.
When dawn broke, the guy who’s leaving we just celebrated, had left already for an hour or so, the party broke up. All went quite in my little street again and I managed to fall a sleep again, in my own bed, with Kik this time.
He came back late, as is often the case, because some of his friends called him to come over for a talk, and as most Thai would do, he went. And as is mostly the case here, it becomes late, or early, depending from the point you look at it.
Quite a different lifestyle I find myself into, which is a good experience in itself. Thank God I already slept 4 hours though☺ !
two days late but finally posted...hope the beginning of a good start keeping my blog!
3e dinsdag van November, eindelijk zover?
Het heeft even geduurd, maar ga vanaf vandaag, met deels terugwerkende kracht, van alles en nog wat hier neerzetten. Van grotere en kleinere belevenissen hier in Thailand en, wie weet ook elders...maar eens kijken hoe lang we dat vol gaan houden. Leuk lijkt het me wel ☺
Alleen jamer dt ik nog steeds niet doorheb hoe je hier foto’s geplaatst kan krijgen. Zie bij anderen dat dat wel lukt....maar goed, des te uitdagender is het dus om sommige dingen goed met woorden te schilderen!
Het heeft even geduurd, maar ga vanaf vandaag, met deels terugwerkende kracht, van alles en nog wat hier neerzetten. Van grotere en kleinere belevenissen hier in Thailand en, wie weet ook elders...maar eens kijken hoe lang we dat vol gaan houden. Leuk lijkt het me wel ☺
Alleen jamer dt ik nog steeds niet doorheb hoe je hier foto’s geplaatst kan krijgen. Zie bij anderen dat dat wel lukt....maar goed, des te uitdagender is het dus om sommige dingen goed met woorden te schilderen!
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