Peace!

So this coup d'etat turned out to be rather boring. Not a whole lot of excitement. For the sake of the Thai people and country, I'm glad it was accomplished without bloodshed. But as an adventure-craving goofball, I do feel somewhat (albeit conflicted) disappointed.

Congrats to BC and JC on the new addition to their family.

Word.

COUP D'ETAT

Surreal. Even though I know that 5-6km away armored vehicles and troops festooned with weaponery surround government buildings, it doesn't seem any different where I am in Bangkok. Another new experience for me. Not quite what I

Seems to be an unofficial holiday today. Very few people on the road, whether on wheels or on foot, much less than usual. In general, the Thai's I've encountered seemed to be subdued.

It's very quiet.

Too quiet.

1 Month

Hard to believe it's already been a month, but also hard to believe it's only been a month.

Waiting on some paperwork to clear up so I can venture forth. In the mean time, I'm trying to keep myself entertained with a bout of tummy trouble. While it sucks, there's no way I'm going to let a bit of intestinal discomfort get in the way of tasting culinary treats and delights.

Currently awaiting developments for the next part(s) of my journey.

Waiting sucks, but what can you do?

Read this.

Then read this.

Now THIS is a wheelie.
Big weekend for MotoGP in Australia. American Nicky Hayden, currently the World Championship points leader, wins pole today. Watching all these Thai's ride around on their 125cc motor-scooters in Bangkok...they've gotta watch MotoGP. Rossi 3rd...it's going to be a good race tomorrow.

Pondering the rain in Bangkok

A big congratulations (and about freakin' time!) to my friends "ES" and "AS" on their engagement. They are very good friends, and great people...I wish them the best in their future together.

It's raining in Bangkok. Feels good, and doesn't make the city feel dreary at all. In fact, the rain seems to shine everything up a bit. Not a bad thing in my estimation.

I went to the Bangkok Fight Club last night. First rule is...I'm not allowed to talk about it. Second rule is...just follow the link already.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experiences at The Inn Crowd hostel in Singapore. Clean, good location (meaning easy access to mass transit and food), and a great staff. One of the best parts about traveling is meeting people from other places, and talking with them about their lives and experiences. Singaporeans (duh), Japanese, Chinese, Brits, Yanks, Aussies, Irish, Germans, Austrians, Australians, Norweigians, and other assorted fellow travelers sharing their tales, ice cream, snacks, and drinks. If any of y'all ever plan on traveling to Singapore, I'd suggest staying there. Much easier to meet people than the sterile environments you tend to find at hotels and other more, um..."upper-end" establishments.

Go #46 Il dottore! Go! ! ! ! ! ! !

Need to go find some books to read. Anybody have any recommendations?

Back from Singapore

My mistaken impression of Singapore was that of a modern and vibrant city, but perhaps a bit sterile...oh how wrong I was.

Singapore is indeed modern and vibrant, but it is such a melting pot of cultures and people, it's far from sterile. Highly recommended...for such a small place, it has a vast array of options in dining, cultural experiences, accomodations, and entertainment. And shoppping, it was astonishing how many malls and markets they managed to fit onto the island. But before I sound like a marketing brochure...

The "English" most Singaporeans' speak is horrendous. Total inconsistent pronunciations and annunciations. I simply could not understand it most of the time, especially when there were no context clues. Baffling...and I had thought due to its English-influenced (as in the UK) history, the Singaporeans' "Singlish" (as they call it) would be more inline with the "Queen's English." Oh how wrong I was...again. You'd think I'd know better by now.

For pure entertainment value...here's a conversation I had while dining at a hawker food court:

man: "You wanta finished not eating." (note the absence of a question mark)
me: "Huh?" (as I was standing up to get more chili sauce from a stall 10ft away)
me: "I'm not done eating yet. Please do not clear my dishes away." (walking away)
man: "You donna." (starting clearing away my not even 25% completed dinner)
me: "Whoa partner! I'm just getting some chili sauce" (my Texan friends would be proud)
man: (continues loading my plates onto his tray without pause)

Thankfully at this point someone nearby translated for the gentleman what I said (I think), and he left my food alone. So despite English being the lingua franca of Singapore, I was usually better off pointing and grunting, or speaking Chinese. Good times.

Tropical jungle in the middle of Singapore - MacRitchie Reservoir. You can see skyscrapers in the background. Pretty dense foliage...you can almost imagine not being in the middle of 4 millions people in 270 square miles. Almost...


Pulau (or Pilau) Ubin, a small (3.9 sq mi) island on the NE end of Singapore. Just across the narrow straits is Malaysia. This pic was taken from a tiny, deserted beach on the north end of the island.

And 2 action pics from fights at the Lumpini Muay Thai Stadium in Bangkok, prior to going to Singapore. I miss training Muay Thai.


I had these two seafood "items" in Pattaya, also prior to going to Singapore...can someone identify them? I think the top one is called "slipper lobster", but I have no idea on the second one. Whatever they were...they were delicious.