After the Lesson

Well, what can I say?

My chosen Thai Language School, and teacher Kruu Da, did their utmost to make me feel welcomed for my first visit. The atmosphere is relaxed and more of a social club than education institution. For this I am grateful. I haven't attended a school for some time. I was a bit anxious and wanted to make a good impression.

Going through the lesson, I found some parts easy, while some extremely difficult. The tones (there are 5 in the Thai language) where the most difficult to grasp. I couldn't tell the difference between them, and became frustrated during the practice. Kruu Da said I did well, but I'm not too sure if she was just being polite or if this was the case.

I was given some homework. Shock. Nothing too demanding, but felt that with my limited knowledge, this could be more of a backward step. You know, learn the wrong pronunciation or the like. Once learned the wrong way, how hard would it be to correct?

Going back again today for my second lesson. I presume a bit of revision, then "greetings". A bit of Thai script (writing) and I think I'll be a burnt out unit.

Let's Learn Thai

I haven't blogged for some time now. Bad, bad Darryl. Lots of excuses, but I will try to make up for lost time. Today, I am starting a new learning experience. I'm off to commence my education into the Thai language.

Last time I was in Bangkok, I did a bit of searching on Google and discovered a Thai language school very close to my apartment. Just a short walk actually. Map in hand, I went along to check things out. The owner, Mark Shee and I spoke at length about my goals etc. Before leaving his office, I booked some lessons, and now the day has come for these to start.

Over the coming days and weeks, I will blog my thoughts, experiences and progress as an ongoing account. Let me know what you think.

Panthip Plaza - IT Paradise or Rip Off?

A couple of days ago (seems longer), I wrote about a quick sortie my daughter and I made to Fortune Tower to buy a couple of IT items. This has not my usual destination for such purchases, but during the recent troubles in Bangkok, Panthip Plaza had been closed for business, and I didn't know when it was to re-open.

Yesterday, it opened it's doors once more, and I was off to spend several hours walking around (and round, and round) to check the latest "toys" on offer.

I prefer to catch the BTS Skytrain to Ratchathewi Station, then walk down Thanon Phetchaburi. A distance of approximately 750 meters. One of the first things I noticed as I approached the building, was the lack of people milling around the entrance. At first, I thought it may not be open, but as I stepped through the doors, the familiar vista of shops and signage welcomed me. It was a nice change to the normal hustle and bustle of my many previous visits. Most of the shops were open, and only some of the small outlets in the main foyer had been cleared out for reasons unknown.

Although I love to just wonder around and "window shop", I did have a short shopping list for the day. A hard disk drive for a Media Player I wanted to upgrade, an Apple Airport Extreme, and any other nick knacks that took my fancy.

I found the required drive relatively quickly. I wanted the largest IDE drive I could find. Being a bit obsolete, the largest I could find was 500gb. That should do very nicely. By my calculations, saved about $20 than if I bought it back in OZ.

The Airport Extreme. Now that was harder to find. I was only able to locate 2 shops that served up genuine Apple products. One didn't have the item, the other had it, but there was little to no saving by getting it here. So I didn't! I will continue to search through eBay for a second hand one when I get back to Melbourne.

Now for the nick knacks. A new cover and screen protector for my iPhone. A suction device for holding my iPod to the windscreen of my car. And that's about it. Savings on these? They were about half the price of back home.

Several hours later, perhaps kilometers of walking, I decided to call it a successful day. It was probably one of my best experiences at Panthip Plaza, mainly due to the reduce number of shoppers. With that, I returned home to play with my new "toys" and upgrade the Media Player. That job in itself was a marathon, but that's another story.

So what of the question I posed in the title of this blog? Well, Panthip Plaza it a little of both. If you know what your are looking for, and the prices you would expect be paying back home, you can find yourself a bargain or two. Just beware of counterfeits, and keep your hand on your wallet to ward off pickpockets.

Some Photos from The Big Cleanup.

Here are a couple of photos from our new friend Evelien Philips.

Social Networking, The New Way of Following News.

Over the past week or so, I have stumbled upon the realization that Social Networking may be the only way for people like myself to keep abreast of quickly changing emergencies or events. The future of this remains unclear for me at this time, but read on for my reasoning.

Last Wednesday, the day the Army attacked the Red Shirt stronghold in Bangkok, my need to follow the progress of unfolding happenings, became paramount. The local TV reports were all in Thai, CNN and other cable news were left far behind the live action, and, well, I felt totally isolated. My children looked to their father for answers and affirmation of their safety. sadly, I was not able to give it.

For reasons I cannot remember, I tuned to the internet. Through Google searches, I surmised, there may be a way to keep informed. It took a only few tries, and in no time I had made my way to a Google Map showing the dangerous areas of Bangkok. (http://bit.ly/a8p1XG) A foreign resident of Thailand, Richard Barrow, had been keeping an updated account of events and locations and his map that was there for all to see. From his link on that map, I was prompted to Twitter.

For some time now I had a Twitter account, but found it didn't provide much for me. I much prefer Facebook as a way of communication with friends and family. Anyway, I cranked up Twitter, added several links I thought may be of help, and watched to tweets stream down my computer screen.

You must remember that most, if not all, of the tweets are from people just like you or I. Some of the tweets are unconfirmed pieces of hearsay and you must be wary of these. Surprisingly, it doesn't take long to isolate the chaff from the hay. You learn what are the reliable sources, then adjust who you follow or don't.

Perusing the tweet stream, I was able to gather the information I needed to make informed decisions about what to do, as the crisis increased in it's intensity. Not only did I watch, I became a part of this flow. I tweeted and re-tweeted any observations from around my area.

As time went by, I quickly learned how to better harness this flow. I downloaded and installed various programs to my PC and iPhone. I linked my Twitter and Facebook accounts to allow my family and friends back home to be part of this. My monitoring continued throughout the coming days, until the tide ebbed back to other more pleasant events.

Now the emergency has waned, I have had time to reflect over this and write these words. Did this new flicker of information sources help? Oh yes definitely. Will it continue or even grow into something more that the work of ordianry citizens? I strongly believe so.

A Rewarding Experience

While scouring Twitter last night, I stumbled across the call for people to assist in "The Big Clean Up". An organised event, for the cleaning of Lumpini Park and the surrounding areas. The government had delcared the area safe, so my daughter and I decided to go, and put our shoulders to the grind stone.

As the BTS and MRT (public train systems) were running once more, we made use of these, and arrived at Lumpini Park about 1030am.

A large group of people had already started scrubbing, sweeping and collecting refuse, so Mika and I jumped right in and took our place among them.

Most of the people in attendance were Thai, but along with us, there were a few foreigners. The "locals" were so happy to see us, always stopping to say thank you. So genuine, with that famous Thai smile. Work stop and started as numerous requests for photos and questions of where we were from and why we wanted to help. Local TV camera crews and journalist were fascinated by our presence. A Dutch lady spoke with us for some time and ask if it would be OK to take a few photos of us for a Dutch magazine she was writing for. No problems. She promised to email them to us.

Is was so hot. I mean supper hot, like a sauna! The perspiration soaked our shirts and dropped from our foreheads like rain. To stave off dehydration, water needed to be consumed at a rate I didn't think was possible. We had to find some shade.

Free food and drinks were handed out to all workers. We found our shade, sat and ate and drunk. A well earned rest before getting back to it.

Next job on the agenda, road scrubbing. Armed with brushes, off we went and joined in. Bit of fun splashing around and literally rubbing shoulders with the other workers. (see photo)

During our scrubbing of the road, a foreign reporter ask us for an interview. Both Mika and I had our turns to answer all sorts questions. We never did find out where the video of this would end up, but still an adventure for us.

Eventually, the heat just became too much for us. Not use to it I suppose. Passing our scrubbing brushes to the next willing helpers, we left.

I cannot express the feelings I had while helping get Bangkok back to the way we remember. The friendliness shown to Mika and myself today is something I will not forget for a long time.

On our trip back home on the BTS, we passed through several areas of devastation. The ZEN department store, Central World and the Siam Cinema. All burned to various degrees, but this vision was a scar on what was such a wonderful day.

Photo from @BKKShannon on twitter.

What the Shrek just happened?

As you may have guessed from the title, I saw the latest Shrek movie yesterday.

The caption in the movie's poster says it all about the unfolding events over the past few days.

Along with my daughter, Mika, and some of her friends went to the Ekkamai Sukhumvit Major cinema. I told you things were returning to normal up here. This is the latest installment in the franchise, and it managed to take our mind off the situation in Bangkok for an hour and a half and entertained us all.

After the movie, a few video games and a late lunch at Shabu Shi. For the uninitiated, this restaurant uses a conveyor belt system that winds it's way through the restaurant, past your seat, to constantly deliver small portions of food. These consist of various types of meat and seafood, noodles, vegetables, all sorts. As they go by, you grab a plate of what ever takes your fancy, and slide it into your boiling pot of stock. In no time you can whip up a Shabu Shabu master piece. You have an just over 1 hour to consume as much of this as you can. I warn you, you will leave with a full stomach.

My old haunt, Pantip Plaza, has been closed for months due to the unrest. I loved to wander around this IT mecca for hours. Keiko, my wife, had asked me to purchase a few computer related items, so instead of Pantip, Mika and I zoomed off in a taxi to Fortune Tower. And I mean ZOOMED.

The taxi driver had a lead foot, and took us all over town in an effort to by-pass traffic jams. In these travels, we happened to pass through several areas that had been damaged during the past few days. The Channel 3 building, a bank near CareFour on Rama 4 Rd, the Thai Stock Exchange building to name just a few. The damage was a sight to bring some of the reality to me. As we passed through the Klong Toey area, a Redshirt stronghold, a feeling of something I cannot describe overwhelmed me. Most of the damage and debris had been cleaned, but the scars remained. The streets will be marked for some time to come.

Fortune Tower is another IT shopping plaza, be it much smaller. We quickly purchaced what we had to, then left. No browsing today. We had a special person waiting for us back at the apartment.

Keiko returned from Japan in the afternoon. She had been away for a week. She was not one of the people who decdied to leave Bangkok for a while, she had some family matters to deal with. Good timing for her.

It is great having her back. Sadly, we only had her home for a short while, and she was off. She felt the erge to go and check what was and what had happend at our restaurant. Because of the curfew imposed on the city, we changed the hours of opening. She did return home early and we were able to catch up on her travels.

By the way, our restaurant is called Gen Pu Kan. An Asian Style BBQ. If you are familiar with the Korean BBQ, Gen Pu Kan is similar but modified to make it a blend of Japanese, Korean and Thai.

Here is a link to our web site. http://www.genpukanbkk.com/

Don't be put off by all the Japanese writing, there is a bit of English as well, and the menu has plenty of photos.

So as the caption says, What the Shrek just happened? Did what happened here over the past few days (well for my part anyway), really happen? As the hours go by, all traces are being swept away but the numerous cleaning crews that work throughout the night. Having lived and visited Bangkok for many years, will those memories of a safe, happy city erase the sad events I have witnessed?

A Return to Normality?

I have just finished going through the tweets from over night. No where as busy as the night before. Except for 1 or 2 fires, it appeared all was quiet on the "Bangkok Front". After the relative calm of yesterday, and what I have seen this morning, is the situation in Bangkok returning to "normal"? Let us hope so.

I suppose the biggest event yesterday was the clearing of the Pathum Wanaram. 6 bodies of protesters were found. There are claims of them being shot while entering the so called "Sanctuary". This has been a hot item. Both sides claim they have proof, each justifying their stance. Only time will tell. An official investigation will be conducted.

The Army has been quickly working to make the area safe. Quite a lot of arms and unexploded ordinance was discovered hidden behind the protester's barricades. Several of these were detonated in place. This cause some anxious movements as people thought it had all started again.

At some time last night, CNN made a video report about the King of Thailand. I didn't get to see it as it was pulled here in Thailand very quickly. From things I have read, it must have been extremely unflattering for the King.

A couple of tweets about it....
@RichardBarrow Has everyone seen the CNN America clip where they talk about the King. It is so lese majeste. They have no idea.
@RichardBarrow Youtube: This video [CNN story about Thai King] is not available in your country due to terms-of-use violation
@RichardBarrow The CNN video on the Thai King has now been banned in Thailand.

I should think that CNN will have a few questions to answer from the Thai Government about it.

Some friends of mine are leaving Bangkok today. 1 off to Japan and the other to Pattaya. They have fears and concerns for their safety. I wish them a safe journey. A little late perhaps, but they must do what they think it right.

Another friend returned to his apartment in the Red Zone. He was over the moon that it was unscathed. He intention was to stay there last night. A couple of SMS messages last night reassured me he was OK. Glad to be home, in fact.

Up to now, I have not been overly worried or frightened for the safety of my family. The most anxious time for us was as things got out of hand on Wednesday. Keeping a cool head and not panicking was paramount.

Being able to catch information via the internet was vital. The local news, cable networks etc were unable to provide timely updates. I praise and thank those who moved about the city providing these updates.

Lets take some time to think of those less fortunate than ourselves.

Photo: The Nation front page, May 21

Bangkok - A City Under Curfew

The Thai Government declared a curfew from 8pm til 6am yesterday. 8 o'clock came, and it only took a short time for one of the busiest cities in Asia to change into a deserted ghost town. An eerie silence, one I have never heard in Bangkok before, took the city into the night.

I stayed awake until about 11pm. Monitoring Twitter mainly, but also taking in a DVD. The television had nothing, and I mean nothing to take my mind of what was going on. The tweets slowly dried up. I suppose the tweeters took a well earned rest. Some of them had been going since 5am. The more adventurous of them had been out and about at ground zero when the Army's offensive commenced. A brave bunch to be sure!

I must say, that for a while during the afternoon, I became anxious. I had 2 of my children with me and several of their friends. My eldest son was in his apartment alone. A few phone calls and text messages told me he was safe. The power in our apartment, and apparently the whole neighborhood, dropped off approx 4pm for about an hour. The sound of gunfire and pungent smoke came ever closer. It was an experience I will not forget in a while.

A friend of my daughter's mother invited us to stay with them. The apartment was further down Sukhumvit Rd, away from the troubles at Asoke. The gesture was unexpected but extremely welcomed. I have only meet these people the day before, and here they are, opening up their home to almost complete strangers. What people do during difficult times! After discussion with my son, I decided to send Mika with them. My son and I would stay on at home.

We went for a short walk just up and down our soi trying to purchase some supplies. All the shops were closed. Not to worry, we have enough food and water for a few days.

So darkness fell, the curfew came, and we went to bed feeling safe, well almost.

This morning, just like another day. The sun rose. The sounds of traffic slowly building. It's going to be another hot day. Twitter is tweeting, though very slow. Just some recaps from yesterday. Let's see what today will bring us. Hopefully, one with less bloodshed and fear.

Photo credit

Posted on May 20, 2010

by yoware

Another Tense Day in Bangkok

I awoke this morning later than I would have wish. I suppose I must have been tired. I was laying in bed last night monitoring Twitter and feel asleep, well, I don't know what time.

Checking my Twitter account first thing, I saw that the Thai Army offensive had begun. From my calculation, that happened approximately 0600. Since then, I have been glued to my PC and the TV is running hot.

Apart from the disturbing news of this, things go on normally around my place. Two of my children are home, and they have friends visiting. They have been swimming in our pool, and life appears safe.

It is a strange feeling, knowing what is happening in an area only a short distance from home. Helicopters constantly flying overhead and the occasional sound of gunfire, remind us of reality. I am saddened by what the local Thai people are enduring. I can only hope that this will end with minimal causalities.

Bangkok Unrest Time-Line

I have moved my time-line to a web published Google Doc.
Use this link to view. http://docs.google.com/View?id=dhrsnggz_4fshbktgd
Hopefully keep it updated.

War Zone Bangkok

I started this blog with no thoughts on where or how it would progress. This morning, sitting here in Bangkok, with a possible civil war about to erupt, I decided it might be a good place to express how the situation my family and I living through is effecting us.

Yesterday afternoon while watching the TV (CNN etc), it became apparent that the news updates being televised was hours old. Some even showing video clips from days ago. As the deadline for the protesters to disperse approached, things started happening.

My son returned home excitedly describing what he had seen in the area around our apartment. Soldiers massing along a major road, but some distance from the "hot zone". Army SWAT trucks grouping just outside our building. His news what somewhat disturbing to say the least.

I search the internet using Google to try and discover what was happening. Everything I found was hours and even days old. I finally stumbled onto a tweet from Richard Barrow. Cranking up twitter, I went through his posts and discovered a whole network of people who have been posting updates on the growing turmoil.

All afternoon and into the night I maintained a watch on these tweets trying to keep abreast of the situation. My Twitter "following" group expanded as the time flew by.

Some of my friends back in Australia had been showing concerns of the "going ons" up here, so I started to retweet and post some of my own. I started to feel I was contributing, be it in a small way, to the whole process of keeping people informed.

Anyway, so now it's morning and all appears quiet and calm. I hope it remains this way. I would like to thank all the dedicated people that helped us through the night. If you are interested in these tweets, you can follow me on http://twitter.com/Darryl_Benson.

Hello World

Hello everyone,
I don't really know why I started this blog. It could be because my daughter and some of her friends just started their own and I thought it would be a good way of keeping in touch with her and other family members.
A friend of my wife also run a very successful blog of her own and have often thought it might be an interesting way of passing along my experiences in life.
My family has been separated by distance for a while now, and because of this, I travel between Australia and Thailand many times a year. I think I will post some of my activities and thoughts about these trips as well.
If you ever have any questions about my ramblings, just drop me a comment, and I will endeavor to answer these.