No-Fi, iZombies, and other notes

Business at my bookshop in Bangkok was very good in December and has continued to be strong so far this month, which is a big relief after the extremely slow days during the flooding mayhem in October and November. The Lunar New Year (“Chinese New Year”) holiday hasn’t officially started — that’s later this month — but we’re already seeing lots of travelers from the Asia region, taking their long holidays in Thailand or passing through Bangkok. And many Western tourists are finally trickling back into Thailand too. Maybe this year’s high season won’t be so dismal after all.

Not all people walking into my bookshop come to buy books. Inevitably, we get some laptop-lugging geek asking if we have wi-fi, the answer to which is a resounding “NO!” But the fact that we are wi-fi-less doesn’t stop many of the laptop slackers, or those with some other trendy iDevice that will be obsolete in six months, from laying claim to a seat at our front counter and “hanging out” for several hours, blissfully unfazed by the fact that they are monopolizing one of the few seats in the shop. They seem to think that ordering one cup of coffee entitles them to such privileges. Oh, if I had a grenade. What is it with the new generation and the bizarre sense of entitlement that so many of them flaunt?

Speaking of clueless, I continue to be amazed by the legions of electro-zombies stumbling around town — on sidewalks, in malls, on public transport — transfixed by their shiny new iDevices, totally oblivious to what’s transpiring around them. They are blissfully mesmerized by that little screen, furiously texting, or poking away at the screen of their iWanker. I find this e-addiction both humorous and frightening; a “perfect storm” of social engineering that I think will have a negative effect on civilized society. Well hell, it already has had a negative effect, but I think it’s only going get worse. But hey, as long as these folks have the latest shiny gadget in hand, they won’t care that their freedoms are quickly eroding, or that around-the-clock Big Brother surveillance is nearly here. You want “social networking,” well you got it, baby! It only confirms a long-held belief: most people are sheep.

I made my weekly trip to the Sizzler restaurant on Thonglor for dinner last Thursday night. After I had finished eating, one of the waiters told me that they would be closing down next week. That’s closing as in “for good”. Well, that threw me for a loop. I’ve been going to that particular branch of Sizzler on nearly a weekly basis for most of the past decade. For me, the big draw is their well-stocked soup and salad bar. It’s a chance for me to get a good balanced meal instead of just eating noodles or rice for dinner, or getting lazy and ordering a pizza. Anyway, it looks like I’ll now to find another substitute for my Thursday night meal. I suppose I could go to the Sizzler in Central World Plaza instead, but that’s a little out of my way.

Speaking of Central World, I did go there earlier this week and walked around the B2S branch, browsing the CD selection. I managed to not buy a single CD, remarkable restraint for me. But then again, they weren’t having a sale and I didn’t find anything on my wish list in stock. The B2S shop aside, Central World remains a baffling maze of shops, department stores, escalators, and obstacles — they even have a small ice skating rink. There is no logical pattern to the layout, a bit like Bangkok itself! After all these years, I still manage to get lost or turned around when I visit this retail monstrosity. But one thing I did notice at Central World — as well at other malls and restaurants I have visited this month — is that they STILL have those gaudy Christmas decorations on display. I’m tempted to borrow a wrecking ball from one of the nearby construction sites and initiate a bit of creative demolition. I’ll deck their fucking halls!

When leaving Central World, I debated on how to get home. I could walk back to the BTS Skytrain station at Chidlom, take the Skytrain to Ekkamai, and then get a motorcycle taxi the rest of the way home. Or I could walk across the street to the Pratunam Pier and take a water taxi on Klong Saen Saeb, the big canal that intersects the city. I opted for the boat and took it to the Thonglor Pier, whereupon I walked the rest of the way home. Easy. I hadn’t taken the water taxi in several months, and using this mode of transportation reminded me of how much I enjoy it. I used to be a regular boat commuter in the mid to late 1990s, those traffic-jammed days before the Skytrain or Subway systems were in operation and Bangkok commuters had more limited options. Despite the fact that the black klong water is horribly polluted, smells bad, and boat’s engines are loud as hell, I find the ride on the water is very relaxing. I don’t have to worry about being sideswiped by a passing motorcycle or breathing toxic bus fumes. And naturally there are no traffic jams — or even boat jams — on the klong!

One of the supremely cool customers at my shop — one that doesn’t sit at the counter and play with his laptop — is an American named David, just back from his first trip to Myanmar. Even though he’s from Philadelphia, and a Phillies fan, David’s a good guy, and I was happy to give him lots of pre-trip advice about traveling around the country. He reports that he enjoyed Myanmar very much and is already planning a return trip for later in the year. He made the usual circuit — Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay, and Nyaunghswe/Inle Lake — as well as heading west to the beach town of Ngwe Saung. He found a huge bungalow right on the beach for only $15 per night. Yes, bargains can be found over there, even during the high season.

Escape from Bangkok

I fled the scene. Abandoned ship. Got the hell out of Dodge. Whatever you want to call it, I’m out of Bangkok and on higher, dryer ground.

Yes, I’ve joined the thousands (Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands?) of other Bangkok residents who have left town as the danger of floodwater descending on the central part of the city (where I live and work) becomes more and more real. People are frightened.

Thus far, both my home (right on the banks of the Klong San Saeb canal) and my bookshop have been spared from the floods. But that could change in the days ahead. Right now things are very dry and operating as normal in our part of town. Except for the fact that we aren’t seeing the normal daily traffic jams and locals have panicked by going on buying sprees: there are no bottles of water on store shelves, and other food staples have also vanished. People are freaking out. And the floodwaters keep creeping closer to the inner city.

I was scheduled to go to fly to Yangon, Myanmar on November 3, but I reasoned that if I waited another week I might not get out, so I changed my departure date. The past 48 hours has been a whirlwind of craziness: changing reservations, obtaining visas, juggling work schedules, making sure books on lower shelves at my shop are safe from harm, and hoping that everything would all fall into place and I could get out of town this weekend. Thankfully, I did. It’s Friday night and I’m safely in Yangon. Sweet relief!

I should feel happy and ecstatic to be here, but I have to admit that I’m feeling very conflicted. I really do feel like the captain that abandoned his ship. I’m now in Myanmar, happy and free from the floods, but my friends and employees back in Bangkok must stay and deal with the dangerous rising waters. I almost wish that I had stayed and seen through this ordeal. But then again, I’m not real keen on misery. All I can do now is hope that the inner city doesn’t experience the same watery ordeal that the suburbs of the city have been dealing with recently.

I’ll be on the road for the next 3 weeks or longer, at least until my money runs out. Hopefully, by the time I’m ready to return Bangkok will have returned to normal. I look forward to the stinky arrival of the sidewalk squid vendors once again.

I took the airport link to the airport in Bangkok, not wanting to take a chance on a traffic-choked highway. It was a quick trip and I found myself with plenty of time to kill before I needed to check-in. So, I exchanged money (the young woman at the SCB counter was extremely helpful in finding me clean banknotes to take) and then had some Gaeng Kiew Wan Gai and an iced coffee at a Black Canyon branch.

Meanwhile, here in Yangon (where there is also a Black Canyon branch!), the streets are dry but the air seems more polluted, no doubt due to the ever increasing amount of vehicles in town; lots of cars, taxis and buses, but oddly still no motorcycles. You read that right: no motorcycles allowed on the roads in this city. People are still spitting red streams of betel nut on the ground, vendors are shouting out prices, and laughing children play games of badminton under dim streetlights. This place is magical.

I stayed at my usual hotel, and the desk clerk excitedly told me about a new video he had been watching. No, not some porn flick or a lame Hollywood blockbuster, but “An Inconvenient Truth,” dubbed in Burmese. “He is a great man,” raved my desk clerk buddy of Al Gore. “Yeah,” I replied, “and he should have been president too!” I met my friend Win Thuya for breakfast this morning at Feel Restaurant. I had my usual bowl of Shwe Taun Kauk Swe and a cup of hot tea. Chatted with the usual crew of smiling waiters and all seemed right with the world. And then I remembered the precarious state of things back in Bangkok and I temporarily lost my own smile. I hope to have a wonderful, memorable trip over here again, but I can’t stop thinking about Bangkok.

 

Waiting for the Flood

Near the tail end or rainy season, flooding becomes a problem every year about this time here in Thailand, but this year it’s worse than normal. Many upcountry provinces have been suffering the effects of flooding for the past two months and no relief is in sight. It’s mind-numbing to look at the photos in the newspaper and online: entire communities are underwater or now look like floating villages as people resort to using boats — and even mattresses —- to go places. It’s bad out there.

 

Just an hours’ drive from Bangkok at the ancient capital of Ayutthaya, which includes a World Heritage site with glorious old temples, the area has been devastated, most of the famed ruins now threatened by rising water. Why is the flooding so severe this year? Weather is a factor, of course, but you can also lay much of the blame on modern man and his lust for “progress.” Despite the obvious environmental consequences, rich tycoons and property developers continue to pave over water absorbing swathes of land and erect concrete monstrosities in their place. It just ain’t natural, and we are now paying the price for such greed.  

 

Meanwhile the rivers keep rising and the rain keeps falling, all of which spells trouble for many communities located near bodies of water. Thus far, most of the Bangkok metropolitan area has been spared the brunt of the floods, but that may change in the next week or so when the flow of water released from upcountry dams arrives, coupled with high tides and continuing rainfall. The situation looks grim.  

 

But it could very well be worse here in the city. Going back 10 or 15 years ago, weather like we’ve been having would have meant constantly flooded streets and sois in Bangkok. You’d be looking at ankle-deep — or nearly knee-deep — channels of water to wade through after each deluge. But the Bangkok municipal departments responsible for drainage have done a tremendous job of improving the flow of water throughout the city in recent years. One crew has been dredging the klong behind my apartment for the past week. Flooding like we saw a decade ago is now a rarity. But this month we are facing the biggest flooding threat in decades.

 

I joke with people about needing to go out and buy a canoe and paddle or two to prepare for the floods, but frankly the situation is very worrying. No one knows for sure what is going to happen. All we can do is hope that the rains will cease and the drainage crews and engineers can continue work their magic. Stay dry.

 

Transport Tango

On Thursday morning I woke up to the sound of rain in Siem Reap, Cambodia. After showering and packing my bags one last time, I waded through mud puddles and took a motorcycle taxi to the Hawaii Restaurant on Wat Bo Road to meet the Try Brothers for breakfast. After a leisurely meal, a few games of pool (I lost every time!), doling out money (mainly their school and travel expenses for the next six months), and gulping down several glasses of iced coffee, it was time for me to leave for the airport. It was starting to rain again, so I opted for a tuk-tuk to take me. From Siem Reap to Bangkok I obviously took the plane, Bangkok Air of course, since they still — even after all these years — hold the monopoly on that route. Yep, if you want to fly from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, you have your choice of three airlines, but to get to Siem Reap, Bangkok Air remains the sole aviation option. Does anyone else think that smells a bit peculiar?

Once the plane landed in Bangkok, I grabbed my bag and pondered how to get home: the Airport rail link or a taxi? After experimenting with this slightly confusing new rail system (you have your choice of “express” line or “city” line; the express is quicker in theory, but it doesn’t depart as often as the city line, so it can end up taking you longer), I found out that if I exited at the Ramkamhaeng station, I could walk home in about 15 minutes. But alas, it was raining again, so I opted for a taxi. Luckily, afternoon traffic was light and I arrived home in about 30 minutes. Back at my apartment, I unpacked and then debated on going back to the hospital for further treatment on my ailing leg or to take advantage of the CD sale at Central’s B2S shop. I was now able to stand for longer periods of time without excruciating pain radiating down my left leg (it had gotten so bad the week before that I made two visits to the hospital), so I decided “to hell with the doctor,” and headed for Central. I took a motorcycle taxi to the BTS Ekkamai station and then boarded the packed Skytrain to the Chitlom station. I had originally thought of going to the B2S at Central Chitlom, where I had bought some stuff the previous week, but instead I made a left and walked to the neighboring B2S at Central World, a store whose sale stock I had yet to peruse. Happily, I found some good stuff there on sale for 25% off. I reluctantly whittled my choices down to seven CDs, paid for them, and then hobbled outside and snaked my way through the congested lanes of traffic and across the street to the Pratunam boat pier. From there I took a water taxi to the Thonglor pier, and then walked the rest of the way home, stopping at Foodland to stock up on beer and carrots, the diet of champions. Once I got home, the rain was starting to fall once again. I realized that the only forms of transport I had not taken were the subway, a city bus, and a horse cart. Have to plan my routes better next time.

On the subject of Bangkok’s BTS rail system, commonly known as the Skytrain, I recently vowed to stop taking it during morning and afternoon rush hours, and pretty soon I may stop using it altogether. To put it bluntly; it’s just too damn packed for comfort. During those peak “rush” hours, commuters must often wait for two, three, or even four trains to arrive until there is room enough to board. Adding to the misery, the trains seem to be taking longer to arrive. Lately, even at non-peak times, the Skytrain is full to overflowing. It’s become beyond ridiculous. What is causing this overcrowding? One theory: since they extended the Skytrain’s routes across the river, and more recently east to Soi Baring, there appears to be a shortage of trains, and the ones that are in use are arriving at longer intervals. You would think that someone would have thought to order more trains to accommodate the extra influx of passengers on the new routes, but obviously that didn’t happen. Whatever the case, it’s become very annoying having to wait and wait and then hope there will be room enough to push and jostle your way into the carriage. About a month ago, I just said “Fuck it” and started taking motorcycle taxis all the way from home to work, or to other places. It’s much faster, not much more expensive, and less stressful, although the downside is that you smell like the underside of a bus when you arrive at your destination.