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Published: October 16th 2007
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Venus
Venus after her first round win. So it’s been too long since the last blog update but there’s good reason.
I left the “comfort” on Cambodia about a week ago as I was called back by the Bangkok bureau to cover an event that they couldn’t get to.
Cambodia -- after my initial enjoyment of the country - turned south in a hurry. The novelty of living in the third-world quickly becomes a reality. Walking to work and experiencing desperate poverty is not something that starts anyone’s day off right.
And the country’s mores became very annoying. I would be sent out on a story and not be able to find the address because in Phnom Penh they don’t have any sort of uniform address arrangement. It seems that you basically just pick your number.
I would try to call government officials to get comment for a story and their phones would be dead. No one in the country has been media trained. Therefore, even if you get a hold of them, they don’t always call you back. And they don’t have any secretaries or PR people.
It was just annoying.
So I relocated to Bangkok to cover the PTT Bangkok
Venus
Venus after her first round win. Open, a women’s tennis tournament which had Venus Williams coming to town.
Pretty great event to move back to Thailand to cover.
Venus, actually, is a really nice person. In all the press conferences she talked more about her personal life than about tennis. She talked of going to the markets in Thailand, the fact that she can’t rationalize buying a new car because it just loses value and her new dog.
She talked about being “what we call in America, a ‘saver’”, the Thai words that she was learning, what it’s like to be on the road all the time and what she was getting Serena for Christmas.
She wouldn’t tell because that would give it away.
It was really interesting to see that, when it all comes down to it, athletes are just regular people. I think a lot of times that is forgotten.
So, my adventures continued.
After the tournament I got some much needed time off and planned a pretty good day of relaxation. Working for a news wire is incredibly hectic. I was on the go for a week straight. Usually from 9 am to 11 pm.
The Room
The "couch" and TV area. Satellite cable. Yum. My day off consisted of going to the Vietnam Embassy and being sent home without a visa (not relaxing), roaming the streets of Bangkok drinking fresh fruit smoothies (relaxing), getting an hour-long Thai massage for $6 (relaxing) and drinking Heinekens at a custom tailor while getting fitted for a new dress shirt for basically nothing (relaxing).
So, that was a pretty good day off.
Things are starting to take shape in Thailand for the rest of this experience. I have some trips coming up that I am looking forward to.
In October, my good friend Nick is coming and we’ll be heading to Phuket, thought to be one of the 10 best beach locations in the world. There will most likely be snorkeling, elephant riding and, rumor has it you can rent a yacht for the day for very cheap. We’ll see about that.
I am also headed to Hanoi for a quick weekend visit late in the month to renew my visa and see a socialist country. Should be interesting.
In November, figuring that I would need another one, I am taking a beach vacation to Koi Samui, which is another “gotta see” that
The Room
Doorway and kitchen I hear of.
I will also be going to Macau and Hong Kong to get another 30-day visa for Thailand so that I won’t be arrested on my way back to the States.
Upcoming story assignments look extremely bizarre and I can’t wait to share the experiences with all of you. They are as follows.
I will be going to the Miss Queen International Beauty Pageant in Pattaya, Thailand (which, I hear is incredibly seedy). Which makes sense because this is a TRANSVESTITE beauty competition. Yes, I know you read that over again. It’s true.
I will also be writing a feature story on the weird phenomenon in Thailand that vengeful lovers take part in. Apparently, it’s common place for spited women to hack off their lover’s penis and throw it out the window, in a dumpster or flush it down the toilet.
If that wasn’t strange enough, the hospital near me has become world renowned for sex change operations and, you guessed it, penis reattachment surgeries. They are very proud of that.
Anyways, looks like there are some good times on the docket. Let me know how all of you are doing.
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