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Published: March 10th 2008
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Home in Chiang Mai
It's hardly roughing it in Asia.
If you are staying a couple of months an apartment is the best way to go. Living in Chiang Mai
(ramblings)
posted March 10, 2008:
Minimum daily wage in Thailand is 144 Baht ($5) per day, about 4,320 Baht ($150) per month. Some families only have one wage earner. (In India 40 per cent of the population earn about $1 a day. In Burma urban professionals earn about $1 per day. BKK Post Feb 27/08) Of course, meals and accommodations are priced proportionally.
If a foreigner can't live in Asia on what you have from home, you're doing something wrong.
Even though elephants have been outlawed from entering the cities they still do. Their mahouts, owners, target tourists for donations. The hard pavement is detrimental on the elephants feet and especially in Bangkok they often get struck and hurt by cars or motorbikes. From the Bangkok Post, Feb 22, 2008: Two monks at a forest reserve were attacked by wild elephants. One monk was killed the other was hospitalized.
Some of the tastes in Asia don't cater to westerners at first, for example, the ice cream flavours. Flavours include that with sweet corn kernels in it and another with red beans. Ycch! I especially dislike the durian and the 10%!t(MISSING)aro root variety.
Asian sidewalks, a pedestrian nightmare
This scene is commonplace not only in Chiang Mai but throughout Asia where the rich people with cars make the laws. Note motorbikes park crossways to totally obstruct paedestrian traffic. Durian is a fruit that rates a "forbidden" sign at hotels and airports. It has such a potent and unusual scent that it permeates everything and makes it offensive to some.
But there are more unusual taste experiences than that! Some restaurants specialize in insects. How does an omelet stuffed with ant eggs sound? Apparently they look like Rice Krispies. Or would you rather have two inch long Water Bugs. They come in black or brown varieties depending on your preference.
The movie houses are first class and feature new releases but censorship can be picky and include blotting out cigarettes, liquor bottles, nudity and syringes by pixellating the area in question. Before each movie you must stand for a short film respecting the king. Also, at 6pm daily, if you are around any broadcast, the national anthem is played and everyone stands at attention.
Today, March 5th, I saw Charlie Wilson's War.
In other areas the Thais are very tolerant as including three washrooms at some places. One for men, one for women and one for "katoeys" ie. transgenders. The grocery clerks back home have to say, "Hello". In Thailand they always "wai" (hands together in front
Sidewalk Occupied
Where else can you walk when cars, motorcycles and restaurants take up the sidewalk. of their face) the customer.
Since the beginning of the year there have been four Canadians shot in Chiang Mai area.
A Thai wife, her boyfriend and a gunman were the most recent people charged for killing the latest Canadian.
(Update: as of Dec 2010 the policeman has still not been brought to trial. Police are pretty much immune
to crimes committed but in this case the cop killed his wife, a Thai, which makes it more difficult to avoid.
see: http://www.andrew-drummond.com/2010/12/31/pai-canadian-murder-the-dilatory-truth/
Actually all the incidents all took place within a six week period this year.
A newspaper article illustrated how the police were exempt from prosecution.
Bangkok Post, Feb 27th, reported that 6 people in the last 3 days were killed by falling icicles in Moscow.
A Thai Border Patrol Police group has been arrested for armed robbery, extortion, holding hostages and other things.
The new Prime Minister, Samak, stated in a CNN interview that only one person was killed during the October 6, 1976 protests.
He was interior minister at the time and was well aware that the
officia l death toll to students was 46, even though it was actually over
Durians
Sold directly from the back of farmers trucks this unusual smelling fruit isn't cheap. Bit of Trivia: It's the only fruit the tiger eats. a hundred. The Bangkok Post reprinted a photo of a string of dead bodies from the time to refute his claim.
The routine here in Chiang Mai for myself consists of a daily visit to a hotel gym and swimming pool.
Three mornings a week I take Thai language lessons at a nearby school just in case my Alzeimers
kicks in and I have to figure out where/who I am one of these days.
I forgot how hard French was! This language is impossible!.
I always visit the dentist here to have a cleaning and check-up. This year I went to a hospital clinic for a medical check-up along with tests. All the old guys are doing this. The test results are give to you in a little booklet. Then the doctor talks to you for about half and hour. That's a little misleading because his eye, ear and nose exam was a brief glance along with a question, "How's your eyes? ....nose? and ears?" When he looked in my mouth he said, "Wow, you've got a lot of teeth" The dentists here are pretty good though.
The twice monthly Chiang Mai Expat Club
No Durians Allowed!
Durian is an acquired taste, and the strong odour is not
appreciated by everyone. Especially hotels and airlines. featured the mayor as a speaker the other day. She's young and enthusiastic. Unfortunately the club moderator consolidated the submitted questions into a foreigner living back home perspective that had little relevance in Asia. I submitted a question which was not choosen concerning urban planning. Why do they crowd the sidewalks by putting a street lamp, electric pole, tree, telephone booth and a direction sign all within a metre span? and why are motorbikes, cars, restaurant carts and tables allowed to use sidewalk space and make the pedestrians scamper along the gutter in the road to avoid cars like a city rat. This discourages walking anywhere. If there happens to be a spot to squeeze through then invariably someone or his motorbike or both are loitering there. If there is an empty portion of sidewalk then cars, motorcycles feel free to park there or the shops will use it for cooking or storage.
To continue: today Saturday March 15th is National Elephant Day. Elephants don't work today.
Here in Chiang Mai, it's starting to get a little hot. Today was 37°C (100°F) . The hot period is March, April and May, then it'll be the rainy season
Check Point
Police have occasionally have a blitz where they ticket motorcycle drivers not wearing helmuts. Not the worse thing that can happen by the police in Thailand. until October. No place is perfect but all in all it's a pretty easy life here.
Addendum:
March 16h: Fortieth anniversary of the My Lai massacre where over 500 mostly unarmed women, children and elderly were murdered. The soldier in charge was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment but ended up serving just 3 years of house arrest.
Wiki My Lai Bangkok Post March 18th: After a 27 year old Swedish girl was murdered on Phuket beach, the local authority issued whistles to sunbathers.
March 27, 2008: Today's Chiang Mai News reported that last Saturday morning around the corner from my guest house, an Australian long time Thai resident, 60 years old, shot and killed an America after both were drinking all night. The American came from Hawaii for cheaper dental care. The Aussie said that he didn't like Americans. "They talk down to people, and I have no regrets".
Also, same newspaper: a 50 year old Canadian woman just received 3 and a half years in jail for killing her long time American common law husband two years ago in Chiang Mai. She got 2 years for killing him and 1 and a half years for
Captain / Doctor Chiengmai
The speaker at the expat meeting was the new mayor of Chiang Mai. She's a captain in the army, obtained a PhD in California and her family name , Chiengmai, has a long history in the area. How could she fail? carrying a weapon.
Thailand is about to launch another "war on drugs". The last one, in 2003, saw over 2,300 people killed. Human rights groups were up in arms but like the present Prime Minister says, "Are you worried about the fate of drug traffickers?" Maybe this attitude should be adopted by some western countries.
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