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"The Rounds" Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Headlines George Pipas Has a Spinal Operation Soi 33 Bar Changes Hands -- and Name Move Complete -- If Not the Unpacking!
* * * * * * * * * * Just a reminder you can sign-up for free to receive the BangkokAtoZ.com Updates (plain text) e-mail to always know when I add something new to the site or modify it in some important way. A great way to be sure YOU don't miss something of interest, best of all is that this service is absolutely FREE! * * * * * * * * * * His Majesty recently had an operation on his back, and the entire nation (including resident foreigners) heaved a huge sigh of relief when the initial report that he had come through the surgery fine came out. Thousands thronged to the hospital to greet him upon his arrival, turning the neighborhood into a sea of yellow -- virtually everyone was wearing the yellow T-shirt commemorating the King's 60th anniversary on the throne. Since the operation, the King has made steady progress, and is now able to rest in bed, sit up, stand, and walk around some, though of course he's following his doctors' advice to take things at a measured pace. They didn't want him immobile, as that would slow his recovery, but they also didn't want him to push himself too hard. All hope that in the long run the King will be fully restored to vigorous health. [Wednesday, August 2, 2006] * * * * * * * * * *
Image courtesy Jim Watling When Ramon Matheaux, better known, simply, as "Gator" -- though he spelled it "Gater" -- died unexpectedly of a heart attack Thursday-before-last, everyone was caught entirely off-guard. For this day and age, he really wasn't that old -- 63, if memory serves. A number of us saw Gator around the Square (or more correctly, in his favorite haunt, the Texas Lone Staar) in the days immediately before he passed away, and there wasn't the slightest hint of anything amiss. If Gator himself had any intimations, he didn't let on to me or to anyone else with whom I've spoken. Gator's cremation wasn't until this past Saturday, nine days after his death. It turns out that in time-honored Thai tradition, he and his wife of decades never registered their marriage, so the Police Hospital, where Gator's remains were being held, couldn't legally release his body to Sunee until the U.S. Embassy helped her get permission from Gator's son in the U.S., his legal next of kin. (Gator was married before to an American lady, with whom he had the son.) As luck would have it, I was rather under the weather the day of Gator's funeral, but was glad to hear from a couple friends who did attend that there was a good-sized crowd there, with both the Thai and foreign communities well-represented. One friend who went said that while no funeral is ever nice, Gator's was handled quite well by the monks at the wat [temple]. Gator was a real character, a Bangkok fixture for decades. Though he worked only once in the nearly 12 years I knew him (and then for only a few weeks), he always managed to survive somehow. Extremely outgoing, he would regale one and all with various stories, regale particularly after he got a beer or two down to wash away the road dust! I'll be putting a memorial page for Gator here, but I want to try to get a better picture; the one above is the only one I seem to have, but I'm hoping someone else has one, either digital or print -- I can scan a print easily enough. Rest in peace, Gator. . . . [Wednesday, August 2, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * George Pipas Has a Spinal Operation "Generous" George Pipas is back in Florida, where he went in May to receive his regular series of three spinal injections meant to ease the pain he permanently feels after a nasty fall at the bar a few years ago (after a few vodkas too many!). I've spoken with him on the phone twice, the first time the night before his third and final injection, for now. He said he was hurting ten times worse than he had ever hurt in his entire life. I called awhile after that; he wasn't home, but Mary Ann, his wife was, and she said he was still in great pain, so the doctors had checked things out further and discovered a fractured vertebrae and planned to do a surgery. I called George this past Saturday, partly to ask about the results of the operation (which he finally had last Wednesday, and partly to let him know about Gator's death. George said he was feeling much better, even given the normal pain and discomfort that comes with any surgical procedure -- and that the medicos are hopeful for significant pain reduction for him now that they've repaired his vertebrae. As usual, his return date is very much up in the air. When he left in early May, he swore he wouldn't return before the end of October or beginning of November, no matter what -- and maybe not come back at all. (No one believes either scenario, of course.) It was just a few weeks after he left another Squaronian who was in Florida himself talked with George on the phone, then reported back to us that George was grumbling about being bored and talking about maybe coming back sometime in August. When I spoke to him last Saturday, near the end of our chat I asked him about it, and he mumbled he was sleepy and thanked me for calling, the dodging of my question being Vintage George. Anyway, he indeed sounded much better than he had when I spoke with him before, so seems on the mend. While no one's hanging around the bar expectantly, neither will any of us be surprised if at any time his employees tell us he's coming back in a day or two -- he always calls so his driver will know to pick him up at the airport. And once here, despite a grueling thirty-some-odd-hour series of flights -- Pensacola-Houston-Los Angeles-Taipei-Bangkok -- he'll head straight to the bar to hold court. I'll give a warning on the home page of BangkokAtoZ.com! [Wednesday, August 2, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Soi 33 Bar Changes Hands -- and Name The bar formerly known as "Blue Bar-B-Q" on a sub-soi just off Sukhumvit Soi 33 has recently changed hands, this time bought by a group of folks, one of whom I know. The new name is Harry's Bar & Grill, and food is indeed served there. I went to the grand opening about three weeks ago, and part of the offerings that evening was a free buffet, one that was quite good. I liked the bar in its original incarnation, as Brad, an affable Australian who opened it, did an excellent job of establishing an extremely pleasant atmosphere and building up a roaring trade. Roaring enough that I didn't go there as much as I would have liked, simply because in my usual walking hours, the place was normally packed solid. Then someone else bought it, and business apparently quickly nose-dived. For one thing, Brad got another bar on the same soi, just across and down a few doors from his original place. The few times I went there, more often than not I was the sole customer. The new owners have remodeled the place extensively, which may be a big plus, as may be the name change. When I asked Phil, the owner with whom I'm acquainted, the opening time, he said "five o'clock -- for now," so I'm assuming that once things get going they may move that earlier, probably to four o'clock, when most of the bars along Dead-Artists-Bars Row also open. The bar is on the left at the dead-end of the second sub-soi on your right coming from Sukhumvit Road. Drop by and check it out. [Wednesday, August 2, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Went with my most excellent friend Bear to Phnom Penh last week, and had a simply wonderful time. We flew out fairly early Tuesday morning -- on Thai International in business class, a late birthday gift to me from Bear -- then flew back here mid-morning last Friday. And just about every hour in between was just great. It's been some time since I've taken a Thai Airline flight, and while a number of people whose judgments I trust have sometimes reported some negative experience or the other, I certainly found our flights excellent, in every way. Well -- I was bit surprised that when we went to catch the plane here we had to go to a bus gate -- i.e., boarded a bus which then ferried us to the aircraft. Ditto on the return flight -- but actually, when one returns to Don Muang, the bus drops you off at an entrance almost directly at Passport Control, eliminating any possibility of anyone having to walk from a gate that seems miles away, so that's just fine; we were through inbound Passport Control in a matter of minutes. As those of us in my crowd who travel to Phnom Penh often do, Bear and I stayed at the Phnom Penh Hotel on their executive floor, the Club Excellence Floor, located on the hotel's fourth floor (third floor European style). The hotel itself is a delight, and I've written about it before. While the Club Excellence Floor rooms are not the hotel's top offering -- that's the Presidential Suite, which runs a cool US$1,500/night [rack rate] -- but they sure aren't anything to sneeze at, either. Most offer nice views, whether facing out towards the city or in overlooking the courtyard, which has a beautiful swimming pool. And the beds are simply splendid; I've slept on very few beds even close to as comfortable, and none more so. At a rack rate of US$100/night (single -- add $10 for double), the rooms are excellent value for money. That rate includes a free full breakfast buffet, a light lunch, and a Happy Hour 5:00-7:00 P.M. with enough snacks to make a complete meal -- plus, during Happy Hour, complimentary drinks -- making the rate a really good deal. Another nice thing about the hotel is the service; everyone on the staff who saw me my first time there remembered me every time since, even the second time, when I went there alone. In fact, the lady at the Club excellence check-in greeted me by name! Anyway, we went to our two usual favorites, Coyote Ugly and The Golden Vine. Those are two bars not to be missed. I'm glad I started going to Cambodia, something I resisted a number of years. In some ways, Phnom Penh reminds me of Vientiane: both are sleepy, small (as capital cities go, anyway), and beside rivers. Well, Phnom Penh is considerably more lively than Vientiane, true, but, then, it's considerably more democratic, and something on the order of twice the size. (Even so, Bangkok alone has a far larger population than all of Cambodia!) I have always found the people very open and friendly, and I mean not just in the hotels, restaurants, and bars, but everywhere: markets, shops, drivers, and what have you. A big plus for anyone who speaks English is that it seems practically everyone in Phnom Penh speaks English, often very well. (Too bad the same can't be said about Bangkok, which I've always found curious.) Anyway, you likely would find it worth your while to put Phnom Penh on your itinerary (which probably means you will want to go to Angkor Wat, a World Heritage site). You can stay there for far less than I did this time -- rooms with air-con can be had for amazingly few dollars. (And yes, dollars are widely used, though not U.S. coins, so any change under a dollar comes in Cambodian money.) Give it a try! [Wednesday, July 5, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Yesterday was the occasion of Taffy's birthday bash at New Square One Pub in Washington Square, and was it ever good. It was Taffy's . . . well, I better just say "5_th" birthday. That rules out several of the years in the 50's -- but could mean 50th! The catering was done by Larry's Dive, which is located just up Sukhumvit Soi 22 towards Sukhumvit Road from the Soi 22 entrance to Washington Square. As usual, the food was excellent. I actually got there quite late, arriving about 5:15 P.M.; the party started at 2:30 P.M., but I was confused about the day -- all day yesterday I thought it was Monday, until a mutual friend called to ask if I was at Taffy's party yet! Things were winding down by then (though there were still maybe 12-14 people there), but I enjoyed it, even if not for very long. If you missed it but do sometimes go to Washington square, you might drop by and wish Taffy a late Happy Birthday -- and try to get him to tell you his age! ;-) [Wednesday, August 2, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Move Complete -- If Not the Unpacking! Lordy. Do I hate moving. But my latest move from Sukhumvit Soi 41 to Sukhumvit Soi 22 is FINALLY over; got the last of my stuff out of the old place two Saturdays ago and the apartment professionally cleaned the next day. It was quite a mess in my new place even when I left for Cambodia last Tuesday. But during my absence, my neighbor and good friend who found the place for me in the first place, came in and put most things away. Of course, now I haven't the faintest notion where much of anything is -- but I sure won't complain; I can gradually get things sorted as time goes by. Though I liked my old place quite a lot, in some ways I like the new one even more. The kitchen, while tiny, is inside -- not outside in a partially-enclosed balcony. The new restroom is smaller than the old one, and has no bathtub, but at least I do have hot water for the shower. It's nice to be so near a good friend, and it's not much further to Washington Square from here -- I'm in my new place now -- than it was from Soi 41. And the price is sure right. At my old place I paid 15,000 baht/month rent and an average of about 2,500 baht/month for electricity and water. The rent for the new place is 4,000 baht, and the one month's worth of utilities I've paid cost me a pleasantly small 700 baht! So, this first month I spent only just over a quarter of what I spent for an average month before! The neighborhood is nice; there are numerous street stalls selling food, clothing, and odds-'n-ends (combs, scissors, those sorts of items). And there's a 24-hour 7-eleven about a block away. There are three motorcycle-taxi stands between here and Soi 22: one in front of my building, a second opposite the 7-Eleven, and the third on Soi 22 where the sub-soi on which I live intersects it. And taxis are frequent, so easy to catch. My old place was rather less convenient in all those regards. And, thankfully, there's no construction across the street here! Curiously, the place had two phone outlets when I moved in. One was disconnected -- I put an ADSL line there -- while the other was live, though I have to dial "0" to get an outside line, and then can dial only local fixed lines -- no long-distance, no mobile phones. But at least it's something for back-up, and I imagine I can get the phone company to upgrade it. Even as big a pain as moving is, and as much as I liked my old place -- especially the staff -- I'm glad to be here. [Wednesday, August 2, 2006] * * * * * * * * * * Enough for one go . . . Until next time -- Mekhong Kurt
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