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"The Rounds"
This is the last known picture to be taken of Dad, one snapped by my step-sister Judy shortly after the New Year in 1988 in the home of my biological Sister, Kate. Dad intensely disliked having his picture taken, so Judy did well catching him off-guard at a relaxed moment, a moment well before he learned he had terminal cancer. My friends were without exception gracious enough to hoist an elbow in remembrance of Dad when I mentioned the significance of the date to me, for which I am grateful. Hard to believe The Old Fart -- a favorite nickname of mine for him -- has been gone 17 long years. Here's to you, Old Fart! * * * * * * * * * Headlines Government to Enforce Motorcycle Noise-Pollution Laws Surprise Constitutional Amendment Proposed Titanum, New Bar on Sukhumvit Soi 22 Subway Sandwich Shop and 94°c Coffee Shop, Sukhumvit Soi 33/1 Government to Launch Energy Conservation Drive Index Living Malls Home Furnishings Tsunami-Struck Phuket Recovering or Not? Rains Cause Flooding in Bangkok Miss Universe Contest Ends in Victory for the Maple Leaf Bei Otto German Restaurant, Sukhumvit Soi 20 Parkview Restaurant, Imperial Queen's Park Hotel Redux Dasa Book Cafe Celebrates Its First Anniversary Three-Year Multiple-Entry Business Visas To Be Introduced Further Information About Segway Tours Synnex and Intel Offering Customized Notebook Computers Koh Chang (Chang Island) Enjoying Rapid Economic Development as a Tourism Base * * * * * * * * * * Government to Enforce Motorcycle Noise-Pollution Laws In a story in last Friday's Thai News Agency headlined "Loud motorbikes to get the kick" it was reported that the authorities are going to set up checkpoints around the capital to enforce existing laws governing how loud motorcycles can be, set at 95 decibels. According to the Galen Carol Audio Decibel (Loudness) Comparison Chart 95 decibels is equal to the sound of a subway train a little over 60 meters (200 feet) away -- and that's pretty loud. To put this into perspective, that same chart says that a 10-decibel increase in noise levels is a doubling of the volume, i.e., 95 decibels is about twice as loud as 85 decibels. Anyone in Bangkok, particularly in the inner city, is painfully aware of just how unpleasantly loud traffic noise in general can be. I almost dread it when the streets are virtually empty; you can practically count on a motorcyclist to come roaring by at recklessly high speed, the sound of his motorcycle's exhaust deafening as it resounds off the walls of buildings lining the street. I imagine this move will be welcomed by all, except by the offenders, of course. The penalties are a 500-baht fine and a 30-day "grounding" of the motorcycle. The grounding is particularly draconian. The article didn't say how the authorities will enforce that provision. I assume impounding isn't logical, since for the motorcyclist to drive again he has to demonstrate, presumably by reporting to the police, that his motorcycle now conforms to the law. The 30-day ban on driving an offending motorcycle may well turn out impossible to enforce, and not only for the above reasons. What about workers whose only transportation to and from their places of employment is their motorcycle? After all, while Bangkok does have an extensive public transportation system, it doesn't go everywhere. Also, low-income earners could be hard-pressed to pay for public transport, repair their motorcycle, and still have enough money left over for their other daily expenses. Motorcyclists here seem even more immune to common-sense driving than are drivers of other types of vehicles. Late-night races are common, despite periodic ferocious crackdowns. This utter disregard of common sense leads to the extraordinarily high rate of motorcycle accidents and the high rates of injury and death arising from those accidents. It will take sustained, harsh enforcement of the noise-level laws over an extended period to reform motorcyclists' driving habits and maintenance of their machines. [Sunday, May 29, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Surprise Constitutional Amendment Proposed As I reported last week, the conviction of all 9 members of the NCCC has put the government into a constitutional quandary because the Constitution requires that members of independent agencies be appointed by a panel made up of 15 people drawn from 5 political parties in government -- but this government has only 4 parties. In a rare agreement, both the ruling faction and the opposition are suggesting that if it comes to it, then the relevant clause of the Constitution will need to be amended. Even more surprising than the agreement between the two often-bitter rival factions is their suggestion that politicians be taken out of such selection panels and be replaced by members drawn from various segments of society. It's rare anywhere for politicians to surrender power, thus curbing their influence. Of course, leaving politicians out of such panels in no way assures that politics are left out of them; I've seen that more times than I can remember in my own home country, the U.S. However, one can hope that such a change will improve not only the appointment of members of independent agencies such as the NCCC but also the transparency of those appointments and their functioning. The government and opposition deserve recognition for cooperating in trying to resolve this crisis, especially since it has grave implications for the future if left unresolved. Given the Prime Minister's top-down, CEO-style of leadership, he may be receiving advice to settle the issue by fiat, but there's no doubt would be some who would decry such a directive as itself unconstitutional. Since this situation arose, I've heard some disparaging comments about the writers of the "People's Constitution," as it has come to be known. But in my view, those observations are patently unfair. A constitution cannot be and should not be a detailed set of instructions covering every conceivable case. Consider the U.S. Constitution, often cited as a model to be emulated (and one the writer's of the People's Constitution are said to have studied). It has been amended fairly often in it's nearly 230-year history. As a side benefit, if the government and opposition can indeed work together in this instance, perhaps there will be less bitter contesting of issues in the future. [Sunday, May 29, 2005] Late Note: Thai News Agency is carrying a story today (Monday) under the headline "All anti-graft commissioners resign" that the National Counter Corruption Commissioners have all now resigned, removing one concern of what will happen in the wake of last week's conviction of all 9 members of the agency. [Monday, May 30, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Titanium, New Bar on Sukhumvit Soi 22 I got around to visiting the newest bar in this immediate neighborhood yesterday, a concept bar that stands out. Titanium is a 2-storey bar located between Sukhumvit Road and Larry's Dive, and is on the same side of the soi as the latter, i.e., on your right coming from Sukhumvit Road. The concept isn't new, as it already exists in at least one bar in Singapore. The upstairs of Titanium is a refrigerated room with the temperature well below freezing. I went to the bar early, and there were few workers, so I didn't go up yesterday after a waitress told me no one was up there. But several friends have visited the upstairs and reported the bar is literally a huge block of ice, and the shelves behind the bar are ice. While you can order anything to drink, the emphasis is on vodka served icy (literally!) cold. I don't know if the place in Singapore was a global first nor if there are similar bars elsewhere. I do know it's one of 18 (as I recall the number) bars in a chain, the management of which were reported some months ago in the Bangkok news media to be planning to open a bar of the same type somewhere in the lower Sukhumvit area. The owners of Titanium, said to be a British-Thai man-and-wife team, have stolen the Singapore chain's thunder. Some serious money has been spent on this bar, the premises having been a Family Mart in their last incarnation. The expenditure shows, as the bar is beautiful. I heard a rumor that the rent is very high, and undoubtedly the electric bill must be absolutely astronomical, given the room-sized freezer that is the upstairs part of the bar. Those are presumably why drink prices are high for this neighborhood. I paid 130 baht (about US$3.25) for a Jack Daniels; a lady drink is 170 baht. In contrast, Jack Daniels runs 70-85 baht in Washington Square and Queen's Park Plaza (for the most part), and lady drink prices tend to fall in the 60-70 baht range. The bar also offers live music nightly 9:00 P.M.-10:00 P.M. and 10:30 P.M.-11:00 P.M. My friends say the band is an all-lady one who play and sing very well and are beautiful; one of my friends went so far as to say that even if all the waitresses were ugly the members of the band would more than make up for it! While not many waitresses were there during my half-hour visit, those I did see were all attractive, at least to my eye. I did have one little, niggling complaint: the restroom is upstairs. At least it's not as bad another area establishment where the restrooms are 2 floors up! While my pocketbook won't encourage me to be a daily regular at Titanium, I do expect to drop by occasionally, especially to check out the live music and to make at least one visit to the freezer bar. The service was attentive without being in the slightest overbearing; in fact, the waitress who brought my drink asked if everything was okay, clearly ready to move away if I said only "Yes," which is why I offered to buy her a lady drink. When she finished it, she didn't ask for another, not even when I finished my own and ordered a second. I was impressed that she stood beside my table, drink-less, until I asked for the owner (the man), whose name I didn't get. He was quite busy, so after a short visit called his manager over. He gave me a card, but it only "Simon." It does list a web site, but when I tried to go to it I went to the site's host server's page. I'm going to have to get clarification about the phone number, as I just realized it's a Singapore one -- maybe this *is* the one out of Singapore after all.
Titanium Bar [Sunday, May 29, 2005] * * * * * * * * * *
Subway Sandwich Shop and I reported on this shared-premises shop recently, and now have tried the Subway several times. Just this morning I tried the coffee shop as well. The sandwiches I've tried at Subway have been uniformly excellent with reasonable, even generous, servings. Last night I tried the tuna fish sandwich and found it particularly tasty with a large dollop of tuna fish salad. The service was efficient and courteous. Prices are quite reasonable as well; I paid just 89 baht (about US$2.20) for a small tuna sandwich (6 inches). The Subway counter is on your right as you enter from Sukhumvit Road, with the 94°c Coffee Shop occupying the counter directly opposite the front entrance. I had the regular coffee, and found it good enough that I ordered a second cup. Each cup costs 50 baht, not exactly cheap, but each cup is freshly brewed on the spot. the only glitch in getting the first cup came after the young lady tending me had my order, and understood what I wanted, but then the second young lady piped up, asking if she could help, which threw the girl serving me into confusion. things got completely confused, so I finally politely asked the second girl just to let the first girl and me continue (though I know she meant well), which we did with no further difficulties. It was nice when I decided to go outside from where I had initially seated myself inside. I had a bag and umbrella with me, so couldn't carry everything at once; the first girl immediately came out from behind the counter and brought my coffee and water to me. Also, when I ordered the second cup of coffee, I took care of that, then the second girl politely asked me if I wanted a dessert. And the cakes, etc. did look good, but I passed for then. One thing I really like is that there are tables both inside and outside. So, you can sit inside if you want to escape the elements. The outside tables are nice for anyone wishing to smoke, though I was a bit surprised to see no ashtrays, something I'll mention to the front partner of the Subway, a good friend of mine. What I like even more is that both shops are already open 24/7 -- something of a rarity here. My sleeping habits are erratic, at best. When I got up at 3:40 A.M. today, I stuck a cup of water into my microwave to make myself a cup of coffee at home, only to discover I'm out of coffee. My first thought was to go to the 24-hour restaurant at the Rex Hotel on Sukhumvit road, which is near my home and which I've visited many times. But then I remembered I had never tried the 94°c Coffee Shop so decided to go there. And I'm glad I did. All in all, I'm suitably impressed with both places and highly recommend them, especially to any of you with my weird sleeping habits! [Sunday, May 29, 2005] Late Note: Today (Monday) I saw a brief item in The Nation headlined "SANDWICHES: Subway on major 5-year expansion" reporting the chain plans to have 140 outlets around the Kingdom by 2010, up from the current 12 scattered around (7 in Bangkok, according to the story). [Monday, May 30, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Government to Launch Energy Conservation Drive The government is set to launch a fresh drive to conserve energy beginning this coming Wednesday, June 1st, according to various media reports. The move comes in part in reaction to a trade deficit brought about in part, experts say, by rising prices for fuel. The trade deficit in the first quarter is reported to have been 118.5 billion baht (about US$2.94 billion). The Prime Minister wants to try to garner widespread public support for the effort, and this coming Wednesday evening he will conduct a countdown live on national television to 8:45 P.M., at which point he hopes viewers will turn off at least 1 light for 5 minutes. Then, as a follow-up tie-in he hopes people will turn off at least 1 light every night at 8:45 P.M. Other measures are planned as well, including asking office workers to turn off their offices' air-conditioners when they leave for lunch and drivers not to drive over 90kph. (Good luck on getting people to drive no faster than 90kph -- I've had taxi drivers driver that fast when the streets were deserted right here in Bangkok! That's under 60mph, a speed many of my fellow Americans find too turtle-paced and wouldn't observe.) According to reports, these measures could save around 3.5 billion baht annually. If the reports saying that last year's energy consumption cost was a trillion baht, a 3.5 billion baht reduction won't help much -- but the "every-little-bit-helps" idea is valid. One thing that surprises me is I haven't seen any mention of making vehicles more fuel-efficient, other than the asking drivers to slow down. The story in the Bangkok Post mentioned the other steps but not that in it's story "Turn off the lights and save" yesterday. I looked around in The Nation and Thai News Agency but found nothing along these lines in them, either. I would have thought this could help significantly as well, especially in the case of public buses. In any case, I'm 100% behind this effort. In my own home, I use only the light(s) I need at the moment and turn off my air-conditioner every time I leave. Further, with the exception of one reading lamp, all my lights are fluorescent ones, which I don't prefer but which are efficient. When I am there, I set the thermostat higher than I would like, but compensate by having a fan help circulate the air. As a result, my electric bill has never exceeded about 2,500 baht (about US$62 at current exchange rates, and never over US$70) in any 1 month. [Sunday, May 29, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Index Living Malls Home Furnishings When I spotted a broadsheet advertising flyer for Index Living Malls the other day, I was interested because although there are 4 Bangkok-area branches of the chain, I had never heard of it, even after living here 11 years. It occurred to me it's been awhile since I've written a practical article along these lines so I decided to check a bit -- on the Internet, for now. There is 1 branch in Pattaya and another in Phuket. The flyer caught my eye because of the wide range of offerings and the competitive prices; these products are all on sale. While I have no way of judging the quality from just the pictures in this 4-page flyer, the various products certainly look nice, and if their quality is anywhere near as good as their appearance, then my guess is they are good value for money, at least at the sales prices. For example, attractive 5-shelf wooden bookshelves, albeit fairly narrow at 60 centimeters (about 2 feet), are on sale for 995 baht. Lamps start at a sales price of 279 baht. This sales is at all 6 outlets, or so I assume since there's nothing to the contrary on the promotion's web page, DYI: do it yourself. That page also has reproductions of the pages of the flyer I saw -- and include English, unlike the flyer I saw. (The Thai letters to the left of what are obviously the prices are the Thai for "baht.") You also can click a tab on any page to download the entire catalogue -- but you have to do that in 9 steps if you want the entire catalogue to take advantage of the index along the right margin. The files are in Adobe Acrobat Reader format, and I found I had to zoom in 3 levels before I could comfortably read the text, which also includes English. Having been in a few upscale furniture stores around here, even the regular prices are competitive. (A friend just came in and said he has been to the Pattaya location and liked the quality of the items there, but they weren't on sale so he found them expensive. However, he lives on a tight budget, so others with higher incomes might feel differently.) The web site is excellent and easy to navigate. (Never mind a few minor English errors). There you learn that some of the products are imported from Italy and Denmark, products which certainly aren't as cheap as domestically-produced ones. I'm not familiar with either of the foreign lines, but I do know that good home furnishings are available from both countries. There is a clear map page showing the locations of all 6 Index Living Mall locations. You can easily see if one is near you then decide if you want to visit. Though I have no need of home furnishings at this point, I might go to the Phaholyothin Branch since it's easy to reach by Skytrain. [Sunday, May 29, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Tsunami-Struck Phuket Recovering or Not? It's sometimes the case when one reads the the media on the same day about the same thing the result is a lot of head-scratching and wondering if the reporters were on the same planet -- never mind at the same place *on* that planet. Today is no exception. I read a story in one paper that says, in essence, that other than at Patong Beach the tourism industry in the Phuket area (as well as at others) is still seriously down in the wake of last December's disaster. Yet I read elsewhere in the last day or two that things are moving along nicely there as far as the tourism industry is concerned. Anecdotal evidence is scant more reliable. Awhile back, a friend told me his friend had just come back from a week in Pattaya and the bars were packed. That was the same day a friend of mine who had gone down there the day before had shown right back up the following morning -- the morning of the day I heard the bars were packed -- but my friend said he forgot about staying 3-4 days after walking around 2-3 hours in a veritable ghost town. But there's some comfort for a holiday maker to derive either way: if a place is busy, then things will be vibrant and are doing well, while if it's not busy, the vacationer will have everything largely to himself. So -- start packing your bags! [Monday, May 30, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Opening Date of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport Thrown Into Doubt By Scandal Allegations Today's Thai News Agency (a service of the government's Mass Communications Authority of Thailand -- the site is almost exclusively in Thai) has a story headlined "Scanner scandal may delay new airport’s opening" saying some aviation officials are concerned that the latest allegations of corruption in the construction of the new airport may belay its opening, currently set for September of this year. One of the chief worries is that Bangkok will lose out in the competition to become the region's aviation hub to Singapore, apparently a distinct possibility should the airport -- already decades in conception and construction -- be delayed. From the airlines point of view, the possibility complicates planning purchases of aircraft, establishment of routes and timetables, any required recruiting of air crews and ground personnel, and the like. The airport was first proposed upwards of 50 years ago, as I recall. After decades of debate, construction finally began in the 1990's, but it hasn't been smooth sailing. According to widespread media reports, the terminal building is only about 60% complete -- with not much over 3 months to go until the scheduled (but increasingly tentative) opening date. Other difficulties exist. There are concerns about transport between central Bangkok and the airport, as existing transportation routes are said to be inadequate to handle the volume for the airport, designed to be able to accommodate 30-45 million passengers annually. And of course, cost overruns are a concern in such major projects the world over, not just in Thailand. There could be ripple effects. A co-pilot for a foreign airline told me that the rumor at his employer is once the new airport is open, that airlines air crews will no longer be put up in central Bangkok but in Chonburi or Pattaya instead, because it will be faster to get to those places than to central Bangkok, at least until the ground transportation infrastructure catches up. (Let me stress he is a pilot, not a spokeman for the airline, so there is nothing official about his offhand comment.) If what he said turns out to be the case, there are implications for hotels and other businesses currently providing services to airline crews -- and managers at those places must be concerned whether passengers will follow suit when they have a choice (i.e., when they're not required by their business or other professional commitments to base themselves in Bangkok). After so many years of intense effort by so many people in government and the private sector, I just hope the airport gets operational as soon as possible. It will be less conveniently located for me personally than Don Muang Airport is, but it should bring increased benefit from the air travel and transport industry to the Kingdom. [Monday, May 30, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Rains Cause Flooding in Bangkok The Thai News Agency has reported that the capital was flooded in areas after 3 consecutive day of heavy rain culminating in downpours of up to 8.2cm (3.22+ inches) in one day; see "Bangkok floods after night of heavy rain." The story names areas worst-affected; they tend not to be tourist areas. One pleasant side-effect of the rains has been the cooling of temperatures, which after over a week of essentially sunny days were getting pretty high again. Weather forecasts call for more heavy rains over the next few days, raising concerns there will be further flooding, though the story says authorities at the BMA (Bangkok Metropolitan Authority) say they are prepared to handle any future such rains. There's one point the story doesn't make clear: it says the Bangkok drainage system is designed to handle 6cm of rain, what does that mean? -- six centimeters per hour, per day -- over what period of time can the system handle a given amount of rainfall? Drainage in Bangkok is problematic at the best of times. The city is only slightly above sea level, and the water table is very high. While I certainly am no expert, it seems a bit odd to me that in a city where not all that infrequently torrential rains fall (by which I mean rains dropping more than 6cm of water per hour) the drainage system is not designed to handle more than 6cm, though of course often that is enough capacity. Another aspect of this is that drainage capacity is uneven. Take Washington Square as just one example. Though it is immediately off Sukhumvit Road to its north and Sukhumvit Soi 22 on its west, it doesn't take heavy rain to cause at least minor flooding; sustained rain has the same net effect. Why? -- because the drainage system within the Square is inadequate to feed run-off into the larger system rapidly enough to stave off flooding. Even along major arteries the system is overwhelmed on [rare] occasion to a serious degree. Back in the mid-90's I found myself wading along lower Sukhumvit road after hours of unusually heavy monsoon rains in murky waters up to the top of my legs -- from which vantage point I was treated to the novel sight of a small boat traveling down Sukhumvit Road! I've had considerably more occasion to find myself wading through waters ranging from ankle-deep to calf-deep. People laugh at me, but I'm never without an umbrella, even in the cool and hot seasons; experience has left me soaked during those seasons when rare rains caught me out and unprepared. Didn't take me long to catch on to the fact it can rain here just about any day of the year. While I always welcome the monsoon season for the respite it gives from the brutal heat preceding it, I do hope this year doesn't see a return of the heavy rains I saw a decade ago. I recently wrote about clogged drains, something the BMA folks need to address. It doesn't matter if the main system can handle a flood of historic proportions if the drains feeding the system are clogged. [Wednesday, June 1, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Miss Universe Contest Ends in Victory for the Maple Leaf After 3 weeks of glorious celebration of dozens of the world's most beautiful ladies, Miss Canada, dark-haired beauty Natalie Glebova, has been crowned Miss Universe 2005. The media has been in something of a frenzy the entire time (no surprise there!). The Thai News Agency, Bangkok Post, and The Nation all have front-page stories about Ms. Glebova's crowning ("Miss Canada crowned 'Miss Universe 2005,'" "PM praises pageant's success," and "Miss Canada bags title with positive answer" respectively). Though I can't read Thai, I'm sure the Thai media is abuzz as well. Though I'm not a really fan of beauty pageants, I did find it interesting that Miss Canada was the only non-Latina in the final field of 5 contestants. Adding to the interest is that she is a relatively recent immigrant to Canada, to which she emigrated from her native Russia 11 years ago. So we have a Slavic (I assume) Miss Universe 2005 under the Maple Leaf Flag of Canada winning over 4 beautiful, talented ladies from Latin America. The contest understandably generated huge excitement here, justifiable excitement. After all, for fans it's thrilling. And many countries vie to host the annual competition, well aware of the prestige and economic benefits it engenders. To the best of my knowledge, this pageant was well-handled by the organizers and the government in every way (though I admit I haven't been following it all that closely). I always like to think about the other contestants in any contest, no matter the nature of the competition -- beauty, sports, intellectual, even political; to be a contestant at all in a major pageant, sporting event, debate panel, or election is a hell of an achievement in itself, never mind the final outcome. One thing a number of beauty queens and runners-up to them have done quite well over the years: spread goodwill as sort of unofficial "roving ambassadors" through their talent, intelligence, grace, charm and beauty. (And yes, I said "intelligent"; at the level these ladies are competing, they can't be can't be dullards.) Congratulations, Miss Universe 2005 Natilie. [Wednesday, June 1, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Former Central Bank Governor Rerngchai Marakanond Ordered to Pay Huge Fine for Role in 1997 Economic Crash In a major judicial decision, the Kingdom's former central bank governor, Rerngchai Marakanond, has been ordered by the Civil Court to pay restitution of a rather sobering 186 billion baht -- upwards of US$4.65 billion (at current exchange rates -- at the time of the crash the penalty would have equaled US%7.44). This is the largest award for damages against an individual in the history of the nation, according to published reports (see The Nation story "B186,000,000,000!," Thai News Agency item "Former central bank chief ordered to pay damage to BOT," and the Bangkok Post story "Rerngchai gets bill for B186 billion: Ex-central bank chief negligent in '97 crash"). Adding to the former governor's woes was the additional order to pay interest on the sum at the rate of 7.5% retroactively to July 2, 1997, the date of the last of a series of financial transactions he made defending the baht, though the court did temper that with a cap of 62 million baht for all interest charges. But the story isn't necessarily over; the embattled Rerngchai's attorney has said he plans to ask the Appeals Court to halt any steps to force his client to pay until an appeal can be heard. This judgment is bound to mesmerize people involved in the business of central banking who have authority; the damages assessed are enormous, though they are but a fraction of the billions of U.S. dollars the Kingdom lost in the crash that began when the baht was floated that year, ultimately sinking to a disastrous low of about 58 baht to 1 U.S. dollar. (The current rate is about 40.3-40.4 to the dollar). It will be interesting to see how this resolves in the end. [Wednesday, June 1, 2005] Late News: It's being reported in today's news that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra feels the hapless former BOT governor shouldn't be the only person to be brought to account for the 1997 economic disaster, which pundits have taken to calling an "economic tsunami" since last year's real tsunami. See the following stories:
Bangkok Post:
"PM: Others also
to blame for '97 crisis" * * * * * * * * * * Bei Otto German Restaurant, Sukhumvit Soi 20 I've been to this well-known, even famous, German restaurant in the heart of Sukhumvit Road twice now, and really like just about everything about it. For starters, the physical building housing Bei Otto looks right straight out of Germany's Black Forest, from which it's owner, Otto Duffner, hails. Perhaps surprisingly, it doesn't really look out of place in this Oriental capital city, I guess because it's visually separated from its surrounding buildings by lush vegetation. (See the Bei Otto Gallery.) The interior is as tastefully appointed as the exterior is attractive. The front room of the restaurant has a large square bar dominating it, with tables ranged around it. The lighting is just right, neither too bright nor too dim. (I don't know about you, but I don't care for eating in restaurants where I practically have to feel around for my food because the lighting is so dim!) The restaurant has 3 public rooms and a garden terrace, the latter only recently opened, as I understand it; in fact, I didn't even realize the terrace is there until I was reading the restaurant's brochure a few minutes ago readying myself to write this article. One of the rooms is a bakery-butchery, the other 2 being dining areas. Then comes the food -- the glorious, glorious food. A house specialty is German white asparagus flown in fresh in season. When I was there about 2 weeks ago various white asparagus dishes were on offer; I opted for the soup. I thought I must be eating in Heaven's restaurant! I don't know many German dish names, but I can assure you everything I've tasted in 2 outings was excellent. The servings are huge, so either have a big appetite, plan on leaving a lot of food, or bring a doggie bag with you. My buddy, a large man with an equally large appetite was unable to finish his meal (though he did it justice). One delightful specialty is the pig knuckle dish -- the size of the serving makes you glad you didn't run into the late owner of the knuckle deep in the Black Forest when he was angry! The desserts are equally delightful. You can see a partial Bei Otto menu online, though it is, curiously, incomplete. There is a buffet lunch every Sunday starting at 11:30 A.M. and a set lunch Monday-Saturday from 11:00 A.M. The web site makes a distinction between the "German restaurant" and the "European restaurant," though I didn't realize there is a distinction; we sat in the front room on both occasions I've been there, but the menus the waitresses were taking into the back room were the same as the ones we were given. In any case, the Sunday buffet is in the back room (European restaurant) and the daily set luncheon is in the front room (German restaurant); I assume both are available on the terrace. Other European dishes are also available (spaghetti, for example). there also is a children's menu. The service is friendly and efficient; our waitress -- I was with a couple -- remembered my friends well, greeting each by name. (I've been there only twice, as I said, so didn't expect anyone to recognize me, let alone remember my name.) The web site has a map, but it's so small as to be virtually useless unless you either are already familiar with the area (in which case you don't need a map anyway) or have built-in magnifying glasses in your eyes. I copied it to my hard drive with the idea of enlarging it in a photo editing program, but when I enlarged it the minimum to make the graphic readable it was so blurry I decided not to use it. The restaurant sits opposite Windsor Suites Hotel, where, by the way, you can park; there is a much better Windsor Suites Hotel map on the web site's homepage; just scroll down a bit. Reservations are available; call, fax, or e-mail. The prices aren't exactly cheap, but they are reasonable. the white asparagus is, understandably, expensive, but reasonable in context. All in all, I give Bei Otto Restaurant a 5-star recommendation -- as would my friends, who are frequent regulars there.
Bei Otto
German Restaurant [Thursday, June 2, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Parkview Restaurant, Imperial Queen's Park Hotel Redux Though I wrote about this restaurant recently, I want to mention it and the other restaurants in this 5-star hotel again after having visited a couple more times since my last writing. The main point I want to let you know is that annual memberships are available that offer very good benefits for the money. For starters, members get a 30% discount on food (only) at any of the Imperial Queen's Park Hotel's 8 food and beverage outlets for up to 20 people. Next, members get a 30% discount in The Cake Shop up to a maximum of 2,000 baht per day (which I take to mean the undiscounted bill can't exceed 2,000 baht, though I suppose if your bill did top that you would get the discount on the first 2,000 baht's worth). Third, members receive a 15% discount on food (only) at any hotel under the Imperial Hotel Group, a chain of 11 hotels across Thailand (listed down the left side of the group's home page). The brochure I have doesn't mention the group's affiliated hotels, one of which is the Hôtel Plaza Athénée (Bangkok and New York City), but when I had a similar membership for 2 years up to last September at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée I got a substantial food discount in all food and beverage outlets in the Imperial Queen's Park Hotel, so I assume there is a reciprocal arrangement.) Members also get 3 vouchers for a 50% discount on food for up to 8 people. And those are just the food discounts. Members can get a 40% discount from the rack rates for rooms, subject to availability, at any Imperial Group Hotel. For example, at the Imperial Queen's Park Hotel a Deluxe Single room's rack rate is US$180 according to the rates page on the hotel's web site, so after a discount of 40% costs US$108 -- not bad for a 5-star Hotel in the heart of Sukhumvit Road, home to numerous prestigious hotels. Before someone mentions it, I'm well aware one can get even lower rates on the Internet. For example, the popular AsiaRooms.com has the room I mentioned above for 2858 baht per night, or US$70.57 based on the latest exchange rates from the Bank of Thailand's exchange rates page, which is downright cheap for such a nice hotel. (I've stayed there, and found it nice indeed.) But not everyone has a credit/debit card, and some people who do have one don't like using it over the Internet. For those of you falling into those categories, US$108 isn't a bad price, not at all; it represents excellent value for money. The choice is yours, of course. Members also receive the following benefits, subject to availability:
* 1 voucher for 2 nights in a Superior Room in
any Imperial Group hotel w/ABF The fee for a 1-year membership is only 3,900 baht. I just called to confirm the price, and the lady with whom I spoke pointed out if I were to buy a membership today, June 2, 2005, the membership would be valid until June 30, 2006 -- just under 13 months for the price of 12. Now, that's a deal hard to beat! I'll be getting one, since I spend most of my waking hours within a block of the hotel.
Imperial Queen's Park Hotel [Thursday, June 2, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * People who know Squaronians likely know John "The Hat" and George "The Rabbi" Pipas, so I thought I'd give 2 updates on these famous and well-liked gentleman. John has retired after living in Thailand 18 years (after a 3-year stint in Taiwan in the early 1980's) and has returned to America, he says for good (HA-HA-HA-HA!). During his annual holiday to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, his home, last year he closed up his Father's house there and moved his Father down to Wisconsin (being from Texas, it's hard for me to think in terms of going "down to" Wisconsin," which to me is practically a state-sized suburb for Santa Clause). John plans to base himself in Wisconsin, where he will visit for awhile and shop for an RV, with plans to roam the highways and byways of North America -- mostly in the U.S., but also maybe Canada, Mexico, even Central America. An astronomy buff -- like me -- he'll be toting around a 5-inch telescope to use when he's under the dark skies of, say, Arizona. (If you've never looked at a celestial object through an appreciably large telescope, you're missing a real delight.) John threw himself a splendid going-away party at the Wild Country Bar, his favorite, and almost exclusive, hangout Saturday, May 21st, and it was exceedingly well-attended -- John is a heck of a popular and respected man. The food included turkey and all the trimming's from The Hare & Hound. (Dave, the owner of that establishment, makes some of the best around.) there were assorted other Western foods as well, and Riam, owner of the premises, laid on tons of Thai dishes. In short, no one went hungry. John left early this week, and no doubt is recovering from jet lag and catching up on gossiping with his Dad. Good thing he went back now, not in January, when the shock of the cold likely would have frozen him in his tracks -- literally! We all wish John the very best, and for him to hurry up and locate a reliable travel agent so he can buy his return ticket to Bangkok in short order. Now we turn to "The Rabbi," as Ken "Montana" Sevenski long ago nicknamed him, George Pipas. (George is of Jewish extraction, but you sure couldn't prove it by me!) For those of you who don't know, George is resident owner of the Texas Lone Staar Saloon in Washington square -- adjacent to the aforementioned The Wild Country Bar, in fact. He left May 16th for his annual trek to Florida to see his wife, Mary Ann, for several months, a trip he makes every year. In recent years he's had another reason than seeing Mary Ann to go: medical care for his back, which he hurt when he fell a few years back. He goes through a series of 3 spinal injections that gives him considerable relief from the continuous pain. After finishing the series, which takes 2 months, the relief is at its maximum, gradually diminishing as the ensuing months follow until he goes through it again. Yes, he could get the treatment here, but he wants to go to the U.S. anyway and figures he's got better legal remedy there should something go wrong; after all, spinal injections are risky. He has some other health issues he's addressing, but it's unclear at this point what all is involved, so I'll leave those at that. (I happened to talk to George on the phone early this morning and he told me.) Other than the medical irritations, he seems to be fine, no doubt enjoying at Mary Ann, one of his favorite pastimes if their phone conversations when he's here are any indication! ;-) He normally stays several months, and no one expects this time to be any different; he told us he'll see us in mid-October. George is very much the life of the Texan, so it usually is quiet when he's gone, though business has remained surprisingly good considering not only his absence but also the fact that now is the low season. In any case, we regulars miss him -- but enjoy giving our ears a rest! We all start looking forward to George's return the moment he walks out the door to head for the airport to go to America, and this year is no different. His return is always occasion for a de facto if unplanned, per se, party. If you're in the neighborhood when George returns and want to see Madness in Motion," just come to the Texas Lone Staar Saloon the day The Rabbi returns -- and hold onto your saddle! And a correction regarding the piece I did ahead of Charlie Brown's birthday last month is in order. After Charlie read it he walked up to me and said, "I was in the AIR FORCE, not the &@#+*-! NAVY, thank you very much SAH!!!" Charlie is extremely fluent in the English sub-dialect Vulgarity, in which he holds post-doctoral status. The great uninitiated -- read "unwashed" -- masses may not understand Charlie's passion. They may think, "Air Force, Navy, Army, Marines, what's the difference??? After all, they're all in the military." Well, yes -- and no. They are indeed all in the military in the broad sense, but they aren't in the same arms as each other (well, okay, maybe the same lady's arms, but that's all!). For me to have put a Fly Boy (okay, okay, so Charlie was a medic!) on duty as a Swabbie was to really, really test the limits of tolerance (not to mention friendship!!!). (Vice-versa would've worked, too, for that matter!) Don't believe me? -- Get a proud Naval Aviator and an equally proud Seaman together and watch the sparks fly -- and they are in the same arm! "Black-shoe Navy versus Brown-shoe Navy . . . sigh . . ." [Thursday, June 2, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * The scam I think I should report targeted bar girls, but given the ever-scheming minds of scammers, there's no reason to believe they won't come up with increasingly devious, clever ways of parting one from one's money and/or property. Yesterday afternoon a gal unknown to any of us on Washington Square hit 2 of the local bars looking for girls to go with her to be, um, "dinner companions" for a group of Japanese tourists. The proposal was for the local lasses to go with the gal to a restaurant, who would then go out and call the hotel for a bus to bring the Japanese tourists over to the restaurant. The group would eat together then the lot go off to the hotel. In at least 1 of the 2 bars, the cashier asked for the bar fine -- a fee for taking a lady away from her work -- but the glib scammer told her the tourists would tip the girls, including enough extra to cover the bar fines, which the girls could pay upon their return to work. Odd, but even that cashier swallowed it -- and she has been around the bar scene for donkey years. Other than that oddity, so far, so good; this sort of thing happens regularly here, though I've never heard of it happening in Washington Square. But then things got strange. While it is true that many hotels won't allow local ladies to enter without at least registering at the desk (and sometimes having to surrender their identify cards to the clerk), I've never heard of a hotel refusing to allow anyone to enter carrying a mobile phone. Well, okay, maybe that's happened in the troubled South, where it seems bombs have been detonated by mobile phones; I don't know. But not in a case like this. The gal also asked the bar girls to write their names and telephone information (make, model, age, number, etc.) on a piece of paper, then give the paper and the phone to her, the phones because "the hotel doesn't allow you to bring them in; they'll be returned to you afterwards," the paper explained away as allowing the hotel clerks to return each phone to its rightful owner. (Is your "Enemy Action Radar" quivering yet???) At that point, she told one of the girls that she is too old so wouldn't be needed. That lady says the alarm bells were already ringing in her head, so she skedaddled out at Warp Factor 9. She was the lucky one. Looking back, it's a dead certainty she isn't too old -- her phone is. The remaining bar girls sat in the restaurant while the recruiter "went out to telephone for the bus," paper and phones in hand -- never to return, of course. The "recruiter" had ordered a lot of expensive sukiyaki; adding insult to injury in this tale, the girls ended up paying the 1300-baht food bill. And they were eating little, keeping their breath fresh and avoiding the sleepiness that follows a filling repast. A few hours later the girls returned to Washington Square, saying that after maybe 2 hours had passed they began to realize they had flat been had, their phones long gone. To say they returned furious is the understatement of the year; I'm just glad I wasn't still around the Square when those Walking Atomic Bombs came back. (And I don't blame them for going thermonuclear, either.) The oddest part to me is that the girls fell for it. I was in one bar the recruiter visited and was vaguely aware of her presence, but I just assumed she was a friend of some of the girls with whom she was speaking, and was entirely unaware of the scam she was working. In retrospect, I recall she spoke only to girls seated well away from customers; had any of us heard her, we would have gone ballistic and exposed her scam on the spot. Even without the phone angle, the fact that this sort of thing doesn't happen in the Square would have sent us to DEFCON 4, at the very least. It's hard to believe these bar girls -- none of them new to The Game -- walked right off the edge of the cliff, so many lemmings headed for a swim. This isn't to pat our collective back for the ability to spot scams; as foreigners, we're targeted more often in the bars, by far, than the locals, especially employees, are, so we tend to be cynical and deeply suspicious right from the start, the underlying principle being a cousin of the old saw "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Our variant is "The better it sounds, the more likely it is I'm gonna end up screwed." Yeah, that "recruiter" is one fine Pied Piper, that's for sure. Unfortunately, none of the girls remember the supposed name of the hotel, and there is no reason to suspect anyone at the restaurant -- an outlet of a popular, reputable chain with outlets all over the place -- of any involvement, so going there would be pointless. A final, and curious, point a friend just brought to my attention: is it mere coincidence that the 2 bars visited by the recruiter are bars whose owners are both out of country??? Adds an interesting, if perplexing, twist to this sorry tale. . . . [Thursday, June 2, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Dasa Book Cafe Celebrates Its First Anniversary I received an e-mail from Don at Dasa Book Cafe informing me of his shop's celebration of its first anniversary on Saturday, June 11, 2005. Here's the full text of his e-mail:
One year already? Yes, believe it
or not, Dasa Book Café officially celebrates its First Anniversary this month!
To thank you for being an important part of our successful first year, we are
inviting you to attend the Dasa Birthday Party on Saturday, 11 June. We plan to
start the festivities at about 4pm and continue on into the late evening hours
(maybe until midnight?). We hope to see you here on the 11th! If you're going to be in the area on the 11th, plan on stopping by. Hey -- you can't lose, not with the free beer!!! ;-) And take the time to browse the wide selection of books on offer. * * * * * * * * * * Three-Year Multiple-Entry Business Visas To Be Introduced Multiple media reports this week indicate the government will introduce a new business visa to try to attract foreign investors. A 1-year multiple-entry business visa costs 5,000 baht, according to what I've been told by a source in the Immigration Bureau. The proposed new visa will be 10,000 baht (according to news reports), in effect giving one a free year. In many ways Thailand is one of the most generous countries on the face of the planet in terms of its willingness to grant visas, though its liberality is primarily on the tourist visa end of things. This new visa is a welcome development, and couldn't come at a better time, given the weakening of the baht and the downside of the Thailand-China Free Trade Agreement, which has had a negative impact on the domestic agricultural sector, according to media reports. The timing is also good in terms of globalization. The U.S. and EU are involved in several pissing contests that undoubtedly will cause investors on both sides of the Atlantic to look at other opportunities outside the States and the Union, especially after the defeat of the referendums on the proposed European Union Constitution in France and the Netherlands. Thailand has something of a love-hate relationship with foreign investors, especially non-Asian ones, as is the case with many countries in this part of the world. Societies in Asia tend to be insular as a result of the fact that they consist mostly of one ethnic group, and none of those groups is Western, of course. Thailand welcomes foreign investment yet remains careful, even suspicious, of foreigners motives, as is reflected in land-ownership laws -- it's impossible for a foreigner to own land in his own name. While the new visa won't solve all the complaints of foreign business people, it goes a long ways towards smoothing the path, lessening the amount of time foreigners have to spend dealing with the intricate bureaucracy of the Immigration Bureau, a mystifying labyrinth in many instances. Bravo on the Thai government for making this move, one bound to be warmly welcomed by foreigners wishing to do business here on a long-term basis. [Friday, June 3, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Further Information About Segway Tours A few weeks ago I wrote an article here about a company offering tours on the novel 2-wheeled, gyroscopically-balanced Segway personal conveyance device. I guess someone at the company saw the piece, as I got an e-mail from someone there last Saturday giving further information. Here's the e-mail:
Here is some info re: Thailand
Segway Tours.
I thought your readers would be curious about the Segways.
We offer 90 sightseeing rides at the end of Soi Nana 4, every day at 9am and
5pm.
Pictures:
Description of Segway Ride: The Segway folks must be geniuses on routing, given that there are no other forms of transport involved in their tours, even those to the Grand Palace and the Ancient City. Given the propensity of drivers here (both locals and foreigners) to drive, um, rather aggressively, I for one wouldn't mind seeing a Segway mania sweeping the city with drivers abandoning their vehicles and going about their daily affairs on this remarkable machine. Of course, one faces the conundrum of just how to stand out from the crowd on such a device. Maybe hang a raccoon tail or foam rubber dice from the handlebars? There's also the possibility of gluing a statue of the Madonna and/or a bouncing-head doggie on top of the handlebars! And how about white-wall tires and "fender skirts" of a sort??? Hey, my imagination is getting all fired up!
Okay, okay, I'll get more real. There are possibilities. For instance, think about sprawling university campuses behind walls with restricted entry. I would think teachers and students alike who have one class on one side of the campus followed by another class on the opposite edge of the campus would welcome being able to pay a nominal fee to scoot across to the next destination in comfort, and at speeds faster than one can walk. Ditto industrial compounds and the like. Even golf course could offer Segways as an alternative to traditional gold carts, which bear an uncomfortable resemblance (in my view) to the infamous tuk-tuk's that plague the country. Well, that's not fair -- to say that is like to blame the gun used by a murderer. It's the drivers of those devilish machines that make the machines themselves a threat to humanity. Segways, on the other hand, have a top speed of about 20 kph (12.5 mph), so are relatively safe. Even a head-on collision between 2 Segways involves a combined speed of only about 37 feet per second --fast enough to get banged about, sure, but short of bouncing your head off the pavement, not likely to result in serious injury or death. When my Sister visited 3 years ago, she went on a tour of the Grand Palace -- and the heat and humidity nearly killed her. The lady accompanying her later told me she was genuinely concerned she might have to ask Palace security personnel to summon an ambulance to take Kate to a hospital. Had they been on Segways, the tour would have been a breeze. My Mom may come this coming Christmas with Kate, if plans hold up, and given Mom's arthritis, if they do indeed come I'll be looking into a Segway tour for her of the Grand Palace, for starters, if the company has permission for Segways to move around on the grounds of the Royal Residence. I plan to take one of the tours on offer in the near future, if for no other reason than the sheer novelty of it. I've ridden airplanes, jets, helicopters, boats, cars/trucks/pickups, trains, etc. -- why not a Segway? Then I'll lack riding experience only in space craft, submarines (no thanks -- I'm claustrophobic!), and balloons! From what I've heard, Segways aren't cheap; the price bandied about is north of 300,000 baht. (Thailand Segway Tours is also a dealer, but no prices are given on the web site.) Even so, they have a lot to recommend them. A major plus is the environmentally-friendly nature of the machines: no pollution. Hundreds of thousands of "horizontal motorized bicycles" zipping around the Capital . . . the mind boggles! [Friday, June 3, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Synnex and Intel Offering Customized Notebook Computers The Bangkok Post had a story this week "Synnex, Intel team up to offer 'no-name' notebooks" reporting that the 2 companies are offering "no-name" computers built to an individual customer's specifications at 3-5% less than a comparable name-brand notebook computer costs. Computers already represent excellent value for money. Consider this: a top-of-the-line personal computer has more computing power than all the computers combined in NASA's Houston Command Center when America landed astronauts on the Moon for the first time in 1969! (As one astronaut quipped when asked what it was like to fly into space, "How would you riding atop a bunch of hardware provided by the lowest bidder???") Anyway, the 2 companies are offering rather spectacular deals on a variety of configuration, with further modifications available to consumers. A typical, if most sophisticated offering, is a 256MB RAM/60GB hard-drive 15"-screen computer for 39,000 baht. (I paid 53,000 baht for a comparable name-brand laptop just over a year ago, and it has "only" a 40GB hard-drive.) One of the chief attractions of these offerings beyond customization possibilities is the superb set of warranties offered, which range up to a walloping 5 years. Synnex is a major international IT product distributor with 170 outlets around the Kingdom. (The local web site is primarily Thai-language only, and the home web site http://www.synnex.com doesn't even indicate a presence in Thailand. If you're the same as me, unable to read Thai, you'll either have to have someone on hand who can or call the company to find out the location of its outlets.) Moore's Law seems to holding up -- computer power available today is about double what it was 18 months ago, for the same money. Add in even a modest discount and the deal becomes even sweeter. This joint effort is bound to attract buyers, especially given the high degree of customization available and superior warranties on offer. If you're in the market for a new notebook, you will do well to look into the possibilities offered by the 2 companies. [Friday, June 3, 2005] * * * * * * * * * *
Koh Chang (Chang Island) Enjoying
Rapid Also in today's Bangkok Post is the story dominating the paper's front page "Koh Chang invasion" reporting the explosive economic development of this increasingly popular tourist destination. The story focuses on the negative economic impact of this development on locals, whose living costs are soaring, along with all other costs. Nevertheless, the government has a formal development plan it is pursuing, with great vigor -- and, so far, great success. I have a friend who runs a restaurant on Koh Chang, and he dearly loves it. He did own a bar in Queen's Park Plaza and took the job rather tentatively at first, but became so fond of both his job and the place he sold his bar here in Bangkok and moved himself and his wife off to the island resort for good. I've not been there, but my friends who have give rave reviews, without exception. I'll have to remedy that sometime sooner rather than later. Given the inexpensive flights serving nearby Trat, it'll be easy. Located about 315 kilometers south of Bangkok, Koh Chang can be reached by vehicle (bus = departs from the Eastern Bus Terminal on Sukhumvit Road at Soi Ekamai/Soi 63) and ferry, the ferries departing from Laem Ngop at the end of Highway 3148 18 kilometers southwest of Trat City; travel time is about 4½ hours. The ferries serve multiple destinations on Koh Chang, travel times varying from 30 minutes to several hours. Vehicular ferries also ply the waters between the mainland and Koh Chang. Koh Mak and Koh Kut, 2 other islands in the 52-island Koh Chang archipelago, can be reached by ferry from Koh Chang. Here's a decent map of Koh Chang, the neighboring mainland, and nearby islands. You also can fly to nearby Trat on the mainland on Bangkok Air (3,600 baht round-trip), then travel via public transport to Laem Ngop and take a ferry on to Koh Chang. I've heard of a privately-operated airport on Koh Chang itself, but after an hour of searching the Internet I am still unable to locate any information -- if any of you know about it, please let me know so I can let others know. The flight takes 50 minutes each way on an AT7 (Aerospatiale 72-210) twin-engine turboprop configured to seat 70 passengers; with about an 800-kilometer range with a full payload Trat is within easy reach of Bangkok. (Interestingly, I also looked at the specs for this aircraft operated domestically by a U.S. airline, and it shows a range of over 2,000 kilometers; go figure.) Accommodation is plentiful, with prices ranging brom backpacker levels all the way up to the exorbitant, with all ranges in between these 2 extremes well represented. Stressed-out Bangkok dwellers can do worse than consider getting away to this hugely popular island -- which is seeing an average of nearly 1,400 tourists per day (averaged over the year), up from fewer than 600 per day just 2-3 years ago. Located in the relatively shallow Gulf of Thailand -- 2/3's of which averages about 97 meters (300 feet) deep. As a result, the island is relatively well-protected from natural disasters. [Friday, June 3, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Enough for one go . . . Until next time -- Mekhong Kurt * * * * * * * * * * E-mail Change Notification Sign-up Sign-up here for e-mail notification when I add or change something on the site. Just go to the sign-up page. * * * * * * * * * * Where Is *Your* Name??? So you've been a slacker and still haven't signed up for the free BangkokAtoZ.com Updates Mailing List??? ;-) Well, get with the program and sign up right now to be notified via e-mail whenever we add something to the site -- that way, you don't even have to visit the Updates Page to see if there's anything new -- we'll let you know by e-mail. If you want to sign up, just go to the sign-up page. I'm pleased to say that more and more of you are signing up, and I urge all of you not to hesitate! * * * * * * * * * * Where is *Your* "Traveler's Tale"???
Got a "Traveler's Tale"?
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