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| "The Rounds" Friday, March 26, 2004
Mekhong Kurt * * * * * * * * * * Grief for Carlsberg Beer Drinkers, Redux (I ran the following story last week, and realized just this morning (Saturday the 20th) that a portion of it went missing. Below is the full article as I meant it to appear in the first place. The missing portion is in blue type.) The world turned dark the day I learned the reason for the shortage of Carlsberg beer, in both its bottled and draft forms, is that the company in Denmark has pulled the plug after an ongoing battle between the bosses in Denmark and their local partner. If street intelligence has it right, it seems the local partner began promoting competing products, much to the displeasure of the home office. Some bars and restaurants have been able to get limited supplies from a second source, a local wholesaler who had some stocks in reserve. One bar owner told me a representative of the wholesaler called him mid-evening late last week and asked him if he was interested in getting any of the 60 kegs they had on hand; the bar owner told him he did, and would call the following morning to say how many kegs he wanted. When the owner followed up early the following morning, he was stunned that the supply was down to 3 kegs! A search in the Google search engine brought up a report on a website, http://scandasia.com (which I've never heard of before). That report says the local partner, who worked with the Denmark headquarters as a licensee, failed to pay royalties for 2002, even after being reminded the money was due in the first half of 2003. That report says the bosses terminated the agreement in August, 2003 since they still had not received payment. At least Carlsberg hasn't ruled out coming back here, though street intelligence suggests it may well turn out that proverbial day in Hades (which will be the same day we have a snow storm in Bangkok!) before they return. On the bright side, news reports and street intelligence both indicate that San Miguel Beer out of the Philippines and Tiger Beer out of Singapore will be introduced here in Thailand; both are deservedly popular. My moaning about the withdrawal of Carlsberg doesn't mean the Thai market lacks for choice of beers; everything from the local, inexpensive Chang Beer (whose official website claims it to be Thailand's leading seller) to top-end foreign brews, such as Heineken, Kilkenny, etc. are widely available. With domestic drinkers, Singha Beer is the decades-old leading choice, by far -- and it enjoys considerable popularity among foreigners resident in Thailand, though many find it an acquired taste. (A note of caution for visitors trying a Thai brand for the first time: Thai beers sometimes have higher alcohol content than some foreign beers, so if you're used to, say 3.2% or 4% brews, know this. The aforementioned Chang Beer, for example, weighs in at 6.4% (12.8 proof), so if you are accustomed to 3.2% beer, every mug of Chang you drink carries a double dollop of alcohol. I remember the first time a Thai friend introduced me to the venerable Singha Beer without thinking to mention to me that it can run as high as well north of 7% alcohol, so I was puzzled when halway through only my 3rd beer -- spread out over about 3 hours -- I had a slight buzz. I mentioned it to my friend, and he laughed, and said of course I did, since Singha is considerably stronger than Carlsberg, long my beer of choice. So, while Thailand may not be the beer drinker's paradise any number of other destinations are -- notably in Europe -- there is a decent range of both foreign and domestic brands available. Late Developments: I've just stumbled across a story of the Internet that the Thai licensee of Carlsberg is filing a lawsuit for a minimum of US$5,00,000,000 for damages, claiming the notice of termination of the business relationship was invalid and has led to significant losses for CBTL (the local licensee), reportedly owned by Khun Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi; you can read that story here. * * * * * * * * * * Report on First
Election of Heads of Sunday, March 14, 2004 saw the first direct election of heads of PAO's in 74 provinces -- the entire nation, except Bangkok, where citizens already hold the right to elect their local leaders. Despite news reports saying more than 3,000 complaints of election fraud have been filed with the Election Commission, this is truly a significant development in democracy in Thailand. Until now, PAO heads have been appointed by the central government, as I understand it, just as provincial governors still are. It is true that the ruling party, Thai Rak Thai, won a preponderance of the posts, garnering a total of 47 PAO positions (almost exactly 2/3's). However, unlike before, these newly-elected PAO heads will be accountable and responsible to their local electorate rather than to the central government in Bangkok, or at least more accountable and responsible to those electorates than to authorities here in The City Of Angels. The importance of this new phase in Thai politics may be hard for people who live in countries where leaders at every level are directly elected to understand. Perhaps a useful way for those people to think of it is to reflect upon how they would feel if suddenly their state or provincial governors were appointed by the national government, serving at the pleasure of a nation's president or prime minister. People use to being able to influence state/provincial policy would not be pleased with such a development. The opposite is the case here now, where local people will finally have a direct say in what goes on right where they live. Some may argue that in this election, 47 of the victorious candidates will be beholden to the Thai Rak Thai party, just as the winners in the other 27 provinces may have to conform with their respective parties' agenda, and that's true -- to a degree. But in any democratic system, there are always mavericks; one need only look at the history of the Congress of the United States to see that, where untold times members have rebelled against their own party's stand on a given issue and voted with the other party. I imagine that the presiding prime minister would prefer to have retained the power to appoint PAO heads, given his CEO-style leadership and tendency towards authoritarianism, but the "People's Constitution" of 1997 provided for this election in unequivocal terms, terms that no one could claim left the central government any authority to appoint those heads. (So I'm told, anyway.) That P.M. Thaksin bowed to reality is to be credited. This is not to say Thai politics are problem-free, any more than are the politics of every other nation. Recall the "Florida Flap" in the 2000 U.S. presidential campaign, in which Democratic candidate Al Gore won a majority of the popular vote (and did so at the national level) but lost in the Electoral College to Republican candidate (and now President) George Bush. The margin of Gore's win of the vote was excruciatingly thin, true -- but a majority is absolute, no matter by how little. And that is a scene we seem set to witness yet again, in broad terms, in the wake of Taiwan's President Chen's narrow victory in last Saturday's presidential election, and election the island entered well aware of the vast importance of the outcome in global politics. (I'll have more to say about that in a separate article below.) It would not be fair or true to say the PAO elections went unheralded -- they didn't, covered as they were widely by local and national news media. But in my view, the importance in the change of method in selecting these crucial leaders was and remains what we might term "under-heralded." Indeed, the election was a watershed in the democratization of Thailand. * * * * * * * * * * Khun Chuwit
Kamolvisit, Massage Parlor A Reuters' story about this most unlikely folk hero was released recently, a story largely a present-day profile of the controversial figure. For those not familiar with Chuwit, he has long been in the massage parlor business, owning 6 upscale places around Bangkok. Last year he was arrested in connection with the pre-dawn razing of Sukhumvit Square; he was the ultimate landlord, though to this day he insists he had nothing to do with the controversial move, which caused a huge public outcry at the time. Angered by what he regards to have been shoddy treatment at the hands of the police, he started pointing fingers at corrupt public officials -- sort of. That is, he says he can name names, but so far has mentioned only initials. He further claimed to have been paying huge sums of money for police protection, which apparently is his underlying reason for his anger. In any case, his relations with the police in particular and the government in general have hit rock bottom. In the past some of the normal -- for Thailand -- headaches of running a massage parlor could be made to go away through giving the appropriate people a . . . "consideration." No longer is that true for Chuwit, as best evidenced by an incident last year in which a number of undercover officers visited his business, engaged in pay-for-play sex with some of the masseuses -- then arrested them for prostitution. (The question has to be asked: "If the girls were guilty of prostituting themselves, weren't the officers guilty of providing the necessary other half of the sexual equation???" But, as Bernard Trink often so famously observes, "This is Thailand.") Now Khun Chuwit has become a sort of Robin Hood figure, a Man of La Mancha, tilting at windmills. But even his opponents have a grudging, if secret, admiration of him, as does the Thai public in general. It was downright shocking to have a Thai businessman make the allegations Chuwit made, and to make them so loudly, repeatedly, and publicly. Chuwit is standing for the governorship of Bangkok a few months from now, and while opinion surveys put his chances of winning election somewhere well below those of an ice cube's likelihood of surviving the fires of hell, his entry into the field has sparked considerable curiosity and interest. The sex tycoon was the featured speaker at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand last week, an event I wanted to attend but couldn't. A friend here did go, however, and says the man comes across as charming and sincere, and was at the very least an entertaining speaker. You can read the full Reuter's story on the latter-day knight in white armor here. * * * * * * * * * * Many Entertainment Venues Remain Quiet My own observations and those of others I know who make their own rounds to various entertainment areas around town indicate that despite the claims of the Tourism Authority of Thailand that tourist numbers are up, the majority of bars, discos, a-go-go's, and the like are suffering from too many empty seats, with the attendant fall off in revenue. Owners with deep pockets are riding it out, hoping that the blow after blow that has brought at least some sectors of the tourism industry to its knees will stop and that if those blows to halt, tourism will indeed pick up again. I've lost count of how many times I've walked into a bar over the past year or so hours after its doors opened, only to be told by the staff that I was the first customer of the day. In a few instances, the following day when I returned to such a venue, the staff added I was the first and last customer of the entire day -- and no business can survive such a situation for long. * * * * * * * * * * Taiwan Election Controversial The presidential election and public referendum in Taiwan last Saturday has turned out to be even more controversial than it already was, as a direct result of the apparent assassination attempts on the lives of [now controversially re-elected] President President Chen Shui-bian and Vice-President Annette Lu, neither of whom was seriously wounded; both were treated and released the same day, Chen for a relatively minor stomach wound, Lu for a knee wound. One may reasonably initially react by asking what Taiwanese elections have to do with foreign residents living in Thailand or tourists wishing to come here. Well, the short answer is -- a lot. Especially now, the attempts coming, as they did, after a long series of disasters for the tourism sector across this part of the world. SARS. The Bali bombing. Bird flu. Well, I could go on, but if this sort of thing interests you, you already know. There's an angle that's difficult to quantify but which has the most serious implications of all: mainland China's reaction. Beijing has never made it a secret that the leadership there vehemently oppose Chen, seeing him, as they do, a pro-independence leader. They stand fast by their threat to invade the island -- which they view as a renegade province in a state of rebellion -- should the people there ever make it known they intend to declare independence formally. In a naked attempt to intimidate the government and populous of the island state, the mainland military has rapidly and extensively built up its forces in southeast China, with hundreds of missiles aimed at targets the length of the island. The intensity of emotion on the issue of Taiwan -- on both sides of the Straits of Taiwan -- is difficult for an outsider to understand. Chinese from both the island and the mainland desperately want to see peaceful reunification of the two warring states (or at least a lot of Chinese feel that way). Indigenous Taiwanese, regarding themselves as distinct from Chinese (a view with which the Chinese agree), see it rather differently, feeling the Chinese Koumintang who fled the mainland in defeat at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949 are unwanted interlopers, at best, invaders, conquerors, and occupiers at worst. Consider Taiwan's geographic position: at the southeastern "door" to the mainland. Any destination from as far away as northeast-north central China to the east fringe of the Indian subcontinent to Singapore can be reached quickly by fighters and bombers, and even more quickly by missiles. Were the mainland to launch even a single military aircraft or missile, the repercussions would be extraordinary; tourism would be the least of any regional government's immediate concerns. But tourism would indeed be heavily impacted. Given that a number of airlines pass through Taipei, air travel would be affected. There's no telling what stock markets, especially in Taipei, Hongkong, Tokyo, and Seoul (the 4 heavyweights in the region) would react. Westerners likely would flee the region in droves, and the effects of such a mass departure would be widespread and economically devastating to both the public and private sectors. Chen showed considerable constraint in the referendum, watering down the language drastically, though that didn't stop the torrent of venom flowing from Zhong Nan Hai, the Communist Party's top leadership compound in the heart of Beijing. But even in Beijing moderates have a much stronger hand than they did in the past, with the dinosaur Stalinists much more muzzled and boxed in than they once were. True, more than one senior People's Liberation Army general has echoed the sentiments coming out of the political leadership, but that is almost a given for any military. Yet one cannot help but feel that in private, those leaders, military and private, are taking a very long, careful, guarded look at the situation. While Chen did win re-election, it was by a razor thin margin (suggesting had he and his Vice-President not been shot just hours before the electorate went to the poll they well might not have been voted back into office). He certainly has no sweeping mandate to move towards a formal declaration of independence. And just as happened in the "Florida Flap," the loser, Lien Chan has challenged the results. Further, the referendum Chen championed failed at the ballot box, undoubtedly raising great glee amongst mainland leaders. In a harsh attack on President Chen, Xinhua News Agency, the official news agency of the mainland government, said this: "For Chen Shui-bian, the referendum was a tool to kidnap the will of the island's people, to provoke the mainland and to carry out his own luxurious political gambling," in an editorial published in the main Communist Party and military papers. "The referendum on March 20 was a political fraud meticulously designed by Chen Shui-bian, aiming to split the nation, provoke relations between the two sides and seize power," it said. On the plus side, China's vitriolic attacks are centered on President Chen personally, not on the population of the island, implying that even now there is hesitation in the mainland actually to use its military might. Besides, Taiwan's own military forces are generally superior to those of the mainland, so while they might be able to stop an attack, they could inflict an unacceptably heavy loss of troops and equipment, the latter the mainland can ill afford to lose. Then there's the U.S.A. Given it's defense ties to Taiwan, were open conflict to loom it would put the Bush administration on the spot. But Bush seems the sort of president who wouldn't hesitate to put significant military forces into the region to try to convince Beijing to stand down. He even has a historical precedent which he can invoke -- the 1958 Taiwan Straits crisis, when then-President Eisenhower committed 2 carrier battle groups to the straits to reinforce the belief in Beijing that the U.S. was serious about defending the island, including the 2 islands in the Straits under Taiwan's control (and committed them despite Mao Zedong publicly acknowledging China would not go to war with the United States over the island, at least not anytime soon). Given the increasing ties on every front between Thailand and both the mainland and Taiwan, any serious heating up of the situation is of major importance to all sectors here in Thailand. As one ordinary observer, I hope calm heads prevail. * * * * * * * * * * Weather Weirding Again Less than 2 hours after I uploaded last week's column (in which I referred to the roaring arrival of the annual hot season), I was stunned to walk outside into light rain. And in the days since (I'm writing about midday Tuesday the 23rd), it has been cloudy often, and there have been reports around Bangkok and the general area of light rain for brief periods. And rain is unheard of this time of year in these parts. Of course, the clouds and any rain are welcome, offering a respite from the blazing sun, now located almost exactly over the equator, not that far south of us here in Bangkok. We're all hoping for a gloriously brief hot season this year! * * * * * * * * * * New Freebie Advertising Sheet There's a new tabloid-style advertising paper on the stands now, The Farang Advertiser: Thailand's Baht & Sold; initially it will be available monthly in Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Phuket, Chiangmai, and Kho Samui, with plans to expand the distribution network rapidly to cover the entire Kingdom; Ubon Ratchatani and Udorn Thani are the immediate next intended distribution areas. (The "baht & sold" is pretty clever, eh?) This is their banner -- and you can click on it to go to their website.
Personal ads up to 35 words long are free of charge; commercial ones run just 5 baht per word, though they will appear in the online edition for free. Both the paper version and the online edition give the range of advertising rates for commercial box ads, which start at 1500 baht per insertion for a 3-inch by 2-inch black-and-white ad and run up to 25,000 baht per insertion for a full-page color ad. That may sound expensive, but it is comparatively cheap; for example, I checked on running the smallest ad available in a local English-language newspaper a couple of years ago and was shocked when the sales lady quoted me a weekly rate of several thousand baht (though I understand those rates have since dropped). Even just to post a notice or advertisement at the Villa Market (in a single Villa outlet) costs 300 baht/month. While The Farang Advertiser will be appearing just once a month (for now), given its range of coverage, the prices for advertising in it are indeed competitive. The inaugural edition runs 16 pages, each page half a sheet of A5 paper. Conveniently, the pages aren't bound, making it easy to take out just the page with the ad you want, if you don't want either to carry the whole paper or cut out the ad you want. The paper has a website, though some of its pages are presently problematic. For example, I wanted to look at the ad rates page, but had to hit the refresh button on my browser to get it to come up. Then I tried to place an ad to solicit articles for the "Travelers' Tales" section of this website, but despite repeatedly hitting the "Submit" button, all I could get was a "The page cannot be displayed" page, even after clicking both the refresh button and the "Go" button in my browser. Anyway, the website URL is http://bahtsold.com. The owners of the paper and website also have some other sites listed on their website. With an initial distribution of 15,000 copies in the 6 regions covered at start-up March 16, 2004, the coverage should be good; it will be distributed, as the website says, "where Farangs eat, meet n' greet, throughout the entire Kingdom of Thailand." The paper is organized by categories, then by region. In the first edition there are 17 categories:
Within each category, the products or services are divided by region, making it handy to check in your desired area. Owners of businesses may well want to become distributors of this paper, which they can do for free and (apparently) get some free advertising in return. It can't hurt; I know I sometimes go to Bourbon Street Restaurant for the purpose of picking up one of the free guides often available in a rack outside the front door there -- but more often than not I end up going inside and drinking or eating something. And I might well not have gone in the first place had I not wanted one of the guides. * * * * * * * * * * Duang Yoobamrung Trial Verdict Due Today Khun Duang (formerly "Duangchalerm"), son of veteran politocian Chalerm Yoobamrung, will learn today if the court which heard testimony in his trial in the wake of the fatal shooting of a police officer in a Bangkok hotel nightclub 2 years ago finds him innocent or guilty. A report in yesterday's issue of The Nation addressed the case, and including the interesting little tidbit that Papa Chalerm had had both Duangchalerm's and another son's name, Wanchalerm, legally changed to "Duang" and "Wan," feeling the elimination of "Chalerm" from their names will improve their chances of leading normal lives. (Wan is also charged over the same incident, but on less serious charges.) The verdict is certain to be controversial, no matter what it is. The story was surrounded by great drama, intrigue, and public interest, especially when Duang fled for several months (and putting his father in a heck of a dilemma politically, especially since Papa had had his own angry confrontations with the police). That the 3 sons of the politico have been involved in an unusually high number of pub incidents suggests, at the very least, the court will have to show it reflected long and carefully on the verdict, whatever it turns out to be. Fairness dictates pointing out that the history of the sons' involvement, including on the part of Duang, in no way demonstrates his guilt in the current case. But Thais are increasingly sophisticated by the day, right across the nation, so should the court hand down a verdict declaring Duang innocent, it's a dead certainty that there will be allegations that it is because of his Father's powerful position; there have already been unproven allegations that Duang's surrender at the Thai embassy in Kuala Lumpur was the result of a secret deal between Papa Chalerm and the court system here -- some even allege, without offering any evidence, bribes were paid to ensure the verdict would go in Duang's favor. You can read the online version of The Nation story here (which, curiously, differs from the one I read in the hard-copy version I read yesterday morning, focusing far more on the slain officer's widow). Late note: Khun Duang was found not guilty of all charges. * * * * * * * * * * "Songkhran Zoning"??? I Think NOT! Much as I despise the mayhem Songkhran "water festivities" have degenerated into, I had to guffaw recently when I read a news story reporting that someone in government most disingenuously proposed that the water madness be restricted to government-specified zones. (This government is getting fond of the concept of zones, isn't it?) Now, don't get me wrong: in principle, I'm all for it you think I like having to choose between hiding out for the entire holiday or fleeing the country? -- of course I don't. But the whole proposal in utter nonsense. How in the world can anyone stop millions of Thais and foreigners from shooting water cannons, throwing buckets of water on each other, and so on? In any case, the police have far better things to do than chase people who are, in most cases, merely having fun. I would be for punishing people who douse people against their express wishes, and even more for nailing people who throw or shoot water at people and cause an accident or near-accident. Such punishment happens all too rarely. This is even more . . . well, I'll be polite and say "open to serious question," than entertainment zoning. At least with entertainment zoning there are, arguably, year-round reasons. And I personally have no problem with general zoning restrictions, such as those found in many other countries, which, for example, ban a bar within a certain distance of a religious building or site, or a school. I'd love the see the look on the face of a cop ordered to hop on his motorcycle and drive 30 kilometers (or whatever) to a tiny village to arrest anyone -- heaven forbid! -- throwing water during Songkhran; he or she undoubtedly would look at the superior and think -- maybe even say -- "And just which galaxy did you come from, Sergeant???" And you know what? -- I wouldn't blame the officer in the slightest. Even if it was utterly quiet, what a waste of public resources such foolishness would be. I sure hope all this "Let's zone this!" and "Let's zone THAT, too, while we're at it!!!" just quietly disappears, unheralded. * * * * * * * * * * Alpine Steak
House (Washington While I personally gave up on this venue quite awhile back, due to the cooks' plain not grasping the concept that most people like hot foods served hot, not cold, and cold foods served cold, not hot, it remains popular with many people, especially those on budgets, because of its amazingly low prices. And to be fair, the taste of the food is excellent, though the absence of "serving-temperature control" detracts from it. I don't know how in the world the owners can offer the meals they do at such astonishingly low prices. But now they appear to be shooting themselves in the foot even further. Over the past several weeks the restaurant has been closed -- in mid-afternoon, suppertime, etc., times it sometimes is open. I can see an argument for closing between lunch and supper, as many restaurants do -- but at suppertime, for heaven's sake??? A number of times friends of mine who are devotees of the place have complained to me they went there earlier in the evening only to find it locked up. If you want good, cheap food, and have the patience to coach the staff to get your food to the correct temperature and to keep going back until you catch it open, it is well worth a visit. I guess I'm damning with faint praise, but as I said, the taste of the food, especially the gravy on the beefsteak, is superb (once the cook does more than scoop it out of a bowl in the refrigerator, but actually taking the second step of heating it).
Interesting and Informative
First-hand A locally-based friend of mine made a day trip to the border with Cambodia, and has provided a written account of it. Here it is: Now there is a
daily minibus service to Araniypatet for a turn-around visa run to get a 30-day
tourist visa on arrival. This is facilitated by Jack’s Golf, which can be
contacted on 02 251 1946. A couple of items the writer omitted, probably because just about everyone who uses this option knows already. First, the official visa fee for Cambodia is 1,000 baht -- but you will get charged 1,100 baht for the "privilege" of exiting the country back into Thailand the same day. Don't argue; if you refuse to pay (as a friend and I did a few years ago), all you get for your trouble -- as we did -- is pointed towards the Thai immigration building, but without an exit stamp in your passport. Then your stuck in no man's land, with nowhere to go. Also, a 30-day visa-on-arrival is free for those nationalities eligible for it. Recently there have been stories of some people with a long series of back-to-back 30-day visas-on-arrival being refused entry back into Thailand. I've heard that in a couple of cases the Cambodian authorities persuaded the Thai authorities to let the travelers return to Thailand, but if you are in that category, you may want to ask around. You might also have a look at the excellent website http://Thaivisa.com, which is full of useful information; there's one entire forum devoted to visa and immigration issues. The site is free, and if you want to post in discussion threads, signing up is free and easy. The owners even offer a free e-mail notification service when they put new stories up. * * * * * * * * * * Happy Days for BangkokAtoZ.com, Redux I'm happy to report that the number of visitors to the site will pass the 100,000 mark in the immediate future; it's almost noon the 27th as I write, and the number of unique visitors stands at 99,271 at this moment. Traffic has moved steadily upward the past several months, with the total for March as of early afternoon on the 19th edging past the total number of visitors for the entire month of February. As of now, this month's traffic stands at 23% higher than last month's. With just about exactly 4½ days left to go in the month, I'm expecting a total increase of an increase of about 35-37% compared to last month, an increase that translates into an increase of about 50% since September 1, 2003. The number of subscribers to my automatic e-mail notification of updates, which is absolutely free, is also slowly increasing. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do so by clicking here. It's a double opt-in process, and I absolutely do not use your e-mail address for any other purpose nor do I share it with anyone -- no one at all. (Of course, if required by properly empowered authorities to turn over an address, I would have no choice but to comply, though that has never happened, nor do I anticipate it ever being required of me.) I'm right touchy about my own privacy, and I feel if I insist on my own privacy then I darn sure well better respect yours! Anyway, I want to offer my deep thanks to all of you who visit BangkokAtoZ.com, and hope you will long return. And thanks also to those of you who have referred friends, family members, and colleagues to the site. (I sometimes muse, when looking over site statistics, if the person sitting in a corporate office at 10:45 A.M. on a weekday really ought to be browsing the site right then -- but hey, that's none of MY cotton-pickin' business!!! -- I appreciate the visit anyway!) I've set a goal to the current average number of daily unique visitors to at least double the current number by the end of 2004 -- and thanks to all of you, I believe that is an attainable goal. As we often hear in The Land of Smiles, "Thank you big-big!!!" * * * * * * * * * * Useful Telephone Number I was interested one recent evening with a friend who has a job endowing him with certain privileges at the American embassy here in Bangkok showed a card embassy personnel had handed out to him with some useful numbers. Most are known or widely available, but the card had a number I had never run across: 1133. While I haven't put it to the test, it is supposed to be a line English speakers who can't speak Thai can call to ask for free interpreting service on the spot, such as when you get into a taxi and the driver can't understand where you want to go. If this is really the way it works, this is a real boon, especially for all of us who live with our mobile phones ever handy. As long as I'm at it, here are a few more really useful phone numbers to know: Tourist Police: 1155 Police: 191 Fire: 195 Local/International directory assistance: 100 Talking clock: 181 (Thai-language only)
A funny about the Tourist Police telephone number. It is similar to the 4-digit ordering number for The Pizza Company, i.e., the pizza number is 1150. Several times I have inadvertently called the Tourist Police to order a pizza, and of course been greatly embarrassed when the officer informed me -- always politely -- that I was talking to a Tourist Police officer and that if I wasnted to order from The Pizza Company, the number is 1150.
I did this maybe 3 or 4 times in less than 2 weeks a couple of years ago. The last time I did it, a lady answered (as had happened each of the other times in this story). I immediately said "I want a sausage pizza" blah-blah-blah. She asked for my name, telephone number, and address, which is the standard procedure. Then she put me on hold, which isn't at all usual. In a minute or two she came back on the line and said, "I've called The Pizza Company and ordered your pizza for you, Khun Kurt. You've called me, the Tourist Police lady -- again." But she said it with a laughing lilt in her voice, not at all unkind. Of course, I felt like the complete asinine fool I was, but managed to mumble my thanks! (And no, I haven't made that particular mistake since!) * * * * * * * * * * Good Question:
"What on EARTH Are You I know I'm not gonna get out of answering this one, so I may as well do it now. Thursday night I had my laptop in its carrying bag sitting on a chair in my daughter's bar. Someone inadvertently bumped into the chair, causing the bag and my regular soft one both to fall onto the floor, the other bag landing first and largely cushioning the impact of the computer bag, if not entirely -- one corner of the latter did directly strike the floor. "No worries," I thought to myself, "the other bag took most the impact, and there's nothing in it that could have broken." Wrong assumption. When I turned on the computer yesterday morning, I got a black screen and the ominous message "No OS present." Well, I know that means there isn't an operating system present, but I don't know what on earth to do. I'm awaiting a call now from a friend who was going to try to contact a computer repairman he knows, uses, and swears by, so I'm sitting on the computer at The Silver Dollar Bar in Washington Square writing this. I had this week's column all but complete by Thursday night, but too bad for me. Given my recent marathon 2½-week-long marathon of getting it running, a gajillion programs reinstalled, etc. -- I just didn't want to deal with it yesterday, especially since I had to go to Immigration Headquarters to apply for an extension of my current visa. After returning from that errand in mid-afternoon, I plain took the rest of the day off. Late note: It's now about 3:15 Sunday -- and I finally got my laptop operational again, so will upload in a few minutes. * * * * * * * * * * 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* "Traveller's Tale"??? Got a "Traveler's Tale"? -- send me a line! Just send me a *query* note at MekhongKurt@BangkokAtoZ.com. * * * * * * * * * * Linking to BangkokAtoZ.com If anyone reading this has a website and would like to place a link there for BangkokAtoZ.com, you can copy-and-paste the banner and text link below into your site; they are live links to this site's homepage:
I'll appreciate an e-mail telling me the URL of where you placed it. If you want me to put a link on BangkokAtoZ.com for your site, do tell me where you have placed our link, and I'll give you a link in a comparable position, of the same nature (i.e., banner-for-banner, text-for-text). * * * * * * * * * * Enough for one go . . . Until next time -- Mekhong Kurt
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