Wars that the government shouldn’t have started, scandals in office, and now a ban on Vegemite? I didn’t think there could be more ways to despise the government. (via Billy The Blogging Poet)
Update: Phew… the U.S. denies Vegemite ban.
We arrived safely in Singapore last night after an easy 2 hour flight from Bangkok. Before I start talking about Singapore here is a run-through of my brief experience in Bangkok, Thailand.
The lousy weather (and work) kept me from going out until the end of the week. Friday, I went out with a friend from the event and he took me to a local market. It’s apparently a well known area but I didn’t make note of the name. It was one of those areas that you’ve “heard about.” As you walk through the market you can get trinkets of all sizes and knock-offs of most everything - DVDs, CDs, watches, clothes, etc. It all seems legit there as each vendor has a permit to sell at the market. Always interesting to see a “legit” vendor selling pirated movies.
So, as you’re walking through the market you’re not only getting bombarded with people trying to sell you junk but there are also guys trying to get you to go in the buildings on each side for massages, sex shows, ping pong ball shows, ladies dancing (or men or transexuals), and who knows what else. It’s a pretty dirty area and a bit scary to think about what goes on beyond those doors.
I look forward to the next time I can visit Thailand. It’s a beautiful culture and the people are so warm and peaceful.
I thought I had seen all of the censoring games until I arrived in Thailand. As I flipped through TV channels the other day I saw a fuzzy blur on the screen. A bit confused I focused in on it. Turns out that the woman in the show was smoking a cigarette and they had blurred out that part of her hand.
It’s just as stupid as censoring a woman’s nipples in the U.S. I could see the smoke pouring out of the top of the blur, and her hand motions, so I knew what it was. If you’re going to show 95% of it then show the rest and not make it a big deal. When you hide something you empower the mystery and imply what’s behind the censorship is bad. Don’t censor these things and they become normal - and normal doesn’t get a second thought. On the other hand, I guess the “censor guys” need something to do.
There’s something I find very special about bowing. It gives a sense of appreciation and respect for life. The customary bow in Thailand is done by placing your hands in front of your face and then bowing. It’s usually combined with “Sawatdee Khrab,” which is the polite way to say “hello” as a male or “Sawatdee Kaa” if you’re a female. Of course, that’s the phonetic spelling.
We arrived to Bangkok last night during dark hours so I’m not sure what the city looks like. So far, the hotel ranks in the top 2 that I’ve visited. It’s a great atmosphere of warm contemporary Thai decor and everyone greats you with a big smile.
We’ll start setting up shop today which leaves some time to explore. However, the weather is nasty outside so it might end up being a working day for me.
We safely arrived yesterday to Singapore where we spent the night. This evening we’ll be heading to Thailand where we’ll have the first event of the trip. After that, it’s back to Singapore for the second event.
Singapore welcomes you with a beautiful drive into the city. Exotic trees and colorful flowers line the sides and median of the roads into town. There are also numerous parks along the way where people are walking and enjoying the year-round warm weather. (Even the airport has nice plants next to the security scanners.)
Along with the cleanliness of the streets (no chewing gum, strict littering rules, and no smoking in most public places) they seem to have plants everywhere. Even though you’re walking down the street with hundreds of other people it’s a warm experience with all of the greenery around. From the hotel room you can see many buildings with plants and gardens on the roof tops. I guess the rainy seasons and humidity make that all possible.
