Hi All,
Hope you are well and enjoying life. Here is what I have been up to over the last few months or so, since I wrote last:
May
I went to Hua Hin with Mark and Ana. Mark drove us down there and arranged accommodation at a rather nice family resort. We did the beach and night market, and caught up with some of Ana’s uni mates for a few drinks and a swim at Cha Am. Hua Hin is where the King of Thailand lives. We thought about dropping in on him for a beer and chat, but were a bit pushed for time – maybe another day.
My first paid job in Thailand (shhhhhhh – not actually allowed to work). I made up a karaoke song book for a restaurant and was paid 2 large bottles of beer, and was allowed to sing all night for free!!
June
4 June – Got my third bout of food poisoning since being here in Bangkok. It only lasted over night and wasn’t that bad really – seafood again, of course. Last time I had it, it was a lot worse – Mark had to race me off to hospital.
I acquired a little kitten from soi 22, Sukhumvit on 19 June – 7 weeks old and she doesn’t even register on my scales. Mark named her S’Tang (S’Tang is like the name that is given to 1 and 2 cent pieces here in Thailand – small change).
21-24 June – Kuala Lumpur for VISA run – boring.......
Booked air tickets to Melbourne for Christmas – 17 Dec – 7 Jan. Initially it was just going to be Mark and I, but Ana is coming now too.
July
I started writing websites again. My first draft went live on 4 July. It is now complete, but I’m waiting on approval from the owner to transfer it to it’s proper location. You can see the site at www.kenrhea.com/badabing
During June, my left eye became a bit ‘gunked up’ so I went and got some conjunctivitis drops. They didn’t work so early July I went to a doctor who gave me other eye drops, and they actually made it worse. So on 10 July, I went along to a public hospital close by and saw a doctor there – actually 2 doctors, then 3 eye specialists. Took 6 hours of waiting, but when I was finally seen by the eye doctors they sorted it out pretty quick. Apparently I had developed a small absess on my eye, so I was given the right medication and sent home. The whole bill???? 50 baht (about $1.70). Who needs medicare or private health?
19 July – went to Pat Pong Road (Silom) with Mark and Ana and watched Thai Boxing in a bar. I wasn’t particularly attracted to the idea of watching two men kick and punch each other, but I have to admit, it was really good. At the start of the third fight, Mark put up 1000 baht (about $34) if one of them got a knock out... So it was a really good fight and we got the knock out! 1000 baht is a lot of money here.
Tue 21 July – I went back into Pat Pong Road and sang with band in a packed bar (King’s Garden) – about 100 people. Afterwards, they clapped and cheered and one guy came up to me and shook my hand. It was sort of nice because most of the people there were ‘farang’ (foreigners). So, I couldn’t resist, I went back the next night too and as I walked in, the leader of the band said over the microphone “Welcome Khun Ken – Sabaii di Kah”, “sing tonight?” Basically, hello Ken – how are you, do you want to sing tonight? .... ok – twisted my arm so I sung another song and it went down pretty well too .....
I had enjoyed the King’s Garden singing so much I took Mark and Ana there on Friday 24 July, but the band I sang with wasn’t there, so we went to another venue – a Mexican restaurant and I sang a few songs there. On that night Miss Thailand (I think from a few years ago...) was there and she also sang a couple of songs.
August
I weighed myself and I appear to have lost 10kg between arriving here in Bangkok in December, and now. I left Australia weighing about 61kg, got back to Australia in December 2008 weighing 75kg and now I’m 65kg – about right for me I think.
9 August – met a girl from an online dating site – Parinee. She is 21 and lives with her mum here in Bangkok. She just finished a Fine Arts degree and is about to start a temporary job next week as a data entry processor.
17 – 20 August – KL again.......
21 August – Went into the Country Road Bar in soi 5 with Mark to play pool and catch up with a friend. Mark sang 2 CCR songs with the Wasabi Band – he was really good.
22 August – Went to the movies with Parinee and saw Coco Chanel – funny enough, it was about the life of Coco Chanel. I found it very interesting and quite enjoyed it. We also checked out a Shoe Expo, which was on in the same building and also an Inventors Expo, and a few small art galleries.
24 August – I have been playing pool (8-ball) a lot over the last few months and was invited to play in a team. We started the competition tonight. I played 4 games and lost them all! My team lost over all.
Sat 29 August – Went to the Ratchada Market with Parinee. Its only a small market, but prices are good because its not a main-stream Farang market.
September
Our Pool Team Captain became ill and had to have heart surgery, so I was asked to become Team Captain. So it’s now Captain Ken. We have a good team – mix of young and old, Thai and Farang – I just have to win a few games – that would be nice. . . . We play every Monday night – one week at home and one week away.
Mark and Ana were married on 26 September at Ana's hometown of Nahkon Patom. The ceremony, performed by 9 Buddhist Monks, started at 6am (yep - that is not a typo. . .) I can't remember the last time I saw what 6am looked like. Anyway, it was a very interesting ceremony - full of all sorts of chanting and waving of incense and eating (actually lots of that!!), and painted foreheads. I thought my own marriage ceremony in the Philippines was a bit unusual in terms of the different goings on, but this one was completely different to mine or any others I have attended. At one stage of the ceremony Mark and a 'gaggle' of supporters had to assemble at the end of the street with gifts and money. We had big banners and there were 1000 fireworks let off to announce our arrival at the bride's house. When we arrived there (in procession), it was Mark's job to bribe the bride's family and friends with gifts and money so he could get into the house and take his wife from her room. As you could imagine, it is a very popular part of the ceremony because it involves the groom giving out money . . . Another part of the ceremony is the 'show of wealth'. Tradtionally, the groom pays sort of like a dowry to the bride's parents. Sometimes this still occurs, but it is often symbolized by a show of wealth. Mark put up a very handsome display of cash, gold and silver coins, gold nuggets and ingots and jewellery. All guests then line up and look at the 'show' and sprinkle rice over it for good fortune. I think they were all pretty impressed with the bowl of goodies. . . Mark wore a very nicely tailored dark grey suit with grandpa collar and winged shirt. He matched his bow tie and cummerbund with Ana's formal dress. Ana's dress was stunning. It was traditional Thai - gold and very heavily decorated with beads and other shiny things. . . The ceremony itself went for 4 hours, then we adjourned to a nearby floating restaurant and were fed all sorts of yummy foods - pork, fish, chicken - the pork was exceptional - I had more than my fair share I can tell you. I took lots of photos using Mark's camera and he plans to put them onto a CD and pass them around soon. I put a few photos that Parinee took on my site though in the photos section CLICK HERE.
October
17 October – I started working at the BADA BING! Bar in Sukhumvit as Manager. Days are only ad-hoc at the moment, but will become more regular soon. The owner of the bar is Rick. He is from the States. I have got to know him reasonably well over the last few months and he has become a very good friend.
18 – 21 Oct – KL again . . .
23 October – Went to Koh Larn (an island off Pattaya) with Parinee for the night. We turned up without having booked accommodation and had a lot of trouble actually finding something. Eventually we found something right over the other side of the island, and it was a blessing in disguise because we virtually had our own private beach.
November
2 and 3 Nov – Went to Amphawa with Mark and Ana and Parinee. It is Loy Krathong Festival time, so it is time to go and say sorry to the river for polluting it. Mark drove us there, and Parinee followed later by bus after she finished work. We sort of got ripped off a bit with our accommodation, but it is a very popular festival and accommodation was very tight. Never the less, there were thousands of people there and good food and drink. I even found a karaoke machine and sang a few songs in the street . . . yeah, I know, I’m addicted.
4 November. I’m working tonight at the BADA BING! My days/hours are now regular, although next week I work the whole week because Rick is heading down to Phuket for a holiday. Normally though, I work three days a week – Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday (week 1), then Thursday, Friday and Saturday (week 2). Then I start the rotation again. Sort of works in well, because it gives Rick and me a fair share of the busy and quiet days, and also gives us both a weekend off in every two.
I hope you found this newsletter of some interest. Send me a mail and let me know what you're up to.