PostHeaderIcon Editor's Blog


What's up dudes. Welcome to my blog. I'm going to be keeping you all updated on my journey around Southeast Asia. I promise to keep you posted on my goings on, blonde moments (there'll be many), and far out adventures. Please also help keep this site going by sending me a little sugar if you really dig it.
 

PostHeaderIcon A Weekend Photo Shoot in Chiang Mai

It sounds like a fun weekend escape - a photo shoot in beautiful Chiang Mai. The theme? Outdoor Luxury. Think: Lavish, excess, off-beat, edgy. The accomodation? Only Chiang Mai's finest: The Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi: a resort so large and elaborate that it took five years to build, modelled on nothing other than an ancient Thai kingdom. My companions? My sub-Editor and photographer, Earth, our shoot director, Troy (who, I might add, was the stylist for Savage Garden for several years during their fame), and our two models, Jen (a friend of mine) and Dan (who became a friend of mine!). The props? Moet & Chandon champagne, $8,000 worth of Kenzo clothes, pieces from Troy's own line, three pairs of Jimmy Choos, and more. The goal? Gorgeous photos for a 7-page photo spread in our Autumn issue of Inbound Asia magazine.

We had only two days (and not even full days, as we were flying home the next day in the evening). Our itinerary was jam-packed, with seven different shoots to do, and just as many hair and costume changes, all in 40 degree + heat. It would, we noted, make an excellent reality TV show.

Our plane landed in Chiang Mai at 8am, and I should have realized the tone our first obstacle would set for the shoot. In the hour and a half flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Air Asia had managed to lose our photographer's suitcase. Luckily he had his camera on him. Unluckily, the telephone number for the driver that we had reserved was in his bag.

He spent the next half hour trying to sort that out, while we searched the airport for our driver. How were we to know who he was? Well his family had called Earth's mobile and said that the driver had forgotten his mobile phone at his house, but to look for a tall man who appeared to be looking for us. Seriously.

Just when we were about to give up hope, Earth found him. The van was much smaller than we'd hoped for, and we had to cram ourselves into the taxi with all the clothes, taking every precaution to somehow not get them too wrinkly. 

When we arrived at the hotel, we were shocked an amazed. Sure, I'd seen pictures, but it was breathtaking (if not a little overly elaborate). It really was like a castle. On our way up the elevator, Jen remarked, "I feel like a princess!" Our doorman chuckled, "You're meant to," he said, "this is built like ancient Thai kingdom, and you are the royalty."

At no point was this more apparent than when we were shown our rooms...

Dhara Dhevi rooms Dhara Dhevi Bedroom
Hell yeah!

Jen and I shared a room, and the boys got their separate rooms. It's not the way of the world I suppose, but hey, this is Thailand, and since we're friends, we didn't mind. Besides, it's not like you can complain about not having enough space in these rooms. The bathroom alone was bigger than my apartment (only a slight exaggeration).

But there wasn't much time to muck around. In fact there wasn't any.

Jen takes a break 
Yes, that is a shower cap she's wearing

While the models were getting ready, I picked up last minute things like the blankets for the picnic from a shop of the hotel grounds, we 'borrowed' some hotel blankets, pillows and champagne glasses, and Earth went to get food for all of us as we had not really eaten. Once the hair had been set (Jen had had pin curls in her hair since the night before, which may have been partly to explain why she was so tired...though it may also have been the fact that we had to meet at the airport at 5:45am), make up done, and clothing steamed (Troy had purchased a steamer just for the occasion), we flew out the doors and hauled ass to Maesa, a picturesque location 45 minutes outside of downtown Chiang Mai.

The first shoot: The Luxury Picnic Shoot 

Challenges: Approximately 25 Thai families and their frolicking children in the way of our shots (though they kindly moved for us when we asked them to), sweat melting off the models' makeup and making their clothes stick to their backs, and making it all look 'natural'.

The picnic shoot prep 

We managed to clear the people in the background out of the way for long enough to get some great shots of the waterfall in the background. The whole thing took less than 45 minutes, and we all shared the bottle of Moet & Chandon as a reward, though it went straight to our heads under the strong Chiang Mai sun.

The second shoot: The Maesa Elephant Camp

Challenges: Controlling live animals, making sure Jen's boobs don't pop out of her extremely low-cut dress, working with a sun that is popping in and out of the clouds like it had something better to do.

Crazy elephant At Maesa Elephant Camp gettin ready

This shoot took quite some time as it was difficult to keep the elephants in the right positions. Troy and I had to keep rushing over with sun umbrellas to keep Jen and Dan from melting into puddles from the heat and sun. Still, we got some totally fab shots and it was worth it even when the models had to completely flash all the Mahouts (we tried the best we could to cover the up with umbrellas but we could only do so much) in order to get undressed.

The third shoot: Oh change of plan - we were suddenly not able to do this shot today.

Dhara Dhevi at dusk
The Dhara Dhevi at dusk

Due to a crossing of wires between ourselves and the Oriental hotel, the sunset cocktail shot we'd planned to do was to be postponed to the next day, as they had a wedding coming in that night that they were busy preparing for. So, work ended earlier than had been thought. We got a complimentary meal at the resort's Thai restaurant, and Troy bought us a round of drinks (what a sweetie!). We ate until we couldn't eat anymore, and then ate a bit more. We figured we'd need the extra calories for the next day, which was sure to be nutso.

We went to bed early, collapsing and surrendering to the luxury of our surroundings.

The next morning, we had a complimentary breakfast, which included smoked salmon, homemade yogurt, and a selection of real cheese. I was in heaven.

But no sooner did we finish than we were back at it.

The (real) third shoot: The vintage limousine in front of the resort

Challenges: Stupidly hot sun, no wind, painful shoes, and angles.

Nevertheless, we got some great shots, though Jen was ready to fall over in her 5-inch Jimmy Choos that vaguely resembled torture-devices (though they also looked damn hot).

Another wardrobe change, new hairstyle, and boom we were ready for our next shoot.

The fourth shoot: The resort grounds

Challenges: This was probably the easiest shot of all of them. It was ironic that after all the coaching we did to try to get the models to act natural, it wasn't until we finally made a silly remark and they laughed together that we got the perfect shot (which has, since then, ended up becoming the favoured shot of all who view the photos).

The fifth shoot: The Flight of the Gibbons

On the way to the flight of the gibbon
On the way to the Flight of the Gibbon

Challenges: The flight of the gibbons involves wearing a harness, being strapped to a rope, and sent flying over the treetops of the jungle. Our job was to shoot the models doing this, looking graceful, edgy, and elegant, in designer clothes. Keeping the designer clothes completely free of dirt, and getting back to the hotel in time to do TWO more shoots (it was already 1pm at this point and our flight was leaving at 8pm...my heart was pumping pretty fast at this point!).

It was actually really fun! We got some amazing shots and managed to somehow not get a speck on the designer clothes! But I had to haul our asses out of there so that we could get back to the hotel in time to do our two final shots. One minor problem: when we got back out to the road where the car had dropped us off, the car was gone. They had, our guides told us, thought we were going to do all 18 stations (we only did one for time's sake) and they went to the end to pick us up. At this point, I'm on the verge of a minor heart attack. None of our mobiles have signals, we have no car, and it's a three-kilometre walk back to the main office.

Lucky for us, a police truck rolls on by. I flag them down and Earth helps me tell them that we need transportation to station 18. They get out of the car with very serious looks on their faces that say they're not amused. Hands on their hips, they look at each of us, and eye us up and down. Dan and Jen, in their skimpy little outfits (I believe Dan was only wearing his boxers at this point...). Finally, they agree to take us to station 18. Thank goddd. We all clamber into the cab of the truck and they drive slowly down the rocky road. Next thing we know, they're making a sharp turn, but the truck doesn't turn. Directly in front of us is a massive cliff, and the truck stalls. They back up. It happens again. Four of us are clutching at the edge of the truck, ready to jump out when the truck goes head first over the edge. Somehow, it does not. We all breathe a sigh of relief.

To our amazement, our driver is also waiting for us at station 18. We jump in his car and I ask Earth to tell him to drive like a crazy person back to the Oriental. It's already 3:45 though, and our next shoot is at 4pm. The odds of us making it on time are absolutely zero.

When we get to the hotel, I call my contact there, and she asks me to please compromise one of our shoots and do the spa shot instead, since they had already set up for it. We oblige, since they had been so obliging to us all weekend, but we're all quite disappointed that we don't get to do the sunset cocktail shot. It would have been so cool.

The Sixth Shoot: the Spa shot

Challenge: Make it not look like every other spa shot out there on the planet.

This one was difficult to be creative with. We managed to get a ladder for Earth to stand on, but in the end, it really did look just like all the other spa shots in the world. I mean, how creative can you be with it? Still, the shots are lovely. 

With the final shoot done, we have 2-second-long showers and jam everything into our bags, gently pack the designer goods, and vamos!! We say goodbye to the lovely Mandarin Oriental staff, and skiddadle to the airport, where we barely have enough time to grab dinner before we jump on board our plane.

Finally, up in the air, we relax. Oh, that is, until we are caught in a lightening storm.  

Last Updated ( Monday, 05 July 2010 17:11 )

 

PostHeaderIcon Let's Hear it For Bangkok

Together We Can Bangkok
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Thai people from the dramatic events that took place over the past two months, and how quickly they’ve bounced back from it, it’s that they’re resilient.

My beautiful Bangkok – the city I’ve been falling in love with ever since the day I moved here five months ago – has bruises, but it’s not broken. Indeed, were it not for the fact that the sharp odour of burning tires still lingers in the air amongst the charred remains of what was once a bustling, modern shopping complex, a first-time visitor to the city who doesn’t pay any attention to the news may not even suspect anything happened.

But it’s the mental wounds that are the most painful. The visual memory of the hundreds of reds standing their ground against the hundreds of soldiers - haunting pictures that were often misinterpreted by the foreign media – is the sour aftertaste of Bangkok’s biggest ever reality check.

And like all wounds, they heal. The mental wounds are slower to mend, but it comes. The skytrain has started running again after a brief hiatus, and amidst the hordes of people crowding inside every morning, a catchy Thai hymn plays from the TV in each car. Thai celebrities of all kinds sing along, all wearing T-shirts reading “Together We Can”. They sing before backdrops of the devastation that brought Bangkok to its knees just a month before. And they sing with passion and sadness, but the song’s message is one of hope. Of course, I don’t understand a word of it, but it’s just the feeling I get watching it.

Together We Can. Can what? It’s a message of hope that the Thai people can pull together, and bring their city back to what it once was. And not surprisingly, it’s already on its way. It wasn’t long after the curfew ended that the city began to have the thick buzz of excitement and vigour that once made it the most happening city in all of Southeast Asia.

Are we there yet? Not quite. A trip to the backpacker haven of Khao San Road is evidence enough of that. The street, which is said to never sleep, and is normally packed with barely clothed and only semi-washed patrons at all hours of the day, all days of the week, is relatively empty. The vendors are suffering. Many Bangkok hotels are at less than five percent occupancy. April, which is normally the busiest tourism month in Bangkok, was a write-off this year. It’s a major blow to the tourism industry that was truly in need of a boost after the economic downturn kept tourists in their homes, clutching their piggy banks for dear life.

This is the most frustrating part to watch. The people of Bangkok did nothing to deserve such fate, and tourists who avoid the area are simply adding to their plight. The fact is that Bangkok is back on its feet, and to be quite frank, there has not been a better time to visit this city. Prices everywhere are low, to help bring back the tourists, and what are normally overly-crowded destinations (ie. Phuket, Koh Samui), are now relaxing and serene escapes.

I say this from the bottom of my heart, and I would stake my name on it: there is nothing to fear from visiting Bangkok. Even during the worst of times, it is far safer than many cities in the US. Come to Bangkok and fall in love with the city as I have, and allow yourself to be welcomed by one of the warmest nations in the world. They have nothing but love and hope, and all they need is a little support. Together we can.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 10 June 2010 16:03 )

 

PostHeaderIcon First Week as an Editor

I've officially been handed the reigns of my Inbound Asia magazine, and I spent today planning out the Autumn issue. For the first time in my working life, I didn't notice the time go by all day long. When it was 6pm, I was shocked. I didn't even want to go home. I feel like I could do this job all the time and never get sick of it. It's so.....me.

Bangkok is pretty much back to normal. It's kinda like nothing happened. Well, that is until you go into the Siam area, where the Red Shirts' main gathering point was. I walked home from work the other day, and in the process walked through Siam. At one point, there was a distinct smell of burnt rubber, and I noticed that everyone was stopping to take pictures of a particularly dark building. In my tired stupor, I didn't realize until I looked directly at the building that it was the crispy remains of what was once Central World - a brand new, upscale shopping mall. Amy and I went there a lot when we were first in Bangkok last September. The charred building was exactly as you see in pictures, but it was so much more dramatic in person. I thought of everyone who lost so much in that mall - no way will their insurance cover it. As I continued, I saw more devastation - a cinema burnt down, another shopping complex. It's especially sad that Thai people have done this to Thai people. The country has worked so hard to modernize, and in just a few months, the Red Shirts managed to bring the city to its knees - crippling it in just about every sense of the word, even the faith that Thai people have in their fellow citizens. 

But they're amazingly resilient. I've gotten press release after press release about hotels re-opening, with new deals to help reel in the clientele. Thai people don't seem angry about what happened - most of them have moved on with their lives and are just keen for things to return to the way they were.

We still have a curfew but it's pretty minimal - 12am until 4am. It's in force until tomorrow, but they may extend it even longer. Who knows. 

I'm just happy to be back here and working, and loving my new job.

 

PostHeaderIcon The Eerie Silence of Bangkok

The end of the world? No...it's just Bangkok
After an eventful trip home, I've returned to Bangkok, non-Immigrant B visa in hand (which is not a work permit, but it's permission to apply for a work permit here).

Lucky for me, I returned at what was the crux of the past two months of tension and fighting in Bangkok. As my plane was taking off from Hong Kong to Bangkok, the Red Shirt leaders were surrendering to the police. What many didn't know at the time was that the fighting wouldn't stop there. I hopped in a taxi at Bangkok airport and told him to take me to Sukhumvit Soi 31. 

"That place mob style," he said.

"I know, here, I'm going to call my friend and he'll tell you how to get there." AJ, my friend who I had arranged to stay with, had told me not to come the usual way to his house, because it was being blocked by the military. You see, AJ lives on the same street as Abhisit, the current PM who the Red Shirts have been demanding to resign. The military presence was so strong the day I arrived, that they hadn't even permitted AJ to go to work, for fear that he may not be able to return at the end of the day should the Red Shirts decide to make an appearance (they never did).

So AJ explained to him how to get there, and we were off. Once I got to AJ's, I saw what he meant. There must have been 50 police officers lined up and down the small stretch of his street. They were cheery enough, giving me a subtle smile and a "Sawadee Krup", but no doubt they too were ready for all this to end.

AJ and I hung out at his place, and we made plans with our friends to meet at a nearby pub that night, so I could see everyone now that I was back. But we were extremely disappointed to discover that a curfew was announced - we had to be in our houses by 8pm! I hadn't had a curfew that early ever in my life. 

Without much food in the fridge, AJ and I ventured out to see what we could find for dinner. Walking up his street to get to the main street was a surreal experience. We strolled in the middle of the street, since there was not a car in sight. 

"I have never in my life seen this street so empty," said AJ, who's lived in Bangkok for over 20 years.

We could smell the burning rubber from the tires the Red Shirts had been burning in order to skew visibility into their encampment. When we turned on to Sukhumvit, one of the main streets of Bangkok, I was shocked. It was 6pm, and just about every shop on the street was closed, with metal bars in front just so you knew that they were really closed. The local supermarket wasn't open, not a single coffee shop was open. 

"What are we going to eat!?" I asked AJ. 

"We'll find something," he reassured me.

We walked past Subway, which was one of the few shops that was open. The line inside was so long that it curled around upon itself. I thought we could use it as a last resort. We walked into a pub called Robin Hood, which was another one of the few to stay open. It was packed inside. A few people sat at a table typing on their computers, their "Press" helmets cast casually to the side.

It was Happy Hour.

We ordered two pints, and asked to see a food menu. "Sorry, kitchen closed," was the response.

So AJ called up his friend, who owns a pub not far away, and asked if he could order a sandwich for me. His friend, who had just shut his bar's kitchen as well, agreed to reopen it just for us. We headed over there once we'd finished our drinks and I finally got something to eat.

~

When I woke up the next morning, the first thing I did was check BangkokPost.com, which seems to be the only reliable source for accurate reporting during this situation (the foreign media has been, for the most part, biased and inaccurate). Nearly 30 buildings had been burned overnight, including Central World, a brand new mall that had been built only a few years back. It was, we read, on the verge of collapse.

I later learned that the Red Shirt leaders had told their followers that should they ever be captured or forced to surrender, that the Red Shirts should proceed to do everything they could to destroy the city. They'd been brainwashed so heavily that when their leaders surrendered, they attempted to do just that.

AJ and I decided to head to Carrefour, to stock up on groceries and grab some breakfast. I couldn't believe my eyes as we drove there. The roads, which are normally jammed with stop-and-go traffic, and the sidewalks, which are normally bustling, where practically empty. Nearly every store was shut.

It almost felt like it was the end of the world.

We weren't even sure if Carrefour would be open, and at first glance, it didn't appear to be, but we went in anyway and found the doors to be open. We went down to the food court, only to be told by a security guard that it was closed. Even the Starbucks was closed. Lucky for us, one coffee shop was open, and it served delicious breakfast croissants. We stocked up on food and headed home.

A friend of ours joined us at AJs because she needed to do some work, and since she lives right near Lumphini Park (which the army just retook from the Red Shirts), her electricity was cut off. The rumour is that the Red Shirts did it. And they'd just bought groceries the day before.

Finally when we were done with our work, they headed to the pool and I wanted to go to the gym. I did the 20 minute walk there in the 40 degree heat (which is only one skytrain stop, but of course, the skytrain isn't running), only to discover that the entrance to the gym is covered in police tape, covered in iron bars. Ain't nobody gettin' in there. Damn, I thought.

Luckily, a friend of mine called me up and told me to meet him at a pub for drinks and food. Having nothing else to do, I obliged. For the rest of the day, I hung out with friends and caught up on all the gossip I'd missed. We made sure to be home well before 9pm.

~

The curfew is meant to last until Sunday morning, which means no going out on Saturday night. Oh well. We've decided to go to a Champagne brunch on Sunday morning instead. 

I am going to my first day of work today, so I'm really looking forward to that. I was up at 6am this morning because I have still not fully adjusted to the time change. Also having to be home by 9pm makes you ready to go to bed earlier. 

Let's hope this craziness is over by next week. 

Last Updated ( Friday, 21 May 2010 00:38 )

 

PostHeaderIcon Pretty Exciting News

My new magazine
Well, I promised you some exciting news, and now I'm going to give it to you. The thing is, I've already told most of you in one way or another, so unless you are one of the people I don't know who reads this blog, you won't be surprised, and may even be sick of hearing about it.

I've accepted the position of executive editor at the luxury travel magazine Inbound Asia. The job is based in Bangkok, and therefore absolutely perfect for me. 

I'll be taking over for the current editor, who is also a friend of mine, as soon as I get back from Canada. 

The magazine is distributed in first class lounges across Asia and the Middle East, and in parts of North America, and is the official magazine of the Luxury Network Asia. Starting with my issue, we'll be adding a new section full of Middle Eastern content. You can check out the website, which I will also be working on, here (it also has past issues that you can digitally flip through).

Don't worry, I won't forget about BlondeTraveler. I will be doing quite a bit of traveling on this job, and I plan to keep you guys updated with everything I'm up to. I've still got big plans for BlondeTraveler. So big, in fact, that I'm going to need to expand my team. But for now, I have to concentrate on this job. 

If I had known that my trip across Southeast Asia would have led to a job like this, a job I've been dreaming about doing since I was 14 years old, I wouldn't have had all those worries that swarmed my head during various parts of my trip. It's a truly amazing culmination to the best year of my life. 

If any of you guys have any tips for me (press releases, whatever) for my new mag, do feel free to send me an e-mail! 

Last Updated ( Thursday, 06 May 2010 01:28 )

 

PostHeaderIcon My Airport Adventure

Crazy Plane


Takin a ride on the crazy plane...

OK so I know you're probably thinking, how could a story about an airport be that much of an adventure? But though I've spent more time at airports over the last weekend than I would ever want to again, I actually had a pretty good time doing it.

It all began on Thursday. My flight to Hong Kong via Air Asia went off without a hitch. I was sad to be leaving my friends in Bangkok, and also a cute Spanish doctor named Pablo I'd met the night before, but that's another matter. Once in Hong Kong, I had eight hours to wait before my flight to Vancouver. Now, as some of you may know, I have a standby pass because my Uncle Pat used to work for Air Canada. This means that I can hop on any Air Canada plane, so long as there are seats available. This is usually not a problem...

But this time, some random and difficult-to-pronounce volcano went off in Iceland and completely threw the world's international flights out of whack, and for some reason this caused a horde of people to suddenly want to fly Hong Kong to Canada (why? I cannot figure that one out). So, after five hours of trying to sleep on an incredibly uncomfortable chair while a group of Indian women shrieked to each other behind me, I went to check on my flight. They told me to come back in two hours (ie. right before boarding time...and they weren't even going to let me through security - which they normally do). I waited and when I went back, they made all the standby passengers stand in a group in front of the counter for 15 minutes, before they finally came up to us and said "no chance." 

Crap, I thought. What the hell am I going to do? I really didn't want to leave the airport because I knew downtown Hong Kong was crazy-expensive, and I don't have a particularly smooth relationship with the city (see my first few blog posts from the start of my trip). I went to check out the airport hotel, but that was $130 for 10 hours. The receptionist recommended I try an airport lounge, but even that was $80 for 10 hours. With Thai baht still being very much my dominant mental currency, these prices seemed all the more unbelievable to me.

I decided my best move would be to sit in a cafe with my laptop and hope something good happened. And what do you know? About two hours into it, a man came over to me and said he noticed I'd been sitting there for a while. He introduced himself as Mark, and told me he lives in Norway with his wife and kids. Seemed like a nice guy, all around. We chatted for a bit. I told him my tale of woe, about how I didn't have a place to sleep and how my next flight wasn't until 6pm the next day. He told me that his company had a hotel room for him at the airport hotel, but his flight was at midnight that night. Then, he had an idea. Why didn't he just extend his hotel room for the full night on his company credit card, and I could stay there for the night? 

So, off we went to the hotel to see if we could do just that. And what do you know, a flash of the credit card and it was absolutely no problem. I waved goodbye to Mark, and there I was, all by myself for the night in his very expensive hotel room. 

I slept in until 12pm the next day and missed the complimentary continental breakfast. Damn. But at least I only had 5 hours to wait until I could find out if I would make it on the flight. Five hours and 10 lattes later, I was once again told, "no chance." Crap, I thought. What are the chances I'm going to find another random guy to offer me a free night in a hotel tonight? 

I logged on to CouchSurfing.com, and sent out about 20 messages to people in Hong Kong, apologizing for the lateness of my message, but pretty please could I stay with them for the night?

Right away, I heard back from this guy named Tosh. He said that I could stay at his place - a five-bedroom apartment in central Hong Kong. He even came to pick me up from Central Station.

Tosh was such a great host. He took me to a members' only club, where we drank and ate (gin and tonics, and bruschetta with caviar) on his father's tab. We went home to change, and then we were back out on the town, this time in Lang Kwai Fong, Hong Kong's entertainment/clubbing district. We club hopped and partied until the sun rose. The next day, we chilled out at his house, ordered Subway, and watched movies.

I checked the flight loads and saw that there was no point in even trying the Hong Kong airport that day. My Mom suggested I fly to Shanghai and try to get out there, since there seemed to be much more open flights. Tosh, who happened to have a ridiculous amount of airmiles that he needed to use up by the end of the year, offered to just buy my ticket to Shanghai for me on his airmiles. SUPER nice of him to do. 

So after a good, long sleep, I was in the car with Tosh's driver, and soon on a plane to Shanghai. Lucky for me, my Mom had checked the entry rules to Shanghai. Turns out Canadian citizens are not welcome to enter Shanghai without a confirmed flight ticket out. So she kindly booked me a ticket for the day after (that she would then cancel when I made it on the flight that day). I waited around the Shanghai airport for what felt like FOREVER. The flight to Vancouver was at 6pm, and I knew if I didn't make it on that flight, I was going to have to pay the $1500 the next day for a flight home. Luckily, they checked my bags and let me through security this time, which meant I had a much better chance at getting on. But as people were lining up to get on the flight, they still hadn't told me whether or not I had a seat. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest as I watched the ground hostess' every move. She called two standby passengers to the desk. Neither was me. Shit shit shit shit shit, I thought. 

Finally, she looked over at me and spoke into the microphone. "Would any remaining standby passengers please come to the desk," she said. I freaked inside my head, with memories of the Hong Kong rejections playing back in my head. Luckily, she handed me a ticket and said I had a seat. I wanted to kiss her.

In fact, it would turn out that I had an entire row to myself (ok it was only two seats, but still!) for the whole flight to Vancouver. The time went by pretty fast, and before I knew it, I was on Canadian soil for the first time in over a year.

I grabbed my bags, hustled through immigration (god, it's nice to be a "resident" for once!), and skittered over to the Tim Horton's line up, to get my traditional French Vanilla cappuccino and reward myself for what I think to be quite the airport adventure.
 

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 04 May 2010 05:34 )

 

PostHeaderIcon Ode to Pad Thai

Pad Thai

This is a poem about my favourite street food stand in Bangkok - the Pad Thai family at the steps of the Ratchatewi skytrain station. 
 

Ratchatewi Pad Thai is crazy delicious
Causes all my lovers to become suspicious

Cuz I love this pad thai like Rachel loves Ross
Like Andy Samberg said, this pad thai is “the boss”

When I’m eating this pad thai, don’t call with your demands
You wouldn’t want me to remove you from my Facebook friends

I think this pad thai could make a contribution
To somehow solve the red shirts’ revolution

There must be a way, though I don’t know how,
But everyone is happy after really good chow

So there you go, I’ve solved the entire equation,
Even though I’m really just a silly Caucasian.

 

Last Updated ( Saturday, 24 April 2010 14:44 )

 

PostHeaderIcon The Season of Change

one year ago
The view from my airplane seat..on my way to SEA...one year ago

It's the season of change in Bangkok. Or maybe it's just me. Many things have come (or are coming) to an end, and new beginnings are on the horizon.

Gab has left, and so has Anita. Matt moves in at the end of the month.

I celebrated my one-year anniversary of my Southeast Asia trip last Tuesday, with a friend I met in the Philippines, Anita, and some new friends we met at the bar.

Two of my couple friends have broken up, and some of my friends are fighting. The Wolfpack isn't what it once was, but perhaps it's for the best. Maybe it's time to move on. We had a good run.

Bored of our usual hangouts, a few friends and I have tried out some new places, and we had so much fun there. Thong Lo is my new favourite spot in Bangkok. 

I'm going home on Thursday and, for the first time in my life, I am nervous. Perhaps it's silly, but it's how I feel. I've been over here a long time, and though I've never experienced reverse culture shock (that I've noticed), I feel like I might get a big dose of it this time.

Things are happening on the job front. More info to come next week.

There is a revolution going on in Bangkok that has turned quite violent, yet, if it weren't for the inconveniences like the skytrain closing down and taxi drivers refusing to take you to certain areas, and the pesky fact that the most popular shopping district has been cordoned off for the past six weeks, you wouldn't even notice it. 

Stay tuned for next week's news. 

Last Updated ( Saturday, 24 April 2010 07:58 )

 

PostHeaderIcon Songkran on Samet

Enjoying the Songkran festivities
Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiire!!!

Wanting to get out of Bangkok, since it's kind of erupting into a city of chaos, we decided to hit up Koh Samet for some Songkran fun.

Songkran, by the way, is the Thai New Year, and what was once a delicate water-pouring ritual to get rid of the sins of the past year, has now evolved into a giant, crazy water fight. You can read my BangkokDiary article about it, which explains much more of the history and the modern day Songkran experience here.  

After Saturday night's massacre, we were pretty anxious to get out of the city. We hopped on a bus and then a boat, and soon found our feet being caressed by soft, white sand. We grabbed some passable huts (but hey, they were only 300 baht each a night - that's about $9), and headed out to watch the fire show at Ploy, a bar/restaurant down the beach.

I went with five other people, and more joined us as the week wore on. Our days consisted mainly of lying on the beach, swimming until our fingers turned white, mowing down cheeseburgers (for some reason, a lot of cheeseburgers were consumed over the course of the trip), and then watching the fire show, which was honestly, the best fire show I've ever seen...ever (Amy, you would have LOVED IT).

It consisted of 11 Thai guys, ripped like you wouldn't believe (shirtless, of course), doing some of the most unbelievable things with fire you can imagine. I will put pictures up when I get them. They would stand on each other's shoulders, never missing a beat in spinning their fire sticks, and in honour of Songkran, they even spun firework-spewing fire sticks. It was insane. 

When the fire show would finish, the fire boys would lead us all down to the beach, where they would light a long stick on fire, under which we could limbo for a free shot (as you can see by the first picture, this is something in which I partook). After this, there would be a burning ring of fire we could jump through, and then a tug of war competition, followed by which they would have us all join hands, and lead us onto the dance floor, where we danced for the rest of the night.

Songkran!
About to become soaking wet

On Tuesday, Songkran officially began. The festivities really started the night before at midnight, actually, when the fire boys at Ploy bar began spraying us all with water. I ended up throwing and being thrown into the water, spraining my thumb, busting my knees, and being covered in other cuts and bruises (not to mention mosquito bites), but damn, it was so worth it. By the end of the night, everybody was completely soaked, as if they'd just stepped out of the shower. It's quite possible that Songkran is the best holiday ever invented.

The nights continued like this more or less, though both Anita and I and the rest of the crew started to wear out as the days went on. It got to the point where I was dancing and throwing water more or less sober, but still having a great time.

We decided to come back yesterday just because there is only so much partying and lying on the beach one can do. Plus, I have to say it, I missed Bangkok. Even despite its revolutionary ways.
 

Last Updated ( Friday, 16 April 2010 12:33 )

 

PostHeaderIcon STA Flight Deals

That being said, who wants to come to Thailand!!! Hahaha. No seriously though, I get regular updates from STA Travel, and they've sent me some discount links if anyone is interested in cheap flights on sale around this part of the world.

$20 off Korean Air Student Tickets at STATravel.com with code KE20. Valid through4/30

$20 off QANTAS Airways Student Tickets at STATravel.com with code QFE20. Valid through 4/30

$20 off Air Pacific Student Airfare at STATravel.com with code FJ20. Valid through 4/30

No Booking Fee on Student Exclusive Tickets with code NOFEE at STATravel.com. Valid through 4/30

Check them out.....might save you a bit of pocket money anyways.

 
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