Crisis in Thailand? What crisis. Mai pen lai ...

It was getting pretty chilly watching the DAAD pro-democracy concert taking place at the Three Kings monument in the centre of the walled city, a tribute to the founders of the city of Chiang Mai. No accident that this location had been chosen – symbolic of the protest movement’s determination to be seen and heard at the heart of the capital of northern Thailand, one of its strongholds.

However even the attractive dancers did little to warm things up in the unseasonal cold, and the music was at least as bad as the racket constantly bombarding listeners to ASTV, the PAD (People’s Alliance for, cough, Democracy) TV propaganda channel. What it must be like for the demonstrators on the spot at Government House and the airport, subjected to a combination of that racket plus megaphone indoctrination all day long, week after week... no wonder they’re all acting so crazy.

Click on any photos in this blog, small or large, to see the full-size photos

At the Chiang Mai concert red shirts were gradually being covered up with other hues of clothing. 6 pm; time to leave.

Plenty of free food on offer at the DAAD (Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship) concert - but with all due respect to this version of Thai music, my ears couldn't take any more

Multiple official warnings from nations around the world are being issued with respect to travel to Thailand, but they are hardly needed - the effects of the crisis are already beginning to bite hard. I mostly avoid the Chiang Mai Sunday Market – overpriced, heaving with bodies, even outside the high season. Usually it feels something like a Bangkok traffic jam – a step forward, a long pause... you spot a small gap to squeeze into, jump in... only for your new lane to grind to a halt as half a dozen battleship-shaped Germans coo over some trinket, oblivious to the effect they are having on traffic flow. The Thais, being excessively polite, never lean on their horns. Everyone waits patiently.

Pretty quiet around the market, whether handicraft or food stalls...

The most direct route back was via the Sunday Market, so I chanced it. Well into the ‘busy’ time of year, yet despite this a first for me – being able to stroll from one end of Walking Street to the other, barely having to break stride.

A group of US tourists without a care in the world... after a few glasses of ginseng wine

Yes there were some people about, but mainly Thais; the farangs were few and far between. The Thai traders’ smiles were firmly fixed in place; but was it my imagination – they seemed a little forced. It was a strange sensation, once out of the highly charged political atmosphere of the concert arena, back amongst ordinary folk just trying to get on with their lives. A recent poll suggested some 60% of Thais were losing interest in the whole long drawn-out debacle. I can understand that – apathy creeping in, along with embarrassment at the loss of face for Thailand on the world stage. But the same 60% also believed that the Thai constitutional courts were best placed to sort out the whole mess in an objective, unbiased manner. Now there’s naivety for you!


There’s so much to be admired about the Thai approach to life, the “sabai sabai, mai pen rai” attitude - roughly equating to the message of the Bob Marley classic “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” - has its good points. Why worry about those things you cannot change? But this mindset has its limitations, leaves Thailand’s people open to exploitation by the more unscrupulous. The “it’ll all turn out alright” approach plays right into the hands of those powerful puppeteers pulling the strings.

Drat .. wanted to avoid politics in this post, and I’ve slipped up several times already!

Still you just can’t avoid the evidence of your own eyes. Loi Kroh Chiang Mai, 8pm Sunday night, and deserted. A sad sight.


On the political front (sorry again ;-) PM Somchai flew back into Chiang Mai at lunchtime today to be greeted by crowds of supporters who ‘escorted’ him back to his home... New appeals were broadcast by military chiefs asking all those involved to step back from confrontation by way of respect for the Monarch’s forthcoming birthday... Ominous threats issued from the same sources however, aimed at the demonstrators (ie the DAAD pro-democracy supporters), warning them of serious consequences should they come out in force after the courts rule on the legitimacy or otherwise of the governing political parties, tomorrow, Tuesday. (I think we all can guess what that decision will be)... The police are dropping fliers from helicopters onto the main Bangkok airport, ordering PAD to leave the premises (riiiight – that’s bound to work)... 240,000 tourists currently stuck in Thailand trying to get a flight out, and counting, tens of thousands more trying to leave each day... violent incidents are spreading ... and even my flight back to France on December 18th is looking a bit touch and go right now.

Still, you never know what tomorrow will bring, so as the Thais say, mai pen lai ...

To finish on a positive note... with a knitting needle and some string ...


... these can be made. Never ceases to amaze me, the creative talents you see on every street corner.

Venus, Jupiter and the crescent Moon in conjunction tonight. Get the distinct feeling that they're having a good laugh at our antics ;-)

Thailand - The Land Of Worn And Tired Smiles

Away from all the polemics, the disinformation spouted by the propaganda machines, the vitriol, the accusations and counter-accusations, the power plays by those hungry for control and self-enrichment, there is another Thailand.

Take away the tiny minority of trouble-makers in the pro-democracy camp, and what do we have left? A mighty majority of ordinary folk who ask only for the right to live in peace, the means to feed and clothe their families, and with a minimum of basic human rights - including one man, one vote.

Here are the real people of the Land Of Smiles.

Which puppeteer will end up pulling the Thai people's strings when this crisis is done?

(All photos from today's pro-democracy rally and concert in Chiang Mai... click on any image to see the full-size photo).

Thai tuk-tuks to face down the tanks ...

Much has been said about how the government 'red-shirt' supporters are being bought, their presence at rallies around Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand purchased for a couple of hundred baht a day. Spend a few hours in their presence and you soon end up with a completely different impression. These are people that are genuinely worried about the possibility of their democratic right to vote being taken away. They do understand that their former idol Thaksin is no saint. But they nonetheless still love him for the opportunities he gave to a sector of society that was and remains the subject of considerable discrimination, looked down upon, and with little hope of a better future.

They are disgusted by PAD's antics in Bangkok, and the occupation of the airports there in particular. They appreciate the damage being done both to Thailand's reputation and to its economy. Many of them live in borderline poverty, so the slightest set-back can leave them struggling to survive on a day-to-day basis. They feel insulted and degraded by the suggestion that they are simply too stupid and lacking in education to vote for the right reasons. And as The Thai Pirate made clear in his blog this morning, there is a lot more to this vote-buying than meets the eye. (Well worth a read for its insights into the social mechanics at play...). So how are they getting by? Which powerful interests are supporting them? Not those that allegedly are filtering massive sums through to PAD via anonymous Hong Kong banking routes and elsewhere. Here are a few...

All day long, ordinary folk...

On foot, in cars...

Were pulling up in front of the pro-government supporters' headquarters...

To give what they can afford - from a hundred baht, to an occasional thousand...

Or from local restaurants, food and water. Meanwhile, down at the PM's Chiang Mai ranch...

There was an even greater sense of being under siege. No one had a clue if or when the troops would roll in, and the hundred or so women and children blocking the entrance are hardly much of a deterrent. Still, we all remember the photo of the man blocking the way of the tank in Tianamen Square. There was a similar determination amongst those present - hard to credit that emotions are running so high. With their powerful backers, PAD have had most of the publicity, certain TV channels broadcasting non-stop propaganda on their behalf. Even the BBC and others have been taken in at times - only those on the spot can see the misleading nature of certain reports that have come out.


Tactics being discussed near the PM's home, in the event that the army puts in an appearance.

My good deed for the day...

Thai girls seem to be born with the innate ability to preen the egos and any other parts of the male anatomy that are in need of attention, without so much as a moment's hesitation, deviation or boring repetition. It just comes naturally. They may have been raised in a wooden dwelling in a remote part of Isaan in the NE of Thailand and hardly ever seen a Caucasian before. They may have stopped what little schooling they had by the time they were 12 in order to go weave baskets for as many hours of daylight as there are in the week, for a couple of hundred baht - say two or three dollars' worth. They may have come to the big city by the time they were 20 without a word of English, some barely able to read or write. But within months, sometimes just weeks, they will have pinpointed all those invisible buttons that self-imagined streetwise, educated, globe-trotting seen-it-all farangs - capable of holding their own in high profile meetings with the canniest of business competitors - were completely unaware existed for the pressing.

48 year old recent divorcee Alain had been in Thailand for a fortnight during the summer. By the time he was on his way back to France, exotic dancer Took had sworn her undying loyalty to him, and he to her. Some 600 euros were henceforth transferred monthly to Took, whose buffalo and relatives remained in surprisingly fine health until his return in October. Then just last week Took had reluctantly and tearfully revealed to him that she was actually still married, and that her long-awaited divorce had not yet come through. Soon to be ex-husband Aussie Jeff was attempting to recover half of the property he had bought - out of his own pocket, she admitted - and which he had placed entirely in Took's name (land and property) some months prior to getting around to marrying her three years before. He originally did this because foreigners (with the exception of US citizens due to some obscure Vietnam war era agreement) are not allowed to buy property in their own name in Thailand. (You can think it, but not say it ;-)

Ok... I'll say it. WHAT a wally.

Wally Jeff was now struggling to get by with the declining Aussie dollar, and had decided to take Took to court in an attempt to recover some of the 2.8 million baht he had "invested". Whether he's got a cat in hell's chance is another matter (no prenuptial, property put in her name BEFORE the marriage anyway), but he had engaged a lawyer and a court date had been set. Poor Took was frantically worried. She just wanted to be left alone, and for Jeff to sign the divorce papers so she could marry Alain, the love of her life, as soon as possible. But for some reason obstinate Jeff was refusing to sign.

Alain's help was desperately needed. He was her last hope. She had found a lawyer to fight her case, but she had to pay him 50,000 baht (roughly 1,100 euros) up front. Tomorrow. Buttons were being pressed by fingers strengthened by years of basket weaving, and Alain was within a whisker of caving in. Fortified by a few Long Island Teas, Mastercard at the ready, he was steeling himself for the trip to the ATM.

Which is where I came in. I bumped into an unsteady Alain at the No. 1 Bar, cocktail in hand. Had never seen him before, but hearing his French accent we got chatting.

Chiang Mai is a small town in many ways. There is not that much going on within the farang community without news of it spreading far and wide. Alain had struck lucky - I happened to have heard Jeff's story straight from the horse's mouth.

Thai girls don't actually tell untruths, as it happens. It's just that they may only tell you the part of the truth that they have decided you need to know. Sometimes that is not very much at all. In this case Took had omitted a few minor details. The key reason Jeff hadn't signed the divorce papers was that Took didn't want a divorce in the first place - at least, not until she'd got what she wanted. Why did she need so much money, just for a lawyer to argue over a house split? Because SHE was taking Jeff to court - not the other way around - in an attempt to relieve him of half of the value of his two condos (she believed it to be her right as a dutiful and loving spouse to half of his possessions now he'd left her... Jeff claimed that they'd split up because despite no longer dancing for a living, she usually came home from a night out with 'friends' in the small hours, 4, 5, 6 am even). Plus he was not paying maintenance for her, nor for her daughter from her earlier teenage relationship with a Thai boyfriend (what daughter, Alain managed to choke out?). To cap it all, she was suing him for arrears.

Alain nearly fell from his stool. Having done my good deed for the day, we bid our farewells, and I headed for a quick coffee just up the road in Loi Kroh.

Shortly after, on the way home in my tuk-tuk, there was this guy facing away from me at the Bangkok Bank ATM. Spitting image of Alain. Surely not .....

Thai Tuck, Anyone?

Mammoplasty for just over 1000 $? Facelift for 875 $? Catching my eye in Saturday's 'Bangkok Post' was a substantial advert on the front page. The Pratunam Polyclinic in Bangkok specialises in plastic surgery...

Medical tourism is big business in Thailand. The recently published "Opportunities in Thailand Tourism" estimated that patients from abroad - for all types of treatment - would reach two million per annum by 2010 (mind you, the report came out before the credit crisis and global economic turndown began to bite).

For some reason orchiectomies (testicle removal) have been red-lined, although sex changes for a 'snip' at 1,625 USD are still on the menu. Unlike visits to Thai zoos, the ad takes care to point out that a foreign customer is not charged a premium because of his farang-sized wallet - nor indeed because of the alleged dimensions of the other farang appendage that also seems to fascinate the Thais (if to a slightly lesser degree).

So for those transsexuals dreaming of waking up in a woman's body, Thailand seems to be the perfect place for the M2F (male to female) op. It's called a vaginoplasty - I won't go much into the gory details except that one technique involves the degloving and inversion of the penis, following which it is inserted into the male vaginal cavity... ouch, glad that's over (empathetically speaking, of course). Sounds too good to be true cost-wise, but then again, as far as gender reassignment surgery goes, Thailand is the world capital. Hardly surprising really - the Thais are not hung up on the psychology of the process, don't put applicants through months of traumatic interviews first, and just get on with the job as it were. Clinics get through ten ops in the time it takes to do one in the West - so the surgeons get in a lot more practice.

We have our very own world-famous plastic surgeon here in Chiang Mai of course. He does the full range - sex changes, the lot - at the most reasonable of prices. So you can come to Thailand as a man, take in the wonderful natural and cultural heritage attractions of the region, return home in high heels after the ultimate makeover and still have some money in your handbag. Negotiating passport control might not be so easy, though?

Personally the sight of a cowboy-hatted plastic surgeon with a large grin on his face wielding a scalpel would scare me to death. The same image adorns all his ads in the local papers and tourist mags, and I've been thinking of emailing him to suggest his business would rocket if had a more subdued, serious, real doctor-like photo somewhere. But then again if I'm wrong - and I should find myself in need of emergency plastic surgery for some reason one day - I would hate to wake up with augmented breasts... or worse...

I'm sure that it will be immensely reassuring to you all to read in the good doctor's blurb that:

"his practical skill of Plastic Cosmetic Surgery started since he was a boy in the country village where he was taught to be a good humanitarian with good skills of drawing, carving, toy making, molding, agriculture, Buddhism and Christianity, Thai poetry. He loves music and singing. The song he loves most is the American National Anthem. Now he has all of the three of main objects of a good surgeon to meet you ie 1. Eagle Eyes 2. Woman Hands and 3. Lions’ Heart."

Time to change the subject, I think ... just a couple of pics and thoughts to close.

True love?

Don't worry kids, I'll be ok - I've got a helmet

(Apologies... feeling a touch sardonic today).

More Loy Krathong festivities, and a hint of racism

A seemingly endless procession of carnival floats brought Chiang Mai to a standstill again tonight, with crowds of thousands lining the streets. Without being too cynical, it was noticeable that the very beautiful girls taking part in the ceremonial dancing or being carried along on the extravagantly ornate floats, had without exception either been chosen for their very white skin, or had liberally plastered themselves with whitening cream.

Nothing could be more obvious in the above photo (click to see the full-size version). Such a shame in my book, the natural skin colour of the Thais, dark or light, is so very attractive when you strip away the layers of gunge...

(Check out the excellent recent blog from 'Thai Girl' on this subject, well worth a read...)

More pretty girls from the parade??

Not exactly! Many Thai onlookers wore traditional dress for the occasion - including the girls from the Spotlight a Go-Go!


Back to the parade proper, and more painted skin...


The festivities draw to a close, the crowds begin to drift away around midnight. The parade lasted the best part of six hours...

It somehow seems strange that the mood will suddenly switch as from tomorrow, with the start of three days of official mourning from Friday 14th November. As a show of respect during the cremation ceremonials for Princess Kalayaniwatthana, no alcohol will be on sale in bars and restaurants over that period. There is a total ban on music at public venues. Sober dress is the order of the day (my girlfriend has bought me black t-shirts especially for the occasion). What a contrast after the last few days...

Loy Krathong Festival, Chiang Mai; Few Words Needed

Firecrackers blaze and thunder until dawn. The atmosphere is one of pure joy and happiness.

The Yi Peng Festival is set on the day of the full moon, each November. Traditionally Loy Krathong involved paying homage to the holy footprint of the Buddha on the beach of the Namada River in India. Folklore explanations range from the pacifying of the serpent god, Phaya Nak, via rituals to halt the monsoon rains, to the paying of respect to the water spirits.

Krathong rafts are floated down the Ping river in their thousands; made of banana leaves and stems, decorated with candles and flowers, bearing incense and occasionally small coins, the belief is that as the raft slowly drifts away, so too will the year’s bad luck (so it’s not a good sign if it gets caught in an eddy and floats back in your direction!). Couples will place two rafts in the water at the same time and it’s a particularly auspicious sign if they stay close together as they disappear from sight.

Then there are the khom loy lanterns – filled with hot air and smoke from their fiercely burning candles, they are released into the air both during the day and night. During daylight hours, multi-coloured khom loy can easily be seen against the blue skies, Myriads of white, transparent lanterns twinkle brilliantly once the sun has set, extinguishing the light from all but the brightest stars and the full moon itself.

A parade of floats make their way slowly through Chiang Mai towards the Ping River, traditionally dressed Thais dance and sing through streets crowded with onlookers…

“November full moon shining
Loy kratong Loy kratong,
And the water's high in the river and the klong,
Loy loy kratong, loy loy kratong,
Loy Kratong is here and everyone is full of cheer
We're together at the Klong, each one with their krathong
As we push away we pray, we can see a better day.”

But the pictures tell a much better story! …