Abu Dhabi

Hi Bloggers,

Lovey dovey in Abu Dhabi? Well, not quite, but anyway just had a great couple of days there. It's interesting to compare it to Dubai, its illustrous neighbour. Abu Dhabi is much more like a normal town than Dubai. For example, it actually has high streets with shops, and lots of them, whole blocks in fact. That's not to say that Abu Dhabi hasn't been hit by shopping mall mania too, but it's much less at the forefront. Interestingly, I also stumbled across some quite slummy areas, where a lot of the immigrant population live. Most seem to be Filipinos. In fact, almost every shop assistant or cashier seems to be Filipina.

From a touristic point of view, the real highlight was the fabulous Sheik Zayed mosque, which is almost on a par with the Taj Mahal (see pic). There's also a park all along the "beach" front, which is great for jogging and cycling. The beach is mostly corniche, though, i.e. reclaimed land. And, unfortunately almost everywhere in the Gulf, there's a distinct lack of surf, probably because the water here is so shallow.

I was also surprised to find that the Emirates is actually cheaper than Bahrain. I did an experimental shopping run and it came out cheaper than the equivalent in Manama. The Emirates General Store is the place! Abu Dhabi would definitely be a nice place to live. Just a pity about the heat and absence of rain in this region!

Cheers,
Rob

City Centre

Wotsup Bloggers?

I've been here now just over a month, so I'm beginning to get a good idea what makes Manama tick. I've also got my cargo arriving next week, which includes my mountain bike and guitars. The bike'll make me much more mobile and enable me to explore deeper into the island. Some people say I'll be crazy to ride a bike in the summer heat, but I've always been a keen cyclist, so I'm confident I can handle it, provided I have the appropriate headware!

Anyway, for this blog I've decided to focus on the main shopping mall in Manama. It's called City Centre. In fact, it's sister to the one in Dubai, probably bigger too. The reason it's important is because this is the place most people seem to end up on their days off. It represents shopping in the Gulf at its most state of the art, particularly if you're a Westerner. And apart from anything, it's a great place to be just to cool off during the summer heat!

Practically every shop you could imagine is here, not disimilar in scale to the impressive Central World in Bangkok, where I've just come from (what a tragedy Central World got burned down during the recent turmoil in Bangkok). It's set slightly outside the main drag in a land reclamation area. In fact, coming from a distance it looks almost like it's in the middle of the desert, surrounded by nothing but sand. Land reclamation's a big thing here, and is one of the reasons there are no decent beaches to speak of, just these strips they call corniches.

As usual, I'll let the pics do the talking. hopefully in my next blog I'll cover something more cultural.

Cheers,
Robb

Manama

Hi Bloggers,

I've been in Manama (that's the capital of Bahrain, if you didn't know!) for nearly a month now and am getting quite settled in. It's much more sedate than I expected, but that's quite nice actually. It's a bit like a watered down Dubai, much smaller and less stressful, but basically the same kind of things going on.

I was out taking some pics yesterday, but it was a bit hazy for some reason. Surprising, 'cos actually the humidity here is pretty low. It's starting to get pretty hot now. A lot, of course, depends on where you put the thermometer, but I've had one reading of 43 C up to now. Anyway, for this blog I'm just focussing on skyline pics. I'll get better ones up in due course.

One doesn't have that much contact with Arabs on the whole, or if one does it's probably a taxi driver. I must say, they've all been pretty affable so far. However, most workers here seem to be from Kerala, India. Clearly there's some ancient trading connection between the two regions, which still continues through to today. Most waitresses and shop assistants seem to be Filipinas.

The picture on the right is the spectacular Financial Harbour Towers. What I like about them is the way their juxtaposition changes depending on what part of town you're looking from!

Will say more in my forthcoming blogs.

Cheers,
Rob

London and Bahrain

Hi Bloggers,

Well, I've finally arrived in Bahrain after a long delay in London due to the volcanic ash. And what a palava that was (no pun intended)! Surely it was obvious that by the time the ash was over the UK and Europe it would have dispersed enough to have little effect on plane engines. But I suppose they were correct to err on the side of caution.

Anyway, I had a few extra days in London. The BC put me in the Strand Palace Hotel, which quite frankly was rather disappointing. I've had better facilities and services in Thailand. But at least it had a decent view. See pic above.

My first impressions of Bahrain are pretty positive. Apart from the financial area, it's relatively low rise and everything is in shades of beige or sand colour, making things look like they have come out of the ground itself. So far it seems pretty unstressful and laid back. It's very different from Thailand in that not much happens outside on the street. It's all behind closed doors. In fact, there's an element of that glassed off feel like in Dubai. Apparently 49% of the population here are foreigners, cf Dubai, where it's a whopping 80%. Anyway, now I'm focussed primarily on looking for a flat before starting work on Tuesday.

Will update as soon as I've got more to say.

Cheers,
Robert

Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle

Hi Bloggers,

Yes, I've been inactive rather a while, mostly due to being bogged down with logistical things related to my upcoming move to Bahrain next month. Another reason is that I haven't really been anywhere of special note recently. Of course, there have been more red shirt demonstrations here in Bangkok just this week, but frankly I've lost interest in Thai politics of late. And I don't honestly see any real change occuring here. In my opinion, Taksin's main legacy will ultimately be that he has made the masses aware of their political power.

More interesting was my return to Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle earlier this week. Unfortunately the weather was a bit hazy, slightly dampening the normally stupendous views. Nevertheless, it was stil a great experience. I went with my Thai girlfriend, Ooy, who lives in Chiang Mai. We rented a motorbike and rode around using Chiang Rai as our base. I'll let the pictures do the talking for themselves.

For me one of the highlights was Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Saen. It's one of the oldest in the area, dating back several hundred years. A lot of it is in ruins. Nevertheless, it still functions as a living temple. I dutifully did a few rounds of the stupa, reciting my favourite mantra.














The white temple, Wat Rong Khun, just outside Chiang Rai was also pretty spectacular.













My next blog will probably be from Bahrain. I'm going to be sad to leave SE Asia, but being in a gulf state should be a genuinely interesting experience.

Talk again soon.

Cheers,
Robert

Dubai Sandstorm

Hi Bloggers,

Just been back to the UK to do the practical part of my Trinity Diploma. I must say, it was generally a pretty good experience. All the tutors were really supportive with lots of ideas and focused advice. Certainly better support than I got on the DELTA. Anyway, I reckon I did OK, though, of course I still have to wait for the results.

On the way back, I did a stop over in Dubai. It's never been high on my travel list, but I thought I'd take a look anyway. Just spent one day there. It's completely state of the art, which is maybe no surprise considering that it only took off twenty years ago. So it's also incredibly visual with some really knock-out skyscrapers. There's one where each floor rotates independently of the others!

But for all its spectacularness, it's a city without a soul. I've never been in a city where I felt so glassed off. In fact, only 20% of the population are indigenous. The rest are foreign workers, ranging from Europeans, Americans,and Japanese in top positions to Filipinas, Chinese, Lebanese, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Indians in lower paid menial jobs.

And the heat! I thought Bangkok was pretty hot, but this was something else. It was about 40C while I was there. I don't think I've ever experienced heat like it. You had to keep diving inside into the air-conditioning just to cool off for a bit. There was also a sand storm at the time, which is why all my pictures look so hazy.

The only interesting place was the old quarter and its old windy soukhs. Unfortunately, it was Sunday, so any activity was a minimum. The creek, just nearby, was also very pleasant, reminiscent of what Dubai might have been like before the construction boom.

Anyway, it's one more country on my list. I think I'm up to about 43 now.

Cheers,
Robert

Soi Dogs

Hi Bloggers,

Following on from my last blog, where I mentioned that there was a family of dogs living in the derelict area in Soi 6, I thought I'd just put up a few pics of them.



Lovely animals they are. Dogs are definitely capable of feeling and showing love. I've grown quite attached to this pack since I've lived here and often go and feed them. There are five altogether in the family, but one has been ousted. Bernie (that's his name) was formerly top dog, but has now been banished to the sidelines. Siri, the white one, now rules the roost, to mix metaphors. Somchai, Greg and Kathy are the others.

Talk again soon,
Rob

BNE

Hi Everyone,

Has anyone noticed all the BNE graffiti that's begun to hit the city. There's some of it right near where I live, in Sukhumwit Soi 6 (see pic). No-one really knows who's doing it or what the letters stand for. Is it political, environmental, artistic or just plain egotistical? No-one knows. Apparently it began in San Francisco and is now in places as far afield as London and Tokyo too.

What do you think it stands for? Any ideas? Is it the artist's initials? Could it be a slogan, like Ban Nuclear Energy or a name like Brian Nigel Evans or a philosophical statement like Be Nowhere Else. There's often a crown above the letters too.

Anyway, yesterday CNN were down there asking people to say what they think it stands for. I'm proud to say I was interviewed by Dan Rivers himself. Mind you, I was caught cold and couldn't think of any sensible combination. I came up with some rubbish like British New Europeanism! which clearly isn't the solution!

Soi 6 is, of course, a lane of derelict buildings and wasteland. You can see it from the Nana skytrain. It's been like that since the financial crisis of 1997. There's a family of dogs in there that I often feed. I'll show them on my next blog.

Cheers,

Robert

Sri Lanka - Tamil Tigers

Hi Bloggers,

I felt I just needed to make a comment about the defeat of the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.
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I lived and worked in Sri Lanka for a year from April 2005 to April 2006 and was able to observe the working of things at close quarters. It's a wonderful island with stunning natural beauty and delightful, friendly, open people. However, it's also a divided society, with the impoverished Tamils living primarily in the north-east of the island. Actually they are descendants of the Tamils in south-east India, a similarly lovely people.

The point is that the Tamils basically have second class status within the island, all the top positions in the government and Civil Service being dominated by the majority Sinhalese. In fact, this policy is reinforced by linguistic discrimination, in that a high level of proficiency in Sinhalese is required. The same applies to higher education. Also, through having inferior educational opportunities, Tamils are also missing out on developing English language skills, which could be a possible avenue of progress for them.

So, although I don't approve of violence and terrorism, I couldn't help feeling sorry at the demise of the Tigers, as basically I was sympathetic to their cause of an independent state. Actually, I was in Sri Lanka when Mahindra, a committed hardliner, was elected and almost all the "thinking" people in Colombo thought it was the wrong choice.
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It'll be interesting to see what happens now. Let's hope the next Sinhalese leader will be enlightened enough to try to create a society genuinely based on the principles of fairness and equal opportunities.

I've attached a few pictures just to show you what a beautiful place it is. On my trip I even went right up to Trinco in the north east, a Tamil area. It was shortly after the tsunami actually, and you could still see all the devastation along the beach. Many areas were just simply abandoned.

Anyway, that's all for now. Look forward to some comments.

Cheers,

Robert
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Come on, you reds !! - Red Shirts part 2

Hi Bloggers,

Well, things have certainly escalated, which is hardly surprising. Anyway, as soon as I heard this morning that there had been clashes between the army and protesters, I got straight out to places where I thought the action would be. Unfortunately, I missed the main place, the Din Daeng intersection, near Victory Monument. Still, I got some quite interesting shots.

I went out there on my bike, which was a shrewd move as it enabled me to slip through barricades, etc. It seems a lot of main roads have been blocked with buses commandeered by the protesters. One of my favourites too - the 511. Best bus in Bangkok!! It'll take you all the way from Pinklao over the river, right down to Siam and all the way along Sukhumwit. Beat that!

Probably the most interesting event I saw was when a whole group of police walked out from the parliament area showing solidarity with the red shirts (see video). I saw no actual violence, though I've heard that some shots have been fired in the Din Daeng face off.

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Interestly, the Songkran water throwing festival is going on at the same time. The political events certainly don't seem to have dampened the Thais' enthusiasm for a party!

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Will update as soon as I can.

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Cheers,

Robert

Red Army - red shirts

Welcome back, bloggers!

Am I talking about the Russian army, Liverpool supporters before tonight's game against Chelsea, or Thai political protesters? Well, of course, the third option is the correct choice. Yes, it's back to politics here in Thailand!

Basically, the red shirts are supporters of Taksin, the former prime minister of Thailand who was deposed by a military coup in 2006. They've certainly got plenty to grieve about, as democracy has really been ridden roughshod over during the last couple of years. And, if you remember, the yellow shirts set the precedent of going to the streets to effect political changes last year when they took over Bangkok's airport.

Although, I don't fully agree with this approach in itself, I think, in the context, the UDD (that's their official name) have little choice. I must admit I hope they succeed, as frankly I find Abhisit, the current PM, pretty slippery and unforthright. What's more, he has no real mandate from the people to govern. He's the product of parliamentary political wheeling and dealing.



Anyway, today was supposed to the Red Shirts' big day. They were hoping to get 300,000 people, but unfortunately only mustered about a tenth of that number. I'm pleased to say I got out to Government House to join them, though. They were incredibly friendly and I was really impressed by their cameraderie. I got plenty of pics and a video too (see above). Frankly, though, I think they're doomed to failure, as if they started to have a real effect, the army would undoubtedly move in.

There really should be fresh elections! Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Cheers,
Rob

Koh Samui

Hi Bloggers,

Just got back from four great days on Koh Samui. It's changed hugely from when I first went there in 1998, but it's still a paradise, particularly if you avoid the high season and get away from Chaweng, the main beach. Although Chaweng's beach is genuinely fantastic, with its fine grain white sand, etc, the town has gone much the same way as all the other main resorts in Thailand, such as Phuket and Pattaya, i.e. completely overbuilt and with lots of raucous, noisy tourists everywhere. How different from a decade or so ago, when I remember the place was half empty and the town wasn't even fully tarmacked!




Anyway, I stayed on Lamai beach, just down the road. It's slightly smaller, but just as beautiful, and much less crowded (see video). I also rented a motorbike. The automatic ones seem to be the craze now, and I must admit they are easy to ride. In fact, they seem to have some built in function that stops you gathering momentum as you go downhill, which can't be a bad thing! If you take either the south or west routes, you can get right away from it all, particularly if you're willing to venture off down the side roads, where you can still experience the idyllic rural life of old.

I stayed in a bungalow with no hot water, air-con or TV. Can't say I really missed any of them very much. In fact, it was good to get out of that habit of switching on your TV as soon as you get up in the morning! And even though temperatures went up to 35 C in the day, it was surprisingly cool at night, about 26 C. So just a fan was enough.

Anyway, back in Bangkok now to continue working on my diploma. It sure did me a world of good getting away for a bit, though.

Cheers,
Robert

Hot Season Flora - part two

Hi Bloggers,

It's around now, i.e. March and April, that all the trees flower too, making for quite a visual display. One of my favourites is the Golden Rain tree, which looks like it's literally dripping with gold (see pic). There is simply so much diversity in the tropics, and this is one of the things that makes it such a wonderful place to live in.










Anyway, I'm pleased to say I've managed to get five days holiday for myself, and I'm off down to Ko Samui, my favourite Thai island. It's become increasingly touristified over the years, but has still managed to retain a lot of its orinigal charm and beauty, in strong contrast to a place like Phuket, which is now so overcrowded and built up that you hardly feel you're on a tropical island at all. Will blog from there.

Cheers,
Robert

Hot Season Flora - part one

Hi Bloggers,

I've always taken a keen interest in tropical flora. In fact, it's one of the things I like about living in a country like Thailand. There are three main seasons here - hot, cool and rainy. We're currently moving into the hot phase, when the heat and humidity slowly build up to culminate in the rainy or monsoon season.

Interestingly, it's around now that most flora reproduce. It makes for quite a visual display, as not only are there all the seed formations, but also the magnificent and abundant plethora of tropical flowers. For part one, I'm just showing the seeds. Many trees have both male and female seeds, e.g. the palm tree. On my next blog, I'll show some of the flowers.

Hope you're enjoying the weather wherever you are!

Cheers,
Rob

Christmas in Chiang Mai

Hi Bloggers,

Just had a nice few days in Chiang Mai. Would have liked to have spent longer but needed to back in Bangkok to work on my Diploma.
River Ping

The place has developed a lot, but still has its old worldy charm. In fact, it's a great example of successful urban development. I was unlucky with the weather, as it rained for the whole of Boxing Day, which meant I had to cancel my ride into the mountains. I did, however, make it out to Doi Saket and the awesome resevoir out there (see pic). OK, it's man made, but that detracts nothing from it. And the ride out there is just idyllic. Not many tourists do this trip, as they're usually focussing on the more famous Doi Suthep.

Doi Saket Resevoir

I've also posted some pictures of my favourite temple, Wat Chedi Luang. I usually do a few rounds of the stupa, look at the elephant statues and stroke a few temple dogs. The buildings (see below) are classic examples of the kind of fare you can expect all around Chiang Mai.

Finally, I just had to shows some pics of the moat and river. The tree lined moat with its fountains make it a photographer's dream. Here's just a couple, at the bottom.

On a political note, I have quite a few friends in Chiang Mai, and they're all ardent Thaksin supporters and are suitably horrified at what happened in Bangkok with the PAD, etc. In fact, one of my friends told me that members of the PAD were paid 1000 baht a day to protest. Some even say it was the queen herself who sponsored them. Well, the opposition accused the PPP of vote buying, but is this any less corrupt?

Back in Bangkok now. Let's hope the world becomes a less grizzly place than this year, though judging by what's happening in Gaza, that looks unlikely!

Happy New Year, anyway.
Cheers,
Robert

New PM in Thailand

Hi Bloggers,

Well, things seem to have settled down a bit for the time being. There don't seem to be any demos going on in the streets at the moment, though don't be surprised if that changes in the not too distant future!

Basically this new government is the result of political wheeling and dealing, and plenty of horsetrading, including the usual financial backhanders. It's certainly not democratically elected! Nevertheless, Abhisit does seem a reasonable choice superficially, and may even be able to provide a modicum of stability. Interestingly, he was born in England and is a graduate from Oxford University (where I'm proud to say I read myself). So he's pretty articulate and speaks excellent English. Fortunately , he's also disowned the PAD. So let's hope ....

I regularly watch CNN, and one of my favourite reporters is Dan Rivers, based here in Bangkok. Do try and watch his interview with Abhisit if you can. He always asks really tough challenging questions, and had Abhisit on the back foot a couple of times, particularly re: the popularity of Thaksin and his supporters. Dan's interview with the Bali bombers was also a real classic, especially when he tells one of them to his face "you're nothing but a cold blooded murderer, is what you are."

Of course, tourist numbers are well down as you might expect. The only benefit that might come from this is the possibility of some good bargains in peak season, due to the large number of cancellations. My advice is go to hotels in person on spec, as, if they have low occupancy, they might make you an offer there and then.

Anyway, I'm off to Chiang Mai for a few days at Christmas. It's my favourite medium sized city anywhere in the world. Looking forward to getting out into the country and riding up into the hills on my motorbike. Fantastic scenery around there.

Will blog again soon. Have a nice Christmas!

Cheers,
Rob

Airport Aftermath

Hi Bloggers,

So the PAD got their demands and have now finally left the airport. But it was always likely that the court would rule against the PPP, so I wonder why they bothered in the first place. Why didn't they wait till after the court ruling? That way, they would have saved Thailand billions of dollars in lost tourism. In fact, the PAD have cost the country far more than any of Thaksin's dubious transactions. To me this is clear evidence that it's about power, not about the moral purity of a particular government.

Let's look more closely at what's really going on. The PAD are determined that no party representing the rural poor is going to have office. This is, in effect, a class war, and, in my opinion, risks eventually developing into a full blown civil war. There must now be massive discontent countrywide amongst those who voted for the PPP. And, indeed, they have themselves now formed their own protest group, the red shirts.

As it happens, the PPP will probably be able to re-constitute itself under a new name with a new leader, but the PAD will almost certainly continue to harrass them. So I think we can all expect some more fireworks at some point in the not too far future!

At street level, one of the effects of the airport closure is the absence of tourists in Bangkok. This evening, I went for a meal in the normally packed out food court in Sukhumwit Soi 7, and it was virtually deserted. Thousands of people in the tourist industry have had their lives affected by the amazingly inconsiderate actions of the PAD. It's really important the Thai people see through the PAD and banish them completely.

One of the things that disturbs me most is the precedent the whole affair sets. By succeeding like this, a signal has been sent out that it's OK to go to the streets if you don't like a government, even though it was democratically elected. Another worrying feature is the fact that the army is clearly not neutral. The PPP were unable to call on its support throughout the whole crisis. How can any government work when it is at odds with its own army? Anywhere else in the world (almost) the police and army would have worked together quickly to quell the problem.

Anyway, enough for one blog! Let's see how things unfold.

Cheers,
Rob

Mumbai

Hi Bloggers,

It's sad to be following the events in Mumbai. I actually went there about three years ago and must say it's my favourite big city in India. This is the second time Mumbai's been hit, as there were the train bombings a couple of years ago, if you remember. I wish I could say something constructive, but that's pretty difficult with this Islamic terrorism. How can anyone believe that killing innocent people is God's will? What kind of God do they worship? Certainly not one worth worshipping in my book! Do they really believe they will go to Heaven with all that blood on their hands?

Anyway, I've put a couple of my own pics of Mumbai, for all they're worth. Walking around Mumbai is a bit like being in a London mark II. There are so many old colonial buildings there, and in great shape too, which strongly contrasts with Calcutta, where everything is completely dilapidated and in a total state of disrepair. In fact, I've never seen such ubiquitous poverty as I did in Calcutta. I think everyone should go there once in their life if only for educational purposes. You'll never complain about your lot again!

But, getting back to Mumbai, the city has a terrific buzz to it, being not only the commercial hub for India, but also having Bollywood based there. And, of course, there's all the usual markets and colour you'd expect in India, plus the bay, Chowpatty Beach and the Maidan with its never ending cricket. It's also got Asia's largest slum, Dharavi (see link on side bar for pics)!

Anyway, let's hope they can sort it out in Mumbai and that the city will recover despite this tragic, needless and pointless loss of life.

Rob

PAD Thai

Hi Bloggers,

So the farce continues! The PAD are starting to show their true credentials now. They've taken over Bangkok airport, disrupting all departures, thereby threatening further the already diminished tourist trade. Is this good for Thailand?

Surely this alone makes you wonder whether they really have the welfare of Thailand at heart or just care about seizing power, by hook or by crook. Attacking the airport is certainly a most bizarre choice. They've probably chosen it because it was one of Thaksin's pet projects, indeed one of his most successful.

The truth of the matter is that they are just plain bad losers. Their party lost a perfectly fair democratic election. Rather than face this and try to win the bulk of the population over through creative campaigning, they have resorted to bully boy methods. This has been possible largely due to the fact that most PPP supporters are based outside Bangkok. What would happen if the PPP set up similar demonstrations? We would have complete chaos with street fighting and, who knows, even the possibility of civil war!

Remember also that the kind of democracy the PAD want is one of representation for the various "interests" in the country. They would do away with the "one man one vote" system, making sure that the rural poor play a much lesser role in elections and political life in general. How democratic is this?

I've put a picture of a plate of Pad Thai for this blog, as I feel it's a highly appropriate symbol for the PAD. While Pad Thai is a tasty staple Thai dish, it's definitely considered slightly downmarket and rather messy - greasy too, in my opinion. I must admit I hardly ever order it, preferring more exotic dishes like Tom Yam Kung or Thai Green Curry.

As far as the tourist situation is concerned, clearly the global economic crisis is effecting numbers. Technically it's high season, but most locals are saying that numbers are little better than in low season. Mind you, as an expat here, I'm not complaining too much about that!

The next few days should be genuinely interesting.

Beautiful weather at the moment, by the way.

Cheers,
Rob

Financial Tsunami

Hi Bloggers,

Phew, it's been quite a few days on the financial front, and it isn't even over yet! How much have you lost? I've lost about $50,000 on the year so far. However, when things like this happen, I always try and stay philosophical.

Firstly, it's only money! OK, money's important, but there are more important things in life, e.g. health, family, friends, spiritual development, etc. Also, the markets are bound to come back eventually, so if you can tough it out, it's really only time you've lost rather than money. Of course, the older you get the less you can afford that!

Hang on in there!
Good Luck

Robert