Little Isan 2010

Tuesday 11th of May 2010 and I was dead tired when my alarm went off at 8 o'clock. Darn! I was hoping for an early sleep yesterday after the badminton. But it was closer to 4 o'clock before I managed to fall asleep. I started to see a Thai movie, but this was a complete waste of time. Some Mad Max styled Thai movie. And the actors, where do they find them? And aren't they embarrassed to participate in a movie risking that someone they know would see the nonsense? For sure, their acting left a lot to wish for.
- Hmm, well, people are willing to eat doggy poo for a chance to appear on TV. Amazing!
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Or almost anything for a chance to appear on www.aladdin.st, pure ghastliness. Amazing!

I was starting my day by (Yes, of course, greasing up my bald spot with coconut oil) having tea and reading Bangkok Post. And as for the Thai PM's dead line yesterday. The red shirts had come up with a RED MAP instead of the ROAD MAP and now they demands that the deputy PM surrenders to police over the deadly April 10 crackdown before they leave Bangkok. And I quote Bangkok Post:
“However, one of the UDD leaders Jatuporn Prompan vowed on Monday to fight on until justice is served for those who were killed and injured in clashes between troops and protesters last month.

"I don't care about who wants it [rally] to end, but I won't," he said before a meeting with other protest leaders to discuss their position after Prime minister Abhisit pressed them for an exact date on which they will lift their rallies.

"If authorities still are not pursuing these cases. For me, I would prefer death," Mr Jatuporn said.”


Well, as I understand it the Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban will surrender to the Police on Tuesday for some hearing about the April 10 violence. We see what's happening, but I think the reds will be around for a few more days. Someone I spoke with today thought they were going to leave next Saturday, the 15th of May. But he was not sure. Well, who the hell is?

Or will hell break lose? Last time my friends (a wee bit tipsy) at Silom. Ran in to Reporters in helmets, gasmasks and bulletproof wests. They asked them what was going on.
- We expect riots and clashes.
The Reporter was a war correspondent from Reuter. Here they are dressed for wars and they send out war correspondents’ and my friends are there drunk and dressed in T-shirts and shorts. Well, they very not so drunk, so they understood that they would be better off leaving.
Well, there were never any clashes and nothing happened that night.

Yes, the problem, you don't know where and when it will happens. Like when we arrived to a pitch dark Khaosan Road on the evening of the 10th of April just after the clashes between the red shirts and the army/ police. To stay at home? On a Saturday night!! That's illegal!

Well, anyway, I didn't got out of bed until 10 minutes after 10 o'clock.
- Hmm, try to make it to second hour in morning school?

Well, I was too late for the second hour so I decided to make a go for the third hour at morning school. Then I will go straight to afternoon school and at 3 o'clock I will meet my friend at the Funky TownGerman restaurant next to my school on Soi 11.

I made it to last hour at my morning school. The clock passed midday and no sign off any Teacher so I left. Small class rooms, crowded and no A/C. Well, I think it was the last time I made it to that school.

I made it to afternoon school and my Teacher showed me her new laptop.
- Look! It's an ACCER, only for Hi-So people!
- What the hell are Hi-So people? Must ne the same as Scavengers if they are the only people using ACCER.
Funky Town- Isn't ACCER good? She asked looked very disappointed.

Her disappointment turned in to anger when I changed her desktop to a picture of me playing badminton yesterday. She turned in to a baby that got her candy stolen and she tried to get back her old desktop background. I was rolling around on the floor laughing.
Well, I picked myself up from the floor and I felt sorry for her and I changed the desktop background to her old one. She asked how to use her webcam.
- I will charge you 2000 Baht/ hour to teach you.

Well, that offer was nothing she was interested in and she was pretty sullen when she said:
Funky Town- My Niece will teach me for free.
- Good luck!

My friend called me and he told me that he would not be able to make it until 3 o'clock. We decided to go eat later on tonight and I took a taxi to MBK after class.

The traffic came to a full stop at Ploen Chit so I decided to go by the sky train to Siam Square. I can change train there and go to the National Stadium with a walk over to MBK.
Sky train, what an excellent way to travel through FUNKY TOWN. But I don't like it. You stay on the train and you see the streets below you and it feels like the train will derail and fall down all the time.
And crowded, most of the time its crowded and, well, I don't like crowds.
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I had expected Siam Square to be closed. I was not sure about MBK, but according to rumours it should be open and the by now the famous bamboo and tyre barricades were blocking Rama 1 Road from Phaya Thai Road.

It was business as usual along the road on Rama 1 from Siam BTS station down to MBK at Phaya Thai Road. I looked down Siam Square and I must say that it wasn't as crowded as I remember it.
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The picture above is my favourite. Bamboo and tyre barricades on one side and a rack of bags for sale on the other side. Well, never mind, if you drive a tank you won’t notice any difference when you break through the obstacle. Amazing Thailand, yes, Little Isan and Fort “Red Shirt”, how have they manage to do something like this. For sure, I can't believe it.
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I passed through the, well, actually I don’t know if I passed the FORT “Red Shirt”. To me it looked like the side walk was business as usual. OK, there were one or two stalls selling red shirts and a Red Shirt styled barber shop. And of course, red shirt protesters sleeping in their temporary dwellings on the side walk. But Rama 1 Road was definitely FORT “Red Shirt”
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Much to see and the normal 10 minutes walk to MBK from Siam BTS station took e a wee bit more Funky Townthan half of an hour.

I started by going through a check point at MNK. Yes, now they have airport styled security checks at all the shopping malls. Pretty much the same as in Manila and if you ask me they are pretty much point less.

I went to the third floor and I ordered 2 boxes of name cards and I went for a Japanese dinner while waiting for my cards.

Yes, I had my dinner at Kobune, the very same restaurant from where the “Most Beautiful Girl in the World #1” at the airport recognised me from. Well, they have redecorated Kobune now and it's a much fresher restaurant now. And the food is very good and cheap.
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For sure, if you have a chance, get your arse down to Little Isan. I spoke with quite a few people and they think that they will go back home on Saturday 15th of May. But they are not sure.
Well, as one said:
- They want to come to Bangkok and all the 5 star hotels in the city centre are too expensive so they just live o the streets in the city centre.
Well, anyway, get your arse down there to have a look, it's very interesting.
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When I was ready at MBK I decided to walk back through FORT “Red Shirt” and Little Isan to Chit Lom BTS station and to get the sky train from there to Asoke.
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Well, something must have gone terribly wrong. And I don't know who's responsible. But why the didn't the military block Little Isan preventing people coming in when they started to build this eyesore? Now it's way too late.

I only saw, well, at least mostly old people and children. And tourists and as you can see from the picture above almost more of the ordinary people than the red shirts. So I can just image what would happen when the military/ police want to clean out the place with teargas and “rubber bullets.” Well, I spoke with a few people and they thought that the red shirts were going to leave 15th of May. But I'm not sure that they have left and with all the tourists and ordinary Thai people at Little Isan it might be hard to start to use force to pull out the red shirts.
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Well, how long will this go on? Everyone thought that the “ Red Shirts” would be happy by now. Yesterday the “Red Shirts”, United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) said that the rally at the Ratchaprasong intersection would end when Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban surrendered himself to the Police.

The Deputy PM reported to the Police this very morning, but now the reds don't accept this because he didn't go there as a suspect. And now they are ready to stop rallying when Deputy PM takes the first step in the justice system. Well, this can go on for a long time.
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If you have plans to come down to Little Isan I have a little suggestion, wear gloves. Everyone wanted to shake your hand and when did the wash their hands last time? I had to use my lefty to get my snus. Yes, I have seen the toilets and showers around here.
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I was soon reaching World Trade Centre and the stage at the Ratchaprasong intersection. There was a girl on the stage singing Plaeng Isan and, yes, it was very good music so I stayed and listened. And again, you’re alone there and you can’t refuse shaking people’s hands and thus the glove recommendation. Only God knows when they washed their hands last time.
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There was a lady and she refused to leave me alone. 20 years old and beautiful like I ever seen before. Yes, dream on! She was between 80 and 90 and she had 1 single tooth in her mouth. Yes touching my earrings and tattoos telling me how nice I was all the time. And yes, a simple F@CK FUNKY TOWNOFF was out of question.
I moved and she followed me, what the ?!

I moved further away and she followed me and I left yet another 100 meters and she collapsed after 50 meters.
- Yippee!! Finally alone!

I walked down Ratchadamri Road and I ran in to a few, well, looked like SS soldiers. The Isan black army? They were walking around FUNKY TOWNpestering people. Well, at least that was what it looked like to me.

And if this was the case I can't wait to see these guys back in the rice paddies. Well, this kind of people are most likely hoodlums in Bangkok and now they see a chance to FUNKY TOWNhave some fun and get some kind of respect feeling important.

I took a few pictures of the guys and they looked at me. Well, I was almost wishing for some trouble with these two.

Well, I left Little Isan at Chit Lom BTS station and FUNKY TOWNyet again I had the sensation of falling down from the tracks in the darn train. I got off at Asoke and I walked to the 7 Eleven on Soi 23 before taking a taxi back home.

I spent two hours checking my pictures from Little Isan before my friend arrived. We were going to Baan Khanitha for dinner. We took the 3 minutes’ walk from FUNKY TOWNmy apartment to the restaurant and we were soon sitting at a table.

I ordered my usual meal. Isan sausage for starter and a chicken curry as main course. Always delicious and I was full when we finished the meal.

But of course we had to order a mango with sticky rise. They asked if FUNKY TOWNwe wanted ice cream with the mango sticky rice.
- Well, why not?

We were pretty full before we got our mango and after that we had to roll out from the place. We had 3 of the waiters following us to the door. And of course, they asked for a replay of my whistle and the, yeah, whatever you call it when you put your thumb on the nose tip and wave your fingers. Well, pretty much the same when you put your thumbs on your ears waving your fingers.

Well, anyway, I did it to one of the waiters when he told me that he didn't have any girlfriend. And from that moment they were all over our table asking me to do the whistle. After 10 times it got a wee bit boring.
- How do you do that sound?
- Can you please show me?

I was back home at 10 thirty something and I was in no hurry to get to bed. I have cancelled morning school for tomorrow, and most likely until I'm back from my ship next time.

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Wednesday 12th of May 2010
and I arrived to afternoon class 5 minutes late. And 5 minutes later, 13:10 I was ready to kick some serious arse with my Thai book. My Teacher said that she would just make coffee.
- What the !!??
You have had plenty time to do your coffee and you start now.
- I'm soooo tired! I just had my lunch.
Unnecessary to say I took my things and left. Thai people complains about “UNPOLITE”foreigners, yes its Khrap this and Khrap that. But if I'm paid to teach someone I will not waste his/ her money making coffee.

I left towards NANA sky train station and I bought a bottle of fresh orange juice from an old lady in the street corner. I discovered that the soldiers were back on Sukhumvit Road.
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Dead line (For today) is that the “Red Shirts” should leave or they will turn off the electricity and water at the rally area. And the old lady, obviously from Isan so I asked if she thought that the “Red Shirts” would leave today.
- No.
- Yes, it's more fun in FUNKY TOWN than sitting in a dead boring village in Isan, I said.
The soldiers started to laugh in the back and I asked them what they thought.
Well, they didn't thought that the “Red Shirts” would leave today.
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I finished my orange juice and I went up to NANA sky train station. Yes, I'm turning in to a real commuter. But instead of spending 90 minutes in a taxi I spend 15 minutes on the sky train, including the change at Siam Square.

I arrived to Sala Daeng sky train station at Silom and I took the escalator down to street level. I made a stop for some orange juice before I continued my walk towards Ratchadamri.
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Silom Road was full of Police, Special Police and Soldiers. Barbed wire stand-by to pull out across the road and when walked in to the small Sois' the parking lots were full of whatever it was dressed like hockey players. Machine guns and shoot guns stand-by close by.
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I have been surprised many times the last few days. When asking the Thai people what they think will happen I get the strangest answers.
- I'm not the PM. If I was I could answer you. It's only foreigners that are interested in politics.
Well, I didn't know what to answer to that. Well, really not much to say.
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Well, I crossed Rama 4 to the corner of Ratchadamri where the by now famous Chula hospital is located. The corner was occupied by the Police and of course, I stopped for a chat.
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Police, Soldiers or red shirts, never mind, it's all the same:
• How many earrings?
• Can I have one?
• Are you married?
• Nice tattoos!
• How long have you been in Thailand?
• Where do you come from?
I asked them if they thought that the “Red Shirts” would go home today after the last dead line.
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No one believed that they would go back home during the day. And I didn't believe so either, at least not after having listened to the “Red Shirts” from the loudspeakers. They didn't sound like they were very happy. But the Police told me that they were very tired of this by now. And I understand them, sitting there in the heat watching the barricades day after day.
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Yes, the Police are very bored and I think they have to spend more time hanging around FUNKY TOWNLittle Isan. Well, not possible to enter Lumpini Park from Ratchadamri so I walked back to Silom Road.
I called my friend at Ratchadapisek and asked what he was doing.

I asked if he had been looking at the apartments he had been talking about yesterday.
- No!
- OK, I'm coming over and we can go take a look.
Looks like the traffic is at a standstill and going from Rama 4 to Ratchadapisek would take at least 1 hour, maybe 2. So I decided to take the underground.
Then I would make it to Ratchadapisek in 10 minutes.
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So I walked to Silom underground station and I had a few words with the police outside the underground station. They had a different uniform and I asked them what kind of Police they were.
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They wear dressed in blue with a black and purple scarf’s. They were Special Police and they were FUNKY TOWNlaughing when I told them that the ordinary Police were just scratching their arses.

We had ha few jokes and of course, the usual:
• How many earrings?
• Can I have one?
• Are you married?
• Nice tattoos!
• How long have you been in Thailand?
• Where do you come from?

I left the Special Police and I took the escalator down to the FUNKY TOWNunderground station. I bought my ticket and I was soon on my way to Ratchadapisek.

I got off the subway at Huay Kwang on Ratchadapisek Road and I ran in to our French friend on his way to the Subway. I took the 5 minutes’ walk to 7 FUNKY TOWNEleven on Soi 14 where I meet my friend. We walked back to the Huay Kwang underground station to check our 2 condos there.

We spent a few hours running around looking at apartments. It was hot and we stopped at a 7 Eleven at Suthisarn for a cold drink. We were talking about what to do tomorrow. I suggested that we could go to the amusement FUNKY TOWNpark outside Bangkok. I think the name is Dream World.
- Good idea, I will ask my girlfriend if she wants to join us, my friend said.
- Doesn't she work tomorrow?
- It's holiday tomorrow.
- What?

I had to ask the staff at 7 Eleven if it was holiday tomorrow. And it was holiday and we had to cancel the Dream World and we decided to have a drink instead. My friend went home to have a shower and I took the subway back home and I made a stop to buy some hangover milk. And MOTHERF@CKER, it's weekend again! Yes, all these holidays are killing me.

Well, we were allowed inside GLOW again. And it was empty, only me and my friend at the place so FUNKY TOWNmaybe this was the reason for them to let us in.

We had few San Mig Light before we left for Thong Lo. FUNKY TOWNOur original plan was to go to Khaosan Road, but it was a wee bit too late for that. Brick Bar and you're better off being there before 9 o'clock.

So we changed our plan and went to Thong Lo instead. And of course, a quick stop at GLOW. And I don't know why. We never have had any FUNKY TOWNfun at GLOW.
At least not what I can remember.

Well, we were soon at Thong Lo and honestly, I don't FUNKY TOWNremember much of Thong Lo. But I'm sure that we didn't went to the place where they threw us out last Saturday.

I'm pretty sure that we started at FUNKY VILLA, but I don't know if we went straight home from there or if I/we did a stop at another place.

So no need to ask me what time I got home. But I'm pretty sure that I got home in a taxi.

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Thursday 13th of May 2010
and I started my day with my hangover kit before turning on Simpson. I was enjoying my day when my phone rang. It was half past 1 and my friend wanted to go for lunch. Well, I didn't feel like leaving my bed, but we decided to meet at Khingklao 14:30.
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I finished Simpson and I took a shower before getting a taxi to Khingklao at Soi 22. Well, I would FUNKY TOWNhave been better of back home in bed, but when I was at Khingklao I ordered my curry soup.

We had two Police Officers next to us. Full uniforms and FUNKY TOWNthey were eating and drinking beer. They called them on the radio and they said that they had problem with their motorcycle.

Well, I thought they should be down at Little Isan. The latest news is that the military will seal Little Isan 6 o'clock tonight. Letting people out but no one is allowed inside. So I guess we have seen the last of my pictures from Little Isan.
But as they said on CNN. Yes the reporter was laughing, yes, he was laughing while saying:
“This is Thailand and nothing is for sure until it have happened”

I'm going down to Silom to check out the latest news. Hangover, and if I'm going to die, today would be a great
Khattiya Sawasdipol, alias Seh Daeng

made news on October 18, 2008, by announcing "he would mobilise government supporters against any military attempt to seize political power." Khattiya "said members of the pro-government Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD) would use petrol bombs against tanks and military vehicles taking part in a coup attempt.

Khattiya was reassigned as an aerobics teacher by Gen. Anupong Paochinda, Thai Army commander. Khattiya responded by saying, "The army chief wants me to be presenter leading aerobics dancers. I have prepared one dance. It's called the 'throwing-a-hand-grenade' dance."

On 14 January 2010, Army Commander Anupong Paochinda ordered a suspension of Khattiya Sawasdipol after an inquiry committee found that Khattiya has expressly paid loyalty to the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship, a political pressure group supporting Thaksin Shinawatra, breaching official disciplines. The following day, Anupong's office in the Royal Thai Army Headquarters was bombed by rockets launched by M79, left the office demolished but no person injured.

From http://en.wikipedia.org
day. Before I left I heard on the TV that Khattiya Sawasdipol, alias Seh Daeng a renegade major general in the Royal Thai Army was shoot. Yes, he is still a major general in the Thai army, even though he is suspended. But they were considering stripping him of his rank. He was rushed to hospital and at this moment no one knows if he will survive.

He was the one leading the “Black Shirts”, yes we remember my picture from Little Isan a few days ago. And this would most likely be the guy leading the army if the “Red Shirts” will win the next election. Then only God knows what Thailand would have turned in to, for sure not a place I would have wanted to live in. I got a taxi and we took off towards Surawong.

The driver turned in on Sukhumvit and I asked him if Witthayu Road was open. I had expected them to have closed Witthayu Road. We passed a military, well, I don't want to call it a check point. But there were Soldiers behind sand bags at the beginning of Sukhumvit.

When we turned left at Witthayu Road I could see a lot of people outside the barricades. But no sign of any Soldiers. We passed Sarasin and it looked very dark on the street. Lumpini Park and I could not see any sign of any clashes in there.

Coming to the red light at Rama 4 and there were road blocks preventing us from turning left. Red light and we had to stop and I discovered a big crowd on my right side. Many of them were wearing helmets. We were 4 cars waiting for the red light. 135 seconds left when suddenly I heard a few bangs from the Lumpini side and the crowd started to scream. They were rushing over the street throwing all the road blocks at a guy with a radio. Most likely a Police.

Otherwise there were no signs of any Police or Soldiers. The road blocks, plastic and they are supposed to be filled with water/ sand. But they were empty and the crowd were throwing them around. 93 seconds left before the light would turn to green. I was not afraid, but the time went FUNKY TOWNvery slowly when I was sitting in the taxi in the middle of this mob. 63 seconds before the red would turn in to green.

Motherf@ckers! Time is really turning slowly. 30 seconds to go and the crowd were still running towards the Lumpini side of Witthayu throwing road blocks and debris around. Well, nice when the light turned to green and we crossed Rama 4 down on Sathon Tai Road.

My friend had told me that Pat Pong was closed due to the red shirt rally.
- Oh! Very good! I hope they never open again.
I passed Pat Pong on the way to a Japanese restaurant and there were still some places open. But FUNKY TOWNthe market was closed. I continued walking up Surawong until I came to the Japanese Soi between Surawong and Silom.

I got in to the Soi looking for a Japanese restaurant. Yes, we remember our Karaoke night some weeks ago. They were serving salmon sushi and I got hooked on the salmon sushi stuff.

Well, I was sitting at the restaurant at the Silom corner. Little Isan just around the corner and I could see everything live on TV.
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I started by ordering my salmon sushi and a soda water FUNKY TOWNand before I was finished I had have 3 plates of salmon sushi and 2 soda waters.

I left the place and I had to walk back to Surawong Road, Silom Road was blocked and Soldiers were patrolling. The Japanese Soi was full of soldiers, army vehicles, Japanese sex tourists and prostitutes. Amazing Thailand, around the corner we have Little Isan and around here life is almost normal. Just take away the soldiers and Police.
Well, some places were closed, but pretty much business as usual.
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Well, prostitutes sitting in front of the army vehicles smiling at potential punters and Soldiers are marching around with machine guns and shields.

I intended to get back to Silom so I had to walk down Surawong to Pat Pong. On the way I had all the riff raff running after me asking:
• Massage
• Nice girls
• Nice boys
• Sex show
• Best bar in town
- AH! F@CK OFF!

I turned in to Pat Pong and there were also army vehicles. And of course the GO GO bars.
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I got out on Silom and the road was blocked and it was impossible to come closer to Little Isan. FUNKY TOWNPeople on the street watching and sometimes the crowd was applauding. Red shirts or Yellow shirts getting news from the radio?

And a motorcycle taxi driver taking charge and starts directing the traffic. Yes, this is something I see very often around FUNKY TOWN. Motorcycle taxi drivers’ starts to direct the traffic.

Well, the only thing missing is the whistle. For sure, the whistle is nothing I'm going to miss in Bangkok. Hardly see, well, hear them anymore. A year ago they were whistling everywhere and it was really annoying. FUNKY TOWN improving day by day.
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While I was waiting at the corner of Silom and Convent there were Soldiers coming all the times marching up Silom towards Sala Daeng intersection and Little Isan.
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We could hear some explosions and the crow was rushing out on the street looking up towards Little FUNKY TOWNIsan. I don't know if they were red or Yellow shirts. My guess is Red shirts. But there was one old lady dressed in pink waving a Thai flag.

The explosions continued and the people were pointing looking up. Well, seriously, I don't know if it was a thunder storm passing by. But there were no rain and the sky looked clear.

I went in to the 7 Eleven to buy an orange juice. The cashier, a girl looking like she was 12 years old, but she was somewhere between 18 and 23 asked me if I was afraid.
- No, what about you?
I didn't need to ask. I felt so sorry for her. She really looked scared and she was trembling and it looked like she was about to start to cry. The windows were taped and covered. Yes, same style we use to see on movies about the WWII where they have taped the windows to prevent glass splinter.

Well, maybe I should stop shopping at 7 Eleven, why support them when they have FUNKY TOWNyoung (Low salary) girls working in the middle of a war zone.

I don't know how long I stayed at the Silom area. But things had changed at the Rama 4 and Sathon Tai intersection. We could not get out on Rama 4. The military had closed the road and we had to make a U-turn and go back.

Coming back home and I had missed calls and an SMS. Well, nice to know that there is someone that cares. I checked the TV news and now there were news about Seh Daeng and the clashes at Little Isan an almost all the channels. Well, will be interested to see what have happened tomorrow morning.

I have a contractor coming home to me tomorrow at lunch. I will redecorate my bathroom. Then after that I might go for a quick visit to Little Isan to give you the latest updates.

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Friday 14th of May 2010
and I woke up at 10:30 when the contractor called me. He would not be able to make it until 13:30. Good, I felt asleep again. Yes, hangover yesterday and impossible to fall asleep so I was watching Simpsons until 5 o'clock in the morning.

Well, my decorator called again. Impossible to get to Sukhumvit and he wanted to come tomorrow.
- Tomorrow its Saturday and I will most likely wake up with a hangover. Monday is better.
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Well, Thailand Travel Fair 2010 and they are shooting homemade rockets at helicopters, burning trucks, shooting people and mayhem in Bangkok. I don't think they will have a hard time convincing tourist to come to Thailand. Well, except the old sex tourists, they will come no matter what.

I left my apartment around 3 o'clock and I had planned to take a taxi to the Landmark Hotel on Sukhumvit. Well, coming out just to discover that the traffic was at a full stop. Bumper to bumper all the way from my apartment to Asok, in both directions! First time since I moved here.
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Well, just to forget about the taxi and I started to walk towards Sukhumvit. According to the TV the subway and sky train will stop at 16:00 so walking was the only means of transportation.

Passing the subway at the Asok intersection and the underway passage under Asoke was closed so I had to cross the street and on the other side I took the escalator to the Asok sky train station.
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When I came up to the station I discovered that they had blocked the way to the escalators with tape. But no one seems to give a darn. I was at the station just to cross over to the other side of Sukhumvit. But the station was about to close so people were in a hurry to catch the last train.
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I went down on the other side of Sukhumvit and I walked to NANA Hotel where I had a fried rice FUNKY TOWNand a banana shake. I asked the girls if they were red or yellow shirts.
- We're all red shirts here.
- Why?
- We like Thaksin.
- Taxi or Thaksin?
- THAKSIN!
- Taxi is better than Thaksin, I said.

They asked me what colour I was. I was just about to say FUNKY TOWNwhite. But I told them that I didn't have any experience from this. I'm a foreigner and I had never had this experience Scooby Doo colour this or Scooby Doo colour that before. But I asked them why the “Yellow Shirt” girls were more beautiful than the “Red Shirt” girls.
- The red shirts are poor farmers and have no money.

I asked one of the girls if her mother would like to have a foreigner as a son-in-law.
- No, but she would like to have a foreign boyfriend, she said laughing.
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I paid my bill and I left towards Phloen Chit. And there was a road block at the old Soi Joe Buckskin at the railway crossing. According to the TV the army and police would check ID on everyone entering Little Isan. Well, they didn’t check my ID and several others were passing. I saw a few Thais sitting at the army check point showing their ID cards.
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And at Little Isan I could not see any soldiers or police. And where are the cars coming from? Phloen Chit and Whittayu were almost empty. But there were a few cars and motorcycles on the roads so obviously Phloen Chit and Whittayu are still open for traffic.
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I went down on Witthayu, well, I turned around and I walked back to Sukhumvit. Darn, it was hot
FUNKY TOWN
Going back to Sukhumvit and I meet a few people coming down towards Little Isan. Some reporters and TV teams with the green “PRESS” armlet.
So I guess there will be some action at Phloen Chit and Chit Lom.
FUNKY TOWN
FUNKY TOWN
Yes, coming back to Sukhumvit and the traffic were still bumper to bumper so no chance to get a taxi. Well, it's quicker to walk anyway and I decided to stop at the Korean restaurant next to Time Square. They called me when I was eating my fried rice at NANA hotel.
- We're at the Korean restaurant next to school.

Yes, something was definitely going on. Coming back to Sukhumvit and while I had been at Phloen Chit plenty Polices had arrived to Sukhumvit. And they had big guns.
FUNKY TOWN
FUNKY TOWN
Well, leaving the Korean restaurant and, well, I had to walk back home. Traffic still at a full stop on Sukhumvit. Well, I stopped at 7 Eleven and I bought 4 bottles of hangover milk. Can come in handy tomorrow if I wake up with a hangover. (most likely)
FUNKY TOWN
FUNKY TOWN
Well, I lost my camera during the night and thus no pictures. I went to Khaosan Road after a few beers at Robin Hood. Yes, my Teacher were there, but as I said.
- I have finished Walen school so never mind if I make a tit out of myself!
No traffic and we reached the high way at Sukhumvit within, or did we go via Din Daeng? I don't remember, but when we reached Lan Luang Road we stopped at 7 Eleven for a beer. No bathroom and I was about to wet myself. I asked for a bathroom but there was no bathroom. At the market outside they didn't showed any interest in me.
Well not until I said: (I was wearing a red shirt)
- Red shirts!
Yo, my taxi was full of people in a jiff, they were even trying to get in through the windows. Now everyone wanted to help me find a bathroom. Yes, there is a lot of people that likes the “Red Shirts” in Thailand.

When I came back home, I don't know. 5 o'clock maybe. After Khaosan I left for Thong Lo. And I remember skipping LITTLE ITALY looking for a Japanese restaurant with salmon sushi. And I'm not sure, I think I had a Japanese guy in the taxi, or maybe he was Thai. Or Chinese or whatever. Well, I didn't find any restaurant and when I came home I discovered that I had lost my camera. DARN! Plenty pictures that we can live without missing in action.

+++++++++++++++
Saturday 15th of May 2010
and yes, I started my day with 4 bottles of hangover milk. OK, at least we know why I look like a human balloon by now. I returned to my bed and I watched an episode of Simpsons before I felt to sleep again.

I woke up again at 1 o'clock and today we have to following headlines in Bangkok Post.
FUNKY TOWN
Maybe better to stay home, now the clashes is spreading over Bangkok. Din Daeng, just
Morning Aladdin Kimou.

How's about last night?
Still get drunk chimai?
At the moment it is not necessary to observe around Silom naka.
I think it is quite dangerous.

Nong Took

before I left for Robin Hood yesterday Thai TV showed how some motorcycle taxi driver stopped a military truck pulled out a guy. At first I thought that there were only the two Soldiers in the truck. But there was a guy on the platform as well. With a machine gun and they stole the machine gun. One soldier was taken away in an ambulance. It looked like the guy was hiding on the platform while they pulled out one soldier from the cabin.

If you have a machine gun and a mob are coming against you. What to do? Or if you're sitting in a truck under attack, what to do? I think I would have started the truck and left the area behind. Especially if I haven't heard my back up using his machine gun.

From Bangkok Post:
“The army on Saturday afternoon declared Bangkok's Ratchaprarop area a "live-fire zone" and prohibited the general public from entering the area due to the intensifying clashes between anti-government protesters and soldiers.”

I got out of bed 10 o'clock in the evening and I went to Soi 19 for some salmon sushis. I ordered FUNKY TOWN2 plates. They also had my favourite, asparagus wrapped in bacon. I asked for some tariyoki, or whatever they call it, sauce.

Well, now I know where to find this. And their salmon sushi was excellent and that's even though I had a hangover force 9,7. Well, I'm looking forward to Sunday morning without a hangover. The first since I arrived to FUNKY TOWN back in March.

Well, I don't think I have seen Sukhumvit like this before. OK, 4 o'clock in the morning its FUNKY TOWNpretty quiet. Only a few taxis on the road and what a disappointment, the darn night market was open. But not many people around so it was pretty easy to walk along Sukhumvit.

I took a taxi back home from Soi 5 and I will most likely spend most of the night watching Simpsons. I usually find it hard to fall asleep when I have a hangover.

But tomorrow and no hangover so I will try to find a new camera. So I hope the Pantip Plaza is open tomorrow. I will also try MBK if they are open, I can walk to MBK from Pantip. Or the opposite, depending on which way we can take tomorrow to avoid the war zone.

Well, yet another page blown out off proporpions and the internet at Ratchadapisek is down on the knees. So time to make a new page to help them out. And I'm sure that there are more people out there with a internet speed leaving a lot to wish for.


       
                  
OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens at my web page. How hard can it be? So it’s not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.
Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!

Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas

Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!

Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!

Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra

Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!

คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้

Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!


E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.




                                       

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