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]]> http://mishvo.wordpress.com/2012/08/12/greetings-from-boromrachachonnanee-road/ Sun, 12 Aug 2012 12:09:17 +0000 mishvo http://mishvo.wordpress.com/2012/08/12/greetings-from-boromrachachonnanee-road/ …At least, I think that’s where I live…

I had one of the Thai teachers at school call my landlady (“The Boss”) to translate my address into English and this was what she came up with.

Since moving into The Aqua Room off of Boromrachachonnanee Road, I haven’t had much time to walk around my neighborhood. Lucky for me, it’s a holiday weekend (the Queen’s Birthday/Mother’s Day) so I got the chance to do just that. I wanted to post a photo essay featuring my new ‘hood in the style of Waegook Tom’s “Other Side of Korea” post.

Welcome home:

The Aqua Room in all her glory. Bed looks comfortable, right? It’s as hard as the floor. It doesn’t bother me too much except that my hip bones are bruising from sleeping on my side.

I love walking under this tree on my way to work. Nature can be hard to come by in this grimy city, but it’s peaking through in certain spots – you just have to look a little harder for it.

These guys always make me smile.

A fortuitous pomegranate tree.

Not sure what he was doing but it involved putting mud into a bag…

I walked to a local school. Like most schools in Bangkok, everything is open-aired except the classrooms.

There’s a mall down the street equipped with a movie theater, bowling alley, and lots and lots of restaurants.

Made it back just as the afternoon rain came in. I can’t believe I’ve made it this long without an umbrella.

Pat and her assistant, Aang, were driving me to school to meet with some people, sign some things, and become employed. The elephant was small and being led through the streets by its owner – a practice that is illegal these days, Pat told me.

When I got to the school, everyone I spoke with was really welcoming and kind. They handed me a stack of textbooks and some papers including my new class schedule and maps of the school, and read through the contract with me. Then the Head Foreign Teacher showed me around the grounds.

I met many people – so many I couldn’t tell you their names if I tried. Luckily, Mark told me I didn’t have to wai at anyone, which relieved of pressure of doing it the wrong way or to the wrong person.

I got to see the English Program teacher’s room, in which my new desk is located alongside all of the other foreign teachers’ desks. They showed me some of the classrooms I’ll be using and the teacher’s “cafeteria” where I can eat breakfast and lunch if I want. Then I was shuffled back out the door and into Pat and Aang’s care for a second round of apartment-hunting.

Have you ever tried to find an apartment in a city in which you don’t speak the prevailing tongue? Maybe you have and you know how stressful it can be. Well, it gets even more stressful when your sole companion and connection to the outside world speaks mostly Thai and very, very little English.

Pat left me wearing my “official” long black skirt and black shirt from the morning meeting at the school (sweating!) with Aang who spoke only the most basic of English. Our mission was to find me an apartment in Pinklao.

We hailed a taxi and put my stuff in it. I asked Aang, half-kidding, if the taxi driver would drive away with all of my stuff when we got out of the car to look at apartments. Thank goodness he seemed to be a very, VERY kind soul – he got out of the taxi too for every stop, even talking to people on the street trying to help me find a place.

Fast-forward to 3 or so stops at full apartment buildings (I’m starting to worry we won’t find a place…) and here we are with two older Thai ladies who speak no English except to tell me over and over and over that I am “very beautiful.”

“Kha, kap koon kha” I thank them and smile. Smile, smile, smile as Aang gathers information about the available apartment for me. The owner isn’t here but one of the ladies calls the owner, gets the keys and we climb the four flights of stairs to see the place.

Pinklao, blue room. Sorry for the mess – unpacking, you know the drill. (More photos to come once I can connect my camera to my computer again…)

Blue. It’s all blue. Lovely with the sunshine – two windows and a porch…A fridge, a bed, an armoire, Internet that I should have access to tomorrow…And all for the wonderful wonderful price of 4,000 baht without utilities! That’s below my price range, it’s a short walk to the pickup point for the van to get to school, and it’s aqua. So yes, I will take it.

I request to see the contract before paying anything. It’s all in Thai. Aang reads it and tells me the highlights. It all sounds perfectly reasonable. I pay and they give me the keys.

And so: I start tomorrow as the new 5th grade English teacher. I live in a room of aqua. And I really hope I get to see that elephant again.

PRINCE OF SMILE KINGDOM DENTAL CLINIC

เตรียมพบกับ ศูนย์ทันตกรรม จัดฟัน ครบวงจร

ที่ ชั้น 1  กุ้งหลวง แมนชั่น

(ระหว่าง เทสโกโลตัส ปิ่นเกล้า และเซ็นทรัล ปิ่นเกล้า)

วันที่ 5 พฤษภาคม 2555

พร้อมโปรโมชั่นพิเศษ ฉลองเปิดคลินิกใหม่

โทร. 085- 682 7955

В моей фонотеке гигабайты  традиционной музыки. По крайней мере азиатской. Есть японская. Она очень разная: барабаны, флейты, какие-то странные струнные, тарелочки, ксилофоны. Есть треки в которых инструменты звучат все сразу, создавая какофонию, и есть где они играют соло. Есть китайская: спокойная, веселая, грустная, безумная, хаотичная на неискушенный взгляд. Еще есть непальская, корейская, индийская (а там вообще просто музыкальный рай). Есть мантры, чанты и прочие ритуальные песнопения. Но мне хотелось именно мистическую, именно тайскую.

Не вру ни капли, я прослушал три или четыре сотни треков. Скачал всё, что только можно было найти  на всех торрентах планеты. На прослушивание музыки я потратил  два рабочих дня. Мои уши слышали всё, что сочинили тайские музыканты за последние двести лет или даже больше.  Это и веселые свадебные какофонии, и лирические серенады, и энергичные колыбельные, и бравые военные гимны и марши, и музыку для боев муай тай и так далее и так далее.

Почти каждая нота почти всех тайских мелодий пышит здоровьем, счастьем, надеждой и радостью.  Попадались, конечно, и печальные и унылые завывания. Но все они с каким-то лучиком надежды.

А когда я добрался до погребальной музыки и не смог отличить ее от только что прослушанного свадебного трека, стало понятно - мои старания бесполезны. Невозможно найти то чего не существует.

(На иллюстрации к посту мопед с самодельной акустической системой. Я наткнулся на ‘этого милого дядьку в прошлом году на Pinklao в Bangkok. Как он с этой дурой умудряется ездить и  через какую щелочку в колонке, правую или левую, он при этом следит за дорогой ,я, к сожалению, не увидел – спешил)

Kaeng phet pet yang roast duck in red curry

Balance, detail and variety are important to Thai cooking. Thai food is known for its balance of the four fundamental taste senses in each dish or the overall meal: sour, sweet, salty, and (optional) bitter. In addition, many Thai dishes are also quite hot (spicy).

Although popularly considered a single cuisine, Thai cuisine is more accurately described as four regional cuisines corresponding to the four main regions of the country: Northern, Northeastern (or Isan), Central, and Southern, each cuisine sharing similar foods or foods derived from those of neighboring countries and regions: Burma to the northwest, the Chinese province of Yunnan and Laos to the north, Vietnam and Cambodia to the east and Malaysia to the south of Thailand. In addition to these four regional cuisines, there is also the Thai Royal Cuisine which can trace its history back to the cosmopolitan palace cuisine of the Ayutthaya kingdom (1351–1767 CE). Its refinement, cooking techniques and use of ingredients were of great influence to the cuisine of the Central Thai plains.

Thai cuisine and the culinary traditions and cuisines of Thailand’s neighbors have mutually influenced one another over the course of many centuries. Regional variations tend to correlate to neighboring states (often sharing the same cultural background and ethnicity on both sides of the border) as well as climate and geography. Southern curries tend to contain coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while northeastern dishes often include lime juice. The cuisine of Northeastern (or Isan) Thailand is similar to southern Lao cuisine whereas northern Thai cuisine shares many dishes with northern Lao cuisine and the cuisine of Shan state in Burma. Many popular dishes eaten in Thailand were originally Chinese dishes which were introduced to Thailand mainly by the Teochew people who make up the majority of the Thai Chinese. Such dishes include chok (rice porridge), kuai-tiao rat na (fried rice-noodles) and khao kha mu (stewed pork with rice). The Chinese also introduced the use of a wok for cooking, the technique of deep-frying and stir-frying dishes, and noodles, oyster sauce and soybean products.

Thai meals typically consist of either a single dish or it will be rice (khao in Thai) with many complementary dishes served concurrently and shared by all. It is customary to serve more dishes than there are guests at a table.

Thai food was traditionally eaten with the right hand but it is now generally eaten with a fork and a spoon; this was introduced as part of Westernization during the reign of King Mongkut, Rama IV. It was his brother, Vice-king Pinklao, who, after watching demonstration of Western dining etiquette by American missionary Dr. D. B. Bradley, chose only the Western-style fork and spoon from the whole set of table silverware to use at his own dining table. The fork, held in the left hand, is used to push food into the spoon. The spoon is then brought to the mouth. A traditional ceramic spoon is sometimes used for soups. Knives are not generally used at the table. Chopsticks are used primarily for eating noodle soups, but not otherwise used.

Thai market

It is common practice for Thais and hill tribe peoples in north and northeast Thailand to use sticky rice as an edible implement by shaping it into small, and sometimes flattened, balls by hand which are then dipped into side dishes and eaten. Thai-Muslims frequently eat meals with only their right hands.

Thai food is often served with a variety of sauces (nam chim) and condiments. These may include phrik nam pla/nam pla phrik (consisting of fish sauce, lime juice, chopped chilies and garlic), dried chili flakes, sweet chili sauce, sliced chili peppers in rice vinegar, sriracha sauce, or a spicy chili sauce or paste called nam phrik. In most Thai restaurants, diners can find a selection of Thai condiments, often including sugar or MSG, available on the dining table in small containers with tiny spoons. With certain dishes, such as khao kha mu (pork trotter stewed in soy sauce and served with rice), whole Thai peppers and raw garlic are served in addition. Cucumber is sometimes eaten to cool the mouth after particularly spicy dishes. They often also feature as a garnish, especially with one-dish meals. The plain rice, sticky rice or the khanom chin (Thai rice noodles) served alongside a spicy curry or stir-fry, tends to counteract the spiciness.

A Thai family meal will normally consist of rice with several dishes which form a harmonious contrast of ingredients and preparation methods. The dishes are all served at the same time. A meal at a restaurant for four people could, for instance, consist of fish in dry red curry (chuchi pla), a spicy green papaya salad with dried prawns, tomatoes, yardlong beans and peanuts (som tam thai), deep fried stuffed chicken wings (pik kai sot sai thot), a salad of grilled beef, shallots and celery or mint (yam nuea yang), spicy stir fried century eggs with crispy basil (khai yiao ma phat kraphao krop), and a non-spicy vegetable soup with tofu and seaweed (tom chuet taohu kap sarai) to temper it all.

Thailand has about the same surface area as Spain and a length of approximately 1650 kilometers or 1025 miles (Italy, in comparison, is about 1250 kilometers or 775 miles long), with foothills of the Himalayas in the north, a high plateau in the northeast, a verdant river basin in the centre and tropical rainforests and islands in the south. And with over 40 distinct ethnic groups with each their own culture and even more languages, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Thai cuisine, as a whole, is extremely varied and features many different ingredients and ways of preparing food. Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh (rather than dried) herbs and spices. Common herbs include cilantro, lemon grass, Thai basils and mint. Some other common flavors in Thai food come from ginger, galangal, tamarind, turmeric, garlic, soy beans, shallots, white and black peppercorn, kaffir lime and, of course, chilies.

Culinary tours of Thailand have gained popularity in recent years. Alongside other forms of tourism in Thailand, food tours have carved a niche for themselves. Many companies offer culinary and cooking tours of Thailand and many tourists visiting Thailand attend cooking courses offered by hotels, guesthouses and cooking schools.

This is the room not for rent. Most of the rooms in here are one bedroom, but I prefer 2 bedroom, because I got bigger and more comfortable place, – especially the view is so wonderful.

This is some information about this room. I post it here, because you may want to know.

Yeah, I took these photos, myself.

Have a great day!

Apartment Lumpini Suite 3 Pinklao
Spec : 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 living-room, 1 kitchen, 2 balcony
Space : 63.53 sq.m.
floor : 12A
view : Grand Temple, Jaransanitwong Rd., Pinklao Rd., Swimming Pool
Site/Location : At the corner with crossing of Jaransanitwong Rd. and Pinklao Rd. Right next from PATA department store, and very easy to walk to Central Pinklao and Lotus supermarket
Communication : Near the upcoming Subway (blue line); and there are a lot of buses and van to go to both Bangkok, Nonthaburi and NakornPrathom
Facilities : Swimming Pool and Fitness is free; Stream Room, Sauna (Pay)
Furniture :
3 Air-conditions
1 refrigerator
2 Electric Cook
Kitchen closet
Smoke cleaner
1 Sink
Television and its cabinet (TV)
2 soft-chair (Stool)
2 bedroom sets
dining table, 3 dining chairs
Water heater
Cabinets, dressing table, shelf

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Photo of Flickr Sw Eden

ห้องสุดหรูที่ Lumpini Suite Pinklao
วิวดี ไม่มีอะไรบัง เห็นวัดพระแก้วด้วย
ห้อง คอนโด LPN Suite 3 ปิ่นเกล้า
ขนาด : 2 ห้องนอน, 2 ห้องน้ำ, 1 ห้องรับแขก, 1 ห้องครัว, 2 ระเบียง
พื้นที่ : 63.53 ตารางเมตร
ชั้น : 12A
วิวที่เห็น : วัดพระแก้ว, ถนนจรัญสนิทวงศ์, ถนนสมเด็จพระปิ่นเกล้า, สระว่าน้ำ
ที่ตั้ง : อยู่หัวมุมแยก ของถนนจรัญสนิทวงศ์ และ ถนนสมเด็จพระปิ่นเกล้า ตัดกันสามารถเดินไปห้าง พาต้า, เซ็นทรัล และ โลตัส ได้สะดวก
คมนาคม : ใกล้รถไฟฟ้าสายสีน้ำเงิน ที่จะเกิดขึ้นในอนาคตอันใกล้, และยังมีรถเมล์มากมายเข้ากรุงเทพ อีกทั้งรถตู้ออกต่างจังหวัด เช่นนครปฐม และ นนทบุรี
Facilities ส่วนกลาง : สระว่ายน้ำ และ Fitness (ฟรี) ; ซาวน่า (Pay)
เฟอร์นิเจอร์ :
แอร์ 3 เครื่อง
ตู้เย็น 1 เครื่อง
เตาไฟฟ้าคู่
เคาน์เตอร์ครัว, ตู้ลอย
เครื่องดูดควัน
อ่างล้างจาน
โทรทัศน์ และตู้วาง TV
เก้าอี้นวมสตูล 2 ตัว
เตียง และฟูก อย่างละ 2 (หมอน และเครื่องนอน)
โต๊ะรับประทานอาหาร
เครื่องทำน้ำอุ่น
ตู้เสื้อผ้า, โต๊ะเครื่องแป้ง, ชั้นวางของ

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Photo of Flickr Sw Eden