9 November 2002      

  Monks in saffron robes and ancient temples with bright yellow, green and gold colors, young women in black skirts and freshly ironed white blouses, the sweet scent of jasmine and chrysanthemums, smells of hot cooking oils, roasting fish, and choking car exhaust fumes, a chaos of honking buses and songtaos, trucks converted into taxis, that is Bangkok. It’s a place where 5 star hotels, Central Chitlom, and the World Trade Center overlook street beggars without arms or legs. Western and upscale stores market to street-shy tourists while locals buy name brands from sidewalk vendors for cents on the dollar.  It’s a city of contrast and contradiction. 

  6 p.m. sharp, a loud whistle blows at the huge railway terminal Hualampong.   Over the loudspeaker comes the daily ritual message: “Please, honor our majesty the king.” Thousands of people stand and turn to face the giant picture of the king above busy ticket counters.  Everything stops.  On every Thai radio , television, and loudspeaker in the country, the national anthem plays at this minute. A few locals nearby throw a quick glance at a farang, a foreign girl, in hiking boots, loaded down with a heavy backpack. She doesn’t notice that the world has stopped and continues walking.  A second whistle blows.  The crowds move, voices roar, the moment of stillness ends.            

     By 7 p.m. it is dark. We board our overnight train to Chiangmai.  Tomorrow morning we will arrive in this northern city, the second largest in Thailand, and our three-year adventure, our new journey, begins.

     Best wishes to you all, Carol & Norbert 

 Thai News Update:

Tobacco - A nation wide smoking ban went into effect November 8, 2002 for all Thai indoor, air-conditioned public places.  Business owners who allow violations will be fined $500 and individual smokers $50. A stiff penalty for a country where typical teacher salary is $300 to $500 per month.   (from Bangkok Post, Saturday Nov. 9, 2002)

Weather – Sunny nationwide. 

Nighttime lows in the North are in the 60s with daytime highs of 85.

Lows in the Bangkok are in the 70s with highs near 90.