IMG_2336
Image by mxccuba
We’ve been talking about spending some weekends in Asia for a while.
A discussion that spawned the DH boys’ one-night mantra: kebab,
passport, Bali. But thanks to an invitation for Damian to speak at
the Malaysian Institute of Architects Conference, we’d be spending
this first weekend away in Kuching, Sarawawak, northern Borneo.
Our mornings seemed to begin overcast. Either: this is normal in
Kuching; they also don’t have day light saving and/or the remaining
preparation of Damian’s presentation loomed. Either way, each day
inevitably brightened. It was all quick looking, looking, looking,
eating, eating, eating, again and again and again. With Koh our
tireless host and two tables of Architects, our first dinner was at
the infamous Top Spot. Many were from Kula Lumper and it seemed at
least fifty percent had studied in Australia. With curious accents
they joked, “I’m half Australian. Can’t you tell?”
The next morning Damian was first up and his presentation went very
well. So, with that squared, I headed out for a mini-adventure. To
encounter the things we’d quickly scanned from Koh’s car the day
before, in person. Mainly the old Chinatown shop-houses, Buddhist
Temples, the curiously overt blue and white police station, the
magnificent old tree with roots as tall as the passing cars and
Little India. Painfully, during my first attempt I dropped my camera!
I saw it bounce and briefly thought maybe it’ll bounce back, but to
no avail. Anyway. The excursion didn’t take too long and I made it
back to do some laps in the pool before ducking back into the
conference for the Q & A in all its glory: the speakers seated behind
a panel table covered with a shimmeringly resplendent cloth, as if
they were judging a Thai queer beauty pageant. Awesome.
The conference and the evening almost ended with a dinner at Blah,
Blah, Blah, with its huge goldfish, and finally a visit to a locally
designed house. Almost: because a dragon bug would later unleash its
wrath.
Bangkok. August 2008.
Image by adaptorplug
"Baan Norasingh" was built in 1923 as the family home of General Chao Phraya Ram Rakhop.
Designed by the Italian architect Annibale Rigotti.
It was was requisitioned by the Thai government after the June 1932 coup, to become Government House, containing amongst other bits, the offices of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.
Bangkok. August 2008.
Image by adaptorplug
"Baan Norasingh" was built in 1923 as the family home of General Chao Phraya Ram Rakhop.
Designed by the Italian architect Annibale Rigotti.
It was was requisitioned by the Thai government after the June 1932 coup, to become Government House, containing amongst other bits, the offices of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.
120214-N-WV964-099
Image by U.S. Pacific Fleet
GULF OF THAILAND (Feb 14, 2012) Operations Specialist Seaman DaJuanna Gurley reports contacts to the Officer of the Deck in the pilot house of the forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42). Germantown, with embarked elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), is currently underway in support of Exercise Cobra Gold 2012, an annual Thai-U.S. co-sponsored joint and multinational exercise designed to advance security throughout the Asia-Pacific region and enhance interoperability with participating nations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Johnie Hickmon/Released)
In the park
Image by Edward Faulkner
While running in Lumphini Park in downtown Bangkok, I stopped by the water and this big guy popped out. I think it's a water monitor lizard.
From Wikipedia:
"In Thailand, the word water monitor or actually local word 'เหี้ย' (hia) is used as an insulting word for bad and evil things including a bad person. Its name is also considered a word bringing a bad luck, so some people prefer to call them 'ตัวเงินตัวทอง' which means 'silver and gold' in Thai to avoid the jinx.
The origin of this offensive meaning can be traced back to a time when more people lived in rural areas in close proximity to monitor lizards. Traditionally, Thai villagers lived in 2-story houses, the top floor was for living while the ground floor was designed to be a space for domestic animals such as pigs, chickens, and dogs. Water monitors would enter the ground floor and eat or maim the domestic animals, also hence the other name 'ตัวกินไก่' (Tua kin kai - chicken eater)."
No comments:
Post a Comment