Penang

Took a weekend trip to Penang, an island off the Malaysian coast. Perfectly manageable for a weekend. We did a never-ending hike up to the Penang Hill Station.
Like Malaysia, Penang is a combination of several ethnic groups. The native Malay population, Chinese merchants who settled the Strait of Malacca, and Indians brought by the British during the colonial era. All groups are represented in population, culture and food. Here is a Chinese temple burning huge incense sticks.
Penang is also well known as a foodie destination. And we ate a ton - Indian, Chinese, Malay.

Thailand's Got Talent

One particular video from this show has made the rounds among western social networks. One of my students introduced me to this show, and we watched a couple videos at the end of class. The injured guitar man is amazing. The young girl's rendition of "And I Am Telling You..." is incredibly annoying. Maki sent me this link and I checked out all the rest. The kathoey (lady-boy) is definitely worth watching, and one can see how it became circulated so widely. So enjoy.
Thailand's Got Talent
BTW, the whole Charlie Sheen debacle had me thinking about the 24 hour internet "news" cycle and how quickly things have changed. I was abroad in 2003, and would check email and NYTimes every other day or so, but felt nicely out of the loop. Now with not only internet access at home, but the development of facebook, blogs, etc., I might as well be in New York as far as pop culture consumption is concerned. I recognize this as a negative generally, especially in preventing me from more fully embracing my Thai environment. Its sad to realize how hard it is to backtrack on roads to life before certain technologies (even ones that have existed for only one, two, or five years).

this and that

Have not been taking too many photos lately. With many visitors lately, I have been relying on more disciplined photographers to document events. Eventually I'll drop by their computer with a flash drive, but until then here are the few photos I took.
Visitor Gordon and Maki, on top of Centara Sky Bar

Visitors Tim and Gordon, learning all about the Thai feat that is the beer tower.

Swim time in our pool. With our guests, my new friend Linda. We met in Thai language class.

Taken from the apartment during a big and beautiful thunderstorm. Like other parts of the world, Bangkok is experiencing weather uncharacteristic for the season. Its been very cool, while the temperatures are supposed to be climbing to ultimate hot season. I actually wore a sweatshirt for the first time since being here one day. It smelled like closet. Its also supposed to be dry season, but many violent thunderstorms have rolled through. Of course this is not that extreme when compared to Japan, etc. but is interesting.

modes of transporation

This photo captures three different forms of transportation in Bangkok. At the top, sky train. In the middle, road. Below, canal boat.

trouble abroad

Don't you hate it when a thunderstorm interrupts the satellite feed of an afternoon viewing of Maid in Manhattan? Jeez, frustrating.

time lapse image

Check it out