An opinion on my customer who has been living in Chiangmai for a year!!!
December 7, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
Sawadeekhrup,
The weather, at long last, is beautiful here; the best since I arrived. It is actually cool at night and you can sleep under the covers without air-cond., without fan and without sweat. My inquiries as to how long I can expect this blessing to last has resulted in an average prediction of 30 more days, with the cautionary caveat that it could end at any time; last year it lasted two days, so I am well aware of that fact. In one discussion, an American who has been here 30 years reported that back then it got cold at this time of year; since he was an American it couldn’t be false and I, therefore, pass it on. Daytimes are also perfect so long as you’re not in the sun, it can still kill you in minutes.
Since my return from the U.S I have been spending a fair amount of time in the pursuit of new digs and, to quote George W Bush, “Mission Accomplished”; I move on the 15th. I thought it would be good to experience living in a different part of the city and for various reasons I wanted out of this apartment. Like anyone in such a search, I have looked at really nice, well tended 1 & 2 bedroom apartments (25 to 35 thousand Baht) that were either too large/costly or wrong location and some not so well tended with furniture I wouldn’t touch let alone sit/lay on.
I did find a beautiful 2 bedroom, apartment in the nicest, common consensus, building in Chiang Mai (30,000B) but the common consensus was also that it was too far from this side of town and so passed; interestingly, the man rented it for 35,000B a week later. There is a also a beautiful new building, in an ideal location, about 1K from here (1 Br 25-35,000B) but when I discussed this with an acquaintance who lives there, he informed me that he has put his unit up for sale (900,000B) and moved out; the reason being a night club across the street that from 9pm to 2am blasts sound into the building. I went one night to listen and it is so loud that you feel the bass sounds; so that was the end of that. The result of all this is that on the 15th of December I will be moving from the 10th floor to the 9th floor of this building; so much for adventure
My new apartment, 25,000B, is a just renovated, really nice 1bedroom, the second bedroom has been turned into an office, with a beautiful bathroom that has a bath as well as walk in shower and it has a stacked washer-dryer; everything is brand new. I am also getting satellite TV (2100B/mth) and a new internet provider (1100B/mth) which is not only 400B cheaper and better than my current provider, it will free up my in-house phone line which will allow me to call the reception desk to see if the IHT has arrived; I am excited.
My new view is southern and the sun, due to the balconies above, doesn’t hit directly into the apartment until 1pm and that will improve after Dec. 21 as the sun again moves north. I realize that this might seem a petty concern to you, but living here brings new priorities; although the sun is a concern everywhere, here it is an obsession. In my present digs, looking east, the sun starts in around 7:30 and by 8 it is so hot and you have to close the drapes that turn the day to night and you have to turn the lights on. This, therefore, is a life-changing event, my mornings and afternoons reversed. I’ll let you know how it goes and send pictures.
It is now my first anniversary of living in Thailand and although I haven’t learned as much as planned, I am happy here. The Thai’s are an excellent people and the farang are an interesting group; although we bring our western prejudices, we mostly suppress them in favor of contentment. Take Boston Jim, for example. He is an acquaintance from my building that I would chat with when we met on the elevator or such. Six months ago I caught him in a pique when he announced he was getting the “fuck outta here” and going back to the Boston. Further inquiry led to his tale of oppression by the Thai and his conclusion that farang have no rights.
The source of his umbrage was a Thai motor-scooter being driven on the sidewalk at the same time he was walking on it. This is a common occurrence since some Thai’s, along with some farang I should add, believe that the sidewalk is as much theirs as a pedestrians. Even I have come to accept this and simply move over to let them pass, but not so Boston Jim; he pushed the scooter over and the police were called who proceeded to give him a citation which cost him 200B. That was the end of Jim, or so I thought, until two weeks ago when I saw him at the reception desk. Surprised, to say the least, I asked him the reason for this and was informed that after four months in the U.S. he was back; the reason being that he couldn’t stand being back in the U.S. either.
I don’t mean this tale as a criticism of the U.S. but as an example of farang mentality. It is by and large a rebellion against nationalism, I think, and holds that survival is better without it. No farang, that I know, has a high opinion of Thai government, per se, (How could we? Look at it.), but we all believe that it isn’t any worse than western government. We all feel a much greater sense of freedom and contentment here and that is what brought Boston Jim back; he simply didn’t like living in America, and that is the definition of “farang”; “stateless” at last. I understand that many will find this reprehensible, but to those I say “try it” you might like it; freed from the “state” might just be the greatest freedom of all.
I do miss being home for the holidays and will plan all future trips home to coincide with them; I do miss you all.
I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Sawadeekhrup
Eric
