Today was in hiding as the sun is quite fierce and I was feeling indolent. I made the mistake of having a rather large breakfast, of the crab with chilli and herbs from last night, with added egg and broccoli to slightly temper the heat for an breakfast. It didn’t really temper the heat, but […]
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City palaces
In the morning I went to Suan Pakkad, which is the home of a princely family, now turned into a sort of museum of their personal collections. It’s laid out in a series of Thai wooden stilt houses connected by walkways, and the houses were generally the best part of it as the collections themselves […]
Just Wednesday
Wednesday is a full working day and I had to send an academic article in a hurry, so I didn’t do very much. The morning was spent on the article, which was about Ethiopian Christianity. I am quite the expert on Ethiopia having edited two monographs and countless articles on various aspects. Dashed out to […]
Smashed
Nothing much to report today. I was out of food and a bit under the weather so went to get supplies and also went a bit further afield to what was reputed to be one of the best smash burger places in Bangkok. This was up a street I hadn’t yet been, one lined with […]
Happy day
Yesterday was the day my big contract came to an end, oh happy day. As it happened today, though May Day, was spent working on work for that contract, and I even had a call about it. Still, at least I was on my own time. Not much else to tell, really. It was a […]
Sponge city
This morning it rained and rained, and then was cool and grey. I dawdled a bit and then took the BTS down to Lumphini park, stopping along the way for the Michelin recommended fried chicken in the vicinity. Curious what an economy has erupted around the Michelin guide. I’ve been coming to Bangkok since before […]
Godly sights and one ungodly one
This morning, after tea, I went to Wat Arun. Although I went in the morning I dawdled somewhat so didn’t leave till around 11 and it was very, very hot. Wat Arun shone fiercely white in the sun, its ornament bleached to pastel, and the scores of people who’d rented traditional Thai clothing from the […]
Idle Friday
I have had a very idle Friday today. I took some time off for Eid last weekend but was never really idle. Today I woke up, washed the bedding and cleaned the bathroom, made myself breakfast (purple rice, steamed broccoli, eggs and nam pla) and tea, then faffed and faffed. Then I went for lunch […]
Intensity of youth
I’ve just read Elif Batuman’s two novels, one after the other. They are very good I must say, or so I think. For all the mannered-ness and the somewhat terrifying literariness of the protagonist. I found it hard at first to tell if the first one was good because I started reading it without knowing […]
Bangkok new year
It is blessedly quiet here after Hanoi, and even my last stay in Bangkok where the sound of traffic was relentless, except at dawn and dusk when all the dogs in the neighbourhood howl for about 5 minutes. I arrived in the middle of Thai new year, Songkran, which includes, aside from visits to monks […]