On Monday it rained. Buckets and buckets of hard rain, accompanied by strong winds. As it kept raining, the water level in the flooded streets and sois crept higher and higher — higher than I’ve ever seen it on my block of Sukhumvit Road. When it was time for me to leave the bookshop, around five o’clock that afternoon, I was forced to remove my shoes and socks and roll up my pants to wade across the river that used to be known as Soi 26 and Soi 26/1. A soggy day indeed. And because of all the puddles leftover from the storm, it meant no basketball for me on Tuesday.
When I was in Siem Reap last month I only had a chance to see my friend Tra very briefly. His father was in the hospital and he was occupied with various family matters. But he’s been staying in touch via e-mail and phone. Here is report on what he saw in Siem Reap on Sunday:
“Today when I went to Psah Leu market in the morning, about 7:00, I saw a barang (foreign) man. He looked drunk, and he walked in the middle of the road and he tried to stop all the cars. And he wasn’t wearing any clothes! No shirt, no trousers, no anything. Only black socks. His hair was a little long. All the motodups were looking at the barang and laughing at him. This guy was crazy! So the police came and checked his passport and went to his guesthouse to ask about him. And then they took him to the police station. One of the policemen told me this guy was 47 years old, from Germany.
There was a big gathering in Bangkok last weekend of writers, editors, and photographers who have contributed to various books published by Things Asian Press. Some of us met for dinner on Saturday night at Mrs. Balbir’s restaurant on Sukhumvit Soi 11/1. Anyone who has lived in Bangkok for a while surely knows about Mrs. Balbir and her wonderful establishment. But in case you haven’t heard; about two months ago she moved from her old location to a bigger spot just a few doors down the same soi. The interior of the restaurant is brighter and shinier, but the Northern Indian cuisine remains delectable. And of course Mrs. Balbir herself permeates the room with her vivacious personality. Definitely a must place to visit. More details on the Things Asian gathering in my next post.
