Heading home via BKK

So, here I sit with a pore pack on my nose, relaxing in our Bangkok hotel writing this update. After arriving at Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday we dumped our cumbersome luggage (including camera>PC cable, grrr) at the ‘Left Luggage’ facility and sky trained it into the city.

Apart from the usual swampy areas along the way, there was little excess water to be seen. Looking down, only several low lying roads and house yards were partially submerged a few inches. That’s not to say it will remain that way...but here’s hoping!

Our thoughts are with those who have, are and will be effected by this massive, slow moving tragedy.

And, my biggest frustration (well, one of them) is seeing photos and T.V. footage of people standing chest deep in putrid water washing their clothes, preparing food on floating makeshift tables and of children playing, bobbing along in flotation devices.

STAY OUT OF THE WATER PEOPLE! The murky water can harbour cholera, typhoid, skin infections and hepatitis. One death from, and cases of, leptospirosis was reported in the newspaper just as we left Chiang Mai the other day (the details are in my luggage). The exact wording I can't remember, but 'wear shoes, especially if you have open cuts or wounds on your legs' rings a bell. Perhaps something was lost in the translation? 

Houses and buildings in our hotel area (Ratchathewi) remain high and dry. Some have made serious sandbagging efforts, some half hearted (and to tell the truth are a bit puzzling, strategy wise) but most, have not. Many outer lanes on high-set bridges and overpasses have become car parking lots for residents living in susceptible suburbs, which must make peak hour(s) in Bangkok even more hellish than usual.

Floods aside, today I had good intentions of trawling Chatuchak’s outdoor weekend market, however, after strolling through JJ’s (next door) for couple of hours I decided I’d pushed my baggage weight limit to the max, otherwise I would have bought this little beauty as a keepsake...

Apologies for the mobile phone quality.

...and besides, there’s no air con outside.

Snap's other blog Chiang Mai Thai

What's wrong with this picture?

Apologies for the phone photo quality!

Snap's other blog Chiang Mai Thai

It's a sign 4, 5 and 6

POINT TAKEN !!!!!

Brunei, Borneo.

Not so much a 'funny sign', but more of an ODD sign. We found this sign not far from funny sign number 2 and went into the store, which was filled with many wonderful, amazing treats...but no Tim Tams or Pavlova in sight? To be honest I was hard pressed thinking of confectionery that is uniquely Australian (owned). Nice combo though, Malaysian, English and Chinese...very multi cultural.

Say no more. This funny sign in the centre of Hoi An, Vietnam. A beautiful, charming ancient city filled with wonderful memories for both me and Stray.

It's a sign 3

Funny sign (menu) number 3.

As you may or may not know, I am (feeble attempt) learning Thai. No matter how many native Thais we spoke to on our last visit, they pronounced the R as an L. For instance, KanchanabuRi...written in Thai script with a ror rua - ร - or letter R in plain speak, was pronounced KanchanabuLi. No matter how many times we politely questioned it, the locals insisted that the R is pronounced L. OK, so we continue on our holiday doing likewise.

After returning home and investigating the Thai language further, learning resources state I MUST pronounce the R as an R ...even more so, as a rrrrrrrrroooooooooolllllllllliiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnggggg R...like in the Russian language, which is handy, because I am half Russian.

Here it has been reversed....go figure!

The learning resources say that it's just a laziness thing, Thais not pronouncing their R's. But I found this menu particularly funny becuase they had purposely used an English R to create an L sound.

No matter what, Broccori (or is it Bloccoli?) is good for you :) and I'm thankful I didn't have to translate this menu from Thai to English or vice verse. By the way, our meal at the Golden Triangle was delicious and just look at those prices. Something I'll be really appreciating on our long stay.

PS. Also, I'm pretty sure that's meant to read Bitter Gourd, not Bitter Ground.

It's a sign 2

Thank you and Hello! Another of one of many funny signs we have found in our travels.

Yes, you would be correct in assuming that Titbits are exactly what you think they are...not hors d`oeuvres. I was amazed at how cheap they were compared to the price of beer. Stray found this one day on his way to finding a (fair dinkum) massage place in Kuala Lumpur...yes, I know it sounds suss. He thought it was quite amusing and dragged me back there that night, just to show me the sign.

It's a sign

On our travels we've come across some funny signs and menus...sometimes something gets lost in the translation, or perhaps not?

Here's one of them.

...that's a relief!