Last Days in Bangkok Probably for Many Years

Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010--Bangkok

Lumphini Park is near my hotel. I took my book and went there early this morning. Some young men were playing basketball. Many people were jogging, especially since it was cloudy making the weather rather comfortable. Parents had brought their children to the playground. I sat on a bench away from the crowds and read for about two hours.

After returning to the hotel for a short nap, I decided to make a final trip to the Silom Sauna, a local sauna I normally visit each time I am in Bangkok. It is only about a 40-minute walk from my hotel--closer than it was from the hotel where I previously stayed. It was a bit quieter than normally on a Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, no one spoke to me. I ate the food that is served (hot green lentil soup, fresh watermelon and pineapple with a sugar-pepper mixture for dipping it, and a bowl of dark gelatin). I spent time in both the dry and the steam saunas. I watched Thai boxing on the TV. It was a nice way to pass three hours.

On the way back to the hotel, I passed a western man who paused to look at the map at a metro station. I asked if he was trying to find some place in particular. He explained that he was spending the afternoon trying to find an apartment to rent and that they were asking ridiculous prices. Part of his problem is that he was looking in an area that is near many embassies, so they are used to westerners wanting fancy, expensive places to stay and not worrying about the price since their government will pay. He complained that he found one place for 7000 baht (about $220) that he could afford, but it was just a bed, a coffee table, two chairs, a bath, and a sink. There wasn't even a refrigerator. We didn't talk long, but his plan is to rent an apartment here and find a job. I don't know what kind of job he hopes to get. And I wonder how he will be able to live here considering the visa requirements. But I just moved on and left him to it.

Monday, Aug. 30, 2010--Bangkok

After eating my breakfast of muesli in the room, I returned to Lumphini Park to read this morning. There were two bands in the park today--one consisting of elementary school students and another consisting of middle school students. They were both brass bands. I'm not sure why they were rehearsing in the park unless it was to avoid bothering neighbors or classes if they had done so at their campus.

There's sad news today about foreign cinema. First, in the Houston Chronicle, there is an article saying that the Angelika Cinema has closed. That leaves Houston with only one 3-screen cinema that specializes completely in foreign and independent cinema. Then when I walked to the Siam Square area to see what films are showing here right now, I faced two more sad circumstances. First, the Siam Cinema which was a old, large cinema with over 800 seats and was one of 5 screens operated by Apex in three cinemas specializing in foreign and independent films was gone. It was burned in the protests/riots this summer. And second, of the remaining 4 screens, only one is showing a foreign film. All the other screens are showing popular American films. How sad.

The film I would like to see was not scheduled until 14:45, so I decided to wait and see it tomorrow. I went to the food halls at the Siam Paragon Mall. I sampled a few specialty products at the Gourmet Market. Then I went to Burger King and ate a barbecue beef sandwich.

I'm really craving certain foods. During the last 4 months, all my meals except for maybe 6 or 7 have been Asian foods. When I get home, I am looking forward to things such as these: cheeses, salami, sandwiches of all kinds, pizza, Mexican food, potatoes, beef, etc.

I finished reading Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky today. It's an interesting story and well written. My only complaint is that it, like many novels from the 1800s, delves too much into philosophy. It distracts from the story. I gave the book 3 stars out of 4.