Of course, right in the middle of the final weeks of wedding planning, Mark and I have to come to Bangkok to do some technical repair work for our museum. We have two evenings to finish everything, regardless of what that “everything” is.  Tomorrow, we need to go to the Department of Foreign Affairs to get some paperwork done.  And there’s an interview and photo shoot with a magazine.  All this before going back to the museum again. Then the next day, I have to go make-up and shoe shopping before we hop on a plane back to Chiang Mai.  Does this happen to anybody else? Because for us, when it rains, it pours. And to think that a month ago I was saying “nah, there’s nothing to stress about w/ my wedding”.

Mark’s been here for a full week, and everyday we wake up with a new list of things to do: check out the resort, decide on the location of the stage, pick out food menu for the dinner of the night before, sort out sound equipments, check out prices of various things, pick up all sorts of various knick-knacks-the stuff you never use on a regular basis- from different locations all over town, paperwork, phone calls, emails, phone calls, more phone calls. Many people have asked if we needed any help, and the answer is always no. It’s not that we couldn’t use the help, just that we can’t think of anything we could assign other people to do.

Our overseas guests are also arriving in Thailand very soon. I’ll be off-line for a while.

After all is said and done, it’s still a pathetic situation, but one you can live with, shrug, and say “well at least the airport is opened again” and you go about your business because this kind of politics isn’t something one can actually be hopeful about. There’s no Obama here.

And yes, at least the damn airport is opened again.  Thai media declared yesterday to be a day of good news. It was, but they forgot the details.  That the airport is opened for certain flights, and that normal operating schedule… well, at least for now, we have no idea when it’ll be in place.  Maybe Friday, maybe next week.  Meanwhile, those who actually have to fly aren’t feeling any better in the midst of their victories and good news.

Refering to Serirat Prasutanond, acting president of the airport, the guy with the suckiest and perhaps almost thankless job by anyone right now:

He has told the Thai media that the airport could be fully open by Friday, but was cautious when I asked him if this was realistic. “It all depends on security. The security systems have to be approved,” he warned.

I love it. Thai people wanted so much for this conflict to be over before the King’s birthday, fearing that they’ll disappoint him. And despite all the unrest that has caused irrefutable damaged to the country this whole year, they still believe that everything is better now that we’ve been good just in time for the King’s birthday. Here’s the thing: after this Friday, there’s another year until Thai people have to be good again.

But yes, politics aside: it looks like all my friends will be able to fly to Thailand for my wedding. My future groom is now on a plane, taking an alternative (and expensive) flight to come directly to Chiang Mai.

photo by Nann

The astronomical institute of Thailand called it the conjunction of Moon, Venus and Jupiter.  It was seen for just a few hours in the early evening.  Venus and Jupiter were only 2 degrees apart, and it so happened that the Moon was positioned just below them like a little smile.

The Venus/Jupiter conjunction happens when these objects have the same right ascension on the sky’s dome. It’s as if they cross the same line of longitude in the sky and – for a brief time – beam north and south of one another on the sky’s dome. A conjunction of the two brightest planets won’t happen again until March of 2012. During this particular Venus and Jupiter conjunction, these two brilliant worlds appear 2 degrees apart. That’s about the width of your finger at an arm length away.

Earthsky.org

update: the BBC has pictures from around the world

Already, the criminal justice system of Thailand has been reduced to an utter joke, its agencies and personnel either unable or unwilling to intervene effectively to protect public property and people’s lives, or even prosecute wrongdoers. That the security forces can carry out coups on the whimsy of generals and engage in battles over trifles with those of neighbouring countries but not responsibly protect the Government House or international airport is sheer farce. That government agencies have been forced to negotiate and cut their losses rather than insist that the law be enforced is dangerous folly. And that the senior judiciary, which through a succession of highly politicised judgments has played a major part in contributing to the current mess has nothing useful to contribute when lives are at stake and the country is in greatest need of intelligent guidance is altogether shameful. 

Peaceful protest is not only a part of democratic process; it is integral to it. But the rallies and blockades in Bangkok of recent days, weeks and months have not been peaceful. Nor can they properly be called protests at all, as they are not merely demonstrations of a wish, but acts aimed at achieving goals at all costs. And the costs to Thailand have already been very high. They will get higher, and be felt in terms of the lives and liberties of all people in the country if they are not brought to an end. All people in Thailand have a right to oppose this ultra-conservative project for state dominance at their expense. 

The statement is part of the Asian Human Rights Commission calling for more global attention on the events happening in Bangkok.

And it’s just as well. Thai police attempted to disperse the protesters today only to be embarrassingly chased down the street by youths armed with sling shots (or so reported). Pathetic is not enough, but it’s the only word that comes to mind.

Yes, world, please do something, we certainly aren’t capable of cleaning up our own mess.

1.  A Thai business man who was staying at the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai, who had to evacuate during the attack, whose passport was-as of this morning-stuck in the hotel, whose flight is canceled and can’t fly back to Bangkok because no planes are coming into Thailand from India.  I hope that you are well, stranger.

2.  A bride in Chiang Mai whose wedding is tomorrow, whose groom is overseas and whose friends are mostly in Bangkok and had to cancel their trip.  I hope it works out for you somehow, sister.

3.  Owners of businesses who have to deal with millions of cancelations, exporters who can’t send their shipments (from fresh produce to electronic parts), and airport officials who have to deal with understandingly grumpy passengers and how to handle this whole mess.

4.  Those travelers who had to be bus from Bangkok to either Chiang Mai or Utapao airport, then look for a flight to go to neighboring countries in order to look for a flight home from there… what a nightmare.

No progress at the airport so far, despite the state of emergency or replacement of the chief of police.  It seems like all sides are waiting for someone to jump into the battle first.

The media’s got this footage of people sleeping on conveyor belts, using the luggage as pillows inside the airport, of travelers with their large backpack spread out on the ground, and a whole score board of flights being canceled.  The footage has been repeated over and over again although it’s only from the first night.  People inside are not held up by the protesters.  They are allowed to leave the building and go find accommodations in Bangkok, but some chooses to stay in case the airport becomes operational again.  A situation of this scale has never happened before, and the airport is not prepared to be an information center for all of these people either. 

The lame-duck government who’s in hiding in Chiang Mai, just in my hood, declared a state of emergency for the two areas surrounding the airports in Bangkok since last night and ordered the police to move in.  No reports so far of the activities.  As I typed this, Thai TV just reported that the PAD leaders are now believing that today will be its last day of holding out, though it remains to be seen if they will be dispersed by force, by exhaustion, or if the PM will step down under pressure.

Meanwhile, we’re still waiting to see if Mark will be able to arrive on Monday.  We fully expect his flight to be canceled, but unable to speculate when he could land.  A 3-4 days delayed wouldn’t be surprising.  On the other hand, I still have to go all over town with my parents to hand out wedding invitations in person to people I hardly know, although now we have more things to talk about than where I’ll live and what I do for a living.

As usual, Bangkok Pundit has a well-rounded political analysis from various sources.

1. Protesters effectively shut down Suvarnnabhumi airport (BKK): this is no easy feat and a bold move by the yellow-shirters. The airport is supposedly 4th largest hub in Asia, with hundreds of thousands of travelers, both for pleasure and business, going through everyday. Today it was closed. Huge, huge loss to all involved.

2. The head of the military gave a press conference to suggest a house dissolution and asked the PAD to leave the airport.  The military refuses the rumor there is planned coup (what, one failed coup not enough for you people?).

3. The protesters never did ask for dissolution of the parliament. They wanted resignation. Which is different, because a dissolution would lead to a new election while a resignation would call for an appointment of a new government. The People’s Alliance for Democracy, they don’t want an election.  

4. The government snubbed the suggestion of a house dissolution, refuses to resign.

5.  The PAD won’t leave the airport.  Tourists and business travelers alike are all stranded.  The whole damn country is stranded.

There’s no end in sight.  Call a snap election, the PPP (ruling party) will most likely win and the PAD will be back protesting again (now with more experience to boot).  If the PAD gets what it wants, i.e. an appointed government, the red-shirters, and the PPP could deploy the same tactic that got PAD to this point.

Somehow, most people think that it will be settled by the King’s Birthday (Dec 5), because we’re all supposed to behave like good girls and boys on his birthday.  Thank the lord they will still listen to their monarch, cuz they sure can’t figure heads or tails themselves.  

CNN started their explainer piece by saying “Thailand stands on the brink of chaos as anti-government protesters occupy Bangkok’s two main airports…”  Incorrect.  We’re not on the brink of chaos, we’re well in the middle of it.

Breaking News: Suvarnabhumi Airport cancels all departing flights as protesters surge into terminal

and from the BBC:

Witnesses said hundreds of yellow-shirted members of the group managed to break through police lines and enter the main terminal of Suvarnabhumi airport, to the bewilderment of passengers.

The airport’s manager, Serirat Prasutanon, said the authorities had tried to negotiate with the protesters, “but to no avail”.

“For the safety of passengers, we have to stop flights out of the airport temporarily until the situation returns to normal,” he told the Associated Press.

Exactly what the protesters hope to do there is not clear, the BBC’s Jonathan Head in Bangkok says, but they may be hoping to prevent Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from returning from the Apec summit in Peru on Wednesday.

Oh yes, the detox. I was going to spill it.  Well, here is where we were, for a whole week:

So yeah, it was pretty, pretttty, nice.  The first three days, it was raining non-stop and we thought that it was gonna be one of those wet-wet-wet vacation.  The sun never came out and the rain wasn’t just showering, it was pouring out like someone tipped a giant bucket in the sky.  But eventually, I guess the gods heard our whining.

The Sanctuary is one of those new-age-health-freak havens.  It’s got a superb vegetarian and health food restaurant, nice bungalows overlooking the sea, yoga and meditation center, a spa, a steam room built into a natural bolder, and a wellness center that administers cleansing and detox programs.  All of it situated on a quiet hard-to-get-to beach on Koh Phangan, which itself is quite a distance.  You go there and you check out from the real world; all there is to do is get pampered.
 And it isn’t ‘fancy’.  It’s a bunch of huts built into the jungle and blend in quite nicely with the natural surroundings, unlike many eyesore high-end spa/resorts in neighboring Koh Samui.  Facilities are clean and the staff are ultra friendly.  There was nothing to complain.  The atmosphere puts your brain into this hazy i’m-in-paradise-and-i-don’t-care mode.

Our first full day there, we had to prep for the fast by eating only raw food from their “cleansing” menu.  Quite frankly, it’s the most delicious raw food I’ve ever had.  It is recommended that you prep your body in advanced, but it was pretty hard to do a no-flour, no-rice, no-sugar, no-meat diet in Bangkok.  Or any city for that matter, so most people get there and need a few days of prepping.  The center decides if your body is ready by doing a saliva test on a litmus paper.  Alkaline means good.  Acid bad.  We passed the test on the first day.  Yes, we good girls.

There’s two main things you take during the fast:  a “shake”, which is a mixture of psyllium husk with bentonite clay and water, and “herbs”, which are supplement pills of chomper and some other superfood complex to make sure you’re getting nutrients to the body.  You take either the shake or pills every 1.5 hours, alternating.  The psyllium husk, acts as a “brush” to clean your colon (the body can’t digest it, so it goes straight to the colon) and the clay picks up all the debris that the psyllium is cleaning out.  These two things help smooth the colonic process, which is done daily at 4 pm.

Now, I’d rather not go into the colonic part in detail, but I will say that, boy, I’m glad that we had to self-administer this process because I sure wouldn’t want to share the experience with any other human being.  Seriously.

We’re encouraged to drink fresh juice or tea during the day, in addition to a lot of water.  Some time in the afternoon, we get a drink called a “lymph flush” which is a blend carrot, cucumber, and ginger.  Then at night, all the fasters will sit together for a “dinner” of veggie broth, which restores electrolytes.  We also take a probiotic pill before bedtime (around 10 pm - because there’s not much to do and you get tired easily anyway).  The probiotic pill puts back the “good bacteria” back into the colon.  Or that’s what I’m told.

Besides the fast ritual, there’s a yoga class in the morning.  In the afternoon, there’s plenty of time to get massages or other spa services.  Then after our colonic session, we flock to the herbal steam room.  This whole cleansing program is such an intriguing sharing experience:  you end up talking to perfect strangers about your bowel movements with total ease, like it was the weather.

So actually the days are filled with activities, not much, but enough to pass the time and catch up on a good book in a hammock.  After 24 hours of no solid food, I experienced a slight lightheadedness and it lasted for the rest of the fast.  Energy level was low, but I could still do yoga.  On the third day, I was a little cranky and got sick after taking a wheatgrass shot, which I later found out it was too hardcore for an empty stomach.  But overall, the fasting was much easier and much relaxing than I thought it would be.

The best part is that first dish of one fruit you are allowed to eat after the fasting is over.  That bowl of papaya wasn’t even ripen all the way, but it was the best papaya I’ve tasted.  It was so refreshing, more than I’ve ever known papaya to be refreshing, and the sugar from the fruit put away that softly lingering headache for good.

There were no Thai client besides Jane and I. The fasting scene was dominated by mostly white Aussies and Brits, with a few American-accent Asians (which I guess we also count).  Most people were doing a full 7-day cleanse program, which we found to be rather hardcore, and more than a few of the people we met are returnees: they’ve been doing it every year or so.

The combination of facial, massages, body scrub, herbal steams, yoga, fasting, health food, and (yes, even this) colonics is definitely the type of vacation you go to disconnect yourself from the world for a few weeks. The toughest decision to make is which spa service you want. You don’t have to think about what your next meal is going to be, and most drastic of all: you don’t over eat. Your body feels much better afterwards.

I didn’t lose any weight, but I walk around feeling lighter and a bit healthier now.  It could be psychological, but hey, it worked.

Koh Phangan is well known for its drug-infused Full Moon Party, but tucked in an almost unreachable beach is The Sanctuary, a spa and wellness center whose restaurant serves really tasty, if overpriced (but not really considered the quality) health food.  The “cleansing” program is a combinatioin of fasting and daily colonics.  We are given a shake every 1.5 hours, all of them concoction of different herbals and supplements designed to clean your insides.  No solid food is allowed during the fast, and  you’re supposed to 4 liters of water every day.

I’m sitting in a room of old PCs looking out to the jungle with the sound of waves crashing onto the beach.  It’s been a stormy and rainy couple of days here, and the weather isn’t as ideal, but it is still paradise.  Even in the pitch dark, when we arrived last night, the place is still beautiful.  There’s an empty hammock waiting for me.

I doubt I’ll even touch my laptop.

I get to the Roadhouse BBQ (American Bar in Silom area) and it’s done.  He’d won Virginia.  It’s over.  We won!  There’s about seventy or eighty energetic Americans in the bar.  We’re cheering.  California poll closed.  People got on the phone to call someone they know in the U.S.  I was texting like mad.  Reading all the Facebook and Twitter statuses made me smile three times over.  We talked about awesome Grant Park must be.  Outside the bar, Bangkok goes on as usual.  

Young dude next to me said:  ”This is so awesome, I have never voted for a guy who won!”

Photo: EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Image, from Daylife.

And I know that he doesn’t send it himself, but I love getting an email from Barack Obama, don’t you?  :D

1. A lot of shopping - there is this enviable-sounding gig of shopping for other people. Basically I’m given a loose budget and list of things to buy for props for a condo showroom. In a sales office, every condominium makes a fake model room so the potential buyer can imagine themselves living the lifestyle of the nuevo rich and modern. You buy everything that a person would need in a house: picture frames, frying pan, toothpaste, area rug, vase, clothing, rice cooker, books, hair brushes, stuff animals, fancy pasta.. the list goes on. No one will ever use these things - they’re for setting up the stage and sell the dream life, the life you’ll never live. The job is way more tiring than one might think.

2. A lot of massage - best cures for hangovers, jet lag, and general tiredness: Thai massage, especially the two hour one where you almost fall asleep during the head massage and they wake you up by twisting your spine. Especially when they cost about $15 for two hours.

3. A lot of news - been trying to follow both sides of the Thai conflict and the U.S. election at the same time. Thailand’s news media feels to lack a certain credibility. I can’t say exactly what, but maybe it’s just the gravitas in convincing that what they’re saying is actually believable.

4. I ran into someone I haven’t seen for more than 10 years in the elevator of my sister’s building. It is more shocking than it sounds. In New York, you run into people you know on the streets, I don’t know why or how, but you do. In Bangkok, you hardly ever run into people–could be because we’re mostly stuck in traffic. Anyway, I run into this person, and couldn’t really believe my eyes until he said my name. Out of all the apartment buildings in this city, he happened to be living in the same one as my sister. And I just happened to catch the elevator at just the right time. Some times I wonder about coincidences.

5. On Wednesday morning, I will join some Democrats in Bangkok to watch the live coverage of the election. This is what a person without a day job can afford to do: run errands, go shopping, do yoga at weird hours, figure out a day plan around things like election day coverage half way across the globe. In a hectic city like Bangkok, everybody else is busy working. I busy myself with finding things to do - and it’s working, so far.

6. Also on Wednesday I am supposed to start a raw food diet, in preparation of a 4-day detox program on Koh Phangan. Not sure if I’ll have constant access to the Internet, but I’ll be sure to record it all. I’ve only tried fasting for 24 hours once, and lasted just 19 hours. This is about the most mentally challenging thing I can remember doing.

7. Occasionally I help people translate Thai to English.

8. I’m reading Shantaram. It is amazing.

9. And yes, of course, I plan my wedding.

whoop! whoop!