Dream World

The alarm clock shook me out of a dream early one morning. It was 5.30 am, and I needed to get up right away or I would be late for Dream World.

To continue w/ the tradition, my company was set to celebrate an anniversary in a grand style. This year was her 40th.

There are two reasons why I agreed to part w/ my Saturday morning, precious idyllic time that makes up my day off. 1) I wanted to please my boss by joining the event and 2) I needed something to lift up my spirit after being so disturbed w/ another deadly clash in Bangkok a few days ago.

Dream World could be the place.

A few thousand employees and their family were given a free ticket and food allowance to descend upon and enjoy Bangkok’s Disneyland. Too bad, I couldn’t bring my husband along. It is clearly said in the conditions that the spouse has to be recognized under Thai law. Well, this is what happens when the laws are yet to acknowledge your bedroom behavior and mating preference.

But, it’s good that there is someone my age in our small department. And, it’s even better that most of my colleagues have past their “theme-park prime,” and yet their children are still too young for many sections of the park. So the assistant accountant and I teamed up and explored the place before it is too late for us as well. Our only hope before the game started was that we wouldn’t come to the realization that our time also had already been. If only Dream World could promise more hope for two 30 year olds.

Hurricane, Haunted Castle (which was lame, lame, lame), Vikings, Snow Town, Raptor, Mountain Space (for which we queued for an hour but which last 2 minutes), Grand Canyon (where we got thoroughly soaked), Super Splash (which wasn’t planned at all before we got wet,) Sky Coaster, Bump Car (very reminiscent of those junior high years), and the Giant House, inspired by Jack & the Beanstalk (much to my surprise, I really enjoyed seeing such overscale things).

But, my personal favorite was Snow Town. It was not the thick ice and artificial freezing temperature sending a chill down my spine. It was the slide board that did it! I kept thinking about the consequences if the board capsized and my face slid against the ice. I know…..very morbid indeed.

If my eyes didn’t lie or my sense of perception still functioned, I would say I saw at least 20,000 revelers yesterday. The vast majority were Thais, and tourists couldn’t possibly have exceeded 500. So, if you want a break from those international tourism sites and happen to travel w/ kids, this is the place!

The only downside for me was the food. But to be fair, good food is never the domain of most fairs, is it?

Dream World may be nothing compared to Disneyland, but you’ll definitely witness and be part of something Thais are especially good at – having fun.

On a side note, maybe my company should buy a ticket and food coupon for PAD protesters as well. It is high time they realized that something else matters as much as “democracy,” and it’s spelled w/ an F, U, and N.

How to get there:

From the centre of Bangkok, take a direct van from the Victory Monument. The fare is 35 Baht or about 1 dollar. You can easily get to Victory Monument using the BTS Skytrain, getting off at the station of the same name.

From Don Muang Airport, take the outbound Bus No 538. The fare is surely less than 1 dollar.

From Suvarnnabhumi Airport, take the Bus No 559. The fare is also a non issue.

See also their site (if you read Thai) at http://www.dreamworld-th.com/

Joe

State of Emergency - What does it mean?

You probably have heard about it already. Bangkok is currently under siege of international press coverage.

It is sad that one person died and about fifty others got injured. It is even sadder that people who look just the same fought against one another. But it is the saddest that if you take any of them out for an interview, you might come to a conclusion that they don’t even know what democracy is.

Well, I’ve heard stories that both sides are paid.

If those stories turn out to be false, we might be able to take solace that this is part of growing. Democratic countries around the world have struggled before.

If those stories were true, let’s hope that the big guys behind the string know what emergency really means. At least in Bangkok’s case.

What emergency means is this - involved people need to realize faster than ray of light that we have too much to lose here. We can’t let this go on and on. Thailand really can’t afford that.

You know what you could do to help?

Do come to Bangkok as planned (if any.) Your presence will be a good reminder of all the good things that peace can generate.

If you’re concerned, look at the photo that I took, and you will see that Bangkok is like the ornate round table whereas the affected area is the glass of gin. Some people are just being drunk.

It is almost nothing in a grand scale. Come! We’ll treat you right.

Joe

Another Tough Time

The city of Bangkok seemed normal today. Tourists were everywhere. The subway and skytrain that I took were packed. The malls were busy. Bangkok "dolls" still had her boyfriend or her lady in waiting follow them around the town w/ a digital camera. I went around doing my banking as I had done any other Saturday (in Thailand, many banks have their branches in the malls and are open 7 days a week, very convenient.)

That's a part of the city oblivious to something that matters more. Another part of Bangkok sings a totally different tune.

Right now as we speak, there is a huge ongoing protest against the government, at the Government House. The disgruntled people call themselves PAD (People's Alliance for Democracy). But, they have been barking against the democratically-elected government.

Last night the police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, only to see more of them. Labor unions shut train services across the country, in addition to 3 airports in the south. Madness!!!!

By tomorrow evening, we will know if Prime Minister Samak will stay or not. He is reported to be meeting w/ His Majesty the King right now. Whatever His Majesty graciously advises, the premier will have to oblige.

Personally, I am not particularly fond of the chili cart being upset. The government has been in office for less than a year and the economy keeps growing while we have seen the nearly impossible; the unemployment rate sank from last year 1.5 to currently 1.4.

Still, PAD can't stand the fact that the government is linked to the ousted former prime minister. Heard of Thaksin Shinawatra? He's now in England, reportedly trying to seek a political asylum there. PAD want the government out. Some people just don't know when to stop.

But my husband is in favor of the unruly citizens. He compares and contrasts it to the lack of actions by one nation that should have spoken in a grand manner against her leader for stealing the election twice and hurling the country into a nasty, trapped war. Sounds familiar?

Randy went on w/ his reasons to validate the chaos and convince me that it is all ok. I just want my fabulous, peaceful Bangkok (the whole of her) back as soon as possible.

Looks like "as soon as possible" is really naive on my part. But I will uphold my naivety by hoping that the government will not use any more tear gas or any force but allow the freedom of (mad) speech to blossom until the backing resources are depleted.

We'll see who's gonna last - police who work in shifts or the fools who strand themselves in front of the house of government. You know, Thai people in general are very fickle and get bored very easily. The way I see it, it's a game of wait and see on both sides, a strategy of trying to wear your opponent out. Well it's working, at least on me - I'm worn out on this whole issue already!

Starry-eyed Joe