Siam-Easy

6th May 2006, Day, er... I forget.

Bangkok

Today is D-Day. Either Torquay United get a point at home or (dependent on results elsewhere) near 80 years of league football in Torbay will come to an end. I'm glad Dad is at Plainmoor to see the match regardless of what happens. I'll be on-line listening and following the action as it happens. In the 16 years I've been following the Gulls this is the most important match they've played... since the last time we were almost relegated in 2001. That time, an away win against Barnet was enough. Strangely enough Barnet are back in the mix and stand a chance of being relegated for a second time. It's weird that we're even in this position considering the quality of the squad compared to previous years. Mike Bateson gave Leroy Rosenior the benefit of the doubt for a long time this season, as I wanted him to. He then installed John Cornforth, however, who was not experienced enough for a situation where our biggest asset, our league status, was at stake. It was the cheap option, which Bateson is wont to take. Finally Bateson installed a manager with the right level of experience, and we're ALMOST back from the brink.

Turning to less significant matters, we're in our fourth country (count them) in just over a fortnight. Thailand is a similar size country to Britain, just as Bangkok is comparable sized capital to London. For the moment (excluding all the Brit-backpackers) that's where the comparisons between the countries begin and end.

We've settled into Thai life with little hassle. We reached the notorious Khao San road with ease, and holed up in a decent little hostel. Since we've been here, we've mainly just been trying to sort out a teaching position with a local language centre (the details of which seem too good to be true at the moment, and therefore probably are), eating Pad Thai and hanging out with a Thai Radiohead cover band, Desktop Error, of whom you can see photos below.

My first impressions of Bangkok are that it is perfectly set up for you to stay in a tourist bubble if you so wish to do so (around the Khao San road anyway). If you want ATM's, English Breakfasts, body piercings, dread-locked hair, 24hr internet cafes, massages, tuk-tuks or (god forbid) Coca-Cola, you've got it. Maybe it's time to check out somewhere further afield, or just the further reaches of Bangkok.

We did make it out to the Grand Palace this afternoon, which was beautiful experience, improved (strangley enough) by the torrential rain which pored down as we sat cross legged in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, creating a special atmosphere. It's hard to convey the difference between and the quality of the places of worship we've visited since we left for India. Rain seems to usher in the ethereal on this trip... and you NEVER point your feet at the Buddha, of course. Unless you're James Asker.

However easy life gets around here, it still isn't as facile as the pun which titled this post. It didn't quite out-do 'Be (Causeway Bay) the world is round', though, did it?