Rain Drops Keep Falling on my Head...AND ITS REALLY GETTING ANNOYING!!

I realize that last time I posted I said that I was going to post every night that week...and seeing as that was Sept 12 and it's now Sept 29 that didn't happen. Let's be honest, none of you were really expecting me to live up to that, were you? I think the best we can hope for is twice a month. Realistically. Anything more than that will just be extra for you! It isn't that I don't enjoy blogging for y'all because I obviously LOVE the attention (no surprise). I am just constantly facing this battle of the novelty of everything wearing off. I live here now, so all the things that are really different from home are starting to seem a little more normal to me. So that's why I don't update all the time, I forget that somethings would be interesting (hopefully) to hear about. That will be my goal in the coming weeks: Figure out what would be interesting (and funny) and blog about them.

SO. I've done just that for this entry.

One thing that will never become mundane or OK with me, no matter how long I spend in this country is the intense amount of rain we get. It's almost laughable...it would be laughable to me if I weren't in it all the time, so hopefully it will be to you!

During the rainy season (which we're in now until the end of October...UGH) you can count on it to rain pretty much everyday for at least an hour. It isn't just normal rain like we get at home either...it is INTENSE. I think Forrest Gump described it best. "We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin' rain... and big ol' fat rain. Rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath. Shoot, it even rained at night..." (intended to be read with an appropriate amount of southern draw.)

Now, conventional wisdom would say, Hey! The rain is good. It cools everything off so it doesn't get too hot. I would agree with Mr. Conventional Wisdom. It does indeed make things better. Better only in the sense that you can no longer see the sweat stains we're all sporting because every fiber of our beings gets soaked. In a country where personal appearance is very important I think it goes without saying that showing up places looking like a dog fresh from playing in the creek is not necessarily the look I'm going for.

Now, I know what you're all thinking: Come on, Wesley, wise up, get a stupid umbrella!

Let me tell you something. You better believe the first time I got caught in the rain in this country, I went out the next day and bought the BIGGEST umbrella I could find...and it's pretty big. I could fit an entire Thai family under this thing, plus the in-laws. Remember though, what did Forrest say? No matter how big this thing is, the rain literally flies in at a 90 degree angle. So the umbrella effort is futile, despite my best efforts. As a matter of fact, I rarely carry it now...because its so huge. For example, where in the world am I going to put a three foot long umbrella while on the back of a motorbike?

Which brings up another issue: getting from A to B in a torrential downpour. What is the best option for transport? There isn't one. Mai Pen Rai and wait it out...sometimes for a few hours. I carry a book everywhere now.

Before arriving I had heard about the rain, AND about the overwhelming amount of cabs in this city so of course I thought: In the rain, just catch a cab, duh!...apparently everyone else thought that too. Cabs are a true rarity in the rain because everyone wants one. If you're going to get one in an effort to stay dry, you've got to line up on a street corner and wait your turn for the next available cab (during which time you're getting drenched.)

Another option is, of course, the bike. Riding on the back of the bike in the rain is probably one of the most miserable experiences of my life. It seems like you're hitting every single rain drop before it has a chance to hit the ground. AND upon dismounting the bike, not only is your hair looking more than a little wind blown, it's now plastered that way because of the rain. It's really a good look. I have seen some people attempting (with minimal success at times) the umbrella'd bike ride. I have not yet attempted this A. because the rain is coming in from the front at that point instead of from above, and B. because I would be the one guy to Mary Poppins off the back of that bike into traffic because of my obnoxiously large umbrella.

Lastly, the boat. Which actually isn't made much worse by the presence of rain. (except for the potentially slippery rail on the side you must use to get in and out.) It's a boat...so everything is already wet, and the smell is diminished because of all the fresh water dumping into the canal.

Needless to say, I do my best to not be caught in the rain, or have any need to go out in it. It usually rains in the afternoons when I'm off work, so it doesn't matter that I look ridiculous because my appearance no longer matters that much.

Only 5 more weeks of rainy season to go!
Mai Pen Rai!

I'm on a Boat!

Ok, so I realize that I haven't posted in...well, almost a month. My bad. So I figure to get you guys all caught up, I'll do one short-ish blog every night this week on the various Bangkok goings on. Tonight, my commute to work.

I've chosen one of the most convenient commutes to work considering where I live and where I work. I walk about 5 minutes, ride for 7 minutes, and then walk another 2 and I'm at my school. All in total, its about a 15 minute commute in a city that is known for its traffic, which is great. So, how do I get to work, you might ask?

Please see the title of this post. Yes, that's right, I take a boat. I have to admit, I was made aware of this option very soon after being placed at my school, but casually laughed it off...I was much more willing to pay the extra hundred baht a day (about $3) to take a cab, the BTS (SkyTrain), and motorbike to school, which altogether took about 30 mins. After all, the bike was adventurous enough for me. (It should be noted that I have now become very comfortable with the bike, despite almost having my head take off several times by oncoming rear view mirrors. I think the bike drivers forget how much taller I am than them. No matter though, Mai Pen Rai, I just stay aware, duck and contort when needed to keep my head and limbs attached.

I don't want to get away from the main purpose of this posting though, the boat. To better understand the boat, you'll need the logistics of the matter. Please don't be confused into thinking I'm taking some ritzy, leisurely drift down the canal to work. No. This boat is quick and dirty. The best way for you to get an idea of what I'm talking about is with pictures. As I take the boat everyday, I really have no time to take pictures of my own, so I've borrowed them from others on the internet (please don't sue me).

So, I walk to the dock every morning and hail the boat. (wave my hand in the air to tell the driver (Captain?) that I would like to board) The boat approaching can be seen below. The blue tarp looking thing on the side is basically a silt screen that we put around construction sites in the states...used here to keep the water from splashing onto the passengers, more on the water in a minute. So I wave, they pull up to the dock.

So the boat comes to the dock, most of the time there are some people getting off and more than one getting on, so in those instances the guy in the blue shirt will jump off and tie the boat down (to keep it from moving while we get on.) On the off chance though that I am the only person getting on, and no one is exiting, they get the boat within leaping distance of the dock and one must do just that. Mai Pen Rai, BABY! The tires you see in the picture that hang off the dock serve as bumpers/pant stainers. Many of my pants now have large, seemingly permanent black marks that will forever remind me of the boat. The dismount is much along the same idea, especially if you are the only one exiting. The boat gets close-ish, and you jump.

These pictures are helpful, but they can't really make clear to you the tenuous nature of this endeavor. In the above picture, look closely at the slim rail that the guy in the blue shirt is standing on. I'm sure it is plenty wide for a normal Thai foot...but as mine are not, the process is made that much more difficult. So you step out onto the rail, holding onto the rope that runs the perimeter of the boat, and swing your other leg down into the boat to safety. That's the easy version. Some mornings the boat is very full and people can't move to make room for you, at which point you continue to walk around on the rail until you've found a spot that half of your body can fit in, and hope its big enough for the other half by the the time you step in. All the while the boat has resumed full speed. I've adopted the "my foot is going right there, if you would like to be under it, be my guest, otherwise, MOVE!" mentality. So, that's the quick part of the quick and dirty.

Now, the dirty. You'll note the color of the water in the pictures above. Normal coloring for a canal? Maybe. Normal cause? NO. I can only assume that raw (or semi-raw) sewage is flowing into the canal because of the odor it puts off, especially in the mornings or after a several day stretch of no rain. While waiting on the dock a blind man would be made fully aware of the canal's contents. This is where those blue screens come in. While on the boat, you pull them up as high as you can to prevent water from splashing on you. They are indeed high enough for my fellow Thai boat-mates. As I have already made clear though, this boat wasn't exactly made for me. So I pull them up as high as possible and usually assume a semi-squat, duck stance to keep myself dry. (Trust me, it looks real cute). In addition to blocking the water, the screens serve another purpose, your last test before exiting the boat. As the boat approaches your destination you climb back out onto the rail to let the driver know that this is your stop. The climbing effort is made significantly more difficult by the need to lower the screen (but not to early, we don't want to be splashed) and then step over without getting tripped up and falling to our presumed death in the poo water.

So now you know my commute. All of this to say that I do this every morning and afternoon and have yet to have any major problems, and every time I arrive at my destination I do so feeling like a total bad ass having once again conquered the boat.

More to come tomorrow.

Mai Pen Rai!