Death-Defying Dog

I’ve seen some unlikely loads on the backs of motorcycles here—tall canisters of propane gas, newspapers stacked higher than the rider, dozens of cartons filled with fresh eggs. But they’re always held down somehow, usually with tightly stretched bungee cords.

Today I rode in a taxi that followed a motorcycle driver whose passenger was a full-sized dog. (Not the same one as in the picture, but it gives you some idea.) This amazing pooch wasn’t harnessed or buckled at all. Somehow it remained standing on all fours behind the rider, despite swerves and sudden stops. Perhaps they were on their way to a high-wire competition, or a log-rolling event?

Now What?

Although the airports are open again, and the previous government has been dissolved by a court ruling, tensions remain high. Yesterday parliament named a new prime minister, the third in four months. Seen as a uniter, known to friends as Mark, he has been dubbed "Obamark" by the press.

Like Obama, he’s a fairly young politician, and so doesn’t bring along the baggage that his predecessors did. But he had to make some deals with the devil in order to put together a majority, so his hands may be tied in other ways.

Time will tell how many folks he can win over in what has become a country pretty deeply divided along class and geographic lines. But at least he can count on Jip’s support. She likes him because his dad is a respected neurologist who specializes in her disease.

Angkor Re-Run

Strange times in Thailand made a quick trip to Cambodia pretty appealing this past weekend. I’d been planning to go anyway, to again join the annual Angkor Wat road race. Not that I really need an excuse to go back to that cool place. This was my third trip, and won’t be my last. Every time, I find a new favorite temple.

The race itself might turn into a tradition too. I keep surprising myself at how important running has become in my life here. For several days before this event I was careful to get to bed on time, eat right, and stay out of the path of motorcycles—things I don’t always pay close attention to.

But those things paid off. I shaved four minutes off last year’s time. If I keep up that kind of improvement I could easily win my age bracket by the time I’m, say, 75.

Reputation Problem

The Land of Smiles has come in for some pretty harsh criticism over the last few days. One longtime observer, a former NY Times Bangkok bureau chief, wrote this: “Add Thailand to the list of countries that are giving democracy a bad name.”

Human rights organizations described as farcical a situation where “Thai security forces can engage in battles over trifles with neighboring countries but not responsibly protect the Government House or international airport.”

Americans who had registered their names with the U.S. Embassy to receive news updates during emergencies got text messages that said, among other things:

Beyond the airport situation, there is uncertainty as to what will happen next on the political front. Again, we will share confirmed information as we get it but in the meantime all personnel and their families should, as we discuss frequently, use good judgment.

Britain’s Daily Telegraph even included Thailand on a list of the world’s twenty most dangerous places. You know you’ve got a reputation problem when you’re mentioned in the same breath with Afghanistan and Haiti.

Based on what I see for myself while traveling around, I still have never felt the country to be unsafe. When people from outside Thailand write me concerned emails, I reply that motorcycle drivers continue to be the most dangerous people here.

The protest leaders do seem to be challenging the motorcycle dudes for the title of biggest thrill seekers. Lately they made headlines by calling the seizure of Suvarnabhumi Airport “the final battle.” The next few days should tell whether their noise is just empty rhetoric, or rather the sound of a country self destructing.

Smiling Moon

Rumors are flying about the airport closures. While we were in the South last week, having flown to Trang on what turned out to be one of the last flights out of Bangkok, we each phoned people we knew in the capital. We were hoping to hear that things were back to normal and we could catch a return flight home from our island trip.

Of course there were as many stories as there were phone calls: “My mom says they’re going to allow domestic travel only”… “international carriers can start landing at military bases next week”… “I hear that from noon to 5 Saturday afternoon, stranded airplanes will take off empty for their home bases and anybody holding tickets on a Thai airline can fly in”….

Naturally, we ended up taking the bus back.

In itself, our change in plans was a minor annoyance. But multiply our uncertainty by 70 million Thais, and you get some idea of how stressed out the country is feeling.

Which is why it was so cool to walk in the door from work last night and find Jip’s caregiver jumping up and down on the balcony, urging me to come look at the sky. A few minutes later, my phone starting ringing off the hook. What was the fuss? Venus, Jupiter, and the moon were lined up in the shape of a smiley face.

In itself, this happy configuration is a minor event. But in the context of recent events, people here can’t help thinking that the country’s path to self destruction is about to turn around. One of the people who called me about the moon even said I would personally receive good luck if I called five more people with the news. And today I read that only in Asia did the moon form a smile. Other places around the planet saw the same grouping as a frown.

Giving Thanks?

This Thanksgiving, I ate mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce on an island in the middle of the Andaman Sea, surrounded by good friends and big waves.

But to be honest it was hard to feel truly thankful, because the protests in Thailand have suddenly gone into high gear. For months they have been low intensity affairs that have dominated headlines without really affecting many lives here. Now the politicians and VIPs behind them have ratcheted things up several notches, and nobody is untouched by their actions.

The protestors’ closure of the Bangkok airports means that mail doesn’t arrive from abroad, Thai exports don’t leave, and thousands of people are scrambling to make alternate travel plans. The stuck tourists, businesspeople, tour operators, and hotel owners will never forget how much hassle these protests caused them.

Most frustrating of all for me is the seeming lack of a master plan beyond the protests. The goals are as unclear as those of Bush’s war on terror. The only certain outcome I can see is a big mess left for whichever government follows this one. Even if the protestors get the regime change they say they want, the benefits won’t outweigh the damage done to the country’s reputation.

This week the courts are supposed to rule on a case that could end up disbanding the ruling party. One group of protesters would be delighted by that outcome, and agree to vacate the airports. But another group would be incensed, meaning no net gain for the country. Or the king might weigh in Thursday evening, when he delivers his annual birthday speech. If he told people to calm down, they would.

Meanwhile, the vibe around here is pretty odd. Half the Thai people I talk to are anxious for a coup—“just so we can move on, put this behind us.” The other half are doing a variation of self-flagellation—“our country has such lovely land, lovely food, lovely weather; too bad we have to spoil it with such lousy people.” The papers say that more than half the population supports neither of the two main groups holding rallies.