GADLING TAKE FIVE: Week of October 20-26

by Jamie Rhein on

The time of year when there is a convergence of holidays is upon us. Halloween is in less than a week away. My son couldn’t wait to carve our pumpkins so, now they are rotting on our porch. And here Matthew’s already brought up Christmas in his post on fuzzy breast-shaped toys, all the rage in Japan. In addition to the Halloween build-up, and the beginning hum of holidays yet to come, I’ve noticed a range of posts that offer up the kind of chit chat information you might toss out at a party. Did you know that. . . ?

  1. You can fight global warming by eating chicken.
  2. Pigs can be trained to jump through fire.
  3. Chewing betel nuts does a real number on your teeth.
  4. Sex is the word that is Googled the most in India, Egypt and Turkey.
  5. There is a way to pee in privacy on the side of the road.

And one more…

Philadelphia has the least attractive people. (Sorry again to Philadelphia, as this can’t possibly be true.)

Bangkok’s Museum of Forensic Medicine

by Neil Woodburn on

The Museum of Forensic Medicine, as evident by its very name, may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But, if you are traveling through Bangkok and tired of all the temples and Buddhas, you might want to consider popping in to Siriraj Hospital to check out one of the most bizarre museums on this planet.

Journalist Will Storr recently spiced up his Thailand holiday by doing just that. He left behind the wondrous glories of Bangkok and slipped into the horrific world of elephantiasis testicles, severed heads, Cyclops babies, murder weapons, blood-stained clothing, hanged corpses, and dozens of other nightmare-inducing bits of flesh and tissue. Ugh.

Me? I think I’ll stick to the white sand beaches and crystal clear waters of southern Thailand where the dreams that come at night are far more pleasant.

Bangkok to party King-style until December!

by Abha Malpani on

The biggest party I’ve experienced was when Sydney turned into an open air lounge during the 2000 Olympics. With biggest, I mean number of people. Such celebrations are overwhelming, exciting, and frustrating at the same time — just because of the hoards of people.

But the scale of celebrations planned for Thai King Bhumibol Aduladej’s (or Rama IX) 80th birthday on December 5, seem to take things to a different level.

Festivities will start early November, and will include royal cavalcades, elephant parades, the raising of candles nationwide to cheer the King, and firework displays.

Born in Cambridge, the King seems to be a modern cool dude who used to jam with the late Jazz king Louis Armstrong, so you can also expect to see many music concerts around the country at this time.

25 million commemorative coins will be minted, and the royal flag will be posted on the top of Mount Everest in the country’s first attempt to the peak of the world’s highest mountain. Effigies will start parading the streets, and the whole city will be decorated with lights.

The ‘Royal Barge Procession’ on November 5th is a major highlight where the King will present robes to the monks; if you get there before the 5th you can see a rehearsal.

So since the whole city will be rocking in celebration of their much adored King’s birthday until December 5, if you were thinking of where to travel — this might be a good option.

Yes I know, Thailand is poor, and lot’s of money will be spent for this celebration. But it truly seems like a fest done primarily for the locals by the locals — as opposed to some publicity stunt to attract tourism and rip off locals; it is therefore valid. Oh, and if you want to live this celebration like a local — wear a yellow shirt!

Lonely Planet lists Ireland as the friendliest country in the world

by Neil Woodburn on

Sometimes you go to a place for its beauty or famous tourist sites. Other times, you simply go for the people.

That’s partially how I ended up in Ireland to work after college. In my humble opinion, the Irish are some of the nicest people on this planet. And now, there is documented evidence to support this.

Lonely Planet’s remarkable Bluelist now boasts that Ireland is indeed the friendliest, most welcoming country in the world.

While this is no surprise for me, I’d never be able to guess the other countries mentioned in the top ten list. And in fact, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that backpackers and travelers voted the USA in at second; this is great news considering the bashing we’ve been receiving abroad in the last few years.

In case you are looking for a holiday destination where the people themselves will put a smile on your face you may want to check out the other countries which also made the list; Malawi, Vietnam, Thailand, Fiji, Indonesia, Samoa, and Scotland.

Golf Love: In Afghanistan and More

by Jamie Rhein on

Thai writer Pira Sudham wrote a short story once about a farmer who lost his rice farm to a golf course developer because he didn’t understand the terms of the contract. I can’t remember which book the story is in, but for anyone interested in understanding the lives of Thai farmers, Pira Sudham is an excellent place to start. Monsoon Country is the novel that marked his literary success. After reading Sudham’s story, one of my students at the time, a 10th grader at the Singapore American School, said that he would never look at golf courses in the same way. When a guy I once worked with said that he loves golf courses in Asia because they have the best views, I almost choked and kept myself from shouting out, “Haven’t you ever read Pira Sudham?”

However, there is one golf course in Asia that I just read about in a New York Times article by Kirk Semple, that I so want to succeed. In Kabul, Afghanistan, one man started the Kabul Golf Course three years ago in anticipation of its success. The golf course business has not gone as well as he had hoped for, but he refuses to hang up his clubs for good. The course is a symbol to him that things will get better in his country. The description of the currently grassless golf course reminded me of a golf course I went to in Jos, Nigeria with a banker that I stayed with as part of a Rotary Club exchange program. Instead of the greens, it had the browns. I don’t think my friend who likes golf courses would have liked the view from that one all that much. Personally, I was happy to see that water wasn’t being wasted turning the brown to green. In Afghanistan though, a little green wouldn’t hurt.