susi's blog

It’s nothing to do with Michael Schumacher, Schumacher here is my father the shoemaker …

I didn’t recalled when it’s begin …as I’d been away from him since I graduated from junior high…when I was 15 of age to live with my aunty. By then he was fine and lived only with my two younger brothers without my mother presence ( sorry to tell this mom I’m not complaining  or blaming you ….), I could imagine how’s the life without a women around...it must have been a hard life…..

Soon after my departure to another city….Father and my brothers moved to grandma’s house and they decide to settle down their new live there….with the old and energetic grandma….

I visited him from time to time when I had school holiday  then I noticed the symptom begun haunted him…the fearful thought and the threatening voices from unknown world….his own world…

He’s talking, angry, swearing to invisible figure, when I asked him…who’s he talking with…he said ..”those voices …”

Nothing I could do…neither my grandma as for we had  difficult life back then, we just prayed for his unfortunate…..and life goes on…..

On another visit I could notice that Father was getting worse…and what made me irritated was the reaction from the people around us…they seemed can’t understand that father was sick…..if father angry or swearing they swallowed it and quarrel could not be avoided…..

Continued to part 2…..

I've heard of mostly down sides about India from several friends, plus my own experiences working with indian years back but nothing can stop me to visit this country. i just obsessed and looking forward to visit other countries no matter how it would be looked like.

last saturday we flied to mumbai/bombai by indian airlines, arrived at noon, got picked up and driove directly to hyatt regency hotel where we gonna stay for a night before heading to vadodara the next day...

two hours later we've been sitting in the restaurant grabbing our lunch, sechuan noddles, chicken and lamb satay and hot brownies and ice cream on the top...hmmm we're not ready to try indian cuisine yet...

the air was hot and humid, doesn't look like monsoon yet, good for exploring a bit around down town, soon got reasonable taxi with nice long beard driver, he showed us some tourist attractions and excursion, the first stop was laundry company but...abrubtly the rain came without prior notice... ..maann....it was sunny...what we could do were just sit and enjoyed sightseeing in taxi or took some pictures under umbrella or while dodging the rain drops that made some of the pictures had water splotchs on it..bad..bad..bad..

Indeed it's not that bad compared to what i've seen along the way to down town...pot holes, homeless, shiverring hands of beggars under the downpour, buzzling road with never ending honk..all those gave sad look...the sight of old Jakarta decades.. decades.. decades.. ago....

Mumbai supposed to be nice city with bunches of colonial buildings if only they painted them...they just looked dingy and the surrounding is not well cleaned...wanning the beautiful architecture that had tried to beautify the town......

India, July 2007 

 There’s another option to get around Bangkok without hitting traffict on the road, Klong san saeb or canal boatuicker than journey by the road and the fare is absolutely cheap… can bring you to down town or suburb of Bangkok q

Ticket can be bought either at the first pier or on the boat, the fare is slightly vary depend on the destination,  fare from first terminal to the last stop which is about 24 piers will be 18 baht, from the first to the third stop will be 8 baht, and adding 2 baht gradually..

This long boat only stop at the pier to get or drop off the passenger, just wave you hand down to stop the boat , to get off  just press the red button beneath the boat's roof. One thing that makes this boat quicker is doesn’t stop for a long time to gather passenger…when the boat stops the passengers will scramble to get off or on  quickly, the boat leaving as soon as all aboard.

The first terminal in this part I klong san saeb is watsriboonreung which is actually the name of temple/wat on the suburb of Bangkok, the pier’s name can be a name of the building or road and all are written in both English and thai 
, so not easily to get lost.

The last stop of the boat from Bangkapi is Pratunam pier which is surrounded by bunch of shopping malls, world trade center, Platinum whole sale clothing store, Panthip IT plaza and other shopping malls not to mentioned street vendors...all those are very tantalizing…it makes you shop until you drop !!!

               getting on board at Pratunam pier

Back to the point, from Pratunam pier another boat is waiting to get you to Pan Fa, on the way to Panfa the boat stos at Saphan Hua Chang pier, Charoenpol pier and talad Bo Bae another paradise for shopping spree…

                            Having lunch by the klong...yuck..watch out for kick up water, this heavy                             polluted water occasionally has a stinking rotting smell...  

As the bridge between Charoenpol and Talad Bo Bae pier is low, the roof/canopy of the boat is on lever  just to clear the bridge…and it may collapse onto passanger’s head who standing by the boat’s machine…so duck your head..!!!

                               this picture taken from machine and gasoline area, the blue thingy on both sides of the boat is tarpaulin curtain to protect the passengers from kick up water..it has cord that can be pulled up and down by anyone...