Sunday, February 11, 2007
Did I mention...
that I love riding my BMW? 100 hp makes the long highway trips somewhat enjoyable. I rode 700 km 2 days ago from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and spent 2 nights there and left this morning for south Thai. The weather is great - a little cloudy so it wasn't too hot. Tomorrow I go to Samui and the next night I stay in Hat Yai. I will use Hat Yai as my launching point to visit the 3 southernmost provinces in Thailand. There has been a Muslim separatist movement there for a while and they have been blowing things up randomly for some time. I want to make a quick run down the highway so I can say I went there on my motorcycle. By the end of the week I will ba able to say that I've been to all 76 provinces in Thailand. Why am I doing it? Because it's there. Some people want to say they have riddent around the world by motorcycle. I don't know of anyone who has made the claim that they have ridden in all 76 provinces of Thailand.
In search of 2 wheeled therapy
I left Chiang Mai 2 days ago for a 21 day motorcycle trip. Tonight I stay near the ferry to Samui, tomorrow am I'll go over for 1 night. Then I go off to the deep south in search of bombs. After I finish my tour of southern Thailand I am going to Cambodia with Dr G.
I'll post as time and bandwidth permits.
I'll post as time and bandwidth permits.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Money
Money, get away. Get a good job with good pay and you’re okay. Money, it’s a gas. Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash. New car, caviar, four star daydream, Think I’ll buy me a football team.
Money, get back. I’m all right jack keep your hands off of my stack. Money, it’s a hit. Don’t give me that do goody good bullshit. I’m in the high-fidelity first class traveling set and I think I need a Lear jet.
Money, it’s a crime. Share it fairly but don’t take a slice of my pie. Money, so they say. Is the root of all evil today. But if you ask for a raise its no surprise that they’re giving none away.
Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon
There are two kinds of money, MY MONEY, YOUR MONEY and OTHER PEOPLES MONEY (OK, so I can’t count). Here are some of my thoughts about MY MONEY.
The community of riders here in Chiang Mai are pretty good bunch of guys. I haven’t ridden with each and every rider here but I’ve met a lot of them and haven’t met any that I’m not on friendly terms with. I know that if I was in trouble and needed help, I could call upon my fellow GT riders and I believe they would do their best to help me out. If I was called upon for assistance by a fellow GT rider, I would do my best to help them out as well. We have to stick together because in Thailand, we are all visitors. We are here as guests and I am happy to be a guest of the Kingdom. We have almost no rights here and the laws and business practices are stacked against us so we have to help each other.
There’s been a falling-out between two of my friends here in Chiang Mai and frankly I’m at a loss as to what to do about it. I don’t think there’s anything I can do to help, but I felt like putting my thoughts online. It seems that one good hearted friend (I’ll call him the LENDER) helped out another friend (let’s call him the BORROWER) when his Dad was dying and he needed to travel to another country to visit him. From the LENDER’s account, he loaned a good chuck of change so the BORROWER could buy air tickets for himself, his son and girlfriend to travel and see his Dad before he died. The LENDER also claims that he has “helped” the BORROWER in the past by purchasing and bringing motorcycle parts and accessories from the US for him. I haven’t confirmed any of this with the BORROWER, but the BORROWER has confirmed the validity of the debt in emails that I’ve been bcc’ed on. These events began some six odd years ago.
Myself? I learned long ago that if you want to keep someone as a friend then you should never loan them money and you should never live with them. Before I moved here 2.5 years ago, there were several people I worked with who owed me money but promised to pay me back. In one case, I had to make repeated attempts to collect the debt and the debtor made me feel like a heal because I was asking for MY MONEY to be paid back. He finally drove over to my son’s house and delivered MY MONEY in cash but it did damage our relationship and we haven’t communicated since then, too bad.
Case 2: When a “friend” from work learned that I was moving to Thailand he got excited and said that we could make big money selling Stingray leather products on Ebay. Stingrays are native to Thailand and leather products are manufactured here. This friend was a power seller on Ebay, had a good rating so I thought “what the heck, I’ll give it a try”. I did some research here and found a factory in Chonburi province that made Stingray products and bought as many pieces as I could fit in the top case of my BMW. My daughter took them back to the US when she visited and sent them to my friend. My friend did try to sell them on Ebay and was mildly successful. In the end, he sold about ½ of the pieces I sent. I had to continually ask for updates on how sales were going. My friend offered to transfer money to me by paypal, but when I asked him to do this it never happened. I was finally able to collect my share of what he sold after I visited the US last year. I had to drive to his house to collect the unsold products and get a paper check that I then had to take to the home branch of his bank the next day and stand in line to cash. We parted on amicable terms but haven’t communicated since. I sent him a link to my blog when I started it – maybe he’s reading now and recognizes himself? This “friend” had been screwed financially by a former mutual friend of ours. I never thought I would have to ask my friend for MY MONEY, but I did. BTW, I still have some Stingray leather products for sale – if you want to buy a nice gift for your TG, this just might be the ticket.
Case 3: When I was leaving my job and moving to Thailand, a lady “friend” who I used to work with asked me to get her a specific fake Louis Vuiton bag in Thailand. This lady and I were pretty close during the time we worked together. We shared some pretty intimate details of our lives with each other and enjoyed asking each other for advice about our personal lives. Yeah, she was a hot Latino but no, we never made the beast with two backs. If we had, it would have made it much harder to maintain our close friendship. (This would probably make a good third rule about friends – don’t sleep with them – once you do it would be hard to go back to just being friends). I found the bag she wanted, bought it with MY MONEY and sent it back to her in the US. I can’t remember how many times I had to ask for MY MONEY. She told me about how she was having trouble getting refinancing on her $750,000 house and the $75 would be coming soon. A few months later, she was still having trouble and told me that she “didn’t think I really needed the money right now”. Yeah, it was only $75. I’ve had bar tabs bigger than that. Am I greedy? No, I just wanted MY MONEY. If she had asked for it as a gift, I probably would have given it to her. The same trip back to the US I stopped by her office and picked up an envelope she left at reception for me. I haven’t heard from her since. Too bad, we really were good friends. The whole having to ask for MY MONEY thing ruined a good friendship. I don’t know why, but she really seemed to resent my asking for MY MONEY.
Case 4: I’m not going to document each and every case where things have turned bad because I had to ask for MY MONEY. Enough, pau lao.
Getting back to my two friends here in Chiang Mai, I really don’t want to choose sides. I'd like to maintain my middle ground. I’d like to remain friendly with both of them.
The BORROWER is a very well known in the GT and for the most part, a respected member of the community. The LENDER says he’s going to take this debt public – I think this could tarnish the BORROWER’s street cred although there is already a large circle of our friends who know about this. After all, this has been going on for SIX YEARS. Secrets like this don't live very long in a small town like Chiang Mai. The LENDER could come off looking like an asshole if he doesn’t play his cards just right. He could very well and up looking like a prick because he’s asking for HIS MONEY. Doesn’t make sense, does it?
Is the LENDER a prick? I don’t think so. If the BORROWER was making an effort to repay the debt I believe the LENDER would be happy. From what I can see, the BORROWER has a good lifestyle (my opinion) could repay this debt with a little sacrifice. It’s hard to not come off as being abrasive when you’re asking for YOUR MONEY. I know, I've had to do that too many times. I think it’s important to do everything you can to collect your debts without name calling, etc. That just makes you look bad. My advice? In my experience, taking the high road won’t actually help you in your collection efforts but it can keep your rep from being tarnished.
Rules: If you want to keep someone as a friend, don’t loan them money and don’t live with them. I was approached by the BORROWER once, in the middle of a group ride, and told that he would need to “borrow” some money from one of us in order to be able to finish his trip. I pushed off his request on another rider and dodged that bullet. I’ve since decided that I would rather have him pissed off at me because I refused to “loan” him MY MONEY than risk ruining all of the goodwill that we share because I would have to ask him to pay me back MY MONEY. Am I a cold hearted prick? Some would say yes – even without reading this piece.
I have a friend from San Diego that lives here in Thailand and we’ve had this exact same discussion. In the past, he’s asked me for a loan of MY MONEY. I told him no. Once I gave him an airline ticket and no, I don’t expect anything in return. I don’t think he’ll ask for MY MONEY again. Am I a cold hearted prick? Maybe. This friend has a Thai wife and they live what I would call a Thai lifestyle, living from paycheck to paycheck. Only worrying about today’s bowl of rice and not preparing well for their future (my opinion, ok? Sorry AJ). Why does that matter? If he was sacrificing what I consider luxuries like UBC, a brand new car payment and a brand new house payment (things I don’t have) I might feel differently about it. Knowing what their lifestyle is, I wouldn’t feel good having to ask for him to return MY MONEY. He still calls me and we still remain friends.
Loaning money to farang friends should not be confused with “loaning” money to Thai’s. Whenever you “loan” money to a Thai – consider it a gift that will never be reciprocated. If you have a TG, you know what I mean.
These are just my thoughts. After all, that’s what a blog is for – to publish your thoughts. Remember, opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one and they all stink. If you don’t like my blog, don’t read it - write your own.
Feel free to comment, just click the Post a Comment link below. Really, I'm looking forward to hearing what you think. You can post anonymously.
Money, get back. I’m all right jack keep your hands off of my stack. Money, it’s a hit. Don’t give me that do goody good bullshit. I’m in the high-fidelity first class traveling set and I think I need a Lear jet.
Money, it’s a crime. Share it fairly but don’t take a slice of my pie. Money, so they say. Is the root of all evil today. But if you ask for a raise its no surprise that they’re giving none away.
Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon
There are two kinds of money, MY MONEY, YOUR MONEY and OTHER PEOPLES MONEY (OK, so I can’t count). Here are some of my thoughts about MY MONEY.
The community of riders here in Chiang Mai are pretty good bunch of guys. I haven’t ridden with each and every rider here but I’ve met a lot of them and haven’t met any that I’m not on friendly terms with. I know that if I was in trouble and needed help, I could call upon my fellow GT riders and I believe they would do their best to help me out. If I was called upon for assistance by a fellow GT rider, I would do my best to help them out as well. We have to stick together because in Thailand, we are all visitors. We are here as guests and I am happy to be a guest of the Kingdom. We have almost no rights here and the laws and business practices are stacked against us so we have to help each other.
There’s been a falling-out between two of my friends here in Chiang Mai and frankly I’m at a loss as to what to do about it. I don’t think there’s anything I can do to help, but I felt like putting my thoughts online. It seems that one good hearted friend (I’ll call him the LENDER) helped out another friend (let’s call him the BORROWER) when his Dad was dying and he needed to travel to another country to visit him. From the LENDER’s account, he loaned a good chuck of change so the BORROWER could buy air tickets for himself, his son and girlfriend to travel and see his Dad before he died. The LENDER also claims that he has “helped” the BORROWER in the past by purchasing and bringing motorcycle parts and accessories from the US for him. I haven’t confirmed any of this with the BORROWER, but the BORROWER has confirmed the validity of the debt in emails that I’ve been bcc’ed on. These events began some six odd years ago.
Myself? I learned long ago that if you want to keep someone as a friend then you should never loan them money and you should never live with them. Before I moved here 2.5 years ago, there were several people I worked with who owed me money but promised to pay me back. In one case, I had to make repeated attempts to collect the debt and the debtor made me feel like a heal because I was asking for MY MONEY to be paid back. He finally drove over to my son’s house and delivered MY MONEY in cash but it did damage our relationship and we haven’t communicated since then, too bad.
Case 2: When a “friend” from work learned that I was moving to Thailand he got excited and said that we could make big money selling Stingray leather products on Ebay. Stingrays are native to Thailand and leather products are manufactured here. This friend was a power seller on Ebay, had a good rating so I thought “what the heck, I’ll give it a try”. I did some research here and found a factory in Chonburi province that made Stingray products and bought as many pieces as I could fit in the top case of my BMW. My daughter took them back to the US when she visited and sent them to my friend. My friend did try to sell them on Ebay and was mildly successful. In the end, he sold about ½ of the pieces I sent. I had to continually ask for updates on how sales were going. My friend offered to transfer money to me by paypal, but when I asked him to do this it never happened. I was finally able to collect my share of what he sold after I visited the US last year. I had to drive to his house to collect the unsold products and get a paper check that I then had to take to the home branch of his bank the next day and stand in line to cash. We parted on amicable terms but haven’t communicated since. I sent him a link to my blog when I started it – maybe he’s reading now and recognizes himself? This “friend” had been screwed financially by a former mutual friend of ours. I never thought I would have to ask my friend for MY MONEY, but I did. BTW, I still have some Stingray leather products for sale – if you want to buy a nice gift for your TG, this just might be the ticket.
Case 3: When I was leaving my job and moving to Thailand, a lady “friend” who I used to work with asked me to get her a specific fake Louis Vuiton bag in Thailand. This lady and I were pretty close during the time we worked together. We shared some pretty intimate details of our lives with each other and enjoyed asking each other for advice about our personal lives. Yeah, she was a hot Latino but no, we never made the beast with two backs. If we had, it would have made it much harder to maintain our close friendship. (This would probably make a good third rule about friends – don’t sleep with them – once you do it would be hard to go back to just being friends). I found the bag she wanted, bought it with MY MONEY and sent it back to her in the US. I can’t remember how many times I had to ask for MY MONEY. She told me about how she was having trouble getting refinancing on her $750,000 house and the $75 would be coming soon. A few months later, she was still having trouble and told me that she “didn’t think I really needed the money right now”. Yeah, it was only $75. I’ve had bar tabs bigger than that. Am I greedy? No, I just wanted MY MONEY. If she had asked for it as a gift, I probably would have given it to her. The same trip back to the US I stopped by her office and picked up an envelope she left at reception for me. I haven’t heard from her since. Too bad, we really were good friends. The whole having to ask for MY MONEY thing ruined a good friendship. I don’t know why, but she really seemed to resent my asking for MY MONEY.
Case 4: I’m not going to document each and every case where things have turned bad because I had to ask for MY MONEY. Enough, pau lao.
Getting back to my two friends here in Chiang Mai, I really don’t want to choose sides. I'd like to maintain my middle ground. I’d like to remain friendly with both of them.
The BORROWER is a very well known in the GT and for the most part, a respected member of the community. The LENDER says he’s going to take this debt public – I think this could tarnish the BORROWER’s street cred although there is already a large circle of our friends who know about this. After all, this has been going on for SIX YEARS. Secrets like this don't live very long in a small town like Chiang Mai. The LENDER could come off looking like an asshole if he doesn’t play his cards just right. He could very well and up looking like a prick because he’s asking for HIS MONEY. Doesn’t make sense, does it?
Is the LENDER a prick? I don’t think so. If the BORROWER was making an effort to repay the debt I believe the LENDER would be happy. From what I can see, the BORROWER has a good lifestyle (my opinion) could repay this debt with a little sacrifice. It’s hard to not come off as being abrasive when you’re asking for YOUR MONEY. I know, I've had to do that too many times. I think it’s important to do everything you can to collect your debts without name calling, etc. That just makes you look bad. My advice? In my experience, taking the high road won’t actually help you in your collection efforts but it can keep your rep from being tarnished.
Rules: If you want to keep someone as a friend, don’t loan them money and don’t live with them. I was approached by the BORROWER once, in the middle of a group ride, and told that he would need to “borrow” some money from one of us in order to be able to finish his trip. I pushed off his request on another rider and dodged that bullet. I’ve since decided that I would rather have him pissed off at me because I refused to “loan” him MY MONEY than risk ruining all of the goodwill that we share because I would have to ask him to pay me back MY MONEY. Am I a cold hearted prick? Some would say yes – even without reading this piece.
I have a friend from San Diego that lives here in Thailand and we’ve had this exact same discussion. In the past, he’s asked me for a loan of MY MONEY. I told him no. Once I gave him an airline ticket and no, I don’t expect anything in return. I don’t think he’ll ask for MY MONEY again. Am I a cold hearted prick? Maybe. This friend has a Thai wife and they live what I would call a Thai lifestyle, living from paycheck to paycheck. Only worrying about today’s bowl of rice and not preparing well for their future (my opinion, ok? Sorry AJ). Why does that matter? If he was sacrificing what I consider luxuries like UBC, a brand new car payment and a brand new house payment (things I don’t have) I might feel differently about it. Knowing what their lifestyle is, I wouldn’t feel good having to ask for him to return MY MONEY. He still calls me and we still remain friends.
Loaning money to farang friends should not be confused with “loaning” money to Thai’s. Whenever you “loan” money to a Thai – consider it a gift that will never be reciprocated. If you have a TG, you know what I mean.
These are just my thoughts. After all, that’s what a blog is for – to publish your thoughts. Remember, opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one and they all stink. If you don’t like my blog, don’t read it - write your own.
Feel free to comment, just click the Post a Comment link below. Really, I'm looking forward to hearing what you think. You can post anonymously.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Horizon's Unlimited 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand
Here are photos from the event and video from the group ride. If you're a youtube newbie, it helps if you start the playback, mute the volume, go away and do something else while it streams to your computer and then unmute and click Watch Again. That way it won't be jerky if you have a slow connection. Yes Eric, the photos are free but if you feel the urge to pay please contact me through my blog.
Simply choose the size photo you want and download it. The video was fun to produce, but the files worked my little computer too hard and the danged thing crashed half a dozen times. Time for an upgrade. Eric (TYNDA), are you out there?
I had fun doing the photography and video but didn't get to meet too many people since I was working most of the time.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Night Manuevers
Mom called last night and we spent some time talking about Dad's medical problems and their frustration with the medical system because they couldn't get answers about his problems. Parkinsons, PSP? No conclusive diagnosis yet.
Anyway, just as I was finishing up the call, I started hearing gunshots outside my balcony. I live next to Wing 41 of the Royal Thai Air Force. I can spit off my balcony and it will land on the air force base.
I walked out on the balcony thinking that it was only fireworks but when I looked down I saw muzzle flashes. DANG, I thought, I'm standing up here on the 5th floor and there's terrorists trying to invade the base or worse yet, Thaksin's cronies are trying to smuggle him back into the country.
I ducked down and went inside. BOOM, a large flash bomb goes off. I turn my lights off and crawl back out to the balcony with my camera. I tried ISO1600 with the Nikon and then realized that what I needed was the Sony handycam in night vision mode.
I think they were doing training that night, at least I hope they were.
Amazing Thailand...
Anyway, just as I was finishing up the call, I started hearing gunshots outside my balcony. I live next to Wing 41 of the Royal Thai Air Force. I can spit off my balcony and it will land on the air force base.
I walked out on the balcony thinking that it was only fireworks but when I looked down I saw muzzle flashes. DANG, I thought, I'm standing up here on the 5th floor and there's terrorists trying to invade the base or worse yet, Thaksin's cronies are trying to smuggle him back into the country.
I ducked down and went inside. BOOM, a large flash bomb goes off. I turn my lights off and crawl back out to the balcony with my camera. I tried ISO1600 with the Nikon and then realized that what I needed was the Sony handycam in night vision mode.
I think they were doing training that night, at least I hope they were.
Amazing Thailand...
Monday, January 22, 2007
Score: BarryBBQ 1, Manila Taxi Drivers -1
After I finished my duties at the recent Horizon's Unlimited meeting in Chiang Mai, I went to Manila for a little vacation with Dr G. We researched the urban jungle and visited some high ranking officials from Kawasaki at the factory in Alabang (south of Manila). Greg stayed on to do some motorcycle touring and I headed back home to Thailand after 5 nights.
I broke my rule about not using taxis waiting in front of hotels. It seems like the security guy at the door was in cahoots with the taxi driver as he was only too happy to help me put my bags in that taxi. I asked the driver, before I got in, if he would use the meter and his response was “of course!” I heard him start the meter when we left and then he tossed a towel in front of the meter so I couldn’t see it during the ride. As we were pulling into the airport, he started fingering the meter and I heard several beeps.
We pulled up to the terminal; I got out with my bags and asked how much. He shows me the meter which said 570 pisos. The ride should have been about 100-150 pisos. I took out my camera and took photos of the front of the taxi, the back of the taxi, the license plate and stickers in the window and his face as well. Needless to say, he was intimidated by the BBQ camera. I said “wait here, I have to go get police to help". He tooted the horn and said “no, I discount for you!”. Every taxi in Manila has a phone number to call or sms if the driver refuses to use the meter. This guy must have thought I was going to call.
There weren’t any police in front of the terminal so I went inside. Didn’t find one there either so I simply went through security and checked in. Free taxi ride – pretty cool.
Throughout the 5 days we were there we used many taxis. Most drivers would quote a fixed price only (because we were rich white people). We only used taxis that agreed to use the meter. Even then, they would often beg for a big tip after the ride was finished. Strange, they all seemed to have a little Jesus on their dashboard. WWJD?
Would I go back? Yeah, when Kawasaki gives us free bikes to ride across South East Asia. I'm proud to say that I live in Thailand. Yes, there's some dual pricing here but it is the exception, not the norm. Manila is a real hole. Everywhere we went there seemed to be people (men) just hanging out on the street. They'd eye you as if they were sizing you up. "Is he drunk enough to roll easily?" "Is anybody watching?" It felt as if I was walking the streets of Tijuana at night (for you Alan).
I get stared at a LOT in Thailand but when I make eye contact with a Thai and smile, they always smile back. Thais stare at me because I'm a freak - I'm 2 meters tall! The Filipinos stare for different reasons.
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