An ordinary life in an extra-ordinary place
Archive for June, 2009
A wet and windy Thursday, with the sky threatening, and often delivering, large volumes of rain.
I take refuge in Central Mall which as well as offering lunch, offers some interesting shapes, the strong lines of escalators set off against the curves of the building. Happily snapping away with my little camera until a guard comes and tells me I can’t. I resist the urge to throw him over the balcony on the grounds that there is probably a law against it (“No photography and no throwing guards over balconies”). So you have him to thank that there are only a few shots.
Look around Pattaya and you will see that the property boom has stalled. Incomplete developments with minimal or zero workers on site, huge volumes of condos and houses for sale with no buyers, and no sign of any improvement in the near future.
This doesn’t stop companies such as Raimon Land producing puff pieces for the local press. A recent article is titled “Thailand property remains an attractive investment proposition”, although the article itself admits likely falls of 25-30% in the value of Bangkok properties. Where do I sign up?
She who must be obeyed works for a property company so she has experienced the slow-down first-hand over the last year. She could also see that the current staffing levels could not be maintained and was wondering whether she would soon be available to be home with me on a daily basis.
Frankly, this was not an outcome I relished. She needs a job to keep her occupied and she needs the independence that comes from earning her own salary. I enjoy pottering around doing my pointless hobbies during the day and having her company in the evenings. The only downside is that she only has one day off per week, it would be good to have the weekend to do things together.
And now we do. Last week the company sacked a number of staff, and the remainder were put on a shorter working week and had their salaries cut. She who must be obeyed now has Saturday and Sunday free, along with slightly less money at the end of the month.
Same thing happened to me five years ago, except I was given Monday to Sunday free and substantially less money at the end of the month. They called it voluntary redundancy, I called it the destruction of my self-esteem and the ripping away of the very fabric of my life. The horror. The horror.
Yesterday was wild, windy and wonderful and today promised more of the same until rain stopped play.
After the rain there was not much wind for windsurfing, but still some shore break for Craig to go and ride. It’s ridiculous how much fun you can have on small waves with a SUP.
Off to Samet isalnd for a weekend of SUP sailing.
Our plan was to hire a large boat and have it drop us at pretty places and then follow us down the coast. Unfortunately the boat owner had a different plan; to drop us at our resort and (possibly) return to collect us the following day.
And so, after some logistical juggling involving luggage being dropped at a pier and boards and riders being thrown over the side of the boat, we found ourselves with a pile of gear and a wide, white beach from which to play.
Saturday afternoon was windy and the sea was choppy and I spent more time in the water than on the SUP. Sticking a sail on the SUP was more fun.
In the evening we went for a well-earned meal and then back to the resort for an extended night cap. My gin and tonic proved to be exceedingly light on the tonic. I considered complaining, but decided to order another one instead. Then another. Slept well.
Sunday I spent photographing, which meant I stayed dry for the logistically tortuous journey home. Samet island may be over-developed in terms of resorts, but the beach is lovely, the sea is blue and clear, and it is a very photogenic place to stick some SUPs.
The photogenic rating was helped by some pretty ladies in bikinis. We also had Justin, who is a professional model and annoyingly good looking. He compensates by being a cool guy with no pretensions.
The photo above was sent to a (female) representative of the SUP board manufacturer today. The obvious questions she would ask might be about the location, the equipment used, the photographer; but she only had one question: “Is he single?” Not a question I ever recall being asked about me.
A good day was had by all:
After a day of sailing, the boards had to be floated out and loaded onto the boat:
And everything else loaded at the pier:
Back to the mainland, unload everything and transfer to trucks for the trip back to the club.
I arrived home in need of a hot shower, food, and another batch of gin with minimal tonic. Slept well.
Thanks to Craig and Amara for organising the weekend.
*Sex – actually there is no sex in this post, but it does wonders for the page hits. Shameless.
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