playing ... how to post flickr pictures here? and WorldWarII in Asia !

HL is watching TV now (what would he do without hehe?) and I'm amusing myself by viewing a very interesting picturepage on flickr, about WWII in Asia. An incredible collection of intringuing pictures. I'm posting some here, to share my amazement with you !!! And hoping that the flickr pix come through hehe!

The flickr site is: http://picasaweb.google.com/RandyandBelleSmith/JapaneseOccupiedChina1945NGCSinoAmericanCoOpOrgSACO#5022618301272701890 , in case you're interested :-)

Stay tuned!

about dirty laundry, groceries and TGR

good evening! Here I am again with an update on my life :-) actually quite boring today hehe! not much of a life .... then again, that's how it is when we're home :-)
There were 3 main dishes today on the table: (1) working on TGR (that's a magazine, I'm the editor), (2) doing the laundry (lots and lots, it's incredible how dirty everything gets) and (3) shopping for groceries (we do need to eat and drink, don't we?).

Well, I managed to do them all, hehe! Satisfied but not fulfilled :-) I'm missing some spice in my life now!!! Spice, where are you ??????

a winter daydreaming of summer

Yahoo groups provides me daily with internetpictures, such as this one .... makes me long for summer !!!!!!!!

humour in crisis

Just a few drawings I found on the economical crisis and how USA is going to deal with it .... always good for a laugh (in order to forget some horrible investments and stocks ... )!!!

freezing, day & night

 
my oh my !!!! it's sooooooooo cold here! day and night, the temperatures stay below zero degrees. Horrible! I feel my brains are freezing hehehe!

Don't tell me that I'm a fool, returning to Belgium to suffer from the cold ... I needed to be back, to take care of my clients interests. No choice. As long as I run the office, I have to take care of it.

But this is only bearable because I know that in a few weeks I'll be back in the warmth !!!!!!!!!!

cold, soooooooooo cold !!!!!!!!!!

oh, and if you wonder what this picture is meaning, do write a comment below! I'm curious to see who can guess what it is :-)

are we forever young?

 
Today, I stumbled upon this picture! Very nice, isn't it? I'm slowly growing towards the age-group of the gentlemen in this picture, and I wondered today: are we forever young?

Me myself, I do feel young at heart. HL says that I'm younger then him, and I'm 55 and he's 39 hehe. But I do feel my body ageing, slowly slowly, and I accept it. I even enjoy it, feeling it fall apart piece by piece, and wondering what the next sign will be :-)

However, I hope that I'll be strong enough to stop the ageing process in time. I really don't want to get older and older till there is no longer any quality in my life. The mere fact of living isn't a good enough reason for me to continue to live.

So, I look at the picture and I think: "hey guys, good of you! keep the good spirit up !!!!". I admire their spirit.

Some even admire their bodies. I have so many younger friends who really are into older guys, the older the better! Lovely, that such an admiration exists! It's a blessing for both the age groups!

Well, a lot of bouncing thoughts about young and old :-) But I wanted to share them with you, before going to sleep :-)

Whatever happens, stay young at heart! Keep that joyful jumping spirit, I don't care how old or how young your body is. Wake up with a smile, and embrace the day with the challenging expectation for all the new and old things that are coming your way!

Happy Chinese New Year !!!

 

For all the readers of my humble blog: happy chinese new year !!! May the year of the ox well become you !!!

The funny thing about the year of the ox is that the kisses for chinese new year are no longer typed like "xxx" but:

OXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX (ox :-)

CNY huggies,

PB

the India pictures and other from 2006

Rajiv from India contacted me: he lost the URL of the India pix 2006. I checked it, and indeed, they disappeared in cyberspace. It's a pity, because it was such a wonderful trip: some lovely people, one incredible sexy Rajiv, one incredible generous and gentle and versatile in so many ways-Rajiv (the same hehe), the most delicious food, .... unforgettable memories. Concerning the picture posted here: we were in India during the Festival of Colours, which explains why the boy painted his face AND hair AND hat bright white :-) I guess it was a first coat, and the other colours had to be added lateron :))))

I promised Rajiv (the sexy one, yes) to repost the pictures, and while I was working on it, I decided to repost all the travelpix of 2006.

When looking back that few years, it's incredible how much we travelled that year :-) woohooo!!! More! More!!! 

Enjoy it! http://picasaweb.google.be/paulbavo2006

The visit to my mother

Every Sunday, when I'm in Belgium, I visit my mother (other days in the week too, if possible). It's a routine since childhood, when I was studying and living away from my parent's home.

It's a pleasant routine, always has been. For most of us, going back to the place where you started your life, and to the people who raised you to adulthood, is a wonderful thing to do, it connects you to your past and shows you possible ways of your future.

My father deceased some years ago, only my mother is now still alive. She was born in 1924, between the two big wars that tortured Europe in the last century. In 2009, she'll turn the 85th yearpage of her life.

Yearpages are the only pages she still turns. It goes by itself. Other pages are meaningless to her. My mother has dementia.

Just like the rest of our bodies, our brains change as we age. Most of us notice some slowed thinking and occasional problems remembering certain things. However, serious memory loss, confusion and other major changes in the way our minds work are not a normal part of aging. They may be a sign that brain cells are failing.

The brain has 100 billion nerve cells (neurons). Each nerve cell communicates with many others to form networks. Nerve cell networks have special jobs. Some are involved in thinking, learning and remembering. Others help us see, hear and smell. Still others tell our muscles when to move.

To do their work, brain cells operate like tiny factories. They take in supplies, generate energy, construct equipment and get rid of waste. Cells also process and store information. Keeping everything running requires coordination as well as large amounts of fuel and oxygen. And the fuel runs out.

My mother's factory is slowly closing down. Her memory lasts for only seconds. Keeping everything running has become a snailprocess. She sleeps more then she's awake. She still speaks, but with words I can't understand. But I still feel if she wants me to reply "yes" or "no". And as long as I can feel that, I reply her in the way she wants me to. That comforts her.

Visiting my mother is a pleasant routine, always has been. It shows me possible ways of my future.

jetlag & Sadao Hasegawa

not yet 10 pm, and my eyes are closing, my eyelids get heavy and I could sleep where I stand. The usual jetlag ... my body still lives in Asian time. Nothing to do about it, it takes me a week to adjust to this european time-zone!

Meanwhile, the Gallery Naruyama announces the sale of a portrait of a young man, supposedly painted by Sadao Hasegawa, the famous Japanese gay male artist. It's clearly his style, from the early period, so the gallery might be right.

He's one of my favorite artists, and he went into an eternal jetlag, since he committed suicide, you know, one of those formal Japanese ones. Japan has always fascinated me without attraction: I love everything that comes from there, but I don't feel the urge to go and visit it.

So, off I go !!! Like a good boy, early to bed :-) No Japanese boy (legal age) at my side tonight though :-)

a beggar in bangkok

Bangkok, a noisy metropolis .... loud sounds everywhere, constructions going on 24/7, destruction of old buildings, hammering out of the ground of new ones, street traffic, cars, busses, trucks, motorcycles, tooktooks, ... an overwhelming cataphony tortures the ears of the pedestrians.

Sometimes soothening sounds come from above, where the gods live ... or in this case, where pedestrians find a safe place to cross the roads. This is music from above, no engine can come here, and those who walk by appreciate the balm for the ears and provide the fiddler of his needed income. There is sometimes harmony in every chaos.

tripadvisor & Penang Island

I got an email today from tripadvisor, which reminds me that I should include that excellent site into my blog!

here we go, hoping that all the HTML-codes will work well :-)

1. Pulau Penang, Malaysia


2. Bali, Indonesia


3. Paris, France


4. Granada, Spain


5. Barcelona, Spain


6. Istanbul, Turkey






• View my profile


• Create your own travel map or travel blog


• Travel Info at TripAdvisor

as you see, Pulau Penang is No. 1 in my list of preferred destinations!

Pix of our trip to Penang start from:

http://picasaweb.google.com/paulbavo/Thailand_Malaysia_Nov08Jan09Malaysia#5284285373311100290 .

When you set foot on the island, you immediately feel that you have entered a better world, where children still can dance on the streets, adults give each other the space to be free and happy, and the food, of course, the food is gorgeous and plentifull: Penang is the foodheaven!

A better world, but not a perfect world: sometimes I fear that Penang is becoming a victim of its own success, and that the island is slowly but irreversably suck into the mainstream of internationalisation and superficial wealth. Let's hope those fears will not become reality!

We are so incredibly fortunate to have a special friend in Penang, Mr. Lee. You won't find another guy like him on this globe. He's charming, sexy, witty, generous, he has a killer smile, and a dropdeadgorgeous body. He's a sportsguy, climbing Penang hill every day by foot. Incredible but true. You should see his legs hehe (http://picasaweb.google.com/paulbavo/Thailand_Malaysia_Nov08Jan09Malaysia#5284287786534490722), strong as steel !!!

But his heart is sweet as candy, and once he opened his heart for you, the candy is plenty.

Thank you, Mr. Lee, for opening your heart for us ! You know you are in our heart too.

The final shopping + cheezy pictures + waiting till liftoff - from BKK 2 ZRC - a tale of lounges and smoking and other surprises

This afternoon, we did the final shopping in Siam Center, next to Siam Paragon. Windowshopping of course, the luggage is full, no more real buying.

Nevertheless I couldn't resist buying some icecubeholders, because of the special shapes it makes the ice, and summer will be coming in Belgium!
See the pix at http://picasaweb.google.com/paulbavo/Thailand_Malaysia_Nov08Jan09ThailandBangkok.

Now that we have made the "portrait" pictures in Subang, Malaysia, we find everywhere photo-shops that do the same! Over here, we discovered today CheezeStudio ("no one does photo like we do"), www.cheezestudio.com (1st floor Siam Center but they will be moving somewhere else next month). We have to check them out next time we're here, it looks fun! 

Méridien allowed us to stay in the room till 18 h., and then we'll move to the lounge till 20.30 h., limousine transfer to the airport, and airlounge till the plane leaves (scheduled 00:15 h.).

wowowow what a pleasant flight! I'm writing this, while relaxing in the Swiss lounge at Zurich airport, after a really comfortable flight from Bangkok.

We took the limousine service from the Bangkok hotel to the Suvarnabhumi airport, and it was worth the 1.500 Baht. It's roughly double the cost of a taxi, but all highway taxes are included, and it's definately more comfortable and secure. As HL regularely reminds me: one price, one quality.

Arriving at the airport, the limo was allowed to bring us directly to the business check-in (A and B), where a cute and helpful guy from Thai Airways opened the door of the limo. He took care of our luggage and directed the luggage to the check-in-counter: lovely service. If there would have been a red carpet around, he would have used it too, no doubt.

I think that this is the main difference between Thailand and Malaysia: Thailand is 100% service orientated, and very efficient in it. In Malaysia, one can only get services when claimed for, and reclaimed for, and claimed again (Penang - although part of Malaysia - is an exception).

Check-in at the counter was swift & smooth, although we could not get a boarding pass from Zurich to Brussels: for that we'll have to go to the transfer counter in Zurich.
Although Thai Airways is codeshared with Swiss, it has no access to their computers. Trust has its limits, it seems :-)

From the A/B check-in counters, we could walk straight to the passport control reserved for business class travellers, and there was none of the dreadfully feared long queuing: immediate stamping and off to the lounge.

The main lounge is immediately following the passport control: one rolling stairs down, and a huge lounge invited us to relax there. Upon entrance, we were informed (service-orientated!) that today there was a free massage at the end of the lounge. Of course we could not resist the temptation.
It was a great massage (hands, arms, head, neck & shoulders).

Another difference between Malaysia and Thailand: the food !!!! It's clear that food is the real God in Malaysia: in all lounges the food is absolutely wonderful ... whereas in Thailand lounge the food is really basic, although excellent.

Smoking rooms are available in the Thai airport, but don't take the smoking room 2 floors down: that's where all the arriving passengers get their shot, and it's horrible ... if you want to see real gas-chambers in full action: go there!
A better option is to go to the gate, and after luggage check, you'll find smoking rooms for departing passengers (1 C), almost empty.

Departure was a bit delayed, but not worth mentioning.

The flight itself was excellent, good service, good food, excellent drinks. We were sitting on the 2nd row of the business class, and it was remarkably quiet there. We could sleep very soundly after the dinner.

After waking up, we had a small breakfast (if you can choose, take the instant noodles: yummy!).

Arriving in Zurich was a piece of cake: our flight was not mentioned yet on the screens, but we asked for directions, and were in a very friendly way informed to go to gates A, where there also is a transfer desk available. With the train (cow music, and an accidental yodel, horresco referens) to gates A, and indeed, the transfer desk was clearly indicated.
There is a huge and nice smoking room opposite of the transfer desk, sponsored by Camel, but don't take that one: go to the Swiss lounge, it has 3 floors and the top floor is a smoking floor, very comfortable (sponsored by Davidoff haha, again one price one quality). This is where I'm typing this blog now, sipping a cappucino and marking my territory with smoke. No doubt that Zurich as a smokefree place is one of the most smokersfriendly airports. I think I'll  start liking the Swiss :-)

We had the choice of having an earlier flight - but no guarantee that our luggage would arrive with us - or the booked flight at 9.10 am, so we preferred to wait a bit in the Swiss lounge here (smoking hehe) instead of waiting in Brussels (no lounge, and non smoking) for our luggage to arrive. 

Both of us are really relaxed and not suffering from the flight (11.30 hours) at all!

However, HL managed to loose his new wristwatch in the plane! I don't know how he does it, but he's so good in misplacing objects. The staff of the plane searched over & over again in, under, around his chair, but didn't find it. A fellow traveller suggested me to open the table at his chair, and see if the watch could have been hiding in the table compartiment ... and indeed it was.
Not really funny at that moment, although I suppose I'll be able to joke about it after a while!

And now: off to Brussels, where the rain and the cold is eagerly waiting for us! Luctor et emergo!

Nightlife in Bangkok drags you away!

finally we did it :-) The visit of nightlife in Bangkok, for the moment concentrated on Silom, Phat Pong & Surawong.

We went by SkyTrain, convenient, but not fundamentally cheaper then a taxi when by 2 (2x25 bath - a taxi would have been slightly more but also more comfy).

Stop in Sala Daeng (ae = the french "è", or the arabic 'ain' with a northafrican accent), and we went from Silom 2 and Silom 2/1, both boring, probably way too early .... we went at 9 pm hehehe.

Silom 4 was already more lively, lots of young guys (no doubt legal age - thailand doesn't joke about that), clearly gay, trying to convince us to be a willing victim. Allbeit, nothing much compared to nightlife in Pattaya.
In sidestreet 4 we found the (by Twan) acclaimed Telephone bar and the Sphinx restaurant - but we didn't enter, we felt kindof trapped. 
Lots of elderly caucasians though, proudly accompanied by obvious brainless but enjoying the beauty of their young (legal) age Thai guys.

From there it was only a short walk to Phat Pong 2 ... lots of lonely girls, waiting for the first customer. Are Str8's slower then gays, or is their gearing up happening somewhere else?

We arrived in Surawong street, a mix of evening entertainment. Some nice-looking male massage parlours, and on the left side (cross the street at your own risk): Soi Pratuchai aka Soy Twilight aka Boytown. This is a must-see-visit.
In that sidestreet, the sexindustry shows its real power. 
Dozens of clearly str8 guys litterally drag the gay tourist to the inside of their venue. They grab whatever bodily part they can get and pluck you from the street by force.
I don't know how much they get per head, but given the level of persistance, it must be a lot!
HL was dragged into one of the shows (which didn't start yet, of course: many hours ahead) and he could only escape by claiming that he was hungry and needed a bite.
A reasoning that the thai guys understood and respected.
HL told me that some guys were even sticking their finger in his ass, to push him forward :-) Next time we should bring Clarence !!!! I'm sure he'll wet his pants :-)

An interesting visit, but it's really still a mystery to me why all those sextourists are so much into this stuff.
This has nothing to do with sex, but solely and clearly nothing more nor less then money. 
You don't want me to describe my feelings concerning those dozens of young, middle-aged and elderly caucasians, patiently waiting there for what seems to be the fulfillment of their life.

But one thing is for sure: if you're in BKK, don't miss the show :-) It's a must-see !!!!

From a flyer we got there: www.bonnymassage.com - promotes the 4 hands massage ad. 900 Bath per hour, and you can freely choose the hands :-)

For pix, see: http://picasaweb.google.com/paulbavo/Thailand_Malaysia_Nov08Jan09ThailandBangkok

about the phallus-adoration, swisshotels and silk

what a walk today! We asked the staff here in the hotel & lounge about a shrine in the immediate surroundings, where woman go to when they want to get pregnant, but nobody heard of it.

Google gave us this link:

http://www.bangkokguidebook.com/bangkok-blogs/forest-of-giant-penises.html

and that's where we went! A nice stroll, hopping up and down along the horrible Bangkok pedestrian walks. For those who love phalli, it's a must-see: penises everywhere, although the whole place is just a corner of a huge hotelcompound (Raffles hotel, incredibly beautiful garden, prices more or even less then the Méridien).

Following the admiration of all those erections, we strolled to the shops in the Raffles hotel, and we found a shop that sells the kind of shirt that I admired so much in HuaHin: silk on silk, with the top layer cutout. The shop is Mayfair, www.mayfairtailor.com, mayfairtailer@hotmail.com, prices for such a cut-out shirt: 6.000 bath, jacket: 7.000 bath (all negotiable), but 7 days processing time.

We promised to come back in March, and walked the sidestreets to Gaythorne, where HL bought yet another pants in his favorite 27th Friday shop. 70% off, who can resist such a discount!

After a swim (in a verrrrrrrrrrry cold pool) we'll indulge ourselfves into the delicacies of the lounge, rest a bit, and around 10 pm we'll have a short but intense discovery tour in Silom & Surawong!

Pix will be added lateron, once we're back home. Or maybe later tonight, we'll see!

good morning from Bangkok!

Very quiet night, lovely. Corner rooms are a blessing, hehe!

As usual, I woke up early while HL was still snoring the night away :-) So I went for a smoke downstairs, where a taxi was picking 2 guys up, probably to drive them to the airport (given the amount of luggages). Were they a couple? Couldn't tell :-)

HL is swimming now (he tremendously loves his scubasuit) and I showered, and now I'm sitting in the lounge, enjoying a cappucino and a croissant. All very pleasant, I'll miss this kind of luxury once back home (and slaving from early morning till late night hehe) !!!!

Since these are our last days in BKK for this month (we'll be back by the end of next month), I want to do some stuff that is still on the waiting list: a visit to the phalluscollection here in Wireless Road (obviously some obscure old temple, hidden somewhere and I still haven't found it), and tonight a stroll through nightlife in Silom: Twan advised us to go to the telephone bar ... we'll see where we'll end up !!!

And now: as soon as HL is back from the pool: breakfast! The buffet breakfast here in the Méridien is exquisit, so we'll invest quite some time in that item of the agenda !!!

from malaysia to thailand

A lovely flight from KL to BKK, with MAS. Excellent food on the plane, and an almost perfect service.

We were kindof convinced that Thailand would be so much more fantastic then Malaysia, but the arrival in the airport tought us that we should value Malaysia more then we did: arrival in Thailand means long lines waiting for the border control, doors not functioning, yelling people outside, really rather chaotic, and compared to that, is an arrival in KL a landing in heaven hehe!

We decided to go back to Plaza Athenée, the Royal Meridien hotel on Wireless Road. As usual a problem to find a good smoking room so we agreed upon an upgrade to a junior suite, corner room, but non-smoking. It's one of my new-year's-resolutions to slow down on tobacco :-) so let's start here!

how to cure a cold pool

HL loves to have an early swim in the pool, every morning, but sometimes the pool is really too cold to swim. So he got a scubajacket, hoping that this will keep him warm during his swim. Cost: 261 MR (roughly 55 euro), and according to the lady in the shop, the suit should last for a couple of years. So far so good: the suit has been tested a couple of times already, and not only is it much warmer, but the floating is easier hehe!!

Instructions on maintainance: after each swim rinse in- & outside with clean water, then let it dry on a hanger. No other actions are required, according to the shop (1utama, LG floor, next to the pool, near the waterfront).

Ready 4 transfer 2 BKK

We stayed in today, doing the packing and preparing to travel to BKK tomorrow. We still have to give our red enveloppes to the guys in the lounge, as a farewell gift. But we hope to come back here! Lovely ugly hotel :-)

Will receive an Ang Pow: the lounge manager Mohamed Chukri, and the staff Siva, Sara and Rubee.

We hope that Chukri will be able to upgrade us to suite 555 next time .... he kindof promised that during our many chats :-)

New Year's Resolution: post a blog about our life, travels, special pictures .... probably mostly serving a purpose only for myself, but who knows some other guy might be interested too!!

Stay tuned :-)