it is the year 2542 BE - in bangkok the streets are flooded with people 543 years in advance of the western world but only 7 hours ahead of GMT - in the meantime football grips the nation & entropy invades every available thanon & soi art flourishes in the city moving slowly north towards this exhibition of student works the highlight of which is a collection of flower pots - the artist encourages me to take one but fearful of customs & strange looks i decline thinking who knows what strange plant might emerge from this soil & what colour flower bloom?
Tag: Travel (page 9 of 12)
I’ve been lucky enough to travel to some pretty interesting destinations over the course of my life so far. Here are some posts from some of the more memorable places I’ve visited.
life -
cough-cough go-go fast-fast slow-slow break-break flow-flow honk-honk hel-lo where-you go-go tuk-tuk hi-ho same-same no-no thao-rai cheap-cheap silk-silk wat-wat guess-so o-kay go-go gem-shop strip-show no-no go-slow wait-wait oh-ho go-go bang-kok tuk-tuk cough-cough stop-go one-two i-know left-left no-no go-go tuk-tuk cough-cough khao-san face-mask whiz-whiz cough-cough poi-son cough-cough tuk-tuk cough-cough go-go same-same don't-stop cough-cough car-fume tuk-tuk cough-cough cough-cough tuk-tuk
- death
given the unenviable task of delivering mail in a cantonese walled city charged with entropy & chaos criss-crossing its aerial corridors conduits they call them linked towers that change positions days how the garbage piles up forming strata to be studied by future archaeologists - he can never decipher the old city's next move & remains astounded by the most innocuous envelope's habit of finding a home scratching out addresses or the deceased another day a map to discard notice how randomness thrives within the most carefully chosen boundaries
COME & SEE THE HILL TRIBES PLOUGHING
UP THEIR OPIUM FIELDS IN PREPARATION
FOR NEXT YEAR’S CROP OF NESCAFE! THIS
TREK HAS BEEN APPROVED BY BOTH THE THAI
& US GOVERNMENTS ALONG WITH JOINT
MILITARY EXERCISES IT WILL CONSTITUTE
THE MAIN THRUST OF THEIR WAR AGAINST
DRUGS NO RAFTING ELEPHANT HIKING OR
SOUVENIR-SHOPPING EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
JUST A WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT THIS ONCE
IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN A NON-
TOURISTIC TREK I REPEAT THERE WILL BE ONE
TREK ONLY – AFTERWARDS THE ENTIRE REGION
WILL BE DECLARED “FREQUENTED BY TOURISTS”
& CLOSED TO ALL NON-TOURISTIC ACTIVITIES
THUS CAUSING A MASSIVE RISE IN BOTH PRICES
& TOURIST NUMBERS HURRY THIS IS YOUR LAST
CHANCE TO SEE UNTOUCHED & AUTHENTIC HILL
TRIBES IN THEIR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT!
REPEAT: ONE TREK ONLY! ENQUIRE WITHIN!
CREDIT CARDS WELCOME!
UP THEIR OPIUM FIELDS IN PREPARATION
FOR NEXT YEAR’S CROP OF NESCAFE! THIS
TREK HAS BEEN APPROVED BY BOTH THE THAI
& US GOVERNMENTS ALONG WITH JOINT
MILITARY EXERCISES IT WILL CONSTITUTE
THE MAIN THRUST OF THEIR WAR AGAINST
DRUGS NO RAFTING ELEPHANT HIKING OR
SOUVENIR-SHOPPING EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
JUST A WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT THIS ONCE
IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN A NON-
TOURISTIC TREK I REPEAT THERE WILL BE ONE
TREK ONLY – AFTERWARDS THE ENTIRE REGION
WILL BE DECLARED “FREQUENTED BY TOURISTS”
& CLOSED TO ALL NON-TOURISTIC ACTIVITIES
THUS CAUSING A MASSIVE RISE IN BOTH PRICES
& TOURIST NUMBERS HURRY THIS IS YOUR LAST
CHANCE TO SEE UNTOUCHED & AUTHENTIC HILL
TRIBES IN THEIR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT!
REPEAT: ONE TREK ONLY! ENQUIRE WITHIN!
CREDIT CARDS WELCOME!
housed in two human zoos constructed
for their survival’s sake on the east &
west coasts of koh lantah it’s good to know
that the chao le are still allowed to play
football on the beach at low-tide its wave
sounds mimic the crowd-roars of wembley
coming down the supermarine cable all
the young men & boys clip their finger &
toenails in preparation for the referee’s
inspection tomorrow they will collect these
clippings & together with various haircut-
offcuts launch their offerings upon the
andaman sea in a special wooden boat after
which they gaze longingly half-hoping the
tide will bring it back knowing also that
some small part of themselves has escaped
both the zoos & the fickle sea-spirits’ protection
for their survival’s sake on the east &
west coasts of koh lantah it’s good to know
that the chao le are still allowed to play
football on the beach at low-tide its wave
sounds mimic the crowd-roars of wembley
coming down the supermarine cable all
the young men & boys clip their finger &
toenails in preparation for the referee’s
inspection tomorrow they will collect these
clippings & together with various haircut-
offcuts launch their offerings upon the
andaman sea in a special wooden boat after
which they gaze longingly half-hoping the
tide will bring it back knowing also that
some small part of themselves has escaped
both the zoos & the fickle sea-spirits’ protection