Bang Cock Rock

The Bangkok Rock festival happens this weekend. It's a pretty good line-up, with the likes of Franz Ferdinand and Snow Patrol. Oasis headline, but only get the crowd going with their old classics. Ian Brown is good, wisely sticking more to Stone Roses stuff. And the posh front-section tickets only cost us £15!
I learn something of Thai (dis)organisation. Given that there's a large proportion of farangs at the festival, there's obviously going to be a demand for beer. But there's none on sale inside; you can buy scotch whisky by the bottle, but no beer. But this is Thailand, and where official organisation has messed up, the unofficial market steps in. It starts with a few whispered requests over the secuity fence; I feel like I'm buying illegal drugs. Soon, however, word gets out, and there's dozens of beer-sellers around the perimeter fence. Throwing 40 Baht at them gets you an ice-cold beer thrown back. The out-numbered security men can do little but watch.

Happy Birthday

Oi! Slaphead!

Wow, I'm 34. It's also our neighbour's birthday, so Lisa and I throw a party. The theme is Heroes and Villains, and on a somewhat misguided whim, I decide to be Friar Tuck. Since I don't have a proper job to go to, it's an ideal opportunity to experiment with extreme hairdressing. You've got to check out the photos - yep, that is my actual head, not seen for 34 years! Sara is Boudicca, adding more than a touch of beauty to the party.
Meanwhile, how could I fail to give a huge mention to Rosa, who made it all the way from the UK just for the weekend (well, kind of...)

The Road More Travelled

We've had some more visitors. One thing that surprises people about the Big B is the roads - the sheer scale of them. All main roads in the city are double-layered; you pay a toll to go on the upper deck, to escape the plebs below. That makes for literally hundreds of kilometres of bridges in the city. The main road that runs near our house has a whopping 26 lanes all told. And yes, of course it still gets jammed.