New Home

I have decided to move into less humid and insect infected grounds... I'm living in a "condo" now, with tens of other Thais in a room that is far too big for me. I feel kind of lost inside and have hung up everything I could possibly find to make it look more "furnitured". During the day it gets so hot here, it is unbearable, but forget about taking a shower to cool down! The water tanks a built on top of the roof, so if the weather is hot, the shower is boiling! Smart thinking. So I lay on my bed, arms and legs spread into all directions, keeping the fan on full speed. What a life!

Meanwhile I'm fighting against the heat, Thailand has other problems and the political situation here in Chiang Mai has been going crazy. The "Thaksin party" has been forbidden because of electoral fraud, there really only is one democratic party left and there have been ongoing discussions about the new constitution. Too much for me to keep track! Good news is that the mayor of Bangkok is doing a lot to improve measures against greenhouse gas emissions and is instigating projects to raise awareness amongst the people. For example every 9th of each month in 2007 companies and households switch off lights and unnecessary electrical devices for 15min to save energy and make a point in terms of mitigation of climate change. That is unusual for a Thai politician.

Chiang Mai

I have finally made it to Chiang Mai and started working for an NGO in the field of climate change and energy politics. It is very interesting, but it was hard to switch from traveling and doing nothing, especially not using my brain, to a 9 hour working day in front of the computer! Not that working here would feel like “real” work, though. I am living in a wooden flat on the office compound which is also completely made out of wood and set in a beautiful garden. My desk is outside with a view over palm trees, flowers, Geckos, Chipmunks and only has a roof above. It feels fantastic! I have a Gecko as a flat mate who likes to shit right in front of my toilet or in front of my door which can be a pretty uncomfortable experience considering that I’m walking bare foot all the time... Recently I am a bit worried that I might even have a snake living with me (they have Boas and all kinds of nasty ones here), because I found an old snake skin IN MY ROOM!! Yes, how comforting. I have not really chosen the best time of the year, because the rain season has set in a bit too early this year (climate change!!) and it really does rain ALL the time. When it doesn’t, I go and play basketball with Thai guys who don’t speak a word of English and keep calling me “Farang”, which means European foreigner. I am also enjoying the Thai food, especially the pancakes, fresh fruits and juices : )!! On Friday I went out with some guys from work and we went dancing to Thai disco music, it was much better than I expected! But there’s some kind of discrimination going on here. I, as a foreigner, am not allowed to wear clothes that show too much skin. But Thai girls, on the other hand, are wearing the skimpiest and tightest cloths ever! They go out in hot pants and high heels and are all skinny like crazy, making me feel like a bulldozer. They look like 15 when they’re actually 30 years old, I don’t know how they do it. Anyway, it was great fun and I’m looking forward to the next weekend!!