Thai dance aerobics at Lumpini Park

If you walk in to any public park in Thailand at around 5:00pm you will likely find at least one group doing dance aerobics. Is this one of the secrets why Thai people look so young and slim? :) Your guess is good as mine!

I really enjoyed this sight at the Lumpini Park as we were walking around ...there were about 3 different groups going on at locations close to each other. I did notice that each group had a
different phase so that meat based on what you are looking for people have choice to join one of the groups.

Most of the people are young or mid age but you do find a high number of older people as well...there was one elderderly gentlemen who couldn't really keep up with anything but was still at the edge of one of the groups going on at his own pace.

The trainers and the equipment seems to be publicly funded ( may be from city authority)... the music is quite upbeat and you will here the counting Thai as they switch moves. Most people seemed to be regulars and had no problem in keeping up with the routine.

It seems unlikely that I will work up the nerve to join any of those groups...but who knows may be one day I will feel crazy enough that I will !!! It does really seem fun when you have that big crowd with you.

The story behind the picture

Yeah it does look simple enough but there is definitely a story hidden in the picture! The picture is of course the Sky Train (BTS) here in Bangkok and that is obvious to those who know about it.

But if you look more closely into the picture you will notice two other things...that hint the stroy behind the picture...

1. The clock is at 6:00pm
2. The security guard is standing saluting.

So what does this mean?

Everyday at 8:00am and 6:00pm the song for His Majesty the King of Thailand is played on the BTS line. I just happen to be at the right place at the right time with camera in hand to boot to capture the moment when the clock struck 6'clk and the song for His Majesty the King started playing, which is why the security guard is saluting and at the same time a Sky Train train is pulling into the station.

This picture means a lot to me as it captures what I described and much more !!!

Visit to the Flower Market

Friday night we went to China Town and then to the flower market. The visit to the flower market became an educational experience :) I was the only guy there with four girls and they decided it was best to give me a lesson on on buying flowers to win a girls heart :) The most important tips that I was given was... its better be roses and that the number counts. So for those who want to catch on that means the single red rose is not enough... if you really wanna go at it ... buy a big bunch !!!

Though I certainly had no idea of buying flowers it was requested :P that I buy some flowers. Their idea was that since I was meeting this Sri Lankan lady the next day I should give her flowers. ( certainly not gonna happen :) I certainly didnt want a huge bunch of roses with which I didnt know what to even do with...looking around I noticed some lovely Kandian Dancers ( as we call them in Sri Lanka) and as these were something I knew was more than happy to have settle for them.

I was the designated cameramen for the visit and just love this picture that I got of Joannah smiling with her roses in hand and with a big sunflower on the foreground.

The next week I had the opportunity to put into practice what I learned from the visit to the flower market as one of the interns in Thailand had her birthday. So my pick pick for a gift was some roses. I really had no clue what to get and the flower tip was the only thing I could think of ... thnx girls!!!

I'm a Sri Lankan in Thailand

This Monday I was invited to a 'Global Village' at the one of the two expansions here in Thailand. This was their last Induction Activity and though organizing was a bit messy I was happy that they took initiative to learn and enjoy from doing this.

I was also expected to have a stall to represent Sri Lanka at the Global Viallage, but with only receiving late invitation and not having had time to go to prepare for it I could only have my flag, brochures, money, tea and some souvenirs there. I also chose to dress up in a sarong as my traditional attire. ( I definitely need to renew my supplies soon) This was the second time I had a stall at a Global Village in Thailand first time being at the AIESEC in Thailand National Conference - SPARK in August.

It made me proud to really stand in front of all those people who have not heard heard much about Sri Lanka before this. The event had me from Sri Lanka and 16 AIESEC members on Japan on a visit to Thailand plus the Thai members who were representing Korea, France, China, Vietnam and Thailand.

Cabbages and Condoms

Finally, I found it !!!

When I told that I am goign to Thailand for one year to a partner of the HIV/AIDS awareness raising project I initiated in Sri Lanka , he recommended me to go to the Cabbages and Condoms restaurent to experience its uniqueness.

So the first weeks I was here I was lookign for it and my online research was only directing me to a resort in Pattaya by the same name so visiting the place was put aside.

That was until last Friday when on coming back from a dinner at a Sri Lankan family home I came across the restaurent in Sukumvit Soi 12 !!!

This find was right on time as I was already looking for a place to arrange the International Dinner I wanted to happen bringing together the interns and international MC members here in Thailand. So it was fixed the dinner would be at Condoms and Cabbages :)

Cabbages and Condoms is a restaurent in Bangkok run by the Population and Community Development Association (PDA) of Thailand. The PDA is a local NGO working on Rural Development, Education, HIV/AIDS Awareness raising and protecting the environment and partially generates funds through the Cabbages and Condoms Restaurent (Bangkok) and the Cabbages and Condoms Resort & Restaurent ( Pattaya).

The founder, former Thai senator Mechai Viravaidya, believes "birth control should be as cheap as vegetables"—hence the restaurant's name! The restaurents social marketing strategy is certainly one of a kind !!!

You find condoms everywhere at the restaurent including...Condom Lanterns, Condom Dresses, Shirts made from The morning after pills,etc and displays of different types of condoms from all over the world , ending up with getting a free condom in place of the normal mint you receive at the end of a meal at a restaurent.

All this has not made the place look 'cheap' nor 'poor in taste', infact I found the place and the atmosphere very nice!!!

No restaurent is nice without food and people to enjoy the food with. It was good to have everybody coming over...

From Left to Right: Yours truely, Shweta (USA),Keving (The Netherlands),Weaw (Thailand), Siaji (Kenya), Charlotte ( The Netherlands), Herdis (Estonia), Joannah (Poland), Jesse (USA), Bruno ( Brazil).

We missed Ewa (Poland) and Ullas (Austria/Turkey) cause they were not in Bangkok.
I was eager to get the pictures to post on my blog but didnt expect something like this...:) Bruno had this cool and was taking pictures and aslo made the 'Aliens in Thailand' picture that just cracks me up every time I look at it...

I'm already looking forward to the next time we have an International Dinner...