Tropical Radio

Tropical Radio tag:www.manji.com,2008://1 2008-01-21T18:45:27Z Manji's personal blog, packed with down-to-earth information about a life in Bangkok, travel, friends, and business in Thailand. Movable Type 3.3-ja Manji's Mother Returns tag:www.manji.com,2008://1.556 2008-01-21T18:44:09Z 2008-01-21T18:45:27Z

{mosimage}My mother arrived in Bangkok's...

{mosimage}My mother arrived in Bangkok's International Airport this afternoon. Max (General Manager of SPS Thailand) and I went to the airport to pick her up. This is her first visit to Bangkok this year. She is suffering from slipped lumber spine for almost two years and it is a bit difficult for her to walk a long distance. So she sometimes needs a help of wheelchair. She comes here as an advisor of our businesses. She is expected to give some training to the kitchen staff of the attached restaurant to Sukhumvit On-nut Community Center. She also brought a lot of Japanese food that will be sold at our restaurant. The photo is Max and my mother at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. She is very happy with a hot weather here! A Happy New Year! tag:www.manji.com,2008://1.555 2008-01-03T04:35:03Z 2008-01-21T18:43:37Z

I have been unable to update this blog f...

I have been unable to update this blog for over the last one and a half months. I was quite hectic with my business. But at last, I could have some time to post a new article. Many friends were worrying about me. "What's happend to you!?" I received such messages from my friends by email or chat. I can say, at least, "I am surviving". On the New Year's Eve, as most Japane do, I wanted to spend time watching the famous TV program named "Red and White Singing Contest", where all Japanese superstars sing their hit tunes. However, the upshot was, I was very busy serving my customers and could watch the show for only 20 minutes. I was also unable to see the New Year's countdown (in Japanese time). I was tackling with the fax machine for my customers (removing jamming paper!). However, when the New Year came in Thailand (two hours behind the Japanese time), I could watch the countdown on Thai local TV, enjoying beer with my guesthouse guests. Here in Thailand, the New Year on the Christian calendar is celebrated a bit more simply and dryly than Japan. The national holidays are only December 31 and January 1 (we have four consecurive holidays in Japan). The guesthouse is open 24x7x365, so I could not really enjoy the new year's holidays. As this is the first article of year 2008, so I want to write about my resolution for this year. This year may become a turning point for me. Over the last several years, I have been working as a freelance translator (English-Japanese) and a owner of the guesthouse. Taking advantage of these experience, I am planning to start my own translation business. I have got jobs/projects from translation companies so far, but hereafter, my company (SPS Thailand) will receive an order directly from our clients. As SPS Thailand is a Thai company, we can offer more competitive rates than Western countries and Japan with the same or even higher translation quality. Several other new businesses such as a language school and an online shopping website of Thai products will also be started this year. These businesses are relatively more profitable than the existing guesthouse business. So excellent human resourses are absolutely necessary. Come to think of it, I should not only work hard. changing a pace is also important. It is not so favorable that I am constantly busier than when I was in Japan. I sometimes kick myself... "For what I moved to Thailand..." I was expecting a relaxed life in this tropical country. It is a time I should nreak away from an all-work-no-play life. So I decided to go on a trip to several countries this year. The most likely destinations are Nepal, Turkey, Laos, Cuba or Norway. I may have more free time around March to April when the first stage of the language school business is completed. I may be able to travel more after autumn this year as the online shopping business is launched and successfully settled. As I'm doing a guesthouse business, some guests invited me to their home country. The farthest country is Argentina... but it seems too far for a short trip. My Spanish skills have already been rusted away. (If I start a Spanish course at my school, I may study it as a student...) I am going to post more articles to this blog "Tropical Radio" this year. Please visit my blog occasionally. Return Home in Yokohama, Japan tag:www.manji.com,2006://1.177 2006-10-02T00:41:15Z 2006-10-03T02:33:57Z

On the evening of 1st October, United Fl...

Oh, it's raining again. Frankly, I was a bit sick of a rainy weather. Thailand is in the middle of the monsoon season, and we have a short but torrential storm nearly every day. However, Japan is also in another rainy season called "Shurin (秋霖)" or "a long spell of rain in autumn." This rainy season starts in late September and lasts for approximately two weeks... In this context, I may be facing a kind of Catch-22 situation. Escape is impossible.]]>

Purchase Japanese food for my restaurant in Bangkok

I must buy some miso (soy bean paste), and several other ingredients, processed food, and seasoning sauce, which are outrageously priced in Bangkok.

Help my mother to go to hospital, go shopping etc.

My mother, 76 years old, has a problem with her lumber and difficult to walk. She can drive, but for the safety reasons, she doesn't want to drive frequently.

See my friend, Shun, who is in hospital for acute myelocytic leukemia

Shun is a young up-and-coming photographer and had been working as a part-time cameraman at a Japanese magazine company until three days ago. But, unfortunately he was diagnosed with acute myelocytic leukemia recently.

Make some financial arrangements

I will visit several banks to make arrangements for fund transfer and payments.

Say hello to Mu-chan and Remi-chan

My mother has two feline companions. They are so cute!

Visit a grave of Kuropyon-chan

She was my beloved cat. She succumbed to visceral illness in May 2005 at the age of 11. Her grave is in the backyard of my house in Yokohama. I must clean her resting place.

Purchase audio switcher and usb splitter

Japan is the best place to buy this kind of electronic gadgets. Discount electronics stores are ubiquitous in the urban area. My favorite shop is Yodobashi Camera near Yokohama Station. I am going to post a new article about electronics buying guide in Japan.

Help my mother travel to Thailand

My mother may be confused with the new airport in Bangkok, which was opened just several days ago. So just in case, I decided to come back home and go to Thailand with her.

I may get busy during my stay in Yokohama...]]> Photo Gallery - Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok tag:www.manji.com,2006://1.171 2006-09-29T20:53:56Z 2006-10-01T20:39:55Z

I visited Suvarnabhumi International Air...

I visited Suvarnabhumi International Airport with Mr. Bando (my friend living in Chiang Mai) six days before its opening (22nd Sep). The airport is well marked on major streets, but some taxi drivers may be confused and may not know well about how to go there. If you head for the airport by taxi, please be sure to leave your hotel at least three hours before the departure of your flight. If you catch an evening flight, you may stuck in traffic jams. It may take 1.5-2 hours by taxi from Central Bangkok. When I visited there, the airport had been partially opened for several airlines. Here, you can see some photos of the airport facilities. ]]> Terminal Building Suvarnabhumi International Airport is the largest airport in south-east Asia.

Signbaord in the Arrival Area

There are three arrival gates (A for domestic, B and C for International arrival).

Departure Area

The departure area is on the 4th floor. It's really huge.

Check-in Counter

Some airlines were operating flights before the airport's official opening. The below is the check-in counter of Bangkok Airways.

Airline Signs

Outside the departure area.

Arrival Information

Inside the arrival area.

Internet Kiosk

Of course, it's not free! :-)

Bus Stop of Shuttle Buses

Shuttle Buses linking the terminal building and the Airport Bus Terminal. All buses to Central Bangkok and other destinations depart from the Airport Bus Terminal, not the terminal building.

Escalators

You can ride escalators with a cart.

Taxi Stand

Taxi Stand is on the 1st floor. All taxis are metered. Passengers must pay 50-Baht Airport Surcharge. The average fare to the central is 300 Bahts.

Map

Distance/Location

The airport is 32km east of the central Bangkok, and 19km east of Sukhumvit On Nut Guesthouse.

Transportation to/from the Airport

Railway

At the time of opening, the high-speed railway system linking the airport and the central is still under construction. It is scheduled to be opened in 2007, but due to the defective bridge support, the opening may be further delayed (possibly in 2008).

Airport Bus

Until the railway link is open, the only public transportation to/from the airport bus service. The most convenient routes for travelers are 551 and 552, because these two routes are connected to the Sky Train system.

Regular Bus Routes (See the above map)
(Fare - 35 Bahts)
* No. 549 Suvarnabhumi Airport - Minburi - Bang Kapi
* No. 550 Suvarnabhumi Airport - Happyland
* No. 551 Suvarnabhumi Airport - Victory Monument
* No. 554 Suvarnabhumi Airport - Rangsit
* No. 552 Suvarnabhumi Airport - On Nut Skytrain Station
* No. 552A Suvarnabhumi Airport - Bang Na - Samut Prakan
* No. 553 Suvarnabhumi Airport - Samut Prakan

Long-distance Bus Routes
* No. 389 Suvarnabhumi Airport - Pattaya
* No. 390 Suvarnabhumi Airport - Talad Rong Kluea (Aranyaprathet, Cambodian Border)
* No. 825 Suvarnabhumi Airport - NongKhai (Lao Border)

Airport Express Bus Routes
(Fare - 150 Bahts)
* AE1 Suvarnabhumi Airport - Silom (by expressway)
* AE2 Suvarnabhumi Airport - Bang Lamphu (Victory Monument) (by expressway)
* AE3 Suvarnabhumi Airport - Sukhumwit 3 (Nana)
* AE4 Suvarnabhumi Airport - Hua Lamphong (by expressway)

Taxi

The cost to the central Bangkok is approximately 300 Bahts (including expressway tolls), plus the airport departure surcharge 50 Bahts. All taxis are metered, but some taxi drivers may not want to use a meter and try to rip you off. Be sure to request your driver to use a meter. The airport departure surcharge is only applied to taxis departing from the terminal building, and passengers should pay to a taxi driver separately from the metered fare.

Sukhumvit On Nut Guesthouse

Sukhumvit On Nut Guesthouse is one of the nearest guesthouses to Bangkok's International Airport. It is conveniently located just between Central Bangkok and Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The metered taxi fare from the international airport to Sukhumvit On Nut Guesthouse is as low as 130B (US$4) via On Nut Road. If you are looking for a place to stay for a brief stop-over in Bangkok, we are one of the best choices. If you prefer public transportation, just hop on No. 552 from the Airport Bus Terminal to the "Sukhumvit 58/89" bus stop (45 minutes). The guesthouse is 2-minute's walk from the bus stop. From Sukhumvit On Nut Guesthouse, major tourist spots and shopping & entertainment areas are easily accessible via Sky Train (BTS). The station is located 12-minute's walk (or 2-minute's motorcycle taxi ride) from our guesthouse. Our reasonably priced, squeaky-clean private/dorm rooms & shared facilities, state-of-the-art Internet facilities, and tropical & exotic restaurant & pub will make your stay more comfortable. Free security lockers are available for guests. For more details about Sukhumvit On Nut Guesthouse, please visit http://www.bangkok-guesthouse.com/.

Sudden Shocking News

It was 3:00 am on 23th September when I received the sad news that one of my staff - Ton was killed in a motorcycle accident. The tragedy happened on the night of 22nd September near his home village in Prasat, Surin, Thailand. He was riding a motorcycle at night near his village and was allegedly struck from behind by a truck. He was rushed to a hospital in Prasat to receive immediate treatment. However, in spite of doctors' effort, he passed away at the hospital, aged 19.

Most Diligent Staff

Ton was his nickname. His real name is Prachuksil Sahadee (ประจักรศิลป์ สง่าดี). He was a relatively new staff at my guesthouse. He joined my company with his best friend, Thit, and started to work as a kitchen staff on 20th June, 2006. Since then, he had been trained to become a kitchen assistant of my restaurant. He was very silent but most diligent staff. I still remember that he was doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen alone in the early morning every day.]]>

Desire to Learn

Ton was studying several subjects at an adult education institution in his village, where students must join short-term schooling several times a year. To attend the classes, he asked for one-week leave and went back home on 10th September.

Last Conversation

Three days before the tragedy, Ton called me and said, "Manji, I want to go back to Bangkok immediately, because I love working at your guesthouse and working with you. But I have to take a test this weekend, so I cannot go now. I will go back on 26th September." I said to him, "OK, please study hard and get a good marks on the test. Good luck!" I regret that if he had come back one week earlier as scheduled, he would have never become a tragic victim.

Rushing to Prasat

After receiving the sad news, I had an urgent meeting with all staff at 4:00 am (all staffs are living at two dorm rooms in my house), and decided to go to his village by car with Max (Vice President/General Manager) and three staffs (Kai, O, and Thit) from the same village. Prasat is located near the Cambodian border and 400km away from Bangkok. Local folk around Prasat are originally Cambodian and their ordinary language is Khmer (my staffs from this area also speak some Khmer).

Grieving Families

After a 5-hour drive from Bangkok, we arrived at his home. A funeral ceremony venue was being prepared by villagers. Dismal slow music made the atmosphere more grim and gloomy. Ton's parents came out for greeting. His father was weeping and apparently disappointed with the bereavement of his son. He talked to me in a mournful voice, "We are proud to have you come to see us. Many business owners may not come even if their employee dies." I respectfully express my condolences and give him an envelope of condolence money. Then I was invited to the room where Ton was laid to rest. His body was put on the floor, wrapped by cloth. I asked his father to remove the cloth, and then peered into his face. His face was a bit bloated with bruise, but just seemed to be sleeping normally. Being filled with sorrow, tears ran down my cheeks.

Business Based on Family Ties

The staff of my company are not only my subordinates, but also much more like good friends or family members. Most staffs are young (16-26 years old) and living at my house together (two rooms of my house are allocated to staff dormitory), so I can say my company is similar to a family-run business. I love all staffs and staffs also feel attached to me like a father. That's why we were so shocked and dejected.

It was Too Sad and Depressive

Then Max and I were invited to a table under a temporary hut. Eating some local food, we talked about many things with Ton's family, from the reminiscence of Ton, to how he had been working well in Bangkok, as well as the more realistic issues such as company insurance.

Back to Bangkok on the Same Day

I was very tired after the long drive. I was thinking that I would stay there for one night and then go back to Bangkok. However, the place was too sad and depressive to stay. So Max and I decided to head for Bangkok. After coming back home, I showed the photo of Ton's body to other staff. They were also overwhelmed by grief and wept for missing the right guy.

Last Message to Ton

Ton-chan, why were you gone so quickly? I and all other staff at the Manji House are still unable to accept the situation. We believe you have already been reincarnated and are beginning a new life. How's your new life? I hope you are starting a better life somewhere in this world. We are still trying to contact your girl friend in Bangkok. But now that your mobile phone was gone somewhere, the only clue is the call record of the PCT phones you used. We have checked the call record of August and have called all possible numbers, but we could not reach your girl friend. I am very sorry that we cannot let her know about your situation. Maybe she will come to my house to see you in the near future. I will ask her to visit your last resting place as soon as possible. Don't worry. You can see her soon. We are all saddened by your unexpected early death. I also deeply regret that I have lost most capable and hard-working staff like you. We will never forget about you. You are always with us. Why do you think I am writing about you here on the Internet? I want to keep the evidence of your life forever, and let more people know about and remember you. You know? This blog will be translated into Japanese and Thai soon. Now you are not that shy "low-profile" boy any more. Many people including Farang and Japanese are getting to know about you. You are now a super star like "Golf & Mike"! It's cool, isn't it? I talked about you to Richard, to whom you delivered food sometimes. He was also shocked and deeply regretted your misfortune. It was really nice that I could stay with you during your last couple of months. Thank you for your service at the "Manji House" and my company. I feel proud of you. May you rest in peace.]]> Everything As Usual - Two Days After the Military Coup in Thailand tag:www.manji.com,2006://1.165 2006-09-21T23:02:25Z 2006-09-21T23:48:01Z

It was really "amazing Thailand". The bl...

It was really "amazing Thailand". The bloodless coup has been successful. Thai Prime Minister, Taksin Shinawatra, was forced to live in exile at his second house in London. The pro-Taksin military sect and groups were surrendered and dissolved. Bangkok has come back to normal just two days after that shocking military coup. I noticed the first sign of the incident with TV. Thai local channels suddenly suspended the normal programs and were switched to a still picture of some announcement with the photograph of Thai king around 23:00 on 19th September 2006. Then one staff of my guesthouse said to me, "Some incident is happening in the central. Military tanks are blocking the streets and major shopping centers were forced to close down." ]]> my guesthouse were staying in the lobby and enjoying chatting. I said to them, "The Martial Law was declared. Please do not go to the central. This guesthouse and its vicinity are safe". I tuned TV on to some foreign satellite channels (CNN, BBC, NHK etc.). But those channels have already been blacked out. Then, I started to gather information via Internet TV (I have one Location Free TV at my guesthouse to receive Japanese local channels), but Japanese channels were airing normal programs and I could not find any information about the situation. Then I tried to access some newspaper website, but it was very difficult to reach those site. Although Internet connection was still available, it was very slow possibly due to high traffic. After several trials, I managed to access one Japanese newspaper website. It releases an urgent report about the coup in Thailand. I printed it out and circulated it among guesthouse guests. During this chaotic situation, one guest departed for Dong Muang Airport, and another guest arrived from the airport. I checked with the guest about whether he had had any problem on the way from the airport. But he said, "No problem at all." I instructed some of my staff to maintain vigilance until morning and closed the entrance door (usually my guesthouse is open around the clock). TV programs were back to normal on the next morning. I went outside the guesthouse to see how things have turned out. Some stalls that selli grilled chickens, fruits, and rice porridge were preparing to open. Several monks were walking with an alms bowl. A mobile vegetable shop (a truck) was selling fresh produce on the street. Everything was disarmingly normal. It was very good that nothing terrible has happened, but I thought, "This is a bit an anticlimax, isn't this?"]]> New Manji.com Opened tag:www.manji.com,2006://1.162 2006-09-20T14:10:21Z 2006-09-20T14:35:25Z

I have completed changing the DNS of man...

Related Links Cubec Interactive Solutions ]]> Military Coup in Thailand - Manji is Safe! tag:www.manji.com,2006://1.161 2006-09-20T13:32:51Z 2006-09-20T18:37:26Z

A military coup occurred last night in B...

Sukhumvit On Nut Guesthouse), my guests staying at my guesthouse, my company (Sugiyama Precision Solutions Thailand Co., Ltd.) and all of its staff are all safe. Please do not worry. I received many e-mail, phone calls, and chat messages since last night from my friends, family, and business acquaintances. They were worrying about my personal safety. Thank you all for your kind concern! I am very busy with an urgent translation project today, so I have no time to update this blog tonight. I will update the latest situation of Bangkok and Thailand soon later.

2) Avoid an excessive use of technical/enigmatic expressions

--- Blog must be easy to read. It's better to use plain words.

3) Avoid lengthy sentences

--- Long sentences make it more difficult to understand the context. Come to think of it... writing the articles of Tropical Radio (this blog) is nothing less than blog translation. Every day I personally write English articles of this blog, then translate them into Japanese. So I can say blog translation must be one of my forte. But a problem is... I cannot get translation fees from writing/translating this blog!]]> Buying Toyota Yaris in Thailand tag:203.117.178.47,2006:/~manji.com//1.156 2006-09-19T13:37:34Z 2006-09-19T21:14:57Z

After long deliberation, I finally decid...

After long deliberation, I finally decided to purchase a compact brand-new car in Thailand. The car is Toyota Yaris 1.5 G-Limited. In Japan, this model is called "Vitz" and has been the most popular car over the last two months in the Japanese market. The pricing in Japan for Vits is as cheap as just 110,000 Yen or US$ 10,000, but the price here in Thailand is almost doubled (750,000 Bahts or US$20,000). It's a quite embarrassing price for an expatriate Japanese living in Thailand. I have been reluctant to buy a car in Thailand before, because my house is located at a convenient location near BTS Sky Train station. Plus, cars are outrageously priced due to the 200 percent tax for imported automobile parts. So why did I buy such a "fancy" car? I have several reasons for this...]]> 1) To facilitate buying foods and drinks for my guesthouse/restaurant business -- no taxi drivers want to go with two full carts of shopping bags...
2) To make it easy for my mother to move around in Bangkok -- carrying a wheelchair by taxi is a real hassle in Bangkok!
3) To make it easy for my staff and I to go to beach for pleasure -- for one- or two-day company excursions The first impressions of Yaris were...

* Quiet

Yaris is amazingly quiet for its size. The overall noise while driving is by far less than Honda's equivalent model – Jazz (Japanese name: Fit). If you close the window, traffic noise will fade into oblivion. I sometimes forget that I am driving in the din and bustle of Bangkok. This was a most surprising point for me. Engine noise is also minimized up to a cruising speed of 90km/h. Although it's a bit more noisy over 100km/h, but I don't need to shout to talk with other passengers.

* Small Turning Circle

In Thailand, you must make U-turns on busy main streets frequently. Due to a lack of traffic lights and in order to traffic jams caused by right-turning cars, Bangkokites are forced to make a U-turn and then turn left instead of turning to right. In a heavy traffic jam, Yaris has a good capability of making a quick turn. This lessens the need for waiting for a break in oncoming traffic. This flexibility is also a good advantage on narrow streets around my house.

* Fuel-efficiency

At a time of soaring gas prices, fuel efficiency is also an important factor. After several times of refueling, I am satisfied with the mileage of Yaris. Its mileage is 10-11km/liter in a congested urban area (with a 30-percent usage of expressway). Its mileage will be higher during a long drive to countryside.

* Beautiful Meter Panel

One of the reason I chose Yaris was its eye-catching beautiful meter panel located between the driver seat and the passenger seat. All friends of mine love this meter panel so much. I will post further impressions about this car in the "Car" category of Tropical Radio.