Pinto Dispatch: BANGKOK, THAILAND

This just in at blue skies forever NEWS headquarters...



28 February 2005
BANGKOK, Thailand

Bangkok news in brief. . . Interested in buying a
house on five acres near Mt. Hood, OR? An American
temporarily residing in Bangkok is selling. During
the last four years that 50-year-old "Ken" has spent
motorcycling around SE Asia, he has acquired a Burmese
wife and a Burmese baby. The baby, however, is
neither his nor his wife's nor did it come with any
sort of papers. After exhausting his options with
both the US Embassy and the UN to make the child legal
and importable, he is now trying to raise funds. What
for, you may wonder? A boat--he's decided to smuggle
the baby into the US. Looking at the floor, he said,
"I don't know what else to do". . . From the world of
architecture comes this: There's a building in Bangkok
that resembles a huge robot. It has "eyes" and
"legs." Those interested in this modern marvel can
catch a peek from the skytrain platform at Chong Nonsi
station. . . Bangkok dope fiends have a new best
friend and her name is "Yahnnat." As I was eating
noodle soup one afternoon, the Chinese proprietor of
the soup stall sat at my table. After he noticed that
I was sniffling (Hot soup does that to me.), he
proceeded to withdraw a vial from his pocket and put a
small amount of brown powder in his palm. Then he
offered me some. He gave me the thumbs up and said,
"It's good." After a moment of apprehension, I stuck
my palm out and he administered a dose. Through
gestures he told me to snort it. If an old,
semi-successful soup stall owner does it, why
shouldn't I? So I did. Then I cursed the guy, ran
out on my 20 baht soup bill, and bought a case of the
stuff. Watch out, kids.

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Editor's Note: This was Pinto's last dispatch as blue skies forever NEWS Southeast Asia Bureau Correspondent; he has since reassigned himself to the New Zealand Bureau. Thanks for the great work, Pinto. We've enjoyed the ride and look forward to hearing about your adventures in the Land of the Kiwi.