It made so much sense when I found out in Japan that the number for the popo fire department was 119, because like so many other aspects of Japanese culture, it was the exact opposite of what I was used to. Namely, 911. But it is kind of strange that Thailand has taken the only unique left in that series and dubbed 191 the number for emergency services countrywide.
So the real question is, why don't they standardize the number for emergency services worldwide?
Every year in February, for Chinese New Years, the downtown area of Mahasarakham (Maha Sarakham) around the clock tower is swarmed by vendors and street sellers of every kind of unsanitary food and useless street fair item imaginable. Entire avenues are blocked off for a few weeks, both officially, with rolling steel roadblocks, and unofficially, with sheer human mass. This is the Northeast Thai version of Carnival, sans dancing or fucking in the street, since that would take entirely too much energy (this is the tropics, after all). Somewhere at the center of activity is the real fairground area complete with rickety-ass fair rides of death, rigged game booths, sideshows with brightly illustrated signs ten times more interesting than what's inside, and even more of the same unsanitary food stalls and useless crap-sellers. In a word, heaven. But to be a bit more honest, it's just like a fair back home after all is said and done. Except for the motorcycle show.
I saw the "climbing motorcycle show" last year and regretted not having a video camera at the time. The rider was the craziest guy I've ever seen, pulling stunts I'd never even imagined. I won't even try to describe them. Suffice to say, they were some of the most amazing riding tricks I've ever seen - in person, on TV, on the net, EVER.
When the Red Cross fair rolled around this year, I knew I had to get it on film. Unfortunately, it seems that they've cleaned the show up a bit; it didn't have the same impact it had last year, and the rider was different this year. It's of course possible that it was just his day off, but I prefer to believe that he died in a blaze of glory, trying to pull an inverted somersault while doing his stuff.
They've added a car to the show (a Nissan NV) this year and have given the children active roles in it. This is pure hubris, and one can only hope the gods turn a blind eye. Anyhow, without further ado:
Now, which of the following do you think is harder for me to explain to a classroom full of average Thai kids?
Why it's illegal (and a jailable offense) to sell grilled hot dogs where I'm from
Why street vendors where I'm from have to watch out for cops, health and safety officials and extortionate gangs
Why any of the above parties can't be universally placated with a free meal now and then
If they outlawed (and enforced) hot dog grilling in Bangkok alone, 20,000 people would have to change careers. Luckily, most of the changing would be done by just selling different stuff on the cart the next day, but still...
