Getting Nervous

Well, we continue to sit and watch as the high waters break through flood barriers just north of us and quickly inundate homes, factories and streets.  It is hard to focus on the potential crisis we face as it is a beautiful, sunny and clear day here.  We had some torrential downpours Friday and Saturday but it has not rained since then so the ground has dried out a little bit.  

We are still being told by Nichada Management (via the Embassy) that Nichada is in no immediate danger of flooding.  The area of major concern for us is the height and strength of the barrier in the Don Muang district (immediately northeast of us) which is now our only protection against the flood waters.  If the water levels are higher than that barrier or if the flood waters otherwise breach it, we will be in trouble.  In fact, the Embassy has advised us that flooding in the Don Muang area is an indicator of greater probability that Nichada might experience flooding shortly thereafter.  Based on that message, we moved some things up to our second flood and will move more this evening.  It is hard for me to think about moving things after I just got all of our HHE unpacked and organized but, hopefully, it is all for naught.    

Nichada continues to prepare to protect the community.  It is amazing the time and expense that are being expended to fortify the community and I can only hope that, if we are unfortunate enough to experience flooding, the protections that have been constructed and installed will help alleviate some of the damage. There are three large buses parked near our neighborhood and I wanted to ask the guard if they were there in the event we needed to evacuate.  However, I did not ask the question as I really did not want to know the answer!  The Ambassador has given Nichada residents the option to move into a hotel downtown until the situation out here is more settled.  Kevin and I have decided against this as there is still a good chance that we will have little to no flooding.  If we do have flooding, I would rather be in our home, with our things and no electricity than be downtown in a hotel.  I am also afraid that, if we leave and Nichada floods, we might not be able to return for some time.    

I am worried but not in a panic. I expect that we will have some notice of the barrier being breached so we can finish last minute preparations.  I have stocked up on bread, peanut butter, jelly and cereal and have frozen some containers of milk.  We will fill the car with gas tonight and get propane for the grill.  We have plenty of water for the water dispenser, our flashlights are ready and cell phones are charged.    

I will post more news/information as it becomes available. 

No Flood Waters Yet

So far, Nichada has escaped the flooding that is to the north and west of us. There is flooding close by (nearer to the river) but, from all reports, Nichada should be okay. I am still a bit worried as large amounts of sandbags continue to be brought in to Nichada and placed around the community. The concrete walls have been built even higher and are now being reinforced with plastic sheeting and wooden frames for stability. I guess it is better to be safe than sorry and I am sure we will all appreciate these efforts should things change and the flood waters come out this way. The Embassy did hold a town hall meeting in Nichada yesterday for the US Government employees that live here and we were given some good information about what we could and should do to prepare. This morning, Kevin, Caitlynne and I took a drive outside of Nichada, (a little to the west and north) and, while there were no signs of flooding, everyone was certainly prepared with sandbags and concrete barriers in place. We did pass a few areas where there were large groups filling sandbags and loading them into trucks.  

My personal opinion of the Government's management of this crisis is that there are too many cooks in the kitchen. As expected, everyone wants to be in charge and make *the* most important decision or proclamation. It is interesting because the National Government and the Governments of the affected Provinces are working cooperatively but, as each really has their own agenda, there is no shortage of opinions and ideas about how to manage the crisis. The PM has already stated that downtown Bangkok will not be flooded; however, considering that the worst flooding was originally predicted for October 16 - 19th, in my opinion (and I am certainly not an expert), it is a little too early to declare Bangkok will not flood. 

I am finding it difficult to get current information and updates online. The Bangkok Post does not update its stories and other pertinent information throughout the day as I would expect would be done with a crisis of this magnitude. I guess I am just so used to the instantaneous updates and postings that the Washington Post and CNN are so good with. 

In the aftermath of the flooding, there have been reports of the flood waters being infested with snakes, crocodiles and scorpions. A farm in the north was flooded earlier this week and about 100 crocodiles escaped. However, according to an official with the National Wildlife and Fishery Department, these crocs are not fierce because crocodiles raised in captivity have no instinct to attack humans. While this might be true in a perfect world, in this situation, I am thinking that a hungry crocodile is a hungry crocodile. 

The Bangkok Post published an article about how to protect against poisonous creatures during the flooding, a couple of which gave me a bit of a chuckle...

1. Alert rescuers when dealing with large creatures. In the case of smaller ones like scorpions or centipedes, use a long wooden stick to steer them into a bucket and cover it with a piece of cloth or blanket and wait for the rescuers, but keep children away. If the rescuers are too busy or far away, you may have to beat them to death, but if it happens to be a big snake, cover it with blankets and wait for a professional hand to arrive and deal with the problem.

2. As a safeguard against snakes, people should hit the ground or water with a wooden stick before stepping forward. However, the noise can alert crocodiles to attack them. Therefore stay quiet if you spot one. When attacked by the beast, try to stick in a wooden wedge before it is able to lock its jaws on you. It is a very difficult thing to do, but it is better than doing nothing to save your own life. Edited to add: My Australian friends should definitely take note of this very practical tip!

Enough about the flooding for today.  Our big news this week (other than Kevin returning home on Friday) was that our car FINALLY arrived and is now in our driveway! 

Kevin has already been out and about in it while I have only dared to venture to the food market up by the kids' school. I realized that I haven't driven in almost three months and that, coupled with the right hand drive, makes me a little hesitant to go outside the gates right away. 

The kids also had their community league basketball playoff games this weekend. Unfortunately, both of their teams lost in the first round on Friday night so that was the end for them. They both spent yesterday at school watching the other rounds and seeing the finals for each of their leagues. Their team photos...

We are not completely finished with basketball as they both still have games with their BISAC (school) teams. The BISAC tournament will be the first weekend in November and then we move right into baseball and softball (or maybe soccer for Caitlynne).

My Hokie Birds in their new home... 

This is just a random photo I took while waiting at school last week. The photo was taken outside Caitlynne's French classroom which overlooks the courtyard of the middle school. So pretty!

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Random Photos

I cannot seem to get motivated to organize the master bedroom closet so I thought I would procrastinate a bit more and post some random photos.  

Yesterday, I received this decal from my good friend, Jane, who lives in Miami.  It was her idea to put it on the golf cart and I do think it looks rather smashing myself.  Thanks so much, Jane, for sending it over!   

 And, not to be forgotten, my Alma Mater.

I have noticed a few golf carts around that have been decorated for Halloween.  Since Halloween is probably my all time LEAST favorite holiday, I won't bother doing anything to our cart.  However, I am beginning to plan for Christmas - the bigger, the brighter, the merrier!  

Another blossom on the lotus.

 The remnants of the old flower are beginning to look really creepy! Like alien eyeballs!

 I cannot wait for this to open!

The kids have a Halloween dance/social at school this afternoon so I am on my own until dinnertime.  They also have off tomorrow and Friday for parent-teacher conferences.  The conferences are student-led so it will be interesting to see what each of the kids has to say (in front of their teachers) about their classes and learning so far.  They both did really well in the first quarter and seem to have transitioned without a problem.  

The first session of my interior design seminar was to be tomorrow but has been postponed until next week because of the potential for flooding.  The instructor lives in a very low-lying area of Nichada and wanted to begin to move some furniture and household items to the second floor of their home.  I was really looking forward to it but totally understand why.  However, our field trip to Chatuchak is still planned for Friday.  Yay!  The instructor is giving us a tour of the home decorating & design sections and she will then show us the locations of her favorite vendors.  It should be fun being there in the company of someone who really knows their way around the stalls.  Usually, I wander like a lost soul and can never figure out exactly where I am or how I got there.  I am really going to have to pay attention so I can go back and shop at another time.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Flooding Update

Things have gotten much worse north of Bangkok and we have been warned to expect the worst flooding to reach Bangkok nearer to the end of the week.  I really don't know what to make of all of this and how  prepared we should be.  Obviously, there is horrible flooding in the northern regions of the country and the waters will be flowing down through Bangkok on the way to the sea. Areas downtown are already flooding and there has been some flooding near Nichada as well.  Since last Thursday, Nichada has been bringing in trucks of cement blocks and sandbags and building retaining walls along the streets in the neighborhood.  This was at the end of our street today when I left to pick the kids up from school.  

Clearly, something is expected.  

However, as I wrote to a friend today, is this like back home in Northern Virginia, where school is cancelled and snow plows and trucks are loaded with sand in preparation for a blizzard and then, MAYBE, a few flurries fall?  Or, in Miami, where we installed our hurricanes shutters three times in one month in anticipation of the "Big One" and only a few inches of rain fell?  Note:  in our defense, we were newbies in Miami.  After that first summer, we learned you don't install the shutters until a hurricane warning is actually issued.  

I found this image on-line and it will give you an idea as to where we are today in relation to all of the flooding.  The pink represents areas that are flooded/flooding and I inserted a big red dot where Nichada is located.  I will have to remember to check back on the website where I found this map and see if it is updated daily.  Although, that might make me worry even more than I do!

On a much lighter note, Christopher finally "agreed" to a haircut this weekend.  A big improvement, don't you think?  Apparently, all of the girls at school were devastated!

 The view from the side.  I can't remember the last time I saw his ears!

PeePorn made kabobs for our dinner last night with chunks of beef, pineapple, onions, and peppers and a delicious Thai marinade and BBQ sauce.

 She also made a pasta salad with chicken, tons of fresh veggies and a light creamy sauce.

I hope everyone has a great after-the-holiday Tuesday!

Heavy Rains

Around 1.00 am, it began to storm and rain quite heavily.  The rain continued through the early part of the morning and ended just before lunchtime.  Caitlynne had a basketball game this morning and I heard from some of the moms and dads that there is flooding outside the side and back gates of Nichada and near the Central World, the large mall where we do most of our shopping.  Since I can't take the golf cart through high waters, it looks like we are confined to Nichada for the next week or so.  A few of the girls on Caitlynne's team live downtown and they were talking about the high waters already in the streets.  The river is supposed to peak next weekend so it will be interesting to see how bad it gets before then.  

Our car was released by the Embassy earlier this week and is now parked in Kevin's office compound.  I was going to wait until he returned so he could drive it home but, since I can't use the golf cart to get anywhere or do anything, I am now trying to think of a way to get it to me.  While I am eager to drive in Bangkok, I REALLY did not want my first time driving here to be coming from downtown Bangkok to Nichada.  It is absolutely crazy and the expressways are still confusing to me.  The fact that the road signs are all in Thai doesn't help either.  

As promised, here are some photos of the walls of concrete blocks and sand bags that are being built in Nichada.  These photos are taken on the main road near the area where the Starbuck's, gym and market are located.  They are very low-lying on the lakefront and would certainly flood if the conditions were right.  

  

A while ago, I posted about the large numbers of street sweepers we have in Nichada. One of them happened to be working while I was out so I quickly snapped his/her photo.

Our dinner last night was a variation on the green papaya salad ( sum tom) that I love so much.  In addition to the green papaya, PeePorn used other fruits and vegetables (grapes, apples, pineapple and shredded carrot) and put some shredded chicken in as well.  She made the same "sum tom" lime and chili dressing and garnished it with dried shrimp and toasted peanuts.  It was so delicious (and really beautiful)! 

Christopher is having three friends spend the night so I need to get going and figure out what we are going to do for dinner!

Have a great day!

Flood Warning

Late yesterday afternoon, I received an email forwarded from Kevin's office.  The forwarded email was from the management company of Nichada to advise residents that sandbags and concrete blocks are being installed in and around Nichada "in the unlikely event that flood waters coming down from North of Bangkok become high enough to reach Nichada." 

I was a little surprised as I did not even know there was flooding in northern Thailand and I certainly had no idea there was a chance it might affect us.  I remember reading something earlier this week about a tropical storm moving from Vietnam across Thailand and I assumed that was the reason for the floods.  However, this morning, I googled "2011 flooding in Bangkok" and my surprise turned to shock as I read about the magnitude of flooding that has occurred (and continues to occur) north of Bangkok over the last couple of months.  As Kevin pointed out to me this morning (from the comforts of Washington, DC), this is the very same area where we are to vacation in 2 weeks.  We are nearing the end of our monsoon season so heavy rains are typical but the deaths and the damage that have resulted this year are incredible. 

While we do not have a newspaper delivered to our home, every few days, I go to the school library and read through the international newspapers.  I also read CNN and the Washington Post every day on-line.  Mind you, I don't read every article but enough to keep myself knowledgeable about what is going on the U.S. and the world.  However, until I received that email and then did the internet search, I had not seen or heard ANYTHING about this flooding.  PeePorn, who lives about 45 minutes north of Nichada, told me that her village is inundated with refugees from the flooding.  Interestingly enough, when I was on CNN.com a few minutes ago, there was a "headline" article about the flooding in Bangkok  so I guess flooding in Bangkok (as opposed to flooding in Thailand's rural areas/rice paddies) is significant enough to merit media attention. 

Always the worrier, I went out and did some reconnaissance this afternoon.  The Chao Phraya river is already overflowing and flooding some areas immediately adjacent to the riverbanks.  According to people who have been here a while, although Nichada is very close to the river, our flooding won't be from the river, at least not immediately.  There are many canals in and around Nichada (and Bangkok) and, since they cannot drain into the river because it is now overflowing, they will back up and flood us.  The "determining factor" as to whether we flood or not (and how much) will be the amount of rain we get this weekend.  Quite a bit is predicted and since all of Bangkok is at sea level, there is nowhere for the water to go but into the canals and then the river (which is already full).  To add a little more fun to the mix, a high tide/full moon will affect all of this as well.

On my way home from my "recon", I took some photos of the protective measures that have been installed in Nichada and will post those tomorrow.  I must say that seeing the scope of what is installed has made me a little (more) worried as it seems like a significant expense and amount of work for just an "unlikely chance" of flooding.  When I was coming home from Christopher's basketball game tonight (and I will have more on the game tomorrow), I saw three 18-wheelers full of cement blocks and sand bags heading into the center of Nichada. 

I was absolutely thrilled when we made it through three years in Miami without experiencing a hurricane so I guess this is my "payback". 

I will keep you all posted.  Literally.

Coming Up For Air

I apologize for not posting this week but, as you might expect, it has been quite busy around here!  Kevin left for Washington, DC early (4.00 am) Sunday and the kids and I are on our own for a couple of weeks. 

I have been unpacking, organizing and arranging since last Friday and am happy to report that I have made GREAT progress and am almost finished.  Yay!  I am sleeping really well at night, that is for sure!  Downstairs is completely unpacked and organized with the exception of our den/tv/exercise room.  Kevin will go through all of those boxes when he returns and make sure everything finds a home.  Most of it is just random stuff - our sleeping bags, tools and sports equipment. 

Caitlynne unpacked and organized her room (on her own) and the master bedroom is finished with the exception of our closets.  I need to take some time and think about how I want all of our clothes and shoes organized.  Once I have a plan, I will buy some shelving/storage boxes and get that wrapped up.  Christopher takes great pride in the fact that he has not unpacked one box yet and his room looks just like the movers left it on Friday!  I am going to work on his room tomorrow and at least get his bed properly made up with linens and his quilt.  The guest room is a disaster as that is the "why on earth did we bring THIS and where are we going to put it?!?" room.   Kevin was able to assemble all of our road bikes, the recumbent bike, the weight bench and the pull up bar before he left and I am glad they are out of the way. 

There are a few things that should have been packed for Bangkok but must now be in storage.  Fortunately, nothing was all that important (the trash can from the master bathroom, our scale, a carving that we purchased on our honeymoon and a piece of artwork).  We will see them in three years (hopefully) so, not too big of a worry.  There were a few pieces of glassware that were broken during the trip over but I was able to superglue two back together and we threw the others away. 

I have arranged to have all of our artwork/wall hangings installed early next week and will take lots of "after" photos to post. I am really pleased with how well everything "fit" and can't wait to have some photos for the blog.  The house is really warm and comfortable. 

I went to a home design show yesterday with some friends to get some ideas for filling a few empty spaces.  I didn't see anything I absolutely loved and had to have so I left empty handed (except for a few Christmas presents to mail back home).  My interior design class begins next Thursday so maybe I will get some inspiration there!

Below are some photos I have wanted to post this week but never found a chance to get them downloaded and on the blog.

Some time ago, I posted photos of the scaffolding that was installed on a new home under construction directly behind our house.  The other day, they finally began to paint...

The photo below gives you an idea as to how high off the ground these guys are!  Can you imagine?!?  They move around so quickly - I watch from the window with my heart in my throat! 

The photo below is from Caitlynne's first at home BISAC basketball game.  Her team is now 3-0!  Christopher's team is also undefeated.

I wish I knew what the dish below was called.  We were a little hesitant to taste  at first but it turned out to be delicious.  The second photo shows a close up of a vegetable that PeePorn used which was very similar to okra.  Maybe the same?

And, finally!  Last Friday, I bid "adieu" to our Welcome Kit! 

Oops, I forgot about these photos! Christopher sang in the choir concert at school last night.  The photos are absolutely horrible but I wanted to post something!

 First he sang with the 6th grade choir (about 20 students).

 And then in the finale with the Elementary and High School choirs.

Before I say "good night", I want to give a big shout out to my cousin Patrick and his wife, Merrily, who will soon be celebrating their 1 year wedding anniversary!  We had a great time at their beautiful wedding in Orleans, MA last year and it was so wonderful to see all of my cousins, aunts and uncles before we moved.  We were very sad that we did not make it out to the Cape again before we left for Bangkok! 

Cheers!