Square Marie-Louise 41

The Cool Season

2012-01-29T22:25:00.015+07:00

January is in the so-called 'cold season' in Thailand, meaning the temperatures drop below 30ºC! It is a nice season to spend some time outside so we went on a trip to Khao Yai National Park again (see earlier posts). Another, less relaxing, trip was to the brand new Ikea shop which opened in Bangkok at the end of last year. Wolfgang seemed to enjoy one child-sized chair in particular however...

Wolfgang also had another hair cut, hence the different look in some pictures :-)

Family break memories

2012-01-15T19:11:00.016+07:00

Over the Christmas/New Year's break, we went back to Belgium for a family trip. Wolfgang stayed with the grandparents (one week with Tom's parents, one week with Nirmala' parents), giving us some time to relax and meet friends, but we met up with him every few days!

For Christmas, Wolfgang was very excited to receive a toy guitar. He still plays with it every day, we should look for a teacher now ;-)

After one week in Brussels, we stayed a week in Bruges, playing the tourist. New Year's Eve was celebrated with friends at the seaside. The weather was not good during most of the trip but a great atmosphere and meeting family and friends more than made up for that!

For those of you who do not know yet: we are expecting our second child later this year :-)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-04T23:04:00.002+07:00

We wish everybody a Very Happy New Year! It is now the year 2555 (Buddhist Era) in Thailand.

Wolfgang wishes everybody a very Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-16T08:44:00.002+07:00

Wolfgang loves crisps

2011-12-16T08:37:00.003+07:00

AFTER (securing the last few crisps away from the crowd of kids)

BEFORE

Christmas Party @ Acacia nursery

2011-12-16T08:19:00.005+07:00

Amid the chaos of lots of kids and parents and Santa, Wolfgang remained focussed on his target: a big plate of crisps...

Wolfgang and Ms Eugenia, the directrice of the school

Wolfgang & Ms Christine, his french speaking teacher

Wolfgang & Leah, his American teacher

Wolfgang sat very peacefully on Santa`s lap to Santa`s surprise who said "go ahead and take more pictures, this one`s not crying!!"

Sinterklaas in Bangkok

2011-12-10T21:20:00.024+07:00

Some recent pictures, including from a weekend trip to Samet and of a kid's party at the Belgian Ambassador's Residence to welcome St-Nicholas (Sinterklaas), the Holy Man who traditionally brings gifts, on 6 December, to children who have been good the year before. As Wolf has been good, he received a gift and opened it with enthusiasm! We also attach a picture of an enormous moth sitting on our terrace on evening. Wolfgang was equally impressed and quickly remembered the word "moth".

Visit from India

2011-11-29T23:23:00.010+07:00

We recently had a visit by Auntie Jean (sister of Nirmala's mother) and her husband Alfred from India. They toured the region and spent about a week in Thailand. Over the weekend, we went to Pattaya, where Wolfgang had a lot of fun in the hotel's pool.

Flood preparations and a video

2011-11-05T19:31:00.020+07:00

Over in Thailand, the flood risk in central Bangkok is still far from over. See the previous posts for more details. The center is still dry as of the date of this post, but nobody knows for sure whether it will stay this way. As you can see from the pictures, several building owners (both houses and businesses) have taken precautions by building sandbag barriers or putting up plastic covered panels. Some shops have even built entrance-blocking stone walls to keep the water out! As of today, about 1/5th of Bangkok if flooded, mostly in the outer areas. In the meantime, Wolfgang is having fun in India, where he is staying dry with family

For those who are interested in the causes of this year's floods, check out this excellent video (Thai with English subtitles): http://youtu.be/9weFewxWc5U

Bangkok (still) on alert

2011-11-01T21:31:00.004+07:00

And another flood update for our family and friends: the situation in Bangkok is and remains unclear. After the last high tide (weekend of 28 October), announcements were made that the worst had passed. But, as before, only one day later this optimism seemed misplaced as there are millions of cubic meters of water almost surrounding the capital and some of this was creeping in, flooding several districts. This water has to go somewhere, the sea (Gulf of Thailand) is the logical evacuation zone but Bangkok is in the way. Current estimates indicate it will take at least a month for all water to flow to the sea through the current channels (mostly rivers). Tom was in Europe last week but is back in Bangkok. Nirmala is in India right now with Wolfgang. In case you are wondering where our house is again: we live in the Sathorn district (city center), not yet affected. Updates to follow.

Thailand floods update

2011-10-20T08:18:00.004+07:00

An update on the flood situation in Thailand: inner Bangkok is still dry but there is a high risk of flooding in the coming days, as the attached map from the Bangkok Post newspaper shows. 1/3 of Thailand is flooded right now.

Rainy season trip

2011-10-16T11:38:00.019+07:00

It is still rainy season in Thailand, and it is in fact a very heavy rainy season (see also the post about floods), but the end is in sight. The upcoming "Loy Krathong" festival (see older posts) is often seen as the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the "cold" season.

We escaped to the island Koh Samet earlier this month and were lucky as it only rained during the night. Wolfgang enjoyed the sea and sand very much as you can see from the pictures.

Thailand floods

2011-10-11T22:29:00.006+07:00

Family and friends have been asking about the floods in Thailand, which have already led to the deaths of more then 250 people. Parts of Bangkok are flooded, mostly in the suburbs. Where we live (in the center), we have not been affected. The most critical situation is predicted for 16-18 October, when there will be combination of high tide, water coming from upcountry and rainstorms, which could potentially lead to severe flooding in and around Bangkok. Other reports say the situation is under control and that central Bangkok should not be affected. We will see. Our apartment is on the 37th floor so no risk of flooding there but traffic and roads could become inaccessible for a while. Many people have bought extra food and water, with many shops having half-empty shelves. We will keep you informed. (Foto from The Nation newspaper).

Haircut

2011-09-10T20:26:00.014+07:00

Wolfgang got his first "real" haircut in a barbershop nearby. He was looking very critical during the whole operation but also enjoyed the female attention.

We also attach some other recent pictures. Wolfgang enjoys running around, picking up a virtual phone ("hallo") and then talking gibberish. He can say a few words, a mix of Dutch and English and even some French.

Holiday with family & friends

2011-08-21T23:12:00.032+07:00

In early August, we went for a holiday to France and Belgium. Weather conditions were variable, but no complaints as Bangkok offers almost consistent warm weather year-round. We spent a week in the Champagne region, just like last year, and a week in Belgium. Wolfgang spent some time with the grand parents and had a great time. So did the parents, as there was opportunity to catch up with friends (especially our Swedish friends Mårten and Ulrika and their sons Simon and Adam, whom we had not seen in years), family and doing serial wine tasting and dining!

Hospital and beach

2011-07-24T11:40:00.017+07:00

Wolfgang was admitted to hospital earlier this month with a bad case of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). He woke up one day with 40ºC fever and after a few doctor visits over the next couple of days, he had to stay for 5 days for treatment. He is back to his old self now. After the recovery, we had a long weekend and went to the beach in Cha-am near Hua Hin. We even managed to do a day trip to the Hua Hin Hills Vineyard, one of the nicer wineries in Thailand.

The only good thing about the hospital stay is that they had some nice toys for kids, including little cars. Wolfgang was a fan.

Wolf: some old and new pictures

2011-06-26T18:59:00.022+07:00

Some more pictures (both old and new) from the small person living in our flat ;-)

Election time

2011-06-18T23:28:00.022+07:00

After all the posts about Wolfgang, here is one about Thai politics: Bangkok (and the rest of Thailand) are now covered in election campaign posters. Indeed, on 3 July, there will be parliamentary elections. For those who follow Thai politics, the current government is controlled by the Democrat Party (prime minister: Abhisit Vejjajiva, pictured on one of the posters with the number 10) and took power in late 2008 after a number of legal challenges to the previous government. You can see some typical campaign posters. A lot are of the boring type (pictures of politicians) but some are more colorful (and controversial). The yellow posters are from the PAD (aka the "yellow shirts"), the same political group blocking the airports in 2008 when leading protests against the previous government. One of the posters states "keep the animals out of parliament", a not so subtle message against their sworn enemies, the "red shirts". The PAD boycotts the elections and wants people not to vote. The managed to get a poster up on an enormous unfinished building (due to the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s). The red shirts' party is the opposition Pheu Thai Party, and the front-runner is Yingluck Shinawatra (on the poster with the number 1), sister of deposed PM Thaksin Shinawatra (ousted in a coup in 2006). The posters with the expressive faces (list nr. 5) are of Chuvit Kamolsivit, a businessman who made fortune by operating a series of 'massage' parlors and hotels. There are also a number of smaller parties which may be joining on or the other coalition, depending on the incentives. Pheu Thai is expected to get the most votes at the election, but the exact outcome is uncertain. Many fear political unrest as the losing side will be unhappy. For those interested, there is more information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_politics

We also attach some city pictures, including one from our window showing the daily traffic jam on Sathorn Road (exiting the city).

Happy fellow (update)

2011-05-25T00:25:00.011+07:00

Update: with added pics!

Some older and recent pictures of Wolfgang having lunch, on Skype with the grandparents, on the terrace, with a phone, on the way to school and having a laugh.

Wolfgang Walking - Weekends

2011-05-12T00:06:00.021+07:00

Since a few weeks, Wolfgang has started walking, at first only a few steps but more recently he walks whole distances and refuses to be held by the hand, he can do it alone :-)

You can see him in action in the short film below. He also likes telephones as you can see!

Besides that, not much else to mention. We also attache some pictures of some recent weekend trips (including another weekend in Khao Yai where we rented a house with friends for the weekend), including another movie with "tropical sounds" recorded in Phuket.

Songkran holiday

2011-04-18T22:39:00.033+07:00

During the week of 13 April, Songkran or the Thai New Year was celebrated all over the country. This is one of the key holidays in the Kingdom, with most companies respecting several days of public holiday. The same for our companies, so we used the opportunity to go on a short trip to Koh Pha Ngan, an island near Koh Samui (see a much older post about our trip to Samui some 3 years ago, time flies...). Koh Pha Ngan is most famous for its "Full Moon Parties" every, well, full moon. But with a little person accompanying us, that was not really why we went. In addition, there was no full moon while we were there (but there was one the day after!). The island is a hilly tropical island. We were woken up every morning by incredibly loud insects (crickets?) buzzing and humming like there was no tomorrow. Wolfgang had a good time in and out the water as you can see on some of the pictures (and short movie!).

Some more pics

2011-03-22T23:14:00.009+07:00

Wolfgang's first birthday!

2011-02-26T20:03:00.029+07:00

On 24 February, Wolfgang turned one. We had a small celebration at home with a "Winnie the Pooh Baby Cake"! To our surprise, Wolfgang had a piece of cake and seemed to enjoy it, as he covered his face with it and was smelling of butter after that.

Nirmala and Tom also went on a weekend near Chiang Rai (Golden Triangle, i.e. the border area where Thailand, Burma and Laos meet) recently to celebrate Tom's birthday earlier in February, leaving Wolfgang in the good care of Raquel. One of the attractions of the hotel was the elephant sanctuary, where elephants are looked after by their mahouts (trainers) instead of working in busy cities. An elephant walk is possible and we enjoyed one of the last cool weekends of the year to do just that!

Now that Wolf is 1 year old, he also started going to a nursery here in Bangkok (they only accept children of 1 and older). So far, he seems to be enjoying it!

Western Australia! Margaret River & Perth

2011-02-14T22:04:00.041+07:00

Dear readers,

We recently went on a short holiday to the region around Margaret River, Western Australia (in the South-West to be precise). We stayed in a chalet in Yallingup Forest, near the coast. The region around Margaret River is now a well-known wine region, that was only developed since the late 1960s. It is now home to several premium wine producers. We, of course, went to a few of them for a lunch and tasting. The region has more to offer, including a limestone cave, great beaches and wildlife. We were hoping to see kangaroos and were not disappointed! We same them almost every day at dusk near the road and we also did a sunset kangaroo tour with a local guide, Neil McLeod, who showed us around on his massive farm where lots of kangaroos live in the wild. We spent the last 2 days in Perth, the capital of WA and the most isolated city of its size in the world we were told. Wolfgang also had a good time as you can see from the pictures above.

Recent trip

2011-02-02T22:54:00.020+07:00

And here are some more pictures of the little guy and his parents. Some are a bit older but where too good not to post ;-)

We recently went for another trip to Khao Yai, the natural park (Unesco World Heritage site) north of Bangkok which is particularly pleasant this time of year. Tom had a work outing there and Nirmala and Wolfgang stayed in a different hotel with friends. The Italian looking picture is from Palio, a fake Italian village which was built in Khao Yai and is now a very popular tourist attractions plenty of shops and with hordes of tourists. See their website for more information: http://www.palio-khaoyai.com/

First Pictures of the New Year

2011-01-19T01:08:00.011+07:00

Some more pictures from Wolfgang, who is learning to walk! Also some more pictures from the trip to Samet over Christmas. We also went over to India for the New Year and on a beach weekend break in Thailand but do unfortunately not have pictures of these trips.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-29T17:43:00.013+07:00

A Very Happy New Year 2011 to all our friends & family! Attached some pictures from the last couple of weeks. We had visitors over from Belgium: Bene (sister of Tom's mom) and Piet and their son Jarne. They spent about 2 weeks traveling in Thailand. For Christmas, we went to Koh Samet together, where Wolfgang enjoyed some time at the beach and in the sea.

The Christmas decorations near Nirmala's office were quite spectacular, or rather über-kitschy: Disney figures were combined with a huge blue Christmas tree and other decorations like a fake snowman and huge nutcracker figurines! We paid a visit and took some pictures with Wolfgang.

Birthday weekend - Wolfgang in Singapore

2010-12-10T22:12:00.016+07:00

Attached some pictures from Nirmala's birthday weekend in Chiang Mai (without Wolfgang) and of a city trip to Singapore with Wolfgang. More pictures to follow.

A Wolf in the park and in the big city - Visit

2010-11-18T23:12:00.022+07:00

Stephan paid us a visit earlier a few weeks back. Being from Antwerp, the self-styled "metropolis" of Belgium, he had to admit Bangkok had a more metropolitan feel to it ;-)

Attached are also some recent pictures of Wolfgang: in Lumpini park, at the swimming lessons and in Hong Kong where we recently spent a weekend and met up with our friend Jody, her husband Ah Zhong and son Kwong Zai from China. Enjoy the pictures!

Latest addition ...Welcome Darren!!

2010-11-03T00:47:00.001+07:00

Set of wolf

2010-11-03T00:19:00.005+07:00

Aunties & Uncles

2010-11-03T00:03:00.005+07:00

Set of Ari

2010-11-02T23:50:00.003+07:00

Set of Samara

2010-11-02T23:25:00.004+07:00

family

2010-11-02T23:07:00.003+07:00

John,Vikram,wolf

cuddly baby

family gathering

green & blue eyes

family on a bean bag

pleassssse no more pix

head to head

family of four

Visiting family in Bangalore

2010-11-02T21:54:00.003+07:00

3 generations Aunty Susan, Pria and Lara Rachel

My cousin Ramona and the wolf

My nephew Ari and niece Samara with the wolf

My cousins Ramona & Rohan

cousins

2010-11-02T21:43:00.005+07:00

milk on the terrace

Where are those crabs

Ramona & wolf

Usha,Samara,Vikram

Wish we were in kodaikanal already...

My cousin Nikhil and his girlfriend Natasha babysitting wolf

Nikhil, the wolf and me

Rohan, the wolf and me

Impossible to get Samara to sit still...

Wolfgang goes to India

2010-11-02T21:05:00.007+07:00

wolf meets dog

Usha,Ari,Arathi

Uncle Jerry & Aunty Christine

the wolf and Vikram

Uncle Colin and us

pink set of second cousins

Ari all set for school, Samara and woolfie get to stay home

Wolf's pics

2010-10-19T23:16:00.010+07:00

Here are some recent family pictures. Not much to mention, we recently went to the seaside for the weekend (Cha-am, near Hua-Hin) and are otherwise busy with work and family life. We also had some official pictures taken from Wolfgang for visas etc. The result is the first picture on the blog!

Family trip to Europe

2010-09-28T23:44:00.023+07:00

We went over to Belgium in September to attend a couple of family events: Ranjini's (Nirmala's sister) wedding, and the celebrations surrounding this happy event. Wolfgang's baptism also took place in the same period. We also took a few days of holiday in the Ardennes region of Belgium, the Semois valley to be more precise (near the famous Orval Abbey). We were lucky with the weather and had a good time with family, friends and Wolfgang.

Recent pictures & news

2010-08-21T09:26:00.020+07:00

On general request, some more pictures of our little man (and his parents) and a short news update. We also recently went to Belgrade for the wedding of Mirjana & Yves, who is a good friend of Tom. The short weekend trip was tiring but worth it, we could enjoy a river cruise on the Danube in a summer mood. Finally, Wolfgang has started lessons at Bangkok Dolphins, initially focussing on getting used to the water. He seems to enjoy it, and so do the parents!

Koh Kret

2010-08-01T09:52:00.018+07:00

During a recent Saturday, we took a half-day trip to Koh Kret. Koh Kret is an island in the Chao Phraya river (the great river running through Bangkok) in Nonthaburi province, just north of Bangkok. It was created some 300 years ago by digging a canal through a river bend to shorten the route, creating a new island. It is inhabited by the Mon people, an ancient tribe. It is now famous for pottery. Nirmala also took a day off during the week and went to Siam Ocean World with Wolfgang and her parents.

Koh Samet (bis)

2010-07-24T19:25:00.020+07:00

We again went with Nirmala's parents to Koh Samet, the island nearest to Bangkok. As this is rainy season, we had to cope with heavy rain throughout our stay, including on the boat return trip where we were completely soaked. Wolfgang was fortunately kept dry by a blue plastic sheet (pictured). Other than that, we had a good time and enjoyed our time at the seaside. We even took Wolfgang into the sea for a short while. He was looking around suspiciously but seemed to enjoy it nonetheless. After drying and changing ourselves, we enjoyed a nice Thai seafood lunch in Ban Phe, where the boat pier is situated.

News update: We have moved! - Weekend Phuket - 21 July

2010-07-08T23:27:00.025+07:00

We moved about a month ago to a new place, in the same area. We stayed on the same street, in a new building nearer to Nirmala's office. We again opted for a high floor so still have good views of Bangkok! Wolfgang also seems to enjoy it.

Nirmala and Tom went to Phuket and nearby islands (including the beach featured in the movie "The Beach") for a weekend without the little guy, leaving him in the good hands of Raquel and Nirmala's parents.

On the occasion of Belgium's National Day (21 July), we were invited (like the other Belgians living in Thailand) at the Residence of the Belgian Ambassador for a reception. Wolfgang came along and received much more attention than his parents!

Visit Nirmala's parents

2010-07-06T22:23:00.013+07:00

Nirmala's parents are back in Bangkok for a few weeks. During their first weekend, we went to a seaside resort in Cha-am, a town near Hua-Hin. Wolfgang entertained the different guests and us. He is normally in a good mood, except when he is hungry or sleepy! We also attach a short video where you can hear Wolf making some noises...

Return of the Wolf - Party Hua Hin

2010-06-13T18:00:00.018+07:00

With some delay, some more recent pictures of Wolfgang, who returned from Europe to Bangkok after 6 long weeks (especially for Tom). He has grown a lot and is already very interactive, bringing lots of joy to his parents! Last weekend, we went to Hua Hin for the birthday part of Antoine (colleague of Nirmala). The theme was "jungle", hence the interesting outfits! On the way back, we saw a police booth sponsored by McDonalds, also pictured above.

Bangkok Damaged

2010-05-28T21:42:00.025+07:00

On Saturday 29 May at 4 o'clock in the morning, the curfew in Bangkok and other provinces was finally lifted. The state of emergency remains in place until further notice, but this has no impact on daily life. With things back to normal, the damage can be assessed. Arson attacks were committed against some 30 buildings in Bangkok (more in the whole of Thailand), including some landmarks as indicated earlier. On the pictures above, you can see the serious damage to CentralWorld (Zen & Plaza) and some other buildings such as the torched Electricity Board. One interesting anecdote is about the statue of an Indian goddess (Kali if I am not mistaken), which is standing in front of CentralWorld (near Zen). The head-only statue is now blamed for brining bad luck as that part of the building has been most badly damaged: it burned for hours and partially collapsed. The other side of the building (with the Isetan department store) is relatively untouched and rumors go that it has been protected by the more auspicious religious statues on that end. Thais strongly believe in spirits and the supernatural so this explanation makes perfect sense. For the same reason, the statue is now covered with a white cloth (before and after pictured above). A final word on the temple pictured above (Wat Pathum Wanaran). It was a 'safe haven' during and especially near the end of the demonstrations and where the last red shirts were assembling before going home.

Weekend in Pattaya: from the Sanctuary of Truth to Walking Street

2010-05-24T23:28:00.015+07:00

First an update on the situation in Bangkok: normalcy has been restored, the curfew normally expires on 1 June.

Tom had some visitors over from Belgium earlier this month (Adam & Eva, these are their real names!). Their original flight had been delayed due to the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland and now they were in Thailand during the turmoil. They were fortunately not in Bangkok during the military operations and returned right after normalcy was more or less restored. In order to escape the curfew, we decided to leave Bangkok for the weekend (together with Jeroen, a colleague of Nirmala). We opted for Pattaya, not for its limitless charm but rather for convenience: it is a relatively short and comfortable drive from Bangkok (with two alternative highways). In addition, the city council had somehow pulled off to have the curfew lifted just for Pattaya, even though it was still in force in Bangkok and 23 provinces, including the surrounding areas. The (in)famous nightlife must have suffered greatly...

We found a nice design hotel in the middle of the city, but secluded enough to be isolated from the night life. We visited the Sanctuary of Truth, a shrine made entirely out of teakwood (no nails or screws). In the evening, we went for a walk and drink on Walking Street, the main 'entertainment' area of Pattaya, quite a contrast with the serenity of the Sanctuary. On the way back to Bangkok the next day (after a lunch near the beach), an impressive cloud formation hovered above the expressway, offering spectacular vistas of nature at work.

Bangkok update

2010-05-21T23:39:00.004+07:00

The situation in Bangkok is slowly returning back to normal. The curfew has been extended until Sunday (each night from 21h00 until 05h00). Streets are empty at night, the curfew is respected. Many people have left Bangkok since Wednesday, but life in the city is coming back up to speed, including traffic jams etc. Above a picture posted by someone on the internet, comparing a movie scene (top picture) with the a real picture of the Bangkok skyline on Wednesday. The resemblance is striking.

Bangkok violence & curfew

2010-05-19T19:11:00.013+07:00

Bangkok, 19 May 2010. The forecasted temperature for today was about 35ºC, with high humidity. The radio said it would feel more like 48ºC, one of the hottest days of the year. The government and army decided to crank up the heat a little more by launching an offensive against the so-called "red shirt" demonstrators who have occupied central Bangkok for several weeks now (see previous posts). The offensive started this morning in Silom, quite close to where we live. When I woke up, I saw a black cloud, thinking a thunderstorm was underway. Then I saw the messages on my phone and the news on internet (and then TV). The black smoke was coming from burning barricades and, later during the day, burning buildings. The government body CRES (Center for Resolution of the Emergency Situation) announced a curfew from 20h00 tonight until 6h00 tomorrow morning. Even before the curfew took effect, the otherwise busy and bustling streets of Bangkok became eerily quiet, except where they were burning that is. An empty main road during rush hour is a strange sight. Several buildings were put ablaze this afternoon, after the red shirt leaders surrendered. CentralWorld, Bangkok's landmark mall and one of the biggest shopping centers in Asia, has reportedly burned down. Other buildings on fire were the Stock Exchange and a number of banks. You can check the different international news sites for a much better coverage and pictures (last one taken from a website). Nirmala and Wolfgang are still in Belgium and will probably stay there a bit longer until things have calmed down.

Bangkok riots

2010-05-14T22:25:00.008+07:00

Beste familie en vrienden,

De situatie in Bangkok is weer geëscaleerd de laatste dagen en er waren vandaag ernstige confrontaties tussen betogers en ordetroepen. Nirmala en Wolfgang (oudere foto) zijn nog in Europa, Tom is alleen in Bangkok maar woont en werkt buiten de afgesloten zone waar de onrusten zijn losgebarsten. De kaart boven geeft aan welke buurten in het centrum zijn getroffen. De foto's zijn oudere foto's van bij ons in de buurt in Bangkok. Voor diegenen geïnteresseerd om het laatste nieuws uit Bangkok zelf te volgen zijn dit nuttige nieuwswebsites: www.nationmultimedia.com en www.bangkokpost.com.

Dear family and friends,

The situation in Bangkok has (again) escalated over the last few days and there have been serious clashes today between police and demonstrators. Nirmala and Wolfgang (older picture) are still in Europa, Tom is alone in Bangkok but house and work are outside the affected area. The map above gives a current overview of where the troubled zones in the center are. The Bangkok pictures are older pictures of our neighborhood in Bangkok. Here are some useful websites for those who want to follow the latest news from Bangkok: www.nationmultimedia.com and www.bangkokpost.com.

Trip to Europe

2010-04-23T05:00:00.015+07:00

During the Songkran (= Thai New Year) holiday, we were in Europe. Tom had to be in Amsterdam for work right after Songkran and we both took a holiday the week after that. After having spent the free days with friends and a couple of vacation days at a French guest house near the Champagne region (where Tom learned how to "saber" a champagne bottle), we lodged with Tom's parents for a few days. Nirmala will spend time with her parents after this week. The situation in Bangkok has degraded since our last post, as there have been violent and lethal riots and bomb attacks. This remains limited to certain areas of the city but saying this is not a favorable development is stating the obvious. There is currently no easy end to the crisis in sight. We attach some pictures of little Wolf and our days together. The medieval city is Provins in case you were wondering.

State of Emergency

2010-04-08T20:02:00.018+07:00

It's that time of year again: Songkran (Thai New Year) is approaching and the Thai government has declared a state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding provinces (as from 7 April), a situation similar to last year (we were traveling abroad), when the so-called "red shirts" staged anti-government protests which turned into riots. This year, the red shirts are again staging massive anti-government protests. Readers of this blog will also remember the "yellow shirt" protests in 2008, when the airports in Bangkok were closed. The yellow shirts brought down the government at the time and now the red shirts are trying to do the same with the current government. It would take too long to explain in detail what the both parties want, you can read all about it on different news sites. It suffices to say that the red shirts have occupied a major intersection in the commercial heart of Bangkok (Ratchaprasong), where massive shopping malls such as CentralWorld are located, as well as several big hotels (Hyatt, Four Seasons, Intercontinental,...). Many of them have closed down now. Tom's office is right next to the protests, offering interesting views on troop movements and red shirts selling souvenirs in the street. Attached some pictures to give an idea, you can again find more pictures on news sites. We also attach some recent pictures of Wolfgang who has his own opinion of the political turmoil :-). We are all fine by the way.

Grandparents' visit

2010-04-03T11:39:00.017+07:00

Tom's parents were in Bangkok for a few days on the way to a holiday in China. During their short stay, they managed to take in a few more tourist attractions they missed on the previous trip (see earlier post) and, of course, spend some time with their new grandchild. We also went for a long walk in Lumpini park, followed by a visit to the Suan Lum Night Bazaar nearby. Tom was also treated to a late birthday dinner on the rooftop restaurant "Red Sky" of the Centara Grand Hotel in Bangkok, offering spectacular views over the city. All of this against the backdrop of mounting anti-government protests by the so-called "red shirts". More about them later...

News update - Red shirts & Wolfgang

2010-03-20T11:29:00.015+07:00

Dear readers,

Here are some more pictures of little Wolfgang. He is keeping the parents active and up at night but is doing just great himself. He has a keen interest in the world around him.

And now for something completely different: for those following the news in Thailand, you will have seen that there was another round of protests against the government, it has become something of a tradition in Thailand. The so-called "red shirts" marched in Bangkok, protesting in interesting ways. One of their tactics involved collecting blood from the protesters to then spill it on the ground near government building and the prime minister's house. The blood was also used for a good old black magic cursing ceremony. So far, the demonstrations were peaceful. We will keep you posted. The last picture shows the red shirts parading down the street during a long march through Bangkok on Saturday 20 March.

Little Tiger

2010-03-06T13:12:00.013+07:00

Our Wolf is in fact a little tiger: he was born in the year of the Tiger (Chinese calendar). This year is a so-called "White Tiger" year, and that is supposed to be good for those who believe in astrology. We are getting used to the new lifestyle. Our days are now divided into more or less 3 hour intervals, day and night. This also gives us (especially Nirmala) an opportunity to admire the early sunrise over Bangkok... We already took Wolfie out to the swimming pool area in our building, he seemed to enjoy the fresh air and the big city noises, sleeping the whole time...

Going home

2010-02-28T10:21:00.018+07:00

Today, we went from the hospital (view from the room pictured above) to our home on the 26th floor (which we could actually see from the hospital, it is the building in the middle). After Wolfgang left the comfort of the nursery, he was all ours. We are now enjoying the newcomer in our midst! We get great help from Raquel, our nanny (pictured in the previous post), who helps out during the week. Difficult to afford in Europe, this is one of the upsides of living in Thailand. Thanks to this blog, e-mail and Skype, we stay in touch with the family overseas.

More pics & video clip!

2010-02-27T14:40:00.010+07:00

Here are some more pictures of Wolfgang's first days and also a short movie clip!

Big News!

2010-02-24T11:54:00.014+07:00

Dear family and friends,

The moment we have been waiting for for almost 9 months has arrived: our baby boy is here! Wolfgang was born at 10h11 on the morning of 24 February in Bangkok. A healthy boy with a nice dot of dark hair, weighing 3.260 kg and measuring 51 cm. Mother and baby are doing fine, the father is very touched and very proud. Attached the first pictures in exclusivity. Copyright owned by Nirmala & Tom :-)

Beste familie en vrienden,

De dag waarop we al bijna 9 maanden wachtten, was vandaag, 24 februari: onze zoon is er! Deze morgen om 10u11 werd Wolfgang geboren in Bangkok. Hij was al gezegend met een donkere haardos en woog bij geboorte 3,260 kg en meette 51 cm. Moeder en kind zijn in goede gezondheid en de vader is zeer ontroerd en trots. Hierbij in primeur al enkele foto's, copyright Nirmala & Tom :-)

Recent news: Khao Yai revisited, Bangkok, New York

2010-02-14T12:08:00.020+07:00

14 February: Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Chinese New Year (same date this year). The "year of the tiger" has now officially started. A short news update: a few weekends ago, we went back to the region of Khao Yai for a weekend trip. Nirmala wanted to get out of town and enjoy a weekend with two before the baby arrives! We stayed at the Village Firm Winery, where Thailand's best wine ("Château des Brumes") is made. In Bangkok, we are now making frequent trips to the hospital (BNH, pictured above on the photo under the cloud, BNH is the building with the green roof to the left of the church) to check on the baby. Everything is going well, keep an eye on this blog for more news! Earlier this month, Tom also had to go to the US for work: New York and Norwalk. He managed to meet up with Ranjit & Kiran and their two children Kiara and Rohan.

Thai wedding

2010-02-06T18:01:00.015+07:00

We were recently invited to the wedding of Khun Tarn (colleague of Nirmala) and her now husband Khun Wei. We were lucky to be invited to two events: the Buddhist ceremony at the bride's house and the wedding reception at the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok.

Back in Bangkok

2010-01-22T22:30:00.012+07:00

We are back in good old Bangkok after our Christmas/New Year trip to Belgium. The weather was and still is abnormal for the time of year: it rains on occasion and the temperature on some days is higher than normal for the so-called "cold season". We welcomed our first visitors of the year: An & Tom spent a few days in Bangkok with us after they had already toured around Thailand for 2 week. Last weekend, we enjoyed the cool climate of Khao Yai Natural Reserve once again. More news later.

Happy 2553!

2010-01-06T23:21:00.022+07:00

Dear readers,

A very Happy New Year to you all! No typo in the title: in Thailand, the year 2553 (Buddhist Era) just started! We went back to Belgium for the Christmas/New Year break and were welcomed by a snow storm shutting down several airports, including Brussels, on the day of our arrival. After having been diverted to the Cologne/Bonn airport and a bus drive through the snow (-10°C!), we finally arrived with a 6 hour delay. But we were rewarded with beautiful snowscapes and a white Christmas for the first time in a long while!

During our trip, we managed to see a lot of family and friends. We could, alas, not meet all, but send our best regards via this medium.

We were also able to attend the Ph.D. presentation of my brother, Alexander. He presented his doctoral thesis (full title: "Multi-View Object Class Recognition and Metadata Transfer"!) in the Arenberg Castle, a university property in Leuven.

After many heavy meals and lots of drinks, and trips across the country (Leuven, Brussels, Tervuren, Ieper,...) we were ready to go back to the Land of Smiles.