My new-found friends--The real native dwellers of Bangkok

My goodness, it has been nearly a week since I got back to Bangkok from Singapore and how time has flown by! The rat race in the business world has started and the busy-ness has been spreading like wild fire. Visits to customers, preparing my next container order from Singapore, taking a look at our potential new lorry, running errands at the bank etc. etc.... it's almost impossible to even think of what's happening to the rainbow-coloured protestors at Silom.

Anyway thanks to all my friends who have been sending me sms-es and speaking to me on MSN, I am fine and I know how to stay out of trouble. It's frustrating that I cannot see the end of protests, but all's well on my end, and I will keep it that way.

Ok, back to my topic of the day. From the first day I arrived in Bangkok, I have been amazed by how the Thai people have been sharing their land with other dwellers (cockroaches, geckos, rats, spiders to name some of them). In Singapore, some of us are quite irritated by the number of hungry cats marauding proudly in the void decks, but you will be surprised that the number of dogs roaming the streets here is exponentially higher than the number of cats you can find in Singapore.

I have had my fair share of doggy experiences in my 7 short months here, and I am proud to say that after being touched, licked, and ran after by different canines, I have officially overcome my doggy-phobia which I had since I got chased around my garden by a dog when I was a little boy. In fact, I have had the fun of naming dogs and spending some really great time with them. They have provided me real companionship, especially when I spend 80% of my time alone in a foreign country.

Now I shall introduce to you my new-found friends, and believe me, these pictures are all taken with my camera or mobile phone within a radius of 1km around my office.

He belongs to the tzechar stall near my office. I have not named him yet. He is usually naked, and I have hardly seen him get out of his sleeping position. Obviously his owner dressed him up to welcome the Songkran festival. The colourful shirt did not perk him up one bit though.


This cute little one is owned by a neighbouring office. Full of energy and love, I am determined to find out his name one day.


Khaaw, which means white. He is by far my best doggy friend. Being the youngest of the 6 stray dogs active in my village, he is the most friendly and active. No matter how late I come back sometimes, he will always be throwing himself at me, wagging his tail non-stop. I could only take a nice picture of him sleeping though, haha.

Namtaan, which means brown/sugar, caught on camera by me while he's snuggling beside the refrigerator. He is resting so that he can feel rejuvenated soon, as he always goes about showboating his good looks. And really, when he wants to, he is easily the smartest looking dog in the area.

See what I mean? That's Namtaan at his best. No wonder we caught him shagging a female dog at 7am in the morning, no dog could resist him! Good looks and showmanship aside, Namtaan had better take care of his rapidly-expanding waistline, or else Khaaw is gonna overtake him and grab all the female attention!

My impression of dogs has changed completely after living in Bangkok. I remember watching Marley and Me on HBO and holding my tears at the end when Marley was put to sleep. Let me finish off with a quote at the end of the movie from the usually-hilarious Owen Wilson.

"A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes or designer clothes. A water log stick would do just fine. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Just give it your heart and it will give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?"

He can!