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Saturday, August 8, 2009

New Visa

For Sunday Scribblings - New
And reposted for ABC Wednesday

WAITING ROOM ONLY

*Thai-Lao Friendship spanning Mae Nam Khong*
Unveils course to Vientiane Capital

Sprawling, low-rise, Lao community
Waiting Room for Consular Consent
Embassy ‘extension’ exercise
Passport stamp; permission to return

Vacuum-filling Tourist lip-service
Tuk-tuk Temple Trip – Wat Sisaket

Later – Lured by ‘Love Shack’ liquid lunch
Boei Lao pitchers poured in Lao ‘Beirut’
Samlor ride for refills in…‘Samlor’
Mao in Lao – Thanks so much ‘Khop Chai Deur’

Hurdles cleared…Hangover; Consul Queue
Visa granted – Mission a success
Next stop – Nongkhai; prior to pushing south
Isan ‘Welcome Home’…well worth the wait


-V-

Vignette, Vis-à-Vis Vapid Vacation:

Vital Visa Verification
Veto’s Voluntary Visit

Vagabond ‘VIP’ Van
-Voyagers Vehicle-

Vientiane; Village Vast

Veni; Vidi…;
Vacated

Voilà…

V!


*The Friendship Bridge, across the Mekong River, links Thailand and Laos
Vientiane is the capital of Laos
Tuk-tuk is a motorised rickshaw
Wat Sisaket is a temple in Vientiane
Love Shack is the nick-name for a jerry-built bar/restaurant in Vientiane
Boei Lao is Beer Lao
Lao ‘Beirut’ is a shanty street on the bank of the Mekong
Samlor means ‘3 wheels’ – official word for ‘Tuk-tuk’
‘Samlor’ is the name of a bar in Vientiane
Mao means ‘drunk’
Khop Chai Deur is a bar in Vientiane – its name means ‘Thank you very much’
Nongkhai is the border town on the Thai side of the Mekong
Isan is the name given to North-eastern Thailand
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21 comments:

  1. George S BattyAugust 8, 2009 at 1:53 PM

    you gotta like this one. Loved the poem even before the word meanings arrived. nice job

    ReplyDelete
  2. anthonynorthAugust 8, 2009 at 3:40 PM

    That was great - and I'm glad you put the meanings in :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Andy SewinaAugust 8, 2009 at 7:17 PM

    Brilliant Stan! Quite brilliant!

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  4. Americanising DesiAugust 8, 2009 at 9:28 PM

    wow!

    really awesomely done Stan!

    Tale from the NEW side

    ReplyDelete
  5. gautami tripathyAugust 9, 2009 at 12:05 AM

    Awesome post!

    ravens chase out thoughts from the mind

    ReplyDelete
  6. Stan SkiAugust 9, 2009 at 5:26 AM

    Thanks to:
    Old Grizz; Wetted whistle stop trip...
    Anthony North; Glad it proved a successful trip.
    Andy; and good to be back.
    Americanising Desi; fun feom formality...
    Gautami Tripathy; Awesome trip!

    ReplyDelete
  7. lillyAugust 9, 2009 at 9:21 AM

    great post. I almost felt I was there with you.

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  8. Dee MartinAugust 9, 2009 at 10:05 AM

    interesting and informative - loved it!

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  9. MeghaAugust 9, 2009 at 5:00 PM

    I would call this a globalization post.
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Stan SkiAugust 10, 2009 at 1:20 PM

    Thanks to:
    Lilly; It was all over so quickly.
    Dee Martin; We live and learn.
    Megha; I like to come home with stories...this time it was just too brief.

    ReplyDelete
  11. totomaiAugust 10, 2009 at 7:13 PM

    sabaidee mai krap?

    absolutely enthralled by this writing. the V's are genius and the first poem brought back lots of thai memories

    ReplyDelete
  12. JeevesAugust 10, 2009 at 8:07 PM

    Great one

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  13. Julia Phillips SmithAugust 10, 2009 at 10:55 PM

    Holy macaronio on the 'V' poem. That's a gold medal poem. And Waiting Room Only makes perfect sense without the notes, but the notes make a second reading so much more lively.

    ReplyDelete
  14. WhitesnakeAugust 11, 2009 at 8:40 AM

    Say WHAT?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Stan SkiAugust 11, 2009 at 9:10 AM

    Thanks to;
    Totomai; Sabai dee khrap.
    I thought you might relate.
    Jeeves; One of many.
    Julia Smith; Yes, less can be more.
    Whitesnake; Well, it's like this...

    ReplyDelete
  16. BobbieAugust 11, 2009 at 7:40 PM

    Very nice! The form is just as enjoyable as reading it!

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  17. Stan SkiAugust 12, 2009 at 6:23 AM

    Thanks Bobbie; glad you enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Susan Helene GottfriedAugust 13, 2009 at 7:26 AM

    You're bringing me along, right into this scene. Nicely done!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Stan SkiAugust 13, 2009 at 9:27 AM

    Thanks Susan; You're welcome.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Roger Owen GreenDecember 23, 2009 at 3:58 AM

    vorks for ve!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Stan SkiDecember 23, 2009 at 5:36 AM

    Thanks Roger; Comment appreciated.

    ReplyDelete

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