Awareness - Liebe zur Erde... - Liebe zur Erde

Bangkok - City of the Angels in turmoil

Part 1: city in turmoil
Part 2: unintended stroll in the protest camp
Part 3: Candle Light Ceremony for the Kings birthday


Irony of fate? On the evening when I arrive in Bangkok after 16 hours of bus ride, a state of emergency for Bangkok comes in place by the government - because of escalating unrests. Well, I just escaped the party and sex tourists crowd, and now again my nose is dipped into the next social problem - gradually I begin to wonder.

So now, what?

The recommendation is, to stay away from crowds , because violence in Thailand can also very directly escalate. So I initially take a hotel in the north from the center, in a nice and quiet Thai neighborhood without to much tourist traffic. From here, I explore the city along the route which is promised to be the calmest: by boat. My first trip leads me to look for simcards - and obviously I have to go to the city center, to the largest and most expensive department store in Bangkok: Siam Paragon . There I am flabbergasted to find out that in all the surrounding shops prepaid cards are sold out!? Do the demonstrators have themselves since equipped with additional "Buziness Phone Numbers"?




The athmosphere on that Tuesday afternoon is a foreboding of doom, ominous and gloomy, and I try to take it in to me for a while. Without having any idea of the political situation, I get the impression that there is a play with the fire here for personal purposes, with the fuse that is provided by the protest of the people. How bitter . Over the week, the impression gets confirmed .





So I try fundamentally during the week to go out of the protesters way and get a feel for the city and people .

The city, formerly called "Venice of the East" because of the many channels, has fundamentally changed. The famous floating markets - disappeared. Many of Channels: filled in to make space for roads . Bangkok has modernized itself for the price that much of the old charm is buried in the past: it is a clean, organized and very modern metropolis itself - with plenty of traffic jams.

Only the people are an unchanged source of wonder to me and Bangkok proves to be the most pleasant Asian metropolis at all, in matters of travel concerns: first place, there is no specific tourist harassment , no special tourist begging, no mess, no scam, no thievery - mostly honest traders to which I pay the same as a local - where did I see the last? But the more amazing and crucial thing is: these people have a mental friendliness and beauty that I have never seen before . An encounter is then "complete" when both have been found each other mentally in a kind of harmony (or another feeling depending on the situation) and settled in that feeling, an element that we know in Europe only as a rare highlights with friends. Here we find that at each kiosk: IF the Westerners can perceive what is going on and can react accordingly. A phenomenon, and what a culture! No wonder these people are so beautiful!



Another highlight is found in the vicinity of the Royal Palace and so close to the violent riots towards the weekend:

The golden reclining Buddha:



his expression is one of the most beautiful things I've seen in Asia so far: awake, mellow and full of peace, he looks into the distance to what may come next. And I would hope that the protesters and their leaders would even occasionally come here to find peace ...

so I can only hope that the Thai people remember and reflect on the size of their culture for this moment of political unrest. Buddhism provides any chance to see the country's problems in a different light, to think also about the future karma of ones doings and to relativize personal interests.




View from the bar of the State Tower, 65th floor


The next two days now, the country and the city are supposed to get some rest and become a place of celebration: the country is preparing for the birthday of the beloved and respected king, who gets 86. What happenes afterwards, is completely open.



Part 2: Impressions of the protest movement
(this translation is may be not free of mistakes. If it creates misunderstandings, pl come back to me through the contact page on the website)


Yes, it was a ceasefire agreed for wednesday and thrusday because of birthday preparations. So I 'm running to see the attractions that were not accessible because of the disputes. And promptly I run into the activist groups - or their blocked road with propaganda equipment. But first things first:

First, it's already happened to me yesterday that I ran into an angry whistling crowd that had gathered in the middle of the most nobel shopping area in front of the Central World on the road ( ie the place where actually everything should be safe ) - and they gather together in no time:




the occasion for the people seems to be on the opposite side of the road where singing policemen lined up in the police complex. Maybe they practice for the birthday of the king, who knows. And who looks at the picture in more detail, can see: these are middleclass people with money. The international press calls these people protesting group the " spoiled Bangkok Thai elite who do not want to lose their privileges."

Now Demonstrations are to me already somewhat familiar due to the mostly civilized protests against Stuttgart21 in Germany. Here, however, surprises me the hatred, the aggression of these "normal" people of Thailand's middle class (well, you can´t hear that in the picture) - And I'm glad to swiftly run away from the line of acoustical clash.





So today, I 'm so at Stroll, with the firm intention to stay away from all problems. And that came out it:

My real goal, the Marble Temple, is located in the government district right behind the seat of government. There, everything is full of police cars, army vehicles, and otherwise the area seems dead - except for the cleanup troups. The area of the Ananta Samakhom Palace (pictured below) gives a contested, tattered impression, while the building itself looks like dead (...?) - very strange.





On the way back from the temple, I find myself back in front of the headquarters of the Royal Thai Army Guard and the Royal Thai Government House Office. At the same time leaves a convoy of sure 20 trucks and buses of army vehicles (and defaced license plates) the Headquarters and let soldiers get in and out in front of the Government House.






Everywhere are people with increased vigilance, which also can´t  be teared from their attitude by my curiosity: obviously they find something not very funny . On Twitter I learn then that a whole group of protesters again today tried to storm the building - and where just admitted to avoid further clashes until they did leave again .

In the next side street corner are still several hundred men to see and a truck with loudspeakers from which are echoes down slogans:





Just a little further I run into a blocked road: Tents are constructed here with supply of food, medicines and obviously there's also a PC central inteligence. What I discover on a closer look:






Since I can´t decide on the question of whether I can just go through here, I am directed to an English-speaking man. His saying is: Yes, that is right, here the protesters are gathering , and they are active every day . A bit queasy I feel here, even though everything seems calm. I need a while to realize what I see :


There are a number of well-dressed Manager sort of types and ringleaders who plan in conversations the next moves for the protesters, but do not speak English (!). Then there are the ordinary people, mostly women, which supply the camp with all that is needed. That in turn are not people of the middle class, never ever. Someone pays for them being here - because these are people who have to work for their livelihood.



What  more: barriers, party tents, rostrum, speakers, electrical power, cabling, equipment such as medicine and food - where does the money for it come from? Who organizes and directs it? And then they block a whole huge main traffic road ... they block an entire area that way.




But that's not all: every few minutes a small group of young men strolles by and by, they come from the side street further back, where the activists have heard the slogans. And I stop short: what kind of are these men? Some of the young people are in a level of self-assertion intoxication, where the control center of the brains is temporarily paralyzed by hormones. Young men are clothed like city Indians: with shredded jeans and other outfit which characterizes them as fashion-conscious rebels of the middle class. Some junkies, yobs. The whole spectrum of tweens and men who get clamped for and are possessed by political beliefs which they don´t look through, without knowing themselves for what they are really on the road here. Last but not least, I would not be surprised if there are still a couple of bodyguards which take part in the fight.... - Oh children, I do not like that!


I ask my respondent, who complaints so much about the corruption of the current PM, about these Suthep: whether he trust him to be better than the others. His answer startled me, though I don´t know at first why: "This is my leader: he has embraced my chief in the morning, just shortly he was still here around - he cares about us."

I got out of the conversation the frightening feeling that here is a demagogue at work, who knows how he can win people over. And someone with backers who have the money and equipment to channel the anger of the popular uprising of the people.


In the evening in the city I have to observe of a few things more : Meeting in Bangkok tourists have made a joint attack on the Royal sites today because they are these 2 days risk free available: the city is full of them. And the roads are congested as never in the week before - obviously more people trust their selves out of the houses. Last but not least, I now see young men who were so not seen in the previous week: they all still bear the traces, psychological injuries and the adrenaline rush of the struggles of the past few days with them: strange young people. Definitely not the educated class, but junkies, the neglected, full of aggression. Men in their 20th. They are Thais, no doubt. But these are not the poor, government-related groups - these are here fallen through the cracks of society and social systems: those who have nothing to lose, certainly with hatred of the political regime. Strange young people, which does not quite fit into the city, as I have experienced the city the past few days. But precisely: because they were obviously involved in other places and turmoil.


And what the freshly filled sandbags are good for, nobody in the mainstreem press will tell you- or do they protect against tear gas?






Part 3: Candle Light Ceremony for the Kings birthday

On the kings birthday the truce is stable and millions celebrate on the streets. On the whole, however, there are rarely children to be seen on the roads around the candle light ceremony and in some places like close to democracy monument make a tense impression.

Here I include an amazing video from the candlelight ceremony at Sanam Luang, where the Thai sing for their King. I hope for this country that they keep in mind the greatness of their culture and religion to find a peaceful way for the issues:

Facebookentry through Andreas after he came back home...


A hacked laptop and 2 months trapped in China's " Great Firewall"


Many here will have wondered sure why no other blog entries came. But after the friends to whom I had written of the situation, also got PC problems (scroll down to see - this had nothing to do with a virus, as far as we Can see), I did not dare to do any more but left the thing and wait.

Now I am in Hong Kong - and arrived back in the world in digital terms . And here comes the story of the past weeks:


Liunxjia , 17.8 , on the Yellow River :

China seems to have discovered its love for me . It starts with the fact that my fresh patched and laboriously configured laptop gets right at the beginning of our trip in August hacked within a few days. Now, it is possible to differentiate between a hacker attack that is executed with economic criminal background, and the quite different one of a political hack, namely through the fact that in the case of economically motivated hacks the PC itself will not destroy itself in the core. With Andreas as a more or less expert on my side, at the end we can only record the total loss of the laptop, which can´t be set up fresh any more. Now what?

In the next step I can´t enter from the hotel computers any longer to my email accounts - in none ("Your Internet connection has been interrupted" - the famous sentence which shows that a page got restrictet by China). The aim of the action seems to cut me digital fundamentally and virtually off , at least in terms of my own work. Since I will stay longer than 2 months in China, this means a full blockade of all my activities , quite apart from the fact that all data and work material such as correspondence in connection with the great journey are lost for now.

Well of course one has to ask why China is fighting against the normal travelers (are we on Chinese thought at all "normal" travelers? ) . Whether there many coincidences came together here or just a westerner traveling independently is so dangerous, I can not answer, and China would deny such a thing anyway.

China is a great country , which is quite different in many respects than our western media report about. This applies in particular for his people. We have had many impressive and beautiful experiences with the people here. Their openness and willingness to help you would search in vain in Germany. And quite some of my trip reports will also work out exactly this aspect again.  But I can not quite hide the fact that this week-long cyber blocking with me gave me not only a sense of injustice , but also evokes a certain anger and defiance - after all , the financial damage is significant. In this respect, this introductory blog post after a long silence will deal a little with the Chinese way of thinking , as far as we could watch it anywhere. Anyone who thinks that this is not appropriate:  you can scroll further down - the issue with the hack has some more parts to tell later. So first to the cultural side:


Lose face ?

We do pretty well  in managing the typical attacks of a self-organized trip to a country whose words and places are ineffable and its inhabitants have seen in some parts still no Westerners: no one has to lose face because of us. you can in polite or humorous forms point on things which should change (eg the forever phonecalling driver of a tour bus in Dunhuang): if people can change something , they will do it then. And if they can not - as today - then is there just nothing to do: Andreas must take today a 4-hour journey, because it is not possible in this 100 000 people- strong "village" with several banks to get money from an ATM or to change other currency. Although all signs and imprints say that you can : the labels are just not an information for Westerners, but to spice up their reputation between the native population. Our 4 -star hotel has boards which say that you can pay with credit card as also change money. But it is just a facade - you just can not. There are similar examples to hundreds.
Facades and to masquerade as someone - the Chinese love it: People dress up and then play to be someone else for a moment. At least until the photo is shot. Tourist haunted places are equipped with all necessary props : On the northern hill overlooking the old kings Palace in Beijing, you can wrap yourself in emperors and queen costume and be then for a few minutes one of the great ancestors . From the massive sand dunes at Dunhuang desert a Dysneyland was conjured just as in the "Grasslands", already on the way to the Tibetan plateau in the vicinity of Xiahe , where you can play for a few hours nomad or riding like Genghis Khan. And otherwise there are no limits for the phantasy . Want to try how it feels to be someone else is a beautiful gesture by itself. But to look behind the mask is, however, strictly prohibited in cultural terms. One can - and then is surprised to find the same hardships, the same aspirations and concerns within the souls as in other cultures also. But may never be shown.
Anyway - the photography thing. And tourist groups. On the page about Huangshuan I go more detailed on that point, along with my discovery how Dante would have described Chinese's heaven and Chinese hell. The blindness of the people for their country and the absolute nature in the appearance of their own stature is the ground where those flowers grow to which this separate page has been created.
While the people themselves - especially in rural regions - are really very friendly and helpful, curious and really glad and proud, for example when they understood the gestures of the foreigners correctly and selected the right fruits in the right amount. The English-speaking students a real joy , but may be you can not necessarily say the same of their government or administration. The Political slogan (correct: the facade ... ) says: Strangers are welcome, we are an open country , where everyone can go and see what he wants, limits are for your own protection . All official signs such as street names , toilet signs and so on are also written in English - also in the province. The people on the street react mostly friendly and curious on us - especially in the regions where there seem to be no other Westerners: and we have been quite a while in such areas. The regulations behind it speak another language, but you usually do not see this as long as you are " Normalo tourist", guided within the ordinary Socialist High-speed mass method of the characteristic Chinese Mass tourism, in which they pass through the country and its highlights. And exactly here lies obviously the danger posed by normal blogging and writing tourists , even if they mainly care about culture and landscape : they could possibly see independently and think and take conclusions about things they really should not see or grasp . Because we remember : dressing up and playing is beautiful and fun. But how it looks there behind that you should not see - not only as a stranger - maybe it's for the Chinese themselves not to endure what they find?

During the weeks that we are in the country, China for us started to look more and more like a big playground of the world history: where people let off steam with have nothing and no one but themselves in their mind. Anyone who reads the accompanying China pages in this website as well as the Chinese newspapers itself, can note a subject that always attracts the entries and stories: it is in utter ruthlessness , but with the face as if the culprit didn´t do anything, didn´t shove, push, jostle . Whether it is elongated and thus poisoned milk powder (and that happens in the kids doting China!), Poison in toys or the flesh of dead (because previously diseased) pigs - which meat could be infiltrated by a gang back in the food cycle ( - recently they got hauled up and since then the farmers through out of lack of other possibilities their dead pigs in the Yangtsee ... - anywhere , only one thing , namely the own profit and the own advancement counts.  Children happened to get injured by a car - but both, car and pedestrians left the scene - and nobody helps. That incident impulsatd whithin China itself  adiscussion about the state of ethics in society. ( China's courts may get - depending on how influential an offender is - sometimes even rigid . In a case is a culprit hanged ( http://edition.cnn.com/2013 / 09/25/world/asia/china-baby-murder/index.html ) , in another case, first time nothing happens , because the villain is the son of the local police chief - but he expressed clearly enough on the spot of the accident - where somebody died: "Sue me if you dare - I am the son of... " who he was ( http://www.globaltimes.cn/china/society/2011-01/618824.html or http://www.bbc.co.uk/ . news/mobile/world-asia-pacific-12317756 ) . Children and women are kidnapped and sold to the rural population who can afford it: there is a strong preference to boys in rural areas. But exactly for this reason not all men can find a woman : . . , there are simply not enough. So you can buy one from which you just know that she was kidnapped and stolen (cost just under € 10,000 ). China daily says that in 2011 13,000 children and 23,000 women were freed from the police - and so that's just the tip of the iceberg ( http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-09/28/content_17001616.htm ) . In the north of Vietnam is also widely poached , the market appears to be large. In the headlines recently was the case of a little boy who was attacked and his eyes - or parts thereof - transplanted for another receiver, and were taken from the child which will last the boy blind for lifetime.


Over the days, a structure shows in my attempts to get into my mail account:
The first time it works - and I can stay there, no matter how long. But from there on the new access is blocked and another login is not possible ( your Internet connection has been reset ). Log in will also be allowed only if the computer may save email and password - otherwise nothing works .
After about 3 weeks , the situation calmed down so far that I can enter several times in succession in my email accounts again. However, it is also the only of limited duration: the hotel in Beijing, from where I write these lines in late September , gives an excellent internet connection with which I can even download movies from the German libraries. Only - my two email accounts can not be opened , neither the Gmx nor my own website account. The reason remains unclear, but it is such a strong slowdown in the connection - and only noticeable on these pages that the server - either will not let me login or content may not be displayed ( your Internet connection was reset ... ) . All that is beyond any probability to appear as random. After I 've struggled for days with this problem, I am so annoyed that I want to have all these Chinese hackers idiots only in hell: what's the point - and what a perversity : traveling guests to cut off communication? Secretly, I wish to get face to face to  the Chinese leaders who is responsible for the people which causes such stuff: I really would like to talk to him. Presumably, however, I have no chance with this.


China - or has it been the NSA ?

And of course I must say: For quite a while I could not be sure that now specially China has hacked my computer. Also the NSA is at the moment great just to do as it pleases . While I write this words, the partner from the Guardian journalist from Brazil ( Snowden revelations ) was held by force in London and had to give all his electronic devices in - the whole thing under the Patriot Act, which was made for terrorists. The Guardian in turn was forced to destroy its hard drives in the basement because the journal did not want to give out information. Sais this: the secret services have gone to war with its citizens - who does not submit , gets destroyed.
OK - But: why should the NSA hack my laptop ? Because a VPN tunnel that allows logging into Facebook ? Can the NSA hack and observe like this in China at all?
The matter gets yet another unexpected turn. In the moment when we realized that the computer was hacked and destroyed itself , I write to a friend about this matter: I describe my thoughts and the possible cause of such hacks and ask for advice and help concerning my way forward and my travel with the eurythmy. Because that is in its entirety with the additional costs now at stake: The laptop can´t be set up new in China expected, especially not with an German or English operating system . Buy a new laptop - all are Chinese speaking and have the wrong keyboard. They are also equipped with a monitoring software which I definitely do not need on the long run. Shall I fly home and use present device with a new hard drive, install the new programs which are also at home? Besides the fact that all my work is just blocked , the damage including the loss of earnings amounts to an average 4- digit range. Very well, then. This friend of mine is reading this my email which have been sent from a hotel PC, and she too is reading them not on her regular PC but on a laptop on vacation. As she later comes home, also her computer is hacked, apparently with the same symptoms that I had, too. --- Shocking question:  How likely is such a coincidence?

Basically, there are two possibilities here : either we are in the same distributors who did send out this virus - then even more people in our environment beginning with the end of July should be cornered with the total loss of PCs and the whole thing has nothing to do with us. Or, quite sinister: my mails are scanned and the recipient's regular IP address (there lists for that, says Andreas ) got hacked, too - as a precaution . That the beneficiary is on vacation, makes at least possible that he reads my emails before his pc gives up the spirits.


And now: why?

When asked why a superpower should bother with shooting down the computers of traveling eurythmists, Andreas said with a grin : "I suppose there is a right-wing directed Eurythmy fraction, which is fundamentally against the use of PCs and therefore cuts in at a central location as a prevention to use them " . Well then ...


In the meantime I did reach Hong Kong. And I will see what happens when I will upload this story. If there is another gap in my reporting's and travel blogging, then you know, what did happen.

Also in the meantime, I have my site at least partially enriched with the travelogues from China. They are, however, all still only available in German language and awaiting translation. I hope to do this in the coming days.
Well - and then there's the bottom line . This chapters might will have to be revised again , because the impressions show from Hong Kong (where 95% Chinese live) , how extensive the development and expression of personality depends on education and environment .