Thai TV

You travel halfway around the world and you
try to avoid it...but you can't. The unmovable
force that is television. We're spending all
of our day-hours either at the beach or pool
(and getting quite red may I say...hopefully
it will eventually turn to tan) but the evenings
here are rather quiet and the television acts
like a beacon, calling to us from one side of
our bungalow. Besides International CNN, ESPN
and HBO, the rest of the dial is filled with
Thai TV. I call a couple of the channels "The
Meet and Greet Channels" because that's all there
seems to be. Someone meeting or greeting large
groups of people. At one time, some woman (I have
no idea who she was) was on three channels
simultaneously meeting three different groups of
people. In both Thailand and Belgium...Belgium?
Other times, there are lots and lots of commercials.
We think we have it bad in the US...but here ads
seem to be playing on the TV 75% of the time with
shows 25%. Not that it matters since I don't speak
Thai anyway. However, there are a lot of English
things in the ads such as addresses and phone numbers.
And...The King is everywhere and I mean everywhere.
At least his likeness. On television, there seems
to be a whole channel devoted to what the royal family
is doing and huge billboards were in Bangkok, Krabi
and even at the airport proclaiming what a cool dude
the King (who will be 80 next month) is. I think if
I stay here long enough I will be thoroughly tired
of Thai TV, but for now it's definiitely entertaining.