Now, I knew it will be a difficult way to get my cat Alisha out from the Thai customs at the Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, the red shirt protest in town and the Thai New Year celebration, Songkran made this almost impossible. However I was not prepared with the inefficiency of those various departments dealing with the release of my feline friend.

At this point, before all, I would like to say a big “Thank you Emirates Airline” for letting me know at the very last minute, after having all tickets organized, that you carry cats but not a Persian cat! 24 hours before my departure I had to get the run-around to find another airline, Thai Cargo in Dubai.

Thank you my friend Philippe who graciously took care of Alisha and shipped her from Dubai to Bangkok.

Even though all the offices where closed during the New Years Celebration some of the staff where still in the offices, assisting us to our quest in getting our cat out of customs alive and in one piece, I was again not prepared for what kind of office ordeal we where subjected to for the day! At least six offices, some of them we visited twice to get all the formalities done, stamp there, more stamps here and everywhere much of talking and dealing. After four hours we finally where able to welcome Alisha in our possession again and to my surprise; she was cool like she would do this every day! Well, in her life she has been living in Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Cairo, Dubai and now Bangkok. A Persian with a truly global travel bug.

Bangkok is famous for its food and I love to explore new eateries while in town. Almost everywhere there is something to sample and one of my favorite places are the food hawker stalls a Siam Paragon. One of my dishes I tend to order is Noodle soups with pork and fish balls in a deep and flavorsome broth. For 50 Baht this can be a filling meal for the day, craving for even more!

The Songkran festival is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year’s Day from 13 to 15 April. It coincides with the New Year of many calendars of South and Southeast Asia.
The date of the festival was originally set by astrological calculation, but it is now fixed. If these days fall on a weekend, the missed days off are taken on the weekdays immediately following. If they fall in the middle of the week, many Thai take off from the previous Friday until the following Monday. Songkran falls in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season. Until 1888 the Thai New Year was the beginning of the year in Thailand; thereafter 1 April was used until 1940. 1 January is now the beginning of the year. The traditional Thai New Year has been a national holiday since then.
Songkran originally was celebrated only in the north of Thailand, and was probably brought there by the Burmese, who adapted it from the Indian Holi festival. It spread across Thailand in the mid 20th century and is now observed even in the far south. However, the most famous Songkran celebrations are still in the northern city of Chiang Mai, where it continues for six days and even longer. It has also become a party for foreigners and an additional reason for many to visit Thailand for immersion in another culture.

The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. Thais roam the streets with containers of water or water guns (sometimes mixed with mentholated talc), or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passersby. This, however, was not always the main activity of this festival. Songkran was traditionally a time to visit and pay respects to elders, including family members, friends and neighbors.
Besides the throwing of water, people celebrating Songkran may also go to a wat (Buddhist monastery) to pray and give food to monks. They may also cleanse Buddha images from household shrines as well as Buddha images at monasteries by gently pouring water mixed with a Thai fragrance over them. It is believed that doing this will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year. In many cities, such as Chiang Mai, the Buddha images from all of the city’s important monasteries are paraded through the streets so that people can toss water at them, ritually ‘bathing’ the images, as they pass by on ornately decorated floats. In northern Thailand, people may carry handfuls of sand to their neighborhood monastery in order to recompense the dirt that they have carried away on their feet during the rest of the year. The sand is then sculpted into stupa-shaped piles and decorated with colorful flags.
Some people make New Year resolutions – to refrain from bad behavior, or to do good things. Songkran is a time for cleaning and renewal. Besides washing household Buddha images, many Thais also take this opportunity to give their home a thorough cleaning.

Like for the past four years, Art Dubai is showcasing various artists from around the world and the Middle East with their creation of amazing artwork. Cruising through the exibition I wonder where is the limit of human creation.

Open to the public from Thursday, 17 March until Saturday, 20 March, Art Dubai brings together artists, gallerists, curators and collectors from around the world to experience over 80 separate exhibitions presented by leading international galleries and institutions and featuring more than 500 artists, including solo exhibitions, installations, performances, talks and screenings.
Art Dubai’s organizers are anticipating a substantial increase in its 2009 attendance figure of more than 14,000 visitors, reflecting the growing enthusiasm in the arts from all sectors of the local community, as well as a worldwide international following and a programme that is designed to appeal equally to the first time visitor as well as the seasoned art professional.
Highlights of Art Dubai include artworks created by the winners of the 2010 Abraaj Capital Art Prize. The hotly-anticipated pieces are History of a Myth: The Small Dome of the Rock by artist Kader Attia and curator Laurie Ann Farrell; Myths ‘&’ Legends Room: The Mural by artist Hala Elkoussy and curator Jelle Bouwhuis; and The Feast of the Damned by artist Marwan Sahmarani and curator Mahita El Bacha Urieta.

The event, a subsidiary of the Dubai International Finance Centre, is held in partnership with Abraaj Capital with support from Van Cleef & Arpels and Madinat Jumeirah.

John Martin, director and co-founder of Art Dubai, says: “Despite the tough economic conditions of the last 18 months, the Middle East art market has demonstrated its resilience in general and Dubai has proved its importance as the principle platform for the contemporary art market in the region.

“This year, we have 27 new galleries from diverse places such as Mexico City, Prague, Budapest and Lahore. In this fourth edition of the event, the emphasis is on solo projects rather than [being a] multi-artist [show] that stands to reflect the growing maturity of the regional art market. As collectors here become more focused and experienced in their collection, galleries are able to devote more space to artists preferred by them.

“I am delighted that this year more galleries are presenting solo shows of Arab and international masters such as Adel El Siwi and Chant Avedissian from Egypt and Indian artist M.F. Hussain and also emerging talents from places such as Palestine, Iraq, Beirut, Korea, Chile, Peru, Spain, Pakistan, Turkey and Sudan. This will give established and novice collectors a broader understanding of the artists’ oeuvre and provide greater depth to the visitor experience.

Would I be a Sheikh or own a oil field or just had a insane amount of money; I probably would stay in a Royal Suite with some good company. Perhaps not exactly 1001 nights but a couple and while doing that have a blast on the terrace and chill out, use some of the bathrooms with gold fittings and watch the bubbles-and drink French bubbles! It would be a overkill but life can be though and at times rather short. Then again; have you done anything longer than life? So why not shell out 5K for a night and spend 24 hours in a Royal Suite having a blast!?

One for the bucket list!