So, our last full day in Phuket. What to do? With the siren call of work, next week, ramping up, incrementally, we plumped for sitting and watching the sea roll in, reading. The Andaman Sea, that is:
Thai name: Thale Andaman (ทะเลอันดามัน)
Burmese name: Kappali Pinlae (ကပ္ပလီပင်လယ်)
Why Burmese name? Because the Andaman Sea, historically, was known as the Burma Sea. It is a ‘marginal sea’ of the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by the coastlines of Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The Andaman Sea has an average depth of 1,096 m (3,596 ft), and a maximum depth of 4,198 m (13,773 ft). So it’s deep!!
For context, the ‘Five Deeps’, that is, the location and depth of the deepest place in each of the world’s oceans, can be found here:
In summary:
Arctic Ocean: 5669 m
Atlantic Ocean: 8408 m
Indian Ocean: 7290 m
Pacific Ocean: 10,925 m
Southern Ocean: 7385 m
It’s a long way by boat from Myanmar to Phuket. Close to where we are staying, we are greeted daily by one of those tailors that I was probably a little dismissive of in yesterday’s post. We got talking to him earlier in the week when dropping a bag of laundry at his place. Offering a laundry facility would appear to be a good little sideline, as many places do it alongside their core business, and at a very reasonably cost. After batting off the young man’s assertions that I needed a new suit – his suits being the very best in Phuket – we had quite a lengthy conversation with him about where he originated from. His homeland is Burma 🇲🇲 and not Myanmar (now so called). He made that very clear. He managed to escape, illegally, as there is nothing there for him now – he opposed the new regime. He is a supporter of someone we have long admired, from a distance, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
အောင်ဆန်းစုကြည်
Aung San Suu Kyi won the Noble Peace Prize in 1991 “for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights”.
She led the opposition to the military junta that had ruled Burma since 1962. She was one of the founders of the National League for Democracy (NLD), and was elected secretary general of the party. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, she opposed all use of violence and called on the military leaders to hand over power to a civilian government. The aim was to establish a democratic society in which the country’s ethnic groups could cooperate in harmony.
In the election in 1990, the NLD won a clear victory, but the generals prevented the legislative assembly from convening. Instead they continued to arrest members of the opposition and refused to release Suu Kyi from house arrest.
Aung San Suu Kyi has spent the majority of her life since then either in prison on bogus charges, or under house arrest.
Returning to the young tailor, it has not escaped us that parallels may easily be drawn between his plight, and momentous life-changing decision, and all the desperate people crossing the English Channel in the hope of securing some sort of a future for themselves. High profile figures like Aung San Suu Kyi do what they do under the gaze of the World, and powerful nations and their leaders (She was a recipient of the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom). Outcomes for ordinary citizens who don’t want to toe the line dictated by repressive regimes are, well, it hardly needs spelling out.
All that said – and please don’t judge me for it – I really do not have need for or want one of his suits. To be fair to him, he seems to have given up on that too and simply greets us daily now with a warm smile, wishing us a good day. We wish him well and every success, reminded once again just how lucky we are to live where we do, for all its flaws and frustrations. Also a reminder that so far as World problems is concerned, it is never as simple as the mantra ‘Stop the Boats’ suggests. Was it ever?!
At the head of today’s post is this image:
I applied the term ‘siren call’ to that of work calling, and our imminent return to it. It’s not a perfect fit but I’m sure you will allow me a little poetic licence. In Greek mythology, sirens are female humanlike beings with alluring voices. They call sailors to their death. They appear in a scene in the Odyssey in which Odysseus saves his crew’s lives. I referred to the siren call of work, perhaps a little melodramatic? However, doing so triggered the memory that when we were in India for 4 weeks, this time last year, I fulfilled a lifetime promise that I would read Homer’s Odyssey. Times away like this are made for such things. A little self-indulgence can be so very satisfying. As I write this, my wife is having a foot massage, on the beach. Everywhere you go, here, groups of ladies offer you a massage. If there is one person I know in this world that is worthy of a little self-indulgence it is my wife. And that’s not just for tolerating me! Anyway, enough of the schmaltz.
Now there’s a word, schmaltz. Schmaltz originated in the Jewish communities of north, west, and central Europe as it was an economical replacement for olive oil that typically was not available in these areas. Cooking with schmaltz is common in Jewish cuisine because it adds a buttery richness without adding any dairy, which is critical in keeping a kosher diet. Anyway, schmalz has come to mean way too much sentimentality.
Although, it is hard not to get sentimental as we get ready for our daily sunset dip in the sea, on this our final night in Phuket. I will be sure to keep my eyes open – ears, too, indeed – for the sirens of the Andaman Sea.
As for tomorrow, it’s back to Bangkok and… One night in Bangkok!
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