By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' lazy at the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say;
"Come you back, you British Soldier; come you back to Mandalay!"
Come you back to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay;
Can't you 'ear their paddles clunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!
'Er petticoat was yaller an' 'er little cap was green,
An' 'er name was Supi-Yaw-Lat jes' the same as Theebaw's Queen,
An' I seed her first a-smokin' of a whackin' white cheroot,
An' wastin' Christian kisses on an 'eathen idol's foot:
Bloomin' idol made o' mud--
Wot they called the Great Gawd Budd--
Plucky lot she cared for idols when I kissed 'er where she stud!
On the road to Mandalay ...
When the mist was on the rice-fields an' the sun was droppin' slow,
She'd git 'er little banjo an' she'd sing "Kulla-la-lo!"
With 'er arm upon my shoulder an' 'er cheek again my cheek
We useter watch the steamers an' the hathis pilin' teak.
Elephants a-piling teak
In the sludgy, squdgy creek,
Where the silence 'ung that 'eavy you was 'arf afraid to speak!
On the road to Mandalay ...
But that's all shove be'ind me -- long ago and fur away,
An' there ain't no 'buses runnin' from the Bank to Mandalay;
An' I'm learnin' 'ere in London what the ten-year soldier tells:
"If you've 'eard the East a-callin', you won't never 'eed naught else."
No! you won't 'eed nothin' else
But them spicy garlic smells,
An' the sunshine an' the palm-trees an' the tinkly temple-bells;
On the road to Mandalay ...
I am sick 'o wastin' leather on these gritty pavin'-stones,
An' the blasted English drizzle wakes the fever in my bones;
Tho' I walks with fifty 'ousemaids outer Chelsea to the Strand,
An' they talks a lot o' lovin', but wot do they understand?
Beefy face an' grubby 'and--
Law! wot do they understand?
I've a neater, sweeter maiden in a cleaner, greener land!
On the road to Mandalay . . .
Ship me somewheres east of Suez, where the best is like the worst,
Where there ain't no Ten Commandments an' a man can raise a thirst;
For the temple-bells are callin', and it's there that I would be--
By the old Moulmein Pagoda, looking lazy at the sea;
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay,
With our sick beneath the awnings when we went to Mandalay!
O the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!
This is the aftermath of my last supper in Thailand. It was at one of my favorite Isan restaurants called Rong Tiem, not far from my house. We ate Papaya Salad, Roasted Chicken, Basil Fried Beef, and Sticky Rice. I really miss this restaurant. I would go there at least once per week.
An idol of the Buddha with four faces outside of a small shopping mall in Bangkok. These are everywhere, and people pay their respects to them with garlands and by making gestures of respect toward them.
An image of the King of Thailand, who recently turned 80 years old (December 5.) You see these everywhere in Thailand, too.
The San Miguel Beer (a beer out of the Philippines) girl at a restaurant where I ate. She was quite friendly.
Frequently, when you buy a soft drink in Thailand, they give it to you in a plastic bag, just like this. There's a deposit on the bottles, so the place you buy it can keep the bottle. Soda in a bag.
The street I lived on, from in front of my house. We had a cool neighborhood that was quite friendly. Frequently, we would hear the call to prayer from a Mosque just down the road from us. There were little shops, vendors would go around selling food, and best of all, it was close to work.
The 7-11 near my house, where I would go nearly every day for provisions. My typical breakfast would include this delicious coconut yogurt that I would buy right here.
People in a park, standing at attention for the National Anthem, which plays aloud in many public places every day at 8 am and 6 pm. People stop in their tracks to salute during the National Anthem.
A cop on a segway at the Jatujak Weekend Market.
The Jatujak Weekend Market - a gigantic market in Bangkok that opens every Saturday and Sunday, and sells just about everything you could possibly think of.
