Viviana with tuk-tuk
I’m proud to announce that Thailand was the 119th country that I have performed in. I had such an INCREDIBLE time in Bangkok. WOW!!! What an amazing city! I was so well received and taken care by Mr. Mongkol who graciously picked me up at the airport with his lovely wife, Dao. He had me staying in an amazing 5 star hotel that had an ice bar downstairs… in the middle of Bangkok! I was honored to be invited and to attend a very special dinner hosted by the Ambassador of Chile to Thailand, Javier Becker. He and the Deputy Head of Mission, Gabriel Jara came to my concert, too. It is as a result of meeting these two gentlemen that there is talk of a possible Grand Asian Tour 2012 sponsored by the Government of Chile. I will keep you posted as details evolve.
From the river
I was there during the flooding which was sadly affecting the suburbs of Bangkok. One evening while driving back from a rehearsal with my pianist, I saw waters that would have come just below my knee had I been walking. I was in a car and praying that the car would not stall. I took a small ferry to go see the Grand Palace where again, I saw a lot of the affected areas. As usual, it was mainly the lower income houses that were falling into the river. The high rise buildings and majestic hotels seemed untouched by the rising waters.
Flooding in Bangkok
The Bangkok Post gave me a nice write-up. I presented a masterclass and played a concert with pianist Sun Hee Kim at the Goethe Institute that was sponsored in part by Altus Flutes both of which were fruitful. But most of all, I have to admit, were the $10 massages that I was treating myself to every day. I highly recommend a nail, pedicure and one of those famous Thai massages at Burberri Hair and Nail Salon in Silom near the Holiday Inn. In fact, my last day in Bangkok I got 4 hours of treatments there. I was in heaven!
Deputy Head of Mission from Chile in Thailand, Gabriel Jara
With Chilean Ambassador to Thailand, Javier Becker
Thai Students after performance
