Be modern in Warsaw

I'm still waiting for Dubai visa. I was supposed to fly on Saturday, but I did not get visa, so I enjoy some more time in Warsaw. Due to that I could go for a party with FS department, where I somehow joined even though I don't work with them. I just sit with them and I it is just insane what happens there. There are only women in that department, half of them mothers and the only topics are either kids (these are mothers, I very frankly like this one: "I know that you are not interested in it, but anyway I'm gonna tell you about it ") or dating (these are singles and mothers who are always interested in our dating and picking up adventures).
Party that I joined was crazy and in the end I've been back home about 6 in the morning on Saturday as with Kinga we decided that bowling and Dekada is not enough. Every party must finish in Klubo and so we did.
On Saturday we had breakfast in one of our favourite cafes in Warsaw - Cafe Szpilka - at 4 p.m. which was rather extreme, especially that we walked there, which took us about an hour, so by the time we got there we had the feeling that we could eat every item from the menu. So we were eating and reading Lonely Planet guidebooks. She was reading about Annapurna Circuit which we plan at the end of this year and I was browsing Dubai guide book. I got pretty scare when for example I read about a guy who got arrested, because he had 3 poppy seeds on his shirt which fell there from a roll that he ate at the Heathrow airport. Crazy.
To balance partying and culture on Sunday we went to National Museum in Warsaw for an exhibition "Chcemy być nowocześni" (We want to be modern) which is exhibition of ca 180 objects from the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw, featuring the most important examples of Polish design, rarely seen in the West. It  presents one of the most exciting periods of Polish design, between the political thaw of 1955 and the social changes brought in 1968.
It was really cool. Even for a person like me, who is completely non artistic it was fun to see objects which once were in use (and prolly still are in some households) and you could buy them in the store and we even had some of them at home and now they are on display in museum.
We went with the flow and saw one more exhibition: "Wzornictwo za 4 złote" (1 euro design) in Institute of Industrial Design. The exhibition presents 63 not expensive designer products. It aims at refuting the myth that design has to be expensive and impossible to attain, at showing that an object may be designed nicely and professionally, and still be available for everybody. The title 1 Euro is a symbolic price: the exhibition present the cheapest products for their type, well-designed and available for all.
It felt almost like that weekend last year, also in February, that we've spent in Munich and Ingolstadt and in Munich we saw Pinakothek der Moderne and Museum Brandhorst.

On the way to the museum. Billboard advertising the exhibition.

In the Museum. We want to be modern.

Fan. I still remember one like this, but yellow.

Cutlery, pots and ashtray designed for LOT (Polish airlines)

Design on fabrics

My favourite one, called Panny (Ladies)

 

Warsaw. In the right corner there is Palace of Culture and Science, on the left hand side you can see palm on de Gaulle roundabout.

 

1 euro design exhibition

Long way to Bangkok

After I've returned from The Loop, I had in mind one extra day in Tha Khaek, just to chill out and relax. In fact it was quite tiring experience, even though very cool.
But as plans usually don't turn into actions or turn into completely different actions I've decided to go now. I've found out that there are usually night buses to Bangkok so if I stay one day in Tha Khaek and than cross the border and wait another day for a bus it makes no sense, so I should be going now. And this is what I did. Just packed my stuff, told at the reception desk, that I'm so sorry for late check out and went to catch ferry via Mekong to Nakhom Phanom. So I did, left Laos, got to the Thai border and this is where the adventure begins.
In Nakhom Phanom they would tell me that they cannot give me visa on arrival. And they would never explain why. I dunno if they wanted me to bribe them or what, but by then it even did not come to my mind so I just went back to Laos. But strange thing is that Dutch couple that I met in GH got their visas there. So I have no clue how it works. To me they mentioned that I can get visa in Savannakhet.
Now I'm back in Laos and they want to give me new visa. But I don't want new visa, I don't want to pay another 30$ just to stay one day in Laos. So I try to explain them the whole situation. In the end I manage to do it. Guy who come to issue my visa spoke some English and he understood and told them to cancel my departure from Laos. That was so helpful.
If I can get visa in Savannakhet I have to get there first. So I took tuk-tuk to the bus station and I was lucky to catch a bus that was leaving at 4 p.m. And in Savannakhet I was lucky again to catch last bus at 7 p.m. to Mukdahan.
But my luck failed again on the border. To issue visa they had to have my ticket out of Thailand. I have one, but in my mail box. Sweet. Luckily officers were so nice that they've allowed me into their office to print ticket. I could almost see myself in Thailand. But I was too fast again.
Now what they wanted was 10000 Baht to proof that I have enough money (what's more they had to make a photocopy of my notes). In my wallet I had only 2000. So again they led me to ATM to withdraw it. I was just wondering if I have enough on my traveling Visa. I had. And I had picture to stick it to visa. Probably if I would not have it they would get really pissed of. Still I was very surprised with their patience. It would not work anywhere in Europe, not mentioning states.
They were only saying to me that next time I should not take the last bus to the border if I need to have my visa issued at the border. One of them even started nice chat with me when the other one was photocopying my passport. Asking me who I am, where do I come from, what do I do at home and in the end saying that if I was her daughter she would not let me go on my own for such a trip. But I told her that I'm adult and there is no one to forbid me anything.
They were nice, but also slow. So slow that that last bus drove away. I had to take tuk-tuk to the bus station and hope to catch any bus to Bangkok. Tuk-tuk driver was speeding like hell. Small, not skinny at all, Thai girl driving like devil. But we've made it. 20 mins before last bus was leaving. But bus was full.
The only thing I gad in my mind was: it cannot be happening. Why the hell some mystery force does everything to stop me from going to Bangkok? But I'll not be stopped. With despair I've thrown my bags on the floor and told them, that there must be a way to fit me into that bus. And there was. Again it would not be possible in Europe, but in Asia everything is possible. I was sitting with the driver on a small kinda shelf in front of the bus. But in the end, after 2 hours of drive and couple of stops I got my sit. Apparently someone did not come. Lucky me.
Lucky enough too, that I did not get robbed and made it to Khao San Road quite quickly with a motorbike driver for 160B from the Northern bus station. I think that it was good price.
In Bangkok I've met with Todd who is leaving today, I had some beauty treatments done and got invitation to the party in the most posh club in whole Thailand. Maybe that was the reason why I should not be here, but I'll find out about it tonight.

Riverside in Tha Khaek

Tha Khaek

Picture taken from Tha Khaek towards Thailand