So looks like I last left off right before the movie. So after meeting the casting guy, I had to go back to Krabi and take the bus back to Khao Lak again for organization reasons. I think the total number of western extras they were bringing in was about 200. The scene we were shooting took place at the Takuapa hospital which during the actual Tsunami was the closest full service hospital to Khao Lak. When we got there we were lodged at a place where retreats are held, so although nice, we were in the middle of nowhere. Not a restaurant or bar within walking distance. So here is the day in the life of an extra: Get up at 4am, arrive at set about 5am, wait, eat , wait, wait, wait, get called on set, wait, wait, do the same meaningless action about 100 times, go back to tent, wait, wait go home at 7pm. Long days with lots of sitting around. The first day I spent a grand total of 30 minutes actually on set. But besides that, it was fun just hanging all day and getting to know all the extras. I was very lucky in that my “role” was “uninjured volunteer” so my costume consisted of a tanktop and shorts. Some of the “injured victim” extras had to go through a half hour of makeup every morning and were covered in sticky fake blood that is made from chocolate syrup and attracts flies like crazy. I was also pretty interesting to be on a movie set and just see how things are done and how much organization goes into it. If you go see the movie, I will be just behind the big climax where Ewan McGreggor reunites with his kids sitting on a scooter or in a Hospital scene when EM goes down the stairs I am coming up them. It’s kind of funny because in some of the scenes they don’t tell you where the camera is so a couple of times I am walking and am like “oh crap there’s the camera” looking right at it. The inside of the hospital scene was pretty eerie though because the makeup looked very real and people had like torn off limbs and things. I was also pretty crazy how many of the Thai extras actually lost family in the Tsunami and many were at the hospital during the actual event. Even many of the western extras were involved in the Tsunami. One girl we hung out with almost lost her foot and suffered from post traumatic stress from when the Tsunami hit Ko Phi Phi and the movie was a way of trying to add closure to it. I don’t think that would be the way I personally would seek closure. After 8 days of shooting, 1 final night of Karaoke and a little bit of cash in the pockets, I took the bus down to Kuala Lumpur again to catch my flight to Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City is a crazy place. There are absolutely no traffic laws and there are hordes of scooters everywhere. With no stoplights, you have to wade through the river of moving traffic to cross streets: defiantly an adrenaline rush. The food is amazing with street venders dishing out Vietnamese sandwiches and Pho. The French occupation did wonders for the food here because for the first time since I have been to Asia there is decent bread. Beer is also very cheap at about 80 cents for a pitcher of the Bia Hoi. I went and checked out the War museum and it was definitely an interesting experience seeing the complete opposite viewpoint of the Vietnam War and we f-ed the whole thing up pretty good. Originally I came to find a teaching job here and live here. I really like HCMC, but…I don’t want to live here. There is not a real park or quiet area in the whole city and it is just too claustrophobic for me. So the plan now is I just got offered a teaching job in Shanghai. China here I come. The job doesn’t pay a lot but I get a free apartment, low working hours, and I am right by a park and university. Now I have to make the transition from dirty, unkempt, transient traveler to respectable teacher. So I am taking the next week to head north to Hanoi and checking out Ha Long Bay while my visa is processing. Then I am taking 45 hours worth of trains through the heart of China to Shanghai. I am actually really excited about the train because I will get to see so much of the country and get a better idea about the country that still has a lot of mystery. So the plan now is to go to Shanghai, settle down for a bit, save up some money, then eventually head to India. It may be longer than I thought before I see Seattle again.
