{"id":7708,"date":"2017-06-01T11:25:44","date_gmt":"2017-06-01T11:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/2017\/06\/column-538-more-darts-wanderlust\/"},"modified":"2017-06-01T11:25:44","modified_gmt":"2017-06-01T11:25:44","slug":"column-538-more-darts-wanderlust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/2017\/06\/column-538-more-darts-wanderlust\/","title":{"rendered":"Column #538 More Darts Wanderlust"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thursday, June 1, 2017
\nColumn 538
\nMore Darts Wanderlust<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNow when I was a little chap,\u201d recalled Joseph Conrad at the beginning of Heart of Darkness<\/em>, \u201cI had a passion for maps. I would look for hours at South America, or Africa, or Australia, and lose myself in all the glories of exploration. At that time there were many blank spaces on the earth, and when I saw one that looked particularly inviting on a map (but they all look that) I would put my finger on it and say, \u2018When I grow up I will go there.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

I was the same way as a boy. I think the Old Dart Coach, Howie Reed, must have also been. I don\u2019t know what sparked his wanderlust but I remember the moment I knew I would travel to faraway places.<\/p>\n

My parents and some friends (they called themselves the Drink, Dance, Drink Club) had been out partying, as they often did in those days. They were their own little Rat Pack.<\/p>\n

Chubby Checker had just burst onto the scene. I remember my mom and dad practicing the Twist barefoot in our living room with towels, like they were drying their backs after a swim, as they also pantomimed tamping out cigarette butts with the tip and heel of their toe. It was funny to watch. But it\u2019s sad to remember. Those were good days, so long before both my parents passed.<\/p>\n

The next morning there were little presents on the kitchen counter for my siblings and me \u2013 small umbrellas from some of my parent\u2019s drinks. I don\u2019t know what my brother did with his. Probably he taped it to a frog or a snake and set it on fire. Surely my sister saved hers and probably still has it. Girls are like that. Not me. I did with my little parasol just what in later years I did with a golf ball (after I peeled off the rubber bands inside and punctured the rubber bit in the center it squirted something horrible into my eye), small tape recorder, cassette player and most recently my Blackberry. I took it apart.<\/p>\n

As I began to investigate the handle I found that it wasn\u2019t a small piece of wood or toothpick as it appeared. No, it was mysterious. It was a small, tightly rolled piece of paper. I began to pick away at it, got a hold of a small edge and started to pull, ever so gently. As I unraveled the handle, careful to not tear it, alien writing began to appear \u2013 sort of like hieroglyphics\u2026<\/p>\n

There was a message! I had discovered something! I went running to my mother\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was made in China,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s<\/em> when I knew, as Joseph Conrad once did, \u201cWhen I grow up I will go there.\u201d<\/p>\n

I collected stamps. I remember the ones from Sri Lanka and Monaco were bright and colorful \u2013 and triangular. I sent away for travel brochures. I was the best in my class at memorizing the capitals of countries. I\u2019m still pretty good when this category pops up on Jeopardy. I read about all the old explorers, the Mayans and Incas, tales of pirates, ancient grave robbers and cannibals. I still have my old copy of Heart of Darkness<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Eventually I began to realize my childhood dream. I began to travel the world.<\/p>\n

The Old Dart Coach has traveled too. I know he\u2019s been to Bangkok, where I was as I began to draft this. He was here just a few months ago and substituted for a couple of league teams, as did I recently. I\u2019m told he got whooped. I did too.<\/p>\n

I wonder if he\u2019s been to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel? I wonder if he\u2019s checked to see if there\u2019s a dartboard on the wall in the Author\u2019s Lounge in the old wing or in the famous Bamboo Bar in the main wing? I don\u2019t know…<\/p>\n

But I have and as I write now I can assure you \u2013 as spectacular as it would have been to walk to and from the line in the footsteps of history \u2013 in either of these two of the most historic bars in the world, there is not a dartboard to be found anywhere among the fancy white rattan (in the Author\u2019s Lounge) or rich teak furnishings (of the Bamboo Bar). What a shame.<\/p>\n

Still, the Oriental is a place of marvel. Nestled under tall and shady trees against the bank of the meandering Chao Phraya River, for years the hotel has been rated among the top in the world (from 1981 through 1990 it was rated number one). Opened in 1876, it counts among its guests the likes of Neil Armstrong, Lauren Bacall, George Bush, Jacques Chirac, Sean Connery, Mick Jagger, Henry Kissinger, Helmut Kohl, David Beckham, Sophia Loren, Richard Nixon, Pel\u00e9, Queen Sofia of Spain, Princess Diana and Prince Charles, Omar Sharif, Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson.<\/p>\n

The aptly named Author\u2019s Wing has suites named for esteemed authors such as Somerset Maugham, Graham Green, Noel Coward, James Mitchner and of course Joseph Conrad. That\u2019s the suite where I holed up. The reason should be obvious. My guess is the Old Dart Coach, world renowned boxing journalist that he has long been, would choose the Ernest Hemingway Suite, but there isn\u2019t one.<\/p>\n

The heart of the darts scene has been in the Sukhumvit, Soi 22-24 area of the city, mainly around Queen\u2019s Park Plaza and Washington Square. But times are changing. Rents are increasing, development (which has begun and supposedly will convert the entire Washington Square area into the tallest high rise in Bangkok) is encroaching and the cozy old-time darts bars are closing down or relocating.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not all bad news, not by a long shot. Thank Vichai Govindani for that.<\/p>\n

Friend of the legends, fond of the ladies and bearer of as much jewelry as Bobby George, Govindani has been the main darts macher<\/em> throughout all Thailand since the 1970s. A couple of years ago, he opened a terrific new establishment called the Singha Darts Club on Asok Road. It\u2019s currently (and certain to remain for a long time) the top place to throw in the city. It\u2019s a damn nice joint. I say this not only because the other night I missed the bull by a whisker to finish 164. I couldn’t be disappointed though since I was actually sitting on 154.<\/p>\n

For many years, there was a divide between Govindani and some of his crew \u2013 the best of the players in the country and some of the best in the region \u2013 and ex-pat newcomers like Johnny Witkowski and Keiran Brown (who deserve credit for encouraging an influx of new blood, and foreigners, into the sport). Just as the Japanese karaoke bars here often deny entry to the Thais, or anyone who is not Japanese for that matter, for many years the Thai players and those who were not rarely welcomed each other in their pubs.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s changing too. And as much as anything it\u2019s a tribute to Govindani. He\u2019s become a mellow fellow. It wasn\u2019t always so. Once years ago at the Pattaya Open the Old Dart Coach himself \u2013 calm, cool and collected as he always is \u2013 threw an uppercut that sent Govindani flying off the stage.<\/p>\n

As Howie put it, \u201cI was younger then.\u201d But yes, even that\u2019s changing.<\/p>\n

What remains the same for both Howie and me is our passion for the sport of darts, unbridled wanderlust, and energy to share the wide world of darts with you. So stay tuned. We ain\u2019t goin\u2019 anywhere but everywhere.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s right here.<\/p>\n

From the Field,<\/p>\n

Dartoid<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cNow when I was a little chap,\u201d recalled Joseph Conrad at the beginning of Heart of Darkness, \u201cI had a passion for maps. I would look for hours at South America, or Africa, or Australia, and lose myself in all the glories of 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His writing offers vibrant commentary on the competitive darts landscape, including players, organizations, tournaments and the sport's unique culture. Dartoid's articles are highly regarded among darts enthusiasts, solidifying his role as a pivotal figure in promoting and documenting darts as both a recreational pastime and professional sport."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7708"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7708\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7708"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=7708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}