Friday Funnies

Hi,

Chiang Rai had another gorgeous day.  If the nights were a little warmer we might even have better temperatures in the pool, but it was still good for a workout.  Thunderstorms have been forecast, but who believes that anymore?

The ‘Zany Day’ song for this week was “Junk Food Junkie” by Larry Groce.  Time for another episode of ‘Old School Friday’.  Some of you may recognize this one from the background vocal at the beginning:  “Shoo-doo, shooby doo, shoo-doo, shooby-doo, shoo-doo, shooby-doo, shoo-doo, shooby whoa… __ __ __ __ __ __ I held you, held you tight, ‘cause I love, love you so.  Promise I’ll never let you go __ __ __ __ __ __ (__ __ __ __ __ __).” 

This will be a long weekend in Thailand.  Monday is King Chulalongkorn Day.  Also referred to as Rama V, as the fifth King in the Chakri Dynasty, he was a pivotal ruler in that he brought the Kingdom into the modern world.  His father, Rama IV, was the King that was depicted in ’The King & I’.  Rama IV was highly educated and understood the importance of the western world.  His son, Rama V was only 15 when his father died, and couldn’t take the throne until he was 20.  He traveled the world during that time and brought a new understanding of what it would take to help the country progress.  During his reign he abolished the practice of slavery, introduced a more democratic form of government, established hospitals using western medical practices and much more.  It will be interesting to see how Thailand celebrates Rama V while still mourning the death of Rama IX.

There weren’t any big adventures today since I spent the day at home.  Lisa had a lunch date at The Wanderer with our friend Tai.  I ate with Daku by my side.  

Yesterday while we were driving through town we saw a shop with a great name:  'I Love Ice Cream’.  Can’t imagine what they serve in there (555).  Kinda makes me want to stop in and check them out, even though I can’t eat the stuff.

There is a real entrepreneurial spirit here in Chiang Rai.  Every week there is a new business popping up on almost every street.  Businesses come and go pretty fast, but lately there have been some sophisticated start-ups that might break the cycle.  It doesn’t take much to start an eating establishment, so they come and go a lot.  Things like the slick looking ice-cream shop and some of the newer clothing stores seem to have a different vision.  Time will tell, but it looks like the small town vibe is slowly fading.  As long as we have the villages that surround the city, the charm will remain.

Today’s photo is a ‘Throw-Back’ to 2009.  Blue was visiting and was showing this Samlor driver a photo of himself that Blue included in his book on the Hill Tribes.  The driver was delighted and every time he saw me on the street, I’d get a big greeting.

Have a Wonderful WeekEnd.   Stay tuned for the ‘Funnies’.   This week Formula One is in Texas.  Zoom

                    Peace,

                              Danny