Difficult

Hi,

Cooler weather is back in Chiang Rai. We had a quiet weekend. The street fair is over, more lights and decorations are up all over town, and I finally put more photos up on the Flickr site.

I know it was a reach, but Cousin Trudye and Frank knew it was "Young Blood" by The Coasters. And now it's time for 'Easy Monday'. It's a song by a group from the 60's who also had a song that referenced someone named Alice. "When the truth is found to be lies, and all the joy within you dies. Don't you want __ __ __...?" Clue: It poses a musical question, and statement at the same time. Hmm.

Since you have 'songs' on your mind, I have to tell you about a little something I'd like to try. Our Friday song was definitely 'Old School' R&B but it was a tough one. Lisa told me no one would know it, except 'older people'. Well, that may be true, but those were the days. So, for awhile, Friday's will be 'Old School Fridays' and I'll go into the vault and pull out some gems.

Our town is really lit up at night. Between the King's birthday this coming Saturday and some early Christmas decorations, it looks like a wonderland of tiny bulbs. Apparently any occasion is a reason to put up lights. It's fascinating that so many places put up colored lights even though it's not a holiday they celebrate. As one Thai person told us, 'It's just fun'.

Speaking of lights, tonight I saw a new twist on the use of LEDs on a vehicle. There was a row of lights on the grill of a car and they were red, white, and blue in the configuration of the Thai flag.

The street fair that I told you about is over and done. It ended last night. We've come to the conclusion that it was a neighborhood thing. It's not uncommon for a village or a neighborhood to put on a street fair for a week. It brings everyone together with a common focus: food and fun.

Today I went searching for some fine grit sandpaper. Hmm. I found it at the second hardware store. The first one was the biggest and I was sure they'd have what I needed. They have an interesting take on store promotion. At the entrance to the store, which has is entirely open on the front, they play music through big speakers and have young women in sundresses and/or disco outfits to greet the customers. I guess they figure since 90% of there customers are men, it might be an attraction. Not sure - I didn't buy anything. (Ha)
I did find the sandpaper at the next stop where it was no frills shopping. It's interesting to me that both of these stores are run by women.

Be sure and check out the new batch of pictures at the Flickr site. You can see the sights from the Doi Chaang adventure. Even the 'scary' bridge. More to come soon.

Have a Great Week.

Peace,
Danny

"Undertake something that is difficult;
it will do you good.
Unless you try to do something beyond
what you have already mastered, you will never grow."
~Ronald Osborn

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
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