Adventures In Thailand

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Sail

Hi,

Chiang Rai had a basically dry day today. There were tiny little showers, but nothing like before. I got a massage and the guest room got new lighting.

The 'Easy Monday' song was "I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash. It's time for a 'Zany Day' song and this one really fits: "Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come. Corporation tee-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday. Man, you been a naughty boy, you let your face grow long. I am the eggman, they are the eggmen. __ __ __ __, goo goo g'joob." Clue: By a group of four from across the pond, about something or someone bigger than a seal. Hmm.

While I was having my weekly massage, Khun Nung was changing the lighting in our guest room to a dimmer system. He did a great job and now there can be variations on the ambience. At the same time, the pool guys were doing their thing. It was a little busy around here.

There have been news reports about flooding in China's Yunnan Province and how dam water is being released into the Mekong River. Water levels in the area near the Golden Triangle have risen, but we are in no present danger. In our neighborhood, the Kok River is up, but that's normal for the rainy season. The bank on our side of the river is much higher than any of the rising water so we're not worried. Here's a picture of a Long-Tailed boat on 'our' river.

We had a little discussion about what really constitutes a 'sport', especially with regards to the Olympics. If it were left up to me there might be a few less events. It finally came down to this: If you don't sweat, it's not a sport. Things like air pistols, skeet shooting and archery are hard to put next to the events that require physical conditioning like track & field, football, gymnastics and such. I know, very controversial, but it's also tongue-in-cheek. I do think they need a new name for the sport they call 'hand ball'. Hand ball is the game where you bounce the small ball against a big wall. Everybody knows this. (555)

There are many things that we see on the road, traveling around town. I suppose the most disturbing thing is seeing people on motorbikes driving with one hand while holding an infant or small child in their other arm. We have to remind ourselves that this is how some folks have to get from point A to point B and they seem to manage. The same thing goes for the guys who ride on the roof of the dump truck cab as it barrels down the road. Safety does not seem to be an issue. I still wear my seatbelt/shoulder strap, and remember that I'm just a guest here.

It's time for Wacky Wednesday.

Peace,

Danny

"You can't direct the wind,

but you can adjust your sails."
~Unknown

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Remember

Hi,

It looks like we're not out of the woods (clouds) with regards to the wet weather. The sky was gloomy all day and in late afternoon it came down with gusto. On the other hand, in a few months it will be the season and we'll be wishing for rain. Hmm.

I can see by the slow response, that some of you are preoccupied with watching sports. 'Easy Monday' lives on:

"I think I can make it now, the pain is gone. All of the bad feelings have disappeared. Here is the rainbow I've been prayin' for. It's gonna be a bright...." Hint: Remember the title is in 5 words. It should be clear that it's not just about the weather.

It was a slow day around the Big Brown House. The big excitement for the day was having the electrician come over and replace a faulty socket. Tomorrow he's coming back to change the circuits in the guest room so the lights can be on a dimmer switch. Sometimes it's the little things that make all the difference. Being able to change the intensity of the lighting in a room is one of them.

Speaking of intense, there will be a five day event across the river from us starting tomorrow. It's another O.T.O.P. (One Tambon One Product) affair. It will feature vendors from various villages and districts where they concentrate on one thing and do it well. There is an area just north of us that does nothing but grow and distribute bananas. Others make products or special crafts. We're going to go again this year and check things out. Of course, this also means that we will probably have the thumping of live music every night. It's not too intrusive, but you know it's there.

Transportation in Chiang Rai includes the whole spectrum of vehicles. Everything from exotic, high-end sports cars to tricycles propelled by a hand lever. The bicycle is a widely used mode, even on busy streets. Some old-timers even take to the Super Highway to get where they want to go. Here is an example of a woman who was on a mission, on the highway.

Highway Rider

Last night we watched the final of the women's 58kg class weightlifting competition. Thailand lifters came in second and fourth. The winner lifted 304 pounds. It boggles the mind. In other sporting news, it took less than five minutes to be done with the white-water kayaking event, while skeet shooting held some strange fascination that would not let me go. I think part of it is watching people shoot into the air and only seeing pink clouds as a result of their effort. Most of the time you can't actually see the target as it flies by. Then, after the real intention settles in, the fascination leaves: It's like practice for hunting.

Have a Happy Tuesday.

Peace,

Danny

"Remember the powerful presence that you are.

Remember the powerful being that you are.
Remember the light that you are."
~Aq'naton Ben-Ish

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

Monday, July 30, 2012

Amazed

Hi,

It turns out that the weather forecast was one day off. It stormed really hard on Saturday. Sunday was much better and Monday was basically dry. Olympic fever has taken over the house and we've discovered 'new' sports.

A few of you knew the 'Old School Friday' song. It was "I'll Try Something New" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. Now get ready as we dance into 'Easy Monday'. This should be a snap for some of you. (Ha, Ha):

"__ __ __ __ __, the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind. It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright) sun-shiny day." Hint: I hope to be singing this song all week. (555)

I thought I'd share a photo of the way many here in Chiang Rai deal with the rain while riding on their motorbikes:

How's that workin' for ya?

While it was storming outside on Saturday we watched various events from the Olympics. We've been enjoying some of the preliminary rounds in some sports because we get to see countries that are not usually featured on 'prime time' broadcasts. We discovered that we like to watch team archery. Hmm, never gave it much thought before, but it was rather exciting. Another event that sucked us in was women's weightlifting. Of course, we also watched things like swimming, diving, and gymnastics. Here in South East Asia, badminton and table tennis are big so there are lots of contests being broadcast. Fortunately, all the audio feeds are from the Olympics with English commentary. If you're watching, write and tell me what your favorite sports are. Just curious.

Sunday we had our friends Justin, Lisa and their son Jack over for lunch. We always have a great time hanging with them. Justin is the General Manager of Le Meridien Hotel and Lisa is an artist. There was lots of conversation about the emerging development of Chiang Rai and all that it means culturally. Jack is four and very curious. At one point he wandered down the hall to Tatt's room and was there for a long time. Later, Tatt had me cracking up over how he had to put everything away. They were talking for a long time, but we never found out what it was about. When Jack came out he referred to Tatt as 'the little boy'.

In the evening we watched the Hungarian Grand Prix and Lisa worked on a new painting. She's been doing a series of small 'acrylic on canvas' scenes and they're beautiful.

Today began with a play-date with Jago at 7:30. Daku was very excited to see his friend and at first, neither dog could contain themselves. They were running around and into each other and just in a state of bliss. Later BamBam was brought out and at first she went into her territorial mode. After a time-out in the pen, she behaved more politely. At one point Jago came up to me and stood on his hind legs with his front paws on my chest. BamBam jumped up, came over and barked him away. She was protecting me from the strange dog in her yard. Pretty cool actually.

Later we went up to the frame factory. We thought the highway would be messy so we left a little early. The road was wide open and we were ahead of schedule so we looked for a place to get coffee. We turned onto the access road to Rachapat University and found a little shop that was just what we wanted. After our coffee we continued our journey. After we picked up Lisa's artwork we went to Makro for supplies. All signs of the celebration of last week were gone and it was business as usual. I found out that there was another observance on Saturday. It was the birthday of the Prince of Thailand. Still learning stuff.

Have a Great Week.

Peace,

Danny

"Sometimes, we just need to be amazed by the small things."

~Angela Pacheco

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

Friday, July 27, 2012

Friday Funnies

Hi,

Well, as you probably guessed by now, it's still raining. Oh my, how long? We went out and did what we had to do today in the light, never-ending rain. On my afternoon trip to the countryside I had an encounter with a herd of beasts.

The 'Zany Day' song from 1959 was "Along Came Jones" by The Coasters. Check it out on Youtube. 'Old School Friday' is up next and I'm hoping some of you might know it. "I will build you a castle with a tower so high, it reaches the moon. I'll gather melodies from the birdies that fly, and compose you a tune. I'll give you lovin' warm as Mama's oven and if that don't do then __ __ __ __." Hint: 'If at first you don't succeed..." It's by a Detroit group that was fronted by a smooth voiced male singer. It didn't sound smokey at all.

This morning we had to go to Makro. Normally, this is a 15 minute drive at most. Today it took 35 minutes because of road work and heavy traffic. It doesn't look like they'll be finished anytime soon so I have to work out an alternate route. At the store there were massive displays for various products, balloons, and a new garden at the entrance. There was a definite carnival atmosphere with food booths in the parking lot and people trying to give us free samples of this and that. Lisa asked someone what it was about and it was in honor of the Rains Retreat celebration.

This afternoon I drove out to New Life Foundation. The rain was light so the drive wasn't too bad. Along the way I saw people knee-deep in water, bending over to harvest rice in the rain. It's something I won't soon forget. On the way home traffic came to a stop while we waited for a herd of black cows to cross the road. It was a very large herd and I had a chance to take a picture. Amazing Thailand.

They had the Right of Way

According to the weather reports, tonight is supposed to be the end of the storm. Hmm, we'll see. It would be nice to have a little sun for the weekend. We're having company for lunch on Sunday and a dry yard would be nice. The dogs would also appreciate it.

Have a Wonderful WeekEnd. Enjoy the 'Funny'.

Peace,

Danny

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Practice

Hi,

Well, the big surprise of the day: drip, drip, drip. We almost stayed home all day.

Well, there are some memories out there that are still intact. I got a few responses to our 'Zany Day' song. More:

"Commercial came on, so I got up to get myself a snack. You should've seen what was going on by the time that I got back. Down in the old abandoned mine, sweet Sue was a-havin' fits. That villain said, 'Give me the deed to your ranch or I'll blow you all to bits.' And then he grabbed her (And then?) He tied her up (And then?) He lit the fuse to the dynamite (And then? And then?) And then __ __ __ ..." Hint: If you know it, you know it. Let me know.

Today it was not only drizzly, it was actually cool. The dogs were a little disappointed that they didn't get their outdoor time, but Daku had a 'training session' and that seemed to calm him down.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Buddhist Rains Retreat, also called Buddhist Lent. In the earliest centuries of Buddhism the monks would wander the countryside and forests for nine months of the year. When the monsoon season came they would stay inside the temples for the three months of the rain. This has carried down to modern times and now the monks spend nights at the temples for three months, rather than staying in villages or in homes. At Makro and at all of the little devotional supply shops, there are candles of all sizes wrapped packages with essential supplies, and garment cloth for people to purchase and then donate to the monks. The photo below was taken inside of an ancient temple in Chiang Mai. It is made of wood, which is very unusual.

We ventured outside the walls this afternoon and went into town to pay the utilities at '7'. We noticed that there are new traffic lights at one of the major intersections. I know, you're wondering why that's a big deal. Well, it's a countdown signal and the new lights are made up of much brighter lights and hopefully, with easier programming so things can be altered for the flow of traffic. One major improvement was a lower duration. Two minutes seemed way too long, so now it's 99 seconds. (555)

Have a Thrilling Thursday.

Peace,

Danny

"Peace is a practice, not a hope."

~Unknown

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Learn

Hi,

The day began with sunny, blue skies. By lunchtime is was starting to cloud up. By dinner time it was raining. That seems to be the pattern here in Chiang Rai. There is a storm that's moving down from China and it's name is Vicente. They're calling it a depression, I guess because all the rain it will bring will be depressing. (555)

'Easy Monday' slipped by a bunch of you. The song was "Laughter In The Rain" by Neil Sedaka. Oh well, the 'Zany Day' is fun even if you don't know it. Some of you may remember this 'Oldie' from the mid 60s.

"I flopped down in my easy chair and turned on channel 2. A bad gunslinger called Salty Sam was a-chasin' poor sweet Sue. He trapped her in the old sawmill and said with an evil laugh, 'If you don't give me the deed to your ranch, I'll saw you all in half'. And then he grabbed her (And then?), he tied her up (And then?), He turned on the buzz saw (And then? And then?) Ack-ack And then __ __ __..." Hint: The title is about the arrival of the hero. Hmm.

This morning I got a very relaxing massage from Khun Joy. She noted that it has been two weeks. I was surprised that it wasn't as painful. Maybe she's just a little out of practice on the deep tissue stuff, or just a little tired from all the work setting up her new place. As a result, my body was in laid-back mode for most of the day.

Daku and BamBam were quite happy that Tatt had the day off from school. It meant more time to hang out in his room. This evening, when I went to get Daku, he was lying in front of the door to the patio, watching the rain while Tatt did homework on his bed. It was a classic picture.

Our friend Natt came over to visit in the afternoon. It was nice to spend time with her. We met her right after we arrived in Chiang Rai. There was a lot of catching up on the happenings in our lives and she filled us in on her future plans. Now that we've reconnected we'll probably be seeing more of her.

One of the benefits of all the rain we've been having is the lush green that surrounds us. This is a picture from the upstairs balcony at the rear of the house showing a part of the yard. The field behind us hasn't been cultivated in a whole season and provides a wonderful 'ocean of green'.

Backyard and Beyond

Time for Wacky Wednesday.

Peace,

Danny

"When you do all the talking

you only learn what you already know."

~Unknown

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style