Adventures In Thailand

Monday, October 28, 2013

Change

Hi,

The weekend in Chiang Rai was rather mellow. There were a few parades, lots of chanting, lots of music, tennis and racing cars. Oh, and the rain paid us a visit or two.

The 'Old School Friday' song was "Earth Angel" by The Penguins. That was a long time ago. 'Easy Monday' should be a snap: "I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me. She showed me her room, isn't it good, __ __?" Hint:

There is furniture involved.

Saturday morning as I was taking Cat to school we encountered heavy traffic on Clock Tower street. Looking ahead, I could see flags and that was our first clue that a parade was being staged. The left lane was free so I decided on an alternate route. As we got close to the corner I realized we were behind a long line of Toyota Yaris cars and that the flags all said 'Toyota'. We were in a car parade, which is pretty 'old school' if you think about it. We laughed about that and moved across town without problems.

Early Sunday morning there was chanting from the village temple. Then there was music, more chanting, a sermon, and more music. It was very nice, just a bit long. Not long after the services were over, which was after lunch, local Thai rock-style music began from the school. It lasted all day and into the evening. We mostly heard the bass drum, which played the same pattern for almost every song. Oh my. Mid-morning we drove out to Khun Gahn's house to pick up some shirts she was making for me. We haven't seen her in a long time, since she's been working on the family's pineapple farm. As we got near her street we could see a little parade staging by the side of the road. On our return the little band of children had assembled and it was too cute to pass up. Today's photo is the local 'Melodica and Drum Corps'.

There is always something brewing with government agencies in most countries. Thailand is no exception. There is a plan to put all elephant operators under the control of an agency that would examine, register, and oversee how all of the elephants are treated. The elephant operators have threatened to bring hundreds of their animals to the Bangkok area and block traffic and confront the government house. This boggles the mind just thinking about it. Hopefully, it will not come to that. At least for the sake of the elephants, who don't need to be subjected to that kind of 'city shock'.

Today Cat went to school and we hung around the house all day. Her English homework is to translate a passage from English to Thai. Guess we will be of no help on this one.

Have a Great Week.

Peace,

Danny

"Change and growth take place when
a person has risked himself and dares to
become involved with experimenting with his own life."
~Herbert Otto

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

www.gratidude.blogspot.com

Friday, October 25, 2013

Friday Funnies

Hi,

We actually had a day without rain. The yard got groomed, new things were planted, we went on a little road trip in the morning, and Thailand mourns the loss of The Supreme Patriarch.

The 'Zany Day' song was "Monster Mash" as you know. It was done by Bobby 'Boris' Pickett. 'Old School Friday' is next, with a truly old song that will bring back memories for some. For others, just some simple lyrics.

"__ __, __ __ will you be mine? My darling dear, love you all the time. I'm just a fool, a fool in love with you." Hint: This song is about an extraterrestrial being that is the object of the singers desire. Hmm.

This morning the yard crew arrived and after giving Khun Pim instructions on what we wanted done, we began the adventures of the day. Our first stop was Overbrook Hospital to get flu shots. Our good friend nurse Pay helped expedite the details of getting the medicine. While we waited, we saw our friends Nu and Nan. She was our first dentist when we got here, but her specialty is orthodontics and now she has her own clinic. Nu is part of 'The Family' that looked out for us in the beginning. We talked about their daughter, Poon Poon, who is learning to read English at age 2. After our shots it was time to hit the road.

Before getting on the highway we stopped for cookies. They were to be our payment for services at the Alternative Clinic at Mae Fah Luang University Hospital. This is the arrangement Dr. William has with the staff. He doesn't charge for chiropractic adjustments, the staff gets treats. As we walked into the building, we stopped to enjoy the hillside behind the campus.

Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara Suvadduhana Mahathera, the Supreme Patriarch of Thai Buddhism died at 100 years old. There will be a 30 day mourning period with various ceremonies and tributes throughout The Kingdom. One of the ceremonies will be seven days of chanting by 1,199 monks. It will be interesting to see what events take place in Chiang Rai.

This morning I had one of those 'trivial revelations' that just shows up when you least expect it. The two main items that are moved about the city on a daily basis are fire and ice. Fire in the form of metal containers of compressed gas for cooking, and ice to keep food fresh. Everybody that cooks on a stove uses a canister of gas to supply the flame. Small shops, restaurants and portable kitchens all use ice to keep food from spoiling. It's amazing to see the number of motorbikes moving around town with their sidecars filled with either gas cans or ice.

Even though tomorrow is Saturday here, Cat will go to school and study with her friends for most of the day. They will tackle things like biology, physics, math, and chemistry.

Have a Wonderful WeekEnd. Time for the 'Funnies'.

Peace,

Danny

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Let Go

Hi,

Chiang Rai had a combination of cloudy, sunny, stormy today. We went through it all without getting wet.

Looks like quite a few of you are getting in the spirit of things. At least you remembered this 'Zany Day' gem.

"Out of his coffin, Drac's voice did ring, seems he was troubled by just one thing. He opened the lid and shook his fist and said, 'Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist?'" It's now the mash, it's now the __ __. The __ __, and it's a graveyard smash..." Clue: I think you get the picture here. Yesterday my 'blanks' were a little off, but it didn't stop you from knowing the song.

Today our timing was perfect with regards to the water from the sky. There was another major downpour right after lunch. No problem for us since we're usually at home during that time. We are beginning to get a sense of whether it's going to rain. Lisa called it today, alerting Boot to take a raincoat when she went to lunch.

The yard crew is coming tomorrow if it's not raining. OK, that could be interesting. It can look like a beautiful morning and turn into a stormy afternoon. In the past, when it has rained while they were working, they'd just sit it out until the rain stopped. There are a series of weather fronts coming from China and we are directly in the path. At least they mostly dissipate by the time they reach us.

Last evening we kept hearing fireworks. Actually, they were big loud 'booms'. Lisa did some research and found out it was the birthday of King Chulalongkorn, also known as Rama 5. He reigned from 1868 to 1910 and became known as 'The Great Beloved King' for his many reforms and changes in The Kingdom. He was the King who essentially ended the practice of feudal slavery in Thailand. There is a lot of interesting information on the internet. From the sound of things outside, some are still celebrating.

This year the date for the annual Chiang Rai Flower Show will begin on December 20, which means we will get to go. It usually takes place while we are on our Winter Visit to the U.S. It's quite a spectacular event and you know I'll share it with you.

Cat's first day back to school was a busy one. Tonight she had homework in English and Math. Lisa helped her with some of her English. The difference in languages becomes very obvious when putting sentences together or trying to understand some concepts. Cat seemed to understand things quickly, but then she has a good tutor.

I recently posted a photo of a lunch truck that has a steady business in Chiang Rai. There is a new breed of trucks that bring a modern attitude to the whole thing. They are made from converted VW or Daihatsu vans and are very slick. Today's photo was taken in Chiang Mai, but now we have a truck like this in Chiang Rai. You can't stop progress.

Have a Thrilling Thursday.

Peace,

Danny

"When I let go of what I am,

I become what I might be.
When I let go of what I have,
I receive what I need."

~Tao Te Ching

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Giants

Hi,

Today we didn't just get rain, we got a storm. It was one of the hardest downpours in recent memory. The afternoon was full of sunshine. In the evening we saw a light show.

The 'Easy Monday' song was "Cherish" by The Association. Now it's time for a seasonal 'Zany Day' song. Have fun.

"I was working in the lab late one night, when my eyes beheld a eerie sight. For my monster on his slab began to rise and suddenly to my surprise he did __ __, he did the __ __, The __ __, it was a graveyard smash..." Hint: The doctor's son got his boogie on (555). This should be easy.

This morning Daku seemed resigned to the fact that he wasn't going out to play. Both yards were flooded and it kept on coming. I drove Lisa to a massage appointment and the streets weren't bad, but when I went back after an hour and a half, there was some flooding in a few places. We are still quite fortunate that things drain pretty quickly at our house, and the city isn't entirely flat.

Living in another country and being illiterate can have it's advantages as well as being a problem. I just realized that I don't get as annoyed by the spam text message I get because I don't know what they say. Just one of those realities that sinks in from time to time.

By the time we got up from our nap, the sun was shining and the yards were draining. The uncultivated land behind us was a mud pit, the the little farm looked pretty good. Needless to say, no one worked out there today.

Tomorrow Cat starts the second half of her junior year in high school. She has quite a busy class schedule, with English four days a week. That means we have to switch from our 'simplified' English to speaking in complete sentences and using 'all the words'. Oh, the habits one can acquire. This evening we took Cat downtown to see the Clock Tower light show. It keeps changing colors for five minutes, while music plays in the background. Here is a photo as it was glowing in the red zone.

It feels like Wacky Wednesday.

Peace,

Danny

"If I have seen farther than others,
it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants."
~Isaac Newton

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Unique

Hi,

The rainy season has returned, slightly. The month of October always has some rain days, but this is getting ridiculous. It would be nice if they were spread out through the month, but it looks like they're all coming back-to-back. Oh well.

So far, only three people have responded to the 'Easy Monday' song. The next verse begins with a word that sounds like the title. There, I said too much. "Perish is the word that more than applies to the hope in my heart each time I realize, that I am not gonna be the one to share your dreams, that I am not gonna be the one to share your schemes, that I am not gonna be the one to share what seems to be the life that you could __ as much as I do yours..." Hint: You've had your ration of hints on this one (555).

This morning we took the dogs out after the rain stopped. Daku was in good form and concentrated on getting his ball. BamBam has this thing she does that I find interesting. If a horn honks out on the street, she runs to the gate, like someone is here to see her. Hasn't happened yet, but she keeps hoping. The grass is at a length that the dogs seem to think is too long and it's their job to chop it down. Sometimes they lose focus, but then, they are dogs after all.

The grass isn't the only thing that likes to grow fast with all the rain. The banana trees also like it. Today's photo is the 'original' banana tree. You can see that it is now much taller than me and will probably consume the skyline in about a year.

This afternoon we had a visit from our friend Alan. We had a long talk about life in Thailand and quest for happiness. Hmm, sounds like a universal topic. He lives east of the city so we plan to take him on a tour of Chiang Rai so he can get to know the landmarks and places to go. That should be fun.

Cat returned from her sister's today. We spent some time making adjustments to the 'house laptop' that she will use for her schoolwork. The main thing was changing the language from English to Thai. For some strange reason, when the language was changed, certain keys on the keyboard changed function. Once we figured that out it got better. Now she can write papers, do Facebook, email, and generally access the outside world. It is a different time we live in, that's for sure.

With more rain in the forecast, we will be brave and go out into the world and do things. Yeah, that's what we'll do.

Have a Happy Tuesday.

Peace,

Danny

"Always remember that you are Unique,
just like everyone else."

~Unknown

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

Monday, October 21, 2013

Space

Hi,

When October arrived, the rain stopped. We thought the 'season' was over, but we couldn't have been more wrong. This weekend Chiang Rai got a lot of rain. Some was light and some was those big drops that smack you on the head. Fortunately, we've learned how to duck.

Only one person knew the 'Old School Friday' tune. Michael T. wrote and told me it was "Come Go With Me" by The Del Vikings. Now you know. Time for an 'Easy Monday' song, one that won't tax your brain. This song is by a six-man vocal group that brought a choral sense to pop music in the '60s. "__ is the word I use to describe, all the feelings that I have hiding here for you inside. You don't know how many times I've wished that I had told you. You don't know how many times I've wished that I could hold you. You don't know how many times I've wished that I could mold you into someone who could __ me as much as I __ you." Hint: Oh, come on now, you know this.

Saturday was cloudy and threatened to rain for most of the day. We ran errands in the morning. After lunch I took Cat to the Talat, to a spot that serves as the central depot for Song Taews (pick-up truck taxis). She went to spent the weekend at her sister's. We had rain in the afternoon and, like so many other Saturdays, it seemed to stop when it was time for Walking Street.

This year we missed the Vegetarian Festival. We knew it was going on, but didn't go anywhere that was seriously celebrating. There was an alternative menu at S&P Restaurant in Central Plaza and I have no idea what they were serving. The next big event will be Loy Kratong in November. Now that's a holiday.

Sunday evening, on our way to Art Bridge for dinner, we stopped at 9 Art Gallery to see the current exhibition. It's a group show with 5 artists. One of them we are very familiar with and it was nice to see more of his work. We were the only people in the gallery, which meant we could take our time and talk about the work.

At Art Bridge we saw a group of artists we know and had the usual warm exchange. There was a good crowd there for dinner and it's nice to see that the restaurant has established itself as a dinner destination. As we were leaving, it was apparent that it had been sprinkling while we ate. Just as we stepped out of the shelter of the building, the 'big drop' rain just seem to come out of nowhere. It rained hard until we reached Ban Mai, the village next to ours. When we got to our house it looked like it had barely rained. Once inside, the rain became heavy and we realized it had followed us home. (555)

Today's adventures included another trip to the mall, and coffee at the only Starbucks in Chiang Rai. I suppose that fact will help us remain a small town as opposed to a city. On our way home we noticed that traffic was backing up on 'our' bridge. As we got closer we realized there was a procession of monks crossing the bridge and people were slowing to take photos. We did the same. After the bridge I stopped to check out the truck they were following. It was carrying a large golden statue of a monk, probably for installation in a temple north of town. The bags they carry hold their alms bowls.

Have a Great Week.

Peace,

Danny

"Between stimulus and response, there is a space.
In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and freedom."
~Victor Frankl

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style