Adventures In Thailand

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

LIfe

Hi,

Day one in America and we meet Mr. Lag head on. Before the crash we managed to get to a few of our essential stops. We also hung out with August.

The 'Easy Monday' song was "Groovin" by The Young Rascals. Once again, it's time for some 'Bad Ass Bass'.

"Dear Sir or Madame will you read my book, it took years to write will you take a look? Based on a novel by a man named Lear, and I need a job so I want to be a __ __, __ __." Hint: This should be a cinch for those familiar with the four lads from across the pond. The bass line is worth a listen.

This morning we went to S&W in Culver City for breakfast. What they brought me was enough for two people, so next time we'll split an order.

We always eat in 'sit down' restaurants in Chiang Rai, not from street vendors. It's just safer, but many people get whole meals from amazing 'mobile kitchens'.

This kitchen is attached to the motorbike. Parts of it fold up.

We had to get 'micro SIM' cards for our new phones. Oh, trying to keep up with all the changes in technology can be taxing. It all worked fine but I do have an interesting observation. In Thailand, when we had to change to the tiny SIMs, our phone providers did it for free. Today the same procedure cost $10 per phone. Same little piece of plastic.

In Chiang Rai there are pharmacy's and Boot's. Boot's is like a mini version of CVS or Rite-Aid (Sav-On or Thrifty if you're old school). Today, going into CVS was like going to a giant 'everything store'. We visit these big stores every time we come to the US, but for some reason today it looked like there was more to see. I turned on the tunnel vision and stayed focused. One could get lost in there.

Lisa went on an outing with her good friend Lisa from Nevada. They ended up at the dog park with their friend Victor, watching Lisa's little Cocker 'Keltie' play, and catching up on life things. I got a minor hair trim and hung out at the local health food store talking about Thailand.

We picked up August from school and he came and spent time with us. I ended up going to sleep, or rather passing out. Later August showed me some tricks that can be done on the Macbook that I didn't know about. He's discovered many things by reading and experimenting. He was in his world, showing me how to do this and that with a simple series of key strokes. I'll need to go over it with him again since I didn't take notes and the teacher went fast.

Tomorrow we're going to visit my mother in Altadena. We're all getting excited about the two events being held on Saturday to honor her 90th birthday. More about that later.

Looks like a Wacky Wednesday.

Peace,

Danny

"Life might be able to be understood backwards,
but it must be lived forwards."

~Unknown

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Eyes

Hi,

We, we did it. We made it to the USA and now we're settling into our little Culver City spot. This will be a quick one for obvious reasons.

It's nice to see so many of you got your groove on and responded to the song. It's an 'Easy Monday' tune for sure.

"...We'll keep on spending sunny days this way. We're gonna talk and laugh our time away. I feel it comin' closer day by day, life would be ecstasy, you and me endlessly __, on a Sunday afternoon...." Hint: What?

All of our flights left on time, which is pretty amazing. It turns out that during the course of each trip to California we use a total of eight (8) airplanes. Hmm, maybe we should just get our own (555).

After flying across the Pacific, we were put on a bus and driven around LAX. Welcome to L.A. The journey from the bus stop to the immigration basement is like walking the Green Mile. I think it's time for a train, like in Malaysia.

A little 'Goodbye Play' with Daku

We're back in the land of wide driving lanes, polite drivers, and Pollo Loco. Part of our routine after getting our rental car is stopping at Pollo Loco and picking up some 'local' food. When we got to the house, everybody was in bed so we had to eat our chicken alone. (we usually share and talk about the trip) It's all good though. Mr. August will probably greet us in the morning before going to school, and the dogs will be in and out of the doggie door.

My clock is backwards now. The body slept on the flight like it was night time in Thailand. Now it thinks I should be awake. Tomorrow afternoon it will announce, in no uncertain terms, that it's time to sleep. Mr. Lag is so punctual.

Have a Happy Tuesday.

Peace,

Danny

"I'll do my dreaming with my eyes wide open,
and I'll do my looking back with my eyes closed."
~Tony Arata

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

Monday, May 14, 2012

Planning

Hi,

We're sitting in the airport in Taipei, Taiwan waiting for our flight to LAX. It's 8:30pm Taipei time. Our adventure began this morning at 9am when we left the house.

Looks like the 'Old School Friday' song was "Donna" by Richie Valens. Some of you should have known. Oh well, everybody can play on 'Easy Monday'. "__, on a Sunday afternoon. Really, couldn't get away too soon." Hint: That should be enough to recognize this classic. If you don't, hang on until tomorrow for more 'words'.

A few of you noticed that the photo was taken in the men's department. They also weren't exactly certain why I posted the picture. Men's fashion on a female mannequin, somebody pulled a fast one. (555)

High above the clouds as we left Bangkok for Taipei.

The highlight of our weekend was seeing the production of "Driving Miss Daisy" on Saturday night. The cast of three put on a great performance. Our friend Jaffee saved us seats in the front row and when the play started it felt like we were in the car. We got used to it after a few minutes. The director and lead character, the driver, is an accomplished actor/teacher from Chicago who now lives in Chiang Mai. He is also the founder of the theater company. After the show there was a big buffet dinner. We saw lots of people we knew and, as always, met more potential new friends.

Earlier in the day we had a visit from Johan. He hadn't been to the house in a long time and after he checked the pool we had a really nice visit. We found out that the big storm last week flooded our 'pump room', which is a pit behind the pool. The secondary pump that is supposed to prevent flooding didn't do its job and the main pump drowned. It will be fixed by the time we get home so we only lost a couple of days of swimming.

On Sunday Lisa had lunch with our friend Sutheera. We were going to go to the the Night Bazaar for dinner but after a late afternoon shower we decided to stay home. We watched a very exciting Formula One GP from Spain and then baked cookies for the trip.

This morning we got up early, finished packing, played with the dogs, and had everything ready to go when our friend Chalit arrived to drive us to the airport. This time the only thing we forgot was sunglasses, as far as we know. Hmm, getting better at this travel thing. This is our 10th trip since we've been living here.

Have a Great Week.

Peace,

Danny

"Whatever you're thinking about is literally like planning a future event.
When you're worrying, you are planning. When you're appreciating you are
planning...What are you planning?"
~Abraham

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

Friday, May 11, 2012

Friday Funnies

Hi,

After an evening of light rain, Chiang Rai had a mostly sunny day. Two more days and we fly to America. Time to get packing.

Only a few people knew that the 'Bad Ass Bass' song was "Roundabout" by Yes. Hmm, now you know. It's time for 'Old School Friday' and this should bring a flood of mail: "I had a girl, __ was her name. Since she left me, I've never been the same. 'Cause I love my girl, __ where can you be? Where can you be?" Hint: It reached #2 on the Pop charts in 1958, and the song really was about his girlfriend. Oh, the one word title is her name. This is an easy one.

This morning we went to Makro for some last minute supplies before we leave town. As we were leaving we saw a giant garbage truck. We usually only see small trucks that are basically like a water tanker with an opening for trash. This was a big city truck, complete with three guys sitting on top, sorting through some trash. There is something a little unsettling about people sitting on top of trucks while they move down the highway.

This afternoon I drove out to New Life Foundation. Every week I notice the progress on different building sites and the signs of more projects. The area east of Chiang Rai is developing rapidly. There are still plenty of rice fields and open spaces so it doesn't feel like it's going to fill in soon. From the looks of things, hauling dirt to fill in sunken lots is big business.

By mid-afternoon the sky was looking like it always looks lately: threatening rain. We made a dash for the pool and got our swimming in and then kept an eye on the sky. We had plans to go to the Night Bazaar and rain would spoil that. After dinner things looked better so we went downtown. Everyone at the Night Bazaar was putting up plastic over their tables just in case.

I snapped this photo in Robinson. Notice anything unusual?

Those little flying ant things that I told you about are a delicacy here. People collect them, fry them up and eat them. Oh my.

Yesterday we bought new toothbrushes. It struck me as odd that they are called a 'toothbrush' but they actually brush teeth. Why aren't they called 'teethbrushes'? I'm just sayin'.

Have a Wonderful WeekEnd. Time for a 'Funny'.

Peace,

Danny

The Auction

At an auction, the man's eye caught sight of the most beautiful parrot he had ever seen. Determined to have the bird, he began bidding. Each time he bid, someone out-bid him. Higher and higher the bidding went until finally, he won the bird.

As he was paying the auctioneer for the parrot, he commented, "I certainly hope this parrot can talk. After what I'm paying for him, I would hate to find that he can't."

"Talk? Don't worry sir, he can talk," replied the auctioneer. "Who do you think kept bidding against you?"

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

Thursday, May 10, 2012

World

Hi,

Today we had hazy sunshine. We recovered from the storm and took care of more business. We're still living with lists so there's always something to be done. Flight time will mark the beginning of a brief vacation.

Just so you know, someone wrote in with the correct answer. My good friend Seth knew the song. Who else knows?

"...In and around the lake, mountains come out of the sky and they stand there. One mile over we'll be there and we'll see you. Ten true summers we'll be there and laughing too. Twenty-four before my love you'll see, I'll be there with you. (intricate musical passage)... I'll be the __ ." Hint: If someone asks if this group can play, the answer could never be maybe, is always in the affirmative. The title refers to a road structure that began across the pond and is now seen around the world. One can get stuck in it if not careful.

This morning all the towels got washed and Boot and Tuen cleaned up the debris in the yard. The day was warm and very humid but it was not raining. We even had a chance to go for a swim this afternoon. The water was much cooler than it had been, but we didn't mind. Near the end of our swim a large plume of dark sky blocked the sun. That meant only one thing: storm coming. The rain arrived at dinner time on a mild wind. The wind died down and we've had steady, light rain all evening. So far, that's a relief.

We went back to Big C today to get veggies and stuff. Having thoughts about the trip to the U.S. brings up differences from time to time. Here in Chiang Rai, fresh produce is weighed and priced by a clerk in that department. Some things come packaged and priced, but most things are in bins so you can decide how much you want. When you get to the check-out counter all the checker has to do is scan the produce. They don't have to memorize codes or refer to a book. It makes that part of the process go much faster. Hmm.

Doing Business the Old Fashion Way in the Market

Saturday we're going to The Legend Resort here in town, for a production of "Driving Miss Daisy". It will be performed by an acting group from Chiang Mai. This should be very interesting from a cultural standpoint, considering the subject matter. Today we were wondering just who will play the driver? Time for another 'Hmm'.

Have a Thrilling Thursday.

Peace,

Danny

"You can make your world so much larger simply by acknowledging everyone else's."

~Jeanne Marie Laskas

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Shame

Hi,

Today has been a very full day. The annual Plowing Ceremony, a visit to the vet, and the 'Storm of the Century'.

That 'Easy Monday' song was "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry. For 'Bad Ass Bass' we go to the 70s, and this:

"I'll be the __, the words will make you out 'n' out. I'll spend the day your way... Call it morning driving through the sound and in and out the valley..." Clue: I'd have to say that this might be a tough one and yes, a little obscure, but there's no getting around the bass line.

This morning when I went downstairs, the TV was on and it was broadcasting the Plowing Ceremony that is held this time every year. It's a major deal to find out how the coming season will be for crops. Two Royal Oxen are led up and down a 'field' in a small arena. They are preceded by a man sprinkling water in their path. There are a group of men in red costumes that attend the oxen. Once the field is plowed the oxen are presented with baskets of various grains, seeds and grasses. What they eat determines how the season will be for farmers. Today the oxen ate grass, which means there will be adequate water and a bountiful harvest. The ceremony is attended by members of the Royal Family, business leaders, farmers and monks. Check out the front page of the Bangkok Post http://www.bangkokpost.com

Daku had a play-date with Jago this morning. They had a wonderful time running, chasing, and checking out more of the yard. Jago is still a puppy and has a lot more stamina for playing than Daku. Whenever Daku would take a break, Jago would taunt him and try to get him up. Today Taht came out and watched the dogs play. He's being a little less shy and that's a good thing.

This afternoon we took BamBam to the vet to have some tests done. She drinks a lot of water during the day and we've been a little concerned that it might be an indication of something. One of the tests was negative and the other is pending. On our way to the office we saw a big police check-point that was stopping motorbikes, cars, and trucks. They were checking everything, not just helmets and the line at the pay table was long.

About 4pm the clouds got darker and we knew it was about to rain. Then, just after the rain began the wind started blowing. That meant check windows, close doors and grab a few towels. The wind reached that monsoon level and the next thing we knew, water was appearing inside the house. It was made even more intense when the power went out. Armed with flashlights, we walked up and down the hall, in and out of rooms looking for signs of water. We'd put towels down to absorb a leak and then discover another one. Then water started dripping out of the light fixtures in the hall. Oh what? It finally ended, but not until every towel in the house, and several pans were all in service. Somehow, the gap between the roof tiles has to be sealed to prevent horizontal wind from entering the house.

The Entire Front and Back Yards were Flooded by the Storm

During the course of all this drama, BamBam stayed very close. Sometimes so close that I almost tripped over her. Daku stayed with us as well, investigating everything we were doing. Now it's time to relax.

Feels like a Wacky Wednesday.

Peace,

Danny

"There is no shame in not knowing;

the shame lies in not finding out."
~Russian Proverb

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style