090115 Farewell party, Free Thai and Western Buffet

Ya' all come. This Sunday, January 18, 7 p.m. at the

The Toon Army Bar (formerly Ned's Bar).

Free buffet of Thai and Western foods.

First drink: Buy one, get one free.
Coyote dancers and pool tournament.

It's just a city block from the fair

2009 Sakon Nakhon Red Cross Fair has started

They are still setting up for the fair which starts officially tomorrow.
Furniture for sale is being assembled and varnished, food, clothing and plants stalls are already doing brisk business.





Motorcycles, to be raffled off are located in the Governors residence compound, located next to the fair grounds.

Twelve days of fun and entertainment

Eating Thai

From the very first moment I tasted Thai food it became one of my favorites, right after potato pancakes, sauerbraten, turkey and chocolate.

My favorite Thai dining experiences are family and friends gatherings where family members contribute to the meal and thus a large variety.

Of course there are also some Thai foods I tend to shy away from.

• I'm not much of a Thai Chili fan. When it makes me want to reach for a garden hose I draw the line.
  
• Dead fried bugs, even though very rich in protein, is another menu item I can do without.
• Dogs, cats, rodents,sparrows, thank you, but no

A repeated dining experience I really do enjoy is the Neighbor Meal Exchange.

For as long as I have lived here, we've been exchanging meals with the neighbors.

Quite simply, if either of us does some home cooking, we exchange meals.

Yesterdays lunch offering from my neighbors.  Medium spicy, delicious.

The bowl was returned that evening filled with a sampling of our evening meal.

The neighbors loved it.

Slow down on Highway 22 near Chiang Khrua

If you look at a satellite image of highway 22, leaving Sakon Nakhon, the highway is in a straight direction.

• Along the way during early morning hours you may well have slow down or come to a stop as cows and buffaloes cross highways.

• There are unmarked school crossings along the way, slow moving farm tractors with trailers and plenty of 'appearing out of nowhere motorcycles.'

• Then you approach two east bends in the road, slow down, expect anything, even airborne cars.

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2006, 09/11 We were returning to Sakon Nakhon

A pickup truck was entering the highway from the Saint Micheal's monument.
Approaching from my opposite direction was a fast moving car making the turn in the road.

Impact...

The fast moving car went airborne. Before me I momentarily saw a brand new undercarriage of the car moving to a closeup view.

Then the car lost forward momentum and made a touchdown 10 meters in front of me, made a sharp turn, flipped into a ditch, still airborne,came out of the ditch, did a 360 and slammed to the ground.

Two rear tires bounced into the air and landed side by side in front of the car.




Within moments after the accident the car driver was on the phone to emergency services.
Really amazing was the fact that emergency fire and rescue services arrived in under five minutes. Luckily their only job was to clear debris from the street



The truck suffered some front end damage, but was still drivable.

Chiang Khrua and other nearby pottery villages

Preamble:
I promised some information about pottery villages in the region.
Unfortunately I had been under the weather, so was not able to make the trip myself.
Next best thing, I handed my camera to ace reporter Dee, along with "oil" money and instructions.

Nearing Chiang Khrua, there are a number of temples and churches along the highway worth a stopover.

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Wat Pho Chai Chiang Khruea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saint Michael



Also worth a stopover is a park along the north of Nong Hahn lake

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Pottery is made in numerous villages in the area to help farmers earn extra income.
If you have the time, I recommend exploring other nearby villages.

See all photo's of this excursion at 090113 Pottery Trip 1/13/09 4:51 PM

090113 Ned's Bar Sold

Ned's bar is in the process of being sold.
The Toon Army Bar will reopen under new management by Graham, after a one week face lift closure.

The Toon Army Refers to fans and supporters of Newcastle United Football.
Graham has extensive training and experience as a chef and plans to have a menu of both Thai and Western delicacies.

SNO update

• Sakon Nakhon Lady Boy Competition, Location Golden Pond (January 15 + 16)

• Red Cross Fair February 16 through 27, (Dates Unconfirmed)

• Thai Meteorological Department Weather Alert: Cold pressure from the North causes temperatures to drop. Windy, isolated frost on mountain tops through January 15

It's shivering cold

At 7 C or 45 F, you're probably thinking it's t-shirt weather, spring in your neighborhood.

Not around here where the average temperature is in the high eighties and mid nineties, it just feels like frostbite weather.

Observing locals, you'd think we were at the North Pole. Parkas, lined jackets, even two pair of pants are the typical evening wear around here. In the evenings they are all huddled around the BBQ for warmth.

At my house in the early evening all the doors and windows are closed, curtains are drawn.
The heat emanating from the T.V., amplifier and other electronics provide sufficient warmth.

From the looks of things, we'll have another week of this cold weather. Then a rapid warming trend. By the end of the month daytime temperatures are forecast at 45C / 90F with nighttime temperatures at 20C / 68F.

If this trend continues, we may have an early, dry hot season.

As cold as it's been, some of my weekend visitors did jump into my pool. Just seeing them in that cold water made me shiver.

The great Hall

The cement had dried enough, ready to move in.
Moving the weight exerciser did cause me to strain my back.
It required three days bed rest to recuperate.



It took two truckloads of cement to lay the floor. Unfortunately it took a bit more of hand mixed cement to finish the job. Thus the darker spot in the floor.