Thailand Tourism Revival

The latest effort to promote tourism in Thailand is

The Ultimate Thailand Experience

It's a contest for computer savvy, English speaking couples.
25 winning teams will be sent to five major tourist locations within Thailand.
If you're interested, you have 42 days to apply.
You can read the press release here.

Full details with applicants videos can be seen at
www.ultimatethailandexplorer.com/

It will be quite interesting to follow the progress.

Observations

Sakon Nakhon cable available within the city costs Bt 3,500 per year.
I just received my bill. When you pay yearly, you also get a free T-shirt.
Through my TV controls I was able to rearrange individual stations to my likings.

Many cable broadcasts are not interrupted during heavy rains.
When my satellite reception is interrupted I switch to cable.

Continue to occasionally receive the blocking message when surfing the net
Best thing when that happens, is to hit the reload button.
That seems to solve the problem.

Google translate service is quite helpful at times. At other times it's just too hilarious.
This is a translation from WaNonNiWat in Sakon Nakhon Province.

Wax Castle and Boat Racing Festival

Just received a copy of this years events schedule.
Should have the information translated later in the day and will post it on the live website.

You don't do that in Thailand

Unfamiliarity is no excuse.
Some very basic rules of etiquette can be found at sunsite.au.ac.th
These are rules any tourist should be aware of.

Appropriate clothing during Songkran should be added to the list.
Some fabrics, especially white become almost see through when wet.
Songkran is a religious festival, not a western style wet T-shirt contest.

When it comes to public behavior, Thais are extremely conservative.
This rule is even more stringent for Thai public personalities.
There was quite an uproar a few years ago when a Thai actress wore an overly revealing dress to a major public event. Now the uproar is over a Thai Boxer.

According to Worapoj Petchkoom, a Thai Olympic silver-medalist, he thought he was being paid for a fashion shoot, but wound up on the covers of a gay magazine.
It's a case of plain old stupidity, lack of management, which has him suspended from compeeting for a number of months. He's not gay! The pictures are a bit on the sensuous side, not pornographic.

If the pictures would have appeared in a fashion magazine, or a woman's magazine, I doubt there would have been any fuss at all, just a few raised eyebrows.
Read more at The Philippine Star and Outsports(photo)
The sanction seems a bit extreme. That's my opinion.

Recent Sakon Nakhon visitors

Crazy Guy on a Bike passed through Sakon Nakhon last week.You can read about his trip which started in Udon Thani at Southeast Asia in the Rainy Season. Sakon Nakhon was only a brief stopover of an itinerary which includes Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

Fireman Eric concluded his 20 day visit to Sakon Nakhon and returned to Australia. FIREMAN ERIC'S PERSPECTIVE

Housewarming, Brunch, and a HOT New Rumor

Construction on a new 3 unit shop house completed about a month ago. Time for a very traditional house blessing ceremony.
This one is within a two minute walk to my house.
Different about this ceremony from others I have experienced was a very lengthy prayer session. Nearly two hours..

A number of times I had considered a walk to the nearest family market for a shot of something. I was getting parched.

Ceremony over, the monks departed with todays donations

I was so relieved when they finally started serving food and drink

.

The courses of food and refills just kept on coming. We ran out of space at our table.

Guests were still arriving when I said my thanks and goodbyes.

For me brunch wasn't quite over.
A five minute drive, and I was seated comfortably at the MJ Majestic in front of a cool beer with new and old friends. The local third person news of the day is that there will be an immigration office opening in Sakon Nakhon soon. When this will occur is still uncertain.

UPDATE: Still in planning stage. expect this to happen in the middle of next year

I headed home when I was nearing my drinking / driving limit.

Why am I not surprised !!

Was looking around You Tube for Thailand video's.
I zeroed in on the most watched video with the Thailand title.
Of course the most watched video was a tsunami video uploaded a number of years ago.
A video uploaded this February was only trailing by 300 views.

Watched over 2 million times ...

School Dayz

Adding to my online photo album is one of my primary focuses these days. It may be the only thing I leave for posterity.The latest addition is an event which took place last year in July at S.BAC.It was teachers day.In my school days we would have called this a school assembly. But then in my days you would also not have seen performances by ladyboys. My school days where on the other side of the planet, where I experienced bamboo stick welts on the palm of my hands and on my posterior with regular frequency.
Here such events begin with Buddhist rituals, followed with lots of pomp and circumstance to honor and show recognition and respect to the royal family.

White Lightening Convoy

Also known as Whisky White, it's cheap and has the effect of white lightening.

I was served such a bottle many years ago. It's served in beer type bottles.
Thais tried to tell me to wait for a glass.
I said; "never mind I can drink from the bottle."
One beer like swig and I was chocking and looking for a fire hose.