Another funeral

Was able to avoid attending funerals for the first 50 years of my life.
These days I receive more funeral invitations than wedding invitations.
Many Thai people seem still in their prime and die from similar causes.
Liver and kidney failure. These causes seem to come on quickly.
Many Thais still eat raw meat, and old tradition, which I suspect as the prime cause.

Warehouse shopping can be dangerous

This video clip has been shown on just about every talk show in the U.S.
It's reputed to be a vodka warehouse in Russia.

I worry about such incidents in warehouse shopping stores.
Here's proof that it's a good idea to stand back a long way when forklifts are operating.

No Flights - - Blog Improvements - - Hurrah

No Flights

Checked with Sakon Nakhon airport employees.
No one has a clue as to the who,what,where,when of flight resumption

Blog Improvements

Added pictures below the masthead.
These will change automatically every time I upload photo albums.

Hurrah

A six month old promise may become reality.
They were measuring the street this morning.
Hope the next people to show up is the paving crew.
The heavy winds in recent days blew most of the street dust into the house and up my nose.

Looking for bushes like these. Very similar to the type I had in my previous garden

Information Kiosk, Counter, Booth or...

Windy City

Internet television

If you missed your favorite show, like I did, then check the time where the show originates. Daylight savings time (summer time) ended and many clocks in the west were set back one hour.

The Halloween get-together...

...was fun. I left at 10 p.m.
I understand things got a bit ugly later in the evening.
The list of people boycotting the establishment continues to grow.

click on picture to see the album

Loi Kratong.

Visited the ceremony area earlier in the evening. But I knew it was going to be too crowded and instead spent the evening near one of the park entrances where the parade passed by. Met many friends as they entered the park. As it turned out, my Thai family was selling novelties nearby. Once I discovered them I did not have to buy 'refreshments' anymore.

This particular entrance had a steep incline and it was a bit amusing to see float vehicles rolling backwards. Luckily a policeman realized the situation and insured pedestrians were kept back until the vehicles made it up the hill.

Kids were busy examining the floats looking for coins, placed there as offerings.

Sakon Nakhon police deserve recognition for the job they were doing.
City traffic was at it's worst. It was obvious the whole city was on the move.
The men in brown did an outstanding job to keep some semblance of order.

click on the picture to see the Loi Kratong Album

It's been quite windy with dust and debris piling up in front of my driveway.
The cold season came very early this year.
My water has been off for two days. I finally checked the valves on the street.
Sure enough it was a Halloween trick. And I thought Thais did not know about such things.

Sweater weather ahead

North-North-Easterly winds are expected to cause a few cool nights, with feels-like temperatures dropping to 14 (Tues.). After a few nights of sweater weather, temperatures are forecast to return to normal. High humidity could raise feels like temperatures to near fifty degrees the following week.

The tourist are coming

While the government is painting a rosy picture:
Tourism situation improved The Nation

Foreign media tells a slightly different story



The Ultimate Thailand experience so far has not been the success story hoped for. Barely two hundred applicants. One could only hope that the the winners can put on an award winning show.

Locally there should be a noticeable influx in the coming days. Mostly returning visitors.

Thai drivers license renewal

A four hour endeavor.

Dealing with any government agency, no matter what country, requires patience. There are certain routines and procedures which must be followed
Not speaking the language is of course disadvantageous, but with the right attitude, and an understanding Thai friend, the mission can be completed.

My first visit to the drivers licensing office was as expected. We were given a list of documents required. Everything in duplicate, since I was applying for renewal of both a car and motorcycle license.

The requirement of a doctors note is a bit of a farce. I paid 60 baht for two doctors notes, indicating I am in good health. The note was signed by the receptionist, and the fact that I was standing seemed enough to certify my health. I'd been to that doctors office in the past, and I suppose you can say they had sufficient information about my health without an examination.

A document from the immigration office was also needed. This required a twenty minute waiting period while my files were being audited.

Back to the drivers testing office with all necessary documents submitted, the next step is watching a one hour traffic education video. There is both a Thai version and an English version of this film. I must admit, I did learn a few things from the film, but many times found it amusing comparing the rules on the film with actual every day experiences.

After the film was a color test and a reaction test. Explaining the procedure of the test was a bit difficult, but that was overcome with a bit of humor and the help of onlookers.

The final step is the photographing were I misunderstood instructions. The young lady motioned me to look down, which I misunderstood and slouched down. We both had a chuckle when I realized my mistake.

At times things seemed a bit unnerving to me, but every person along the process was pleasant, friendly and helpful.

A big sigh of relief when I finally had my licenses in my hand

The best place is still Home in Sakon Nakhon

No matter how well you plan a trip, you always need to make allowances for Murphy's Law.
I was a bit apprehensive when the overnight trip to Udon Thani began.

My apprehension was unwarranted, things actually worked out better than expected.
The folks who drove me to Udon went shopping with me when we arrived and took my purchases home. I avoided having to carry all that stuff on the trip home.

Stayed at the N-Dee Guest house located two blocks from the Center Plaza also two blocks from the rail station and the night market. In the evening we walked around and stopped off for a few drinks.
I had made up my mind that I wanted to eat a wiener schnitzel.
It's been a few years since I had one of those. Just as I was ready to give up on that quest, I stumbled into a German restaurant. Besides having a schnitzel, I also had Hungarian goulash.
Two cravings fulfilled in one sitting.

The next morning, the purpose of my trip, an application for a new passport.
I was a bit worried about the photograph taken in Sakon Nakhon for that purpose.
The local photographer knew exactly what was required (sizes, background, etc).



The guest house where I had spent the night also has limousine service.
A trip to Sakon Nakhon for 1,500 Baht. Another pleasant surprise since I had expected double that price.

Only unusual experience on the return trip we encountered five roadside checkpoints.
The Thai driver joked: "Police bank account is running low."
You can expect one or two road checks, five was just a bit out of the ordinary.

Of course a stopover in Phang Khon is a must for the best free range chicken and eggs.

I still haven't figured out how they put those eggs on a stick !!