When will this cold spell end

I was recently asked when this cold spell will end. As if I was a soothsayer.

I took some introductory meteorological courses  in college, which classifies me as a novice in the field.

My interest in the weather at the moment:

• I'm hoping for rain so I can fill my pool, instead of having to pay for the water.

• It gets warm soon so I can use the pool.

From looking at various charts, we may see a warming trend near mid-month February.

German Kitchen in Seka

Been a few years since I took a trip to Seka.
Spent a delightful day at a very pristine lake in the area.
Had always wanted to do a rerun of a very pleasant experience.
Now I have found a reason:

"The German Kitchen"  
in Kham Ta Kla.

I know they have handcrafted sausages: "Fränkische Wurst."
Haven' seen the menu yet, but as soon as I confirm schnitzel  on the menu, I'll make travel plans.
Closed Mondays, the German Kitchen is open daily from 9 AM to 7 PM

Sakon Nakhon Red Cross Fair starts tomorrow

Many booths are still setting up, while others are already doing business

Watch out for this motorist.  He might be in the drivers seat, but the car is remote controlled

New Alcohol Law Effective February 1

The English language article appeared at NNT  concerning the new drunk driving laws               
Blood Levels can not  exceed 50 milligrams for drivers and Passengers.
Comments at Thai Visa seem to imply that there may be an error in translation.

 Thai Fighting Cock export industry in trouble... NNT

Love Google Translate

Computer generated translations really create a language all of it's own.
This translation really leaves me chuckling, (and so does the wedding picture) :

Nakhon Phanom raise young bride married two thousand ladyboys at Sakon Nakhon

Fumigating the neighborhood

I was aware of the fact that they were coming.  But I wasn't expecting 'em that early.
I had just stepped out of the shower at 7:30 AM when I heard the distinctive sound of the sprayers.

I looked out of the window, the street near my residence seemed to be the starting point.
Just lucky I had all my doors and windows closed due to the cool weather.


Normally I would have opened my gate and let them spray the entire property, but I wasn't dressed for the occasion.

Half an hour later I had to walk through that stuff to catch my ride on ITU.

It's not really an eradication.  Only flying mosquitoes are annihilated.  The eggs  are undamaged and will be active mosquitoes in a matter of hours.

In the early evening hours the fumigation seemed almost unnoticeable.  Plenty of mosquitoes out for blood

They are building "The Great Wall of SakonNakhon."

If you're driving into town on highway 22, you can still see the golfers and other sights.  But not for long.  Very soon you'll only see a very long wall

 




Think this Highway sign was fairly recently installed.
At least I hadn't spotted it till recently.
It seems to be gaining fame as a tourist attraction.
Seen pictures on Facebook and a number of personal photo albums.

The area does have a large Vietnamese population and it probably makes them feel closer to home.

Savannakhet

Had to take some remedial geography on that one. 
Wasn't at all where I thought it would be.

Cool weather reduces some local farm yields

"Sakon Chili farmers weep..."  ...is the translated headline at naewna.com.



Local yields of chilies and turmeric have been drastically reduced by the extended cold temperatures according to the article.

Knowing how much Thai's enjoy their chili, it may seem like a minor catastrophe to many.

My own plants seem to attest to the truth of this news item.  Chilies are stunted and shriveled.
Peppers produce for an average of three months.
Most plants will need to be replanted after the cold spell


Other plants in my garden also seem to be suffering.
Only half of the banana fruits survived and seem much smaller than usual. Some smaller coconuts are prematurely falling from the tree.
On the other hand, my radishes, zucchini and orchids seem to be doing quite well



Related news
 Soaring food costs hitting homes   THE NATION

NOK Air Deceptive Advertisement

Readers comment

As you know Nok Air has been advertising discount airfares for a limited period for all destinations in Thailand,  see www.nokair.com. 

My wife went to purchase a one way ticket today, Sunday, 23 January from Sakonnakhon to Don Muang airport in Bangkok hoping to benefit from Nok Air's very generous offer but was informed the All Destinations promotion didn't include Sakon Nakhon plus a number of other smaller airports. 

.....

Once again this seems to be a typical example of Thai false advertising!

Can't state if it is fact, someone mentioned that they attempted to purchase a discounted fare and  were informed  the discounts only applied to Thai's.

I've not been impressed with Nok.
It's predecessor PB was much better.  During PB's operation I used to be a frequent flier.
Even had two free flights.

My previous experience with NOK did not impress me, as I mentioned before  Don't knock till you tried it.

Local mosquito eradication program is under way.

A schedule of areas covered can be found at sakoncity  (bottom of page)

The Russian twist

Why they designed keyless cars

Sakon Medical Services

... tell me very briefly about ... general medical care

Three Hospitals serve  Sakon (City นคร)
To foreigners they are known as the military hospital, the private hospital, and the government hospital (look for the beds on my map right sidebar).

There are smaller hospitals or aid stations in the surrounding area.

These facilities perform standard medical procedures.
Where more specialized surgery is required, such as heart surgery, the patient is stabilized until able to travel to Khon Kaen, or Bangkok.

There are numerous clinics in the area.
They generally operate during lunch hours and early evening hours.
Most are operated by doctors who work at nearby hospitals during business hours.
It's first come first served, unless you call ahead.  Bring someone along who can translate for you.

Plenty of pharmacies dot the landscape.  A few of the pharmacists speak some English.
If you point out or describe your ailment, they can suggest recommended medicines.
Of course they'll offer you the most expensive options first.  Ask for the Thai alternative.
Better yet, send your Thai companion:

I asked for the strongest antibiotic and got an expensive import at Bt 1,000.
I sent a Thai friend to get me the strongest antibiotic, it was Bt 200.

There's also a MRI facility in town.
Some years ago, after falling, I had my head scanned, complete with dye.
Cost was Bt 5,000.  Prices had probably gone up somewhat by now.

What I've written about dentists before
My other hospital writings

Sakon Seasons

Inquiry:

From what I can tell, there seems to be three seasons: 

hot and humid; very hot and humid; and bring your snorkel. Is that about right?

Zuccini

At the moment we are experiencing the cool season.
It's generally from late December until early February.
Night time temperatures in the teens C.

The strongest recorded La Nino this year seems to have caused a somewhat extended cool season.

This is an ideal time to grow vegetables which can not survive the extreme heat or rain at other times of the year.

January, February, March sometimes has  a rainy period similar to April showers.
When this rainy period occurs it allows planting of a second rice crop.

In March, the hot season arrives, followed by the rainy season, around mid June.
Generally it's not a continuous rain.  It comes in half hour to hour long tropical bursts.
After that the sun shines and causes high humidity.

The worst rainy season I've experienced here in town was August 2008

The rainy season generally ends late September, early October.  The humid season begins.
Drought conditions have been forecast for 2011

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