Thailand's deadliest driving Season Ahead

Songkran, the Thai New Year begins in less than three weeks.
It's the annual celebration when Thai's near and afar make a pilgrimage home to be with family.

A few days before the holidays it becomes obvious: 
Extra buses are put into service from major metropolitan centers.   

Highway traffic is at its peak, and so are accidents and road mayhem.

Plenty of extra road checks are set up along highways to insure driver sobriety.
Many of these checkpoints now have breathalyzers.

After 5 pm the police are asleep or ...

100% helmet use campaign started in Phuket last November.
The following month a nationwide campaign was kicked off.
Quite recently, posters and banners started to appear locally promoting the campaign.

The campaign seems to be working to some extend, but it's not quite 100% yet.

While adults wear helmets, their passenger children are mostly without head protection.

5 pm seems to be the time when helmets are discarded by almost everyone.
As one neighbor explained it to me, after 5 pm the police are asleep or...

I'd suggest eventually the law will expand, requiring eye protection for motorcyclists.  It's mandatory in many western countries.  Until then, we'll see plenty of eye patches.

Somewhat reminds me of the headlight law.  When I first started driving a motorcycle in Thailand (2003), Thai's would laugh at me for keeping my headlights on during the daytime.  A few months later it became law.  But it took another year before it became accepted practice.

Motorcycles sold these days are manufactured in a way that the headlights are on automatically when the engine is running.  Unfortunately helmet wearing can not be built into motorcycles.

Sakon FC experiences 0-2 loss

Kalasin scored twice during the first half.
Sakon FC had plenty of near misses, hitting the goalpost a few times and going over the goal a number of times.

During the second half Sakon FC continued to have a number of near misses, but were playing much better, foiling any attempts by Kalasin to increase their score.  Some player changes seemed to make the difference.

Large crowd of Kalasin FC fans was cheered on by a five drum cheering section.  Noisy!

About Thai time

There's a pattern here
Just like I noted two weeks ago in Korat, Kalasin score seems to function, but not the clock.

Round trip SakonNakhon/Kalasin

2:30  Telephone conversation

• Do you want to go to Kalasin to see the football game?
• How much, how long is the drive?
• Bt3,000, 1 1/2 hour

We agree on a lesser price and leave Sakon Nakhon around 4 pm.
The game is advertised to start at 6 pm.

A short while underway, Joey receives a phone call.  The game is to start at 5, not 6 pm.
From that moment I'm sitting next to speedracer.
The Phu Phan mountain range has some very sharp curves.
I looked at the speedometer, at times we were nearing 145 kmph (90mph) on the straightaways.
I was hanging on for dear life.  There were a couple close calls.

I gripped the overhead handle so tense that I actually loosened it.
5:20 pm we received another call.  Game hasn't started, the ambulance isn't at the stadium yet.
Can't start without it.

We arrived at 5:40, the game had been underway for 10 minutes.  As we walked through the parking lot, the crowd roared.  Kalasin had scored.

The return trip started after the game.  Eight PM. Traffic was very light.
There was an exiting moment when a bus was passing traffic, head-on in our lane.
We were forced off the pavement.  We were lucky there was enough space for us to get out of the way.  The bus never slowed and just kept on going.

We were doing 145kmph more frequently now.  We were home in two hours.

If you drive safe and at the posted speed limit, 
the drive can't be done in under two hours

Flabbergsted

I've been subscribed to  arakwarits You tube channel for some time.
It's quite a collection of videos.  I started watching his videos when I noted a number of Sakon FC games and a few other local events in his uploads.

His recent upload simply left me bewildered

I recognized the pink elephant and I had not been consuming any spirits.

The starting scene, snow covered mountains, I'd seen them before, looked very familiar.
Then that boat shaped tour bus jarred my memory.
I lived there for 25 years.  Well not there, but 87 blocks away.
Used to drive past the car wash twice daily on my way to work and home.

Really Old Fashioned Football Evening at home

Remember the days before television.
Television arrived on the scene just before my teens.



Before that, people gathered around the radio.

Local TV stations, probably due to budget constraints do not have the facilities to broadcast games live.
The only way to follow the game as it happens is through Sakon FC's website radio (which someone has to translate for me, as it's a Thai broadcast).

I had considered the drive to Kalasin on a motorbike.  Done it before.
Thought about the slow progress through the curves of Phu Phan Pass, and the cold temperatures at the moment...
Nah not this time!!


Really Great Sakon FC photography here

Anton celebrated his 50th birthday last night at Martins Chern Chim with friends.

Plenty of food and drink and a bottle of plum Schnaps Anton had saved especially for the occasion, where served.

After deciding to call it an evening and heading home, I made a return visit to the party for another hour.  The party was enjoyable enough, I wanted more.







Drought Conditions
Here in the city we've had only one day with heavy rain since October of last year.
Government agencies seem to have just publicly acknowledged the fact

• Thailand declares 333 districts as drought disaster zones  commodityonline - March 24

While on the subject, someone jokingly remarked at last night's party: "Where's the cold weather?"
Let me tell you it's coming. Nighttime temperatures as low as 15C (59F) on Sunday and Monday.
The temperature roller coaster ride hasn't ended yet.
Might have to move to warmer climates for the upcoming Songkran celebrations.

Earthquake

Didn't notice anything here, but apparently it shook buildings as far away as Bangkok

• Magnitude 5.4 - MYANMAR earthquake.usgs.gov - -March 24
• Tectonic Plates and Fault Lines in Asia Pacific reliefweb
   

30% of Thailand's vending water below quality

Contaminants include heavy metals and bacteria

• Vending Water not up to standard  The Nation - March 24

Flimsy children's bike helmets

Check your children's helmets for quality

• Thai police seize flimsy children's bike helmets washingtonexaminer - March 23

Sakon FC at Kalasin this Saturday 6 PM

We'll be monitoring this game via the internet broadcast  at SakonFC

Must be that Season again! Birthdays!

Birthday Party yesterday! Birthday Party today!
Last night's dinner and beer was a one minute bike ride from my house.
Tonight's party is a few miles down the road, at Martin's Chern Chim, where they will undoubtedly sing the Oom-pah pah version of Happy Birthday.



My comments to mail:  The Japan's Radioactive Dilemma

World weather patterns and the fallout are heading west.
Some radiation has already been noticed on the West Coast of the United States.
It's going to be interesting to see what the effects will be on the ocean and it's inhabitants.  The Food Chain.

  Bans on Japan food imports widen  mommadonna.roadproservices.com - March 23

 Australia halts food imports from near Japan plant  Bangkok Post - March 24

 Singapore: High radioactivity levels found in Japan produce    Asia One - March 24

Dog kidnapping on rise in Khon Kaen 

 Kidnapping of Dogs on the Rise  The Nation - March 23

Siamese Elephant Mounted Artillery in Laos 1893

Looks to me like they fired the canon from atop the elephant instead of dismounting the canon.
The elephant's stance seems to indicate he's ready for the next volley.

Wonder if he had earplugs?

Elephant sign language?

How many headless mahouts?





Videos:

1. Elizabeth Taylor dead at 79
2. TSA helps you make it to your Flight
3. Marlene Dietrich: Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin
4. Thai Teen Affair?
5. Great listening
6. More great listening

           

Police Story Thailand: Episode 2

.

Bangkok late 1990.
I arrived at the Bangkok airport (then Don Muang), cleared customs, exchanged a few travelers checks and was about to get my bearings, when a uniformed policeman smiled that Thai smile: "Can I help you?"

I was looking for the limousine desk to hire a car to Pattaya.
The kind uniformed policeman offered me a bit high, but agreeable price, took my bag and invited me to follow him.

Down the stairs we went to the garage level.
I had the strong sense that something was amiss. The officer reassured me everything was "kosher."

We left the airport for a short ride to what looked like a police motor pool.
I was to be transferred to a more suitable car for the trip.

The policeman suggested he receive a tip. I was flabbergasted. We agreed on a price, tip included.
I wasn't about to pay extra.  Motor pool mechanics chuckled.  They seemed to understand my reasoning.

I am now in a newer sedan with no apparent markings with the exception of a two inch POLICE decal on the windshield.


Rocket Man

I met the driver. Early twenties.

The express toll way to Pattaya was under construction.
It was the old highway with plenty of construction detours and delays.
Freight trucks en route to the southern port slowed traffic to a crawl at times.

The drive should have been close to three hours. We done it in one hour, 15 minutes.
The ride was actually quite comfortable.  The driver was very sensible in his driving.
I don't remember tensing up one bit.  Then of course, a can of beer at hand helped calm me.

At times we used the temporary construction roads, closed to general traffic.
A bit dusty, but we passed all the congestion around construction areas at top speed.

A few speed radars along the way.  The cops with the radar guns waved and smiled at the driver.
They apparently knew him or recognized the decal.  We never slowed down.

As I remember it, when we encountered an open stretch of road we exceeded the speed limit by 30 to 40 kilometers.

I did tip this driver generously.  It had been a very pleasant, safe and speedy trip.
The car needed a washing.  It looked like we had been four-wheeling through the mudflats.