NOK Air doubles Sakon Nakhon flights

Nok Air to operate two flights per day to Sakon Nakhon 
If you read the article you will note  Boeing 737-400 are planned for this route.
"These flights operates with Boeing 737-40"

Health department advisory
The onset of hot weather coincides with an increase of diarrhea and other food borne diseases.
During this time food tends to spoil quicker when not properly stored.
Additionally it is advised that persons should always wash their hands before handling food.



Sakon Nakhon Donation Center for Thailand's Flood Victims
Donations will be accepted until April 30 at the Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation offices.
Donations of cash and supplies totaling 150,000 baht where collected on the first day, April 30.

Wireless USB internet

Mobile Internet Alternative 


Bought my laptop early one  morning.
Did some initial exploration back in my hotel room.  Quickly got bored.
I needed an Internet connection to entertain myself.

As dusk set in I was headed to a nearby electronics store for a wireless USB internet connector.

The device was listed at Bt1,300, but discounted to Bt1,000.  Card included, with 40 hours for the first month.

The label on the case states mobile broadband, another label states 3G.  Once you plug it in, you realize it will outrun a snail, but that's about it.

Try to watch a short on-line video, and you'll have to give it some time to load. I finished my second drink before a ten minute video played in full.

Your high speed gadget can only go as fast as the service provider equipment allows.
Thailand's broadband started to gain momentum in 2007.  New users are added at an estimated 30% growth per year.  Upgrades to the system have repeatedly been delayed due to political and legal maneuvering.
Maybe this year, maybe next.. They've been saying that for a few years!

For correspondence (text), the mobile service is great.
I was really amazed by the speed when uploading pictures.  It was actually reasonable.
General surfing speed was acceptable when avoiding video files
Mobile devices are available by the hour or unlimited monthly rates.



Weather Cloudy and possible showers, Clearing in time tor the weekend



 Newly discovered fault line near Nakhon Sawan poleshift


 Songkran festival April 7 through April 24 at various locations khonkaen.ws
Locally more traditional dates will probably be celebrated April 12 through 15, with a parade on April 13.
Traditional Songkran celebrations consist of family reunions, a family feast and paying ones respect to Buddha and family elders.

 Sakon Nakhon's other neighbor   Pattaya Daily News
Nong Khai province divided to create the 77th province

 Thai government requests Korean language tutors  TMC
"...the tutors will teach laborers and soldiers hoping to work in Korea..."

 Air France first European airline going direct to Cambodia Thai  VISA
As more direct flights become available and bypass the 'Bangkok hub,' Thailand's tourism arrival numbers could experience a further drop

Sakon Nakhon Time Warp

The start of the game was quite impressive.
Well played first ten minutes.
After that it seemed like Sakon F.C. players were exhausted.
Plenty of moans and groans from the stands.

Then it happened you could tell seconds ahead that a score was imminent.

It was as if Sakon FC had slipped into a slow motion time-warp. 
The goal just shouldn't have happened.

By halftime I was considering other places I could be.

Don't know what was said and done during halftime in the locker room.
Whatever it was, it did wonders.

Possibly the team read and understood the smoke signals during halftime.

The teams performance during the second half was impressive.  
As if they had shifted gears into Excellent.

Strange thing though.  The moment Sakon made the third goal, I looked at the scoreboard.
It had already been updated and the scorekeeper was sitting comfortably.
Must have been the SakonNakhon Time-warp.

Some local military personnel joined the cheer leading team.
They got louder and noisier during the second half. They really 'got into the game.'
Consuming two bottles of  "W.W." seemed to have done the same thing WD40 does to a rusty nut and bold.

The FC Restaurant (east of the M.J. Majestic) was the place to be after the game to meet players, coaches, staff and fellow Sakon F.C. Fans.

139 photos in album 110403 SakonFC

Nong Khai is next on the schedule.
Shopping trip to Nong Khai under consideration.

Living expenses up - Highways Kracked - Hot Holidays

Cost of Living Increases likely                                  

We should be feeling the continuing flooding conditions in southern Thailand at the checkout counter shortly.   730,000 rai (28,8619 acres) of agricultural land are inundated to date

  REUTERS  Severe flooding to reduce Thai shrimp  output 

Sakon Nakhon Provincial Road Cracked                 

Villagers, 70some  miles from the city of Sakon, have reported  20 cm wide cracks in their village road.
If you've been on some of the village roads, then you realize it's not really unusual after a rainy season or two.

The recent earthquake in Burma, and aftershocks originating on Thai fault lines may have caused these cracks. A map of Thailand's fault lines is available at  Twitpic @RichardBarrow 
The nearest fault line to this area is between Nong Kai and Nakhon Phanom


Thai-Asea Network  Land Cracks Discovered in Sakon Nakhon 

Just hot sunshine for the holidays                             

A weather system traveling in a NNW direction is moving into southern Vietnam.

Local weather predictions forecasting  rain over the upcoming holidays have been changed, omitting any chance of rain.

It's  11 AM Saturday, temperatures already feel like 34C (93F).
Think this time I can really stash my cold weather clothing and bedding.

CURSE YOU APRIL 1

Some media outlets have nothing better to do, than to carry on a centuries old tradition of fooling you.
Wasted most of my morning reading news stories, while constantly looking at the calendar April 1.
Then it happened.  Power off, power on.  A momentary disruption in local electric supply.
My computer gave me the finger!  REBOT.- blankety-blank, Bot corrupt.


Install system, update, set passwords, recover, set preferences, repeat, repeat, repeat...  then Back UP!!
I've repeated most processes half a dozen times.
Think I'll have my system back to the way I had it in a week or so.  Still haven't gotten to installing the sound cards.
Lucky I have my recently acquired Mac Book to fill in the gaps.

Get's confusing, two computers, two mice, two keyboards and three screens.

Sakon FC hosts Chaiyaphun Sunday 5PM

Saturday Fair - Bar for sale - Shame - GoGo applicant

.

First Saturday of the month fair

tomorrow, starts at dusk, downtown Muang Sakon square.


As seen on Thai VISA .Escape Bar For Sale 

Shame Shame

Remember our pal Eddie who's funeral was last December



Pictures taken at his graveside this past week attest to very obvious neglect



Claims of weekly visits and fresh flowers aren't in evidence

Thailand's Got Talent or is it a Go-Go bar applicant?

You are invited to join 'Sakon in English' on Facebook

Just started  Sakon in English, a group on facebook. I am hoping that it will fill a gap in sharing information and opinions of local concern.

Local temperatures are returning to a more norm for this time of the year.

Next week: Feels like temperatures low forties, with rain at times, just in time for Songkran.

	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
Thai Meteorological	24/14	26/14	29/16	31/18	32/18
FEELS LIKE	37/20	39/21	35/21	35/21	34/21	36/22	39/22
AccuWeather	33/19	34/21	35/21	35/21	34/21	36/22	36/22
Wunderground	31/18	33/20	35/22	35/21	35/19

The one day rain did fill my water tanks, but it also made many more mosquitoes seek indoor shelter.

We were playing indoor 'mosquito splat' for hours last night.

I found your mint candy stash

ACS: Warden Message: Flooding in Southern Thailand

US Embassy American Citizen Services Warden Message
Thousands stranded due to flooding and landslides.
If your immediate travel plans  include  Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Krabi, Similan, and Phuket, and other southern destinations, consider alternate destinations.

Best times to use the internet in Thailand's rice jungle

Internet is really slow in Thailand at the moment

I'd venture to guess, the system is old, antiquated, and overused.
Best times to use the internet in Thailand's rice jungle (back country / outback) is when they're sleeping or otherwise engaged: 3AM to 10AM.

After 10 AM things begin to slow down, especially when school is in session.  The rest of the time is peak usage. 

Quite often I've had success by disconnecting and reconnecting internet provider hardware or software (network control panel)
By doing that you are most likely disconnecting from an overpopulated node, and then reconnecting to a less used node (node=connection point).

Upgrading Thailand's connectivity has been underway for quite a few years.  Stalled in political and legal wrangling.  There seem to be promising developments that an upgrade might finally begin this year.  But for heavens sake don't hold your breath.


3G services approval under consideration Reuters

Thai News revisited

Radioactive sweet potatoes destroyed THAI VISA
The comments to the article are at times informative and hilarious at THAI VISA

Tourists stranded by Thai floods The Australian

One million stranded in the South THE NATION

March 25, Sakon FC looses to Kalasin FC 2-0

News from Afar

NASA - First Image Ever Obtained from Mercury Orbit


Panama accepts resignation of cross-dressing diplomat 

That's Entertainment

Waitress of the month                                         Watermelon in the snout


Skid Marks                                               How real men change fan belts


When not to clean your glasses                                          Bizarre British

Take the last bus from Bangkok

Weather-wise it hasn't been a pretty picture in Thailand lately.
Locally it's been a temperature roller coaster ride.  Extreme heat with feels like temperatures above 45C (113F) at times, then dropping down to 15C (59F).

One day my pool is overcrowded, the next day my visitors are dressed as if they were on an expedition to the North Pole.

A little over a week ago Bangkok experienced some of it's coldest weather in five years, 20C (68F).

 Coldest day ever in Bangkok 9.9C (49.8F) in January 1955  Bangkok Blogger

Southern Thailand is getting hit by rains, floods, high waves, and heavy winds for the past week.
Boat, train, bus and air service to the southern provinces has been halted due to flooding.
Hundreds of touristst are stranded at Koh Samui.

With local cool temperatures and almost continuous light rain I'm asking myself, isn't that why I left Seattle and moved to a supposedly warmer climate. So I wouldn't notice all those aches and pains.

SakonNakhon Outlook:
A few more cool days ahead. Warming slightly at first, then accelerating.

It's a bit early to tell with certainty, but Accu Weather is predicting feels like temperatures of 42/26C (108/79F) for April 12.  NOTE TO SELF: Keep the air conditioner remote for the bedroom handy.

Last bus from Bangkok to Surat Thani  

video by muijablogi

After Burma, quakes rocked Thailand too  The Nation

 Eight dead as Thailand hit by floods and cold spell    Monsters and Critics
The numbers continue to rise

 Deadly Antibiotic-Resistant Superbug Spreads in Southern California  abc news
Two facts got my attention in this article

• The bug is spread in hospital environments.
• The most common means of spreading bugs is the handshake.

Why I don't accept game and application requests on facebook

 Data Mining: How Companies Now Know Everything About You  Time

This dog owner doesn't need a housekeeper