The night before... the dragon festival

Many of the festival participants spend the night before the big event at the Chinese temple.
Final practice and rehearsals and getting everyone into costume is an all night job.
Meals are served to participants, and if they tire they can roll up in their bedroll until it's their turn at makeup

There's not just dragons, but also cobra's are part of the celebrations






(Photo's 2004)

 
(Slides 2006) 



A post at Thai Visa regarding Sakon Nakhon Immigration 

The individual renewing his yearly visa was confronted with a new requirement:
He had to sign a document acknowledging  that if at any time he no longer has required the  income, he may be subject to 'be asked to leave Thailand.'
Noteworthy here is the fact that there are some basic guidelines for all immigration offices.
Individual immigration offices have the authority to ask for any additional documentation they deem necessary.

Congratulations to Martin

He is celebrating the one year anniversary of  his establishment.
It's really an accomplishment, considering the number of similar establishments in the area which have failed.  Martin is offering the first drink free to visitors on Saturday.

Weird 

Disasters are occurring more frequently these days
It's not just better media reports, it's actually happening.
Look at the frequency of  Worldwide Earthquakes between Magnitudes 6 and 8 over the last century, at a chart prepared by the Horizon Project

Santa Home at the north pole is a mobile home
The Magnetic pole, which previously moved an average of 10 km per year, has picked up speed in recent years, now moving at 40 km per year.  Airport runways, which previously pointed north have had to be renumbered because of the directional change

The video below does not cover all the natural disasters which happened this year.
When this year is over, the world will probably have experienced the most natural disasters in one year.
At the moment, Los Angeles is experiencing the strongest Santa Ana winds on record.
Heavy 165 mph winds in Scotland
I'm repulsed by religious fanatics who point out to predictions in the bible that the end is near.
There's a scientific explanation.
God is a woman and her name is Mother Nature
 

Dragons and Lions: How to tell the difference

With the upcoming  dragon festival I am doing a bit of research as to the origins of the event.  First thing I realized was that I have my dragons and lions mixed up.  The dragon has a long tail and requires quite a few people under it's skin to operate.  Whereas the lion is a two man operation, one handles the head, the other handles the tail..
I don't feel too bad though, apparently its a very common mistake.

 

Dragons come out this time of the year.  They visit  Chinese businesses to bless these establishments with good luck and prosperity in the coming year.


Lions appear on the scene in time for the Chinese New Year celebrations.
The Chinese New Year in 2012 is January 23

Sleeping Lions

Who will survive?

Home Pro opens December 16 in Sakon Nakhon.
With the recent opening of the Thai Watsadu store, and pre-existing home improvement stores it's going to be interesting to see 'who will survive.'
I've visited local home improvement stores in the past. They didn't seem all that busy, in fact many had more staff than customers

• Intense competition ahead as homes repairs The Nation

Seventy years ago today

Local Coke Cup Schedule Translated

Group A	Group B	Group C
Nakhon Phanom F.C.	Nong Bua Lam Phu F.C.	Udon Thani F.C.
Loei  City F.C.	Khon Kaen F.C.	Roi Et F.C.
Nong Khai F.C.	Kalasin F.C.	Mukdahan F.C.
		Sakon Nakhon F.C.

.

Game	Day	Group	Rivals	Time	Header 2
1	Dec_11	C	Udon Thani F.C. - Roi Et F.C.	14:00	Municipal_Stadium
2		C	Sakon Nakhon F.C. - Mukdahan F.C.	16:00	Municipal_Stadium
3		A	Nakhon Phanom F.C. - Loei  City F.C.	14:00	Rajabhat_University
4		B	Nong Bua Lam Phu_F.C._-_Khon_Kaen_F.C.	16:00	Rajabhat University
5	Dec 12	B	Khon Kaen F.C. - Kalasin F.C.	14:00	Municipal_Stadium
6		A	Loei  City F.C. - Nong Khai F.C.	16:00	Municipal_Stadium
7		C	Mukdahan F.C. - Udon Thani F.C.	14:00	Rajabhat University
8		C	Roi Et F.C. - Sakon Nakhon F.C.	16:00	Rajabhat University
9	Dec 13	A	Nong Khai F.C. - Nakhon Phanom F.C.	14:00	Municipal_Stadium
10		C	Sakon Nakhon F.C. - Udon Thani F.C.	16:00	Municipal_Stadium
11		B	Kalasin F.C. - Nong Bua Lam Phu F.C.	14:00	Rajabhat University
12		C	Mukdahan F.C. - Roi Et F.C.	16:00	Rajabhat University
13	Dec 14	No Games
14	Dec 15		1st Place Group A - 1st Place Group C 1st Place Group B  - 2nd Place Group C		Municipal_Stadium Municipal_Stadium
15	Dec16				Municipal_Stadium

2011 Isaan Coke Cup December 11-16

Ten teams are participating in the competition.
Sakon Nakhon FC first faces Mukdahan FC on December 11.
Mukdahan FC defeated Sakon FC 3-0 in a regular season game at Mukdahan on September 10.
In a home Game in March, Sakon FC beat Mukdahan FC 1-0
Homefield advantage seems to have been an important factor in both games

Weather

Cold temperatures we are experiencing at the moment have been the norm for the past three years, according to previous entries in this blog

• Dec   9, 2010 Chilly Nights Ahead -14C

• Dec 15, 2009 Night time temperature forecast 9-14C

• Dec 23, 2008 Night time temperature forecast 9-12C

Temperatures in the past three years have been below the 30 year average low of 16C

Alvin's Diet

His favorite seems to be orange seeds, but he pretty much eats every  fruit and vegetable put before him.

Seems to like milk, but also downs a few spoonfuls of coffee every morning.  He's a bit of a lush when it comes to beer.

Alvin's not just a vegetarian, he also enjoys grasshoppers and other bugs.

The latest addition to his diet has earned him daily extended hours outside of his cage.
He catches and eats mosquitoes.  As far as I'm concerned that's a blessing

Dragon Festival December 11 through 16

.
...
It's one of my favorite yearly events in this city ♥
Parade starts at the Chinese Temple at 7:30 AM, Sunday December 11
Parts of the parade break off into different groups to visit and bless businesses in the area.

Around mid morning, don't miss the dragon fight in the main square (a block from the municipal complex).

Caution: Do not stand in Business Doorways where fireworks are about to be set off

Plenty of daily events at the temple.Don't miss the evening performances

Multiple Parade Weekend

Heard the drums two blocks away at eight Friday morning.

Local school kids dressed up and marching in a parade.

There's another parade Saturday morning, 8 AM at the school near the Immigration office.

Of course there's another parade in town on Monday to honor the birthday of HRH the King

Reason to drink

On the way to a 5:45 PM dental appointment, Friday evening, I stopped by the cash machine.
Whenever I withdraw money I always print out a receipt and keep it in my wallet.
The ATM spit out a receipt showing a balance of 1,000 baht ($32).

There should have been a much higher balance to last for the entire month.
Panic is a mild term to describe my sentiment at the moment.  'I'd been robbed.'

I drove home, cancelled my dental appointment and poured a stiff drink.
I examined the receipt and noted two inconsistencies.  An ATM fee for an amount I had not withdrawn.  I usually do not get a fee when I use local banks.

This couldn't be my receipt.  But now I had to go to another ATM and double check my bank balance.
Great relief when I realized that my cash was still in the bank and apparently there was a printer malfunction at the previous ATM.

Reason to celebrate.
First a stop at the Welcome bar and then a visit to what used to be Eddie's bar.
I'm not a heavy drinker, I have a slight hangover this morning.

There goes my Neighborhood

Flood aftermath
Thailand Tourism was nearly decimated due to the recent floods with a few exceptions.
An all out effort is underway to return the industry to normal by February.
Thailand Tourism Authority wants to entice tourists with Value added tour packages rather than discounts.

Think it's the wrong way of doing things,  getting a free massage (Value added), instead of a discount on my hotel bill just doesn't entice me to travel.
If you look on the net, many travel agents are offering discounts on tour packages.
There's still plenty of negative media.  Areas where flood waters are receding are now hosting an increased mosquito population.


I'm not wishing for a return of the floods, but there was one matter I did appreciate about the floods.
For a few weeks there was hardly any mention of Thai politics in the news.  Now the mudslinging is back and seems stronger than ever.


Unseasonably cool temperatures this week.
Average night time temperatures for this time of the year is 16C (60.8F)

	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed
Thai Meteorological	30/15	29/16	30/17	31/18	31/20	32/21	....	32C = 89.6F
Weather Underground	25/12	28/14	27/15	28/18	29/18	29/19		30C = 86   F
Accu Weather	28/13	29/13	30/14	31/18	28/22	30/19		25C = 77   F
Meo Weather	24/13	25/15	26/16	27/18	25/19	26/19		19C = 66.2F
Weather Channel	28/16	28/15	29/16	30/16	29/16	29/16		12C = 53.6F

 My thanks to those readers who noted and wrote of their concern that I had been away from this blog a few days: "...unusual..."

The cooler than normal weather has made it's presence known in my joints and bones.  A whiplash injury of some 40 years ago decided to come out of hiding.  After a few days of above tolerable discomfort, the pain went way over the threshold  and I decided to visit the hospital last night.

I opted to go to the government hospital.  As mentioned I'd been dealing with this injury for 40 years and could  recommend the appropriate treatment:  A shot to quell the pain immediately, anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxants for the coming days.  I was accompanied by two Thai family members, who took care of all the administrative matters.  

Was a bit taken aback when I entered the doctors office.  At first I thought 'this must be the assistant.'  The guy didn't look older than 19.  He was the doctor alright.  I guess it's true, Asians tend to keep their youth longer.

A shot where the sun don't shine and the medicines set me back 180 Baht (US$5.83).

I'll be taking advantage of the 100 baht massages I'm offered till I recuperate.
Two or three a day should do the trick

Youth Football Sponsor

A month or so ago I attended the local youth football games.

I supported 'My team,' by buying water and sport drinks for half time.  The coach said I was their sponsor and would have my name on team jerseys next season.  He asked me for 500 baht for the printing costs.

Guess they didn't wait till next season.

Didn't expect people to be wearing my name on their bellies either.

There goes my neighborhood

Heard promises of the street leading up to my house being paved for a few years now.
Actually had given up on that some time ago.
But now there's talk of not just paving the dead end street.
The latest talk is that they are going to tear down two houses and an apartment building across the street and widening and lengthening the street.
If  there's any truth to that my residence will be on a major thoroughfare.
Next step in the discussion phase is supposedly a gathering of neighbors and planning officials.
Nothing imminent, but my brain is working overtime.  I could make 'the second house' into a....!