Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Bridge Holidays confirmed

Recent Headline 
"Cabinet approves Extra public holidays"
 May 5 through May 8                                 July 16 through July 20  
  • May 5 Thursday Coronation Day
  • May 6 Friday      Bridge Holiday 
  • May 7 Saturday
  • May 8 Sunday
  • July 16 Saturday
  • July 17 Sunday 
  • July 18 Monday   Bridge Holiday  
  • July 19 Tuesday Asarnha Bucha Day
  • July 20 Wednesday Wan Khao Phansa (Buddhist Lent Day)
The Bridge Holidays had already been on most online calendars. Cabinet approval makes it official

Tha Rae Easter Parade



Tha Rae House approximately 90 to 100 years old taken over by trees

Tha Rae Waterfront

Tha Rae is 20 km from Sakon Nakhon


Sakon Nakhon

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Chang Rock 19 March across from Bus Station 2

Participants must be aged 18 years and over 
must carry an ID card

คอนเสิร์ตร็อคมันๆ พร้อมจังหวะโยกแรงๆ ในงาน Chang Music Connection #สกลนคร พบ 3 ศิลปินชื่อดัง เจ้าของเพลงฮิตโดนใจ Big...
Posted by สกล สเตตัส on Monday, March 7, 2016
Sakon Nakhon

Collection of films depicting Thai History

Baht Gain almost unnoticeable

Unseasonably Hot


Photo:

Fat boy made a run for the bedroom when I turned on the air conditioner there.  Cooled the room down and later was comfortable with just a fan.
The pool was occupied for most of the afternoon, and from the looks of things it's the start of pool season. 
No rain in the forecast anytime soon. Thai MD forcasts 10% chance of thundershower through Sunday


Sakon Nakhon

Travel Alert Laos

US State Department Bureau of diplomatic Security,  March 7, 2016 

Travel Alert: Laos STEP Notifications
To ACS_LAOS@CALIST.STATE.GOV Mar 7 at 11:43 PM
The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens to a series of recent shooting attacks along Road 13, a major thoroughfare connecting Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng, two of Laos' most popular tourist destinations. The Embassy has prohibited official travel on Road 13 from Km 220 north of Kasi in Vientiane province to Km 270 at the Phou Khoun junction in Luang Prabang province because of the unpredictable nature of the violence and the lack of official information regarding possible motives or a Lao government response. The attacks have killed one and injured nine. The attacks are occurring simultaneously with the ongoing violence in Xaisomboun province, which prompted the Embassy to restrict all official travel to that province as well. This Travel Alert supersedes the February 11, 2016, Travel Alert concerning Xaisomboun province and it expires on May 30, 2016.

Five occupants of a public bus and a pickup truck were injured when gunfire tar geted the vehicles on Road 13 on March 1. A similar shooting attack targeted a tourist bus on this same stretch of roadway on January 14. It injured at least one passenger. A separate recent shooting in the same area killed one person and injured three.

In Xaisomboun, two roadside attacks occurred in late January 2016, killing three people and injuring a fourth. They involved the detonation of improvised explosive devices. The attacks came after a series of shooting attacks in November and December 2015 that prompted the U.S. Embassy in Vientiane to restrict official travel to Xaisomboun Province.

The Embassy still permits its personnel travelling between Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng to travel on the "new road" west of Road 13, between Kasi and Luang Prabang, and along Road 13 from Kasi all the way south to Vientiane. U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in Laos should take precautions, remain vigilant about their personal security, and be alert to local security developments.

Thanks for asking

Healing has progressed quite nicely. The worst is the knee injury, which limits my walking quite drastically.  Walk around the yard a few times a day, take care of the pool, and set up smoke rings to get rid of the mosquitoes.  Ten minutes at a time. 

Even the office chair gets uncomfortable after a few hours.  Most of the time is still spent on my back.
Have plenty of visitors daily to take care of shopping and other errands.  Still have a few friends bringing food.  I consider that a great blessing.

Motorcycle has been in the shop for 4 days.  Repairs not completed, awaiting parts. Strongly considering making my next bike a tricycle similar to what Dan (Apples) has.  Something with a rollcage.

Probably the worst is that I can't take any showers.  Have to use sponge baths and wash my hair in the sink.  

Pains come and go, I've been able to survive without medicines for a few days.