DECEMBER

So I have had my first encounter with Thai government hospital ,that was much better

then expected. I went there because they have the only once a week specialist coming.

It start with a coupon that are started to be handed out from 06.00  after that you go to check in that starts at 07.00 you tell the name and all the others plus what is ailing you.

You will be told to go to a numbered room where they weight and blood pressure test you. Then a nurse comes and start sorting your numbers and if you are there on a follow up , you go according to your number then us first timers even though we might have a lower number , democracy. The Dr. comes around 08.00 in my case a female about 35 years and gave me confidence. Best of all she took time 10-15 min. with me I though gov. hospital in an out like a factory  no they took their time even though it was full house. From what I saw of the hospital very clean even toilets and modern, a small coffee shop corner . I have to go again so a bit more to come.

Second visit was even better plus my ailment have been 66% cured.

This is about the cat Medic I was there with my kitten to be sprayed , no it is my baby I was told by the Vet and paper work just the same as for me funny enough the only of the particular I knew was birth and weight because I was there and I weighed it because it had to be at least 4 month and 2 kilos.

I was told that I had a heavy baby at 2.4 kg.  4 months and 18 days.

I had to sign a form of consent and I did not believe it and the vet told me stories what happened in her early career, so that’s why. Now first day is prepping or whatever it is called making my baby in to a junkie to calm and  relaxed for the knife tomorrow morning. I am allowed to visit both first and second day after the butchery have taken place and maybe she has to stay an extra day all added to the bill which is more then mine.

By the way my baby has a name No.2 , No 1 is home with Cat the mother.

 Now I have been back to take out the sutures and that was easy.

The Vet also do lodgings if you want to go on a vacation or something.

I even got the family plan which is 3 cats at 10$ a night  single occupancy is 5%

Mission control have gotten a pretty nifty gadget a Syndome Extreme Series  UPS

Quite heavy stuff even though it only a small one a bit expensive but cheaper then the equipment it is connected to. We have these silly cuts less then a minute every now and then so there it comes in very handy, if it is longer I shut everything off.

The car is my neighbors favorite they bought lottery ticket using my registration number , so either they want me to keep the car or get a new one.

Last night it was a Lunar eclipse.

I heard a little bit of noise that increased , banging on plastic and metal drums

After awhile firecrackers not them small ones but big  bangers I did not know that it was for the eclipse . I though I was in the Village of the Condemned .Afterwards I read in the paper that superstitious people will scare away a guy called Rahu or something like it. 

I HAVE A WHITE CHRISTMAS STAR     (flower)

NOVEMBER

Car costing more than the house.

So I am looking for one of two brands of cars from Atlantis City a bit north of Bangkok and then there is no more city and no more cars.

 Thats mainly why the purchase of the Space Mobil.

Ford Fiesta S  2011 1.6L 120hp

Remember this is supposed to be an economical car.
So trying it out is full of surprises first off the seats pumps up or down steering wheel tilts already a dilemma , choices.
Turn on the key the whole instrument panel lights up one window outdoor temp. and odometer the other screen time and
date these are just the initial things the screens does.
Then there is the radio with a keyboard 5 functions 10 stations buttons plus the normal playing and sound buttons .

 Too make it more difficult there is also voice control. All of this I don't understand a few basic things only that's it.
There is also a Bluetooth phone connection hand free you have to learn the voice controls.
Otherwise you dial and answer as normal but talk over the Bluetooth thing.
It is an automatic that I master but they have screwed up the turn and light switches changed sides for them .
The steering wheel does not really have any weirdo things only volume controls
Gives me fuel ,trip ,tank odometer updates.
Too modern and gadgetry for me , I have not even mastered the remote key fully 1 out of 3 I make perfect.
Also it runs on E20 friendly gas but here there is no such thing here closes is 50km, no problem it can take anything but who goes out and check what gas they sell in the neighborhood.
I am waiting for a manual in a language that I understand because they only have thai here.
Of course I did not pay that kind of money I bought used 10000 km what used to be  broken in period years ago, I also got very good trade in money for my 6000$ car after 13 months I only lost 1600$ that is amazing a 13 year old car.

Otherwise everything is the same some flowers stops and some starts even though it is 18-21 degrees night time.

I should probably try to find something interesting to write about , but here in the country there is not  much planting rice watch it grow that is the life cycle here.

There is one thing that the most sophisticated big city system cannot beat gossip

And the loudest and quickest of them all , death , which is announced with 3 thunderous rockets.

The garden guy is coming over so trimming and cutting bushes and trees plus setting up a shading net over the pond and the orchid area I cannot go up I am suffering from vertigo plus I am not flexible enough to climb around on a scaffolding like construction.

OCTOBER

In late September we had a few bad rains a kilometer away from me they had about 80cm of water . I wanted to see how bad it was so I pedaled along and that water was rising I thought it must be getting better but it got worse soon the wheel disappeared

In one place the current was so strong that I had to get off the bike , all this was water flow from fields to lower ground which happened to be a road . Good exercise though.

Plus the Mekong river was up to alarm level in Nong Khai .http://ffw.mrcmekong.org/stations/non.htm

After the last blog the government have done a rebate scheme on cars and houses so the car I am looking at is US$ 3,300 cheaper thank you very much. The that I am looking at now is a Honda City ,

The Brio could not even take a suitcase if you were more then two persons .

I don`t live at McDonalds farm but so far we have had a Cock-a-doodle-doo , hiss , meow , croak ,

And a moo.

Now it`s the beginning of November and the rain for us have stopped and winter have started 20-25 in the mornings 30-35 daytime plus humidity have gone down by about 25%.

Now it`s no more Honda or Toyota the factories are under water and with luck get started in March maybe plus the thing with part from Japan. Which means that used car are getting in more demand

Sold my old car after 13 months at a loss of 1700US$

You have to think what you need and if you can store it , because the shops are now running out of item after item because of flooding

September

SEPTEMBER

DUCK  DUCK

No racial toilets here only low doors.

So you need a Duck  , duck

This is the month that seems to change everything.

Much less rain and not as hard as before plus the evening temperature is much nicer.

There have been a death in the cat family one of the kittens probably got bitten be a male stray. the other ones are now 8 weeks and growing fast and race around all over the place and even paid homage to me by giving me a dead mouse not chewed up ,

Funny thing is this is the first mouse I have seen in a year. Still not one cockroach

Even with all the rain when everything wants to move in with me,

Put a new tin roof over the kitchen not that the old was leaking it`s more for planes flying over not pointing out that under the rusty roof Pakopete is living.

After this wet season everything is growing like mad , by the gate there is an overhanging bush that has been trimmed four times so far.

I not the newest inhabitant in the village five monks have come and gone they have them on a rotating roster by the looks of it , but the good thing with the temple is that it is meditation so pretty quite. The village people give them food , fruit flowers and money and I give them cigarettes which they appreciate.

I have now gotten my own ADSL connection before I shared with my neighbor and the speed is very good for where I live 6 MB for around 21US$

I have been looking for a new car the one I have is 14 years old it`s ok but beginning to shake rattle and roll. The one I been looking at is a Honda Brio Thai built the smallest car they have . Only one dislike the back seat can be folded but the whole back rest which make it a two seater  it should have been 50-50 or 60-40 because you can not even get a suitcase in the back with the backrest up. A typical 70 year old gentleman’s car.

Honda Brio

AUGUST

AUGUST

Animals and rain.

Frogs are doing two thing to me really serenading at night and loudly.

Plus they seem to like my shoes and they are quite hard to get out when you forget to look you can barely feel them in there you lace up take a few step and realize that something feel a bit squishy and throbbing.

Ant are also trying the move into the house because of all the rain but today’s sprays and powder are very good at discourage them.

Cat who is the mother of 1,2 and 3 their names.

Have established themselves in the kitchen eat and sleep is their life with a rare excursion out of the box.

Now to the rain. I was in BKK during the big flood 1984 but it did not rain as hard as it here a few days ago 12 hours of something like the shower on full speed it was unbelievable the city of Nong Khai where the main street was 80 cm. under water. Can you imaging all the damage to the stalled and parked cars 2 days after all you could see was a bit of sand. Incredible drainage my lawn I thought was going to be muddy but a couple a days and it ok to walk on.

It is door slamming times with a humidity around 66% my doors are jamming .

So when it is not raining it is steaming.

I have always thought of life as a three way thing 1-25 childhood 26-50 middle age

51-75 death but since I am now 70 there might be a fourth period 76 onwards

Pension abuse. Just my thoughts.

July News

JULY NEWS

SNAKE MYSTERY SOLVED

Red Necked Keelback – Venomous – Dangerous

I am a city boy used to a sheltered environment , so all this is new to me.

New country living things.

Had an election and you know that you are in the sticks when 2 voters park their tractors before going into the Temple that’s where the voting took place .

I am the weirdo in the neighbors eyes I shampoo the car just before or when it starts sprinkling with a water pistol with shampoo and a sponge , then the weather takes care of the rinsing . not perfect but saves time,

On the animal front I saw a cow jump over a 1 meter fence a new one for me.

There was also another scorpion in the garden this morning.

Took away a wasp nest and they are big and don’t like to be moved.

Of course the normal flying things and 4 types of ants a nuisance now when it is raining because the want to move in with me.

I think I have been adopted by the neighbors cat who spends daytime with me but goes back in the evening. The cat is pregnant so if it decides to do it here am I then going to be a stepdad,

Raining a lot and when not 35-37c at about7 in the evening it is getting much better.

Greek Talent !                     A bit NAUHGTY

June Weather in Isaan

Warm 35c 95f  plus rainy prefer the rain to the heat evenings are very pleasant .

I’m now up to 4 snake visits in six months and I saw live fireflies for the first time in my life I am impressed. Everything is growing like mad and I am doing a vegetable garden and I am trying to get seed for things that the Thai don’t grow and see if it works. The internet provider has been telling me that they are going to upgrade my area so hopefully I will get a better connection out here. I am bicycling  about 45 min

A day I have about 4-5 different route to take or combine. It must be good because my legs get sore so I know that I am exercising. A quick wake up went to sit in my padded reclining padded chair to enjoy the cool morning when you have started your sitting motion there is no stop just a mushy sound and a cool wakeup on your back.

Gusty rain soaked my chair and my shoes that are on a rack outside that was a first normally it doesn’t get wet there, but my shoes are now washed and emptied.

There is this odd thing out here people get up early I get up 5.15 and so does the

 neighbors but they also start banging away a 6.00.Thrifty people I guess.

I went to the Dr. today , had a friend who died a few days ago, so after 4 years I thought a check up was in order, chicken shit I guess.

The Dr. worried me after he said for 70 years in good shape and smiled that

was the worrying part.

Around our garden 01.06.11

the garden is coming along here are some photos

I found a snake in the grass

what kind of snake is this?

PART 2

I think the house in the bush have now reach ranch status after two intrusions of two Brahma bull calves wandered in and started and started munching on the newly laid lawn , primeurs I guess .

It`s been a brief period of warmth otherwise it has been the coldest winter in the 18 years I have lived up here, even at 25c windy and high humidity it`s cool.

A couple of rains have gotten the garden to wake up bushes and tree that looked dead are now sprouting. Since this is the first year here it will be interesting to see what it will really look like. When I bought the place it looked like a meadow with 1 meter high vegetation everywhere. It is beginning to take shape and look like a garden.

After the two snakes that come close to my foot I have become more conscious of

Not that I am paranoid but aware of snakes now.

I must be living in the Village of the Dead it looks like it`s a death about once a week

But there are a lot of older people living here so I fit in. A funeral last about three days with all the stuff goes with it and everybody seems to show up. A procession

Passing my gate takes between 10-15 minutes it`s almost like New Orleans different music though, rockets, gongs, music and chanting over loudspeakers for the whole village to hear.

Village service is very good get almost everything to the door, internet connection is a bit sketchy sometimes a few days down but who need it all the time.

The village have had free mosquito fumigation and a kilo of iodized salt delivered and even a pair of reading glasses have been provided for free.

So life in the countryside is good.

Have installed insulation mats on the ceiling so after the deafening sound of heavy rain on a tin roof it`s now very quite, plus less hot.

So far not too many mosquitoes haven`t seen any rats and the best no frogs serenading after rain there are some chirping fiddling chickadees chickados  or whatever they are called but that is only daytime.

 So I am happy here in my 2  3x3m bedrooms and 3x6m living room and yes there is a kitchen is actually bigger then the living area 6x8m.

That is all from pakopete at the ranch.

 

PART 3 

SUMMER.

            It`s  now mid May and the rain have really begun.

Winter stopped in mid March which was the coldest I can remember up here.

April was the driest not a drop, but now it started.

Fixing the house up putting in a few new doors to save my head from banging

into the low frames and new bigger sliding windows.

Electricity cut offs are frequent when it rains don`t why.

A few mosquitoes around specially daytime but they are so small you don`t really

see them they are nuisance.

Luckily I have internet so I can read newspapers and magazines on line so I not totally cut off.

Here I only have the bare necessities otherwise I have to go to Nong Khai to get supplies, but that is only six kilometers .

The village have some good schemes though I have gotten 1 Kg. of Iodine Salt , 50 Kg. of fertilizer

And a pair of reading glasses for free. They even come around to buy your dry garbage

Garbage every day and quite a few mobile hawkers but you have to be quick otherwise you miss them.

I and my friends though I was going to get cabin fever living in the bush but it`s

working out pretty good, but a bit odd when your highlights are going to N.K. for shopping which is a wonder, from 10-20 every day I have bank, post plus a department store facilities.

Heat is very bad about 35c and very high humidity and I thought it was me sweating after I good bike session. I had a friend of mine setting up the photos for me  http://isaan-live.com/  is his web page .