I go to the market

Today I go to the market in Ban Non Soon. It is a good sized market but not the biggest by any means. I took some pictures of fruits and vegetables. You can see yard long beans, melons, peppers, mushrooms and different plants and herbs that they gather wild in the ditches. Many pictures are included. Oh by the way I took a picture of some grey bags of wood charcoal. They were 13 baht or about 40 cents. Also have a picture of a guy with a muffin making oven. No pictures of meat here. I'll get that another time. Don't forget you can click on any photo to get a closeup look.

One piece of paper Trip to Bangkok (BKK)

I am trying to accumulate the paperwork necessary to remain in Thailand for awhile longer. It is difficult. There are many requirements and no one person really knows what the rules are, especially the Thais. In this pursuit I had to have a Certification of Income from the US Embassy in Bangkok (BKK). This seems simple enough but I have to go to BKK to get it. The cost adds up fast when you consider transportation and then the government that takes some $10,000 from me each year in taxes but charges me $30 to stamp the paper.

I planned it out quite well. Even still there was plenty of adventure in the day and I could write a book about the taxi ride back to the airport alone.
First I booked a morning flight to BKK and a return flight to Udon in the afternoon. That way there is no stay in BKK and I avoid that hotel expense. We ride a motobike to the Udon airport very early in the morning, I fly on AirAsia. I fly into the International airport in BKK. The round trip plane fare is about $59. After arriving at the BKK airport I go to the curb in front of the terminal and get assigned to a taxi. There is a line and people to manage it. Nice guy, older, speaks very good English. I have to pay the tolls into town 75b ($2.50 ish). He drops me off in front of the US Embassy office. His fare 340 baht (about $11). It is on a beautiful tree lined street in the midst of beautiful office tower buildings with retail shopping plazas, reflecting pools and about 200 security guards milling around. I see Tops grocery, Office Depot, Burger King, Sizzler. I feel like I am home. I got a Burger King burger. I won't get a chance to do that again for awhile.
The US Embassy is like a jail. Massive doors on the driveways and lots of walls and wire. I have to go through a security check but it is not so bad. They take my cell phone and camera and check it for me for later pickup. I go through a maze of fences to arrive at the American Citizen Services area. There I take a number like at the butcher shop. I am second in line and have my business done in about 30-40 minutes. I go right back out to the street and stick my hand out for the first taxi. And...
The guy stops the cab and I get in. He does not speak one word of English. Crap! I say the name of the Airport. It is really spelled Suvarnabumi . Thais say it and I think it sounds like Su-are-na-pomb. So that's what I said. He acted like I was from the moon. I said AirAsia. That's the airline. Finally he says "sa-naam bin?" That is the Thai word for airport. I say "Yes. Good." but there is danger in that because there are 2 airports. I repeat the name and he does not respond but takes off like the ass of the car is on fire. Now when I came to the Embassy there were toll roads and I was expected to pay the tolls. So I try to give him money for the tolls but that was a non starter. He had no clue what I was talking about and he definitely was not going the same way I came to the Embassy. So I wait. Always, when going to the airport, along the way there are signs with an airplane on them. And I wait. He is driving like he is not going to get there before either me or the car explodes. He dodges back and forth across lanes, cutting people off and generally acting like an expectant father on the way to the hospital. I have NEVER in all my years seen such driving skill. Scary skill. I'm going to die soon skill. He passes and intersection and decides he has missed his turn. He wheels around a u-turn cutting off trucks, buses and motorbikes. He comes back to make a turn across traffic to get back on track but discovers a no right turn sign (like a no left in USA). He makes some sounds like he is disgusted with himself and turns anyways cutting off a huge truck and somehow squeezing onto the street to find it is under construction, one lane and by the way not the street he wanted, We do another U-turn where none is allowed across traffic again. Finally he gets out onto the main street and somehow gets to the left and goes under an underpass. He makes a u-turn and figures out he has again gone the wrong way and finally by some miracle gets turned around. This time we go over the underpass (now it is an overpass) as we come to the bottom of the passover there is an airport sign on the left. He looks back at me his eyes aglow. Oh, did I mention he was wearing a mask for not transmitting germs. He coughs. Shit! He is sick, he smells bad and by the way the cab is so dirty I stick to the seats. Anyways he has discovered a back way to the airport. We rock and roll along, abruptly accelerating and stopping, We continue to dodge right, left or wherever he thinks he can gain an inch. Suddenly he points at a propane station and abruptly launches out across traffic again making several cars break hard to keep from hitting us. Wow. I get a breather while he puts some propane in the tank. He gets out and I hear a clunk, hiss. The fill nozzle has come out of the fill valve. There is propane everywhere and it is getting smelly and close in that cab. I don't dare to get out. I feel like I might make a spark and blow up. Within a minute he is back in the cab and across traffic we go again. Luckily the closer we get to the airport the thinner traffic is becoming. We are leaving Bangkok. I look ahead and see an airplane landing somewhere up ahead. Yay! But we miss the turn for the airport and again execute an amazing, illegal u-turn. He is headed for airport cargo now, not the terminal. I know this because near the airport the signs are in Thai and English. I know we are going the wrong way but I figure I AM GETTING CLOSER TO THE AIRPORT. Finally I say something to him. He gets excited. He trys to stop another cab to ask directions, no dice. I have probably picked the ONLY cab driver in all Bangkok that does not know how to get to the airport passenger terminal or the airport and by the way he can not read Thai either because we are about to go past a turn to the terminal. I shout "Leal Sai!" That's "left turn" in Thai. He turns to me and say "Khun Poot" (you speak Thai). I say no. He is going along and wants to turn up a one way ramp. I say "Mai Dai! Thrum pbye Looi" (No don't. Go straight). Eventually I see the departures sign and I say "Leal Qua". (go right) and we are there. His fare 230Baht about $7. I gave him $9. See! If you break the sound barrier and ignore all signs on the way to the airport you save $2 and I never did see a toll booth or the highway.

I got to the the gate and waited for my flight back. When I got back to Udon a friend picked me up with a motobike. He dropped me off in a spot where I could get the bus/truck back to my home outside of the city. I pay about 45 cents for the last, 15 kilometer, leg of my journey.

Today I travelled by motobike, taxi, bus/truck, airplane and a regular bus. But I did get that stinkin piece of paper.

Just a picture

2 little girls from the neighborhood. So cute!

Laundry soap

Laundry is purchased in these tiny cellophane packets. There might be 1 cup of soap in there.

Leo cools off in a nasty puddle

Leo was very hot so she went to the street and plopped down in a puddle full of sludge and garbage. You see some small rubber bands there. Rubber bands and small plastic bags are very popular here. Anywhere you go if you look down you are bound to see a rubber band on the ground. They put food morsels, sauces and soups into small plastic bags and then seal them with the rubber band. Additionally they make sure the plastic bag is fully inflated when sealed. Hummm...

Today iit is raining very hard so I went to the puddle in front of my house and raked it in the heavy rain so that all the debris and sludge would go off into the drain. Next time Leo uses the puddle it will be a little cleaner.

lunch box??

Sticky rice is a staple in Northeast Thailand. Sticky rice is carried in a bamboo container so it is handy for adding to the current snack meal on hand.

breakfast today

breakfast was coffee, cookies with a chocolate filling, and a fruit plate of Pineapple and watermelon. Chopaloat = Pineapple, Dang Moe = Watermelon, Cafe = Coffee, Kanome Pung = cookie

clouds

I see beautiful clouds here like I used to see in Florida. The clouds really pile up and result in Thunderstorms most afternoons. Last night we had storms all around but never had one here. I sat outside with several Thais drinking beer and watching the beautiful sky. Very relaxing.

Stinkin Leo

Damn Leo has just about chewed my ethernet cable in half. I checked it and there are tiny holes all through the thing. She must have been working on it for days before I noticed. It is my phone connection to the outside. Without it I can not telephone. I'm mad a Leo but she's so little.

In addition the cable is low quality. The outside plastic covering is really soft. Easy to cut through. That's probably why she likes it. This cable is 50 meters long and cost about 250b or $7-$8.

This is a picture of my friend Kak. She operates the local eatery. She is a very good cook. She has a bird on her shoulder. These same birds appear on the streets wild but she has a couple she has tamed. They hang around the shop and she keeps them caged most of the time. Other times they pick around your feet for a morsel.

A trash seeker

I told you about guys coming by everyday to check out the trash for recyclables. Here is a picture of one with a pedal operated vehicle.

dog shampoo

This stuff was expensive! I paid about $3. Notice the name "Smelly Hair". You have to wonder will it help?! Bearing

Water Buffalo

Just a couple of pictures of the Water Buffalo in the field next to my house. When I go out there they really give me the eye.

I got crabs

I guess because it is raining a lot but there are crabs that just wander around the roads and occasionally one comes through my drive way. Notice that my drive is tiled beautifully.

Leo update

Leo is doing well. Her eye is messed up and her head looks lopsided but she appears to still have sight. She is acting like a puppy now. She goes out and runs, chases leaves and is very afraid of neighbor cats. She likes to chase my sandals when we go out to walk the neighborhood. I have to look behind everydoor before I move it. She likes to sleep behind doors and behind the toilet. I guess it is cool there.

Getting around without a car

I had to take a trip to town Ban Non Soon while Suda was gone to her mother's. I had no car so I take what they call the "bus". But it is really a small pickup truck with a cover and bench seats in the back. From in Udon town to my home, about 12 kilometers is 15b or about 45 cents US. My trip to Non Soon cost 10b or 30 cents. Here is a picture of the "bus".

Poor Leo (updated)

Wow today Leo is actually wagging her tail a bit. She is still VERY unsteady but maybe she has always been like that. The injury must itch a lot she scratches at it an squeals. It sounds like she is being murdered! She ate a lot of rice today and slept a while. I asked Suda to take her back to the country. Suda said they have no food for her. The nice lady in the local eatery gives us bags of scraps and bones from her cooking for Leo and Tony (the ugly dog).

When Suda returned from her Mom's she brought back an injured puppy. It is a girl dog named Leo. But then again that is my favorite beer, Leo. The dog looked like it might die. (and it may still) Leo may weigh 4 pounds. She is a pretty red color but has a gash over her eye. I guess she got to close to another dog's meal. The side of her head was covered in dry blood and she cried all the time. I got some water and put a little antibiotic into it. I spent about 1/2 hour cleaning her up. I finally found the cut over her eye and applied some antibiotic gel. She is getting around good today. She is still real wobbly and don't look that good. But she is eating and following people. I don't smell any bad odors from her so I guess she is not much infected. The damn thing might live!

Fix up the moto UPDATED

I was looking over the moto yesterday. I see that the tires have deep cracks in them (maybe Thai tires) and that the oil barely touched the bottom of the dip stick. But maybe that is how they do it! Oil is around $3 per quart so use as little as possible?

Since we don't have a car... Suda has retrieved her motocycle. Here they call it moto-sye. She had sort of traded it (loaned) in exchange for a TV. When she took it to her friend I told her it needed some oil in the crank case. When we got it back it was basically empty of oil and needed air in the front tire. She just took it to a shop near by. She just took it in to get it looked at. They fixed her up. Total cost $4.50.

No Raot

No car. Suda crashed the car into a Tuk-Tuk about the second day I was here. They got too close to each other on a VERY narrow road. She crushed 2 doors and the rear on the driver's side. She took the car in for repair a few days ago but the way things work here I don't expect to get it back anytime soon. They said 1 week. That probably means 2-3 weeks.

I include a picture of a Tuk-Tuk. It is a 3 wheel thingy. Sort of half motorcycle and half cart

nothing is wasted

We saw cows graze in the street and in side yards in an earlier blog. I guess some of the cattle and Water Buffalos do not roam so the herdsman bring the food to them. I came across a guy yesterday with a weed wacker and a side cart on his motor bike cutting and collecting grass from a local park type area. Not that I have seen anyone use the park. This time of year everything is under a few inches of water anyways (it may not look that way). Here is a picture of the motobike with the side car full of grass.

Perceptions from outside the USA

I watch TV. There are 74 channels for my 350b per month (about $10-11 USD). There are a lot of Thai stations but I have Australian, British, German, Vietnamese, Chinese, Lao, Italian and many others. It is interesting to watch the news in China. They actually have an English speaking version. Most of the news anchors are Chinese speaking very good English. The thing you notice is that the news cast seems quite normal. It could be ABC news the way that the stories go. A flood here, a fire there, Train wreck, business news etc. It all seems quite normal. The Chinese even report on their "Green" initiatives. For example they have claims of reducing carbon dioxide output by 15% next year, etc. It might as well be ABC! In the USA you see news about Chinese CO2 output on the rise. Here it is going down. Hummm....
That kind of goes with a story I was watching on Australian TV about a guy in Syria. He was on a train with many people traveling. They all looked quite middle to upper middle class. Regular people if you will. But the interviews were the same. All of the people interviewed said that Syria was a wonderful place and Syria NEVER caused any troubles and that the US was always causing trouble for them. The US always meddles in Syria's internal affairs. "They always interfere in our country." The "interference" and "meddling" were never truly defined. It was just a general statement. No examples were given. But they ALL admitted that the Americans were better educated and more specialized, etc. and that they really did not want the USA mad at Syria. They mostly said that they wanted "communication" between out countries! They truly seemed to believe that their country was the good guys and VERY peaceful. They said the US hates Islam but Islamic people are all peaceful and loving peoples and wouldn't hurt a living thing. They believe that!!

Cows graze in the neighborhood

I love these floppy eared cows. The lady that watches them (all day everyday), I am told, can not speak. The other day I walked passed her along the main road with her cows and I gave her some of the fruit I was carrying. Now she likes me alot.

Where does the trash go?

Here is the trash receptacle. A big truck comes by and empties it about once or twice a week. I am sure that the thing is made from old truck tires. These are everywhere in Udon Thani. Everyday a number of guys prowl the neighborhood with bikes or motorized contraptions. They go through every garbage receptacle and dig out scraps of cardboard, cans and bottles including plastic bottles. Everything is recycled but it is all a private enterprise. Those that get there first get the good stuff!

Community cleanup

I cut a couple branches from some bushes so I can park the car out of the sun. Suddenly 3 women showed up and jumped into the project. I never expected to work so hard. Of course like women around the world they all had something to say about how I should do my work. They like to supervise!