ISS Space Station

This morning I went out to watch the International Space Station sail over Thailand. It was visible for 2-3 minutes. I am always awed by the sight of the space station. Just imagine the people up there looking down on the earth and another sunrise (16 per day). Tomorrow it will be much more visible here. I used the sighting data for Chiang Mai, Thailand which was within 30 seconds of on time. See this site to look up where and when you can see it in your area.
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/index.html

Cars have different names

I saw this when I visited Japan about 30 years ago but it is seen again her in Thailand. Cars have different names from country to country. Vehicle configurations and variations are different too. Here are a few pictures.

Buddhist Shrines

There are many Buddhist Shrines everywhere here. Most villages have one and most businesses do as well. People tend to leave offerings at these shrines. I also include a picture of a shrine shop. They are usually lined up from small to large at these shops. I have seen several shops for selling shrines here in Udon.

President Hotel

Here are a few pictures outside the President Hotel in Udon Thani. This is where I have stayed before. Uefa (8 years old) loves the pool. THis is where I suggest people stay if they come to visit. It is very peaceful. They provide free transport to the Udon airport.

Huge house

Yes. This is a single house. It is set on the edge of some empty land by itself. Thais see houses like this and think that all foreigners are very rich and can own houses like this. Udon Thani, Thailand

Shoes anyone?

I went into Udon Thani yesterday and did see the gold shops. There are many shops in the center of town. The shops tend to group together. All the shoe shops are together. All the clothes shops are together. All the gold shops are together, etc. Here is a picture of a couple shoe shops. In one photo you see soccer shoes. The name on some of these shoes was Diadora. I am not sure they were really Diadora shoes however. The Diadora shoes had a ($27)price tag. You see ladies shoes in another picture for 129b ($3.90).

GOLD

Just a pictures of a few gold stores in Udon Thani. There are dozens of these stores. Thais like gold and hold it like a saving account. It is easily sold back when you need the money. These stores are always red with plenty of mirrors. This gold is about 22k.

Train wrecks

Local news today:

7 killed when their pickup truck hit by speeding trainUdon Thani - A pickup truck was hit by a speeding train it his northeastern province after the truck refused to stop at a rail crossing. Seven people inside the truck were all killed, police said.The accident happened at 4:20 am on the Mittraparp bypass road outside Udon Thani provincial seat.The truck was dragged by the Bangkok-Nong Khai train for about 300 metre.Police said the automatic system already blocked the road with a barrier but the truck crisscrossed the blockade and was cut into the middle by the speeding train.

End news.

There have been other train wrecks in Thailand recently but this one happened not much more than a mile from my house. Actually as the crow flies or as the train track runs it was probably not much more than a half mile because the train track runs within about 100feet of my front door! I have wondered and worried about the train track so close. The tracks cross the road out front of my house about 100 feet away. There is no barrier there. I am always extra cautious when crossing the tracks because the train does not always sound a horn. I think that on some trains it may be broken. On others it sounds quite pathetic like the horn is ready to die. But I also think if there were a derailment right there that my house is surely apt to be crushed by flying rail cars. There is also a guy that owns cattle living next to the tracks and he allows his cattle to graze along the tracks. It seems very risky to me but the cattle seem to know when to get out of the way. We are about 3 miles from the train station in Udon so the train is getting up good speed as it passes the house and heads out into the country on the way to Nong Khai. First 2 pictures are at the train crossing outside of my house. The last picture is the train station in Udon. Udon Thani, Thailand

Country Doctor's office

Well now after I bragged about how great the health care is I came across a country Doctor's office on my road. The second picture is the outside of the building as you pass by and the first is a picture of the front door along with the wood bench out front where people wait to get in. But on the other side of it Uefa (the 8 year old) got real sick a couple seeks ago. He vomited and had the runs for a couple days. He got dehydrated and Suda took him to a doctor and then to a clinic/hospital for almost 3 days. They had him on an IV. The total cost of the 3 day hospitalization cost me about $45. along with about $15 for the doctor's visits. He is alive and well today. Ban Don Wai, Udon Thani, Thailand

Fixup for electrical wires

I guess these wires fell down from being tied to other wires. I believe they are power for the street lights which are just 3 foot fluorecent tubes. See how they used any branch/stick and a couple baords to hold the wires out of reach of the dogs and kids. This won't hold for long. The wire is held about 10 feet off the ground. See the street light in the second picture? Udon Thani, Thailand

cute little house

Here is a cool little house that is a couple hundred meters from me. It is obviously for sale or rent. It actually has land with it. You just don't see much housing made with wood here. Mostly they use concrete. There is a lot of land with this one. Maybe 1/2 acre (or 1.2 rai) or so. Udon Thani, Thailand

pics of my house in Sappasin Village

I don't remember if I posted pictures of the outside of my house before. Here they are:

In the first picture you see my gate on the left. The convenient store is directly in the middle of the picture. See how far I have to go? In picture 2: that is my house on the left as you look down the main village street. In pictures 3 an 4: that is the front of my house. My house is everything to the right of the air conditioners on the wall. The bottom A/C is mine. In picture 5: you see my house on the left and see that across the main village street is a food shop next to the convenient store. Udon Thani, Thailand, Issan

broom salesman

This guy and more like him go by the village everyday selling brooms. See his cool vehicle. Looks like a bicycle on front and a 2 wheeled cart on the back. Thai village, Udon Thani, Issan, Thailand

I walk

I walked to Ban Don Wai today. It is about one mile to this sleepy country town from my house. I bought 2 watermelons there and walked back. Here are the pictures I took along the way. Dale, I took pictures of a couple of the milkweed plants again. Two things came out of that. 1. I found the typical orange aphids on the plants and 2. I found an egg on the underside of a leaf. I saw an orangeish butterfly hanging around. It was about 1/3 the size of a Monarch and not patterned like the Monarch. Also I found a clump of Milkweed about 12 feet high. Also found along the trip: baby Water Buffalo bathing in a mud hole, a rice field nearing harvest, a lumber mill, a dead snake, a narrow dirt road, roosters being raised under baskets and the town of Ban Don Wai. I will dump the pictures here. Ban Don Wai, Udon Thani, Issan, Thailand