My Thai Village Life in Chiang Rai, Thailand

Chiang Rai living, On Such a Winter’s Day ...

2012-01-30T15:14:00.000+07:00

All the leaves are brown
And the sky is blue not grey
I rode out on the trails
On this winter day.
I am safe and warm
Cause I’n not in L.A.
Chiang Rai livin’
On such a winter’s day

I stopped into a field
I passed along the way
You know, I grabbed my camera
And I began to click away
Oh, the farmers like a show
And they know that I won’t stay
Oh, Chiang Rai livin’
On such a winter’s day

My apologies to the Mamas and the Papas. My brain went into loop mode on the trail the other day and came up with this little ditty that stuck with me most of my ride.

On the Pai trip.

Winter in Chiang Rai brings with it cooler temperatures, a different light and the occasional splash of color in an otherwise browning and hazy environment. On my Pai trip there were a few areas where the forest was trying its best to impress. But a recent outing on the Trek had me remembering past winters and wondering why things were so dull and lifeless, in our area this year.

Closer observation revealed that it was primarily the rubber trees that gave this impression. Their dull brown leaves lying lifeless on the ground and skinny naked arms stretched desperately to the sky seemed to suck the joy right out of my ride. Each year more of the native trees are displaced by the rubber scourge and this has me struggling to find a touch of color to brighten my outings. The fruit orchards at least stay green.

The other morning I had thought to take the Ninja out but things got in the way and by the time I was free it was too late to go where I had planned. Plan B was to get some exercise on the Trek. As I headed east and out through the rice fields between us and the mountain range that fills my entire eastern view, I began to notice a difference. High on the range there were patches of color. I was drawn off course toward the mountains in search of a better perspective for a photograph.

The closer I got the more my view was blocked by trees, houses and power lines. Passing through a village my attention was diverted by the most precarious of structures being assembled in the grounds on a local temple. A few quick pictures to record what I had seen and then I remembered being told of a reservoir in the mountains behind another nearby temple. Perhaps that would get me closer to the colors I had seen from a distance.

I was about to ask a question about the trail to the dam when I overheard a guy entering the temple grounds, teasing the others for not talking with the Farang. After he finished chiding his fellow workers, I jokingly asked him why he didn’t just talk to the Farang himself instead of giving the others a hard time, which seemed to satisfy the others no end. With the ice broken it was easy to get directions to the trailhead.

They weren’t convinced that my bike would make it up the trail but yes it would be okay coming down. They estimated it was something like four kilometers to the dam. I correctly interpreted, the trail was a bit too steep to ride up and indeed found myself walking much of it. Fortunately the more you suffer on the way up a hill the more fun it is on the way down.

I didn’t know I was near until it suddenly appeared in front of me. It was not too unlike our own reservoir but on a grander scale. Nestled between bigger mountains that came right down to the waters edge and reached high into the sky from the far shoreline. After quenching my thirst, taking a few photos and soaking up the atmosphere I was soon revitalized and ready for a quicker run down the mountain.

I suppose I could ramble on longer but I would rather share a few shots of flowering trees and touches of winter color here in the Rai. These were taken just two days before the ride to the reservoir but seemed to fit the theme of winter days and winter colors.

Chiang Rai to Pai on the Ninja ...

2012-01-12T16:28:00.000+07:00

I was awake at first light and ready to go by seven but it was a cold, wet, cloud of mist that enveloped my world at this hour. Delaying as long as I dared, half an hour later I was on my way regardless of the weather. With the visor open, eyes stinging and water dripping down my face, I limped along at a feeble pace. Bumps in the road would dislodge the droplets on the windscreen, adding to my discomfort and further blurring my vision. It was the same with the visor on my helmet, covered in mist as it was. It wasn’t until I passed Chiang Rai town that I was able to put the visor down and start making time on what I expected to be at least a seven hour ride.

One full-moon cycle had passed since our trip to Pai with Cookie in the truck. This time I was alone on the Ninja 650, with only a vague idea what I would be doing. I spent a couple of days on my Google Map examining our previous route and looking for alternate roads that would expose me to new ground. Google Maps suggested a route through Chiang Dao which turned out to be a no go. After speaking with locals in the area I retraced my path, pleased to discover that my wife had not missed a shorter route on our previous trip, but discourage that I had waisted valuable time on a false trail.

I am a bit of a dinosaur in that I have never used GPS and this time even traveled without a map. There are, after all, road signs and locals to ask if one is uncertain about the path ahead. The overcast conditions made for a cool and comfortable day of riding but not a good day for photography. I had modified a liner from an older jacket to use with a new lighter one and that kept me comfortable during the cold wet morning. It wasn’t until noon that felt the need to remove that liner and once again enjoyed feeling the cool breeze on my upper body.

I arrived in Pai at two thirty, almost exactly seven hours from my time of departure. After a shower and a little nap it was time to eat and explore parts of Pai that we didn’t have time for on the last trip. The first thing I noticed was the change in atmosphere. Gone were the crowds of Bangkok Thais and in their place was a smattering of foreign travelers. To be fair it was still early and the vendors were just setting up in parts of walking street but I wanted to take advantage of the evening light and catch the sunset down by the river. The walk from the hotel to the river and back did wonders for my feet and legs. Having collected a few shots and after a massage I turned in early, so still don’t know what the nightlife is like in Pai.

Twenty years ago I may have joined my fellow travelers in one of the open bars or restaurants but on this day I really could’t see the point. I much prefer riding alone and at my own pace with time for photos and pee stops in the mountains but it is a little lonely when you get to your destination. I guess that might be why riders like to travel in groups. Another thing I have noticed, is that riders tend to be both drinkers and smokers. I guess if you are doing something as inherently dangerous as riding a motorcycle, why worry about the added risk of drinking and smoking. Still I find myself taking a step back when talking with fellow riders on their roadside smoke breaks.

Except for the occasional wave to a passing rider or a smile and a nod to a traveler I passed on walking street, all my communication was with Thais. There is what appears to be a reluctance on the part of some travelers to talk to other foreigners. If I don’t make the first move, the gap between us is not bridged, and we remain strangers. Perhaps I was just tired from a long day on the bike but I just didn’t feel like mounting a charm offensive and allowed others to maintain their distance. To be fair tourists and I don’t really have a lot in common, though it can be entertaining to get their take on things.

Thais are a different story. I’m not talking about those in the tourist trade who make their living by interacting with foreigners but normal people who don’t have much contact with farangs. A good example can be found in a couple of fellow travelers and their driver, I saw at breakfast. We obviously saw each other but having not been properly introduced, as is the Thai way, we politely ignored each other. Later, however, we crossed paths on a mountain pass where everyone stops for a photo op. This time there was an instant sign of recognition and the Thai gentleman approached me as we took pictures of the sign that marks the spot and shows others where you have been. A pleasant exchange followed after he discovered that I spoke Thai. Also talked with Thai BMW rider from Bangkok for a few minutes.

I find even those Thais who speak relatively good English, are relieved to speak Thai. Expats sometime take offense at being ignored, or by a Thai’s reluctance to deal with their mindless babbling. If you don’t speak Thai, then what comes from your mouth is nothing but meaningless noise to most people, if you hadn’t guessed. Throw in a lack of understanding about proper social etiquette and how to approach locals and what do you expect of an encounter. The reaction of some expats is sad, however, considering it is their own fault that they live here without learning to speak Thai. Recently a guy was complaining about bad service at a car dealership because they didn’t speak good English. Leaves me wondering how many mechanics back home are great linguists. Even expecting one’s wife to translate in an area where she has little interest, expertise or vocabulary is a little far fetched in my opinion. I somehow doubt that the actual service was really all that bad.

Back to my travels, the next day started off with no more than a light fog as I headed out of Pai toward Mae Hong Song and Khun Yuem, where we stayed last time. The weather cleared early and I managed to get some shots along the way. The mountain pass at Doi Kiew Lom View Point was clear and not as windy as last time. Making good time I made a quick pitstop in Khun Yuem, intent on making it to Mae Sariang by day’s end. Parts of the 108 after Khun Yuem were quite quick, with plenty of opportunities to get out of second and third gears for a change.

Then of course there was a river valley where it looked like the road had been entirely engulfed by the river during the last rainy season. Riding on the dirt was actually preferable to the patches that still had remnants of asphalt here and there, making the ride quite uncomfortable. Anyway it gave me an excuse to get off the bike and take a few pictures.

I am embarrassed to say, I blew right past Mae Sariang. I almost stopped at a big PTT station for gas at a wide spot in the road but was distracted by signs that had me choosing which road to take. Stopping might have alerted me to where I was and sent me on a search of someplace to spend the night. As it was, I was several kilometers down the road when I started to get an inkling that something wasn’t quite right. At one of the police checkpoints along the way I discovered my oversight and though a little chagrined at my lapse, I was happy enough to continue riding until I got to Hot. One officer thought I could probably make Chiang Mai before dark but I was pretty well done for the day by the time I pulled into Hot and I refuse to ride after dark.

It took some doing to find accommodation for the night and the place I found didn’t have the word hotel anywhere in its name. It wasn’t quite as nice as the place in Pai but it was half the price and quiet enough, so I didn’t complain. A little roadside food and a stop at the seven eleven and I was good for the night. Interestingly day one and day two were both 371 kilometers and change, with a time difference of only half an hour from start to finish.

Initially I had planned to spend a night in Chiang Mai on this trip but found myself missing my home and my family. I enjoyed the riding and being on the bike but the nights were far less enjoyable. The wife and I talked several times a day, as I kept her up to date on my progress but it was not enough to keep me from missing her company. Gone for me are those self-reliant bachelor days where I depended on no one.

I awoke on the third day to a beautiful sunrise and a burning desire to get home to my lovely wife and my dog. The road from Hot to Chiang Mai, I could have done without and it was a relief to get on one of the bypass road around Chiang Mai. I am not typically a speed or distance junky but my desire to return home combined with very light traffic from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai had me moving more quickly than usual. I was lucky enough to slot in behind a car from Bangkok doing 120 to 130 when conditions permitted. Letting him run interference, I was able to relax my field of attention a bit and enjoy the ride. Even with a couple of leisurely coffee stops, I covered the 325 kilometers from Hot to home in roughly five hours and was home by 1pm.

For those unfamiliar with riding a motorcycle in Thailand, seeing a bike in the oncoming lane is often viewed as an invitation to overtake a slower vehicle or simply move into your lane to make a turn. That means you sometimes have to retreat to the shoulder to avoid being hit. The unregulated nature of the roads where I live make them a lot more fun but with the consequence of being much more dangerous. Dogs, chickens, kids, bikes, scooters and various farm equipment, farm animals and their droppings are to be found on the roads. On this trip I had close encounters with many of the usual suspects, with a lone cow in the middle of a narrow mountain road being the most exhilarating, one might say. That is all on top of the sometimes questionable condition of the road surface.

Despite the dangers and inconveniences I still enjoy riding around in the mountains of Chiang Rai but I am happiest when I can return home at the end of the day.

Happy New Year ...

2012-01-01T11:02:00.000+07:00

Last night the locals noisily ushered in the new year, waking us briefly from our slumber, having retired at our usual time. This morning the world, cloaked in a thick fog, was eerily silent. Sometime during the night our neighbors had set fire to the huge pile of straw left over from the rice harvest, leaving a pall of smoke lingering in the air and a smoldering mound of ash in the field.

After leaving it to marinade overnight, my wife got up early to put the turkey in the oven. Unable to sleep in as usual, I too got up early to welcome the new year and was greeted with the fragrant aroma of baking turkey, as Cookie and I prepared to go for a little walk. The noise of village celebrations is hard on the dogs but on this quiet morning they seem better off than the humans who drank in the new year and who’s heads are still filled with cobwebs.

I know I just wrote yesterday but I nonetheless wanted to start the new year off with a short greeting and a few pictures. It looks like the spirit house gets first crack at our turkey but I am assured there will be plenty leftover for us mere mortals. Cookie wanted to send her new year's greeting as well.

New Year's Eve with 2012 hours away ...

2011-12-31T16:47:00.000+07:00

For those of you who have been with me for a while, expectations might be for an agonizing post about where I have been, as I lament a lack of visibility into the coming year. Where is the blog going, why do I blog and what path might I follow, no doubt would spring to mind. I am surprised to find that I actually have a vision for 2012.

It is all falling into place and seems to make so much sense. The first two years were about building the house and the long process of moving in and turning it into a home with a string of projects. To some extent those projects continue today but at a much more relaxed pace. Later attention was focused on our social life, primarily exploring the expat community that exists here in the Rai. This last year has been one of consolidation as we sorted through what was important to us and allotted our time accordingly.

Admittedly I exerted more than my fair share of influence over the navigation process, as I was in the driver’s seat both literally and figuratively. With my wife finally taking to driving on her own, the impetus coming from my trip to Hawaii, she has gained more independence and confidence to do her own thing. Her iPhone has freed her from our computer, allowing her to interact in a way that is more natural for her. Nearly constant interaction with friends on Facebook has expanded her circle of friends, reinforced her Thainess and tickled her creativity bone.

After being joined at the hip for so many years it is with mixed feelings that I watch my wife refine her own style and venture down her own path a little more. I try to support her while keeping in check any impulses I might have to be excessively protective. While age has never been an issue with us, it is nevertheless important for me to remember our age difference, when it has a bearing on our growth and development as individuals. I do ask questions to help gauge my wife’s interest and commitment to projects she is considering but leave the final call to her.

If anything my wife has too many interests and finds it difficult to narrow things down enough to keep life manageable. Fortunately the days and hours she volunteers at the local school are flexible. Her expressed desire to further her education and get a teaching degree is admirable and potentially beneficial on many levels.

If it has not become clear yet, 2012 is shaping up to be “the year of my lovely wife” and the continued expansion of our Thai connections here in the Rai. Having been through what one might call a Farang phase it is now time for a Thai phase. I have had my turn, so now it is my wife’s turn. As yet I am not certain how her being busier and away from home more often will affect my schedule. Perhaps we will need a little more structure to make sure everything gets done. Then again being spontaneous and going with the flow might continue to work best for us.

Not being burdened with my usual angst over the coming year has put me in a very mellow state of mind, perfect for ushering in the New Year. Wanting to share some pictures today I finally settled on the Chiang Rai Flower Festival now in progress and a shot of a few of my wife’s students that I snapped during an impromptu visit to her class on the Ninja.

Christmas Day in the Rai ...

2011-12-25T11:43:00.000+07:00

Yes, Thailand celebrates Santa in all his commercial glory. To the point that our favorite lunch venue is sold out and we are forced to staying in on this cold and grey winter day. So much for our going with the flow and not planning things far enough in advance. The upside is, my wife is preparing a special meal just for the two of us, though I am sure Cookie will get a bite or two. So there is time today for thought and reflection.

I am not what you would call driven or goal oriented in my pursuit of happiness and the good life. I do not traverse life’s highways and byways astride an iron rail with relentless determination that takes me from point A to point B without deviation. Think of me more as raptor soaring through the sky, searching out updrafts to stay airborne with as little effort as possible. I am already where I want to be, so there is no need to point myself steadfastly in one particular direction. Maybe just drift a bit higher to broaden my view and expand my horizon. My style is to take advantage of opportunities that present, not to cling to the past or fear change but I do keep track of the choices I make and the reasons for making them.

This is the time of year when we think back on what has transpired over the last year and prepare to turn the page and start anew. I have turned, or had turned for me, many pages during this last year and no doubt will turn many more in the year ahead. I have turned the page on the hash, the expat club, the potluck, early mornings at the coffee shop, group motorcycle rides and surely a few other things that don’t spring to mind at the moment. For now we have an ever expanding circle of friends though some have wondered off along the way, perhaps having found more satisfaction elsewhere. I have focused more on my own fitness, the happiness of my family and doing things I enjoy.

There have been those who found it difficult to understand, that Village Farang for me, was like a character in a play of my own imagining. He was distinct and different from me in important ways. Over time those differences that existed early on, have all but disappeared as the two melded into one. Village Farang has taken me on a journey of discovery through writing. Some may write what they know, paraphrase others, or journal events with facts and figures. When I write, really write, it becomes a journey of discovery for me. Occasionally I know exactly what I am going to say before I begin writing and those are often the occasions when I don’t bother. Really what is the point if it is already clear and I have worked through everything in my head before I start.

I am often surprised by what VF writes and he has taught me a lot about life and about myself. With wonder I try to imagine where the words come from and how a turn of phrase found its way on to the page. At times I didn’t know I knew certain things until I read them on the page in front of me, written in a way that is VF’s alone. At first VF was an alter ego freed by anonymity to express himself with abandon. As the gap between VF and myself narrowed, I began to guard my own identity less closely. There was a gradual coming out as it were, to the point that many now know my face, especially here in the Rai. In the interest of cyber security certain things are never divulged but I am no longer reluctant to be known as Village Farang, online or in person.

My wife and I have had some very productive discussions of late, covering where we have been and some options for where we might be going, both short term and long. With age this kind of pondering seems to hold more urgency and gravity. We feel it is important to communicate and not let things drift, especially when you sense a transition is in the offing. Someone talked my wife into volunteering as an English teacher at a local school and now they are encouraging her to get a teaching degree to backup her already impressive grasp of the English language. She seems happy and this looks like a path worth exploring.

I am contemplating doing more strenuous things that she might not be interested in and are therefore better done alone. After the New Year I am considering a multi day motorcycle adventure back in the direction of Pai, for example. I will try to get my visa taken care of early to allow more time for the many things we still want to do during the remainder of this wonderful season of action and adventure.

It is all I can do to restrain myself when I overhear others ponder how to fill their time when they retire or fantasize about moving to Thailand. Often for us there just aren’t enough hours in a day, or days in a week. I guess we all live our lives differently. For me the main shift has been from focussing on a world distant and vague, to one that is present, immediate and real. In a way I have turned to the micro setting on the camera. I read volumes in the faces around me. The world overflows with sights, sounds, smells, the exhilarating dance of life and what sometimes feels like a headlong rush toward death. The mind is never idle no matter how relaxed the body may appear.

With that let me recall those famous words, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Pha Tang, Phu Chi Fa and Spreading the Joy ...

2011-12-21T12:59:00.000+07:00

Receiving my marching orders, I was informed that we would be leaving by 8 am in order to arrive at a friends resort by 9 am. As it turned out, 10 am would have been about right but that is the way things go. So we left with the sister and niece in tow, later joining our friends and their guests from England.

At the request of our friends, we had between us gathered an assortment of blankets, clothes and snacks, for the women and children of a hill tribe village on the way to Phu Chi Fa. Some refer to it as charity, I prefer to call it spreading the joy. Everywhere, we were surrounded by smiling faces, regardless of which side of the equation you were on. Hundreds of photos later and our stocks depleted we said our goodbyes and headed higher into the mountains.

Arriving next at Phu Chi Fa we gathered our energy for the hike to the top. With the peak shrouded in mist and cloud one wondered about the possibility of getting any pictures on the day. While the others ventured on to the top, I broke ranks and ensconced myself on a lower outcrop that provided the vantage I was looking for. My wife has been complaining that my desktop image of her is outdated and wanted it changed to something else.

I thought a misty Phu Chi Fa might make for a nice uncluttered image and set about trying to capture just the right profile. My subject was particularly shy that day, making brief appearances as she spent most of her time veiled by a heavy mist that climbed up the sheer rock face from the valley below. I lost all track of time watching the world around me appear and disappear, revealing something different with each emergence.

The others eventually came to fetch me and we headed back to our vehicles. Our friends took their guests south via the high mountain road to visit Phu Sang Waterfall. We on the other hand headed north to Pha Tang, someplace my wife and her family had never visited before. Of course they were hungry, so we stopped at a nice mountain side restaurant that provided good food and a few nebulous images.

The mountain air was fresh and clean but did not lend itself to razor sharp images. Still the bluish haze and subdued colors do produce a certain mood representative of the day. Pha Tang gave us more expansive views than did Phu Chi Fa with a much easier climb up an uneven rock staircase.

For some reason many Thais suffer from motion sickness but we made it through the twists and turns without incident. I suppose it helped that we rolled down the windows and allowed ourselves to be caressed by they cold mountain air. The niece hung her head out the window and reminded me of Cookie, in a good way. She can be a little moody around adults but on this day she looked like a happy child on an amusement park ride as she reveled in the sheer drops, tight turns and cold air numbing her happy smiling face.

Village Faces

2011-12-21T12:30:00.000+07:00

Pai, Mae Hong Son, Khun Yuam, Doi Inthanon ...

2011-12-14T15:08:00.001+07:00

Where others plan every last detail of a trip, we often set off with little more than an idea of where we might like to go and change things up along the way. Such was the case this last weekend, a busy holiday weekend at that. My wife drove most of the way to Pai before I took over for the rest of the trip but having only taken a cursory look at the map before leaving we missed a turn near Chiang Dao and ended up adding time and kilometers to an already long drive on some very twisty mountain roads.

As one might expect there was no room at the inn and we ended up spending the night in a tent with Cookie. Bringing Cookie along was very last minute. We had arranged for someone to stay with her but we changed our minds the night before. Settling into the tent after a long drive and a nice dinner, we chanced to looked up and saw the moon being eaten by the frog, as villagers here refer to an eclipse. In Pai they called it something else so I guess it depends on where you are.

Adventure Pai.

Scenic Pai coffee shop.

Looking pretty in Pai.

As it turned out it was my wife’s first eclipse and her first night in a tent. There was that tent-cabin in Big Sur a few years back but that doesn’t really count. With other campers talking until almost 3am, the three of us had a fitful night’s sleep at best. There was talk of spending another night in Pai but we opted for a road-trip and headed for Mae Hong Son after breakfast and sightseeing in Pai. We made it as far as Khun Yuem before calling it a day. By chance we stumbled upon a lovely remote hillside hotel at the end of a dirt road, where we had a much more comfortable night than the one before.

Photo Op at Doi Kiew Lom.

Nice Roads

Accommodation at Khun Yuem

Did you take the picture yet?

After the fog started to lift.

The owner promised us a sea of clouds in the morning but we were completely fogged in with no view at all until late morning. One would normally follow the 108 to Mae Sariang from Khun Yuem but we noticed the 1263 cut hours off our drive to Doi Inthanon, which is where my wife wanted to go, and though why not. While the roads to Pai and Mae Hong Son are notorious for their twists and turns, the backroad to Doi Inthanon was a real adventure. Extremely remote, very steep and narrow, heavily potholed in areas and yet it was strangely exhilarating to drive.

We stumbled upon a group of Singaporeans taking the same route on a couple of BMWs and a KTM. We visited at a crossroads and again on the top of Doi Inthanon. On another section of road we came across a group of young farang volunteers who look after a herd of elephants for a UK based group called GVI. They had spent the morning with the elephants and were walking back up the very steep road to where they lived. I love these chance encounters one has on road-trips.

A Singaporean Photo Op.

All the way from Singapore.

My dream bike parked at Inthanon.

GVI volunteers returning after checking on the elephants.

GVI volunteers in the middle of nowhere.

Good old boys enjoying the warmth of friendship.

Mountain Villagers gathered for I no not what.

Doi Inthanon

Looking pretty at Doi Inthanon.

Cookie was a hit wherever we stopped as people posed for pictures with her. Her presence was a mixed blessing, however. She was a little nervous the first day until she got used to the roads. The best time for her was probably being up in the mountains with the windows open and the cold air filling her nose with exotic scents and keeping her cool. In remote areas people were not bothered by her but as you got to a city like Chiang Mai, dogs were not often welcome. If not for friends in Chiang Mai, themselves owners of a Golden Retriever, we would have been hard pressed to find someplace to spend the night. Again Chiang Mai was an afterthought and we had not made any provisions for staying there.

Some people complain about the road to Pai but we loved it and the other mountain roads we drove. The more remote the better as far as I am concerned. This trip turned out be a road-trip and a survey of sorts. We now have ideas for where we might like to go and spend some more time at a later date. Next time we will probably leave Cookie at home where she will be more comfortable and less stressed.

In the end this was a trip of many firsts. First long road-trip with Cookie. First time to Pai, Mae Hong Son, Doi Inthanon and all the roads and points in between. First night in a tent. First lunar eclipse. Longest stint behind the wheel for my wife. I must say it was not our first time to feel relieved to finally be home. That is a constant no matter where we go.

Nature’s Wonders ...

2011-12-09T22:15:00.001+07:00

It is a distinctive sound not too unlike the snapping of twigs and maybe a little like water dripping from the eaves of the house and exploding upon impact with the earth below. You know it when you hear it but directionality is lost by the distance the crackling sound covers. If it is loud enough to be heard then it is close enough to be seen in the distance. In my experience up to a kilometer away if there is nothing to block the sound. A plume of smoke rises sometimes to be cut short on its climb and dragged off in one direction or another like the tail of a serpent. Other times it rises relentlessly skyward carrying a payload of ash that later settles on surfaces far away. We are often blanketed by this black snow of enormous yet delicate flakes. If left undisturbed they linger for a while on the surface of the pond or elsewhere before their fragile form collapses.

A quick scan of the horizon yesterday and I was able to see more than forty straw mounds that will no doubt be set ablaze over the next month or so. That of course does not include the fields themselves which are often burned as well. As I watch more fires being set today, surprisingly the sky is relatively clear and the distant mountains still visible. My attention is easily diverted by the birds in our area. There have been some new additions to the ranks of regular visitors as well as seasonal returnees and perennial favorites like the Pied Harrier, floating effortlessly above the fresh cut stubble of the rice fields.

Off the top of my head we see regularly, Sparrows, Mynas, Doves, Bulbul, Wagtail and Pied Bushchat. There are Egret in the fields, Kingfishers perusing our pond and Kites hovering in the evening sky. Drongo are a recent addition as they have taken to perching on our power lines and capturing the bugs attracted to our streetlights. Coucal and Bluebirds are sometimes seen on my evening run but not around the house. At times our roof is covered with birds that are either Swallows, Swifts or Martin, perhaps even a combination of breeds as I can’t tell the difference. Their movement through the air and over the pond as a group is mesmerizing to watch.

I have always noticed a couple of bats silhouetted against the muted colors of the evening sky after sunset but their numbers seem to have increased. Recently, sitting on the driveway with Cookie after an evening run, I spotted movement over my left shoulder. At first I was uncertain what it was but in bursts of two or three, bats were launching themselves from the end of one of our streetlights. I counted eight that day and was surprised that they could squeeze into that long narrow space between the flat plate the lights are mounted on and the rounded housing that is connected to the concrete pole.

Searching through photos old and new I found these four shots taken with roughly the same perspective, showing how our view changes from season to season. Hopefully when we get back from Pai, I will have something new to share.

Stuck in Second Gear...

2011-12-06T12:05:00.001+07:00

This seems to be the season for doing, not for writing. Yesterday was Thai Father's Day and though I am not a father I took the excuse to ride the Ninja over the nearby mountains. Followed a route that included Phu Chi Faa and Pha Tang. I toyed with the idea of calling this post "Lost in the cabbage patch" but "stuck in 2nd gear" seemed more appropriate as I was literally in second gear much of the day. One section I actually did in first gear to make sure I didn't stall on the super steep hairpins.

I guess the mountain kids don't get a holiday on Father's Day. With the onset of winter and the seasonal burning it is hard to get good photographs through the haze. I still like to try, however.

Our Thanksgiving in Chiang Rai ...

2011-11-25T10:52:00.001+07:00

I will let the pictures do the talking this time. It was a lovely meal with friends, in a beautiful location on the River.

To Nan on a Ninja...

2011-11-19T12:42:00.001+07:00

I had fully intended to get an early start but the fog was not being very cooperative. As it was, I didn’t get started until around 8am and still spent the first forty-five minutes of my ride wet, cold and unable to see as I plunged in and out of the remaining pockets of fog.

On Tuesday we noticed that I had Wednesday and Thursday free, so the wife suggested that she could hold down the fort while I took a blast over to Nan and back on the Ninja. Having recently been to Nan in the truck I thought I would change things up by taking the mountainous roads of the 1256 and 1081 in a clockwise direction this time and do the longer ride on the first day while I was fresh.

The sun seemed to be in my face all day and I was anything but fresh seven hours later when I pulled into the hotel parking lot. My ride all the way to Chiang Mai and back is a lot further but takes an hour less. It also lacks the backcountry isolation, mountain twistys and sense of adventure provided by the roads of Nan. On one washed out bend where I was stopped to take pictures I spotted this group of three Thai riders, the only other big bikes I saw in two days of riding. I guess the riding season doesn’t get started in earnest until next month with the approach of the Chiang Mai Bike Week.

They say things have to get worse before they get better and that is proving true for the roads of Nan. In order to repair the damage done to the roads during the last rainy season they are resorting to major roadwork in some areas. While some of the more picturesque twistys are still intact there is a lot of dirt and one has to take heed of the little Thai roadsigns that warn of impending road hazards. No telling what wonders await you just out of sight as you crest a hill or round a bend. On occasion it was necessary to wait for debris and construction vehicles to be cleared before it was safe to continue. While that added to the sense of adventure, it did cut down on the pure riding thrills that some expect from these roads.

A meal, a massage and a good night sleep had me refreshed but ready to return home. Thursday morning I didn’t get started until 8:30am but the weather was perfect and the sun seemed to be at my back all morning as I returned home by noon. Taking a more direct route home I took the 1080 to Tha Wang Pha and then the 1148 to Chiang Kham. Only one section of 1080 was torn up with most of it being a psychedelic strobe light ride through the trees. Good thing the road was in good shape as the play of shadow and light on the surface made it impossible to spot potholes if there had been any. The sun was just over my right shoulder as I left Nan and danced on my visor as it pierced the trees at a low angle.

Day two turned out to be the most throttle twisting fun I have had on a motorcycle to date. The 1148 has to be my favorite road in this area with an infinite variety of twistys. Weather and conditions were perfect with the previous day’s ride making things feel relatively easy. Some bends went on and on giving the feeling that you had done more than 360 degrees. I discovered that my least favorite turns are the tight corkscrew downhill right-handers. It just seemed hard to keep my weight off the grips with the steep angle and that made control heavy and uncomfortable. The uphill lefties were just amazing in contrast.

I did stop to take a few pictures but stopping a motorcycle on a steep grade to take your camera out and snap photos is not the easiest or most natural of maneuvers. The riding was so much fun that I often went for great distances before remembering that I needed some photographic documentation of this trip to add color to the blog.

After not riding much for several months I was interested to see if my enthusiasm would return with better weather and it has. I find that I am enjoying riding alone or 2-up with my wife which I find new and interesting. I am free to go where I want and do what I enjoy, without the constrains imposed by riding with others. After all there is a solitary element to riding a bike. The speed, danger, noise and the level of concentration needed, don’t lend to much interaction while riding, only after you stop for a break.

This last ride did reinforce what I had suspected about myself, that I prefer day-rides to overnighters and I would rather ride for no more that three or four hours at a go. I can see how one could build up tolerance for longer rides but for me it would be more of a struggle than a joy. For me it is not about how far, how fast or how long. It is all about having fun, enjoying the scenery, feeling the freedom and being in the moment. Sometimes that is more easily accomplished on a solitary ride and before fatigue sets in.

I am hearing rumblings that my wife might like to go for a ride together tomorrow but as yet I have no idea what she has in mind.

My Amazing Thai Wife ...

2011-11-15T14:46:00.001+07:00

Fourteen years together and she can still amaze me. After being reluctant to drive for years she recently stepped up, realizing she would need to drive while I was in Hawaii for a couple of weeks. Before that there had never been a pressing reason for her to drive so it kind of sat on the back burner. Now she chauffeurs me about more often than not.

She had never shown any interest in my Ninja 650 and then one day she suggested we ride it to Phu Sang Waterfall, a 142 km trip. The day after we drove even further, most of the way to Mae Sai. The plan had been to do the Doi Mae Salong route but we got a late start and had to change plans.

Taking pics

Posing

Chilling

I had no experience riding 2-up but it didn’t take long to adjust. It felt really good to have her along for the ride. Then again everything is better when we do it together. Worried about her reaction I took it easy on the outward leg only to have her ask why I hadn’t passed this one car we followed for a while heading toward Thoeng. From then on I drove and passed as I usually do. We didn’t go exceptionally fast, but except for the wind trying to take her helmet off, she said she didn’t mind the speed and really felt safe with me maneuvering the roads in my usual fashion. That was a relief since I had been concerned about her reaction, sitting helpless on the back of a speeding Ninja.

Being Thai my wife has a few fear issues with things both real and imagined, but every once in a while she just says enough is enough and faces her fears head on. That is more or less how we ended up going skydiving in Hawaii after her saying she would never do so. She is still reluctant to do much hiking or any camping in Thailand as she doesn’t feel it is safe here. It is her own country after all, so who am I to argue with the way she feels about her own countrymen. Her rationale actually makes a lot of sense.

In the States, however, some of our longer and more difficult hikes were undertaken at her request. She had seen young women on the trail and marveled at their self-confidence and athletic prowess. They hiked alone or with a dog on the trails around Bolder Colorado in skimpy outfits that would be frowned upon in Thailand and seemed to have not a care in the world. We also found people quite friendly and approachable on the trail, wherever we went in the National Parks.

Yellowstone

San Francisco

Mount Rainier

Somewhere in California

Lake Tahoe

Grand Canyon

Crater Lake

Bryce Canyon

Fiery Furnace, Arches

Multnomah Falls

Sadly my wife was born into an environment where children are controlled by fear, superstition and are held back, instead of being encouraged. I guess it makes it easier for the parents but it does little to prepare a village child for the bigger world that lurks beyond the boundaries of their village. Cultural changes do not come easily or quickly, however, no matter where you are from. Oddly there is no shortage of visitors to this country who are eager to voice their quick fixes for all that they feel ails Thailand.

Most visitors tend to ignore the inherent dangers in attempting to tinker with another’s culture. I constantly weigh the plusses and minuses of the tinkering I have done with my own wife’s world view. She obviously pays a price in her own culture for having been modified by me to fit better into my own world. On balance I think she has gained more than she has lost but I suppose only time will truly tell. At least I am here everyday to provide support and encouragement when she struggles in her attempt to straddle the divide between her culture and the life we have carved out for ourselves. In many ways she is probably better suited for life in my country than she is here, but here is where we live.

So life goes on, just as my love and admiration for my wife grows with the years. From a child of 23 to a woman of 37 she has never ceased to amaze me.

11-11-11 in Chiang Rai

2011-11-11T13:22:00.001+07:00

Just another glorious day in the Rai. Loy Krathong went off without a hitch last night. Donning light jackets to ward off the chill of a beautiful moonlit night, the wife and I moseyed down to the pond to float our Krathong on the still reflective water. We had leftover lanterns from a previous year so unpacked them and headed for the front drive. We were quickly joined by neighbors who felt compelled to help release our lanterns to the heavens.

Yes that is the moon above my head.

In every direction there was evidence in the sky that others were doing the same as us. The loud explosive celebrants remained far enough away for my own personal comfort but the dogs ran off in terror at the explosive sound of the rockets. From a nearby village there was a simultaneous release of a large number of lanterns that formed into something that looked like a double helix strand snaking its way into the bright moonlit sky.

After the neighbors left I convinced my wife to privately liberate the last pack of lanterns down by the edge of the pond. An aunt and her daughter arrived just in time to help us again and to float their Krathong on our pond. All in all it was a lovely night.

Earlier in the day I had taken the Ninja over the nearby mountains in the direction of Phu Chi Faa. Before I tended to traverse the roads that led to town in search of coffee shops and companionship. Now I find myself looking more to my own back yard and the roads that lead to Phu Chi Faa or Nan.

The Trek got another workout recently as I find this weather and the call of the trail irresistible. Topping the trail the trees had been cleared providing a view out over the valley and a faint glimpse of our house near the temple. Trail conditions varied greatly from rough and rocky to a newly blacktopped section I came upon while entering a nearby village from the mountains and fields. The temperature and the light are just so inviting it is hard to choose where to go and which form of transportation to use. Even running is made more enjoyable by the more moderate temperature that has blessed us recently.

Road Trip to Nan in Northern Thailand ...

2011-11-03T21:14:00.000+07:00

Pick a road, any road, and you are on your way to adventure, if you are visiting Nan, a remote town in the north of Thailand. We drove through Nan on our way home last year and I liked the roads enough I wanted to return and collect a few more this year. So that is what we did.

The wife had been feeling guilty, I guess, and suggested we take a little trip. Overlapping funerals and village activities had kept her busy since I got back. That left me alone at home taking care of Cookie and the house much of the time. Best not to leave the house empty when the entire village is off at a funeral. You may come home to an empty house.

It looked like there might be a couple of days with nothing pressing, providing a small window of opportunity to take a short trip together. Soon the harvest will start and there will be no one to watch the house and take care of Cookie. Actually we returned from our trip to find the harvesters in full swing and several fields done. Maps were perused and plans made, just to be informed the night before we left there had been another death in the village, the sixth in two months. This gentleman's wife had passed only a couple of weeks before and I guess he decided there wasn’t much left to live for. In the end we decided to go anyway. One of those now or never scenarios.

From our home in Phaya Mengrai the difference in mileage to Chiang Mai or to Nan is not enough to bother mentioning. It does take a bit longer to get to Nan, because of the roads, but then again the roads are a major draw to the area. Some say they are the best motorcycle roads in Thailand.

With my wife’s driving continuing to improve but needing practice, we agreed that she should start off the drive to Nan, to get more experience on the open roads. In the end she drove all the way there, 220 km. Perhaps I could have gotten us there in a more timely manner but time was not an issue on the day.

Arriving in time for lunch, we found a place right across the street from Hot Bread, a place some bikers swear to as the best breakfast stop. We ate at a Thai place opposite, which unfortunately wasn’t great. Then again it could have been that we ordered the wrong dishes. From there we walked around a nearby temple, bought a painting, gathered information and maps from the tourist information booth and took some pictures.

A hot breakfast spot.

A late lunch.

Temple

Buying a painting.

Lions

Dragons

We settled on the Dhevaraj for our hotel and after a shower and a nap we walked through the street vendors down to the river for some dinner. This weekend Nan is having its annual boat races so there were dozens of boats practicing on the river. We arrived a little late for any good photos as the sun had already set but we snapped away regardless. Again the food was not great but the atmosphere was electric with the teams in pitched battles and their rhythmic chanting serenading our meal as they sought to synchronize their strokes and increase their cadence.

Returning to the start point.

Practice for Nan Boat Race.

On our arrival at the hotel parking lot, I had noticed a group of five Kawasaki motorcycles that I took for rentals. Later on the river and again at breakfast I noticed a mixed group of farang couples, individuals and a Thai girl. The numbers didn’t add up but I was sure they were connected to those bikes. It ended up being a motorcycle tour with one couple riding two up on a Versys, the others on ER-6n’s and a support vehicle driven by the farang guide’s girlfriend or wife. They left before us but we crossed paths several more times during the day.

Motorbike tour group.

Bo Kluea.

Making salt.

To increase our flexibility we checked out of our hotel before leaving, even though we were planning a two night trip. After filling up the tank we crossed over the bridge and headed north on the 1169 and 1081 toward Bo Kluea. Alternately one can take the 1168 to Mae Charim and follow on to the 1225, 1257 and the 1081. Leaving town the roads are narrow with houses built right up to the road, leaving barely enough room to park a bike and no room at all for a car or truck. Before long things open up and you are driving twisty, tree lined, sun dappled roads headed for the mountains where the roads really open up.

Nan roads, a biker's dream.

Nan curves.

On a particularly mountainous section between Bo Kluea and Pua there were warning signs that the road was washed out but it didn’t say impassable, so we continued. You know those floods they are experiencing down in Bangkok and the central plains, well the water had to come from somewhere. On our drive we saw plenty of evidence that a good portion of that water had fallen in these mountains during the exceptionally wet rainy season that we experienced up north.

That sinking feeling.

Road damage.

Coming down out of the mountains we saw signs advertising a restaurant several kilometers ahead so kept an eye open hoping to stop for a late lunch. Pretty much in the middle of nowhere but it was by far the best meal we had on our short trip. Weighing the options of returning to Nan and spending another night doing the same things we did the night before or returning home to sleep in our own bed and being with Cookie, home won out. I wouldn’t want to drive the 1148 at night but we made it through that beautiful drive with a lovely afternoon light, making it home just as it got dark. It made for a long day of driving but we were both glad to get home, feeling that two days had been enough of a break.

After this familiarization trip, I am feeling more confident about my plans for a solo ride on the Ninja after it gets a little cooler. For more photos from this trip go to Nan Trip Nov. 2011 on my Google+ page.

Route Map on Google

View Nan Trip in a larger map

Fallen Rice

2011-10-29T11:49:00.000+07:00

Thunder and a heavy rain roused us from our dreams shortly before 4am the other night. A friend had mentioned rain at his place in town the other day but somehow I just wasn’t expecting any where we live. Lasting nearly an hour we received a substantial amount of water.

The plants needed the water but the effects on our front field were not welcome, though it is interesting to look at. Most of the surrounding fields were not effected, just us and another nearer the road. These rice-falls seem to happen every year with no rhyme or reason. Once they are down they never get back up and it makes harvesting that much more difficult.

Nothing to do with the rice but I like the lines of this plant.

A Reader’s Questions ...

2011-10-24T14:20:00.000+07:00

Question:
If your open to suggestions for future blogs & if it is not personal I would be curious to hear about your visa & updating it etc. As well as things like health insurance. Just for future reference.

I do read about these things on other web sites but seem to get conflicting reports.

Answer:
The short answer is that we do the visa extension based on marriage to a Thai National, and have done so for the last twelve years. Now that we live in Chiang Rai, once each year we drive to Mae Sai, roughly a 115km drive oneway, to fill out the forms and return again on the date stamped, approximately 29 days, to pick up the final visa which is good for a year from the date of application. A more laborious response is reported below.

Honestly I like questions. The problem doesn’t lie in the questioning process, the problem is with my answers. Typically people want a how to guide and my response, more often than not, is to go to the source and not get bogged down with hearsay from other Farangs. For example if you want to know about visas, go to the local office where they deal with such things and ask them what they want. Usually they have all relevant forms there for the taking, so that you can peruse them at your leisure and fill them out at home.

Instead of farang oriented forums, go to the government websites. For example, http://bangkok.immigration.go.th/en/base.php?page=faq. On this page you will find official answers to many questions like the following.

Perhaps you don’t know where to go and want contact information. They have that too. In my area up north you get the following graphic.

Sadly I cannot be so forthcoming with information about health insurance. I have never had any, so have no guidance or recommendations to offer. I am in that demographic needed to pay for the care of others and to keep the insurance companies solvent. In order to afford the high priced care of those who take out more than they pay in, they need people paying in who don’t take anything out. I have, perhaps selfishly, chosen not to opt into that plan.

Judging from my gene pool both immediate and distant, I am apt to live too long if anything, needing longterm care for dementia which most health insurance won’t pay for anyway. I have the opinion that I do not wish to be a financial burden to my wife by exhausting all my resources to remain alive, but not really living, for any length of time be it brief or extended. I will make every effort to remain healthy and active but I am resolved to greet the Grim Reaper with open arms, in whatever form he presents himself. I have no desire to live the way my mother is living now.

There were three funerals in the village while I was away and there is another going on right now. The desensitizing effect of the almost constant funerals here, and the depressing state of existence one sees back home, in even the most expensive and modern of care facilities, has left its mark on me. Yes, there are individuals I know who are active and vibrant into their 80’s but they are not the norm. I do not aspire to any particular age or number. I simply wish to live well and then die well, without a lot of time in between.

Hopefully one can find something of interest in my response but if it only leads to more questions, don't be shy. I will answer in the way that I do, but I will answer.

Getting Back To Normal...

2011-10-22T14:37:00.000+07:00

Rice in Bloom

Things seem to be returning to normal here in the Rai. I got up late this morning and after some breakfast, coffee and checking the internet, Cookie and I went out to the pond so she could swim for roughly an hour. Throwing out small handfuls of fish food keeps Cookie entertained with the fish breaking the surface all around her as she tries desperately but in vain to catch them. Helped my wife give her a shampoo and a blow-dry, which takes nearly another hour, before calling my father to check on things in Hawaii.

Some village friends up from Chonburi stopped by briefly on their way to Doi Tung with visitors they brought up from down south. They dropped off some chocolate they purchased in Malaysia and my wife shared a bag of chocolate chip cookies she made yesterday with a young friend who came over to the house. The whole art of gift giving is something that I have yet to master or even fully appreciate. Perhaps they will stop by again this evening and we will get a chance to actually talk. With all the water in and around Bangkok it is probably not a bad idea for them to be up here for a while.

Yesterday I took my much neglected Trek out for a long overdue perusal of the trails. Even midday the temperature was tolerable as we ease into winter, but some of the normally well groomed trails showed signs of being under water during the rainy season. After all, that water that is now threatening Bangkok started up here in the North. Our rivers are still reasonably full but not overflowing like before.

Water level in the river has gone down a lot and the banks are still quite steep.

I traversed a fair distance so encountered a range of trail conditions, from very good to very rough. The material used to repair some damaged areas had fist-sized rocks and hard baked clay which had me out of my seat as I tried to protect my own undercarriage from the bone-jarring effects.

Still in good condition.

In the forest.

Looking back.

By far not the worst I encountered but didn't get a shot of the bad stuff.

Getting ready to rough up the trail.

Rice was everywhere along the trail, at varying stages of development. One small area had already be harvested while others were bent under the weight of their ripening grain. My favorite plants, are in some areas head high and ramrod straight, with the rice looking more like flowers than grain. Soon enough they too will droop and sag from their burden, as all turns yellow before the harvest. For now though, things are still very green with golden accents.

The raised mounds between fields are now more like tunnels or trenches.

My health suffered a bit upon returning from Hawaii and it wasn’t until this last Tuesday that I seemed to turn the corner. It was a day that reminded us that winter is just around the corner. The temperature remained in the low twenties all day. It was grey and though it did not rain properly there was an almost constant mist in the air. A drive to town had filled our morning and early afternoon, with us returning in time for me to consider a run. I was uncertain if I was ready but couldn’t pass up the chance to run in such cool temperatures. Turned out to be a very good run. It is amazing what a difference a few degrees can make when you are running down the trail.

Recovering from that run, the next day I took the Ninja out to charge the battery. Even after laying idle for more than a month the engine turned over and caught with the first press of the ignition button. Not wanting to venture too far, I ended up at Starbucks for a coffee and then took a different route home. It will be interesting to see if I get back into riding this winter as so far this year my level of interest has dwindled to almost nothing.

I have other things weighing on my mind but perhaps this is enough for today. Always need to leave something for tomorrow.

Leaving Thailand and Going Home ...

2011-10-15T14:21:00.000+07:00

Have you ever spared a thought for those individuals who try to make a go of it in Thailand and for whatever reason end up returning to whence they came? We hear a lot from the dreamers and new arrivals but not much from those who gave up and surrendered the dream to go home or continued their search for the dream somewhere else.

I suppose enthusiasm and a desire to share are more forthcoming from the throws of first love and an infatuation with all things Thai. Lose the rose colored glasses and the world turns bleak and grey, with less desire to share one supposes. Besides who wants to publicize ones failures or moan about the injustice of it all. Who would care and who would read about such things?

I for one believe there are many who would benefit from the stories of those who have gone before but then again would they listen or learn? There is a stubbornness that seems to permeate the very core of the new Thai accolades. They often think they know more and know better, when the opposite is so apparent.

Never having been able to extricate myself from the hold Thailand has had on me all these many years, I can’t say I have much insight into what it must be like to go home. That is why I, and others, have been so enthralled by the resent events in the life of Mike over at Thailand Blogs. A seemingly well adjusted retiree and award winning blogger but recently an ex-expat, a returnee to his homeland.

He has begun writing an epilogue of his love affair with Thailand and though he has just scratched the surface with his first installment, there is great potential in such postmortems I feel. If you are interested go to Thailand Blogs and read Mike’s most recent entries.

I can imagine that Thailand will have left a mark on who we are and how we perceive the world but I would like to hear more of this phenomenon if you would care to share. If you have personal experience or have witnessed others who have returned home after a stint in Thailand please feel free to share your observations about the ease or difficulty of such a move. Mike has kindled in me an interest in this under reported life event, so I hope to hear from others as well as read what he has to say in his blog.

Why Chiang Rai and Not Hawaii? ...

2011-10-12T15:47:00.002+07:00

Chiang Rai

Hawaii

I was tempted to answer the bigger question of why Thailand but that was not the form the question took and would have required a much longer backstory. Chiang Rai is easier having lived here for a little over four years. Still, the backstory goes back fourteen years to when I first met my wife.

Since the question did not include details of how we got together I will skip over that part, to where we had been together for over a year and were starting to get more serious wanting to grow our relationship in new directions. I had always made myself clear on the subject of marriage and children but as our relationship grew I wanted to be able to share more of my world with her. To that end it seemed a natural progression to visit my people and where I came from.

After a little research it became clear that as a girlfriend that option was not going to be open to us. So instead of the traditional route of meeting my family first, we got married first and told people about it later. That was nearly two years into our relationship. Marriage is far from being a slam-dunk for entry to the USA so we did an end run and went for the Green Card. Not having the burden of proving a negative, made obtaining a resident visa much easier than getting a tourist visa, as strange as that might seem. At that point we had no idea what we wanted to do but the road before us and our potential options had just expanded greatly.

Our trips to Hawaii started off short and got as long as nine months at one point. That was a major plus of condo life in Bangkok. We could turn the key in the door and be gone as long as we wished. Not long after we started traveling and spending extended periods with my parents, my mother began her long slow decline into the dark foreboding realm of dementia.

Travel for us was surprisingly affordable back then. My parents had a very large, four bedroom condo on the Ala Wai within walking distance of Waikiki, beaches, parks and the zoo. My mother’s car was seldom used so we ended up with free accommodation, transportation and adequate privacy in our living arrangement. All of our money went to our pursuit of happiness not to fixed overhead. The Baht was very weak so for a while I was able to fly us business class for nearly the same price I used to fly economy.

I was torn between wanting to spend time with my aging parents before things got worse, mired as they were in their state of denial, and a need to expand the horizons of my growing relationship with my wife. Our answer lay in extended breaks of up to a month, on long drives through the scenic back roads and national parks of the Western states. We fantasized about living in places like Bolder, Portland, Vancouver or Hawaii during this time.

We were living a great life and our options seemed limitless, but of course we all have limits. There are self-imposed limits, limits based on our potential or lack there of, environmental and economic limits, just to name a few. A hard look at our situation made it clear that startup costs for a move to my homeland, to be nearer my parents, would leave us with much less disposable income and a subsequent drop in our standard of living. Besides my parents were not keen on the idea, as they denied there was any need for us to make such a move.

I came to understand that I was drawn to the adventure and romance of traveling with my wife, seeing the world anew through her eyes. I was not interested, however, in the monotony of day to day life in an environment of growing regulations and the oppressive authoritarian attitude that so permeated every aspect of life and seemed to be growing exponentially.

Things took a dramatic turn when on a visit that was meant to be six weeks, turned into a six month ordeal of moving my parents into a retirement home and preparing the condo they had lived in for more than twenty five years, to be sold. With hindsight it was clear that we were at least a year behind the curve when it came to the move, making it that much more difficult to accomplish.

Upon returning to Thailand I was struck with the realization that I no longer had a home to go to in Hawaii. That safety net and sense of security that had always been there, in the form of my parents and our family home, was gone. Though my parents were still alive, clearly the burden of responsibility and care was shifting and before long I would be the end of my line.

After ten years of condo life in Bangkok the wife and I yearned for something different. For the first time in my fifty some years I wanted a home of my own. Land, a big house, pets, toys and all the things that I had as a child but had done without during my bachelor days in Bangkok. In Chiang Rai we could have it all and much of it could be paid for by the sale of our condo in Bangkok. If anything, I am practical and calculating in all that I do. We thought long and hard about it. We talked endlessly of our options and the pros and cons of each. The more we deliberated the clearer our path became.

Though my wife had a Green Card, a move to America would have been a move to a foreign land for both of us. For nearly as long as it had been my wife’s home, Thailand had been my home. There was nothing to return to in my homeland and the cost of starting over there was just too high. The truth is, once my parents are gone I can’t imagine any pressing reason to return at all.

Apart from my parents and some financial investments, all that I am and all that I have, resides here in Thailand. There really is no other place for me to go. So comparing a few random pictures of Hawaii and Chiang Rai one might ask, why one and not the other. That would be a very simplistic question based on a very superficial observation, however. It did give me the opportunity to expand upon my life’s story and path, which I hope you have found entertaining.

Home at Last, Home at Last...

2011-10-09T10:17:00.000+07:00

Paraphrasing the closing words of Martin Luther King’s famous speech, which he in turn borrowed from an old Negro spiritual…

Home at last, home at last
Ever so thankful to be home at last

With Cookie in tow on our village walk
Me and my wife will sweetly talk

On my knees I was when time pass’s by
Tho’t my soul would rise and fly

On this morning, so bright and fair
Goin’ wake to see home and breath fresh country air

Home at last, home at last
Thankfully I’m home at last

Arriving in Hawaii, I found myself ensconced in my ridge-line abode high above the pacific ocean, with a beautiful view of Diamond Head and the sunset. This was to be my home for the duration of my stay in Hawaii. Located in a gated community, my accommodation was far from spartan and I had the whole house to myself. The day after I arrived my hosts, family friends, left on an extended trip leaving me in the position of house-sitter, I guess you could say.

Morning View of Diamond Head

Residence

Evening View

This of course is not where the story begins but after moaning about my travel angst and the fatigue of the first few days I thought better of it and spared you that part of the story. After picking up my father’s car, getting a temporary phone sim-card and settling into some semblance of a routine, with daily conversations with my wife back in Chiang Rai, I eventually made myself at home. Making my own bed, feeding myself and doing the laundry took me back to my bachelor days and greatly enhanced my appreciation for all my lovely wife does for me.

Running around Diamond Head on several occasions at sunset also contributed to my remaining sane. Making use of a very fast internet connection, I am returning home with a library of high-definition movies and series that should keep me entertained for a while. Sure hope their internet provider doesn’t impose any download limits, that I may have inadvertently exceeded.

Waikiki

Waikiki Sunset

Kapiolani Park

Pink

Diamond Head Sunset

I was taken aback by my reaction to life in both Bangkok and Honolulu as well as being separated from my wife. Throw in concern over the deteriorating health of my aging parents and the uncertainty of what comes next, and I was a bit of a mess and far from my normally blissful self. I guess my tolerance level for stress and irritation has been eroded by my idyllic life in the village.

With much to do and little time to do it there was nothing for it but to jump right in. There was only one outstanding project as time wound down but I was overly optimistic in thinking I could get that done in the time allotted. So it appears that my trip was a success if measured by things accomplished.

My mother of course did not know who I was and recent attempts to modify her medication left her far from receptive to our visits. While I understood the situation, my father was noticeably distressed that our visits with mother didn’t go better. After all I had flown halfway around the world to see her, in his mind. The truth is I had come for him and to do what I could to bolster his moral.

Everlasting Love

The Despair of Dementia

I am relieved that he seems to have agreed to sell his car and stop driving. That was an issue of concern, often brought up by others and which is a delicate matter signifying a major loss of independence for the elderly. More tasks were automated and delicate matters discussed. Clothes were bought, which found me in an unfamiliar position of dresser, down on my hands and knees, helping my father with the laborious task of dressing and undressing. His reactions were classic and will not be soon forgotten by this son.

I treat each phone call and visit as if it could be the last, trying to move forward with a clear conscience and calm heart, but who knows how I will respond in the end. For now I am satisfied that I am doing what I can. I have no read on where the rest of my somewhat formal and distant family stands but that is beyond the scope of my control or influence.

Returning to Bangkok was no less torturous than the trip over, except for the fact that I was looking forward to what awaited me at journeys end. Even the concrete jungle that is Bangkok was somehow less oppressive walking again hand in hand with my wife. It wasn’t until the plane neared Chiang Rai and we could see the lush green fields below that I finally took a deep breath and felt that I was nearing home.

The last few weeks are quickly fading to a distant memory so I must post this before the present clouds all recollection of recent events.

Home at last, home at last
Thankfully I’m home at last

Watching Moss Grow ...

2011-09-07T11:32:00.000+07:00

I have a feeling that watching my blog this month might be like watching moss grow. Last month was record setting on pretty much every statistical measure, with jumps of thirty to forty percent from my previous best. Of course quality is another matter all together. With my trip to Hawaii approaching later this month my focus will most likely be on other things, though here I am posting today. With airline tickets, hotel reservations and reentry visa in hand, all the big stuff is done.

Watching Moss Grow

It was much easier when we lived in Bangkok. Now a stopover is necessary in Bangkok in both directions. In the past we have stayed with a friend but last time we returned to our old stomping grounds, staying in a hotel next to our old condo, where we lived for ten years. There are of course cheaper options but this is the area of Bangkok where we feel most at home. The plan is for my wife to come down to meet me and spend a couple of days together if she can find someone to watch Cookie and the house.

With wonderful friends in Hawaii we are spoiled for choice of accommodation. Traveling alone this time I will be staying in a house high on a ridge, not too far from where my parents live. We spent a couple of nights there on the last trip and loved it. If my wife could come we would probably stay with Thai friends but alone this seems the better option.

Other than watching moss grow this month I suppose one could watch flowers grow, rice grow or the ever changing pattern of clouds that keep me entertained.

Watching Flowers Grow

Watching Rice Grow

Got The Girl, Now What?...

2011-09-02T12:22:00.001+07:00

As you know I have lived in Thailand most of my life and found my wife after living here for a very long time. That is not in the cards for most people, however. Most find love during a brief visit or perhaps online, these days. So once you have found your true love, for many there is little option but to take her home where you can provide for her. For that matter, at some point most of us want to at least travel with our partners so we end up jumping through the ubiquitous bureaucratic hoops our governments set up for our enjoyment or perhaps their entertainment.

A couple of my readers are getting close to bringing their partners to visit or live in their home country. Having overcome the mountain of obstacles placed in their way so far, now they will be burdened with task of everyday living. As far as I am concerned there are no hard and fast rules as each individual and each couple face different challenges and have different resources to call upon. In general there are two main camps on the subject of immigration, whether Thai or farang. You either stick to your own kind or mingle with the locals. Somewhere in the middle is probably best but you get my point.

I am in favor of multiple visits before making any longterm moves but I understand that may not be an option for many. Jumping off the cliff into unplumbed waters will work for the lucky ones but others will end up battered and bruised, if not worse. As usual there is anecdotal evidence to support optimism or pessimism. It is your choice.

If your language skills are not great or you don’t have much free time, it might be tempting to find a bunch of Thais for your wife to hang with and lighten your load a bit. You could get lucky and fall in with a good group but there are some real horror stories about Thais preying on the naïve newcomers in their midst. I am of the camp that believes in adjusting to the local life first and then when you are more settled, perhaps looking for friends from the old country.

If you don’t make the effort in the beginning, in my opinion, it is easy to get complacent and stick to what you know. You see it with farangs in Thailand and with Thai overseas. My wife met Thai women, who while living overseas, seemed more Thai than she. They were up on all the latest celebrity gossip, soap-operas, singers, ate little but Thai food and had few if any friends outside of the Thai community. In spite of living overseas many don’t put any effort into improving their language skills either, much like many of the farangs in Thailand.

While most people think of the big things like visas, food, weather, loneliness and homesickness, some little things are forgotten or overlooked. While the cold is hard on most Thais it is often the dry air that causes more problems. Starting on the airplane the air is very dry, then the cold air is dry and the heated interiors of buildings are dry. Those with more delicate skin will find their skin flaking and itchy while their lips chap and noses might bleed as the sinuses crack and dry out. My wife goes through copious amounts of skin lotion in the hot climate of Thailand but nearly baths in the stuff when we travel. Various medications and things like birth control, which are bought over the counter in Thailand, may require prescriptions in another country so one needs to think ahead.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that you shouldn’t go for it in life or in love. I’m just saying, don’t expect it to be smooth sailing all the time. No matter how much preparation time you have put in, things will come up that you didn’t consider or prepare for. Cross-cultural relationships can be incredibly rich and full but they can also be very complex and difficult. Patience and understanding are needed in abundance and while the payoff may not be immediate and things may fall apart eventually, don’t forget that life is always lived without guarantees.

For those of you anxiously awaiting the arrival of your true love, just sit back and let those emotions wash over you. You may never have those feelings again so don’t let them pass unnoticed. Don’t rush too quickly to make everything normal and common place. Soon enough you will be wondering where all the excitement and anticipation disappeared to. For now just enjoy the ride.

The Catch Of The Day...

2011-08-30T12:57:00.000+07:00

They put back a few that were bigger than these two. I have no idea how big they can get or how long they live but I want to watch them grow for a couple more years. In the mean time these two will feed a few hungry mouths and provide fodder for my blog. Any guesses how they were caught?

Okay, smile for the camera.

Now what do I do with these things?

Here are a few shot my wife posted on Facebook with her iPhone.

My Latest Blog Insights ...

2011-08-29T13:32:00.000+07:00

I have previously acknowledged that I am a writer, not a reader, of blogs. The exception to this rule comes from following the links to my reader’s profile pages, when they leave comments. I’m curious, some might say nosy, and want to learn what I can about my readers. Of course many commenters are anonymous or only have an identity for sign-in purposes, with no content associated with their identity. Occasionally I stumble across something interesting, however.

Seldom do I find the content of other blogs new or interesting. Looking past the content, I have on occasion seen something in the person and taken an interest in a blogger, following their development to see how well they adapt to their new lives. Some depend heavily on other likeminded bloggers, for what often resembles a support group. Many have a short-lived presence online lacking in either talent or temperament, but a few have gone on to do quite well for themselves. Many of the new guys are so predictable and repetitious in what they write. It is sadly humorous, the way they take themselves so seriously and lack the ability to come up with anything new or to deal gracefully with their detractors.

Recently something quite extraordinary happen to me. One link led to another link and I found myself actually reading and following someones blog for a brief period. Strangely it was a female biker’s blog. She was on a road trip and posting when she could, at the end of the day. She had paired up with another guy, not her husband which I found interesting, and hit the road in the Pacific Northwest. Being me, I had to analyze my own interest in this blog. First there were beautiful pictures that reminded me of trips the wife and I have taken on the back roads of the West Coast and parts of Canada near the boarder. That must have triggered within me some nostalgia and identification with the content.

Being a biker of sorts myself, and never having ridden in the States, it got me imagining what that might be like. Her perspective as a female rider, a slightly less testosterone laden account of the ride and the day, was new and refreshing to me. The immediacy of the report, as it was written and posted during the ride and not after, helped to make me feel part of the ride. At times I could almost see the sky, smell the trees, feel the cold wind and the fatigue at the end of the day. I found myself looking forward to her next post. Of course when the trip was over and the content returned to fashion, lipstick, tampons and other packing necessities, I lost interest.

The act of finding content in a blog that grabbed me and held my attention, however briefly, got me thinking. In a comparative look at my television viewing patterns, I seem to be drawn to first person accounts of wilderness adventures. They are all the more interesting if they are in areas I have visited previously or have an interest in going one day. Might that not be applicable to my own blog? People reading for glimpses of their past or a wished for future. That could explain in part the interest some take in the writer, as well. Perhaps these same readers go elsewhere for the nuts and bolts, how to stuff, but come here for the imagery of what life might be like for them at some point.

That would also explain why some Chiang Rai residents are less than enthused by my blog. After all, they are already here and living their own life in the Rai. I am derided for being too vain and personal in my presentation, even the word narcissistic has been used to describe me. For the less educated and simple minded residents, my words are too fancy as they prefer a more folksy turn of phrase. Oddly enough one of my very first supporters was a fellow writer and resident of the Rai. His critique and words of encouragement as a writer, played an important part in getting me through the first awkward stages of my writing. Some have great difficulty understanding or accepting there are important differences between Village Farang and his creator and are apparently unforgiving if VF’s words inadvertently touch a nerve.

For those who like backstories, my interest in writing and the online world is relatively new. When my wife finished her studies at a makeup academy in the Hollywood/Burbank area, I was looking for ways to support her work as a makeup artist. I knew a photographer, who though primarily a corporate and interior type, did use makeup artists when there were models in his shots. Being slightly homophobic, he jumped at the chance to get away for the prima donnas and transexual histrionics of those who control much of the makeup business in Bangkok, and work with my wife instead. He also gave me pointers and introduced me to Go Daddy, domain names and the like. Being an Apple guy, however, I went for iWeb and a .mac account to set up an online portfolio for my wife’s work. The iWeb templates were easy enough for me as a beginner to deal with.

He also took a brief interest in my blog when we moved to Chiang Rai and I was first thinking about how to set it up and start it off. After a vain attempt to get me to sound more like him, he seemed to loose interest as I went merrily down my own path. While my blog seems to have played a part in the distance that has developed between some friends over the years, in the case of the photographer it was more about going down different paths and a badly handled breakup where the wife and I stayed friends with the female side of the equation.

Looking back I may have benefitted from doing more research and reading other blogs before starting my own. My rationale at the time was that I wanted to work on a clean slate and not be tempted to copy what someone else had done. Seems pretty silly looking back on it but we cannot change the past, just learn from it. I have even been tempted to go back and rewrite some of my early posts with my present insights but have kept them as a record of my progress or lack there of.

There are of course many types of blogs and bloggers. Some of us personal bloggers can be quite temperamental and react badly to any suggestions or critique of either content or presentation. New bloggers of our ilk often say they only write for themselves and don’t care what others think. If that were true they would no doubt keep a private journal and forgo the public humiliation of an online blog. Perhaps like me they will look back and cringe at some of what they have written but find it within themselves to accept their own shortcomings and revel in their continued growth. Anyway, this is where I seem to stand at the moment on the topic of blogging.

Blogger Buzz: Update on Browser Support

2011-08-25T12:49:00.000+07:00

I have heard that many of you are having problems with the comment page. Below is a link to an article from Blogger Buzz. Don't know if it will help but it is all I know about the situation. Wish there were something I could do to make things easier

Blogger Buzz: Update on Browser Support: Posted by Brett Wiltshire, Product Operations Our team has been thinking a lot recently about browser support, and wanted to make you aware...

Update on Browser Support

Posted by Brett Wiltshire, Product Operations

Our team has been thinking a lot recently about browser support, and wanted to make you aware of our new plan moving forward. For web applications like Blogger to continue to evolve at a rapid pace, our engineering team needs to make use of new capabilities available in modern browsers. For example, Dynamic Views, which we previewed in March, and Web Fonts both require advanced browsers that support HTML5. Older browsers just aren’t able to provide you with the same high-quality experience.

For this reason, starting next month Blogger.com will only support modern browsers. BeginningAugust 1st, we’ll support the current and prior major release of Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari on a rolling basis. Each time a new version is released, we’ll begin supporting the update and stop supporting the third-oldest version.

As of August 1st, we will discontinue support for the following browsers and their predecessors: Firefox 3.5, Internet Explorer 7, and Safari 3. In these older browsers you may have trouble using certain features in Blogger as well as many other Google Apps such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk, Google Docs and Google Sites.

So if it’s been a while since your last update, we encourage you to take advantage of the improved performance and security these modern browsers have to offer by installing the latest version of your preferred browser. There are many to choose from:

As the world moves more to the web, these new browsers are more than just a modern convenience, they are a necessity for what the future holds.

Evening Sky, Yesterday

2011-08-25T11:16:00.000+07:00

I opted not to run last night and instead enjoyed the evening sky with Cookie and my wife. The flood waters have subsided and the floor of our sala is now high and dry after being submerged the other day. The sky has been cleansed of impurities, at least for now, but as you might be able to see they are burning once again up by the dam. While there was no color after the sun set, the blues of the sky with its crisp white accents, the brilliant greens of the rice fields and the dark silhouette of the nearby hills made up for it with a colorful display before the sun went down.

Everyday is different, with the colors and shapes changing endlessly. I never tire of this view.

A different day, a different sky.

Learning Thai ...

2011-08-20T12:35:00.001+07:00

The topic of learning Thai does not escape VF’s tendency toward canned flippant responses to repetitive or often asked questions. As for the question of how I learned Thai, “Hormones are a great motivator” was my standard retort. You have to remember I started learning Thai back in 1975 at the tender age of 21, with pretty much one thing on my mind and language helped me get it. There really wasn’t much English to be found back then and your apartment was little more than a place to shower and sleep, so you were out and about, surrounded by Thai all the time. Many nights I didn’t even bother to return home, finding myself caught out by the midnight curfew or sleeping at someone else’s dwelling. Woke up in some interesting places back then.

Three television channels that went off the air around midnight, no cellphones, no internet, no blogs, no one to hold your hand and tell you what to do every minute of every day. Other than my nightlife activities I would sometimes wile away an afternoon in one of those seedy, rat and cat infested theaters showing nonstop martial arts movies dubbed in Thai, for some ridiculously low price which I can’t recall. Animals brushing past your leg in the dark, shoes sticking to the floor, indistinct odors permeating the air, just added to the experience. Listening to Thai all the time gave me a headache but I would start to hear things repeated and if I couldn’t get the meaning through context then it was time to ask someone or look it up. A scrap of paper to write on came in handy.

On a more formal level, I did study Thai at university. Who knows how I would have fulfilled my language requirement for a degree if I hadn’t stumbled upon Thai. They used pretty much the same material as AUA back then, so upon moving to Thailand after graduation, I continued that course of study. I also taught English at AUA for a few years. I was not a great classroom student of the language but did learn the alphabet, tones and unique sounds of Thai. I have never had much use for the written language other than reading menus and road signs but the process of learning how to read and write was invaluable for understanding the language as a whole.

Along with formal classroom Thai, I picked up a lot of very unsavory words and phrases. The kind of stuff best not repeated in polite society. I enjoyed the colorful wordplay and double meanings and in some environments knowing the really bad stuff and being quick with a rejoinder, got a positive response and the right kind of attention from the girls. You had to be very careful not to let those words slip out at the wrong time or in the wrong place, however. In the end pronunciation and fluency was my forte as I neglected formal language learning and the development of a more extensive literary vocabulary.

I have long sense lost interest in keeping up with the latest slang. After years of speaking Thai I started to rediscover my own language after meeting my wife and settling down. Starting this blog progressed that rediscovery even further. Now that my wife’s English is so good we have settled into an unusual pattern of communication. I speak English and she speaks Thai most of the time. With ones passive language ability always being better than ones active abilities, we find this a very efficient means of communication. These days I do sometimes struggle with fluency when we get around Bangkok friends, since the farmers around here speak something different and their attempts to speak Thai are heavily accented at best.

Some guys go for learning one of the many regional or local dialects and if your intent is to spend all your time surrounded by people like that, there is some merit to going down that path. I spent over thirty years in Bangkok and developed my language ability accordingly. At this point I have no real desire to learn how to speak like an uneducated farmer, though my passive understanding of what they are saying seems to have a life of its own.

I can’t comment on the best schools, online options, phone apps or modern techniques for learning Thai. I suppose someone somewhere has coined a term for the way I learned Thai, ranking it low on their list of learning strategies, but there were few options back then and you simple had to get on with it. While I learned Thai in a different time, the language is still the same, as is the history, culture and traditions. I am not up on the latest, best or cheapest places to stay or eat, public transport, where to pickup girls or get a tattoo but I have lived through many changes in Thailand’s recent history that the new guys can only read about. My knowledge is about Thai society, how it has evolved since my arrival, where I fit in the mix and how to navigate my own path here.

Depending on your partner to teach you Thai, is fraught with problems. Often they simply don’t have the skills or patience necessary to teach. Some will actively block your learning as it is not seen to be in their best interest. By allowing your partner to speak Thai you relinquish much power and control over the relationship. My wife would say that learning Thai is a necessity, but many women who actively seek farang husbands, do not share her views.

There is no shortcut in my opinion. It takes time, effort and some form of formal training. Practice what you learn with everyone around you, not just your partner. For the most part Thais are very appreciative of any effort to learn their language or eat their food. So don’t be shy about using what you’ve got and listen intently to the responses and corrections that might come your way. Whatever you do though, learn Thai.

Wearing a Smile ...

2011-08-17T14:05:00.000+07:00

The temperature hung in the mid twenties this morning. The clouds hung low and heavy in the sky as etherial wisps hung even lower than seemed possible, like fingers gently caressing the slopes and treetops. A light rain texturized the surface of the pond as Cookie slipped excitedly into the water sending a torrent of ripples to the far bank. Adding to the spectacle was a flock of swallows flying low over the water both observing and participating in this dance of life. The only players I truly missed were the Pied Harriers that I love so much but this is their time of year to be elsewhere.

A freshly brewed cup of coffee in my hand, I settled into a comfortable chair sheltered from the rain in our pond-side sala, while Cookie tried in vain to catch the monstrous fish that swarmed around her. Our catfish resemble my lower leg in girth and length, and their six inch whiskers and gaping mouths torment our four legged daughter, disappearing just as she lunges at them. Her antics are something between that of an otter and a bear, swimming, splashing and diving with total abandon. Her childlike joy is catching and fills the air, warming the heart.

She has grown from a naughty child into a more respectful young woman who loves her mommy and daddy to walk with her and sit with her while she swims. These days she refuses to wander off and do things on her own when she is off leash. While she enjoys interacting briefly with other dogs, and her young son the cat, we are clearly the focus of her attention. As long as she can see us or sense our presence in the room contentment reigns.

This is a lovely time of year. The weather is always changing. The fields are greening up nicely. The trees are lushly decked out in their formal forest colors, dark and rich and varied. The trails are sometimes a bit muddy but not enough to deter my running. Thirteen weeks into this new phase of my life and I have settled into a consistent five kilometer run with an occasional seven kilometer run, all the way to the dam and back. The 5k can be done even when I don’t feel at my best while the 7k leaves me limp and lifeless but awash with endorphins and a sense of accomplishment.

To avoid injury I try to stick to an every other day schedule but recently weather, darkness and illness have added a few extra down days. Probably not a bad idea to have a little extra recovery time occasionally, considering that I am no longer a youngster. I have even started to lose a few kilos though building my strength and endurance has been the main focus.

Travel plans are shaping up for next month so I am determined to do as much training as I can before then. A break of a couple weeks from my routine should not be a problem and may imbue me with renewed determination when I hit the trails again. I hate being away from my wife for even a day so this separation, however short, will be far from joyous. The long hours in transit from here to there become more tedious as I grow older. Filial obligation beckons me away from my home to the far off shores from whence I came, with a call that cannot be ignored. A time for introspection, and examining the push and pull of different emotions.

Perhaps I have spent enough time with you today and I should return to the real world for the remaining hours. Now where did I place that smile and inner glow I was wearing this morning?

Your Favorite Posts ...

2011-08-16T12:19:00.000+07:00

I am asking for your help here. There is a popular posts gadget on the blog but it rates things primarily by page views, considering little else. My number one post got that way, I fear, through Google Image searches for the Ninja 650. I would like to think that some people actually read the post but lets face it, many viewers probably went no further than the pictures since that is what they were searching for.

With 220 posts spread over the last four years and with relatively few individuals having read all of them, I know it is a lot to ask but thought I would ask anyway. Were you drawn here by a particular post? Do you have a favorite post or genre of post? I would appreciate any input but a top two or three would really be great. Even one would be helpful if you could add why you liked it.

Sorry to turn things around on you but this is something I simply can’t do by myself. As a blogger I am in constant angst about what I am doing and why, as well as who you are and why you are here. I have asked for your input in the past but this is a little more targeted and less vague so hopefully easier to deal with. Thanks in advance for your help.

Buying Land ...

2011-08-16T10:41:00.000+07:00

Through an email exchange I was asked about the purchase of our land and whether it was done in my wife’s name. Subsequently, after starting to read this blog in its book form, the answer was found and I was asked to disregard the question. Fortunately or unfortunately, your choice, I had already penned the following and thought I would post it anyway. Not everyone is so diligent about digging through the entirety of my work and an update on a topic from time to time is not unwarranted in my opinion.

My perfunctory answer to such questions of ownership is simply that my wife owns everything in Thailand. It saves a lot of trouble if anything were to happen to me. If I were a man of few words, that answer would no doubt suffice. Since I have never been accused of being such a man, and since I have an opinion on such things, let me expand.

On a very general level, women’s rights and land ownership for Thai women married to foreigners has come a long way. Not saying it is perfect but it has improved over the years. For the specifics of Thai law I would suggest that Google is your friend. In our case I simply had to accompany my wife to the land office and sign a form stating I had no claim to the land and we were good to go. At a later date and at my wife’s urging, we went in to get a usufruct and have my name added to the Chanote or land title papers. This was her idea to protect me from her family if anything were to happen to her. Again looking up usufruct is probably more useful than my paraphrasing here.

I suppose these questions come up because we have all been exposed to the horror stories of the hapless farang male being liberated from his funds and then sent packing by an insatiable horde of in-laws. I am in no way disputing the veracity of such stories. I am simply suggesting there might be more to the story.

Some women succumb to social pressure and try to get as much as they can from their farang partner, to help combat the stigma of marrying outside of their own race. Don’t forget that in a traditional rural environment, the gossip mill can be a powerful and destructive force. If you marry a man who is no better off than some poor farmer from the village, then what is the point, in their view. Foreigners are just too much trouble if there is no compensation for the sacrifice, such as substantial financial reward, real or wished for. If you are already burdened by the stigma of failed relationships and perhaps fatherless children to raise, then it is not much of a leap to marry for money, the second or third time around.

There are indeed parents who will tell their daughters to get what they can from a man while the getting is good, and the man is still thinking with the wrong part of his anatomy. Asking a man for land, a house or some other financial contribution could also be seen as a test of both his intentions and his solvency, even from a trustworthy partner who sees a man as something other than an ATM. Unlike the West where divorce can be devastatingly expensive, in Asia the man can often simply walk away. You can think of any contribution made to your partner as a no-fault or prepaid divorce where you know in advance exactly what your exposure is.

In the case of a land purchase there is often an undercurrent that a farang might not be aware of. Most Thais where I live would almost immediately take the land title to the bank and use it as collateral for a loan. That can make placing the land in the name of a family member problematic. No telling how that money will be spent so in the end you might be asked to repurchase the same land from the bank or risk a complete write-off. People have learned that getting oneself into debt, and then begging someone to save you, is much easier than asking for money outright and having to explain why you want it.

I love my wife and like other men of my ilk, would not like to think of her being left destitute upon my demise. Some other men seem to have no greater ambition than to find the cheapest form of domestic care and carnal satisfaction they can. Barefoot, wrapped in a sarong, pregnant and in the kitchen or garden, if you don’t mind. Heaven forbid they wear any makeup or go to a beauty parlor. They boast about how little money they spend on their wives or that they spend nothing at all and everything is in their name, not their wife’s name. I find that sad.

My advice is always something along the lines of, if you don’t trust your partner and don’t feel they have your best interests at heart, then you are probably with the wrong person and should not throw good money after bad. If a refusal or postponement of major cash contributions is considered grounds for ending a relationship then let it end and consider yourself lucky. This is especially true if you are still in the first year of so of a relationship with someone you really don’t know that well.

Renting in Thailand is often a more rational and affordable route to take. Unfortunately in the eyes of the locals it provides no future security. Purchasing land as an investment sounds nice but often doesn’t work out. I have friends who have done well with condos in big cities or large land tracts in rural or boarder areas but you need to know what you are doing and have some luck. Remember you are up against speculators from all over Asia as well as Thais. Some ten thousand rai of land on the East side of our village was swallowed up by a major beer company as an example. How are you going to compete with that?

In summary, if you want to buy land, do your research and do it locally as the application of laws can vary by region. Go to the land department and check with the banks to see what they have for sale and perhaps consult a good lawyer if you can find one and are the litigious sort. Word of mouth and family connections are great but have to be viewed with a health dose of skepticism.

Next question please.

No Children Please, Pets Welcome ...

2011-08-12T14:54:00.000+07:00

Driving to town on a dark rainy day with misty clouds clinging to even the lowest hills, it was enough just to enjoy the company of my wife, who was driving for the first time in the rain, the lovely passing landscape and the relaxing ambience that seemed to envelop the world around us. Someone had proposed a question just before leaving the house, through the comment page, so instead of enjoying the quiet I thought I would run the query by my wife to get her most recent take on the subject.

Our dialogue on having children has changed over the last fourteen years as one might expect. After listening, she paused ever so briefly and then began a thoughtful discussion with the acknowledgement that when we first met, if she had met a man who wanted children, she probably would not have even thought about it. After all that is what couples do, right? Now at thirty-seven years old, and years of living with me, she has a clearer understanding of the question and her feelings on the subject. Then again how clear can something be that is mired in biological imperatives, tradition and cultural beliefs?

Over the years she has been witness to the births of many of her friend’s children and continues to follow their progress. They have pretty much covered the spectrum from easy to difficult and given her a good idea of the sacrifices involved in being a responsible parent, as apposed to just giving birth and passing it on to someone else to take care of. She seems to like infants in small doses these days and understands that given the choice she would prefer not to surrender her own existence to the sole task of taking care of someone who is totally dependent upon her. Besides, between Cookie and me, isn’t she already doing that? Reading this part aloud to her as she worked around us, she moaned audibly, venting that she indeed had enough children to take care of already.

Clearly we have evolved strong biological and hormonal urges, that have served us perhaps too well, in our rush to dominate and over populate this world. To counteract our more primitive urges, evolution gave us the prefrontal cortex with its executive functions capable of overriding some of our more destructive tendencies. A quick look around and one would be excused for thinking that most people have never opened that box or read the instructions contained there in.

It took a while but I think my wife now understands, that yes she gets a warm fuzzy feeling around infants, not unlike what she feels when she sees a golden retriever puppy and holds it in her arms. One can choose, however, to enjoy and embrace that feeling for a moment or two with other people’s children, without surrendering ones entire life to it. To this end I am more than happy to let her get a regular dose of nurturing by visiting friends with babies.

Culturally things can be made more difficult by the pressure put upon us by friends and relatives to produce cute little clones of ourselves. I tend to view the sometimes incessant prodding as no more mindful than remarks about the weather or your health, a simple reflex with little or no thought behind the words. Some people give in way too easily to their urges and the prodding of others, in my opinion. Just because someone can give birth doesn’t mean they should do so, or that they would be competent parents.

With many foreign men finding Thailand late in life and choosing much younger wives, simply because they can, there is a disproportionate number of very old fathers with very young children, at least in rural areas such as mine. Spending ones twilight years changing diapers and playing reruns of a life you have already lived is beyond my comprehension. Playing grandparent from time to time seems more suited to old age. I do my best to keep those thoughts to myself around others but I’m sure they must sense my misgivings about such things.

In Thailand one hears repeatedly the question, “Who is going to take care of you when you are old?” Even worse I used to hear, “You need to have children in time to use them.” As I have gotten older, thankfully I don’t have to listen to that one anymore. Those questions and comments will in time be relegated to the past where they belong but for now many still cling to them. Taken to the extreme some seem to ignore the present and the lovely memories they could be creating together, regardless of age, and greedily prepare for their future by producing offspring and milking the ATM.

In contrast to the belief that children will care for you in your old age, these days one sees more and more old people in villages with no one to care for them. Their children are off working in the cities trying desperately to sink no further into debt and often failing. There are those who champion the idea of families taking care of aging parents but I have witnessed on too many occasions, families who are simply not equipped to provide the care their aging parents need. Sometimes we do more harm than good by giving in to emotional and cultural pressure, instead of acting on a clear and rational plan. Old age and dying are never easy subject to discuss, however.

My wife and some of her single friends half seriously joke about building houses next to each other when they get older. Who knows, that may turn out to be doable with so many single female friends and with people staying active much later in life. Alternatively by the time I am gone my wife’s niece and nephew will be parents a few times over and may need help raising their kids. As the world and our circumstances in it change, we may need to evolve new models of how to deal with those changes. We desperately seek certainty in an uncertain world but in the end the most we can hope for is that we will have acquired the needed experience and resilience to deal with whatever comes up.

At this point I probably have more confidence in my wife than she has in herself. She has been taught to worry about things she has no control over but I do what I can to help her, if not embrace change and uncertainty, to at least not fear it quite so much. No one knows what tomorrow will bring and one day I will not be here to love, protect and care for my wife. All we can do realistically is make the most of the time we have together and hopefully that will provide a strong foundation upon which to continue her life after I am gone.

No doubt I have readers who would have preferred something more authoritative or instructional on this topic but those who know me better will have expected this style of rambling dissertation. It is to be hoped, this will lend itself to stimulating ones own thought process on a subject many of us have to deal with.

Why I Married a Thai Village Girl ...

2011-08-10T14:12:00.001+07:00

To begin with, I am sure there are those who would dispute my wife being a “village girl” and they would not be wrong on many levels. She speaks and writes English well, has a modern sense of fashion and design, with a fondness for western food. Into fitness, self-improvement, travel, hiking in places as diverse as Mt. Rainer, Arches and the Grand Canyon, and even tried skydiving in Hawaii. The truth is, however, she was born in the village we presently live in making her at least technically a village girl.

She was never a farmer like her parents and was primarily responsible for taking care of her younger brother and sister. To this day she speaks fondly of other children, now grown, who were under her care at some time in their infancy. Having that kind of responsibility at such a young age may go some way to explaining how I was not pressed or badgered on the issue of having offspring, something I have never been in favor of. Though I did change my mind about getting married, I have never wavered on the issue of children and was clear from the beginning.

I can’t see that she learned much from her family with their lives being as different as night and day. That said perhaps she did learn what she did not want. Her goal had always been to escape the village, yet here we are, after both of us having lived most of our lives in Bangkok. I may come back to this later but I have yet to touch on the topic of why I married my wife instead of someone else and should perhaps move in that direction.

With my years in Thailand and experience across social lines, one might ask why I did not marry into an upper crust Chinese-Thai family or one of the old Thai family names. It is not like I didn’t know people like that or spend time in their homes when I was in my twenties. I suppose it might have been possible when I was young and full of potential. Though I did meet a couple of girls who were heartbroken and their dreams shattered by their unrelenting parents who threatened to disown them if they did not break off relations with their farang boyfriends from university in Europe. Such a threat from powerful and socially influential parents was too much for them to resist. I doubt I would have faired much better.

There were a few other stumbling blocks that were quite obvious to me, from the very beginning. First, being from an academic family, I presented well but really had no money and little prospect of making any in Thailand. That is of course unless I was willing to work for someone’s daddy. I have known a few guys who integrated fairly well into that kind of situation but it was definitely not an option for me. Being under the thumb of some Thai man who controlled both my income and my wife was unthinkable.

Secondly I was not really attracted to the girls I met in those families and getting them away from parental supervision to spend time with them was all but impossible, especially in the evenings or on weekends. Most importantly I was having too much fun as a single guy and had no intention of ever getting married or having children. With no interest in ruining mine or anyone else's life, it seemed more prudent to play elsewhere, with other less demanding females and those less fraught with the danger of altering my lifestyle.

Among those who knew me well, I was voted most likely to remain a lifelong bachelor. We all know how that played out. My youthful appearance played a major part in the early years but that was later supplemented by various jobs and time spent on Thai TV programs. As I moved into my forties, with my taste in women not having change much in the last twenty years, it became clear that at some point I would become that desperate dirty old man who surrenders his dignity in pursuit of young Thai girls. Though on some level I may have resigned myself to that inevitability, it was not something I was looking forward to.

This is roughly where my wife entered the picture. I was forty-three and she was twenty-three. A bit older than I was accustomed to but within my age tolerance. Nothing should have ever come of our meeting because we lived in the same apartment complex and that was high on my list of survival rules, or what I sometimes called my rules of engagement, as something one never does. I had to make a rather quick and life changing decision as to whether I should pursue a relationship with her or not.

I found her interest in me, despite having been witness to my comings and goings over the previous year, to be quite intriguing. Not like she was stalking me, but she noticed when I was out of the country and wondered where I went. She claims that if she had known I spoke Thai she may have summoned the courage to introduce herself instead of leaving that up to fate, which took more than a year. Where most girls would have been turned off by what they saw during that time she spent watching me, she seemed attracted by my bad-boy persona, the parade of women and maybe even welcomed the challenge. So from the very beginning I was accepted for who I was.

The proximity provided by our living in the same building paired with her family being far away, ended up playing a big part in our relationship progressing soothly and effortlessly from one stage to the next. So my rule about not getting involved with someone where I lived was broken and I started down the path of breaking many more of my bachelor rules. I considered for a moment listing some of those rules but thought better of it. I don’t want to be responsible for tempting anyone down that potentially hazardous moral path.

Others looked at us and saw little potential for a lasting relationship and we were not disinclined to agree with them in the beginning. Over time we discovered that from past relationships, we both had developed a list of deal breakers in members of the opposite sex. Our lists were long and it took some time for us to discover how well we fit each other's lists. With others that list had always been an easy way to avoid commitment with no one ever coming even close to passing the test. It didn’t quite turnout that way with her.

Whether a list is scribbled on a piece of paper or indelibly etched into your soul from a lifetime of experience, it should be your list and not someone else’s. You need to know what you can tolerate and what you can’t. Obviously that can only come from experience and self-knowledge, something sorely lacking in many individuals I fear. A list won’t necessarily change who you are attracted to but it should have some bearing on who you choose as a lifelong mate. Love or lust will not overcome all things.

Smoking, drinking, gambling, verbal or physical abuse, dishonesty, disloyalty, lack of compatibility in areas of finance, fitness and entertainment, lack of free time to spend together and putting others before your partner were examples of things neither one of us were willing to deal with. Since I spoke Thai, English was not high on the list for me but it was great that she had the interest and potential to sail through all fifteen books at AUA and later go on to take their intensive class, just as a refresher course.

We don’t agree on all things family, social, philosophical or religious but it never becomes an issue. I very much enjoy and benefit from our differences as much as our similarities. We are both granted a broad freedom of action and we are only constrained by our mutual respect and desire to please and not disappoint each other.

As much as we love our home and our life here in the village, I sometimes think we have been too successful at filling our time. After fourteen years together she is still my best friend and confidante. If anything, I wish we had more free time to spend together with no outside distractions. Our house is perhaps a bit too big and our pet menagerie far too spoiled but both are problems of our own making. Our communication is good and our love continues undiminished by the years, so we deal with whatever comes along, as a united team.

I’m not sure I have answered the original question as to why I married a village girl. I’m not sure that term had or has much meaning for me, though I acknowledge it may be more descriptive and important to others. Even the term married may mean something different to others than it has meant to us. Was it luck? Was it fate? Was it planned? I like to think we are committed, communicate well, and perhaps my age and experience have helped to smooth over the rough spots. Thankfully my wife found me, chose me, forgave me and continues to put up with me after all these years.

Unsolicited Advice, Classic VF ...

2011-08-03T15:35:00.000+07:00

Lets face it, if your company or religion didn’t send you here or it wasn’t part of a much longer trip of self-discovery, you probably came here for the girls. Okay, maybe you were dragged here reluctantly by a friend who was tired of you being lonely and crying in your beer. Face it, the girls were the hook that landed you.

The thing that always gets me though, is how many nesters there are, ready to make the same mistakes and fall back into the same hole they escaped from. While disparaging the divorcées and blue-hairs back home, they continue to scrape the bottom of the barrel here in Thailand, looking for love in all the wrong places. Don’t know if it is low testosterone or elevated estrogen levels due to the chemicals we use to raise our food. Perhaps the guys were more severely emasculated by their previous encounters than they want to admit. Whatever it is, guys who should know better, jump back on the marriage merry-go-round with the first Thai girl who tells him he is a “handsome man” and lifts her skirt.

If you are getting married for sex, then don’t. I assure you that per-unit cost, it is much cheaper to rent and the variety will keep your interest up, so to speak. The whole idea that you need a big house, a truck and a baby before anything else, is a crock. Do you really want to spend the rest of you days prefacing the introduction of your wife or girlfriend by including some variation of the phrase, “and she was not a hooker.” A waisted effort by the way, as foreigners will assume you are lying and Thais will know before she opens her mouth.

Do you really want to spend your retirement nest-egg on the establishment of a freedom-sucking, financial sinkhole? Move around, explore the country, learn the language and learn to read and understand the women and customs. I assure you there are options to the over-the-hill, tattooed girl, with a couple of kids from deepest darkest Isaan.

As with anything, learn the ropes before taking the plunge. Stay single and create your own life here in Thailand. If you are successful, then and only then, invite someone to share your life with you. Don’t let someone you are unable to communicate with, dictate the path of your life. Talk about the blind leading the blind.

So you are not ready for retirement and still need to work. Chances are you won’t be able to find work in Thailand if you aren’t already employed there. That means moving her to your country and all the hurdles that implies or starting up a long-distance relationship. The odds of a long-distance relationship working are well documented.

Oddly enough in Thailand, that kind of relationship can be beneficial to both parties over the short term. The Thai woman is able to remain with family and friends in a familiar environment with financial security and no expectation of catering to the inexplicable demands of the foreigner. Of course they do end up spending some time together when he is on leave, but for a short time, one can put up with almost anything.

The man on the other hand, has someone to write to and dream about while he is stuck making money in some godforsaken hole in Africa, the Middle East or perhaps even back home in is own country of birth. Often it is that fantasy which allows the man to bear the isolation of his work environment and forgo immediate gratification for some imagined light at the end of the tunnel. What happens when he retires and goes to live with this woman he has spent so little time with over the years and the children who don’t really know him or listen to him, is anyone’s guess.

Strange rantings coming from someone like me who is so obviously domesticated, you think. Not really, I assure you. After all I spent twenty plus years as a single guy in Thailand before settling down in my mid-forties and know of what I speak. I knew my wife for two years before we got married. I do mean knew her, as we lived together that whole time with hardly a day apart. The first eight years of marriage we spent living in a small condo and traveling half the year. Only after ten years together did we start contemplating our move up here to the Rai.

Though my experience is from a distant era, things between men and women really haven’t changed all that much. As far back as thirty years ago this game of cat and mouse existed between Thai women and farang men. I was known to write a letter or two (no email back then) for women who sounded so loving on the page, yet would make a sailor blush with their off color remarks and references to their loved ones. I often wondered what their men would do if they could eavesdrop on their partner’s conversations and understand how truly crude and calculating they were, under their sweet and ever so thin veneer. It is that very inability to communicate that lends to the objectification of the other sex, I feel. If all you know about someone is what you can see or feel in the bedroom, then they are no more than a sexual object. If a man cannot make himself understood, then can a woman be faulted for seeing him primarily as the preverbal ATM?

Remember what people back home think and say about the foreigners who move there and never learn the language or assimilate. Then ask yourself if you are any better. There is a certain kind of expat who complains of the treatment he receives from Thais, when it is merely human nature to objectify and dehumanize those we do not understand. If you move to Thailand, does the burden not fall upon you to do the adjusting and not the other way around?

I suppose if you really want to make things difficult you could fall for a stateless or illegal alien from the mountains of a neighboring country. That has always made even less sense to me than a woman with kids who as a last resort decides she has no more shame and is ready to start looking for a farang. Of course there are plenty of guys out there ready to be a savior of the needy, as long as they find them attractive enough. It satisfies their needs on multiple levels, I suppose.

So how was that for a taste of classic VF? Is there anyone I have neglected or failed to include in my little rant? Don’t you sometimes want to ask, “What in the world were you thinking?” even though you know it will make no difference? Well, I do so here I have unburdened myself of that need fully aware that no one who needs to listen, will. Perhaps my next post will return to the lush mountains and valleys of the Rai.

Bangkok Girls do Chiang Rai ...

2011-07-25T18:07:00.000+07:00

I am playing the provocative title game today just for a little fun. The truth is, we recently had four of my wife’s lovely friends from Bangkok come up to visit us at our little place in the Rai. They have all traveled a fair amount but none of them had ever been to Chiang Rai. Finally they worked us into their busy schedules and flew up to see us. Chiang Rai is no longer an unfamiliar place to them.

I didn’t take a count of all the cameras and iPhones clicking away but did notice there were quite a few between the five girls. There I go again, using the word girls for thirty something females but except for my wife they are all single and younger than her so they are all girls to me. My wife was the oldest, having just turned thirty-seven. One of the girls is one of our oldest friends, having known us since before we got married. Being single is not all that bad, in my opinion, for if they were taking care of husbands and children, they most likely wouldn’t be running around having so much fun.

It seems most of my wife’s friends in Bangkok fit this mold of a thirty something professional woman still living with family or on their own and with disposable income to spend on travel and other fun stuff, if they can ever get off work. Facebook was well utilized both during and after the visit to post pictures and comment, so no one should complain if I post a few of my wife’s shots here.

Garden visitor

2011-07-25T16:58:00.000+07:00

An infrequent visitor to our garden made and appearance today and stayed around long enough for me to take her portrait. The Atlas Moth is amazing to look at up close.

Thailand, Forever New ...

2011-07-20T15:10:00.000+07:00

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not speaking for myself but for the multitudes who “discover” Thailand each year. The evangelical converts who wax lyrical about all things Thai, be they cultural, culinary, carnal, curious, creepy, climatic, or conversational as in learning to speak Thai, which I highly recommend.

Some of these new explorers, upon discovering the wonders of Thailand, are eager to convert or instruct others on the ins and outs of every imaginable aspect of all things Thai. Blogs are one way of getting the message out. There are some 250 Thai related blogs to be found on but one list, inaccurately named Top 100 Thailand Blogs.

Here you will discover a wide variety of styles and subject matter. I fall into the category of narcissistic personal bloggers who write only of their own experiences and stick to original material and opinion. Some focus on politics, travel, food, religion or nightlife. Others repackage the news they scavenge from more legitimate news sources while adding their own editorial twist. Some of my favorites are the professed puritans who write pages of prose boasting of their lack of interest in all things carnal while using every imaginable and lurid keyword, catch phrase and search word in their somewhat hollow denial. Whether this duplicitous approach is intentional to attract page views or simply a sign of naiveté and inexperience is anyones guess.

For those in need of guidance, there are guide books telling you where to go, when to go, how to go and even why and how much. There are instruction manuals on how to do almost anything from finding food, accommodation, transportation and companionship to things like driver’s licenses, visas, marriage and anything else you can think of. Everyone seems to think they have something new or better to offer from the hoards of others doing the same thing.

Whether in their twenties or seventies it is fun to watch the new arrivals reinventing the wheel and announcing their new discoveries. Even with all the new sources of information that were not available back when I first reached these shores, people continue to make many of the same mistakes and if anything seem to be even more naive than the intrepid unprepared explorers of the past. Sadly those who need advice the most are often the least likely to take it I have found.

Clearly there are those who are suited to life as an expat or involvement in a cross-cultural relationship but it is equally apparent many are not adapted to such a life. If you are a screwup at home, chances are you will be an even bigger one over here. If you don’t know much about Thailand and can’t speak the language then it is all down to luck of the draw in your search for a partner. A quick look around will confirm the world is not full of lucky people. Luck would seem to be the exception, not the norm.

For those of you who have only recently discovered Thailand may I wish you good luck and enjoy the ride. My only word of advice would be to learn the language if you plan to do more than holiday here from time to time.

More Bike Trail Photos

2011-07-14T17:31:00.000+07:00

Took a break from running the other day and enjoyed a very hot but beautiful afternoon on the mountain bike. They have done some work on this particular trail since I last ventured that way but heavy rains and heavier use has left it rutted in the flatter areas where there is more traffic this time of year.

The big wide open rice fields are greening up nicely as the young rice plants take root with the mountain range providing a dark green divider between field and sky. Here are a few shots I took to record the day.

Running and The Red Sky ...

2011-07-09T16:09:00.000+07:00

Last week I began my run looking at an ominous dark sky hoping to get a run in before the heavens opened. Approaching the first hill, the game was up as the rain began. The front edge of the storm was a mere tease, promising much more if I didn’t turn around and head home, so home it was. With my distance having been cut short I took the challenge to race the dark wall of water that threatened to overtake me. Sure enough half a kilometer from home I was engulfed in a torrent of water that left me sloshing my way home in what felt like buckets of water strapped to my feet.

To make up for the short but fast run, the next day I added a couple of kilometers and went all the way to the dam and back. I suffered a bit after that and broke my running routine with a bike ride the other day.

Yesterday the scene was set for a repeat performance but luck was with me. The villagers were all heading home from their fields and orchards, passing me plodding along in the opposite direction into a dark and foreboding sky. This having become a common scene no one was offering me a ride home this time. Keeping a close eye on the dark low hanging storm front, it was with relief I watched as it passed just one village to the north of us.

As the storm backed up against the mountains to the East dropping its heave load, we were blessed with a spectacular show. Assuming that was it for the day and feeling a bit hungry I sat down for a light fish dinner in the dinning area. The longer I sat the more spectacular the colors in the sky became. My wife suggested that I should perhaps take a picture but I assured her the best had surely passed. Finally I could take it no longer, grabbed the camera and stepped out the patio door. Without a tripod, I braced against the low fence for stability in the very low light. The light may have been fading but the colors were peeking and absolutely spectacular. This is what I captured.

Continued ...

2011-06-28T14:40:00.000+07:00

Six weeks into my new running routine and it is anything but routine. I’m all over the place with good days and bad. Two days on and one day off, two days and two days, one day and one day, even tried three days on but it did more harm than good. Moved up from three kilometers to five in the first four weeks but for now seem stuck at five kilometers and still have to walk up the steep hill about half way out.

When I run varies with the cloud cover and the setting of the sun. The temperature has been inconsistent at best. Some days are incredibly hot and still, while sometimes there is a refreshing breeze. I have even run in the rain a few times. You would expect to be stronger after a day off but some of my ugliest and most painful runs were after a rest day.

Of course there are other things going on like visitors from Hawaii, my birthday, our anniversary, parties, shopping, driving here and there, vehicle registrations, 90 day notification of residence, and more visitors coming next month from Bangkok.

The other day as we were heading out in a light rain to visit some friends, I noticed our neighbors field being planted. Cool and overcast it was a perfect day for working in the fields and everyone was starting to break for lunch. As I snapped pictures they asked if we had any spare papaya. “Sure, and help yourself to some chillies while you are at it” was my reply. By the time we returned they had finished for the day. That wonderful planting day was followed by two days of rain which submerged the rice plants, however. Fortunately today the water has gone down enough that the rice should survive.

Also noticed that with this post #28, I have matched what I did for the whole of last year. That is not my reason for not posting recently, though. I have written several pages of late, which I have not posted for various reasons. As one might expect, inspiration often comes from local sources. I try to keep things hypothetical but I have found that some individuals are a bit sensitive and read in more than is intended, so I find myself censoring my work before it gets to you.

No doubt my need to write will soon supersede my specious attempts to be nice and I will be back to my old tricks regardless of what others may read into my words. With little to say today, I thought I might add a few pictures. Another of my novel ideas ;-)

Mae Suai Dam

Mae Suai Reservoir

Mae Suai from the dam

Planting Rice

Lunch Time

Planting Rice in our Front Yard

Birthday Brunch at Favola

Meridien Pool and Grounds

Visitors from Hawaii

Running past the fields

Running Home

Running Pond Side and into the Sunset

No More Excuses ...

2011-06-13T14:37:00.000+07:00

There once was a man who sat at his favorite table enjoying high-tea in a posh hotel lobby, often accompanied by friends. He would eventually wander upstairs to the health club for a bit of weight training, stretching and drills on the squash court before being joined by others eager to play. A couple of hours later, both exhausted and exhilarated from the effort, it was time for a sauna, jacuzzi, cold-plunge and a shower before heading out. Next was a massage, usually followed by sex and a late dinner. As others were bringing down the curtain on the day, he was gearing up for a night of hotspots and notorious places one did not speak of with your daytime friends.

He was heard to boast that his worst days were often better than most people’s best days and the majority took him to be much younger than his actual years. I used to know this guy but we have lost touch with the passage of time. Age, injury, overindulgence, changes in lifestyle and location, laziness of mind and body, have all contributed to him being little more than a memory. This last year he was particularly indulgent and whether in the mirror or in candid ten megapixel photos from unflattering angles, he is all but unrecognizable.

His last few years have been focused on outward things. Building things, social networks, exploring the roads and trails, preparing for the future but forgetting something more important. If you treat life’s achievements like trophies to be displayed upon a shelf, they soon become weathered and tarnished. Life is not what you dream about or once did but what you do on a daily basis. No matter what your age, life is to be lived to the best of ones ability and not just talked of or dreamed about. It must be reaffirmed each day to keep it alive and healthy. We begin each day on the lower slopes, not on the top of the mountain and only by our struggles to get to the top do we delay the inevitable decline into the valley.

To this end my old friend is trying to make a comeback. A little over four weeks ago there was a small ripple in the force or perhaps a tiny rift in the fabric of space-time which caused a reboot of his system. Gone were the memories and expectations of the past that blocked forward progress. There was just the present and a desire to see what he could do. With no measure of time or distance he set off down the trail at a slow jog, to find the limits of his new reality. The pain and suffering that was to follow until this day, have been a test of character.

At four weeks there was the first sign of a breakthrough. Usually he does two days on and a day off, with the distance being ever increased by the smallest of increments. Then one day at the top of a hill, only recently added to take in the view before returning home, he instead headed down the other side intent on taking a longer circular route. Arriving at home covered in sweat as usual, he sat in his chair on the drive surrounded by his canine entourage.

Even with the added distance he felt different, almost good, and less a puddle of melting flesh. This his favorite time of day seemed even more wonderful than usual. He was not hunched over in agony and gasping for breath but head up enjoying his favorite time of day. Here he sat awash with endorphins, feeling also a light breeze caressing and cooling his wet body, with eyes lifted to the heavens drinking in the colors and shapes that adorn the evening sky just after the sun sets and before it becomes too dark to see. This he could see as a routine that someone could look forward to and not dread. Exertion and discipline followed by beauty and relaxation.

Hikes and bike rides are all good but are time consuming and best undertaken in the early morning hours. Even after years of trying, mornings are more of a one-off for me having never been able to make them routine. I suffer as a slow starter and it is only in the late afternoon, preferably around sunset, that I feel invigorated and pain free enough to exercise. So instead of fighting my nature or making excuses, I have simply reclaimed the evening as my time of exercise. Don’t really know why it has taken so long.

I never thought I would end up being this person but sure enough here I am. So now I am paying the price of trying to find that guy I once was and thought I would always be. In the short term I will probably have more empathy for the excuse makers and understand the pain involved in starting over but I could become more obnoxious than ever if I am indeed successful in my quest to be reunited with that guy I used to know so well. Anyway for now there will be no more excuses and my fifty-seventh year will be dedicated to a new me or reclaiming what I can of the old me.

What Price, Thailand? ...

2011-06-01T12:38:00.000+07:00

There was unleashed in the mid-afternoon a cleansing torrent from the heavens that passed as abruptly as it arrived. Added to the fields was a bit more standing water, there were by now only a few remaining puddles on the drive, and everything green seemed that much greener. There we were the usual suspects, gathered in the usual place, at the usual time searching for those thoughts we had left unfinished just the other day.

Looking north today presented me with a different sensation. A cool moist breeze kissed my cheeks as it seemed to draw in moister from the mountains to the east. Stationary, seemingly locked to the topography, was an impenetrable wall of grey. We were just far enough away from the mountains to remain dry but you could smell it and feel it in the air.

Though not colorful, the western sky was bright by contrast and accented by those dramatic fingers of light that on special occasions reach out from behind the clouds at sunset. As my eyes followed those rays of light, my thoughts were drawn to the mark that Thailand tends to leave on all of us who venture here. While some escape her seductive embrace, returning to what many call the real world, others are marked forever and pay a price be it large or small.

Like many men, I suppose I was touched by the women when I first stumbled upon Thailand in my early twenties. The resulting rush of hormones, no doubt colored everything else about the place with brighter more vibrant hues. I went through all the typical phases that one does. Much of the time, that meant I felt very uncomfortable back in my country of birth. That which others took for granted and saw as inevitable, I no longer considered even an option. Career, marriage, children, debt, divorce, redundancy and depression were not in the cards for me.

I remember my mother coming to visit once. We were in a small office purchasing tickets to Chiang Mai, so she could ride an elephant up there. Everyone in the office was interacting with me. Even then my Thai was good enough to get everyone involved and I was a bit of a novelty back in those days. Upon leaving the office my mother remarked that she got it, why I liked it here. You would need to be a celebrity back home to get that kind of attention while going about mundane errands she remarked.

Though some of the lessons I learned here were painful at the time, in balance Thailand has been kind to me. I am a different person for having matured in this foreign land far from the path I had been expected to follow. Whether through luck or resilience I have run the gauntlet and come out the other end undiminished and content with my lot in life. I have even found things to embrace about where I came from, though I would not wish to live there again.

There is a fluidity to life here that I have come to embrace. One never knows for certain what tomorrow will bring. Life’s ebb and flow brings forth new and unexpected encounters. As one scene passes from view another unfolds before us with something new to see, feel or learn. I know Thailand has left a mark on you, so how would you answer the question? What price, Thailand?

Random Thoughts on Riding My Ninja 650...

2011-05-25T11:21:00.002+07:00

The oppressive heat of the day began to subside as the sun set heavily in the haze and dropped behind the western hills. I sat with the dogs and the cat, on the driveway looking north over the fields as a slight breeze developed. There have been some spectacular displays recently, with multiple thunder storms, towering columns of cloud, and the sun and moon at opposite ends of the stage, but this looked to be a grey and uneventful evening. Slowly but surely, the shapeless mist-like clouds that lingered in the murky sky began to catch the rays of an unseen sun beyond the horizon.

I marveled at the progression of pastel colors that migrated across the evening sky from right to left, east to west. I have recently instigated a jogging routine around sunset but today I was nursing a sore tendon in an effort to avoid injury. What better place for recovery and contemplation than this pastoral setting, surrounded by my four legged friends and a soothing light show.

Realizing that next month brings yet another birthday, I began reviewing the events of my fifty-sixth year. Most notable was perhaps the purchase of the Ninja 650r and the nearly thirteen thousand kilometers I have put on it, to date. Most of that milage was acquired during the first six months or so, as I rode with a friend learning how to deal with the beast and exploring my own connection to the road and the bike. Riding a motorbike is a very personal thing though most people probably fall into one or another of the notable subgroups of riders. I have only recently discovered where I fit in.

My riding partner clearly headed down a different path from me, buying a much bigger and faster sport-bike, with an emphasis on how far, how fast and an almost obsessive need to ride daily. I on the other hand have taken to riding my Ninja more like a touring bike. The bike is merely the form of transport I use to get where I want to go. Riding at a relaxed and comfortable pace, exploring side roads, stopping to take pictures and usually with some scenic destination in mind. More often than not, that means I am better off riding on my own and at my own pace.

As the weather has turned intermittently hot or rainy, I have found myself busy doing other things. Riding for pleasure as I do, the weather has a lot to do with my enjoyment and thus the amount of riding I do. Distance is another issue for me as I prefer day-rides with my longest ride being roughly 500 kilometers to Chiang Mai and back, for servicing at Kawasaki. I have already explored most of the paved roads in my area and find myself, as yet, unwilling to take on multi-day rides. When there is so much to see, so close to where I live, traveling long distances to see something not that much different from what is in my back yard, seems questionable at best. Perhaps that will change next winter but for now I seem to prefer sticking close to home.

Though I was first drawn to Kawasaki by their Vulcan 900, I was won over to the Ninja 650 by price and the relatively comfortable upright riding position. At first, however, I found the strain on my wrists and subsequent numbness in my hands unpleasant on longish rides. With greater experience and improved riding style I no longer put much weight on my hands. The saddle modification has added to my comfort as well. So who knows, there may yet be some long distance rides in my future.

Though I chose to write mainly about riding today, my mind danced about erratically touching on many themes, until darkness enveloped, the bugs began to annoy and the sounds of nature overwhelmed. At that point we ventured back up to the house and I left my thoughts lingering out there in the darkness, to be revisited another day.

A Look Inside...

2011-05-16T16:19:00.000+07:00

I believe Hobby has called it my ‘coming out’, but I prefer to see it as the personalization of my blog. Since some of you have expressed interest in us as individuals as well as the overall content of the blog, I have started inserting us into the content from time to time as you may have noticed.

Following in that trend and realizing that I have yet to let you inside our home, I have selected a few shots from a party we had last year. An empty house shot comes off as clinical and lacks the warmth of a home. So here are a couple of indoor shots, before and during the festivities. The outdoor shot is on the veranda off the main living area.

Nothing fancy or pretentious, just a relaxed open space in which to live and enjoy our views.

Doi Din Dang Pottery, Yesterday ...

2011-05-15T13:49:00.000+07:00

Yesterday found us dropping in on our favorite pottery place in Chiang Rai, in search of gifts and a cup of coffee. So much to choose from and so hard to decide.

More Chiang Rai Mountain Biking ...

2011-05-04T16:56:00.000+07:00

As I pen this piece the sky has turned grey, the wind has picked up and there can be heard in the distance the sound of thunder. Let me take you back in time to a very different scene. Not too far back, mind you, only as far as this morning. Bearing the burden of a few extra pounds and a somewhat inflated ego, due in part to the comments I received from my last post, and a lack of outdoor activity during Songkran, I was of a mind to take the mountain bike out this morning. A recent ride where I found myself walking up a hill I previously introduced you to, seemed to do a very good job of dealing with both of the above stated burdens and served as motivation on the day.

This post is not about me and my burdens, however. It is dedicated to the brilliant blue sky, lustrous white clouds and the seductive irresistible trails that kept me company this morning. Though I feared for the safety of my camera on the way home, we both escaped unmolested by the elements, save for the sometimes stifling heat and humidity of the first hour. The sights, sounds and smells that engulfed me on the road, more than made up for any physical discomfort dished out by the weather.

As a break from my typically longwinded prose, today is more of a pictorial essay describing what I encountered along the way. To find dirt, one must often traverse village lanes and the lightly trafficked roads that join them. Exiting the east side of our village I found men tending the still juvenile rubber trees, releasing the smell of freshly cut vegetation into the air. Before long I came across a turkey keeping company with his mate. Ever so briefly he struck a pose for the camera before returning to the true object of his affection.

After crossing the river I came upon road construction not far from the now wilted sunflower fields that were recently so beautiful. The final surface is probably a few weeks away but they look to have done a good job and were in the process of coring to verify the work standard.

From there I headed across the open farm land and every twist or turn the trail made, found me gazing upon a majestic display of clouds in the bright blue sky. I stopped on occasion, as much to take in the view as to snap a picture.

Entering the next village I was greeted with chance to photograph a not so common form of transportation these days. There was an air of dignity in their posture and unhurried pace, as they moved down the lane.

Before long I was crossing the river again, by way of another bridge. Spying a storm cloud ahead I took an alternate trail back across the fields. Checking behind from time to time, I found what lay ahead much more inviting.

Coffee, Conversation, Questions ...

2011-04-29T17:27:00.001+07:00

After a morning ride on the Ninja, I used to find my way to the Doi Chaang coffee shop more often than not, until Starbucks opened at the new mall last month. With the late opening times of the mall, Starbucks is not suited to the early risers but I seldom get into town before ten or eleven in the morning anyway these days. Doi Chaang in the early morning had a core group of local farangs who one could visit with, but it tended to always be the same folks. Depending on your mood, or your likes and dislikes, that could be either a good thing or perhaps a little annoying at times.

I have been meeting a broader range of people at the mall, not better, just different. There are those I have known for sometime and bump into at the mall, though not necessarily in a coffee shop. There are of course the coffee drinkers, like me, and many of them have been new acquaintances, both tourists and new arrivals to the area. Where I was usually the one to make first contact before, recently the tables have been turned, and I find myself on the receiving end of other’s advances. I assure you I am not complaining here.

I recently stumbled into an empty Starbucks, nestled my helmet into the comfortable armchair next to me and draped my jacket over that, before slumping unceremoniously into a chair myself. Out came the phone to make my daily call to my father in Hawaii. After that, and while in the process of texting a friend, someone said something to me, which at this point I can no longer recall the details of. Familiar with this kind of approach, I bade him join me in one of the vacant armchairs across from me.

The text complete, I indicated there was one more item on my agenda before I would be free. After calling my wife to let her know where I was, as is my custom, it was time to start a conversation with this interesting interloper. He was polite enough to apologize for imposing upon my space and hospitality. I in turn, assured him that it was only fitting payback, that someone should do to me, what I had done to so many others. That seemed to set the tone for a frank and lighthearted discourse which at times trended toward the deep and philosophical.

Early on I realized I had neglected to order, so imposed upon one of the staff to bring my regular drink, so as not to break the flow of conversation. In Starbuck-speak, that would be a ‘for here, grande, extra hot, cappuccino’, served in one of their nice mugs, not a paper cup. Generally Starbucks is a self-service establishment but Thai service staff can be quite accommodating. While I am not inclined to reveal the details of what we discussed, let us just say I had a very enjoyable time, and the length of that time, passed almost unnoticed.

I have a bad habit of glancing about during conversation, which caused me to spot one of my wife’s more attractive friends here in the Rai. She went out of her way to come in and say hello briefly, in that very friendly way Thais have. Big smiles, abundant pleasantries, bracketed by a delicate ‘wai’, or Thai greeting, at the beginning and end. That reminds me, I bumped into two other old-timers and one of their wives, on the way in from the car park. I suppose I could have lingered there, instead of rushing off to have my coffee, but I have had that conversation recently and would have missed the chance meeting with someone new.

Some of you are perhaps wondering what was so special about this day or this mystery person, and why I chose to write about this encounter, instead of this morning’s visit by the village headman, discussing something about the local temple. The point is, it was not that special. It was not a special day or event. I never got his name. We will surely never cross paths again. It was just one of life’s more pleasant interludes, spontaneous, unscripted, fleeting, and yet memorable. It was just the crisscross, happenstance nature of people and lives crossing paths on a particular day. Not unlike a sunset that you will never see again but was still worth seeing.

Often we get caught up in the illusory pursuit of productivity and a purposeful existence. Fortunately I am at a place in my life where I can live freeform and unstructured, free to enjoy simple unexpected encounters. Then if the mood strikes me I am free to write about said nonevents. Though it is implied that you are also free to not read what I write, it is hoped that you will and that you will get something from it.

Near the end of our conversation my blog did come up and I was asked who reads me. I had to think about that one for just a moment. I have asked on numerous occasions, why people read my blog but I don’t believe I have ever asked specifically, who is reading. I have always assumed it is not the tourist but someone who has a relationship with or a connection to Thailand and is perhaps living elsewhere, using me as their Thailand fix, as it were. Over time I have noticed a very strong readership within Thailand itself which has me in a quandary. One would think, people who live here would have their own views on Thailand and would have less need or interest in reading about others who live here. Perhaps my own bias is creeping into that opinion but it would be interesting to know.

So what do you say? Who reads me? Do you live in Thailand? Are you new to the game or have you lived here for some time? Did you once live in Thailand but now live elsewhere? Are you married or in a relationship with a Thai? Are you considering a relationship with either a Thai person or Thailand itself but have yet to make the move? Have you visited or are you planning to visit? Enquiring minds want to know.

Boredom and Living in a Thai Village...

2011-04-20T11:45:00.000+07:00

I’m always a little suspicious of statistics but generally one can say that Thailand’s population is still primarily rural with something like two-thirds being classified that way. It was more like three-quarters when I first arrived, if I remember correctly. Many rural people spend a fair amount of time living and working in Bangkok but with one interesting caveat. Most live in slums near the factories where they work, with others from the same region of the country. Essentially they never leave the village. They take it with them. That no doubt, goes some way to explaining why they never really develop any big city sophistication or broadened world perspective.

Given the percentages, it is no wonder that the majority of farangs end up with village girls, but that is not the topic today, nor are the economic and cultural aspects that factor into that equation. The topic is the boredom experienced by many a foreign male, upon the obligatory visits to their girlfriend’s home village. I dare say very few men venture off into the sticks on their own and are usually dragged there, out of obligation. Even after marriage, this obligation continues and must be dealt with in one way or another.

I believe there is a big difference between visiting a village and living in one, but more about that later. Even after living in Bangkok for more than twenty years, I was still quite bored when I started visiting my wife’s village for more than a couple of days at a time. No friends, no squash, no TV, no newspaper, no telephone, no internet, no toys and nothing I could call my own. Eventually I started taking a Playstation with me and got quite good with Grand Turisimo. Even though I spoke good Thai, the villagers did not. They spoke their own dialect and communication was, and still is, difficult. My wife was great but she was spread pretty thin with all of her family obligations, so I had to fend for myself much of the time.

Boredom as we all know is just one item on that classic list of symptoms of culture shock. You remember, anxiety, boredom, homesickness, fatigue, depression, illness, impatience, disgust, and excessive eating, drinking and sleeping. On your first visit, or in very brief doses, these symptoms may not present but many will experience some or all of these, given time.

As an interesting aside, we were doing our Songkran rounds of village elders and relatives the other day, a process that is still ongoing, with our village headman having his party only today. At one house we spotted a young farang guy, sitting on those steep wooden stairs one must traverse to reach the second floor of a Thai village house. In my normal, direct fashion, and looking for material for this post, I asked if he was bored being in the village. No, he said, refusing to stick to the script, but he had only been there three days and would be leaving the next day for Bangkok where he makes his living as a combatant and proponent of Muay Thai, or Thai Boxing. He was probably enjoying a much needed break from training and had accompanied a couple of local boys he works, trains and lives with, as well as the young pregnant farang wife of one of these Thai boxers. With it being all new, and with the goings on of Songkran, they seemed to have had a good time and were anything but bored. Not sure I would have gotten the same answer from the heavily pregnant wife but I didn’t have the opportunity to ask.

My wife had been baking bread that day and thought they might appreciate a taste of the familiar, being so far from what they know. So we made an extra trip home to collect the bread and some condiments. Returning, this time we met the pregnant wife, who expressed her disappointment at having missed us earlier. Unfortunately we were short on time, as we were late getting to another house where my wife had plans for dinner with her extended family. Delving deeper into the lives of these young people, would have been my preference, but my duty and obligation lay elsewhere. My appearance not withstanding, I was not a pugilist in my early years, but still I could identify with the adventure of being so young and living in Thailand. Living, training and working out of a boxing school, stable, camp, or whatever the nomenclature might be, really deserved more time to discuss than we had. Would have been nice to stay around and see if they liked the bread, too, but there wasn’t sufficient time.

Back on topic, given my admission of boredom, one might ask why I chose to move to the village. There were many factors in our decision, including age, length of our relationship, shared travel experiences overseas, desire for a different lifestyle and a change from city life, my parents moving into a retirement home, and a feeling that I needed to establish a homestead of my own, after a life of living in apartments and condos. Since we already lived in Thailand there was not the overwhelming financial imperative of retiring to a cheaper local, where a limited pension would stretch that much further.

While everyone’s needs are different, they must nonetheless be addressed before making a move such a we did. To some extent you are guessing at what you will need, because over time those needs may change. It is important to get the basics sorted and have a good solid foundation upon which to build this new life. Surely some can get by with less but let me give you an idea of what I needed, to help fend off boredom.

To start with I already had a strong and well establish relationship, honed by years of living and traveling together. We both spoke each other’s language and had many shared interests as well as independent interests. Accommodation, transportation, and communication, for us meant a purpose designed house, phone line and internet, western television and movies, a truck, a mountain bike and a couple of motorcycles.

We both developed or continued hobbies. In my case there were outdoor activities like hiking, mountain biking, my motor bike, photography, our dogs and this blog. Even with help, my wife is kept quite busy with village responsibilities, the house, the garden, baking, and cooking for me, four dogs and a cat. She still finds time for exercise, reading, and keeping up with her friends around the world, through email and Facebook.

Personally I do not like having a schedule. I may have a vague idea what I might like to do tomorrow, but I much prefer to see how I feel when I get up, and see what the weather looks like. Having fixed times and places where I must be, feels too much like work to me. That is exactly the point for others I suppose, who feel lost without the regimented structure of the work place and the tight time constraints dictated by artificial deadlines. I suspect life in the village is easier for me, with my temperament. Those who try to replicate the frenetic pace of city life or a high pressure work environment would surely find boredom harder to avoid.

Life in a village, for some, is a nightmare of boredom and isolation, while for others it is an idyllic fantasy. The truth is no doubt to be found somewhere in the middle range of these two extremes. My belief is that being bored has more to do with the individual than it does the village. It is often easier to blame the things around us than it is to make the effort to adjust. I suppose this has been a longwinded VF way of saying, if you are bored it is probably your own doing and you should stop blaming those around you. Then again what do I know?

Of course if you are not bored, then congratulations are in order, I applaud your accomplishment, and wish you continued happiness in life.

Songkran, Thai New Year ...

2011-04-14T10:29:00.000+07:00

The twelfth, was as hot and polluted as I have seen it for some time. Yesterday was overcast with a light rain in town, though not a drop was to be had where we live. This morning was cool as we awoke to one of those thick pea-soup fogs of winter, that leaves the grass and all exposed surfaces covered in dew. What will tomorrow hold, one wonders? So far this year has been one of interesting and sometimes unfathomable weather anomalies.

If one could remove the heat and pollution that often prevails this time of year, the carnage on the roads, the excessive drunkenness and ensuing fights, the bad karaoke, and the aggravated nature of the water wars, one would be left with what I like about Songkran.

This is after all, one of the few times when families come together, other than weddings and funerals. The population of our village swells, as all those who live and work elsewhere, travel vast distances to return home. I was touched yesterday when my wife was reunited with one of her favorite cousins, whom she had not seen for years. Tomorrow is arguably the best day, where the villagers walk from house to house, paying respect to the village elders in a gentle and moving representation of Songkran.

Yesterday, for the first time since moving to the Rai, we drove to town during Songkran. We drove more slowly than usual, as we were wary of the many children lining the roadside, waiting to ambush every passing vehicle. In the excitement of the hunt for victims, they often step into the road while looking in the opposite direction. My occasional taps of the horn, to warn them of our presence, were sometimes returned as glares and profanities by the drunken teenage rabble in their midst.

We had no plans to go to town but received a call to say that our replacement iPhone was ready to be picked up. I recently purchased an iPhone for my wife, which turned out to be a lemon, sadly. I am after all an Apple fan and stockholder. They were very good about replacing it for us and I was eager to get out of the house, so we made the drive to town. We took with us one of my wife’s more comely young cousins. Nineteen and nearly as tall as I am, she had yet to see the new mall, since returning home.

We parked out front and made the walk up the stairs. While covering the open space in front of the mall and before entering, we perchance spotted friends sitting behind the, floor to ceiling storefront windows, of Starbucks. At another table there were other farangs I had more recently met. After introductions and a little polite conversation we all went our separate ways. We picked up our phone, tried out our third restaurant, did some shopping, bumped into other friends and generally had a very pleasant day.

The mall is turning out to be something of a town square as well as a shopping Mecca. Truly a welcome addition to our little town. You do hear some complaining that it is expensive, but what I think they really mean, is that they can’t afford some of what is on offer. The prices really are any different from other comparable stores in places like Bangkok or Chiang Mai. Only time will tell how successful the shops will be.

Wishing you all, a safe and Happy Thai New Year.

200 Posts ...

2011-04-11T15:54:00.002+07:00

The other day found me busily penning a post, on a topic that came up while my wife and I were driving to town. Something about why Thai women often wait until they have children and a few failed relationships under their belt, before being willing to consider a foreign partner, and an often heard excuse, at that point they have nothing else to lose. Of course that is not a very flattering proposition to consider and I was having difficulty finding ways to sugar coat it, for readers who may have taken that route.

There I was, contemplating offending those guys who think all Thai women are gaga for western men, as well as those selfless and noble gentlemen who have taken on the burden of other men’s offspring, while never considering themselves the last port of refuge. Perhaps the ideal of two people with options, actually choosing each other over others, because of some primal attraction, is something reserved for the young, or Hollywood scriptwriters. Maybe partner selection becomes more pragmatic, later in life.

Anyway, my progress down that slippery slop was halted, thankfully, by a surge of activity on my blog. I found myself dealing with comments and further tinkering with the appearance of my blog. While on the dashboard page of Blogger, I happened to notice a post counter which read, 199 posts. That meant this would be my 200th post. True, some bloggers do that in less than one year, but for me it seemed a monumental accomplishment, even four years down the road.

Being predisposed to introspection, as I am, this otherwise insignificant number triggered a wave questions about the past, present and future of this blog. Even though I am writing more than I did last year, there is a distinct lack of direction, even four months into the year.

My most popular post has been the one on my motorcycle birthday present, last June. It would appear that the Ninja 650r attracts a lot of eyes, even if only to view the pictures. Clearly I am not inclined to turn this into a biker’s blog, though I do enjoy riding. Mountain biking and road trips seem to rate rather highly as do posts on social networking and blogging questions. Chiang Rai specific posts, like the shopping mall and flower festival attract viewers but I’m not interested in developing this space into a social calendar. That leaves my photos, my map and my sometimes questionable social commentary.

When I run out of something to say, I tinker with the aesthetics and functionality of the blog or try to make reading from the beginning, through to the end, a little easier or more tempting. I don’t get a lot of comments but that is probably my own fault. To maintain balance, what comments I do get are weighted much the way some Olympic events are judged, where the anomalies at either end of the scale are disregarded, when taking into account how others view me.

I thought there was a question in there, somewhere, but I seem to have misplaced it. Maybe it is enough to say thank you to my readers for being here on this auspicious day, just as the Thai New Year festivities of Songkran, begin their pre-event escalation toward the official holiday. Stay safe out there during this, the killing season on Thai roads, while otherwise enjoying the company of family and friends.

New Blog Stuff...

2011-04-08T18:44:00.002+07:00

In an effort to keep things interesting, Blogger has come up with some new beta views, which can be accessed by adding the word ‘view’ after the url of this or other blogs. There are five new views available in a drop down menu. Click this link to take a look. I find the Mosaic view kind of interesting. The views are not fully functional as yet, but might be worth a look.

I am still working on the eBook version but I do have a new PDF style book version of the blog that I have uploaded to iWork.com for those who would like to start at the beginning and read from there. It is easy to jump to any page or chapter by just clicking on the link in the index.

By clicking the link in the left column, just under my profile you will be taken to this NEW work in progress. Haven't finished proofreading but it is better that what I produced in my previous attempt. If you have any problems or comments please let me know.

In addition I have updated my Profile Page and the About This Blog Page.

The "farang-local" Difference in Perspective ...

2011-04-04T10:36:00.001+07:00

Yesterday I took a break from the computer and opted instead to get out and about in the real world. Refreshed from my day out on the bike, I began penning this piece, per BP’s request. Half way through, I received a comment from another reader, dBD, a new convert to this space. Those of you who know me better, will know that I do not use names or post things of an unnecessarily personal nature. Hopefully, dBD will not be offended that I withheld his very personal comment and plea for help, and will consider this post as a reply.

I try my best not to tinker with whatever shade of glasses one might be wearing at the moment, be they rose colored or otherwise. Some phases of cultural adjustment are best lingered over and indulged in, just as others are best moved through more quickly. So without addressing the specifics of anyones personal situations, I will attempt to give you the Village Farang take on this whole farang-local perspective thing.

While it is our humanity that unites us, it is often our culture that divides us. Some cling more steadfastly than others, to what they have been told is self evident, and may respond indignantly when confronted by those who do not share their belief system. Some are burdened with a life focused on the material and their attempt to keep their heads above water from day to day. Some have moved higher up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and are focused on things as yet irrelevant to others. Whether living in Thailand or just visiting, one is sure to encounter situations where you will be asking yourself, why they don’t get it. Your interests and theirs may be miles apart no matter how hard you try to enlighten or impress upon them the superiority of your beliefs and intellect. Be warned, this applies to both sides of the equation and they may be thinking the very same things about you.

Of course there are Thais who are well educated, well traveled, eat western food and are interested in many of the same things you are. I dare say that the majority of farangs don’t run in these circles and find themselves mired in a different strata of Thai society. As western as some Thais may appear, what lingers beneath the surface may not be what you expect. With other Thais, the difference in perspective is more simply a difference in education, experience, money and a fear of venturing beyond ones station in life and the world in which one feels comfortable.

It is not that they have no interest in all things farang, rather they have no interest in anything, beyond their very small world and immediate needs. For example our local villagers who have lived or worked in Bangkok or even overseas, typically have not ventured beyond their worker’s enclave and place of employment. They feel uncomfortable with those who do not eat, speak and live the way they do, be they farangs or other Thais. They do not strive to be more than they are, just to possess more than they do. Does that really sound so unfamiliar?

Perhaps the question is not why they don’t get it or why their perceptions are so different but why one would expect or want things not to be so. Is it perhaps that it makes us feel uncomfortable or question our own closely held beliefs? The trick is to learn to live with the differences. Allow others to be different without making judgement. Allow them to live their own lives and make their own mistakes. As you look around the world at the myriad of languages, cultures, beliefs, religions, values and interests, one flaw stands out as a part of our human nature. In our steadfast belief that we are on the true path, we imply that all the other paths are lesser and somehow false or misguided. Ask yourself how we can all be so right and so wrong all at the same time, at least in the eyes of others.

I understand there are those who feel it is their mission in life to take possession of and responsibility for the lives of others. I suppose they serve a purpose but one suspects that they sometimes do more harm than good. Sure if you feel impelled to intervene in the lives of others, do or say what you will, but understand you are doing it because of your own needs, not necessarily theirs. No one likes to be told that their beliefs or values are wrong and that goes for countries as well as individuals. Don’t be surprised if your well meaning gestures go unappreciated or are misunderstood.

As you can see, mine is a hands off approach. At best I may stimulate some, to ask questions they might not otherwise have asked, or give them the courage to do something of their own choosing, which they were previously afraid to do. Live life by example and don’t preach. Help others to follow their own path, not yours. Embrace difference and change even when it challenges what you have always believed to be self evident and true. Find humor where you can, in the foibles of humanity. Most importantly laugh at yourself from time to time, especially when you are taking yourself a bit too seriously. Life is like the weather, not always sunny and clear, and those dark and rainy days, in the end, bring forth new growth.

Thus ends another of VF’s pontifications.

Chiang Rai, Transformed ...

2011-04-02T10:14:00.003+07:00

On March 30, 2011, Chiang Rai was transformed from a sleepy, rural, backwater, into a sleepy, rural, backwater, with a fancy new shopping mall. Central Plaza offers new options for food, clothing, electronics and services while consolidating many of the preexisting merchants into one beautiful location. Finally we have a department store, Starbucks, McDonald's and an expanded choice of restaurants. I will be frequenting the various coffee shops and restaurants but probably not the hamburger joints.

Sure, there will be those who bemoan the arrival of such a place but it in no way detracts from what is already here. It merely adds to it. We skipped opening day, knowing it would be a traffic nightmare, opting instead to visit on the following day. Bumped into many friends and saw many more unfamiliar farangs than usual. Almost without exception, we all commented on how we felt transported to somewhere other than Chiang Rai. It was a surreal feeling of stepping into a much more civilized place, in some faraway city.

The experience was entirely lost on the five family members we had in-tow on the day. It is not a regular occurrence that you will find VF playing chauffeur to Mrs. Vf’s family but Songkran is approaching and the wife wanted to take them into town for some New Year shopping. I dropped them off at their much preferred local markets, to do most of their shopping. Free from having me as a distraction, they are reported to have had a great time. Afterward they joined me at the new mall where I had been surveying what was on offer and visiting with friends. Upon their arrival at the mall and during a quick tour, for the most part the family shuffled around feeling completely out of place.

Yesterday found me once again sitting in Starbuck’s, visiting with friends both old and new, after a ride into town on the Ninja. Having lived in Bangkok for thirty years before moving to the Rai, I like these kinds of places, but never would have imagined that we would have such a beautiful location so soon. So I still have my pastoral setting where I live, plus new comforts and conveniences less than an hour away.

While presently an inconvenience in some areas, roadwork is continuing at a frenetic pace in our region. A new golf course is well on its way and buildings are coming up everywhere. Hopefully, we have some time before we end up looking the way Chiang Mai does now. Of course there will always be a comparative size difference, no matter how much Chiang Rai grows. As Chiang Rai expands, I may end up looking quite clever, in my choice of location. What appears to be distant and remote today, may one day be on the outer fringes of a growing city.

Not one to be nostalgic, I will make the best of whatever comes. It is all about how you choose to look at things, and lamenting the passage of time is a futile waist of time.

Has the Novelty Worn Off ?...

2011-03-20T10:50:00.002+07:00

I read about a longterm resident of Thailand the other day, who finally gave it up and moved home. Among other things, he said the novelty had worn off. Sadly, he wasn’t clear whether he took his Thai wife with him or not, as that would alter ones view of what he said.

Anyway, it got me thinking about why people come here, why some stay and why some leave. Putting aside the obvious response, from many a midlife-crisis-male, there must be something other than girls. Perhaps it is nothing more than a manifestation of the grass being greener. Maybe some are escaping or moving away from something, while others are seekers of something new. Of course each individual will claim that his circumstances are unique, and no doubt there is some justification for such beliefs, but surely there are some lessons to be learned by asking the question.

I have heard many elderly new arrivals to Thailand explain, how much better their new lives are compared to their old ones, back home. They were ravaged both emotionally and financially by past relationships. Their dating prospects were limited at best and their finances stretched to the limit. Here they were spoiled for choice, with twenty-something year old girls expressing keen interest and stroking their egos. In these cases the lack of communication and understanding is almost seductive. Ones imagination can run rampant, projecting whatever motivation one wishes onto this exotic young creature draping herself over your revitalized body and spirit.

This could be no more than a novelty, and the comparisons being made are often to a perfect storm or a worst case scenario, in which any comparison is going to be favorable. Grasping at anything better than the past, can lead to well documented problems in the future, as that novelty wears off. True I have seen many of these desperate relationships last for a very long time, perhaps due to having children to support or an inability to imagine anything any better. Yes, I know that when it comes to affairs of the heart, all advice falls on deaf ears. So even when we say nothing, it doesn’t mean there is no desire to say something. We just think better of it.

Still, that word ‘novelty’ struck a cord with me. It has been a long time since anything in Thailand struck me as particularly ‘novel.’ But, what must it be like for the newcomer? Surely there must be some attraction to the novel, the new, the different, the fresh, the unusual and not just an economic fixation on the Baht exchange rate and how much further your pension will go.

Even if we all go through the ‘novelty’ phase, how long can one stay in a foreign land without moving on to something else? I have been asked before, what it is about Thai culture that keeps me here. That question struck me as odd and irrelevant at the time. Now I can see how that might have been one of the novelty factors for that individual, going through the process of trying be more Thai or understand Thai ways. Come to think of it I believe it was a woman asking that question. Not exactly a question one would expect from a male reader, enveloped in a hormonal fog.

I liken this process of discovering Thailand, to entering a large cave where one sees a kaleidoscope of unique forms and textures that beckons one to venture further in. Like a child looking up at the shapes in the clouds, individuals imagine different things in what they see. As one ventures deeper into the cave, the light begins to fade, things can get very dark and it is easy to lose your way. Some turn around and go back to whence they came. Others venture on and perhaps find that the cave is not as dark and unknowable as they once thought, or it turns into a tunnel and one can venture out the other side. On the other hand, we have all seen those poor souls who lost their way in the darkness, falling victim to the frailties and vulnerabilities of human nature, or those who gave up and went home completely defeated.

One novelty that I could see wearing off quickly would be the somewhat emasculating act of being securely tethered to the wife or girlfriend’s apron strings. Being unable to navigate life here on your own must be stressful. I used to wonder why foreign males would open themselves to scorn and ridicule on expat forums, by asking questions that showed how little they knew. Of course it would be better to go to the source for information and not to depend on a forum, but what if you can’t speak the language or don’t know where to go? What if your partner doesn’t have the skills or social graces to go get you the answer? What if she gets the answer but doesn’t have the language skills to explain it to you? What if, what if, what it...?

Okay, perhaps I am just rehashing an old topic here and should let it go. It just struck me as odd that someone would use the novelty wearing off as an excuse to leave rather than as a reason to stay. It doesn’t bode well for relationships or life in general, if we are stuck in the infatuation and novelty phase our whole lives. It just seems to me, there is something more substantial on the other side of that first blush of newness and novelty. Then again, maybe people really are that simple and that shallow.

The Disappearing Wooden Thai House...

2011-03-15T13:29:00.000+07:00

Even as far from town as we are, all new construction is steel, concrete and brick, often painted in the most garish of colors. The small wooden structures that were prevalent when my wife was growing up here, are all but a thing of the past. She speaks lovingly of wooden houses she grew up in and were later disassembled and sold off when money was needed. Even as a child she took pride in the place she lived, however humble, polishing the wooden floors to a lustrous finish. She was heartbroken when her father sold one house in particular, only to move into much more humble abode until he could harvest more wood from the forest to build a new house.

Over time it became more difficult to do this as laws were enforced and conventions changed. Clearly as one looks around, there is less forest to be illegally harvested, though the practice has not been completely eradicated. At my wife’s urging, we strolled around the village looking at the few remaining, old wooden structures. The residents seem to lack the means to move into something more modern and protected from the elements, and were apologetic when we asked permission to take photos of their homes. It should be noted that as much as my wife loved that one old wooden house she grew up in, she would no longer feel comfortable living is such a place.

Riding the Trek through neighboring villages I have been able to gather this assortment of village homes. Not perhaps what one would expect or imagine when I mention wooden Thai houses, but something I wanted to share before they are all gone. As one final note of interest, our recent visitors from the Northeast of Thailand were surprised to see that most houses here have two stairways, one at the front and one at the rear. Apparently that is not the custom where they come from.

Hope you don't mind so many pictures in one post. I was afraid readers would not click on an external link.

A Buggy Bike Ride ...

2011-03-14T11:21:00.001+07:00

An hour into my ride and I was too hot, too tired and too far from my destination. It was time to pull the plug and move on to plan B, except I didn’t have a plan B. While Tat Kwan waterfall would have to wait for another day, how was I to salvage an aborted ride?

I had been snapping pics of old wooden Thai houses, for an upcoming blog post on the outbound route, so that seemed as good a plan as I was going to come up with. Weaving through the sub-sois of the villages I passed through earlier, I managed to bag a few more wooden structures for my photographic collection.

Traversing the open farm land between villages, I almost missed my opportunity for this buggy post. Peripheral vision caught movement off to the left in a field, up in a tree. A quick scan of the area led to a u-turn, a short ride, and walk out into the field. To be honest I already knew what they were up to but this was a more picturesque setting than a tree in someone’s front yard. The sound of a distressed cicada, or Jakjan as the locals call them, is unmistakable and this time of year finds them on the village menu. Hunters young and old, armed with their long bamboo sticks tipped with a sticky substance, are busily plucking these bugs from the trees.

I asked this lot if they were planning to sell them or eat them. With wide toothy grins they said in no uncertain terms, eat them. Just one of the multitude of creepy crawlies that villagers around here like to snack on, these are more substantial than some. After some idle conversation and a few pictures, I was back on the road heading home, armed with an idea for a blog post and material for a future one.

Plan B = Bugs?

The tree in the field.

Up a tree.

A comfortable perch.

A sticky situation.

Yum

Close up.

Ready to eat.

New rubber made for nice surefooted ride.

Words ...

2011-03-08T15:53:00.001+07:00

On several occasions recently, I have been reminded of the complexity of language, both spoken and written. Without any of the nonverbal accompaniments and emotive elements of the spoken word, the written word is even more difficult to fathom at times. Sure there are dictionary definitions and a thesaurus full of similar words but many words have more than one meaning even there, let alone in the minds of readers. So even when words are carefully crafted there is no certainty as to how they will be received.

A specific word may have associations for a reader that we are unaware of. Less common and complicated words, even when more accurate, can be off putting for some. They are sometimes not understood, considered haughty or condescending and color the meaning of what is written. Complex and interesting sentence structures, meant to add color and imagery, sometimes create a very different image than the one intended.

Though I may sometimes overpower with my sense of conviction or style of writing, not unlike in conversation where I have a tendency to dominate, there is nothing I admire more than someone who is able to hold there own through wit, thought and reason. No temperamental outbursts or petulant silences. No self-aggrandizement or incessant namedropping. A pace and energy that doesn’t put one to sleep mid-story. These are things I long for. Let me lead and I will bore myself, not just you.

To that end I was intrigued during the exchange of emails with some readers recently. One reader who stumbled upon my blog, observed that I seemed to be “more of an observer than someone who wants to be observed” and appeared to question the veracity of my request for feedback. More accurately he said he was surprised. I might add that I was surprised by his surprise. Fortunately he was not shy about providing interesting and insightful comments, as well as some personal background which would not be appropriate to include here without permission. I hope he won’t mind email quotes being anonymously reproduced in this space, however.

One exchange in particular caught my attention. “There's a certain, clearly communicated perspective of a thoughtful and self-satisfied person who's comfortable with their past choices and future direction. Although the writing is refined and even polished, the thoughts within are at times starkly honest and blunt.” I must admit to bristling slightly at the term ‘self-satisfied’ as the connotation is hardly flattering. At second glance, I was actually quite pleased and impressed. Here was a reader reflecting back to me in a “starkly honest and blunt” manner, with a clear touch of refinement and polish. Though I might have preferred another word, self-satisfied might well be the more accurate choice.

“I hope you keep the blog up. It seems like you may be getting as much out of this as your readers. It appears that it's an important and personally rewarding part of your life - maybe even an occupation at times - sharing your personal view from the valley with others, trying to discern what effect it's having in other faraway places. I suspect it has caused more than a few middle-aged farangs to question their lives and relationships and long for a small house and new mate in Isaan or Pattaya. There are others though who will enjoy it in a positive way, maybe learn from it or let it be a jumpstart towards an adventure, whether they make it to a beautiful house in Southeast Asia or not.”

The preceding quote comes as close as any I have received in attempting to encapsulate the purpose and intent of this blog. The only caveat might be a reminder that VF and I are not identical clones. It should be understood that as VF, I put a particular spin on events and take some literary license in how I relate what I observe. I am not a reporter or historian. I do not seek to speak in the staccato monotone of statistics with no room for interpretation. VF speaks in the lilting legato of life, sometimes pretty and sometime ugly but always from his own perspective.

So yes, I am an observer of life and often a critical one at that. My most critical observations, I can assure you, are directed inward as I would not want to inflict that kind of scrutiny on others. Understand that I do indeed appreciate feedback, especially insightful and interesting stuff, though a pat on the back is not to be dismissed as insignificant. Thanks again to those who write in and a special thanks to the kind reader I quoted and to others who helped to play my muse today.

So what is the word, one might ask?

Our Thai House In The Field ...

2011-03-04T10:54:00.003+07:00

For those of you who are still interested in the house, here is an update from yesterday. Our bougainvillea, planted as a boarder along the length of the front yard, are really in full bloom this time of year. Along with the ones we planted on the back side of the house, there is an explosion of color in this otherwise dreary time of the year.

We have lived in the house for more than three years now and things are holding up well. We did replace the wooden railings with steel and did a little touchup painting but apart from that, things are good. I’m very happy living here and we have had no complaints from our guests. The wife does complain that it is too much to keep clean but she still manages to keep it immaculate.

You may notice that facing north as we are, with a slight eastward orientation, the front of the house escapes the ravages of direct sunlight most of the year.

Front of the house, not visible from the road.

A different angle.

Bike Ride and Potluck ...

2011-03-02T16:07:00.001+07:00

There came a voice from on high. It was heard to say, “Go ride young men, go ride.” Sadly, there were no young men to heed the call, so the village elders of the Rai, did mount their many and varied beasts. There were dirt-bikes, sport-bikes, and cruisers, from 150cc up to 1800cc. A truly eclectic mix. No mountain too high, no rut too deep, no trail too rough, no sand too loose, no pachyderm too large, no river too wide and no bridge too flimsy to stall the momentum of these intrepid adventurers. Couples and singles, big bikes and small, all held their own on this lovely but hot adventure. Oddly the day bore more resemblance to our Sunday Potluck than your typical biker’s melee, as we spent more time sitting around talking than actually riding. In the end, however, we were lucky and no one came off or damaged their bikes.

Attending both events, the Potluck and Bike Ride, on consecutive days, I feel qualified to comment and eager to share pictures. Being as spread out as we are here in the Rai, special effort must be summoned to gather the rank and file in one location. A monthly Potluck picnic has been instigated for the more laid back and food motivated residents. The reward being homemade dishes from various lands, often unattainable in our local restaurants or anywhere else for that matter. It is a pleasant afternoon spent by a lake with a near equal share of Thais and Farangs. Primarily, Farang men and Thai wives but with the occasional Farang family or couple. Seasonal residents and guests do make an appearance on occasion, as well.

The Chiang Rai Hash is another monthly venue aimed at the slightly more athletic, though in truth it is geared more to walking and talking, than it is to running. Sorry no Hash pictures as we have not attended for quite some time.

Potluck

Potluck Sala

Hot Springs. First Stop on Bike Ride

Kok River at Hot Springs

Motorcycle Bridge

View from the Bridge

River view at our lunch break

My Dream Guest House for Lunch

Lunch Venue

Harley in the Forest

Elephant Camp