We've Been Having too Much Fun! June 3, 2014

We are in Pattaya, Thailand on the way back to the United States. 

We have been having so much fun we have not been posting, except on www.FaceBook.com/funnyplumber. Our last blog writing was April 3rd, two months ago.  We will try to write this one day at a time.

On April 4th, I woke up at 5:00 AM. I'm going to make some coffee, take a shower and have my typical breakfast at the Ban Pa Mueat morning market. After that I'm going to do a little shopping for things like milk, bread, shampoo, etc. 

Then it's off to the clinic for more Medical Cost Research. Today is the second set of injections of joint lubricant into my knees. 

While I was at Tesco/Lotus shopping this morning I questioned the price of chicken. Here are chicken feet for 75THB and drumsticks for 68 THB. I just don't get it.

When I came out of the store there was a Buddhist procession for the young boys going by. I got some of the boys to smile. It is part of the Buddhist boys be coming of age.

 

The second set of knee injections went well.  We scheduled the third set for next week.

April 5th, normal day here but while I was taking a nap, most of the afternoon, Daeng visited friends celebrating everything from a son becoming a man, to a baby being born and a friend passing on. It was a busy and emotional day for her.

I might also add there is always a little time to play games on your smartphone.

April 6th, It's 5 AM and my list for today is:

Be happy and positive.

Show Daeng I love her.

Help three people without anyone knowing.

Breakfast at the Mae Sai morning market.

Shopping at Tesco/Lotus - water for CPAP machine and peanut butter.

Move desk were new wardrobe cabinets are going.

Anything else that makes life better is okay, too.

April 7th, it’s Monday morning and I started the wash. Yes, we have a western style agitator washing machine.

There have been lots of boys going through the Buddhist Ceremony of being shaved, bathed and prayed for in the start of their lives as young men.

As far as the celebrations go, I like the food, dancing and the drums. 

By the way, they get to the Temple and are paraded in many ways, everything from their Dad's shoulder, pick-up trucks and even elephants.

The end of the week starts the water holiday of Songkran. It is a celebration of water. If you don't want to get wet, don't leave the house! http://songkran2014.com/

At about 8:00 Am I went to Tesco/Lotus to buy a replacement lock set for Boonreang's bedroom door. I laughed as about 20 Burmese folks were already waiting for them to open. They buy large quantities of cooking oil when it is on sale. As soon as the door opened they ran through the store.

When I got home I went onto the roof as Daeng was cleaning the tile. I noticed the electric wall outlet was broken.

We investigated and realized that the two 13 year old boys, who were staying with us for a few days, tried to use the outlet box as a step to go into the higher roof. I glad they weren't hurt by the electricity as here everything is 230 Volts.

I am pissed that they didn't tell us. Oh well, off to the electric store for parts.

By the way, I also put everything in place in the outside cooking area. I still need to get an automatic outside door closer so the house doesn't smelly when they cook with hot frying pans and fish oil.

April 8th, Well, I got up at 2:30 AM and took care of some business in America. We are 14 hours ahead of PST.

We are going to do a little road trip to see our Akha friends in Ban AYO. My question for today: "Do I look big in this picture?"

You can read of our many trips and our Akha extended family by clicking on this: http://terrysstories.blogspot.com/search?q=Ban+AYO   

April 9th, It was a very busy day. We started off by having breakfast at the Ban Pa Mueat market. Daeng then bought fruit to take to Meechu in Ban AYO.

I also saw some neat baskets made out of coke and beer cans.

We think we are going to Ban AYO for sure, for sure. That's Valley Girl talk for "for sure". 

When we left the market we stopped to see "Me" and the new baby. They are both doing well. I tried to talk Daeng into having one but she very loudly said: "NO!" several times.

We went home and set out for Ban AYO. We stopped about 25 km south to see our friends Peter and Nok. Peter is retired here but is originally from Australia. We had coffee and talked for a while as we had not gotten together in almost five months. We were kidding about being "Gay". "Gay" means old in Thai. He is gayer than I am. 

We made it to Ban AYO. It was great to see Meechu and hang out with the Akha Ladies. We were laughing because if I still smoked these ladies can really roll one up in a corn husk. We will be back to visit them with Sonia, our friend from California, in a few weeks. 

April 10th, it was kind of a quiet morning here in Mae Sai. I got up early and had the new Toyota Pick-up at the dealership for its 1000 KM service at 7:55 AM. When we called yesterday they said they open at 8:00 AM. Well, by the time they prayed to Buddha and got their make-up on it was 8:30 AM. 

When I asked what time they would start they moved my truck into the garage and started. I watched and all they did was check the fluid levels and tire pressures. They did give it a quick wash job. 

When they handed the keys back to us I asked: "What did you do?" The explanation I got was: "It was free service but come back again at 10,000 km." I guess if it’s free they don't have to do anything or tell you what they did.

They did give us a 12 volt tire pump. I don't know it that was an appeasing gift or if everyone gets on one their first service. TIT! (This is Thailand!) 

After a few errands we stopped at a new eating place beside the workout area by our home. A very well-traveled ladyboy opened it last week. She speaks very good English and knows the best way to be successful in the restaurant business is to have good food. She is doing well and we're happy for her. She made us a great brunch for 130 THB, about $4.00 USD.

We wanted front mud flaps on the new pick-up so after it was serviced we stopped at a place that was recommended by the Toyota Sales Lady, "TA". They had them in stock and installed the two for 600 THB, about $9.50 USD each. Oh, the Toyota dealer here did not have them in stock. 

April 11th, the morning started off great as I caught someone doing something good.  Daeng's Mother was washing windows. I guess I'll have to get her a two step stool as with the one she was using she could not reach the top 6" or the glass panel above it.

It went downhill from there as I found out that Daeng's nephew had brought a dog home. His Mother and Father both said "No" but he did it anyway. I am allergic to dog and cat hair so I had to be the bad guy and say "NO" AND MEAN IT.

The sodium hyaluronate intra-articular injections in my knees have helped a lot. I have almost no knee pain and it seems like I have more movement in my knees. Maybe that's why they call it joint lubricant shots. I could be related to the "Tin Man".

I am having the third set of shots done this morning.

At 9:00 AM I went to the Sriburin Medical Clinic to get another set of shots in my knees. When I got there they told me the drugs would not be here until around 11:00 AM so I said I'd be back then.

I went shopping. The gold shops are all well-staffed for Songkran as I guess a lot of people buy and/or sell gold during the holiday. The buy and sell prices per Baht, a Thai measure of gold, is always posted. A Thai Baht of Gold is just a little under a half Ounce of Gold.

I went back to the clinic at 11 AM and the doctor injected both knees, again. I told him that the shots were doing well and I had almost no pain know. I also told him I thought I had more mobility in the knees, also. He told me he can do the shots five times or 125 mg per knee. With the shots we have done so far I have 75 mg per knee.

He told me that because I am accepting the injections well he can do a double set of injections next Friday. I agreed and we set it up. I feel like the Tin Man and "I'm off the see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of..............."

When I was waiting for the billing Daeng called and told me the furniture guys were there to deliver the 2 new wardrobes that we had ordered three weeks ago. I told the lady in the billing office I would be back in an hour or so. When I got home they had them almost all together.

The only thing was each man put one together and they had put the back braces on differently. I told the one that was doing it a little different than the instruction drawing he needed to do it the same. He very reluctantly changed it so they almost match. You can't see it when they are in place but right is right. I think they look great and one whole wall is now clothes cabinets.

After I paid the cabinet men I went back to the clinic and paid my bill. On the way home I had to wait about an hour as a Songkran parade was going down our street. It was a big and wet one. Today is the first real day of Songkran. I did have a couple of folks put water on me but no one threw a pail of water on me. That was a good thing as I had my camera and phone in my pocket.

There were lots of drums, also! Here is a link on Songkran: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/10/thailands-giant-water-fight-send-us-your-songkran-pictures   

An unfortunate thing happened during the parade. I think the lady in the first float fainted. A man carried her off the float and into a home.

A few minutes later an emergency man on a motorbike showed up. I had never seen this in Thailand but it is a good thing. A few minutes later an ambulance kind of vehicle showed up and they took her away. We hope she is okay. 

April 12th, Could "No Waiting" be a lie? I need to vent! Southern California Gas Company has billed us twice using an estimated bill well over $250. It is also on Auto-Pay. We have not been home since March 6th and the only gas use is the pilot light on the water heater.

I emailed them telling them where I am here and to please read the gas meter. I got an email back saying I had to call their 800 number. Well, when you call an 800 number from here you pay the charge, not them. In any case, I called and spent over 25 minutes on the telephone.

When a live person talked to me they told me they would read the meter on May 7th and give me a credit for the over charge. I asked them if they would put the overcharge back in my bank account since it was on auto pay and they said they would send me a check.

When I asked how I was going to cash the check here they had no answer. Yea, traveling is fun, fun, fun. 

Thank you for letting me vent. www.socalgas.com/

We went to the Mae Sai Morning Market. It was busy but not as busy as last year during Songkran. You could still almost walk through the market.

We stopped and bought fruit on the way home. 

April 13th, Here is a very nice interview with Alinda Suya at DEPDC/GMS. She is another lady that Mr. Jantraka helped. Mr. Janraka is one of the people on the first page of our Hero List.

http://depdcblog.wordpress.com/2014/04/12/interview-with-a-depdcgms-director-alinda-suya/

I did some things around the house and loaded the big barrel and strapped it down on the pick-up. I then filled it with water and when everyone came home from church we went out into Songkran, the big water holiday here in Southeast Asia.

After everyone got wet we stopped at a little lake and had some kid fun. The youngsters loved the soapy bubbles. I liked the figure on the girl that was singing on stage. I just pretended to take pictures of the kids.

By the way, Sumo is growing up and is very helpful with the kids. Let's see if I can get thpants.is correct: Sumo's Mother is Daeng's sister-in-law's cousin.

 I know she will be mad at me posting this picture but on this fun event soap will get into the seat of your pants.

Daeng and Sumo decided they would try the floating bubble. They lasted about 8 minutes on the water as it is really hot inside the bubbles as they have a green house effect.

 

We then went back on the road for some more water throwing. When the water drum was empty we went home as the kids were cold. It was 35C degrees (95F) today but wet and riding in the back of a pickup truck they got cold. Yes, you can ride in the bed of a pickup truck here in Thailand and everyone does it.

It was a fun day and Tun and I both stayed dry except for Bum's squirt gun. We had fun with the family. 

Oh, I almost forgot the ice cream.  What is a holiday without ice cream? 

Today was the First Official Day of Songkran so I'm sure I will get really wet before it's over. Sprinkling folks with water is also to wish then good luck. Maybe I'll get lucky, too. http://goasia.about.com/od/Events-and-Holidays/a/Thailand-Water-Festival.htm

April 14^th, well, part of Songkran is to clean so were going to get wet and clean the roof tile. Daeng has most of it done already. I tried to talk her into hiring it done and she said she wanted to do it herself. 

Here is a nice video about Songkran: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHu2xAPdqdU

When I got home, Daeng got up and helped me put the second coat of red oxide primer on the metal doors and gate. Tomorrow it's boat races on the mighty Mekong River.

Here is a set of pictures from the set when we shot "HOLIDAY at DOI TUNG" or what I call "White Boy Can't Dance". You will see what I mean in this take. http://funnyplumber.com/akha.wmv

Part of Songkran is the cleaning of the old. The girls,that's Daeng, Hlong and Om, went to the cemetery and cleaned up some of the jungle growth. They came back with a few bug bites and very dirty. They took showers and headed over to a friend’s home to throw some water.

April 15^th, GOOD MORNING! Here is a morning selfie entitled "Old Guy's OJ". It does taste like orange juice.

What will the official last day of Songkran bring? I didn't help anyone yesterday so my karma account is a little negative. I need to get out there and find six folks to help today, without anyone knowing it.

On the negative/positive sides of Songkran, only 102 deaths so far in two days.

http://www.eturbonews.com/44673/happy-new-year-thailand-102-killed-893-injured-first-2-days-song Let's all pray the numbers stay low.

Another part of Songkran is visiting the elderly and giving them food, money and best wishes for a good and long life.

Daeng took pictures of three, an old friend of her Mothers and the Mother and Father of a school friend that passed away a few years ago.

I ask her if she helped any others and she told me she couldn't tell me or they would not count on her karma account. We both laughed.

Now, here is an example of being poor, using newspaper as wall paper. Also, In the picture over Daeng's head, check out the steps. I'm not sure I could go up them.

Makes me really grateful for the simple things we have.

April 16^th, Songkran is officially over but the water throwing will continue, in the tourist areas, probably through the weekend. We don't have any update of the accident rate but hope it is low.

Here is a picture of a merry-go-round type of swing ride for kids that is powered by a big fan. The fan blowing actually turns the whole thing. You have to hand it to those Thais.

We have been talking about going to the boat races on the Mekong River tomorrow or Friday. The center of the Golden Triangle is only 40 km from our house. Here is a video on YouTube from 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFWjLV07dXE#t=28  

Happy New Year!

I had gotten up at 3:30 AM and made the few notes above. Daeng wasn't feeling well so I went the Mae Sai morning market and had what I call a Muslim Taco, Pa Thong Ko and a Thai coffee. Yes, I did set in the little chair.

After the market I stopped at one of the temples to see the aftermath of the Songkran holiday.

Then, I went up the hill to the temple at the top of the stairs. No I didn't walk the 207 steps; I used 1st gear on the motorbike. 

Daeng always says this statue looks like me, all hands and.............

Myanmar (Burma) looks nice from the giant scorpion.

Then a little motorbike ride down through the closed shops and vendor stalls. Burma doesn't look so good from the bottom by the river.

When I got home, Daeng got up and helped me put the second coat of red oxide primer on the metal doors and gate. Tomorrow it's boat races on the mighty Mekong River.

April 17^th, I got up early and had a haircut at 8:30 AM. I came home and loaded the truck for a little excursion to the Golden Triangle. Nineteen folks, including myself are going to the Dragon Boat Races.

Yep, that was 19 people in a pickup truck. The Golden Triangle is only 34 km (21 miles) from our house. We also have about 60 gallons of water on board for more water throwing. Hey, it's still Songkran in everyone’s minds. Party, Party, Party!

The trip over the little mountain to the Mighty Mekong River was good. I took it really slow as I was worried about all the folks in the bed on the truck. It was really hot, 40C. That is 104 degrees Fahrenheit so everyone was having fun throwing water on each other.

When we got to Chiang San, a few km south of the Golden Triangle, we parked in one of the Temples and picked a spot right on the River Walk to camp out, Thai Style. The food the girls cooked this morning was great also. Thanks Daeng and Hlong.

No one really cared about the boat races, we were just there to have fun together. Oh, I also got the first ding on our new truck when I was turning around. I backed into a post and put a ding on the rear bumper. Every vehicles needs one, just one, ding.

After eating and hanging out a while, almost everyone wanted to go swimming in the Mekong River. Because it was hard to get to the water right here we got back in the truck and drove a few km north.

Here is a picture of me and two of my little buddies.

I watched the fast Longtail boats as most of the group got wet in the river. These boats are small wooden boat with huge engines mounted in the back of the boat. They then weld a long rod or pipe to the flywheel with a propeller on the end. They steer the boat by moving the engine around. They are amazing.

Then, after swimming, everyone decided they wanted to go on a boat ride across the river.

We were lucky and got a free parking place beside the Big Buddha. In the other spots we had to pay big money, 50 THB each parking spot (about $1.50 US). Everyone got on the boat except Tun as He gets motion sickness.

After a little narrated cruse telling us about the casino on the Laos side of the river and the other points in view, we crossed the river and docked on the Laos side. Everyone got off the boat.

No one asked for identification but we were required to pay 30 THB, about a US dollar, to enter the island.

We only spent about a half hour there as it was just little shops to buy stuff. My Mother would have called it a tourist trap as no place to go and prices, even for bottled water, was 2-3 times higher than normal. No stamp in my passport but I can say we've been to Laos.

We’re back on the boat. The Lao's houseboats, in the picture, will take you up the 300+ kilometers, a little over 200 miles, to China for 500 THB, about $15 USD, per day per person. Passports only needed if you get caught.

Anyone interested in a home on the river?

It was nice to see the Big Buddha from the river as it was time to go home. Everyone was very tired. Some of us even got a little sunburn. It was a fun trip.

Oh, I forgot while we were in Laos two days ago we saw our first Geely. It is a cool looking car made in China. Here is more on Geely: http://global.geely.com/vehicles.php

April 18^th, Had the last set of shots in my knees this morning, double injections in both knees. Blood pressure was just a little high probably due to the pretty nurse. The right knee went pain free but I could feel the pressure of the 50 mg of joint lubricant that he was injecting.

The injection into my left knee brought tears to my eyes. He said there was a lot of scare tissue in that knee and that is why the pain.

Let hope these injections last for a year.

I went home and back to bed!

April 19^th, here is a picture of a Songkran water fight from http://www.phuketgazette.net/. My comment is: "Wow, that is a lot of people and a lot of water."

The accident toll rate so far is 322 people were killed and 3,225 others injured in road accidents during this one-week Songkran holiday season.

Drunk driving turned out to be the biggest cause of accidents, followed by speeding, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said.

We started off the day by picking up our truck license plates. The lady that put the plates on the truck also put the windshield sticker on crooked. She basically said that was the best she could do and if we wanted it better we could do it ourselves.

One of the fellows from the garage area came over and did it correctly and told us if we ever need anything to ask him. We'll remember them both but in different ways.

Then we stopped and bought a little cake and a candle for Daeng's friend "Tan". She has been working in Japan but is home for a couple of months to take care of her Mother. We spent most of the day there but I got to take a little nap.

She said she forgot it was her birthday but it was a nice surprise. That is her granddaughter in the picture, also.

Our friend, Cheryl Scaglione, sent us this link for a commercial made in Thailand.  It is AWESOME! No translation is needed. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201781335275182&set=vb.1235621395&type=2&theater

It is April 20^th, HAPPY EASTER every bunny! Only a few percentages, maybe 2-3% of the folks in Thailand celebrate Easter. All of the folks in our home are Christians so it is up early and get the eggs ready to color. I'm impressed as Hlong is using vegetables to color the eggs. Also, here is a picture of some pet bugs.

Yea, Easter Eggs, Hlong style. There are all colored using vegetables. Also, nice pictures Kit.

We went to have breakfast at the Ban Pa Mueat market. 

I stopped and tried out the treadmill on the way back. It is electric or just people powered as it is a belt on smooth rollers. 

When I got home Hlong was on her way out to her church to cook for Easter. Most of the churches feed the fellowship after the Sunday service. It reminds me of: "If you feed them they will come."

Daeng was up so I called Pastor Lota to see if he would be at Ban NaNa, aka ChildLife. We got out the pickup and drove the 5 km to ChildLife. It was great to see Pastor Lota with the kids. He is wonderful with them. They sang and he gave a little talk about doing the right things for the right reasons and be caring for each other.

We also had a chance to visit with the man that started ChildLife, Guljohn Jeamrum (Kru Ngaow). Starting Easter Sunday with the kids was great.

Here is a video about what ChildLife is all about: http://funnyplumber.com/childlife.wmv

After his little service at Childlife we agreed to meet him at the Akha Church on Soi 11 in Mae Sai. We drove up Soi 11 to the top of the hill and there was a sign for the Pa Mueat Baptist Church. We parked and went in and sat down. After a few minutes Daeng told me that this was an Akha Church but she thought it was not the one to meet Pastor Lota. I said: "Hey, we're here, let's stay."

The Pastor on the right in the picture was speaking in Thai. The man on the left was translating in Akha and Daeng was sitting on my left translating into English.

The kids sang a wonderful song to the lady who had helped them and was moving to Chiang Rai.

After the service an Akha man kept asking us to eat with them. He kiddingly told us that the Catholics only give you a dry wafer when you go to their church service but when you come to an Akha Church Service you get an "All you can eat meal!"

We laughed and eat with them. The food was great and the all folks were pleasingly friendly.

I told the little boy that I wanted to get my hair cut just like his. Everyone laughed.

April 21^st, maybe today we'll go get some exercise and climb the steps to the Temple in the Cave.


Daeng always cleans up the place a little as tourists tend to think they don't live in the same world as we do. 

I'm just saying.

April 22^nd, me and my big mouth, I told the girl selling bamboo worms: "If you eat one raw, I'll eat one." She nodded, picked one up that was crawling out of the bamboo container and popped it in her mouth.

I thought: "Shit, me and my big mouth!" I had eating these cooked but never alive. I picked one up, put it in my mouth and ate it. It was okay after the first squishy bite but raw they have almost no taste. I thought two things: first, be careful what I say. Second, ever at age 72, there are things I have not done yet.

April 23^rd, my friend, Peter and I are going to take a little trip to Mae Salong today. Mae Salong is way up in the mountains and is becoming famous for tea. All the opium fields have been changed over to tea. You can read more in our past story of the beautiful mountain area: http://terrysstories.blogspot.com/2011/10/mae-salong-tea-fun.html

We made it to Mae Salong. It is 20 degrees cooler here because we are so high in the mountains. Mr. Ho at the Shin Sane Guest House remembered me. Here is a picture of Peter and Mr. Ho.

April 25^th, we could not get a good internet connection yesterday but for us it is fun and rest in Mae Salong. It was kind of funny to learn how a fellow from Brazil thought of us. I was telling a beggar that he had two hands and two feet so he should be working.

The young man from Brazil heard me and asked me where I was from. When I told him the USA he proceeded to say: "It is your fault that he is begging as you give people money for not working. You are stupid to let everyone live on the government and giving money to people that don't work for it."

I was a little taken back but just said: "Thank you" and moved along to the morning market.

There is not a lot to do in this little area of Mae Salong. We did visit the a big temple that is being build and the Memorial to the Royal Queen Mother. The one picture of Peter smiling, with his glasses off, is inside the really big Memorial to the Queen Mother, It is on the third level.

It was too bad the smoke from the jungle burning is so dense because the view is breathtaking.

We did get a nap, also.

We made it home safely! We got up this morning, had a little breakfast, packed, checked out and headed home.

It was a cheap stay. We each had separate bungalows with all meals and my bill was 892 THB ($28 USD) and Peter's bill was 1,080 THB (about $34 USD). The difference is I ate all vegetarian and Peter had pork and chicken with his meals.

We did stop at a tea plantation on the way home, just to take some pictures. It was a very relaxing trip.

April 28^th, we're bored this morning; I know, how could that be? Yesterday was a good day as Daeng and I stayed in bed all day. We haven't done that in a long time and it was great just cuddling and stuff. You know, stuff. Wow, listen to me. Love to you all from the Plumber and Little Thai Girl.

April 29^th, we finished painting the rear gate, rear security door, kitchen window security metal and the front divider. It was two coats of red oxide primer and one coat of walnut 2413 enamel.

We tried to get a matt or semi-gloss enamel but oil based enamel is hard to find in this part of the world as no one likes to use it. It takes a long time to dry and is hard to clean up if you are sloppy.

Thai and Burmese painters tend to be s little sloppy, understatement. They have never seen "A" quality work so they think "C" grade is good and "D" grade is acceptable. And they don't clean up after themselves as they feel that is not their job. I think that is part of this class thing.

Anyway, I think that is all the painting that we are going to do this trip. It's time for more fun.

April 30^th, today was Driver's License renewal for Boonreang, Daeng's son, and Tun, Daeng's brother. We left the house at 8:00 AM and drove 50 kilometers south to the Department of Motor Vehicles in Chiang Rai. At the check in desk we were told that a physical exam by a doctor is needed to renew.

We drove to a clinic and got the exam papers they needed, than back and filled out the renewal forms. They were told to take a seat and their names would be called.

Only waited a few minutes and they did several tests for depth of field vision, reaction time and color tests.

Then they paid the fees, 350 THB, got their pictures taken and here they are, driver's license renewed for five years; all that by 10:00 AM.

May 1^st, many of you have heard me say: "Life is like a roll of toilet tissue; the closer you get to the end the faster it goes!" The Thai people have found a way to get around that, they use the paper from the inside of the roll first.

Here it's table tissue, not toilet tissue. Rolls of tissue are not used in the bathrooms much. In almost all bathrooms, called wet rooms, there is either a big bucket, a container of water or a sprayer. When you use the toilet you just rinse off.

On the table, the rolls of tissue are put in a little dispenser and used in place of paper napkins.

Most of the trees have been cut in Thailand so paper is very expensive. I'm just saying.

Some kids from Myanmar (Burma) at the local market today.

It started to rain very hard so I went onto our flat roof to check the drains. Daeng had cleaned the entire tile roof by hand with a scrub brush. I was very impressed.

She told me she likes to do it as it gives her a chance to meditate but still gets something done. It looks like new!

May 2^nd, Hlong’s family from Myanmar is visiting. Does this picture make me look fat?

May 3^rd, I was asked: "Why the headband?" My reply: "To keep my hair out of my Wow, another fun day. 

We went to the downtown hardware store to buy some bolts and washers as they have almost everything and you can buy just what you need in exact quantities. Yesterday, I bought 1 meter, 3 feet, of metal duct tape.

The border crossing was really busy; busier than I have ever seen it.

We also found the concrete paint we wanted but they did not have green. We'll keep looking. I kidding told Daeng maybe it was a message from God that we should not paint the concrete roof over the roof stairway this trip. I don't think she believed me as she said something like: "Don't worry, well find it."

We came back to the house and the little Thai girl and the old fat plumber carried the new wardrobe, which we bought in Chiang Mai, up the two flights of stairs to the third floor guest room. Thais are funny as two family members walked by us but did not ask if they could help. I'm just saying.

That gave me a good excuse to get a two hour massage. Life is good.

May 4^th, I forgot to mention that yesterday we also bought the plumbing fitting to correct the drain line for Tun's dialysis room hand sink. The room was built in a hurry and all they did was run the drain line through the wall onto the balcony deck. It is not very sanitary, to say the least.

We were under the gun, so to speak, as Tun finished his morning session around 8:00 AM and does his next session around 1:30 PM.

Daeng and I did good as we finished everything including first coat of wall patching and clean up in five hours.

It looks pretty good and works great, also.

My back hurts! I need at least a 2 hour massage.

May 5^th, it was raining very hard this morning when I got up. The rain was blowing sideways so we got a little water in the house. We stayed home this morning and cleaned it up. No damage was done as water does not harm tile or concrete.

When the sun came out around 1:00 PM, we had a nice late lunch at a chicken place that is getting bigger and bigger because they have great food.

Then we moved onward to have a manicure and pedicure. The lady told us we had to wait about an hour so we went around the corner to a family run massage place. 

The inside is beautiful as the walls are hand painted. Massage was good also and only 150 THB (less than $5.00 US) each.

Then back to get my nails done. That was a little more expensive, 160 THB (a little over $5.00 US). Daeng bought pineapple and got gas in her motorbike while I was getting my nails done. We use real gasoline but it is getting harder to fine here as almost all the fuels now have alcohol in them, any place from 10 to 20%.

We stopped to eat on the way home and the table started shaking, then the whole place was shaking. Daeng and I ran outside as it was a good little shaker.

We are told it was a 5.8 with the epicenter around Chiang Rai, about 60 kilometers south of us.

No damage that we know of in our town. Boonreang, Daeng's son called her to make sure she was okay and to tell her he was coming home. He said he saw some big cracks in a hotel wall there in Chiang Rai and concrete on the ground. That's all we know right now.

Sounds like a song title, "Rain in the morning and a shaker at night".

May 6^th, we have had lots of emails and calls regarding our safety because of the 6.0 earthquake that happened about six (6) hours ago 90 kilometer SSW of us here in Thailand.

Thank you for your concerns and it makes us feel loved.

For us it was just a little shaker with no damage to the surrounding area of Mae Sai, about 60 kilometers north of Chiang Rai.

You can read about it here: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/05/us-earthquake-thailand-idUSBREA440A220140505

I mentioned the Thais cover up in the sun. Here is a tile man setting roof tile on our roof.

It’s kind of a normal day today, other than the five aftershocks from yesterday's earthquake.

Our friends, 左宏文, reopened their coffee and Pa Thong Ko shop in the morning market. The wife, Me, had a baby last month so her husband shut the shop down for about a month to help her. We'll have coffee there tomorrow.

The grasshopper lady was there today with fresh bugs. The bag she has in her hand is 50 THB, a little over $1.50 US.

When I got home we cleaned up a little and did all the wash. Then I cut the metal I had into the correct sizes and Daeng took it to a welder to put it together. He did a great job and only charged her 50 THB.

The bracket is for the whirligig that we bought for Tun's Laundry. It is a surprise, so don't tell him. It will mount over the front door on the overhang. It's a washerwoman. When the wind blows she moves up and down like she is scrubbing clothes.

May 7^th, Do to all the earthquakes, Daeng wanted to wear her clothes to bed. I talked her into putting her dress and purse on a stool by the door. @happyguy

It rained very hard for about 45 minutes and stopped. We were glad as we wanted to go to the morning market and see our friend 左宏文 who makes the best Pa Thong Ko.

As we were going through the market, Daeng asked me: "Here are some pig breasts that look just like yours."  I love her!

The Whiter Temple here in Chiang Rai was damaged by the earthquake on Tuesday. That was scheduled as our first stop after picking up Sonia Del Castillo at the airport tomorrow morning.

We will go anyway and hopefully we can see the outside which is very beautiful. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/06/thailand-earthquake-buddha-temple_n_5273216.html

May 8th, we picked up our traveler from California and went to Wat Rong Khun, commonly known as the White Temple here in Thailand, we expressed our sorrow for the damage done to designer Chalermchai Kositpipat. He stated they were starting to rebuild today!

It was sad to see all the damage caused by the earthquake on Tuesday.

We had fun although we were sad to see the damage to the White Temple, We were glad that Chalermchai Kositpipat told us they were going to repair the temple starting now. He is a very warm and cool guy.

Also, a nice thing is there was no problem parking as it was closed.

After we took some pictures from the outside we visited the clock tower in Chiang Rai that I'm told he built also. At night there is a light show where the clock tower changes colors. Sorry, but we will have to miss that show. Maybe next time Sonia.

Here is a video of the clock tower at night on youtube.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHktAY64wjs

We also visited the Black House, sometimes called the Black Temple by tourists, It is many buildings on a large plot of land so there is lots of walking and picture taking.

I liked the picture of Sonia sitting in what I call the "Big Horny Chair". She said it felt good.

After the Black House we stopped at the "1000 Chicken Temple" as I call it. We also did "Fortune Sticks". You shake the container until one stick falls out. It has a number on it and you read your fortune on the ledger.

Daeng translated from Thai for us. Mine said I need to be more careful. Daeng's said she needed to say less. Sonia's said she needed to move on from an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend.

We then stopped at the Monkey Temple in the Cave but it was raining very hard so we just went on home.

After showers we all had a massage at the local massage place, eat on the street in downtown Mae Sai and went home to bed.

It was a great day!

May 9^th, we got up early, had a little breakfast and coffee at the morning market. Then Daeng and Sonia went into Myanmar (Burma).

It was temples, temples, temples and shopping.

Then you've got to take a little rest.

After that a little trip to the Golden Triangle. Did someone say: "Opium"?

This is the mighty Mekong River at the Golden Triangle. You can see the Big Buddha a long ways away. It was a nice day and the river was high due to all the rain we have been having over the last two weeks.

If you look over Sonia's shoulders the Big Buddha is in thailand.  The mountains in the back is Myanmar (Burma). the shore over her other shoulder is Laos. 

 

Then it is lunch and a fast Longtail boat to Laos. No passport stamp but Sonia can say she was there.

For lunch, Daeng introduced Sonia to “Dancing Shrimp”.  Here is the video: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152463011423824

Daeng is getting to be a pretty good sailor, also.

Back home, a two hour massage, some noodle soup and life is good.

May 10^th, the sun is shining and we are going to spend most of the day at Doi Tung, up in the mountains. http://www.doitung.org/home.php

It was a fun trip to Doi Tung this morning. When we arrived we bought our admission tickets for the Queen Mother's Royal Villa, Mae Fah Laung Gardens and Hall of Inspiration. After a few pictures of thing typical in Thailand we proceeded to tour the Hall of Inspiration.

It helped me to see why the people of Thailand love the King and the Royal Family.

Daeng had a good time remembering stuff when she was young as well as making shadow hearts of the display.

After the Hall of Inspiration it was roasted bugs and coconut ice cream made by hand the old fashioned way using ice and salt.

Sonia tried the Thai ice cream sandwich. That is two slices of white bread with ice cream in the middle.

Then we went onward to the Mae Fah Luang Garden. It was beautiful!

After looking at thousands of beautiful flowers and plants we visited the Queen Mother's Royal Villa.

We were not allowed to take pictures on the inside but it is a cozy place to live and with its own helicopter pad, armed guards and a view of the world, so to speak.

Sonia and I had to "cover up" to see the Royal Villa.

On the way home we went to the "Temple in the Cave". It was 205 steps up to the cave, lots of monkeys, a few crocodiles, fish, chickens and a pig.

I forgot we had to walk back down the step, as well. Daeng, Sonia and I were tired so it was home, showers and bed as tomorrow is trip to have lunch with our Akha friends and then onward to Chiang Mai.

Oh, I almost forgot, there is a picture of what happens to you if you exercise too much.

May 11^th, Today, Sonia, Daeng and I are going to visit our Akha friends in Ban AYO and then drive over the mountain to Chiang Mai.

You can read about our Akha friends here: http://terrysstories.blogspot.com/search?q=Akha

We had a great day. We were up and on the road at 10:00 AM. We stopped to pick up some BBQ chicken on the way to Ban AYO and then lunch with our Akha friends.

They loved Sonia. Meechu even gave her a hug. Akha folks just don't normally do that.

We took lots of pictures.

Then we drive over the mountain to Chiang Mai.

We did stop at the highest hot spring in Thailand to use the restroom, soak our feet and boil some eggs.

They tasted good. Nice job Sonia and Daeng.

May 13^th, we started our day with a little trip to Tiger Kingdom for Sonia. It kind of gives a whole new meaning to "Having the Tiger by the Tail".

Then, we drove over to the Maesa Elephant Camp.  Here is a video of Sonia watching them bath the elephants: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152471193838824 

The afternoon was fun at Maesa Elephant Camp. Sonia now knows what an elephant hug is. We had a fun time.

There are hundreds of pictures of elephants and tifers on my facebook site: www.facebook.com/funnyplumber 

You can also read of us spending more time with the elephants at: http://funnyplumber.com/Stories/04-26-08_Mahout_Training.pdf 

May 14^th, I got up early and took Sonia to the airport here in Chiang Mai.  We will take a day or two to rest up. It was fun.

May 15^th, we had a good trip home from Chiang Mai on Thursday. We did have to stop at the Hot Spring to use the restroom; great view from here.

I was still stiff from walking so much and driving so I had the massage lady, San-la work on me. She is very strong and gives a great massage. I would put her on the list as #3. Top is still Daeng, second is a lady named Korn in Bangkok and then San-la.

By the way, the frogs taste like chicken. I'm kidding, they taste like popcorn.

May 16^th, it is "Bum's" birthday so it was cake with all his buddies. Bom, who I call Bum, is Daeng's nephew from brother, Tun and sister-in-law Hlong.

He and his buddies loved the cake, too.

May 17^th, rested yesterday and feel pretty good this morning. Back and right knee hurt a little but after stretching and a little exercise I can put up with the pain.

Today, Daeng and I are going to mount the whirligig we had shipped from the USA. It is a washer woman. When the wind blows she moves up and down like she is washing clothes. We are going to mount it on the overhang above the laundry shop doors.

Daeng and I had fun putting up the whirligig for Tun's Laundry Shop. It looks and works great.

Now on the way down the bamboo ladder broke and I fell maybe 12 feet into a large palm tree container. After I realized Daeng and Hlong were okay I felt bad for the palm tree. All I got was a little bruised up with a few scratches.

I feel okay today but I'm sure I will be sore tomorrow.

May 18^th, it’s Sunday and our friend's Pa Thiong Ko shop is closed today. I went to our other friend's shop in the Mae Sai Morning Market.

I did pretty well there as I got 23 people to smile and four folks to laugh. It took a little work to get this boy to laugh but making my fish face finally did it.

We even shook hands afterwards.

By the way, the coffee lady opens cans the old way, with a knife.

After coffee in the Mae Sai Morning Market I rode up a narrow path to take a picture of Mae Sai.

At night we went to a BIG party. The couple that sells fried chicken in the morning and afternoon markets built a new home a couple of house a way from ours. It is a beautiful home and is completely finished so they had a big house warming party, so to speak.

They closed down the street, set up tents and over 40 tables for 8 folks each.

The party started at 5:00 PM but at 4:30 PM it started to rain hard. When the rain stopped about 6:30 PM the party went on.

It was a great party with a live band, dancing girls, girls in underwear singing and a very funny stand-up comedian in drag.

I have no idea of what the comedian was saying but everytime he said a punch line, he scratched himself in unusual areas and the audience roared. He did almost 30 minutes and I think he was the biggest hit of the entertainment. He sure scratched himself a lot. 

He did one magic trick that was also very funny. He pulled this big sausage, about the size of a huge watermelon, out from under his skirt. That got a huge applause break as he kept looking at it and making funny faces.

The band was also very good and got people dancing at their tables, or was that the whisky as every table had a least one bottle of whisky and several liters of LEO beer. The couple that sells birds, a few shops from our house, sat with us. They don't drink so we gave the whisky and beer at our table aways and had a wonderful time with them.

The food was great with courses just coming one after the other. By the time the chicken and pork leg came to the table I had already eaten too much.

We went home at around 10:00 PM but the party continued into the night.

Thai folks know how to throw a party.

May 20^th, Daeng and I are going to go into Myanmar (Burma) today to see how our friend, Pastor Lota, is doing with his new church.

You can read of past trips by clicking on this link: http://terrysstories.blogspot.com/search?q=burma

Here is a link about a very sad trip into Burma: http://funnyplumber.com/Stories/053107_Our%20Trip%20up%20the%20River%20to%20Burma%20Spring%202007.pdf

We hopped on Daeng's motorbike, selfie attached, stopped at the Thai Immigration Office to get Daeng a Temporary border pass for 30 THB (Less than a US dollar) and headed to the border crossing bridge.

We parked her motorbike by the bank. It was not very busy so we moved right along on the Thai side of the border.

It was a nice trip into Burma. Pastor Lota met us and we walked across the bridge. I laughed as on the bridge you change sides of the road, left side Thailand, right side Myanmar. Everyone here still calls it "Burma".

There was a change in the procedure, also. This trip they stamped my passport and gave it back. In the past, they kept the passport and gave you a receipt to pick it up when you came back. I think that was to keep you from going farther into Burma than the 15 kilometer check point where you would need your passport again. I think the change is a sign of good things.

On the Burma side of immigrations we were met by at least 30 trout’s trying to get us to have them take us on tours. Lota went and got a motorbike while we stayed by the crossing. We had fun making the folks laugh as most Burmese people speak some English as it is taught in the schools. We did well; we got 17 people to smile and 11 folks to laugh. No one went on our peed their pants list but we'll work on that.

Lota came back in about 10 minutes with another friend and motorbike. I was unhappy as I had more material to see if I could add to my list of laughers.

The ride to the new Bible Study School was a 15 minute, bumpy ride over dusty dirt roads. I'll call it a camp for now as it is in the camp out, construction mode.

Two of the building are up, roofs on, doors in place and floors poured. One set of restrooms and the shower area is functional.

The temporary cooking area and the classroom is done so they can have the official opening this next week. A lot of clean-up is necessary and a lot more work is needed in the future. I felt it was a good beginning for a permanent complex.

We sat and talked and as close as I could understand is this will be a place for both young and older adults to learn the King James Version Bible and then do missionary work converting the people of Myanmar to Christianity.

By the way, I'm told that converting Buddhists to Christians is a fairly easy thing. The basic talk is: "Buddha was a wonderful man with great teaching but he is dead and God is alive in us all."

We walked through the three levels on the land and met some of the workers. It is a big project.

After we looked at everything we got back on the motorbikes for the ride to the border. I say got back on the motorbikes and not hopped on the motorbikes as my back was hurting from the first ride.

We made it back to the crossing. I explained that we could not help him with this project as our mission was to help kids. We did give him a little money to help with gasoline and expenses.

Daeng said she was going to stay on the Burma side and visit some friends. I crossed back over the border without incident. I went and took a shower, as it was now close to 100 degrees, and got a two hour massage paying attention to my back and hips.

I eat a little and went home to bed. I slept well.

May 21^st, Don't worry about the military coup as things are very peaceful here. This is from a friend in Bangkok.

Video: With soldiers stationed at different Bangkok intersections, commuters and tourists can't resist to take photos with them. http://www.bangkokpost.com/multimedia/vdo/thailand/410830/

Over the last two weeks, Daeng has been making what I call Coat Trees. They are made out of stuff that was lying around.

She is going to give them to friends. The one closest to her is still in the making but they all look nice. She is a very crafty lady.

May 23rd, It looks like a beautiful day. The sun is rising and the birds are up. HUGS (Helping Us Grow Spiritually.)

This is about Thai Craftsmanship and my leanings of being loving. As I have said in the past, if you have never seen "A" quality work you would think "C" grade is good and "D" grade is acceptable.

With that being said, last week I had a bamboo ladder break and I feel about 12 feet. My fall also pulled some fiber optic wires down for our internet connection. CAT, the provider sent a repairman out who just balled up the wires. I told Daeng that we work hard to have our place look good and this repair was not good. She agreed.

She went to CAT and told them. The crew came out and did at least a "D" grade repair.

The repair guys would not even talk to me, even in Thai. I guess I made them lose face. My feeling is: "Do good work and you will gain face!" By the way, CAT is a government owned company.

Next trip I'll take it down and make it look better. Maybe at least get "B" grade repair.

I was very proud of Daeng because she took a stand, went and told them. She doesn't like conflict so in the past she would just say: "It's okay." and not got involved.

I'm very proud of her. Thanks Daeng!

For me, tolerance and love, tolerance and love, tolerance and love and more tolerance and love!

Onward through the fog.............

On the positive side, a little breakfast with Tun and Hlong and we're off to see the wizard.

May 24^th, from the view of the sunrise out of our bedroom window, it looks like it's going to another beautiful day!

Everything is fairly relaxed here with the martial law but that is a clip with real bullets.

We are 891 kilometers north of Bangkok. It is hard for me to believe a 10 PM curfew will work as Bangkok is a 24 hour city.

We are flying into the new airport in Bangkok on Tuesday but taking a taxi for the rest of the trip to Pattaya. We will only outskirt Bangkok. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/22/military-coup-thailand-peace-general-prayuth-chan-ocha

Our best wishes to all our friends over this Memorial Day weekend. HUGS

May 25^th, it has been a busy and expensive day so to speak.  I woke at about 2:30 AM, did some emails and stuff and went for an early morning breakfast. I just had the usual.

I stopped on the way back and talked with one of our neighbors.

I also washed my hands in her unique sink.

I got back home about 7:15 AM. Daeng was up so I stripped the bed and did the first load of wash. I got the bedspread, sheets and pillowcases on the line by 8:30 AM.

We then dropped the pick-up truck off to have it waxed and get ready to store until fall.

We made the 9:00 AM appointment at the dentist. She is great, I think she went to school at UCLA and speaks very good English. We were both cavity free. I had my teeth cleaned.

Then off to the motorbike shop and we had the oil changed on my motorbike. The man is the service department kept telling us it did not need service even though we keep telling him we were not going to use it for three months and wanted clean oil it. He finally agreed.

We did stop and talked to some soldiers by the police station. They told us they could not pose with us as their senior office instructed them not to have pictures taken as they did not want them posted on the internet.

We were hungry so we stopped for coconut chicken noodle soup at the soup place we like. After we ate we went next door to the land office and took some pictures of the hand of a Chinese Buddhist statue they are building.

The model shows what it will look like when complete. On the truck is just the left hand. It is really BIG! Understatement!!!

That is Daeng standing under the thumb.

We moved along and picked up our pick-up truck. They did a great job. It is nice and shiny.

We went home and parked the truck inside. We noticed that two of the birds are back. "There is no place like home!"

Daeng took her motorbike and had it serviced.

While Daeng was having her motorbike serviced, I did two more loads of clothes. Everything except the clothes on our backs are clean.

I was really lucky as it started to rain very hard about 3:30 PM. I just took everything off the clothes lines a few minutes before the rain started.

I made the bed. I love to sleep in clean sheets. We will try to make them smell loved in tonight.

Daeng is going to get a sauna and I am going to get a two hour massage and then call it quits for the day.

Her sauna at the temple is about $1.88. My two hour oil massage with tip will be about $$18.75. That will make the cost of our day around $84.80.

Oh, I forgot my haircut for $3.13 US. Thais do not expect tips unless they really do something special, except in the tourist areas. The cost of the haircut is $1.56 US but because he does my beard and shaves every hair that isn't cut I give him twice what he normally charges.

That is an expensive day for us but Thailand is a beautiful place to live or visit. Even the weeds are beautiful.

May 26^th, yesterday, we spent almost three times what we usually spend in a day. Normally we spend less than $30.00 USD a day.

Today we got up early and went to the Ban Pa Mueat Morning Market to say goodbye to our friends at the coffee shop.

We also said good-bye to Su-la, the market beggar. He is getting very thin so I don't know if we will see him again, ever.

We also looked at some purses. I bought one to put my laptop charger and wireless mouse. i even got the sales person to laugh. So far for the day 19 smiles, 14 laughs but 0 peed pants; at least that I know of.

The day started good and all we have to do is clean both motorbikes and put everything away for three and a half months that we will be gone.

We are almost finishing packing and closing up everything. We leave early in the morning to catch our plane from Chiang Rai to Bangkok. Our friend, Peter from Australia and his wife, Nok, are taking us to the airport early in the morning.

May 27^th, it was a busy travel day, up at 3:30 AM, coffee and peanut butter toast, finished packing, closed up 2nd floor kitchen and covered everything in master bedroom.

Our friends Peter & Nok picked us up at 7:45 AM and made the 50 kilometer trip south to the Chiang Rai Airport.

We said good-bye and made our way through security. There seemed to be a little tighter security with martial law in effect but everything was very peaceful.

We checked in at Thai Airways. The plane took off on time. It was an uneventful hour and five minute flight to Bangkok airport.

Our bags made it, also. Jon, our driver was waiting for us. We did get a workout making the walks from the airport to plane to baggage pick up to car. BKK is a huge airport.

We did stop at the "Happy Moment" in the airport. We laughed as we thought that was a great name for the restrooms.

Halfway from Bangkok to Pattaya we stopped and eat. It was around 1:00 PM and we were hungry.

We made it to the Honey Lodge Hotel which is right in the middle of the fun zone. We showered, Daeng went to the market and I went to a meeting with some English speaking friends.

I stopped on the way back to the hotel and got a Kabab from Mr. Kabab. He is alway happy and yes, that is how he spells Kabab.

Thailand is under a 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM curfew. I am going to go out into the "Fun Zone of Walking Street" to see it close up by 10:00 PM. It maybe like 12:00 Midnight when they shut down the big party of Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Then it is bed and a good night’s sleep. Life is good!

I went out into the fun zone, aka "Walking Street" but just could not hang in until 10:00 PM, I'm old. Here is a picture taken about 9:45 PM.

May 28^th, we got up late this morning, about 8:00 AM and went to our favorite non-tourist eating place here in Pattaya. It is a family owned and run place. The Mother does all the cooking. She is a really sweet lady who is always glad to see us.

We also saw something I have never seen before, a full circle rainbow. I'm just sorry my camera picture does not do it justice.

We stopped at the pineapple lady and picked up a large amount of pineapple for a small amount of money.

We went back to the room for naps.

Just a note, as we have been advised per story in the Bangkok Post: “If a Facebook page or website encourages people to fight, I will consider that they violated peace and order,” he said. He added: “If you still continue [to provoke], no media association will be able... http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/411932/army-chief-insists-ncpo-has-no-desire-for-power.

Nice evening, I got up from nap and went to a meeting with English speaking friends. On the way home,. I noticed some of the diversity here in Pattaya; tattoos or tacos anyone?

I picked up some Kababs on the way back to the hotel. it is early to bed for us.

Oh, as a note, one of the friends from the USA in the meeting is a volunteer with the police here. He told me the curfew is now 12:00 midnight to 4:00 AM.

May 29^th, I got up and walked to the 7-11 across the street at 7:00 AM. It is very quiet with only one car in the parking lot. Also, here is nice video of the hotel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raQwwhK7Hyw

I told the lady at the front desk that I was going to do the same thing as the guy in the video. They said: "Be sure and wait until you're ready to check out!"

It is amazing how this town changes in just a few hours. Here is a night picture and a picture this morning, of the same street.

May 30^th, I took a nap and went to an Iranian speaking meeting. It doesn't matter what language we speak, the disease is still about using people, places, things and drugs to make us feel different.

Thanks folks for making me feel loved.

After the meeting I had a bowl on duck soup and went for a walk.

The price of gold is down and the cost of lingerie is up.

The price for gold, in Thai Baht, on the window is per a Gold Baht. A Gold Baht is just a little over 1/2 troy ounce. Thai Baht is now at around 32.60 THB per US Dollar.

It is a little confusing, Baht for Baht, HUH?

I took a few pictures to show some of the diversity here in the Adult Fun Center of Pattaya.

When I said there is a 7-11 on every corner, that was a misstatement; some corners are Family Marts.

May 31^st, it was 7:00 AM, Daeng was still sleeping so I went for a walk on the beach and took a few "Selfies". It is a beautiful day, very hot but beautiful.

Daeng and I had a nice lunch together and went shopping in an area they set up twice a week. It is all under tents. It was very hot so I told Daeng I had to beg off shopping as fat boys sweat a lot.

She laughed and agreed. She gave me 10 THB for the songthaews, aka: Baht Bus, back to the hotel for a nap. She stayed and shopped.

Tonight I'm going to Jomtien Beach to hook up with some friends. Here is a little on Jomtien Beach. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jomtien_Beach  

We have been talking about the idea of buying a small condo there, someday, maybe. Yep, there is that much of a question in our minds, also.

June 1^st, it is a very quiet day. You would think that at over 100 degrees Fahrenheit more people would be at the beach. It is very quiet with martial law in effect. These pictures were taken both ways on the beach at around 1:00 PM.

Yes, my t-shirt is wet from just walking.

We had a wonderful time here but it is time to return to the USA for the summer.  

Good-bye Pattaya and Thailand, we had a great three months with you.