Made it to Pattaya.....

We made it to Pattaya.  The first part of the trip from our home on the Myanmar (Burma) border went well.  We packed up the few things we were taking back to America and closed up our master suite with second floor kitchen. 

We said our good-byes to the family and drove the 50 kilometer to the airport in Chiang Rai.  The check point just waved us through.  I think they are starting to recognise us.  Daeng says that is one of the reasons we always need to be nice.

We dropped off our luggage, which Daeng stayed with while I parked the rental car close to the rental car office.  We checked into Air Asia ticket counter and our bags were exactly what we had paid for, 30 kilograms.  My suitcase weighed 17.9 kg and Daeng's bag weighted 13.1 kg.  They were nice enough to round down on weight.  We had put all the heavy stuff, like the jade and bronze chess sets in our carry on bags. They probably weighed over 15 kg each.

After we checked in we went over to Thai Car Rental and turned in the Nissan March.  The nice lady went out and checked the car, coming back in and said everything was okay.  I had hit a metal post when I over compensated for driving on the left side of the road.  It was very minor and in the same place that the car had already been struck before we rented it.  That was a good thing for us.

A short wait for our plane and 1 hour and 10 minute plane ride later we landed at the old airport in Bangkok.  Our bags come out in the first few and we headed out the exit to meet our driver.  He was waiting for us and took us to the underground parking.  Although this is the old airport it is still huge and when it closed was about the 18th largest airport in the world.

When we left the underground parking it was poring rain.  Our driver said it had been raining here in Bangkok for over two weeks.  The water on some of the roads was half way up on the car tires.  Well, it took us three hours to make the trip from the Don Mueang International Airport to the Honey Lodge Hotel in Pattaya. 

Daeng rubbed it in by saying: "Why are we coming to the beach when it is raining?"  I, in turn, told her that we brought the sunshine with us from the Burma border so it would stop raining tomorrow.  By the way, the next day the rain stopped and the sun came out.  I told Daeng: "See, our positive attitude brought out the sun."  She, in her usual stance, said: "I don't think so!"

We like Pattaya for the diversity.  Pattaya is the second most visited city in Thailand by tourists, Bangkok being first.  You can read more about Pattaya by just going to google.com and type in Pattaya.  Over 50,400,000 results will come up about this interesting city.  You can read about things like the scuba diving, parks, entertainment center, temples, shopping, restaurants, huge crocodile farm, zip line entertainment center, night life with 10,000+ bars, 50,000+ sex workers along with the beautiful beaches of Pattaya and Jomtien Beach.

The bar and sex worker number is my estimate and may be a low estimate.

We slept well in the room we normally stay in at this hotel.  They put us, at our request, in room 113.  It is at the back corner of the hotel on the ground floor so it is very quite even though this hotel in right in the middle of the "Fun Zone".  Walking Street is less than 100 meters from our hotel.

The day we arrived was Loi Krathong.  Loi Krathong, a light festival held during the full moon of the twelfth month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar and which usually falls in November, is celebrated in Pattaya, as in the rest of the country, that evening with people floating krathongs (small, candle-lit floats made from elaborately folded banana leaves) on the waters, as well as releasing khom loi (candle-fired hot air balloons) in to the night sky.

It is always fun to watch folks putting the lighted floats into the water as well as trying to get the hot air balloon to fly.

November 30th and December 1st is the International Fireworks Festival here in Pattaya.  I'm told it is the largest display of fireworks in Southeast Asia and maybe the world.

During the day, Daeng pre-booked some chairs at the ocean edge. 

Then we arrived about 8:00 PM as the fireworks were starting.  I got tired about midnight and we left.  To leave a fireworks show before it is over must mean I'm old.

There is a lot to do here or a lot not to do, which ever way you want to think about it.  One of the great things is the $5.00 USD massage. 

That is correct.  You can get an hour long Thai massage at the temple massage for 150 THB  is a little less than $5.00 USD.  That does not have a happy ending as it is at the temple.

Interested in having a little hair removed from the lower area.  You can have some artistic waxing done of just take it all off for 800 THB, around $26.00 USD.

Would you like a heart, landing strip, Mohawk or martini, just to name a few.  Or, just take it all off.

Now, about 2km south of Pattaya Beach lies Jomtien Beach, a long, straight 6 km stretch of sandy coastline that is a lot less chaotic and crowded than Pattaya. New hotels, resorts, condominiums, shops and restaurants are rising fast, but they are more spread out and, for now at least, haven't plundered Jomtiens quiet down-to-earth charm. It's much more peaceful and laid-back than Pattaya Beach too.

That's partly why you find more Thais here. Native holidaymakers from Bangkok and beyond come to enjoy cool sea breezes and cheap seafood under the shade of large parasols and the pine trees which fringe the sand.

I also like this part of Thailand as most people speak English.  The folks that live here are very friendly but the tourist, especially the Russians, are very dis-courteous.  It was the French that were always talked about but now it is the Russians.  Americans are consider very nice compared to the Russians.  It is to bad because they pay a lot extra in the end.  

We are staying here until Wednesday and then we take the long flight back to America.  We take off at 5:05 PM and land in Los Angeles, California at 7:15 PM.  Yes, that is 2 hours and 10 minutes later.  That always messes me up, mentally.

Good-bye Pattaya - Hello California

Pattaya is a beautiful place to hang out with the warm ocean, great sunsets, delicious food, friendly people and just about anything you could want on a holiday.

To see more of Pattaya just CLICK HERE.

In Thailand, Pattaya is the second most visited city by tourists with Bangkok being first.

Pattaya is about 120 km south of Bangkok. It is very easy to reach and has thousands of hotel and guest rooms starting as low as 300-400 TB ($9.00-$12.00 USD) a night. Mid-range rooms starts around 1000 TB ($30.00). After that the sky is the limit, so to say.

You can find almost everything you could want in Pattaya with the beach, sun, food, fishing, diving, boating , dancing, shows, movies, shopping and entertainment of all types.

I also would say that if you are a single male, Pattaya is a "Must DO". I don't want to spend a lot of words about the "Girls of Pattaya" or "Boys of Pattaya" but there are thousands of ladies in Pattaya to entertain the single male. For more information about the working ladies in Thailand CLICK HERE.

Remember, the best looking girls are probably boys!

We are going to spend the day resting as tomorrow we check out of the small hotel we are staying in. then we take a taxi to the new Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.

Our plane leaves at 5:50 PM and we arrive in Los Angeles about one hour later. That always messes with my mind and of course causes "jet-lag".

Over the last two months Daeng and I had a wonderful trip and will be back in California Monday night.

First Nine Days of Month Long Thailand Road Trip

We have been on the road 9 days. Enjoy our trip!

05-02-09 Day Nine of Thailand Road Trip - Pattaya

We had coffee and toast in our room, packed up and headed for Bangkok through Tak. That is route #105 to Tak and route #1 to Bangkok. We figured we would drive about half-way and stop for the night.

The road from Mae Sot to Tak was two lane and winding through the mountains. When we got onto route #1 the road went to four lanes and we could drive 120 - 140 km an hour. We got to the Bangkok area about 2:00 PM.

We made the decision to go the rest of he way to the party town of Pattaya, total trip 487 km. We got to Pattaya about 5:00 PM and checked into a guest house that we had stayed before, Malibu-Samet Guest House.

Daeng had called and ask about a room. They said they were full. I called and talked with Sally and she booked a room for us and saved a parking place for the car. After all it was Saturday night in the biggest party town in Thailand, maybe all of Asia.

The last 150 km were on six and ten lane super highways. Part of the way from Bangkok to Pattaya was on toll roads.

We are not going to talk to much about Pattaya here. Pattaya is the adult fun capital of Asia. It's a whole city devoted to adults having fun. If you would like more information or see videos of Pattaya just type "Pattaya" on www.Google.com.

We are going to rest here for a day or two and then go onward maybe to Rayong and then the Cambodia Border.

This is a nice place to rest and recuperate, just ask any Vietnam Vet.

04-30-09 - 05-01-09 Day Seven & Eight of Thailand Road Trip - Mae Sot

We got up as usual and packed up. It was before 8:00 AM. We drove down route 108, an old two lane road through the jungle. When we arrived at Mae Sariang there was nothing there of interest to us.

We said lets make today's trip the rest of the way to Mae Sot. Well, 212 km on a road that reminded me of old route 17 from Binghamton, N. Y. to New York City. I was a kid, sixty years ago, and the two lane road winded through the Catskill Mountains. In New york State the trees were Maple and Oak. Here they were Teak.

In some areas, in the jungle, the road was over grown to a single lane with BIG pot holes in the payment for at least half the way. We did make it and found a nice, quaint, old hotel with teak carvings on the wall. Daeng was a little scared of the carvings.

We spent two nights in this little town of Mae Sot. We visited the Rim Moei Market on the Thai side of the river but decided not to go across the bridge to Myanmar (Burma). Daeng did buy a contraption made out of bamboo to use to massage your back by yourself.

Mae Sot is the town that is the farthest west in Thailand.

Tomorrow we are going to drive at least half the way to Bangkok or Pattaya.

One of the nice things about travel in Thailand is they always wash your windows. Yea, full service!

04-29-09 Day Six of Thailand Road Trip - Karen Village

We didn't get up as early as we wanted but we had toast and coffee in room, then went to the little restaurant around the corner on the lake for breakfast. It took over 55 minutes to get breakfast. The little Thai waitress said they were very busy. We counted six people including us. Oh well, this is Thailand. (TIT)

We got into the car and drove to the boat landing. We parked the car and rented hats for the boat trip as the sun was out. The long tail boat was 600 TB and I had to pay 250 TB for the Karenni National Progressive Party. Daeng did not have to pay anything as she is a native. (Exchange rate 35 TB to USD)

It was a smooth boat trip down the river about 13 km as the water is pretty low this time of year. We did see an elephant along the river eating the tall grass. There were a few places that the boat driver had to bring the prop out of the water as it was extremely shallow.

The trip took about 20 minutes to arrive at the Karen village. I was very surprised that the Karen women and the kids were all so friendly.

We have included many pictures of the ladies weaving and the kids.

Most of the kids could speak some English. I could carry on a conversation, in English, with two of the girls.

After we walked up the hill to the school we came back down tthrough the village and purchased some scarfs that the ladies had made.

Remember only 242 days to Christmas!

Now, way out here in the boon-docks they are using solar technology.



Bye for now! We said good-bye, got back in the boat and headed to the boat landing in Mae Hong Son.

When we got back to the boat landing we hung out for a little bit. As we were sitting around four girls that we had seen at the Karen village arrived. They all had small back packs and motorcycle helmets. They ask us for a ride as they said they left their motor bikes on the road.

I looked at Daeng and she kind of shrugged her shoulder, like why not, so I said okay. We loaded them in the car after putting their packs and helmets in the back. When we got them in the car, remember it's a Honda Jazz, I ask them were are we going. They said kilometer marker 41 on route 1095.

I spent a few minutes and put it in our GPS and it is over 30 km away. On the windy roads that is like 45 minutes one way. I told them we would drop them off at the bus station. They said they didn't have any money for a bus but if we could take them to route 1095 they would hitch hike.

We drove them to route 1095 and felt sorry for them so Daeng and I agreed that we need some karma points. Well, when we got to marker #41 there were no motor bikes and they said the motor bikes must be up the road a little more. We passed marker number 30 and no motor bikes. We drove to a restaurant area about 3 km more and I pulled over and ask them what was going on?

They just said that they were sorry to trouble us, got their packs and helmets and started walking up the road. I still don't know if they had motor bikes or if we just got used.

I have heard of stories about groups of girls hitch hiking like that. I just never thought I would get cought up in a scam. We were just trying to help the girls out. Oh well, life on he road and TIT (This Is Thailand)

We drove back to the guest house, had some dinner and called it a day. We are going to make the trip down route 108 to at least Mae Sariang tomorrow.

04-28-09 Day Five of Thailand Road Trip - Mae Hong Son

Mae Hong Son, Thailand's northern border city, hiding itself in between the towering mountains with densely forested slopes, stretching to the Burmese border. Mae Hong Son is known for its charm of scenery and culture. The people of Mae Hong Son consists of the Shans who live in the city and the hill tribe people who live in remote villages on mountain tops where elements of lifestyle have changed little in hundreds of years.

The Shans' ancestors came from Shans region in Burma. The hilltribe people consist of Karen, Lisu, Mhong, Lahu, and Lua. Both the Shans and the hill tribe folks have their own distinctive cultures. They have their own lilting dialect, their own architectural lifestyles, their own customs and traditions, and their own delicious cuisine.

Throughout the year, Mae Hong Son holds many festivals and events. Tourists can observe the distinction cultures from these events. There are different dances, rituals, and ceremonies for different events and festivals. Even the foods are different for each event.

The most remarkable tradition and also the most important event for the Shans is "Poy Sanglong Festival" which is the ordination ceremony for the Shans' boys. The event is held in March and there is one big celebration throughout the city. It is like the events in the stories we wrote about in Mae Sai.

The city is covered with the mist all year long. Mae Hong Son gains its nickname of "the City of Three Mists" from the fact that it has dewy mist in the winter, forest fire mist (smoke) in the summer and rainy mist in the rainy season.

When we arrived we used our GPS system and went to the boat landing on the river to check out how we could get to the Karen village of Hoy Sen Thao. It is a village about 13 km southwest of Mae Hong Son. It can only be reached by a 20 minute boat trip. We arranged to return the next morning to make the trip.

We stopped by several guest houses and hotels but finally came across a small, family owned place on the lake called "Joe's Guest House". They only had a couple of rooms but did have a place to park the car, air conditioned and only 500 TB (about $14.00 USD) a night.

We eat at the street market just around the corner and put our heads on the pillow.

By the way, probably the most dangerous part of our trip so far was the electrical that hooked up the hot water heater in our bathroom. Yes, those are bear wires and 220 Volts.

04-27-09 Day Four of Thailand Road Trip - Pai

Pai is a little town between Chiang Mai and Mae Hung Son. It was just a rest point for folks that made the 200 km trip. Halfway between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son, the mountain road makes a winding descent into a large green valley carpeted with rice paddies and fruit groves. Mountains rise on all sides and butterflies flit along the streets. Here you'll find a tiny town called Pai, named after the river that runs through the valley.

It was very hot, about 105 degrees so we checked into a little hotel the had air conditioning and a pool. We had a nice long swim.

There are basically three things to do in Pai, other than eating, swimming and resting. The three are visiting hill tribe villages, visiting temples and hanging out in the night time music scene.

Pai has become an attractions for what I call the "old style hippie scene". There are also many people that come to rest for a few weeks and then go back to their lives in other parts of Asia.

Since Daeng is a mountain girl from the Akha Tribe we didn't care about the hill tribe villages. After you have seen a few hundred temples that is not a big interest and since this is the low season, with very few folks in Pai, we decided to go on to Mae Hong Son tomorrow.

Pai does have a barber shop,

an airport


and a crematorium.

04-26-09 Day Three of Thailand Road Trip - Chiang Mai
We got up around 7:30, had a little to eat at hotel, packed car and drove to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is the second biggest city in Thailand, second only to Bangkok. Now, greater Bangkok has about fifteen (15) million people and Chiang Mai has only about one (1) million.

Chiang Mai also has a more relaxed atmosphere than the Metropolitan atmosphere of Bangkok.

It was raining which made it a little harder to drive but it keep the temperature down. I want to be loving but Thai drivers drive very aggressively. That means that everyone has to be careful watching out for the other guy.

We did past the Hot Springs on the way.

Thai drivers think nothing about passing on a solid line. And if a car is coming they just figure, I guess, that you will move over so they can get between you and the other car even thought it is only a two lane road. We saw this several times on this trip.

The policeman says who's fault an accident is and you make a settlement on the spot so everyone tries to avoid the other person when driving. The trip took about four hours and we checked into a hotel on the sixth floor. It was a nice room overlooking the city.

We when out and eat. We decided to travel to the little town of Pai tomorrow.

04-25-09 Day Two of Thailand Road Trip - Chiang Rai

We got up about 7:30, had coffee and toast at hotel. I had arranged for Jeff Clair with Lanna Reality to show us the Chaing Rai area from a realtor's stand point. He met us at hotel at a few minutes before 9:00 AM.
Jeff has been in Thailand for about ten years and comes from Rochester, New York. Since I'm from a little town in upstate New York we got along extreamly well.

He took us to about ten developments from Mae Fah University, about 30 km north of Chiang Rai to as far south at the White Temple about 25 km south of town.

The White Buddhist Temple is beautiful but we didn't find anything in houses that we liked.

One house was beautiful but not in an area we wanted to live.

We came back to the hotel and dropped of Daeng and Jeff and I went to look at a "shop house" that the bank owned and was very modivated to sell. That Saturday night was a street fair, they close the street and venders sell things and food. That ment we had to park and walk to the shop house.

When we did I noticed that the place next to it, a corner unit, was vacant. Because it was a corn unit it was huge. Jeff said he would find out who owned it and make an offer.

He dropped me off at room and then Daeng and I walked to eat at the "street fair" where the building was. I showed the building to Daeng but she did not seem to interested. It is hard to see someone else's dream.

We walked back to room, showered as it had been about 100 plus degrees. We turned in for the night.

04-24-09 Day One of Thailand Road Trip - Chiang Rai

We loaded up our little Honda Jazz with everything we had packed for storage and what we packed for trip. We checked out of the hotel.

As we were checking out I saw the Mae Sai plumber working, so I took his picture.

We drove to Toon's, Daeng's Brother, old laundry. The man that bought the laundry from Toon said he would keep the three plastic storage containers and two of our suitcases until we returned.

We also returned the motor bike we had been renting from the Burmese Man.

After we unloaded and stored them upstairs in his place we waited for Hloog, Daeng's sister-in-law. She had taken the bus up from Chiang Rai to the market early in the morning to buy rice, peanuts and potatoes to sell in Chiang Rai. We are going to take her and the supplies to Chiang Rai with us.

She bought 100 kilograms of rice, 50 kg of peanuts, 25 kg of potatoes along with some other items. We loaded everything up in the car. We had a load with three people and all our stuff.

The trip was good and the GPS system also worked well. I do have to keep thinking "Left Side, Left Side" as in Thailand you drive on the left side. I do good except I tend to drift onto the right side when I make a right turn.

We unloaded everything at Hloog's place in Chiang Rai and we, along with "Git", Hlong's son, went to check into Jansom Guest house. We had stayed there before and it is clean and reasonable. (450 TB or about $13 USD a night)

We then traveled over the the "Big C" Shopping Center and bought a cooler, ice chest, for trip. We paid 600 TB for cooler and then stopped for ice cream at 'Swensens'. Now the price of name brand ice cream here is about the same as in the USA. The total for three ice cream sundae was 330 TB or about $9.50 USD.

We dropped off "Git" and called it a day as we have a big day tomorrow.

Oh, here is a picture of the post card that Daeng posed for about 25 plus years ago.

Can you guess which girl she is?

Back to the Land of Smiles - Fall 2014

Please forgive my spelling and punctuation, I'm a plumber and not an English major.  Just read and have fun!

I'm not sure if it's me or Daeng that is the most excited to be returning to Thailand.  

I still get a little teary eyed concerning Mom's death but I know Mom would want us to go have a good time.  It was always her belief that if you didn't have fun you probably wouldn't stay around very long. 

Here is a picture of Dad and Mom the day I was conceived, March 24th, 1941.  I remember the day, it was an overcast, wet day.  My Mother said the sun was shining but it was pretty dark and moist where I was.  
It's okay to laugh, that's an inside joke.

The plane trip was long, 18 hours and 10 minutes, but I was able to sleep about 7 hours on the Los Angeles to Taipei flight.  Daeng slept a lot, also.

Even though we were traveling economy at less than $1,000 USD round trip, we had lots of room as we were sitting on the 747-400 in the back of the plane in seats 60 B & C. They are were the seat go from 3-4-3 to 2-4-2.  To see the seating chart CLICK HERE.

The trip back to California in December is on the Boeing 777.  It's a new plane and suppose to be more comfortable.  

Everything was normal on landing.  Immigrations was friendly and our bags came off the carousel quickly. Usually the airport here in Bangkok is very busy this time of the night but this time the airport was very quiet at 2:00 AM.   

When we got to the White Orchid II Guest House they had the room we like, #108.  We were happy as I had called last week and they said the room was booked but would put us in 109.  Room 108 is the largest room in this small, boutique guest house and is on the second floor, only one set of stars, so not much stair climbing. 

We got settled, put valuables in safe deposit box, showered and went for breakfast at FoodLand, a few blocks walk away.  

Here is a picture, on the way to FoodLand, at three in the morning of Sukhamvit Road . That's correct, 3:00 AM!

The folks there smiled and ask us how we had been.  I had an American Breakfast, go figure.    

Later in the day, our friend Wayne Fontaine called us and said he and his girlfriend, Ning, would like to come stay with us and travel to Pattaya in a few days. We said: "Great" and arranged for the room next to us.  

They were staying next to the airport and came over from their hotel the next day. We all had coffee at Starbucks, Wayne's favorite place. 

We suggested a few spots for them to see in Bangkok and arranged a car for the four of us and luggage to go to Pattaya on Sunday. 

One of the things we suggested was visiting the biggest open shopping area (over 37 acres) in the world.  We told them they should go early in the morning, like 7:00 AM as it gets very hot under the metal roofs.  

Wayne said he wasn't stupid going shopping at 7:00 AM. We'll, at 11:00 AM, when they went, the complaint was: "It's too hot!" I didn't go with them but laughed to myself as now who's stupid? 

On Sunday we made the trip to the "Holy City" of Pattaya.  To read more about Pattaya just CLICK HERE.

If you would like to hear and see the "Pattaya, Pattaya" song just CLICK ON THIS.   

After you watch the video "Pattaya, Pattaya" above you will know why I always have to remember not to hurt myself in Pattaya.  

Wayne had stayed in the Apex Hotel and wanted to stay there instead of the HONEY LODGE where we usually stay so we checked into the Apex Hotel, also.  What we noticed was the staff was not very friendly and just wanted money, mini-bar money and safe deposit box key money.  

The room was okay but the next morning Daeng and I took a little walk and talked to a very nice lady that owns a little guest house right next to the Apex Hotel. 

She showed us a big room that was nicer then the Apex Hotel and a little cheaper.  We said we would love to stay there for the next week.  I ask her is she wanted a deposit and she said: "Move over first and make sure you like it."  

We really liked the room and felt very safe and comfortable. She had bought the place about 20 years ago, after her husband died.  She made the place into a little guest house with seven rooms to rent, all air conditioned, hot water, refrigerators, 200 cable TV and private baths. 


We hung out and rested for the next two days. Wayne and Ning did the beach thing after having coffee at Starbucks every morning. 

As for me, 7-11 coffee is just great for 14 THB (45 cents USD) a cup.  I can't taste the difference so spending 149 THB ($4.65 USD) for a cup of coffee just doesn't make sense to us. Daeng says: "We can feed 10 kids a meal for the cost of one cup of coffee."  I agree with Daeng and it makes us feel warm and fuzzy helping and feeding kids. 


We did enjoy having our early morning breakfast at the little spot in the market just above Walking Street. It is a family run place and the Mother always cooks something special for us.  It is usually so spicy that it burns our faces off but we love it. 

I did go to a few meeting with some English speaking friends.  In Pattaya, there is an NA meeting everyday. 


We also like to hang out along Beach Road and eat beach food for lunch.  Here is some fresh squid cooked right in front of us.

It is yummy. 



I always kid about a 7-11 or a Family Mart being on every corner in Thailand.  Well, sometimes they are both on the same corner. 

On Thursday, we rented motorbikes and took a little ride through Jomtien Beach to a little fishing village. We wanted to visit a nice lady that we had met many years ago.  

Wayne is used to driving a big Harley- Davidson motorcycle so he had a little trouble getting used to the small 110 CC motorbike.  He did let Ning drive their motorbike but he was worried about an accident. 


I just let Daeng drive and watch the scenery. Beside that, Daeng says I'm a poor driver.  I kind of laugh because when a female Asian driver says you're a bad driver, what can I say? 

The trip was nice, we did find her even though her house had been completely redone. She was well and happy to see us. 

Daeng picked up some large seashells and we had a BIG fish lunch.  Everyone was amazed at how much Daeng eat.  I was stuffed, also.

On the way back we stopped in Jomtien Beach and went swimming.  After we were in the water for a few minutes, I realized we were in a school of jelly fish.  We made our way out of the water and went to take showers but I'm still itching. 

We also decided we would make the trip north to Mae Sai on Sunday.  We are going to use Bangkok Airlines.  They had canceled their midday flights so we decided we would go early in the morning.  We will have to leave Pattaya at 4:00 AM for the 7:35 AM flight to Chiang Rai. 

That night, when I went to pay for our room until Sunday, Daegn told me the lady talked with her as she had made a mistake and double booked our room.  

I figured we needed a few karma points so we said we would change rooms tomorrow, Friday, so she could have our room for an old, repeat customer. 

I woke up hungry at 2:00 AM so I decided to go to Walking Street. This is Walking Street at the south end of Beach Road.  

Even at 3:00 AM, the place is still going strong.  

Later in the morning we changed rooms.  The funny thing, our new room was bigger and nicer than our old room.  I guess the other customer just liked the same room each trip. We were both happy campers.  I thought to myself how funny things work out. 

On Sunday, I took Wayne to a Pattaya Expat meeting.  I think he was a little bored and wanted to be with his girlfriend so he left just before the main speaker.  

I'm glad I stayed because it was very interesting and about using stem cells for ankle, hip and knee repair. 

Pattaya was fun but I think both Daeng and I will be glad to get north.  Wayne and Ning are kind of honeymooning it. They met on the internet and have been communication on facebook for the last six months.  She met him in Bangkok when he arrived last week.  

I tried to stay open minded but Daeng has been telling me some things about Ning.................  I keep telling Daeng that as long as she makes Wayne happy, everything else will workout. 

Sunday morning came, car we arranged with Jon was on time, trip to Bangkok airport was uneventful except Wayne couldn't get his Starbucks as the Starbucks at the half-way rest stop was closed at 5:00 AM.

We made it to the airport, checked our bags and went for Starbucks.  One of our bags, mine, was 5 kilograms overweight but the lady said it was okay as we were from California. I didn't know what that meant other than we were international travelers. 

We got coffee and only had to hang out about 20 minutes for the plane. 

Here is a picture of Wayne and Ning taking a selfie of themselves.  Daeng says we will have to get some glue solvent to get them unstuck. 

The plane trip was normal, that's a good thing.

Our bags all arrived in good shape and we got a car and driver to take us the rest of the way to our home in Mae Sai.  

The family meet us with smiles and open arms.  We showed Wayne and Ning their guest room on the 3rd floor and we put our bags in our room.  Hlong, Daeng's sister-in-law had done a nice job cleaning everything before we arrived.  There was even bread and milk in the refrigerator of our second floor kitchen. 


We also got to meet the new baby, Nuy's daughter.  Nuy is Daeng's niece, that's Daeng's brother's daughter.  

Daeng had called ahead and told Hlong that Wayne likes watermelon. There was a big plate of watermelon for Wayne. 

I started our pick-up truck and the two motorbikes that were covered for our absence. They all started right up.  

Hlong made a nice lunch for us all and we all decided to take a nap.  

When we woke up Daeng took Ning to the evening market to buy vegetables for dinner.  I stayed in bed.  

When they got back they cooked for Wayne and Daeng brought me a plate for dinner.  I could tell something was going on but Daeng would not tell me. 

About midnight, Daeng woke me up, very upset, and we talked about Wayne's girlfriend for about two hours. I told her to sleep on it and we'll talk more in the morning. 

Daeng and I got up early and went to the Ban Pa Mueat morning market. Everyone was glad to see us.

Even Su-la, the market beggar smiled at us. 


We told "Me" and her husband we missed them. They are really nice folks and he makes great Pa Thong Ko. 

At the market, Daeng and I had another long talk as Ning, Wayne's girlfriend, had insulted all the women in the family, including Daeng.  

For this story, at the present time, I am going to leave out what happened, the class climbing and the reasons. When we got back to the house, Wayne and I talked and he decided to go separate ways on his vacation. 

Anyway, I got the pick-up truck out and we went looking for a hotel he liked.  They liked the first one, Navy Home Hotel, which in Mae Sai is a medium priced hotel for 600 THB a night.  He did not want to see the Piyaporn Place Hotel at 800 a night and was not interested in the Yeesun Guest House that he had stayed in the past because last week it was flooded. 

I took them back to our house, picked up their bags and took them back to the hotel they had picked.   I wished them good and told them to call me if they needed anything.   I felt really bad for Wayne. 

I'm afraid this will be another story of the male foreigner and the Asian girl. 

Oh well, we can't do any more and yea, we're home.  

We rested for the next two days doing a little cleaning and settling back into this home. 

Of all the things we brought from America, the monkey that Michael and Charlotte gave us is the biggest hit.  It is a interaction mechanical monkey that talks to you and hugs you at different times. 

We also took a look around town.  The river between us and Myanmar (Burma) is still very high. 

The Mae Sai morning market is even bigger it seems.  There is just about anything you want. 

Great coffee and Pa Thong Ko there, also. 




There are lots of fruits. 




Lots of spices.





There is fresh fish!


You can get anything you want to cook at the morning market.  

Daeng got lots of stuff and had friends over for lunch. It was very nice to talk with Peter who is retired here along with his wife Nok. 

By the way single guys, Nok's sister, the lady in red, is looking for a Farang (Westerner) for a husband.  You know, buy me house, buy me motorbike and I'll love you long time.  She is a happy person and skinny. I think you can see light between her thighs.   

Our Toyota pick-up truck is six months old. The dealership called and we took it in for service even though it has only 2600 kilometers on it. 

I talked with the service man and he explained that a semi-synthetic oil is used in the motor so it does not need to be changed until 10,000 km. 

He serviced everything else and the nice part is was free. I watched him and this man did a great job of checking everything.  Thank you!


After that it was time for some barbecued chicken in Huai Khrai.  I think this is the best chicken in Thailand. 

The large cabinet we had made for the side of the 1st floor kitchen area is getting marks on it.  We think there are from carrying clothes baskets and things from the laundry and the outside cooking area. 

We talked and decided to move the cabinet into the hall area closer to the front of the building.  Kit, our nephew, Hlong, Daeng and I moved this huge cabinet. 

I had forgotten the wall behind the cabinet had never been finished. It was just the concrete rendering of the cement blocks the wall was made of. 

What it needs is to be sanded down with a concrete sanding block, plastered, painted with at least one coat of primer and a coat of finish paint. After that is all done the base then needs to be painted. 


I needed plaster and a new trowel so we visited Home Mart to pick that up.  

We came back and I did the part I don't like, sanding.

Then with Daeng's help, I plastered the wall with smooth plaster.  It turned out great even considering a plumber did it. 

We let it dry an extra day as my arm was sore from plastering.  I don't do that kind of work very often.  

The next day, we sanded off a few of the rough spots and put a good coat of primer on the wall.  

Then, the next day we put a finish coat of Matt White paint and it looks great. 

We let that dry and painted the base.  We are very pleased with the finished product. 

Because I had not heard from him, I called Wayne on two different days to make sure he was okay.  He had made the bus ride to Chiang Mai and was doing okay.  


We also want everyone to know there are female plumbers in Thailand.  They are good looking and smell good, too.

Today we had a nice lunch of barbecued
pork and fried bamboo worms.  I love Thai food. Now, here in Thailand, they just call it "food". 

It is nice to be back home on the Myanmar (Burma) border.  For the next day or two, we are going to do a little cleaning, laundry and straightening up around here. 

Then it's "Off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of.........."

Stay tuned as we're sure there is more fun to be had along the yellow brick road. 

HUGS (Help Us Grow Spiritually)