Last 10 Days in Northern Thailand - Ban AYO - Mom

Please forgive my spelling and punctuation, I'm a plumber and not an English major. Just read and have fun.
You can click on any of the pictures and they become larger. 
May 16th, Because we had a good experience with the glass man, no he is not a drug dealer selling a drug called "glass", I dropped off three small tables to have glass inserts put on them.

He was not there but his wife said he would call me, in a day or two, when he got back from a big job. 

We also bought the airline tickets. We fly south to Bangkok on May 25th. We will spend 8 days in the Holy City of Pattaya before flying to California on June 2nd.

Then we return to Thailand for 90 days on September 10th.

For some of our other trips to Pattaya just CLICK HERE. 

Daeng is getting ready to return to California. Yesterday she even called it home.

She had hand sewn covers for the TV, bed and mirror out of scraps that Brian Schroeder and Nooch Katasai gave her last year. Thanks folks. 

Daeng always makes sure I eat well. 

May 17th, Daeng wanted to come to the Ban Pa Mueat market this morning. 

Smelly fruit, real name Durian, is 80 THB a kilo and small plums are 15 THB a kilo. 

A THB (Thai Baht) is about 3 cents US.

Here is how they remove it from the pod to eat. 

There were a lot of vegetables in the market this morning.

It was also fun watching them cut up the smelly fruit as they don't want to get it on their hands or touch it as it will make their hands smell. 

The fruit does taste like a custard and is very different. 

Yesterday, we touched up the areas on our home where the neighbor's roof hit it during the bad storm a few days ago. .

With a long arm's reach and a brush and putty knife on a long handle, we could do it through our bathroom window.

They weren't big marks but now I don't get pissed off when I look out the window at them. 

After the market we came home, did the wash and repaired one of the windows by replacing the broken hardware. 

We still have to buy one more hardware hinge.

We also caulked in the glass in all the windows, 52 pieces of glass, in Aomsin's room.

The only thing that I don't know how to repair is the whirligig. 

It still works but the clothes line broke and flew away in the storm. 

May 18th, It's an okay day and I try to be loving but one thing I am learning is the more chances you give people the less respect they will have for you. They will begin to ignore the standards you have set because they know you will forgive them. They will stop doing what you ask of them even if it is good for them. 

All I ask is wear your helmet while riding your motorbike, wash your hands when you use the toilet and be mindful of other folks in the home. Enough said!

โอกาส มากกว่าที่คุณจะ ให้คนเคารพ น้อยกว่าพวกเขา จะ มีให้คุณ พวกเขา จะเริ่มต้น ที่จะไม่สนใจ มาตรฐานที่ คุณได้ตั้ง เพราะพวกเขา รู้ว่าคุณจะ ยกโทษให้ พวกเขา พวกเขาจะหยุด ทำในสิ่งที่ คุณถาม พวกเขา ถึงแม้ว่ามันจะ เป็นสิ่งที่ดี สำหรับพวกเขา 

ทั้งหมดที่ผม ถามคือ ใส่หมวกกันน็อค ของคุณ ในขณะที่ขี่ รถมอเตอร์ไซด์ ของคุณ ล้างมือของคุณ เมื่อคุณใช้ ห้องน้ำและ มีสติในการ คน อื่น ๆ ในบ้าน พอกล่าว ! 

May 19th, I helped do the laundry but Daeng did the ironing. 

She irons everything including my underwear.

And when she is mad at me she adds heavy starch!

I'm kidding; I don't wear underwear, Depends.

A local transformer blew up in the night so we went to the market for coffee.

We, the market kids and I, practiced Chinese eyes, turn your tongue over and crazy eyes.

I know, I am teaching them bad tricks but we have fun. That's the kids and I have fun. 

Everyone else thinks I'm crazy and just puts up with me. 

There were lots of mangos and we love mangos! 

On the way back I watched them change out the blown transformer.

We were riding our bicycles so Daeng went on home while I took pictures. 

They just moved right along and within about 25 minutes the had the old one our, the new one in and the electricity back on. 

I was impressed with the team work. 

Did we mention that Lychee fruit is now in season, too?

Well, I am back at the Lotus Branch of Bangkok Bank as a week ago I went into the Mae Sai office to have my ATM card replaced.

It still worked but was coming apart, delamination.

I gave the fellow the card and signed all the papers. The man told me they were out of plastic magnetic cards and it would me a week before they had any new ones.

I said: "Okay, just give me my old card back until than as it still works." He replied that he has already punched holes in it so it would not work anymore.

To cut this story short just read between the lines, than it got very interesting as the assistant manager and I went to one of their branches and made me a new card that did not work.

I told them I could get along without their card as I had other cards that I could use until they could make one that worked.

"Tip", the lady on the right just gave me a new card that works. I changed the preset pin number and withdrew money.

Thank you, "Tip". We love Thailand. 

One of the places that Mom wanted to be was in the flowers at our home here in Thailand. 

Well, we don't have any flowers growing so after the bank Daeng met me at the plant nursery.

We picked out some perennials, came home and planted them in the planters that the palms are in.

Then we looked at them and ask ourselves, which planter? 

We almost said it together: "Let's put her in all of them and we can't be wrong."

Our part is done here in northern Thailand. We still have two spots in Pattaya on her list, up on the hill overlooking Pattaya and the beach. 

We will do our part in Pattaya next week. 

May 20th, A very strange thing happened last night. About 8:00 PM I was in bed watching a movie on YouTube. It was really porntube but I'm sticking with YouTube in this story. Daeng came into our bedroom and said all the lights went off. My CPAP machine was still working, also.

I reached over and turned on the small light beside our bed and it came on dim.. She stated: "Really, come look!" I got up and sure enough, all the light in our side of the street were out and all the houses were dark.

I told her: "The ghosts like us so they left our room on."

I started to investigate but did not fine the reason. A few minutes later all the electricity came back on.

The only guess I have is we had a "brown out", low voltage. Our television may be duel voltage and I know the wifi router and my CPAP machine are duel voltage so with 100 volts instead of the normal 220 volts, that are normal here, our TV, CPAP machine and Internet would still work. It happened to fast I could not get my electric meter and test the voltage.

I still like my explanation: "The ghosts just like us." 

I almost forgot, one of Hlong's friends gave her a whole bunch of fish. 

It's going to be a fish fry. 

You can tell it's getting close to leaving northern Thailand as the suitcases and the furniture covers are out

We leave for the Holy City of Pattaya on Tuesday, the 25th. We will stay there a week to get reaclimated.

Then it is the USA on June 2nd. 

It is breakfast time. 

Check out the fruit plate. 

We have been a little busy this morning; Daeng scrubbed the master bath floor and sprayed it with beech so we can re-grout it.

While we are waiting for it to dry up well we went to the glass shop and picked up the three tables that they put glass inserts in. 

They look great and for 250 THB, about $7.50 USD it was a deal.

We did look at one of the local houses for sale. We think 3,000,000 THB, $89,500 US is to much money. It has 4 bedrooms and 4 baths if you count the servant's bedroom and bath. 

Daeng is going to offer them 1,900,000 THB, $56,700 USD and hold it as an investment.

Beautiful house but I did not take many pictures after I almost fell walking up the uneven staircase. With the stair case built with the narrow steps I would not want to live there. 

Customer said they would sell for 2.5 million THB, $74,600. 

We told them if they want a quick sale for 1,900,000 just call us before May 25 as we are leaving here on a holiday for 3 months. 

One of the last few projects before we leave for a little more holiday is re-grouting the floor of the master bath.  Who am I kidding, every day is a holiday.

Daeng scrubbed the floor of our master bath and sprayed a bleach mixture on it. We then put a large fan blowing across it so it would dry well.

I just finished re-grouting it. In a few minutes we can start the cleanup.

In the picture with Daeng you can see the area where the freestanding spa tub will go. 

After we did the master bathroom we went to the afternoon market. 

Daeng says she is not going to take me to the market any more as I always cut up.

We do make folks laugh.

Today, I even got Su-la, the market beggar to smile, along with a lot of folks laughing.

May 21st, Around 6:30 AM, I went outside and checked the flowers that we had planted with Mom. 

They are all doing well with lots of buds.

At around 10:00 AM I looked at the flowers, again and some of the buds opened.

Thanks Mom! 

When she was a child, Daeng never had toys so she loves small stuffed animals.

I love the way she arranges them.

You can tell the mood she is in, as well.

This is the mood I like.

Now, the Penguin is a voyeur and the Happy Birthday Bear wants nothing to do with it all.

Or maybe the Penguin is next and the........ Okay Terry, that's enough. 

It is time for a nice lunch with Tun, Daeng's brother.

Of all Daeng's brothers, he is the coolest. He stay calm all the time. 

Foey, Daeng's niece is happy today, as well. 

Almost every day I see something I have never seen before, today it was blow drying a cat after a bath.

The "To Do" list is getting shorter for leaving on Monday morning.

After this manicure/pedicure it's haircut and start packing.

Tomorrow morning we are driving to Ban AYO to see the progress of the pipe installation.

One of the landowners, of the land that the pipe crosses, changed his mind after they said it was okay to cross their land. That required a reroute and about 40 meters more of pipe. 

At the barber shop you can see the prices posted on the wall. 1 THB is about 3 cents US.

I think this picture qualifies as a "selfie" as you can see me in the mirror.

List keeps getting shorter as rides to airport in Chiang Rai called as well as Jon for car to Pattaya from Bangkok airport.

The barber cuts or shaves every hair on my head and neck. He said he would go my back but would have to charge triple as I am pretty hairy.

I always wondered how he could shave with a new blade every time and only charge $1.20 US for a haircut.

Today I found out, he breaks a double edge blade in half so it only costs him a half a blade a haircut.

May 22nd, Good morning, iT IS ABOUT 4:00 AM and I just got an email from a dental clinic in Pattaya, Thailand setting up an appointment on Tuesday at 11:00 AM for the LANAP procedure of both right quadrants of my mouth.

The funny part is LANAP, Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure, was developed and refined in Cerritos, California, by Robert H. Gregg II, DDS and Delwin McCarthy, DDS.

Ortho Smiles Dental has quoted me the price for each quadrant of 3,000 to 5,000 THB so right side of my mouth should be up to 10,000 THB, about $298 USD. The dentist in California quoted me $3,500 USD.

Pattaya dentist's website: CLICK HERE. 

For a video and more information on this laser procedure: CLICK HERE. 

The difference in cost pays for our whole trip.

This morning, when I saw this I could not stop laughing.

Daeng called it: "Smoke break!" 

We had a great day in Ban AYO were we spent most of the day. 

Also we have good news as not only does the kid's shelter have water, they also have temporary electricity.

First off, the city fathers said that 1" pipe was too big and would take water from the other villagers. 

Chom-nom tried to explain that the shelter was going to use a certain amount of water regardless of the pipe size.

With 1" pipe it would take about 45 minutes to fill the tanks each day but with 1/2" pipe it would take hours to fill the same tanks. They said they wanted only 1/2" pipe run and run out of the larger tank that was farthest from the shelter.

In any case, there is now water at the shelter.

Good news from that is Chom-nom had enough money left over from the purchase of smaller pipe so he could run temporary electricity to the shelter.  If you look real close in the first picture of the shelter you can see the wire. 

They can continue building the place and kids can move in starting next week.

Thank you again to all the folks that helped with this project! 

Daeng was happy also as Meechu told her to pick as many limes as she wanted. 

Limes are very expensive right now. One lime is about 10 cents US. 

On the way home we stopped at our favorite chicken place. 

Our friends Peter and Nok joined us as this may be the last chance to see them before we leave. 

Some folks have asked about the snakes in the jungle. 

There are not many and they usually go the other way when they sense people. 

The local folks say they "Taste like Chicken". Daeng says they taste more like duck. 

May 23rd, We have two days to pack, change oil in both motorbikes, wash both motorbikes, just wash pickup truck as we don't think it needs to be waxed again, do laundry and put everything in our storage room.

I finally got ahold of the Dobler House and they only have small rooms available. When I say small, I should say tiny.

I just talked with Daeng, she said since this is the 2nd hottest month of the year it is low season and there are lots of rooms so "Let's take a chance and just go."

I'm game if she is. 

By the look of the food language I think it is going to be a good day.

I got really excited when I got onto the scale as I met my set goal that Daeng gave me: "Lose 30 pounds and I can be on top. "

Daeng said: "No way!" and came over to look at the scale. 

Much to my regret the scale was not zeroed out.

Back to a more stringent diet! 

How does the saying go: "Best laid plans of mice and me...........". 

Well, it has been raining all day and almost all the things we need to do today, like laundry, have motorbikes and pickup washed, change oil on motorbikes, need decent weather. Oh well, nap time.

If the rain doesn't stop we will just have to leave dirty clothes, motorbikes, etc. I just looked at the motorbikes and pickup, they are fairly clean. I just don't like to cover them dirty.

As for dirty clothes, we don't need any of them to travel and the bedding can wait.

At 5:00 PM it is still raining hard. I am going to bed and hope it is clear in the morning.

May 24th, It's not raining but is overcast. We are going to have the car washed first and Daeng is going to do a load of light clothes.

Here is a BIG HUG for everyone! 

Daeng had a very strange telephone call from a lady telling her she should not have anything to do with Chom-nom in Ban AYO as he was a liar, drug dealer and was not a Christian.  

To read more about that you can read the open letter to Rev. Sunit by CLICKING HERE. 

Enough said about that strange phone call!

Busy Day!  It is dry out so first on the list is wash pickup.

Deluxe Wash for a pickup is 180 THB, which is less than $5.50 with no tip expected.

Except in tourist areas, Thais believe it is their job and unless they do something special, no tip is expected.

Now, the girls in the brothel....... (That's enough, Terry.)

Even the car wash girls here in Thailand are cute.

Going good, it is 10:30 AM and I’m waiting for the dealer to change oil in my motorbike.

It is pretty clear here by the border.

I filled the tank with 95 octane 100% gasoline, which means no gasohol.

It is 11:30 AM and we are going great. 

My motorbike is washed and drying before we cover.

Daeng's motorbike is on the rack.

After the oil was changed on Daeng's motorbike and it got a soapy massage.

After all, doesn't everyone like a soapy massage?

At 1:30 PM, we had lunch down the street. Now this is a real Thai catering kitchen.

It's almost midnight here. The vehicles are parked and covered. 

The refrigerator in the 2nd floor kitchen is defrosted and covered and everything in the kitchen is put away.

We have just about everything packed and the alarm set for 4:00 AM. Then we can have coffee, shower and finish packing. 

After that we can cover everything in our master suite and leave for Chiang Rai Airport at 8:00 AM.

I don't know if I can sleep but we are doing well. 

May 25th, I was correct, only about 3 hours of sleep as I kept thinking: "What have I missed?"

Anyway, we had coffee, packed everything, made sure everything was closed up and covered.

We said: "Good-byes" to everyone in the family and took some family pictures. 

Left to right: Tun, Aomsin, Foey, Daeng, Kit, Nuy, Hlong

By relationship. left to right, it's Daeng's brother, son, grand-niece, Daeng, nephew, niece and sister-in law. I am taking the picture, of course. 

We have no idea where Daeng's Mother was. She does what I call "Ghosting". She kind of just floats around and you never know where she will turn up. 

Our driver picked us up at exactly 8:15 PM and everything to the airport went smooth,

First check point stopped us but as soon as the officer heard we were from the USA he said: "Have a good trip." 

We had a good spring in northern Thailand. 

We will write more from the Holy City of Pattaya!