Fun in Thailand

Lots of nice people out east, i would love to be able to travel again and meet more of them and spend more time than my work related travels made possible.
 
There is a small pocket of ex US military in Udon/Udorn. Diminished CIA presence...(I think!)

Nakhon Phanom is nice, want to go back. I like the river towns. Korat I've only spent a little time in. Went to the wedding near Korat of a Thai army corporal who was son of friend, last year. Too old to party with young troops, any more. :)

Thai people are very friendly, unless they are driving. :)
 
Wat Pa Ban Kho, somewhat famous regional temple.....most recent big holiday. Near Ban Phue, Thailand.



And shaky cell phone video of whatever they are doing..

Most of these bigger temples have nice grounds, I excuse myself from the religious stuff involving sitting on tile floors and pretending to be reverant, and wander the grounds, and take pictures.
The mavic mini is usually in the trike. I parked in an empty parking lot near the temple, nobody close. As soon as the drone went up, 12 kids materialized.
I'm licensed in Thailand, but don't get to fly it much, and try to be discrete.


 
Very nice. Lots of Monks and Nun's. I have not seen that many all together in quite a while.
Though I spent 18 months in Udon in 1970-71, I never got to see that temple. As far as I can tell, it is about 15 miles north east of Udon.

Thanks for sharing.
 
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There are quite a few Buddhist temples here in Denmark, not ornate as out there of course, but a place for the people such inclined.
Never any problems there, opposite the Mosques which we also have many of, but thats of course also a whole other religion compared to Buddhism.

i think if there was a religion / ideology for me it should be Bushido or the religion of my viking forefathers.
 
Very nice. Lots of Monks and Nun's. I have not seen that many all together in quite a while.
Though I spent 18 months in Udon in 1970-71, I never got to see that temple. As far as I can tell, it is about 15 miles north east of Udon.

Thanks for sharing.
That one seems fairly new.

The bigger ones in this area are not all that ornate, ancient......??

Kam Chanod is near Ban Dung, another regional draw. I only tried to go there one time on a holiday with friends, traffic was backed up 5 miles away......turned around.
:)
 
In Jan//Dec I managed to travel a bit. No place new, just get the heck out of town.

The temples are good places to stretch your legs on a trip, and if Buddhist people are with you, they are tickled to 'make merit' at a different temple. Visiting prominent temples is a major tourism activity for Thais.



This is a temple near Mukdahan, on the Mekong, I've stopped at off and on over the last 5 years, mostly because has a nice view of the river.
They added this huge Naga since I was there last. A naga is a mythical serpent that lives in the river.

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It was a pain in the butt to get to the right place for that pic. The ground is covered with concrete slurry, and its uneven and kind of like walking on solidified lava flow.

One thing about Thailand, the tourist areas are not exactly giant western senior citizen friendly. Rickety steps, I've hit my head on low hanging signs in the dark on sidewalks, near vertical stairways with narrow treads. :)

This is another new temple near Ban Chiang, which has a World Heritage Archaelogical site.


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Tao Ngoi, In Sakon Nakhon province. I get the legend of the turtle mixed up with a lake in Florida, Both have something to do with people discovering lots of turtles in the lake, deciding it was a good place to stay. (At least for dinner)



And a popular song/music video has something to do with this temple/park.

 
A few blocks from my house, somebody is building/sculpting a Naga in his carport.

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There has always been so much talent in Thailand. You don't have to go far to find it I see, it is in your own backyard.
 
There has always been so much talent in Thailand. You don't have to go far to find it I see, it is in your own backyard.
The quality of the handcrafted items you can buy here can be very good, also the price.

I ran out of town this morning to attend the start of construction for a new house in a rural village. Mostly cermonial, two concrete posts were erected after money and flowers were dropped in the footing holes, and other assorted buddhist stuff.
Then about 0815 food and alcohol was served. No more construction until next week, but today was an auspicious day to 'start' the construction.

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The quality of the handcrafted items you can buy here can be very good, also the price.

I ran out of town this morning to attend the start of construction for a new house in a rural village. Mostly cermonial, two concrete posts were erected after money and flowers were dropped in the footing holes, and other assorted buddhist stuff.
Then about 0815 food and alcohol was served. No more construction until next week, but today was an auspicious day to 'start' the construction.

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Progress on the house, or they are putting a new Howard Johnsons up in rural thailand.


(Howard Johnson was a LARGE chain of restaurants all over the US.....orange roof.)

Orange metal insulated roofing panels, soffit, and cement board for finishing sides of roof, arrives. About $1900 USD for 1000 Sq ft house.

Roof finished today, still some some foundation pouring, and I think a slab poured around the posts. Not done much construction work, but totally confused.
Package labor deal to finish to this stage, (Once roof and foundation done) $800 USD.

[
 
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Here's one reason you need a dashcam on the roads of Thailand......hooligan biker gangs.


These are underaged kids, riding probably unlicensed and insured bikes, provided by the parents. If, and when, they create some carnage, the 'poor' parents will avoid being financially responsible. You are unlikely to recover the cost of any damages they do to you or your vehicle. They may even attempt to get you to pay for damage to the illegal bike being operated by an illegal rider.

It's pretty common for 2 or more school age kids to be killed in single motorbike accidents, and when you are near middle or high schools, the roads are crowded with 3-4 kids on a bike, no helmets, no license....and a cop directing traffic at the intersection or crosswalk in front of the school....and doing nothing.

The 14 year old son of a friend of mine recently ran the borrowed motorbike of his grandfather off the road, doing more damage to the bike than he did to himself.
(Didn't see any bruises or injuries, but I'm sure he was sore)
The bike needed a few hundred bucks in replacement parts.
The family and village aunties made a fuss over the kid, and went to the accident site to do some ritual. I looked at the accident site (He created a path through a corn field running off the road) and can only guess he was screwing around....not paying attention, texting....something...and ran off the road.

A little shrine to his vehicular incompetence was erected on the spot, while they blocked a lane on a somewhat busy road during commuting hours.

I felt sorry for the grandfather.......poor farmer...I sourced the parts and bought the crucial ones online. He happily bolted them on. (Including a new front wheel I had built at local shop tor 20 bucks. )

Within a few days 'junior' was back riding 'grandpas' bike, and bugging his mother for money to buy RED wheels for the motorbike. Never any hint of 'damn, I wrecked somebodys bike, I need to pay for this...'

A month later he had the new red wheels, and I see him hot-rodding through the village.......he also found the money for a loud exhaust. Mysteriously, the license plate is gone. (had one) I don't know what happened to the new, normal wheel I bought the grandfather?

The grandfather has relinquished the new-ish bike to the favored grandson, and is now riding the ancient bike that was owned by a son.......who died in a motorbike crash...(different bike) 20 years ago.


Nothing changes.
 
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Minor collision in a construction zone, the short, road construction zone 10 KM from a village I go to often. There is not very good signage, most of the time the two way traffic is cooperating, At the start of the construction zone the cement mixer was doing a u-turn after unloading. I waited for him to turn around, assuming I could follow him through the zone a little quicker, people were more likely to give way to him, than me.

No. I managed to find the ONE safe truck driver in thailand!!!! I couldn't get over as far as he did on the soft berm......the clunk you hear is 'non-automatic folding' function of the mirror on the Isuzu pickup. I pulled over in a wide spot and stopped to see if the driver was going to approach me with a machete, but he never stopped.
I checked my trike for damage, but didn't see any, or any new stuff. That side is a little scuffed from me backing in close to a concrete wall so there is room to walk between the parked trike in the carport, and my house, on the other side.

The full clip is saved and uploaded, but this starts a few seconds before impact. :) This is the blueskysea b2k

 
Just for the heck of it, the segment pior to entering the construction zone, and in the zone prior to the crunch video.

People are not used to seeing a white guy driving one of these, and I have had bullsh*t complaints that I was driving recklessly or fast, when they can connect the blue trike to a family in the area. They also kind of expect these vehicles to be going 30 kph max, and to defer to any traffic. (Which to a thai means pull completely off the pavement, give a toothless smile and wave from under a straw hat, while holding a chicken under one arm.)

Whatever speed I am going, the ten year olds on scooters pass me.......anything bigger passes me, and almost runs into me.

I told my friends in the village what happened, and saved the video, in case some angry local shows up claiming I was doing 100 kph, overtaking the cement mixer, while driving naked, and imitating slim whitman.

If they run into the grandpa, he'll probably sit down and drink with them, and a few hours later they'll forget why they came there.

:)


 
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This is a 'songtao', pickup truck/bus. Looks like high school group as passengers.


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