blue eyes

Yes do go to Korat for a few days,great place to visit if you want a change from Bangkok for a while.Not alot to do but different then Bangkok.Don't take the bus.Take the train,express or local if you have all day.Yes the bus is cheaper and faster but you see much less of the countryside on the bus,it moves to fast.Get the train in the morning right when the sun is coming up,best time.Try to get a seat on the left side of the train,why you ask?Because the Thai's will want to keep the curtians closed to keep the sun out wich is coming from the east in the morning,if you bought the 1st class ac car that is.Got to stay as white as possible.When the train goes through the "mountians" it is really much better then by bus or car.Enjoy your time away from the shhhh hole of bangkok.

I like good food, not something that looks like the cat just brought up

I can see your point Westerner.In the photo the pork balls do resemble the hair balls that my long haired cat has coughed up in the past.But jok and khao tom are very good,try them some time.

Has me a few fords and had nothin but problems.F.O.R.D,fix or repair daily,found on road dead.Hope you get the joke.

We make rice porridge but just a little different for our daughter.The wife calls it khatum if that is correct.It is thiker then jok.The kid does not like the sunny egg so we make it with scrambled eggs for her,and we cut the pork balls in half.The wife tells me that this is mostly for old people and young children or people that are sick.Well we eat it all the time.

Oh and for westerner check out the place mat. Obviously you have no real idea what good food is.

Aircut is correct.The wife takes the Thai dried chiles and roasts them on the BBQ.Once they are to her likeing she puts them in the mill and spins them until they are the powder that she wishes.

I am fairly sure that you are not looking for chipotle peppers.They are smoked red jalapenos peppers.They are very good but not Thai.Thai's do have jalapenos but they do not use them much.I would be very suprised if that is what your mother brought back from Thailand.

I think it's whisked before being cooked (then sold) - the stuff I buy has bubbles set inside.

Cuban,I do not ever remember anyone ever wisking the blood.All I have ever seen is put it in a bowl and then in boiling water.Maybe the boiling water caused the blood to boil some before it set up.

I do not care for the blood in anything but to each his own.Here are a few photos of chicken blood made to eat.First you have to get the blood then you place the bowl of blood in to the boiling water carfully.After it sets you have your finnal product.In the cooking photo you can see that the bowl has turned over,it was already cooked at the point.

I don't know of any way to break a chicken killing dog. The local Thais here simply won't put up with it and when the bucket truck comes around they trade the dog for a plastic bucket. The dog gets a one way ride to Laos.

The dogs have no water to drink, not much room to move and are pissed and crapped on by the dogs higher up in the stack.

Just like all chickens,cows and pigs on the way to the slaghuter house.So is the life of an animal raised for food.

You really do need to get rid of the dog if you cannot get it to stop eating the local chickens unless you want to pay for all of them for a long time.Not a dog trainer so I have no real idea how to train it to stop.I have a begale that use to bark all of the time.I got one of those big water guns and evertime he barked at the wrong time I would squirt him.After a while he learned not to bark at everything and anything.It got to the point that all I had to do was show the water gun and he would shut up.

That does look good corkcsrew.Now heer is some REAL chicken soup.Notice the chicken foot?

That looks like a typical fried whole fish to me.I like it that way.

Just picked up a bottle at our local market for $2.99 US.The wife likes "squid"brand and I like "three crab"brand.But after tasting Golden Boy I now like it best.The squid is salty the three crab is sweet and the golden boy falls somewhere in the middle.

Obviously, 1 building with 6 WC's would be cheaper than 3 separate buildings.

Do you intend to fully tile?

I assume squat style and some urinals for the boys.

Rough estimate 70-80,000 materials, but tiling and painting can add 20,000, so maybe 100,000 plus labour.

Yes loong that is pretty much what we are looking for.Squat and maybe a long urinal made from stainless like you see at some of the pump stations.I figuare one building with 6 WC's,2 for the boys and 4 for the girlsWith one long urinal for the boys.This I guees would be enough and the least expencive way to go.There is already an area to wash up after so no need for that.We would like to tile to make it look nicer. Thanks for the reply.

The wife has bought some land with no problem.But I have another question.We are presently surviving in the USA untill our retirement comes thru.The wife is elagable to apply for US citizenship and most likely get it.But she will not do it because she says that she will not be able to own land anymore.She will still be a Thai national with a Thai ID card and passport just also a US citizen.Any comments on the abelity to own land if she had both citizenships?

OK here is the question.The school in our little village is in dire need of new bathrooms.As we all know it is almost impossible to get the government to do anything for the school.There are a number of us that would like to put up the money to build them but none of us are in country at the moment.Of course the wifes being the typical Thai woman that they are say just give to the principal and he will take care of.Yeah right!And his own pockets to.There are about 400 max in the school so we figure that 6 bathrooms boys/girls is more then enough,do you think same or too many?.A local builder in the village has told the wife that it would be 140,000THB to buy the material only.Plus the labor and of course over run They are someone that does fantastic work but boosts the price up because"farang rich can afford"The folowing photo is an exampal of the bathrooms that we would like to build or something close to the photo.Two baths on each side boys/girls.So that would be 3 buildings or if anyone has a better idea let us know.

Oh forgot to mention this is around the Phi Mai area 60km north of Korat in Issan.

Thanks to all.

Sorry Gary, it sounds 'bitter and twisted' to me.

Gary A is certainly not bitter and twisted.

Hi Gary, hope you're not too cold up there at this time.

I'm out of country at the moment, Alien is very cold she tells me, looks like Loei is in for a cold few days, well nights actually.

Cheers Gary, I wish I was there, I want one of those BBQ's you have !

See you. M.

The 10 and 11 Celsius is COLD. These kinds of nights I have to stay up later than the wife otherwise she enjoys climbing in bed and putting her cold feet on my warm parts. When will you be back? Almost too cold to drink beer lately.

Gary A, just leave the ice out and it will be just right.

Try http://www.templeofthai.com/food/sauces/fi...-5110220135.php

Here is a little story about how fish sauce is made in one factory. http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/features/fishsauce1.html

There is a factory in south Vietnam that makes some of the best fish sauce around.You can take a tour of it really interesting.Can not remember the name at the moment.

Forgot,the mill owner will keep the husk to sell later.So as you can see they make money from the husked rice they keep and the husk.

This should help you out.

A sack of rough rice is about 80 kg,see photo.

Once you take it to the mill you will end up with about 60 kg,see photo in the back of car.

Most mills will take 1 or 2 kg per 80 kg bag as payment of husking the rice.

This is in rural Issan with the local mills.

Most internet cafes will not allow the kids when there is school.Try in the day time when they are in school.

Sodium hydrochloide will do the trick.

This is the first post from this poster.Can we beleive it or not.

Same Same

"Iron Buffalo"

Tuk Tuk. Colourful enough for you?

Roadside Restraunt

All photos by Cheeky Farung

Isaan Webcams

Old farts drinking in Surin cam

These three photos are ones that I had taken in our village.Cheeky Farang had asked to post them.He was not the photog,I was.Thank you for letting me clarify that.

blue eyes

AD1985,answer YES one word to remember Pattaya!

Like Soundman my wife also loves Indian food.