Rasseru

Interesting dilemma. However much one might be pleased at the prospect of the destruction of outlying symbols of the American empire, one finds oneself concerned by the prospect of collateral damage hurting innocents.

. . . .Bacon,baked beans,mushrooms, tomatoes and toast can be fairly healthy. . . .

I think you've answered my question. Thank you.

. . . oh man, I wish you hadn't posted . . . I would so love to see that . . .

A good English breakfast? . . . Is that not a kind of contradiction in terms?

'I would love to hear where you coupled folks go.'

Bali, this and most years. It's a good time of year there, but not high season.

Ah, thank you for that explanation, CMHomeboy78. Now I get it. Most of my not understanding that one sentence stemmed from my not knowing the meaning, which you have now explained, of 'Santa Fe' -- not that I thought, mind you, that it referred there to the city in New Mexico -- with a touch of further uncertainty added by there being no full-stop after it.

Once again, great stuff, and many thanks.

Fascinating, thank you.

Is some text missing after 'Santa Fe' in this part?: 'In 1540 a Burmese invasion was repulsed with the aid of the Portugese who were rewarded with even more privileges, including the right to propagate their Santa Fe An invasion of Chiang Mai was undertaken in 1545 and it was on that occasion - most probably - that the city was first visited by Europeans. But no hard evidence survives, other than the chronicle of Mendez Pinto, a Portugese adventurer resident in Ayudhya at the time, who claimed to have been part of the campaign against Chiang Mai.'

Perspectives? Well, this is Chiang Mai (Thailand) not China.

I agree. go to China if you want to celebrate Chinese new year.

Precisely. Just as those who want to celebrate the American tradition of 'Thanksgiving' should go to the United States to do it, and those who want to celebrate 'Christmas' should go there or Europe or one of the other European conquered and controlled countries of the world to do it.

I have nothing to say against the shop on Thapae Road that has been mentioned here and spoken of highly. They have been helpful to me on more than one occasion and have always been straightforward, honest and seemingly as helpful as they could be. But I will also recommend another place, one that helped me last year by repairing for me a century old Tiffany pocket watch that the Thapae Road shop mentioned here had told me, three or four years earlier, that they could not repair, as the broken mainspring was no longer available. The shop that I am about to recommend asked me to give them a couple of weeks, to confirm with two different shops in Bangkok that one of them could make a replacement mainspring and the other could make a glass face to replace the old and cracked one. They were successful on both fronts -- at a very reasonable price too -- and my watch was repaired and returned to me a month later. Five months later it is still working fine.

The name of the shop is Changmai Rachawong Optical -- it is more obviously a glasses and contact lenses shop than a watch and clock repair shop. The address is 2-4 Rachawong Road. If you proceed east on Chang Moi Road from the moat, you will reach a big intersection that does not have lights but feels as if it should. That is the intersection with Rachawong Road. I think of it as where Warowat Market begins (I could be wrong). Chiangmai Rachawong Optical is the first shop on the east side of Rachawong Road, just to the north of Chang Moi Road. There is a man usually there, seemingly the owner, who speaks English very well; the others have never shown to me any sign that they speak English.

....buckwheat pancakes with real maple syrup, what a memory.

I made them four days ago, with, yes, real maple syrup. And fresh mango chunks over the top. With thick cut bacon fried slowly to a crisp on the side. Wonderful.

I agree that there are no great croissants in Chiang Mai, but there are some that are good for this part of the world and are pretty tasty. IMO, Baan Bakery, Nice Sweet Place, the French cafe across from Suriwong Books and Butter is Better (when they are making them) are all pretty good.

Agreed, except for Nice Sweet Place, which I simply do not know. And I would add, about the French cafe across from Suriwong Books: 'when it's open'.

. . . The croissants are indeed terrible and after nearly 2 years not improved a single bit, They should give the place a different name . . .

I agree rather with Ulysses G.'s assessment, that 'the croissants are not the best in town, but they are some of the best'. I have never had truly great croissants in Chiangmai -- to be fair, though, I have had truly great croissants only once in my life, at Hôtel George-V in Paris, nearly twenty years ago . . . if I were a dreamer, I think I might still dream of them. Still, I think the croissants at Le Croissant are quite good, for Chiangmai.

I have bought buckwheat flour at the Rimping Supermarket next to the river near the Thapae Bridge.

High time for a high-speed rail connection to China!

A bit late now, but as you said the Vespa is new and not a classic (love them) how much for a new rear fender?

I did not bother to ask, for two reasons. One, I believe it would without question be far more expensive (I am being quoted six thousand baht for repairs and a full paint job) Two, I would have no confidence, based on my experience in ordering various Vespa accessories that have not shown up in a year, that it would ever show up either.

There is a steel fabricating shop that does good work near the overpass at the Airport plaza. It is on a dead end soi just opposite the Nissan dealership on the east side of the overpass. They might have information if they can't do the work themselves. You can only enter the soi coming from the east.

I appreciate your help, rene123. As it happens, I have now found through other means a place where I am going to have the work done.

I am simply overwhelmed by the outpouring of help provided here!

Not, perhaps, what you are thinking. Or maybe it is.

In any case, I have a new Vespa -- steel bodied, as they are -- that is one of two bikes of mine that were blown over by powerful winds in a recent storm. The Vespa ended up on the bottom. The rear fender was not only significantly scratched, but well dented. I need to find a place in or around town that can do a perfect job -- or at any rate the best job of any here -- of undenting it and repainting it.

Suggestions, particularly any based on recent experience, will be greatly appreciated.

We have to hear each other across the prairies when rustling cattle . . .

At any rate you do if you count yourself among those who like to get caught at it.

If you see a printed sign hanging off the post near the traffic light.

It almost certainly says "No left turn on red light".

Forget rolling stops, or any other such nonsense.

When I got busted at the same corner as the OP, the officer who gave me my ticket told me, in English, that my offense was not turning left on a red, but not stopping first, before doing it.

He must have been telling the truth. You can always trust a Thai policeman.

Evidently I am not quite as innocent and trusting as you, TommoPhysicist, because I do not share your confidence in that regard, but I did think it interesting that he volunteered that information even though I had not challenged or questioned, by deed, by look or by thought, their stopping me and issuing me a ticket.

This topic is much discussed on the Thai Visa motor forum.

If you see a printed sign hanging off the post near the traffic light.

It almost certainly says "No left turn on red light".

Forget rolling stops, or any other such nonsense.

When I got busted at the same corner as the OP, the officer who gave me my ticket told me, in English, that my offense was not turning left on a red, but not stopping first, before doing it.

Not clear why or if the OP is stating universally no left turn on red as it is legal but with a 'depends' applied to it. I'm assuming that specific location has either arrow lights or a sign denoting no left turn allowed and why fined.

I await, of course, the OP's explanation, but I assumed, in part because I had the experience recently of being ticketed at the very same corner for offending as I am about to describe, that she meant no left turn on a red light without coming to a full stop first.

I have never had a half-way decent strawberry in Thailand, either fresh or in a pastry. Mind you, after trying them a handful of times, I learned to stay clear of them. English strawberries are said -- even here! -- to be good . . . first hand I can report that Japanese strawberries are fabulously delicious.

I didn't think flashing my boobs would do me any good

i think we should be the judge of that

I don't know, candypants . . . rene123 is certainly the best-informed judge in this case.