gisele

Last year, same time I was sick in bed on children's day, and again I have been sick for the last week. I was sick for almost 2 months last year.

So, I went to the doctor Tuesday, again, I have bronchitis. He says it's allergic bronchitis and thinks it's because of the change of season.

I am so happy the rainy season is pretty much over but I really hope I won't be sick long this time. My colleagues at work even remember how sick I was last year. "Are you sick again?"

Anybody else in the same boat?

I wonder if there's anything I can do to prevent this from happening next year.

Vitamine C didn't help.

Nakhon is not a bustling town but life here is fun, though not what most would call exciting.

I enjoy time with my daughter and husband, read, go to the beach, go to the mountains, paint, bicycle, cook. It's a simple life, I love it.

Once in a while, we go to Samui for dancing and farang food for me.

A few months ago, while having lunch at the Deck in Samui with my 11 year old daughter (she is Thai) a woman in a bikini with a barely there transparent sarong sat at the table next to us. My daughter's question:

"Mom, is that lady hot?"

It was overcast and no, my daughter was not commenting on the woman's sex appeal.

I am also a magnet for mosquitoes, my husband (Thai) never gets bitten.

We have screens on all the windows, however some of the little buggers still sneek in. It only takes one to zero in on my flesh.

I often use mosquitoe cream or sprays before bedtime if I have been bitten a few nights in a row otherwise I live with it.

I use Systral cream to take out the sting of the bites, works almost instantaneaoulsy and takes out the swelling. I have a tube in my car, in my purse and in drawers all over the house.

I have always been a fashion addict, In Montreal, my friends would say that I could teach a shopping or style class. Fashion 101.

I always thought the women in the warmer months in Montreal were quite chic. But as I spent my nights at Biddles I thought a lot of them overdressed.

In the winter at Mont Tremblatt (sp) they sure spent alot of cash to look good going down a mountain

You mean the snow bunnies!

I have always been a fashion addict, In Montreal, my friends would say that I could teach a shopping or style class. Fashion 101.

When I lived in fashion conscious Beijing, I wore custom made outfits of Shandong silk or Thai silk, I shopped all the time, it was fun to show off my latest find.

When I moved to Nakhon, at first I wore my nice stuff but then I found it: too hot, inconvenient for riding a bicycle around the university and overly dressed.

Now, I wear peasants skirts or pants and the second I get home I wear shorts. I wear jeans to go out. All my nice stuff is packed up. I gave away most of my dressy shoes. I never wear heels. I rarely shop because, well, there isn't much to my taste anyway and few things fit well. My hair, like sbk, is usually in a ponytail.

I have embraced this relaxed lifestyle and I love it.

Gisele - You mentioned that your husband bought a bag full of bugs as a snack, have you ever tried them? I must admit that I have seen them for sale on some streets but have never been adventurous enough to try them.....

Yes, I have tried the bugs a few times. I don't like eating bugs fried or otherwise and I don't let my husband kiss me when he eats them.

Give me chocolate mousse anytime

The most wonderful chocolat mousse at Mangrove near the airport

farang 55 you are my new best friend

I was in a similar situation when I was in BKK a few months back. Bangkok Bank told me it would take a month to clear my aussie cheque. I mailed the cheque back to Australia to a friend, who then deposited the cheque to my account at my bank. I accessed the cash later using my debit card.

I just got a check for a few hundred dollars from a US bank. I tried to deposit it in my savings account at UOB today and was told it would cost $30 and take a month.

Does anyone know of any better options?I have an account at Bangkok Bank too, but I can't see them being any better.

TIA

I learned my lesson last year having to wait a bit over a month to have a check cleared, now anytime I get a check I do the same as brownsugar.

Patsy - you know I did see him when I was there last year.......

Does anyone have a favourite place to eat? I want to try the Elephant and Castle next time I am there...is that still open?

I can't get much farang food in restaurants here in Nakhon Si Thammarat so every month or so, we go to Samui for a day or two and regular places I love to go to are

1. The Deck for lunch,

2. Gringo's Cantina for dinner

my husband (he's Thai) loves to get a bag full of bugs for a snack while I look for a great dessert place, still haven't found the definitive place yet, the search is on-going.

Gisele,

Last year I tried to talk to her, but to no avail. She seemed to be totally out of it all the time - whether it was drugs or booze or both - I dont know. Other people I saw tried to talk to her but she got aggressive and pushed them away. People with children in buggies were crossing the road to avoid her. Its strange, she has stuck in my mind for almost a year, and probably in other people's minds as well.

It was sad to see her like that - but what can you do? If I took every waif under my wing i would have to be a billionaire and live in a huge mansion!!

If you even so much as look at her and she catches your eye you can be sure of a torrent of abuse. I am sure there are people who would like to help, but she is really unapproachable on any sane level.

I was wondering what to do when I saw her last Friday, I felt I should do something, it seemed wrong not to act but I guess if she is abusive it was better that we didn't.

I wonder if the police have tried to do something.

There must be some times when she is lucid, or else how would she get her visas.

How does she live? Pay rent?

It is so sad, she seems to be in her late 20s, such a waste.

I miss bagels so much, I love living in Nakhon Si Thammarat, but I miss some things and here, I haven't seen any, anywhere. there isn't a "Au bon pain" here, nor a deli, and Carrefour/Tesco/Tops don't make them. I have bought some in Samui and I bought some at a great place in Phuket some time ago.

For now, I can only dream of toasted bagels and cream cheese.

''I was in Samui yesterday, just for the day, 5:30 in the afternoon we came out of Atlas supermarket on Chaweng, my husband nods for me to look back at the store front and whispers that the woman sleeping on the bench was a farang. The cashier had just told him she lives here and is often seen in such a state. There she was clutching a can of chips, shoes off, sunglasses dangling, skirt hiked up, wallet in clear view, so vulnerable .

I wondered what will happen to her, so easy for anyone to take advantage. In such a state anyone is a magnet for trouble.

The sad thing is that she isn't alone in similar precarious situation.''

Yep, she has been here years. I wont mention her name or were she is from here, but she is usualy seen outside burger king/islander with a bottle of loco or chang, very pissed and talking to herself/shouting at tourists. Completley bonkers, proper lost the plot.

Rumour has it (and i have heard this of a few people) that she used to be a concert pianist. Honestly. For whatever reason, she came to the island, over-indulged too much and lost the plot. Has a half Thai kid here.

Then, you would think family/friends/police? should do something to help her.

Eventually, she will be another statistic.

How sad.

In the end Samui is what you make of it.

If you are a tipical tourist, enjoining the wonderfull nature. nice resorts and all that stuff, 99.999% nothing is going to happen to you.

If you are a tipical %hithead, there are a thousand ways to screw your life in a coupla minutes.

reading of this poor girl, I have a vision of another girl I saw last year, riding a bike with a Thai, he was so intoxicated,he could not even talk (he came in the restaurant ). When he stopped the scooter, he forgot to put his feet down. They hit the ground like a bag of potatoes.

The owner sent them to their way, and wrooom, they went toward Bo Phut swinging right and left, without light in the night... many ways ,as I said.

I was in Samui yesterday, just for the day, 5:30 in the afternoon we came out of Atlas supermarket on Chaweng, my husband nods for me to look back at the store front and whispers that the woman sleeping on the bench was a farang. The cashier had just told him she lives here and is often seen in such a state. There she was clutching a can of chips, shoes off, sunglasses dangling, skirt hiked up, wallet in clear view, so vulnerable .

I wondered what will happen to her, so easy for anyone to take advantage. In such a state anyone is a magnet for trouble.

The sad thing is that she isn't alone in similar precarious situation.

Can anyone imagine (a)farang(s) going to rape in Thailand?

I can,t ,my bet is Thai men.

Have you not seen all the drunk farang men (and women) on the beach?

Drunk farang men who would assume the poor girl was just asking for their company?

My God, just 2 weeks ago, Christmas eve, it's 9PM. I am on Chaweng beach with my children looking at the surf when a drunk farang (nationality witheld) just started making advances, I didn't respond, he didn't give up even when I walked away, I had to take my children inside the bungalow to discourage him.

I think you cannot rule out anybody.

When I lived in China, the vacation destination of choice was Thailand, close and cheap. I loved it so much that I stopped going to other destinations, always starting with Samui then wherever the wind blew. I was addicted, coming here a few months a year.

After 5 years in China, I was moving on.

Where oh where to go?

I had had a relation with a Thai guy and he had taken me to his hometown of Nakhon Si thammarat, didn't work out with him but I loved the place so I applied for a post at the university, and then met my husband who is a local.

Now, I live in Paradise.

Well I have been going to Sumui for the last 9 years,

yes it has changed allot, over the years . But I can not say I have ever felt unsafe in the resorts.

I the only time I feel unsafe is driving a motor bike at night at closing time . to many Drunks riding back to there hotels.

Needless to say I will be back to Lamai in February with my family.

I agree, I have been going to Samui for years, now, we live on the mainland and often go for weekends and I've never ever had any problems.

For many vacationners, a holiday mood seems to anesthetise their brain cells, they behave in such ways as if immune to harm, forgetting they are in unknown territory putting themselves in situations that they avoid back home.

It's like any place in the world, you must be aware of your surroundings and just be careful.

Isn't it the same whether in Hawaii, St-Tropez or Jamaica?

Not many farangs for sure. Last time I was there, I went with a Thai colleague who was from Trang.

She took me to her fav places and at one spectacular beach, not only was I the only farang but it also seemed that nobody had ever seen a white woman in a bathing suit before.

Great job!

loads of notifications today

nice to be back in the loop.

I went, passport in hand, to a big appliance store in Hua Hin that sells many mobile phones.  The first clerk understood nothing.  The other clerk not only understood, but told me to go to Telewiz, and how to get there.  Went into Telewiz.  Lady took me over to a sheet of paper where I merely wrote down my mobile number, name, passport number, and address.  I could have faked everything but the number, and my address wasn't enough to find me.  Now I'm trusting that some Telewizard will convert this sheet into a government database.  Of course, you don't get a receipt for writing your name on a piece of paper that has no headings. Sounds like a bad joke.

But did you get your free pen?

a link to my Thaivisa album and pix of life in and around Nakhon Si Thammarat

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?ac...album&album=302

sorry, I uploaded a couple of images side ways and I can't figure out how to fix them.

I don't think of it as breaking my new year's resolution but rather a small set back in my path to enlightenment,

I will do better tomorrow.

This issue is now resolved by our hosting provider. Please confirm that you get notfications now. Thanks and sorry for the inconvenience!

Cheers

George

Well, I have received notification for this thread nothing else yet but hopefully everything is back to normal.

Just saw your test post on here but nothing shows up in my e-mail box. Is there a chance the old subscribers e-mail address have been lost or damaged from the databases. This would explain why new subscribers would work but not us oldies.

I haven't received any notifications or news clippings since Tuesday

I went to Telewiz this morning.

the longest part was getting myself understood, once it was clear what I wanted to do, it only took a minute

and I got a free pen