gpdjohn

It's right around the corner from my crib...

The wife likes that horrible noodle shop about 2 doors down from it, so now I will go there while she eats her noodles...

And the Coffee Bus has excellent pineapple shakes too.

Aerobics on Wed- Fri for your viewing pleasure as well...

But yeah, good luck finding a parking spot on Mondays and Tuesdays...a night market is there then..very busy.

Far be it of me to make excuses, but here we go...and I'm gunna bear the dark side of me here now..

First off...I'm an "addicted runner"...it means everything in life to me, you wouldn't know it by looking at me, a runner in a wrestler's body..and after a 2 year lay off due to a very nasty PF injury that I suffered during a 100 mile run, I have been waiting to have an excuse to become throughly addicted again.

My running career of 28 years has seen it's ups and down, weekly milage totals going from 3 to 107 and weight loss / gains just about the same..

Running long distance ended my last marriage. Not from anything else except running. She told me that. ( right after the Angeles Crest 100 in LA, Ca. she informed me she wanted a divorce..of course she was overweight and couldn't believe anyone would run the whole weekend, night and day )

Some guy writing a book on ultrarunner's even contacted me later and asked if he could include me in his book on how running dissolved a marriage. I told him sure...but don't know if it was ever published.

Now we are up to date...me moving to CM with my BKK wife...she is a homebody, scared that everyone is out to rob or kill her unless they live on her soi back in Bangers...

I was SOOOOOOO looking forward to yesterday's hash run..out withthe boys, cranking off trail miles, passing rocks and trees and the taste of an ice cold one after...

She was actually asking me if I was going to go yesterday morning, a somewhat excited tone in her voice. By god YES, I'm going!

Started out to go have breakfast again at the Art Cafe..jumped on the mighty Vespa ( my only form of transportation besides my LPC's ( leather personnel carriers...shoes ) and away we sped..

No helmet on, wanted to take in the beautiful fresh air...as we got closer to the cafe I started seeing coppers all over and was wondering and thinking ( in my little retired copper mind ) that something must be going on...a bank robbery maybe? Some tourist got killed maybe?? major traffic accident maybe??

Na, as I rounded the corner next to the cafe, I saw it was a police revenue enhancement checkpoint for helmetless riders of which I was one...

The nice officer pointed for me to pull over, and wrote me a ticket faster than I have ever witness before, then he told me ..." I'm keeping your license, you pay" The wife asked in her good Bangkok fashion if we could take care of it here and now, and the nice ( he really was ) said "No, you have to go pay at the station"...

We missed breakfast and spend the next 2 hours as a hardened criminal at the police station paying my 200 bhat fine. While sitting there with the other 100 or more hardened perpatrators, the police had the balls to bring in 6 cases of Chiang Beer and walk it into the Commander's office. ( I reckon a party was in order this weekend )

Off we go, still helmetless, no breakfast and wanting a nice foot massage. While getting my feet rubbed, the phone rang and it was a message from the HHH and directions on how to get there. Man, now I'm really excitied.

The wife starts whinning, bitchin' and complaining about me going to go for a run. <deleted>??? Where did this come from????

I tell her that we're going and to get ready, "we're leaving in 15 minutes". Having never been to a Hash before, I gather all my running stuff, throw it into my basket on the scoot ( extra shoes, dry clothers, water bottles, towel, iPod, comfort after run drinking shoes ) tell her to climb on....puttttputtttputttputtt...we're off.

As we come close to MJU she really starts causing me grief , bla bla this..bla bla that...hummm, sounds like I've heard all this before in my previous life ...

The my one mirror falls off.....on the scoot..

Now I'm getting pissed and ready to either run the scooter into a car or just throw her off into traffic...

We get to the golf course and continue with her giving me grief all the time...non stop..

We get to the next HHH sigh and make the turn...alittle bouncy for the scoot but doing well...hewr mouth continues her rant into my right ear...

That's ENOUGH!

<deleted> THIS! I shout, I turn the scoot around and I'm gunna take IT home...I have heard enough.

No talking all the way back home...

I took her to the pizza place for dinner and I let her have it...

"I'm going to put your butt on a plane back to Bangkok one way honey...you decide if you want to come back or not, period.

Told her on how important my running is to me and if she dosen't like it, it's time for her to get off right now...

I told her that if I hear problems again on this issue, I will divorce her that day.

Sorry I missed it and I promise to make the next one.

With her or without..and if without, ya know any women that enjoy running????

Alittle of post here, but saw my first Honda Dream crash yesterday.

3 pooying came screaming around me and the Beast ( the mighty powerful Vespa ) and then went off the street into a dirt lot..alittle dust and then all I saw were 6 legs pointing straight up in the air...endo mak mak loy khrap !

A pure Kodak moment.

( no worries, the former cop in me made me stop to check on injuries and that everyone was alright, which they were...good thing they were all young )

I'm sure the driver and the one in the middle are very sore today...seems the last one was unscathed.

Does anyone know of any place to purchase a quality coffeemaker, such as a Mr. Coffee or like?

I bought a cheap "Kessel" ( and I do mean cheap ) made of "high quaility" plastic, Ha! at Robinson's ( Airport Plaza ) for like 350 bht...and ya get what ya pay for, but it does brew.

It seems as though if you're into high dollar espresso machines it's no problem, but just wanna decent maker for my morning joe.

Sure, why not....

Count myself and the Sergeant Major ( the Mrs. ) in as well.

~ John

You'll know it's me cuz the SGM will be saying "Jai yen" to me all night long. ( until I get her Mao mak mak )

I'm lovin' the "power smoker" picture..hehehe

The Rimping Grocery around the corner from my 'hood has a Coffee Bus coffee shop and last week the wifey and I noticed alot of Tamlieut in the parking lot..( nope, not sittin' as usual but up and actually walking around..amazing ) and a brandy new non-smoking sign posted on the refrig next to the coffee bus, a big one too.

No one was lighting up as usual and another guy told me that the police were actually on a "revenue enhancement " mission of catching smokers in the act.

The next day back we go ( wifey is a coffee yai freak )...

The sign is missing, folks firing up smokes all over and the BIB are again at thier post...next to the book store reading and yaking with the security guys...

So far, it has only lasted that one evening...at least in my neck of the woods.

Yes, I concur on the blueberries mixed into the batter... My Mom used to make 'em like that. ( and IHop back in the States )

I'm not one to condem a place on a one time visit. I will normally give 'em 3 tries before I make my final decision, unless the service was awfully bad. In this case the wait was alittle long, but nothing to really gripe about....

Now, if I was eating at Ramsey's it would be a different matter...3 Michelin stars and all..

I'll try 'em again.

( I wanted to try the chorizo ..mummm..hope it is somewhat close to what momma used to make )

The wifey and I went out yesterday and this morning searching for the Bake 'n Bite...Yesterday we just seemed to go ina circle and never found it. This morning same, same. I got tired of doing the circle, so we pulled into the first eating establishment that looked decent...

Low and behold it was the Art Cafe.

Laugh, giggle...found one of 'em at least.

I ordered the "Big Bowl" american breakfast, she ordered the "American Style" and Blueberry buttermilk pancakes.

No too busy, farangs all over the place...

Almost as good as an American establishment...took 15 minutes to get our order.

The Big Bowl was actually pretty good. Good sausage, potatoes were quite tasty and the bacon tasted as if were indeed the American style..."Streaky bacon" or is it "stripey bacon " called here...too much cheese on the top for me, but all in all, not bad.

The wife's American style is what you'd normally find, 2 eggs and 3 slices of ham, looks like sandwich meat back home...not the american style that I gre up eating ( that would be a bowl of Coco puffs or Cap't Crunch Peanut Butter cereal and milk.. ) Her buttermilk pancakes were as dry as the mohave desert with some blueberry syrup on top. She likes to put a ton of maple syrup on 'em and I was trying to tell her that the blueberrys were the syrup, but to no avail.

Overall, I would give it an "OK" rating as far as the "american style" breakfast, I won't count the pancakes this time, but they were bad..

Her breakfast I won't even consider...typical of anything else here as far as an real American breakfast is concerned, just no weinies with it, thank god.

I am continuing to search for the Bake 'n Bite..I know it was around the corner somewhere.....

I need some good 'ol Army style SOS!!! Love that stuff.....

I'm a "former" ( due to an PF injury, almost 2 years down time... ) Ultramarathoner ( Badwater 135 twice, Angeles Crest 100, Lost Boys 50 miler, and numerous other ) and looking to get some motivation to get back into it. ( plus the weight gain, still eat like I'm still hammerin out the miles )

Never have I done a Hash before, but have heard 'bout them for years....

Is there room for a newbie to get his running legs ( and feet ) back?

Really don't wanna get started back running the concrete soi of which would only take me 10 minutes to run it, and don't like "hamster runs " on the wheel of fortune ( treadmill ...did one for charity a few years back and managed to stay on the stupid thing for 10 hours straight..never again )

And really do enjoy the ice cold one after...

Don't know the rules either, but a quick learner.

Running stores in CM??? Brought some shoes with me when I moved here, but could use some some new shirts and shorts as well....

" Ahhh, I knew I was doing well and I ran up the hill. Passing rocks and trees as if they were standing still"

After arriving home this afternoon from one of the wife's feeding frenzy's from the noodle place, and then another trip to the fresh market...

" We are poor..." she stated.

"Poor?" I asked..." Yes, we are poor" she replied.

I ( we ) live off my govt retirement paid from the good 'ol US and of A in 'Merican greenbacks, which here in LOS keeps me quite comfy compared to what I'd be living like back home. ( apartment, 2 bed, 2 bath..1200 square feet..cost just in rent was over 1,000 a month and being from AZ..A/C bills were 250 to 400 USD a month in warmer months )

" Well, ya better go and find ya a job then so we won't be so poor" I informed her.

"Allawa??" " A job????!!!!

Suddenly we became not so poor again...

Yeah, it's getting more, shall I say, worrysome for me on the Bhat v. Dollar...but still compared to what I'd have to do back home to live like this...

I'm quite content, worried...but content.

Dolce Vita

Well, moved up here a month ago..a Vespa rider since birth, have never really biffed except once back in Arizona on a Goldwing doing 80 on I-10 without a helmet. Sold it the day after I got outta the hospital, figured it was the one chance..

As soon as I moved here, bought me another Vespa ( '79 P200E ) and made the attempt to join in the madness. So far, so good...even if they drive on the wrong side of the road, got used to that already, but man..it's like a "E" ticket ride here..intense..heart thumping..feels good kinda thangy..

Like Mexico on steriods, I guess there are rules of the road, but haven't seen anyone yet pay any attention to 'em.

Did I say intense....

I do enjoy it though, makes me feel alive knowing that it could end at any second here.

So, if ya see a dark blue '79 P200E going pretty slow on the side of the road and the guy has very white colored knuckles in the throws of a death grip on the brakes, eyes wide open, and the thai wife on the back constantly yelling "jai yen baby, jai yen..

It's me.

Having a blast riding here, but unlike riding back home, no iPod on, and full concentration on what I'm doing.

Yippie ya yo kai yeah!

I live by Mae Joe intersection, south of Mae Joe University. Thanaval Village.

I will attempt to PM ya, but dealing with lousy dail up until my ADSL arrives, most likely sometime around when China puts a man on Mars...

Anyone have or know of a decent lawn man ( or woman ) that's relativley cheap here in CM?

Garcias,

~ John