Diary of a farang in Isaan

[HighPriority]

Thank you Owl and other contributors for the entertainment. 
 

ps Owl I’m getting your rain, only 28mm so far today but it’s just started up again. 
The past 3 days have yielded 98, 102 and 104mm ! 

[owl sees all]

7 minutes ago, HighPriority said:

Thank you Owl and other contributors for the entertainment. 
 

ps Owl I’m getting your rain, only 28mm so far today but it’s just started up again. 
The past 3 days have yielded 98, 102 and 104mm ! 

 

Very dry here HP.

 

I need rain to activate the cow poopoo and the dried out cassava waste,. which will be dust before too long.

[Sterling]

Owl, thanks for continuing to update us on your life in Isaan; always a good read!

Happy New Year!

[chickenslegs]

22 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

 

Very dry here HP.

 

I need rain to activate the cow poopoo and the dried out cassava waste,. which will be dust before too long.

Whatever happened to the Royal rainmakers?

[owl sees all]

9 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

Whatever happened to the Royal rainmakers?

 

I looked into ''Cloud Seeding' when I first arrived here.

 

I think it started in the US in the late 20s or early 30s. But didn't a Swiss committee award a medal back in 1970?

 

Anyway, best if there is plenty of cloud when the seeding starts. the heavier the better. No cloud; no rain!

 

[rickudon]

Happy New year! Always an interesting thread.

 

Saw that Owl posted about Bookhouse, Nong Sim. That closed about 7 years ago. Wife kicked out husband who then returned to UK with his young son. She ran the place for a year or so then site owners kicked her out so they could redevelop it. Tenure in Udon is always a risky thing. Spend loads doing up your rental, and next year lease not renewed.

 

Other places to go in Udon. Upmarket, try the Gallery, near the Honda Big Wing showroom at the Kutchap turn on the ringroad . Nice restaurant although a little bit expensive, can get directions on internet easy enough. Or Papa Farangs. the pie man, up the Kutchap road at Baan Hansa; however opening limited as Dean who runs it has some health problems. Do not know about any chess players, haven't played for 10 years.

 

You are welcome to drop in if coming to Udon - I live in Nong Na Lam near Bobae and global house. Next door to Wat Burapa Wanaram.

[farmerjo]

I think you have mentioned the darts before Owl.

This gets the blood pumping.

 

[owl sees all]

1 hour ago, farmerjo said:

I think you have mentioned the darts before Owl.

This gets the blood pumping.

 

Thanks for that Jo. Caught up with the final this morning.

 

What a match, and as you say; what a leg!!!!

 

Reminds me of that night in the 'Squirrel and Chicken'. I was on fire at the oche.

 

[Mutt Daeng]

10 hours ago, owl sees all said:

12 hours ago, farmerjo said:

I think you have mentioned the darts before Owl.

This gets the blood pumping.

 

Expand  

Thanks for that Jo. Caught up with the final this morning.

 

What a match, and as you say; what a leg!!!!

 

Reminds me of that night in the 'Squirrel and Chicken'. I was on fire at the oche.

 

It's about 30 years since I last had a game of darts. I brought them with me when I came to live here in 2009, but they've been lying in a drawer all this time, until I took them out a few minutes ago to take the picture. I was quite keen in those days. Here is a photo of my main set (right) and backup set (left). I doubt they will see the light of day again.

 

 

[owl sees all]

9 hours ago, Mutt Daeng said:

It's about 30 years since I last had a game of darts. I brought them with me when I came to live here in 2009, but they've been lying in a drawer all this time, until I took them out a few minutes ago to take the picture. I was quite keen in those days. Here is a photo of my main set (right) and backup set (left). I doubt they will see the light of day again.

 

 

Exactly the same here.

Darts still in a drawer somewhere. Not been used since I've been here.

 

Is it not illegal to play darts in Thailand?

 

 

 

 

 

[Mutt Daeng]

12 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

Exactly the same here.

Darts still in a drawer somewhere. Not been used since I've been here.

 

Is it not illegal to play darts in Thailand?

 

 

 

 

 

Quite possibly. 

[bannork]

I believe it was proposed to be declared illegal due to the monotony of the game. The constant fixation on scoring a bullseye or treble twenty with minute variations in elbow/arm movements, was considered to be harmful regarding development of motor skills and brain activity.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Not to be outdone, here’s my “ arra’s “ .

 

 

The set on the right travelled with me for many years and saw a little action in some US bars.

 

 The set on the left were rescued from my dad’s house clearance a few years ago and although had seen some action in the dining room

( not a typical dining scene in our household, I believe we had a foreigner visiter that day and mum wanted to impress )

 

were resting from their tough life in the tap room of The Angel, Baildon in the late 70’s.

[d4dang]

Durian in Essarn? That won't be easy.

[owl sees all]

30 minutes ago, bannork said:

I believe it was proposed to be declared illegal due to the monotony of the game. The constant fixation on scoring a bullseye or treble twenty with minute variations in elbow/arm movements, was considered to be harmful regarding development of motor skills and brain activity.

When I first arrived in Thailand, I stayed at the Canterbury Tales in Patts. The boss Dave told me of a bar, that was popular with dart playing farangs. It was raided by the peelers and the board confiscated.

 

Can play darts at the fairs though. Just have to stay away from the black and zeroes.

 

Three in the '9' wins top prize.

 

 

And if you are good - like me - can win lots of nice stuff for the wife.

 

 

 

[owl sees all]

14 minutes ago, d4dang said:

Durian in Essarn? That won't be easy.

We have had a few trees planted at the farm. None survived. Went to see a man about a dog in the week, his wife had also planted durian trees and the same; all died.

 

I think it's lack of moisture in the air for so long up here. Not rain, or not watering, just low humidity for months on end.

[owl sees all]

 

Went o see a dog farm on Monday.

 

Lots of Thai Ridgeback puppies for sale. Not cheap though.

 

Mrs Owl found a nice quiet one; Oscar. Just 10 weeks old.

 

 

 

[GarryP]

What breed is that?

[bannork]

1 hour ago, owl sees all said:

When I first arrived in Thailand, I stayed at the Canterbury Tales in Patts. The boss Dave told me of a bar, that was popular with dart playing farangs. It was raided by the peelers and the board confiscated.

 

Can play darts at the fairs though. Just have to stay away from the black and zeroes.

 

Three in the '9' wins top prize.

 

 

And if you are good - like me - can win lots of nice stuff for the wife.

 

 

 

Very suspicious that your better half's head has been removed in this photo yet further down the page Mrs Owl is proudly posing with her dog.

A suspicious soul might suspect the happy recipient of Owl's skilful winnings is in fact the hat lady ( with the hat removed of course).

 

[bannork]

1 hour ago, owl sees all said:

We have had a few trees planted at the farm. None survived. Went to see a man about a dog in the week, his wife had also planted durian trees and the same; all died.

 

I think it's lack of moisture in the air for so long up here. Not rain, or not watering, just low humidity for months on end.

Not true Owl, there's some planted near us in a couple of locations that are doing well. One small grove produced plenty of  fruit but some blastard liberated the whole lot one night 

[GarryP]

When I move upcountry next month I would like to get a dog. Probably won't go for a pure bred though and won't bother with cosmetic surgery. Floppy ears is floppy ears ????.

[owl sees all]

1 hour ago, GarryP said:

What breed is that?

These puppies are all Thai Ridgebacks.

 

 

They have a decent write-up. Good with kids. Good as guard-dogs. Very good confronting snakes; even cobras and vipers. Generally a healthy dog. I'm not sure they get on well with cats though.

 

In the US they go for ridiculous amounts. 4k dollars is not uncommon.

 

Mrs Owl liked a doggie named Oscar, while Mildred liked Robert. We will see.

 

 

I'm going back to the kennels on Saturday.

More on this canine saga next Owl Log on Sunday.

 

 

[owl sees all]

28 minutes ago, bannork said:

Not true Owl, there's some planted near us in a couple of locations that are doing well. One small grove produced plenty of  fruit but some blastard liberated the whole lot one night 

If it's not a low humidity problem, why do you think there are so many failures at growing durian?

[chickenslegs]

1 hour ago, bannork said:

Very suspicious that your better half's head has been removed in this photo yet further down the page Mrs Owl is proudly posing with her dog.

A suspicious soul might suspect the happy recipient of Owl's skilful winnings is in fact the hat lady ( with the hat removed of course).

 

Pic with missing head is Owl. The chest hairs are a good clue.

 

[GarryP]

59 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

These puppies are all Thai Ridgebacks.

 

 

 

They have a decent write-up. Good with kids. Good as guard-dogs. Very good confronting snakes; even cobras and vipers. Generally a healthy dog. I'm not sure they get on well with cats though.

 

In the US they go for ridiculous amounts. 4k dollars is not uncommon.

 

Mrs Owl liked a doggie named Oscar, while Mildred liked Robert. We will see.

 

 

 

I'm going back to the kennels on Saturday.

More on this canine saga next Owl Log on Sunday.

 

 

Just read up on Thai Ridgies and I will steer clear. While I have had dogs before, they were all quite easy to train, whereas Ridgies are apparently quite difficult. Also the amount of daily exercise they require is quite high and they can be over protective and agressive to strangers and other animals. You will certainly have your hands full with training. 

 

One local breed I would stay clear of too, if you leave your gate open, is the Bangkaew. They look nice but boy are they bad tempered and overly protective of their family and home. Excellent breed for keeping neighbors away though. 

[HighPriority]

How big do these things grow Owl ?

[owl sees all]

49 minutes ago, HighPriority said:

How big do these things grow Owl ?

They are not a small dog. Probably a bit more than average. The boss of the kennels has a handsome, fully grown, grey-blue. When I go Saturday I'll get some snaps. Not yet settled on whether we will get one or two. I'll settle for none, but I'm outvoted by the ladies.

 

Anyone have a problem with Krungthai Bank? Lost quite a few thousand baht out of the account on Tuesday afternoon. Spent an hour at the local branch trying to sort it out yesterday.

 

[Mutt Daeng]

22 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

They are not a small dog. Probably a bit more than average. The boss of the kennels has a handsome, fully grown, grey-blue. When I go Saturday I'll get some snaps. Not yet settled on whether we will get one or two. I'll settle for none, but I'm outvoted by the ladies.

 

Anyone have a problem with Krungthai Bank? Lost quite a few thousand baht out of the account on Tuesday afternoon. Spent an hour at the local branch trying to sort it out yesterday.

 

I would always opt for two dogs, so they can form a tag-team which is very useful when dealing with snakes and other interlopers. Also, they keep each other company.

Here are my two: Leo & Chang

 

 

[bannork]

My neighbour's durians coming along nicely. I'd like to take a photo of the trees bearing fruit but they're down a 1 km narrow track with no way to turn round a pickup.

[owl sees all]

9 minutes ago, bannork said:

My neighbour's durians coming along nicely. I'd like to take a photo of the trees bearing fruit but they're down a 1 km narrow track with no way to turn round a pickup.

Thanks for that. They look good and green

 

I've seen lots of attempts around my area, and I've not seen any durian reach maturity.

 

I put it down to the lack of humidity, but your pics show a different story. Keep us up to speed Bannork if you would.

 

ps. Not that I like the stinking fruit.