Diary of a farang in Isaan

[Assurancetourix]

9 minutes ago, sotonowl said:

Why do you always take pics of your treader, is it to convince some saddos that you were actually there? Do said saddos judge everyone by their own standards? Asking for a friend.

I can't answer this kind of stupid question

 

Maybe because ...

[chickenslegs]

41 minutes ago, sotonowl said:

Why do you always take pics of your treader, is it to convince some saddos that you were actually there? Do said saddos judge everyone by their own standards? Asking for a friend.

I like to see the bike in his pics. It's become his trade mark.

I was disappointed not to see it atop the "stairway to heaven", but I guess it was just too much to expect.

 

[GarryP]

18 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

I like to see the bike in his pics. It's become his trade mark.

I was disappointed not to see it atop the "stairway to heaven", but I guess it was just too much to expect.

 

Whenever I went somewhere on my bike I would always take a few pictures with the bike in. Unfortunately, I haven't been out on my bike for a few years now, but once I retire to Khammuang in Kalasin in about 3 years, I will start cycling again. 

[HighPriority]

1 hour ago, sotonowl said:

Why do you always take pics of your treader, is it to convince some saddos that you were actually there? Do said saddos judge everyone by their own standards? Asking for a friend.

Cyclists are just weird... ????

Be grateful that he doesn’t make the cranks level in every pic, real bike wallys would do this, Asterix just likes photographing his bike.

Im a cyclist too, but I draw the line @taking pics of my bike every 5 mins and describing the handlebar area as “the cockpit” ????????

 

Nice temple too ????????

[Assurancetourix]

31 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

I was disappointed not to see it atop the "stairway to heaven", but I guess it was just too much to expect.

You are not likely to see this kind of photo; I feel dizzy on the third rung of a ladder. 

 

By cons when I am on my MTBike, a dizzying descent does not scare me

 

Road 1249 , border with Myanmar , we were coming back from Doi Angkhang 

 

 

[sotonowl]

1 hour ago, Assurancetourix said:

I can't answer this kind of stupid question

 

Maybe because ...

I'll let her know.

[Assurancetourix]

21 minutes ago, GarryP said:

Whenever I went somewhere on my bike I would always take a few pictures with the bike in. Unfortunately, I haven't been out on my bike for a few years now, but once I retire to Khammuang in Kalasin in about 3 years, I will start cycling again. 

I hope that I will always be in my small village.
The province of Kalasin touches that of Sakon Nakhon.
The city of Kalasin is only about 130 km from my village.
It is done during the day; but not the return, I'm not 18 anymore ...
Will have to accommodate me 

and then Khammuang is not very far, only 20 km after Wang Sammo

[Assurancetourix]

2 minutes ago, sotonowl said:

I'll let her know.

 

Who or what is " her " ?

[sotonowl]

12 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

 

Who or what is " her " ?

My friend of course.

[Assurancetourix]

22 minutes ago, HighPriority said:

Be grateful that he doesn’t make the cranks level in every pic, real bike wallys would do this, Asterix just likes photographing his bike.

I could actually annoy, generate a lot of members if every time I post a photo I start talking about technical and mechanical cycling.
This line is that of Owl and to avoid it falling into the depths of the forum, we are a few to write and post photos; so it always stays on the first page.

 

is the length of the cranks of my pedals of essential interest?
I do not think so
or know that my triple front is not a triple usually installed on an MTBike since my chainrings are 48x36x24 instead of 44x34x22 

[sotonowl]

2 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

This line is that of Owl and to avoid it falling into the depths of the forum, we are a few to write and post photos; so it always stays on the first page.

 

Could someone translate please?

[chickenslegs]

6 minutes ago, sotonowl said:

Could someone translate please?

I'll have a go ...

 

AT started posting pics of his travels, to keep the topic on top of the viewing list, when Owl was absent due to IT issues.

[owl sees all]

Owl Log - 25-04-2020

 

Drop in temperature, and a little rain. Better than nothing.

 

Went to the see the tree lady yesterday. Paid 9k and that leaves 10k to pay next month. She was saying that about half her euca customers have already planted their saplings. Now they are regretting it, and wish they had waited. Eucalypti are very tough trees so they will be OK. Just a little slow to get started with no water. Nature finds a way.

 

The boss lady and Mrs Owl having a conflab.

 

 

 

I don't know who is ordering these rubber trees! They have thousands. 

 

 

The farm worker, hard at it; smelling stick in hand.

 

 

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

 

Called past Milly's school to have a butchers. I was surprised to see how fast progress has been. Looking good. Not sure about the concrete post across the pavement though. Perhaps they will move it; perhaps not. I'll have a look next time I go to town.

 

 

Not at all sure when Milly is going back to school. She says the first of next month? I don't know, and I'm happy home-teaching her. Would that be regarded as work? Have to be careful in LOS.

 

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

 

The house just across from us in the village has some mangoes that are different.

 

 

They are absolute giants. I'll ask the lady if I can take one. Mrs Owl said they would taste bitter. They look good to me though.

 

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

 

This evening I asked the wife about the grass on the farm, and she said to just tractor it in. A few weeks ago I said I didn't want the tractor. It caused a row then and it was no different today. I kept my cool pretty well, although it was difficult.

 

Now Mrs Owl doesn't want to do the trees at all. I told her I was happy with that. That made things worse. Think the real problem, is that she has already spoken to the tractor man, and doesn't want to lose face by not using him.

 

The farm was just about perfect this evening (before the tractor row). A gentle breeze and temperature of 28c.

 

Poom, from the adjacent farm, always comes over for a visit.

 

 

He likes to help me feed the fish. He is a terrible chucker though, and half the fish pellets don't make it to the water. Good job he has little hands.

 

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

 

The farm that sits between us and the Buddha was doing some tractor work this afternoon. The lad is same age as Mildred (10). He can look after their cows alright, and today he was driving the tractor.  Dad was doing the three point turns and son was driving the tractor on the straights.

 

 

Keep going forward son. Reversing next week.

 

 

Putting down a layer of manure of sorts. Don't know what it is. I'll sneak over there tomorrow and have a look.

 

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

 

We don't do home school work at week ends, but we have a deal that Mildred has to do her drawings. She is quite good artistically; and it keeps her away from the telephone for a while.

 

I'm practicing boogie woogie on the organ. Have to keep the left hand going for two minutes non-stop; then I'll be ready for the right hand. Soon I'll be playing like Chris Conz, or Jooles.

 

Sorted out the slow-puncture yesterday. Nothing they could do. Put in a tube. 380 Baht.

 

Same restaurant again while we were waiting for the tyre. 205 Baht; as last time. Daylight robbery. 

 

Just after nine. No food as yet. Never mind. I was gaining weight.

 

Bye y'all.

 

 

 

 

[chickenslegs]

7 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

The lad is same age as Mildred (10). He can look after their cows alright, and today he was driving the tractor.  Dad was doing the three point turns and son was driving the tractor on the straights.

Reminds me of my Dad letting me "drive" the car on long journeys home when I was about that age. I couldn't reach the pedals, so Dad did that - I was allowed to sit on his lap, steer and use the indicators. Happy days.

(this was England circa 1966 on the A69 and old Roman road in Northumberland)

 

What a great time these Thai kids are having - able to drive tractors, cars, motorbikes around the villages. I often see groups of 5 or 6 going out on adventures with fishing rods, on a sa-ling the oldest no more than 12 years old (and I live less than 15km from Pattaya city).

 

Yes, I know, elf & safety nightmare - but great times if you are a youngster in Thailand.

[sotonowl]

3 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Owl Log - 25-04-2020

 

Drop in temperature, and a little rain. Better than nothing.

 

Went to the see the tree lady yesterday. Paid 9k and that leaves 10k to pay next month. She was saying that about half her euca customers have already planted their saplings. Now they are regretting it, and wish they had waited. Eucalypti are very tough trees so they will be OK. Just a little slow to get started with no water. Nature finds a way.

 

The boss lady and Mrs Owl having a conflab.

 

 

 

I don't know who is ordering these rubber trees! They have thousands. 

 

 

The farm worker, hard at it; smelling stick in hand.

 

 

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

 

Called past Milly's school to have a butchers. I was surprised to see how fast progress has been. Looking good. Not sure about the concrete post across the pavement though. Perhaps they will move it; perhaps not. I'll have a look next time I go to town.

 

 

Not at all sure when Milly is going back to school. She says the first of next month? I don't know, and I'm happy home-teaching her. Would that be regarded as work? Have to be careful in LOS.

 

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

 

The house just across from us in the village has some mangoes that are different.

 

 

They are absolute giants. I'll ask the lady if I can take one. Mrs Owl said they would taste bitter. They look good to me though.

 

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

 

This evening I asked the wife about the grass on the farm, and she said to just tractor it in. A few weeks ago I said I didn't want the tractor. It caused a row then and it was no different today. I kept my cool pretty well, although it was difficult.

 

Now Mrs Owl doesn't want to do the trees at all. I told her I was happy with that. That made things worse. Think the real problem, is that she has already spoken to the tractor man, and doesn't want to lose face by not using him.

 

The farm was just about perfect this evening (before the tractor row). A gentle breeze and temperature of 28c.

 

Poom, from the adjacent farm, always comes over for a visit.

 

 

He likes to help me feed the fish. He is a terrible chucker though, and half the fish pellets don't make it to the water. Good job he has little hands.

 

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

 

The farm that sits between us and the Buddha was doing some tractor work this afternoon. The lad is same age as Mildred (10). He can look after their cows alright, and today he was driving the tractor.  Dad was doing the three point turns and son was driving the tractor on the straights.

 

 

Keep going forward son. Reversing next week.

 

 

Putting down a layer of manure of sorts. Don't know what it is. I'll sneak over there tomorrow and have a look.

 

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

 

We don't do home school work at week ends, but we have a deal that Mildred has to do her drawings. She is quite good artistically; and it keeps her away from the telephone for a while.

 

I'm practicing boogie woogie on the organ. Have to keep the left hand going for two minutes non-stop; then I'll be ready for the right hand. Soon I'll be playing like Chris Conz, or Jooles.

 

Sorted out the slow-puncture yesterday. Nothing they could do. Put in a tube. 380 Baht.

 

Same restaurant again while we were waiting for the tyre. 205 Baht; as last time. Daylight robbery. 

 

Just after nine. No food as yet. Never mind. I was gaining weight.

 

Bye y'all.

 

 

 

 

How's Milly's English?

 

[HighPriority]

11 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

I'll have a go ...

 

AT started posting pics of his travels, to keep the topic on top of the viewing list, when Owl was absent due to IT issues.

Or in other words “BUMP”

[owl sees all]

6 hours ago, sotonowl said:

How's Milly's English?

 

Mildred's English is quite good. Would be able to hold a conversation with an English kid of the same age. Maths is probably a bit up on par, but everything else; science, history etc, is probably a year or so behind. She knows little about Thai history, geography or general affairs. Only what I tell her. Have to be wary of telling her too much stuff about Thailand.

 

Can play a bit of the organ, draw some cartoon characters and plays a decent game of chess. Cannot look after cows or buffaloes. Makes pot noodles OK. Thai is good; I think.

[HighPriority]

Owl, I’m no mango expert, but they look a bit like an R2E2 mango.

An Aussie developed hybrid ????????

[Assurancetourix]

1 hour ago, owl sees all said:

She knows little about Thai history,

It will be difficult to make her learn the true history of Thailand which has absolutely nothing to do with the "Official History" told and written in the Thai books.
Either you really teach her what has happened over the centuries and inevitably she will repeat to her school friends and to her teacher what you will have told her and she will pass for a plague victim because the "Official History" is really very far from real history.
Either you teach her what her teacher must teach her and it is you who will be frustrated.

 

Not obvious school life in the country of the teddy bears

[bluesofa]

2 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Mildred's English is quite good. Would be able to hold a conversation with an English kid of the same age. Maths is probably a bit up on par, but everything else; science, history etc, is probably a year or so behind. She knows little about Thai history, geography or general affairs. Only what I tell her. Have to be wary of telling her too much stuff about Thailand.

 

Can play a bit of the organ, draw some cartoon characters and plays a decent game of chess. Cannot look after cows or buffaloes. Makes pot noodles OK. Thai is good; I think.

Yeah, regarding the part about telling her too much about Thailand.

Warning: Long rant.

 

My stepson is 15 now. He goes to a cheap but non-government school in Udon.

For years I've always said to him that if he doesn't understand something, to ask rather than sit there and not say anything. Not a Thai attitude I know.

A year or so ago he mentioned to me that his teacher had given him a bit of a hard time for asking questions.

He said that his dad had told him to ask if he didn't understand something.

The teacher's reply: "Well it's not the Thai way to do it." Hence he stopped asking so much.

 

I told my wife that when I was ten or eleven, our junior school teacher said to the class that if they didn't understand something, to ask.

I remember she went on to say that if we still didn't understand, to keep asking and she would explain it again. The teacher finished by saying that if we still didn't understand at the end, then it was her fault for not being able to explain the subject clearly.

My wife couldn't believe any teacher would say something like that.

 

A few years ago I had a discussion with my wife about the history of Issan and how more than 150 years ago it was part of Laos. She said it had always been Thailand.

I was said that the government only wanted to teach schoolkids things that made Thailand look good, and if she read any non-government school books it would explain the history.

She has accepted what i said begrudgingly, although anyone else I've mention it to has resulted unsurprisingly in them shouting "No, no, no." at me.

As we know, you can't win - truth or not. It's indoctrinated into the kids at a young age, unless they have the chance to learn otherwise.

<rant over>

 

edit: Rant part two.

A British friend took his Thai wife to live in the UK. She spoke quite good Engrish English.

The only thing was her pronunciation of the letter 'W'. She insisted on saying 'dub-you' instead of 'double-you'.

When asked, she always insisted she was correct, as her (Thai) English language teacher had told her this when she was a kid, and her teacher was correct.

This was despite living in the UK for over ten years.

<end of rant part two>

 

[Peterw42]

5 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

It will be difficult to make her learn the true history of Thailand which has absolutely nothing to do with the "Official History" told and written in the Thai books.
Either you really teach her what has happened over the centuries and inevitably she will repeat to her school friends and to her teacher what you will have told her and she will pass for a plague victim because the "Official History" is really very far from real history.
Either you teach her what her teacher must teach her and it is you who will be frustrated.

 

Not obvious school life in the country of the teddy bears

Isnt there an aspect of "official history" everywhere in the world, The victors write history, not the vanquished.

Is there an aspect of Thai history that Thai people need to know, that makes a difference ?

Think back to the version of Australian history we were taught.

[Assurancetourix]

3 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

A few years ago I had a discussion with my wife about the history of Issan and how more than 150 years ago it was part of Laos. She said it had always been Thailand.

 

Ask her why we speak Lao in Issan and Khmer in the southern part of the province of Ubon.
and shows her old maps;
I have an old map on the wall at home; we can clearly see that the Mekong flows in Laos with borders far to the west.

[Assurancetourix]

5 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Isnt there an aspect of "official history" everywhere in the world, The victors write history

Except that in the case of Thailand, the exact opposite has happened.
For example on the Victory Monument in Bangkok, the battle of koh Chang is a Thai victory whereas in reality on sea the Thai navy was almost entirely sunk by the French navy;
and on earth, it was not the Thai people who beat the French but the Japanese ..

[Assurancetourix]

13 hours ago, owl sees all said:

The lad is same age as Mildred (10). He can look after their cows alright, and today he was driving the tractor.  Dad was doing the three point turns and son was driving the tractor on the straights.

Of course, Safety First ...
There is only one seat on this type of agricultural tractor in Thailand;
when the boy falls for an indefinite reason and goes under one of the rear wheels, it will obviously be the fault of bad luck.
I don't say anything anymore, I don't make any more comments I let them do their bullshi*t .. except of course when I take the wheel of my pickup.
there,  it is a maximum of 5 people in the cabin for a very simple reason: there are only 5 seat belts.
And if I don't drive it, their bullshi*t is up to them.
they know that I will not put a baht, it is too much already, a satang, in a repair or a fine.

[Bredbury Blue]

14 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Not at all sure when Milly is going back to school. She says the first of next month? I don't know

Think it's 1st July.

[Bredbury Blue]

4 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Mildred's English is quite good. Would be able to hold a conversation with an English kid of the same age. Maths is probably a bit up on par, but everything else; science, history etc, is probably a year or so behind. She knows little about Thai history, geography or general affairs. Only what I tell her. Have to be wary of telling her too much stuff about Thailand.

 

Can play a bit of the organ, draw some cartoon characters and plays a decent game of chess. Cannot look after cows or buffaloes. Makes pot noodles OK. Thai is good; I think.

She sounds like most luuk khrung. My two lads speak excellent English, fit in ok on visits to the UK but still lack local slang, example, one is watching peaky blinders and asked me what's a bookie. Their Thai is better than English, on par with their Thai peers, and they converse between themselves in Thai by choice. Their knowledge of some Thai and local ASEAN history is lacking but as I like travelling and history I try to give them what they don't learn at school. Understandably they learn nothing of Britain at school so again I help with that and on trips to the UK they are really in to learning about Romans, anglosaxons, etc. Generally I would say they are doing ok in their studying. One plus over my uk schooling is their school is very musical so my lads are multi-instrumentalists. Think there are pros and cons in all schooling.

 

My two lads basically only speak English with me so I'm sure Milly probably only speaking english  with you Owl is more than sufficient for her English skills and general world knowledge.

[owl sees all]

3 hours ago, Bredbury Blue said:

She sounds like most luuk khrung. My two lads speak excellent English, fit in ok on visits to the UK but still lack local slang, example, one is watching peaky blinders and asked me what's a bookie. Their Thai is better than English, on par with their Thai peers, and they converse between themselves in Thai by choice. Their knowledge of some Thai and local ASEAN history is lacking but as I like travelling and history I try to give them what they don't learn at school. Understandably they learn nothing of Britain at school so again I help with that and on trips to the UK they are really in to learning about Romans, anglosaxons, etc. Generally I would say they are doing ok in their studying. One plus over my uk schooling is their school is very musical so my lads are multi-instrumentalists. Think there are pros and cons in all schooling.

 

My two lads basically only speak English with me so I'm sure Milly probably only speaking english  with you Owl is more than sufficient for her English skills and general world knowledge.

I was useless at school.

 

There were a couple of good teachers; Mr Sargent, the science guy, and Mr Watkinson the tech' drawing dude. A couple of shockers in the mix too. Mumford was always jabbing his finger in your head and Otagari the RI teacher, and scout master (some time later done time for molesting a kid in a tent). He gave me two out of hundred for my Religious Studies exam. When I took the final report home, Dad asked how I'd gotton just two marks. "I dunno Dad, I left the paper blank." He went up the school and discovered I'd got one point for the date and t'other for putting down my name. Mr Owl senior was in Burma during WW2, and said he "knew stuff and had seen things".

 

I want Mildred to have a happy life and see the brighter and lighter side of life. But also not to be easily fooled by BS, especially when it comes from authorities. The best way to avoid that is to be a bit analytical. Chess is good for teaching that.

 

When I was in town last I got her a new telephone (wivo). Last night she was chatting to her classmates on the LINE app' in English.

 

We have done the 'apples and pears', 'dog and bone' etc. She thought it a funny way to talk.

 

That's a wrap.

 

 

[AndyAndyAndy]

What is 'apples and pears', 'dog and bone'?

[GarryP]

8 minutes ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

What is 'apples and pears', 'dog and bone'?

Cockney rhyming slang. Stairs and phone. 

[owl sees all]

32 minutes ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

What is 'apples and pears', 'dog and bone'?

Yes, Gary nailed them.

 

There are hundreds of 'slang' words in English. And as BB said they have crept into the language over many years. Some of them can be complicated, and it's probably easier to say the word to start with. One that springs to mind is the saying for 'joking' or 'having a laugh'' when it's not obvious. That would be 'pulling my Hampton' or 'jerking my Gibraltar'.

 

Not so easy to comprehend are the little sayings that crop up. 'Don't get up to any "monkey business" while I'm away.' Probably originates from the French. They have played their part in making the English language so rich.