Diary of a farang in Isaan

[Kadilo]

Send us some heat guys. Been Baltic here in UK. After a somewhat uneventful Xmas I decided I needed a change of scenery in my time off so I decided to stay put in Aberdeen, renting an Apartment and setting myself a target of walking 10 miles/day to explore the area, which I’ve so far managed in the first 5 days. 

 

The rules are the same here in Scotland as they are in England in terms of lockdown. We are allowed outside for exercise only and to shop for essentials so there is not a lot to do and not a lot open apart from Food shops, takeaways and Poundland. Although it does feel more relaxed here in Scotland compared to home. ????????????????????????????

 

There does not appear to be any end to this any time soon in as far as travelling goes and I am beginning to think my next visit will be when I retire in 2-3 years time. Our wonderful Government have also now come out and said that there will be no Vaccine Cert as it’s discriminatory so when Thailand eventually opens up and demands to see one (as we know they will)  it’s gonna be another mess to sort out. It’s hard to believe a year on that Internationally we couldn’t even get our act together and prepared for this eventuality. It’s not like we didn’t know it was coming. 

 

Anyhow a few snaps below (low quality iPhone 6 style) whilst Ive been strolling around. I normally use the beach area during my walks as I love being by the water. It’s nice to contrast how it is now with how it was during the summer when I was here. Still lots of walkers and joggers about during the weekend despite the cold and Covid. They make them a lot tougher up here. 

 

Waked round to the mouth of the harbour to see some of the supply vessels coming and going. Them guys earn their money in these conditions. I normally only see them upside the rig. They can spend weeks at sea, rather them than me. 

 

Lots of links golf courses along the coastline. I usually see them on the way in on the chopper so walked to one of them which I now know to be the Royal Aberdeen. Had a healthy walk around the course as I do t think they will be playing here any time soon. I say healthy as I took in a few greens on my round ????. 

 

Back to thailand, my girlfriends brother and his wife have started to make their home with the money they are making in Korea. They have been there about 2 and a half years now and managed to stay clear of the immigration. The last I heard was he was working in a factory on a conveyor belt and she on a farm. I was sceptical when they went as you hear the many stores but credit where it is due they are still there. In addition their daughter is now only 4 and son 11 ish and although they Skype every evening it can’t be easy. The house is 3 bed and I’m told up to now it’s cost them 110,000 baht which is basically the shell and block plastered. It’s in the grounds of the gfs home so the old man can keep an eye. I don’t think they are intending to return any time soon. Once the house is complete they want a truck ????

 

Hammers vs Man Yoo tonight. Not expecting a win but you never know. Keeping top 6 is a bigger challenge. 

Jimmy Anderson is on fire vs India in the first test, another 6 wickets to go for a historic win. 

 

Keep the posts coming guys. It’s good for us stuck wherever to see life as we want to live it one day...........whenever that day may be. Stay safe. 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Kadilo

[faraday]

Looks lovely, although bloomin' cold, hope you've got yer thermals on!

 

Raining & cold (to me anyway) here in Nongbualamphu.

 

What's the vaccination situation in Scotland? My UK bil had the AZ last week, apart from feeling a little tired, he's ok.

 

When are you next offshore?

 

Keep warm, & your spirits ???? up!

 

@Kadilo

 

 

[Golden Triangle]

@owl sees all sorry I meant to ask earlier, what's with the dumping of the dirt as in your earlier pics ? 

[Kadilo]

6 minutes ago, faraday said:

Looks lovely, although bloomin' cold, hope you've got yer thermals on!

 

Raining & cold (to me anyway) here in Nongbualamphu.

 

What's the vaccination situation in Scotland? My UK bil had the AZ last week, apart from feeling a little tired, he's ok.

 

When are you next offshore?

 

Keep warm, & your spirits ???? up!

 

@Kadilo

 

 

Yeah there are a few layers on for sure. The wind chill is the main thing, they say it’s -6 and feels every bit of it. 

 

The UK is over 12 million now and I’m not sure of the exact stats here in Scotland but I hear they are on target and have all the over 80 and vulnerable done. 

 

I’m offshore again in 2 weeks. My Retirement Visa ends in March so will have to go through all that again when I eventually return which is annoying. 

 

The AZ vaccine is hitting the news here as they have raced through the vaccination programme at a rate of knowledge and are now saying that it doesn’t respond as well to the SA strain in tests so people getting all panicky again. 

 

Hard to see any end to this tbh but at least it gives me the chance to explore other things and some people have things a lot worse than me for sure. 

 

Cheers. 

[owl sees all]

2 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

@owl sees all sorry I meant to ask earlier, what's with the dumping of the dirt as in your earlier pics ? 

I don't fully know GT.

 

There was a pond getting dug outside the village. There are two aspects to this:

 

Firstly, the contractors charge for a truck load of soil from the person having the pond dug.

Secondly, the soil is then sold to anyone who wants it.

 

If the soil is stony, there will plenty of takers. If the truck just has mud and clay, no-one wants it. This soil was pretty good. I guess that's why. But I think a couple of villagers have gone OTT.

[bannork]

Still raining here Owl, cows are in the shed all day. I cut and shred some Napier grass for them earlier but now it's straw from our haystack for the rest of the day, I'm afraid. Dropped in to see some goats nearby.

[owl sees all]

45 minutes ago, bannork said:

Still raining here Owl, cows are in the shed all day. I cut and shred some Napier grass for them earlier but now it's straw from our haystack for the rest of the day, I'm afraid. Dropped in to see some goats nearby.

That is a cracking pic of the goats.

 

The rain has made a mess of the road outside.

 

 

I guess it will all wash away in time. A stiff broom could help!

[bannork]

Meant to ask you Owl, did you ever drop in on Brian's restaurant/ cafe in Ban Dung, past the hospital going into town, on the left about 100 yards after the road narrows to two lanes? Anyway, he's now moved to Nong Khai and opened a restaurant there near the Vietnamese one on the promenade.  

Kadilo, I once worked in The Shetlands on a building site back in 1975. Wonderful scenery, the coves etc but I was struck by the trees. There weren't any! We lived in a caravan in a field and were woken up regularly by cows grazing and bumping into the side of the caravan.

 

[Odysseus123]

2 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

Sorry for the late reply Ody.Now to answer your question why I find Australia to be totally undesirable.

Firstly it started when my wife's residency application was denied about 20 years ago.We were also informed off the record that because of that she wouldn't be granted any visas in the future.We did try for a tourist visa about seven years ago to go to a bit of a Christmas family reunion and that was also denied.After the initial visa denial I began to view Oz from a different perspective and began to notice the hypocrisy in things like " a fair go" is a core Australian value in the way Aboriginals are treated and have been treated in the past.They have had their land and sovereignty  stolen and have no rights to it because of "terra nullius" which states there was nobody in Australia when the English arrived which was decided by the high court and is obviously a lie.For me Australia is based on a lie. So I've decided that if the Australian Government thinks that is what "a fair go" is and then go around the world criticising other countries for how they treat their people is a somewhat hypocritical.These are the two core reasons I find Australia "totally undesirable" and until they are addressed I will continue to do so.For me these things outweigh Australia's many positives and hold it back from becoming a truly great nation.

Well..that is a different answer to the one I was expecting..which is generally along the lines of "cheaper cost of living..lower rents..access to women.." which I generally see on threads on this forum.

 

As I don't know the personal details of why Immigration rejected the application I can hardly comment altho' my wife's and her friends applications have all gone as smooth as silk and without any unnecessary fuss-my wife is well on her way to citizenship now.All Thai that I happen to speak to seem to be very happy to be here,sense the opportunities for the future and regard the benefits they and their offspring receive as far beyond what they might expect in Thailand.

 

"Terra Nullius" was rejected by the High Court 30 years ago.

 

Now..I live in a "mixed race" rural town but that also includes significant groups of Filipino's and Thai with a smattering of Khmer and muslims from Bangladesh and Pakistan.My doctors are Chinese,Egyptian,and Pakistani.One of my friends is Swedish and another from Zimbabwe.My wife cooks kangaroo red curries for our koorie neighbours..they,in turn,bring her fish (gratis)that they have caught in the river.

 

Sure..it's all a work in progress...

 

 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Odysseus123

[owl sees all]

23 minutes ago, bannork said:

Meant to ask you Owl, did you ever drop in on Brian's restaurant/ cafe in Ban Dung, past the hospital going into town, on the left about 100 yards after the road narrows to two lanes? Anyway, he's now moved to Nong Khai and opened a restaurant there near the Vietnamese one on the promenade.  

Kadilo, I once worked in The Shetlands on a building site back in 1975. Wonderful scenery, the coves etc but I was struck by the trees. There weren't any! We lived in a caravan in a field and were woken up regularly by cows grazing and bumping into the side of the caravan.

 

If it's the one I'm thinking of; no.

 

A French guy opened a restaurant just along there, a couple of years back. Could be the same place.

 

Also, there was a bar/grub gaff named the 'Sports Bar' a few years back; along that stretch of shops. Went in there a few times.

Edited February 9, 2021 by owl sees all

[Kadilo]

15 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

If it's the one I'm thinking of; no.

 

There was a French guy opened a restaurant just along there, a couple of years back. Could be the same place.

 

There was a bar/grub gaff named the 'Sports Bar' a few years back; along that stretch of shops. Went in there a few times.

Every town/city has a “Sports Bar”????

[FarFlungFalang]

6 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

"Terra Nullius" was rejected by the High Court 30 years ago.

"In the Mabo case the High Court rejected Terra Nullius, but only to the extent that common law had failed to recognise and protect the pre-existing land rights of Indigenous Australians.

 

However Terra Nullius remains in place as the basis in 'international law' for Britain's acquisition of Sovereignty over Australia and its Indigenous peoples." 

[Odysseus123]

2 minutes ago, FarFlungFalang said:

However Terra Nullius remains in place as the basis in 'international law' for Britain's acquisition of Sovereignty over Australia and its Indigenous peoples." 

Of course-it was 1770 after all when Lieutenant James Cook claimed sovereignty over the eastern coast of Australia-which in a quite bizarre piece of nomenclature he called New South Wales.

 

The eastern coast of Australia looks nothing like 'South Wales' and,in fact,I laughed aloud when I had the opportunity to compare them.????

[owl sees all]

Interesting short story about a guy who opened a bar/food joint in Ban Dung a few years back.

 

He was doing very well, but in the second month a Thai drunk came into the bar and lay down in the corner. He wouldn't more and any attempts to move him - by local Thai guys - was met with kicking and screaming. After half an hour he got up and left, but not before the evening was ruined for the bar owner.

 

The next day, just after opening, he had a visit from a local uniformed peeler. The cop spoke to the wife. Then quietly left. Asked what the cop had said, she replied; "Man last night was bad man. Cannot stop him doing again. But policeman will help." "How?" "I agree pay 4k each month to stop."

 

Even in Isaan, where the rules sometimes don't apply, someone is always on the make/take, it seems.

Edited February 9, 2021 by owl sees all

[FarFlungFalang]

12 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Of course-it was 1770 after all when Lieutenant James Cook claimed sovereignty over the eastern coast of Australia-which in a quite bizarre piece of nomenclature he called New South Wales.

 

The eastern coast of Australia looks nothing like 'South Wales' and,in fact,I laughed aloud when I had the opportunity to compare them.????

Of course it would be remiss of me not to recognise my own hypocrisy after working in the Pilbara for 12 years aiding and abetting in the raping and pillaging of the land along side many Aboriginals and reaping my share of the spoils, most of which has been pilfered by my ever loving wife, such is the nature of sharing and caring.What's even worse is I would be happy to return for further raping and pillaging if I were given the opportunity. ???? Poor poor pitiful me, as the saying goes.

[Odysseus123]

33 minutes ago, FarFlungFalang said:

Of course it would be remiss of me not to recognise my own hypocrisy after working in the Pilbara for 12 years aiding and abetting in the raping and pillaging of the land along side many Aboriginals and reaping my share of the spoils, most of which has been pilfered by my ever loving wife, such is the nature of sharing and caring.What's even worse is I would be happy to return for further raping and pillaging if I were given the opportunity. ???? Poor poor pitiful me, as the saying goes.

You need a bit of humour,my friend..

Here it is..'Fluvius Nullius'

 

[FarFlungFalang]

1 hour ago, Odysseus123 said:

You need a bit of humour,my friend..

Here it is..'Fluvius Nullius'

 

If that was a Thai word in the middle it would nearly be No Water Creek

Edited February 9, 2021 by FarFlungFalang

[Odysseus123]

1 hour ago, FarFlungFalang said:

If that was a Thai word in the middle it would nearly be No Water Creek

'Som nam na" creek?

 

Well we have wandered a bit of topic me old mate and I shall return it to Owl and life in Isaan..the fishing fleet...Ubon..

 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Odysseus123

[sotonowl]

16 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

Of course-it was 1770 after all when Lieutenant James Cook claimed sovereignty over the eastern coast of Australia-which in a quite bizarre piece of nomenclature he called New South Wales.

 

The eastern coast of Australia looks nothing like 'South Wales' and,in fact,I laughed aloud when I had the opportunity to compare them.????

Yes, another tale about Captain Cook was when he landed in Australia and saw an animal jumping around he asked an Aborigine bloke what the strange animal was called. The Aborigine said Kangaroo. Little did Captain Cook realise that Kangaroo in Aborigine means "I haven't got a <deleted> clue mate". And the rest is history. True story BTW.

[owl sees all]

That rain yesterday caught out people who put down soil/stone/mud and then forgot about it.

 

 

Looks like a business pick-up too.

 

 

It takes a whole wet season to wash the mud out of the stone.

[owl sees all]

8 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

That rain yesterday caught out people who put down soil/stone/mud and then forgot about it.

 

 

Looks like a business pick-up too.

 

 

It takes a whole wet season to wash the mud out of the stone.

 

And next door to us.

 

 

Will not be driving up there any time soon.

 

[bojo]

17 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Interesting short story about a guy who opened a bar/food joint in Ban Dung a few years back.

 

He was doing very well, but in the second month a Thai drunk came into the bar and lay down in the corner. He wouldn't more and any attempts to move him - by local Thai guys - was met with kicking and screaming. After half an hour he got up and left, but not before the evening was ruined for the bar owner.

 

The next day, just after opening, he had a visit from a local uniformed peeler. The cop spoke to the wife. Then quietly left. Asked what the cop had said, she replied; "Man last night was bad man. Cannot stop him doing again. But policeman will help." "How?" "I agree pay 4k each month to stop."

 

Even in Isaan, where the rules sometimes don't apply, someone is always on the make/take, it seems.

That's a bit of a random story, albeit an entertaining one.................around the world, the face of extortion and protection is the same, just the price is different, yet relative...the peeler (showing your age here Owl), could have left it a few days b4 showing his cards..!!

[owl sees all]

Owl Log - 11-02-2021 - Thursday morning

 

Mrs Owl has gone to Buddha this morning. So very quiet, Can only hear the cockerels crowing in the soi. Dogs quiet.

 

View is our soi outside. Into the down-town area of the village.

 

 

Big smoke. Three days ago; before rain.

 

 

There are poor people everywhere in the village. Not just down-town.

 

 

 

And across the main road where Mildred gets picked up by the bus,

 

 

Yes! A family really does live there.

 

The dogs are such a problem that we have to close the gate to stop them getting in and scaring Charkie and Jack the Whack. 

 

 

Charkie is an old cat and would stand little chance against a dog. Best bet for her is to run up a tree.

 

My DinL (Mrs Owl's older daughter) has moved into her new house. Time then to give away our furnishings. And help with some new.

 

 

 

Went to the 20 baht shop in the week to get some fittings for the bathroom.

 

 

Nice new tap. The last one (orange top) didn't squirt out the water good.

 

What a find!? In the 20 baht shop they had "Super fast phone chargers." I  had to get one. A nice surprise when I plugged it in at home.

 

 

Lit up the room. Another gem from the best shop in town. What else couldn't I resist? Pack of 8 super glues, latex filler, special scissors and some extra-long cable ties.

 

 

Reminds me of Poundland back in England.

 

Very good news about my nuts.

 

 

 

Pook is gutted! She spent a month putting out her water pipes and then it rained. Never mind. Might not rain for another month or so. Checked her later level. Not sure if she has a month's water in the pond.

 

 

 

Mrs Owl potters about at the farm most days looking after her 'garden'. The smaller trees are always needing attention..

 

 

Two ladies working at the farm yesterday and today. They are putting urea around the little trees that are not doing so well. 350 baht a day each.

 

My Lazada Xylitol sweetener is due to be delivered today. Hope my Cuppa Rosy still tastes good with the new stuff. Trying to get all unnecessary sugar out of my diet. Stopped drinking beer six month ago. No more doughnuts. Only drink tea, chlorophyll water and reishi wine now.

 

 

Where is my book?!  Ordered twenty-three days ago. Checked on the book site and it said it had been signed off into Thailand on the 24th of Jan'. Have to pick Mildred up from school at 16-00 today. Maybe a visit to the post office in Ban Dung might be worthwhile.

 

The delightful twins are walking about now. It's their birthday today. Gave them an 'eh oh' and sang a bit of happy birthday (Dagenham version) to them. They were really thrilled.

 

Put Mildred's phone into the 'Phone Clinic' in Ban Dung yesterday to have the cracked screen fixed. Got it back twenty minutes later; as good as new. Just 100 baht. Mil's other telephone has not burst into life after getting wet a while back. Gonna send it away to the Wiko repair centre in Bangkok today.

 

Lovely day today. Sunny, about 20 degrees C, and just the hint of a breeze.

 

Mrs Owl has returned from Buddha and gone to town in the Pick-up. Her daughter needs to buy stuff for the new home. I told her to take Nan to the 20 baht shop. Can get everything there.

 

A funny thing last evening. Heart rate was around 120+ from about seven until retiring at 21-30. Felt strange. Almost an out-of-body experience. Breathing normal at 6/7 a min' though. Back to normal this morning at 50/52. Was 40ish yonks ago when I was in SF and super fit. Those were the days! Gone all health conscious recently.

 

Put a section of roof in the pick-up. Have to get 4 and an end section in town today, or next week. Have the ladder ready. Brought it from the farm two days ago. Decided on the step ladder rather than the extendable.

 

Stay safe.

 

By y'all.

 

Edited February 11, 2021 by owl sees all

[bluesofa]

32 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

Owl Log - 11-02-2021 - Thursday morning

 

Mrs Owl has gone to Buddha this morning. So very quiet, Can only hear the cockerels crowing in the soi. Dogs quiet.

Very sorry for your loss.

 

33 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

Mrs Owl has returned from Buddha and gone to town in the Pick-up. Her daughter needs to buy stuff for the new home.

Ooh, it's the resurrection already. Not even three days.

[FarFlungFalang]

A higher pulse rate is normal when your nuts are rooting!

[owl sees all]

23 minutes ago, FarFlungFalang said:

A higher pulse rate is normal when your nuts are rooting!

Yes, yes, yes!

 

There is something very satisfying in getting one's nuts to take root. I've been try for years to get success in this.

 

These are the only two nuts from seven. I'll leave these two to stew in the chlorophyll water until the roots fill their plastic cups. Then I'll transfer them to a grow bag.

 

It's not all successes though. The last batch of mango nuts failed miserably. Maybe too cold. And my experiments with ginger have not been yielding good results.

 

I'll do a post just on plants an a couple of days.  

Edited February 11, 2021 by owl sees all

[bannork]

Sounds like your accelerated heart rate worried you Owl. If you get the symptoms again you could go to Ban Dung hospital who might refer you to Udon for checks. Otherwise the private hospital(s) in Udon will cost an arm and leg.

Because of high blood pressure I see the doc at Ban Dung every 3 months and having a Social Security card the pills are cheap, BP at 130. I asked for statins to lower my cholesterol and got those too. They do a blood and urine test every 6 months and the nurse warned me I was at risk of diabetes so I cut out adding sugar to anything, stopped drinking soft drinks etc. 

The nurse kept telling the locals to cut down on sticky rice due to high sugar content.

I've had to forgo on the HP sauce too, high sugar levels, dam! Still mustard is a healthy alternative.

Great weather after the rain, everything's refreshed on the farm, new grass for the cows and the banana trees are looking very pleased with themselves. 

[bluesofa]

19 minutes ago, bannork said:

Sounds like your accelerated heart rate worried you Owl. If you get the symptoms again you could go to Ban Dung hospital who might refer you to Udon for checks. Otherwise the private hospital(s) in Udon will cost an arm and leg.

Because of high blood pressure I see the doc at Ban Dung every 3 months and having a Social Security card the pills are cheap, BP at 130. I asked for statins to lower my cholesterol and got those too. They do a blood and urine test every 6 months and the nurse warned me I was at risk of diabetes so I cut out adding sugar to anything, stopped drinking soft drinks etc. 

The nurse kept telling the locals to cut down on sticky rice due to high sugar content.

I've had to forgo on the HP sauce too, high sugar levels, dam! Still mustard is a healthy alternative.

Great weather after the rain, everything's refreshed on the farm, new grass for the cows and the banana trees are looking very pleased with themselves. 

That's very sad about the sugar in HP sauce. Apparently there's 23%. Sadly I see mustard's also in there at 13%.

sauce source: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36071678    

 

It's crazy the amount of salt, sugar, fat is added to processed food  by the manufacturers. I often mention this book of the same name, well worth reading:

"Salt Sugar Fat is a breathtaking feat of reporting. Michael Moss was able to get executives of the world's largest food companies to admit that they have only one job—to maximize sales and profits—and to reveal how they deliberately entice customers by stuffing their products with salt, sugar, and fat."

 

[Golden Triangle]

52 minutes ago, bannork said:

Sounds like your accelerated heart rate worried you Owl. If you get the symptoms again you could go to Ban Dung hospital who might refer you to Udon for checks. Otherwise the private hospital(s) in Udon will cost an arm and leg.

Because of high blood pressure I see the doc at Ban Dung every 3 months and having a Social Security card the pills are cheap, BP at 130. I asked for statins to lower my cholesterol and got those too. They do a blood and urine test every 6 months and the nurse warned me I was at risk of diabetes so I cut out adding sugar to anything, stopped drinking soft drinks etc. 

The nurse kept telling the locals to cut down on sticky rice due to high sugar content.

I've had to forgo on the HP sauce too, high sugar levels, dam! Still mustard is a healthy alternative.

Great weather after the rain, everything's refreshed on the farm, new grass for the cows and the banana trees are looking very pleased with themselves. 

Damn I wasn't aware of the high sugar in HP sauce, I usually only have it when I have Pork Pies or very occasionally a canned corned beef sarny with lashings of HP Sauce ????????

 

Not the healthiest choice but by eck does it ever taste good ???? 

Edited February 11, 2021 by Golden Triangle

[owl sees all]

1 hour ago, bannork said:

Sounds like your accelerated heart rate worried you Owl. If you get the symptoms again you could go to Ban Dung hospital who might refer you to Udon for checks. Otherwise the private hospital(s) in Udon will cost an arm and leg.

This occurrence was the first time ever. I did feel strange, but breathing and physicality was fine. 

 

No problem getting to sleep and felt OK today.

 

looked on the www and see that the increase in heart rate could be caused by stress. I told Mrs Owl. She told me to stop doing it.

 

I can get a card for the hospital. But I'm not keen hospitals or doctors or nurses. Prefer the advice on TVForum.

Edited February 11, 2021 by owl sees all