Good Things Topic.

[villagefarang]

We have 'good day' and 'bad day' topics. How about a list of things we like about Chiang Rai? Certainly we all have things that we like about the Rai. Feel free to mention your favorite tourist attraction, hotel, restaurant or bar, if you like, but I was thinking more along the lines of the less the commercial and less obvious.

I like this time of year, with its spectacular skies, lush green rice fields and a pace of life more controlled by nature than the clock on the wall. I also like my 50km, country road drives to town, believe it or not, especially on the motorbike. My list of things I love about the Rai is seemingly endless but I would rather hear from others. Big or small the only thing that matters, is that you like it. Please share.

[sceadugenga]

I like the arrivals gate at the airport, I go away far too often.

I like the mountains, I was always a sea person but never miss it while I have the mountains here.

I like it that most of the locals still genuinely smile at a farang.

I like the rivers, from the great Mekong down to the little streams that run all year round.

(To be continued).

[villagefarang]

I too grew up near the beach and the ocean, surfing and sailing small catamarans. Don't miss them much and at least part of the year, I am surrounded by a lush sea of green and big skies that seem to fill the void.

I like the cold foggy mornings of winter in the Rai.

[villagefarang]

I liked this evening's unique rain shower. Reminiscent of rains in Hawaii, on the leeward side of the island. The clouds came over the mountains to the east with welcome showers, while the sun was still well above the horizon to the west. Brilliant sunshine and falling rain turns the world into a sparkling fantasy, remarkable to behold.

[sceadugenga]

I like the Thais having a good time at my wife's birthday tonight.

The children watching the cake being cut with huge eyes.

The 300 baht flower arrangement I bought that would have cost me $80 in Australia.

I like watching the girls go by while I'm having a coffee in Big C, but then anyone who knows me already knows that.

[pomchop]

walking along chiang rai beach on a cool december morning

watching the rice harvest in mid november from my deck

watching the morning "rush hour" with Thais bundled up on their motorcys like they are going to the artic

watching the afternoon market being set up

buying fruits and veggies at some of the lowest prices on earth from roadside pickup truck markets

watching the gem boat guys sifting through gravel in the mae kok

watching thai kids ride their bikes with their dog following along

watching the young monks doing their morning rounds

riding my motorbike along the mae kok with no traffic in sight

watching the total chaos of saturday shopping at big C

eating fantastic food at give away prices at many CR restaurants

attending the annual chiang rai flower festival

planting a variety of plants/trees in my yard and being amazed at how fast they grow

watching the neighbors get all excited about killing and cooking a snake

walking around downtown chiang rai on a cool clear december morning

having a cold beer in the garden area of peace bar

taking visitors for a tour of the Red Rose Hotel

watching the light show at the clock tower

watching the hustle and bustle of the night market and the mix of thais and tourists

riding the "refugee bus" from chiang rai to mae sai and seeing what kind of characters show up

buying exotic plants at nurseries that would cost a fortune in the west for a few baht

watching the thai high schools students hanging out and goofing around after classes

having a pretty thai girl give me a big smile for no particular reason

having thai kids practice their limited "i am fine" english out on me

practicing my limited thai with thai kids and having them stare wide eyed at the farang before breaking into giggles

watching the beautiful orange blossoms appear throughtout chiang rai

[jubby]

Nice Pomchop. The Cools seasons pretty special.

You mentioned the orange blossoms, there seems to be a different Tree in Blossom all year round in these parts.

No ones mentioned 'Starry Starry Nights' . The Night sky has got to be the most spectacular I've seen anywhere.

very little light pollution I guess.

Maybe thats a queue for a song

[villagefarang]

Great post pomchop! Hope you don't mind that I gave you a 'reputation' point by clicking the icon in the lower right corner of your post. Really great stuff. You too, jubby, I love starry nights as well but without the music.

[sceadugenga]

That's cue Jubby, I doubt anyone's queuing to listen to "Starry Starry Night" (Vincent).

The orange blossom could be Philidelphus or Mock Orange, the one the Thais use to make the sweet smelling garlands they sell at traffic lights.

(Stolen from Wikipedia)

Edited July 15, 2010 by sceadugenga

[jubby]

Oh , I don't know Scea. Music calms the savage beast or something like that

[sceadugenga]

Breast Jubbles, breast... not quite the same thing.

"Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak." William Congreve.

[jubby]

Breast Jubbles, breast... not quite the same thing.

"Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak." William Congreve.

There you go again Scea. Lowering the tone.

That reminds me, Where's the best place for Coffee in Big C

Anyway, perhaps not the original saying, but its probably been said more often, and perhaps does ring true. Atleast in my world

and apparently There may have been a Freudian slip when Congreve meant beast.

Edited July 16, 2010 by jubby

[sceadugenga]

Well it's up to you guys with a bit more formal education to try and raise the tone a little, the scraps of knowledge I picked up were acquired from reading at truck stops or in sawmill lunch rooms. (A little reverse snobbery there).

I can see I'm going to have to be more careful who I'm seen with in public, I have a position to maintain in Chiang Rai society.

[jubby]

Well it's up to you guys with a bit more formal education to try and raise the tone a little, the scraps of knowledge I picked up were acquired from reading at truck stops or in sawmill lunch rooms. (A little reverse snobbery there).

I can see I'm going to have to be more careful who I'm seen with in public, I have a position to maintain in Chiang Rai society.

I was a Chicken Grader in a past life. Only Joking. Its funny , I always took you for a Teacher or something. Anyway, we're drifting, ever so innocently off-topic again.

Apologies to his great Virtuosity the Village Flang

[sceadugenga]

I like the way the gas bottle man came with a refill tonight within minutes of being called.

[Ulysses G.]

I always took you for a Teacher or something.

He is just being humble - actually quite clever for such a committed liberal.

[sceadugenga]

Socialist, socialist...

Obviously you missed Politics: 1a at college as well.

[jubby]

Socialist, socialist...

Obviously you missed Politics: 1a at college as well.

Liberal, Socialist ... I don't know. ...... . He's certainly a Protaganist .

[Ulysses G.]

I just like to push that particular button.

[Sateev]

Calling it "The Rai" reminds me of the Brat Pack calling Malibu "The 'Bu". Just a little too "Awesome, dude!" for my tastes...

[sceadugenga]

Ah well, you can't please every one.

[skybluestu]

Calling it "The Rai" reminds me of the Brat Pack calling Malibu "The 'Bu". Just a little too "Awesome, dude!" for my tastes...

to The Rai

[svenivan]

Oh , I don't know Scea. Music calms the savage beast or something like that

Thank you Jubby, Vincent was one of my favorite artists. I have read the book about his life 3-4 times. He was a very special man. This song with the video of his paintings was great!

[Garry]

To quote pomchop : watching the neighbors get all excited about killing and cooking a snake

Seeing my father in law come home from the farm with a big smil on his face and with two huge (live) rice rats for dinner. Guess who is dinner

For some strange reason the rice rats get majorly upset when you come near them

Edited July 20, 2010 by Garry

[jubby]

Oh , I don't know Scea. Music calms the savage beast or something like that

Thank you Jubby, Vincent was one of my favorite artists. I have read the book about his life 3-4 times. He was a very special man. This song with the video of his paintings was great!

Yes, Its quite a special Video . There are a few Oriental Ladies trying to sing the song also on youtube. Check them out.

Edited July 21, 2010 by jubby

[pomchop]

Great post pomchop! Hope you don't mind that I gave you a 'reputation' point by clicking the icon in the lower right corner of your post. Really great stuff. You too, jubby, I love starry nights as well but without the music.

OK i am sitting in USA and bored....so i find that i enjoy thinking of positive things about Chiang Rai...here's some more...

hearing massage parlor girls ask "massage sir?" in a sing song voice

sitting on a bench at wat mengrai enjoying the solitude

climbing the steps to the top of wat doi kong khao

wading in the mae kok river on a hot day

getting a cup of water thrown on me by a giggling 6 year old girl during song kran

having the neighbors' dogs bark and growl until they realize it's just the farang coming home

having my laundry picked up, cleaned and delivered back to my home for 75 baht a week

having the water man deliver big jugs of water for 12 baht and refuse a tip

having security guards click their heels and salute me like I am someone important

watching female office workers drink whiskey with their lunch

knowing five of the dancing shrimp's sexy waitresses by name

having my motorbike oil changed for less than the cost of a cup of coffee

watching workers climb and trim my trees with no ladders and only a machete

having workers show up ready to work but without a tool to their name

never having to worry much about the cost of most any repair to anything

paying my electric and internet phone bill at 7/11 with no hassles

getting caught in the pedestrian traffic jam on Saturday night at the walking street market

parking at wang come hotel for 20 baht

visiting an ear doctor and having my total bill be 100 baht

trying to figure out what all goes on at the sperm club, the par club and the womb

buying eggs that haven't been refrigerated and not worrying about it

cooking up big pots of vegetable stew with many vegetables that i don't even recognize

having TOT guys show up to repair my internet and actually get it fixed and no charge

watching Thais collect red tree flowers and turn them into something tasty

watching the ice cream tuk tuks roaming all over chiang rai selling 10 baht ice creams

watching Thai ladies grubbing around in streams and lakes catching who knows what kind of critters

having a hill tribe girl in the afternoon market try to line me up with her friend

trying to walk for exercise along the river and having Thais try to give me a ride

watching the Thais build buildings with bamboo scaffolding and not a hard hat in sight

watching young Thais flirting and drinking whiskey at chiang rai beach

having a nice buffett at rim kok hotel for 140 baht

eating a tasty platter of chicken steak, french fries, salad and bread for 69 baht

eating a bowl of 10 baht noodle soup served by a ten year old kid

watching a bicycle tuktuk driver older than Methuselah peddle an even older lady around town

seeing how many Thais can fit on one motorbike

seeing how many Thais can fit into the back of a pickup truck

seeing how many different businesses can be built onto a Honda wave motorbike

pulling into a gas station and having 3 uniformed attendants gas my motorbike and clean my rear view mirrors and not expect a tip

seeing how many different kinds of motorized vehicles Thais can come up with

wandering around in various food markets and being offered free samples of many things i don't recognize

holding my nose to cover the smell of the seafood section at big C

trying to figure out when and where the baht buses at the afternoon market actually go

laughing at some of the prices for imported goods at big C

having a big C employee push my cart to an available cashier for me

getting treated like a VIP just for being a farang and showing up

having a waitress wai and thank me for a 5 baht tip

taking my big C register receipt to the premium counter and winning a can of coke

trying to figure out how they decide who wins what at the big C premium counter

not really caring how they decide who wins what at the big C premium counter

the boat trip down the mae kok from tha ton to chiang rai

standing in line at 7 11 and having a little lady jump the line on me and i don't even care

spending a night at the garden home bungalow in tha ton

sitting at the chiang rai bus station and trying to fathom who is going where and why

watching a new monk induction ceremony with all his family present and oh so proud

watching the sunset from my balcony with an ice cold beer chang

going to the public hospital and having poor Thai people insist that i go to the front of the line

seeing a doctor for less than the parking would cost in the west

chasing chickens out of my yard in Thai assuming they will understand me

having Thais constantly tell me how good my Thai is when i know it's not

stopping for directions and having a group of Thais gather around to see what the farang wants

breakfast at nice kitchen near wat jed yod watching the goings on

getting lost on my motorbike in the middle of nowhere and enjoying it

walking across the mae sai bridge and being back in Thailand with a new visa stamp in less than ten minutes

going to the CR post office and feeling like a local

buying an entire watermelon for 10 baht

having an entire wall at 7/ 11 featuring snacks for 20 baht or less

the first big rainstorm at the end of the cool dry season

watching a yellow Buddha flag flap in the breeze

visiting the 10 baht stores and being amazed at all the items available for 10 baht

watching the aerobics and exercisers at the old airport and wondering who is who

having the mail man show up at my house on a motorbike and wondering how he found me

eating a burger at Barrys at the golf course

watching the beer garden girls at big C strut their stuff

trying to figure out which girls are high school and which ones are college students

enjoying how tight a high school girl can have a white blouse without popping buttons

watching farang backpackers walk around with massive backpacks that defy all logic

being able to sometimes go for days and not hear another person speak English or hassle me

watching the frog giggers appear in the rice paddies at night after the first big rain

seeing a bright blue bird with long yellow feathers in the wild

seeing a nasty looking snake race across the road in front of my motorbike

watching hilltribe people float down the mae kok on hand made bamboo rafts

having to put an extra blanket on my bed because its freezing

being able to see my breath on a few extra cool mornings

flying in and out of CR airport without most of the usual airport hassles and BS

[jubby]

Wow, Don't hold back on us Pomchop

I've never seen female office workers drink whiskey with their lunch. Must be a stressful Job I Guess

And where exactly is this 'dancing shrimp' place , just out of curiosity

[jubby]

double post

Edited July 22, 2010 by jubby

[sceadugenga]

Must have been "happy birtday" someone...

[jubby]

Arai Wah !? ....... I'm slow Scea. You know that

Anyway, off to see a man (or woman) about a dog, or maybe internet service