Isaan hit by oncoming cold snap

[SantiSuk]

Is the Government seriously recommending that all people should consult a physician if they start to show symptoms of a common cold??

What's the physician gonna tell them? "A cold is usually a virus and cannot be treated - go down the supermarket and buy some paracetemol etc and soothe your symptoms". What a wast of publicly-funded doctors time. Do what any normal government would do and put out media guidance on how to treat yourself and when it is serious enough to consult a specialist.

I've lost count of the number of times my wife has taken our young one down to the doctor for a simple first sign of fever or cough only to come back with a bill of 300 baht and some OTC medecine and of course the obligatory vitamin C. There's just no common sense applied to health in Thailand.

[ragandboneman]

Still waiting for the cold snap to arrive !!

[farangbanok]

Well yesterday morning 05.00 or thereabouts it felt f-f-f-f-f- freezing to me on Mittrapharp Highway between Khon Kaen and Udon.

Damned floods in Central stopped me taking the train to Nong Khye for my (urgent) visa run.

I drove at 60 to 65 because I feared black ice!

Seriously my fingers were numb with the cold - although I was wearing two coats the rest of me was cold also.

Hotter today on the way back though I am VERY happy to say

[plachon]

Post by plachon

You always get these exaggerated weather non-stories at this time of year, foretelling of freezing weather and menacing illnesses for the North and Isaan, when in the event, the temperature drops from hot to slightly less hot and life carries on as before. The main beneficiaries of these predictions, as far as I can tell, are pharmacists selling more anti-flu remedies and the Dept of Disaster Prevention, which then seems to think it has the green light to declare a "cold disaster" and cash in big time, by going on a blanket spending spree (at hugely elevated prices, of course), which it can then hand out to grateful (but sweaty) villagers. I was living in Sakon Nakhon a few years ago when they claimed the temperature was 16 C, but I swear it never made it below 20 C, even at nights in the Phu Phan hills. In other words, its a good ol' time-tested scam.

I am every December and January in Phu Phan because we support a forest temple that is run by my favorite monk that blessed me for the wedding, the birth of my son, the blessing of my new car, the blessing of my new Scooter and I enjoy my time with him and can switch of my mind. It if would have been 20 degrees I wouldn't complain but the temperature outside of the car showed 14 degrees that's why I took your post not serious. Blaming the government for making an extra bug shows the real intention of your post. BTW: Our house always get two blankets every years for the past 3 years. Don't really care if the government makes a profit because the blankets are free for us and have a nice Chang Beer Classic sticker on it but I do prefer Chang Export.

I was not claiming that the temperature never goes below 20 C in Phu Phan hills, as I know very well it does, as I've lived in various parts of Isaan for some dozen years and experienced cool weather down to about 10 C at various times and places (Loei being the coolest). My point was that there is a tendency (approaching a trend) over the last few years for certain government depts, to claim a "cold disaster" (and 14 C in my book is hardly a disaster unless you are a naked wimp) ahead of time, for the sole purpose of unleashing funds reserved for climatic disasters from the central budget. Since the formation of the Dept of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation this tendency has got worse, to the point where I noted in 2010 a claim by this Dept that Sakon Nakhon was experiencing 16 C minimums and was in the grip of a "disaster", when in actual fact the min temp at the time was no lower than 20 C. In other words, they exaggerated how cool it was in order to release funds from the govt.

The second part of your post rather proves what a scam this is, by the very fact you claim that your house has been given 2 blankets every year for the past 3 years. If this is the case, then it shows what a waste of money this programme is and how it has been turned into institutionalised corruption, where subsidised goods (invariably bought at inflated prices by said Dept) are handed out year in year out to people that either don't need them or can very easily afford to buy them themselves. It costs the honest taxpayer a fortune, enriches already wealthy govt officials and is easily exposed as fraudulent, if there was any appetite for halting such rent seeking. Thanks for vindicating my original post though.

[mackayae]

"and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today".

[longstebe]

"and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today".

My missus hasn't got one of those so she should be fine.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[MobileContent]

16 degree this morning in Sakon Nakhon.

[wayned]

Time for the market vendors to break out their supply of used heavy jackets and blankets!

[NeverSure]

16 degree this morning in Sakon Nakhon.

16C? OMG everyone will die. This is a disaster. Surely the government will break out a lot of brown envelopes emergency money to save everyone.

[MJP]

16 degree this morning in Sakon Nakhon.

16C? OMG everyone will die. This is a disaster. Surely the government will break out a lot of brown envelopes emergency money to save everyone.

I think it dropped to 5 degree C here in the NE boonies, back quite a few years ago. It was like a national emergency. People's lives were at risk, huddled round fires in duvets and gloves and wooly ski mask things.

I was lovin' it! My optimum operating temperature, out in shorts and light cotton shirt.

[ChrisB87]

Nice! Little bit of chilly weather!