Flooding in Chiang Mai

Sawadee Khrap

Spent almost 3.5 hours yesterday getting my Visa renewed – 20 min for the actual renewal, but 3 hrs. waiting in line – I got there late and was number 12 in line.  Oh well, only once a year.

CM-floodOn my way down to the Immigration Center I took the Super Highway and it was starting to flood about Chiang Mai Land area. I made it through but I would imagine that within a couple of hours it was totally blocked and flooded.  I planned on going out later in the day and take some photos but was just too tired and stayed home watching TV – thankfully, Peter and his team got some shots of the flooding and a nice review.  Check it out

Ciao

Chiang Mai Nostalgia

Sawadee Khrap

Just a post to mention the great job of presenting Chiang Mai Gay nostalgia that K. Note, Peter and the boys at Radchada Café are doing on their website.  Radchada3Going back prior to 2006, they are compiling a terrific review of the happenings and venues.

Ohhhh, how they are missed. Damn right quiet around here now. 

I fondly remember many of the bars and places mentioned, I arrived here in late 2005 and started this blog in April 2006 – Check out some of the earlier posts here and keep checking in to Radchada to see ‘Whatever Happened to ……’.     I am going to go through my old photos and sent them to Peter, maybe he can use them in his articles.

Ciao

Happy Birthday–Nixon

Sawadee Khrap

I’ve lost all contact with a old friend “Nixon”  and I hope he still checks my blog from time to time.   If so, HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

I met Nixon about 10 years ago- at that time he was living in the SF. ghetto and was just a snotty, arrogant little shit.  But he had something that made him stand out and talking to him you would realize that he was really not that way.  I had the pleasure of watching him grow and become a solid citizen over the 5 years I was living in San Francisco and we did keep touch for the first couple of years I was in Thailand. But for the past couple of years, no word and the email addresses I have are not valid any more.

The last I heard from him was when he was in the Navy at San Diego, I think he was stationed there – Nurses’ Instructor, I believe. Far cry since I first met him.  All this he did by himself for himself, jobs,  school and maybe now a family or more likely a partner.

Hi Nixon, I hope you read this and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, love to hear from you again and better yet – visit Chiang Mai.

Ciao

Khun Churn Vegetarian–Chiang Mai

Sawadee Khrap

Just a follow up on my new diet – I have never felt better and getting better each day – as I said earlier amazing.

Every day for lunch I have been going to Khun Churn Vegetarian Restaurant.KhunChurnKhunChurn-2 There I met Khun Tum, Manager of the location, but didn’t realize till now that they were so big, 4 sites – Chiang Mai and BKK.  The CM site is at Soi 11, off Nimmanhaemin Road -  The photo above is the Owner, but I haven’t met him yet.  Wonderful food and extremely great prices. Check out some reviews.

Ciao

Did they name them correctly ??

The English language has some wonderfully anthropomorphic collective nouns for the various groups of animals.
We are all familiar with a

  • Herd of cows and a  Flock of chickens,
  • School of fish  and a Gaggle of geese.

However, less widely known is a

  • Pride of lions  and a Exaltation of doves
  • Murder of crows (as well as their cousins the rooks and ravens)
  • Parliament of owls – presumably because they look so wise.

Now consider a group of Baboons. They are the

  • loudest, most dangerous
  • most obnoxious, most viciously aggressive
  • and least intelligent of all primates.

And what is the proper collective noun for a group of baboons?

Believe it or not ……. a Congress!

with a little kiss assBaboonKissAss
BigRedBaboon2
I guess that pretty much explains the things that come out of Washington!  Thus end’eth your English lesson for today.

Ciao

My New Diet– I wouldn’t believed it

Sawadee Khrap

Well it’s been 2 weeks since starting my new vegetarian diet – feel great, no acid reflux, no heartburn, most of all the pain I have been having in my legs and back has gone away – and a very clear head and overall great general feeling.   Amazing !!!!

3 weeks ago, I was having a bad reaction to the acid reflux drugs I have been taking for almost the past 4 or so years, also costing me over 2000 Baht a month for this crap.  That shit really began to give me problems and caused me to start having vertigo and other loss of control like my blood pressure would just drop, and worse of all – my dick dropped to the ground – so I stopped taking all of it – Miracid and any other versions of the same shit.  All drugs.  I still had acid reflux but it felt the same as when I get a bacterial infection from drinking bad water – so I thought I try Disento to see if it was just an infection – it worked.  I did.

Disento did the trick – I am also getting weekly massages from Pea and he is excellent – I am sure that the massage and diet have brought me to this wonderful stage.  No reflux, heartburn, everything returning to normal, everything is picking up so to say.

My diet now is that I eat nothing that has a ‘Mother’ – Beef, Pork, Chicken, Lamb, Seafood, Fish, etc..   Also cut down on oils, except olive oil that I use to make my stir fried rice with vegetables. Stopped anything cooked with palm oil, cheap and a favorite here in Thailand – Just vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains – but I do include some boiled eggs in my rice for flavor – but small amount.  And for 2 weeks – free of any problem. 

I think I got most of the bacterial from the water they use to make hot tea – tap in most cases because I think that they figure when they boil it is will be OK – not the case – So now I request ONLY bottled water be used and no problems.   I’m going to monitor another 2 –3 weeks and post my results.

Ciao

CMCC Meeting – Laos Children’s Workshop

Sawadee Khrap

Our Tue Chiang Mai Camera Club meeting went ok with the usual lack of supplies. ha ha   No Projector, No Computer – and a rain storm – BUT still we had a great meeting.  Bert, Jim and Steve (who brought a friend, I’ll talk about him in a minute) and me, of course. 

CMPGGot to talk about a lot of different photographic topics and also found out about the latest news on the CMPG’s happenings.  They have or are going to start up workshops for  Photoshop and Lightroom, and have a instructor ready – nice.  I think they are waiting for renovations to the old Tusker’s site and will continue there. Chiang Mai Photographic Group would be the place to go.  They have all the equipment and space and attendance to offer you what you want.  I am very glad to hear that the ‘management’ has stepped up to the latest software and plans to offer workshops in the future – bravo, finally grew up.  Highly recommend you check them out.

Sooooooo ….  I recommended to our group that we change our venue to a social group of expats (informal – not to compete with the CM Expats Club or CMPG ) who still want to discuss their photography and other ideas and continue to meet a Sangdee on every other Tue.  I’ll let you know what was decided when we have our next meeting.

Now back to Steve’s friend – Philip Ward and his project “The Laos Children’s Workshop’”. LaosChildrensWorkshop He told us all about his accomplishments and problems starting and developing the center.  Fascinating – He’s here trying to find equipment and resources that they are in desperate need of.  Computers, Tools, Cameras, Software, and of course money —  etc.  I’m going to help him out with tutorial software collection I have -  Check out their website and maybe you can help too – Please contact Philip  – see if you can help in any way  —-   these kids really need your help.  Help these kids develop a skill that can support them when they leave the orphanage.  Life is unimaginable in Lao when you have no education or a saleable skill but they are also considered outcast tribal boys – bleak !!!    HELP GIVE THEM A FIGHTING CHANCE.

Ciao