Alone

Today's song is: The Theme Song from Cheers

There is a common scenario among international teachers. The first time you travel overseas to a different country you will experience a strong yearning to return home to your birth country, friends and family. This commonly happens at 3 months into your posting.  It passes with time but some people can't handle it and return home.

The concept of 'home' is indeed, a strange one for expats. What is home?  For me, it is where you find your friends and loved ones.  It is not much of a problem for me when Thavorn and Jaidan are with me, but when they are in the village I find I need more contact with my expat friends to keep the feeling of 'home' going in Thailand.

Yesterday I needed to get to the dentist because I lost a filling and needed a crown installed. My appointment was for 1 pm and I ended up finished about 2:30, much worse for the dental session. Shaun had joined me for the trip downtown  and we eventually kooked up with Arther and Phai and bar hopped, seeing some of my bar favorites.  Kind of reminds me of the old TV show 'Cheers'.

I arrived back home at 00:30 am, a wee bit inebriated and woke up this morning with a hangover.  Today is a quiet day, soup for lunch and supper, as my jaw is sore from the dental work. I need to go back next Saturday for the crown to be cemented in place.

Thavorn and Jaidan are gone for a month so I may be bar hopping again next Saturday.

Basketball is going well as we have won our first 2 games.

Some pics:

My soup  .. Campbell's Tomato, my favorite

Arthur, Phai and me at Country Road last night

Jaidan working on his letters

Dun, helping out and learning some English

Dental office is more like a spa

Awesome place

TTYL

Sick

Today's song is: We are the Champions  .. a bit premature  :-)

I came down with a bad head and throat cold, complete with cough and fever. Not fun so this is a short post.

We played our first U15 game on Thursday and looked good winning 76 to 18. I am sure the season will get tougher but it is always good to win the first and even better to win your last.

Pre-game, they were smiling much more after the game  :-)

TTYL

Words Matter

Todays song is: Magic Carpet Ride  .. Steppenwolf

I just finished watching the 10 episodes of NetFlix's Vietnam War Series  .. highly recommended!!!

Dates are starting to firm up for our flights to Canada. My last basketball tournament is February 2nd in Chang Mai so we will be flying into Canada (Vancouver then Ottawa) the first week in February.

However, when to book. Recent research shows the lead time to book varies between countries:

That would suggest booking my flights around November 1 2018. We will book one way for flexibility and use Aeroplan points to get from Vancouver to Ottawa.

On another thought, in this age of eMail, twitter, facebook, messenger, viber, whatsapp, and LINE I am noticing that many people do not understand that words matter. Worse still, with worldwide audiences, words matter more than ever.  Once said or twitted, they are gone  .. the horse is out of the barn.

So I encourage one and all to think before pressing send or publish.

Thavorn came back from the village with a large quantity of bugs (insects) from the village. Apparently there are lots of bug farms out there. Recent research has suggested there are enough bugs in the wild to feed the population of the world 100 times over. Thai people really seem to enjoy chowing them back  :-)

The dish on the top right is fried insects  .. plus fried pork and some broccoli for greens.  Rice is always added for carbs.

TTYL

My Way

Today's song is: My Way  .. Willie Nelson

I like this song because a great Canadian Paul Anka penned it, Sinatra made it popular, and Willie does it best.

Wow, 9 days since my last post. Lots has been happening. We have closed down our apartment and Soi 22 and said our goodbyes to friends and a place we have lived in for 5 years. All our belongings are now either in the village or in Big Tree Residence.

Bang Phli Niwet (the area we live in) comes alive in the morning around 8 am until 9 am and then again at factory closing time, around 5 pm to 6 pm. At these times there is a lot of traffic and many markets and food stalls come alive during supper time.

There is the requisite 7/11 for junk food and other necessities. There is a Thai pharmacy where you can get most things without a doctor's prescription. It appears 'You can Always Get What you Want at Alices's Restaurant' (Arlo Guthrie). The only thing missing are beer and gogo bars as well as massage places although I suspect there are some massage parlours I have not yet discovered. Most things are cheaper. Technically, we are no longer in the City of Bangkok. Rumour has it that elephants show up from time to time, unlike Bangkok where they are not permitted to enter.

Basketball coaching is going well and my U19 team beat last year's alumni team fairly easily. My U15 team will also be competitive. The clinics I run for the High School girls will help but I suspect their coaches have their work cut out for them.

I must be getting old (or perhaps wise) and I don't anticipate spending more than 1 day a month downtown partying, but that could change.

The school has a break coming up the second week in October and we will head off to Phuket along with Thavorn's 2 older children who have never been there, and never flown so they are very excited about the trip. The flight is under a $100 so Thavorn and I thought we would give an experience to remember before we head off to Canada for 6 months.

Things are quiet, Mimmo is in Italy, Harvey is in London, Arthur is in Japan for a holiday, and John is busy with work. Nice to have a family to keep me busy.

John and I are thinking about a Cambodian excursion sometime in November. That will be fun if it comes to pass. Just a weekend this time as 5 days was simply too much activity for these old bones.

Thavorn out with Wacky Tacky and Ploi.

Jaidan catching some zzz's

Fon, Ploi's Tom Boy

Thai girls love to eat  .. don't know how they stay skinny

Ploi  .. good friend of Thavorn

TTYL

First Night in Big Tree

Today's song is: Home  .. Buble

I spent my first night in my new residence last night and it was great. The new apartment is a very large studio with a very modern bathroom and a great king size bed with a real mattress and a duvet and soft pillows to sleep with.  The bed and amenities at charming were not great!

It is also much quieter and Shaun mentioned that I would hear a rooster but I did not. Maybe slept too well.  I now have access to a gym as well as a pool but the gym at the school is nicer so I will use that.

There are many places to eat within 200 meters, a 7/11, a Thai pharmacy, etc.  All the comforts of Bangkok, minus the fancy restaurants, hotels, and bars, but they are 30 mins away by taxis.

Pattaya and the airport are closer so it is a trade off. However I think Don Muang and the government complex are farther .. ouch.

There was some confusion with the driver yesterday. At first, it was 10 am, then 4 pm and lo and behold, he arrived at 10 am and I was not ready so some things got left behind and I will pick up on Friday night which is Harvey's last bar night in Bangkok before returning to merry old (boring) England, London, to be specific.

So, 6 months and we are off to Canada  .. time to start a countdown of some sort.

TTYL

Times .. They are a Changing

Today's song is: Times .. They are a Changing  ..  Dylan, by Springsteen

I no longer hear the crowing of roosters in downtown Bangkok. It was not all that uncommon 5 years ago. Yes, the motorcycle taxis drivers still have a screened in hutch where they raise chicks to be hens but it is not the same.

I also miss the baying of dogs around midnight. Not sure why that has disappeared.

In 2011 I saw a monitor lizard cross Soi 22 and was astonished by the size of it. It was being pursued by a group of Thais that seemed intent on a confrontation. I was happy to see it disappear into an alley. That was the only time I saw one of those lizards. No snakes, but plenty of rats and some cockroaches although much fewer than Malaysia.

Here is a pick of a monitor lizard:

Bangkok used to be known as the Venice of S.E. Asia, before they built the roads over the canals. You can still take a long boat and explore the interior canals.

I point I am making is that Bangkok, downtown, is a changing. I hope things may be a little different outside the city center. Perhaps a warp back in time.

Thavorn and Jaidan moved back to the village and today is Mother's Day and Thavorn gifted her mother with our 55 inch 4K smart LG TV.  It would cost too much to take it to Canada so Thavorn's family will be delighted to get it. Half of our apartment 'stuff' went with Thavorn to the village.

The other half moves with me to our new apartment out near the airport on Monday. Today, I am cleaning up and finishing the packing. At 2 pm I will meet my buddy John to play some pool and enjoy a few beers.

Life is simple, but life is good, but times, they are a changing  ...

TTYL

Malls

Today's song is: We're not Going to Take It  .. Twisted Sister

The malls in Canada do not compare with the malls in Bangkok. The malls in Bangkok are a meeting place, a place to get cool, and lastly, a place to shop.

The malls put on special exhibits about once a month.  Some pics:

and when you are hungry, Ronald is always there  ....

This is our last week on Soi 22 as we start to move 'stuff' to the village and start to move to our new place out by the airport.  I am quite looking forward to the change but I am not sure Thavorn feels the same. However, I think she will enjoy the change for the next six months as we prepare to move to Canada for half a year.

Some pics of our new place:

Our new apartment is 14,000 baht a month compared to 28,000 baht a month downtown.

TTYL