WARNING!!!!!!!! STRANGERS BEWARE

FRONT DOOR

SEVERAL WINDOWS HAVE THIS ONE

BACK DOOR

If you have read some of my post or took a look at my web page you know that during my 67 years of living ,I have done a lot of things in my life , and one of the things , I was in the Burgler Alarm Business with a friend of mine in Alaska for a few years we sold and installed and also monitered the systems and we reported a alarm to the Police for them to respond. I am a firm believer in protecting you home and family (because there is always someone out there that wants what you have and will stop at nothing to get it , given the right opportunity) and a good way to protect you home and family from this ever happening to you and yours is a electronic alarm system, there are companies that sell systems that they will install in Thailand, and you can also buy all you need to design and install a system for yourself if you like . They are not hard to install and really not all that expensive, and a lot of wireless components are available for you to chose from , one of the most important devices you need to install is a loud horn or siern to make as much noise as possible . and if possile have a few lights over the front and back areas that come on when the system is tripped . nothing scares a would be intruder more than noise and lights .
Now here is a little secret, for all of you , when we use to sell a alarm systems to a customer, we had a joke , "we will sell you the Alarm Stickers for the price agreed upon and throw in the Alarm System for free." There is nothing that strikes fear in the heart of a would be intruder than to see a Alarm Sticker posted on a window or door of a home they plan on burglerizing. They never know if you have one or not and will not take a chance in 95% of the cases I personally investigated.You can go on the net and google SECURITY ALARM STICKERS, theres lots of them to save in your pictures and then print and cut out and paste in your windows are tape to you doors , DON'T LAUGH it works . I know you Thai readers are saying "this is Thailand you and they can't read english", they can read more than you think they can , and they can see the warnings on the stickers , and most of the time it will cause them to change their minds . For you living on countries other than Thailand it will work as well there and a alarm system is good advise for you too.I'm not going to tell you if I have a alarm system or not but one thing you can be sure of, I have stickers on all my doors and a few windows , and if you're a burglar readiing this "maybe so --- maybe not for me to know and you to wonder",and if you want more info on the subject you can e-mail me and I will be glad to give you some expert and experienced advise Malcolm

A VISIT TO THE PRACHULAMNEE PAGODA TEMPLE

This Nun was very helpful and gave me a little history lession too

YOU CAN SEE FOR MILES

I THINK THIS WAS FOR THE GODS BUT, NOONE WAS LOOKING , SOOOOO!!!

AND WHATS IN YOUR FUTURE???? FOR SURE YOU WANT HAVE TO WAIT IN LINE AS THEY ARE LOTS OF THESE FORTUNE MACHINES THERE

THIS ONE LOOKED LIKE A LADY STANDING IN FRONT OF BUDDA

IN THIS PAGODA IS A BONE OR RELIC FROM THE ELBOW OF THE BUDDA

THIS IS A EXACT COPY OF THE EMERALD BUDDA THAT IS IN THE KINGS PALACE IN BANGKOK

THIS IS ONE HUGE BUDDA

ONE OF MY FAVORITE BUDDIST STATUES

THIS ONE WAS BIG TOO

AND A BIG BUDDA LOOKING OUT OVER THE CITY LOOKING SOUTH

THIS TOWER IS NINE STORIES TALL

A VIEW FROM THE TOWER FROM THE NORTH

FROM THE EAST

FROM THE WEST

If you like history and old stuff, and old places and you live or you are visiting ,or you are planning a visit to the LOS, then you will be in the right place for all 0f this and MORE .Thailand is soooo full of history and old cities and temples that it makes a lot of places in the world that we always thought, were a must see , to me look like Disney Land, with everything for you to see and oh and awe over is in one place , whereas Thailand has history and ruins and especially old temples just down the road from anywhere you are and just around the curve on any highway, what a explorers paradise.

Do you agree, somewhat with me ,I know there are different things to see in different places , but for me ,there is more to see contained in the LOS than just about anywhere I have traveled to, and I've traveled some , not a lot and probably a lot less than most of you , but I have found in this place called the LOS enough to keep my plate full for quite a while ,and it doesen't cost me my lifes savings , which is a real plus too. I hope if you are living here in the LOS or visiting that you take advantage of some of the history there is to see and take photos of ,and to learn and share with your friends and family.

The temple we visited when we went to Nakhon Sawan the Prachulamanee Pagoda ,was such a place , full of history and lots of Budda images and statues and it is located on a mountain top right in the heart of town ,you can't miss it and the view (as you will see ) is breathtaking. Hope you get a chance to see it some day

IS THIS FISH REALLY RAW?????

A GOOD SIGN IS A SIGN OF GOOD BUSINESS

THIS BILL IS FOR FOUR PEOPLE, AND WE LEFT VERY FULL

THIS SALMON TERRIAKI WAS TO KILL FOR

A FEW OF THEM WERE ALREADY EATEN BEFORE I GOT THE CAMERA OUT ,SORRY

THIS IS A SMALL SET WE STARTED WITH AND WE ATE MORE AND MORE AND MORE

One of the things that I really enjoy about taking trips ,is the great restaurants you get to eat at , as the folks always want to take you to their favorite ones.The Japanese Sushi Restaurant called the Wasab, in Nakhon Sawan, was added to my list of favorites .

The restaurant is owned and managed by a fellow who had his own Sushi place in Japan, and when he retired to Thailand it was only natural for him to want to open up a small place in Nakhon Sawan, were he settled down, So, in a small off the beaten path, alley, he opened this little place and he is full all the time , once folks found out what great Sushi he prepared ,he doesn't advertise at all ,it is all word of mouth. They give you the menu and every thing is made fresh right in the kitchen as you order .You can order by the set or you can order one item at a time, and it's made fresh to order,the service was great and because I was in the restaureant business for 20 years I always look around to see how clean the place is inside and out , and I can report that they recieved an A plus at least for my visit. If you're ever down or up that way, look for it I'm sure if you ask around someone will point you in the right direction,Opps , I forgot this is the LOS and if you ask 10 people you will get 10 different answers, so if you are going that way give me a call and I'll draw you a map and send it to you . Malcolm

WE'RE BACK HOME ----YEE HA

TEE COFFEE SHOP

BEAUTIFUL PLACE AND VERY WELL DECORATED AND LANDSCAPED

BEN SINGLETON -----------------" THE OLE THAI PIRATE IN THE FLESH"

CIEJAY AND BEN (I'M TAKING THE PICTURE ) AND ME ,ENJOYING A GREAT BREAKFAST.

I THINK ,the older I get the more I THINK, the best part of a trip to see the family for a day or two visit,,, is the trip back home .Lots of fun , good food and seeing friends and family that we haven't seen for a while and also meeting new family members and new friends and visiting, everything there is to see in the area . Good for a few days ,but after a while it kinda wears a body thin , and I feel like I need a vacation from our vacation.ha ha .

We had a great time with Nu and A and of course( the full of energy) Nicky Boy "aka Ultra Man". I will post a few stories and lots of pictures later.

Really!!!!!! for me the highlight of the trip was ,our stop by the TEE Coffee shop for a short visit and lunch ,with a really swell person Ben Singleton.,a fellow Bloger who writes as the "Thai Pirate." He was a very gracious host and Ciejay complemented him , by saying he was one of the "nicest young men she had meet in a long time." If you get a chance to stop by and enjoy not only a great cup of coffee , but their meals are super , not only did we have breakfast with Ben on our way down, but we stopped ,on our way back home and had lunch , and this time, with out Ben being there, and the food was great and the service super.The coffee shop has a photo collection (huge) of the King and the Royal Family , lots of old unseen photos, and also a great collection as well of the Late Princess Diana , and a few of her family as well. The walls are covered with lots of Photos, and there is also a great little gift shop with little nick- nacks for you to purchase and a good varity of snacks, packaged to take home for your sweet tooth and gifts for your friends ,made by the local folks.

Thanks ,Ben for you hospitality and ,lunch and I must say a great cup of coffee., sorry we missed the wife ( she is going to have their first child in one month ), but never fear we have added it ,as I hope all who read will do , to our list of MUST STOP PLACES whenever we are in that neck of the woods. And a note for all who read this ----make sure you arrive there HUNGRY as it's a great place to eat also . Malcolm

TAKING A LITTLE ROAD TRIP----- ME and MY GIRL

We've been stuck in Whang Pho way to long without a little road trip. This week we are going to visit Ciejay's daughter and family in Nakorn Sawan, about a three and a half hours drive from Kanchanaburi, for a double birthday celebration for Nu and our grand-son Nicky Boy . We'll be doing a little partying , singing karoke and eating a lot of good food , and of course we will do a little sightseeing along the way . I'll be taking lots of pictures and will have lots of new stuff for my blog.As a side trip we are going to stop at the TEE Coffee Shop and have a cup with Ben Singleton (THE THAI PIRATE) and his wife Stiya,as we pass thru Supan-Buri, should be a great time as we blogers hardly ever get to meet face to face , I'm looking foward to it .
We'll be gone for a few days , and hope to have a safe and fun trip "SEE YOU WHEN WE GET BACK ", (whatever blogers say.) Malcolm and Ciejay

AS GOOD AS NEW

CHECKING IT OUT

EVERY THING LOOKS AND SOUNDS GOOD

STILL LOOKS LIKE NEW

NOTICE: THE POWER COATED BUMPER GUARD ON THE FRONT END, IT'S WELDED TO THE FRAME AND NOT THE BUMPER OR BODY .

OUR TRUCK IS A 2002 ISUZU D-MAX 300 DFI WITH AUTO TRANS AND POWER EVERYTHING , AND THE TIRES ARE FOR A 4-WHEEL DRIVE , A LITTLE LARGER THAN THE NORMAL TIRES FOR THE TRUCK , AND IT DRIVES AND HOLDS THE ROAD BETTER ,I THINK. IT STILL DRIVES , RIDES AND RUNS LIKE NEW , I THINK I'LL TRY FOR 7 MORE YEARS .

Yesterday morning Ciejay told me it was time to get the new, yearly sticker (tag) for our 7 year old Isuzu pick-up truck.We were going to Kanchanaburi to shop for some food items we had run out of that you can't find at our little village of Whang Pho . I told her to get all the paper work we needed and we'd stop of at the DMV on the way to Tesco. All was going well, and the line wasn't very long , we got to the window and they started to fill out the forms , when they noticed that the truck was 7 years old , they then went on to explain to Ciejay that , we would have to have it inspected to make sure it was in good shape and that everything worked , that was suppose to ,brakes ,lights ,horn,exhaust system, muffler, wipers and to my surprise the electric windows ,and I almost forgot the amount of thread on the tires. Now I was almost ready to protest ,because I have seen some of the worst looking , and running ,beat up cars and trucks,in and around our village, some look like they needed to be drove straight to the junk yard. Opps, I forgot ,there are no junk yards in Thailand that I have seen. And I know for a fact that most don't even have current stickers for their cars and trucks .Ciejay told me to calm down ,that the inspection station was just across the street and they only charged 200 baht to give your vehicle a complete check -up and the required stamp to bring back to the DMV to get you window sticker, saying you are good to go for another year.All of these stickers of course are required if you want to have insurance on you truck , which I DO .So over across the street we went and the folks there were very polite and their professional attitude, and work impressed me a lot .Also it was a good feeling to know that the old truck was as good as new ,(we passed with flying colors and got our stamp and off to the DMV we went and was issued our new stamp, all for the small price of 900 baht.) In fact most folks think it is a new truck and are suprised to hear that in fact,it is 7 years old, we got it from the original owner of 5 years , who had always had the Isuzu dealership in Kanchanaburi take care of it , and we always have them take care of it too, and I have to say that I have been driving for 45 years and have had to deal with lots of dealerships in America ,for maintainence,and service and this dealership in Kanchanaburi is one of the best I have dealt with. Getting the yearly sticker, took a little longer than I had planned , but I am happy to say we got it done and everyone was very kind and helpful.And Ciejay was proud of me for staying calm. She said "I was a good boy".

I'm sure most of you are driving RED TAGS and have never had to go thru this , and for those of you that have , did you have a good experience? drive safely and take care. Malcolm

I ' M A GRAND-PA

A PILE OF PUPPIES

A PICTURE SAYS A THOUSAND WORDS

"LOOK AT ME " I 'M A MOMMIE TOO

Well , I know you think I'm crazy , but Smokey is such a wonderful dog and a real important member of our little community here on Moo 1 ,she is a watch dog( warns at night of any strangers that may wonder up our road,) and guard dog for all the kids and our homes , (she want let any strange dogs come on our road) , WELL, I guess I better say never ,because , last night she delivered 6 of the cutist little baby puppies you have ever seen , 3 black, 3 white , 3 girls ,3 boys and 3 of them are Thai ridgebacks dogs , 2 boys and 1 girl, you can check out ridgebacks on the net . Mother and babies are doing fine , and we have moved them into a small building where they will be warm and dry , Smokey seems to like it , Ciejay is running around fussing ,to make sure Smokey and babies are ok . And she does'nt like dogs. ha ha ha . Well I want bore you any more , just wanted to give you a up-date on the girls and soi boys of Moo 1 and their babies , by the way Pooie and her kids are doing great and growing and ,already have homes as soon as they can travel. Malcolm

"I'M THE BOSS HERE"

MAKES MY MOUTH WATER JUST LOOKING AT IT

NOTHING LIKE A GOOD HOT DOG WITH MY HOME MADE CHILI TO FILL YOU UP

WHERE ELSE CAN YOU EAT FRESH BOILED CORN ON THE COB 365 DAYS A YEARS ?

SHE HAS THIS DOWN TO A ART AND CAN MAKE THEM AS FAST AS YOU CAN EAT

NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO DO WITH FOOD , LOTS OF T-SHIRTS TOO

THIS FAMILY GREW THEM ON THEIR FARM AND WE HAD ONE FOR DINNER AND WAS IT EVER SWEET.WATERMELON, ONE OF MY FAVORITES

A COUPLE OF TABLES AND BENCHES OUT IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE AND YOU GOT YOURSEOF A RESTAURANT.THIS LADY IS A GREAT COOK TOO.

THESE SISTERS ARE HERE EVERY NIGHT SELLING SOME REALLY GOOD THAI FOOD THAT THEIR MOM COOKS ALL DAY , SHE MAKES A GREAT---- TUM YUM PLA, IN RED CURRY

THESE SWEET GRILLED COCONUT AND STICKY RICE CAKES ARE TO KILL FOR

CIEJAY ALWAYS HAS TO PICK OUT THE FRESH FRUIT

I ALWAYS GIVE IT A TRY , NEVER KNOW I JUST MIGHT HIT THE BIG ONE SOMETIME

FRESH BAMBOO SHOOTS ARE ALWAYS A GOOD SELLER., BUT AS I FOUND OUT ,LOTS OF HARD WORK TO GET THEM READY TO SELL LIKE THIS

PAPAYA AND BANANAS GROW EVERYWHERE AND ARE ALWAYS A GOOD BUY AND GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH TOO.

DEEP FRIED PORK SKINS------ YUM YUM

PEELING SWEET TAMARIN TO SELL TO THE RESTAURANTS TO COOK WITH

The one thing that really surprised me when we got here in the LOS was , how many folks there were doing their own thing in business , or as we would call them where I come from in America, "Entreprenurs" . I read somewhere a while back that there were more ,so called entreprenurs , in Thailand than any other country in the world, they quoted 22% of all Thais are running or at least trying to run their own business. I know for a fact ,in just the short time (5 years) we have lived here ,I am amazed at the amount of folks right here in this small village of Whang Pho, that are going about selling ,whatever they can ,grow ,find ,make or whatever to make a living , unlike most other countries Thailand does not ,really have a welfare system, where a person can sit back and do nothing and, collect a check at the end of each month. When I lived in America that was always a sore spot and a hot subject ,of a lot of debate among the working class folks . My ole Dad had a good saying when I was growing up and I passed it along to my own boys as they grew up and they are passing it along to their kids as they get older too and it goes like this "THERE AIN'T NO FREE LUNCH". It goes along with what the Bible says too "he that want ,work want eat." I kinda like both of them. What do you think?

I said all that to introduce my pictures that I have been taking of the" ENTREPRENURS" here in our village and a few places we have visited, they are quite a diveristy of things and ways to sell and market ones, goods and all in the name "TAKING CARE OF ONES SELF AND FAMILY." They make me proud. I'll bet you probably have lots of snap shots that have caught you eye too .Most all my neighbors grow and sell something as a money crop , do you have neighbors and friends and family that are doing the same, here in Thailand ? Malcolm