MARKET DAY IN WHANG PHO----MY FAVORITE

A couple of days ago it was market day again , and me being the hunter and gather in our house hold it was time for me to make my way to the weekly market, which by the way is one of my favorite things to do . All the folks there know me and I always get treated fair and offered the fresh stuff ,with a great big Thai smile that does my heart good and , reminds me that other than the economy and the weather and the love of my life "Ciejay" and my relaxing hammock, and my yard and plants and trees and flowers and orchids and great neighbors, our Thai relatives, our clean and well maintained village of Whang Pho, and our dogs Smokie and Sabu, and a hundred more things that I could add to the list , that the thing that keeps me Here and Happy and Content is THAILAND.

I took a few pictures of the market and hope you enjoy them . Malcolm

click on any picture for a larger view

THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Well, as they say where I come from "there goes the neighborhood" . I would hear the older folks say this when I was growing up and I never knew what they were talking about , they would always say it when new folks would move in or when a new house was being built. Now that I am one of the old folks , I understand what they were saying , they were jokingly saying , "there goes the peace and quiet days" , and the nice quiet evenings sitting on the porch listening to the birds and frogs and all the other sounds of a small neighborhood ,with only a few folks living there and also NOT A LOT OF NOISEY KIDS AND TEENS RACING UP AND DOWN THE ROAD.
I said all that ,because , now on our little quiet street , the folks that own the property all around us have divided it up and gave each of their kids a piece of the neighborhood (my paradise) and being a part of the new generation of Thai's they have decided to build apartments on their share . Soooooo now they have started to build and I can now say with my folks of old "there goes the neighborhood and my peace and quiet. I can just see in my minds eye folks moving in with lots of teens and their motorcycles, and their visiting friends and their loud music and parties and all the boyfriends coming to see the girls and all the little kids running up and down the road fighting over toys and crying about ever little thing .OMG I'm sounding like the OLD FART that Ciejay calls me sometimes , and a lot like my DAD. HELPPPPPP . Malcolm

I'm still glad that I am RETIRED IN THAILAND AND LOVING IT

A DAY TRIP WITH FRIENDS TO THE BAMBOO SCHOOL

Yesterday was a fun day , I meet up with my new friend Jerry and we had talked about taking him up to the Burma border , and also to the Bamboo School near there, well it was a beautiful day and a good time to do it . We stopped by the rice shop to pick up a bag of rice for the kids , Kat feeds them brown rice so I have to order it a few days in advance , the first time Ciejay and I bought the rice 3 years ago ( we try to buy every month ) it was 900 baht a 49 kilo bag and now it's 1500 Baht for the same , but the kids have to eat , and it's our little help for Kat and kids . then off to the school and a visit to the clinic and school and a trip to the lake property that a lady gave Kat on a beautiful lake and on a hillside , Kat was digging footings for poles for the new building they are constructing , the age difference in the kids at the school make it difficult to teach them, all about life and living with the ages being so different soooo Kat is going to move all the younger kids 12 and under to the new place on the lake (I ask if I could stay too ), where they can be little kids and be treated as such . they have plenty of land and will plant all manner of fruit trees there and will grow as much food for the Bamboo School as possible (http://www.bambooschool.org/ ). A lady from Norway came to visit and donated enough money to buy all the plastic pipe and pump and storage tank to take the water out of the lake during rainy season and use it during the dry season to irrigate the gardens . Kat is ,as I have said before the most unbeliveable person I have ever meet and while we were visiting tears of admiration swelled up in my eyes for Kat and the work she does from her heart, you would have to see to believe, she goes to bed at 2 and gets up at 5:30 7 days a week and never takes a day off , and she has been doing this for years , the only time she stopped for a while was when she was digging a hole to put a water trap in , she slipped and fell in and broke her leg and ankle in 4 places and had to stay in bed for a couple days and then was up working as usual every day THATS KAT . I notice my friend Jerry had red eyes also and like me he said a visit to the school gives you a whole new outlook on life and the important things of just day to day living and how just a little love and help can go a long way to make these forgotten and disabled kids life a little better , every little bit helps .Kat told me yesterday , which I didn't know before that you can feed a child at the school for 8,000 baht a year ,thats 250 dollars US money, WOW!!!!!!! can we get a few takers ???? contact me or go directly to Kat at the web site Needless to say we had a great day and took in the sights along the way , if you get chance come on over to Wang Pho and I'll take you up to see Kat and the kids at the Bamboo School , it will change your life , I promise.
Now I know that many of you help out all over the world and many do a lot more than I could ever hope to do , this is my small way of giving back and if you can and are able to do it " give back somewhere ". THANKS. Malcolm

I am as always " Retired In Thailand and Loving It"

THE RAINBOW BRIDGE

Well today is not the LOS for me , it is the Land Of Tears , a neighbor , upset with my puppy for eating out of her cats food dish took it upon her self to poison my puppy Blackie, even tho I have had to clean my flower bed of cat poop a many of times and would not even think of killing her cat , or any animal for that matter, why did she have to be so cruel.If I live to be a hundred I will never understand people that are mean and hateful to animals, I can and will forgive , BUT I CAN NEVER FORGET.
I found this poem on the web site of Wanda's Poems and Stories http://wandascountryhome.com/index.html for a friend of mine who had lost her dog to a careless automobile driver , never knowing that I would be reading it to comfort myself a short time later. It's a good read and a comfort to all who have lost pets, for some reason or another , Hope you enjoy.
IN MEMORY OF BLACKIE -------------------THE RAINBOW BRIDGE

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His or Her bright eyes are intent. His or Her eager body quivers. Suddenly he or she begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his or her legs carrying them faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross The Rainbow Bridge together....
Author unknown
I'm still Retired In Thailand and Loving It ----- Just a little sad today Malcolm

VALENTINES DAY

What better way to say Happy Valentines Day than with flowers or chocolates, and a special card and you can do all that from your computer, simply by clicking on the small ad to the right side of my blog . The shop, FLOWERS THAILAND, is owned by my friend John and his thai wife and they can deliver nationwide in Thailand and international too give them a call or e-mail and check them out I'm sure you will be happy with the flowers and the great service. I hope you give them a try. Malcolm

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO YOU AND YOURS FROM CIEJAY AND MALCOLM

Things to Do in Thailand-What do you Recommend?#comments

Things to Do in Thailand-What do you Recommend?#comments
Of course as far as this old visitor to the LOS is concerned , no trip to Thailand would be complete without a trip to kanchanaburi to visit the famous Bridge on The River Kwai and Hell Fire Pass, you can arrange a day trip at lots of places in BKK or you can get in a cab or tuk tuk from you hotel or guest house, and ask to be taken to Bangkok Noi train station, and at 7 am and 1pm every day the train ride (3 hours) or more will take you to Kanchanaburi , from the train station you go across the road to the famous War Cemetery and its a short walk or taxi or pick-up to the Bridge from there you can arrange a trip to the Hell Fire Pass or ride the train to Whang Pho and visit the famous Viaduct built by POW's in WWll, either way guided or not you'll have the time of your life and see more history in one day than you ever thought possible and hear and see things you never before have seen . You can do a lot on your own , but the tours are fun too. Malcolm

Schroll down a couple post for some great pictures of the Famous Bridge and Viaduct and Hell Fire Pass

EVERY DAY IS A NEW DAY IN THE LOS

It's always a treat to meet new folks that move into our beautiful valley and village (not very often) ,and meeting Jerry and his wife Nook, was no exception.When Jerry introduced himself I knew right away that there was something different about him that caught my attention, the accent and the tone of his voice caused me to ask a few questions just to be sure my hunch was right , and sure enough he was from America and not only from America , but from my home state of North Carolina , But not only from North Carolina , but he was born and raised 30 miles from where I grew up as a teen, and in fact we are somewhat aquainted with each others famlies, having lived and worked in the same area. What a great time talking about home and family and things we have seen and done and also we shared a few of our experiences since we have lived here in the LOS . He is married to a great Thai lady and Ciejay and her became friends very quickly jabbering away in Thai , and I'm sure sharing some of their experiences of being married to a Farang ,while Jerry and me enjoyed our coffee and new friendship, we have a lot of the same interest and amazingly we seem to think a lot the same, with some of the same likes and dislikes . I have always enjoyed being the only full time residence in Whang Pho , but since meeting my new friend , I am glad to say that it will be a real joy to share My little piece of paradise with him and his wife , and I hope that as friends we can enjoy a few hours every once in a while together over coffee and good conversation.
What are the odds of meeting someone that comes from , not only the same country and state as you , but from the same local area . Have you meet anyone new lately? Do you like many that I see in the LOS that put their head down and pretend that they did'nt even see you , or for some reason afraid to talk too and meet other folks living and visiting this great place? Do you enjoy meeting new folks and shareing some of your experiences and things learned , good and not so good , and have a good laugh and some pleasent conversation over a beer or a good cup of coffee?
Like I said , I'm sure happy I meet my new friend and hope we continue to enjoy each others company. Malcolm