Things we're proud of here in our retirement home of Thailand

All my life,everywhere I have lived, I have always looked for things to be proud of ,rather than looking for things to critize or complain about or find fault with,and here in my adopted home of Thailand I try to do the same. I am proud of the fact that here in Thailand we have to freedom to live and love and enjoy all that life has to offer , as long as we live by the rules.I am proud of the fact that most expat folks who make Thailand their home and realize their dreams come true ,are very decent people. I could go on and on about things that I am proud of here in the Land Of Smiles And Gentle People . I would like to say that the thing that I am most proud of is the little village that I call home ,Whang Pho. All of our local leaders do all they possibly can to make sure that all the people that call Sai Yok their home ,live in the cleanest , safest,and most enjoyable place they can make it . I have even notice that they pay close attention to even the smallest detail to make sure that it looks good and not a eye sore , and the thing that amazes me the most, is that they seen to understand the meaning of maintainence.

This coming year , my goal is to look for all I can be proud of and if at all possible to thank the person or persons responsible and give them a big pat on the back, and to remind myself that  This is Thailand. Lets all give it a try. Just one more reason why We're Retired in Thailand and Loving It.  Malcolm and Ciejay

Old Elephant Pictures

MORE ELEPHANTS

 I hope you will enjoy this picture post as much as I have enjoyed looking at these old pictures . Ciejay and me were doing our wine business the other day and at one of the resorts I saw these old pictures and ask if I could photograph them , and did they have a story to go with the pictures . They said I could and the story was told them by the owner of the resort.Now the man that owns the resort ,which is managed by his daughters and their husbands, is the same man that owns the Sai Yok Elephant Park that I visit often and took the pictures of the previous post of the babies learning to swim.Fifty plus years ago there was a elephant fair , held in Surin, up north in Issan country where all the elephant owners and trainers would bring their animals to show them off and to have different contest and to see whose was the strongest and smartest and best looking ,and all the other elephant stuff. these pictures were taken by his father and have been enlarged and framed and are now proudly displayed in the resort lobby.I have never seen so many elephants in one place at one time in all my life. Have you ?

I have decided to dedicate a small(maybe not so small) area on one wall in our home and frame and display my many pictures of elephants that I personaly have taken and also some given to me by friends and ,I have been told that I could include these too. I hope you enjoy them. Malcolm

FRIENDS, FAMILY, and MANGOS

FRIENDS, FAMILY, and MANGOS

It really makes Ciejay happy to be able to share from her garden and fruit trees

It doesn't take long and you've got a box full ready to send off with friends

Here is our friend B-Bie , he wants some to take back to Bangkok for his friend's ,the ones on our trees are so sweet , maybe because I give them lots of water , and also they are organic , no spray, or bug killer or fertilizer at all.

By now I am a ole hand at picking the ripe one off the trees, a good eye, but if you get a green one you don't have to worry , they (the Thais ) love them too.


This little basket on the end of a long bamboo stick is great for picking fruit of the trees.

Mango season is a great time of the year, not only are they good to eat and make fruit roll-ups for the rest of the year, but it's also lots of fun sharing you harvest. And this year I am going to make mango jam , I made lots of different kinds in America, in fact, I won a blue ribbon one year at the county fair for my raspberry ,rubarb jam. And it is a good time for friends and family, to visit and spend a few days picking and eating fresh mangos( with sticky rice and sweet coconut milk) right off the trees, It don't get any better than that,and then sending home a box with them to share with their family and friends . One of the things that I love about the LOS is that when it comes to sharing and giving to friends and neighbors, it does'nt have to be something expensive and showy, it can just be a bowl of rice , a glass of cold ice water , coffee , or a small plastic bag of fresh mangos picked from your own backyard . Malcolm

If you want a jar of my famous (maybe) Mango Jam you'll just have to plan a trip to Whang Pho, just ask anyone you see where does the farang live and they will point you the way