What's that noise???????

I woke up early this morning with the sound of sawing and grinding and hammering , I ask  Ciejay "whats all that noise"?. I don't know was her answer , which was a little strange , because normally the neighbors tell each other everything they are doing(well almost) , especially when they are building something . My curiosity got the best of me and I could not go back to sleep with all the noise , so I got up dressed grabs my first cup of coffee and out the door to see what I could see. I found two strangers ,with all kind of wood-working tools laying everywhere on the road and it looked like they were going to make something , well, I sit down on a stump and watched for a bit while I enjoyed my coffee and the smell of wood being planed and sawed , I love the smell of worked wood. Well it didn't take long for me to figure out that they were going to make a table out of the wood that my neighbor had saved when they cut down a jack-fruit tree that was about ready to blow over near their house . I love the yellow color of the jack-fruit wood, and I have been enjoying a rather beautiful table made from a Jack-fruit tree that I use for my computer and (Ciejay calls it my Junk table) and stuff. I watched as these men, here on the side of the road and in no time at all made a table that after it has been sanded and finished with a clear coat of wood preservative like varnish or poly-urethane , and rubbed to a glossy finish . If you were to buy a table like this, in the USA, where I'm from, it would cost you at least $300.00 US DOLLARS and that is a very conservative guess, but here in the LOS with wood free for the cutting ( if it's on your property and for your use ) and a couple of skilled woodman you can have one for as little as 1,000 baht (US $30 dollars) and if you have a relative that is skilled even cheaper. I love to watch the Thai's at work building , it would take a shop and lots of tools and money to build a table like this in the USA  , but here in the LOS  any place with a little shade and somewhere to run a cord for power and  the next thing you know ,you.ve got a table.Well that's my story and I've included a few pictures for you to look at, hope you enjoy. Malcolm

Went to take a look this morning andf they had made 3 more tables and had enough wood to make a small book shelf , took a couple new pictures for you to see.  Malcolm

All the tables in our home are made from wood left over from our remodel in 2004 ( the wood is sooo hard that you have to pre-drill  , before you can drive a nail into it,) except the computer table , which is made by Thai craftsman from a Jack-fruit tree we cut down a few years ago.As a side note the Thai's use the jack-fruit wood for the backs of guitars made in Thailand.

THE HAMMOCK OF LIFE (another repost)

Our friend Florance giving it a try

Ciejay has pretty well figured it out

And me,I am a master hammocker

Seven years ago, when I was living in America , I ended up in the emergency room one evening with what I thought was a heart attack, fortunately it was not.After a overnite stay the Dr. came in to discharge me and to give me some instructions about my health and my life style and, how to prevent a real heart attack, "this time it was just a warning sign" he said, and you have a severe case of stress related heart problems, being brought on by your work habits and lifestyle. My suggestion is that you make a change at once and get all this under control. Well I gave it a try for a week and then went back to my old habits , and would'nt you know it his prediction came true , only this time I needed a triple by-pass to save my life. After the operation and six months of recouping , I felt strong enough to go back to work. Then I meet my Thai wife , Ciejay , and we took a trip to Thailand and at the same time it was time to retire. So, here we are in the LOS and no stress Thailand . with the good weather and , food , and easy living , I feel like a new man, and my body feels like it, and, my kids and wife say I look like a new man too.

The one thing I do remember the Dr. saying was this " Malcolm the best thing you can do for yourself is to take a NAP, every day for at least one hour". AND THEN I SAW IT, the ultimate napping object, and answer to my prayers, the all mighty HAMMOCK.

The hammock is a fabric sling used for sleeping or resting while suspended above ground,it normally consist of one or more cloth panels,or woven network of

twine stretched with ropes between two firm points such as trees or poles.Hammocks were developed by native inhabitants of tropical regions for sleeping or resting.

There is an art and sometimes hard learned lesson to sleeping or resting in a hammock ,one wrong move and you will find yourself on the ground with a sore back or lump on your head, I seem to have mastered this very quickly and as per my Dr.'s advice I force myself to take a Nap every day. Ha Ha. If you have not yet discovered this wonderful invention of the natives in tropical regions , I hope you do soon , it will change you life . If you need help mastering ,and figuring it out come on over about three o 'clock every afternoon and I'll personally show you how it's done . I have a extra hanging nearby for guest.

You'll hear the cry of the obedient expat "Hammock Time." Malcolm

Retirement ---Rerun--- Why Thailand ?????

Sabu

Nu and A and Nicky Boy

fishing at one of my favorite spots

Taking a bath and ride on my friend Moll-Lee

Our home the first time we saw and bought it in 2003

A couple years later after the remodel and  adding a few plants and flowers

 We call this our long room

Our home in 2011

fresh chicken and chicken parts

lots of salads to take home

Me and My Girl

I love this

Sunset from the porch

Wang Pho train station

Our church family  Hope of Kanchanaburi

Taking off for a little tripn with folks from our village

We were in town the other day and we saw a friend or two  that was here in the LOS on a holiday and thinking about retirement, and they ask us the same question many have ask us in the past as to why we chose Thailand as our retirement home and country. Well , it will be 7 years in October that we moved here from America," lock stock and barrel "as the ole saying goes and I thought it would be good to repeat a post I posted about a year or so ago , it might help to answer that question, Hope you enjoy the older post and pictures.

                                                             Why Thailand

When we travel on vacation or we are out and about, one of the most ask questions is "Why Thailand."In order to really answer that question , First, you have to know that I am married to a Thai lady , and one of my main concerns in my marriage was what could I do to make her happy .We came to Thailand in 2003 on a vacation and a chance for me to meet her family and kids. I saw at once ,how happy she was to be in her home country with friends and family , and yet have the security in knowing that she had a husband who could and would do anything she needed , with-in reason to make her happy. Not only could I see how happy she was , but I at once fell in love with Thailand , there was lots of things that attracted me to the LOS , BUT the most important one was how happy Ciejay seemed to be .

I knew it was about time for us to start thinking seriously about where we wanted to live out out retirement years , I had always thought about somewhere close to my Brother and Sister, out Tenn. way , and we went for a visit to check things out before coming to Thailand the next year on Vacation , and somehow it just didn't feel right to both of us. Before we came over to the LOS we had mentioned to each other if the opportunity and time arrived that we would look around and maybe think about Thailand (of course it was my first visit ,so much of the decision would be on my shoulders. We looked around and then on the last day when we came to Kanchanaburi and our small village of Whang Pho , We looked at each other and smiled, and knew this was the place. We had little daylight left for this visit to her Older Brother and the next day it was off to Bangkok to catch the plane and head home , Would you believe we found a little house and piece of land and bought it in the dark of night , saying that we would be back next year when I retired and make it our home , Everyone laughed and thought to themselves that they would never see us again, but we fooled them all and you can read about the move and remodel and moving , in a older post , just go back and start from my first ones .



Now that was a long story to tell you the main reason for choosing Thailand. Some of the others are as follows and in no order of importance , all of them to us are important reasons for choosing the LOS.

1.--My small SS check is enough for us here in Thailand.

2.--We were able for Ciejay to buy a house and small piece of land with what little money we had in savings.

3.--The weather is the kind of weather I always thought I would like about a place, when I retired.

4.--The food is out of this world tasty, healthy (spicy mind you ) but plenty and fresh, and growing everywhere , even in your own backyard.

5.--The Thai people,( our neighbors and village folks) even tho it took a while to get use to their way of life and culture and their way of thinking , and for them to get use to me -ha ha ha

6.-- The almost crime free village and area we live in .

7.--Lots of things to see and do , and a lot of it not far from where we live .

8.--Our Thai family

9.--Our dogs(our kids ) that can run free and wild .(we have since lost Bok ), but Sabu is alive and well, and a everyday source of fun and companionship

10.--Our home, our yard with all the plants and flowers and the wonderful view of the mountains from our front porch , all these things make up our little  piece of paradise

11.--Our village and the town folks .

12.--And our neighbors

13.--Our Dr's., and health care

14.-- Our church and church family

15.-- The difference in our health since moving here to Thailand

16.-- And the big difference in me and my thinking about life and living.

17.-- The happiness I see in my wife ,Ciejay,(thai nickname Toon)

That's not all the reasons , I could go on and on , and you might say "well couldn't you find that in your own country ", maybe so , But we didn't. and we have found it here in what we call our little piece of paradise, that , we believe the Lord had saved just for us and all the blessings that go along , with being Retired in Thailand and Loving It .

Nipa Palm--have you ever seen????

I received this e-mail and pictures from my Thai friend ,Aom who is owner and operator of the local computer and video game store in our village. I had gone to add minutes of time to my cell phone and she had this strange fruit that she was chopping open and feeding her son and anyone that wanted to try, and she gave me a few pods to take home and try , she also sent the e-mail and pictures  for me with information  about the plant and fruit. What a interesting plant , and one of many uses for the Thai folks in the villages where it grows . Take a look at the pictures and video and see for yourself  a very interesting plant that most (me for sure ) have never seen or heard of in our lives.Thailand (the country and the people) never lets a day go by that I don't see or hear about something new and interesting to me and I hope to those that read my little blog.Things like this and friends like Aom(who also owns and operates a beautiful resort(family style -kid friendly) on the Famous River Kwai here in Wang Pho, are just another one of the reasons why I'm Rretired in Thailand and Loving It. You can E-mail me if you're ever in this area and would love to stay in a real Thai (house) resort for you and family and there is  enough rooms in the house to bring along your friends too.Thanks for the read .
                                                                                            Malcolm
E-Mail from Aom

Sawasdee ka ,malcolm และพี่ตุ่น


Nipa Palm make thai sweet food ลูกจากลอยแก้ว

Leaves nipa palm can be taken to wrap the sweet food.

ใบสามารถเอาไปห่อทำขนมได้เรียกว่า ขนมจาก

To be able to remove the leaves to make the roof.

และใบก็สามารถไปทำหลังคามุงจากได้

VDO cilp Nipa Palm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnHtqY4GIXY





aom