The clocks have gone back. The leaves are cascading from the trees. Reminders of the more commercial aspects of Christmas are emerging everywhere. So it’s time for my winter hibernation. Unfortunately, though, my journey hasn’t started. well. I should be in The Hot in Bangkok by now, courtesy of Turkish Airlines but I’m stuck in Istanbul. All started well enough until Turkish air traffic control put us on the ‘stacking’ merry go round. And round and round we went until low fuel prompted a diversion to Izmir. By the time we got back to Istanbul, having flown through a quite spectacular rain storm, my onward connecting flight to BKK had gone.
Airports are not really my favourite places and certainly not at 0330 in the morning! The staff on the plane didn’t seem to know what my next step should be but I was hopeful that a few ground staff would be in evidence when we disembarked. There were none. The cleaning lady with her bucket and mop, though, was very accommodating and guided me through seemingly endless deserted corridors until, around one more corner, I found the transfer desk – not easy to miss as the two or three staff were trying to pacify a baying mob of literally hundreds of dissatisfied customers who were, clearly, in the same position as myself! I reckoned that with luck it would take me a good 3 hours to get to the head of the queue. So, in typical Phileas style, when everyone is turning right, I turn left. In short, I bought a £20 entry visa, went through passport control, found a hotel agent and got conned into spending far too much money on some accommodation and finally got to sleep at around 0530.
Being the tight bastard that I am, as breakfast was included in the exorbitant hotel price, I was determined to take advantage. So, after a fitful 4 hours kip, not knowing when my next meal would be, I gorged myself on eggs, sausages, cereal, croissant and a few local dishes with unpronounceable names and then set about trying to not only get myself on the next available flight to Bangkok but, equally importantly, find out where my check in luggage is! Being without toiletries and a change of clothes is not something I’m used to.
The net result is that I depart to Bangkok at 2050 this evening but whether this is with or without my suitcase remains to be seen. And one of my first tasks on arrival will be to go to the Turkish Airlines office and set about claiming some compensation for this expensive disaster. In the meantime, I will try and grab a few more hours sleep and hope for a better tomorrow. At least the weather has improved already.
Back in Thailand again we were soon seeing some familiar sights. Seriously overloaded trucks on the major highways
And, of course, the rain
which is hardly a surprise at this time of the year as September is often the wettest month of the year with the hope that October will see the beginnings of the dry ‘High Season’. Current temperatures right now hover between the high 20s and low 30s centigrade – quite a pleasant change from the blistering heat of earlier in the year although we have to contend with much higher humidity. At the time of writing (6pm), the outside temperature is 29.5c with a humidity of 89%.
Of course the ‘rainy season’ doesn’t mean it chucks it down 24/7 but when it does rain (invariably in the afternoons), the heavens often open to biblical proportions of precipitation which lead to short term flooding.
Luckily, such events rarely last for long and so far, at least, have not created the saturation we experienced last year nevertheless putting a limit on outside activities. It was during one such downpour , temporarily incarcerated in my office that, once again, I had time to reflect on my experience of living in Thailand, what I had learned and, above all, the cultural differences between life here and in ‘the west’.
Visitors to Thailand (and indeed other parts of south east Asia) whether on holiday or on business – will be forgiven for believing that this country really is ‘The Land of Smiles’ all the time; 24/7. It is true that, generally, the Thais are a happy people but when you live here – especially being married to a local- and start scratching the surface, you soon realise that the reality of this country is not always as it would at first appear and that the cultural and economic differences between the East and the West are far, far bigger than you appreciate during a short visit, no matter how often you travel to this great country. I know that, in one of my early blogs I highlighted a few of the, perhaps, more obvious differences between east and west but having lived here for a while now, I am still learning about and uncovering some distinctions between ‘us and them’.
For me, the most striking difference between Thailand and the West – at least the northern part of it – is the strength of the ‘family ‘ here. Thais have an almost mafia-like obsession with the importance of family unity. This is partly fuelled by necessity as government support (pensions, social welfare etc) is virtually non existent. Thus Thai children are taught from a very early age that it is their responsibility to look after their parents after they can no longer work and/or support themselves. And this family bond goes even further as, for example, when a younger family member runs into financial difficulties, others in the family will rally round and help however they can.
When it comes to culinary matters, I was brought up to believe in the concept of ‘3 square meals a day’ with each meal having a different style (eg bacon and eggs for breakfast, perhaps a salad for lunch and a heavier meal in the evening). In Thailand, however, eating is more of a constant affair with often the same type of food consumed irrespective of whether it’s morning, noon or night. And in between the larger meals there is regular ‘snacking’, more often than not of the healthier variety eg vegetables, soup, fruit etc rather than crisps, and other assorted snacks to be found in the west. And all this food consumption is invariably a social occasion – and in the case of those from the Isan province consumed on the floor-when it sometimes seems to be ‘open house’ where anyone who is passing by can drop in and partake of what’s on offer!
Not surprisingly , in a country where there is a huge gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’, aspirations of instant riches run high, no more so than when it comes to lottery days when countless hours are spent in choosing what is hoped to be the winning ticket. Ticket sellers are everywhere
and a huge amount of thought goes into choosing what are hoped to be the winning digits. It could be a new motorcycle registration number that is hoped will bring luck,or a number that came from a dream (Thais are a very spiritual lot), a birthday of a recently deceased relative but rarely, if ever just random.
The prospect of ‘losing face’ – or in other words, losing the respect of others – is a huge part of the culture of most countries in this part of the world and especially in Thailand where any form of confrontation is seriously frowned upon. Thus when, say, a foreigner becomes angry or even uses insulting language when he/she doesn’t get what he/she wants, the poor recipient suffers an enormous loss of face and invariably resorts to just smiling which can often make the situation worse. I have seen this happen a number of times!
Somewhat unfairly and a reputation that was fuelled by the US troops use of Thailand for R&R purposes during the Vietnam war, many people have the idea that Thailand is largely about drugs, sex and even rock and roll. Just not true. In fact, many Thais – and certainly the older ones- are very puritanical. So, expressions of familiarity – even hand holding – are rarely seen in the open. There is, of course, prostitution here, albeit technically illegal, as there is in every other country on the planet but I have yet to hear any stories of exploitation. Often it’s just members of the younger generation merely adding to their meagre daytime salary to support their family. The moral high ground on this matter is something for others, not me.
Living in the present moment is one of the central tenets of Buddhism, the dominant religion here. This is a joyous concept and stark evidence of the outward signs of happiness of the majority of Thais. The flip side, though, is that planning for the future – even in the short term – doesn’t come easily to many Thais and often leads to spur of the moment decisions which subsequently turn out to be reckless thus necessitating constant flip flopping. To a westerner brought up on the benefits of future planning, this can be very challenging!
Other things which take a bit of getting used to are:
a) Language. English is quite a flowery language. Thai is not. For example, we might say “would you be kind enough to pass the salt, please”. Thai is much more direct and might be just as simple as “pass salt” which, of course, when translated directly into English might appear rude. It is not.
b) Timekeeping. If you are obsessed with being ‘on time’ then, perhaps, Thailand is not for you. Thai time is +/- a lot!
c) Mendacity. I am becoming more convinced that there is no exact Thai word for a “lie” as Thais regularly spout untruths probably because they believe what they are saying is correct at precisely and only at the time they are saying it! The same often applies to a Thai promise!
d) Corruption. I could write a book on this topic but perhaps best published after my passing to avoid any repercussions ! After all, I am a guest in this country. Suffice it to say, though, that I prefer the openness of corruption here to the more pious attitude of denial in many western countries.
The sun has put it’s hat on so it’s time to get out and about again and not forgetting my camera so you may expect a more pictorial blog next time.
For a change – and to let Nokky experience some other parts of the UK – on our return to England from mainland Europe, we stayed in an AirBnb in the delightful Cotswold town of Northleach, located about 12 miles from where my father and mother lived for around 50 years! Returning to this part of the country I was once again reminded of the natural beauty of this rural area, helped, for sure, by the gorgeous weather for a change!
Nowadays, Northleach is just a small, quietly sleepy small town with a population of less than 3000. But back in the 15th century, despite a population of a mere 400 or so, it was considered to be the economic powerhouse of Europe based upon the importance of it’s wool trade. For example, the ransom paid for King Richard The Lionheart’s release during the Crusades came almost entirely from Northleach’s wool trade revenue.
The town’s fine ‘wool church’ is a great testament to the wealth of this area back in the day. Although dating back to the 13th century, it was during the 15th century that, thanks to the generosity of many of the local ‘wool barons’, the church was developed into the magnificent building that dominates this still relatively small market town.
Just a few miles north west of the Regency town of Cheltenham Spa, my architect father designed and built our family home into which we moved in 1951 and in which they both lived until they passed away. Whilst in the area, we did a ‘drive by’ when I was intrigued and delighted to see that the current owners had done little to change the overall appearance of both house and garden. What a trip down Memory Lane!
Northleach is ideally located to explore the rolling hills of the surrounding area, full of quintessentially English small towns and villages mostly crafted out of the local honey coloured Cotswold stone. One of the more famous is Bourton on the Water with origins dating back to pre Saxon days and where time seems to have stood still ….
apart from the tourists! This group of Chinese seemed quite bemused that such a beautiful and scenic attraction hadn’t been turned into some sort of gigantic rural theme park.
The numerous craft and gift shops and a quirky motor museum seemed to be doing very well without this, though!
The much larger town of Cirencester lies a few miles south of Northleach and dates back to early Roman times and was well worth a visit. The splendid St John Baptist church with origins dating back to the 12th century dominates the centre of this seemingly vibrant and up market town ,
full of interesting markets and many quirky independent retail outlets.
Towards the end of our stay in the Cotswolds, whilst driving my daughter, Robyn, back to her railway station and onwards to London, we stopped off at the King’s Head in the tiny village of Bledington and enjoyed a fine al fresco lunch where I suddenly remembered that, many years earlier, my father and I had enjoyed the occasional get together here, the pub being more or less the mid point between where I worked and where he lived. Another trip down Memory Lane!
Our final adventure before heading back east was to visit our friends Chris and Wendy. And what a great time we had. Apart from a catch up and fun evening with our hosts, Chris had arranged a tour for us round the Morgan Car factory – and what an experience it was!
Morgan have been making hand built cars in this same factory in the town of Great Malvern ever since the company was formed in 1909. Having visited hundreds of factories during my business life, walking onto Morgan’s shop floor was like walking back in time – a long way back. No computers, no robots, no automated production lines.
Just a handful of highly skilled craftsmen assembling these made to order, iconic sports cars.
All fairly impractical but beautiful, nevertheless.
Good things always come to an end, of course. So, as the gorgeous weather disappeared and the temperature plummeted,
it was time to return to The Land of Smiles with overloaded luggage and an overload of memories!
After a few days on our own , our good friend Luis and his girlfriend/companion came to stay with us for close on a week by which time we still hadn’t fathomed the new oven which came with no instructions! Burnt croissants aren’t really so bad – especially when there is nothing else in the house for breakfast!
The weather was beautiful and very hot to the point where even Nokky complained (but only a little) about the heat when the mercury peaked over 35c! Thus, daytime activities were limited to a bit of sightseeing plus supermarket visits in preparation for the cooler evening’s entertainment.
Inevitably, I was ‘forced’ to make my paella ‘signature dish’ accompanied by copious glasses of cooling beer. Cooking on a barbecue in ‘cool’ evening temperatures of just under 30c is very thirsty work!
A few days of gentle clearing up after Louis and Penny departed and it was time for a full on week with my two granddaughters, my son Jon and his wife, Fiona. I say ‘full on’ but that was mostly for Mia and Elodie, thanks to the swimming pool
and an inflatable slide kindly donated by a previous guest.
Jon is a great father and totally brilliant as the children’s ‘entertainment manager’ – both in the pool and out.
but even he needed some rest once in a while! I was exhausted just watching (and occasionally joining in) all that was going on.
It was a hugely enjoyable family week! And I thing the prize for the one with most energy must go to the youngest, Mia.
Shortly after the departure of ‘Family Fairhurst’, it actually rained – albeit not for long but it did bring the daytime temperatures down to a more seasonal 28 – 30c which helped with all the tidying and packing up that had to be done prior to our departure a few days later.
An uneventful 7 hour drive took us to the almost Disney-like city of Carcassonne where our stopover gave us time for a bit of sightseeing.
It really is an extraordinarily well maintained mediaeval city with origins dating back to pre Roman times.
Not surprisingly, the walled city of Carcassonne is something of a tourist magnet and has featured in many movies over the years, Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves being one of the more famous ones.
No journey back to the UK would have been complete without a 2 night stopover at my sister’s home in Bressuire, a town of around 20k inhabitants in the province of Nouvelle Aquitaine. For an 83 year old, Di is remarkable, still taking care of guests in her Chambres d’hotes, and doing a lot of the necessary gardening and pool cleaning in her sizeable plot. I was happy to help for a while with some wisteria pruning although the finished result left a little to be desired!
Our trip to mainland Europe ended in an interesting – and quite sad- way. As our ferry back to the UK departed early, we spent our last night in France in a hotel very close to the ferry terminal in Oustreham near Caen in the Calvados region. In the morning, I was about to put my overnight case back in the boot when I noticed what looked like a pair of denim covered knees sticking out from behind other luggage already stowed there. It didn’t take my sleep addled brain to conclude that a body was in the boot which, when I lightly pushed it’s knees, didn’t move so, in my now alert state, could well have been dead! Discretion being the better part etc etc, I closed the boot, and asked one of the hotel staff to call the police.
20 minutes or so later, the local plod arrived and extracted some poor, bewildered and slightly shellshocked looking young man who had obviously been trying to cross the Channel cooped up in the (albeit quite spacious) boot of our car. Apart from a mobile phone he had no documents, no food and no clothes other than those that he was wearing. God knows when and how he had managed to crawl into such a tiny space, how long he had been travelling or where he had come from. And equally, God knows what will happen to him now.
Before we were allowed to leave and (just) catch our ferry, the portly hotel owner shrugged his shoulders and said to us “Eeet appens every day”. Very sad and truly shocking!
A few miles after we started our meander to Spain we passed the lovely little thatched house in the quite sizeable village of Stewkley where my sister used to live many, many years ago and where, if my memory serves me correctly, two of her three children were born.
Clearly, the current owners are taking good care of it as, from the outside anyway, it looked in beautiful condition.
Our first stop was in Claygate, Surrey where my daughter, Sammy lives with her husband and their totally crazy Jack Russell who clearly thought the window cleaner’s brush was fair game to be attacked, albeit from the safety of the other side of the window.
I have never been particularly fond of small dogs – and terriers in particular- but I have to say that, in between some serious bouts of canine madness, Boo is really quite sweet!
And obviously loved by Sammy.
During our two night stay in Claygate, Nokky was persuaded to cook a Thai meal for the four of us. Luckily, the local Waitrose had most of the ingredients required so we were able to enjoy a most memorable oriental feast,
none of which had to be cooked on the Aga, much to the delight of Mrs F who couldn’t really understand why such an old fashioned style of cooking could possibly be popular in the 21st century!
Our final stopover before boarding our ferry was a visit to one of my oldest friends who owns what he claims to be the largest independent Jaguar dealership in the country. The price of many of these vehicles is quite eye watering but some of the more classic Jags he has for sale are equally quite mouth watering
as was these two fine Dungeness lobsters he served up as a snack before we went to his local pub for a meal!
The first part of our journey through France was totally forgettable. A 1.5 hour ferry delay, filthy weather and a satnav that didn’t initially work across the channel hardly put us in the best of moods, especially as the further south we got, the colder it became – and in early August too!
Luckily, the weather had improved somewhat by the time we reached the village of Mouleydier just a few kilometers east of Bergerac and home to my oldest friend, Maurice.
The Dordogne is a beautiful part of France. Seemingly endless rolling hills with the Dordogne river itself as the centrepiece are full of small, barely inhabited villages where time seems to stand still but often contain hidden gems,
one of which contained this quite quirky restaurant where we whiled away a few hours in typically French style. Lovely!
Our onward southern journey meandered past an abundance of sunflowers, just passed their best and just before harvest time, field after field of sweetcorn plus, of course, the inevitable vineyards
before our climb up and over the Pyrenees where the air was so sweet and the sky so blue.
On our descent into Spain, the temperature finally rose.
Our final night’ stopover was in the ancient city of Zarogossa. It’s hard to believe that this big city which, to all intents and purposes is in the middle of nowhere, was overrun and inhabited by the Moors from Northern Africa hundreds of years ago.
Quite what the statues of Rhinos in the main square are meant to symbolise is totally beyond me!
We arrived at our destination after a final 4 1/2 drive the following day in beautiful weather with the promise of many more to come –
– a very welcome change from the weather we left behind in the UK and northern France and another reminder as to why I bought the place all those years ago.
In few days time, our first guests arrive. So, after lot of driving and living out of small suitcases, it’s time to chill.
Global warming was nowhere in evidence when we arrived in England as we were greeted with strong winds and rain. In short, a very typical summer! So a splendid Sunday Roast was a fine reminder of the Best of British!
A few days after we landed, it was off to celebrate my granddaughter Mia’s 10th birthday and once again be reminded that time really does fly by the older you get and that the simple joys of present unwrapping
and birthday cake lighting really are so important to such innocent youngsters. Lovely!
The following day, we spent an hour or so with my grandson, Max, who is now recovering well from his recent mental problems. He is such a lovely young man so it’s marvellous to see him on the right path again and, for sure, with a bright future ahead of him.
Our trip south of the river Thames into Surrey and Kent would not have been complete without visiting two of my oldest friends, Carole and David who have lived in the same house in busy Dartford for more than 40 years – hardly the most rural environment but that didn’t seem to bother Mrs Fox!
It’s quite scary to be reminded that I have known this engaging couple for more than 50 years.
Back at our base in Buckinghamshire, we were entertained by Hudson, the soppiest of Golden Retrievers you will ever meet. And I do mean ‘entertained’ as this canine bundle of loopiness is an acting dog, appearing in a number of TV commercials and a few films.
In between his thespian activities, he is looked after by friends of ours aided on that day, during a splendid lunch get together, by Nokky.
A predictable day of recuperation was needed after our bacchanalian excesses so it was off to for a walk in Wendover Woods on the north edge of the Chiltern Hills.
We were quite lucky with the weather, only being caught in the odd shower rather than any downpour but Nokky was not so lucky in her hunt for mushrooms, which, before we left Thailand, she was told were plentiful ‘all over The UK’!.
She did find some, however, but later when we checked on the internet and sought advice from a couple of supposedly knowledgeable friends, became totally confused as to whether they were edible or not so consigned them to the bin!
Nearing the end of our stay in Bucks, we made our first trip to London, being slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of tourists and excitable holidaying children. As it was a pleasant sunny day (for a change) we soon found solace with a couple of long standing friends outside one of my old watering holes – the 17th century Seven Stars in Carey Street, located directly behind the Law Courts.
What a fine old pub it still is, I’m happy to say, which still serves excellent – and all too gluggable – fine ale. What a great day we had – well, as far as I can remember!
Our final bit of sightseeing before we head south to France and Spain was to Waddesdon Manor, one of the Rothschild’s estates built in the late 19th century and a perfect testament to how very, very rich a few people were at the height of the British Empire. It is almost unbelievable that, originally, this extraordinary building (and gardens) was built merely to house the then Baron’s impressive collection of paintings for him to admire on his rare hunting and entertaining visits to this impressive – albeit slightly over the top- construction.
Whilst the landscaping of the outside of the building is beautiful, the inside is almost overwhelmingly stunning. The silverware in just one of the dining rooms , some of which is displayed below, has a current value in excess of £15million! Oh, how the other half live – or at least lived.
Close to the other end of the financial spectrum, we had the unenviable task of clearing out the last of the memorabilia and general bric a brac that I had stored prior to decamping to Thailand. Nothing of any great value but lots of memories, nevertheless.
And tomorrow we start our quite leisurely trundle south through France and onwards to Spain. We finally arrive at our Spain abode on 8th August, shortly after which, I am sure I will have a few more things to talk about including, I would like to think, a favourable weather report.
A quiet retirement? No chance but a lot of fun, nevertheless!
I mentioned last time that the rubber plant (or at least that’s what I think it is) in my office was growing ever bigger. To make the point, early last week it got fed up with trying to emulate the Jack and the Beanstalk story and fell over.
Luckily, no harm was done although it was a timely reminder that I will have to do something about it before it starts poking through the roof!
Most westerners’ idea of Thai food is based on what is served up in Thai restaurants in Europe and the Americas which, in turn, is usually a reflection of what has been experienced on holidays in Thailand. As most of the tourist hot spots are in the southern part of the country it follows that most foreigners’ idea of Thai food is based on southern, coconut based Thai food offerings.
Coconut is rarely, if ever, used in the regional cooking of other areas here. Big differences in the country’s culinary offerings are no more pronounced than in Isan in the north east. The inhabitants of this largest and mostly agricultural based province are surrounded by a plentiful supply of ‘delicacies’ as they would call them although I have serious doubts!
The Bushtucker trials have got nothing on some of the things that the locals of this province eat,
much of which is doused with a ‘stinking fish sauce’ which really does live up to it’s name!
I know that many scientists are predicting that we will have to get used to eating insects in the future, if that involves extracting ant eggs from a nest then I think I’ll pass!
It’s nearly the end of this year’s pool competition. At one point, we had a very good chance of winning this league but faltered towards the end of the season when I suspect the convivial atmosphere of our matches more often than not overcame our desire to win.
We did have some fun evenings, though!
A propos of absolutely nothing, last week a fire broke out in one of the many small hotels in Hua Hin which caused quite a significant amount of damage.
It was reported that the fire had been started by pigeons although absolutely no evidence was offered to support this claim!
I have always maintained that the local government here has lagged well behind the likes of Phuket, Pattaya, Krabi, Samui and Chiang Mai when It comes to promoting tourism. On the other hand, if the amount of property development going on in Hua Hin and the surrounding area is anything to go by then, from an investment standpoint, this place is booming.
There is land for sale everywhere and often by farmers who find the diminishing returns to be made from growing and selling fruit and vegetables are far outweighed by turning a land asset into hard cash. And as there seem to be very few restrictions as to what you can build and where, I fear that the landscape in this beautiful part of Thailand could well be blighted forever if the many developments are allowed to continue unchecked.
Once bought, some developers merely section off the land for individual purchasers to do their own building – or even do nothing, just hoping to sell for a profit later.
Others with a bit more money to spend/invest, clear the bought area, often raising it to prevent any flooding, install an infrastructure of sorts (water, electricity and perhaps even fibre optics), carve up the area into manageable plots and offer them for sale to individuals to design and build their dream home.
New developments of every sort abound
fuelled in part by the published expectation that the dualling of the train track and the long awaited introduction of international flights to the local airport will bring big commercial gains to the area. Thailand polticians are well known for their ability to ‘talk the talk’. Whether this really does evolve into ‘walking the walk’ is anyone’s guess. I have my doubts!
In a little more than 4 days time, Nokky and I will be setting out on our European trip. So it was important to celebrate this event in our bar/restaurant.
Or maybe this was just an excuse to try and generate some much needed income during this low season time. Either way, we had a super evening with many a sore head the following day!
which prompted some urgent action from “Gutterman” who responded so very quickly to our cry for help that he completely ignored any health and safety issues and even brought Mum along to steady the step ladder!
The welcome rain brings out all sorts of animals and insects. Later in this season we are inundated with toads but right now, a little tree frog has taken to clinging to the outside of one of our windows and watching television with us in the evenings!
Inside the house, things are less soggy but our living area – especially in my office – seems to be getting smaller. Around 7 months ago this rubber plant fit nicely into the corner of my ‘man cave’
but is now a little out of control!
The beginning of this rainy time perfectly focusses both mind and body on getting this year’s European trip sorted. A huge amount has happened in all corners of the world (and especially in the UK) since we last set foot in Blighty – right in the middle of the late Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee celebrations.
It all seems so very long ago!
Our trip planning starts, as usual with the process of obtaining the two visas for Nokky. This is not only an expensive exercise (close to £700 in total) but also involves going to Bangkok on two separate occasions not only to present great bundles of documentation to the relevant authorities but also to have Nokky’s photo and fingerprints taken by both the Spanish and UK embassy people. All very bureaucratic but necessary, I suppose and involves a lot of driving (app 7 hours each round trip) including much sitting in Bangkok traffic –
all for a couple of 15 minute ‘interviews’!
There is, of course, always lots to keep you occupied when you’re behind the wheel for so long
a lot of which is a reminder of how dangerous the roads are (or more accurately, the drivers) here in Thailand.
The good news is, though, that we now have the necessary two visas. So flights and AirBnBs have been booked, thus leaving me to concentrate on the jigsaw puzzle of attempting to see as many family and friends as possible (not an easy task during the holiday period) whilst also leaving some time for a bit more sightseeing for Nokky. We are going to be busy and I think a bit shocked at the rising cost of living in Europe.
Around the time of our departure is the end of our Pool League season. Up until very recently, we were in 2nd place so I was looking forward, perhaps, to starting our trip against the background of having just won the league.
But then on Monday we got comprehensively thrashed so unless the teams now above us have a couple of meltdowns, we will remain an ‘also ran’ until next season Hey Ho!
It is now about 5 weeks since the general election here. The winning party headed up by the youthful, good looking and charismatic Pita Limjaroenrat
has now formed an 8 party coalition which gives him a total of 75% of all votes cast and yet the existing government have still not admitted defeat and are running around desperately trying to think of ways of declaring the result ‘illegal’! It makes our shaky democracy look positively pure in comparison!
The cricket Ashes series is about to start. So, just time for a bit of gardening in between showers before settling down to watch some of the ‘Beautiful Game’. Or was that said of football?
The turnout at the recent Thai election was an impressive 70%+ of all who were entitled to vote including this 109 year old lady who was determined to cast her vote having endured a long period of ( fairly undemocratic) rule by the military backed government who came to power in a coup some 8 years ago.
And what a kicking the existing government took, coming in a distant 3rd behind the newly formed Move Forward party and the Pheu Thai party, headed up by the daughter of a previous Thai Prime Minister, Thaksin. So, game, set and match you would have thought to the ‘newbies’ but…….
For those of us used to elections fought by just a very few major parties, it is difficult to imagine the complexities in an vote involving 31 different political groups as happened here. So, although the Move Forward party were the clear winners, they don’t have the required majority to be immediately confirmed as the new government and thus are currently hard at work trying to create a coalition to give them the required total number of seats. All this is fairly normal activity in democratic societies but what is not so normal is what might happen before everything is settled.
As in the UK’s political structure, Thailand has two houses, the upper one being the Senate. And the Senate has the power to veto the forming of a government by any party, more or less irrespective of any majority they might have. As the Senate consists almost entirely of those appointed by the current government, nobody here believes it is a foregone conclusion that the winner of the recent election will actually be asked – or be able- to becoming the next ruling party. A strange form of democracy, me thinks and one that will take time to resolve as there is a lot of political manoeuvring going on (as well as a bit of mud slinging) behind the scenes with some saying it will be August before a any new government is confirmed. All of this has created a lot of tension in the ranks of those who voted for change and in theory, achieved just that! So, watch this space!
Apart from being a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Kaeng Krachan national park, located close to the Myanmar border app 1.5hrs drive from Hua Hin, is the largest national park in Thailand covering an area close to 3,000 square kilometres. It is a vast area of all sorts of often dramatic flora and fauna
with beautiful walkways that meander through the surprisingly green tropical forest at what is the driest time of the year.
It was our good friend, Ian, who told us about the butterflies in this area. There are more than 1,000 different species of butterfly in Thailand and during these months, most of them seem to congregate in a particular area of this park to collect salt from the surrounding moisture which is, apparently, so essential for their breeding and general wellbeing. There are millions of them
of all different sizes and colours
and so very tame, too
A very definite ‘first’ for me as I have never seen anything like this before in my life. An extraordinary and beautiful day out.
Nokky was doing a bit of housework the other day when I heard her scream after she had discovered a Thai tree snake innocently sleeping on the floor behind a curtain.
These tree snakes can grow up to 140cm in length and this one must have been at least that but as I have learnt that this species is not venomous, I am less terrified now and managed to coax the speedy, slithering creature out of the front door, down the steps and into the bushes. In my haste, though, I forgot to take a photo but I know that it looked exactly like this..
And whilst on the subject of slithery things, whilst working in the garden the other day, I disturbed another such creature but at least this one had legs – so many of them, in fact, that it quickly disappeared into the undergrowth. Courtesy of Dr Google, I discovered later that what I had unearthed was about a 15cm long Red Giant Millipede (Spirobolus sp for the experts) which, in some parts of the world is quite a collectors item.
This one is for sale on the internet for a modest US$250!!
It’s still uber hot here with daytime temperatures of 35c+ dipping to a cool 28c at night!! But at least we’ve had some rain perhaps signalling that the rainy season is finally about to start.
Maybe that’s what’s causing all these animals to come out to play.
And I’m not talking about rain either – well not yet anyway!
A few days before our friends departed back to the UK, they were able to witness (and participate in) the celebrations for the arrival of the Thai New Year (Songkran). This year’s event was particularly enjoyable as it was the first time, post Covid, that everyone was allowed to take part in the fun of welcoming in the new year- and the Thais certainly know how to party!
There were parades.
There was fancy dress and brightly coloured clothing.
But most of all, there was water! Years ago, the more muted celebrations involved the gentle trickling of water over friends and colleagues as a way of washing away the sins and bad luck of the previous year. I’ve no idea how or why this evolved into a full blown (but always friendly) water fight to be enjoyed by both young
and old(er)!
but the sight of grown men living out their boyhood dreams was something to behold!
After our friends departed back to the UK I had a chance to catch up on a bit of well overdue garden TLC. We’ve waited a long time for our two mango trees to produce any fruit
but suddenly we have been rewarded by enjoying close to 100 of my favourite fruits this year.
I think we’re going to have a fine crop of aubergines later in the year and our baby (but v spicy) chillies are also doing well.
Around the pool, the ‘whatever it’s called’ hedge is in full bloom
and the bougainvilleas are almost out of control!
In our front garden, the Heliconia (aka false birds of paradise) are coming into bloom,
So, all in all the garden isn’t in bad shape considering there’s been no rain to speak of for months!
And finally, we had a small get together to celebrate the 5th anniversary (would you believe) of the opening of our Knock Knock 94 bar which was full of good cheer
lots of good girly chats
and unfortunately, quite a lot of quite bad karaoke singing!
The daytime temperature peaked at 40.5c yesterday which is a little hot – even for me. So, for once in my life, I’m actually looking forward to the rainy season which is predicted to start any time now. So, next time I write it may well be Wet, Wet, Wet!
Friends, Dave and Ria, originally planned to visit us more than 3 years ago. And then the dreaded pandemic struck so their plans were abandoned. However, they promised that their planned adventure was merely a postponement and, sure enough, they finally made it!
It’s always a delight to welcome family and friends to The Land of Smiles especially when we greet ‘first timers’ to this great country. Everything is so vibrant and so different and there is always something new to experience, even for Nokky and myself.
A couple of days sightseeing in Bangkok is, of course, mandatory for ‘newbies’ who soon got into the swing of things albeit ‘gently’ as advised!
Dave and Ria were, I think, slightly overawed by the sheer number of temples and Buddha images – of all shapes and sizes – throughout the country. In the west, we tend to think of religious artefacts as being old. In Thailand, however, new statues and temples are being built all the time.
This one was only completed a couple of years ago although it sits in the grounds of a temple that has existed for more than 400 years. It is made entirely of copper and then painted gold and stands a majestic 69 metres tall. Spectacular!
Despite the seemingly endless number of things to do and see in Bangkok, it was good to get away from the hustle and bustle (and sadly, pollution) and head south to our home in Hua Hin where we continued our friends’ adventure trying to balance time spent chilling out by the pool with being more adventurous exploring some of the many sights, sounds and cultural experiences that Hua Hin and the surrounding area has to offer.
The Artists’ Village – less than 10 minutes from our house – is always worth visiting , even for Nokky and I as the displays are ever changing.
I was tempted to buy this little chap to help me with my ongoing battle against noisy pigeons but it wasn’t for sale!
Slightly further afield and away from the searing heat (35c+) a slow amble through the Pranburi mangrove forest is always full of interesting sights and sounds,
leaving shadeless sightseeing to later in the day when the temperature dips by a massive couple of degrees or so!
85 km south of Hua Hin is, we are told, the best wild elephant watching spot in Thailand, the Kui Buri national park which covers an area of close to 1000 square metres. It’s just wonderful to see the majestic animals roaming free, even from afar
and occasionally, a little to0 close for comfort!
For sure, Ria and Dave will take home some splendid memories of their first trip to Thailand and perhaps none more so than the sheer number of close to empty beaches there are around here.
All good things come to an end, though, at least for them as they changed into warmer clothes and headed back to the airport and onwards to their home.
Cheers, Dave and Ria; it was great having you with us.
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