My Thai Friend

Fruity Thai Photo Quiz

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:50:00 +0000

Yesterday after my trip to Thai Immigration I headed up to Dan Singkhon and the farm of my friend Annan's Mum and Dad. They're a great couple who always make me welcome and knowing my passion for birding let me roam freely on there extensive land that runs up to the Thailand Myanmar border.

Since I had company yesterday I didn't bother birding but had a wander round snapping a few different plants and flowers that grow everywhere.

So a little fruity Thai photo quiz for you today. Can you name all for of the fruits in the collage. They are all growing on the farm. A couple are very easy, a third not too hard but it is not a Durian. While the fourth should have you scratching your heads.

Actually I will give you two clues for the difficult one, although it is a fruit in one sense of the word it is not edible, however when it has changed from the green pod you can see in the photograph it is used to manufacture something that you may have heard of or even had a close encounter with!

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Black and White-Photo Shot Thailand.

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 08:21:00 +0000

I was invited to a photo shot yesterday. Six beautiful young Thai ladies wanted a portfolio for a project they were doing, or so I was informed. Excited at the prospect of practicing my photographic techniques I dusted down the Canon attached a suitable lens and waited for my photographic models to arrive. A casual observer might have noticed I was perspiring profusely, but rest assured this was caused by the unseasonal heat and not the prospect of my assignment. After all I am a professional, well I once had a profession anyway.

Sadly despite what lurid fantasies you may have dreamt up following my open lines my assignment was in fact to record a portfolio of MTF and her college friends completing an assignment which involved making paper from a banana tree(well it is Thailand) and not to photograph the next Miss Thailand sporting little more than a smile.

The women duly assembled but there were only five as one of the group was a man. Of course I didn't show my disappointment since I am a professional-remember. Anyway they were all neatly dressed in their black and white college uniforms including the man. They spent some time arranging the various components used in their project, then rearranging them and rearranging them again. I retired to the veranda to watch proceedings, enjoying a smoke and my thoughts. Suddenly it was time to start and a quick dig in the ribs from MTF woke me from my own fantasies about Thai college students.

You sit here! You stand there! Please don't turn your back to the camera. No V signs! I barked confidently. I was ready.

Now I always thought Thai women were elegant, but short black skirts and tight blouses did their best to destroy this image, sadly, for me anyway, modesty was just maintained. I snapped away, I had set the camera on continuous shooting mood, well I thought it looked and sounded professional. Plus I could actually bracket the exposure, which is a technical term to do with photography, in case you thought otherwise.

Retiring to the veranda to review my art work, surrounded by giggling Thai college students, I couldn't help but reflect on my good fortune and that just occasionally things are black and white in Thailand. I hope the same applies tomorrow when I go to Thai Immigration for my 90 day stamp.

How was your Sunday afternoon?

PS. Just back from Immigration-definitely on a roll today got 120 days instead of 90 so my retirement extension renewal (June)corresponds with my next reporting date. Even got a smile off my favourite TI lady!

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Things to Do in Thailand-What do you Recommend?

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:39:00 +0000

Thailand offers a huge range of activities and places of interest to visit, however for many tourists this is often organised for them by well meaning(for the most part) tour companies and their guides. This was the sort of thing I experienced when I first visited Thailand back in 2000. Because tour companies tend to follow a fairly well beaten track this leads to big crowds at such sites as Wat Po in Bangkok, which although worth a visit it is by no means(in my opinion) the best temple site in Thailand.

The do it yourself traveller armed with a few words of Thai, a sense of adventure and a decent map can do a far better less hurried and certainly cheaper job if they put their minds to it. It just takes a bit of planning.

Today I would like to invite you all to share a place you have visited in Thailand that is not necessarily on the tourist trail but would be enjoyed by the independent traveller. Perhaps you have already blogged about it or have some photos you could share. Please include a link to your blog or photographs in your comment if this is the case. (I've turned the feature on in Blogger so it should be possible). All links are Do Follow so no spammer's please!

OK I'll start the ball rolling with my suggestion:

Travel from Bangkok, or Ayutthaya, take the overnight sleeper(book in advance-can be done online now from outside Thailand) to Chiang Mai(train number 1), visit the dining car after dinner and enjoy a disco on the train, let your hair down have a couple of beers and wake up refreshed in the morning. Get your bearings then organise a hill tribe trek to some of the hill tribe villages of Northern Thailand. In my opinion a trek is the best way to see these nomadic people close up(there are tours by bus) and I have even seen them advertised on elephant back. Try and stay in villages from two different hill tribes. You need to be semi fit for this one but you can hire someone to carry your pack if its hard going. This sort of adventure can also be organised from Chiang Rai too where a visit to Cabbages and Condoms is recommended, this is a restaurant and hill tribe museum. They also organise treks too.

BTW sorry the video of the disco is a bit dark but it gives a slight flavour of whats in store for you. This activity seems to be an impromptu affair and only happens on train number one!

OK that's my offering-over to you.

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Military Manoeuvres in Thailand

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:30:00 +0000

Reading the local press lately one might get the impression that civil war is about to break out in Thailand. By which I mean Thai fighting Thai. The fires have been stoked even more in the last week with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra "appointing" a retired general as the Commander in Chief of his (Thaksin) peoples army.

Quite what the real Thai army make of this is not too clear but they have been going out of their way lately to reaffirm their allegiance to the current C in C and talking down the usual rumours about a coup.

Anyway some real military manoeuvres are actually taking place this week not to far from the sin capital of SE Asia i.e. Pattaya. Why only yesterday more than 800 US, Thai and South Korean marines stormed Hat Yao beach in Chomburi Province as part of Operation Cobra Gold 2010. Other countries taking part in the joint exercises include, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Now I know from personal experience that soldiering is a tough business and the average squaddie/grunt and whatever Thais call their soldiers always look forward to a bit of R & R . Well I reckon that won't be an issue given the location of the exercises. Checking the local press for coverage led me to the pages of the Pattaya Daily News and a nice article describing the military manoeuvres. However my eye caught a comment at the bottom of the page which I thought you might like to share.

"Major Woody
The joint activity is designed to improve the American Pacific Command’s ability to enter hostile territory (Walking Street), negotiate adequate reparations with indigenous population (bar girls), all the while avoiding unfriendly insurgents(jet ski operators, katooeys). COBRA GOLD! BOO-YAH."

Says it all really, doesn't it?

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You Drive Like a Thai.

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:07:00 +0000

I was up at 5am this morning since MTF is off on a trip with some of her classmates from the local community college. Apparently they are going to a seminar and visiting some temple sites.

Thais seem to love going on "tour" as they call it, excited smiling faces even at the ungodly hour I had to turn out. Duen had organised two of her friends to come to the house and we picked up two en route. So I ended up with five giggling Thai females crammed in the truck. Having got the neighbours to look after Doy I drove the horde into Prachuap to catch a coach that was leaving at 6am.

Now you may already know that most vehicles here have darkened windows to reflect the hot sun. But there is dark and dark, so what would be illegal, from a vision point of view in most countries, is not here. Of course it was pitch black when I set off and even with the lights on I had difficulty seeing out of the side windows at junctions.

Well we got to the library where the bus was leaving from in one piece and as my passengers departed one young lady turned to me, gave me a wai, thanked me for the ride and then said, in broken English, "you drive like Thai." I can only assume this was meant as a compliment, if only she knew my opinion of Thai drivers

I really didn't have the heart or words for that matter to tell her that the only reason we got there in one piece was because I had the drivers window open and frequently had to crane my neck out to get a clear view of the, fortunately infrequent, other road users.

Perhaps I do drive like a Thai after all.

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Oh my God! Oh my Buddha!

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 03:04:00 +0000

January in Thailand, well Prachuap Khiri Khan anyway, has seen a strange unseasonal mix of weather although this is still officially the cool season this year the weather has been anything but cool and has even included quite a few overcast and rainy days. Humidity has been generally high and there have been very few real cool mornings where the mercury has got down to 20c.

It seemed the same when we travelled 400km north to Ayutthaya and Samut Sakhon although I believe the true north of the country has had more seasonal weather.

For me this month has provided some good photographic opportunities and a chance to visit Duen's family for a ceremony at their local temple to observe the Buddhist rites practiced 100 days after her father died. I have also enjoyed my own form of Internet dating by meeting a fellow Thailand blogger and his family as a result of which I am now proof reading an excellent book he has written on Buddhism.

This month has also seen me speak English(have a conversation) everyday since my Norwegian neighbours have been over on their annual visit. I also learned not to drink Absinthe with two retired Nordic sea-dogs when Ott's brother also stayed over! As they do not have a truck we took them on a few visits and shared some pleasant meals as well. Both Ott and Helen love kids so Doy has been showered with gifts . I'm sure she now thinks she has a Norwegian uncle too.

The Norwegians go home today so its back to being the only foreigner in the village although just how long that continues remains to be seen since I have recently met an English developer who is about to build a lot of homes for foreigners about 2km from where we live. On first hearing the news I exclaimed "Oh my God!" Doy who was in earshot was heard to echo(in English), "Oh my Buddha!" All of which left MTF and I in fits of laughter and our visitors looking slightly bemused.

Priceless! Don't you just love Thailand?

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Bird Singing Contests, Cock Fighting and a Thai Concert.

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:17:00 +0000

This week has flown by and its a few days since I put pen to paper here. Its been an interesting week in some ways, nothing out of the ordinary, providing you like bird singing contests and cock fighting, that is. However I have gained a bit more knowledge on doing things the Thai way and may have finally got my landlord to agree to selling me (Duen) the land we lease from him. Of course being Thailand I shall not count my chickens (or my neighbours for that matter) until the ink is dry on the Chanote at the Land Office.

If we can finally nail him down and believe me he's more slippery than an eel, the total price for my three bedroom bungalow and land will have risen to nearly 1,000,000 Baht which sounds a lot but is around £18,000. Well actually its cost me quite a bit less since when I paid the original money the Baht was around 65 to the GBP(was that only two years ago).

This is starting to look a very good bargain since I got into a conversation with an English guy I bumped into this week. Phil is starting a housing development locally(he runs several in Kanchanaburi already) where the leasehold properties(30 years) are to be priced at 2.3 Million Baht for a two bedroom bungalow. Here the houses will be on a housing estate (moobahn) and are a lower spec than were we live now. That said anyone looking for a beach side home with a communal swimming pool and other amenities in a great unspoilt part of Thailand would still get a good deal. This is particularly so for someone without a Thai partner to own land for them. As a sweetener the company are also throwing in a "free" Toyota car with each house they sell.

I will no doubt be seeing Phil again and will get some more details on his companies plans but in the meantime if you want to look at the properties they are currently selling in Kanchanaburi on a 30 year lease(no Thai partner or company) or with freehold(Chanote) if you have a relationship with a Thai national, you can visit his company web site called Royle Village Resort.

Now meeting Phil and getting the Doctor to finally agree to sell me my land have left me with mixed feelings. Until now I am one of the very few foreigners in this area and I quite like it that way. A bit unique, a curiosity, still. Not too sure I fancy the area suddenly being swamped with farangs and becoming a mini Pattaya, although no doubt many a local lass and foreign tourist might well have other ideas since as I mentioned earlier the night life here currently tends to centre around bird singing contests, cock fighting and the occasional concert on the air force base.

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House Book Thailand-Do Foreigners Need One?

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:17:00 +0000

There is always a fair bit of debate on a popular local forum as to whether foreigners residing in Thailand need a Thai house book or whether or not there is any advantage to having one. So I thought in this post I might explore the subject a little further.

In Thailand each house has a House Book(Tabian Ban) this is a document that records who lives in the house and their relationship to each other and the property. Thai people use the book to prove residency when required to do so by various government departments. It does NOT however have anything to do with proof of ownership of a property. In the UK this would be similar to being entered on the Voters Register.

The Thai House Book is blue and cannot be used to record foreigners living in the property. However there is also a yellow version of this book specifically for foreign nationals resident in Thailand. These can be obtained from the local Amphur Office (council).

The process for a foreigner obtaining such a book can be complex since each office tends to interpret the rules accordingly. Here you can read of some experiences of foreigners applying for a Yellow House Book.

Since a house book, blue or yellow only proves residence you might therefore wonder why a foreigner needs a house book? Well I can only think of a couple of reasons where you need to prove residency, but there may be others. Proof of residency is required when applying for a Thai drivers licence or when registering a vehicle in Thailand.

There are however two other ways you can provide proof of address in Thailand that will satisfy various government agencies. Firstly you can get a letter(in Thai) from immigration stating where you live or secondly you can obtain a similar document from your own embassy and get it translated into Thai. Incidentally despite these methods being official in neither case does anyone physically check your residence although the police are supposed to visit on behalf of Immigration if you choose the first method.

All of which leads me round to concluding that there is little to be gained by foreigners applying for and obtaining a Yellow House Book since there are other methods of proving your place of residence which are acceptable by the Thai authorities.

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Photo Caption Wanted

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 02:01:00 +0000

I was digging around in some of my old images the other day looking for stuff for My Thai Photo Blog and Canon Capture when I came across this photograph from 2005.

The photograph is not particularly good quality but I remember that I took it because of the size difference of the subjects. It was actually taken in a hill tribe village when I was trekking near Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand.

Now as its the weekend I thought I might invite you to come up with a witty caption for the photograph. Here's a bit if background to help you decide. The lady is an American, Sarah, who was well over 6' tall and is holding an expensive DSLR camera, the little boy is from the Akha hill tribe and is holding some sweets Sarah had just bought him.

I'll kick things off with the little boy saying, "OK I will give you three sweets for the camera, but thats my final offer." I am sure you can do better than that!

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Wat Phanan Choeng Ayutthaya Buddha Image/Photo

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:54:00 +0000

The last temple that we visited on our recent trip to Ayutthaya was Wat Phanan Choeng. This is a very old temple dating back to 1324 when the temple was built around the huge Buddha image featured in this photograph.

The main wiharn containing the Buddha is extremly small with little room for people since the image is over 60 feet tall. On the day we visited many people were making offering of new robes for the Buddhist monks so it was difficult to get around or indeed a good shot of this magnificent building. If you look carefully on the image you will see a lay person who appears to be sitting in the Buddha's hand, leading the people in prayer as they make their offerings to the monks.

Sandwiched between the temple and the river that forms a natural boundary on one side of the site is a Chinese shrine that is said to honour a Chinese Princess who drowned herself in the river because the King of Ayutthaya was unfaithful to her. This shrine features Chinese/Indian style Buddha figure at its entrance which makes a great photograph surrounded by burning incense sticks.

If you have time it is also worth walking down to the waters edge to watch the river traffic passing on the Chao Phraya River or feed the huge fish that gather there to be fed.

Wat Phanan Choeng is probably the most popular site in Ayutthaya with the Thai people and you can certainly expect crowds of folk particularly at weekends.

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Cost of Motoring in Thailand.

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:39:00 +0000

Although the cost of buying and insuring a vehicle in Thailand is very similar to many Western countries, with second hand cars probably costing more, the actual cost of day to day motoring is relatively cheap. Particularly good value is the cost of fuel and servicing.

Here's a couple of examples. My Nissan Frontier 3.0 diesel has recently needed a bit of servicing since we have been on a lengthy road trip. Before we went I took the car to the local Nissan dealer and had all the oils changed (engine, gearbox and differential) along with the brake fluid. The whole service came to 2600 Baht(£50) and involved about 1.5 hours labour.

Today I took the truck to a local Mobil franchise and had all the rear suspension rubber bushes changed since these tend to wear quickly especially on some of the uneven highways here making the rear end noisy. The job took two hours and cost me the princely sum of 800 Baht (£15).

Other spares are also quite cheap when compared with the UK, a full set of off road tyres for example cost me 10,000 Baht (£180) which might have bought me 1.5 tyres back home. With diesel currently costing 28 Baht(54p) a litre I think it is fair to say that overall the cost of motoring in Thailand is quite cheap when compared to the same experience in the UK.

By the way I have just had my renewal notice for my Class 3+ auto insurance and it will cost me 6800 baht for the next year with about another 2000 Baht for compulsory government insurance.

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Discovering Unseen Thailand-Thai ASEAN News Network

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 04:06:00 +0000

I love exploring and am constantly discovering unseen parts of Thailand. Often this happens quite by accident when we head off to a particular destination like on our recent trip to Ayutthaya and Samut Sakhon.

Whilst we were away for example I found the shrine of Phanthai Norasing which is certainly not on the tourist circuit but definitely worth a visit. Equally in the ancient city of Ayutthaya we found the floating market that most tourists would not find unless they read Thai.

Obviously I have MTF to help me find places not advertised in English but recently quite by chance when I was searching for background information on the Ayutthaya Floating market I came across a section of the Thai ASEAN news network site that provides huge amounts of information on places to visit in Thailand. It certainly doesn't focus on the main tourist areas and much to my surprise had a lengthy feature on the floating market.

I have been following TAN on Twitter for a while now and whilst we were away I watched some of their TV broadcasts. Unfortunately my satellite provider, True Visions, doesn't provide the English language TAN channel, but it is available by cable TV.

I would therefore recommend you check out the TAN website and particularly the section called Travel Gateway as I am sure it will help you, if like me, you enjoy discovering normally unseen parts of Thailand.

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Ayutthaya Floating Market

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 06:39:00 +0000

The Ayutthaya floating market is not a floating market in the traditional Thai sense since what you actually get is a free water borne show featuring students from Chaing Mai University supported by local actors depicting traditional Thai folklore. The shady seating area is set out around a lotus pond and the stage is partly submerged under the water giving the impression that the actors are walking on water.

Behind the seating area are lots of food vendor stalls cooking to order and these are supported by several ladies in boats also selling fresh food. If you wish to eat you simply buy food coupons, 5 baht(10p) per coupon and exchange them for the plates of food you want. Unused coupons can be cashed in when you leave. The food is very cheap and 400 Baht fed the four of us with change for a cool ice cream on the walk back to he car.

The show we watched involved a search to find a woman for the King of Ayutthaya by the mythical Garuda, which had a male and female half. This led to lots of slapstick humour and plenty of wet actors which made the hour long performance very enjoyable. Another show features the Krai Thong folk tale.

The show is in the Thai language and there is no English narration. The Ayutthaya floating market is located in Klong Sabua district which is just outside the city limits. Unfortunately it is not signposted in English and performances only take place at the weekend (Saturday & Sunday) plus public holidays. The market is open between 10am and 5.30pm. The shows start around 12noon.

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Rooster Booster

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:51:00 +0000

During a visit to the Phanthai Norasing Shrine near Samut Sakhon, Thailand we couldn't help but notice the huge amount of pottery roosters(cockerels) around the area. The came in all sizes with a couple near the entrance that were taller than me.

Now I have a suspicion that they are maybe linked to the Thai zodiac, as in year of the rooster, but since they are being continually added too, I am unsure. Perhaps they are to do with honesty and integrity since the shrine is dedicated to a man who the Thais revere for these qualities.

So over to you, is there anyone out there who knows the significance of all these roosters or indeed can perhaps provide a witty suggestion?

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Trip to Ayuttaya and Samut Sakhon

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:06:00 +0000

We had quite a busy weekend on our trip to Ayuttaya and Samut Sakhon. Apart from attending the 100 day Buddhist rites ceremony for Duen's late father we also planned to visit some of Ayuttaya's numerous temple sites as well as a couple of things I wanted to see in Samut Sakhon province.

The road trip to Samut Sakhon is relatively easy since you just follow Highway 4 from Prachuap and turn off when you intersect Highway 35 near Phetchaburi. Its about 300km from door to door. The trip from Samut Sakhon to Ayuttaya is around a 100km and uses Highway 9.

In Samut Sakhon our itinery included visiting a brine salt farm and driving out to the Phanthai Norasing Shrine. While in Ayuttaya we visited four temples, Wat Yai Chai Mongkol, Wat Mahathat, Wat Nah Phra Men and Wat Phanan Choeng. Each location has its own special appeal and you will find more information and photographs on My Thai Photo Blog over the next few days.

Unfortunately although we arrived in Ayuttaya early, traffic was a nightmare, if you can avoid Saturday or Sunday for your visit a more relaxed experience can be guaranteed. All the sites mentioned charge for foreigners to enter them with fees ranging from 20-50 Baht.

Today's image is taken at Wat Yai Chai Mongkol, where several Chedi have been restored, it is also the home of a large reclining Buddha sculpture. The photograph of the reclining Buddha was taken when I last visited this site in 2005 on a day when there were few people around!

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Thai Sense of Humour

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:57:00 +0000

I have heard it said that there is no such things as a Thai sense of humour. Now I guess this might be partly true if viewed from a Western perspective, particularly as far as satire and cynicism go. However the longer I spend in the country the more I come to realise that the Thai sense of humour is alive and well. Its just different.

Things that in the West might be viewed as non PC as certainly not off limits here. Kathoeys and the rural dwellers of Isaan, who are often depicted as country bumpkins get their fair share of exposure along with plenty of humour relating to foreigners.

Sometimes Thai humour is less obvious as I discovered on a my road trip to Ayutthaya and Samut Sakhon.

Now I want you to have a look at today's photograph taken at a beautiful new temple near Samut Sakhon. It shows just a small section of a huge hand painted mural that adorns the inner walls of the shrine. The scene is depicting an historical event during which the King of Siam executed his favourite coxswain(of the Royal barge) because his navigation led to an accident in which the boat was damaged.

I wonder can you spot the Thai sense of humour that the artist has brought to the picture.

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Car Wash at the Local County Jail

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000

I went to a car wash at the local county jail,
All the cons were washing, but no band began to wail,
Now the guys were quite discreet
No brawling in the street
At the car wash at the local county jail.

Load up, load up, load up with soapy water
Load up, load up, load up with soapy water

We are hitting the road this weekend intending to visit Ayutthaya, for some sight seeing and Samut Sakhon where we will be attending a ceremony of Buddhist rites practiced 100 days after a person is cremated.

In preparation for the trip I took the car to the local Nissan dealer for a service this morning then stopped off at Prachuap Provincial Jail for a car valet. Yes, the cons who are due for release shortly, are allowed to run a car valeting service at the jail and very good it is too.

For 100 Baht the car is washed inside and out and polished to a sheen that would make an army Sergeant Major smile.

My apologises to 10cc, but ever since I came home I can't get the song Rubber Bullets out of my head so I started to try and make some new lyric up based on my experience. Needless to say I got stuck after the first verse and chorus. So if you can think of an appropriate line or two please add a comment.

Back next week with a few travellers tales.

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Internet Dating in Thailand

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:49:00 +0000

I went on my first Internet date today. It was a foursome actually, but before you consign this post to the bin let me explain. You see MTF actually went to meet Thai Life in Phana or to put it in a more human context, myself and Duen went for lunch with Lawrence and his charming wife Pensri who are holidaying with their equally charming family near Kuiburi, Thailand.

I have followed Lawrence's blog for a while, which I enjoy for the insight it gives to life in rural Isaan, so when he invited us to lunch I could hardly refuse. Having figured out where Lawrence and the family were staying we had a leisurely drive north turning off through Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park to find our way to Dolphin Beach.

At lunch we also met Adam and Darunee, Lawrence's son in law and daughter along with their three daughters who are all on holiday here escaping the winter weather back home.

We had a very pleasant time, but sadly before we knew it, it was time to head back to Prachuap to collect Doy from school. Mind you I still managed to find time to stop off at the park headquarters on the way back where an obliging troop of Spectacled Langurs just happened to be hanging out near the toilet waiting for a photo call!

In case you wondered about the post title, well actually I didn't think it up, it was Darunee who suggested to her Dad that maybe meeting up was like going on an Internet date.

Well if it was then I can thoroughly recommend it. Thank you Lawrence and Pensri for a lovely lunch.

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Spirit House Blessing-San Phra Phum Ceremony

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:25:00 +0000

My next door neighbours here in Thailand have just erected a spirit house(San Phra Phum) in their garden. This morning the local shaman came along and performed a ceremony to inaugurate the new home for the animist spirits that are thought to possess the land where a home is built.

Lots of food and drink were prepared and laid out in front of the spirit house and them the shaman went through the blessing process. At one stage he anointed small figurines with what I assume is the Buddhist equivalent of holy water.

The spirit house my neighbours have installed is made of teak. It is positioned to face NE (very lucky) and does not face the road or toilet, neither is it in the shadow of their house.

Part of the ceremony included placing miniature statues inside the spirit house along with a rather large measure of Thai whiskey in a glass.

Now I am none to sure about whether the spirits will be taking up residence in their new home but I figure that at least the local bird population will be happy and might well provide me with a few photographic opportunities when I sit on my porch overlooking my neighbours new spirit house.

Which I might well view as a blessing in disguise.

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Thai Style Barbecue New Year 2010

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:22:00 +0000

As we rarely see Noi, my neighbours husband, who is a long distance lorry driver, we decided to invite him and his family round for a traditional Thai style barbecue on New Years Day.

Now if you look at the photograph you can probably see lots of delicious food but might wonder where the BBQ is. Well it is there on the left between Noi and his sister in law JJ, the small silver affair with black handles, on the little table.

Cooking the food is easy. You simply load the inside of the Thai BBQ with hot coals, apply the stainless steel lid and you are ready to go. The rim of the top is used to make soup and you just put your strips of meat and seafood on the vented part to cook it. Its very much a hands on social affair with everyone diving in an cooking their favourite bites.

Of course the preparation of the food is another matter. Far from simple. Chicken, pork and seafood need to be thinly sliced and marinated in home made sauces, stock needs to be rendered and fruit and vegetables prepared.

This kept both Duen and our neighbours busy for a good part of the day. Of course being Thai women, they would not let myself or Noi get involved in the process. There is a fair bit of personal pride involved too and Duen will not settle until she sees that everyone is actually enjoying the food.

My opinion? Great food, good company, a very relaxed enjoyable evening. If you ever get the opportunity you really should try a traditional Thai style barbecue.

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Thai Life in Phana-Winner MTF Christmas Quiz

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 01:25:00 +0000

I am pleased to let you know that Lawrence who blogs about Thai Life in Phana is the winner of the MTF Christmas Quiz. The only entrant to get every question right, in fact Lawrence was the only entrant! So well done to this retired English teacher who spends half his year in Isaan Thailand and the other half in the UK.

I only came across the blog Thai Life in Phana last year but I do enjoy the detailed insight hat Lawrence provides in his writing into what I would call the real Thailand. He paints a vivid picture of rural life in Thailand and some interesting insight into the Buddhist faith and how that affects ordinary Thai folk.

A new feature for the New Year includes a section for a photograph each day.

Congratulations Lawrence, you have $40(US), my AdSense earnings for MTF in December, which I will donate to a charity of your choice. Please email me with details. In the meantime I will pen a review about your blog on Technorati, the blog search engine.

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Happy New Year from Thailand

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:01:00 +0000

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My Rear End Review

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 08:57:00 +0000

As I come to the end of my second full year in Thailand I can't help but smile about some of the gaffs I have made with language. Notice I didn't specifically say the Thai language although any advancement I have made in that area this year seems minimal. So here's a few reminders of where the spoken word somehow got misunderstood. Call it a short end of year review of things that made me laugh here in the Land of Smiles. On second thoughts perhaps I'll call it my rear end review.

Now on occasions Prachuap Khiri Khan has a few tourists in the high season and sometimes they are on organised tours just like the group of US cyclists I met outside the Bangkok Bank in town at the start of the year. Now I don't get to speak many full blown English conversations often so when the group engaged me I was happy to spend a few minutes with them. What transpired certainly made me laugh as I recalled in Excuse me bud do you speak English.

Living with Duen (MTF) and now Doy as well often leads to some hilarious moments on the language front, one such conversation, involving Doy's persistent cough, a premiership footballer and a malfunctioning fridge led me to pen, Tinglish Moments in Thailand.

My passion for photography has grown this year and the arrival of my Canon EOS 1000D in September meant I could donate my old camera to MTF, since the photography bug has rubbed off on her a little. However a phone call I received while she was visiting the family in Samut Sakhon had me scratching my head and provided the storyline for Tinglish, Thenglish, Thaish or Thaianglish.

All of which leaves me thinking that I wouldn't have half as much fun if I spoke Thai fluently or indeed MTF spoke English to the same degree. Mind you I can say rear end in Thai now and I won't tell you some of the English words Doy comes out with, I really need to watch my mouth or wash it out with soap!

Sawadee Pee Mai from everyone at MTF.

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Thailand Minimum Wage Increase

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:17:00 +0000

On Christmas Day the Thai government announced an increase in the daily minimum wage, a New Years present(their words) for the vast majority of Thai people who exist on a daily wage basis.

Bravo I hear you say, but wait a minute while I tell you what this raise actually involves. You see the new minimum wage, in the highest paying province of the 64 provinces that are affected, will change from 173 to 181Baht. Now that's £3.41 or $5.48 for a days toil and I do mean toil in Thailand.

So what will 181 Baht buy you here, well you could get almost three bottles of beer, 3 litres of milk or 5 loafs of bread at your local Tesco but of course folk on the minimum wage don't have the luxury of using supermarkets even for their basic needs. Since a litre of petrol for the motorcycle will set them back 27 Baht, a take-away meal about 30 baht which doesn't leave very much to cover even their most basic requirements. Of course somehow they get by, working in family units everyone contributing what they can, working when work is available.

The beautiful young girl who serves you in a Western fast food chain probably considers herself lucky, working in an air-conditioned unit, getting a free meal and maybe earning 25 Baht an hour + tips for an 8 hour shift.

You might of course offer that the cost of living is lower in Thailand, yes it is, but then again everything is relative. Likewise you might point out that you don't see many homeless Thai people, that most seem to have a roof over their heads. This is true but then again would you fancy your roof being made from dried grasses that is the home to numerous creepy-crawlies or made from galvanised sheets that frequently leak when its raining.

So when the Thai government announces a minimum wage increase that is actually a low as 1 baht in some provinces I don't fancy there will be many of the locals out in the street dancing. Do you?

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Win Charity Donation and Technorati Review on MTF Christmas Quiz

thetefldon@gmail.com (The TEFL Don) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Over the last couple of days we have been talking a lot about Christmas and its values. With this in mind I thought I might provide you with a bit of a festive challenge to keep the grey matter functioning during the holiday period.

Therefore can I invite you to try and complete My Thai Friends Christmas Quiz.

Of course since Christmas to my mind is a time for giving I would like to offer the winner and everyone who enters my trivia quiz a prize. So if you are the winner I will donate my AdSense earnings for December to a charity of your choice. Not a huge amount, but likely to exceed $30, I will also write a glowing review of your blog on the blog search engine Technorati. For everyone else who enters the quiz I will also write a positive review of your blog on Technorati where MTF has Technorati authority of 422.

All the answers to the 20 questions can be found on MTF or My Thai Photo Blog. There are no trick questions, you just have to find the answers which are in posts made during 2009.

1. Where did I go watching butterflies and fish in May?
2. For what does His Majesty the King of Thailand hold a patent?
3. Besides having a nice beach, what is Ao Manao famous for in Thai history?
4. What is the name of the "mountain" on the Northern edge of Prachuap Khiri Khan town?
5. Give me the name of two Thai hill tribes whose villages I stayed in on a trek in Northern Thailand?
6. What is Thailand's top export product?
7. What colour are the babies of the primates I went looking for in early November?
8. What train do I appear obsessed with and often watch as it heads South from Kanchanaburi?
9. How much do I pay for a unit of electricity in Thailand?
10. What style of architecture is the City Pillar in Prachuap Khiri Khan said to resemble?
11. Give the botanical name for an orchid I have in my Thai garden.
12. What was it that Thai teenagers couldn't have on Valentines Day?
13. Where did I celebrate Loi Krathong in 2009?
14. What is the name of the Japanese/Thai boy who plucked at the heart strings this year?
15. What very valuable waste product was found on a beach in Phuket in October?
16. Why were Black Sheep Productions in the media spotlight this year?
17. What is the name of the cross border market where I buy my orchids?
18. What model of Canon camera did I buy in 2009?
19. What are the Latin names of two Thai birds I feature on my photo blog.
20. What date is Doy's birthday?

OK that's the hard bit.

Comments are of course welcome, but please send your entry to the quiz by email: "thetefldonatgmaildotcom".

Closing Date 23.59 Bangkok time (GMT +7)31st December 2009. The winner will be announced as soon as we have one after that date in a post on MTF dedicated to their blog. If there is a tie I will email interested parties a tie-breaker question.

Finally can I just wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from MTF, Doy and myself.

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