Duncan's Diurnal Diatribe

21.6.13

House Update!

I am back at the building site again and it's turning into a house, day by day!

New Car

For the first time since 1988 I have bought a brand new car. I bought a Toyota Vios E that runs on E20 petrol.

And here we are this morning just before I drove her away with just 6 kilometres on the clock!

20.6.13

Recliner? Why not sit in front of me?

This is true. I have mentioned before that on an average flight there is an 80% chance that if there is anyone sitting in front of me they will recline their seat as far as possible.

I have also studied the chances of the above happening elsewhere on the flight and I find there is a 10% chance that this happens to any other passenger.

Now, i am on a coach going from Bangkok to Isaan Province and I kid you not, the ONLY two seats in the fully reclined position are in front of us!

Ten percent of all seats on this coach are reclined to some extent.

How about that?

18.6.13

Incredible * 2

I found the address of the Royal Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok. I got Nigel on the iPhone to show me where it it. I could see it was very straightforward to get there:

Bus 71

BTS from Phra Khanong to Siam

Walk down Henri Dunant Road

Ta daa!

Ta D'Oh! More like.

I was near a university so i decided to find a young person, student type, likely to speak English. I was right first time. She didn't know where the Embassy was but she took me to a nearby security guard: i will ask him and interpret for you, she said.

She did! The guard said he knew where i should go: far away, get a taxi. He wrote the name for me in Thai: show this to the driver.

I did that. After 10 kilometres i was thinking: how could that security guard know so much about that Embassy? Am i being taken for a ride? What does the taxi driver know that Nigel doesn't?

Well, after another few kms we arrived. Way out of town. Nowhere near Siam BTS.

So, I went inside, completed their form, handed it over and paid. Within five minutes i had my Cambodia visa in my passport and now i am on my way back to Siam Paragon.

Praise that student and that security guard!

17.6.13

I've Been Framed!

In an average year I can take up to 7,000 or so photographs: I know, my iPhoto list tells me that.

How many photos do I print out? How many do I ever put in frames? Very few and very few.

Over the weekend, I decided to print out some of my recent favourite photos: the winking calf included. A sunset from North East Thailand was another. As for the rest, me, me, me and she, she, she!

Most of them are in frames now too: three of the larger photos still waiting for theirs.

There's a lot of walls to fill in the new house!

Fascinating Retail

I went for a walk along Sukhumvit 71 yesterday and found a couple of fascinating shops.

Among the kind of shops that one finds all over Bangkok that look more like someone randomly dumped a load of produce in their front room, I found a DIY engineer's delight. Tools and equipment in a well lit shop that, even from the roadside, no one would ever suspect was there.

Even walking past, it would not be difficult to walk past this shop without really appreciating it.

There is an order and a system to the shop. It is set out just like a good engineer's workshop should be. I wanted to go in and buy an entire tool kit of things but common sense prevailed!

When I need a drill or hacksawor pneumatic nail gun, i know where to go now!

13.6.13

Hairy Thai Fruit: the Rambutan

This is one of those very exotic looking tropical fruits that is easy to eat by the bucketful: the Rambutan.

The Rambutan is in season in Thailand now at about 25 Baht per Kg in Bangkok.

Y'Orchiding!!

We stumbled in Siam Paragon last night after having dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. 81,000 flowers later, here's some of what we saw: Orchids.

I watched a programme on plant life recently that said there were 25,000 species of Orchid. Here's some of them but I'm afraid the iPhone camera wasn't up to the job this time.

12.6.13

What is gugulululu?

Answers on a postcard after you have watched this slideshow! DW

9.6.13

Latest from the House

I took these photos as we left for Bangkok but forgot to share them ...

Infill soil needed now then the floors go in.

Eye Level? Need a Spirit Level!

So we went to the bank to transfer some money. Namwan doing the business I was there because i was there.

We sit down and the business starts. I take it easy and lean back in my chair. Feels like a 20 degree lean.

Then 45 degrees ...

Then 90 degrees ...

Then 135 degrees ...

Then it stops. My head is on the floor and my legs are pointing at the ceiling.

That was fun! Luckily, the ride was slow otherwise i would have cracked my head. As it was, it was nice and gentle and noone got hurt!!!

Sorry but no photo!!

8.6.13

Weather Watch

If ever it's about to lash it down, it would be foolish to decide to go for a walk wearing just a short sleeved shirt, shorts and sandals wouldn't it!

Top tip for you!

6.6.13

The House

We're up to the ground floor now ... The concrete pouring going on here was finished today.

Insect Close Ups!

I came across these while bird watching.

Note, no bird photos!!

KLM Come on Down ... and OUT!

Saudi Arabia two months ago. Flight delayed from Manchester. Bumped from the onward connection so rerouted. Suitcase delayed four days.

I spent £120 on taxis getting me and luggage after the KLM botch up.

I claimed from KLM for actual costs incurred.

They said all will be sorted in 10 days ... it wasn't.

Then they said two weeks ... it wasn't.

Then 6 - 10 weeks ... it was!!

After many exchanges on twitter and filling in their awful forms online, i got my "settlement" today: for my taxi fare in Cairo, we award you £40. It will take up to 21 days to get to you.

I laughed! Then wrote on twitter to KLM: Cairo? I never went to Cairo. This is a Saydi Arabia problem. They replied, "Strange!". Our Customer Team is normally so thorough at researching such claims.

I laughed again!

They're looking into it for me.

Breath being held, not 😁😁😁

High Drama ... FIRE!

5 pm this afternoon and the shout went up: FIRE!

We all dashed across the road tothe neighbour's house where their porch thatch was ablaze.

Pans, bowls and a hosepipe had the blaze under control and out fairly quickly and the amount of straw to be replaced is not that much.

This evening i asked what started the fire and was told that the boy of the house was trying to kill insects in the thatch ... using lighted matches!!! 😱😱😱. He's seven years okd!

Bless!

Mini Frog

This frog is about an inch long. I used the flash so it looks much darker skinned than it is.

Building Site Update ... we are here!

We came to see the house for a specific reason ... but we left some vital papers in Bangkok so that kind of fell apart! Still, all is not lost and we will do what we need to do!

So, here are some photos, beginning with a bucket for pouring concrete ... can you see any concrete???

Then other updating snaps!