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Holiday at home for me.
The 9th of March began much as
usual getting up around 4.30am with a giant mug of very
strong coffee, while watching the BBC world news. Why BBC?
Well these days it's a very good question because their
reporting of world events is going from bad to worse. Far
too much emphasis on India where they openly admit most of
their cash comes from. So having had the day’s diatribe of
over extended reporting from that area of the world, it
was off to the airfield and the usual natter and coffee
with Josh, the flying Dutchman. By about 8 o'clock it was
back to work, check emails again and see what fiddling I
could do with the site before getting down at about 11 to
12 O'clock to the hotel that I had booked for Pete and
Carol.
However Noi insisted that I get
the truck cleaned out on the way so there was a delay of
about 1˝hours while months of dirt was cleaned away for
the princely price of $3.00USD. I was afraid of being
late, not that I had said a set time but it's one of the
things about me I will be an hour early but never late.
Anyway I should not have worried at all because they were
about two hours overdue by the time they finally arrived
in a taxi from Bangkok. Despite the map that I had emailed
Pete, the driver had to get one of the local motorcycle
taxis to guide him in.
After Pete and Carol had changed,
it was off to the local crocodile farm since they had not
been to one before. Myself, I had been and seen the show a
fair few times years ago while being a tourist in Bangkok
so there was going to be nothing new for me. However Noi
and Black were keen; anything for a holiday. This local
crocodile farm is about 3 or 4 km, from our house. It was
very much the usual sort of thing with a few animals
looking I must say very well treated. On the way in there
is a very nice lake where you could feed the catfish. You
know the idea, you buy fish food from them to feed their
live stock. However I have never seen such big fish. Now,
I have no idea of the weight at all I am no fisherman but
the granddad there must have been 6ft, long with a head
like Jaws and although they didn't look like they had a
lot of teeth I was definitely wary about going for a swim.
There were a lot of what they were saying were million
year old rock structures. Well I have no idea of the real
age but the whole place was very nice and well worth the
visit.
They had a monkey show. I have to
say it was difficult to tell the real monkey from the Thai
man who in theory was in charge of the procedure. There
were lots of photo opportunities but I didn't take the
camera that day. Towards the end of the day there was the
inevitable crocodile show but the attendance at the site
was quite low this day with only the one young Thai man
sticking his head between the jaws of the beast instead of
the tribe of them that I have seen in BKK years before.
The rest of my party were impressed which was the reason
for the visit in the first place.
We had begun late that day so it
was back to the house to change and off to dinner at my
favorite Irish pub for the evening. Pete and Carol had
told me they had been eating mainly Thai food while they
had been there so it was change for them and frankly I
will only eat Thai food when I am desperate. After the
excitement of the day we were all in our respective beds
by about 10pm that night so we could all be up at the
crack of dawn or, in my case, several hours before, next
day. I was looking forward to a few drinks with my old
friend Pete, but Black falling asleep at the table made
that a short lived affair.
The next day for me began about
4am with a giant mug of coffee as usual while catching up
with my email. Then it was off to the airfield at first
light. My friend Add was there, another Flying Dutchman.
He wanted to show me a piece of land that he had his eye
on for a new airport. Off we went and about one minute
latter we where circling over the site. “Very nice.” I
said “but what about the Wat” (temple) that was very
nearby. He didn't seem to think it a problem but I do hope
he checks it out before buying the land. I then took the
controls from the right hand seat and we flew over the
coastline out towards Ko Lan (Bald Island) called this
because they cut down all the trees. To say that Add's
aircraft is responsive is the understatement of
understatements. If you have even seen Clint Eastwood in
the film Fire Fox where he has to control the
aircraft by thought. This appears to be almost the same.
No it doesn't have the same technology it just seems as
thought it does. He complimented me on my flying by saying
that he could just fall asleep. However when he asked me
to land it, he soon woke up. Having found my way easily
back to base I was somewhat over extended trying to set it
up for landing in an aircraft I don't have much experience
in flying, and as much as anything else, from the wrong
seat. So he took over the controls and unfortunately made
a harder than usual landing, breaking the right hand
landing strut. Boy, am I glad it was not me. Having pushed
the aircraft back to the hanger it was time to go and take
out Pete and Carol again, so off into town we all went.
Having very much enjoyed breakfast
at Yorky's on Jomtien Beach road, we were of to see the
biggest Buddha image I have ever seen, not that I spend
much of my life looking for Buddha's but at
Paputmahawachyraut, about 25km, away there is a mountain
that is just about all Buddha, you can see the picture on
the right. An hour or so there and we were off to Nong
Nuch, another park listed as a tropical garden. Now this
is another place I had never been to before despite living
in Pattaya for about 4 years but then when you live here
you tend not to do the touristy things. Apart from the
very nicely appointed gardens there was a show, some Thai
boxing, dancing, and as a conclusion the elephant show in
an open air arena.
Pete and Carol said they very much
enjoyed their brief trip to Pattaya and said they would
definitely return one day. They left for Bangkok the next
day and before returning home to Liverpool they were going
to visit Kanchanaburi to see the Bridge over the River
Kwai. |
My Friends Pete and
Carol his wife.
Pete threatened to come through
immigration dressed like this in Bangkok. Despite the fact
I was looking forward to their visit on the 9th of March
2004, I naturally dared him to do so.
I think you may be able to tell
from the look on Black,s face that this was not a stuffed
tiger that we found at the crocodile farm.
March the 10th, 2004
Black & the Buddha.
The outline was made by laser and
the park was opened by the Thai king about eight years ago
now. In his breast buried into the rock is said to be one
of Buddha's bones. Now I take that with a very big pinch
of salt as it is now the 2547th year of Buddha
but the place is cool. Not the temperature you understand
it's just a real cool place to hang out.
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One of the first things on the
menu at Nong Nuch was a few rounds of Thai boxing.
Pete and Carol had not seen it before and it looked
good to them but I have seen championship matches and
it's just to give the guests a flavor of the sport.
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 Having said that I am guessing
the bruise are real enough. |
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