Rugger Bugger

Flying home tomorrow (Arriving UK the 28th) with mixed feelings. It will be nice to see everybody again and drink some warm beer....! But I will miss the warm weather and the smiling faces which seem to be sadly lacking at home. Still I'll be back out here in about two months so I can't really complain.
What the hell happened to England the other day, Beaten by Scotland? Gotta hand it to them though they played their own game and it paid off.

Buddha?

Who Was the Buddha?

Siddhartha Gotama was born into royalty in Lumbini, now located in Nepal, in 563 BC. At 29, he realised that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness, so he explored different teachings religions and philosophies of the day, to find the key to human happiness. After six years of study and meditation he finally found 'the middle path' and was enlightened. After enlightenment, the Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching the principles of Buddhism — called the Dhamma, or Truth — until his death at the age of 80.

Fifteen things

15 things you (probably) never knew about Thailand.

1 - Thailand literally means 'Land of the free'
2 - Thailand remains the only country in Southeast Asia never to have been colonised.
3 - Formerly known as 'Siam' it was changed to 'Thailand' in 1939.
4 - 'Ayutthaya' was the capital of Thailand before Bangkok.
5 - King Bumipol Adulyadej or King Rama IX, is the worlds longest reigning monarch.
6 - Monks are forbidden to touch or be touched by a woman.
7 - Tradition dictates that a King will always rule Thailand and not a Queen.
8 - Thailand has 3,219 kms of coastline.
9 - Population 65,444,371 (estimated July 2005)
10- Thailand's land area covers 514,000 sq km.
11 - Bangkok is the 19th most populated city in the world (London being the 16th)
12 - Thailand is also the 19th most populated country in the world (UK being the 21st)
13 - Thailand is 95% Buddhist, 3.8% Islamic, 0.5% Christian, 0.1% Hindi and 0.6% other.
14 - The unit of currency is the Thai Baht. 100 Satang = 1 Baht.
15 - Bonviveur and all round good guy 'Dave Wilson' moved to Hua Hin in September 2004.

Garden hose

This is Alan he lives on or around the tree in my garden. He is a friendly critter and over time I have been able to get quite close to him. He likes it when I am watering the garden as I usually hose him down as well....! I chased him once all over the garden with the hose on its power jet setting....ha ha ha. Funnily enough I haven't seen him since?

Bintertart

This is 'Soi Binterbart' The main girlie bar road in Hua Hin. This picture was taken about 4.00 so life is just beginning to appear in some of the bars. It consists of about 40 bars with a few more in adjoining streets. The bar scene is really quiet compared to say Pattaya or Phuket, Which is why I prefer Hua Hin's village type atmosphere.
Its not long before you get to know the locals and long stayers.

Eek out a living

Tuk Tuk cyclists awaiting customers in central Hua Hin. These fit buggers cycle from 08.00 until sometimes 23.00. Some of them are so fit they live to be nearly 200 years old! Their bikes are so old and are often only held together with Buddha string, spit and a prayer. Still they seem to eek out a living.

Robert Plant

Don't laugh. This is one of my projects over here. Its a 'Thai lotus blossom' and lives in a big water container next to my front door. When I bought it it was tiny but with expert hands and much chanting it has grown into this magnificent specimen you see before you. The container is about 3ft in diameter and contains a myriad of tiny fish which eagerly await feeding every day, however I only feed them once a week as i have a god complex and rule with the hand of a raging despot. I went through about 40 fish before i discovered the right water/chemical mix for them to survive...ha ha ha. Now they are as happy as pigs in s**t. (if you get my drift)

Shock

Ah what to do all day? Read a book, do the Bangkok post crossword, sleep, swim, cycle or sunbathe....Hmm.
Boy am I in for a shock when I hit the UK soon. Still I'll be back within 8 weeks when I can resume this vigorous lifestyle. Hopefully some of my family will be joining me for a 2 week break, we will have to see.
Anyone i know is welcome to visit and of course you can stay at my house for free! Whats keeping you?
Whats that? work commitments....Pa and phooey to that.
Get your arses over here do you here me.

Hunky Dory

The knee is dead - Long live the knee!
Yes indeed my bloody knee has gone again. I don't think it was all the cycling as I have covered about 5000kms this year without a twinge, no I blame it on playing squash four times a week!
Those of you that know me will know that this occurred about eight years ago in England as a result of mountain biking but since being out here (thank Buddha) its been hunky dory.
Well the result is that Ive been hobbling around like an arthritic old codger which I might add draws copious amounts of sympathy from the girls (nice) But is a pain in the arse (knee). What is a man to do? Well I can tell you what a man is not going to do and that is play sodding squash again that's for sure.
Its a shame but given time and a bit of luck I want to be able to cycle again as its like a drug to me And a good way of shedding a few pounds. Speaking of pounds I have been putting a bit back on lately.......eek. *** For sale one used squash racket and ball ***

Cringe

This is Ning bending her fingers back so they touch her fore arm!! Apparently it doesn't hurt.
Many Thais learn traditional dancing when they are young and this is part of that training. They become really supple as a result she can also bend her thumb until it touches her arm...ugh. She has had many a grown man cringe when she performs this act in public.

Tool

This young flower seller is believe it or not about 12 years old. He has a dodgy eye and appears to suffer from a gender identification crisis, by which I mean sometimes he will come out wearing a wig earrings and make up and sometimes what he has on now. I kid you not! If dressed as a boy he will run and jump around as normal but if wearing make up he minces around, its really funny to watch.
He's a great little kid and cheers everyone up. His cheekiness is a great tool for collecting money and getting free food bought for him....Good for him I say!

Information

Any of you thinking of coming over to Thailand or indeed Hua Hin may like some information before you plan your trip. There are several good web sites which will help you in your quest.
One such one for Hua Hin is - http://www.huahinafterdark.com The forums are of particular interest and only need a password and user name to join, easy. I myself regularly write on this forum, but wont tell you my pseudonym (some of you will guess). For Thailand in general - http://www.thaivisa.com or - http://www.tourisimthailand.org are good ones to look at.

Sweating Ferrang

Went to my first Thai Buddha wedding the other day. It was between a Thai girl i know and a Swedish gentleman called Leif who I also know.
It consisted of four hours of chanting by 9 monks (pictured) and was interesting for about the first 20 Min's. After that it was just hot.
The wedding was followed by the usual drinking session.....
Can't honestly say i would attend another one but one has to make the effort at least once.
I wonder how long the marriage will last?
The people were really friendly and nothing was too much trouble for the strange ferrang sweating in the corner hogging the fan...ha ha ha.
The whole marriage thing is definitely not for me though, Buddha forbid!

A tad cold

I'll be back in the UK around the 28th of February, i gather its a tad cold at present. Its currently a warm 30 degrees out here and this is the cool part of the year....he he he. So if you could lay on a brief heatwave for me it would be appreciated, Ta.
I will be back for somewhere between 2-3 months and will try to catch up with as many people as i can although i will be spending a week in Spain visiting some old friends.
Buddha only knows how i will get up in the morning to sell the silver i have purchased whilst over here? (Ning pictured sporting a few items) as i have fallen into a rather easy (lazy) way of life and have been here now for 15 months straight.
I was glad to see England off to a good start in their 6 nations campaign. It was nice to see big Lol score a try after his self imposed exile from the international game.
See you all soon, Dave.