Congratulations!

Well, my friend Ben, and his lovely wife Fuang did tie the knot this weekend. They had a lovely wedding in a park across from their house.

Best wishes to them in marraige.

Khom Loy

Here are a few pictures from releasing hot-air balloons.

Mook and Ton hold a balloon while Fah lights it.



A group of us at Thapae Gate



Yok and I with a balloon.



Almost ready to release.

Busy Weekend

I have quite a busy weekend this week. I have to work both Saturday and Sunday. In addition one of my friends (a teacher here at the school) is getting married on Sunday Evening. Also this is the Loy Kratong Festival, the second most important festival of the Thai year, and personally my favorite festival of the year. Tonight my last class invited me to go down to Thapae Gate and launch khom loy, or hot air balloons. These are a big part of Loy Krathong. When you launch one it is supposed to carry away all of your cares, and you can make a wish as well.

I was going to post some pictures of the releasing of the balloons, but my internet connection is balky (as it quite often is) so I cannot upload them. If I get a chance I will upload them tomorrow.

Weather update.

This has been a strange year in Thailand weather-wise (and else-wise but I will leave that alone for now). Earlier in the year we had the hottest summer in fifty years, with temps throughout the country routinely over 40 degrees C. (That is really hot, for those of you who measure in Fahrenheit). It was accompanied by a record breaking drought. Now we are facing the coldest winter in 30 to 40 years, due to La Nina paying us a visit. The weather has been spectacular here in CM city, with balmy afternoons and chilly nights, usually quite sunny. However in the hinterlands (i.e. the mountains) it has been much colder. The people in the mountains are mostly poor, have uninsulated houses, and usually lack proper winter clothes. One person already died in Chiang Rai from exposure (exacerbated by an underlying heart condition). Thais are not acclimatized to cold weather, and succumb to its affects at temperatures that would not seem dangerous to us. They are actually forecasting freezing weather in large swathes of the North this year, which is unheard of. This will unfortunately lead to a lot of deaths from respiratory diseases, asthma and exposure. The government and charities are doing what they can, but there will always be people who don't get proper clothes, etc, or drink alcohol before going to bed (very dangerous in cold climates).