What a quality of life I have!!

Where my house locates is called "Sena village." It's a big old village of Bangkok. My mom said that when they moved here, some area around were rice fields. And look at it now... no any fields but full of habitations as you can see.

This is what Google Earth shows the way to my house.

The red line is Phahonyothin road, a main road of Thailand from Bangkok to the North. It's my usual way to my University, malls and it's straight to the center of Bangkok.


The point that the red converge the blue is a bus stop, a market and it's an informal tiny taxi station which is necessary for people who live around the blue line, include myself.

The tiny taxi station

The blue line is an about-3.5-Km.-long road. (We call small roads that are branches of the main road "Soi.") It's where I need to rely on this transportation called "Pok Pok" or tiny taxi.

From what you see, There're seats for 6 people in the back of the coachwork. Three people have to sit opposite to another three and another one passenger sit beside the driver.


Riding in this car along the blue line takes about 15-30 minutes (sometimes it's even 45 minutes) to get to my destination, my house or the bus stop, depends on the speed that's the driver's satisfaction or the mood they're in.


Being a passenger of this vehicle type........ For many reasons, I can't say that it's quite safe.
Sometimes it feels like I'm riding a roller coaster; fast, extremely and scary. Sometimes it's like... it'd be faster if I walk instead.


Today I went out to a mall and took this taxi as usual. While I was on the car and it stopped at a red light, the driver of the car I took got off from his seat to check the tires. There's another car driver parked beside got off from his car to talk to him. Here's their conversation...



"How much they cost?"

"5,xxx Baht. I don't think there's need to get new ones."

"Hey.. be careful. It maybe explode like it has happened once."

"Yeah... I have no idea if we could even get to the market." (He meant the destination.)

"What if it explodes?"

"Well, though the last time that it exploded was while I was driving, but no one got serious injured from that."



Unexpectedly..., another passenger and I looked at each other... Well, we had nothing to say... since we had no choice to choose any other transpartations but only these thin tin cars.

At the end of the blue line, I have to get off the taxi and walk along the orange line. The orange is a side street to my place. It takes about 5-10 minutes to walk (about 500 meters.)

At the entrance of the side street, it once used to be called a "dangerous zone of Bangkok" !!!

During daytime on weekday, it'd be a bit quiet. But currently, thanks to a noodle shop, 24-hour minimart and food venders around, so during lunch time and weekend, there'd be many people there.

But if it's night time....... check out the below pictures...

Too dark to see??
OK, I'll use flash light...

Is it better now??
Maybe you can see clearer that it's bottomless??

Three lights along 500-meter side street..... Yes.. that's enough to call it a risky point...

Along this small road... I had bad experiences since I was young. There're several times I found sexual psychos. Once when my cousin and I walked along the street, there's a guy rode a motorbike and parked in front of us. He unzipped his trousers and showed us his ABC...!!!

Considering about my journey from the main road to my house, from the blue to the end of the orange line, and thinking about the safety the tiny cars provide us... plus the light side street..., I can't think of anything but move!!

Sattaheep temple fair

Yesterday I took my little nephew to a temple fair near my uncle's house in Sattaheep, Chonburi. This kind of fair usually locates in or near temple area. It's a fun time and place for people to enjoy. In the past, this fair was like a chance to hang out and find new people. Nowaday, it's hard to find a fair like this in Bangkok. I guess the bigest temple fair in Bangkok is about Loi Kratong festival period at the golden mountain.

The golden mountain fair

Picture from www.oknation.net/blog/petpetpe/2007/11/25/entry-1

Back to the fair which I'm talking about...


Because the fair was in a temple area, so I firstly walked and looked around. There's a Buddhist sanctuary in the center of the fair. As a Buddist, I went inside to worshiped Buddha statues.

White lotuses, 3 joss sticks and a candle to worship Buddha statues.

I also gilded golden leaves on the statues's hands to remind myself to always do good things.

Almost every temples, there's a "Seum Si," a cylinder of foretell sticks. It's a Chinese belief to predict a future. All you have to do with it is to joggle the cylinder until a stick fall down, then you'd get your number on the stick. If there're many sticks fall at the same time, pick the stick that falls first. And if you try joggling it many times and still get many sticks fall altogether... , your life may be too complicated to predict, then.

This's what I've got, No. 9

When you get your number from the stick, go to a board which fortune papers are stuck on and get your prediction. Usually, it's Thai poetry which sometimes it's hard for me to undertand. :P

This is my fortune...

Your luck is good... There won't be any problems in anywhere you'll go or anything you'll do...

(Hmmm... If that's true, what about my thesis, then??)

You'll meet people who you haven't seen for years.

(Yeah... I'll have a meeting with college friends next week. But I haven't seen them just for months.)

If you're sick, it will take awhile more than usual to get better.

(Luckily... My health's pretty good now.)

About your love... be patient.. and don't rush.

(Hmm... I'm kind of impatient person... but I don't rush for this.

So what can I do? One more shaking?)

There're many kinds of booths, such as food, gifts, copied electronic stuffs and some amusement booths.

This is one of my favorite.. quail egg fried on a griddle which there're holes orderly on it.

If you don't understand what I'm trying to explain... check out the left picture.

After adding soy sauce and pepper... Hmm... yummy!

Amusement booths, usually for kids.

Mini racing booth and an art corner for kid

A combination of merry-go-round and roller coaster plaything

Giant slider, only for kids




Home-made Ferris wheel...

Though I'm scared of hight... but a reason why I don't join this wasn't that.

It's only because I love my life and still have many things I want to do.

Shooting booth

My little nephew's so serious about his shooting.

This is my target.

One... a head

One... a chest

One... through a heart

One... a rib

Two... arms

And four... stomach (actually I tried to unman the target man)

Maybe I should take a shooting course???

So that next time, I can easily shoot every bullets to his crotch.

A journey will begin within few weeks.

I like feelings of journey. Like to see views outside the transportation change and change.

And I'm excited at thinking that... what's waiting for me..


I can recall...

Once, my dad told me that in our lives, there're 2 area types.

Dad called "Comfort zone" and "Dangerous zone."

The differences of both areas are risk and feeling toward them.

Comfort zone is where we're accustomed with. It's where we feel comfortable and safe. The approximate risk is zero or almost zero.

Dangerous zone is the place that the risk is over than zero.


Then I think...
It means that everyday in my life... there're red areas much more than white areas, aren't there.

Because just step out of my place, the percent of risk increases rapidly.

But I think... It's challenged.
If we hind ourselves only in safety zone... what enjoyment in life we would have.


Right?


Journey is a form of walking to red area.
There're risks surround, especially for a tiny and delicate one like me,

both risk to be physical injured or inner injured.


They're just depend on my luck...


As I said, I like journeys. I like the feeling of journey.

I like how it feels when I close my eyes in one place and it turns out to be another one when I open them.
I like to find new things and getting to know people around.


Living life... is a form of journey, isn't it.


I don't like my life to be ordinary, but love to search for some excitements for it.
They may be good? bad? smile? or tears...
But those make my life to be lively.


:)


...........................................................................................


Next few weeks, my journey will start again.
Now I'm looking forward to that.

www.travelblog.org/.../Pai/blog-291138.html

Tao island...

See you soon... :)

It's a trip for exercise.

About a month ago, my friend from Mahidol university asked me and the other friends to go to Phu Kradueng in Leuy province together. I never had any idea to visit this place before; because I thought it's too far away and there's no-one like this kind of trip like me. It's kind of adventure trip which I much prefer than going shoping in a mall. After I took little time to check the number in my bank account and was sure that after the trip, there still would be something left for my collecting data, without any doubt, I jumped into the trip.

After I told my mom that I'd go to Phu Kradueng, what you think my mom would say??? Not hard to guess, isn't it.

"Again? Khwan? You never asked me if I allow you to go."

Not that I was stubborn or didn't listen to her or something... but.. well, I wanted to go....

Hmmm...... did that call stubborness???

Well, at last, I went there with my friends. We left Bangkok around 9:50pm on Friday night and arrived at a local restuarant on the next day early morning. It's a resting point where there were rest rooms and washbasins for us to clean ourselves and got ready to climb up the mountain.

We had to take this red pick-up to the national park.

It costed 20 Baht per each and took about 20 minutes to get to the park.

When we arrived at the national park, we had to buy tickets to got into the park. It's 40 Baht for Thais. But... well, please forgive us... Besides argricultural and developing country, Thailand is a tourist industrial country, also. So we need some money from foriegn tourist, that's why we might seem cruel for you foriegners.... We'll cost you just 10 times of Thai price... 400Baht only.

This picture can tell us that people who want to go to Phu Kradueng are not really great... Because if you or we, include me, were stong and as awesome as you would show off your ability that you can climb up the Phu Kradueng...., there must have not been this picture.

Well, if you think you're really strong enough, just buy a ticket and go climb the mountain. But if you're not, me as well, you'd have to thrust your burden upon these guys in the picture above.

After weighted our baggages for calculted wage to carry them up to the top of the mountian, our belongings would be tied with a big bamboo, waiting to be carried on the shoulder of.... well, I really can't find this word in English... maybe "carrier."

The belongings were ready to be carried...

If you said that guy is the strongest one, check this out!!!

Are you as strong as the woman in the picture???

I had never said this to anyone, especially to guys.

But well.... I can't live without you, man.

After we took about a few hours and had to climb higher and higher....

This was our hero...

Energy drink...

I really never had any idea about drinking this stuff... but it exactly was able to rescue me.

Climbed upper and upper.... more and more tired...
Like you're losing your way in dessert, at a second you thought you would stop breathing, then you'd find an oasis....

Luckily, it wasn't an illusion;

so we could have rest as long as we wanted.

But unluckily...., the higher oasis was, the more expensive stuff they'd cost.

Not only for tourist, but the rest point was a place for carriers to rest thier burden as well.

What are that??? An ant and an elephant???

There you'll see a lot of people there, climbing up the mountain at the same time with us. My friend said to me... what are they doing here??? Well, they might have the same question to us, too.

Here was the end of "climbing way." There still were about 3.8 Km to walk...

I started to wonder... what my legs're made of... I might sleep very, very tight tonight.

Walk till you forget where you're going to...

It seemed like it's longer than 3.8 Km....

Finally!!!! I could do it!!!!!

This was our huge tent. It could contain us six easily.

Many tents orderly were there, maybe there're about over 400 or something.

Well, I didn't exactly count...

After we found our tent, then we planned what we'd do next.

We found that the nicest thing to do that time, well...the evening would come quickly, so we decided to see the sunset at Mog Doog cliff where we had to walk about 3Km form the tent area.

We couldn't be there in time...

The sun set before we got there. But this was the nicest scene I ever seen.

Back to the tent area, there's a cafeteria for us to bought some food.

Many local retaurants sold expensive food. Do you believe that a dish of rice and simple Thai omelet would cost almost 40 Baht??? But if you saw how they carry thier stuff here, I believe you would have no doubt to pay even 100 Baht for a dish.

After finish our dinner and very very cold showering, we fell asleep so easily, more easily than ever.

In the morning, we woke up earlier than usual. First thing after washed up and teeth brushed was to fill our stomaches with some food.

Nothing would be better than a cup of Thai milk tea made by yourself.

We had bicycle riding trip to some tourist attractions, such as no-watered waterfall and cliff-es. Though friends complainned that their bums were sore, mine too, but I enjoyed the trip and had a great time.

They're the trip planners. I was just a tourist who joined the team.

It's good that I wasn't an organizer of the trip, so I could ask for anything I wanted, such as napping or more Coke.

The last destination we went, Lom Sak cliff, where's a very good place to see sunset.
The rock I sit and the tree in the picture were very famous(!?!?!?!?!).

Was it like... if you didn't take picture right there, that meant you didn't get there!?!?!?!?

And check this out...

People queue up just to take photoes at the rock???? Crazy!!!!

Well.... I was one of those, too. But I just did that just to avoid my friend's complain. Does it sound like an excuse???

Don't be worry. I won't jump!!!

Finally, we could see sunset at Mog Doog cliff in time.

I bring you the sun. :D

At the second night, we fell asleep more easily than the night before.... I guess we should have thanked the riding trip.

On the last day, we left the tent early. We had to be at the bus stop around 3pm. That meant we had not much time to climb down the mountain.

Before climbing up, my backpack weighted 6 Kg and the same weight after the trip. They costed me 15 Baht/Kg, so mine was 90 Baht on both way up and down the mountain.

In this t-shirt.... tell me I wasn't the most prominent one on the mountain.

There's a big sign at the foothill, "wish you're healthy."

Yeah... I would be healthy just because I didn't fall down the mountain.

The way back home....

Ohhhh noooooo, I didn't really want to back to my thesis!!!!!

Anyway.... I was ready to back home.

The sunset on the way back home was as beautiful as it was at Mog Doog cliff.

Hmmmm.... that meant I might not have to climb the mountain to see the sunset on the top of Phu Kradueng, but I could see sunset anywhere????

For more information about Phu Kradueng, follow this --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phu_Kradueng_National_Park

Kaset Fair and Miss Sweet Eyes. ^ ^

I went to Kaset Fair, National Agriculture exhibition, which is in Kasetsart University about 15 minutes away from my house. Everything there is plants, pets and foods. My mom calls it "tamarind festival," because every years that the fair is, we'd found that there're so many tamarind venders set up their stalls on roadsides. I call it tamarind road.



Who are those people??? Oh, no... I hate crowd. I should have realized that I shouldn't come here on Sunday. It's like I flowed with those people and couldn't stop for anything. :S




"Chuan Chom" or Adenium obesum

"Chuan Chom" means being admired. It's named as Desert Rose. It's one of plants I like, especially the top-middle one that's pink and white. And the shocking pink at the top-right corner... do you believe that it costs 70 thousand Baht?!?!? Hmmm... maybe I can sell my car just to buy that.


My mom said that I have "hot hands," which for Thai language means I'm not good at planting. Yeah... I know it's true. Because every plants I used to grow, none of them had ever survived.

Well, maybe this type would fit my hands.

Cactus

Nahh... Even cactus, they haven't been survivors, also.

Do you agree with me that this fair is enjoyable for kids??.....

Beside plants, another thing I enjoyed was.... food. ;) There're many food stalls for me to ran around like a kid and followed some nice smells and looked for which one those smells were from like a dog.

Hahaha... I like this stall. It's students of the Faculty of Political Science's stall. They sold interesting juice, Police juice, Maneuver juice, PAD juice and DAAD juice. Which one you want to join??? Oops, sorry. I mean which one you want to drink?

Beside plant and food zones, there's another zone I love. Pet zone. :)

This poster attracted me. It says, "when there're movings, many people thoroughly bring their every furniture, except this..." I really want to stick this poster on the last owner of my dog's front door...

I should have known that this stall would get me in trouble...

These dogs want homes.
They're waiting for some kind persons to adopt them.

Gosh...

My weakness was attacted...

In the cage, there're 3 Thai dogs waiting for being adopted.

Also, cats...

After a big war inside my head...

Finally...

I adopted this girl, a three-month-old Thai dog, and named her "Ta Waan" which means sweet eyes. Her mom is a stray dog in the university.


Wow... such a big trouble I was in.


I called my mom to tell her about Miss Sweet Eyes. She said to me that... if I bring anyone home again, she'd be the one to leave home...


OK... that meant you can't back home with me, Ta Waan.


After sitting with her and thinking hard, then I found her home. :D
It's Seub's home. His dogs just died for about 3 months and his mom used to mention to me that there should be a dog in thier home.

Ta Waan's first driving her new home



Oh... it's her first time to have car sick, also.

After we arrived her new home, Ta Waan took time to explore her new place.

Then she found a space to hide away from us.

I'll give her some time to be shy. She mightn't know that taming pet is one of many things I'm good at.