We'd kill for a good burger or dog right now!

This past weekend our yacht club back in Virginia had its first function of the season, and this is a picture from the chow line. The food is usually pretty good at these affairs and I'll bet that burger was yummy. We've really been missing our American foods lately. I did manage to get a pizza for my birthday and it was o.k., but not what we were use to back home. There are a couple places not to far away where you can get Western food but since we still have no wheels, that's not an option right now. Hopefully, that won't last much longer though. Our highest priority now is to get a car and our driver's licenses so we can get some independence back. You can't believe how hard it is to not have a car for over two months!

Bangkok is burning!

Yesterday and last night Bangkok was indeed burning. This is a picture of Central World, the largest shopping center in Thailand and the second largest in Southeast Asia. It was burning most of yesterday and as of last night on the verge of collapse. From the information I've been able to gather from various internet sources (the government has taken over the TV stations here), there has been some spread of the rioting and destruction into the northern providences where the Red Shirts have a lot of support.

I don't begin to really understand the political situation here but I do believe there is a lot of pent up frustration and disillusionment with the status quo. As in a lot of countries (the US included) there is a growing gap between the rich and the poor, and I suspect this may be the underlining problem. In this day and age of cell phones, internet forums, Twitter, etc., information is out there for everyone and as we know ... information is power now days. Where will this all end? Everyone has an opinion, but nobody really knows. We are entering uncharted territory and big changes are always right around the corner it seems. What's happen here in Thailand reminds me of a book I read last summer titled .."The Age of the Unthinkable: Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us And What We Can Do About It". Stand by for more surprises.

SODIS

SODIS, is the acronym for a water-disinfection method developed by the Swiss. I read about it recently in the latest National Geographic magazine, which is devoted to the water crisis brewing all over the world. Basically, the way it works is you fill old water or soda bottles with untreated water, then put them in the sun for 6 hours. The UVA radiation kills viruses, bacteria and parasites, making it safe to drink. It really works and cost essentially nothing. If you want to know more go to this link ..http://www.sodis.ch/index_EN . Here in Thailand, most people only drink bottled water which we buy in 20 liter jugs for 10 baht or about $ .25. It is so cheap almost everyone can afford it but it is still a bit of a hassle to go and get, and then transfer it to smaller containers for everyday use. Our tap water comes from our well and is filtered but we don't drink it. We just use it for bathing, dishes and laundry. Using the SODIS method, I plan to treat the tap water and use it for drinking. I'm not saving a lot of money, mostly just time, plus I just think its such a cool idea.

Our ship has come in!

Our household goods shipment has finally arrived in Bangkok. The MSC Florentina arrived Tuesday and once the shipper clears the shipment through

Customs it will be on the way to us here in Krabi. Delivery date has been set for this coming Wednesday, the 12th. We are all very excited about getting our "stuff" since we have been living with essentially what we got off the airplane with for almost two months now. And Chewy and Poco will be so glad to have their "Big Cage" back. It's been almost two years since they've seen it!

Isn't he pretty!

While I was out running yesterday, I almost stepped on one of these guys. The common name is Green Vine Snake for obvious reasons. He was along the edge of the road and headed toward the jungle. They had been cutting back some of the trees and he looked like just another long leaf or vine, and such a brilliant green ... very pretty. But yes, they are poisonous just not lethal. I gave him a wide berth and keep going leaving him for the next guy!

We're in!

Our backordered mattress finally arrived and we are now sleeping in our "air conditioned" bedroom in the house. The guesthouse was nice but its oh so good to be in our new home. We still don't have much in the way of furniture but that should change soon. Yesterday, we sent off my passport to the mover in Bangkok that will clear our household goods through customs. The shipment arrived yesterday and they say it will probably be next Wednesday before it get down to us. It's been so long since we packed it all up back in Vienna we can hardly remember what we shipped. It will be a bit like Christmas when we start unpacking.

The fancy washer/dryer combo we bought finally went back yesterday. The dryer just never did work right and there wasn't any technical support to figure out what the problem was. Several times Home Pro sent people out to look at it, but that all the did ... look at it! It was like they were looking at something from outer space. They would push a button, they stand back and look at it. Never once did anyone take off an access panel or even pull out a screwdriver. Needless to say, the service was extremely disappointing. And returning it has been equally as difficult.