The American Dream, a Cub in one's own hangar on
a field of freedom to fly.... and this is Thailand.

Jim's house and club house at Pattaya Eastern Air Park

Mod smiles after her flight with Paul

Mod and Brian enjoy a dinner at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Thursday was a day with Lilly... We are going to set up a Northern Thailand export business to market products on the internet.
I think there's excellent potential here as Lilly is a very good buyer.
Mod would like to be involved as well as she has a lot of creative friends.
We went to Baan Tawai, a favourite place of mine. This village is a centre of art and furnishing products near Chiang Mai... You can buy fantastic furnishings for reasonable prices and create a really comfortable and interesting home on a budget.
Ikea would have a problem here, you can buy high quality teak furniture for little more than you pay for cheap stuff in Canada.

On Friday night there was a concert that Mod wanted to go to... It wasn't what I expected, we went to a place where the Thais were in festive spirit, it was a carnival, and there were stalls everywhere.
On entry we went to the Red Cross stand where a pool contained plastic floats that could be fished out for 20 Baht a go. There were prizes galore, and everyone got something! I 'won' three bowls, two glasses, and three pens!
I had a go at darts, pop the balloons, and won several other nic-nacks.
On the shooting range three of my five shots were close to the bull!
Mod crashed around with me on the dodgems...
We had fun Mod, her sister and sister's boyfriend, and myself. Sanook mak mak.

Saturday was a busy day, finishing packing, helping Lilly with the photoshop program to edit pictures from her new digital camera,and trips to both the Cozy Corner and to Anusarn Market to say goodbyes...
Some things are meant to happen, and Thailand for me is a place where one follows ones heart and does not go against it.
And strange things happen.
We stopped on the motorbike because of traffic in the Anusarn Market, next to a table at a seafood restaurant... At that table sat Claude and Noella from France who I had so far not managed to see this trip. (They flew with me earlier this year). We'd exchanged e-mails and phone messages, but had not met this trip, but we were meant to meet after all!

I had been warned; Thai Air Asia is always late!
Saturday evening's flight to Bangkok was supposed to get in at 22:25, early enough for me to get to Norm and Lec's flat before midnight... But as usual with this airline it was late, nearly two hours late, and so I phoned Norm to say we'd find a hotel as I don't want people to stay up to the early hours for me.
I phoned Maneeda who rents cars to me in Bangkok and she arranged a hotel for us together with a pick up from the airport with the rental car. Maneeda really does go the extra mile in helping me and so I will always rent a car from her.
We arrived at the hotel just before 02:00!

We were on the road just after nine on Sunday morning and driving down the motorway to Bang Phra... I was about to stop at the motorway toll booths and the car behind me beeped his horn... There were no toll charges today!
Norm and Lec, and Dr Rolf and his wife (sorry names again!), were sat in the club drinking iced tea.

Dr Rolf had flown to the weekend's OshTak Fly-In which this year was put off for the elections, and also moved to Mae Sot Airport in Tak province. ATC there diverted him to Phitsanulok due to there being no room to park!
In Europe and North America they'd get several thousand aeroplanes parked at a fly-in on the size of airport Mae Sot is, but here they would not park aircraft on the grass as is done everywhere else.
This year's OshTak was not going to be well attended in any case as there is a lot of unhappiness in the Thai flying community. Many people have expressed their unhappiness with others in the community, and with the DCA.
I hope that this will pass and people will start to make positive efforts towards creating a safe and happy flying environment in Thailand.

Onwards we drove to Pattaya Eastern Air Park where I was to fly with Paul in his Allegro again.

At Pattaya Jim was in the hangar with a nong and they were having lunch, Thai food of course, good, and I did find some cheese in the fridge as well!
Mod and I joined in on the light feast... Jim's a hospitable person.

Flying:

We did three flapless landings on 01, landing over the silos recently built on the approach to this runway, slipping the aeroplane to steepen the approach and land short field style without the flaps.
This is a good exercise should you lose electrical power and also have an engine failure and so need to do a forced landing in a short field.
Lazy eights followed, the Allegro has to small a rudder and so needs effort to coordinate roll and yaw.
The low speed at the top of a wingover is a concern, but the G is lower than one and so the stall speed is lower. But just to alleviate the concern we stalled off some steep turns, and at the top of a wingover by puling a G, and the aeroplane behaved well.
Uncoordinated I managed an incipient spin but this recovered as soon at the controls were relaxed.
The second session that afternoon was eight circuits with slipping, and engine failure practice and not using flaps at all!

Paul found that the flaps still worked when he took Mod for a quick flight around the local area...
Thai girls can be very patient and so Mod deserved a ride.

The holiday weekend was very busy. I'd asked if Paul could find us a hotel in Jomtien, I don't like Pattaya!
But in the end we were booked into a new hotel in Pattaya.
Paul's cousin Brian was visiting from England and had been out looking for a hotel for us while we were flying and he had found this new hotel...
Mod and I found the hotel easily enough after the slow drive down Pattaya Tai road in the traffic...
As we waited in the lobby a chap came in to ask about someone's room, and when it would be ready. This was Brian, Paul's cousin who I never met before.
The three of us went for dinner at Shenanigan's Irish restaurant in Pattaya where we paid three times as much as we'd pay in Chiang Mai, but the bill was still cheap by western standards.
A pint of Kilkenny beer was 220 Baht, $7, £3.40, on a par with Canadian prices, but a bit more expensive than England.
Pudding; apple pie came with cold egg custard... Not what we wanted, and the waiter took the point and came back with steaming hot tureens of proper custard, so now we had pie, cold custard and hot custard too : )

The hotel room was still not finished when we arrived back there... The room wasn't entirely clean, and the bathroom floor was a mess, but the bed had never been slept in before; we were the first.
In the morning I thought about taking a swim in the new pool, but there was a lot of muck floating on the surface, the filtering system hadn't been turned on.

We ate breakfast at a Finnish restaurant; sausage and eggs, toast and jam. I was surprised when Mod, a vegetarian, ordered the same as me except I had tea and she drank coffee... Then she dumped her sausage on my plate. The sausages were enormous, and I'd had Cottage pie, apple pie and all that custard the night before!

It turned out Brian had a flight to catch on Monday as well and so we agreed to give him a lift to the airport.
I wanted to take a long drive along the coast but we were a bit late leaving and the traffic was busy on the roads.
So I took the motorway as far as Bang Phra where we dropped in for a quick hello.

Bang Saen sea front was very busy and I worried I might be stuck for an hour there. A Soi made an escape route and we ended up on the coast road northwards, occasionally running into traffic, a few delays...
I drove us through Chon Buri and then onto the elevated motorway to Suvarnabhumi airport.
We arrived on schedule at 15:30 where one of Maneeda's staff collected the hire car.
Check in was easy, there was not many people travelling on New Year's Eve.

New Year's Twice!

China Airlines was on time, but I am not sure Mod's Thai Air Asia flight was!
I sat next to Tan who has a Thai restaurant, 'Dusita' in Santa Clara California. Tan has a sparkling personality and was great company for the flight to Taipei. We watched the latest Bourne film on our seatback screens (Airbus 340) and the flight took no time.
Tan went to catch her San Francisco connection and me my Vancouver connection, it was an hour between our arrivals and our departures. China Airlines has changed their schedules and you don't have to wait long for your connections.
The 747 lifted off from Taipei 4 minutes before midnight. There were fireworks everywhere as the Taiwanese celebrated the New Year which began as we were climbing out. "Happy New Year" the captain said over the PA.
But we flew into last year again as we crossed the date line to arrive on time at 17:27 Vancouver time back in 2007.

I knew I would be searched... I have strong premonitions sometimes.
The customs agent rifled through my bags, and took my computer and disks away for examination.
It was a delay, and who likes someone going through their bags and personal stuff?
I was released with nothing found, and I took a taxi back to Ladner.

Ladner was a ghost town, not a car on the streets at 19:00... The food shops were closed and I couldn't buy milk...
I went to Speed's Pub expecting a party atmosphere... It was nearly empty, and Speeds the owner bought me a beer, Paddy from the jewelery shop some Ouzo, and we shared some pickled eggs. The pub was closing early, 22:00...
I went home with a coffee cup full of milk given to me by Speeds.

An unmarked police car drove by as I left the pub... Everyone driving a car last night was suspect and likely to be pulled over.
I saw this unmarked police car patrolling the area like a shark, easy to spot; who in their right mind would buy a Ford Crown Victoria?
I went to the Landing Pub where there were people getting ready to see in the New Year. Music was playing, and groups of people were sitting and dancing. But Canadians are not the friendliest of people and you are alone in many pubs here, so I left after one pint.
I walked home as the Crown Victoria cruised by me several times on the empty streets.

Here I am in a cold somewhat less than sociable place, where people live in fear of the police, and where celebration is damped down considerably... I've just come from a place where people are open, friendly, welcoming, and always ready to celebrate and have fun...
I know where I'd rather be.

Prai came to visit from Lampang... She is a very busy person who teaches computer skills.
I met up with Prai at the Airport Plaza shopping mall... Girls like to shop!

Like last year the Red Lion Pub in the night market was doing Christmas dinner, and unlike last year I was in time to get it!
Ben called, he was in town... He called once before just after I'd ordered and so he repeated himself...
I gave Ben directions and he turned up... Mod turned up at the same time and so now there were four of us to enjoy a good dinner, roast turkey and even a Brussels Sprout!
The chap on the next table was amazed at this one sprout per person! We each only got one sprout except Ben who somehow got two!
Brussels sprouts don't exist in Thailand and so this was a first for the two Thai girls.

I knew it would be a disaster when the nong gave us tea spoons... We only got little servings of Christmas pudding with brandy butter poured on top... But Mod did not like it so Ben and I split hers too... There were no sixpenny bits in any of our pieces.

After dinner we went to the Warowot Market for more shopping after which Prai took the bus home to Lampang... Ben left for Chiang Rai to meet Anek, and to witness a pub brawl there!

Jum, En (front), and Mod

...was spent at the Cozy Corner for dinner, Thai food, phet nit noy, a little spicy.

After the pub we went to Anusarn Market to see Dolly who read my Tarot cards... I really don't want to know too much and so I didn't ask any questions.

We saw Lilly and her mum as well... I don't think it will be too long before Lilly is running her own chain of clothing and shoe stores, and she is already in the export business.

Boxing Day...

...was a flying day.

Jon picked me up at 10:00 and we filed a flight plan on the way to Nok.

The flight time was 1 hour 8 minutes to Nan.
As we flew east the morning build ups of cumulus clouds got lower and lower and we had to pick our way careully around them and below them with due consideration to the mountains.
The mountains rise to over 4,600 feet in places.

We ended up north of the direct line as we flew around the build-ups and so joined downwind for 02.

The Cozy Corner on Thursday night

As usual the people at Nam were very friendly and welcoming.
They took the 85 Baht landing fee off Jon while asking me if I'd seen Pink lately...
Pink works at Mae Hong Son airport and has a great sense of humour, but sadly this trip I have not been to some of the places I'd like to go to, Mae Hong Son and Mae Sariang being two of them...
But it's nice to be remembered at Nan.

One of the girls gave us the keys to her motorbike and sent us off to have lunch at Dario's, an Italian restaurant of good repute in the town of Nan.

We had spaghetti, and a pizza with a couple of salads; slightly spicy, and very cheesy.

It was one hour two minutes back to Nok where Mark was flying the Cessna 172, and the Blanik was being towed up and down by the Super Cub.
ATC at Chiang Mai is slowly getting used to the activities at Nok and they are becoming more relaxed.
But a VIP flight was coming in and soon all flying was stopped...

I think that Nok is probably the only place in Thailand where foreigners like me will be allowed to do what we do.
I am not sure what will happen at the Chiang Mai Flying Club where, like the Thai Flying Club, they are only going to use Thai instructors.
The Thai Flying Club has too many restrictions for my liking, and the recent crash up here of the Cessna 172 is being used to underline why those restrictions are imposed.

Thursday

I went to the Chiang Mai Flying Club office... There's always something for me to do there!
This weekend is the OshTak fly-in at Tak and at Mae Sot... Regulars to this site will have read my reports on the two previous OshTak Fly-Ins.
This year many of the foreign pilots flying in Thailand are not bothering to go, it will be more a wholly Thai event this year.
I considered going, but I have things to do, people to see, and my experiences of the last two OshTaks were not good!
But then there's duty, to at least make the effort...

The afternoon was spent in Ban Tawai, another favourite place where there are artistic and crafty places with all the furnishing a house could want.
Lilly had to pick up some more stock for her clothing store at Anusarn Market...
She also wanted to buy a new digital camera so we returned to Chiang Mai to shop for one.. She decided on a miniature Fuji camera.
She looked at laptop computers as well and so business must be good!

I walked to the Cozy Corner for a couple of small Tiger beers, then to Anusarn Market, and then I walked home. It took 45 minutes to walk back home and saved me 100 Baht in a Tuk Tuk.

I took the 07:50am Thai Airways 737 from Khon Kaen to Don Mueang airport, it cost 1,900 Baht, $62.
I seem to have trouble booking things in advance, but somehow things work out.
I phoned Maneeda as soon as I arrived at Bangkok's original airport and she told me she had a Toyota Yaris available at 1,400 Baht a day and that it would be delivered to me at Don Mueang railway station in forty minutes.
So at 10:00am I drove off enroute to Bang Phra near Chon Buri.
It's always worrying when you rent a car here beginning with nearly empty fuel tanks, but this one had a ¼ tank and got me as far as the motorway services well beyond Suvarnabhumi airport.
I added 1,000 Baht's worth of 91 Octane petrol at 29.8 Baht a litre and this was enough for my whole journey.

At Bang Phra I ran into trouble removing the rudder from the Katana, HS-JON. The elevator trim system didn't work and they wanted access to the trim motor in the tailfin.
I managed to remove the rudder, and they bought my kao pad moo lunch for me!

I can't pass an aviator in distress so this delayed my onward journey to Pattaya where Paul was patiently waiting for me to go flying with him in his Czech Fantasy Air Allegro
Paul had replaced the instrumentation since my last visit and wanted to check the calibration with a few stalls.
These exercises completed we flew over to Pattaya Airpark which is four miles south of Pattaya Eastern where the Allegro is based.
Neil who runs the Airpark has recovered from the multiple broken bones he suffered in a crash just over a year ago...
The latest crash was of the Cessna 206 on final approach to the airpark last month, no reason was given.
Then on Friday an L19 Bird Dog crashed after losing power after take-off. The aeroplane had crashed off an incipient spin to the right of the departure end of the runway and its pilot had gone to hospital.

The DCA

There have been too many accidents lately and this is the reason the DCA are changing the licensing rules, and imposing more regulation on the flying community.
At the Thai Flying Club they hold the pilot of the Cessna 172 that crashed at Lamphun two months ago responsible for the DCA taking action.
'He was overloaded, and did not have a valid licence' they said.
It is true that many things I saw at Lamphun were disagreeable to me, I was at odds with the chap who crashed the 172 there, he was not a trained instructor, and his attitude to loading an aeroplane was wrong.
I calculated the Cessna 152 was 150lbs over weight when this chap flew with a certain student! You can't have such a habit and expect to survive.
I was concerned for both the safety of the people flying, and for the preservation of serviceable aeroplanes in Chiang Mai.

The latest thing from the DCA is that all pilots except the owner who flew the Cessna 172 at Lamphun are liable for a 100,000 Baht fine for each and every flight, and the owner liable for 10,000 Baht each and every time!
I am glad to say that this new rule was in effect as of August 1st, and I have not flown this 172 since May.
I am told that there are eight flights that are subject to these fines.

Ban Chang

As I stayed at the Romson Resort in Ban Chang a couple of years ago, I make an effort to go there once in a while if I'm in the vicinity. It's always good to see familiar faces and to learn how they are getting on.
My hotel room in Ban Chang was 410 Bht for the night.

Sunday's Flying

When we landed at Pattaya Airpark on Saturday, I approached too high, and so I slipped the aeroplane in, so Paul asked me to teach him how to slip.
We did a bit of it returning to Eastern, but it was getting late.

On Sunday I once again called U-Tapao and got permission to climb to 3,000 feet for airwork.
We did slow flight, slips, and gentle wing-overs.
The Allegro design has since been fitted with a larger rudder, it needs it! The wings are derived from a glider and so coordination requires more use of the rudder. Gentle wing-overs, lazy eights, require careful coordination.
We descended and flew the 20 something miles to Bang Phra where Paul was astonished by the approach to 23... Aim at the mountain, turn left just before you hit it, aim for the Wat (temple), then turn a steep finals.

Before lunch I discovered that the problem with the Katana's trim was the rocker switch and so yesterday's removal of the rudder was unnecessary!
After noodle soup it was into the circuit, practising slips, even doing a few flapless landings, and then we left for Eastern and a break there.

After the break we did 11 more circuits with slips, full flap, partial flap, and no flap landings.
There's a model airfield on finals to 19. I noticed several models above our height and even a model jet doing high speed flying... So I worked Paul into turning an early base leg and then coming in steeply.

Paul made some remark about him being retired and he shouldn't have to work like this! But we were having fun and it was a happy but tired pair of us that left the field that evening.

Eastern is owned and operated by Jim Manconti who is from the eastern USA.
He has a J3 Cub that he is looking forward to flying after its long certification process.
The field has several very light and ultralight aircraft as well as parascenders.

Bangkok

The roads are good in Thailand, and are getting better... It was a fast drive into Bangkok's elevated highway system where I got a little lost! I did not bring a map!
But at one toll booth the girl gave me a Bangkok Highways map and with a little guidance over the phone I made it to Norm and Lec Livingstone's apartment on Sathon Soi 7.
Norm and Lec did a Round the World flight in a Mooney... There's a link to the web page on this site.
Their only real problems were with US Customs and Border Protection at both Hawaii and Bellingham where they were given a hard time.
Bellingham even sent him back to Canada!
The USA is fast becoming a country to avoid in the World as their paranoia attracts the mini despots that in previous generations were attracted to the Spanish Inquisition, the Gestapo, and the KGB!
I am shocked by what I was told happened at Bellingham, a place where I usually clear customs, and where I previously regarded the people as being friendly... Apparently there's a new supervisor there.

Back to Chiang Mai

This time I took Thai Air Asia from Suvarnabhumi to Chiang Mai, it cost me 3,905 Baht for a return ticket... I've booked my return on Saturday night.
Air Asia has a reputation for being late, and they were, and I still like Nok Air more!

Tomorrow is Christmas Day...

The monk's University in Khon Kaen

Jon's Christmas party was at a large house on the west side of Chiang Mai... It was not possible for me to buy any wine as the supermarket was restricted from selling alcohol... I bought a load of cheese, crackers, pop, and a chocolate cake.
Many people were there from the local flying community, and a few Thais and ex-pats from other interests.
Jon is an avid cyclist and runs the occasional bicycle tour.
One of the Thais was the mechanic who had overhauled Jon's MGB and had fitted a Toyota motor into it. The Thais are pretty good at putting Japanese engines into any car you might have.

The Bus Journey to Khon Kaen

I was at the Arcade bus station before 07:30 and was sold a ticket on a bus for Bangkok! We sorted that one out in time and I caught the 08:00 bus to Khon Kaen... It took 13 hours and cost 469 Baht, ($15.50).
There was a French couple on the bus for conversation as far as Sukhotai, and then I was on my own.
The bus went south to Tak (12:20), then east to Sukhotai, and Phitsanulok (14:40)... I was getting hungry! Other busses I have taken here have stopped for half an hour for lunch, this one didn't! At 15:00 the bus stopped for 15 minutes for fuel and I managed to buy a chinese pork bun and a thai custard bun.
We reached Lam Sak at 17:00...
At 18:47 as we wound our way through the curving mountain roads there was a loud bang that I felt through the floor.
The driver slowed down but kept going... We eventually pulled into a tyre place along the roadside where a thai girl jacked the bus up and the tyre was replaced.

Khon Kaen

Mike and Mem met me off the bus and we went to a restaurant on the lake in the centre of Khon Kaen.
I slept in a cheap hotel that had been somewhat completed a few years ago, maybe 30%, before the owners ran out of money.
You see this in Thailand where developments runout of money and are then abandoned!
The hotel was alright, but now I am a few metres along the road in the place Mike and Mem call home, in a room similar to the one I have in Chiang Mai. It cost me 1,550 Baht for three nights and for my laundry to be done.

Khon Kaen is the capital of Isan province and is a very attractive place.
The central lake took me forty minutes to walk around this morning. It is surrounded by park, Wats, pagodas, and statues.
Boats and bicycles are avalable for rent, artists sell their art, there's an outdoor arena, and many things to see around the lake.
On Tuesday morning Mike and Mem showed me around Khon Kaen, and then we set off to look at the new flying school at Nakhon Phenom, a former Air America base... We didn't get there!

Kalasin

On the way the drive belts for the power steering, airconditioner, water pump, and alternator both broke...
We pulled into the Ford garage about 2 kilometres from where the failure occured...
Here was a workshop facility, modern, with clean floors, busy servicing Ford Ranger trucks, that would be the envy of such places in North America, out in the middle of Isan.
The Ranger and the Mazda truck of the same size share many common components such as the Mazda engine and gearbox... Likewise the Ford Escort and the Mazda 323 we were in might have some commonality...
In the end though a Mazda version of the Ranger came over and towed us to the Mazda service centre where the car had new belts and a replacement radiator fitted over night!

We were given a ride to the K Plaza for lunch, then we took a country Tuk Tuk back to the garage, it's little Suzuki two stroke screaming its heart out!
I realised I'd lost my dictionary... I rode a Song Teaw back to the K Plaza at 10 Baht for the ride.
Outside the Plaza, where I'd got into the Tuk Tuk there were several business cards I'd had in my dictionary on the ground, but no dictionary.
The farang rate back to the garage in another Song Teaw was 50 Baht even though there were several Thais taking the same ride... But sometimes us farangs are taken advantage of.

The night was spent in the luxury Rimpao Hotel near another park lake in the town of Kalasin, this was at 770 Baht a night with an excellent restaurant and its breakfast included.
I took a fast walk around the lake mingling with the other walkers and joggers in the evening cool.
I came across a toad who was watching everyone pass...
In the park there were two groups of aerobic dance exercisers, one of ballroom dance, and there was a fully equipped gym. It seems Thais have taken to keeping fit in a big way.

In the morning the car was delivered to the hotel with a bill for 4,950 Baht... Not bad for a new radiator, new belts, and labour!

Ubol Rat Dam and Bang Saen II

Nakhon Phenom might be too much for the Mazda 323 that had just lost our trust, so we drove back to Khon Kaen and then north to the Ubol Rat Dam which is holding back a reservoir that is huge in area.
There are two restaurant areas nearby, Pattaya II, and Bang Saen II... We went to Bang Saen II.
The cheerful woman with her typical Isan smile won us over to her restaurant and guided us to our parking space... She could get a job at an airport, marshalling aircraft and be good at it!
The restaurants are built into the lake on wood and bamboo... As usual the food is excellent, the Thais know how to cook and feed people.

Climbing to Buddha

Several hundred feet above the lake is a large Buddha, and with food fresh in my stomach Mike invited me to climb the steps while he took the car up there!
Mem joined me and we did the climb.
I rang the bell at the top, it was once the nose of a bomb!

Back in Khon Kaen

In the evening we went to a Kiwi bar owned by an expat from New Zealand, followed by going to a Go Go bar... Not for long.

Thursday we went to the towering Wat on the other side of the lake in Khon Kaen. A funeral was taking place for a farang who had died in a motorbike accident, he was to be cremated in the Wat's crematorium. We mounted the stairs to the top of the tower for some views of Khon Kaen. We went to the airport to see what had become of at CATC training school's satellite base there. The school had pulled out six months ago and was now building a new facility at Khon Kaen and are expected to return next year. Lunch was at a resort hotel by the entrance to the airport, the Rachawadee Hotel... Another excellent meal in a garden restaurant. www.rachawadeehotel.com

In the evening we went to an English ex-pat bar where bottle after bottle of beer was consumed... I had ice tea, and one Tiger beer, I never see the sense in getting drunk!

Friday... Mike was the worse for his time in the bar... I got up and walked around the lake and then showered.

Isan Food, a little spicy

Kao Pad Gai

Today's journey was to a restaurant outside of Khon Kaen by 16 kilometres. It's popular here to add resaurant facilities to a fish farm thereby creating a scenic dining atmosphere in wooden buildings over ponds.
The food pictures above were taken at this restaurant.

We collected Mem's son Guy from school and rented boats to paddlewheel on the lake.

On Friday evening I went to my local, the Cozy Corner to find it was closed... This was the sign at a nearby restaurant:

The same thing is planned for next weekend as well... The girls who work in the bars were not given any notice of this and of course they will not be paid for this time off... Mai dee!

On Friday I'd hoped to have gone to the denatal specialist to find out whether he can save one of my teeth... It's an ongoing saga with the top left side of my mouth an absolute disaster... Too much toffee chewing in my teenage years while the dentists in Canada were out of economic reach for my father.
Back in England in my 20's I had a huge amount of work done on the teeth that had had no attention during the seven teenage years I lived in Montreal.
Once again the dentists in Canada, while I am sure they are good, require about $10,000 to fix my teeth. Here so far it is less than $1,000 and I believe they are as good here.

I am having communication problems, I needed my Thai friend's help to find this dentist and to give me a ride... I bought her a phone, she went to English classes but then stopped them, and I don't mind paying! Then my phone ran out of battery.
There has to be some higher reason why I can't manage to get to see the specialist!

I'll try again this morning...

Support a school

Passing Tapae Gate we saw a school Luktung music and dance show.
Thai's grow up with music and dance, and a party atmosphere, they like to have fun, sanook sanook. Very different to the serious upbringing western children often have.
There's little bullying, and a genuine acceptance of each other. I think growing up here has a lot less stress than it has for Canadian children.

You could buy necklaces for 10 Baht each... If you appreciated the music and dance you could walk to the stage and give them to the singers or dancers of your choice.
I appreciated it a lot and made a few contributions to the schools's funds.

Saturday

I had only used my Thai validation once and so I was determined to go flying.

My Thai friend did not want to come citing the police and the motorcycle... OK I take the Song Teaw to Lamphun and the motorbike ride from there to the airfield...

I like to share, but this was going to be a solo flight as there was no-one at Lamphun to come along for the ride.
The military refused permission for me to fly over Doi Inthanon, of course they have a radar installation there and on the ground you are not permitted to photograph it!
So I flew south to Pa Sang and then back to Mae Tha and then did a couple of circuits.

I met Sayan, the Thai instructor who used to fly CASA twin turboprops for cloud seeding/rain making operations.
With 12,000 hours and 38 years flying experience he is helping the club until he takes a job with Bangkok Air training Centre next month.

There's something I would be doing differently in the picture below as anyone who knows me would point out.

Sunday

There's a plan today... Perhaps I can get to the dentists...
Then there's a Christmas Party at Jon Malmick's place, Jon has a half share in the Katana at Nok.

I got to the dentists and it was only a few metres from the other dentist I saw... If I'd known that... Anyway I have an appointment on the 26th... Little will be done on this trip, it means I will have to come back, what hardship!

I walked through Chiang Mai looking in the second hand bookshops for The Surgeons Mate, but no luck. Earlier books and much later books in the series are available...
I walked to a little restaurant and had chicken in green curry... Phet phet, spicy stuff. The waitress was concerned, and gave me some soup to wash it down with... A-roy (tasty) though, I ate the whole lot, I was hugh (hungry)!

A woman sat down opposite me, a cute curvy one, who asked me a few questions about myself, told me she was divorced and 38 and clearly available!
I did not have time, I was on a schedule, and had to walk across the metal bridge to the RimPing market where you can buy all sorts of farang foods. I bought a load of cheese for today's party, and was going to buy a bottle of Chianti wine... But alcohol sales are forbidden by law at this time even at the supermarket!
I took the ten Baht Song Teaw ride home... There was a certain pressure for me to do so and I was so pleased to see the horng nam after I'd rushed in in a hurry.
Now it's time to shower and shave and get out the door, I can shine my shoes with the polish I bought in China 18 months ago... the first S in the series already done.

BE 2550 = 2007

May takes care of business at the Cozy Corner

The flying scene has changed here and I find myself a little sad about it, but I must make efforts to get out and about.
On Sundays there was a social atmosphere at the Chiang Mai Flying Club at Lamphun with a lot of friendly people so I took the Song Teaw to Lamphun and a motorcycle ride out to the airstrip to see how it was now.
Things have changed, it's still friendly but it's not the same. There was no flying as there was no-one there with the enthusiasm to go.
The club has employed a Thai flying instructor, and they don't need my help this time.

I would spend some time at Nok, there's a different atmosphere there, and some flying going on, but my Thai validation precludes me from flying Nok aeroplanes. I paid my 500 Baht temporary membership at Nok, but I don't feel entirely welcome.

Monday

I managed to do nothing much... I watched the whole of Doctor Zhivago, 236 minutes, set before and during the communist revolution in Russia.
A good film... But sad in so many ways...

Tuesday, serendipity

In Thailand people often talk of their sisters, brothers, mothers, aunts, and uncles. These people are not always real relatives and I think these titles are used in a honourary sense.
On Tuesday Mod took me to meet an 'uncle' who is a fortune teller, using his third eye and the Tarot cards among other tools.
Jam Long had travelled a lot in the USA studying Christianity and is a knowledgeable type.
We discussed our travels in this World. He wanted to meet me after reading me from Mod the day before, to her surprise.
He did not tell me my fortune, and I didn't ask.
Going to a fortune teller is common for Thai people who are somewhat superstitious, while being very dedicated to their Buddhist beliefs.

But there is more to life than we see, and I believe we should not delegate the supernatural to priests and their God ideal. There might well be a God, but I suspect that there's a mind energy within the overall energy that is what we are all made of.
Energy makes matter and matter can be changed back to energy. We see solid things, but they are not solid. They are constructed of atoms which themselves are constructed of energy.
Perhaps that mind energy survives our lives to become that mind energy in new births in the Buddhist ideal of rebirth.

We went to the American University where Mod can sign up for English classes... Not that the Americans are properly literate of course, they can't even spell!
Then Mod was off on her motorcycle to work...

I walked around the Wat with the new Chedi as depicted in the pictures... I sponsored some of the bricks used to build this Chedi the last time I was here and so there's my signature buried within it.
From there I walked across the road to an older Wat where I sat in silence, emptying my mind for a while. I put 100 Baht in the offering box, signed my name in the book and then walked on... I walked around another twoWats and then circled around some side streets... Then I received enlightenment, to the effect that my Thai dictionary was not in my hand!
I knew where I'd left it while I took the pictures on this page... I walked quickly back and there it was where I had left it an hour or more before.

The first coincidence... With dictionary in hand I left the Wat and there on the road was a motorbike with the girl I'd danced with on Friday night, she was out with her English boyfriend... From my point of view there was something to be learned from this coincidence, and perhaps I read more into it than I should, but I don't think so.
I had a manao soda at John's Place while I contemplated what I should do. I was getting hungry and so I wandered the town while I wondered what to gin kao.
I settled in to the Duke's restaurant on the Lamphun Road and ordered roast garlic chicken and veggies... My salad arrived as did a phone call from Ben...
Ben had been to Lamphun and had met Nat who surprised him with the news I was in Chiang Mai and here's my number. I met Ben at Pro IFR in Canada a couple of months ago.
I put the chicken on hold until Ben and his girlfriend arrived to join me for lunch.
We finished our lunch during which the conversation was very good... Then Nat phoned... Coincidently, he just happened to be two minutes away having just dropped his student off at the railway station... So the group grew by one for ice cream.
Lunch took me from 13:30 to 17:30, I took a Song Teaw home and then rode with Mod to Cozy Cormer.
We took some night pictures of the lanterns and display marking the King's 80th birthday.

Wednesday

I spent a lot of the day at the CMFC office... They are getting a new Cessna 172R and a new 172SP both with the Garmin 1000 glass cockpits.
These are due to be delivered from the factory next month and so everyone is excited here.
In the evening there was a market open near to the office together with a stage and live music. Life is very entertaining here.

Nat has a laugh with Bee, all innocent fun and the camera doesn't lie!
Or does it?
If I crop the image a bit the whole thing can look a little naughty.

Like British humour, one can sometimes turn something around to become
shocking! : )

On Friday I booked and paid for my return ticket from Bangkok to Vancouver and so I can plan the rest of this trip accordingly.

There are a few jobs I have to do and one by one I do them, so Friday's tasks were the air ticket and to find the dental surgery where I can get my molars looked at.
If I can fix my teeth here I can save over $8,000 for the same work!

I went shopping, bought some more cheese and porridge and then took the Song Taew back to the apartment.

Lunch was with Nat who I caught up with at the CMFC office 500 metres from where I sit writing this update.
It's always good to see Bee who is the receptionist, and she always comes under some humour about getting her married off to some old farang like me!
I gave Nat the Transport Canada Flight Instructor Guide. In Thailand they use people like Nat with experience to be safety pilots and instructors so I think it is important that he follows up his Canadian CPL with some learning required for the instructor rating.
I thnk Nat is doing a good job here, his English is excellent and he is cautious and somewhat better trained than most.

Lunch was near the Chiang Mai University in an area popular with educated Thais.

In the Airport Plaza Mall I looked at the new generation GPS - palm computer - mobile phones... I'll have to check the prices here against those in North America. I looked at the P800W with Garmin GPS at 19,900 Baht, $650 CAD.

In the evening I was off out with three girls, Mod, Ay, and Ning. Ay and Ning work at John's Place/Cozy Corner my local!
We ended up at the Mandalay a Gay Bar! Girls like gay bars... I was alright, nobody bothered me, and I got to dance with Ning who was a really fun girl to be with. I like girls with spontaneous fun.
The Mandalay has go go girls, dancers, and singers (all real girls!), and is a fun place to be.
There are ladyboys, and gay people as well, but you know what, to each his/her own... the girls dancing on the stage were extremely attractive and people were having fun.

Saturday's Tasks

So far I've put three loads of laundry in the machine downstairs... Mine and mostly Mod's.
It's very un-Thai for the man to be home doing the laundry while the woman goes to work, but I can't stand to see it pile up any more!
The fourth and final load shoud be done soon and I'll hang it out to dry prior to the next task...

The DVD player I bought at Tesco on special has a buzz to it so I have to return it... Then there's a dentist appointment at 16:00.

I've finished the laundry and Mod can iron it tonight!

The year of the Horse portrayed at Doi Saket

I don't think sport aviation in Thailand will progress well unless everyone here cooperates with each other.
My sense that all is not well with the World is normally pretty accurate... I sense that there are conflicts brewing between people who really need to be cooperating with each other!

There are other factors to consider as well... There is still a restriction on the number of aeroplanes that can operate at the same time at Lamphun, namely one! When an aeroplane is approaching from elsewhere, if you are the one aeroplane allowed in the circuit you will be told to hold 10 miles away.
Today I went flying, I'd planned a little local, but due to air traffic I was told to stay over Lamphun, i.e. in the circuit, so I did a few circuits...
Certainly there were a lot of inbound airliners, the radio was very busy. Chiang Mai's air traffic is increasing with many more flights put on by the local airlines and by some international operators as well.
Lamphun is within the Chiang Mai control zone and just to the right of the final approach path, so I expect that there will be more restrictions on operations in the future. ATC is having a difficult time of it and they don't need to cope with little aeroplanes as well.

Next month Lamphun will have its Laterite surface paved in Tarmac...
And CMFC has agreed to train Indian students to the PPL level... How? With all the restrictions I don't see how they will be able to.

I believe there are many troubles brewing for our sort of aviation here.

I sent an e-mail to the other flying club that I would have liked to fly with. I was hoping the boss there could appeal to the DCA to allow me to fly both his and Chiang Mai Flying Club aeroplanes... This was the disappointing response I received:

Hello Michael,

Thank you for your mail.
The DCA which recently introduced this restrictive rule linking endorsements to one flying Club is not likely going to derogate easily as you are now registered with Chiangmai Flying Club.
Furthermore, due to the present situation between the 2 entities, it would be seen as *** stealing members of CMFC.
So I am afraid that we will not be able to get you endorsed with ***.
Very sorry for that.
Best regards,

So be it, I am a victim of the troubles brewing in Thailand where the sport flying movement has won some battles but also is losing some as time goes by.

Other Journeys

On Tuesday I took the jeep to Doi Saket to see if my little statue of Kuan Yin was still there... It wasn't.
I stopped at the Sorn restaurant nearby for an excellent lunch... The owner had closed his Sorn restaurant in Bangkok and had moved up country to where it is so quiet he did not have English Breakfast tea available... Didn't sell enough.
While there I scanned through the book "The Ravens" about Air America in Laos... I must read this book.

Wednesday was the King's 80th birthday and so Cozy Corner was to be closed... Businesses don't usually serve alcohol on the King's birthday out of respect.
Ay therefore had the day off, she thought, and wanted a day out. So I rented the jeep again and we ground our way to the top of Doi Inthanon.
As it turned out the bar did open after all and Ay was called into work, but she had already arranged with me to go out... This cost me 490 Baht to buy her off the job for a day!

The Plan...

There is no plan!
I don't see me doing much flying this trip so I will think about what I can do to amuse myself...
I drop the jeep off tomorrow morning, and I'll see about taking some trips to the coast and around Thailand by other means.

Flying on Thursday

Riverside Tours

I booked my trip down the Mekong through Riverside and now they give
their clients advice based on my report and show them the web page on
this website!

www.riversidehousechiangmai.com
Nice rooms beyond the garden.

There's always work to be done...
Trevor catches up in the breakfast area at the guest house

1964 Cessna 172 POH, 'VDM is a 1968 model


The Nok 172s @ 6,000 Baht an hour ($200)
www.nokaviation.com

Jon does his preflight checks

What I am missing in Canada

Taking care of a visitor

Trevor's weekend trip to the Middle East was cancelled and so he decided to travel to Chiang Mai for a visit.
Everyone I know including myself has lived a busy life this year... It's very interesting how we get sucked into steady and continuous work without many breaks... It makes you wonder what life is all about!

On Friday I booked a room for Trevor at the comfortable Riverside Guesthouse... Excellent value at 400 Baht a night ($12.50) with a breakfast of toast, jam and marmalade, tea and coffee thrown in. An egg is 20 Baht extra.
I booked a car too, and on Saturday I picked up the same jeep I had rented 18 months ago for 800 Baht a day then, now 650 Baht a day... Perhaps the price reduction is due to being a return customer.
I put 400 Baht's worth of petrol in the tank at 33 Baht a litre ($1.10).

Life's coincidences

I am sensitive to the oddities of this life... Things that happen.
When I booked the return flight to Bangkok I was given the following ticket reference: K4 GRTJ... C-GRTJ is the registration of the Diamond DA20-C1, the first aeroplane of the new business I am involved with!

There I was wandering past John's Place enroute to try another restaurant for lunch... I said Sawasdee krup to all the girls there as I passed, we all know each other, and there was Klaus and Captain North from SGA sitting there!
I gin kao'd at John's place while I caught up with what's new with SGA.
Klaus and I took the same groundschool course on the Cessna 208B Caravan last January in Bangkok.
Klaus and a Norwegian pilot both had been offered jobs at SGA and I was there as a spare.
The Norwegian was in his 20's had no attachment to Thailand and as I predicted he took off for the jet job soon after he had begun flying the Caravan.
Klaus has a Thai girlfriend and therefore an attachment here, and he is in his late forties, far more reliable as an employee, but even he is looking at the 737 job.
Captain North is Thai, and has a job flying 737s for Thai Air Asia now...
So SGA has a shortfall of pilots.
Me, I would have loved that job and to stay in Chiang Mai for a few years would be heaven, but as ever I didn't get the job, and now I have other commitments. Not that I would be offered the job now!

Friday

Friday night I was really hungry and decided to walk to the pizza restaurant just past the flying club office... There was a bit of drinking going on in the office and of course I joined in for a couple of tins of liquid headache Singha beer... Then it was pizza for everyone and salad and large bottles of Heineken... Farang pays as usual. All good fun.
The Chiang Mai Flying Club is buying two brand new Cessna 172s from the factory and has a contract to train Indian students to the PPL level... These students will continue to the CPL level at BAC in Bangkok... I know what they are in for.

Saturday

As mentioned above I ran into Klaus and Captain North at lunch time and then I picked up the Jeep at 15:30.
Trevor's flight was delayed and did not land until 18:00, 25 minutes late.
Nok Air has leased a couple of 737-800s from Gatwick complete with British crews and Trevor was pleased to be on one and add it to his log of aircraft flown in.
I checked him in to the guest house and then we went for a filling meal at the unrelated Riverside Pub and Restaurant, excellent western and Thai foods.
The girls weren't dancing at Cozy Corner due to live English football matches being shown...
We ended the night at "Love Actually" where we met Chris who is still recovering from the Cessna 172 crash.

Sunday

Pete was going to be at Nok around 11:00 in the morning and so we had time to take a diversion to Bo Sang where one can see Thai handicrafts, specifically an umbrella factory that exports its products all over the World .
There were pictures of famous people visiting the factory, including Princess Diana...
"Sawasdee Jao" Nittaya said in the Chiang Mai dialect... She gave us a lot of attention and was interesting to talk to about local Thai life and her family.
All the girls wore Thai silk graprongs (wrap skirts), but as it's cold for them they also wore winter jackets! It was cold only around 20º C or a little more!
There are a huge number of gifts one could buy for very reasonable costs and Trevor picked up a nice oil painting showing a classic Thai village scene.

Nok

(Edit) I have got my Thai validation today Monday, but with restrictions, see Thai Licence Validation. The Club has decided to go entirely Thai flying instructors and so they don't need me now, and Nat is available to fly as safety pilot with many of the students.
When I instructed here all my students did genuine solo cross countries, but the norm here in Thailand is to never let a student do a solo cross country alone, a safety pilot is there to make sure the student does not get lost!
I have warned them that this will have to change when they take on the Indian students.
All in all I feel a little upset by what I am seeing here in Thailand... Most PPLs are scared to fly on their own, they never developed the confidence solo flight gives, and post PPL, as licenced pilots, they will forever need a safety pilot.
Ed is highly respected here, he did it properly and has the confidence to fly his aeroplane anywhere. A BAC Seneca instructor and his students were shocked to see Ed do his solo cross country to Lampang and Phitsanulok on his own without a safety pilot!
Thai Private Pilot's Licences do not always comply with ICAO requirements so I made sure my students were fully ICAO compliant.

Flying at Nok

Nok and Pierre Yves are providing an alternative flying facility in the Chiang Mai region and have just got their approval to do flying instruction.
Tony Smallwood has ended his attachment to the Chiang Mai Flying Club and is overseeing flying and gliding training at Nok aerodrome.
The club has a Super Cub, two Cessna 172s, a Cessna 182RG, a Blanik glider, and a Murphy Renegade. Another Super Cub and a Tiger Moth are on the way. It promises to be fun.
Jon and Axel are adding their Katana to the fleet as well.

Trevor did two flights on Sunday; a revision flight in a 172 with Pete, and a flight with Jon in the Katana.

The day ended at the Cozy Corner where we had dinner and then I put a happy Trevor onto his Nok Air flight back to Bangkok.

Queen Victoria
Ruler of the British Empire


Now I have to find out what
Dacoits were or are!

Dacoits, gangs of semi-savage Indian
brigands and robbers, often 40 or 50
in a gang.

There were two things I wanted to do today after I did another two hours work on the groundschool course.
The first was to visit the dentist... The Thai for dentist sounds like "more fun"! So I needed more fun to look at my teeth...
Dental care is a fraction of the cost in North America while being just as good if not better with well trained people and up to date equipment.
Unfortunately I did not locate the dental clinic the local dentist had recommended to me... I have one molar that will need either extensive work to make it able to take a new crown, or we might just leave it...
I can have a crown on one of the most horrible teeth you could see anywhere and a bridge to one of my fangs (dog teeth).
The work in Canada was quoted at somewhere around $10,000! Here just over 20,000 Baht will do the same job.

The second thing, almost as painful, was to book my fight back to Vancouver... This is still work in progress.

I walked towards the narrow bridge over the Ping river and stopped for some Thai noodle soup.
Then I carried on to the main bridge stopping enroute for an ice cream... This is a shock to some Thais, they think it's cold!
Last night one of the girls had four layers on including a sweater and winter coat suitable for below zero temperatures, I wore a polo shirt and I had my windbreaker.
Today I could catch a song teaw home, but instead I decided to walk all the way... I have time, and you can get to most places by walking.

Along the Chiang Mai - Lamphun Road, the street I live on, there's a statue of Queen Victoria on a plinth in a corner of a graveyard.
I was intrigued so I walked into the graveyard to look at what was there.
I hope that you never find my grave, please cremate me Thai style and let my remains be both a part of the air and part of new life in the ground... I will have lived a life and made my contribution, but like millions of people before me I need no monuments to my existence.
On the other hand, graveyards are a testiment of history and you can learn fascinating things from them so I include several images I took today.
Note how Chiang Mai was once Chieng Mai... One of the problems in Thailand is place names can be written in different ways when translated from Thai. Lamphun is also Lumphun and Lampoon!

The British North Borneo Company or North Borneo Chartered Company was chartered company assigned to administer North Borneo (today's Sabah in Malaysia).
The main motto was Pergo et Perago, which means "I undertake and I achieve". From Wikipedia.

But he died a long way away in Northern Thailand.

26½ years old is not an old soldier it's a
very sad thing....

British Regiments in Chiang Mai?

The Thais are free peoples.
The Americans less and less since 9-11.

Heaven knows why one would choose a God religion
when in Thailand there already is a religion of peace
and acceptance of one's fellow beings.
Would we value this man today if he had spread the
word of Islam?



All God religions are about death and the
thereafter... Very sad when there's a life to
enjoy and things to experience and learn.

My apologies, I did not get any really good pictures on Sunday as the party carried on to celebrate Loy Krathong...
In fact I spent most of the evening at the Cozy Corner, I needed my dinner, and I drank a small Tiger beer with it.
I am incredibly sober... I have only drunk too much on four or five occasions in my lifetime, but this sobriety is something else.
Alcohol is a depressant, why would I want to be depressed in Thailand?

Honesty

Thailand is a place where people's characters can be opened up... Of course for some people it's their less desirable characteristics as well.
But what about us 'normal' people?
For me Thai culture is diametrically opposite to the culture in which I have lived in so far.
In many ways, the Thai culture is more human, certainly less inhibited, and a lot more open and honest.
I have said before that if I was raised here, there would be no way I would have stayed single all of my life...
For one thing there are so many pretty girls, all charming all smiling...
Not that all Thai's stay together, I know some divorced and separated people here... But Thai women put their all into their families and there's not the pressure to work in a career at the expense of a human life.

And what a difference, play some music, have a smile and it's party time, everyone dancing... None of the reserve towards such things as I learned in my irish/anglo/canadian upbringing.
For me in Thailand I might let some of my inhibitions go, but I still can't let them all go.

Buddhist Thai society is an open and friendly one, one that seems to create a way through which people who have troubles can still find contentment... I don't think the suicide rate here is very high, not as high as Japan, or as Canada for that matter!

Monday

On Monday I took a song teaw into Chiang Mai, it costs 10 Baht or 30c for the ride.
I went to the supermarket and restocked on porridge and cheese... I'm a cheesaholic actually, I must have been a mouse in a previous life... Maybe a good mouse to have the karma to been born human later, or was that good karma after all?

In the evening I had an appointment with Dolly to read my Tarot cards... Talk about outright honesty, she can lay your life bare!
Ed was next, and then we all went to the Irish pub to eat Thai food! I did have a pint of Kilkenny beer though to at least make the effort to recognise where we were.

Everyone's telling me I'm fat!
I don't think so, I measured my weight in Canada and did not see a perceptable increase... But I must admit that China took its toll on me, aged me a lot, and left me stressed out. I arrived here before to get over a bad experience.
When I get the opportunity I'll weigh and see. I can tell you that I can do my belt up one more notch so I think I have lost weight.

Tuesday

The groundschool is starting in December and I have to go through and edit the PowerPoint groundschool course.
So I spent several hours on it... It's back to work for me in Thailand, in a way I like to be busy.

Wednesday

I am up early every morning, I sleep well but rise at 06:30 without any desire to lie in bed.
This morning it was back to editing lesson five of the groundschool PowerPoint program.

I had lunch with Dolly at the Kad Suan Kaew mall and then walked across town to John's place for a manao soda (lemonade).
I like to walk and besides I am fat right!

The aftermath of Loy Krathong
Most Krathongs are biodegradable, but some people still use styrofoam

Entrepreneur Lilly tends to her stall at Anusarn Market

...the song goes and it is huge fun!

I slept well on Friday night and woke up to make a rather lazy day, Saturday... Mai dee.
Saturday night I slept short, waking up at 06:00 or thereabouts this morning, Sunday... I haven't had any jet lag trouble but there are things on my mind and these plagued me a bit during the day.
When I wake up I am immediately alert with the brain attempting to compute my troubles. I look to my dreams, but I can't recollect dreaming these past nights.

Website Updates

These updates will come up more often while I am in Thailand and so I created another travelogue so that you won't miss anything.

Central Airport Plaza

Lunch was to be had at the Lanna food court in the Central Airport Plaza Mall.
Food is cheap, plentiful and very tasty here in Thailand...
Saturday was a Buddha Day and so it was to be vegetarian, I had spicy tofu and veggies on rice, phet nit noy!

After lunch it was time for Mod to make her own Krathong, to put something of herself into it, and I helped too.

The Festival

If you want to get into town at this time, forget the car, Chiang Mai is filled to capacity with so many people out to celebrate Loy Krathong.
We went in on the motorbike and squeezed it into a parking spot outside the Anusarn Market.
Across the road was the 140 year old Lanna house, built of teak and preserved for all to enjoy today.
Besides the Lanna house a stage had been set up for Thai dancing, Luktung music, and children's talent to be displayed.
Everywhere there was music and happy people enjoying the festivities.

We went into the old house to see pictures of old Chiang Mai displayed on the walls, some were taken before I was born, and many were taken in the year I was born, 2497.
Pretty Thai ladies in pink graprongs adorned the house and willingly took photos with visitors.

Then it was down to the water for Mod to launch her Krathong.

We walked along the road to the roundabout by the Tha Phae bridge.
Everywhere people were launching hot air balloons. There were a million balloons floating in a huge constellation, and I wondered about air traffic into Chiang Mai airport! How many hot air balloon strikes occur at this time of year?

In the market by the roundabout we had a late supper of Phat Thai at 20 Baht each.

There was a parade down Tha Phae road and so we watched for a while...

On the bridge over the Ping River there was mayhem... Normally crowded by cars, it was now crowded by people launching balloons and setting off fireworks... Everywhere booming noise.... You had to watch yourself very carefully, Chiang Mai has not regulated any of its fun away the way Vancouver has!

Walking off the bridge we found Miss Thailand and her assistants posing for passers by such as me!

And by the bridge was a stage where the Miss Loy Krathong contest was being held... More pretty girls in Lanna Thai costume to be seen.

Anusarn Market

We walked back to Anusarn Market to see how Lily was doing... Lily sells clothes and shoes in the market. Lily is an entrepreneur with a business background... There was trouble in her past and she lost the high flying business she once had.
Thais don't let the past bother them, they simply get on with doing whatever it takes to make their way in the world... I wish I had that ability to put the past behind me!
I suppose one can find a lot of inspiration in Thailand.

Sunday

Blimey it's gone ten o'clock... Sunday is the big day here for Loy Krathong. I am told that the revelry of last night is nothing to tonight's expectation... Stay tuned.

Some Thais came in Lanna style dress

It's so easy for people to dance and enjoy themselves

Mod came Lanna style

The Nok Constellation

Loy Krathong...

...is a festival held during the full moon in November.
People dress in traditional costume and as usual here in Thailand, they go out and have a jolly good time.

Thai festivals like this are a contrast to North America which has lost it's ability to enjoy life in a purely natural human way. Life has become too serious and oriented around the misinformation delivered by the media there.

People have their troubles and the Thais have almost as many as everyone else... They don't have imagined troubles though, such as those portrayed in the american media that many people think they should have... Troubles are popular in the media.
During Loy Krathong you can float your troubles away down the river on a floral float built on a banana leaf or rubber plant leaf raft while a candle atop lights its way.

Loy Krathong Party at Nok Flying Club

Once again Nok and Yves put on a fantastic party in celebration of Loy Krathong.
The Thai flying community is small and intimate and a fair number of people were at the fly-in and the evening party that followed.
There would have been more, but strong headwinds prevented some of the slower aeroplanes from coming.
In attendance were a couple of representatives from the Malaysian DCA. There are closer and closer ties between Thailand and Malaysia's general aviation communities, it's good to see this growing situation.
Many stalls were arranged around tables on the lawn in front of the hangar and clubhouse. All sorts of Thai foods were on offer as well as drink.
Two bands played Thai and popular music and people got up and danced... There is none of the western reserve here, everyone dances and everyone has gleeful fun without the need for alcoholic lubrication to make them at ease.

So Much Hot Air

Troubles are also so much hot air so why not float them away in like fashion...
Paper balloons were available for everyone.
A wax ring in the base is lit and it fills the balloon with hot air to float the balloon. Often a firework is dangled underneath to shower sparks and give the balloon a rocket effect.
At Nok Airport everyone created a large constellation of hot air balloons glowing in their ascents while taking many troubles away in the wind.

My Global View

Travel does expand the mind, there's nothing like being there and learning the truth about a place...
Politics and idealistic ideals are not compatible with humanity.
I saw Mainland China... People still adore Mao there, but as far as I am concerned Communism is "Let everyone be poor", it brings everyone down to the same sad level.
When you look at south east Asia, there's a huge contrast between the clean happy lives that most Thais live and those of the peoples in bordering countries. The Lao people are the same people as the Thais, but they suffered from the Vietnam war and their own form of communism. In Laos I found the same basic cultural humanity as the Thais, but with damage and poverty due to the depressing political ideal.
Myanmar/Burmese people are also close to the Thais, but are ruled by military nutcases who can't cede power and let the people be.
Cambodia suffered from the brutal Khmer method of killing the brains and putting people to work on a collective ideal...

Contrast this with Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore where people are allowed freedom to create wealth and everyone benefits of living in a free society.

All that we have in technology was created by free thinking people in free communities... When Europeans wrested freedom from that other stifling organisation, the Catholic Church, progress was made in sciences and technology and created the World we know now. Thank you Henry VIII!

I don't think any human being can be ruled by an ideal political-religious system.
All human beings benefit from being allowed to be free.

Yes, Thailand had a military coup, but you wouldn't know it! This country has learned habitual freedom...
It is criticised by the USA for the marshal law that was imposed... But I believe that the USA is enjoying less and less freedoms as time goes by. 9-11 was a hugely successful operation by organised Islam that has caused a steady attack on the freedoms Americans once enjoyed.
I believe organised Islam is the modern version of the medieval Catholic Church, stifling human development on some religious ideal. Human beings interpreting 'Gods' word to their own ends.
People are born to be happy and to develop... We are not a 'flock' of sheep to be lead to achieve someone elses ideal.

Back home again?

It's Wednesday evening and there has just been a heavy downfall of rain... It's okay, the rain doesn't last long and is rarely steady for a long period.
I am back in the apartment in Chiang Mai after taking the long bus journey from Vancouver to Taipei, then to Bangkok with China Airlines.
As soon as I was through customs and into the arrivals terminal I was assailed by the taxi touts as usual... 700 Baht to go to Don Mueang airport... No thank you, I took the regular bus, number 554 from outside the terminal and it cost 34 Baht and took about the same time as a taxi would.
At Don Mueang I met Pakorn to give him the major weight of my luggage; the study material he will need to complete his Canadian ATPL.
I paid 1,950 Baht for the Nok Air flight to Chiang Mai... It's a short flight, less than an hour. I was surprised to see a blonde flight attendant on this flight, Louise who has a British accent... Then the captain made his announcement, Johnathon Thompson, again with a British accent... This is something new at Nok Air... The aeroplane was quite new so perhaps with their expansion Nok Air has had to go offshore to fill its crewing needs.

The OC

The operating certificate suffered another delay when our Person Responsible for Maintenance gave me "notice with immediate effect" (is that notice?). Now we have to find someone else to take the exam and the interview and fulfil this position.
Since everyone has to be multi role in this new venture the new PRM will have to have good customer skills and be very tolerant.

Meanwhile we have Matt to do groundschool including aviation English courses for the many foreign students we have at Boundary Bay.
Aki has come on board as a Class 2 instructor so that I can have some time off in the future.
There are setbacks but often these lead to more positive developments, and so I am confident that we will succeed.

Checkouts

On Sunday I managed to do two flights with people in the DA20-C1.
There was a safety letter that suggested we avoid using less than 1,400 in flight due to three aircraft having their enginse stop in flight... I did airwork just north of the Pitt Meadows zone and within gliding distance of the airport since that safety letter.
On Monday I checked my e-mail while I waited for the connecting flight in Taipei and there was an airworthiness directive forbidding operation of the B17 engine with the altitude compensating fuel pump below 1,400 RPM in flight... This means the aeroplane can't be used for training, or checkouts, it is grounded until Diamond and Teledyne Continental modify our aeroplane back to the previous standard fuel injection system for which the AD does not apply.

It's just as well I am in Thailand... It's a lot better than fretting about serviceability problems and the weather at this time of the year. I hope that by the time I return, the aeroplane will be modifid and we'll have a new PRM.

Thai Flying

Now they know I am back there's a rush to get my Thai validation so that I can do some flying for CMFC... I go from one busy place to another!
We'll see. This weekend is the festival of Loy Krathong and I am looking forward to another part of Thai culture I have not seen so far. Like every festival in Thailand, the people are always ready to party so it should be fun.