A day in the life...

[aging one]

Is there not a keep left "rule" on highways/dual carriageways?

Or is it the buffalo carts on the hard shoulder that surprise you!

When was the last time you saw a buffalo cart on the hard shoulder? An E-tan possibly.

I have always loved to drive. But not here and avoid it as much as possible. To and from work is about all I do other than shopping runs. Mental health is important, and I find anger is too strong of an emotion when I drive.


Mendip I feel for you. My wife is from Kanchaburi and does not eat that stuff. My housekeeper who has been with us 23 years is from Yasothon, but in the 23 years here has been happy to give up the "Isaan adventure cuisine" you often post up. Does not miss it a bit.

[Stumpy]

But not here and avoid it as much as possible. To and from work is about all I do other than shopping runs. Mental health is important, and I find anger is too strong of an emotion when I drive.

I have to ask, do you and others really have an issue with driving here? I have driven so many miles around this country South to Malaysia and back 2 or 3 times and of course East and back. Then the 500 to 600km drives for work and taking many routes to avoid the same path boredom. Day or night, rain or shine I have never had an issue here ever. Now maybe its a personal tolerance level. Having grown up in California and dealt with the loonies there, this place is a cake walk, in fact I like it better. Sure there are those moments but I never stress or even raise my voice, cuss or get road rage. In fact I usually laugh and make a funny comment about the driver and if my wife is with me, she just looks at me "like that crazy driver didn't bother you?" I say "Nope". I drive as crazy as he does most of the time. Now I will say BKK sucks ass but that's because of the relentless traffic. I just despise bumper to bumper traffic not necessarily the drivers. Its like trading paint racing. Its just part of the game.

[Edmond]

I have always loved to drive. But not here and avoid it as much as possible.

That's because you live in (north) Bkk.

An utter shit place to drive. I did too, if going downtown we would park in Big C Saphan Kwai and BTS it to wherever. Even driving back from there to Don Muang could take 2 hours of sitting in traffic in evening rush hour on Viphawadee. Fok that for a game of soldiers.

Not living in a massive congested city makes a world of difference, we love going out for drives and have great roads through nature all around.

The shittiest thing is the scooters that are out in the middle of the lanes doing 40kph that one comes across from time to time while you and a few others are cruising along at 80-100 and suddenly come across them.

[OhOh]

An E-tan possibly.

Balmy evenings on the promenade of Mukdahan always had a fair share of exotic modes of transport, road or river.

[Mendip]

I was busy Chaindriting the wood for the jetty this morning when the wife started screaming and caterwauling from up by the house. I carried on working hoping she'd stop as I wanted to get the second coat on before the school run, but she just kept on and on... with what I later realised was the human version of Yogi's snake bark...

... because soon after, Yogi started up with his high pitched, persistent bark that only means one thing... we had a snake.

I went to investigate and found the dogs in a very agitated state near an overgrown part of the garden by the chicken run. They seemed to be temporarily off the scent but there's no-where for a snake to go with a concrete perimeter wall, so it was only a matter of time.



The wife told me that a huge rat snake had gone past the kitchen door and headed towards the chickens... and when I asked how big she said it was as thick as her arm. She has this curious habit of describing the size of snakes not by their length but by their girth... usually they're as thick as a finger or maybe even a thumb, but this one was obviously a larger size altogether.

I managed to get the dogs away and started searching... it didn't take long.



This was indeed a dirty great rat snake... the largest I've seen in our garden for some time. It was way too big for my snake tongs so I utilised my home-made snake lassoer. I've decided that next time our dogs kill a big snake I'm going to cook it up and make myself a nice belt, but I'd much rather catch and release a snake unharmed if I get to it before the dogs.

It took a while because it wasn't at all happy after being chased by the pack, but eventually I slipped the noose over it's head.



I would say it was around 8 feet, or 2.5 metres, or if you're Thai I guess, as thick as a man's wrist.



This snake was way too big for my snake house, it would be over the top of the wall in an instant. I decided to put it over the perimeter wall... and not into the neighbour's garden but into some overgrown land out the back. Hopefully it will be OK there.



The wife took the pictures from some distance away because she is absolutely petrified of snakes.

And I know I shouldn't have done it... but I couldn't help myself telling her to keep a good look out because these big snakes always come in pairs.

[Headworx]

^A bloke needs to be half Bear Grylls half Steve Irwin to live up that way it seems

[Shutree]

I would say it was around 8 feet, or 2.5 metres

That is one big snake.
I like your improvised snake lassoo. What would we do without blue plastic pipe?

[Stumpy]

Beautiful creature Mendy.

Cheers

[cyrille]

Beautiful creature Mendy.

First line I read after clicking on 'last post'.

It wasn't what I was expecting.

[Stumpy]

First line I read after clicking on 'last post'.

It wasn't what I was expecting.

Man I really like snakes. I enjoy all reptiles. That snake is really a nice specimen and appreciate that Mendy doesn't "Off" it like so many do. Just send it on its way.

[OhOh]

some overgrown land out the back. Hopefully it will be OK there.

It looks well-fed. Any missing chicks?

If your house is surrounded with that sized wall, in which it has already found a gap once, it will be back.

A gardeners/welding assistant, a sensible young woman, can be gainfully engaged for a month or two to protect everyone. Teach a person a trade, for life!
Don't you?

[Mendip]

^ The house is surrounded by the wall, but the rat snake probably came in under the front gate... that's the direction from which the wife said it was travelling. There's also the back gate for the gardener's garage that snakes can enter through. I don't mind if it does come back to be honest, but I think it's scrape with six dogs will put it off.

As for a sensible young woman joining the household... I'll run that one past the missus. I'm game but somehow I don't think she'll be so keen.

[Saint Willy]

but I couldn't help myself telling her to keep a good look out because these big snakes always come in pairs.

[Headworx]

Mendip, don't want to hijack you excellent thread but don't want to be in the why didn't you ask before buying boat either. Being the TD supreme authority on all things beans, yay or nay to these?

[Mendip]

^ Much to my embarressment I don't think I've ever tried HP Baked Beans, but if you follow the standard 'any baked bean is a good baked apart from Ayam' school of thought, then they should be good.

Report back!

[Shutree]

yay or nay to these?

That's a good price, isn't it? Even the Ayam are B49 in Tesco here, from memory.

[cyrille]

That's a good price, isn't it?

It caught my eye.

I haven't eaten HP Baked Beans for decades. I remember them as acceptable, but not grand cru.

For 39 baht though...

[lom]

For 39 baht though...

Siamburi has a 24-pack of Branston baked beans for 792 baht..
410 gram per can vs 415 gram for HP

[cyrille]

24-pack of Branston baked beans

Hmm...I'd need an 'amuse bouche' can to sample before buying 24 of them, meself.

There's a reason why Heinz have cornered the market.

[Steady]

Fuck me, you guys and your third world problems, nearly a bastard quid for a can of second rate beanz.
Wow... you could get a tenth of a papaya here for that, or a cup of Thai fragrant rice.
What's wrong with fucking Basmati?

We should all do one of these A day in the life threads.

Be fascinating to read some

[cyrille]

nearly a bastard quid

So sterling is still fucked then - hardly relevant for an Aussie in Pattaya.

[Steady]

^ With their halcyon days of parity with the US dollar? I don't think so.

Talking of relevance, how much is a can of beans in the Sandpit?

[Edmond]

make myself a nice belt

On wearing crocodile skin shoes.

"I've got nothing against animals, I'm an animal lover. But reptiles, give them half a chance and they'd be wearing you".

[Saint Willy]

That's a good price, isn't it? Even the Ayam are B49 in Tesco here, from memory.

Surely that alone raises alarm bells?

[havnfun]

Man I really like snakes. I enjoy all reptiles. That snake is really a nice specimen and appreciate that Mendy doesn't "Off" it like so many do. Just send it on its way.

This guys YT is interesting, just sharing,

DMexotics - YouTube