Saw some new Birds around the lake today. One was definitely a Yellow Wagtail. Similar to the ones win the UK but with a yellow chest & head.
The other was similar in colouration to a Green finch but it had a more pointed beak. I think it must have been a Green Bee Eater
In addition I have seen Egrets, and Greater Coucal around.
Set off for a bike ride yesterday but near farm number 2 my chain broke. I pushed my bike there and got out my chain splitter. Unfortunately I had forgotten my Allen keys and could not get enough leverage to split the chain without them. Managed to cobble it together but it only lasted for 1k so had to walk the rest of the way home.
I have now repaired it but have also noticed my outer cog ring is missing a few teeth. Next time I will go to Udon I shall take it to the bike shop to see if they can fit a new one ( Plus a new Chain).
We went down to cut the grass on farm number one & I was instantly reminded it was ant egg season again. The locals collect the eggs of the red weaver ants which make their nests in the trees by “gluing” leaves together.
They collect them by using a basket or sack at the end of along bamboo pole and shaking the nest until the eggs ( along with a few angry ants) fall into the basket.
Ant eggs are a delicacy in Northern and N.Eastern Thailand especially. And are available in the local markets. However they can be very expensive and many Thai people collect the ant eggs by themselves. Red ants are small but have a sharp bite.
This tray collected by my wife has a retail price of around 500 bahts. Which is the equivalent of over 2 days pay for a normal labourer. She ate some of these immediatley after collecting them and gave the remainder to other members of the family.
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Went for a Day out to Nong Khai today with Les and Sandy. We went first for a walk along the promenade for a view of the Mekong which is currently at a 20 year low due to a short rainy season last year. Then we went for something to eat at one of the many riverside restaraunts before walking back through the market stalls .
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From there we went 4k up the road to Sala Kaew Ku sculpture park which is a park featuring giant fantastic concrete sculptures inspired by a mixture of Buddhism and Hinduism. Some of the sculptures tower up to 25m in the sky. Those include a depiction of Buddha meditating under the protection of a seven-headed Naga snake.
Made the journey to the final adjacent Amphoer today – Charoen Sin.( See map for route details) The total journey took me 6 hours with the temperatures in the high thirties.
[singlepic id=862 h=300 w=300 float=left] On arrival I started to look around going down the wide main street and then around the Temple.
[singlepic id=849 h=300 w=300 float=left] Although the Main road through is long and wide there seeed to be only a limited number of shops and a small post office. I also did not see the usual Police Station or Hospital. This may be because the larger Amphoer of Sawang Daen Din is only another 20k down the highway.
[singlepic id=856 h=300 w=300 float=left] The major attraction of Charoen Sin has to be Nong Thung Mon Park. This consists of a large lake with a small park area running around it. As well as being able to go for a swim in the lake pedaloes and rubber rings were available for hire. There were also a small number of food stalls in one area.
Have uploaded all the Photos to Google earth. Surprising nobody seems to have taken any of there before.
Went for my 90 day report day – This time at the new immigration offices at Udon Thani which are located in the old airport terminal building . There was nobody queing and I was in and out in 10mins. The staff were polite and efficient.
At the time the police were also practicing for a Bomb threat – we knew because we bumped into Tims brother who is in the Thai police and stationed at Udon.
Put my flag up Yesterday – The Flag of St George.
Will now have to explain this is the English National flag and not the Union flag as everyone thinks. It is impossible to try to explain the difference between the Home countries . And How they are separate Kingdoms.
Eventually made the return trip to Phon Phisai on my Bike – A Distance of approx 110k.
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Signs marking how far to go to Phon Phisai and the Naga Fireballs on the road from Ban Dung.
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Phon Phisai is on the Banks of the Mekong and is one of the Main places for going to see the Naga fireballs & for Naga worship with many temples having Nagas as their main decorartion. There is also a large statue of a Naga on the water front.
[singlepic id=823 h=250 w=250 float=left] [singlepic id=826 h=250 w=250 float=right ] It also has a large number of shops and a market – although the market is not open every day. It also has a new promendade from where you can get good view of the mekong and terraces for people to sit .
[singlepic id=834 h=250 w=250 float=left] I made the return journey via Sang Khom which is only a few k longer than the way I went. There are quite a few road works underway with many highways being upgraded. This a section of road being upgraded between Phon Phisai and Sang Khom. They dont close the road so you just have to negotiate the trucks and steam rollers en route. When I passed they were having lunch.
[singlepic id=835 h=250 w=250 float=left] After Sang Khom I stopped to take this picture of some fishing rafts. The boom lowers a net down in the water and after a while it is raised again – Hopefully with some fish in it.
The total journey took me 6.5 hours.
For further pictures around Phon Phisai – see under adjacent amphoe.
[singlepic id=797 h=250 w=250 float=left] Went to Amphoe Ban Muang today on my Bike – a distance of 95k there and back. Although adjecent to Ban Dung it is in a different Jangwat – that of Sakhon Nakhon . I took the mandatory Photos for my website and Panoramio. Ban Muang consists of one main street where all the shops are located and the residential areas are on the back streets . The weather was very hot ( 35 degrees) . I think this is the limit of the distance I can cover in these temperatures.