Lourens Living the Life of Luxury in LOS

[Lourens]

We all have to get to Buriram in some way or another. We have several options here:

Traveling to Buriram from Bangkok may be done by plane, train, bus or private taxi and this can be an experience in itself. The first time I made the trip to meet the parents was by bus and I promised myself never to do that again. It was hell on wheels. You catch the bus at Khonsong in Bangkok. There are busses running all the time and they range from hot, stuffy, smoke belching death traps to the more comfortable air-conditioned coaches with reclining seats. I think we had about the middle of the range with upright vinyl seats and aircon stuck on artic in August when the heat outside is good to melt the wax in your ears. The price was right for just a little over 100 Baht to Buriram. This was way back in 1997.

First we had to get through the Bangkok traffic and, as you know, this is no fun but is made a little more acceptable if someone else is doing the driving. Once the bus hits the highway, it's full speed ahead. And I mean full speed. Until the traffic starts to pick up again. Then it's leaning on the brakes so hard that I could see the vein bulging in the drivers' neck even from the third row back. And this particular driver doesn’t know about keeping a constant speed, pumping the gas on and off all the way. I was ready to get off the bus after the first hour but no such luck. This bus does not stop for the first three hours of a ten-hour, 350 km trip. Yes, that's right - 10 hours for 350 km. And the first stop is just for the driver to make a pit stop. There is a dirty disgusting toilet on the bus for the passengers but I decided to give that one a miss. Besides, I don't exactly know how to use a hole in the floor on a moving bus.

The second stop came at about the halfway point through the journey. I was rather surprised to be let off the bus, but we were hurriedly herded to a small roadside cafe for what can only be described as a watery snack. Welcome to Isaan food! Some kind of soup with a few cabbage leaves floating in it, a very spicy pork curry also floating in some liquid and of course boiled rice with no salt. But I was hungry at this point and made the best of it by mixing rice and curry together. This turned out to be quite palatable.

After a half a cigarette (no time for a whole one), it was back on the bus again for the remainder of our trip. I tried a fitful sleep and eventually woke up just outside of Buriram at four o'clock in the evening. That’s ten at night or 22:00 hours for us regular folk.

As luck would have it, it was raining slightly when we arrived at the bus terminal so it wasn't too hot. From here we had to take a tuk-tuk home, which is in a village on the other side of town. But Buriram tuk-tuks are not the same as those you find in Bangkok, which is more of a tourist trap than a form of transport. What this means is that these tuk-tuks are geared to convey the locals but my girlfriend (now my wife  ) still had to negotiate a price. But nothing like the prices I got used to. It was only a couple of Baht and the driver was happy to see a farang in his taxi.

Aaaah the good old days...

[Lourens]

Last time I described my experience of using the bus as a means of transport to Buriram and vowed never to do that again. My next option was to take the train and there are several to choose from as I’m sure you’re aware.

Trains leave Bangkok’s Hua Lompong station several times a day on the North-East line. Prices are just a few Baht more than the bus but beat it hands down. There are several different trains, from the one that stop at all stations with hard seats and take for ever to reach Isaan (Cattle class), to the air-conditioned train with soft seats and skips the small stations, to the sleeper train that runs at night and only takes a couple of hours. I have taken them all. The last train is still much cheaper than the plane and in my opinion the best way to travel if you have the time.

Let me start with the first train. This is classed as 3rd but in my opinion that is only because they have not made provision for 5th class in their schedules. As I mentioned, hard upright seats only available if you board the train first at the main station. Because it’s so cheap, everybody and their luggage takes this train even if it is to travel only to the next station. The result? If you don’t push yourself through to the front (sometimes with force) and get on first, you may well have to stand for the rest of the day. No airconditioning here either. Only windows that are stuck on open sometimes even if it rains. But that can be a small blessing. A cooling breeze on a wet face does wonders for your well being. It can get hot on these trains – very hot. Imagine this: A coach packed with people, no personal space and no ventilation. Multiply this by six hours and you get the idea. Add a kid whining the Thai version of “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”. I don’t know about you, but this can get on my nerves very quickly. Saving face then becomes a major operation.

But those are the negative things and I always try to look for the positive. Like the guys coming around taking orders for meals. What they will do is take orders and then phone this through a couple of stations further down the line. When we reach that station, the food is picked up freshly prepared and served right away. The bonus here is the fact that not only do they get the food, they also get the drinks. I’m talking cold beer here and it never tastes that sweet after a few hours of this crowd. Then eventually the train will loose a few passengers further away from Bangkok and you may find a seat to rest your weary bones. Usually by this time, if you don’t sit down, you will just fall down anyway. You see, I don’t have a drinking problem: I drink, I fall down, no problem. No, it’s not that bad. But it helps to pass the time. Only problem here is that eventually you will have to use the bathroom. Now, try using a hole in the floor of a moving swaying train after you had a few – not an easy task believe me. Eventually, just as you get the feeling that you can not take this anymore, Buriram will be the next station. Bliss.

The Rapid Express train runs only twice a day I think and you have to buy your ticket in advance. The train consists of only two coaches with reclining seats and airconditioning. I never found it crowded as tickets are sold only for available seats. It makes a few stops out of Bangkok and then heads North-East picking up speed. It skips the smaller stations along the way and saves a lot of time. The same catering arrangements apply here and I always find it very soothing to sip my beer as I watch the scenery slip by. Eventually I will drift off in a slumber and before you know it, it will be time to disembark. Don’t miss this station because the next one might be Surin…

By far the best option to travel the Buriram / Bangkok route is by night train. This train consists of two kinds of coaches: A coach with a couch and a cot in a cubilcle. Let me explain: There is a coach with crib closed by a curtain for seclusion. Then there’s a coach with compartments and a curtain on the casement with a catch on the close. (Stop, please stop!!) It’s a little room with a bed, curtains a door and a lock. Get it?

Book well in advance. These trains are very well maintained with clean bed linen and very helpful staff. In confidence off course I never had a crisis or a cause to complain (watch it, watch it….)

I’d better stop here. Next time – Another way to travel to Beautiful Buriram.

[Admin]

Travel to/from Buriram with the train is nice and pleasant way to do it but ONLY WITH VIP, last time I took the standard (??!! )train Buriram-Bkk it was HELL !!!

[Lourens]

What is it with woman and underwear? I can understand that they like to wear the stuff but when it comes to my underwear, leave it to me to decide what to wear and when. It is illegal in Thailand to leave the house without underwear and I fully abide by that law. But when it comes to choosing the underwear I want to wear, I see it as a rather personal choice. My wife loves to buy me underwear. I, on the other hand, like to choose my own underwear. The underwear I bought in 1998 was a good pair and I wore it with pride for many years. But then one day they just sort of fell off and it was clearly time for a new pair. Now this decision takes a lot of careful planning and consideration before money is laid out and a pair of underwear is bought. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not about the money but it is all about the comfort of a pair of underwear. And if you find a good pair, you buy not just one pair but seven pairs. One for each day of the week. Let it never be said that I walk around with dirty underwear.

Then one day my wife comes home with underwear that she bought for me. Bless her little heart. She means well. Her explanation is that she does not like the underwear I have nurtured for so long. But that underwear came through a lot with me. We are like old friends as I’m sure you will understand after so many years of sharing intimate moments. They have been leaked in, farted upon, washed and stretched just right and those holes are there for a purpose…

Now suddenly my wife comes home with this strange new underwear and expects me to just put them on and wear it. “But they are XL dear“ she would say. Get this right: XL in Thailand and XL in the West means two entirely different things. Thailand XL is far too tight for my liking and as a starting point we can begin with XXXL and work our way from there.  The underwear she got me now is the type worn by midgets with no particular pride in the tools stakes. (No offense to Thai men.) Right now, as it is, I’m typing this in a higher key than my normal speaking voice. And I don’t want to blow my own horn here either (if you’ll pardon the pun). But I need underwear with space to swing a cat. Not that I will ever do that (swing a cat that is) but you get my drift not to put too fine a point on it.

All I’m trying to say here is that I wish woman would understand about men and their underwear. We don’t all share the same tastes here. Sure I like soft and cuddly as much as the next man but at the right time and in the right places. But when it comes to my underwear, leave that decision to me.

Now you know much more than you wanted and I apologize for that.

[Lourens]

Flying between Bangkok and Buriram.

The plane flight from Bangkok to Buriram is available three times a week and can be another experience to write home about. Especially during the rainy season (July - October). Me and my wife took this flight on a then Thai Airways AR75 twin turboprop aircraft from Buriram to Bangkok right in the middle of the rainy season. When we left BFV (Buriram), it was already cloudy with light intermittend rain. On a previous flight this was actually a nice experience as the pilot then weaved between the clouds to avoid flying through them. Also, the altitude was kept much lower than I can remember from before with the result that you could quite easily make out ground features. Even people working the fields and water buffalo was clearly visible. But the closer we got to BKK (Bangkok) the heavier the clouds became and eventually the pilot could no longer avoid them. Trying to gain altitude just made things worse. Normally this flight took about 1 hour but on this day it took a lot longer. Then I discovered by looking out the window that we were circling because a small bush fire kept popping into view. We were in a holding pattern. The pilot came on the PA and announced that BKK put us there because of severe weather conditions on the ground. Remember that when this flight left BKK, it did so with a load of fuel to carry it to BFV and back because they don’t refill in Buriram. But flying low and in a holding pattern uses more fuel than anticipated. After about 30 minutes (or four large circles) the pilot announces that we are now cleared for landing. What he didn’t say, but I knew to be the truth, was that we were actually running out of fuel and simply had to land or else. I know this because the conditions we landed in was not ideal to say the least. We started our approach. Looking out of the window again, I could see what went on beside and ahead of us and it wasn’t pretty. You know the sort of clouds I’m talking about – no silver linings here mate. Things began to get a little bumpy. Then they got a lot bumpy and shaky. Not only up and down but from side to side as well. At first there were just gasps from the passengers. That progressed to shrieks and ended up with shouts for mercy. It was bad. I kept looking out the window and could at one point see the landing lights on the runway. We were flying sideways! Then came the touchdown. Or I should really say the slam down. With a loud thump we were on the ground but it didn’t end there. The plane started to skid to one side. And here I have to give all credit to the abilities of these pilots. As the plane skid to one side, the pilot would open the throttle on the other side to correct. He had to do this about three times before we were running in a straight line and down to managable speeds. On a scale of one to ten with ten actually hitting the ground, I give this flight about a nine and a half.

All this time my wife was silently praying to Buddah for a safe landing. She held my hand so tight that it still pained for a day or two after the flight. The interesting thing about it all only appeared after we came to a stop. It was only then that people began to get sick and the first time that I saw passengers actually using those little airsick bags. Flight attendants was frantically running around handing out warm water and more airsick bags. From this day on, I always keep my seatbelt securely fastened at all times while seated.

Three different airlines have flown this route since I started going to Buriram and all of them used twin turboprop aircraft. The latest airline, PBAir, uses a small executive jet. The flight only takes about an hour and Buriram airport is a 30 - 40 minute drive from town. There is a taxi service to town but make sure you know where you want to go. Useful terms to keep in mind are sy - left, kwa - right and trong - straight. The drivers don't speak English. The price may range from about 400 Baht to 600 Baht and they would usually want 50 -100 Baht extra if you go to a village outside of town. I haven’t used this service for a while now and prices might be different.

What was your experience?

Next time: Taking the taxi to Buriram.

[Lourens]

Just another day in Buriram

I witnessed an amazing thing the other day. I was watching television when suddenly there was a flash and a very loud bang. You know how it is when lightning stikes. First you see the flash then you hear the thunder? Well, this happened simultaniously. I hoped about a foot of my perch. Then it started raining. After a while when I got bored with what’s on the box I decided to go outside and watch the rain for a while. Then I saw smoke coming from behind the house. I walked around and saw what caused it. We have a large palm tree just behind the house and it was on fire. Sooo, that’s where the lightning struck. It’s an old palm tree and had a lot of dry fronds hanging from it. Now it was burning right at the top but only on the other side from where the rain was coming from. Pretty soon the fire reached the dry fronds lower down and it started burning furiously. I thought this was the end of our old palm tree but after just a short burst of intense flame, the burning fronds fell off into the wet rice paddy below. This left the tree with a clean trunk and only the new green growth at the top. Natures’ way of pruning away the old growth. Wonderfull. How many people in the big cities get to see something like this?

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[Admin]

The Thais always hiding from the rain when have lightnings,cover the windows with blanckets,many take the gold off their body in the belief any metal material attached to their body will attract the lightning directly to them..first I thought they rather stupid,but I see here in Thailand many many times thunders and lightning going very low to the earth....urrr scary!
Now I believe!

[Lourens]

Teacher killed by lightning in Thailand

September 28, 2008 - 10:48AM

Staff from a Perth school have headed to Thailand after a group of its students were left stranded when their teacher died in a lightning strike.

Social studies teacher Greg Crombie was leading a group of 15 students from Winthrop Baptist College on a week-long cultural exchange trip to Thailand, ABC reported today.

The group were resting near the water after a swim at Thad Tone waterfalls near the town of Nong Sung, in Thailand's north-east, when a thunderstorm struck, ABC reported.

It's believed Mr Crombie was hit by lightning.

A teaching assistant, reportedly in a serious condition, was to be evacuated by helicopter to Bangkok, about 600km from the falls, ABC said.

A year 11 student had also been hurt, it said.

The school's principal and a counsellor had flown to Thailand to be with the group and bring them home, but the earliest flight they could get back to Australia was tomorrow, ABC said.

AAP

[Lourens]

Exactly the way I see it...

(This was published by: Short story WIN LYOVARIN ? Translated MARCEL BARANG. Bangkok Post, Outlook Magazine. 6/04/2009 at 12:00 AM.)

One day visit to Buriram 4001:

Landing at Buriram International Airport servicing the capital of Thailand. If you travel on your own to join this tour you can travel by sky-train from the airport to downtown in ten minutes. Taking black-plate sky-taxis is not safe, as their drivers tend to fight for then fleece passengers. If you must take a private vehicle, Tourist Office limousines with robot employees are recommended. All robot employees are programmed for honesty. Safety is underwritten by the National Insurance Organisation.

The primary touristic attraction in the capital is the Phanom Rung Mega Temple under its air-conditioned glass dome. This stone temple has been famous for over twenty centuries. Its dome is a rare example of modern Thai savvy. Initially the temple lay in ruins in sun-baked wasteland for over two hundred years. When it was rediscovered by archaeologists, the authorities decided to restore it and turn it into a historical park. Inside the giant glass dome covering the whole temple area the temperature is pleasantly cool and the oxygen level higher than outside. Even from the ground you can see the sky clearly as if the dome did not exist. Phanom Rung is both a historical site and the biggest trading centre. Tourists should not miss the opportunity to purchase souvenirs here. There are plastic reproductions of famous Thai images, such as the Reclining Narai lintel, scale models of stupas, and all sorts of amulets.

In the afternoon visit the Thai Historical Museum, which is full of vessels and other antique exhibits. Archaeologists and historians assume that in ancient days people liked to inscribe their names on the implements they used, as most artefacts bear the names of their owners, such as Calvin Klein, Elisabeth Arden, Esthe'e Lauder, Nike, Reebok, Sony, Yamaha, Hitachi and others. Those artefacts were discovered in the 3810 Big Dig. They are the most historically valuable items to survive the global flood. The museum also has pictures of the capital in the pre-glasshouse-effect-cum-global-flood era, old three-dimensional photographs of stores in the first Thai period, for example Yaohan, Isetan, Daimaru, Harrods and St Michael. Many of these stores are still extant.

Most interesting also is the Vintage Car Museum which has more than fifty thousand ancestors to the sky-car, each with its own characteristics, from Toyotas and Hondas or Nissans to Benzes, Volvos and BMWs. This is the biggest centre of antique cars in the world. Every year more than five million archaeologists and other interested parties come here to study cars.

If you happen to visit the capital in December, you will witness the biggest celebration of Christmas in the world. Christmas celebrations have been a typical Thai custom for over two millennia. There is a huge parade of a Father Christmas image, the election of a Miss Christmas and illumination of the whole town.

Have dinner at the Buriram Recreation Centre. Thailand's capital has a profusion of restaurants, but we recommend a local delicacy more than a thousand years old: the hamburger, an ancient staple food only to be found in Thailand. The hamburger tradition here has origins as ancient as the local arts and culture, especially in Buriram where it has acquired Northeastern zest in such classics as rong hai burger, nam tok burger, tom yam burger, som tam burger, etc. The five-star dish we recommend is the nam tok burger.

Buriram has a most pleasant climate, neither too cold nor too hot compared to other cities. Buriram became the capital of Thailand in 3132 because it had the least pollution. First-time visitors should not be surprised to see children selling garlands at intersections in the capital.

Read more: http://www.bangkokpost.com/leisure/leisurescoop/14642/tour-siam-4001

[Mr.Steve]

Hi-
Regarding the posts about lightning, it is a very sensible thing to have a lightning rod close to all areas that people inhabit. They are easy to build and you know that your loved ones deserve it.
Cheers

[Lourens]

It’s about time I did something about this:

I have been working in Bangkok for almost two months now and although it is not Buriram, it’s still Thailand for all intents and purposes. If you look really hard, you can find some similarities like the language. That is almost the same but with a few differences. Not that I know what I’m talking about by any means but the fact is that I can communicate and if my listener does not understand, I can revert to English and be understood about 86.32% of the time.

My wife is with me and we are enjoying the living in Bangkok. There is always the possibility to jump in the car and drive home for the weekend or just go and see some other places where we have never been before. Like the other day; we took an early Sunday morning drive to Ayutthaya. I’m told you have to see the place at least once. I don’t know Bangkok at all well and my dear wife has no idea how to read a map. I understand that this is a trait held by most women in the world. But the lucky thing is that I bought a Garmin Global Positioning System (GPS) for just such occasions as this. It even speaks Thai but my wife doesn’t like the female voice. Thus, she was named Toot at a very early stage.

I programmed Toot for our destination and set out on the road to Thai history. I recall seeing signs posted to Ayutthaya on previous journeys to Buriram and so we knew we had to travel in that general direction.

Here we have a conflict of technology, natural instinct and common sense. I’m a great believer in modern technology and follow the directions from the GPS to great annoyance from my wife. She trusts her instincts and can feel the direction we should be traveling in. We are both wrong and both right sometimes. The GPS would indicate a shorter route and I would follow it hoping to avoid traffic or something. But as soon as I make a turn that doesn’t feel right to my wife who’s instinct tells her to go straight, we get to a point on the thin ice of navigating that can be dangerous to both of us. Arguments may erupt. Eventually we would end up in a place we both agree looks in the right direction and we can proceed in harmony again. But then, Toot says: “Pai Kwa” and clearly the right direction is “Sai”. Now I know that can’t be right and I turn left. Now all hell breaks loose in the car. My dear wife gets pissed off at Toot and takes it out on me and I get pissed off as well and silence breaks like thunder. But then common sense takes over – There is a road sign that shows the way and we are saved. We never really get lost and always find our way home again.

Ayutthaya was a worthwhile trip but it was sad to see all those headless figures…

The other thing that I’ve encountered only on rare occasions in Buriram, are those guys, usually at parking facilities, with their whistles. You all know who I’m talking about. They are there to show you the way to go even if you were as blind as a bat, by following the ; you will know exactly where to go. Now take his cousin in Bangkok – He is a professional blower and must have gone to a special school where they teach the fundamentals of blowing. This school teaches subjects such as Whistle Blowing 101, Advanced Whistle Blowing, and Whistle Blow Specialist. You start out with a plastic in the beginner course and they teach you construction and breathing technique together with moisture purging. Then you move on to the advanced course where you are required to have at least one week practical experience and a metal of some kind. Subjects include, but are not limited to, Tongue usage, Whistle Code 101, Pea sub-classes and Projection. After a month of practical experience and skill demonstration in a suburban location, you will qualify for the Whistle Blow Specialist course. Now you are well on your way to Whistle Heaven. If you still have your hearing facilities, you are taught Advanced Whistle Code (understood only by those who teach it), Arm & Hand Signaling, Clenching (teeth), and Traffic Avoidance. This last subject is not well attended as evidenced by the fatality figures of these professionals. Upon completion of the Specialist course, you are issued with a highly polished brass (with artificial pea) attached to a sweat absorbent material strip that is never to be washed for fear of spoiling the tone qualities of the .

I work on the eighth floor more or less in the center of the building. I can hear the specialist Whistle Blower man on his even as I type this. 

[Lourens]

A Blatant Plug

I started my own Blogspot. Only because I might want to post something other than strictly Buriram related and also I can include more pictures and video.

It's here: http://buriraminformer.blogspot.com/

I also linked to Buriram Expats because it is still the best Buriram website there is. 

[Lourens]

Project #78

For those weekday evenings when the wife is watching Thai soaps on TV and I just can't take it anymore. One day I will scale this project up to full size and fly myself to places I only dream of.

(More picture will follow as the project continues)

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[Admin]

Wow,need alot of patient to put all parts together.. 
How long it take you to complete build one of these?

[Lourens]

Wow,need alot of patient to put all parts together.. 
How long it take you to complete build one of these?

This is only my first one. I started out with only the plan on paper downloaded from the internet. Then I have to make all the parts myself using Balsa wood. So far it took about two weeks working only some evenings.