A CHILD'S PARADISE IN AMAZING THAILAND

Copyright (C) 2008 by F. Scott Sinclair. All Rights

Reserved. Just click on the picture to enlarge the image. I was standing in the shade trying to escape the midday sun, and its blistering rays. In the process, the following picture caught my eye. My trusty Pentax K10D said: C'mon, take the picture...! So, I did... It seems that every country tries to amuse their youngsters with unique and fun activities. Thailand is no exception to this rule. Thai children (like all children) love to climb around a maze of obstacles, as you can see by this colorful outside setting of make believe objects: a child's paradise. This park-like setting is situated alongside a calm river that buzzes with activity around dinnertime. Joggers, walkers, sightseers, lovers and friends, stroll along the concrete path that flows alongside the contour of the riverbed. A delightful experience...

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A WORLD OF INCIDENTS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS:

TRULY AMAZING...! AND IT'S UPDATED EVERY

360 SECONDS, I'VE BEEN TOLD. A REALLY

PLEASANT TREAT AND INTELLECTUAL JOURNEY.

TRY IT, YOU MIGHT LIKE IT.

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Late Night Political Jokes - Late Night Jokes Updated Daily

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY NOVELIST F. SCOTT SINCLAIR

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A CONVENIENT (I HOPE) TABLE OF CONTENTS OF

F. SCOTT SINCLAIR'S NOVELS

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NOW, BOW YOUR HEADS...AND SAY "GRACE" IS WHAT MY GRANDMOTHER USED TO SAY BEFORE EACH & EVERY MEAL. AND THAI FOOD IS A BLESSING, THAT'S FOR SURE...

Copyright (C) 2008 by F. Scott Sinclair. All Rights Reserved. Just click on the picture to enlarge the image. Outdoor food vendors are a dime a dozen in Thailand, these days--and always...a delight, that's for sure. If there's one thing Thais and farangs (foreigners) love to do in Thailand, and that's to eat. Whether it's consuming food from a motorcycle vendor at your doorstep, to sidewalk stalls, to fancy restaurants located in plush surroundings, whether inside or outside: Thai food abounds in its delightfully delicious manner--all around you. You can spend large sums of money for only the best foods available. Or you can delight your palate and taste buds for only a few baht: 25 to 50 baht at most. Entrepreneurs at their best, in the land of the free. Yes, Thailand means: Free Land. And the vendors selling food, goods, etc. will certainly appeal to your tastes and desires. Consumerism at its finest and most pleasant moment(s) in the Land of Smiles. This picture was taken with my trusty Pentax K10D.

A HARD DAYS WORK, THAT'S FOR SURE...

Copyright (C) 2008 by F. Scott Sinclair. All Rights Reserved. Just click on the picture if you would like to enlarge the photograph. These Thai workers were exhausted after doing menial labor for the past eight or so hours. The building of a new department store takes a lot of bodies in order to build it to completion. Just resting in the back of a truck used for transportation purposes (hauling passengers), and/or supplies, etc. was a blessing for these folks, as you can see for yourself.

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A CONVENIENT (I HOPE) TABLE OF CONTENTS OF

F. SCOTT SINCLAIR'S NOVELS

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A ROADSIDE VIEW OF THAI COMMERCE

Copyright (C) 2007 by F. Scott Sinclair. All Rights Reserved. Due to the increasing cost of household natural gas, Thais have begun to revert to a cheaper form of energy of yesteryear. What might that be...? The name sounds like the Spanish word: tacos, or in English parlance: charcoal, but not the uniform charcoal briquette variety. A real mixed bag of sizes and shapes, but very effective: supplying the necessary energy for daily cooking and easing the burden on the pocketbook. Just one of those bags of charcoal fragments costs approximately 225 Thai baht ($6.64 USD). To show how the cost of energy has escalated and is affecting everyone's life, that same bag of charcoal used to cost only 100 Thai baht a few years ago. And one of those bags lasts a longtime compared to the use of natural gas. Natural gas costs about 290 Thai baht for a 16.5 kilo bottle. I wouldn't be surprised if the cooking time for one bag of charcoal equals nearly one and a half containers of natural gas. If there's a will, there's a way to cut energy costs here in the Land of Smiles. This photo was taken with my trusty Kodak P-850 digital camera from a roadside fruit stand, and has also captured a typical tractor trailer unit that can be seen throughout Thailand transporting commerce to various destinations. And there's a house being built across the highway which shows you how Thai homes are constructed: solidly, folks... You'll rarely, if ever, see plasterboard walls in a Thai house. One-hundred percent cement, steel and brick construction. The only place Thais use plasterboard is in the ceilings for the most part. Only businesses use plasterboard in their buildings to save money on construction costs.

A TYPICAL SCENE AT A THAI ROADSIDE VENDOR'S STALL AS SHE TRIES TO SELL PRODUCE TO TOURISTS & LOCALS ALIKE ON THE SHOULDER OF A MAIN HIGHWAY.

Copyright (C) 2007 by F. Scott Sinclair. All Rights Reserved. This typical roadside vendor will eke out a living by selling fruit to passersby. Thais on their way home from work, visitors, tourists and others, help to provide a living for these industrious souls. When the 1997 economic crisis unloaded its wrath upon Thailand, ingenious Thais smiled and shrugged their shoulders, not forgetting that Thailand means: a free land. And in the spirit of freedom, Thais have always found ways to make a living off the land that their ancestors left for them. As you can see in the video, there's no daycare facility in the neigborhood. Vendors bring their babies to the meager grass huts along the main road and let them lie in cribs, swinging peacefully to sleep alongside the ever present Thai means of entertainment: a color television set. A propane gas tank, stove, electric fan and refrigerator makes life more endurable and enjoyable. Water is readily available in a ceramic cistern: all the comforts of home. A shophouse, if you like... A Mini Mart in the middle of nowhere. As you can see, Thais live in style even when their floor is solid dirt. And most important of all, the produce being sold is fresh and scrumptious: mouth-watering to say the least. Now you know why the villagers of Thailand survived the 1997 economic crisis with flying colors. There is no unemployment insurance, or safety net for the villagers of Thailand. City dwellers (including Thais) are helpless when factories and businesses close down--like a boat without a rudder--drifting aimlessly with the currents to who knows where. Such is the plight of city dwellers worldwide. But that's not the case for Thai farmers and villagers. Self-sufficiency has been taught to villagers and the general populace for generations. Their Buddhist beliefs and determination are truly genuine safety nets. Micro-capitalism is well and alive in Thailand in good times and bad. Welcome to the Land of Smiles.

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A CONVENIENT (I HOPE) TABLE OF CONTENTS OF

F. SCOTT SINCLAIR'S NOVELS

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BANGKOK'S VENICE STYLE CANALS ARE FASCINATING TO GAZE UPON: AMAZING, THAT'S FOR SURE...

Copyright (C) 2007 by F. Scott Sinclair. All Rights Reserved. To enlarge the photo, click your mouse on the picture.

Thailand, especially Bangkok (the Venice of the East), has so many treasures just sitting outside the front door of your hotel. Visitors are urged to linger around the canals that permeate Bangkok's residential area, just off the main roads. Watching children dive into the narrow canals seeking shelter from the hot weather, is entertaining. To the right of the lovely Buddhist shrine is where at nighttime, vendors hawk their goods and produce to the local residents. In the morning, banana shaped boats with long propeller shafts and high powered engines pick up passengers and deliver them within walking distance to their places of work. The sound of engines can be heard over the normal traffic congestion of Bangkok proper. But no matter how modern Bangkok has become, the back streets and alleyways of Bangkok are where the smiling and caring folks of the Venice of the East reside. And if you want to know what it's like to live in a big city in Thailand, just turn right or left off a main road, and you'll likely run into a residential area: off the beaten path. That's where you'll really see how the Thais live. So, if you're in the mood to see Thailand from the inside out, dump the tour guide, and/or sightseeing bus, and see Thailand firsthand via the back streets during the daytime (never at night--safety first). You might get a glimpse of the Unseen Thailand everyone talks about, fostering some fond memories (and pictures) in the process. Always travel with friends or acquaintances when traveling in Bangkok, or anywhere else in the world. That's just common sense. I took the above picture with a Pentax K10D.

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A CONVENIENT (I HOPE) TABLE OF CONTENTS OF

F. SCOTT SINCLAIR'S NOVELS

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FURNITURE STORES IN THAILAND ARE A DELIGHT TO BEHOLD.

Copyright (C) 2007 by F. Scott Sinclair. All Rights Reserved.

Click the picture to enlarge the photograph.

When I have time, it's nice to travel to Chiangmai, Lampang

and other spots in Thailand. One of the most fun aspects of

such trips is visiting numerous furniture stores along the way.

If you take a sightseeing tour of Thailand, undoubtedly your

tour guide will have the bus stop at several "tourist traps": Oops,

I meant to say, shops en route to your destination. If you happen

to notice huge price differences between shops, don't be alarmed.

More than likely, the higher priced shop(s) will be able to send

your new teakwood dinner table and chairs back home. Why

is that? Because a store must have an export license before the

authorities will allow them to ship any teakwood products out of

Thailand. Hence, that's probably the reason for the price difference.

If you choose to live in Thailand, then by all means by the lesser

expensive furniture because in most cases it's of the same quality.

But not always... Buyer beware is a good motto. In either case,

try and dicker the price to your liking. It does no harm, and

it's expected that you will at least try to bargain with Thai

merchants. That practice is as old as the hills. And if you're

wondering how you're going to place a cup and saucer on that

intricately inlaid picture, don't fret. If you haven't guessed it

already, you'll need to buy some pane glass back home to cover

the carving. Anyway, last but not least, I shot the above picture

with a Kodak P850 digital camera.

Bottom line: So, why don't you think about coming to Thailand

sometime? You'll fall in love with its culture and greatest asset:

it's people. Just a pleasant thought. Take care.

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QUOTE:

A CONVENIENT (I HOPE) TABLE OF CONTENTS OF

F. SCOTT SINCLAIR'S NOVELS.

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