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Banks and Blades and Monster Geckos
One of the coolest things about rural Thailand is the prevalence of bladed tool vendors outside of banks and government building selling scythes, spades, hatchets, axes, machetes, and cooking knives…
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All you ever wanted to know about using squat toilets
I’ve lived in Asia for over a decade, so I’m used to squat toilets (as opposed to western-style toilets that you sit on). I prefer squat toilets everywhere except for…
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Weird Thai Snacks
SEMON – The breakfast of champions. Extra creamy filling. CHICKEN SHAKE – According to the package, it is/contains neither. It is, however, a magnificent concept, even more repulsive than the…
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Tiny Geckos
… are falling from my walls onto my bed and the floor. There are hundreds of them, I’m sure, hatching around our house. I’ve seen around 30 or so in…
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Staircase Method
I just finished grading for the first semester of classes – whew! It was hard work, much more work than a sweaty gaijin should have to do in 38 degree…
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Bangkok Bookstores
If you are looking for a specific book that’s still in print, your one-stop shop is the Kinokuniya in Siam Paragon. There is an Asia Books one floor down from…
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flogging the bishop
I like living in the third world, for the most part. Thailand is a great country and I like the fact that there’s a lot further to go up than…
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my new car
The overnight bus departs from Sarakham at 9:15 and arrives at Bangkok sometime after three in the morning. We took the “VIP” bus which costs another forty or fifty baht,…
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Bangkok Bombing Update
The Australian is reporting that the New Years bombings in the capitol were the work of Jemaah Islamiah. Originally the focus of investigation seemed to be on the former (Thaksin’s)…
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Shave and a Haircut
I have found "my" new barber shop. I had a hard time finding a good place here at first; I made the mistake of trying beauty salons when really all…
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Ganked
I haven’t read a newspaper since I stepped off the airplane last October, simply because I think it’s an obsolete format for news. As it turns out, not many people…
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We are all made of stars
Not much to report here this week except that we had another barbecue today. I’m pretty sure I’m going to make this into a weekly thing, just because it kicks…
