Raising a family in Thailand // Documenting Issan food, culture, music, and people
I miss my Silvia from our days in Japan and will no doubt miss my Kujira when we go back to the states. Maybe I’ll get a red Miata for Nam (she’s always wanted a sporty red car) – so glad I taught her how to drive stick.
Don’t ask me why, but I’m testing out these block color controls for WP in this post.
We had to take our Mazda 2 Elegance (TH only sedan model) into the new dealer down the highway to fix the most annoying vibration in the world (which will require removing the dash so I’m totally not doing it myself). Anyway, someone cut me off on the way home just as this came up on screen in the windblown (windows open because it’s nice) Kujira:
It was oh so aggro.
~ best RATM cover, evah! ~
Super chill but badass… They made a hypercar out of what?
Tucked somewhere in between a bunch of other cars in an underground parking lot in Bangkok, a true legend is waiting for Sumitomo/Dunlop brake seals that are probably impossible to find… Reading this forum post from 15 years ago reminded me why I had to change out my entire brake system for the Crown. There simply were no replacement parts to be had. My calipers were also marked Sumitomo, and I sent all of the parts to someone who needed them online.
It would be a real dream to see the king of Toyotas cruising down the tollway in BKK. Just like this:
Took some more photos and sold it for half of what I bought it for 8 years ago. It was fun to ride and served me well, and it was also the first vehicle I ever bought new… but I haven’t been able to ride it the past couple of years due to COVID, and the ethanol fuel mandated in Thailand just goes bad very quickly. I ended up having to replace the fuel pump and injector because the fuel had degraded into something nasty. Anyways, we put up an ad yesterday and got several interested parties calling today. A bike dude from Ubon Ratchatani made the drive out and bought it on the spot. I hope it serves him well.
I had replaced the decals with a more colorful set in order to appeal to a younger buyer, and it worked exactly as planned. This sort of strategy seems to work well for us.
My CRF250M originally looked like this:
I originally bought it used in this color and actually had a new one rush made for me in the same color at the Honda factory in Rayong when the old one didn’t work out. I liked this color scheme because it reminded me of my dad’s black 280zx with gold trim from the 80s.
It’s good to see new blood at Toyota giving a shout out to touge. I miss my Silvia.
Plus, there’s the official successor to Initial D making the jump from manga to anime:
Almost makes me want to throw a 2JZ in the old Crown.
1971年の首都高速
Toyota Crowns have always been popular as taxis.
My crown is a rusty old trap car at the moment, daddy needs to save money for a new paint job.
I miss it already, it was the first and only motorized vehicle I’ve bought new.
I took these photos at the hidden lake behind my faculty building, Rajabhat Maha Sarakham University.
…because they remind me of Datsuns, but also because there’s a sick modding scene.
I found this very cool photo on FB.
The post said it was a “Kalgoorlie bush wreck.”
Google time…
Found it! This must be the coolest group on Facebook. Applied.
Note: Kalgoorlie was originally called “Hannan’s Find,” and what Hannan found was gold! So I guess Kalgoorlie is the Sutter’s Mill of Australia (both caused a gold rush in the 1800s).
It had been a while since I’d seen Rusty. I didn’t know he’d changed hands, but it seems like he’ll be cared for forever now. What a legend. And yes, I always think of the Super Silhouette KDR30 when I see him.
This is probably the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. I asked the guy who posted it to Twitter for more info, and he told me it’s from Iceland. If anybody knows anything else about it, please comment on this post.
Cruising Van Nuys Boulevard In The Summer Of 1972 In Stunning Black And White Photos By Rick McCloskey
This culture was pretty much gone when I grew up in SoCal. These photos were taken a couple years before I was born, but I feel a deep connection to them every time I see my driveway.
The Drive has the scoop: This Subaru F.U.C.K.S.
UPDATE: Here’s the Apology Subaru Sent to American Dealers Over the Subaru F.U.C.K.S. Debacle
Awesome.
She’s older than all the others combined, and will probably still be running after they have all gone.
This is my parking lot at work. Our building used to be the administration building, which is why we have a flag pole in front. A military reservist comes to raise and lower it every day.
This is what it feels like in the city, even when you’re not rushing a kid to the hospital:
Quotes are in the title because my CRF is only 250cc; it’s the correct term for Thailand in both the Thai language and the English dialect of Thailand.
From the YouTube page: This is the incredible moment a hero biker saved the life of a young girl having an epileptic fit – by rushing her to hospital while her family were stuck in a traffic jam. The girl’s father Sorachat Sadudee, 51, was driving home after picking up his two daughters from school in Phitsanulok, central Thailand on Thursday (23/05) evening. His youngest daughter Kaimook, eight, told him that she felt sick and very tired, so he tried to make his way home as quickly as he could.
