First Christmas song heard on November 17th.

First Christmas song of 2022 heard in the men's bathroom at Central Plaza on 20221117. It was Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree. I shall strap myself in for a very long ride because they'll be playing this stuff through February at least. 

Maybe I'll get myself a modern-day Etch A Sketch for Christmas.

20221117

Last day of the 2022 Phimai Festival

Too bad, too sad for those who attended the Jayarvaman VII show on the night of the 13th. They got rained on!!! Not as bad as it sounds because it's so warm here that when you get rained on, you're not even cold--just wet. We watched it rain from the hotel window. It finished within an hour, and the party started right back up--until the next set of rain. 

Not dying fast enough?

Drink some of these.

Thank you (NOT!!!) 7-ELEVEN for exporting the idea of slurpees.

20221113

Phimai Historical Park in the daytime.

ปราสาทหินพิมาย / Prasat Hin Phimai was great at night with the special lighting for the show. But it is equally great in the daytime. Not sure how many times I've been, maybe three or four? It doesn't matter. If you come over here to visit me, you will be dragged up there. You have been warned, but the good thing is that you will probably like it a lot. How often do you get to walk around thousand-year-old buildings?

20221112

King Jayavarman VII show at Phimai Historical Park.

Like the show or not, you must admit the grandness of the production. The way they lit up the old buildings during the show was fantastic. The music and audio were clear. The dancing is not really my thing, but that's okay. I spent most of the show watching how they did it, and they did it very, very well indeed. 

Would I go again? Yes, I would. The light show at ปราสาทหินพิมาย / Prasat Hin Phimai is so special that it makes it worth braving the crowds.

20221112

Phimai Festival boat racing

We took a little trip up to พิมาย / Phimai for the annual festival that includes boat racing. For some excellent photos of the event, view Mari-Mo Photography's post if you can. For some Jerry-eye views of the event, see the photos (and one video) below.

I liked Phimai the first time I visited more than 10 years ago, and I like it even more today. It's a good town on a good river with good people. The Khmer Empire architecture that endures is from the 11th and 12th centuries.

20221112

As of November 11th, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

20221111

I greatly miss my U.S. Veterans Day freebies.

Perhaps because I'm frugal at heart, I greatly miss my U.S. Veterans Day freebies. The one that first comes to mind is my Krispy Kreme coffee and donut. We have Krispy Kreme stores in the shopping malls here in Nakhon Ratchasima, and I did think about going in there and trying to convince them to give me a free donut and coffee.

But it would be too cruel. Mischievous though I may be, malicious I am not. Also, I fear that they would give me a free donut and coffee not because of understanding my Thai-language attempts to explain about freebies on U.S. Veterans Day, but rather because of feeling sorry for such a pathetic old bald foreigner guy. The degree to which they cut old folks some slack is truly remarkable, and it is greatly appreciated by me. I often need all of that slack--and more.

Let me take this opportunity on U.S. Veterans Day to apologize to all the good people of Nakhon Ratchasima for all the confusion I've caused over the last year in my attempts to speak Thai. It's possible that I will improve, but it could go the other way as a variety of glitches continue to occur with increasing frequency. At any rate, your kindness is appreciated.

Falling behind on the sunsets.

Falling behind on the sunsets. I guess this retired guy is not doing a perfect job as a chronicler of sunsets, but that's alright. Things get posted when they get posted--if they even get posted. The sun will continue to rise and set regardless, and if you keep your eyes open, you're guaranteed to see a rainbow or two.

20221109

Loi Krathong sunset / Loy Krathong Full Moon from eclipse

The sunset on วันลอยกระทง / Loy Krathong was nice. The Loy Krathong full moon from eclipse was even better. I won't disrespect the cosmos by posting photos. In fact, I didn't take any. It didn't seem right to me.

Since humans populated Earth, they have been watching the moon. We joined them full force tonight. When we first went out, the moon was missing completely due to the eclipse. But then, finally, there it was, all dark and red, right where we expected it to be based on where it was last night. We spent the next hour or so watching it come out of darkness into brightness, all the way until it was full. It was a splendid show, my first time ever watching a full eclipse from start to finish.

Note that this full-moon-from-eclipse viewing took place in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand (14.9707° N  102.102° E) at approximately 18:00 hours on 20221108 (GMT +7). Your moon show may be better or worse depending on your location.

20221108

Slugs of Northeastern Thailand

Continuing a post-Halloween parade of horror, I followed up our huge, green, plant-eating worms with my first sighting of some very big Northeastern Thailand slugs. I agree with you that each of these slugs looks like a turd on the sidewalk. But they are not. Notice the antennae. 

I regret that the photo does not show the mucus trail that was clearly visible with some of the other slugs. Regarding size/length, I can tell you that these things are about the size/length of a grown man's middle finger. I greatly desire to avoid ever stepping on one, but I am me, with a history of clumsiness, so it is more a matter of when than if...

Bonus: This evening's toad frog.

20221106