Jerry Conner

Weekend in Bangkok.

I think we went down on Friday, August 21st. I believe we came back on Sunday, the 23rd. Our travel hero was there, flying from work on Friday evening back to work on Sunday evening. I remember some really good food once again in the Terminal 21 mall. There was some decent Bonchon kimchi. Do I only remember the food?

We were there, and then we were gone. Short trip.

2026 August 21st - 22nd

Korat Zoo: Home of the swimming tigers.

This was my second trip to the Korat Zoo. It was almost magical. Due to the threat of continued rain. Due to our arrival in early afternoon. Possibly due to plain dumb luck, the entire zoo was ours. We may have seen a total of 10 or 20 other visitors. That number would normally be more like 1,000 or 2,000 other visitors.

Swimming tigers, roaring lions, big scary old rhinos, we saw it all. Even taking turns driving the golf cart was fun. I doubt I'll ever have the opportunity for an almost private visit to the zoo again. They do a pretty good job out there. I salute them.

20260819

Finally made it to the Fossil Museum.

And it was really good. We had kind of a guided tour by a bright young student from มหาวิทยาลัยขอนแก่น / Khon Kaen University. And there was our friend, Cactus Jon, who happened to know the entire process of petrification so well that he was able to explain it so that we finally understood it. Because we were on a guided tour, we were able to avoid most of the students, of which there are many, as there should be for a regional fossil museum like this one.

20260818

The Centara Hotel in Nakhon Ratchasima. I can recommend it.

Family and friends who have stayed at the Centara Hotel in Nakhon Ratchasima seem to have been satisfied customers. I recommend it to people, along with a couple other choices in town.

20260817

Two evenings of great clouds.

2026 August 12th - 13th

The search for the perfect tropical weather hat never ends...

That's how I found myself in Decathlon looking at hats that provide very full coverage, while also being relatively lightweight. My current hat for working in the fields is good, but it's so stiff and so heavy. Still, I wasn't satisfied with any of the choices on offer. Where is that perfect hot weather hat? Maybe that famous one from Australia. They do know a little bit about heat there in the outback.

20260811

Low-season Secret Island.

A friend was in country at the beginning of August, so down to Secret Island we went. It was good. My friend showed us how to snorkel correctly. Snorkeling turns out to be a wonderfully interesting hobby. We're going back, even better equipped this time with our own decent-quality snorkels.

Let me post a few photos below. The eagle-eyed amongst you may notice a few clues regarding the actual location of Secret Island.