Catching Up on Mates Forgotten, Isaan Style Thailand.

I have been quiet again for a whole week. I am sure some are happy for this… I have been keeping myself busy doing many different things, one being spending more time with my niece Nong Ja. This means my blog gets neglected a little.

I have been slowly catching up on blogs I like to read and finding a few new ones I enjoy reading.

Pattaya Days is a guy living in the resort town called Pattaya of course. Now most people think of the seedy bar life and endless stories of those foreigners who seem to not have one bit of common sense falling for bar girls. And Pattaya does survive on this, if these bars and girls weren’t there it could be a sleepy little resort town with pristine waters like it was long ago.

Anyway, Pattaya Days a guy called Spike writes about his life there. He is very smart, with his typing is often funny, very witty and at times maybe sarcastic. My kind of humour. He is an excellent photographer with lots of pictures on a huge range of things. He survived a horrific crash.

You can witness his humour in these posts starting with Insurance, giraffes and the Balinese Goddess of Plenty, A fine from the fine Royal Thai Police, and the pictures of the car in Car confirmed dead, cash expected.

Another blog I read all the time is The NH Bushman, a guy called MJ Klein who lives in Taiwan with his lovely wife Hui-chen. I was incrediably lucky to meet MJ and his wife in October 2008 when they travelled here to Thailand on business and he kindly went out of his way to travel to Ubon Ratchathani to meet Noot and me.

MJ is a gem of a guy, not only does he have a top blog but is an excellent musician and singer. An ex radio jock with many stories and I got to hear him sing and play guitar in person at a little local restaurant we went to. He knocked out the songs and I sat thinking (holy shit he can sing) and the other Thais there were wide eyed as well especially when he played Thai songs as he was playing in a Thai band (helping them out in Taiwan and can read about it at the links).

MJ’s blog is an excellent read, a big variety of stuff and always lots of interesting pictures of his life there. One place I want to go to when I visit there is a cabin in the mountains owned by a friend called Becky, in a place called Miaoli. Every time they they go there they have an excellent time with friends. It looks like such a relaxing place.Here are two posts of them having fun in Miaoli with friends.

Retired in Thailand and Loving It, by Malcolm with his wife Ciejay living in a small village called Wang Pho, located in the valley of Sai Yok,Whang Pho Kanchanaburi. I have read many blogs where retired foreigners in Thailand just complain and whinge. Malcolm loves his life there and his family and friends. His blog is great reading as it is real, a man enjoying the best part of his life in a country he loves with the most important person and great friends about him.

He takes small every day things and turns them into great reading, things we just take for granted. He is a retired manager who has faith in god and god bless him as he is one of the nicest people I have come across. I have never read a bad thing said by him. He says this in his newsletter, “Take care of each other and be kind to strangers as some have entertained ANGELS unaware. Take time out in your daily lives and be extra kind to someone, it will make a difference in their and your life.” If we could all just take this advice a little and make the world a little nicer than it is today.

Jungle Jil is a guy who was living happily in Thailand and then shifted to the Philippines. I used to read his Thai blog and then followed on when he moved. It is a great blog and he has a good sense of humour. He has found happiness in the form of his wife Epril. I read about when he first met her and was a little worried but theses were unfounded as she seems like an absolute diamond of a girl.

He lives on an island and you can follow his jungle lifestyle, there is always something going on in Jil’s life that entertains.

The Lost Boy by a guy called Matt Crook is a young guy who writes for a living, he lived in Thailand, moved to Timor-Leste and now has just gone onto Dhaka in Bangladesh. I credit the guy as he moves around and goes to places many others wouldn’t really think of. He doesn’t update as often anymore but is busy chasing work and writing.

My Several Worlds, by Carrie I haven’t been reading as much as I would like of late. Carrie has a first rate site, excellent doesn’t describe it properly. It has so much information about Asia. The pictures and tips she gives to people wanting to travel in Asia are very valuable. If you are thinking of travelling in Asia check Carrie’s site out as there will be good advice for you for sure.

A blog I have started to read, best mates of Jil is Stanley’s Pictures. He is just a guy in Pattaya with his better half living happily. Diana is from the Philippines. He is a toy train man, has a huge set up in his house still under construction. His blog is by no means full of information about travelling in Pattaya but just his every day life, where he goes, what he eats and so forth and some information of stuff from back in the UK that interests him.

Jamie’s Phuket is the blog I read when I feel like a holiday in my head. It is excellent and if you are planning on going to Phuket, you have to read this site. He takes heaps of excellent pictures and is a wealth of information on restaurants, accommodation and sites to see. I often find myself stuck there for a few hours reading as I don’t get to read as often as I used to. Jamie has lived there since 1999 and I envy him a lot with the beautiful pictures of the beach, the thing I miss the most living in Isaan. A must read for Phuket travellers.

Life in Rural Thailand, is a blog from my hometown of Ubon Ratchathani and by a good friend and fellow Australian. I don’t know what will happen with this blog as he has sold his business and will be heading back to Australia in a few months. He has written excellent articles of Ubon and life in rural Thailand, living with his amazing wife and two adorable children. He is a young guy but a dime in a dozen and I look forward to his next venture in his life when he returns to Australia and just hope he continues writing a blog, be it a new one.

A newish blog from Ubon Ratchathani here in Thailand is by a young foreign girl training Muay Thai. The gym is called Legacy Gym and if you want to learn or better your skills in this art or MMA (mixed martial arts) when watched by people who know nothing of the sport are gobsmacked at what they think is brutal.

I am hoping to get over to the gym on Saturday and take some pictures and interview the owner who is becoming quite a star since winning his Martial Combat Championship Belt, making magazine appearances and also an upcoming front cover or another as well.

It is getting late and I have other things to do, so the many other blogs I read, and try to read have to wait for another day. I have races to finish off for tomorrow and also getting ready for the Premier League kick off next weekend. For some reason there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in a day.

Brunty