maipenrai

Say what? From my experiences during many Songkrans, the Thais are the ONLY ones throwing powder around - I don't think I have ever seen a farang throwing powder , or rubbing it in someone's hair, etc. - the water I can live with but I hate that damned powder.

Nice to see a clean and spacious toilet, even if the piping is a little hokey - some of the toilet stalls in the venues I visit are so tiny that I wonder how some guys even fit in them...

Lots of ravens in my neck of the woods; we get the occasional crow in the summer months as they fly over the passes from Alaska but they don't stay for winter. I have a lot of respect for ravens, they are extremely intelligent and i figure that any creature that can seemingly thrive on frozen bags of garbage in -40 weather must have something going for it...

This one may be a little obscure for our UK members - just like so many of their obits mean nothing to me, being a colonial - but Canucks and Yanks will recognize this guy for his hilarious song parodies, particularly Xmas classics like "Chipmunks Roasting Over an Open Fire" or "Walking Around in Women's Underwear": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Rivers

Similar but not quite on the same scale, I think, are the statistics for the Aleutian theatre of war - many more aircraft were lost to terrible weather conditions, in that area where the warm Pacific meets the cold Bering Sea, than were lost due to enemy action.

Nope, in 38 years of residency at this location I have never had a bear in my yard - but neighbours apparently have...

Best of luck to you, mate - I may live in the frozen beyond but at least we don't get weather events like this up there....

This one should keep me going for a while, one of my favourite history writers:

I look forward to seeing your views on AC after you return as I am booked for a few nights there in May before I go home - I haven't been there for 22 years so I am sure there are some changes! I am booked on Cebu Pacific because I like the idea of going straight to Clark and bypassing Manila, however the flight times are awful with arrival at 0315Am. I have to admit that I am not going there just to check out the bars, there are people living near there that I have to see.

I sure wish they'd bring back some kind of ferry service again, I would visit more often.

I used to know a Polish fellow at work years ago in the '80s who was in a camp as a child, and he too had a number tattooed on his arm - one of the main reasons why I refuse to have any tattoos myself.

Damn, how disappointing for you; I just checked my home weather and it's going to be above freezing in the daytime for the next few days, but I still don't miss it...

Had to get a shot of this pristine old Datsun pickup - I learned to drive in the export version, my mother's 1969 model: