Coss

Scale: what they’re doing might affect a few dozens of hectares. But it’s all show. when I got to Laos the air was replaced with a mix of dust and pollution but noticeably lighter than Bangkok’s.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjw4q7v7ez1o Trump tells Putin to end war immediately. I wonder if, about now, a certain piss tape will surface.

Apart from the few on this board that I know -the rest are very proud of of their achievements and I’m glad I don’t have their healthcare rip off.

Melanie really looks like spy vs spy

https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigotry not confined to gays. Also race religion and those more intelligent than common garden orange faced apes.

Someone will have to explain to me, why orange man thinks that appearing on stage with Icons of gay culture, is good for the American Presidency, given his problematic bigotry. Is he coming out?

Oh and Farang food is all over the place here, also Japanese Korean, Russian… I think there’s a Krispy Kreme also. KFC, not Kentucky fried chicken, but Khouviang fried chicken on Khouviang road, delicious!

Good day Cav! Long time Lao care, well they do their best, but anyone who can afford it immediately crosses the friendship bridge to Thailand and Udon Thani - mainly. Though there are Thai and Other, private hospitals in Vientiane (small I would imagine), that can be accessed with money or insurance In terms of cost in Lao hospitals, the care is free to citizens, I don’t think non-citizens will get served unless they are at death’s door, or can pay, perhaps as a precursor to a fast car ride to Udon Thani. Medicines cost at the local pharmacy. Most Expats have BUPA or similar insurance, allowing for flights to Bangkok. No idea on cost of this. My situation is: last decade, stroke/cancer/brain surgery and recuperations, meant that I was/am tied to the NZ system which is good and free to citizens. I’m back in Laos without insurance, in a gap of my ongoing treatments (Keytruda - wonderful stuff). A friend who died here not so long ago and I decided (when it looked like I was here permanently) that if we were to suffer the “really gonna die”, problems in Laos, that we were old enough and ugly enough to go quietly. For both of us, the flying around SEA whilst in death throes, sounded like a poor outcome. And for him, he went quietly at his place on the banks of the Mekong with his family in attendance. You may remember Dumsoda, his Cancer meant a lot of back and forth to Bangkok from Nong Khai, I don’t know the funding of this. So probably not much help on your original question, but some clarity from my view.

I found today that I have two Jack Fruit trees next to house, vis:

Whilst in Sukhumvit, my hostelry, on the room’s televisual extravaganza, showed me entertainment of bulls fighting (each other not matadors) and cock fighting. I thought I’d been transported back to the dark ages. * note: Stable Lodge Hotel, no have laundry service, go up road, otherwise still good.

I post this here in the hope that Thai and Lao culture is similar enough, that the following is recognised and will draw some comment or advice. Buy land Laos, circa 2011. Coss pay. Build small house approx 12K USD - wife n family pay. Good. Big house built but not finished - maybe 90%, wife n family pay. Big marriage, subsequent adventure to middle earth, unfortunate health inspired delays for a decade. House about 98% done finicky fussing around the edges to be complete. Coss returns from middle earth to enjoy and participate in large house blessing monkery, but wait, Coss - cannot sleep here until Monks have their way with house. Have to sleep in Diplomat’s McMansion nearby. OK Sabai sabai. 10 days to go. But I tricked them, I snuck in and used the W.C. Without telling them. So monks have no way of conveying this to the ether, and theretofore Coss has avoided bad luck. Wot’yer think? Y

Whilst concurring with the right honorable (‘merican spelling) Bubi, I did happen to notice the following: In American Conflagration (fires in California) there is this - VW combi with a story Being in Laos as I am, I could not help but notice that this van had been miraculously transported to Vientiane and whilst the paint had somewhat darkened on cooling, has been converted to a coffee shop. Also my uncle’s series III Landrover has been nicked from Twizel in NZ and placed here, to house a generator for powering the coffee shop. All of this is taking place on the shore of “Lake Thatluang” which 12 years ago was a charming small lake surrounded by swamp, but had been converted into Civic pride with footpaths, picnic margins, coconut palms etc. Built on swamp you say? Massive Chinese enterprise, now cracked, gashed, subsiding footpaths and road, wholesale dead coconut palms, need I go on… In centre of the lake is large foundational structure which I am told was going to be skyscraper apartments, but now is concrete bits slowly decaying into lake. But that’s OK because it’s all a special economic zone and Chinese folk can live in these apartments, built on land/swamp nearby. I drove past here last night and counted three lights on in apartments, all the rest preferring to sit in dark.

One’s newbie teeth only made it to 4th floor

I went there on Wednesday and asked if I could buy one of the prettier dentists a new BMW. As it happened they said that they all had plenty of cars but would be happy to look in my mouth. This visit was occasioned by my 2nd wife making me use a herbal toothpaste for 20 years. Being unable to read the ingredients of same, I had assumed that the contents would have contained fluoride. Mistake, as my teeth started to become weak, chip and fall out, I used the google translate photo thingy to find that there was no fluoride in the herbal nonsense. I started using fluoride toothpaste and the remaining teeth became harder, but damage needed to be repaired. 21k bht and most of a day later and I walked out with the remaining gnashers in spiffing condition. Well pleased I am. Nice lady dentists crawling my head all day, luverly. Of note: nice handy map has 2 hotels nearby noted that have been renamed. The Avani Atrium Hotel is now the Grand Mercure Bangkok Atrium. and Siam Hotel is another name like Ladbrook or Lancaster or some such. I wandered about a bit before detective work helped me to find the nice lady dentists.

iPhone 12. Misty effect was achieved by slowly chilling the phone in the aircon whilst eating thence taking it outside into humid warm air to mist the lenses for the photo. Cheaper than Vaseline. 😜

Shame I’m gone in 12 hrs. I woulda enjoyed a meet. Platonically of course. Edit - I read “ate here” as “are here” - olden folk eyes.

“Halal” we think that saying some words to the sheep or what ever “Halal” is is strange too. But we’ll export it to any one and I wager that you’ll get it cheaper than us locals, certainly it’s cheaper in Emporium in BKK than MIddle Earth.

I’ve now got a new fave. Japanese cheap and cheerful, not haute cuisine, just bloody good food. Pretty much opposite Soi 8, so from Soi 8 entrance, left and up to to the skytrain station and then down the other side. 1 minute walk for an old fella All sorts of lovely bits and bobs, salted Beef tongue, grilled Sanma, etc. The Asahi Dry on tap is particularly welcome after the heat. Photography aficionados can describe to me how I achieved this shot, incl waitresses. No post processing, or filters involved

Glad he got found, there’s a place in Laos in what used to be called the golden triangle, that we don’t talk about on account of it could get you into trouble. It appears to be similar or linked to the goings on reported above. I once thought about ambling there as a tourist and was warned off.

Down here our wifebeaters are black singlets

Why no mussels?

Nothing eerie about Joe Rogan, just another Trump but without the luck.