Rosesukhon Hotel Khon Kaen

... he is smitten). He is very funny and usually drinks too much! He was a Paratrooper and retired as a General in the Thai Army. I call him - Mr Thailand - he loves it!

Sunantha is beautiful, charming and full of life. We got along great and she wants to come to the US. I told her I will start a Sunantha to US Fund - so be prepared for me to hit all my friends and family for donations.

Uncle Bob Breen - what I ...

... I'm not quite sure how the hand gestures fit with the rest of the story. Every time O said the phrase "make love," her right hand would pounce upon her left hand as though trying to stalk and trap a chicken. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. We sat and talked for hours - I didn't get home until almost 11 - and I had a blast. In the morning, O, Nan, and Fei-Li will go with me in the van to the airport to say goodbye. Already I'm feeling a little sad about leaving my new friends....

... announced that one of those priority areas is aging. He mentioned that land has been set aside for the Three Generation House project and "architectural drawings" have been developed, and because the project pertains to aging, there may be additional funding opportunities beyond what was originally expected. I could have jumped up and down right there on the spot - talk about amazing timing and good luck. Apparently the drawings I gave the Dean have already made their way ...

... with various sections of a department store interspersed throughout the middle section. Prices seemed similar to prices in the US for things like Levi's and Naturalizer shoes. I was baffled by the fact the department store has both an Izod/Lacoste section AND a section selling fake "Crocodile Brand" copies of Lacoste shirts. Stores here clearly don't get too hung up on the laws regarding selling counterfeit merchandise. As I wandered through the mall, I ran across a small ...

... I talked about why faculty might not have been interested in attending (KKU set the topic, not me). She had a really good insight about this: some faculty are nervous about speaking English with an American but she thought the real issue was that many faculty are intimidated by the IT aspects involved in something like distance education. They have finally become comfortable with Powerpoint - the thought of developing online courses might be a little uncomfortable for ...

... After work, I headed home to change clothes, then met O for a trip to the KKU night market and then out to dinner. When she picked me up, she had forgotten to bring a motorcycle helmet for me to wear. This presented a huge dilemma for me: do I forego dinner and shopping, or do I go helmetless once and pray I don't die? I wish I could tell you I made the responsible choice but I was starving after eating only rice for lunch so I did a very, very bad thing and got on the back of O's ...

... vans in drag). The process at Immigration only took about 5 minutes because inexplicably, the immigration officer said Fei-Li doesn't need more than her existing single-entry visit. This was perplexing - she entered Thailand once when she came here - doesn't that use up the single entry she's allowed under her current visa? The immigration officer said no - a single-entry visa lets you enter the country twice. Huh? Fei-Li is a wee bit concerned she'll get to Lao with us and ...

... that I remembered his name (Wan.) Overwhelmed may be a bit of an exaggeration, but he was at least whelmed. I do enjoy talking to him.

Then, I put an ad on a Thai website looking for a Thai tutor and got a reply that this particular person's friend, who is a lecturer at MSU, would be willing to tutor me. More to follow.

Then, then, I had mentioned in my blog that there was no real coffee up here and a ...

... around the coffee/snack table outside the classroom. They immediately descended upon me with a list of "problems" they hoped I could help them with. These problems included (and I'm not making these up, people):

(1) One man unfortunately has the same name and birthdate as a terrorist on one of the watch lists. Each time he travels, he gets detained. Once again, his name has been flagged and his flights back to India have been canceled. He ...

... her English. A live band played a campy version of "I Will Survive" (I know – hard to believe it could be even campier but somehow in Thailand they managed to up the camp factor significantly) in the lounge adjacent to the Italian restaurant. It kind of felt like home. (An aside: I've eaten at some of the most un-hygienic spots in Thailand and Cambodia and haven't gotten sick once. Only a meal at a five-star Western restaurant made me sick. Seems like ...