Trips to Bangkok to locate Boat Parts in the back streets ( New update sorry for the delay)

[Geoff Cooper]

I managed to go to Bangkok on Sunday to have a look around and i grabbed a few Photos for you to take a look at, It was Childrens day and the place was heaving and not easy to look around so i did what i had to do and got back home as soon as possible because many of the places where closed, On Monday i took a trip to Bla Phay about 70k South of me it's a lovely unspoiled place much the same as where i live so i enclose some Photos of my trip there also for you to take a look at, I hope you like.



First one of 2015 a Queenfish.


Just getting the Skytrain over Bangkok


Some of the shops selling trim of all shapes and sizes, I got some from here a few weeks ago to replace the trim around the locker door at the helm.



Another stall selling all kinds of rubber grommets and thing's.


These's not much you can't get here.



Even Guitars

This is Bla Pha i just got there in time to see the local Fishermen pulling in the nets.


Well they caught quite a lot as they are only using the Nets from the Beach


Some of the bigger ones


He watches his Dad pulling in the Nets, What a great life.


He decides to start eating the Fish before they are taken from the Net.


Just miles of empty Beaches just the Fishermen work

They make the Lobster and Crab pots here



They still use the old Donkey Engines for pulling the Boats out of the water



The Road runs parallel to the Beach for miles, I hope you've enjoyed the Photos and i will post some more soon.

 

[rkluck]

Very nice and thanks for sharing as always. I assume you must speak the language very fluently!

 

[Zarrella]

Thanks Geoff....Awesome pictures!

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Very nice and thanks for sharing as always. I assume you must speak the language very fluently!

It was a case of having to learn the language as nobody speaks English in the Villages and the locals appreciate it if you can converse with them in Thai.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Thanks Geoff....Awesome pictures!

Your welcome.

 

[cane.mba]

Love this thread! Please keep the pics and information coming. I spent 10 years in the Army and travelled a lot of the world, and a year in Korea was as close as I got to Thailand. It's high on my list, and I love the non-tourist nature of your thread!

Thank you!

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Love this thread! Please keep the pics and information coming. I spent 10 years in the Army and travelled a lot of the world, and a year in Korea was as close as I got to Thailand. It's high on my list, and I love the non-tourist nature of your thread!

Thank you!

Pleased you like it don't worry there's more to come.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

I showed you some of the local Fishermen and normal life in Bla Pha with the beautiful Beaches and the slow way of life there, I traveled further South and went back to where i lived for a while, I could moor the boat at the bottom of my garden as the canals went all around the estate and as it was only about 100 meters to the sea it was really handy, these houses are a little remote and off the beaten track but a very quiet and beautiful place to live, They were 3 bedroom and quite spacious and started at about $80,000 up to $100.000, I have included some other Photos of the surrounding area with some descriptions also, I hope you like.



My old House it was good to see it again, I haven't been here for 4 years and little has changed it's still very quiet and peaceful.



You can see the Sea is only yards away and the canals are tidal but the sea is always accessible as the canals are about 6 feet deep at minimum


This guy is a crab Fisherman he comes everyday to check his Crab pots in the canals around the estate, It was good to See him again as we would always pass the time of day when i lived there, He asked me when i was coming back to live there.



There are bridges all around the estate making easy access to all houses.



Beautiful unused Beaches



The Local small Fishing Harbor



This one didn't make it back.



The owner tried to recover this Boat with a family saloon but got it stuck even the Tractor was unable to recover it.


It took the Tractor and a 4 wheel drive pick up to recover it.



I stop on the side of the road for some lunch, This lady is making me a Som Tan which is a soft Crab salad with chili and i had a barbecued portion of Chicken, You can see this is all done from her Motorcycle and sidecar she even has her Barbecue on the back and as she slowly drives along the wind created stokes the barbecue.

I hope you enjoyed the latest photos, I am still on my travels so will post some more Photos in a few days as i come across places i think you may be interested in, It's winter here now and temperatures are down to low 30s so i'm taking a few weeks off from Boating to see a change of scenery, I have thrown some clothes in a case and jumped in the Jeep and headed south for a week or so, I hope you enjoy the Photos.

 

[Scottintexas]

Thanks for the pictures, this is a great thread,

What made you move from this spot? Have you lived in other places in Thailand before this or other countries after you retired?

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Thanks for the pictures, this is a great thread,

What made you move from this spot? Have you lived in other places in Thailand before this or other countries after you retired?

I have lived in several places in Thailand Scot and i must admit this place was absolutely beautiful but it is very remote ie no local shops or convenience stores, Hospitals etc are 50 miles away so all these thing's need to be considered when you live alone and are getting a little older, Many people who live on this estate only use there houses for holidays so maybe you get the picture also there is no English spoken here and although i speak Thai there are many variations of the language and vocal expression is even more important the same word spoken in a different way can mean a totally different thing, I have lived in a few different countries but i find Thailand suits me as i hate cities and like to be in a semi remote areas.

 

[GTBRMC]

...and although i speak Thai there are many variations of the language and vocal expression is even more important the same word spoken in a different way can mean a totally different thing...

Asian languages can be really tough that way...particularly to the Western ear.

I made effort to learn some Mandarin in China and was stumped by this exact issue. For example, the word xiaojie (roughly pronounced like shou-je-uh) can mean "miss" like you might call a waitress, or it can mean "prostitute" (similar to calling someone a slut) or it can mean "to urinate" --- all dependent on the tones used.

Absolutely maddening and makes overcoming the embarrassment as you fumble around in the local tongue that much more difficult.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Asian languages can be really tough that way...particularly to the Western ear.

I made effort to learn some Mandarin in China and was stumped by this exact issue. For example, the word xiaojie (roughly pronounced like shou-je-uh) can mean "miss" like you might call a waitress, or it can mean "prostitute" (similar to calling someone a slut) or it can mean "to urinate" --- all dependent on the tones used.

Absolutely maddening and makes overcoming the embarrassment as you fumble around in the local tongue that much more difficult.

Yes exactly for example here a Dog is Ma but if you don't keep it short and slightly extend the word to Maa it's a horse.

 

[Zarrella]

Beautiful location for a waterfront home! I'll bet that was hard to walk away from. Keep em coming....I love this thread.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Beautiful location for a waterfront home! I'll bet that was hard to walk away from. Keep em coming....I love this thread.

Yes it was a lovely place but as you can see by my different posts i like to do my own repairs and there was no workshops or any facilities anywhere to do anything, I had to travel to do anything it was 15 miles just to get bread and milk and pay my electric bill, Also there was no local markets it was to remote or i would still be there, It was good to see the place again but nothing has changed.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Ok I'm still heading South but this will be my last post from here as i have a meeting Saturday morning and need to head back home also my friend has called me a few times and the sea conditions are great and he's been out on a few good fishing trips so time to get the Boat out again and also i want to shoot to Bangkok to grab a few parts for the old Jeep so i will try to add to that post also, ok here are some of the latest Photos and descriptions i hope you like.


A close up of one of the old Donkey engines the Fishermen use to pull the Boats out of the water and up the Beach


There just off Fishing look at the conditions i need to get home and get the Boat out.


This Lady is washing the fish before they cook them


You can see the men cooking the Fish God it was hot in there and about midnight, I was driving along and i seen this glow coming from a shack in the forest so had to check it out.



The finished item after cooking just dried the next day in the Sun and boxed and send to Vietnam



This railway siding gets about 2 trains a week it hasn't changed since i was here 4 years ago even the concrete sleepers are still there.



It's in the middle of nowhere



I really wish they wouldn't do this, They catch wild birds and keep them in a cage on the railway station nobody ever sees them
It annoys me but it's not my business to say anything as they get mad if you bring the subject up.



To keep a Bird in a Cage puts all of Heaven in a Rage.


This old boy had this trim shop when i lived around here, He covered my Motorcycle seat for $8 Did a good job to.


Great conditions the bad weather has gone at last, We had about 8 days of choppy seas so i went South to have a look around.




Nothing like getting maximum use from your pickup.



Sharks what sharks


Well that's all for now Folks I'm heading back home so i will get some more for you on my next trip into Bangkok, I hope you like.

 

[RightStuff]

Great pics again, keep them coming!

One thing that struck me in this last bunch is the train cars without graffiti, such an uncommon sight these days in the US...

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Great pics again, keep them coming!

One thing that struck me in this last bunch is the train cars without graffiti, such an uncommon sight these days in the US...

Graffiti here is rare and it shows low class, Here is all about class and also not to bring shame on the family, Family is number 1 here and if a member of the Family bring shame to the Household they are punished, The Police also stand no messing and will give a beating if one is warranted, Young men have to learn respect and there is still national service here where every young man goes into the Forces for i believe 2 years, If a crime is committed and the culprit is found guilty they are jailed if the crime is bad enough and the family have to pay for the damage that has occurred by there family members actions and also pay for his food in jail.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Well i had a great time going down South and having a look around some of the old places i used to live near and also going back and seeing my old house and the surroundings and meeting up with some of the people who i got to know well, I went to Bangkok a few days ago and had a look around and managed to get some photos for you to look at, I thought i had shown you many of the small shops selling all kinds of small trim parts etc so i wanted to show you what kind of service you can get and i do mean service usually while you wait or go and have lunch and pick it up in about 2 hours, I hope you enjoy.



This Guy is rebuilding a Motorcycle engine and gearbox, It's stripped cleaned and rebuilt and back on the road in the time it takes you to have your lunch



This is his shop as you can see he just works on the sidewalk.



This is my friends 2008 AR 230 HO Engine, He made the mistake of going to answer the Phone when he had just opened the hose to flush the engine without starting it and left it for about 10 minutes it just detonated, No shut off valves fitted I'm afraid, He has now he took my advice instead of ignoring it like he did before.













This machine shop is next to the motorcycle shop in the previous Photos, He line bores and you can also see the 30 ton press for replacing liners and bearings, He's a really useful man to know, I dropped the lot off for my friend and about 5 days and he had it all sorted just a rebuild to do after that and it runs really well again now, As i said before getting parts over here is nearly impossible and when you can get them there crazy money, This man sorted the bearings and liners and pistons locally and not through a Yamaha agent for a fraction of the cost, I wanted to take a Photo of the shop that hand makes the gasket sets so you could see them making them but they were closed unfortunately maybe next time.



This shop is a goldmine for electronic components i spend ages in here getting all sorts of thing's for repairs, They do everything from Transistors to Audio amps Triple 5 timers, Line output transformers, Relays even a great selection of speaker voice coils and a choice of impedance and cones so you can rebuild your car and home speakers and very cheap also.


Even shops making cages for your chicken so you can move them around the yard.



Shops selling grass cutters and Battery chargers generators water pumps all sorts of thing's



Shops sell all sorts of Gas from Co2 to Nitrogen Acetylene Oxygen even R 134 no licence required just pay and they deliver on a Motorcycle and sidecar.


This shop makes signs while you wait or while you go get a coffee.



Duck cooked in 5 spice very tasty


Look closely these are cooked Frogs many North Thailand people eat these a little like chicken but you need a few as there's not much on them.



Finish lunch with some fresh Strawberries lovely, Well i hope you enjoyed the latest edition if there's anything in particular you want me to take photos of just let me know and i will do my best to do so, I really just take some shots for you as I'm on my travels and think that i may have something interesting to show you, If i haven't explained anything just ask and i will do my best to give you the full SP, I hope you enjoy.

 

[PEARCE]

Thanks for sharing @Geoff Cooper . I'm really enjoying this thread and seeing Thailand through your camera lens. As I've told you before, I have a friend that I work with that plans to retire in a few years and move to Thailand. He's been going at least twice a year for several years and always enjoys it. I've seen lots of his pics and it seems like I've almost been there already. I'm not real sure which area he goes to usually, but I know it's out from the big cities. He has a girl he stays with since he's not married.

Keep the sharing and pics coming!

 

[MikeyL]

@Geoff Cooper .......... Your thread here is 1 of the real JOYS of this forum !~
Love seeing life 1/2 way around the globe.
Some of the things made available to you regularly make some of us quote jealous !

Quik Kweschun ........... Why do they call that thingie for pulling boats up on the shore a "DONKEY engine" ?

Many Best Wishes your way ! Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA