Thai style classic cars!

Classic Cars of Lanna

Having been in Chiang Mai for 4 months now, we are starting to find our feet a bit more and we are starting to look at life "on the outside" of the Juniper Tree. As far as Church goes we have been asked to host a "Small group" and last week we had our first meeting. Six of us shared a meal here in our house, the first time we have entertained with a full meal since we arrived. We haven't got a cooker in No 18, so we arranged to have the kitchens get us the same food as we were serving the guests that evening; so we ended up having fried chicken and French fries! We enjoyed a lovely evening getting to know two new couples and deciding what we are going to do with our fortnightly meetings. However, whilst these are friends outside of the Juniper Tree, it is still very much in a similar circle and we are feeling the need to develop friendships further afield.
I had spotted an advert on an Internet bulletin board for a classic car club in Chiang Mai and since before Christmas we have been trying to get along to one of the meetings. Last Sunday we made it!

Classic Cars of Lanna, is dedicated to people who appreciate classic cars, even though they disagree widely on what counts as a "Classic", and once a month they meet to eat bacon butties and go for a drive in their cars.
We found the venue early and waited to see what would turn up at the cafe in a Mall near to Chiang Mai Airport.
The first arrival was in the form of a bright yellow Lotus (pictured above); now powered by a BMW engine it looks immaculate in the bright Thai sunshine! It's owner, called Rex seemed to be in charge and he greeted us with open arms and gave us an on-and -off running commentary on the cars and their owners as they rocked up over the next couple of hours.
As the owner of the cafe was a club member, he seemed to spend most of the time chatting, whilst his wife ran around making the coffees and butties for everyone. The main distraction from the car talk, however, was Jessica.

Jessica

 Jessica is a four months old puppy, whose Mum must have known a Labrador well! She is a beautiful dog with a nice temperament but with needle sharp teeth!
As time went on, cars ranging from a VW Beetle to Jaguars arrived and were lined up along the front of the shops by the assiduous parking attendants, whose frantic whistling is ubiquitous in any Thai parking situation. (As Thai folk will never point, the gesturing takes a bit of getting used to)
The best car on show for me was a Riley RMF convertible, which had recently been acquired by a lovely Belgian man, who was very interesting to talk to, not just about cars, but about learning languages; he seems to be fluent in 7/8! We quickly made friends with an English couple who spend 6 months in Spain and 6 in Chiang Mai each year. They seem to play golf mostly but he has a classic BMW here in Thailand and a Porche in Spain. We discussed cars, wine, living in Chiang Mai and much else besides. 

They made us take this for staff notice board!

When it came for the time for the convoy of cars to set off for the drive, Joan and I had to go back to work, but another time we hope to tag along pretending to be driving a proper car! One story I can't let pass is that Rex seems to be aptly named. He is on the register here for rescuing pets. He was showing us a photo of a German Shepherd that he looking after whilst it's owner is in Police custody here in Thailand and is to be deported to Malaysia once the Thai authorities have finished with him! We asked him if he had any other dogs and apparently he has, thirty five in all and eighty five parrots..... he has even built a 3 bedroom bungalow in his garden for the pets! His wife wasn't with him at the meeting, I wonder why?

Doi Suthep National Park

The busy season continues here and we have been full to the gunwales for a while now. Our day off is most welcome and we have used it for a number of little outings. One Thursday we visited a lake just below the mountain, Doi Suthep, which dominates the skyline to the West of the City. The pictures show the picnic areas dotted around the Lakeside. You can pay a few Baht and spend a pleasant time eating your picnic or swimming in the Lake. The National Park charges a small entry fee but it's well worth it for the the amount of enjoyment of a beautifully looked after, natural, park. One thing we have noticed here is that the Thai's like to employ as many people as possible and this is shown in so many ways. When you approach the barrier at the entrance to the National Park, one man sells you a ticket, another raises the barrier to let you past. You drive along 10-20 metres and then at another barrier another man takes back the ticket, tears it in 2, returns it; whilst his partner lifts their barrier! An even more excessive example was at the Opticians, where no less than seven different people helped to serve me when I needed a new pair of specs, one girl whose sole job seemed to be to ply me with water and orange juice!

Right in the water

Slightly above water!

Note the Ubiquitous Bag N&CC!

Last Sunday Melanie did the Run for Burma race, which involves running around the lake in these pictures, I didn't envy her or the rest of the family who all decided to jog/walk/run along with her. 
We continue to visit our favourite places including the much mentioned "No view, but tasty" but last time we were there I took these pictures of a man working on a huge dragon figure outside. 
The basic dragon is concrete which is shaped with wet cement to which is applied a mosaic of glass and ceramic pieces to create the colours.

The loving care with which this man was shaping the snout of the dragon was inspiring. Another evening we went out in search of a venue called "House of Wine", no prizes for guessing what's on offer... The trouble was, after walking up and down the road twice we still couldn't find it. We had seen the sign only a matter of days before! We enjoyed a visit to another, riverside establishment and watched as thousands of bats emerged to fly around the tall buildings along side the river Ping in the twilight. The mystery of the missing "House of Wine" was solved a few days later when we went out on a boat on the river with the Carey's. We had asked the children to choose the venue that evening and it was an excellent choice. You board a boat (it takes up to 35 people) and you order your meal. 

Once everyone is served the boat casts off and you cruise for an hour or so up and down the river.We asked them to point out to us the "House of Wine" as we sailed past it; it turns out that it was the place we went to! It has just changed it's name!! By night the river Ping is beautiful and you get to see the riverside view of all the various venues that you pass as you walk into Chiang Mai by road. From the road many look quite drab and even scruffy, but from the river most look very attractive! It was a warm, sultry evening and the night sounds and wildlife along the river was all very atmospheric.
Progress with the new buildings here at the Juniper Tree is going well. They will soon be ready to cast the concrete that makes up the floors and beams that the walls of the buildings rest on.

 At that point they are going to want some more money, so it's a good thing we are staying very full; in fact it looks like this year may be a record for the Juniper tree, for guest/nights in February.
We had a lovely skype event last weekend. We usually try to talk to Richard and Andrea, Joanne and Jon and Emma by skype or facetime each week, but this weekend was the Royal Holloway College Reunion weekend and Carolyn, Karen, Elona and Helen were up in London together for the event and Joanne and Jon went to join them in our favourite Covent Garden venue: The Crusting Pipe! We nearly caused a ruck-us  because we were All trying to talk together on Skype whilst one of the buskers thought they should be paying him more attention!

Random picture of me putting salt into new aquarium!

It's no good, I will have to stop writing now and get back to learning my Thai; today it's a new section on asking questions, so I expect I will be asking, over and again: poot eek tee dai mai? Which means, "could you repeat that?" Hi ho.......