Sunday, July 22, 2012



Got up early this morning in order to avoid the traffic. I had to go into town to purchase some kibbles and wet food for my "horde."  

I threw on some shorts and a polo shirt and donned my motorcycle helmet, zipping out onto our tiny little secondary road, heading for the main route leading into Thung Lung...

I wasn't halfway up the road when I saw a young Thai boy walk out of the rubber tree plantation to my right, waving his arms and trying to flag me down.  I was in a hurry and this was frustrating for me, but I stopped anyway.  

As the kid approached me, I noted he appeared confused and panicky.  Then I saw his torn pants and several areas of road burn on his arms and hands.  A motorcycle accident, no doubt.  Once he reached me, he began letting loose with a slurry of Thai, mostly in Southern dialect, which I cannot understand.  He kept pointing up the road, so finally I just motioned for him to hop onto my motorcycle, which he promptly did, uttering some statement akin to, "Yes, this is what I want."

As we approached the main road, he said something while nudging me and pointing off to the right. "Quah?" I asked, speaking in proper Thai, and he nodded, saying "Yes!"  

I turned right and hadn't gone more than four meters when the kid grabbed me from behind and said, "Yut!" which means stop.  So, I pulled over to the side, expecting him to hop off and say thank you, going on his way...but instead, he hopped off, ran around the motorcycle and began motioning for me to go into the pucker-brush with him.  

Heavy sigh!  I really didn't feel like doing this and wished I'd never picked the kid up in the first place, but there was something about his urgency and his demeanor that kept me interested.  

I got off the bike, setting my caution blinkers on, and followed him into the thick jungle.  

Not ten feet into the brush, I began to notice signs of breakage....small trees wiped out, bushes crushed and messed up, and finally the ground gouged out and the beginnings of plastic and metal motorcycle parts.  I knew what was coming, so I whipped out my mobile phone and pressed on my Thai friend's number.  This was an accident scene, and nobody knew about it yet, since it was so well hidden from the road.  

Then suddenly I walked into a scene that was totally unexpected...the motorcycle, or what remained of it and evidently, the driver...wearing a motorcycle helmet, for what good it was, which was no good for this kid.  The smell in the air was of raw blood.  No other way to describe it.  Blood was everywhere and this kid was twisted in all impossible ways.  He was obviously dead.  

Finally the boy at my side cracked....he just sit right down and began silently sobbing.  I felt that was good, since his actions of before coincided with what I would have described as shock.  So, I just knelt down with him and hugged him close, allowing him to cry, while I spoke to my friend and asked him to please call the ambulance or paramedic crews, giving him the location.  

Sitting there looking at the mangled motorcycle, I figured this was not a singular accident....while speed may very well have been a factor, it surely wasn't the only factor, since the front wheel of the motorcycle indicated contact with a solid structure, as well as streaks of red paint on the front of the bike, which was primarily a white color. 

The accident occurred on the one curve located on the very straight road leading from Ban Thung Lung and on to Ban Klong Tong Nûea, the curve occurring just before the Ban Klong Tong Nûea turn-off, to the left.  

I don't know how long we were waiting there, but I suddenly heard the ambulances wail, as well as the different sound of the police alarm.  So, I walked out of the jungle to my motorcycle, to flag the vehicles down.  

The rest is as you would figure..., except for the part when I found that one of the ambulance personnel spoke good English, so was used to get my story of the event.  I saw this as an opportunity to speak my mind, so I mentioned to the translator, to pass on to the lazy Thai cops, that I had spoken out previously about this dangerous curve, which is obviously painted with a solid yellow line, meaning "NO PASSING," and explaining that most Thai drivers passed vehicles on the curve anyway, and adding the fact that not only had I noticed that the area was a potential danger area, I had seen more than fifteen accidents on that corner caused by vehicles not abiding by the rules of the road {Which almost NO Thai driver recognizes}.

I also reminded the police that I had submitted two complaints to their department, both translated into Thai, of the dangers of the traffic light intersection on Route 4, heading towards Ban Klong Tong Nûea, as well as the curve illustrated today, just before the turn-off to Ban Klong Tong Nûea.  Both complaints which were ignored, just as I suspected they would be.  

The intersection on Route 4, heading North / South to Hat Yai and South to Dannock and Malaysia....as well as East to Ban Klong Tong Nûea and West to Ban Thung Lung and beyond...is a dangerous one, since the traffic heading South, does not stop, even when the traffic light indicates for them to stop so traffic on Route 4, in the Northern lane has the traffic light to turn right.  

I've spoken out many times about this....but no other Thai's would ever speak out because they don't want to get involved or they don't care.  This country is so corrupt, that it is pathetic. So many people die needlessly here, that it is not even funny.  

An ambulance comes screaming down the road, sirens blaring, and some accident victim in the back dying...precious minutes ticking by...before he or she can reach the hospital and medical personnel attend to him or her...but, does traffic move and let them by?  

Hell no.  In traffic, most Thai's don't care about that dying Thai in the back of the ambulance.  They care more about trying to get ahead of the person in front of them...

What a pathetic, non-caring, selfish race of people!

Jeeem

Wednesday, July 18, 2012



This is a typical afternoon feeding arrangement.

The large, circular pan is for Blondie and her pup, Speedo...as well as any newcomers who happen into the yard.  This plate has double the kibbles and rice, compared to the rest of the mix. 

The yellow bowl is Bandit's...and he knows it.  Bandit is sort of the "Boss" since he was the first stray to show up after Puppy and Chok's death.  Anytime I pick up that yellow bowl, his tail starts to wag like it's gonna fall off, since I've always fed Bandit with that yellow bowl, and I always feed him first.

The metal bowl in front of Bandit's is devoted to the Kitties....Boo Boo and her four, still unnamed, kittens...but only recently I've switched to a pink bowl, which is a small version {Medium Size} of Bandit's yellow bowl.  Larger and easier to accommodate Boo-Boo and four kittens. 

Finally, the metal bowl off to the side is devoted to Sexy Socky. 

That's nine animals.  Expensive, to say the least.  But, there was a time, not too awful long ago, when I was entertaining up to fifteen or sixteen animals, mostly dogs.  You see, all of these guys are strays except for Boo boo and her four kittens.  But, if we want to get technical....Boo boo was a stray to begin with, before I picked her up at the end of our road. 

I have a tenth little guy....Mr. Runt Man.  But, Mr. Runt Man is NOT consistent....he shows up some days, then disappears for weeks running.  However, whenever Mr. Runt Man shows up...he is always welcome and is immediately afforded the TOP Class, highly social, regular food on the menu of the day....Ha!

This is Thailand, which remains a third-world country due to several factors....Corruption  is the biggest factor, with a severe lack of laws and / or enforceable laws in important areas.  Animal control is one factor, but certainly not a major factor....unless you begin to look at issues such as the rabies situation.  But animal control is certainly not high on the list of things to work on, when you've got to change the constitution to allow a crook such as Thaksin Shinawatra to re-enter the country, animal control is a very small issue to most Thai's, who mostly place animals on the very bottom of the "Must care about," issues.

So, I'm doing my part because I care about animals....much more than I care about people.  I love animals because of their natural ability for unconditional love, and their silent innocence. 

The large group of mostly stray dogs showing up at my cottage lately...has whittled away.  I don't know why....but I know that some die of natural causes, some are purposefully hit and killed by animal hating drivers who don't think twice about swerving to intentionally hit a stray animal...especially a dog who has an affliction for chasing cars and motorcycles. 

Others are poisoned. 

Poisoning animals is a routine practice here in Thailand.  There exists hateful people who quite literally take pride in poisoning animals who pick through their trash, or annoy motorists by chasing cars and / or motorcycles or bicycles.

Again...This is Thailand.

Different rules and laws {or lack of} than second or first world countries. 

No way you can walk into a hardware store or feed and grain store in the U.S., and walk out with a potent poison such as Strychnine or Arsenic, without producing Federal, Food and Drug Administration approved documents. 

But, here in Thailand it's everyday stuff.  I can walk into the local feed store {There are many} and purchase pure....Strychnine or Arsenic....in enough volume to kill more than half my village, should I want to....by adding the shit to the local water supply. 

The lawlessness here is just never-ending. 

Animals who once roamed the roads, are found dead and bloated in the pucker-brush...victims of some retarded jerk who stuffed a piece of raw pork with a healthy dose of Strychnine.  It doesn't take much, as I know all too well...having placed a tiny amount of the poison down on the floor in my bedroom, for the rats....and forgetting to pick it up in the morning. 

My cat living with me at the time...got upstairs and ate the tiny rice and Strychnine offering because I forgot to remove it after I woke up.  The result was devastating...seizures, foaming at the mouth, internal bleeding....vomiting...and finally a very dramatic, terrible, excruciating death. 

So, I'm careful to keep my strays close....this is easy, just feed them regularly.  I feed them every day.

I don't care...I love animals and I make good money, so this is my contribution to the animal world, which I view as a gift, to me, for their love, affection, entertainment, appreciation and wonderfulness!  Animals are wonderful!  And,. no matter how  we treat them, they always treat us as Kings or Queens!

Jim


Tuesday, July 17, 2012

I came {to Facebook}, I saw....and I quit {Facebook}.

Definitely not for me.  But, amidst subtle pressure, I joined and found that the only good thing about Facebook were the games.  I will sorely miss War Commander!

Most Americans are stuck in this lala world of peace and serenity, prayers and religious spouting, that I just couldn't stomach.  Many are so far gone in regards to reality, that it's pathetic and just reading their pathetic posts began annoying me to no end.  So, I'm out.  Back to my serene world of Jeeem's Quiet Musings!

Visited Immigration today for my 90-day check.  In and out in a flash, which is so much better than my experiences of the past.  I'm already scoping out other countries....China, Mongolia, Cambodia....as this is my last year in Thailand...I've got to scoot after April! 

Jim
 
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