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Anyone have any idea why so many Thai trucks have the top of the cab sliced off?
Thai's are some of the most practical people walking the earth, but they are also trend conscious. There has to be a reason.
Why do so many Thai's chop the tops off their trucks?
Jeez, I posted before on big fish in Thailand, but they just keep getting bigger.
This h-u-g-e giant freshwater stingray, weighed in at 350kg (55 stone).
The catcher, Brit Ian Welch said that he was nearly pulled over the side of the boat when the thing took the bait: "It buried itself on the bottom and the main fight was trying to get it off the floor. I tried with every ounce of power but it just would not budge. After half an hour my arms began shaking and after an hour my legs went. Another 30 minutes went by and then I put a glove on and physically pulled the line with gritted teeth and somehow I found the reserves to shift the fish."
The fish took 12 people to haul it out of the water, where it was tagged and let loose back into the Mekong River.
It has been booked as the biggest ever fish to be caught on rod and line.
Brilliant.
Loung Por is my favourite monk in Thailand. One of the heads of the Lemon Tree temple in Suphan Buri, he is usually found there. My Thai family will always seek his counsel on any matters, be they business or personal.
Since arriving in Thailand he has always welcomed me with a friendly smile and open arms.
Recently, he has begun digging through his various piles of books, looking for English versions to give to me. The first book he found was a little off the wall, 'The King and his dog', was basically a picture book, a short read, about how the present King of Thailand cares so much for his pooches (my love of hounds has begun to procede me I think).
The second book he gave me just recently is called 'The Pali Canon, What a Buddhist must know'.
I don't have intentions of becoming a Buddhist, however, the book is very interesting. Essentially, the Pali Canon refers to a set of scriptures in which Buddha's teachings (the Dhamma) are enshrined, and as Buddha clearly stated that the Dhamma were to succeed him as teacher, it effectively means that the Pali Canon is a place where Buddhists can still have audience with Buddha some 2500 years after his death.
I've only just started the book, and so won't go further, but as little gems of wisdom are revealed, I will post.
(Pic above, the Tokyo Crusaders Bangkok International 10's side 2009)
How can I describe the rugby this weekend? Well it was easily one of
the best weekends since coming to Thailand. So much was going on, I think
for personal ease I have to summarise the main points as a list.
1. The Thais and the Japanese are excellent at 10's rugby, where ability to move the ball fast and overall fitness are paramount. A larger, less fit Farang side, stand no chance against a physically smaller, fitter South East Asian side at this game. Fact.
2. We lost 4 games overall, and won 2, so not too terrible for a motley crew like ours.
3. My team, the Tokyo Crusaders, were a cracking bunch of lads. They had all travelled over from Japan to Thailand, and were in the mindset to make the most of their time, taking part in all that Thai culture has to offer (ahem). The TC's consisted of 3 Americans, 3 Japanese, 4 Brits and a Kiwi, I believe.
4. I managed to bag myself 2 tries, one against an Indonesian side ICSS Komodos, and another against Nakhon Pathon, a Bangkok club. We also beat both these teams.
5. Amusingly, we had to play the New Zealand Legends in the first game on the second day, which came as the result of a very nasty pool draw. Being all unfit, we were suffering badly from the previous days play. I was so stiff I felt like a paving slab. In the warm up before the game, I've seen statues move faster than some of our guys. Yes, we lost, but it wasn't as bad as you might think.
The Kiwi's played hard, bordering on dirty truth be told. It all kicked off after half time when one of the NZ guys started throwing punches in the ruck; and so fisticuffs were duly returned. The Burwood Blues, a team from Sydney that eventually went on to beat NZ Legends in the final and win the competition, cheered us on. As one Burwood Blue put it after the game 'Nice one lads, I hate faacking Kiwi's.'
You have to love the Aussies, unafraid to speak their minds.
6. In the second game against the Nippon Oval Boys, I was away, through, running down the line. I had one final Japanese guy to beat as I charged for the line. I thought I would run over him, with the Japanese being slight and all.
I couldn't have been more wrong, he broke me in half. It felt like I had run into a brick wall.
7. Working up a hunger after the first two games, I ignored the burgers and thought myself fit and healthy for ordering 3 banana's. The South African fella behind me, 6 inches taller, bought the entire box. Lucky I was first in the queue eh.
8. The Burwood Blues won the contest. They were a typical Aussie side, incredibly friendly, made up from many nationalities and portraying the kind of enthused team spirit and confidence that only true, top class sides have. They were brilliant, and not up themselves, 100 percent deserved.
9. In our final game, we played a team from Bombay. One of their wingers was put down in a tackle. As I ran past, I noticed him sit up, brace himself, and then rejoin his dislocated shoulder back into it's socket. He casually got up to his feet, smiled and winked at me, and carried on playing. Kiss that, Mel Gibson.
In conclusion, the Thai's have an excellent rugby future. I was genuinely shocked to see how good they were. A couple of the Thai clubs in particular, the Thai barbarians (who beat us) and the Thai legends, were easily on a par with the best Aussie and the Kiwi sides. Given the right day and a bit of luck, either one of them could have taken the cup. I've also spied a club that I would like to play for, if time permits, so hopefully I will be able to post more on rugby in Thailand.
Finally, for any expat or Thai local reading this blog, I heavily recommend you go to next years event. Its held at the Pattana Bangkok School, a great venue, lots of food, beer tents, with lots of places to sit down. There are cooling fans blowing fine water mist all over the venue, so its never too hot, and there is plenty of shelter around all 3 pitches. Even for those of you who are not ardent rugby fans, it's impossible to not enjoy, as you watch English sides play Thais, Japanese sides play South Africans, Indian sides play Aussies, the list goes on and on, the action, fun and cheer is relentless.
Wow. An old school friend contacted me recently to ask if I fancied playing for his Japanese team in the Bangkok International 10's Rugby Tournament this weekend.
The tournament consists of 32 teams from all over South East Asia, and is very well known in and around Thai rugby circles, and is one of the biggest events of it's kind in Asia.
I was actually thinking of going to spectate, never mind play.
You can read more about the tournament here from the Bangkok Post: Bangkok International 10's
My team, the 'Tokyo Crusaders', are mainly British expats travelling over from Japan. What with Japan being hit so very hard by the credit crunch, they've had a little trouble finding a squad to take the time off to fly over. Lucky for them though, my mate gave them the old Pirate's number ;).
On the Saturday, we have 3 games, the first against the 'Thai Barbarians' (oh dear), followed by a Japanese team called 'Nippon Oval Boys' (Oval presumably because of the shape of the ball?) and then a team known as 'ISCI Komodos,' from Indonesia.
How's that for an International rugby challenge!
Other teams include the Thai Navy (sh*t), the New Zealand 'Legends' (feck) and the current holders, the 'Jam Boys' from South Africa (....they don't sound scary, which is more worrying).
The finals will be played out the next day on Sunday.
I'm aware that it's going to hurt, especially in this climate. The ground will be hard, and by Sunday the muscles will ache. Plus, I get out of breath running up stairs these days. I haven't exactly 'trained' for an event like this. Ah well, mai pen aria and all that......
Blog to follow about the event on Monday!
