If there ever was a time for John Rambo in Myanmar, now is the time. It seems with the fight on to push democracy all over the world, now would be time for pushing in this part of the world. With all the people in Myanmar suffering in the aftermath of Cyclone Nagris, some country should step forward and do the right thing. If you have seen Rambo 4, just the thoughts of this happening to any country is a horrific thought. I hope and pray for a miracle that will free Myanmar.

Air Asia airlines is sponsoring a F1 car driven by Nico Rosberg. Business must be great for Asia’s fastest growing discount airlines. The car is showcased in the Air Asia terminal in Kuala Lumpur.

It’s only May but it has started to rain every day. Heavy, heavy rains and dark skies a few hours or more each day. Here is an example of how much rain can fall in less than 2 hours.

Kjartan Adolfsson and his thai family have opened the Thai Iceland Restaurant at Klong 6 Thanyaburi. www.thaiiceland.com. Phone number is 02 9043122. Stop by and visit with Kjartan and his family and sample their delicious and low priced Thai food. There is a big flat screen TV and free Wi-Fi available.

As Thailand, and particularly Bangkok grows, more and more land is being deforested to make room for new housing projects. Recently in my neighborhood, a large swath of trees, jungle and ponds were cut down and filled in to make room for new houses. It appears there is no regulation to deforestation as land owners/builders are more concerned about money from home sales than protecting the evironment. This is really a shame to see this happening in Thailand so close to home.

If you are in Bangkok, that is not a problem at all. There are 100’s of places where you can bring your laptop and have it completely restored in an hour for as little as 300 to 400 baht. Zeer Rangsit, IT Square and Pantip Plaza are just a few of the places where these amazing Thai computer technicians will get your laptop (any make and model), restored and back to perfect working order. My only suggestion is to stay there and keep an eye on your laptop while they are working. This will prevent any funny business from happening.

Select Thailand McDonald’s restaurants are now offering breakfast and staying open 24 hours. This is great news for ex-pats who hunger for a McDonald’s breakfast. Sausage and egg burger with hash brown and coffee 70 baht.

Wow after being here in Thailand for over 5 years, I never would have guessed I would be the target of a pickpocket scam but I was wrong. Friday evening around 8:00 PM we were at Zeer Rangsit walking through the night market while my friend was getting their PC fixed inside.

The scam we apparently setup as follows. Between the vendors on the sidewalk with not much room to walk, the pedestrian traffic is blocked by a couple of girls which creates a venturi where the people get backed up and cannot move. It is at this bottleneck that the pickpockets, also girls, go to work on unsuspecting victims.

I had on cargo shorts with the extra pocket down the left leg. I was walking with my hands in my front pockets, holding on to my camera and cellphone, which was probably a good thing. However, the pickpocket someone managed to get inside my cargo pocket where I keep my passport and credit cards.

Luckily I turned at exactly the same time the pickpocket almost had my passport, yet it dropped to the ground between my and my friend, who picked it up in disbelief.

Please be aware that at any night markets or where there are huge crowds of people buying things, that there will be pickpockets waiting for the opportunity to rip you off.

This is the first time I had ever been to Zeer Rangsit at night and my last time. I can count my blessings on this one.

Some one asked me the other day about life in Thailand? It is is really not much different than living anywhere else in the world, if you are able to adapt to your new surroundings. Part of adapting to life in Thailand is getting use to the food and the ways Thai’s eat.

While in the west, cooking meals at home is the most popular with occasional dining out at restaurants and fast food joints.

In Thailand, instead of cooking meals everyday, (which I never do), it is easier to visit my local market and buy almost any Thai food I could image already cooked and ready to eat. I can stay and eat there or have it conveniently bagged so I can take it home and eat.

An assortment of Thai dishes, rice, meat, chicken, vegetables, fruits and deserts are all available. I can have food cooked to order at a number of places I frequent such as fried rice or pad si yu.

On average I would spend the equivilent of US $2.00 per meal at dinner and that would include a very filling meal, probably enough for 2 average Thai people.

One thing to watch out for if you are new to Thailand, is the food has high bacteria levels and you have to get your digestive system use to this. To avoid any problems ask the food vendor to reheat any food or place it back on the grill for a few minutes to ensure it is hot.

Street food is the best in Thailand and once you get used to being able to buy any dish you want ready to eat, you never want to cook again.

Foreigners that live and work in Thailand, (possess work permit, house paper or even a bank card with your name on it), are eligible to purchase a wrist band at Dreamworld for 375 baht that allows for unlimited rides on MOST attractions.

Dreamworld is Bangkok’s largest amusement park and a good place to spend a day if you are on holiday with children. The best advice is if you can go to Dreamworld during the week and avoid Saturday and Sunday when it is ridiculously crowded, you and your family will really enjoy it.

The wrist bands can be purchased inside the office just to the right of the entrance gate.

There is a Subway Sandwich and Kentucky Fried Chicken inside the park, as well as numourous places to get Thai Food.

Elephants rides and feeding are also available.

Children will enjoy the animal and Hollywood shows, as well as all the rides.