forcebwithu

I did a search on "Jomtien artist Pisit" and found his FB page. Last post was Feb, 2022 so that's not a good sign. He has his email listed, so you might be able to track him down that way. https://www.facebook.com/p/Pisit-art-100068286635101

Young monks in training out this morning.

Just had a line of thunderstorms move through central Pattaya over the last hour. Rain is tapering off now, but the garden is very happy for the rain. I'm also quite pleased with my expanded rain collection system. This rainstorm and a single roofline gutter managed to fill 2500L in less than an hour. In the pic below, the 1000L tank is at the far back, the 1500L tank in the foreground.

I heard the rumblings to the north yesterday afternoon, but didn't see any rain in central Pattaya. Outlook for rain looks promising for the next several days.

Another data point. I've been at the same address for 12 years, my TM 30 is from 2017, and my 90 online reports have been accepted without a problem. The most recent one was in March. I suspect if I were to do my report in person, the story would have a different outcome. My extensions to stay probably get accepted with the old TM 30 because I use an agent and because my address hasn't changed. Now if I were to move to a new place, I'd make sure to update the TM30 within the proscribed 24 hours.

Correction, water levels were much worse April, 2020. Fortunately it was during the pandemic so we didn't have any pesky tourists drinking what little water remained.

It's been too long since my last update here, so this morning got up early to get a ride in around Mabprachan before the heat of the day kicks in. In a nutshell, last time I saw the reservoir this low at this time of year was during the drought of 2015. Sure hope rainy season is good to us this year otherwise we're probably looking at water rationing later in the year.

The new shop across from Nirun has opened. I wish them success. One problem I think they'll be facing when the rains return and the wind is from a northerly direction is their inventory is going to get soaked. They have retractable covers on three sides, but nothing on the front that I saw that they could pull down to stop wind driven rain from entering. Found it interesting all the price tags are in Thai. Edited to add: Not price tags, but the Thai word for "Pro". And just down the soi the workers are laboring away under the brutal sun.

Another one where the YT comments are pretty funny.

Further down in the article, “Authorities are confident sufficient water will be supplied to factories, the agricultural sector as well as to support people’s consumption until the rainy season which will start between May and June.” said Mr Veeris. Although hotels and homes in Pattaya are not currently threatened with rationing, the hope is that the rains are literally round the corner. The Pattaya water authority confirmed that there has not been widespread and significant water supply rationing in the area since an unusually persistent dry spell in 2008. ----------------------------------- IIRC, they were saying the same when Mabprachan looked like this in September, 2015. While there wasn't water rationing then, there were several reports of the water utility lowering water pressure in many areas to conserve what little water remained. For an interesting comparison below are the water situation charts for Chonburi for the same week in April 2024 and 2015. The left two columns are for the main Chonburi reservoirs and the third line is the % of capacity in each. We're in slightly better shape this year at 41% vs 36% and 32% vs 30%, but it wasn't as hot in 2015 as it is currently. And we didn't have as many tourists back then as we have now. It all depends on what type of rain we see in the coming months. If it's at or below what it was in 2015 I'll be able to ride my mtn bike across the middle of Mabprachan once again and people will be complaining again of low water pressure. April 17, 2015 April 19, 2024 https://www.eastwater.com/en/Customer/WeeklyWaterSituation

I asked my lady the weeks in a year question, but first started off with something I thought would be easy. Asked her how many hours in a day and got a confused look. Same with minutes in an hour. Days in a week and months in a year she nailed, but weeks in a year, another confused look. We had a good laugh over it as it doesn't mean she's stupid, it's just something she never was taught. That too isn't surprising because like most rural Thai, her education stopped at age 12. Where I've seen Thai come across as stupid is from those in leadership positions with supposedly a high level of education. Some of their policies and statements they make are incredibly ill-informed and stupid.

Caught 37.02 on a USD transfer I made on the 26th. Happy days.

I hadn't realized how long it's been since I last took a ride around the local reservoirs. Too bloody hot now for a ride, but seeing this news article about the situation in Korat prompted me to have a look at the Chonburi monthly report. Lam Takhong reservoir, Lam Mun river drying up amid water shortage fears With the start of the rainy season still at least three months away, water levels aren't looking good for Chonburi. The black line in the chart is now below the worst case projection. https://www.eastwater.com/en/Customer/WeeklyWaterSituationDetails/437

The sun is brutal. Definitely need to be working under shade today.

I didn't notice this yesterday, but they're squeezing in another new shop across from Nirun.

Progress update on the undeveloped land next to Nirun.

Beach footpath photo update from this morning's rideabout. A few of the new pavers are missing. It took longer than I thought it would, but the shower fixtures still didn't last very long. Meanwhile shower #2 and #3 are still waiting to be finished. The footpath is already pretty narrow in spots, so some mindless drone decided to make it narrower still with strategic placement of trash bins. Wonder when they'll get around to finishing the planting of trees. Odd they finished planting the newer section further south, while the older section to the north has been forgotten. Ending on a positive note. The beach itself is in great shape.

Here's what one of the foam producing machines look like. If you think about it, the surfactant used to create the foam is an ideal mechanism for causing whatever contaminants are in the water to adhere to your skin longer than normal. Something to think about before going to your next foam party. Surfactant, substance such as a detergent that, when added to a liquid, reduces its surface tension, thereby increasing its spreading and wetting properties.

There are places where I see trucks filling up with treated city water. One is on Bongkoch Soi 3, but as you said, that fill will cost a lot more than a truck that dips its fill snout into a scum filled pond. https://www.google.co.th/maps/@12.9252315,100.8883951,3a,75y,145.87h,73.79t/data=!3m9!1e1!3m7!1snP3OSbct2Bx48PpEfEtfGQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!9m2!1b1!2i28?hl=en&entry=ttu

The foam is water based and the rotavirus they were infected with can be picked up from water contaminated with feces. Those trucks you see driving around and filling the buckets and water tanks more often than not load up with untreated water from nearby retention ponds. My guess is the foam was made from such a water source. This screenshot is one of many such retention ponds scattered around on the darkside that you can see trucks regularly filling up at. https://www.google.co.th/maps/@12.9152224,100.9268318,188m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&entry=ttu

For those that have expressed doubts that the water used during Songkran is dirty... 65 children fall sick from Songkran foam party At least 65 children were diagnosed with rotavirus after joining a foam party celebrating the Songkran festival in Muang district. The children were taken to Chao Phraya Yommarat Hospital and other private hospitals for treatment of diarrhoea, upset stomach, high fever, vomiting and rashes. Some were discharged while others remain under care. They came down with the symptoms after joining a Songkran event at the Banana Conservation Centre in Suphan Buri, where a water tunnel and foam party had been arranged. ... Mr Sorachud said the virus might have originated in the water used at the event. Authorities are waiting for test results to see if the water was contaminated. “No one wanted the situation to turn out like this; it was meant to be a safe space for children,” he added. ...

I was never into sun bathing, but I spent quite a few summer months on the water windsurfing for fun and competition. The my legs and shoulders are now showing the worst of the sun damage from those years. Fortunately most skin cancers if caught early are easily treatable.

That's got to be quite a relief. I have a few brown splotches from sun damage that I keep a close eye on for changes. So far, all good.