Random in CM

So many random things that I find interesting around these parts. No one else might but I don't want to forget these things. :-)

I love the "Auto Cook" options on our microwave. It's in both Thai and English, but you can definitely tell it's made in Asia! If I don't know how long to cook my Tom Yum Soup or my Cabbage w/ Oyster Sauce it's good that I have the auto cook buttons to help me out!

So parking is a huge problem here. Thank goodness so many people ride motorbikes and take public transportation or the traffic and parking situation would be out of control. One way they deal with the problem is by having people park perpendicular to the other cars. When they park like this they just have to remember to put their cars in Neutral. So when the people come to get out of their parking spots they can push the cards out of the way. Most places have security guards that help. And the malls have people all around the parking garages pretty much just to help people push cars. I took this picture when we were still living at D-town. There is nothing like walking to your car at 7am to bring your kid to school and the security guard being no where in sight and you having to push a big truck out of the way to get to your car!

One of the foods that Chiang Mai specializes in is Pork Rinds. At the airport you'll see quit a few people flying with HUGE bags of them. Even people who are up here from Bangkok will bring them back with them. I guess this woman was REALLY hungry!

I was able to help out at Field Day at Orin's school. I have to say, it wasn't his favorite day of the year. Sports don't seem to be his thing at this point, but he was happy that I was there. :-) I love this picture because he looks like he's doing so well. But about 5 seconds later he probably fell. But he looked cute doing it!

One of the grocery stores here (the one that has the most imported stuff) has the cutest little baskets. Micaiah loves when we go there...but he only wants his favorite things in his basket so it's not like it's much help!

I like this sign that's in one of the mall parking garages. It seems a little over exaggerated to me. :-)

I love that people wear coats in 90 degree weather.

There are trees like this all over the city - and country for that matter. If a monk thinks a tree is in danger of being cut down (to widen a road for example) they they will put an orange sash around it which means no one can cut it down. And people actually DON'T because of it. We have a road here that could really use widening but it's lined with beautiful old huge tress that have all been "roped" so it won't ever happen.

We've had so much rain here the streets by us flood almost every time it rains now.

The gas station down the road.

So, I always wanted an ash tray on the top of my toilet paper holder. You know, because when I'm using the bathroom and my cigarette is getting - uh, whatever you call it when you need to tap the ashes off - I can just reach over and do what I need to do. Wow, and this came with my house! How lucky am I!

It's even got little holes to rest your cigarettes in and it comes out so you can dump the ashes into the garbage. Who thought of this?

A little girl in Orin's class had a birthday party. I took a picture of the food table. You can't really see much, but I promise, it's not the kind of food you'd have at a kids birthday party in the US. But it was yummy....well, most of it. :-)