Photos by MJ Klein – lots more where these came from!
A-Nune grilling sticky rice, Isaan style
It was frigging cold! So cold we put the grill on the table. Later we put it under the table!
My poor wife was freezing!
I took a slight departure from Thai rum and drank Suntory whisky for the occasion. I also tried it with Saspirilla since it’s been some time since I tried it. Not bad!
The usual suspects were onhand, but then it got too cold and we used the grill to heat our hands.
Inside, our friends were enjoying hot pot.
Looks wonderful!
Soon it became apparent that no matter how much we drank, put on clothes, added charcoal to the fire – it was just too cold to continue outside!
So we headed down to Shau-hui’s disco, The Thai Star
If I said that the disco was loaded with beautiful Thai girls dancing, it would be an understatement!
They were all dancing right in front of my table! I had the D80 with my SB-800 and I gave them a workout!
Clicking on any one of these photos will open the photo page where you can browse many other photos not shown. Many photos of Thai girls too.
This is Shao-hui (right) looking great as usual. The other woman looks nice too!
Shao-hui’s husband (left) and A-Nune.
Now when I said that the women were dancing near my table, I want you to know I was telling the truth! This next shot was taken from my table. All I did was stand up and point the camera down:
Poor me, huh?
But it was kinda like being in Jr. High School for the first few hours though – with the women on one side….
…. and the men dancing with themselves on the other side. ???
Our table had pitchers of Sang Som and Coke, pre-mixed for your drunken pleasure.
Mr. Noom didn’t move all night. But he sure did drink.
Hard as it was, I stayed at my post and performed my duty as a photo-journalist in order to bring these images to our blog readers.
All the while my wife demonstrated a world of patience while I walked around and shot nearly 400 photographs that night. Hui-chen, you’re the greatest!
MJ. Looked like a really good night. It was been what I call freezing here in Isaan as well. I am talking beanies, gloves sleeping in a tracksuit under the blankets.
I went and watched football last night and my teeth were chattering sitting watching it.
Shao-hui’s disco looks like a great placw to me and warm as the girls didn’t look to cold. I am going to look through all the pictures tomorrow at a more respectable hour.
A belated Happy New Year to you MJ and your lovely wife Hui-chen.
Brunty and Noot.
Brunty’s last blog post..Thailand. Grilling in the backyard. Making hamburgers.
I thought Taiwan has been averaging around 60°F lately…like I tell my friends in Taiwan whenever I’m there, “Come to PA (or in your case NH), then you’ll be glad that it feels like this!” I guess you’ve gotten too used to the heat (I must admit, my reserve dwindles a bit each time I go to Taiwan and come back to Pittsburgh) ??, we got a few inches last night in fact.
Looks like fun times, I miss hot pots (I do see one there, right?)…next time I’m in Taiwan, you guys should come up to Banciao and jam (got my Ibanez there).
Cheers!
Corey’s last blog post..????! (Happy New Year!)
Happy New Year MJ and Hui-chen.
Looks like you had a fun night, and I always like seeing photos of pretty Thai women (actually, any pretty women are fine by me).
I really like the Mr Noom shot. That color balance is trippy – good work.
I might be up your way on Sunday for the Hsinchu City God b’day. Not 100% sure, as I haven’t spent a weekend at home in almost 2 months – if it’s freezing cold again this weekend, I might stay home.
MJ,
I appreciate your great sacrifice in taking all those pictures.
How cold is it in Taiwan? Right now it’s 17 F / -8 C in New Jersey.
owshawng’s last blog post..Taiwanese breakfast burger (han bao dan)
Brunty » Brunty, it’s cold here too. we are an island on the Pacific, and that ocean is cold generally. add the high winds that we get, and Taiwan can be amazingly cold. it’s not about temperature though – it’s about humidity. Taiwan cold is a humid cold. last January, we were in Erawang and we didn’t feel as cold as we do here in Taiwan!
when you come to visit i will be taking you to the disco so you can practice your Thai with the many young ladies that frequent the place. i feel that it’s my duty to make sure you have plenty of Thai language practice while you are away so you don’t suffer while traveling. it’s the least i can do my friend.
happy new year to you and your family too Brunty. we wish you all the best in 2008. have fun grilling!
Corey » welcome and thanks for your comment. yeah people here cannot believe the “ass high” snow stories, about sitting in a lounge chair in my backyard and just putting my beer bottle in the snow drift next to me, lol. at night inside our house lately it’s been around 14c. during the day it might get up to 17~18. last week i was sitting outside on one beautiful afternoon and it must have been around 70 with the sun shining so brightly. people were complaining about it being so hot and asking me if i was hot! i just replied that tomorrow they’ll be complaining about it being cold again, and i don’t care!
that pot is a teppanyaki pan that can be used to make hot pot dishes, and yes you are correct – that is a hot pot dish. be sure and let us when when you are back in Taiwan Corey.
cfimages » HNY to you too Craig, thanks! it was fun. Noom was sitting there with this red and blue light on his face. i have the color setup in the Nikon pretty jacked so it really burned those reds in. i thought it looked cool, but then again i was drinking heavily that night!
give me a call if you’re inclined to Craig. i may be up for checking that celebration mysefl. but i gotta tell you, it’s been very cold up here as we have the infamous wind to deal with too. take care.
owshawng » i am still recovering from that rigorous assignment. i appreciate your kind comments, as it was quite a strenuous ordeal. i’ll be fine though, so don’t worry 😉
in the evenings it’s been around 14c inside our home. sometimes we sit on the soft under a blanket, and with a heater under our feet. in the front of our home we have an area that is open to the sun on the roof so that does heat up a bit. but at night it drops like a stone. during the day it soars to 17c, which is our current temperature at this writing.
just another post that makes me think to myself “wish i was there”.
great stuff as usual.
HAPPY NEW YEAR my friend!
andres’s last blog post..merry christmas from yu to you
andres » next time you can be there too! but for those of you who weren’t there’s always photography! HNY to you and your family too Andres. hope to have you down this way again soon. take care.
Be glad it’s not 2 degrees Farenheit like it has been the last two mornings in Chicago!
Happy New Year!
Sandy’s last blog post..Happy New Year!
Happy New Year MJ and Hui-chen! It looks like you had a great night. The photos are terrific. I liked the photo of Mr. Noom. Cool colors!
Carrie’s last blog post..A Taiwanese Christmas Story To Remember
Hey MJ. Wish you a very Happy New Year. Great pictures as always.
Ashish’s last blog post..Visit to Mt. Bagua Scenic Area in Changhua
Sandy » ouch! you are so right about that! thanks and have a great year Sandy 🙂
Carrie » hahah Carrie, how could anyone take a bad photo in that place? it was truely a point-and-shoot assignment! Noom was remarkably quiet and almost unmoving for the whole night! thanks, HNY and take care you guys 🙂
Ashish » you were missed in Taiwan! hurry back soon. HNY to you also and please take care.
Happy New Year MJ,
and thanks for the great photos as always.
I can enjoy the party as if I was there!
Pete » you are welcome! bringing experiences to our readers is just what i like to do. HNY to you also, and thanks for reading!