As I Finished The Last Post It Was Noticeable That The Uploads Were Taking Longer,

so I have gone straight into the next days post,

it is unfortunate, but it is starting to cloud over, which is not an excuse really as the Internet sometimes fails on the sunniest of days, but here we are at the Soi Bowkoaw entrance to the market, we parked at the back of the Dot Com, normally we park in the Friendship car park, but after yesterdays encounter we thought even though Diana has her passport, we would not give the BIB the chance to extort us, still it gives the unsuspecting tourist a memorable story to take home,

if you walk in to the market this way on your left there is an alternative market, everything there is secondhand,

crispy chicken skin, yummy! just do not kick the boiling fat over,

lots of dresses,

but which one will Diana like?

so many other things that I need also on show,

another look at the aquarium shop,

crocodile anyone?

the garlic seller again,

we are now getting close to the gardening section,

lots of plants and flowers,

then on to my favorites,

orchids,

the shrine in the market had just been given new flowers,

another garlic seller, you do not get many vampires round here!

another successful mornings shopping,

Diana is thinking about making a chili concarne for our Saturday get together, but we realised with natural attrition, (Diana washing up) we were short of bowls to put it in, also our tea and coffee mugs were seriously depleted, (a mug and a plate both went only this morning), so we had to buy some, what better place than here, it is a huge warehouse behind Big C just before the dolphin roundabout on Second Road, you can also get to it from Third Road if you know the short cut, inside it is huge, and cheap, the only downside is that some, not all of the goods are 'seconds' many fact are not but are end of runs or unsold in shops that are then sent here, but if you buy a set, next time you go it too will have gone,

many people that have been here do not know there is an upstairs,

and very colourful it is to, also the electrical goods are up here, but the downside is not many have prices on them,

later Mick and Mass called round, next month they are moving from their hotel to a house, so they bought a electric bar-b-q,

just over 600 baht, what a good deal, no more charcoal,

a little later Mick and myself went for a drink also to see an old friend of ours Ray who runs the Stork club, it is on the left going up the hill to the running park, this is the view of it from the car park,

there are a couple of birds there, so we had a few drinks, but unfortunately Ray was in Bangkok, so we will have to call in again some time next week,

Jay and Precil was with Diana and Mass as we arrived back, so Mick ordered a take home curry for us all, but outside there was a huge bang, a firework show had started a few streets away, so I grabbed the camera, but it was over to quickly,

just theses 2 out of focus shots,

then the food arrived,

'Ah!'

and "Cheers!" from us,

and the ladies, now first things first, it was a fake crocodile, but the terrapins were real, secondly this is in the did you know? department, yesterday I watched Gods and Generals, and I was more that a little lacking in the history department so I read up a little bit, I wonder how many know that the Civil War set an unlikely record, the biggest snowball fight in history, over 9,000 men were involved,

"Throughout the day and night of January 28, a heavy snow fell in the Rappahannock Valley and settled into drifts up to several feet deep. At mid-morning of January 29, a large group of First and Fourth Texans pelted the huts of their neighbors, the Fifth Texas with ice balls made from tightly packed wet snow. The outnumbered Fifth Texas managed to drive their assailants back into their camps"

"With haversacks full of snowballs, officers in front, battle flags unfurled, and drums and bugles sounding, the 1500-man Texas Brigade moved against the Georgians. The Georgians, forewarned of the impending attack, were ready for the fray. The battle up and down the hillside raged for over an hour. Groans were heard as rocks disguised as snowballs hit their marks. Finally, the Georgians, with both superior numbers and position, drove back the Texans and Arkansans. The Texas Brigade, boosted by reinforcements, rallied and drove the Georgians into their camps, where they gallantly surrendered their forces. The two brigades then combined forces to march against Gen. Lafayette McLaw's Division. Soon 9000 veterans of the Army of Northern Virginia were engaged in a snowball battle royal. Thousands of snowballs were tossed back and forth. At the close of the prolonged struggle, Hood's Division emerged victorious. Thus ended the Great Snowball Fight of 1863.''

also there is a scene in the film where soldier's of opposing sides meet and exchange tobacco and coffee, I had thought a bit of poetic license to show how men could be friends, in that hell called war, but no, the scene did in fact take place,

"Being separated by a river only a few hundred feet wide, pickets from both armies routinely engaged in conversation and arranged ``no firing'' truces among themselves. These friendly arrangements soon led to the illicit trading of tobacco and coffee. Trading was primarily done through the use of small boats, but the men would occasionally ferry themselves across the river to barter in person. The regimental bands on one side of the Rappahannock would often serenade the troops posted on the other bank. Occasionally the musicians of both sides would combine their talents and give a joint rendition of 'Home, Sweet Home' ''

quotes above I have lifted from 'An Illustrated History of the Fourth Texas Infantry' if you want to read more please click here.