Well, I have not been silenced by the Secret Hand nor fallen in front of a barely-moving but still potentially unsafe train. Instead I have been in Khon Kaen and have been a little busy with work – I did try to post once but technical problems prevented it going through (for which, in retrospect, I am grateful as it would have burnt a few more dishes than it would have been prudent for me to have done).
Khon Kaen is developing quite rapidly, it would seem, there are supermarket complexes and the Central Plaza is due to open sometime next month with a Robinson’s Department Store and, no doubt, the usual rundown of additional shops. I did not have chance to check out the retail situation there but perhaps will have a chance some time in the future.
The Khon Kaen University Campus itself (where I was being put up) seems to be mirroring the same process – in the few months since the last time I visited, more ATMs have been established as well as a variety of shops and the bus system (different routes – it’s as big a campus as I have seen – perhaps American universities are as big as this).
I did manage to confirm that the reason I saw so few birds is because the local people eat them – apparently, they shoot them. A legacy of poverty – but there is still plenty of poverty to be found there, of course.
