CHIANG MAI, Thailand 2016

Returned to this home early November.   As everywhere things have increased in price, traffic is bad and Thai immigration makes no sense with the issuance of visas and extension of same.   As a result many old friends and acquaintances are not coming at all this year.
It's still very easy to settle in to the ease of life and the smiles.   The Loy Kratong festival was, of course, subdued due to the death of the beloved King.   Everyone dressed in black and white and the floats were also in those colours.   I went down to the Ping river to float my Kratong along with Deb
There were Kom Loys but no fireworks.   We sat in Reginas after sailing our little offerings from the Wat near Anantara

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Returning to Blogspot

Update November 2016

I've been posting at "aileenonroad.tumblr.com" for my camping adventures this year mainly in Portugal,    It's a great country for camping, lovely Aires and inexpensive campsites.   The people are nice and friendly, markets are great, food is inexpensive etc.  Most enjoyable.  I've tried to transfer the pictures to here without success so far so anyone who's interested in details on the rest of the travels in Portugal in a motor home will need to go to that blog or email me as I will try to resume blogging here mainly because Tumblr sends just too many messages that have nothing to do with me.  Tumblr also has the news and pics from the Trad music festivals in Ireland during July and August.
After I returned to Ireland this year I realised that I would need to have an address again.  Prices on houses were increasing beyond my reach and saw that I wouldn't be able to afford to buy in Galway (always wanted to live there) and couldn't find a small house in Ennis my second choice.  Decided to buy a townhouse in Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim.  That is not an area where I've ever spent time but it is small yet interesting and has my three pre-requisites.   Shops are just a short walk away, also pubs with trad music sessions, most of all there's a bus and a train to Dublin so easy airport access😜 It was a pleasant surprise that there's a cinema with an art film night once a week as well as an opera film once a week.   There's a university of the third age, a weekly organic market, friendly people and a theatre.   Really promising.   Here's a picture of my little town house.   It's the lower one with the green door in the middle.

The house is situated in the complex on the left of this picture.  Town is just over the bridge to the right.
I only had a very short while in the house before it was time to leave for winter in Chiang Mai, Thailand as usual

BLOG MOVED

BECAUSE OF INABILITY TO REACH RECENT PHOTOS I HAVE HAD TO MOVE MY BLOG TO
aileenonroad.tumblr.com

DIFFERENT PRESENTATION BUT IT WORKS FOR NOW.

MONSARAZ

the view on a wet morning

Monsaraz is at the top of a steep mountain and is completely enclosed within the walls of a castle.  The views are terrific, one can see for miles around.  It was used by the Moors and later the Knights Templar.  Like all of these remote towns all the streets are cobbled, narrow and steep with the lovely little white washed houses.  It must be striking when the plants and flowers are in bloom.

One of the entrances

SOCIAL LIFE IN CAMP MINA S. DOMINGOS

With lovely sunny weather all week and such pleasant companions here we've all stayed on and had fun dinners, grill, chats, happy hours and walks.
Sean is American, young, married to lovely Carolina.  Mike is English and are Pam and Rob.  Just a few pics of them all.  On our grill evening a Portuguese family at the next table were celebrating a birthday with song and a guitarist and we all had some of the cake.

Sean and Carolina

music with our grill

happy hour

lads grilling

MINA S. DOMINGOS

The great mining town of Sao Domingos has changed very little with time except the huge mines are derelict since 1960.  The houses of those miners are tiny except for those from the higher officials of the British firm.  Great tiny streets of whitewashed houses some consisting of only one room, some with toilets still outside and I'm told that some of them have the kitchens in a building opposite.  The free camping here is on a large lovely Baragem or dam.  It's great.  Very friendly neighbours, grand walks and weather just changed to sunshine and warmth.   Couldn't be better.

Mina S. Domingus

local meal with Sean

ALCOUTIM

Making my way back to the east coast because I bypassed an area that is so lovely with several very Portugese little towns.  Had a great drive through the mountains to Alcoutim where there's a very lovely town situated on the Guadiana river as is the beautiful town of Mertola.   Stayed in the former. The wildflowers are just beautiful.  Many of them I have never seen before.  It's so pretty here now what must it look like when everyone puts out their plants and flower boxes.

Alcoutim

Mertola