tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214797442024-03-04T22:11:22.022-08:00Thai Country Life - ThaiKarlI carry an American passport. But my home is Thailand. I go to USA to work, to make money to come back to Thailand. Spanning the Pacific. Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, India and someday, more. This is life in the country in north central Thailand. Now including Mexico!thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.comBlogger236125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-28768416258890207192021-11-20T02:05:00.003-08:002021-11-20T02:06:17.977-08:00This site, and the stories are now an Archive<p>Every relationship has an Arc: A beginning, a middle, and and end.<br />For many reasons, which I may post here sometime, my relationship with Thailand came to an end. Not the *final* end, but I had to close that book, and start a new one.<br /><br />"What a long strange trip it's been"<br /><br />Onward!</p>thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-73615041140821415082017-02-06T05:32:00.001-08:002017-12-28T18:30:11.102-08:00Thaikarl 170206 - Silent, and why<div dir="ltr">Friends,<br><br>It's my last night overseas. usually i will have sent out four or five emails by now, but as you know, that hasn't happened. lotsa reasons. We had doings in bangkok - our daughters university graduation, and a bit of shopping to do. Toey's friend (boy) drove us home in his car, and we did some sight seeing around here. our computer didn't work, so we put it in the shop. got it back, and it failed again, took it back. and our internet connection via TOT (Thailand Telephone) sucked - 1.5 Mbits/sec - that's slower than a 2800 baud modem. so we went with a different company. so we got computer working, internet working. I was experiencing pain in my left forearm and wrist before i left the states. when i got here, it got worse and worse. with the angry hand, it was painful to type. <br><br>Material reasons are only part of it. usually when i come home, i'm excited to share - to tell my stories of what i've seen and done in this magical place. but this time, i feel more like i'm HERE. my presence is here, now. USA is elsewhere, in another time. i still think of my friends and loved ones in the northwest, but the urgency to report my experiences is thin and vaporous.hence, the silence on the email track. i have posted to the facebook and instagram - but those of you who don't bother with such things aren't seeing it. the social platforms are instant, take a picture, post it. done. don't have to wait until i can get to computer, compose and email, attach photos... i used to kind of narrate my experiences in my head, so that i could write them in a post later. this time, i've just been more <u>here</u>. <br><br>i arrived with some intense shooting pain down my left leg, originating from my lower back. i'd been to chiropractor in the states, which helped some, but didn't really fix it. we found an acupuncture shop in Bangkok. one treatment there and a specific thai massage from my wife, and i was 50% better. Tok asked around, and found an acupuncture guy up in the mountains. He knew just what to do. he poked 17 needles in my back, down my leg, and along my left arm and wrist. he hooked up wires and fired up this machine with lots of knobs and a read-out. The machine didn't go "BING", but when he turned up the juice, muscles in my leg and arm started twitching. 20 minutes for the leg/back set-up, 10 minutes for the arm/wrist. 20 baht per needle (55 cents USD). we went up there for three days in a row. within a couple of days, my wrist was 95% better, i could move my fingers and grasp things without pain. my back thing stopped being aggravating. both are still a bit sensitive- if i move extremely i can feel a little twinge, but i'm not handicapped like i was. amazing thailand.<br><br>we had some projects to do around the house, but with the back and wrist thing, we didn't get started until that settled down. G'dam pigeons were nesting in the space between the plywood ceiling and the roof tiles. right over our bed. we tried to flush them out by poking long poles in there, but they came back every night, even after we eliminated the juvenile and the eggs nest. Lousy things would be scratching, squalling and making racket all night - been driving us nuts. so i got to climb up a 15 foot bamboo ladder, and air staple plastic mesh over the openings to keep them out. tonight we sleep in quiet!<br><br> i have a rush of gratitude for being here. i feel very privileged. because i'm wedded to a thai, i get to go places and see things, meet people and experience places that most travelers would never get to. it's like having my personal guide to Disneyland. so much mystery, so much culture, so much wonder. i can't speak, i can't read, i'm very dependent on Tok for getting around, but that's okay. it works. i am a lucky man.<br><div><br></div><div>spent the last 5 days in korea. freeking COLD here.</div><div><br></div><div>onward!</div><div><br></div><div>Nu</div><br>-- <br><div class="gmail-m_-8228820788972031401gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><blockquote> </blockquote><div style="text-align:left"><font size="1"><i><p style="margin:0px;display:inline"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal">••••••••</span></p><p style="margin:0px;display:inline"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> visit </span><a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com" style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal" target="_blank">http://www.thaicountrylife.com</a><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"><wbr> •••••••• อนุกูล</span></p></i></font></div></div></div> </div> thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-2224795445863627932016-12-11T00:09:00.000-08:002017-12-28T18:30:10.496-08:00Thaikarl - 161211 - home again, and happy<div dir="ltr"><div>fiends,</div><div><br></div><div>I am home again! beautiful, sunny, warm Thailand! </div><div><br></div><div>I did my layover in seoul south korea, landed in Bangkok and we've been staying at our favorite hotel - 99 Hotel near victory monument. In the past time, I could easily find and internet shop and start composing travelogue emails right away, but times have changed. everyones got mobile, so the internet shops have disappeared. we'll have to wait until we get home to Dong Khwang in a couple of days where I can use our computer. i'll be able to tell you of my adventures, and it is ALWAYS an adventure.</div><div><br></div><div>in the meantime, I have been posting to the FaceBook. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thaikarl">https://www.facebook.com/thaikarl</a> I've made my post public, so even if you don't use Facebook, if you goto that link you should be able to see my posts.</div><div>and there's instagram, tumblr etc here's the links:</div><div><br></div><div><font size="1">see more posts:</font><div><font size="1"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thaikarl" target="_blank">FaceBook</a>: Karl Christopher</font></div><div><font size="1"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thaikarl/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/thaikarl" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Anukhun" target="_blank">YouTube</a>: thaikarl</font></div><div><font size="1"><a href="http://thaicountrylife.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>, <a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com/" target="_blank">Blogger</a> <a href="http://thaicountrylife.com/" target="_blank">thaicountrylife.com</a><span></span></font><span><span><br clear="all"></span></span></div><span><span></span></span></div><div><br></div><div><font color="#0000ff">NOTE: if you want to be removed from this list, just reply with "Remove me from the list" in the subject line, and you'll be off.</font></div><div><font color="#0000ff">if you know someone who would like to be on the list, have them email me at "<a href="mailto:thaikarl@gmail.com">thaikarl@gmail.com</a>" with "Add me to your travel list" in the subject</font></div><div><br></div><span><div>our daughter had her university graduation this morning. she's here now, we're off to take photos!</div><div><br></div><div>onward!</div><div><br></div><div>Nu (my thai short short name)</div><span><div><br></div><p>- <br></p></span></span><div class="gmail-m_-1365336424096687905gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><blockquote> </blockquote><div style="text-align:left"><font size="1"><i><p style="margin:0px;display:inline"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal">••••••••</span></p><p style="margin:0px;display:inline"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> visit </span><a style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal" href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com" target="_blank">http://www.thaicountrylife.com</a><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"><wbr> •••••••• อนุกูล</span></p></i></font></div></div></div> </div> thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-78407063423351618862016-05-02T23:02:00.001-07:002017-12-28T18:30:11.372-08:00160425 Thaikarl A video around our house<div dir="ltr">friends,<div><br></div><div>here's a little "just doit" video of where we live. It's the first of several parts. The other parts will have to wait until i get home again. we suddenly had to leave to go to Ban Chang so Tok could take care of business with our house down there. so the last two days home, where i'd planned to shoot video, pack my things carefully, shop for presents etc got superseded by a road-trip.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/M7v9Ym64fi4">https://youtu.be/M7v9Ym64fi4</a></div><div><br></div><div>pardon the hiccups :-)</div><div><br></div><div>Nu<br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><blockquote> </blockquote><div style="text-align:left"><font size="1"><i><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1">see more posts:</font></div><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thaikarl" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">FaceBook</a>: Karl Christopher</font></div><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thaikarl/" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/thaikarl" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Anukhun" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">YouTube</a>: thaikarl</font></div><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1"><a href="http://thaicountrylife.tumblr.com/" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Tumblr</a>, <a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com/" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Blogger</a> <a href="http://thaicountrylife.com/" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">thaicountrylife.com</a></font></div><p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal">••••••••</span></p><p style="font-family:Helvetica;margin:0px"><font size="1" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-style:normal"><i></i></font><i style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"></i></p><p style="font-family:Helvetica;margin:0px"><i style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"></i><br></p><p style="font-family:Helvetica;margin:0px;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:normal"><i style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"></i><br></p><p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> visit </span><a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com/" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-size:13px;font-style:normal">http://www.thaicountrylife.com</a><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> •••••••• อนุกูล</span></p></i></font></div></div></div> </div></div> thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-71832537375212407472016-04-26T07:55:00.001-07:002017-12-28T18:30:10.832-08:00Thaikarl -bad video link sorry<div dir="ltr">I posted, THEN checked the link. Sorry. I'll try to fix before I leave, or post from the states<br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div><div dir="ltr"><blockquote> </blockquote><div style="text-align:left"><font size="1"><i><p style="font-family:Helvetica;margin:0px;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:19.1875px"><font color="#783f04"><span style="font-style:normal">"I am i that is me, but not you" - </span>Zeno America </font></span><span style="font-style:normal;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:27px;text-align:center"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><font color="#741b47">Das Leben ist ein langsamer Tod!</font></span><br></span></p><p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal">••••••••</span></p><p style="font-family:Helvetica;margin:0px"><font size="1" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-style:normal"><i></i></font><i style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"></i></p><p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> visit </span><a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com" style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal" target="_blank">http://www.thaicountrylife.com</a><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> •••••••• อนุกูล</span></p></i></font></div></div></div> </div> <br><br>-- <br>Sent from My brain via my iPad<br> thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-89449180467112900912016-04-26T07:45:00.001-07:002017-12-28T18:30:11.642-08:00160426 Thaikarl - a little video tour of the place<div dir="ltr">friends<div><br></div><div>started this project a bit late. there were other things to do... or not.</div><div>pardon the hiccups.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/M7v9Ym64fi4" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/M7v9Ym64fi4</a></div><div><br></div><div>we got a call this morning that the transfer of ownership of our southern house can take place - tomorrow. we'll save 20,000 baht bydriving down there today (10 hour drive), be at government place at 8:30 am, then drive back. and i have to pack my shit and take a 7 hour bus ride next day for flying away.</div><div><br></div><div>wah.</div><div><br></div><div>but there's no where else i'd rather be. mostly.</div><div><br></div><div>Onward!</div><div><br></div><div><i style="font-size:x-small"><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1">see more posts:</font></div><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thaikarl" target="_blank">FaceBook</a>: Karl Christopher</font></div><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thaikarl/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/thaikarl" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Anukhun" target="_blank">YouTube</a>: thaikarl</font></div><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1"><a href="http://thaicountrylife.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>, <a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com/" target="_blank">Blogger</a> <a href="http://thaicountrylife.com/" target="_blank">thaicountrylife.com</a></font></div><p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal">••••••••</span></p><p style="font-family:Helvetica;margin:0px"><font size="1" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-style:normal"><i></i></font><i style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"></i></p><p style="font-family:Helvetica;margin:0px"><i style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"></i><br></p><p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> visit </span><a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com/" style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal" target="_blank">http://www.thaicountrylife.com</a><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> •••••••• อนุกูล</span></p></i><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div><div dir="ltr"><blockquote> </blockquote><div style="text-align:left"><font size="1"><i><p style="font-family:Helvetica;margin:0px;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:normal"><br></p></i></font></div></div></div> </div></div> <br><br>-- <br>Sent from My brain via my iPad<br> thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-90864538013823569772016-04-23T23:11:00.000-07:002017-12-28T18:30:11.911-08:00160311 Thaikarl - the missing first photo<div dir="ltr">
less than ideal internet at our house<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1iO2723senk/VxtkuLlxusI/AAAAAAAA7dc/3bsLb5q70fEWkLF-a13GnncmiGaZ9F5qACK4B/s1600/IMG_6776-746606.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6276721250218916546" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1iO2723senk/VxtkuLlxusI/AAAAAAAA7dc/3bsLb5q70fEWkLF-a13GnncmiGaZ9F5qACK4B/s320/IMG_6776-746606.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<i style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;"> อนุกูล</span></i><br />
<div class="gmail_signature">
<div dir="ltr">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-91639028672994955162016-04-23T23:10:00.001-07:002016-04-24T07:40:47.629-07:00160424 Thaikarl - Video - a visit to the fair<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<br /></div>
we went to a local fair last night. i like these things. i haven't been to enough of them to be jaded.<br />
<div>
yet.<br />
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3R8vkjooE8E/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3R8vkjooE8E?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://youtu.be/3R8vkjooE8E" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/3R8vkjooE8E</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br clear="all" />
<div>
<i style="color: #500050; font-size: x-small;"></i><br />
<div style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<i style="color: #500050; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">see more posts:</span></i></div>
<div style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<i style="color: #500050; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thaikarl" target="_blank">FaceBook</a>: Karl Christopher</span></i></div>
<div style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<i style="color: #500050; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thaikarl/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/thaikarl" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Anukhun" target="_blank">YouTube</a>: thaikarl</span></i></div>
<div style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<i style="color: #500050; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://thaicountrylife.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>, <a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com/" target="_blank">Blogger</a> <a href="http://thaicountrylife.com/" target="_blank">thaicountrylife.com</a></span></i></div>
<div style="display: inline; margin: 0px;">
<i style="color: #500050; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;">••••••••</span></i></div>
<i style="color: #500050; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;"> อนุกูล</span></i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-32781599291992880362016-04-23T03:37:00.000-07:002016-04-23T23:12:11.878-07:00160311 Thaikarl The little mouse ain't so little anymore<div dir="ltr">
friends,<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
look at this photo:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QIdtSyhYdi4/VxtQOO2HFsI/AAAAAAAA7c0/4NSzu27FzoQuD9sZbIexojhb8N8iCbEBgCLcB/s1600/IMG_6776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QIdtSyhYdi4/VxtQOO2HFsI/AAAAAAAA7c0/4NSzu27FzoQuD9sZbIexojhb8N8iCbEBgCLcB/s320/IMG_6776.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
you are seeing something that many of you have never seen: i'm wearing shoes :-) the reason i came home at this particular time was to be present at Toey's ceremony to receive her nurses cap. a rather formal affair, and my wife suggested i wear shoes instead of my normal sandals. arrgh. i was in walmart talking with her on the phone, i txted her photos of shoes to find some that were acceptable. 9.99$ walmart specials. i'll probably never wear them again.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
we stayed at teri's room at the "K Mansion" she slept on the floor, tok and i had the bed. the Saturday of the ceremonies, we all dressed up sharp and went over to the nearby university campus. Toey has been in university nursing school program at Rangsit University in Bangkok for the last four years. so all my savings - what would be my travel money - has been going to pay our share of university and living costs for her. that's why i haven't been home in four years. it's been a struggle. most of you know i lead a pretty spartan life, foregoing what most people consider normal living conditions. it was tense at times, but we got there. she's been a solid C+ student, passed all her exams and was ready to officially become a nurse.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
there were hundreds of people at the meeting hall. seemed like a couple of hundred graduates and their families. lots of milling around the hallways, taking hundreds of photos, laughing, smiling. all the nurses looking so sharp and pretty in their white uniforms and show make-up. when teri was growing up, my nickname for her was "noo noi" or "little mouse" she's not looking like a little mouse anymore. i've had to change it to "noo Hyi" - "big mouse".</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yxwsFax2ulQ/VxsxeOqs56I/AAAAAAAA7cQ/5c9FAYP_Iloxojs_1STTSzBv1NoeBugGACK4B/s1600/IMG_6708-727251.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6276664901073954722" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yxwsFax2ulQ/VxsxeOqs56I/AAAAAAAA7cQ/5c9FAYP_Iloxojs_1STTSzBv1NoeBugGACK4B/s320/IMG_6708-727251.JPG" /></a><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
there was a certain amount of nervous tension in the air. all those years of school, all the quizzes and tests and study. all the mistakes, the waiting to see of you passed- it's not over until this event is over, and everyone wanted to to be done in good form. we were finally ushered into the auditorium and seated with the rest of the proud parents and friends. the nurses-to-be sat in the front. there were lots of speeches and presentations. of course, i understood none of it directly, but i'm sure it was the usual ceremonial wordings. finally, all the students filed out to the back of the auditorium and up the outsides, in carefully choreographed lines, to have their name called out to receive their awards.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6D2GRH7eZNM/VxsxeqaDqpI/AAAAAAAA7cY/tqSlgiF7wnMXF1-u9NDJeuzRUyuVcKPiwCK4B/s1600/IMG_6724-729811.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6276664908520336018" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6D2GRH7eZNM/VxsxeqaDqpI/AAAAAAAA7cY/tqSlgiF7wnMXF1-u9NDJeuzRUyuVcKPiwCK4B/s320/IMG_6724-729811.JPG" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Toey is second from left</span><br />
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
it was quite impressive. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">
<div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">the line-file-ordering caused me to remember my high school graduation. i was a bit of a miss-fit my last year of high school. the principal graduated me to get rid of me. since my last name put me at the head of the line, i was leading the order of march out of the chairs to the stage and back. it had to be done exactly, else people would be coming out the same row that the returnees would be entering, where there would be a traffic jam and people would have to step around each other.. very clumsy. so principal pleaded with me to get it right the night of the ceremony. i assured him i had it down. when the time came, i looked the principal directly in his anxious eyes, and went left, instead of right, creating the traffic jam and jostling he was so afraid of. i was just as glad to be rid of him as he was me. there were no such rebels in this procession.</span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
graduating nurses receive a black band of fabric that they pin along the top of their nurses caps. at the end, all the fresh nurses got up on the stages in rows for the adoration of all, and lots and lots of picture taking. they look so smart and orderly, smiling, proud, and humble at the same time. very moving.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTHbEYvIjemYY28-brMDLQm5YxnSa0SJybYoxIrVVS1FGmPYS0SjhaN2vOCQur8iV9k4BmODezlqq8KV0sxDnG2hfC3LXkq8crxbfeLOftBO9T-FTSkFGGtnpLEAMqrZINx63VQ/s1600/IMG_6726-731109.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6276664913844981058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTHbEYvIjemYY28-brMDLQm5YxnSa0SJybYoxIrVVS1FGmPYS0SjhaN2vOCQur8iV9k4BmODezlqq8KV0sxDnG2hfC3LXkq8crxbfeLOftBO9T-FTSkFGGtnpLEAMqrZINx63VQ/s320/IMG_6726-731109.JPG" /></a><br />
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
all the new nurses picked up small garlands of flowers to bring to their parents and supporters. Toey came back to our row, knelt down in front of me, handed me the flowers. she looked up at me with her beautiful brown eyes and said "Thank you Papa!"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The three of us burst into tears.</div>
<div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wNcUf63A9uE/VxsxfEBCyEI/AAAAAAAA7co/6GvpeIEdSQU1_x674_QxhaUcZBegM9jvQCK4B/s1600/IMG_6729-732199.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6276664915394742338" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wNcUf63A9uE/VxsxfEBCyEI/AAAAAAAA7co/6GvpeIEdSQU1_x674_QxhaUcZBegM9jvQCK4B/s320/IMG_6729-732199.JPG" /></a><br />
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
-- <br />
<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i></i></span><br />
<div style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">see more posts:</span></i></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thaikarl" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">FaceBook</a>: Karl Christopher</span></i></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thaikarl/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/thaikarl" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Anukhun" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">YouTube</a>: thaikarl</span></i></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://thaicountrylife.tumblr.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>, <a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Blogger</a> <a href="http://thaicountrylife.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">thaicountrylife.com</a></span></i></span></div>
<div style="display: inline; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;">••••••••</span></i></span><i style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;"> อนุกูล</span></i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-25068559528910694472016-04-17T01:50:00.001-07:002016-04-17T02:09:25.209-07:00160412 Thaikarl - Songkran day at the eastern bakery land<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">friends,</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
we drove east from lomsak, up into the mountains, and down the other side. the country turned flat, dry brown, and bright. our pickup has nice aircon, so it was pleasant in the cabin, but when we stopped at a seven (eleven) and i opened the door... it was like opening the door to the oven. a blast of hot air gobsmacks you. man, it was hot out there. even for me. my weather app said 103 degrees F, and rising! it was hot. so hot, the only way to eat a candy bar would be to tear off the end of the wrapper, and squeeze the contents out like sweet toothpaste*. i like it though. wouldn't want to be digging ditches, but it beats being cold, and you don't have to go through the "jacket on, jacket off, jacket on" ballet. t-shirt 24/7 time.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
tok booked us a hotel in Kon Kaen that she found by "asking her friend Google" nice place, 1050 baht (29$) per night for the three of us - they even had three beds in the room. aircon, hot water shower, mini-bar fridge, complementary buffet breakfast in the morning. a bit fancy for my taste, but with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songkran_(Thailand)" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">songkran holiday</a> in progress, getting a room anywhere is a stroke of fortune.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
The 13th is songkran day. we went and visited a beautiful temple in the morning:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PnqDbVrvw-xJMSproxOjoyCx2H_ba6n18cKo81u-KzEodroDtmQAn9FDIs61wRrBdGPfQMmuLjriAflxzw1Tu_RssXsSdva8knSfYdRpVVgWRCoNLaqLZhfUgFbKJgMqU5P_iw/s1600/IMG_7734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PnqDbVrvw-xJMSproxOjoyCx2H_ba6n18cKo81u-KzEodroDtmQAn9FDIs61wRrBdGPfQMmuLjriAflxzw1Tu_RssXsSdva8knSfYdRpVVgWRCoNLaqLZhfUgFbKJgMqU5P_iw/s320/IMG_7734.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
went back to hotel for a little nap time, then we walked a number of blocks from our hotel to the entrance of "sticky rice road" as far as you could see down this street, there were people, and water spraying into the air, music blasting, smoke from food vendors.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n9LS-VQ7Rak/VxNEF9phXRI/AAAAAAAA7N0/Rgxq_n5OSPQiZx8yB9NFtGWQ7vYfQnjGQCLcB/s1600/IMG_7759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n9LS-VQ7Rak/VxNEF9phXRI/AAAAAAAA7N0/Rgxq_n5OSPQiZx8yB9NFtGWQ7vYfQnjGQCLcB/s320/IMG_7759.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
i was a little daunted, but in we went. you <u>will</u> get wet. very wet. splashed from buckets, assaulted with water guns, sprayed by hoses, plastered with chalky paste. it's great fun. water proof pouches for your mobile phone were pretty popular vendor items this year. stages along the street with dancers or bands, sponsored by mobile and soft drink companies. at the head of the street, there's a kind of town square, where the main stage is, and off to one side, a stage for the "past time" music and dancing.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
we don't have anything like Songkran in the states. the weather in most of the US keeps us all indoors. forth of july is pretty big for us, but the celebrations are localized. songkran is national, it's everywhere. many people wear colorful flowered songkran shirts, even the tiniest village will have a bunch of kids beside the road ready to throw water at your car as you pass. every town has a 'water street' the people are all ages, all classes. it's generally a lot of fun, and celebration. yeah, there are a few fights, and they tally the number of road deaths each year - but those are almost all alcohol related. drinking and craziness is fairly isolated, you don't see people walking around with beer, and they don't have those beer zoo's like we do. police are present, but you'd have to really look for them. i just followed tok and teri around, got sprayed a lot and marveled at the spectacle and grandeur of the event. i feel so fortunate to experience something like this. the only thing i can think of that is this energetically charged is when people get all wound up cause their sports team is doing good. people have a common cause, a reason to unite, a purpose for excitement and display. but songkran doesn't have that giant sound of all the air getting let out of the balloon when your team loses the big contest. and i'm not into sports. festivals like songkran (and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Holi </a>in india) are all inclusive. they celebrate joy, life and living, for all people. aside from the street water basting, songkran is also a time to honor the old people and do some house cleaning. washing of the Buddha statues is observed as a ritual.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p5Sqs8do1hY/VxNES-ACmgI/AAAAAAAA7OA/Q9vJH07TCoYIUy3TL8U5OP-yvM8H0LMEgCKgB/s1600/IMG_7765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p5Sqs8do1hY/VxNES-ACmgI/AAAAAAAA7OA/Q9vJH07TCoYIUy3TL8U5OP-yvM8H0LMEgCKgB/s320/IMG_7765.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
there was even a washing the Buddha setup at the mall we went to the first night.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G5giE533MSk/VxNEVzXufWI/AAAAAAAA7OI/KOzvdsy8m68k37Pk0l4ko7h0wOLuvg4vACKgB/s1600/IMG_7666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G5giE533MSk/VxNEVzXufWI/AAAAAAAA7OI/KOzvdsy8m68k37Pk0l4ko7h0wOLuvg4vACKgB/s320/IMG_7666.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
later in the evening, they did this human wave thing that was a blast. with a lot of instructions (in thai of course) over the LOUDspeakers, everybody along the whole sticky rice road squatted down. then on countdown cue, people quickly stood up, hands in the air and squatted back down, making a wave like they do at sports events. the wave would travel back in the distance, then reflect back towards the stage. took almost 45 seconds for the reflected wave to come back to the front. it was pretty cool. there were drones in the air, following the crest, and projected on the giant LED screens on the back of the stage, i didn't want to get my phone soaked, but here's a video:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<a href="https://youtu.be/yVQbPNFjeTo" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/yVQbPNFjeTo</a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
we finally walked back to our hotel. what a day. it was teeth! (the thai word for teeth is "fun", so every time i say "That was fun!" they hear: "<i>that was teeth</i>" and smile)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
we drove back to our village the next day - with a couple stops along the way, one of them was on my "gotta do this" list for this visit home. woo hoo!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
onwards!!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Nu</div>
-- </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
*this idea would have been the opening lines of a book i'll never write. had it in my head for years. now it's out there. phew.<br />
<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i></i></span><br />
<div style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">see more posts:</span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>
</i></span>
<div style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thaikarl" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">FaceBook</a>: Karl Christopher</span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>
<div style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thaikarl/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/thaikarl" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Anukhun" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">YouTube</a>: thaikarl</span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://thaicountrylife.tumblr.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>, <a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Blogger</a> <a href="http://thaicountrylife.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">thaicountrylif<wbr></wbr>e.com</a></span></div>
<div style="display: inline !important;">
<span style="font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;">••••••••</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal;"><i></i></span><i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"></i></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"></i><i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"></i><br />
<div style="display: inline !important;">
<div style="display: inline !important;">
<span style="font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;"> อนุกูล</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</i></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-3534800225598256162016-04-08T21:30:00.000-07:002016-04-23T03:34:30.178-07:00160409 Thaikarl - A little rain today<div dir="ltr">friends,<div><br></div><div>the days just fill up. places to go, stuff to do, chilling in between. every day, i am gifted with another beautiful day in thailand. Tok thinks it's 'normal' of course, and she doesn't like it so hot. but coming from seattle, i am quite pleased.</div><div><br></div><div>but it does rain. every day in rainy season (june - sept) and occasionally in the summer season:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/finK-HVr_Yk">https://youtu.be/finK-HVr_Yk</a><br></div><div><br></div><div>onward</div><div>Nu</div><div><br></div><div><i style="font-size:x-small"><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1">see more posts:</font></div><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thaikarl" target="_blank">FaceBook</a>: Karl Christopher</font></div><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thaikarl/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/thaikarl" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Anukhun" target="_blank">YouTube</a>: thaikarl</font></div><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1"><a href="http://thaicountrylife.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>, <a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com/" target="_blank">Blogger</a> <a href="http://thaicountrylife.com/" target="_blank">thaicountrylife.com</a></font></div><p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> อนุกูล</span></p></i><br> </div></div> thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-43792998070400938102016-03-26T08:34:00.001-07:002016-04-07T05:21:34.503-07:00160303 Thaikarl - 00 sometimes the wrong place is the right place<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">friends,</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
the week prior to leaving for home in thailand is always hectic. things to buy, stuff to gather, details to arrange. when you take a two week vacation and forget something, no big deal, it will wait. when you're gone for two months to the other side of the world, it's a bigger deal. but i always forget things, or run out of time. oh well. i usually don't sleep at all the whole night before i leave, pack my bags and organize stuff. so when i get in my seat, i'm asleep well before cruising altitude and sleep my way across the pacific, mostly. waking to eat, and walk the stagnate blood out of my legs - 12 hour flight over.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
i fly exclusively Korean Air. tried all the other guys, some are okay, some suck, i like korean air the best. especially because if i choose the right flights, i get a 23 hour layover in Seoul on the way over, and a 12 hour layover on the way back. a free day in korea! go through immigration, get on the airport bus or subway and i'm in the city in two hours.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
for the overnights, i've stayed at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jjimjilbang" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">jimjillbangs</a> - korean bath houses++ there's not a lot of willing english speakers in Seoul, and my iPhone won't work unless i find free wifi, so i pre-search as much as i can. i read about a place called "Riverside SPAland that sounded good. i screensnapped maps, subway stop and satellite pix of the neighborhood. 2 hours out of the airport via the subway trains i arrive in the vicinity, and tried to match the aerials with the buildings i could see. after a few turn-arounds a saw a signboard:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R2zDlrlWzd8/VvYs76dI4yI/AAAAAAAA688/PbOD0ab_RIwv8AL9rXq4YyKerXXIH3c2Q/s1600/IMG_6361.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R2zDlrlWzd8/VvYs76dI4yI/AAAAAAAA688/PbOD0ab_RIwv8AL9rXq4YyKerXXIH3c2Q/s320/IMG_6361.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Right at the top "Riverside SPAland" okay. but where now. i thought the arrow at the bottom was pointing to the golf thing, maybe? maybe not? but to the left i noticed a sign over a doorway that had the same logo - steam coming off a circle.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TQmQbyxHqHg/VvY2AFXicUI/AAAAAAAA69M/d9Ngjm551QcJzBHnIkpbIsyZKOm3fkWdQ/s1600/IMG_6360.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TQmQbyxHqHg/VvY2AFXicUI/AAAAAAAA69M/d9Ngjm551QcJzBHnIkpbIsyZKOm3fkWdQ/s320/IMG_6360.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
so i figured, that must be it</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JzpKyywKkcs/VvY45xRUQ6I/AAAAAAAA6-I/hTLY0sE--GUovApJXDTf8i0jO1I5opcPg/s1600/IMG_6358.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JzpKyywKkcs/VvY45xRUQ6I/AAAAAAAA6-I/hTLY0sE--GUovApJXDTf8i0jO1I5opcPg/s320/IMG_6358.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div>
inside was a pay-window and a ladie behind the glass. i'm supposing this is it. after 20:00 hrs, the sign says 7000 won (6$ USD) which seems pretty inexpensive... but i pay and get pointed down stairs. lug my bag down, thru a door. it's small. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nRGSRyhbwLo/VvY2j___PmI/AAAAAAAA69c/7GB-cAcRnS4iDMF_rpgl8dcdcsGCxWyIg/s1600/IMG_6356.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nRGSRyhbwLo/VvY2j___PmI/AAAAAAAA69c/7GB-cAcRnS4iDMF_rpgl8dcdcsGCxWyIg/s320/IMG_6356.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
there are men laying around on the floor on on platforms wearing the little t-shirt/shorts they give you. put my shoes in the shoe locker, give that key to the desk guy, who gives you a locker key and a clean blue t-shirt/shorts. tried to stuff my bag in the little locker and a guy comes over and waves "no no" and points to a gang of luggage. oh, big bags go over there. take off all my cloths and put in locker and head over to the spa. it's small, has only three hot tubs, a cold tub and maybe 20 sit-down showers and a few standing showers. i sat down, showered and scrubbed with the scrubber the man gave me, rinsed off. sat in the tub for a while. none of the three or four guys in the spa room even looked at me. i did go in the steam room for a while, but there was a man laying in there, sound asleep and snoring loudly. when i came out, a non-korean man saw me from over the wall and said "hello!" after i'd dried off and put on my shorts and t-shirt i was sitting on the platform wondering where the hell i was. where was the jimjillbang part? the floors and floors of special rooms, juice bars, computer room, sleeping rooms, mats everywhere, tv room? i couldn't see a door that seemed to go up. nobody understood my questions. i was beginning to think i was in the wrong place. started to have that little anxiety you get when traveling that maybe you've blundered in the a less-than-desirable spot, you don't know where you are, don't know what to do, and you don't understand what's going on here. why did i get mis-directed to this little place?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
the answer emerged from the spa, put on his outfit and came to talk with me. meet my new friend, Prince William:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RNbc1bubC_w/VvY2tLrXpCI/AAAAAAAA69o/p5zFIOVXsTgYb0pnV1Yt4npvlBT4yaqaA/s1600/IMG_6357.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RNbc1bubC_w/VvY2tLrXpCI/AAAAAAAA69o/p5zFIOVXsTgYb0pnV1Yt4npvlBT4yaqaA/s320/IMG_6357.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(photo take the next morning)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
he's from Pakistan, lives in Seoul now. gets odd jobs in restaurant kitchens and the like. with very fractured accented english, we exchanged who we are, where we are from's. and he told me that "this is it. this is all there is here." the fancy place is down the street, but "very expensive" (yeah, like 15$ USD) he showed me the 'sleeping room' a room maybe 5 meters square, with mats on the floor, and ladders to upper bunks. each had a thin pad, a blanket and "pillow" filled with gravel. (actually beans or something organic) i was tired, i was were i was, i paid already, had a shower and a hot soak. so i climbed into an empty bunk, got arranged and tried to just relax. the rock pillow wasn't doing it for me, so i got my air pillow from my bag and got back in. sleeping on hard surfaces i can do. it's painful, but i'm used to it. sorta. what i'm not used to is 10 snoring men in the room. okay, this is the adventure, calm down, relax, get into the daime space. aaaaahhhhh.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
in the morning, shower, soak, dry and dress. Prince William wanted to take me for breakfast. when we got outside, in the daylight, i could see the signs better. the jimjillbang Riverside SPAland <u>was</u> where the arrow was pointing:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sG3DOt9KU6Q/VvY2wt9Yv6I/AAAAAAAA69w/8Ku86AZD_1oJuEXJFmU3lFNLG79RZkbjw/s1600/IMG_6363.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sG3DOt9KU6Q/VvY2wt9Yv6I/AAAAAAAA69w/8Ku86AZD_1oJuEXJFmU3lFNLG79RZkbjw/s320/IMG_6363.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(another icon, and arrow pointing to the doorway behind the person in read coat)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<div>
next time... we went for coffee at appropriately named "Coffee Land". Prince William then took me to a breakfast shop, for a egg sandwich - egg, ham and cheese between grilled bread. nice. about 2$. he insisted on paying. he got a call about a job for the day, so we parted. here i thought i was in the wrong place, but then i met Prince William, i know where a very cheap overnight place is, i had showers and sauna, and have visited one more tiny area in Seoul. you are where you need to be it seems. i took the subway to a stop where he told me there was some interesting shops. i had just time enough to walk a few streets, had another egg sandwich and went back down the tubes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Koreans favor black cloths i noticed, and 9 out of 10 people are on their phones. all the time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u-3KvMVe-Bw/VvY22eJ8rsI/AAAAAAAA694/JxoklA50T8MOUxsKrfXTDLKFBkS7PSNYw/s1600/IMG_6352.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u-3KvMVe-Bw/VvY22eJ8rsI/AAAAAAAA694/JxoklA50T8MOUxsKrfXTDLKFBkS7PSNYw/s320/IMG_6352.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">not just the young people either.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
2 hours on the trains, back at the airport. FaceTimed with my sister in shoreline. (free wifi in the airport, everywhere) she was amazed that we were video calling across the ocean. then on to another flight, 6 hours to Bangkok.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
and the next phase of the adventure begins. the one i have been waiting for for years now. getting to see my lovely wife and daughter, and basking in the warm glow that is Thailand!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
onward!</div>
<div>
Nu<br />
<br />
<div style="display: inline !important; font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">see more posts:</span></div>
<i style="color: #888888; font-size: x-small;"></i><br />
<div style="color: #888888; font-size: 12.8px;">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i></i></span><br />
<div style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thaikarl" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">FaceBook</a>: Karl Christopher</span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>
<div style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thaikarl/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/thaikarl" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Anukhun" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">YouTube</a>: thaikarl</span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://thaicountrylife.tumblr.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>, <a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Blogger</a> <a href="http://thaicountrylife.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">thaicountrylif<wbr></wbr>e.com</a></span></div>
</i></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-82859140877201354322016-03-23T07:57:00.001-07:002016-03-23T07:58:08.539-07:00160323 Thaikarl 02 - El Grande Silencio (the big silence)<div dir="ltr">friends,<div><br></div><div>i've been home in thailand for a few weeks now. unless you're on the FaceBook, twitter, instagram, tumblr, you havn't heard much of a peep from me. I have two iPads, and an iPhone. so much easier to post from there. except for typing, which is a pain on a touch-pad. as you might imagine, i've not been slacking, i've had some wonderful events and adventures in even this short time. but it wasn't until today that i decided to fire up the computer at our house... and it crashed, and crashed, and crashed, and blue-screen-of-death. finally got it working long enough to make an email ( i hope) we're going to go to the computer shop tomorrow and see about a new motherboard and OS install for the thing. it's like 5 years old already. ancient machine.</div><div><br></div><div>being home again, after pretty much a four year absence is nearly overwhelming. i've been away sooooo long. but it didn't take much time at all to remember why this is my home. seeing my wife and daughter, the heat, the food, the people, the craziness, the haphazard way things are sometimes put together, the incomprehensible language, un-readable signs... love it. i was in the taxi to the bus station the second day home, and i thought "if somebody walked up to me and said 'hey man, we got this gig for you, starting tomorrow, we'll pay you enough so you can live here full-time, take care of your family and have an adequate future, but you gotta start tomorrow' - i'd take it. there was nothing in the states that i would HAVE to go back and take care of. somebody could have all my stuff - i can get more stuff. the only thing i would miss would be my dear friends, especially my friends in SD. but nobody has made such an offer, so i'll be back. </div><div><br></div><div>meanwhile, my dear wife has me busy on the honey-doo list. relentless. we did witness and share in Teri's (my wife's daughter/my daughter) graduation from nursing school, spent time at our "White House" down in Ban Chang (south east Thailand) and had a little holiday to Ko Chang (an island off the coast towards Cambodia) - but i'll fill in those stories in later posts as soon as i get this computer up-dated.</div><div><br></div><div>since every bodies gone mobile, there aren't really any internet shops anymore. we couldn't find one in Ban Chang, but there are a lot more espresso coffee shops- a lot more. many of the PTT gas stations have "Amazon Coffee Experience" shops. there's a new station half a kilometer from our house now, with a 7-11! we haven't been in to the town even yet, and we've been in the village a week. i have repaired the termite damage to the ladder that goes to our bedroom house, and hung some tarps, and cut some wood, and fixed the gate lites, and primered the pots my wife wants to paint and...</div><div><br></div><div>more will be revealed. Onward!</div><div>Nu<br><div><br></div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:left"><font size="1"><i><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1">see more posts:</font></div><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thaikarl">FaceBook</a>: Karl Christopher</font></div><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thaikarl/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/thaikarl">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Anukhun">YouTube</a>: thaikarl</font></div><div style="font-size:small;font-style:normal"><font size="1"><a href="http://thaicountrylife.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a>, <a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com/">Blogger</a> <a href="http://thaicountrylife.com">thaicountrylife.com</a></font></div><p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal">••••••••</span></p><p style="font-family:Helvetica;margin:0px"><font size="1" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-style:normal"><i></i></font><i style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"></i></p><p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> visit </span><a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com" style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal" target="_blank">http://www.thaicountrylife.com</a><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> •••••••• อนุกูล</span></p></i></font></div></div></div> </div></div> thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-55662162610623494722016-03-10T05:08:00.000-08:002016-03-23T07:55:39.147-07:00160307 - ThaiKarl 01 So good to be HOME!!!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kExg5mlgIOY/VuFx-EEftbI/AAAAAAAA660/Tv49WCjMHmI/s1600/image-749844.jpeg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kExg5mlgIOY/VuFx-EEftbI/AAAAAAAA660/Tv49WCjMHmI/s320/image-749844.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6260410268080125362" /></a></p><div dir="ltr">Friends,<div><br></div><div>Getting to Thailand is always an adventure in itself. Being here is sublime. I won't have access to a keyboard where I can type proper, and there's been too much to finger type. Please stand by. </div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, I've been posting to the FACEBook (search Karl Christopher ) and been using messaging apps: LINE and TELEGRAM AND VIBER ( all under ' Thaikarl '). I have a Thai SIM card, but I can't send SMS to android phones, only iMessage to iPhones works - a mystery to solve. Also posting photos to Instagram and Twitter again, all as Thaikarl</div><div><br></div><div>We're in bangkok for two days, and i have short access to daughters computer. try to get some posts out. we go back to Rayong day after tommorow, then drive to home in Lomsak, where i'll have computer and internet at home.</div><div><br></div><div>Onward!</div><div>Nu</div><div><br></div> </div> thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-60470783468183054632015-12-28T11:32:00.000-08:002016-03-23T07:55:39.156-07:00151228 Thaikarl - Going home finally! - list check<div dir="ltr"><br clear="all"><div>friends,</div><div><br></div><div>after four years, i am finally going home again. have my ticket to thailand booked for march. so, my Thai Country Life posts will begin again.</div><div><br></div><div>i'm posting now to verify my email list, there's always a few bounces and changes to make.</div><div><br></div><div><b>so: if you DO NOT want to get my postings from thailand (low volume) reply to this email with a "Take me of the travelogue list" subject, and i'll remove you.</b></div><div><b> if you do want to stay on, do nothing, and you'll get the posts</b></div><div><b> if you know anybody who should be on the list, have them send me a request to be added.</b></div><div><br></div><div>stories are always cross-posted to: <a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com">http://www.thaicountrylife.com</a></div><div><br></div><div>this should be a awesome trip. My wife's daughter (pretty much my 'daughter' now) will be getting her nurse's cap in march. after four long years of contributing to her university costs, i can finally put funds into the travel account and go home. woooo hoooo! I have some ideas about things i'd like to do whilst i'm home - more video, maybe audio postings, maybe <a href="https://www.periscope.tv/">Periscope</a>... we'll see. i'll be so busy with family activities (the honey-do list), and just hanging out in the glorious sunshine and heat, maybe i'll get fancy, maybe not.</div><div><br></div><div>onward!!!</div><div>Nukoon</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WCFv4RJWvFQ/VoGOfDNWSxI/AAAAAAAA6q0/ZOjhLU5svO0/s1600/IMG_5271-795654.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WCFv4RJWvFQ/VoGOfDNWSxI/AAAAAAAA6q0/ZOjhLU5svO0/s320/IMG_5271-795654.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6233420023345859346" /></a><br>Sweet Rice and Big Mouse :-D</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><blockquote> </blockquote><div style="text-align:left"><font size="1"><i><p style="font-family:Helvetica;margin:0px;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:19.1875px"><font color="#783f04"><span style="font-style:normal">"I am i that is me, but not you" - </span>Zeno America </font></span><span style="font-style:normal;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:27px;text-align:center"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><font color="#741b47">Das Leben ist ein langsamer Tod!</font></span><br></span></p><p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal">••••••••</span></p><p style="font-family:Helvetica;margin:0px"><font size="1" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-style:normal"><i></i></font><i style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"></i></p><p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> visit </span><a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com" style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal" target="_blank">http://www.thaicountrylife.com</a><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> •••••••• อนุกูล</span></p></i></font></div></div></div> </div> thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-78682167376408366802014-09-15T11:46:00.001-07:002014-09-15T21:56:40.542-07:00140914 Boatcation 2014 03<div dir="ltr">
a boatcation, summed up in a 1000 word picture:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XJYWdQqR7zs/VBc0BDoSPWI/AAAAAAAAmmU/KJVbJTay_vI/s1600/LOOK-kristen-786603.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XJYWdQqR7zs/VBc0BDoSPWI/AAAAAAAAmmU/KJVbJTay_vI/s320/LOOK-kristen-786603.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6059369016409079138" /></a><br />
<br />
</div>
thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-64218006488950709752014-09-10T13:42:00.001-07:002014-09-15T21:56:30.114-07:00140910 Boatcation 2014 02<div dir="ltr">
<div>
friends, we've been "stuck" in friday harbor for two days. we decided to do some work on the boat that we just didn't have time for in the last... year (!) of course, this means 14 trips to the hardware store, and the grocery, and the parts store and... we've been tieing up to a mooring ball at night, in a small cove south of friday harbor. we call it "Happy Harbor" there is a "Poop Dock" out there, and "Buoy Island". there is a de-masted sailboat nearby. the guy came over in a dingy the other day and said a few peculiar things to us and left. we call him "Jammer" and have invented all sorts of horrible stories about him. all of this i can explain more next wifi, as i have to get back to the boat, or we'll never get out of here today and jeff bought 200$ worth of fishing gear to try to live the fantasy of actually catching fish. have to get around san juan island by high tide this evening.<br />
<br /></div>
onward!!!<br />
<br /></div>
thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-74611244099622130822014-09-07T16:43:00.001-07:002014-09-15T21:55:09.900-07:00140907 Boatcation 2014 01<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div>friends, a posting of a different sort. we're on a boatcation for 10 days. heading for the gulf islands of canada. time to chill out, hang out, motor around, sleep late. been busy all day everyday for weeks between working at the school and boats and just stuff-to-do. but now, we're on BOAT TIME!<br><br></div>kristen and i drove the boat up to port townsend on friday. bashing into the wind with 1-2 foot wind waves crashing over the bow. settled down in the evening. anchored in 40 ft of water amongst a bunch of other boats. lazy getting up sat morning, and spent all day at the posrt townsend wooden boat festival. lotta nice boats out there. all that varnished wood. thousands of hours or sanding and coating. nice to look at, but i'm glad i'm not doing it. i geet out on the engines - old diesels and a three stage steam engine on the Virginia V. port townsend is in full summer tourist event bloom, lottsa coffee, ice cream, book, art, crafts and cloths shops. been here in the winter too. very dead then.<br><br></div>jeff is coming up to join the boat today, he had an art festival to attend, so he bussed up from seattle. we were going to leave this afternoon and cross the strait to the san juans, but theres a small craft advisory out there, so i'd rather not. we'll hang out here till tomorrow and see how it's going then. boat time remember?<br><br></div>it's my birthday, so i can do what i want right? :-)<br><br><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z6nJRCR1MO4/VAztvkiLHCI/AAAAAAAAmak/altZuWXczLk/s1600/boatfest-737482.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z6nJRCR1MO4/VAztvkiLHCI/AAAAAAAAmak/altZuWXczLk/s320/boatfest-737482.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6056477000423119906" /></a><br><br><div><br></div><div>onward!<br></div><div><div><div><br><div><div style="text-align:left"><font size="1"><i><p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> อนุกูล</span></p></i></font></div> </div></div></div></div></div> thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-54647170531071729722014-01-24T15:00:00.001-08:002014-01-24T19:11:33.696-08:00140124 Thaikarl - Back from paradise, into the maw<div dir="ltr">friends,<div><br></div><div>back in seattle i am. talk about hitting the ground running! new boat to suss out, welcome back calls, transfer title on boat and get insurance, oh crap, tabs on car expired - oh need emissions test too, work to do at school, painting job to start on vashon island, call to come help out up in la conner, have to find another marina, have to meet with old owners of the boat to learn what all these switches and valves and pumps goto, jet-lag (always worse going east), falling asleep at 9pm one night, awake till 5am the next night, car insurance due, hosting expiring, coho ho ho web page to revise, help man the booth at the boat show this weekend, thousands of photos from this trip to sort, storage rent way over-due, people i want to see, lender letters to get out, where's my cables for my other computer, worried a little about my wife who is now living all by herself on the property back home, and... and...</div> <div><br></div><div>and a couple of days ago i was laying on a hot floor in the bath-house in Seoul korea taking a nice warm nap. big sigh.</div><div><br></div><div>but i'm not bored! and all the activity softens the "missing home" hang-over.</div> <div><br></div><div>Gorgeous the life!</div><div><br></div><div>Nu</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G_VD3dPE2uQ/UuLwnkB_RAI/AAAAAAAAjH8/Vv0MTp77_TU/s1600/goingfastonjet-744570.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G_VD3dPE2uQ/UuLwnkB_RAI/AAAAAAAAjH8/Vv0MTp77_TU/s320/goingfastonjet-744570.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5972600618324280322" /></a></div><div>hows this for going fast??? (somewhere over the pacific)<br clear="all"> <div><br></div><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:left"><font size="1"><i><p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> อนุกูล</span></p></i></font></div></div> </div></div> thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-64486147105468041432014-01-15T20:39:00.001-08:002014-01-24T19:11:33.701-08:00140115 Thaikarl - Time compresses when the flight is near<div dir="ltr">friends,<div><br></div><div>only a few more days in paradise. one month in thailand is far too short. but i am grateful to be here at all. and already sad to have to be leaving.</div><div><br></div><div>our internet was up/down/up/down for the last couple weeks. then i decided that i'd had it with this slow assed computer and took it to the shop for more memory. why i didn't upgrade it when i got here, i don't know. so between that, and trying to get all my jobs done, i've been busy.</div> <div><br></div><div>we've done a lot of things around the house - took down the tamarind stand and brought all the materials into the yard. swept and raked almost the whole property. re-routed a water line that was installed thru an iron frame - you couldn't move the frame without breaking the pipe. bought another cabinet to store my guitars and such where it will be out of the way till my next trip home, shopping and more shopping - gifts, goodies for the boat. We spend three days down south of Petchabun at a Tam Bun party. Yesterday we had to drive to Pitsanolok (two hour drive up into the mountains) to get an extension of my visa, i only needed 4 days and they gave me until march... can't use it. wah. we went to the meeting markets, the fairs. today we went to the beautiful temple up on the mountain, where they are building another temple, with buddas sitting in each others laps. very beautiful up there. the mosaic and tile work is amazing.</div> <div><br></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z5lIWY8qfnw/Utdin2nxhiI/AAAAAAAAijE/-1v7A0INM5g/s1600/IMG_8248-798441.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z5lIWY8qfnw/Utdin2nxhiI/AAAAAAAAijE/-1v7A0INM5g/s320/IMG_8248-798441.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5969348267919640098" /></a><br></div><div><br></div><div>but now it's time to start packing it all into two 21kg bags and a carry-on. the last days home are always so compressed. there's a sense of "this might be your last look at this for a while". i begin to feel the anxiety of departure. i morn the things i didn't get to do, didn't get to see. i feel such a strong connection to the women i sleep next to here, and i know i have to stretch the cord across thousands of miles of ocean again. i will miss the food, the warmth of the sun and the people, the mountains and the countryside. i'll even miss my eternal bafflement over what people are saying and what the signs say. even still, seattle is good. i have some good friends there, and very supportive people. there's a boat waiting for me, and there's still a lot to do on the Grey Ghost (Jeffs boat). seattle is where i am able to work and support my thai country life, and all that i means to me. it's like the saying: "no matter where you go, there you are"<br clear="all"> <div><br></div><div>i've made a few posts to the tumblr: <a href="http://thaicountrylife.tumblr.com/">http://thaicountrylife.tumblr.com/</a> that's where i'm post pix and bits that don't make it into these posts.</div> <div><br></div><div>onward!</div><div>Nu</div> </div></div> thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-5461595167456311082014-01-08T17:52:00.000-08:002014-01-24T19:11:33.691-08:00140109 Thaikarl - bangkok closed? imagine that<div dir="ltr">friends,<div><br></div><div>i'm having to delay my departure from the land of smiles. it appears the current crop of protesters are going to "shut down the city" on the 13th. my wife and step-daughter were worried about going into the city at that time. not because of danger, more because it's likely to be a pain to get around. Teri's university, which we planned to visit, is not far from the bus station where they will have populist roadblocks. and our favorite hotel is two blocks away from one of the main protest areas. so to give it time to settle a bit, i rebooked for the 20th.</div> <div><br></div><div>i booked on expedia/orbitz etc a few times in the past. never again. sure, save a few bucks on the ticket, but good luck trying to get them on the phone, and forget about changing your flight. korean air (my favorite) always answers the phone with minimal holding time, they changed my flight twice this time, for free (since i'm still in the same ticketing schedule)</div> <div><br></div><div>i'm happy to be spending a few more days here, but i really do have to get back to the states. i've got to get to work! i have a boat to get ready, loans to pay off, and Teri's university fees are coming up quick. all good though.</div> <div><br></div><div>our internet has been out for a few days, and we went south to Tam bun for a couple days. i'll get caught up today, tomorrow.</div><div><br></div><div>onward!</div><div>nu</div><div><br></div><div> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uGO-98FaILs/Us4A_raIv2I/AAAAAAAAevg/0dIyhB3iLjg/s1600/IMG_7842-781600.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uGO-98FaILs/Us4A_raIv2I/AAAAAAAAevg/0dIyhB3iLjg/s320/IMG_7842-781600.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5966707650296594274" /></a><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:left"><font size="1"><i><p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"> <span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal">• อนุกูล</span></p></i></font></div></div> </div></div> thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-66936569153790695112014-01-04T07:54:00.001-08:002014-01-04T07:54:39.452-08:00140103 Thaikarl - Mai Mee!<div dir="ltr">
friends,<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
i had some things to do in town. Tok was busy with the tamarind stand, so i dug out my helmet - there's police checkpoints on because of new years- got the keys and headed into town. man, it felt good to be driving a motorbike again. even if it's not a <i>real </i>motorcycle. it's one of those newer Honda Clik!s <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7XPgoSNpT6UFjlVc_pGuJLaLD9B4W9w5ZVzlw1O0_P41ZjZX913DQeE3b04m-2qCuJmTJ_PO6LqYB6LnnjIYbeDxx1TIbqApfgKXVp1KdtIkJM_cMp5V8MOnk6Ea8vP7zoQyKQ/s1600/click110-779401.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5965067823645126418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7XPgoSNpT6UFjlVc_pGuJLaLD9B4W9w5ZVzlw1O0_P41ZjZX913DQeE3b04m-2qCuJmTJ_PO6LqYB6LnnjIYbeDxx1TIbqApfgKXVp1KdtIkJM_cMp5V8MOnk6Ea8vP7zoQyKQ/s320/click110-779401.jpg" /></a> twist and go (no gear shifting) 90cc motorbikes with step through frame like a scooter, but has 16" wheels. rapidly reminded that i had to get in motorbike mode, scan the ground ahead for bumps, holes, sand on asphalt and other hazards. and to be aware of slow farm vehicles in the bike lane, faster bikes coming up behind, slower bikes ahead, people going the wrong way on the road, trucks and cars whizzing past my elbow at 100kph and other vehicles from bicycles to 10 wheel trucks appearing out of side roads suddenly. and to be mindful of driving on the left side of the road. turning at an intersection takes some thought, as you need to turn into the proper lane going another direction. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
since Tok and i are almost always together when we go anywhere, i always have a little bit of the feeling like mom let me take the car out all by myself and i want to drive to fast and free range... I can go anywhere i want to go! but that's just the feeling. i had a list of things to get done. i needed to find a young guy named Tam about an art project, goto the glass shop, go make an appointment with my dentist, find some green bun, change some money, and get electrical stuff for my boat at the tent market.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
an expression you hear often when you go looking for a specific item is "Mai Mee" which means "Not Here" actually, 'here' in thai is 'Nee' so they might be sayin Mai Nee, but it sounds like Mee, with an em. Mee with an "M" might be "Lom Sak language"- which exists. [every now and then Tok will say a word is "Lom Sak language" I learned on my early trips that "Pai nai" means "where go" or "where are you going" but in Bangkok they say "Penai". I kept hearing people around here say "Pa dai" and i asked Tok what that means, she says it's Lom Sak Language for "where you going?" no wonder learning Thai is hard], but lets go with what i think i hear, which is "Mai Mee" = "not here"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
i went to the electric shop where the boy works. he wasn't there. "Mai Mee". i tried to ask the three other people there, but they didn't understand me. i even imitated his curious slouching stance. nothing. when i imitated drawing on my hand, they pointed me up the block. saying "Hanin". so i figured Tam was up the block at a place called Hanin. no idea where that was or what it means. but i walked all the way to the main intersection. nothing leapt out at me. the honda mechanics on the corner asked if i need help - in english. i said i was looking for "Hanin" and they pointed me back down the block. Hanin was an electronics parts store. i tried to ask about the boy, got a chorus of "Mai Mee"'s from the four ladies in the shop. gave that one up. went back to the electric shop and remembered i had a photo of him on my iPhone. showed them that and woo hoo, they got it. but it was more Mai Mee. they said "Mao" which means drunk or something close to that. gathered that he'd been partying for new years and wasn't at work today. okay.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
without talking to Tam, i had not enough information to goto the glass shop. so i went to three different 7-11's (they are like starbucks, all over the place) for green bun...</div>
<div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rHIu90fp-dQ/Usgtlzx8C3I/AAAAAAAAcOA/ucg1O2hYFvA/s1600/IMG_7589-783323.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5965067834030295922" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rHIu90fp-dQ/Usgtlzx8C3I/AAAAAAAAcOA/ucg1O2hYFvA/s320/IMG_7589-783323.JPG" /></a> Mai Mee</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So i went to my dentists. there wasn't anybody in the waiting room and nobody in the chairs. there was a women - an assistant, and an older man. i did the "tooth cleaning" pantomime, got "Mai Mee" the old man said "gin koaw" so i figured out the dentist was off eating dinner. i tried to ask if i could come in tommow, pointing at the calendar, wristwatch motions etc. got a lot of response, but no clear understanding. so i went outside. remembered i had a Thai dictionary on my iPhone (love that phone) showed her the word for "tomorrow" and "cleaning" but it didn't go off to well. later i realized i was showing her the "Tomorrow" that means 'something in the far future' not the word that means 'tomorrow-next day' eef. so nothing worked out there.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
since i was doing so well so far, i thought i would at least score a couple of scoops of "Ma now" or lime ice cream that i like. went to a dealer near the market that us usually there. guess what? Mai Mee. ah, but there is another one inside the public market. GOOOOOOOAAAALLL!</div>
<div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xK8Rarg55Mk/Usgtmi8705I/AAAAAAAAcOM/uf7ryqxiKIU/s1600/IMG_7591-785677.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5965067846692885394" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xK8Rarg55Mk/Usgtmi8705I/AAAAAAAAcOM/uf7ryqxiKIU/s320/IMG_7591-785677.JPG" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I went to the bank in Big C supermarket. Changing a random 60$ US i had in my bag. That worked okay, except they didnt' like the twenty dollar bill "too dirty" and wouldn't exchange that. No green bun at Big C either.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
i sure wish i could get the hang of learning even basic thai. it just doesn't stick in my brain. i worked really hard to learn how the numbers work, but i still get them messed up. every numeral has a name. you don't say "twenty thousand baht", you say "Song Mun Baht"- meaning two ten thousands baht. try to do math with that! i'll keep trying tho. but when i free range, i'm painfully aware how much my english speaking wife carries me around.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
but it's all fun. not their fault i can't talk, or understand either.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
buzzing back on the motorbike, i had to be especially vigilant. schools were getting out, so there were a lot more motorbikes, and stopped cars picking up kids. i was so focused on driving and sucking in the awesomeness of the countryside wizzing by that i went right passed the tent market where i was going to buy the electrical stuff.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Mai pen Lai = doesn't matter<br />
<br />
oh well. Mai Mee.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
onward!</div>
<div>
Nu</div>
</div>
thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-25739921167770138852014-01-04T07:54:00.000-08:002014-01-04T07:54:16.875-08:00121331 - Thaikarl - New Years Eve in rural Thailand<div dir="ltr">
friends,<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hope every one has a happy and good new year. we're a day ahead (15 hours from Pacific time), so it's almost gone over here.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Most everyone gets a long holiday at new years. out here in the country, that means that all the kids are off school, and the people who work off in other places come home for the long weekend. which also means many people, especially the younger folks, crank up their 10,000 watt stereos and blast away. the guys next door were playing thai pop music with so much bass the windows in the bedroom house were literally rattling. then they'd turn it down, then an song they liked would come on and they'd crank it up again. i went out on the porch to try to see what kind of machinery they were using to pound out all those decibels, and it was coming from someone's car!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
tonight tok and i went to the fair at the monument park down the road. the usual booths with cloths, shoes, cds and videos, and lots of food. stuff you find at most fairs. i bought a few stands of LED strip lights for the boat that would cost five times as much in the states.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TJnKRuCzYNc/UsL6ZtIZzaI/AAAAAAAAT_U/EILMjf_TrpE/s1600/IMG_7551-797589.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5963604176110472610" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TJnKRuCzYNc/UsL6ZtIZzaI/AAAAAAAAT_U/EILMjf_TrpE/s320/IMG_7551-797589.JPG" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
we're home now, Tok has already gone to sleep. Teri is watching TV on her computer- they stream the TV stations online here- and i'm up on the computer. The people who own the big nice house up the road about 500 meters are having a party. of course, they have a huge sound system, and they are singing karaoke. you can hear every word and drumbeat, like it was in the next room. none of this "quiet at 10pm" stuff. well, it is new years after all.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
there's fireworks going off randomly. sometimes huge BANG!s that rattle windows and startle you. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Tok has been spending all day at the tamarind stand, and will for the next four days, til the new years tourists slack off. she's doing fairly good business. strange way they do things. there's 5 stands lined up right next to each other beside the road. all selling the same thing- tamarind in all it's varieties. there are groups of stands every kilometer or so on the roads away from the mountains. people stop, sample the tamarind, buy a bag and head off. why they stop here, and not at the previous 5 groups of stands i have no idea. i don't get a sense that the vendors are hard-core competing with each other. the customers seem to choose whose stand they stop in front of, and that stand gets the sale. the next car might stop at the beginning of the row, the next at the end. more amazing is the economics of doing the business. Tok had to go to the government office and pay them something like 3 dollars for a permit to put a stand on the governments roadside. that's it. no inspectors. no other permits. sales tax collected- zero. (as far as i know) you want to do a little business for a short time, just do it. (ouuuu, the current karaoke singer has a horrible voice, way off key) she had to pay rent an awning that has metal poles and canvas roof (a common business round here, renting awnings and plastic chairs) and pay for some workers to make a bamboo pole floor and all. she'll keep all the bamboo and wood poles after she closes down. the whole thing is made with a few nails and a lot of twisted wire holding it together, so it will come down easily. (much better singer up now... well, maybe not :-)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qyx_RBNprM0/UsL6aIZgILI/AAAAAAAAT_g/VzqIJPPcjso/s1600/IMG_7230-700686.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5963604183429947570" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qyx_RBNprM0/UsL6aIZgILI/AAAAAAAAT_g/VzqIJPPcjso/s320/IMG_7230-700686.JPG" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
since i've been here over a week, i'm naturally sliding into my normal night owl mode. when first get here, it's easy to go to sleep at 8pm when tok does, and get up before the sunrise. by my natural internal clock starts to manifest itself, and i stay up later, and sleep later. slept in til 8am this morning! when i was here for six months last time i was home, i slide into 3am to 10 am. harder to do in the spring time (april is the hottest month in thailand) cause the sun comes up, beats on the house, and it turns into an oven inside by 9 am. the neighbors behind us went to live somewhere else, and his fighting chickens are gone, so i don't have roosters starting to crow right outside the window before dawn anymore. that's different. their kids are still living there it seems. the property has become really trashy, and the big shed where he kept his chicken stuff is all falling apart. i'm hoping that the bank will repo the house and we can buy the house and land for cheap someday. after i pay off the boat.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
big explosions going off everywhere, must be time. yep, my iPhone just rolled over to 00:00</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>nappy hoo year!</b></div>
<div>
Nu</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br clear="all" />
<div>
<br /></div>
-- <br />
<div dir="ltr">
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i></i></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-style: normal;">"I am i that is me, but not you" - </span>Zeno America </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 27px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #741b47;">Das Leben ist ein langsamer Tod!</span></span><br /> </span></i></span></div>
<div style="display: inline!important; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;">••••••••</span></i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal;"><i></i></span><i style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"></i></i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i> <div style="display: inline!important; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;"> visit </span><a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com/" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;" target="_blank">http://www.thaicountrylife.com</a><span style="font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;"> •••••••• อนุกูล</span></div>
</i></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-46479953198844277192013-12-27T23:23:00.001-08:002013-12-27T23:23:58.471-08:00131228 Thaikarl - Amazing Thailand, rolling daze<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">friends,</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
it's been a year and a half since i've been home. long enough to forget most of the few thai words i've learned, and long enough to mis-pronounce the ones i remember. :-) as it is with anyplace you haven't been to for a while, much is the same, some things are different. the virial house paint color of peach, has given way to lime green. they are building a big(ish) Tesco Lotus store in Lom Sak. Tesco is one of the big general department stores like a fred meyers in the states. there's a Makro store in Petchabun now - a big box, quantity discount store similar to costco. there are more roadside noodle shops, people put up a lot more advertising panels beside the big road, things have aged a bit.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
one of the fun new things is a walking street in Lom Sak. they closed off one street in the heart of town on saturday nights. down the middle of the street there are awnings where vendors can sell whatever they like, mostly cloths. the vendor booths are free - assigned by lottery. there is a stage for musicians at the entrance, another one in the middle of the row, and at the south end there's a big stage with a band and people dancing. it's great fun. all the food and beverage shops along the street are open, there are hundreds of people walking the lane, looking at the cloths, haggling with the vendors. and the whole thing is free. tok tells me it was the idea of the leader (mayor??) of Lom Sak to have the walking street. noticeably absent were police, "security" forces, ambulances and other government and function watchers. Tok and i danced for a while at the big band stage. that was fun! everybody dances, young people, kids, old people. the katoeys (lady boys) have a blast. everyone is smiling and enjoying themselves. i'm sure its a little less fun during the rainy season, since all the vendors are on the ground, and the music and dancing areas would need to have awnings. i can't think of anyplace in seattle i could go on a saturday night to have the same experience. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<img alt="Inline image 2" height="314" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=6bf64e0c92&view=att&th=14337749e31019a0&attid=0.1&disp=emb&realattid=ii_143376d1aacf661e&zw&atsh=1" width="420" /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
the *%^#$% mosquitoes like to hang out where its cool and calm. especially under the dining table on the back porch kitchen. so when i sit there for coffee and breakfast in the morning, my bare feet and ankles invite them to dine also. the little creatures feast on my good tasting falang blood. makes my ankles and lower leg all itchy, and woe is me if i scratch there. feels like my feet are on fire. the only relief is to abstain from touching, and if it's really bad, i rub this green liniment stuff from a jar that makes your skin all warm. supposed to be for muscle or back pain, but it lights up my ankles and i don't notice the 'squitoe bites till they settle down.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
a women on a motorbike came to the house and gave Tok about 6300 baht (192$). when someone dies, they collect 30 baht (1$) from each of the houses in the neighborhood. and give it to the family of the deceased. that amount came from two "Moo" (short for Moobhang - a group of houses in an area, part of how your postal address is defined). not only is it remarkable that they have a support system like that, but also notable that there is someone whose job it is to go around on a motorbike and collect 30 baht from each house. if someone in my neighborhood in seattle died, i'd probably not even know.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<img alt="Inline image 3" height="313" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=6bf64e0c92&view=att&th=14337749e31019a0&attid=0.3&disp=emb&realattid=ii_143376f2142a36fb&zw&atsh=1" width="420" /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Tok is busy with her tamarind stand most days. she's set up in a wide spot off the big road, a hundred meters south of our driveway, along with 4 other stands just like it. i stay at the house most of that time, putz aound on the computer and playing guitar. but i'm really supposed to be out cleaning up the yard. thai people don't think anything of just tossing little bits of plastic and paper on the ground, and there's just junk and discards all around the property. sounds awful to our eyes and ears, but it's like this everywhere, so it just looks normal, albiet a bit disconcerting to western eyes. it wasn't that long ago when we were like that in the states. they are catching up slowly tho. there's now a yellow trash bin at the head of the driveway, and a garbage truck came and emptied the bin and took the bags of garbage from the wake. that's new.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<img alt="Inline image 1" class="" height="312" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=6bf64e0c92&view=att&th=14337749e31019a0&attid=0.2&disp=emb&realattid=ii_143376a53d735c65&zw&atsh=1" width="420" /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
i better take shower and get to raking and picking up.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Gorgeous the Life!</div>
<div>
Nu</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
******************************<wbr></wbr>******************************<wbr></wbr>**************************</div>
<div>
before i left for home, i found an amazing boat on craigslist. my partner jeff and i are desperately trying to figure out how to acquire this vessel.</div>
<div>
check out our Crowd Funding appeal: <a href="http://www.thaikarl.com/dreamboat" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.thaikarl.com/dreamboat</a> help us out if you can. please share the link on FB and elsewhere, we don't have much time to make this happen. Thanks!</div>
</div>
thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21479744.post-20072636946150627962013-12-24T19:24:00.001-08:002013-12-27T23:21:57.736-08:00131220 Thaikarl - Home Again, suddenly<div dir="ltr">friends,<div><br></div><div>my dear mother-in-law, died a few days ago. she had only one kidney, and it's been operating at about 15% for a long time. two years ago they found a tumor in her chest. she was doing pretty well since then, with frequent trips to the doctor for blood infusions and checkups, but the whole mess caught up with her a week ago, so she's moved on to her next life.</div> <div><br></div><div>i got a call from Tok on saturday that mama was doing "very bad". some dear friends loaned me enough to buy a quick ticket. earliest i could get out was the following tuesday. she died on sunday. tuesday morning i was on KE 020, hop to bangkok where my step-daughter met me at airport, taxi to Mochit bus station, napped on waiting room seats, 6:00 am bus to lomsak, which broke down, another bus took us to petchabun, took a local bus to our village, changed cloths, got a ride to the temple where the cremation ceremonies were already in progress. 36 hours door to door.</div> <div><br></div><div>i was privileged to observe and participate in the disposal of Mama's body, and the Tambun (make merit, honoring) that followed, with lots of food and well-wishers at the house.</div><div><br></div> <div>whew.</div><div><br></div><div>i am here for such a short time, everything has to be compressed. and as usual, i am amazed, intrigued, and steeped in mystery and awe to be home again.</div><div><br></div><div>wondereful the life!</div> <div>Nu<br clear="all"> <div><br></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uVhKwwtNmLw/UrpP8v_kuAI/AAAAAAAASzw/CX0BbxdJIEk/s1600/IMG_7098-773138.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uVhKwwtNmLw/UrpP8v_kuAI/AAAAAAAASzw/CX0BbxdJIEk/s320/IMG_7098-773138.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5961164961872132098" /></a><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr"><blockquote> </blockquote><div style="text-align:left"><font size="1"><i><p style="font-family:Helvetica;margin:0px;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:19.1875px"><font color="#783f04"><span style="font-style:normal">"I am i that is me, but not you" - </span>Zeno America </font></span><span style="font-style:normal;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:27px;text-align:center"><span style><font color="#741b47">Das Leben ist ein langsamer Tod!</font></span><br> </span></p><p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal">••••••••</span></p><p style="font-family:Helvetica;margin:0px"><font size="1" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-style:normal"><i></i></font><i style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"></i></p> <p style="margin:0px;display:inline!important"><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> visit </span><a href="http://www.thaicountrylife.com" style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal" target="_blank">http://www.thaicountrylife.com</a><span style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal"> •••••••• อนุกูล</span></p> </i></font></div></div> </div></div> thaikarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06999700220254729020noreply@blogger.com0