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 |   A terminal for all blogs coming in or going out. A view into my life. |
Started July 1st 2019 for contests, etc. as other blogs are filling up and have other purposes.  I'm starting a new blog because
I'll be linking to
I've started an appendix (I no longer have one personally) to keep track of my Space Cadet journals for Space Blog. It's a work constantly under construction. Mind the mess.
I needed to start a folder for contests as there are so many deadlines and details to remember.
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| 3 ธันวาคม Last day in Thailand. Stayed at Pinto Hostel in Bangkok. Flight was after midnight so I sent 6 postcards, wandered around the old Muslim silk-weaving district, chatted with guests from Moldova/Italy, France, Turkey, Brasil, Myanmar. Enjoyed my day but it was a very long one. The line for check-in for Asiana at BKK was unacceptable. 2 hours? At least they let me use Fast Track for TSA. Boarding was quick. 3 ธันวาคม Got up on time. Got to the train on time as well; train was late. long, very long trip. Safely in Pinto hostel now. 2 ธันวาคม I am planning my trip back. Not easy. 1 ธันวาคม We went to Nong Khai by train. First time Ponnya was on a train. We took tuk-tuk... first time for me. I think Ponnya was fine with the train. I didn't like the tuk-tuk (thought I would slide off the seat). I wrote letter to QPdoll Now I have to find her address! 30 พฤศจิกายน Went to Nong Khai. Saw Eugene. Difficult situation to get home. 29 พฤศจิกายน Quick check-in. Not doing much today but did finish two more postcards. 28 พฤศจิกายน I told Brandiwyn: "Excuses, excuses... I'm still in Thailand trying to cope with the reality that I'm in Thailand. No alligators but "paradise" is seldom without "surprises"." I'm at Rajabhat U. in Udon. Spoke to folks about study/teaching/volunteering... hard to explain what I want. I'm not the typical tourist/expat here for the beach (what beach?) or "party". This will not be easy if I choose to come back and stay. I need a reason to be here... more than just Pon. I can rest and write for 2 years but I want more. 6317 |
| 28 พฤศจิกายน I told Brandiwyn: "Excuses, excuses... I'm still in Thailand trying to cope with the reality that I'm in Thailand. No alligators but "paradise" is seldom without "surprises"." 27 พฤศจิกายน A slow day. I'm fading... I ate... now I need a coffee. It could just be old age. I've been following FIFA. Typical upsets, boring games, thrilling moments. Spoke to my sister. At least the phone works! 26 พฤศจิกายน Beautiful rain last night. Came down in crashing buckets. Cooler today and cool nights next week. Alack... I leave in 10 days. 25 พฤศจิกายน I'm being very careful with my back. Sat with Andre in the smokers gazebo. Cappuccino and blueberry cheesecake at Cup of You. 180 baht. But colse... and have wifi. I need to buy a red rose.  24 พฤศจิกายน I'm on my phone. Can't do what I want to. My back has gone out. Can barely move at times. Bought sim card. Sent 3 postcards. (Elephant stamp) Rained. 23 พฤศจิกายน . Today I figured out how to get to Rajabhat University taking the quiet back road. Silly to be out in the heat of the day; but, I'm nursing a cappucino. Making progress every day. Also checked out the free fitness room and swimming pool. I've never lived in a condo. So... I'll adjust. Slept fine last night but my back is still wonky. My new satchel might help a bit. And not sitting on the couch (it's far too low) might also help. Sight: grey skies and green shrubbery. Sound: muted music, soft conversation, coffee-shop sounds. Touch: Solid metal... I grab onto every railing. Smell: laundry. Taste: coffee (earthy), freshly fried chicken strips (juicy). Rick advised to get out every day. Of course he was right. Pon did a laundry load. Now that I have my own key card we both can plan our day better. 3:33... soon I will go to Koala hoping it's open. Philly cheesesteak at Koala 109 baht. I'm tempted by the butter caramel milkshake for 99 baht but I can wait. Pun will buy me soup for supper. I'm taking it easy after being sick and I don't want to gain weight either. 22 พฤศจิกายน To Stik: "I will use this (entry on "making time") as a springboard for my own entry... but... I may move to Thailand. I have to 'make time' for learning yet another language, understanding the culture, nurturing a new 'relationship' which will take time to process. I'm in a bit of shock. My plans were to travel, take pictures, write a travel-log. Now? Life happens and my schedule, priorities, and situation have been turned upside down. To your point: as a child I never quite learned how to carve out time from my daydreams to actually accomplish something worthy in the eyes of others." Welllllll..... My back is a tad better. Pon massaged it. As Anni Pon noted, it's nice to have someone take care of me. In this case ... *Blush* I'm not complaining, just thankful and not used to the personal attention. It reminds me of all those who have been kind and attentive to me in the past. Oh. so. many. times. Kevin and Bryan immediately come to mind, but I vaguely remember how Jeanne got me through a rough spot. I should make a list... a very long list, starting with my father making milk-toast for me and my sister when we were ill as children; we were always sick for two years.  It's hard to share personal tidbits. Some folks don't want to know. It's TMI. But... my life has always been TMI for some folks. Many don't want to see me or hear me... forget about knowing me. Today's goal: find a satchel with a zipper, preferably waterproof with a long strap. I may have to compromise. Also: SIM card. I can't use my phone until I do. Plus, I really want to find coffee beans as a gift to a friend... and cheap instant for myself! It's a breezy sunny morning. 86 degrees right now. Perhaps not as oppressive as it has been. We may get some rain for a few days. Update: I did find a satchel with a zipper and an adjustable strap ... kinda ... I'll look for a better one. My back cannot handle any weight at all. Very painful to change positions. Bought two ceramic bowls and two ceramic cups for hot foods. Also Nescafe coffee. Big spender: about 186 baht or $5. Spoke to Gay about my situation. Some good news. Weigh 81 kilos. Closer to my goal. Right direction!  21 พฤศจิกายน I escaped to a coffee shop. Still no appetite. I'm trying to catch up. No internet at home. 6270 |
| 20 พฤศจิกายน Sick all day. Pon fed me medicine one capful at a time. 19 พฤศจิกายน Everyone sees a beautiful young man. Tall, very nice body, good skin, dresses nice, classy. I see a young man, half-awake, eyes barely open, mussed up hair. He smiles at me. I'm falling in love. ทุกคนเห็นชายหนุ่มรูปงาม สูง หุ่นดี ผิวดี แต่งตัวดี มีระดับ ฉันเห็นชายหนุ่มครึ่งหลับครึ่งตื่น ลืมตาแทบไม่ขึ้น ผมยุ่งเหยิง เขายิ้มให้ฉัน ฉันตกหลุมรัก. When he puts his leg across me while we sleep, I feel safe. เวลาเขาเอาขามาคร่อมฉันตอนเราหลับ ฉันรู้สึกปลอดภัย 18 พฤศจิกายน I told AL: At my age some things don't matter. My mother lived to 99. My father 82. Me? I'm in Thailand. Maybe I'll move here. Better than just waiting to die! Fear can kill... long before the body dies. I just rented a place in Udon Thani. I did not foresee that. But I didn't foresee many things in my life. This could be a new stage in my life. And, yes, there is more to this story... 17 พฤศจิกายน Today I met Hannah from Pennsylvania (Colorado State) and we talked about expanding our horizons. Found out that Gay lived in Bahrain. And Markus from Germany wasn't feeling well. Neenee wanted me to pet her. I ate chicken and rice with soup. Soon I will go for a walk. My trip is half over... or just beginning. 16 พฤศจิกายน Not all plans work out. 15 พฤศจิกายน Coffee and big slice of German cheesecake. 110 baht. Laap with greens. 80 baht. Making decisions.  14 พฤศจิกายน Sat with Michael from Surinam/Canada. He's wandering around looking for a place to settle... someday. A place with lots of wildlife, cheap, laid-back vibe. His search will continue to Laos, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Malaysia. Singapore is too expensive. Bought cookies. 7-11... bought pepsi, pastel de nata. I had laap (pork, spicy) and som tam (green papaya salad - fine but hard to eat). Didn't do much, but that is what some days are like. Advice from Australian Lay Hoe: take it slow, don't worry. |
| 14 พฤศจิกายน Sat with Michael from Surinam/Canada. He's wandering around looking for a place to settle... someday. A place with lots of wildlife, cheap, laid-back vibe. His search will continue to Laos, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Malaysia. Singapore is too expensive. 13 พฤศจิกายน ຂ້ອຍຢູ່ໜອງຄາຍ ฉันอยู่ที่หนองคาย Very relaxed here. Nong Khai sleeps along the MeKong like a satiated serpent (naga).  Great walk along the promenade. Clouds were perfect. Room is okay even if it only has a fan. Bed is comfortable. Met owner Pao. Nice chat with Eugene. Ate pork satay. 10 = 60 baht. 80 baht in Krungthep. Earlier: easy to catch a van to NK from bus terminal in UD. But... van goes to border first... then town. I got off by Wat Hai Sok. Spoke to German (20) from Frankfort before leaving La Malila hostel. Saw Nico... returning. Adam going home to teach children in Sakon Nakhon. Only had coffee and a piece of bread before leaving... a mistake... nothing free at Mut Mee in NK. 12 พฤศจิกายน Awake before 8 a.m. Now 9:30 and I'm wilted. Sweets and toast for breakfast, my second cup of coffee. I could lie back down... but... Nico (Bruxelles) leaves. Adam (London) arrives. Last day in Udon Thani. Returned to place by Chinese temple. Cute guys only spoke a little English. But Pun remembered me. We agreed to go out to eat. I went back to hostel to shower and change clothes.  Hot pot with ปัญญา ปัน ศิลาชัย tonight. 856 baht for the two of us. Pleasant evening. It felt odd to be holding hands but Pun seemed to be fearless and 'proud'. 11 พฤศจิกายน I got to pet นีนี (Neenee). She's very kittenish, gimpy, wears a green Grab jacket.  I'm spending another night or two. It's "only" 87 degrees... but the heat drains me. After Udon Thani I'll go to Nong Khai on the MeKong. I'll look across the river to Laos. A bed is costing me 300 baht ($8.33). I can live with that. I had crab-balls (like takoyaki) and fish yesterday but I'm walking a lot. I'll lose weight. I booked 3 nights in Nong Khai, 13-16. I'm enjoying doing nothing. But... dehydration is a real danger, as is any attempt to cross the streets. My lack of Thai/Lao is quite frustrating. Wish I had a guide. I'm following the News. 21 degrees in Missoula. Prop. 131 was defeated... a big relief for those who believe in a woman's right to her body. I'll need to write about that. Election '22 was frightening but not the disaster it could have been. To Kyle at YCC: "Islam kept much of the learning alive in the West though universities when Europeans were mostly ignorant barbarians. Not all Muslim sects/countries deny women's rights... maybe you are conflating the Wahhabi Saudis with others. In the USA, proponents of Christian Nationalism oft-times deny women's rights. The criminalization of pregnancy and women is a current example. Florida is one of the leaders of denial of human rights." As a solo traveler I don't do the typical groupie tourist route. I choose to cherish small moments. Got my hair cut by a barber (Porn sp?) for the first time since November, 2019  ! She cut it quite short. I ate a philly-steak with thin crispy onion at Koala. Told Pear that it was the best ever (it was). She mentioned that covid had been difficult... closed hostel? This was mentioned at Bees Boy Bar as well. Terry kept paying his employees (no help from government). Coke cost me 35 baht there (20 is street price) but well worth the pleasant chat. His clientele tend to be wealthy Thai women. The ex-pat red-light district "buy me a drink, massage?" is a street away. I chatted with two men, one from Eastern Montana, the other from Danmark. The walking street (Friday and Saturday) night market is overwhelming. May skip tonight. The mall, however, was a pleasant surprise. Ate duck with jade noodles. Found novels of two of the Thai TV series I've watched (Vice Versa and Eclipse). 10 พฤศจิกายน I just told Norma: Fun... ...this may be my last trip alone. I need to be very very careful. I lose things... important things. I don't mind getting lost if I have a map. I've learned only a little Thai/Lao. I don't sit and sip pinha coladas at a resort. I like seeing how locals live and eat what they eat. So that's wonderful.  However, it's getting harder, on my body and my mind, to travel.Today is an orange day. I will go to a couple/three parks, walk through the red light district. Hopefully be amused by "massage"... I'm looking out at trees (lots here... big ones too that remind me of the trees in Guanacaste) but this region is 'dry' and I don't see epiphytes like orchids and bromeliads. Lots of fragrant flowers though. I found Thai donuts (not sweet, more like fried dough) last night; today, I had 2 donuts for breakfast... and too much coffee. Now 1 pm. Time to shower, put on my orange shirt, go out. 9 พฤศจิกายน Green day. Also need to do a wash. Woke up just before dawn. There was a red glow in the room. Sometimes hard to notice what's missing. Fear. Fear is missing. No razor wire on the roofs and fences, no iron bars. Yes, there's security cameras and sure... there are pickpockets. But... there isn't a pervasive fear in the background like in Costa Rica and the United States. People here don't hate each other. I've done the numbers. I should consider staying an extra day here, if only to get my head screwed on tight. I overstayed Krunngthep by two days. I only booked two nights here; but, I like this hostel. Very quiet, close to street market, railway. Bad air though... there's a haze. AQI = 135. Not good.  Breakfast of champions: fish and donuts. Coffee... of course. Decided to stay extra day in Udon Thani at La Melila. Lovely place with lovely people. Calm here... no elections. So... must do wash. Must see the Yellow Duckie, symbol of Udon Thani. 8 พฤศจิกายน Do I give up traveling? Long day on train... over 8 hours on a lumpy seat. Met people from England and France as well as Thailand. Then I left my bag with donuts (186 baht/dozen) and my Samsung tablet on the train... got it back... but... now so tired that I barely got to see the moon. And I have no energy to see loi kratung. It may be time to stop traveling alone or... just quit. 7 พฤศจิกายน |
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