Back blogging my business

17 September 2005

Since my last blog I’ve traveled to Hua Hin. Lisa Ginger and I took a train down South. Yes south, but not near enough to the Thai Malaysia border to cause worry. We had an excellent time on the train. Using straws to drink out of plastic bags filled with ice – Thai Style. At one of the stops I was pushed aside by a vendor who said Mai Chop Farong “I hate Foreigners” as she quickly jumped off the train after selling beer she had just purchased for 40 Baht less at a stand next to the train stop.

After splunking in a bat filled limestone cave we were walking down a craggy slope when a troop of monkeys bounced off the tree tops above us. The ran over head across our path. I stood with my eyes and mouth gaping as a dorky laugh came from my belly.. Mad cool!

From there we hiked to the top of a limestone lookout where we could see the meandering river we had ridden a Long tail boat down earlier that day. Suddenly to my right a heard a rustling in the trees and not 20 feet from us were mother and baby monkies (Dusky Langers). We looked around a little more and could see a male to our right stripping leaves from a branch watching us seemingly with the same eyes we watched him.

The resort we stayed at had hooked us up with a driver who brought us around the park. He was quiet and unassuming. Like with most of my cab drivers or tour guides I used the opportunity to practice Thai. Shortly, the three of us burst into nervous laughter as we realized that I had accidentally ordered us a cockfight. The driver became very excited and pulled off the main road into his farm…much to our surprise this guy raised chickens for fighting. We explained that no, we indeed did not want to pay for a fight and in the end he seemed proud to show us his place and the birds that had won two or three fights. After explaining to him that my father is a cowboy, he convinced us to share a cab with him the next day to a local cattle show. I could not believe that here I was in Thailand, a country on the other side of the world from The Bar J, yet somehow I ended up at a cattle show. You can take the girl out of the ranch, but you can’t take the ranch out of the girl.

27 September 2005

A four-day whirlwind visit to Minnesota for my brother’s wedding – the social event of the year. The festivities included pink and blue 1950’s Chevrolets, hay bales covered with quilts, oak trees, a mod bride in antique lace, blue fish net stockings and red boots. My niece looked whimsical in her white wings and red sash…

Go ing to the cha pel and were gonna get ma aa aa rrid. He a really loves me and were gonna get ma aa aa rrid.

Minnesota was filled with great friends, great family and great Mexican food. What a treasure it was to spend only a few days with those I love most. The short visit invoked time only for positive, loving, present thoughts. A treat to my often unsettled mind.
9 September 2005

Phuket vegetarian festival – Imagine the biggest, most creative facial piercing you’ve ever seen or heard of and multiply that by 100. Then witness 40 people having it done at a Thai Chinese Temple. I was one of hundreds of people clothed in a sea of white flowing fabrics. These people were being pierced as a sign of faith that their Gods are with them. Ridding their family of evil spirits.
The faithful had been fasting, meditating and giving offerings for nine days. In return the Gods enter the village and certain chosen people become entranced and feel no pain during the piercing as God is inside them.

The vegetarian festival definitely fits into my top 5 list of surreal encounters. I have intense pictures of the event if you are interested and have a strong stomach send me a line and I’ll email them to you.

17 October 2005

Ginger and I have a trip planned to Laos. We’ll be gone from Oct 21st – 31st. We’ll take an overnight train to the border at Nang Kai and then travel into Vientiane to meet up with Jij and Claire – ARTech friends. Planned stops include: Vang Vien, Luang Prabang and a two day boat trip up the Mekong river to Chang Rai. From Chang Rai, a one way ticket home.

In preparation for the trip I’ve been reading Another Quiet American. It is a novel about an expats experience living in Laos and working for the government. Good book the title is a bit of an oxymoron, but a good book with interesting sociological and historical information.