Save the politics talk for home.

I slept in until 8am, due to the late night. I didn’t walk, and didn’t really mind. I spent the day transferring some files Danny was interested in, to one of my small hard drives. This was easier said than done. I only have the power for a short time and only have 2 outlets. One of the big hard drives requires its own power supply. So first I had to fully charge the laptop, then unplug and plug in the hard drive and hope that I had enough battery life to get through the transfers. I went ok, but was a bit cumbersome. Paul came by about 2pm and did not look well. I don’t think he drinks enough water, and he walks A LOT in the day without a hat or shirt. I think he may have sun stroke or something. I encouraged him to drink tons or h2o and buy a hat… we’ll see. Today is his birthday, and Danny the bar owner wants him to come down this evening, but Paul doesn’t think he’ll go. If I see Danny, I am to say that I haven’t seen Paul… ok. At 5pm I walked down to the bar to give Danny a few freebies to try out, but he can’t do it until next Tuesday. Ok… maybe the computer is in Ranong. He inquires about Paul, and I give him the story, but he tells me that he’s got something for Paul’s birthday and can I please get him to come down later. I buy a few beers for home, and then make my way back up the road. I check in on Paul and he’s still rough. I pass on the info from Danny and tell him that I think he would be disappointed if Paul was a no show. He agrees, and we decide that I will pop back in an hour, and we’ll head down. I come back at 8pm, and get Paul. Just as we were leaving, I hear a bunch of firecrackers going off… Paul’s surprise. Oh well. We got to the beach, and they had a nice big fire going. There were a few Germans, a Dutch guy and a few others already enjoying the night. About ½ into the night, I made the bad decision of mentioning something casually about 9/11, and that put a bee in Danny’s bonnet. He seemed to be put off by it for the rest of the evening, but there were a lot of other people to talk to. I should know better than to talk politics while away… Paul and I walked home at about midnight. I left him at the path to his house and walked onwards to mine. A pretty nice night overall.

First houseguests and socializing

Another beach walk, followed by a coffee/OJ/ toast and jam breakfast. At around noon, Paul from Boston came by with a young British couple that I had given some information to while in Ranong. Paul is staying in the other house for a 2 night trial, and plans to book a month next January. The couple checked out the place and my food storage methods, and thought they make like to do something similar on a future trip. We all chit chatted for about an hour, then the couple made their way back to the beach, and on to their resort which is at the opposite end on the bay. I told them to pop by anytime, and gave them the hours for electricity if they wanted to listen to music while visiting. Paul headed back to his house to settle in, and we made plans to meet up later and go down to a bar on the beach at the foot of the road. I took a nap and woke up about 8pm, had a quick shower and made my way down for a few drinks. I decided to briefly explain the idea for a small shop with music and movies, and strangely, they had been just talking about how they wished they had more access to media on the Island. Danny, an American who owns the bar, sounded interested in finding out what I had, so I will make him a list of the films and if he wants something he’ll let me know. Good signs! Anyway, we drank and talked until about 1am, when I packed it in and headed back. This was by far the latest I have been up since arriving in Thailand.

Laundry just like "Little House on the Prairie".

This morning, I went down to pick up my bed linens from the laundry. The woman had them already to go. 5 bucks… not bad, but later today I will try my hand at doing a few things the old fashioned way. Should be an interesting leaning curve! If it doesn’t work out so well, I can always go back to paying for it. If it is not too bad, I’ll save myself a few bucks! It will also give me something to do every few days. It’s not like I am bogged down with important business or anything. As it turns out, the self laundry service worked out great. When Lek, the gal I had spent time with in 2006/07, had done my laundry, I paid close attention. I tried to replicate her technique, and didn’t do a half bad job! Laundry was 5 button up shirts, 5 boxers, 2 pair socks, 2 towels… and 5 “sweat” rags. I started off with the small things and had used a pail that was in the house. When I had finished, the young Burmese guy had come by, and I mentioned to him that Chiyoko had mentioned that she would supply my with a bigger laundry pail, should I decide to start looking after the washing myself. He said that he would run back and grab it for me. When he showed back up, I thanked him for the delivery, and started in on the bigger items. I paid extra attention to the neck, pits and back areas of the garments, and a general wash of the others. Washing took places in the big bucket, followed by a rinse and a ring in a smaller one, and then off to the shower for a final rise and ring before pinning them up on the line. The first batch was dry in about 2 hrs, then I hung up the rest of it. The young Burmese guy offered to take me up to the lookout area at 4pm, which I didn’t know existed. After he finished up cutting the “lawn”, I asked him to give my dry clothes the “smell” test, which they PASSED, and we headed up the mountain for about 500m(as the crow flies, but more like 1.5km) straight up. He made short work of it without breaking a sweat, but I sure felt how burned out my lungs are from smoking. Wheezing and sweating my ass off after the first 5min. After about 20min, we got to the spot, and man what a view! It was 4:30pm by now, so it was damn hot… even for him. We took in the view for about 20min, took some photos and caught our breath, and then headed back down. Mental note: wear running shoes next time, flip flops can be tricky business! On our trip, I learned of forest plants I could eat and cook with,Burmese will hunt a monkey with a slingshot and dogs on special occasions and that the sounds that I had thought were monkeys/Gibbons, were actually of a black bird that resembles a fat dove/pigeon with red wings in a similar colour to “our” rooster… We arrived safe and sound. I offered him some water, which he gladly accepted, and then he headed back to finish his last 2hrs of work for the day, while I got dinner sorted out. After eating, I was treated to another show by the eagles and a beautiful sunset.

Ice.... "toooooodaaaaaaay....."

The trip to the market went well. The walk was nice and relatively cool. I had prearranged an ice delivery for yesterday at 2pm, but he never came by. He ended up passing me on my walk, so I yelled out “naam keng!“… ice. He yelled back “todaaayyyy!“, so with any luck he comes by sometime early this afternoon. I took a breather at my spot under a shady tree near the medical clinic, before I went the rest of the way into the village. Purchases included chicken, veggies, fruits, yoghurt, candles, and 3 lighters, as both the ones I had decided to die at exactly the same time. I bumped into the young gal I usually get to run me home with the groceries. She was available, so once I finished a smoke, off we went. At home, I organized everything in the cooler in anticipation of some ice and got into my usual routine of writing a bit while listening to some music on computer battery power until 11am, when the generator is turned on, and I can recharge all of my gadgets. Noodle soup is something I enjoy for breakfast, so I set out to try my hand at making a batch. In one of my pots I added some water and a Knorr bouillon cube. I cut up ½ a chicken breast, some cauliflower, green beans, carrots and threw those in as well. Finishing up with a bit of salt, pepper, fish sauce and yellow curry. Once everything looked pretty much cooked, I added the rice noodles for about 5min and viola! Now, it wasn’t quite right, but it tasted good. More investigation on the traditional methods and ingredients are required. I ate one of the bowls and put the other one away for dinner. When the power came on, I headed to the main house to use the internet for an hour and on the way back, Tim the Canadian fellow staying in another house, gave me some metal grates to use to keep my food off of the ice. The ice used for cooling, isn’t not dinking water quality. Much appreciated. As I rolled up on my place, the taxi man arrived with my ice. Perfect timing again! I paid him for the ice and away he went, leaving me to get everything put back in and organized. Didn’t use the grates, but I will try to come up with a way of making them efficient. Spent the rest of the day lounging about, and having a few beer. For dinner, it was left overs, followed by a night shower, a show of about 30 eagles gathering in the dusk sky, and then off to bed.

Back into the slow lane.

Got right back in the saddle with the morning stroll at 7:30a. On the way, I dropped off my bed linens at the laundry… they were on there way to being a bit ripe. As I am officially done the first two weeks, I decided that I would start to revisit my Thai lessons that I had started with my friend Dana in Vancouver. I need to shop for groceries tomorrow,. So, after lunch, I set out to create my list in phonetic Thai. Many of the items came quiet easily from memory, but a few were really buried in my brain, and some I just did not know. I spent about a half hour on it before I was through, and at 2pm I was expecting another ice delivery from the taxi man who brought me home from the pier yesterday. I paid him for the transportation in advance, so we’ll see how things shake out. I still have ice left, but thought with my groceries tomorrow, it would be better to have some ready to go, than to have to wait a day. Earlier today, I had dropped off my empty water bottles off at the main house and Chiyoko had mentioned that it was all set up if I wanted to get my food orders delivered to the house. On the days I do not walk on the beach, I walk to the village for shopping. So I decided that I would continue walking for now, and should I start to be lazy later, I will take her up on the delivery service. As far as water goes, that is 60litres in 2 weeks for drinking and cooking. God knows, I must be getting enough, but you’d be surprised! Had a pretty uneventful day with a dinner of ramen to get me through until the big supply run to the market tomorrow morning.

Hung the "F" over!

My head was pretty thick this morning, and rushing out the door to catch a boat for a 2hr ride, was not exactly my idea of fun. Regardless, I had to get moving. I repacked my bags and organized my supplies before I showered. Once I had composed myself, I took all my shit out to the coffee shop the family has on the edge of the property and had a few coffee and a $1.50 breakfast to get some food in me. I realized that I hadn’t eaten in almost 24hrs… since the crab the day earlier. Breakfast would have been better without the hangover, but hit the spot. Before too long, I could here the boat’s horn sound, so I said my goodbyes for 2 more weeks, headed to the pier and eventually onto the boat. Just like breakfast, the trip could have been more enjoyable without the residual effects of last nights 15+ beers, but it was nice nonetheless. There were 2 monks onboard, heading to the Wat(temple) on the Island I imagine, and the usually mix of folks from various nations on their way to start a holiday on Koh Phayam. I took a few photos, but spent most of my time avoiding the sun and trying to catch some breeze. The boat pulled in at 11:30am, I hired a motorcycle taxi, and arrived at home where I unpacked my stuff, and found that a fresh block of ice had been delivered while I was gone! Perfect timing for the12 beers I was about to load into the cooler. I put everything away, and an hour later had a nice cool beer, and some noodle soup while I wrote this entry. I spent the rest of the day recuperating and getting back into my relaxing routine of having absolutely nothing pressing to take care of. Made a stir fry for dinner and had an early night to make up for the late night yesterday.

A trip to the big city of Ranong.

Well today it was time for the trip to the big city. I walked into the village at around 7am. With all of yesterday’s rain, it was extremely humid for the walk. I gave myself plenty of extra time so that I could cool off a bit, and not be a sweaty mess when I boarded the boat. Just outside of the village is the medical clinic. They have a soccer pitch next door with a nice shady spot. So, when I arrived with 45min before the boat departed, I took a seat and recuperated a bit. The clinic must have been having a drop-in or something. There were a lot of people preparing chairs and medical supplies just prior to their 8 o’clock opening. Perhaps this is an event that takes place on Sundays, or maybe once a month, where people can come by and get a general check up, have medical concerns looked at, or get follow up treatment and/or prescriptions dispensed. Once I was cooled off and dry, I head towards the pier, bought my ticket for the boat, and waited while they loaded a few things that were being shipped back to the mainland. At times, the ferry brings food, building materials, motorbikes, ice, etc. The boats are the only way things come or go from here and are usually used to their full potential. Once all the cartage was loaded, all the passengers boarder and we were off to Ranong at 8:30am. It was a pretty uneventful trip until about 2/3 of the way when a bunch of commotion started with the crew, and the boat started to slow down. I leaned out to take a peek, and there was a small eagle flopping around in the water. The captain stepped out onto the rail, and with on quick swipe, had grabbed the bird out of the water, and brought it into the boat. Now, this was pretty cool, but also kinda sad. The bird was obviously freaked, and all the passengers started to gather around it to take photos, which only added to its stress level. Once the crowd died down, I also took a photo, but from my seat. About 5 min outside the Ranong pier, a German guy decided he needed just one more photo, and got up really close… the eagle freaked, and jumped off the bench he had been resting on. After flopping around for a few seconds, he jumped up to the rail, and sprung from the boat. He proceeded to gain altitude and we all watched him fly off and find a tree to perch in…. yes, people even clapped etc..! Haha! He seemed small compared to the other Sea Eagles I have seen, so maybe he was young, went after a fish and ended up a little water logged and could not get himself out of the water. Anyway, the captain gets some points with old Buddha for that one. I got into Ranong about 10am, and headed over to Starcrab to say hello and grab a few things that I needed from the bags they were storing for me. I was greeted with smiles and “Dave!… gin khao!”(eat food/hungry?!), so I said “gin, khap!“, sat down with them and had some nice crab for breakfast! I decided to stay a night, so after I made my first withdrawal of the trip from the bank down the road, I went to my room and had a shower before heading down to see my friends Lek and Jai at Kiwi Orchid guesthouse. At about 3pm, I felt cleaned up and cooled off, so I headed to the road and took the songtaew into the bus station where Kiwi is located. The ladies were all pretty busy doing there travel bookings, visa runs, and serving food in there restaurant, so I jumped on one of their computers to upload some photos to the blog, and wait for Lek, who kindly offered to run me up to the Tesco/Lotus that is pretty new to Ranong. When the business was done, Lek and I hoped on her motorbike and headed to Tesco, where with her help, I made short work of my shopping list include some non-perishables, refill of my favorite soap, some liquid laundry soap(yeah, that’s right. I am going to try a few loads of my own laundry the old fashioned way!), and some “Prickly Heat”… a soothing powder for heat rash. After Tesco, we headed back to Kiwi, and Lek ran some more customers to the VIP night bus, and I picked up my beer and smokes at a shop down the block. Tonight in Ranong, they closed off the main street where the market is, and had a night of children singing and dancing. Kinda like a talent showcase I guess. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a camera again, but it was all quite entertaining. After the show was done, we went to a local bar where I met a Swedish guy staying on Koh Chang, a Latvian couple on their way to the same Island, and a Danish guy who lives in Ranong full time. We all got rather pissed, and at the end of the night, Lek dropped me and my purchases off, safe and sound at Starcrab. I proceed to pass out into a hot, drunken slumber.

Singin' in the rain...

Had the first rain of the journey so far, and man did it come down! There were actually two batches. The first one was at around noon, and lasted about 2 hrs. The second came around 4pm and didn’t last quite as long. When it decides to rain here, things really get a much needed drink. With so much sand in the ground, I imagine most plants have massive, deep root systems to collect what little ground water they can. The rain that does fall would filter right through in a short period of time. This is why the leaves for most plants are shaped the way they are. Nature’s way of catching and directing the water to the key areas to maximize the rain water. It’s interesting what you can observe when you have the time and the silence to really absorb things around you. Most of the day was spent making lists of items I needed to get in Ranong tomorrow, and packing items in order to spend the night if I needed to. I had 2 beers and turned in early.

On budget... what a tightwad.

My walks are getting quicker, and less sweaty. I think I will add a section of beach in the next couple of days. That should increase the walk by 30 min or so. I whipped up fried eggs and toast, with a side of fruit salad for breakfast today. Went down quite well. The funds I brought with me, are starting to get low, so I have planned a trip to the city on the morning of the 22nd. I had planned to do this trip on the 23rd, but I shelled out a bit of extra cash for kitchen stuff that will last me a while. Oil, sauces, butter, jam etc… I have been keeping a log of my day to day expenses, so I will be able to take a look at how my budgeting is going. This leg of things was always going to be more expensive than once I settled somewhere with the comforts of a city, but not having eaten out yet, I must be doing pretty well. So far I think I’ve spent about $650, but that includes everything from my time in Bangkok, taxis, buses, boats, groceries, beer, smokes and all rent for the month etc… not too shabby! The last 3 days have been crazy windy. It’s O.K. by me, as it makes things far more comfortable than when the air is still. If this is “normal” for the Island a person could totally make use of a wind turbine and battery bank for daytime power if needed. There are a lot of solar set ups in use, but I only see a few people gathering wind. Maybe this type of wind is not that common. The heat rash is 90% under control, with only 2 new spots flaring up where my shirt sleeves meet my biceps. Once I drop a few more lbs, that should take care of itself. On that note, even though it’s hard to tell when you look at yourself in the mirror everyday, I would have to guess that I have lost about 10lbs. I can credit this to the massive volumes of water, daily walking, healthy eating, and only moderate beer consumption. Still have a ways to go before I am at comfortable weight for daily life here, but it’s a good start. Just got to keep up this routine.

Thinkin' of a master plan.

After my morning walk, Chiyoko dropped in to see if my chicken had survived the previous day. I told her that I had cooked some for dinner, and that I was feeling no worse for wear. We chatted about extending my stay, and plans for a future stay once I have spent some time in Laos. She has offered to let me piggy back on her grocery deliveries once she has arranged a contract with a local guy who has got a motorcycle w/ a trailer. He would be able to deliver groceries and ice at the same time, which would be great because I end up needing these items at around the same time. She’ll let me know when something is set up, and what schedule she’ll be working on, and then I supply her with my list 24hrs before a scheduled delivery and my things should arrive the following day. Great in principal, but we’ll see how it goes. A lot of my time today was spent brainstorming about whether or not I could set up my business in this area. Tow years ago, I had thought about the Island next door, Koh Chang. It doesn’t have quite the traffic of Koh Phayam. This Island has more visiors who stay long term, more bars that could be clients, a large population that stays year round, there are more individual land owners here to approach about leasing space from(I think Koh Chang has 2 main families that own 80% of the desirable property), and the possibility of having a dual purpose shop/house set up. Both here and Savannakhet, Laos have their advantages and draw backs. The issues on Koh Phayam are the fact that there is no electricity, municipal water, and everything costs slightly more because it comes from the mainland. On top of the, the Visa situation in Thailand would force me to do a Visa run every 2 wks, and there would be a lot of expense initially for things like generators, solar, and/or wind turbine and battery banks for the power, but the beach and the clientele are here. Savannakhet is a great strategic location, but is just in its infancy stages of getting a lot of cross through traffic, and many of these people stay only one night before they head off to a different destination. This may change as things develop and could prove a great time to get this up and going. The city also has the power, water and internet I would require. When I get to Laos, I will discuss these options with Jookky and see what she thinks. I am sure she’ll have a great perspective on things. Decisions, decisions… all in time I suppose. I have seen a few places for rent and/or lease take over. I will continue thinking and keeping my eyes peeled for possiblities.

My ice is like the polar caps... shrinking!

Up at 5a, coffee, smokes, and a banana before I headed down the road to the beach and to drop off some laundry. Today it seems REALLY humid. I brought my camera along to get a few snap shots of things of interest. On my way back down the beach, I ran into one of the Canadian guys I had met at the party. We chatted for a while, and I picked his brain about doing the Visa run into Burma. Sounds like things have changed slightly, and may even be a little easier that when I did it in April 2007. I will need to make this trip on Mar 09, if I wish to stay on here for another two weeks. At the moment, I am leaning towards this option. It’s really nice here and the thought of boarding a bus for the long trip to Mukdahan, and on to Laos, isn’t really a top priority at the moment. Another 2wks at the current pace would be nice. Still waiting on some ice. What little I have left, is the same size as the chicken, so I’ve got them stacked on one another with a plastic bucket full of veggies sandwiching them together to try and keep the meat as cool as possible. I have inquired about the ice several times, and I am told it will come this afternoon. I think it was originally overlooked and a reminder yesterday wasn’t enough to light a fire to get it done. Today I made a point of showing the Burmese guy who works here, how small it actually was. There’s been an issue twice now with getting some, so I may just get it for myself when I pick up groceries from the market. I believe the ice place and market are close together, and the motorbike taxis seem to be able to carry a massive amount of items as they drive you home. In the end, I made a trip up to the main house to inquire as to a timeframe I could expect it. As it turns out, they were in the middle of a mini crisis and needed to deal with the matters at hand before they could deliver some. Chiyoko offered me the use of their freezer until they could arrange some ice for my place. I walked back home, picked up some fruit, veggies and the chicken, and then delivered them for refrigeration. About two hrs later, a motorcycle taxi pulls up with a block of ice, and the young Burmese guy drops off my stuff. Back in business! In the evening the wind really picked up as I was cooking dinner. On the menu tonight was a chicken and veggie stir fry, with the left overs for lunch etc. tomorrow. Once again, delicious! I fell asleep to the sounds of the wind swirling around the forest, and through my house.

Groceries.. part deux.

Took another trip into the village to pick up a few more items that I had forgotten the first time. I headed out about ½ an hr earlier this time, and 2 less morning coffees. Seemed to make a big difference. I didn’t overheat until the very end of the walk. Whereas, the first time, I was hot about 200m down the road. In addition to the forgotten items, I grabbed some more coffee, chicken and beer. I am supposed to get a delivery of ice today. So, with any luck, I should have the ability to keep this stuff cool later today. It looks as if a block of ice will last me 4 days, which works out well for keeping the chicken from getting funky. I now have a fairly well stocked kitchen and should be able to look after my eating needs. I sent off emails to my friends in Laos, so that they know all is well, and should expect to see me either the 9th or 23rd of March. I am really looking forward to seeing them. Once there, I will start to find out more about the fine points of trying to stay long term and doing something business wise with or without Jookky. She’ll be a great help as she can speak English very well, and seems to be well connected with people who can get things done for you in a hurry. My ice didn’t end up coming, so I thought I’d better cook up some chicken at dinner. I had picked up some flour, and had some eggs, so I made myself fried chicken in homemade batter with some sweet chili dipping sauce I also bought earlier. It was damned good. I had a few beers while listening to tunes when the generator was on. Hit the sack around 9p… what an animal.

Broken flip flops, and other life altering tragedies

I am trying(without much luck) to limit myself to 2-3 coffees a day now. Without all the caffine, I find I overheat less. Went for a 1.5 hr walk down beach and back this morning. On the way, I blew out a tire on the highway… my flip flop broke on the road. I had bought them 2.5 yrs ago in Ranong for 49 baht($1.5can), but it took me an hr of looking through boxes of them to find a size 12. At 37.5 cents every 6 months, I’d have to say that was money well spent. The tide line of the beach has odd things washed up from the storms at sea. Many of these are single flip flops. I took a look for single rights in a 12, but didn’t have much luck. Good thing I bought another pair this year in Ranong, the night before I took the boat. Got home from the walk around 9:30a. Took a look at my fruit and decided that I’d better prep and eat some of it. So it was a breakfast of fresh pineapple, orange, apple, and grapes with yoghurt. I totally gapped out in the “supper”mart and forgot some watermelon… oh well, next time. I really like having the kitchen. I’ll save a ton of cash, and can eat at my leisure. I can also eat something small, as opposed to a full meal at a restaurant. I went to the main house and ordered some more ice for tomorrow, then came home to charge the laptop and listen to some tunes when the generator kicks in at 11a. Getting over the feeling that I should be doing something with my time has been tough so far. I hope that I will soon realize that there is no timeline and that I should be treating this part of the trip as my “vacation”, not that there is really a LOT to do around here anyway. I guess it is just something that living in Canada causes you to feel…. Guilt, if you do nothing. I know this will pass… it sure did last time. Dana, I highly recommend this place post BKK landing. Maybe we can come down when you get here?!? Good medicine! This afternoon, I cooked another batch of food today, so that the chicken won’t spoil. Everything else should be fine, but I was informed that meats have about a 3-4 day shelf life in the cooler. This should work out well, as I won’t buy more that 500g, or so, at a time. Watched the last 2/3 of “RocknRolla” this afternoon when it was too hot to do anything. Pretty good flick, but exactly like Lock, Stock… and Snatch. So if you like those, you’ll enjoy this one too.

The day after...

Cross hangover off the to-do list. I throw back a couple of Tylenol, hit the coffee, and start this blog. I cooked my first meal of the trip, Geng Gari Gai(Yellow Curry w/ chicken) with rice. It turned of really good. Something was missing, which I will try to determine, but overall I would say 8/10. I was pretty pleased. There was enough for 2 dishes, so I ate one for lunch and put the other one into the cooler for later. Overall, I am adjusting to the climate really well. Much quicker that I had expected. I know where to be and at what time of day to keep the coolest. My heat rash also under control. Now it’s just trying to stop anything new from flaring up, and trying not to itch what is there and starting to go away. Scratching it is the worst thing you can do. It wakes it up, and is almost like it never left at all. I finally uploaded some of this blog, so hopefully it is entertaining to some of you. I will wait to upload pics, as the internet connection is good and stable, but not as fast as back home obviously. I loaned my landlords a USB stick with some movies. I had mentioned that I had a “few” with me. I will use this a test run to see what the interest is like. It will be a good gauge for later on in Laos. At about 5pm, I hear someone calling to me from down my path. It’s a guy from Boston named Paul, and he’s taking a look at the vacant house to possibly book it for next year. I invite him in too look around at mine, as it actually has someone living in it. He’s pretty impressed. I offer him a beer and we have about a 2hr chat. Nice guy, and my first real interaction with a stranger… ha-ha! I have the last of my lunch for dinner and have a few more beer before showering up and trying to what “Rocknrolla”, Guy Ritchie’s newest movie. I made it about 45min before passing out… killing my batter for the following morning. I have generated power from 11a-2p, and then again 6p-10:30p, so it a real juggling routine to use something, then recharge to used on battery, then recharge again at night so you have power for later at night and the next day. I have almost got it down, and it’s nice to actually get some in the day. Mainly, you don’t see many places with daytime power. I think that because the big house has a freezer etc, they have to run power for 3hrs, 2 times a day to keep everything frozen and to give them comforts of home, as it is a proper house they live in.

Valentine's/Party night

Happy Valentine’s Day! Today I eat something other than noodles. I walked for 45min through the middle of the Island and into the village to shop for groceries at the “Supper”mart. It was pretty interesting to do my own shopping in bulk and have no major sets back etc. My baby talk Thai mixed with some English, got the job done. There was one funny moment when I was trying to find some chocken broth, and decided the best way I could ask for it would be to call it Naam Gai(chicken water). The guy just looked at me with a puzzled look on his face, until another Thai lady who spoke English piped up and said, “Ah… STOCK”! In the end, they didn’t have any, but I did grab yellow curry, fish sauce, coconut milk, chicken, rice, noodles, eggs, fruits and veggies, yoghurt, plastic wrap, jam, margarine,sweet chili sauce, salt/pepper, dish soap and scubber, loaf of bread, and of course a flat of beer. It all comes to about $40can, and with the plastic wrap and cooler, I should be able to make it all last before anything spoils. Cooking should be fun considering I enjoy it at home. I will let you know how I make out. I flag down a motorcycle taxi and we run it all back home. The entire round trip only takes me 2hrs, which amazes the Burmese staff. The cooler works out great, and I have not bought to much for it. At noon I head over to use the internet to file my taxes and reply to the many “Where are you”, “Are you ok”, and “Why haven’t you written” emails many have sent. Once those were out of the way, I lounged on my balcony sampling my freshly chilled beers until 6pm, and then got ready to go over to the party. It was a lot of fun, and a great way to meet a few new people as I am finally starting to feel somewhat social. There are 3 guys from Canada, 2 gals from Germany, Chiyoko and Chris, and the English guy who is the guest of hnor and is on his way the following morning. There’s a huge spread of delicious Thai foods, wine and beer. I have 2 helping as it is the first “real” food I’ve had in about 3 days. Tim, one of the Canadians, brings out his guitar, and Chris starts out on the harmonica. We have a “sing-a-song” to songs by the Stones, Dead, Beatles etc and things wind down about 11pm. I thank everyone for the hospitality, and head home to my first case of the bed spins in quite awhile.

Ice arrives...

Another early one with the coffee and the wildlife. At 7am, I took my laundry down to a resort on the beach and walked by the water for an hour before the sun was completely up. On the way home, I ran into Chris who is the other half of the couple I am renting from. I mention to him that I’d like some ice delivered so that I can head into the village and get some groceries picked up. He makes a few calls from his mobile and tells me it will be delivered some time today. Great! Food other than ramen and cold beer soon! Speaking of which, I dined on ramen yet again and had a few coffee before heading to the main house to use their internet connection. I am invited to a going away party tomorrow night at the main house. They have a friend who’s holiday is ending, so I’ll head over around 7pm and get chance to meet a few of the people who have been coming here for years and tend to stay for extended periods of time. After getting back to the house, Oka(the Burmese property manager) drops off my ice and I decide to whip down to the beach and pick up a few beers to test out the cooler. Once I have about 3 of the 4 beer put away, I realize I am pretty buzzed due to the diet of ramen and the heat, so I decide that I’d better run down and grad my laundry before I am flat on my ass. By the time I get there, it’s all ready to go, nicely folded and smalling much better than it did 12hrs ago. I pay my 120baht and hoof it home to drink the last lonely beer, shower and sleep.

Settling in.

Sprang out of bed at 5am again. Made some coffee around 6am and sat on the balcony listening to the Roosters crow, Gibbons howl, Secedas screech, and watching the Hornbills gather in the trees. It also became apparent that my Southern Thailand heat rash decided to come out of hibernation. There were only a few areas starting to flare up, but I realized last time that it is better ,to jump on it pronto, rather than let it consume you. If you have ever had the shit, you know what I am talking about. I got a prescription before I left Canada, so if I follow the same regime as last time I should be ok after the first week or so. Wake up, shower, powder, cream, wash affected areas at noon and apply cream, shower at bed, powder, cream, sleep… REPEAT! I even read in a Blog that using mint toothpaste helps with the desire to scratch. I may try this as well. Today was spent in a coma trying to get used to the heat and humidity. I was anti-social and isolated. What the hell… it’s only day one here.

First morning...

Morning comes early around here. By 5am, the roosters and the dogs are letting me know the day has begun. I gather the bags I will be leaving at the guesthouse for 1 month, and deliver them to the owner. I have a shower and meet Michael at 8am for breakfast. He fills me in of some info about Q, who was the gal who ran the bungalows I stayed at for 2 months last trip to Koh Chang. Seems there was some family dispute and she has chosen not to run them any more. The Uncle now runs the place and I am sure it has lost its appeal. Breakfast wraps up and I head back to my room to get my bags and head to the pier. Once there, I say goodbye to Michael, and board the boat to Koh Phayam. It’s a 2hr trip with great scenery, so I relax and take in the views of the Islands, wildlife, and fishermen at work. The boat is not completely full, which may have something to with the drop in Thai tourism since the December political disturbances at the Airports etc. Also the fact that the Thai govt. decreased the length of a free Visa by 50%. You were able to stay for 30 days each renewal, now it is only 15. This means if you are on the Island, you must leave by boat and travel to Ranong, arrange a Visa run to Burma, go to Burma by boat, pay them the $10US to get a transit stamp, turn around, visit Thai Immigration and get you 15 day stamp, get back to the pier by 2pm, get a ticket for the last return boat to Koh Phayam/Chang. This process can take an entire day and the better part of $50US. Considering that many of the people that come to these two Islands are long term and/or entire season renters, this can mean 8-12 of these trips. Anyway, my boat pulls in right about on time. I get my bags and hit the pier looking for my landlady Chiyoko. About half way down I see her. We introduce ourselves and hire a motorcycle taxi for my ride to the house. My driver is a young guy and we head out in Koh Phayam’s small road system. They are made of concrete, about 5’ wide and tend to be in a state of disrepair, as Ranong Province is Thailand’s wettest during the rainy season. All this water washes out most roads on any type of slope. It takes us about 10 min to make the trip and Chiyoko is waiting for us at the house. We go over some formalities and I ask some questions about locations of the market, laundry, and other need to know services. I tell her I will see her in an hr or two, and start to unpack my shit. The house is great. It has it’s owm small kitchen, balcony off the upstairs bedroom, shaded sitting area under the bedroom and is set in the “jungle” surrounded by nicely planted grounds. There are mango, banana, cashew, coconut trees, and the whole place is set in a working rubber tree plantation. There is one other house on the way in, but other that, you feel like you’ve been dropped in your own little pocket of the wild. I take a couple of hrs. to relax and realize that I have come to the end of traveling for a while anyway. At about 2pm I head up to see Chiyoko at their own home. Down the path, onto the roadway and up about 200m. We go over a few things and I sign a rental agreement , while she copies my passport etc. I ask her some questions and I head back to the house. I had heard that Lek, the woman I had spent 3 months with last time, had started to work on this Island and I decided to take a walk down the beach to see if she was working at a bar owned by a friend of hers. We had stayed there one night after a reggae show in 2007. I headed towards the beach about 7pm and walked the stretch or bars and bungalows for about an hr, trying to recognized the place. On my way back, I saw “Lazy Bar” and realized that this was the place. I went to the bar and asked the girl working if she knew Lek. She said that she did, but that Lek was no longer working there and had gone home to Ranong. With that information, I headed back to the house a little deflated, but it is probably for the best as things went really sideways trying to say good-bye last time. As my plans are to be in Laos within 45 days or so, we would probably have a repeat performance of that show, and we could both do without revisiting that… no matter how much fun was to be had in between.. Got home, hopped in the shower, baby powdered up and hit the sack at 9pm.

Ah Ranong... just as I left you.

The bus pulls into the Ranong station at around 5am. I lug all of my shit about 200m to my friend Jai’s Guesthouse, which is basically next to the station. It appears that they have already opened, so I head into the restaurant and am greeted by a woman I haven’t met. Turns out this is Jai’s sister Lek, and she’s come from Rayong, where she has a travel agency, to help her sister in Ranong’s busy season for Nov. to May. This is the reason for the early opening. I guess she runs a pretty tight ship, and whoever the morning person was 2yrs ago, would often be closed until 7am. Thus, missing out on the many people who get off the bus from 5am on. Lek and I have some coffee and a 2hr chat until Jai gets out of bed. Once she’s up, we have our “hellos” and I tell her that I have brought her a bunch of brand new American $10 bills for her Visa service to Burma. It was like she won the lotto! When people do their Visa run to Burma, you must pay the Burmese $10US to cross into their country, so you can cross back into Thailand, get aVisa stamp to stay in Thailand another 15days. Anyway, the Burmese will only accept new series, fresh, crisp bills. My guess is so that they can rebundle them to buy various thing like… AK-47’s. Businesses that have Visa run services, have a had time getting these bills and must usually go to a bigger city and pay an extra premium to get them. Jai has asked me to bring her some on my next trip, so while in Nanaimo, my mMom and I went to the bank and I bought some for myself, and enough to trade with Jai. She’s thrilled with the loot. We do our “business” and a few of her guests start to rise. It’s noodle soup for breakfast, and Jai makes me a “fresh” coffee from her new cappuccino machine that she’s proud to show off. At 9am her guests traveling on the boats to Koh Chang or Koh Phayam, and I, hop into her truck and Lek drives us to Saphan Pla where the boats depart. I am staying at a guesthouse next door over night, so I say goodbye to Lek, and check into to the Star Crab Resort and see another family I spent a lot of time with 2yrs ago. At first, they don’t recognize me due to the short hair and 25 extra lbs I am carrying since they saw me last. As soon as I see the smile on their faces, I realize that my identity has come to them. More hellos and hugs, then I check into my room and chill out. At around 6p, I have a shower and head out to catch a truck-bus into the market which is in the main part of Ranong, to gather some supplies for my rental house on the Island. Cigarettes, coffee, and instant ramen so I can eat a few days until I get the lay of the land and know where the market is on the Island. After I’ve got everything on my list, I hire a motorcycle taxi to take me back to the guesthouse. When back, the owner of the place and I get reacquainted and then I’m greeted by a familiar face. Michael, a Danish guy I met 2 years ago, is also staying the night before heading to Kho Chang the following morning. We chat for awhile and then I say goodnight, agree to meet for breakfast, and I head to bed.

One night... well, 12 daylight hrs. in Bangkok.

I get off the plane around midnight, and get my bags from the carousel. Everything looks intact… whew. The case I bought for the computer seemed virtually bomb proof, so props to Pelican cases! I cleared customs and got my 30 day Visa for Thailand. I had thought I might fly to Ranong(the Thai city I was headed), but I couldn’t get any concrete costs on the website. I had decided to wait in the Airport until Air Asia’s ticket counter opened. I could just kill the time using the free Wi-Fi… wrong. You have got to pay to use it at the BKK Airport, so I watch a movie on the last of my battery and shuffle around. Each time I go for a smoke on the departures level, I am constantly asked by the taxi touts if I need a ride to BKK. I try to explain that I am waiting for the ticket counter to open to check on a flight to Ranong, and am answered with “Ranong doesn’t have an Airport”, and offers to drive me to Ranong via cab for $200(yeah you can get a cab to drive you anywhere in the country). I politely decline several offers and move to the mid level of the Airport where there are no taxi drivers and some food. I have an OJ and a Paton-go(Thai fritter-like thing) and wait a few more hrs. After talking to the airline, I realize that flying is not an option due to cost, and hire a taxi to take me into BKK to a hotel I have stayed at in the past, the Star Hotel. Everything goes well, until we get to the Soi(alley) that the Star Hotel is located. As we approach, my driver pulls up to a guy to ask for directions. At this pint it is about 6am, and I am tired. The guy on the street tells me that the Star Hotel is closed, something that is not totally uncommon when the person giving the information can earn a commission by sending you somewhere else. I tell the driver to go to the Star Hotel, and sure enough it has been knocked to the ground. My guess is for the valuable real estate. What to do? I decided to try the hotel next door. The driver helps me with my bags, and I ask the desk girl if she has a single room. She tells me yes, so I tell her that I will take it. I explain that I will be taking a bus to Ranong at 8pm, so I will be checking out at 7pm and heading to the Southern terminal. She tells me that the room will be 1000 baht($35can) which is more that I wanted to pay, but given the circumstances and the time, I am willing to pay. She follows up by telling me that check out is at 11am, so I will have to pay for a 2nd night considering I will be there from 11am until 7pm. So that is 2000 baht for what is now 12 hrs. I pass and walk down the Soi until I get to another guesthouse that I have eaten at in the past. I ask about the room, explain my situation to the girl and she tells me I can have a room until 7pm for 400 baht ($12can). I take it. A/C to boot! It’s at the back of the property, through a maze of halls, but it is totally acceptable. I throw my bags in, take a shower, and take a breather after 24hrs of travel without sleep. Once composed, I head to the 7-11 to grab water and smokes, and then get some food at the restaurant connected to the guesthouse. Once I am done, I ask the staff about a bus ticket to Ranong, and they point me to a travel agency down the road which opens in 2 hrs. I take the time to walk around a bit and go to MBK Mall where the A/C is nice. I hadn’t realized, but today was a Buddhist holiday. Everything was pretty dead, and the mall would be opening an hour late. I watched as some Monks and children who were setting up some sort of performance to celebrate the holiday. Today the Thais give up smoking, drinking, and other vices I imagine, so the tents and signs read “STOP smoking alcohol”. Kinda funny. I should have taken a picture, but I didn’t bring my camera out. I hung out for a while, went into the mall to kill some time, and then headed down to the travel agency. Unfortunately, due to the holiday, the agency can not sell me a ticket. I’ve got to go to the terminal and buy one before I want to go. The woman tells me that traffic on the buses should be very light, as any Thais who were traveling this weekend did so at the start of the weekend, and won’t be coming back to the city until tomorrow when the holiday is over. I trot back to my room and finally get some sleep after about 36hrs on the go. After about 5 hrs of sleep, I got up, had a shower, checked out, caught a cab, and made my way to the Southern Bus Station. This is a new one. The old one was a mad house and could be quite frustrating when arriving on an over night bus from somewhere in the early morning hrs. This one is big and new, but still has some of the crazy Thai logic built into it. When you arrive on the main level, you have to go up 3 floors to get your ticket only to come back down again to the main floor and find your bus. They have built a food court and shopping area on the 2nd floor, so I am guessing that this is the reason why. You are a captive audience and must pass by to possibly buy something when you are on the way to purchase your ticket. After getting to the Ranong wicket, I get a ticket for a bus leaving in 10 min which costs 355 baht. A far cry from the 5000 baht I was quoted to fly myself and all of my bags down. I board the bus and start off on my 9hr journey south. The bus is only ½ full and the ride is pretty uneventful. We stop about ½ way for food, and I get a favorite of mine “Kapow Moo”(minced pork w/ chilies and basil) and a side of rice. I board the bus and nibble away at my food for the 2nd 4.5 hr leg of my trip.

Departure Day.

I spent the morning cleaning the last few things in the apartment. Eventually, I realized that my cellular phone had been deactivated 24hrs earlier than planned. No goodbyes still yet unsaid. Due to this, I was unable to contact John who was taking me to the Airport, but was certain he’d show up as promised. Took Enzo for one last walk, and spent a bit of time upstairs with Linda and Woon, my landladies. John swung by about 11:30a and we were off. He dropped me off and we said good bye. Now, I am traveling with a lot of shit. The computer, the general over packing which I do, and the wardrobe I have got to have because I am too big to fit into the racks of cheap clothes everyone else brings home by the truckload from Thailand. So, in the end, I have to check an extra bag which costs me $160 for the two flights I am about to take. This is fine, as it all has to come with me. Customs screening goes well this time, with no Canadian Homeland Security shakedown like last time. I get on the plane and pop an Ativan to assist on the hellish 13.5hr trip to Hong Kong next to an Indian seatmate who doesn’t realize he didn’t pay for 1/3 of the cost of my seat/ticket. Due to the every ½ hr reminders of an elbow shot, I didn’t get a wink of sleep on the flight. We land in HK and I try to choke back 2 smokes in the smoking closets, before I get on the next plane for Bangkok. This leg is much nicer, and only 2.5 hrs. Once again, I don’t sleep, but before I know it, we are landing in BKK. For those of you thinking of traveling to Asia, I would take a pass on Cathay. My other trips to BKK were on JAL, and I found them much better. Cathay seemed even more cramped than usual airlines. Maybe it was the seat configuration. I don’t know, but the staff all seemed like they had better places to be and rushed through offering drinks and snacks etc. JAL always made you feel doted on if nothing else. Also, using Narita as a hub, gives you a 10 and 6 hr flight, versus a 13.5 and 2.5 using HK.

Good-bye Canada, Sawat Dii Khrap/Sabai Dii SE Asia!

So as many of you are more than aware, the lead up to my departure was challenging to say the least. Let me start by saying thank-you to a few people who really came through for me during the last 2 months of living in Vancouver.

Mom, Kerri , and Taylor… thanks for all that you did for me before leaving. It was really great to have the luxury of time while we visited over Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the 10 days I spent in Nanaimo right before leaving. I truly appreciate the two trips to come and get my things, bringing them back to the Island, and the general good feelings of reconnecting over the past 4 months or so. It was a really great note to leave on.

Woon and Linda… you ladies are such wonderful people. I swear I would have stayed in your suite forever. I will always consider you like family, and your kindness towards me is so greatly appreciated. Your detective work got me my passport back, as well as a few cuss words and laughs along the way. I am sorry that you were without a tenant for a month, but things have a way of happening for a reason. I am sure things are better off happening the way they did. Thanks for all the meals brought downstairs and Chinese New Year dinner, it was great to be included. Take care of my little man!

Andrew… thanks for the filing sharing etc. If I had only known you shared this hobby, I would have got on it much sooner. Maybe you can keep updated your collection and I can rob you blind when I come home for a visit next Feb? Take care of the ladies, and it sounds like we’ll see each other in Laos before too long!

TB, NB, and NS Family… it was a real joy to have come to TBay for the wedding and see you all. Even though we are relatively new to one another, I still feel close to you all. Michael, thanks for all that you’ve done for me. Sorry about missing each other on the day I left, but you can blame that one on Ted Rogers… or at least his heirs! I feel like we got to know one another so much better this past year. Take care of yourself and the lads. Mitchel and Curtis, look out for the old man. Susan, I feel like I have known you forever. I want to hear from you soon and possibly even see you over here if that‘s possible. Terri-Ann and the girls, hope you are well and be sure to keep in touch. The Nurmi’s, it was great to meet the clan. You are wonderful folks and please forward me some plans for “sewer toss”, as I think it would be a huge hit here. Thais love games and could make it for themselves, and it’s much easier than building a horse shoe pitch!

Dana… thanks for everything. It started out as a “professional” relationship, but turned into a friendship. I consider you to be a good friend and I sooo glad I had the chance to meet you. Sorry that my motivation and attention strayed, but we have spoken about this. I am already using much of what you taught me, and I promise to dazzle you with my Thai once you come for your visit. I am really looking forward to seeing you here. Good luck in your studies!

Johnny Boy… thanks for the lift to the Airport. Sorry we didn’t hang as much as we could have over the last year and a half, but we were both dealing with our own bags of shit. Take care of the family, and be sure to follow up on Tania’s job leads. There’s always a bed for you over here as soon as you can get away!

Tania, Jason, Jen, and even little Timmy… I didn’t allow myself to make too many close relationships while I was back in Vancouver, but you guys slipped through the screening process. Thanks for the ears, the laughs, the dinner on the Drive, the Ritalin parties… Haha! You guys are wonderful! Timmy never change my friend. There are many people that I have met over my 40 years that have come across so genuine and original. Never change… never change.

Vera… even though we suffered a minor set back before leaving, you are a dear friend. You’ve been there for me through thick and thin, when others chose not to.

I want you all to know that you always have a home with me, wherever that may be. I hope to see you all in SE Asia soon for some laughs and some catching up.

Now, this wouldn’t be me without a few “Bronx cheers” before I sign off:

The PHS in general.
Liz, Mark, Kerstin, the project “managers”, and especially Lil’ Miss Shira
Ryan Griffiths
Rogers Communications
Craigslist flakes

I am sorry if I have omitted anyone, but due to time constraints and a bitchy computer that doesn’t seem to like humidity(I can’t get left mouse clicks to work 50% of the time), I must bid you adieu…

Now, on with the Blog.