Monday, January 28, 2008
Ko Samui
...Not so much. Crowded as hell, more expensive and lots more farang men uh, 'falling in love' with their instant pay-as-you-go Thai girlfriends. SL is grumplestilskin. Was able to get a good cheese and bread fix. And the 10 or so pounds I've lost are gonna be back soon.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Sunset
Does it get any better than speeding along in a longtail boat with your baby, beers in hand, as the sun sets over the Gulf of Thailand, and seeing a giant momma sea eagle swoop down from its cliffside nest to snatch up a fish? Hmmm. Nope.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Disappearing into Thailand
For the first time in over two years, I have just spent two weeks where I have no daily internet or phone service. Admittedly hard for an information junkie like myself, but it's gotten easier as I let my addiction go and take "one day at a time". Online Anonymous?? Top this with basically only having Steve Lynch to talk to for two weeks (no other travelers want to be our friends or talk to us - can't figure out if everyone's all in luuuuuv, or if they are all icky Germans who are freaked out by an interracial couple. I never even considered this to be a possibility until SL pointed it out. Who knows?) and so yeah, I had a couple minor anxiety attacks where I had to go pace up and down the beach for an hour like a caged animal. Shades of my father not sleeping for nights at a time rear their ugly head. I'm getting better. And it's good for me, I know, to let all the day-to-day go while also finally allowing myself to get closer to someone I totally dig.
As time passes here and we enter the second full week of the daily schedule of eat/sleep/beach/read/play in sacred waterfall (in no particular order), I feel the tension of the past two years draining out of my body, and a permanant smile plus true inner strength coming back to me. It's a blessing to have the time to do this, and each additional day here I realize how incredibly fortunate I am.
That said, think we'll have to leave Thaan Sadet next weekend and possibly head to some place on Ko Samui where I can take my spazziness and channel it into 4 days of windsurfing lessons before heading back to Bangkok on the 31st.
(Seriously, though: are there ANY Germans left in their country? Who is running that place? And what's with the nuthugger bathing suits all up in my face all the time??)
As time passes here and we enter the second full week of the daily schedule of eat/sleep/beach/read/play in sacred waterfall (in no particular order), I feel the tension of the past two years draining out of my body, and a permanant smile plus true inner strength coming back to me. It's a blessing to have the time to do this, and each additional day here I realize how incredibly fortunate I am.
That said, think we'll have to leave Thaan Sadet next weekend and possibly head to some place on Ko Samui where I can take my spazziness and channel it into 4 days of windsurfing lessons before heading back to Bangkok on the 31st.
(Seriously, though: are there ANY Germans left in their country? Who is running that place? And what's with the nuthugger bathing suits all up in my face all the time??)
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
MacGyver goes to Thailand
A list of non-clothing items brought by the lovely Steve Lynch in his one small bag to Thailand:
Krazy Glue; 10 feet of duct tape wrapped around a piece of cardboard; 'super bitchin' bandaids; self-threading needles; black and white thread; box and paper matches; zippo lighter; 20 feet of trick line; 2 buttons; 3 Coleman compact towels; dental floss (for emergency stitches, I'm told.); 6 clothespins; jump rope (my request); 50 feet of green rope (clothesline/makeshift luggage carrier/in case we need to drag something); bottle opener; Bacitracin; scissors; 3 sizes of safety pins; nail clippers; 6 AA batteries; twist ties; zipties (2 sizes); 2 large ziplock bags; 2 bottles of Deet spray; Maglight; 3 boxes of tea tree toothpicks; 5 pens; moist towelettes; paper; converter; 4 kinds of gum; a First Aid book; and a tube map of London. Plus 6 books.
He says "once a grip, always a grip." Or is it: once a Boy Scout, always a Boy Scout??? Anyway, we are prepared for whatever comes our way with these supplies. I'm sure we can build some Gilligan bikes using branches and zipties to power things if necessary.
I love this kind of preparation, of course. Best boy ever.
Been in Bangkok for 3 nights fighting against jet lag and the inevitable gasto-intestinal issues, so not so fun except for the $7 one hour daily Thai massages. We are leaving Bangkok tonight on the train and heading south for 2 weeks on Ko Phangan. I'm never eating Thai food in Greenpoint again, for it cannot be called Thai in good conscience.
Krazy Glue; 10 feet of duct tape wrapped around a piece of cardboard; 'super bitchin' bandaids; self-threading needles; black and white thread; box and paper matches; zippo lighter; 20 feet of trick line; 2 buttons; 3 Coleman compact towels; dental floss (for emergency stitches, I'm told.); 6 clothespins; jump rope (my request); 50 feet of green rope (clothesline/makeshift luggage carrier/in case we need to drag something); bottle opener; Bacitracin; scissors; 3 sizes of safety pins; nail clippers; 6 AA batteries; twist ties; zipties (2 sizes); 2 large ziplock bags; 2 bottles of Deet spray; Maglight; 3 boxes of tea tree toothpicks; 5 pens; moist towelettes; paper; converter; 4 kinds of gum; a First Aid book; and a tube map of London. Plus 6 books.
He says "once a grip, always a grip." Or is it: once a Boy Scout, always a Boy Scout??? Anyway, we are prepared for whatever comes our way with these supplies. I'm sure we can build some Gilligan bikes using branches and zipties to power things if necessary.
I love this kind of preparation, of course. Best boy ever.
Been in Bangkok for 3 nights fighting against jet lag and the inevitable gasto-intestinal issues, so not so fun except for the $7 one hour daily Thai massages. We are leaving Bangkok tonight on the train and heading south for 2 weeks on Ko Phangan. I'm never eating Thai food in Greenpoint again, for it cannot be called Thai in good conscience.
Drew Glackin 1963-2008
The NY music scene lost a huge figure this week with the sudden death of Drew Glackin at the age of 44. He was a gem of a guy who played lap steel and/or bass with the Silos, Tandy, the Hold Steady, the Jack Grace Band, and about a million other people. It's impossible to believe that I won't ever see his chatty, hilarious, grinning self, at some random show, or backstage working at Summerstage, or popping up god knows where when I was least expecting him. Or ever see him play again. He truly was someone I was always happy to see.
For more, see the memorial pages here and here.
For more, see the memorial pages here and here.
Friday, January 04, 2008
OUT
To Thailand until Feb 3rd.
There's only electric about 4 hours a day on our beach in Ko Phangan, so we'll see I have ability or inclination to do any posting between my very busy schedule of napping, reading and eating.
There's only electric about 4 hours a day on our beach in Ko Phangan, so we'll see I have ability or inclination to do any posting between my very busy schedule of napping, reading and eating.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
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