heading out....
Yep, heading out of Thailand in 4 days! Lola and I are packing up (well, she is “assisting” me), saying our goodbyes and flying out via Thai Air- the dog friendly airline. Happy and a bit sad to leave.
I will miss many things about Thailand…
…nam taohoo (fresh, hot, soymilk) especially with silken tofu and ginger!- (thank you Hong!)
…bronze skin and white smiles
…so many generous, friendly people!
…crazy bird cry in the morning (sounds like a mad woman’s shriek)
…the lovely teachers and friends here
…knome jeam (Christie- will you send me some in the US?)
…the smooth, deliberate (and sometimes makeshift my hands-are-full) Wai greeting
…colorful, jasmine scented spirit houses and Temples
…chanting Buddhist monks lulling me into deep spirituality
…the sound of victorious Thai accented English voices as they tell me they got accepted into a PhD program abroad, or a job in America after I helped them study
…going “out” to eat for less than $1
…kanah vegetable
...fresh King Montong DURIAN season
…riding “Red” along the dirt canal roads and waving to the kids and ladies as they yell “Hello, hello!”
…empty beaches full of sea shells
…arrogant foreigners (usually Westerners)
…cheap cell phone programs
…the warmth
…excellent, cheap dental care
…pharmacists that diagnose and provide inexpensive medicines without seeing a doctor
…cultural, religious FESTIVALS all throughout the year
…not too many laws-or enforcement thereof- like speed limits, firecrackers, etc.
Things I will not miss…
…starving, mangy, neglected, abused dogs everywhere
…rubber processing stink permeating the air
… burn piles of garbage full of toxics like plastic
…vehicles spewing black, noxious fumes
…lying, deceitful, ignorant, coworkers
…vans/busses/ inconsiderate people noise early in the morning
…stink eye from the van driver/dog hater
…construction across the street from 7:30 am to 11:30 pm
…watching blatant nose picking (at the dinner table especially)
…Slapstick “comedy” on TV
…TV commercials selling whitening products so that the Thai women will only think they are beautiful if they buy the cream, use it and become white skinned
…hong nams with only water and no TP (how DO the Thais manage not to walk around with big wet spots on their pants?)
…the humidity
…beaches covered in trash and broken glass
…litter thrown anywhere and everywhere
So, it is a mixed bag. Like everywhere, I guess. The negatives are pretty overpowering, so I will leave. Hope you will like the photos- I am enjoying my camera immensely!
My itinerary is a bit vague after I fly into LAX on November 3rd. I know that I will be at my buddy Reggie’s house in Hughson (near Modesto) for a week or so and we will hike around in Yosemite a bit. Then will visit friends and family in Sac area, then up to visit Shawna in Oregon- can’t wait to have a cup of coffee with her!- then I guess down to Arizona where I will work somewhere for a few months before I take Lola to Hawaii. I hope to visit as many of you special people as I can. Be in touch via email and let me know if you have time to hook-up, ok?
Well, lots to do-
Hope you are all well and happy!
Monica
posted by Monica @ 9:26 PM
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