Monday

Thought I would start your view with this.. ah those englishman.. but if you got an itch.. guess you should just itch it.. .. I had seen him sitting at a table with a thai woman.. so when he got up and walked away.. I already had the camera out..

To be fair.. we are not the old ones who had no sense of where we are doing what...

Well the cooking school folks came to the place about 9:10 yesterday and of course I had left and was trying to get the taxi driver to go to a place I knew we should go rather than travel around the city...oh well.. since I needed the day.. all is well. I made contact with them and I will go Friday. It really looks great. you go out and pick the veggies and then cook them.. but I will tell you more when it happens. By the way, to give you some idea of the time and effort that goes into the blog and pictures.. especially pictures.. I am on my 4th 100 min.. lots of time.. I often get a latte.. read.. talk to folks etc.. after I do my 1/2 of scrible.

After my late night wrestle with the puter and my folks on the street, I walked the length of the street where the sunday market is located. If you go and go.. you run out of market.. then you run into more market. Near the end, I stopped and had a beer and some veggies and rice. A am Japanese woman asked me to watch her stuff and then a german couple asked her if they could join her table. She had a full fish..head-tail and middle. The German helped her discect it. I thought it looked rather under cookied.. but she said it was excellent. The woman who was waiting on most of the tables had her shoe.. with a small but noise heel that attached with a small bar over her big toe. In spite of all the noise on the street.. all you could hear was clunk click clunk.. and she ran at a canter pace. You had to laugh. she went.. then turned around.. then turned around forgetting something.. clunk click... you could hear her coming. The walk home, while dark was easy.. walk to the end.. turn right.. walk to the electric store.. turn left.. walk to the end the parking lot.. turn right at the end of the parking lot.. then follow the windy road to the red hibiscus. Before I left the market corner, I crawled up on the wall and took a picture of the crowd on the street and the spot where I had taken the pictures of the people crossing.

I stopped at the 7/11 for a beer.. but when I got home.. that wonderful bed looked tooooooo nice. I just about layed down.. no lumps or bumps.. clean.. cool room... no one coming in late.. wonderful... I slept very hard and only briefly woke up out of habit.. it was devine and I would stay here again in a heartbeat. The floor is tile and the bath very neat and clean with good towels.. worth $10 if I had to buy it...

This is a view of the Inn.. as I walk to my room.. with the shoes.. clean and quiet.

And this is the front of the place...I ate breakfast under the umbrella.. it was 130 for eggs - toast - fruit - coffee.. the regular rate. I took off all my jewelry and packed my money and cc in my (really Sheila's) money pouch.. put on thai pants, soft shirt and wholey's and walked about 2-3 blocks to the Health Center and my morning treatments. I got there early since I did not want to be all sweaty. They are pushing cholophyl drink so I had two glasses before I got started. They checked my package as printed on my e-mail and said they would be ready in 10 min. They called me to a room.. gave me some paper pants and a piece of material. I have watched about everyone buy material and drape it around..so I just put on the almost too small black paper mesh underpants and wrapped the material with a beth kinda swager.. I did catch a pic of me in the mirror and I looked a little like granny on the hillbillies trying to go to a royal party.. but oh well..

Phase one of the process was the oil on the head.. this little thing.. named mai.. started to drip oil and push on the bone points over and above the eye brow... wow.. I must have been holding more tension than I thought.. She said it might hurt or I would feel pressure.. she rubbed my head.. and dropped the hot oil and rubbed the back etc.. for about an hour. I could feel some involuntary movement in my legs and feet.. .. the left side.. but while it was not without some soreness.. it was very good and I felt like she was pushing out the extreme tension I have felt for the past several weeks. When she finished.. my head was full of oil.. but she had wiped my face and neck so I was not dripping. She asked me if I would like to peepee before next phase.. I think that is a universal sign.. peepee... so now I have another word in thai. or laos.. etc.. I could see that she was joined by another woman.. and since I was not sure what they would be doing.. the pee pee sounded good. This entire drip and push was done with me under the material. When I came back and climbed up on the table.. face up.. they covered my eyes and started.. it was really something.. they were totally in unison.. and used both hands to rub my feet.. then oil.. then shake on something.. then oil .. then shake on something else.. one hand here.. one hand there.. one hand wherever.. and one hand someplace else.. amazing feeling.. shake.. drip shake.. rub.. I am glad I had the other oil deal since they also had my top naked.. but they were not as person.. and left about a 2 inch line across my chest. they pulled down the top of the paper pants.. but it all felt great. This went on for an hour with me turning over someplace in the process. It was then that I ralized that they had put oil and herbs on me.. I looked like I had fallen off a bridge into a little pad of brown. So when they finished.. I had my oiled hair.. causing my hair to go straight up.. and my body covered in oil and brown goop. Again they were very concerned that I was ok.. helped me off the table..and then tossed me into a wooden box when I sat on a pillow and put my head out a hole in the top. They gave me some more chlorophyl juice and talked to me.. to be sure I was not faint. I could see myself in the mirrow.. what a site.. but no camera.. I finished cooking in about 1/2 hr and then it was off to the showers. Of course it took me some time to figure out the water and to figure which was the soap and shampoo.. but I can tell you .. you don't just jump out of a bucket of oil and brown herbs without a good scrub. I would just think that I got it all.. when there was more. I finally had to use the hand towel to scrub my back.. I could not reach the pile located between my shoulders. I gave the woman what I had.. about 120b and then paid 3000 for the day. That is a great deal.. The place was terrific and I would recommend it for anyone. I picked treatments for my dosha.. but there were many.. including lots of internal clean outs and some kind of an electronic thing that you put her feet in a bucket of water and with some salt and some wires.. there is an explanation.. but for 800 I would rather have 10 beer and see if my hair turns curly.

This is picture of my arm.. the two monk strings were white.. or dirty white yesterday.. today they are saffrin.

The funny thing happened as I was leaving this place.. there appeared to be one woman with her feet in the water..and me.. and then a man came out of another room and was asking something about some time on something.. anyway, when I turned around.. I said.. were you at the sunday market laswt night with a woman with a ponytail.. yes.. he said.. and I said.. I took your picture.. and he laughed... held out his hand and said.. 10 baht please. What are the chances... funny stuff. When I got back to the room.. had a beer and some fruit and realized that my body was still full of herb juice.. .. got some on the sheet.. hope I don't have to buy a sheet.... it does stain....

I would love to bring a group over here to experience this country. I know that I would stay at the red hibiscus.. it is 45 for 2 nights.. both the Galore and the Venthai are much more.. and this is great. It is within a quick tuk to anyplace..and I have walked the entire city.. going this way and then that to cover it all.. I know most of the places that Beth thinks are great to eat at.. and I clear about some of scams and crap at the markets.. there are some bargins.. but many more good things that will not break or are of higher value other places. As I walked about last night.. I thought of the corn hill fest.. lots of shluck.. and some good.. same same but different.

To end this blog for the day.. and before I go to a juice bar that I heard of at the spa... it is now about 3:30...so I will just wander about for a little and then go to a plaza near my room. I am ready to move tomorrow. I have been thinking much about fear. It took me a while to figure what was going on with the group and leader.. and I think it is fear. fear of knowing who you are.. or what you have become.. fear of being alone.. fear of staying or going from a relationship... and maybe in my case... fear that I will becoming to a time when I can't do this.. I know I have people in my acquaitance that would rather stay in thier nice neat house.. but there is so many things to see..and so much to learn from the world.. I want to keep at it for many more years. But.. I think I would rather travel alone than with so much drama..

I know some of you have been worried about my being down.. and it was a down time.. but sleep...and people who have clear heads .. and calm manners.. makes a big diff....

A picture of me in a window.. same bonny... not different...

bye for now...