This is for brother Chris

life is either a daring adventure or nothing.(H.Keller)..  you can play it safe and be comfortable or you can take the road less traveled and learn that you can stretch your comfort zone and have an adventure that you will remember for a lifetime.  

So today I went for a ride in the country and hoped to end up in the area of the craft shops.   I started down the river road....not a highway but a decent road. the traffic was pretty light so I could stop and take some pictures...such as the rice growing on both sides of the road.

I am not sure if they have any load capacity rules, but none that I could tell.
There appeared to be a rope across the back of the truck near the bottom, but not too sure what was holding the top of the pile on to the truck.  and yes...I took the picture while rolling down the highway...  with Joe's words in my ear.... don't take risks and there is no AAA in Thailand.









You never know who is driving on these roads.  Some of the little folks look about 10.  I stopped at a 7/11 to get a water and was about to ask the driver of the next scooter if I was on the right road when I happened to not the hair cut.  He did not move a muscle just watch me walk about and take pictures.  I think his owner was buying her lunch.  Note he just sat there and when she came out...moved  back without a collar or leash and then rode  off.   You don't see this stuff at the Hyatt..

Well the road took  a turn and there was a little sign with a word that i know to be Hung...so I went that way.  more rice...smaller road...smaller road until I came to this.....note..road on this side....raod on that side...and logs across a "bridge" under construction...  There was a bike...but no driver....now what...




I guess it is universal.... the arrow...means this way...so I went to the arrow. and after a few old prayers from my grade school days..... I drove across...  Now I could be home reading a novel about an adventure...or...I could take the road less traveled.

on the street where I live

Local cheap eats...Pat's of Thailand (also my laundry)

On of the four cooking schools

O

love the numbering system

the bonny shot of the day...behind the pasta

I have been to this farm...but note...flowers everywhere

No numbers but lots of boxes and the ever present muay boxing ad

this is my today breakfast at the peppermint

There is something for everyone

Spirit houses everywhere....bringing out the spirit within.....

touching base with me

I know my last posts sounded more pensive    I don't feel sad.  I smile when  I remember watching last years academy award show on the phone with Georgette and think of my life full of adventures - mistakes, stupid decisions, accomplishments, etc.. all good...all perfect.  I write my quest thinking on here so I can look back over the 400 plus posts and see my location...physical and emotional.   I feel this morning like i was dragged behind a truck...but this too will pass.  I don't know what the 40 yrs of sadness was in my lungs..  I don't cry much... only once on this trip when I felt I had lost my focus by indulging in a couple of beers... but I feel good...here...now... and less worried about getting swallowed up when I come home...my resolve is strong....  I like being quiet in the morning..my meditation time..my qigong start...my big breakfast....even the heat, traffic and body pain from the massage....all good.

ok not so true

I had a detox massage...  not sure if anyone ever had such a think but short of the terrible experience I had with the woman I had in Rochester who beat me up...this was intense.  He works only on your kidneys, spleen, liver, lungs, heart, intestines  and bladder.  The good news... my kidney's and liver are ok.... the bad news...I have 40 years of sadness in my emotional heart that is causing me to have issues.   ok...dumping 40 yrs sounds better than putting a pig valve in my heart and then taking rat poisoning... so I have some work to do.  The interesting things is that 40 yrs is just my KH(T) time... and this trip...Jeni, time in a bottle on the sound system  all have put that time of my life in my mind....so back to the couch.
I will see him three more times... this fri and then next mon & thurs...  I must admit that when a very strong man puts his elbow into your stomach and tell you to breath in your nose and out the mouth with a whooooooo sound... and then adds relax....it is very hard to do.  I could hardly take in any air and then could hardly make a sound.  I admit I could have cried....
and I thought it would be hard to know the dark side of bonny.... just learning that I have sadness was very painful... and knowing that I am fearless and it will be done... made it easier...
guess my body has not heard....nothing is permanent.

feel a coming together

I am impressed with the progress of both my knee and my mouth.   Needless to say this fragile temp crown that is only glued to one tooth, can come out easily so that i can salt water the hole easily and it is clean and healing with no pain...just a hole.. My knee is feeling much stronger but i still can't hold my balance on one leg in class.  I am sure if I get out of my way and put my energy into a tree trunk root with the ground it will be fine. The hardest part is the mind.  Over the years while my observation consciousness has developed fairly well with the senses, my perception of what I am taking in has also grown and learned to label, categorize the raw data and put the sensations into peasant and unpleasant and then quickly react.  Oh the work that must go into making this process simple....and stay at the data level without judgement.... tree...is a tree...but if it can just be a tree without judgement, the potential and possibility is greater that I will come to know the treeness of the tree.  I am sure to most you are saying...she has gone over the edge...and they pulled our more than a tooth root and opened a brain leak...I have learned much about truth and judgement this trip.... only the tip of the process but it is a good step.  At the end of the day...is it more important that you have success or that you know who you are and what is your purpose.   Ok...I  promise a few days of pictures....and here is one of the warrior....

I had some interesting dreams

floated through several phases of my life with several different groups of people.  Think tghe pain med and penicillin is  having a boost to my spiritual effort....    bottom lime of the dreams...
you can't drag anyone down the path...they will practice or not...
without meditation, there is no path....
reading books is not a sub for doing the work.

don't think too much

I was not looking forward  to the dentist trip....knowing i was going to have a root canal....but I kept thinking..this tooth already has a root canal...and when I got to Dr. Lek...sure enough.  They were going to take out the old root canal and put in a new one....if they could.  We took a new ex-ray ..and sure enough... the end of the root canal was a sack of infection and it could not be done.  the sack had to come out.  The extractor would  be there at 5:30....could I come back... bad enough that you get set for the first round but going and coming back really raises the anxiety.    I had dinner... and drove the scooter  back to the dentist.   A very nice woman, with a degree from Germany came in... she did not look like a tooth puller...and she told me several times i am brave...  not  brave..in shock.
with this kind of a tooth.. it might crumble and we will have to cut it out.... oh great.... first a prob  root and then a problem extraction... I asked the universe to help my tooth...and it came out without much problem nor much bleeding.   ordinarily they back the tooth and have you come back but since now will need a new partial plate with two teeth on the right side i am going home...time is of the essence   I suspect my meditation might be out the window since we have until march 9 and he would like many a month.....oh well.  So she popped the temporary crown on...put cotton in my mouth...gave me penicillin  and pain meds and sent me on my way... my next apt is Monday....The best part...   a temporary cap, three dentists, three apt, an partial root canal, three ex=rays...and an extraction   $280.
and I rode the scooter home, had a baked potato and tea...and now I am off to bed.

no burgers no chang

Yesterday when I was out at a rural Wat with Cheryl...I thought about switching to this Wat for my meditation    Here you can read.  I know I could pass time if I could read..... Then I though..what if you were given the opportunity to just be for three days with nothing but you breath and your simple needs being met...walking stepping walking stepping.....breath in.....out....in ...out.  No ...no chang and only rice, water and veggie....breath in and out....the time has come...I have learned a great deal about the world and myself...interpretation and judgement....being me or making others comforable.... a need to know and a need to just be in the now...ah.......

These are some ideas for the festival.... this is a muffin like dough with different fillings... coconut, cheese etc.  the batter is poured into ege rings on a hot grill. - shopping is a very serious task and requires full concentration.... hence I don't shop.

sh

 quail eggs are cooked in a little pan and then served on a paper plate to be slipped into your mouth.....





you can also hve them deep fried.
The sushi below looks great with some shrimp and some veggie.

When I was walking home, I noted a pile of bikes and thought I am glad I am not the bike in the back....but the gent on the last bike told me it was an organized parking lot....you are given a number and then a tag goes on the bike....note the yellow tag....

sunday morning

I will do a pharmacy run today and get some sniffle stopper.  Tomorrow is phase one of the root canal...and I can not be with a runny nose.  Kim got home ok so that phase of the travel is complete.   Now if she falls off the curb in NYC...she is home.  We did very well on the scooter.   Today I will take Cheryl to one of the remote Wat's where there is a dharma talk.  I made an  apt for her to have a scrub and oil with Phat... so she will be relaxed.  Today I will try to take some photos rather than travel    snaps..This room is hot... only gets to 68-70 at night but it feels like the air just hangs in the room.   I have read about the retreat....no books, two meals, lots of sitting and walking...I am ready...

took a ride

South east of the city toward Lumphun.  It is hot...very hot...I can't drink more before dinner since I will be taking Cheryl to dinner and Joe would kill me.  The rural roads are busy but sparce.  this road had many tall trees with monk cloths which made it much cooler... it is great to have no place to go and nothing to do.....

Where do you go
                     I am making a pilgrimage  aimlessly
What is the matter of your pilgrimage?
                     I don't know
Not knowing is the most intimate...

end of phase 2

This was the last day for Kim in the land of smiles.  She surely added to the smiles..both for me and for those that she passed.  On several occasions she was asked if she was Thai.  We did this day like every other.... we got up...organized...did the hotel thing...moved her stuff to Kristi... then we were off for a 2 hr body scrub and oil... The Ellie on our bodies were the only thing not scrubbed and unfortunately I was back to the regular underwear...(phat said don't even bother...but as bad as it is to have a bandage when you need a sling...i wore it..and now talk higher)..
I will help Cheryl arrange a time with Phat.  she is such a very nice woman...and i trust her with my bare essentials.








we then jumped on the scooter....raced to the base of the hill for the Doi suthep and found a songtow to take us up... we wondered about for an hour...putting a Kim bell on the wall and I booked a 3 day retreat for march 4-5-6. another new adventure for me. There are always choices and we probably should have had more time...but we did what was important... I actually thought the massage would be 1.5 hrs... and it was 2.








 We then sped home as fast as the traffic would permit..Kim showered and she was off in a tuk.

What was very funny for me was to watch the scooter man taking a look at the hot chick in the back of the tuk.....and life goes on....and where will be Kim's next venture.

As for me... I went back to bonny...checked in for the night at the unaircon kristi...for $9 a night and had dinner with Jeannine ...ran into H&H and ended the evening enjoying a very rich dessert...and life goes on



It is now after 10...had my morning scare myself with..thinking I lost my camera until i remembered putting it in the cupboard....i will organize my stuff and spend the day being easy.  i was going to take a long ride..but need some sleep and to kick the cold that is trying to crow in my head...not bad...but I want it gone before root canal on Monday...   I will have dinner with Cheryl...something we rarely do and well will both be without our companions... so  same same...but different.

a little catch up

When you try to put a country into 13 days and travel to three cities... it is a bit frantic.. but I think we managed to take some time to spend more time doing some things that will last in us for awhile.  not sure I helped Kim meditate more...but it did not take responsibility for the reminder... which is great for me.  It is strange this year...with the fall and the burning of the fields in Burma happening.  The leaves are falling on the ground at the Nest.  Sorry to say, the little old man, while still alive is now senile and can not remember if he ate breakfast.   I think the nephew is now doing the pick up and they have two goats to do the grass mowing.... and life goes on.

When we walked to the stupa at the top of the hill, the young monks were carrying a motor up the 500 steps....just think of getting the stuff up there. They would get to a rest stop and flop like I would..the one extra guy carried the robes.

When we got to the top....I felt this Guinea hen was looking at me as if I was an evil spirit.  I must admit that I put the walking stick between me and the beak.  He was the hall monitor you did not want to cross.....

of course...the trip to the top is always worth the walk... There is a cave under the stuppa and it has many Buddhas and a memorial to the founding monk.    and the walk is not back since you have much to read.

and when you get to the bottom of the hill....I the non vegan treated myself to a dragon fruit cheese cake.... with a drizzle of dragon sauce and a dollop of whipped cream....hey someone has to eat this...







I wanted to go back to the yard statue.... it is 6 feet tall and bronze.  i tapped it yesterday and I think it is hollow... I suspect around 300 pounds.   It will be shipped to Buffalo in several months and I will have to uhaul it to the house... i have a good marble stab that I will plant and then set this on ....

happy bonny

a little time to catch up

We have covered the city to the interior in 10 days stopping for many massages, dresses, statues, tuks, songtow, plane, train etc... but to end the 12 days at the nest is always the best.  Yesterday we had a 2 hr massage with 1.5 hours of Thai and 1/2 hr of hot herbs... Of course I will never get use to laying on a mat near the pool with no shirt on but that is Sr. Mary somebodies words locked in my head.  We walked up to the Wat on the hill...had breakfast, lunch and dinner and just were easy.   We had dinner  both nites at the Nest 2.    You would hardly recognize the place...a new kitchen...with 6 burners and oh is not having to cook.  both nights were crowded...she has 9 beds and now the restaurant is up over the new kitchen with a fire pit and beautiful place for morning food.  You can tell the folks that have not been here...they are standing around with there  mouth open listening to the birds in the woods.  I hope someone can tell Marti...there are no roosters.  Oh I think of all of us walking the road...and Dan and Ellen and Marti and Liz and enjoying the beer on the porch...that was the most vivid time for me in Thailand... probably the first time is always important.   Also talking with Jodi about taking us up with the elephants...they did not do that very long.... so special....sweet comes to mind.
This will be Kim's last full day in Thailand...she will fly out tomorrow and then home.  I hope that this has given her a time to step out and assess.  Time will tell...but I did my best to lay it at her feet...

it would be very tempting to tie her up and keep her...she is a very nice addition to my trip...but she needs to go home and see if she can keep centered and I need to do my work...and nothing is perminant.

here it is

this is it.....it is just below my wrtist on my left arm

We went to a little shack at the  ENP....with Jody and her son and my four companions looking on. Did it hurt......well i can not tell a lie...it was not a walk in a park....but I am glad I did it.... here we were sitting on a little stool in the middle of the elephant range...in a hut with limited lighting getting a tink.....surreal is hardly the word......

elephants

I will not say to  much.... but first we going and then we weren't going....someone (bonny) had the days mixed and we should have been here yesterday.... oh no... so no room in the inn....and Cheryl offered to go back and let Kim stay...or we could bunk in with them etc..but at the end of the day we are at the enp the songtow is coming tomorrow and we will be at the nest for two night....so here are some pics.

leaving CM

Yesterday was cooking class day, sunday market, dress fitting, and massage day.... It is getting warmer and I still don't have a room for when Kim leaves...but it will work out...

another scooting day

First a little clarification about the statue....I think it is about 5feet tall and it is bronze...I am having it shipped to  Buffalo and then will pick it up in a uhaul and bring him home... will need some real muscle to get it in and located.   I am not sure of the wt...but it is 15000 ($500) to ship.

Yesterday we had to do a market run for towels...so here are a few pics.  I thought the one at the top was interesting...like two buddies having a conversation at work...just different place.  The one at the bottom is a picture of an old picture.of the layoutof the market... you can rather see the river at the top... 

after we went to the dress fitting...then a wat where Kim was interviewed and then the dentist and dinner with a friend.... good day.. and of course...a massage..

how come my elephant doesn't look this good

bringing home a friend

Yesterday was out to shop day and spa....first the spa
I had been there before it is a health spa....where you spend time getting your feet ioned and the water turns strange colors, then you get electrophied with your feet on a pad that if you touch a leaf you get zap,and then you have a four hand body massage with gallions of oil then you get several buckets of oil drizzled on your head and then you sit in a oxygen tent (head out) and try to put oxygen from a house on our body slowly... it was hot... the bed was too hard for my back...and I was worried that I would slither off the bed....but after 4.5 hrs.... i was oiled and detoxed etc.    I had trouble getting hot water out of the shower...and with that much oil...it took a little time to get it off with much soap. We took Henry and Hannah to the Whole Earth last night ... caught a little of the free show and did some rapid shopping.....I don't trust the quality but there were a few things.
Earlier in the day... we were off to look for the statue place H&H had told me about.... on the way  Kim said....oh...there is a dress that I would like....so we stopped at the tailor's and she was measured for two dresses....they will look great on her and give new meaning to little black dress.
as for me.... Ifound my new friend for the back yard... the size....almost my height....a standing buddha with a begging bowl....

same same but different

When I come for a long stay, I get into a routine, get up go do or that... having a new travel companion has given me the opportunity to move sideways and do things differently.   Also, being in the same space all the time takes some conscious  action to get the personal space that is needed for centering and contemplation.   We get a great deal of personal time during our body work times and we are getting a good deal of that.   Yesterday, we booked with Phat and got a full head, arms, body back Thai massage and then hot herbs.  There is some creative juggling around food and last night I sent  back the first food I have ever rejected when a plate of clams and cooked shrimp arrived on my pasta.... Kim was very good in helping me to do that...and while the meal was not perfect....I was able to eat it. Next time, when I am not sure she is telling me that what I ordered is what she understood to be my food... I will ask her to repeat it.   more lessons. We also went for acupuncture and to the Wararot market.  Today, I hear from Rod that he has room in the class, we will start with QiGong and then
Ti Chi and then have something to eat and do a five hour body work... the  black feet deal, electronic in the body, oxygen in the body, oil on the head and the two person body oil... I hope to be able to stand after the experience.  Tomorrow is a the dentist and the Doi Suthep and maybe the pandas. Sunday is cooking class and the Sunday market and Monday off to the ENP.   I am going to see if we can book a room here upon our return from the next and then I will move to the Kristi.... so that is the plan ...my blogging is different, i have not read. eating more places...so same same but different.

two days into one

I am sorry to say ...I have gone over the hill beyond tired.... so this is the short cut story...
Yesterday before we left BKK we took an hour boat ride and then a cab tot he airport...only to find out we should have been on the 1:45 airplane... oh well  after some adjustment and paying a fine...we got on the plane and made it back to CMM....this is from the boat trip

The cartoon was from the back of one of the boats.   Where you see the several boats together...we were rafted up waiting for the canal lock to open.  also note....it is not the Galapagos that has a lizard

Today we started with getting the motor scooter and then breakfast...a tour around town... checking with the elephant park and signing up for cooking school.  we had a pedicure, a visit to angels... a blessing from a monk and then a monk chat.... as you can see we met up with Cheryl and Jen for the monk visit

another beautiful day in paradise

kim's first day in thailand

back in BKK

It  interesting to see something that you know through someone else's eyes Getting Kim at the airport was not without drama and I found myself very shaky wondering how I could miss her.   The airport has three ways into the lobby.  The big sign said...she should be coming out exit C.... but of course..the middle way...is always the way one would choose so she came out exit B.   I had planted myself on a airport buggy (which was not without another story.... I brought my pillow and thought I could balance my butt on a very small piece of real estate when of course the buggy dump and me dumped off...   one thing about grey hair...you get noticed and everyone ran...after being more careful, I was able to stay balanced for better than an hour.) ....I was at the very end of the opening so no one walking out of the spot could help by notice me.... So after an hour after the plane landed...I was in a panic.  The only place in Asia that does not have wifi...the airport.... the only place it was desperately needed was yesterday..   I made an international call to what I believed was her cell...first I put all the info in by key pad then and operator wanted it all again and I was working off of the phone trying to hold the pay phone to my ear with the left hand and trying not to drop the credit card etc.... I was very shaken for it I could not reach her...what then.   I knew she had boarded in Korea....panic.  I have not had the opportunity of that in a long time...my zen was out the window....hi...it is you.... and my reply...where are you....    I found the hotel driver and I am waiting for you.....hang up...together....but it took me some breathing while talking to get myself together.   We had a good first day...Kim showered and we were off to the Wat Pho where she had her first foot massage and now is never leaving Thailand.   it was a leisurely trip down the river and back...although we caught a late boat and it was crowded... I took her down the dark cat alley to dinner...and she had a few seconds of where is this woman taking us...but she had some tempeh/peanut butter and soup...and her first beer.   I am glad she was not doing brain surgery since she was very spaced and could hardly purchase the two pair of pants she was wanting to buy on the way down...so bed pretty early...only an interruption from her father's phone call at 2:45 ....but a good night sleep.   I am going to make the next blog just pics...it will be easier......   so off to the palace, Chinatown and maybe Siam...then back for a swim and meet Cheryl and her friend for dinner.   

flower parade

today was organize my stuff for the next two weeks with Kim... Off to BKK at the early morning... so I will spend the night worrying about getting up.  Today was a very nice day for me...lots of thinking and an easy time with myself.   I had dinner with H&H....juice for lunch and my little hat friend at breakfast without the hat.
The prime time of the day was the flower festival... I only stayed for 2 hrs... it went on for 5hrs... lots of parade..
Today was feet day....and it takes all kinds

And this is a sample of the very beautiful women and men and flowers.

Scott was wondering if I was texting on my scooter....no not so since I can't get WiFi on the run....but that did not stop this local....Oh are you suppose to look where you are driving......