Running little errands around Georgetown today, first stop was the local 7-11, believe it or not, where I picked up a small package of laundry soap, as it was a perfect day to do some handwashing of my wardrobe (such as it is). I've basically been living in a couple pairs of shorts and 6 or 7 tee shirts and it was time to get 'em clean, in advance of my trip to northern Thailand day after tomorrow. There is a place out back of the guest house where there are buckets, a spigot and lines for hanging wet clothes, and as the day looked like a sunny one, I figured the time was right.
I totally enjoy hand washing my stuff, especially since there isn't that much of it, and it's truly satisfying to get it cleaned and hung and drying in the sun. The simple things, I know, and it will be nice to have fresh clothes for the next while. Feels good on the wrists as well. I'm keeping my eye on the sky to make sure we don't have one of those familiar cloudbursts that come up real quickly and drench the town. So far so good.
Walked with a friend to a vegetarian Chinese place for lunch, buffet style, very fresh nonetheless, where you grab a plate and a portion of rice, then go down the line adding your tofu, different kinds of veggies, a bunch of things I didn't recognize, all tasty and healthy. We were the only foreigners in the place, so it's clearly a popular spot for the locals. $2 and really good, I'll be back.
I've been wanting a haircut and I've noticed this Indian guy's place, so I dropped in there and got myself a good cut with Indian pop music in the background. After he was done cutting with scissors and trimming with a razor, he poured some cooling stuff into my scalp and vigorously worked it in, followed by some percussive pounding of my head, followed by grabbing my hair, telling me to relax and then wham, a serious chiropractic neck twist with major cracking on both sides of my spine. It kind of startled me at the time, but I feel pretty darn released now that it's over. $5 for a combination haircut and neck adjustment, who knew?
Picked up a pair of reading glasses from an elderly Chinese gentleman who had a table out in fron of his shop. My dollar store specials haven't fared too well, and I was down to a single pair, so I decided to spend the big bucks ($3) on some better ones. Got to have my reading specs.
I also booked my van ride back into Thailand for the day after tomorrow, leaving 5am for the airport in Hadyai about 4 hours away. From there it's a direct flight north to Chiang Mai and an extended stay in that travelers mecca. I think I'll rent a place for a month and give myself a chance to do some learning of one sort or another. I'm definitely considering some kind of formal study of the language so I can get a foothold no matter where I am in the country. It's a tonal language and I want to see if I can have some success with it. It seems really difficult, including the fact that the alphabet looks more like Arabic than English.
And finally a small word of advice to some people I've been meeting who tend to dominate the conversation. I know you want to be heard, and might I gently suggest that people will listen to you more if you listen better yourself. Or to put it another way, shut the fuck up already. (with all due respect, of course)
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