The Malays I've observed seem to have a vague sense of depression and unease. I wonder if there's a word for that.... Am I playing with words? Yes Siam
Ready for a nap on this rainy day in the big city (seriously) of Hatyai in southern Thailand. I'm in a downtown hotel so I went big, and got a $14 dollar room, woohoo! Smooth sailing on the night boat, we arrived at 4:30 am into Surathani and walked a few blocks to where you can catch the van south to Malaysia. My friend Adam wanted to break up the trip by stopping here in Hatyai, which was a 5 hour ride in a 15 seater van. Not bad for most of it, but at one point I was scrunched in next to a Rashid-like Thai kid talking loud on his cell phone while the music in the van continued to play the very annoying Thai power-ballad shtick that can fucking get to you after 5 hours and not enough sleep. I started singing along at one point 'Please turn the fucking music off' to whatever tune was playing... just needed to vent a little frustration, and miracle of miracles, the music went off about ten minutes later. Oy....
Big rain down here, lots of flooding in sight from the window of the van, still monsoon season here. Hey there's a yankee cap walking by in this mall where they have an internet cafe. My favorite sight so far was a 6 foot statue of Ronald McDonals outside of the restaurant, his hands clasped in prayer pose, which is how the Thais show respect. Uh, yeah, OK. Hard to get 'respect' and 'McDonalds' in the same sentence, but I guess they tried. Can you say 'cognitive dissonance'.
Gonna go to a travel agent in a couple of hours to book the rest of the trip into Malaysia tomorrow. It's 5 or so hours away, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Looking forward to Georgetown on Panang Island. But at the moment I'm more looking forward to a nap. and off I go...
Llega el momento (the moment arrives)
Yeah, when people ask me how long I'll be staying at a particular place, my answer generally is along the lines of 'one day at a time', and today happens to be that day. I guess it came to me in the middle of the night that I was ready to roll, and it came in a feeling of some sadness, some wondering, some resignation that this is the path I've chosen, so here we go. I suppose I could delve into it a little bit, and the first thing that comes to mind is that song by Manu Chao called 'el desaparecido' (the disappeared one). The words really resonate, especially at a moment like this.
Llevo en el cuerpo un dolor I carry in my body a pain
Que no me deja respirar That doesn't let me breathe
Llevo en el alma una condena I carry a condemnation in my soul
Que siempre me echa a caminar That always throws me back on the road
Cuando llegare' cuando llegare' When will I arrive? When will I arrive?
It sounds a bit grim, and there's a part of it which is maybe that, but it's not the only part. I think that maybe it's the price for choosing to live an unconventional existence, at least by US standards. It's funny how when folks in Eugene asked me how long I was going to be gone for, they were kind of dumbfounded when I replied '4 months'. It doesn't really fit the mind-set to cut loose like that. Conversely on the road, it's more or less the norm. People are out for 6 months, 4 months, a year, and it's not a big deal, simply a consciousness shift.
At the moment I'm ducking in out of a rain squall in the 'city' of Thong Sala, which is the commercial and transportation center of Ko Phangan Island. Most of the ferries land here, and it's the place to begin trips back to the mainland, which is my plan. But first I wanted to rent a scooter and tour the island, see some of the places that were inaccessible from my idyllic spot in Than Sadet. 'Inaccessible' because the road to there is a steep, rutted mess that the taxis don't want to tackle if they don't have to. And when the rains hit hard, you can't really get there other than by boat.
But from here, the rest of the island is easily accessible, so I took a nice ride along the coastline to get the sense of what I'd been missing. This place is definitely 'alternative', with yoga centers, health food restaurants, herbal saunas etc. It's very 'Eugene' for lack of a better term, and for any of you hippies out there, this is one of the places in Thailand you want to visit. Good vibe, especially in the off season.
I rented a total dive room because I wanted to stash my pack and guitar before renting the scooter, and I found a place for $7. It will work for one night, and more than likely, I'll be on a boat out of here tomorrow. The plan is still to head south to Malaysia; if I do it in one shot, it's about 18 hours between the boat and the van. Or I could break it up into two segments. Like I say, one day at a time.
I'm feeling very good, ear seems to be getting better thanks to some 'penicillin' I got from the pharmacy. The reason for the quotes is the fact that my doc in Oregon tells me there is lots of counterfeit stuff from China that finds its way to market in the far east, so I'm hoping for the best. Vamos a ver. Or as I said on Facebook, 'I hope this 'penicillin' I'm taking for an ear ache is what it purports to be, rather than say, some powdered monkey balls from China. My ear hasn't responded yet, but on the bright side, I feel like climbing a tree and eating a banana'. (It's feeling a bit better today, so I'm hopeful)
And then I have a paying gig in Chiang Mai on December 3. One of the buddies I made there last year is a great guy, intellectual, quick wit, former fire fighter from San Francisco who is celebrating 30 years since he set foot in Thailand, and he asked me if I'd make some music at his event. It's at the place where I used to play, and where M works, so I'll get to have another installment in that tele novela. John will 'make it worth my while' (whatever the hell THAT means), but I like the idea of having a gig to play in this part of the world. And the weather is a lot cooler in the north which will be nice after sweating it out for the past few weeks. So that's about a week and a half away, during which time I'll go to Georgetown on Panang Island in Malaysia and arrange for a two month Thai visa. Then I'll likely grab a flight to Chiang Mai, because that's one luxury that I like to take advantage of. I don't drink or smoke, so I save a lot of money that most people spend, and I'll use that cash to fly around when I want to.... Life is good!
Llevo en el cuerpo un dolor I carry in my body a pain
Que no me deja respirar That doesn't let me breathe
Llevo en el alma una condena I carry a condemnation in my soul
Que siempre me echa a caminar That always throws me back on the road
Cuando llegare' cuando llegare' When will I arrive? When will I arrive?
It sounds a bit grim, and there's a part of it which is maybe that, but it's not the only part. I think that maybe it's the price for choosing to live an unconventional existence, at least by US standards. It's funny how when folks in Eugene asked me how long I was going to be gone for, they were kind of dumbfounded when I replied '4 months'. It doesn't really fit the mind-set to cut loose like that. Conversely on the road, it's more or less the norm. People are out for 6 months, 4 months, a year, and it's not a big deal, simply a consciousness shift.
At the moment I'm ducking in out of a rain squall in the 'city' of Thong Sala, which is the commercial and transportation center of Ko Phangan Island. Most of the ferries land here, and it's the place to begin trips back to the mainland, which is my plan. But first I wanted to rent a scooter and tour the island, see some of the places that were inaccessible from my idyllic spot in Than Sadet. 'Inaccessible' because the road to there is a steep, rutted mess that the taxis don't want to tackle if they don't have to. And when the rains hit hard, you can't really get there other than by boat.
But from here, the rest of the island is easily accessible, so I took a nice ride along the coastline to get the sense of what I'd been missing. This place is definitely 'alternative', with yoga centers, health food restaurants, herbal saunas etc. It's very 'Eugene' for lack of a better term, and for any of you hippies out there, this is one of the places in Thailand you want to visit. Good vibe, especially in the off season.
I rented a total dive room because I wanted to stash my pack and guitar before renting the scooter, and I found a place for $7. It will work for one night, and more than likely, I'll be on a boat out of here tomorrow. The plan is still to head south to Malaysia; if I do it in one shot, it's about 18 hours between the boat and the van. Or I could break it up into two segments. Like I say, one day at a time.
I'm feeling very good, ear seems to be getting better thanks to some 'penicillin' I got from the pharmacy. The reason for the quotes is the fact that my doc in Oregon tells me there is lots of counterfeit stuff from China that finds its way to market in the far east, so I'm hoping for the best. Vamos a ver. Or as I said on Facebook, 'I hope this 'penicillin' I'm taking for an ear ache is what it purports to be, rather than say, some powdered monkey balls from China. My ear hasn't responded yet, but on the bright side, I feel like climbing a tree and eating a banana'. (It's feeling a bit better today, so I'm hopeful)
And then I have a paying gig in Chiang Mai on December 3. One of the buddies I made there last year is a great guy, intellectual, quick wit, former fire fighter from San Francisco who is celebrating 30 years since he set foot in Thailand, and he asked me if I'd make some music at his event. It's at the place where I used to play, and where M works, so I'll get to have another installment in that tele novela. John will 'make it worth my while' (whatever the hell THAT means), but I like the idea of having a gig to play in this part of the world. And the weather is a lot cooler in the north which will be nice after sweating it out for the past few weeks. So that's about a week and a half away, during which time I'll go to Georgetown on Panang Island in Malaysia and arrange for a two month Thai visa. Then I'll likely grab a flight to Chiang Mai, because that's one luxury that I like to take advantage of. I don't drink or smoke, so I save a lot of money that most people spend, and I'll use that cash to fly around when I want to.... Life is good!
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