I don't know what it is about this place Chiang Mai, but it seems to bring out a serious creative surge in my consciousness. I guess some people go to the ocean, some go to the mountains, I seem to go to the city to find my muse. I suppose I could be this focused in Eugene, but between the computer, the phone, the television and the friends, I don't seem to get it done on a consistent basis. Here I'm anonymous, I'm happily without a phone, tv or computer, so the day stretches out and offers many opportunities to create. It works, somehow. (feels like it's my nature)
Of course at the moment, I'm listening to a football game on headphones (Go Ducks!), which totally belies the first paragraph, but I'll allow myself the slight diversion (at least until half time) and then get more serious about digging in to my inner world. Ah yes, the little ironies of life.
But hey, maybe I can use this little chunk of time to see if I can still compose some prose while a soundtrack of college sports is trying to distract me, like that guru I read about who dropped acid and was hardly affected, he just wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. (or something like that). Yeah, that's me alright, a guru (he said mockingly).
I love being in this town, and by town, I mean a city of over a million people in northern Thailand, which is a magnet for westerners looking for a safe and cheap and beautiful place to spend time. Yesterday I took a long walk to find the YMCA, which I hear is the place to go for good language instruction. It turns out that there is a 10 hour course that will start on Tuesday (in a few days) and it meets 5 times for two hours each over a two week period. I'm gonna do it, just to get a little leg up on the language. I'd rather do the 30 hour class, but the next one doesn't begin until mid-January, so this is my best option. For $50, I'll see what I can learn. Got tostart somewhere.
Tonight I'm gonna debut a brand new custom song for my friend John Fengler, who has invited me to be part of his big party. He's a really cool dude, early 50s, spent 30 years as a fire fighter in San Francisco which gives him a great pension (duh!) and he's making a life in Thailand, now in love with a beautiful woman (her name is Kui)who he's bringing home to meet his mom in NY next week. He's a very witty, good looking dude, and we hit it off well. So as is my style, I tried to come up with a little composition to share at the party. It's another of my old time swing things, and here's the lyric.
Some guys seem to have a spark
You know the one that lights up the dark
And Johnny, he's got what it takes
He got style, he got class
He'll smile while he kicks your ass
Yeah Johnny, he's got what it takes
He's got that joie de vivre, believe you me
On the highway to happiness, he's got the key
He's been all around the world
Now he's wrapped all around his girl
Yeah Johnny, he's got what it takes
Me, I don't go in for that fancy jargon
But I swear he's a real life Captain Morgan
He's been all around the world
Now he's wrapped all around his girl
Yeah Johnny, he's got what it takes
Everyone says you'd best beware
Don't fall in love when you're over there
That's an error you shouldn't make
But I'll lay it out and say it strong
Sometimes the cynics are just flat wrong
Kui and Johnny, they got what it takes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another thing I've been working on is scat singing, and I wonder why I never tried it before. It's a little risky, but as I listen to myself, it's sounding pretty good, like taking a jazz solo over top of the swing chords that I'm playing. Some guys will play harmonica or whatever, and that never quite felt like the thing for me, but at this point, my rhythm playing is really good and jazzy, and it's just beggin for a solo over top of the harmony. so I'm giving it a shot. Like I say, why did it take me this long to realize the opening. Oh well, whatever... Looking forward to this party tonight, and I might try and rustle up some music students who would pay me a little something something to learn about how music works. I love sharing that information and seeing the light go on for people. (and it would be nice to have a way to earn some baht on the road)
Mickey sent me a quick joke that I've been telling the past couple of days, and it's getting a laugh.
Male rabbit to female rabbit.... 'This won't take long, did it?'
Truckin'
From Chiang Mai, after a fairly tough travel day. I stayed up late the last night in Georgetown, then of course I couldn't sleep and had to be up at 5am for a four hour mini-van ride across the border to Hatyai, where I was to catch a plane to Chaing Mai. Part of the reason I was up late is because I was making some music with the 'night guy' at the guest house, and he just wouldn't let me stop. He was a 59 year old, mostly toothless Chinese dude who is nuts about American music, particularly the shmaltzy power ballad stuff that you'd sing in Kareoke. It got comical, as any word you'd say would launch him into a song he knew that had that word in it. I guess you had to be there. It was highly comic.
So I got maybe an hour of sleep, tossing and turning til the van came, and as soon as I stepped inside, my senses were assaulted by the perfume that this overweight German woman was wearing (in an enclosed van for 4 hours). I moved as far away from her as I could, to the back of the van, but it was hideous. Um Frau Tubby, what the fuck are you thinking? I was hating her pretty good, and now I have a cold, which is probably a coincidence, but what the hell, let me hate her some more anyway. I'm not usually ultra sensitive to smells, but this really got to me.
So I got to the airport in Hatyai Thailand with my newly acquired two month visa and a bad case of the sniffles, then had to wait about 4 hours until the plane up north. No internet in the airport so I was left to my own devices, which worked out well, as I spent some creative time working on this comedy idea for a song about language difficulties in the far east. I sat in a cafe, pulled out my notebook and guitar and made myself laugh. Here's the first draft of the text.
It sounds so wrong when you say 'so long'
(he) Do you like a riddle (she) I like a little
(he) I'm a bit rusty (she) I'm a bit lusty
I bought a present. It's pleasant
I feel blessed. You feel my breast?
Can you wear something racy? I have something lacy
Do you have any rice? I have some lice
You're being rude! No you're being lewd!
That's quite a rack. That's quite a lack
You're full of crap. You're full of clap
So flee if you want to be free. Flee if you want to be free.
You do me right when you do me long
You do me light when you do me wrong
I ripped your stocking when I lipped your stocking
I was bereft when she left
and my favorite... Get down on your knees and play
Anyhow, I think you get the drift. It's not done yet, though the material is mostly there, now I need to arrange it in some kind of sequence, perhaps along the lines of a relationship that starts out good but goes south. (Not that I'd have any knowledge or experience about such stuff, but I'll try and imagine....)
The reason I put 'Truckin' as the title is twofold. One because I put on some miles yesterday, and the second is because of that line in the song which came to mind when I saw M for the first time in 9 months.
What in the world ever became of Sweet Jane
She lost her sparkle you know she isn't the same
Livin' on reds, vitamin C and cocaine
All a friend can say is 'ain't it a shame'
She looks bedraggled, as would be the case for a 40 year old woman who smokes and drinks a lot, it takes a toll. I had emailed her 5 days ago letting her know that I'd be showing up on such and such a date, but she was surprised to see me, hadn't checked her email in awhile. She showed up late for work, and just didn't have the sparkle. Eyes not quite clear, skin not quite clear, she just didn't have that healthy feeling, and I feel like I made the right move by sensing it from a distance and letting her know that 'we will see' how things are when I get there, rather than, 'I can't wait to see you'. And no, that's not the reason for her downward turn, it's the alcohol and the tobacco and the denial, and there's really nothing I can do about that. When someone is ready to turn it, they'll turn it. I feel badly for her, as she carries a lot of baggage from a very difficult childhood, and it continues to manifest. I think that this is one time that my heart and brain will trump my dick. (I've been on the opposite end of that calculus too, God knows)
So I'm back in Chiang Mai, and it feels like a place to write and create and have friends and a social life (in many senses). I'm back at the Royal Guest House where I stayed last year, I have a great internet cafe where I can get two hours online for 60 cents, while I drink a cup of coffee from the place next door. I have a place to play music where they dig me. I sat in last night, broke out the new reggae song (Bhang Lassie) and it was a big hit. It's perfect because it's 3 chords so anyone can play along, and people loved it. If you'd like to hear it, you can 'friend' me on Facebook and it's there on my wall.
When I leave here after writing, I'm going to the YMCA which I hear is the best place to take a course in Thai. It's time for that challenge, I hear it's two hours a day (which is about the maximum for my ADD brain), so I'll see about getting started. Tomorrow night is John's big party, for which I've come to town as a guest artist, and I'm working on a new song to break out there in his honor. We hung out some last night and it was great to see him. A mensch, kind of a golden boy type, now deeply in love and engaged to a beautiful woman from here. I wish them the absolute best. Party manana, hopefully I'll be healthy and in good form to perform. I believe that I will, yes I do.
Hey somebody, drop me a comment or something, it's as though nobody reads this. Zero comments, zero comments. Do I need some attention? just a touch, maybe... :-)
So I got maybe an hour of sleep, tossing and turning til the van came, and as soon as I stepped inside, my senses were assaulted by the perfume that this overweight German woman was wearing (in an enclosed van for 4 hours). I moved as far away from her as I could, to the back of the van, but it was hideous. Um Frau Tubby, what the fuck are you thinking? I was hating her pretty good, and now I have a cold, which is probably a coincidence, but what the hell, let me hate her some more anyway. I'm not usually ultra sensitive to smells, but this really got to me.
So I got to the airport in Hatyai Thailand with my newly acquired two month visa and a bad case of the sniffles, then had to wait about 4 hours until the plane up north. No internet in the airport so I was left to my own devices, which worked out well, as I spent some creative time working on this comedy idea for a song about language difficulties in the far east. I sat in a cafe, pulled out my notebook and guitar and made myself laugh. Here's the first draft of the text.
It sounds so wrong when you say 'so long'
(he) Do you like a riddle (she) I like a little
(he) I'm a bit rusty (she) I'm a bit lusty
I bought a present. It's pleasant
I feel blessed. You feel my breast?
Can you wear something racy? I have something lacy
Do you have any rice? I have some lice
You're being rude! No you're being lewd!
That's quite a rack. That's quite a lack
You're full of crap. You're full of clap
So flee if you want to be free. Flee if you want to be free.
You do me right when you do me long
You do me light when you do me wrong
I ripped your stocking when I lipped your stocking
I was bereft when she left
and my favorite... Get down on your knees and play
Anyhow, I think you get the drift. It's not done yet, though the material is mostly there, now I need to arrange it in some kind of sequence, perhaps along the lines of a relationship that starts out good but goes south. (Not that I'd have any knowledge or experience about such stuff, but I'll try and imagine....)
The reason I put 'Truckin' as the title is twofold. One because I put on some miles yesterday, and the second is because of that line in the song which came to mind when I saw M for the first time in 9 months.
What in the world ever became of Sweet Jane
She lost her sparkle you know she isn't the same
Livin' on reds, vitamin C and cocaine
All a friend can say is 'ain't it a shame'
She looks bedraggled, as would be the case for a 40 year old woman who smokes and drinks a lot, it takes a toll. I had emailed her 5 days ago letting her know that I'd be showing up on such and such a date, but she was surprised to see me, hadn't checked her email in awhile. She showed up late for work, and just didn't have the sparkle. Eyes not quite clear, skin not quite clear, she just didn't have that healthy feeling, and I feel like I made the right move by sensing it from a distance and letting her know that 'we will see' how things are when I get there, rather than, 'I can't wait to see you'. And no, that's not the reason for her downward turn, it's the alcohol and the tobacco and the denial, and there's really nothing I can do about that. When someone is ready to turn it, they'll turn it. I feel badly for her, as she carries a lot of baggage from a very difficult childhood, and it continues to manifest. I think that this is one time that my heart and brain will trump my dick. (I've been on the opposite end of that calculus too, God knows)
So I'm back in Chiang Mai, and it feels like a place to write and create and have friends and a social life (in many senses). I'm back at the Royal Guest House where I stayed last year, I have a great internet cafe where I can get two hours online for 60 cents, while I drink a cup of coffee from the place next door. I have a place to play music where they dig me. I sat in last night, broke out the new reggae song (Bhang Lassie) and it was a big hit. It's perfect because it's 3 chords so anyone can play along, and people loved it. If you'd like to hear it, you can 'friend' me on Facebook and it's there on my wall.
When I leave here after writing, I'm going to the YMCA which I hear is the best place to take a course in Thai. It's time for that challenge, I hear it's two hours a day (which is about the maximum for my ADD brain), so I'll see about getting started. Tomorrow night is John's big party, for which I've come to town as a guest artist, and I'm working on a new song to break out there in his honor. We hung out some last night and it was great to see him. A mensch, kind of a golden boy type, now deeply in love and engaged to a beautiful woman from here. I wish them the absolute best. Party manana, hopefully I'll be healthy and in good form to perform. I believe that I will, yes I do.
Hey somebody, drop me a comment or something, it's as though nobody reads this. Zero comments, zero comments. Do I need some attention? just a touch, maybe... :-)
Georgetown farewell....
Well you can't win 'em all; I tried to go visit the botanical garden which I hear is a beautiful jungle spot with mucho monkeys, but the bus just never came. Gave up after an hour. I have just tonight left here in Georgetown, then catch a 5am cross-the-border van back into Thailand with my two-month visa, and a 1:30 flight from Hatyai to Chiang Mai. Looking forward to the cooler weather, the reconnect with some friends, and a chance to rent a place for a month (or more) and see what happens. I will also see M and I have exactly no idea about what that will be like. There is a pretty big range of options, and I'm guessing that we will be 'friends' (whatever that means, eh?)
It's been a pretty interesting stay here; great and cheap food, as expected, a colorful mix of Chinese temples, mosques, Indian restaurants, lots of street life, a healthy mix of tourists, most here on a visa run of one sort or another, all stearming together in the tropical heat. Shade is a big commodity, because under cover, with a fan spinning above is plenty comfortable. I was in a large shaded food court this afternoon with about 12 different food vendors, a central place that serves iced tea and iced coffee and juices and then forty or fifty tables filled with the typical cross section of Georgetown society. It was like the old 5th St Market used to be, a perfect place to hang out, grab some food, sit with friends and let the hours go by. Great vibe in there. No walls, just a large pitched roof above, ceiling fans and good energy.
Probably the highlight of the visit here was connecting with a great couple, Giovanni from Italy 58, and his wife Asami from Japan, 38. They are long term travelers, loosely based in Italy, but they spend months and years at a time in Asia, often in the 'rainbow' circuit, which is a descendant of the hippie movement of the 60s and 70s. I had pulled out my guitar one night in the guest house and they immediately gravitated in my direction, and we've been spending time together for most of the week, sharing meals and music, laughs and ideas. They are both deep thinkers, vegetarians (for the most part) and it's an easy connection. They told me about a Shambala festival outside of Chiang Mai in February, organized by some Japanese hipsters, and if I'm in the area, I'll go there.
Giovanni has that typical Italian way of expressing himself with lots of gestures, 'mamma mias' and facial expressions. He studies a lot online, is fairly paranoid about chem-trails, 'the illuminati' and other sinister plots, but it doesn't dominate the interaction. He's a strong proponent of the energy which happens in the rainbow community, 'the music is fantastic, the young people, mamma mia, amazing'. This in contrast to his disdain for the typical traveler of today, who doesn't really connect, gets into his little laptop world and seems oblivious to the otside world. I goof on him some, 'Yeah things were much better in the old days', but it's a good solid connection, and chances are good that this isn't the last we'll see of one another. Asami is super cool, kind of a darker skinned Japanese woman, looks almost Tibetan, and a total delight to be around. She gets the jokes and we've been doing a lot of laughing together. Mutual respect, great interaction, it's kind of why we travel, right? Yeah!
Lots of interesting characters running around town, and for some reason, all I have to do is pull out the guitar and here they come. The other day I was playing a bit on the main drag and this young guy comes by and asks if I play flamenco. No, but I did buy the guitar in Sevilla and it's a flamenco guitar, why, do you play? and I offer him the guitar. He's a great player, got the long flamenco finger nails (I should have guessed) and he made it sound really good. And as so often happens, he was envious of my ability to just sing and play so easily (he has a hard time singing), and I was wishing I could play like he could. It's not envy, more like a natural appreciation of a skill that the other possesses and we lack. If he could sing like me, if I could play like him, WOW! Gathering the sparks to make a fire. He was another Italian, Rafael 25 who is working as a tour guide out of Phuket. (pronounced poo ket, for any of you wise guys out there :-)
Final character is David, 62 out of East London, but been in India and Asia for decades, though he sounds like an 'east ender' with that unmistakable accent. He's fit, bald, looks like Patrick Stewart, former junkie, survived, great with a story, does some body work, loves the women, a million stories and very entertaining. Real good looking guy in his silk shirt from Nepal, holding forth with one tale after another, no one can entertain like a Brit or an Irishman for my money. We hit it off real well, and when we see each other, we tend to sit down for a few minutes and have at it. Once again it's that mutual respect thing.
I've had a nice week at the Pin Seng guest house; they like me, call me 'Mr Guitar Man' (with a Chinese accent) and enjoy it when I pull it out and make a little music in the lobby. I've been paying $7/night and I'd come back here next time I'm in Georgetown. It's not exactly home, but it's comfortable and colorful. Glad I came and ready to experience the next chapter....
Just grabbed my guitar to take a final spin through town. Walked into a cool gallery, young artists, one of whom had a ukulele, and we jammed, had a blast, the universal language and all that stuff. That's the magic of traveling with a guitar, all I have to do is pull it out and the world opens up and invites in the folks who respond to music... my folks, as it turns out. What a gift!
It's been a pretty interesting stay here; great and cheap food, as expected, a colorful mix of Chinese temples, mosques, Indian restaurants, lots of street life, a healthy mix of tourists, most here on a visa run of one sort or another, all stearming together in the tropical heat. Shade is a big commodity, because under cover, with a fan spinning above is plenty comfortable. I was in a large shaded food court this afternoon with about 12 different food vendors, a central place that serves iced tea and iced coffee and juices and then forty or fifty tables filled with the typical cross section of Georgetown society. It was like the old 5th St Market used to be, a perfect place to hang out, grab some food, sit with friends and let the hours go by. Great vibe in there. No walls, just a large pitched roof above, ceiling fans and good energy.
Probably the highlight of the visit here was connecting with a great couple, Giovanni from Italy 58, and his wife Asami from Japan, 38. They are long term travelers, loosely based in Italy, but they spend months and years at a time in Asia, often in the 'rainbow' circuit, which is a descendant of the hippie movement of the 60s and 70s. I had pulled out my guitar one night in the guest house and they immediately gravitated in my direction, and we've been spending time together for most of the week, sharing meals and music, laughs and ideas. They are both deep thinkers, vegetarians (for the most part) and it's an easy connection. They told me about a Shambala festival outside of Chiang Mai in February, organized by some Japanese hipsters, and if I'm in the area, I'll go there.
Giovanni has that typical Italian way of expressing himself with lots of gestures, 'mamma mias' and facial expressions. He studies a lot online, is fairly paranoid about chem-trails, 'the illuminati' and other sinister plots, but it doesn't dominate the interaction. He's a strong proponent of the energy which happens in the rainbow community, 'the music is fantastic, the young people, mamma mia, amazing'. This in contrast to his disdain for the typical traveler of today, who doesn't really connect, gets into his little laptop world and seems oblivious to the otside world. I goof on him some, 'Yeah things were much better in the old days', but it's a good solid connection, and chances are good that this isn't the last we'll see of one another. Asami is super cool, kind of a darker skinned Japanese woman, looks almost Tibetan, and a total delight to be around. She gets the jokes and we've been doing a lot of laughing together. Mutual respect, great interaction, it's kind of why we travel, right? Yeah!
Lots of interesting characters running around town, and for some reason, all I have to do is pull out the guitar and here they come. The other day I was playing a bit on the main drag and this young guy comes by and asks if I play flamenco. No, but I did buy the guitar in Sevilla and it's a flamenco guitar, why, do you play? and I offer him the guitar. He's a great player, got the long flamenco finger nails (I should have guessed) and he made it sound really good. And as so often happens, he was envious of my ability to just sing and play so easily (he has a hard time singing), and I was wishing I could play like he could. It's not envy, more like a natural appreciation of a skill that the other possesses and we lack. If he could sing like me, if I could play like him, WOW! Gathering the sparks to make a fire. He was another Italian, Rafael 25 who is working as a tour guide out of Phuket. (pronounced poo ket, for any of you wise guys out there :-)
Final character is David, 62 out of East London, but been in India and Asia for decades, though he sounds like an 'east ender' with that unmistakable accent. He's fit, bald, looks like Patrick Stewart, former junkie, survived, great with a story, does some body work, loves the women, a million stories and very entertaining. Real good looking guy in his silk shirt from Nepal, holding forth with one tale after another, no one can entertain like a Brit or an Irishman for my money. We hit it off real well, and when we see each other, we tend to sit down for a few minutes and have at it. Once again it's that mutual respect thing.
I've had a nice week at the Pin Seng guest house; they like me, call me 'Mr Guitar Man' (with a Chinese accent) and enjoy it when I pull it out and make a little music in the lobby. I've been paying $7/night and I'd come back here next time I'm in Georgetown. It's not exactly home, but it's comfortable and colorful. Glad I came and ready to experience the next chapter....
Just grabbed my guitar to take a final spin through town. Walked into a cool gallery, young artists, one of whom had a ukulele, and we jammed, had a blast, the universal language and all that stuff. That's the magic of traveling with a guitar, all I have to do is pull it out and the world opens up and invites in the folks who respond to music... my folks, as it turns out. What a gift!
Ode to the little things....
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)
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)
Nov 28, Muslim Holiday in Malaysia
I'm trying to figure out exactly what the holiday is, without much success yet, but I'll get a handle on it before the day is done.... got to talk to some more Muslims. OK here it is... Awal Muharram, first day of the first month of the year (named Muharram). (rosh hashana, but maybe I won't mention that particular analogy) Interesting that today is my mom's birthday, she who has recently severed ties with her long time Jewish community (it's a long story), and today is a Muslim holiday. I'm sure there's some connection I could make, (but it ain't coming quite yet)
Feels like a day to stay quiet, after yesterday's foray into the wilds of Monkey Beach. I need a new book to read, maybe get a haircut, Geez, this is some fascinating reading, huh? But I have a lightness in my heart that I quite enjoy, a sense that things are good and simple and everything is as it should be.
I found a park along the esplanade where kids play on the swings there is a shady place to sit and read, maybe grab the guitar, stretch out and let the day happen. Georgetown is a busy place, so it's nice to have a little retreat in the city where I can get out of the traffic and stretch out, knock out some pushups and crunches, just live, nothing complicated about it.
After scratching my way through the past three nights, I changed rooms, got a cheaper one that doesn't have bedbugs (I had thought maybe there were some invisible mosquitoes that had been plaguing me), so now I have a small $7 room with a light and a fan and no critters. Ah yes, the basic things. Bathroom down the hall, the place is clean (they mop the floors every day), and it's a good spot, especially minus the bugs. Oh well, they got 'em in Manhattan too, along with the rats.
Yeah, this town is big on rats, apparently. The sewers flow under the sidewalks and every now and again I catch a glimpse of a good sized rat heading for cover. There must be millions of them underground. (nice image) 'Come to Georgetown where every year is the year of the rat'
Happy Holiday!
Feels like a day to stay quiet, after yesterday's foray into the wilds of Monkey Beach. I need a new book to read, maybe get a haircut, Geez, this is some fascinating reading, huh? But I have a lightness in my heart that I quite enjoy, a sense that things are good and simple and everything is as it should be.
I found a park along the esplanade where kids play on the swings there is a shady place to sit and read, maybe grab the guitar, stretch out and let the day happen. Georgetown is a busy place, so it's nice to have a little retreat in the city where I can get out of the traffic and stretch out, knock out some pushups and crunches, just live, nothing complicated about it.
After scratching my way through the past three nights, I changed rooms, got a cheaper one that doesn't have bedbugs (I had thought maybe there were some invisible mosquitoes that had been plaguing me), so now I have a small $7 room with a light and a fan and no critters. Ah yes, the basic things. Bathroom down the hall, the place is clean (they mop the floors every day), and it's a good spot, especially minus the bugs. Oh well, they got 'em in Manhattan too, along with the rats.
Yeah, this town is big on rats, apparently. The sewers flow under the sidewalks and every now and again I catch a glimpse of a good sized rat heading for cover. There must be millions of them underground. (nice image) 'Come to Georgetown where every year is the year of the rat'
Happy Holiday!
Monkey Beach in the National Park of Panang
Took an hour bus ride out of Georgetown to go to the National Park which is on the north coast of Penang Island. While waiting for the bus, I ran into my Basque friend Cristobal, and he was heading the same way, along with another amigo from Spain. So we had a chance to catch up a bit while trying to get out of town. There was a lot of traffic and it seemed to take forever to get into the countryside but eventually we did, leaving the high rises and fancy beachfront condos behind.
The national park has free admission, and I went in alone, because the two Spaniards needed to find a room to leave their gear in. Took a great hourlong walk on a jungle trail, over wooden bridges, past monkeys, huge lizards (one was up to 6 feet long), and I made it to 'Monkey Beach' which was about two sweaty miles away. Just loved being out in it again, pouring sweat, getting in the water when I got to the beach, marveling at the huge trees, vines, animals on the path.
At the beach there was a little scene with some boats, locals, westerners enjoying the sand and sea. I hung for about an hour or leas, then headed back, wanting to make sure I made it well before dark. It turned out to be a good move as a tremendous thunder storm blew in shortly after I made it back to the covered bus stop. I was wet anyway from having swum and sweated, more clammy than wet, actually, and it turned out to be a bit of a drag because the bus ride back was in a freezingly air-conditioned coach, and the traffic was hideous. We crawled and I froze; it was all I could do to keep myself in the bus, I was so impatient and shivering. But there was really nothing to do but suck it up as I was too far away to walk it in, and a taxi would be stuck in the same mess. Turns out that the traffic jam was due to a national holiday tomorrow, just one of those things. But I was really ungrounded by the ordeal.
Now that I'm fed and showered I can look back and not have the great day be spoiled by a miserable ninety minutes in a freezing bus. It would have been much worse if I had been drenched, so I can be grateful for that. Most memorable moment was coming upon a six foot monitor lizard in the path. Fortunately he was running away from me, because if he wasn't, I'd have been running away from him. HUGE!
The national park has free admission, and I went in alone, because the two Spaniards needed to find a room to leave their gear in. Took a great hourlong walk on a jungle trail, over wooden bridges, past monkeys, huge lizards (one was up to 6 feet long), and I made it to 'Monkey Beach' which was about two sweaty miles away. Just loved being out in it again, pouring sweat, getting in the water when I got to the beach, marveling at the huge trees, vines, animals on the path.
At the beach there was a little scene with some boats, locals, westerners enjoying the sand and sea. I hung for about an hour or leas, then headed back, wanting to make sure I made it well before dark. It turned out to be a good move as a tremendous thunder storm blew in shortly after I made it back to the covered bus stop. I was wet anyway from having swum and sweated, more clammy than wet, actually, and it turned out to be a bit of a drag because the bus ride back was in a freezingly air-conditioned coach, and the traffic was hideous. We crawled and I froze; it was all I could do to keep myself in the bus, I was so impatient and shivering. But there was really nothing to do but suck it up as I was too far away to walk it in, and a taxi would be stuck in the same mess. Turns out that the traffic jam was due to a national holiday tomorrow, just one of those things. But I was really ungrounded by the ordeal.
Now that I'm fed and showered I can look back and not have the great day be spoiled by a miserable ninety minutes in a freezing bus. It would have been much worse if I had been drenched, so I can be grateful for that. Most memorable moment was coming upon a six foot monitor lizard in the path. Fortunately he was running away from me, because if he wasn't, I'd have been running away from him. HUGE!
City Living, Malaysian style
Moving slow, as would befit the pace in a very warm climate. For some reason I'm still surprised every morning when I leave the guest house and am struck by the daily heat wave which is Malaysia. I tried a pithy quote on Facebook to try and capture the idea....
"Weather forecast for Malaysia: Yesterday-Hot, Today-Freakin' Hot, Tomorrow-Hot as a mofo, Next day, Extraordinarily warm, Day after-Holy Crap, Next day, Hades-like, Day after-Sweltering.... followed by 'Lord a Mighty Steamin'... I think I get the pattern" It's reminiscent of Eugene where you can sometimes look at the 5 day forecast in the paper to see, rain, showers, precipitation, wet periods and storms, as if there's a difference.
Here people just accept it, I suppose, and I do too, (somewhat reluctantly), it's just the way it is. For people who have lived here always, it's normal, and most wear long pants, although some of the locals are starting to sport shorts. And of course the Muslim women have to wear the black head scarf. Maybe that's why they're so hot. bad joke.
I have slight regret that I'm not still living in that paradise of Than Sadet where I swam every day and felt phenomenal. I still feel great, but there's nothing like being in the ocean and the jungle. Here it's a busy seaport so I'd have to find a different place on the island to enjoy that sort of thing. The city is interesting but you can't replace what I was experiencing a week ago.
Part of the good vibe here is that I've totally shed the western layer of bread and pasta and I'm now brown and trim, like a whole new guy. I think it has to do with not having a car and TV to lull me into that lazy stupor. Gracias a Dios, it's way better this way, and hey, if I have to go around the world for the SE Asia diet, so be it. Feels worth it to eat light and keep active. (semi active anyhow, it's still hot as a mofo)
I laid low today, took a walk to the shore and hung out in the shade watching the ferries, grabbed a little Indian food and coffee for breakfast, then back to the room for the fan and the rest of my book. I'm also working on the next tune, this one for my friend whose party I'll play at next Saturday night in Chiang Mai. I don't know enough about him to write the lyrics yet (got a few), but I do have the progression and the melody, and it's another of those ragtime things that I've been digging the past few years. (very American).
At this point, I've written so many songs, but I don't want to repeat myself, so I keep searching for that little variation, trick, riff which will make it unique. It's something I do frequently on the road, pick up my guitar and dig in to try and find something upon which to build a composition. Sometimes I'll take a trick from a song I like and see if I can use it in a new way. I did that for my first composition on this trip, used a chord and weird interval that I've heard in Jobim's 'Desafinado' as well as Duke Ellington's 'Take the A Train'. And now it's in one of mine as well. We all get to use this clay.
So I'm into my third week and my third new song and that's a good average. More than that, it's a reflection of what it really means to be on the road. Everyone does it differently; some like to go place to place, others crave ziplines and 'adventure'. Me, I like to just live, have something good to read, an instrument to create with, new things to see and taste, and a chance to really think and reflect about stuff. When I'm outside of the US and away from television, I find that my mind slows down and goes deeper, my breathing gets slower, thoughts more clear. There is a certain quasi-religious thing that happens when I strip myself away from pop culture and bullshit 'news'. I feel like a better person, in fact.
I hear there is a National park that is an hour and a quarter away by bus, and I plan on visiting tomorrow to get a break from the city. Everyone talks about the monkeys and how they'll grab your stuff if you're not careful. I kinda want to see some monkeys, so off I'll go tomorrow (in a quasi religious way, naturally)
"Weather forecast for Malaysia: Yesterday-Hot, Today-Freakin' Hot, Tomorrow-Hot as a mofo, Next day, Extraordinarily warm, Day after-Holy Crap, Next day, Hades-like, Day after-Sweltering.... followed by 'Lord a Mighty Steamin'... I think I get the pattern" It's reminiscent of Eugene where you can sometimes look at the 5 day forecast in the paper to see, rain, showers, precipitation, wet periods and storms, as if there's a difference.
Here people just accept it, I suppose, and I do too, (somewhat reluctantly), it's just the way it is. For people who have lived here always, it's normal, and most wear long pants, although some of the locals are starting to sport shorts. And of course the Muslim women have to wear the black head scarf. Maybe that's why they're so hot. bad joke.
I have slight regret that I'm not still living in that paradise of Than Sadet where I swam every day and felt phenomenal. I still feel great, but there's nothing like being in the ocean and the jungle. Here it's a busy seaport so I'd have to find a different place on the island to enjoy that sort of thing. The city is interesting but you can't replace what I was experiencing a week ago.
Part of the good vibe here is that I've totally shed the western layer of bread and pasta and I'm now brown and trim, like a whole new guy. I think it has to do with not having a car and TV to lull me into that lazy stupor. Gracias a Dios, it's way better this way, and hey, if I have to go around the world for the SE Asia diet, so be it. Feels worth it to eat light and keep active. (semi active anyhow, it's still hot as a mofo)
I laid low today, took a walk to the shore and hung out in the shade watching the ferries, grabbed a little Indian food and coffee for breakfast, then back to the room for the fan and the rest of my book. I'm also working on the next tune, this one for my friend whose party I'll play at next Saturday night in Chiang Mai. I don't know enough about him to write the lyrics yet (got a few), but I do have the progression and the melody, and it's another of those ragtime things that I've been digging the past few years. (very American).
At this point, I've written so many songs, but I don't want to repeat myself, so I keep searching for that little variation, trick, riff which will make it unique. It's something I do frequently on the road, pick up my guitar and dig in to try and find something upon which to build a composition. Sometimes I'll take a trick from a song I like and see if I can use it in a new way. I did that for my first composition on this trip, used a chord and weird interval that I've heard in Jobim's 'Desafinado' as well as Duke Ellington's 'Take the A Train'. And now it's in one of mine as well. We all get to use this clay.
So I'm into my third week and my third new song and that's a good average. More than that, it's a reflection of what it really means to be on the road. Everyone does it differently; some like to go place to place, others crave ziplines and 'adventure'. Me, I like to just live, have something good to read, an instrument to create with, new things to see and taste, and a chance to really think and reflect about stuff. When I'm outside of the US and away from television, I find that my mind slows down and goes deeper, my breathing gets slower, thoughts more clear. There is a certain quasi-religious thing that happens when I strip myself away from pop culture and bullshit 'news'. I feel like a better person, in fact.
I hear there is a National park that is an hour and a quarter away by bus, and I plan on visiting tomorrow to get a break from the city. Everyone talks about the monkeys and how they'll grab your stuff if you're not careful. I kinda want to see some monkeys, so off I'll go tomorrow (in a quasi religious way, naturally)
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