Food and crocodiles...not in any particular order.

You've got some food on your face.

Silly monkey.

So this is what I get for not picking up a case for my Kindle prior to departing the ol' US. Somethings just aren't as easy to find in Thailand.  But it's cool - I dig my shiny red pleather Kindle purse, even if it was made for a Galaxy... don't hate.

Not the best shot but a small taste of my new gym.

Those crazy students - aren't they creative?  I wonder if they used it to get around town during the flood.  I gotta ask next time.

 

Here's a few of my M6 students practicing a little jig because they're cool like that.

Ahh...pongali.  Still my fave.  And no, this isn't ALL that I eat.  It's just I rarely have my camera when ever I order the chimichangas or bavarian pot roast

Not a bad sunset from my back balcony.

Damn that looks good!

An old favorite - Tom Yum Goong  *6 mighty shrimp lurking beneath that flavorful surface.

A new fave - Gai Pad Pongali *chicken and veggies in this...dry curry sauce.  Ridiculously satisfying.

Back in black.

Why's it 'back in black' you ask?  Because.  That's why.  A few days behind me and this is the jist of my Thai experience - round two... food and flood scars.  Let's keep it positive.

Oh man - cheap food with all the quality.  Pad khapao gai - kai dao *Chicken, basil, rice and fried egg.

                            

That's the 'flood line' on the wall just outside my apartment.

You can see that same 'flood line' on anything that stood above the water - walls, telephone polls, sadly...even the ruins.  You can see the shell of the 7/11 across the street.  The windows were blown out from the water pressure.

More evidence of that ominous brown marker around town - it's as if Buddha just smeared his arse sideways all across the town.  Oh, also evidence of how the Thais carpool - I think there's room for at least one more.

Let's end this on a good note - 2nd lunch.  This was an unexpected as a friend swooped me up just as I was finishing 1st lunch for a trip to the market which ended up exploring this new eatery.  Ridiculously deliciously spiced pork laab, some beef stew that I forgot the name of, deep fried pork fat, and jungle soup (which is supposedly everything that is grown in the immediate area thrown into a moderately spiced broth - delicious but I had to throw in the towel at some point)

On the road again..

Packed my bags, vacated my apartment and caught the overnight train north.  Sometime late yesterday morning I caught a bus for a short trip over the Mekong River on the Friendship Bridge from Thailand into Laos.  Sitting here this morning sipping a good cup of coffee certainly
doesn't feel like I'm in a different country, comparable to crossing Seattle into Victoria perhaps.  I heard from a few that there's really nothing to do in Vientiane (the capital of Laos).  That it's simply a crossing destination and preferable to move on from as quickly as possible.  I do see how upon first impressions one might think so, however, I've refrained from that conclusion and decided to take a bike ride along the Mekong, enjoy some local ice cream with this guy watching my back:

                                          

Accommodations are more than expected.  Large spacious room able to comfort a a party of 10 all to myself.  Bedding is limited but I managed to squeeze in 10hrs of sleep somehow.  The dog is a bit fussy and the cat likes to hang on with claws.  Enjoyed two delicious meals, one questionable one and several well appreciated Beer Laos'.  Today I'll sort out a method for hanging my art for Wednesday's fundraiser.  So far, I'd say Vientiane is okay..

                                              

Ten year plan...

Keeping up with this blog hasn't been so easy lately.  I'd say you haven't been missing much but maybe that's just a matter of perspective.  Certainly not to say much hasn't been happening.. just, well, days go by here and there and we all do what we do to get by - no matter where we are. 

Today.  23 August, 2011.  Made some students laugh while having a laugh myself.  Got to hear a few of them sing.  Angelic.  Played some football (what we call soccer in the states).  Our make-shift field was surrounded by centuries old ruins.  Noticed the sunset into those ancient bones of brick (kinda hard not to).   A good meal, phad ka pow gai kai dow (chicken, egg, rice, and mucho flavor).  A foot massage (which is never really just a foot massage) by unexpectedly two masseuses *while listening to Beach House (a regular in my rotation lately).   Enough space to paint, listen to music, and read my book.

Ask me what my ten year plan is - I've the faintest idea. 

What I do know is that today was a good day, and maybe, just maybe...that's all that really matters.