Friendship

Hi,
Today I want to get the song game out of the way and tell you big news. I got mail from about four players who knew
"You'll Lose A Good Thing" by Barbara Lynn. I guess it's time for an easy one so more can play. This should do it:
"There's nothing you can do that can't be done. There's nothing you can sing that can't be sung. Nothing you can say, but you can learn how to play the game, it's easy....." Hint: It's really quite simple. Four from across the pond. You want more clues? Start humming.
So, today we went to the market with Joyce. We left early and saw things we'd never seen before. The first little piece of amazement was a table with little cages that could fit in your hand. Inside each one were two tiny little birds. You buy the birds, say a prayer and release the birds. This is also done with turtles and eels. I may have simplified a bit, but I think you get the point. Then there was the guy with a couple of two foot stalks of sugar cane. Tied to each stalk was a giant (and I mean giant) beetle. Joyce asked him what the purpose was and he said it was just for fun. Ugh. We learned the Thai names for lots of familiar veggies (or at least wrote them down) and discovered new ones that we had tasted or smelled, but never seen by themselves. I ate some sweet potato wrapped in 'sticky rice' fresh of the grill. Yum.
After the market, we went to Wat Phra Kaew, where Joyce made an offering and met with a Monk. This is the Wat where the Emerald Buddha was discovered after a lightning strike, in 1434 (1934). There's quite a history that's worth the read. Anyway, we left there and made our way back to the tractor store to regroup. After lunch, we tried to set up a meeting with the couple with the house. With time to kill, we went to Big C. Joyce, Pui, Lisa and I went grocery shopping for a dinner Joyce was going to cook for her Grandmother. I mostly wandered around looking at treats. I found the bakery section. Smelled real good. I found the usual pink and green donuts, plus some purple ones. We saw things we'll never eat, no matter how 'Thai' we become. Lisa found some blue rice. "Eat your blue rice and you can have a purple donut for dessert". Hmm.
We finally had our meeting about the house. Pui wrote up an agreement and typed it up, in Thai. Very impressive. We spent quite a while sitting and talking about certain points, walking around and more sitting and talking. Actually, Joyce did most of the talking, making sure that we were covered for all the possible scenarios. We finally came to a meeting of the minds and hearts (I think). Work will begin this week on getting a bigger electrical box (I need power) and then we'll start moving things around and installing this and that. Our new address is pretty cool: 138 Moo19 (say moo-sip-gow) I'll give you the full address when we're actually living there. Don't want to scare the landlord with a ton of mail (Ha). The owners will spend a bit of time on the property, in a little house they're just finishing. He let me know that I could use one of his motor-bikes, or one of his two bicycles if I wanted. I laughingly told him that I might putt around the yard and the neighborhood, but never on the big street. He gave me a big, understanding laugh.
This evening (Our Wednesday) we went back to last night's adventure to retrieve a book. Then we set out to go to a restaurant that Joyce had shown us. It was closed and we began to wander the streets of Chiang Rai. At last we spotted a landmark, but we still weren't close to home. We got directions and then Lisa spotted "Cabbages and Condoms". More homework for you. Look it up and tell me what you learned.
Gotta go. We're going on a 'road trip' tomorrow, down to Chiang Mai. It's about three hours to the bigger city. We'll do some shopping, scope out places to stay in the future and head back. Don't be surprised if tomorrow's message is a little late.
Have a Wacky Wednesday.

Peace,
Danny

"True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost."
~Charles Caleb Colton


Gettin' Funky, Thai Style