Hi,
The weather in Chiang Rai is in a holding pattern. Same thing every day: Hot and sunny with cool evenings. We went to the mall, dined with a friend, made some new friends, watched Formula One, and started our adventures in bubble wrap.
I guess with all the hurricane prep going on you didn't have time to respond to the 'Old School Friday' song. Wait, a bunch of you are on the other coast. The tune was "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" by Mr. James Brown. 'Easy Monday is next and I just know you're gonna write me with an answer. (555) "If you're down and confused, and you don't remember who you're talking to. Concentration slips away, because your baby is so far away. Well there's a rose in a fisted glove, and the eagle flies with the dove. And if you can't be with the one you love __ __ __ __ __."
Hint: Five words giving some dubious advice.
Saturday morning, while getting gas, I spotted a store with an unusual name: 'Believe Nothing Else'. I couldn't make out what they were selling inside, but they had customers who apparently believe in them. This calls for a return trip and a little investigation. We were on our way to Central Plaza to get some copying done. There is a print center that has a whole bank of sophisticated machines. While the job was being done we had coffee and then went to two of our favorite places. Lisa went to B2S where she browsed art supplies, and magazines for Boot. I was at Boomerang Music trying to find out who was singing the songs I recorded from the radio. They had one of the three that I played, and wrote down the other two. The system is paying off and we are having fun playing popular Thai music in the car. Sometimes we listen to Fat Radio but there are too many commercials. Hmm, sound familiar?
Late in the afternoon we were driving on the street where the little 'drink' pick-up truck parks. I got bold and pulled up so Lisa could snap a photo. Later in the evening we found out the whole story about this truck. The jars on the bottom shelf contain a moonshine whisky and each one has a different herb or animal inside to give a specific 'medicinal' result. Our friend Chalit filled us in during dinner. There is a lot of folklore attached to some of these potions, but he said they all make the drinker very drunk. Oh.
Whisky Potions
One of the interesting things we learned at dinner was Chalit's account of when he spent 6 weeks as a 'Forest Monk'. He told us about living in the forest with no shoes, getting used to all the creatures that crawl, and living an extremely austere life and receiving teachings from his 'Master'. The experience had quite an impact on his life, and hearing him talk about it gave us a deeper understanding of what many men commit to. Most do not go into the forest, but there is still a separation from everyday life and a discipline in the studies that can give focus to other things.
It was another evening filled with conversation, learning and laughter.
Sunday we had a visit from an American professor and his wife who live in Bangkok. They have a house in Ban Du, just north of us and come up once a month. He wanted to see Lisa's cast acrylic prints and was going to be our 'back up' presenter for the exhibit next Saturday. We had a great visit with them, learning a lot about how things 'work' here in Thailand.
Today we got word that the president of the American Chamber of Commerce here in Thailand will be the presenter for Lisa's exhibit. We are very pleased that she will open the show. Today we began the process of wrapping each print in bubble wrap for the journey to Bangkok. The art will be put in the crates and trucked to the gallery. We got half done today, and we'll finish tomorrow. The walls are looking bare.
Have a Great Week.
Peace,
Danny
"The measure of our life is not whether others know our name,
but whether we have touched the lives of others."~Unknown
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
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