Hi,
That moderate cooling I mentioned is gone. We're back to HOT. The big news in Thailand is the Army's declaration of Martial Law. Nothing has changed in Chiang Rai. Everything is just the same. There are no troops in the street, no one seems to be upset. The Marital Law was imposed, as we understand it, to defuse what was about to become a physical confrontation in Bangkok between the two groups that have been demonstrating for the last seven months. Each side has been pushing the other towards a showdown and the Army stepped in to calm things down. The only problem is, there really is no functioning federal government to deal with day-to-day decisions. Now we wait and see.
The 'Easy Monday' song must be easy based on the number of responses. Just in case you need more, here's the second verse: "By the time I make Albuquerque, she'll be working. She'll probably stop at lunch, and give me a call. But she'll just hear that phone keep on ringing off the wall, that's all."
This morning the yard crew came and did the whole yard in half a day. This has to be some kind of record. Trees were trimmed, bananas and coconuts harvested, and four new flowering plants were put in place. Now we have more aromatic blossoms in the front as well as the back. There's nothing like walking around the yard smelling the delicious mix of scents.
Our front gate opens and closes by way of a small remote control. There is no worse feeling than to push the button and have nothing happen. It uses a little battery that we have only found at one shop in the downtown area. We went into town to get a supply and that's when we realized that it's time to map out new alternate routes. With schools back in session, streets being dug up, and traffic lights working things move slower on some streets. After almost seven years here, I can visualize which streets go which way so it's just a matter of deciding where I want to be and then mentally mapping it out, before we go. With all the traffic lights working, it feels odd to be able to just drive through an intersection, not having to play 'chicken' with cars and bikes in three opposing directions.
Today's photo was taken on the Super Highway. There are apparently no rules on how high one can pack a load of cardboard, or anything else. This truck was going really slow, and you can see why. The first photo shows what we saw as we approached the truck, the second is close up. It's a good thing there was no wind.
We are now in the three week countdown until our trip to the states. It's about this time that thoughts turn to what to take, scheduling visits, how's the weather, and what we need to bring back, etc. This time we'll be traveling on a different carrier and that also works the mind a bit.
Have a Happy Tuesday.
Peace,
Danny
that makes you glad
you are alive."
~Hafiz
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
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