Energy

Hi,

We just finished a busy Thursday up here in Chiang Rai. We visited the vet, and then went on a little road trip up north. Then there was a late afternoon swim and we got mail from America.

I got a couple of hits on the song but the artist is still being elusive. Here's another verse for you to ponder:
"I'm givin you one more chance, for you to do right If you'll only straighten up, we'll have a good life 'Cause if you should lose me, oh, yeah __ __ __ __ __." Hint: She's obviously telling him what he could lose. Here's the thing, it's in the title. Hmm.

Daku had an appointment for another of his vaccination series. He's gained two more pounds since Saturday. We met a two month old Golden who was a lot smaller than Daku was at the same age. Dr. Arnon says he's going to be a very big dog and that he's very smart. It's true, he's learning things very quickly. At three months he sits on command and is comfortable with a leash. He's started teething and there's not much to do about that except keep an eye on what he chews. Not a simple task.

After lunch we drove up to Tesco-Lotus, a British chain store that is part department store and part grocery. It's always a little frustrating, thinking we'll find things there because it gives the illusion of being a bit more sophisticated. (Ha) A few items were found that were not on the list, but oh well. It was a nice drive and we saw more interesting sights.

As promised, here's a little insight on driving on two wheels in Chiang Rai. First of all, even though helmets are the law, if you're on side streets or in your village, you will notice that most of the helmets are in the basket on the front of the bike. Occasionally the police put up little road blocks and pull all the bikes over for a check of helmets, registration and insurance. They have started setting them up so you don't know they're there, like blind corners, etc. Here's a tip, if you just done your hair and you don't want your helmet to mess it up, don't fasten it and just hold the visor up a bit and ride with one hand. Works great if you have an automatic. (Ha)

Motorbikes generally ride to the left of the car traffic, but if you keep up your speed you can ride anywhere. That means that if the flow of traffic is slow for any reason and there are slow bikes on the side of the road, it's perfectly alright (apparently) to go down the other side, as long as you avoid the oncoming traffic. Hmm. When approaching a red light, make every effort to work your way to the front of the line. Sometimes this might even mean riding on the sidewalk. If you're turning right, take off immediately and turn in front of the oncoming traffic. They will usually wait until all the bikes have turned anyway. If no cross traffic is coming and the light is about to turn green, it's OK to turn before the light turns. If you and a few friends need to go somewhere, no problem. Three on a bike is common. It's also common to see as many as five. If your passenger is wearing a skirt, riding side-saddle is a way of life.

If you'd like to be a little different, there are custom items you can get to fix up your ride. You say you'd like a green or red headlight? No problem. When parking, you head your bike into the curb. Helmets are usually just left in the basket. Says a lot for the 'crime rate' around here. Nobody seems to bother with them. The motorbike is a large part of the transportation around here and you will see riders that look as young as 12 buzzing through the streets. Oh yeah, 16 is the legal age. So, have fun when you get here. Hmm, I'm having no part of it.

Finally, since it's such a rare occasion, I'll mention that we got mail from across the water. We got a little package from Kristin, complete with a CD of all the pictures she took while she was here. Very nice.

Have a Great Thursday.

Peace,
Danny

"Look at life as an energy economy game.
Each day, ask yourself, "Are my energy expenditures
(actions, reactions, thoughts, and feelings)
productive or nonproductive?
During the course of my day,
have I accumulated more stress or more peace?"
~Doc Childre and Howard Martin

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