Vision

Hi,

It's winter in Chiang Rai. That means warm days, cool nights and not a drop of rain in sight. Today we went marketing, and washed the dogs. Outside the walls, portions of the city continue to prepare for New Years.

I got a bunch of mail regarding the 'Easy Monday' song. I know you know it. This should make it real easy:
"I've been waiting so long, to be where I'm going, in the __ __ __ __." Hint: The verses of this song have a very strong musical 'hook' and the guitar solo is classic.

For about a week we have been changing the time on the morning alarm, trying to get Daku to sleep later. It's working out great. As he matures (Ha) he seems to adhere to routine better. We've gone from a 6am wake up to 6:30 and he's doing fine with that. He wakes up sometimes, but plays quietly until he hears the sound of the alarm. Then he leaps to his feet and expects the same from us. What a kid. With Boot out of town, BamBam has been sleeping in the kitchen. Our new wake up time is what she's used to so it all works out.

This morning we went to the market to get fish, chicken, and vegetables. Boot had mentioned to us that the fish guy and the chicken lady had been asking about us. She assured them that we'd be back. Today I was greeted with big smiles from both of them. We're getting pretty good at this shopping thing. We split up and while Lisa is selecting veggies, I put in our order for the fish and poultry. I join Lisa for more browsing and then go back to pick up the order.

We had delicious tuna sandwiches for lunch. A Thai classic (555). After lunch we washed both dogs. Actually, Lisa did the washing and I held the leash. BamBam does pretty good with having water on her. Daku is getting better at tolerating the whole thing, but the look he gave me was so pitiful that I almost dropped the leash and helped him escape. What's funny is how we get them all clean and then they run around and roll on the grass. They still smell much better.

The first year we were here, we knew when Chinese New Year came, but in the village we lived in it wasn't celebrated much. Now that we're more mobile, we're seeing how big the celebration is in different parts of town. There are decorations going up, and there will probably be an influx of visitors for the actual weekend. Chiang Rai is a holiday destination for many Thais. Lots of tradition is observed in Thailand, and there is strong Chinese heritage here in the north.

Have a Happy Tuesday.

Peace,
Danny

"Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart.
Who looks outside, dreams.
Who looks inside, awakens."
~Carl Jung

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
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