Discovery

Hi,

Chiang Rai continues to be hot. Durian season is upon us, I searched for shade, school is back in session, and we find ourselves in hot water.

The 'Old School' song was "School Days" by Mr. Chuck Berry. You should know this song. Now it's time for 'Easy Monday'. "You say yes, I say no. You say stop, and I say go, go, go. Oh no..." Clue: The title is in two words, about coming, and going. Salutations from four guys from across the pond.

Saturday afternoon we had a light wind, and showers. A while later the wind really came up, and it caught the umbrella that shades the dog's pen. With a diameter of about 10 feet, the wind blew it over, bending the pole that holds it up. Today I went out in search of a square umbrella. We've seen vendors using them at the Night Bazaar, and they have a two-piece pole. They're also lighter and it makes it easier to take them down when necessary. I went everywhere I knew umbrellas were sold, and got the same answer, mai mee. I'll ask around, and as a last resort, find out where the vendors got theirs. My search ended in the market district. While walking along the crowded street, I noticed lots of small tables where people were selling durian by the slice, and uncut as well. The air was heavy with the smell of this pungent fruit. I saw a teenage girl walking with her mother, holding her nose. Not everyone loves durian.

Today was the first day of school, and while I wasn't in 'school traffic', the vans that haul the students around were an obvious addition to the flow on the streets. All of the 'school buses' are privateers with passenger vans. They get a permit, and stickers that clearly identify them, and they pack the kids in and take them to and from school. For many of these drivers it's one of several jobs. For others, it's their only gig, and you can see them parked together in various shady spots just hanging out.

As we entered the pool this afternoon, Lisa commented on how it was hard to believe we could complain about the water being too warm. With the outside temperature at 100F, there wasn't much cooling in the 91 degree water. A couple of ice-cubes would have been nice. (Ha) Seriously though, it was refreshing, but a little weird. We swam anyway, and felt better afterward.

Have a Great Week.

Peace,
Danny

"Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen
and thinking what nobody has thought."
~Albert von Szent-Gyorgyi

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