Garth Bigelow - Thoughts

Items in this color are just notes to myself and hopefully I will catch up on these sections as soon as the mood and ability is with me.

Two days until we leave for Laos. Having Mai with me should make this both a more comfortable trip and encourage me to get a lot more out of the being in Vientiene. I will definitely have more pictures.

I awake hungry and make the last bagel into a perfect Lox & Bagel and watch TV while Mai plays with the Jigsaw game.

In my continuing quest to ruin Mai for ever being comfortable in her own culture, I declare today Mai's day and refuse to make any decisions. My answer to any qualifier or suggestion or question of activity is "it's your day."

She hates this at first. The female role here is to support, please and follow. Without instruction she first defaults to things I have previously liked. We have breakfast at our favorite noodle shop and she orders what we had last time.

I forget that I haven't had much spice the last few days and over spice my noodle soup. This combined with the fact that the bagel was very filling causes me to not eat much soup.

We go to Lek's for a massage. However Lek is gone for the day (she will be back this evening though) so we walk up Soi 100 Baht and of the twenty or so massage parlors, one by one they can't help us for a variety of reasons. It becomes very comical.

She seems intent on only stopping at a low cost massage parlor even though I remind her it really doesn't matter, whatever she wants. We go down the road that Soi 100 Baht curves into just before otherwise meeting Soi Boakoaw.

This is a poorly maintained and seedy looking Soi. I call it Soi Sleezy as it's real name of Soi Chaiyapoon is too hard to remember.

Most of the shops here were the 200 baht an hour variety and one appeared to be a sex massage parlor but just beyond that we found a place that was 100 baht, had two masseuses ready to go and while didn't regularly do 'head and shoulders' was at least willing to give it a go.

Most massage shops in Pattaya (yes, I've tried most of them) while varying in quality are pretty much the same in technique. Here the style turned out to be different, a cross between Swedish and Thai - a lot more use of elbow and forearm as a device. It was a nice change up even though they really didn't have strength going for them.

Mai must have felt the same - about the lack of strength - as she chose that we stay for only one hour.

Map of Area Near Me - South Pattaya Road to the Left - Central Pattaya Road to the Right.

After we were finished as we were only a few minutes away, I asked if we could divert over to Third Road to look at Cherry's Restaurant where it had been implied on the Internet that Eggs Benedict could be found. I just wanted to check.

We found it quickly and while there was a lot of interesting breakfast items on the menu Benedict was not one of them. When asked the Maître de said they could do it. This remains to be seen, but I will definitely check it out after Laos.

By Now Mai was getting more comfortable with the 'her day' concept and wanted to go to Mike's Shopping Mall for some more colorful shirts for me, that I had previously mentioned seeing there.

We were unable to quickly grab a baht bus on Third, they were either going the wrong way or would turn before reaching us, etc. Eventually Mai hailed one going the other way and hired it to go to Mike's Shopping Mall.

I wasn't certain this was where I saw them, but luckily the shirt I remembered was right inside the door. To my surprise the 3XL (usually rather smaller than the American 3XL) actually was the correct size. As they took credit cards I got three shirts. It took 3 cards to find one that would allow the sale.

After that Mai selected a couple of Jeans in the Levis section of the main floor. The same card handled one of them. We paid cash for the second. The pants legs needed to be adjusted for Mai's short stature.

To kill that hour we walked down Beach Road looking for a place to eat either an early dinner or a late lunch. Specifically I wanted a place that took American Express. Soon we came to a nice looking Italian Restaurant with the Amex logo on the door.

On the inside, closed and air conditioned, it opened into an what was designed to look like a three story outdoor courtyard. It was really quite beautiful.

A lovely heavy wooden spiral staircase connects the three floors. It looks as if only the ground level is open for public use. Mai wants to take a picture from the top of the staircase. I've been trying to instill in her the concept that it is easier to get forgiveness than permission, but she insists on asking the bartender if it is okay. Asking just about anything of anyone in Thailand it is a complete coin toss on the response you will get, even it seems to no brainer to the Western mind.

This time though it comes up heads and the bartender says it will be okay. It is probably good that Mai resists change, my ways will not serve her well in this culture after I am gone, and in this case it worked to her advantage, as a wait service girl tried to stopped her between the second and third floors but when Mai said that the bartender had given her permission she was allowed to continue on and get her pictures. Despite all of that very few of the pictures came out very well.

After a lot of indecisiveness I ordered Spaghetti Carbonara. It wasn't quite as good as they make it at the Diana-Oasis restaurant back at the compound, but it was very good.

Mai order a Thai dish or fried rice and shrimp. I tried on the shrimp which was as good as any jumbo shrimp (usually the shrimp here are either tiny or are large prawns) back home.

Usually when we use American Express we have alcohol but it was merely Iced Coffee (I forgot to order without sugar) and Mai had a watermelon shake.

After shopping we returned to Mike's Shopping Mall and after a thorough inspection by Mai all was well with the Levis Jeans.

Exciting the building took us by the elevator alcove (which is rather well hidden by encroaching merchandise (no fire marshals here) and I asked if she had ever seen the pool that was supposed to be on top of this building. She hadn't and we turned for the elevator.

The layout of Mikes is very strange to me. I can mentally explain the very confusing escalator layout as a marketing gimmick to force you to wander over every square inch of the sales floor looking for the escalator to the next floor. But then comes the floors themselves. Floors 1 to 4 are merchandise, floor 5 is the food court and floor 10 is the roof with the pool. Any one see anything missing here?

The elevator offered a stop for the 7th floor labeled Administration. No mention of Floors 6, 8 and 9. I assume access is only from floor 7 or some hidden location.

Regardless the pool looks cool. It is free to the public and there are restrooms (odd since like most of Thailand the public restrooms on the sales floor downstairs is not free of charge) and changing rooms. The pool is huge and the view of both city and water is spectacular.

A farang jumped from here a couple of weeks back. It is a pity I am terrified of heights, he picked a good spot, no chance of surviving and no chance of landing on anyone.

We take lots of pictures.

From Mikes it is easier to walk home that try to navigate by Baht Bus. As the camera is still in my hands I try to capture some of the local color that I deal with every day but often forget to comment on. Building colors

The first one is literally about color.

A row of stores is often all one long single structure but each individual store (which itself may serve up to five or six different functions and have a outside vendor three) will be painted completely at the whim or whoever paints these things.

The colors are often garish and at complete odds with the colors of the buildings near and/o adjacent to this.

This picture is near the compound. The two identical yellow banners near the center of the shot are directly across the street from the gates leading into Diana Estates.

I also want you to know that the lead motorbike was seconds before, driving the other way before turning driving straight at the Pharmacy, decided better of that action, looped in a backwards question mark maneuver. Near as I could tell they never once looked anywhere and managed to cut off the other motorbike not once but twice. The other driver deftly avoid these collisions as if it happens everyday - which it does.

But this isn't what I wanted to tell you about this picture.

I want you to notice the street. This is Soi Boahkow at just about it widest. Notice that there are not only no sidewalks, but also motorbikes parked along the edges, even where the businesses come out to touch the road (which is most of it.) In the other picture (taken at the same time in the other direction) we see cars parked along the side. These are in an orderly and straight line. This is rarely the case. Notice the dog. Animals are everywhere, awake and asleep. Notice people walking in both directions on both sides of the street often two abreast. The vehicle you see in the distance is a Baht Bus. It stops whenever someone wants to get on or off. Motorbikes with continue to flow around it on both sides. If remotely possible cars with go around it in the other lane. While not in this picture there also motorized sales carts, hand pushed sales carts. Carts plunked down on the edge of the road (usually meaning largely in the road) to sell in one spot for awhile. Women with large baskets balances on a beam supported by her shoulder containing merchandise she is sell roam the sides of the road, as do merchants on foot with watches, lottery tickets, dresses on half manikins.

The all do an amazing job of not running into each other but still there are several accidents a day just in the Beach Road to Third Road area.

When you first get to Pattaya you are overwhelmed by the 'in your face'ness of the sex trade. Women in extremely skimpy clothing everywhere, signs from the clever, to the crash to downright strange. The constant heckling "Hello, Welcome."

But after you've been here awhile you notice that most of the people are dressed and act modestly and that most businesses are the same. Still here is one of the more blatant signs on Soi LK Metro.

This sign is around 16 feet to 20 feet long

I believe it is law that any sign containing English of five words or more must contain at least one typo (not that I could do any better if I tried to put Thai on a sign), and for some reason my brain makes them leap out at me.

This one is a poor example because it isn't strictly a typo, but as it is managed in a three word signs shows the owner was working hard for compliance.

I hope I will have a camera and memory to use it when I reencounter some of the more amusing mistakes.

As you leave Diana Estates and head toward South Pattaya Road you have two Restaurants and then a bar with kateoy (lady boys) dancing on poles. Well before sundown this becomes a nightmare of loud sounds on the obligatory blown out speakers.

Once past this it is relatively quiet (other than the horn beeps of the Baht busses and the blats of the mobile vendor carts) to most close locations (like Soi 100 baht) that I might try to frequent. And of course it must be navigated past on the way home which is often more difficult as my nerves are usually stressed by the trip out.

Just as we get home it starts to rain. Nicely timed. We stay in and watch 4400 on TV.

I can't decide what I want to eat today. We have to go to Laos this evening and even though I managed to sleep through most of the trip last time, I get nervous whenever I have to deal with things like this. Dad's genes strike again.

I decide that we will go to Cherrys. It is a beautiful overcast cool day, and we walk to the restaurant via Soi 100 Baht and across the Xyte parking lot and then jump a fence to get onto Third Road.

The restaurant has just opened, both in terms of the time day and in the fact that they have only been open for business for a couple of days.

Eggs Benedict is not on the menu and it is clear from talking to the waiter that, regardless of what they said the other day, if they do make it for me it will only resemble Eggs Benedict if an event on the order of being struck by lightning takes place.

I order the "Norwegian Breakfast"; scrambled eggs, with lox on the side, toast and capers. The lox is very fresh and the whole disk is rather good. Mai, having been introduced to lox this week to great success orders the same thing.

Back at the room, I feel like a caged animal. I just want to be on the minibus, and don't know what to do with myself until then. And why haven't they called.

Around 4 they finally call. They will be here at 9:20pm. This is a good sign as it means we will be one of the first to get on and I can pick whatever seat we want.

Around seven I pack. Very minimalist. I use the small backpack and fill the main section with my pillow, two shirts, two underwear and an pair of shorts just in case. Toothbrush, paste and deodorant in the outside pocket. I fill out two days worth of drugs into my green daily holders. I put two extra Xanax and 2 sleeping pills in a mini Ziploc packet. The last goes in my shirt pocket.

I pack the Michael Crichton book that I got the used bookstore a few days ago and haven't looked at, the cell phone, gum, the vial of Lantus and a syringe into a small paper sack with handles. At the last second I through the old iPod into the bag. Unsure of the power system in Laos I bring the USB cable for charging it instead of the socket charger. The papers and photos for the Visa crew are in my shirt pocket. Passport, credit cards and cash are in their usual spots.

Mai works on Jigsaw puzzle on my computer, I watch TV and play with her computer.

At 8:40 they call and say be outside at 9. Turns out Mai is only superficially packed and this pushing forward of the timetable sends her into a frenzy of looking and thinking for things.

Still we are at the front gate at 9. They show up at 9:20. This is Thailand.

There is only one customer on the bus and he is taking the one seat I wanted. So we sit up in the first passenger row.

After us one more gets on, and then we met up with another van and three passengers get off from there and get in our minibus. Early they had said we were going to have a full load but obviously something has changed because these three were supposed to be on the deluxe version of this run (6 people van, more room - I'm sure they didn't get any type of refund) and we were supposed to have 9 but have only 7.

I don't care. I take the extra Xanax and sleeping pills and only wake up at one stop. Perfect.

Once we hit the border it was the same hurry up and wait as before. Wait queue up at the Thai border. Then queue up and wait as that line slowly proceeds. Once at the window your passport is scanned into the computer. Like last time I never saw the agent look up to see if I was the guy on the passport. Stamp, stamp and stamp with three ink stamps and your proceed to the limbo area between the two countries.

Here you wait for your guide to tell you which vehicle to get on. Last time this part took forever as I think they were having mechanical problems and had to get a different, this time it comes quicker but is not designed for 9 people and luggage. We are squashed in. This is actually good as it helps to limit the bashing of my head into the roof of the van on each bump. And this is only to get us across the river anyway. A miles drive at most.

Now we are in the countriless zone on the other side and we wait to queue up, this time to enter Laos. Same thing only slower. Trudge, trudge, trudge, stamp, stamp, staple. All of this made easier as our Visa people have done all the paper work and are somewhere behind the scenes greasing wheels where needed and telling us where to go when needed.

And then we wait for another vehicle.

And a mere three hours from when we woke up, we are in Laos and on the forty minute drive to Vientiane. Our first stop is the Thai embassy. Last time this was a nightmare of waiting two hours in the sun to get one stamp. I was not looking forward to this part.

This time we did not have to wait in line. We were told to get out of the van and wait by the tree with the vendor cart selling cold drinks. Nothing diet is ever in the cart so I ignore it. I think the only reason they have us get out of the van is that they make some of the profit from the cart.

I don't care, they have made it so they can go in and get all the stamps needed to get the Visa process started (this is why we are in Laos - to get the 90 day Visa). We don't to stand in the sun and the wait is only about 15 minutes. Cool.

We are on our way to the Hotel. Last time we ate at the Hotel Laos before crossing the street to another hotel. The meal had been somewhere between uninspired and dreadful. I asked if we could skip the meal and walk straight to the hotel.

We were told that we would be staying at the Hotel Laos. As this is the hotel in the brochure I can only assume there was a booking or maintenance problem last time in spots. This leads to the open air dining area, from which the courtyard is attached which leads to the stairway upstairs to the lobby. See pictures.

As we pass we ask if we can get Thai food instead of the farang breakfast and find that we can. Mai tells them what we want. She says the Laotian is very much like the variant of Thai they speak in Issan region she grew up in. The language her mother knows, but that Mai struggles with. Of course it all sounds the same to me. All the time I have been here and I know less Thai then I did two months ago.

The breakfast, ground pork, rice and spice is surprisingly good. I see some of the others from the bus staring longingly at our food as they try to choke down there half cooked eggs, hot dog and pasteboard toast.

In the center of the courtyard, not quite close but not far from our table, is a square coy pond (I tried on several occasions to get Mai to take a picture of this (my pictures were not coming out well - my hands shaking while not very obvious to the naked eye is blurring the photos) but for some reason this never happened. Wile we were eating someone feed them. This is always is entertaining to me - throw in some food and the water literally boils with fish fights for a minute or so.

After breakfast we drag our luggage around the courtyard and up the staircase to the lobby. Check in is fast and efficient and our room is in sight of the front desk. You can't ask for easier than that. The hotel is nicer than one would think from viewing the downstairs, which has a passed its prime and no one cares feel to it.

In the hotel it is definitely older than the previous one, but I prefer our room. Slightly more spacious and a SHOWER. Really didn't want to deal with midget tub again. At some point later - I don't remember when - I had Mai ask if he could rent a fan. The air worked fine but I have become used to the noise of a fan. It arrived very quickly, was set up and was free. We tipped them well.

Despite having just slept all night on the bus, we were still tried, and while I vowed not to sleep the whole time here again, Mai and I both felt we needed a nap. That I fell asleep with no difficulty says we were right.

We awoke and left the hotel about 3pm. And it is sunny and hot. And neither us thought to bring a sun umbrella. It will be about an hour before the sun is down enough to be filtered some and be bearable. We hug close to buildings for shade, talk about eating but decide we aren't really hungry yet. As we pass a massage parlor the light dawns for us both.

It is one thing to know something, it is another to see it. Like many places in Laos the price signs are in many currencies (Euro, USD, Kip and/or Baht.) The price chart here is in dollars. And there it reads 'Thai Massage: $5.' Yes, I can do the math back from 180 baht but it just doesn't truly hit me until I see that sign - like chips in a casino. Five dollars for an hour of massage.

When even Mai is confused. Thai massage shops are one of the few places that are just one thing, although sometimes combined with beauty salons. What we enter is a restaurant and many a bar. Mai says something in Thai, or broken Laotian depending on your point of view and one of the walls opens.

I go in for a Thai massage (still called that here in Laos) and Mai for a foot massage. We are immediately separated and taken in different directions. The walls are all what I think of as Japanese wall/door paper like constructions. The whole place is a shifting maze, and I lead down several corridors.

The massage is very similar to Thai without the 'talk;' my masseuse barely says a word which is fine by me. After the massage she opens one of the four walls of my room and lo and behold it opens right into the restaurant. Makes me wonder by we didn't come in that way.

The sun is lower and cooler now and we head down to the river. At least a mile of mostly food markets and restaurants on covered platforms on stilts on the riverbank. You can see the pictures for the rest of that walk.

I remember that I took Mai to the Swedish Bakery. She tried the Croissants which she has come to love in Thailand, but finds this kind doughy, which it is. I too prefer the more flakey kind made by folding it much more during the rising period.

Later we went to the restaurant I had gone to last time. Mai ordered spicy beef, neither of us remember my main dish, but I had an appetizer of Laos mushrooms, which is combination of two completely different types of mushrooms that was very good.

Afterward we crossed the street to the grounds of the Cultural Museum which last time I had thought was a temple and we took any pictures of it.

We strolled along the streets, stopping at a bookstore. If you get a postcard from me, this is where it came from (if you don't I never got around to writing or mailing them.)

Back at the hotel we took a shower (how nice to have a full size shower stall) and went to bed early. Traveling does tire on out.

Photos from our adventures.

The ride home from hell

I don't notice it until just after breakfast. Mai has an appointment for the second treatment on her skin at noon and we haven't gotten out of the hotel room until slightly after 11. So of course our favorite noodle shop is closed today. Mai does not seem concerned about the time at all, so I don't know why I am. I'm not even going after all. But genes are genes, and I am.

Still breakfast is unrushed. I am as is becoming more and more a trend with me unable to make a decision and order whatever Mai is having. This turns out to be a rice with chicken liver and basil dish. It is quite good but very spicy and as I haven't had much spice in a week it attacks me strongly, leaving me hot, flushed and my mouth slightly afire.

I need to drink more water anyway, so this works out to be a good motivator. Mai leaves for her appointment, I head over to have a shave, haircut and pedicure.

Walking down the Soi I notice my barber has a guy in the chair and two customers waiting so I head next door and start with the pedicure.

The lady who does my feet has largish breasts for a Thai and they are usually well on display with low cut dresses (this has nothing to do with why I choose this place by the way, I am a creature of habit and back when I first looked for a barber and pedicurist these were the closest places to Villa Panalee where I was staying at the time.) but I had noticed that when Mai comes with me she covers up with an apron. No apron, apron, apron, no apron - perfect correlation with Mai accompanying me.

My right big toe is slightly sore again and she digs at it, getting out the ingrown nail.

After the barber shop is empty, it takes a little bit to locate the barber.

Funny, just a few months ago getting a shave was a pleasant luxury. Now that my hands are shaking just enough to make shaving myself dangerous, it is a reminder of my continuously growing limitations and I squirm in the chair wishing the shave were over. Which eventually it is.

Going past Carrefour to large open air mart of furniture. Very limited rolling carts.

Walk to Carrefour and find TV table cart in Home Pro. Buy lots of food and a power massager. Will be assembled and delivered between 11 and noon tomorrow.

After three phone calls cart arrives at 1:30.

Mai goes off with Ooy2.

I go swimming. Meow asks me if I am staying another month. I mention again that I am staying through November. She says this is impossible. Funk and crying jag.

I decide to have breakfast downstairs in the hope that Michael will be around and hopefully something can be figured out. We are the only customers when we arrive but soon David and Mew come down for breakfast. I never see them here, so that is a very lucky break.

After we finish eating I go over and talk to David. He is already aware of the situation and seems sure that we can find something in the complex for me that will available through the middle of January. He says Michael will get in touch with me.

Within a few days of each other I had received an email from Diane who has Multiple Sclerosis and Mr. Kim who has an as yet undiagnosed neurological disorder. Both of them suffer from muscle spasms and know that I did too. Diane is Houston, Mr. Kim is in Japan. Both emailed me to tell me how much acupuncture is helping them.

So before the trip to Laos I had looked around. Nobody seemed to know anything. Any leads I did find lead to the Bangkok Hospital (that's in Pattaya despite the name.)

Now, I have made it a habit of grabbing any pamphlets and fliers I come across in my travels, and just before the Laos trip I saw an oddly small one I had not seen before and collected it with several others. While flipping through it back at the hotel there was a full page ad for:

Licensed Acupuncturist

Acupressure Therapist

Sports Injury Therapist

"Don't let muscle and joint pain ruin your day."

Phone number, map and Thai directions to show a motorbike driver. After I recovered from the Laos trip I had had Mai call to book an appointment. Turned out the phone number was wrong. This is Thailand. And on the other end was a reasonably ticked off Thai man, who kept getting calls about acupuncture.

But armed with Nigel's name I was able to find the correct number using Google. The ad was only one number off. 08-9099-3845 in case you are reading from here in Thiland, if you have any pain, I heartily endorse him. Read on.

Anyway, an appointment was made for his next available slot with was three days later, in other words today at noon.

I'm armed with map, it doesn't look that far from Cherry's, but I give myself an hour just in case. For once, my planning for contingences proves needed. I can't find Soi Bongkot and ended up walking all the way to South Pattaya and trying to find it from the other side.

When it felt like I had gone too far I showed a motorbike driver the Thai directions. The plan had been to have him take me the rest of the way. But he just pointed down the cross street we were currently at. I got the idea I was close. If this was Bongkot, then the second real cross road should be what I want. But what constitutes real in this area. So each motorbike driver I see (they are everywhere) I ask directions, and slowly get closer. I'm getting comfortable that at least I am on Soi Bongkot. Finally one points to side road, gives a kind of right hook gesture with his hand and says (I think) "Orange."

I walk slowly, this road should be very short. I see several places that could be it, but none that say Nigel and none that are orange. I hear the tax drivers yelling behind me pointing to the right. The building is bright yellow and a sliding door is decorated with anatomy drawings and the door is slightly open.

I approach, a farang inside is on the phone.

Acupuncture 4th needle.

Lost . Motorbike taxi.

Gratefully approaching the walkway to the hotel, I see my missing sweat cloth, hanging from the hedge at the end of the walkway. To this day, I do not know if I dropped it there, or if I dropped it somewhere else on the property and they hung it where I could not miss it.

It will take several hours to confirm it, but I am indeed sunburned around my neck. It isn't very painful.

Near bed time I try the exercise Nigel has showed me. Under the description of "the smallest weights you can find" I use two soup cans weighing, net, 1.2 pounds each. This exercise is simply, standing with hands at sides, raise them up so you are a big letter 't' with palms facing down, and continue raising them until the backs of your hands touch.

I figure I will do a hundred of these nice and slowly and controlled. By 30, I know that is not going to happen and I reset my sites on struggling to get to fifty. While I achieved fifty, in retrospect that was overdoing it and my arms would be sore on the outer muscles the next day. Wow, my arms were out of shape.

Just before shutting down the computer I get an email from Pete. He and Tom will be on their way here on Tuesday.

Noodle Restaurant across the street.

Rain. 100 baht. Umbrella. Cucumber. 5 plates. (pics)

It is raining when we get up so we have breakfast downstairs. Mai talks a lot with the staff but translates very little, so I get engrossed in the Bangkok Post. In the International part of the paper I always get amused. Unlike most overseas papers I see, they do not like Obama, but they never mention McCain at all.

The rain has almost stopped when we are finished (Chicken and Cashew nuts on rice for both of us) but I have decided to stay in today and catch up on the blog. We are going out this evening as it is Thai Mother's Day and there will be no bar music because of it. This allows us to go to Tequila Reef tonight. But until then I will stay in and not get over stimulated.

I look at the blog. Almost all of August is skeleton notes and while the first is partially done even that day has a lot to finish. So I am catching up on these entries, working from very sketchy notes. Mai is watching TV and I work on a day's entry and then watch a TV show (some 4400, some Buffy) and then go back to work on another day. When my memory gets hazy, which is pretty much whenever I get down the detail level, I ask Mai. She, who claims to have a terrible memory, has yet to be stumped and hands me details until I remember the event. The amount of details in the previous section of this month is entirely thanks to her.

We don't get hungry until around 8pm and them get slightly dressed up and head out into the dry night air. It isn't as quiet as it was on the last Buddha day but some bars are silent and the ones playing music are greatly subdued.

We take the Baht Bus to Second and Central and walk the few blocks from there to Tequila Reef. I ended up getting a steak burrito, and tried to have Mai order for herself, but she made a good point that there was no Thai script on the menu. After all I wouldn't be able to order at a strictly Thai noodle shop.

Not wanting to get her something she already had, but also not wanting order something she didn't like I finally noticed a "Burrito Construction Kit" on the menu. As she was able to pick at what she liked and ignore what she didn't, she was very happy with this.

Guacamole and Margaritas rounded out the dinner. There were two young guys, one an Aussie, one an American (though he talked about his dad's house in Columbia and Switzerland) sitting behind us.

The American never stopped talking for one second, even to take a breath, the whole time we were there. It really got funny after we started to notice. Even when his friend talked he kept going. Inane "discussions" on Scuba gear and God knows what. It went on and on. Other than that it was rather quiet even though there were more customers than the other two times we were here.

After we were done, and we were just enjoying the afterglow, a party of eight Thais and one small child came in. The kid seemed prime and ready to cry so we left before that began.

We walked down to beach, grabbed a Baht Bus with the plan to loop around onto Second and walk back to the hotel - the idea being if we changed our mind the Baht Busses would be going in the right direction. We ended up getting off earlier on Second than I planned because the Baht driver stopped as soon as we rounded on to Second and demanded more money. Based on principal more than caring about 20 baht, we chose to walk.

We stopped briefly at Mai's old shop and I stood around while Mai chatted with her old work mates.

We stopped at the beer bar on the bend in Soi LK Metro but without music the effect was not the same as last time and we left after one drink. Good thing too, we both felt drunker than anticipated.

Despite drinking half a liter of water before going to bed, I had a bit of hangover peaking out from behind the static in my brain. Don't think I would have noticed it if my mind had been acting up a bit more.

I was planning to get an early jump on continuing to catch up on this blog, but found a email from my sister wanting to hear my voice. And tonight would be the last night she would be near a phone for the foreseeable future.

Her tonight was my now, so I called and we talked for a long time. The phone is something I try to avoid as I have trouble hearing, and without being able to refer back to the transcript I forget most of what is said. And here I have talked on the phone with my mother and my sister within the same 48 hour period.

A quick breakfast downstairs and I decided to put my nose to the grindstone and work today on getting caught up with the blog. I don't fell much like going out and Pete and Tom should be showing up today or tomorrow so I will fall even further behind at that point.

I find myself unable to write today, but I can organize. I add a page for StumbleUpon which has become an important enough resource this last year, that I figure it should have a presence on this blog. I add it to the menu up top and remove the 'recipes' tab that I am never going to get to.

Then I figure what entries I am behind on:

It is a daunting list, seeing as a single day seems to take so much time and it takes very little for me to miss three or four days more. I decide to try to stay current each day and do one day of the past each day as well. That at least makes it comfortable. And with Mai's memory, perhaps not impossible - just unlikely.

And after I start to have trouble reading, so we watch Buffy for a while and then around 6 we go to the swimming pool. Time in the pool rarely does nothing, it either energizes me or tires me out. Tonight it is the later, and it takes a while to muster up the strength to get out.

Both our stomachs are not feeling well today. Not too bad just somewhat upset from last night's gorging and drinking. Today being small portions but heavy on the carbs probably has not helped either. I decide I will cook dinner (doesn't feel like cooking when all you have is a microwave but often that means you have to be more creative) using up some of the things in the fridge: the last of the cooked purple rice from when we tested out the new rice cooker (okay, I have more than just a microwave) and a very small pork loaf that really should be used today. I'll cube the pork (it's already cooked) add it and some spicy seasonings to the rice, onion and mushroom mixture, and voila.

My second acupuncture appointment is at 11am this morning. As if knowing that I awake in the middle of the night with pain in my shoulder. I do four or five repetitions of the muscle stretching exercise he showed me and mobility returns. By morning the pain is gone.

My Blog Day to catch up on is August 4th. This our day in Vientiane, so it has a lot of detail and will be very long to write. I try to get an early jump on it and get as far as leaving the hotel to venture into the city before Mai wakes up - answers a couple of questions on things of that day I have marked to asked her.

It is 9am, and we are not showered. Mai has gone off to get milk at the 7-11. We have had a box of cereal in the cupboard for a month or so now. Apparently today, we are going to have some.

I'm feeling the time pressure of having something to do. While I always used to have this, I was always early for everything, it has gotten worse. Almost an OCD kind of problem.

After the shower, I take my Lantus shot and use the last of the vial. Like last time it feels like much less than a month since I opened it, but works out to be exactly the month and three days that it should be. Weird.

I haven't had cereal in so long. It is a Muesli and it tastes really good. Initially I wished I had asked Mai to get a banana too, but this tastes plenty sweet without one.

I left for the acupuncturist about 10:30. I didn't have a clear on how to get there, so I steeled myself for a trip by motorbike taxi. I tried to follow along our path mentally and special notice of were the turn off of Third Road was, but after that there were too many twist and turns (you know where it is a nice simple arc on the map I have) a couple of which were not in intuitive directions.

Nigel was there watching the Olympics as I arrived. I told him about my upper outer arm muscles were sore from the pathetically little bit of exercise I had done, and that with the big arm pain gone I could now feel how tight my neck was, but that otherwise I was better than I could remember being.

I lay down, and it was pretty much the same routine again. Pins I barely felt, some I didn't feel at all, then hooked up to a pulsating electrical source. Like last time the last pin in right shoulder blade was the only one that hurt, and the left side was only side I could feel the electricity on. One on those was a little bit uncomfortable as the muscle twitched some under the current. I probably should have said something, but I am too used to spasms.

Part of my conversation with my mother must have stuck because after, during the deep tissue massage phase, which this time required a couple of needle itself in my neck, I asked him if he used a local anesthetic wipe. he said no, the needles are just very small and sharp. If you are wondering why they don't have them that small when you have blood drawn, it is because those have to be hollow and thus bigger - figured that out myself.

My expectations were a little too high after last week's miracle, not al the pain in my neck is gone, but then unlike my shoulder some of my neck trouble is not just in the muscle but in the spine itself. Still it is noticeably better, and he says what little discomfort I am having in the arms and shoulders will go away as I continue the very simple exercising.

I remembered to ask if Massage Parlor massage was okay while we were doing treatments, and he said to stay away from Thai Massage, but that Oil Massage (massage parlors offer both types) was okay. That are bodies aren't meant for the stress of Thai Massage. And that a lot of clientele are middle aged Thai with back and ankle problems.

Which reminds me, I also made an appointment for next Wednesday for both myself and Mai - who, yes, has back pain. If we remember and follow through this means you will get some pictures of me with needles in my back.

I also told about how lost I got getting home last time (I'll get to tell you, honest) and he gave me simple instructions to get out to Third Road. Following them, I did get out to Third, but much further toward South Pattaya Road than if I managed to retrace the taxi driver's route. But at least I knew I could do and I think repeat this route without screwing it up.

I decided to walk down to the road Panalee is on to get to Soi Boahkow, and head to the barber since Mai would still be at her clinic appointment - having her faced lightened. I never get around to mentioning it but for every tanning and bronzing product back home there is a whitening product here. Tanning lotion is whitening lotion, etc. And they have whitening clinics the way we have tanning salons. White is clearly felt as the way to be here, an most Thais I have met have been very open about having racial bias against "chocolate" men.

Anyway, I got my first slight nick at the barbers but it had stopped bleeding by the time he was done. His wife was sitting on the customer bench behind me yelling out the door to a mother and child in what I am assuming was Thai baby talk. It was very annoying, but I didn't have Mai with me to explain why, so I didn't try to get her to shut the hell up.

Once done, I left quickly, they were still chirping away neither approaching the other but yelling at each other from the pint where they first saw each other. This too is a cultural difference. No need to approach or look at each other when talking, just yell in whatever direction you happening have been paying attention to.

I called Mai on the cell - which I brought in case Pete called, I almost never have it on me - and asked her if she was home. She was. I mentioned that her favorite noodle shop was open again (it has been closed most of a week, turns out the chef 'everything' had been ill.) and would she like to meet me there for lunch.

It being almost exactly the same distance from both of us we arrived at the same time. I got the mix of spices just right this time (turns out the fish oil - which I had been avoiding - is actually important to the perfect taste) and it was so good and I so hungry that for the first time I had two servings. So three bowls and an iced tea, 120 baht ($6).

Back at the hotel I realized that I had been hot only when I stepped into the perfect coolness of the room. I had forgotten to turn the air conditioner to a warmer setting before I left. Mai never touches the AC. This made me realize how comfortable I had been walking a couple of miles in August, with only a hat to protect me. Why was I more comfortable with the weather here, much closer to the equator, than I had been in Florida. I'm sure part of it is that I am three blocks from the Beach, and partly it is that we are experiencing unseasonably cooler and drier weather 'rainy' season. They are worried about the Fall;s rice production.

Why does the phrase 'unusual weather' seem to follow me where ever I go? Do you know that in the 10 years I drove around the country we only unloaded or loaded in the rain twice? Does anyone else thing that is a little odd? Indiana - February - 65 degrees - rest of the country is frozen like it should be. So was Indiana one week either direction from when I was there. Move to Florida, 4 hurricanes that summer, three came over the house (one pulled a loop-de-loop in the Gulf to do it. Each of the four hurricanes had reporters saying "I've never seen a hurricane do that before."

Weather and I have always had an interesting history. Strange.

Back at the room I am suddenly tired - too much food and/or sun. And we lie down and watch Buffy for a while.

We went to bed very late and I didn't wake up until after 9am. My muscle timing was all off today. It feels something like being drunk in the body. Every command is just a little off. I feel and walk and like a marionette. And we go out to breakfast at Pattini's in case Pete shows up, but I get so paranoid that I know once back at the room I'm not going out again.

We both order a ham and cheese omelet and both eat far more of it than I would have expected. I call Pete, he is already up and out. At least he is here.

Back at the room I am not comfortable in my own skin and spasms start not to long after noon. When they get noticeable Mai scratches my head until they calm down.

I spend most of the day alternating between the computer and watch Buffy. Thankfully we have seven seasons on disk and then the five seasons of Angel. This will take us a long way through the bad days.

Mai has a deal with newly opened massage shop run by a friend of hers, that if they have too many customers, they will call her to come over.

So far she has worked three massages on three days spread over the month. It makes her happy to have some income and to be productive. The second time she did not get a tip and this depressed her. Tonight she comes back with a 200 baht tip. She is happy.

I did learn a neat trick on StumbleUpon from another stumbler. If I want to share something from there here: say a really fetching topless photo, I can do this, and show it to you without confusing you with all the entries around it.

I was unable to balance last night well enough to do my tiny exercises. I was surprised that it made enough of a difference that my right should was sore in the morning. A few stretches and I was mostly fine again. Of course it also might have been the spasms yesterday that tightened the shoulder up.

I call Pete after I am up and showered and we arrange to met at Pattini's. Mai does not wish to come, as sitting around listening to farang rapid speak is as exciting for her as it is for me to stand around while she talks to her friends in Thai. I fully understand.

Pete is not hungry and is waiting for Tom to show up.

I order Chicken with Cashew nuts. This has become my non-spicy food of choice, especially in the morning when fried rice usually does not appeal.

There is some very loud construction (sounds like they are drilling into the other side of the wall) going on intermittently that is scrambling my thought processes a bit but Pete and I catch up lightly on events. Not too much to say on my end, he reads my blog and it is pretty much all there.

Rich arrives, and Pete catches up with him. Soon Tom arrives and then the conversation is pretty much dominated from then on.

I try to talk Pete into coming by before we head out for a massage. I could use an good hour on my hands and forearms. Funny, now that the acupuncturist fixed the pain in my neck and shoulders I am becoming aware of all these smaller aches and pains.

Pete arrives and I see him from the staircase and show off the room.

Mai is deeply engrossed in the Jigsaw puzzle now, and has no interest in watching Pete and I talk. It is so nice though to have a full speed conversation. And off we go for massage. Pete is not as acclimatized as I seem to have become so that limits us to massage parlors with air conditioning.

We go to Mai's old shop. Pete gets a foot massage while I have them concentrate on my hands and forearms. As usual though no matter what you ask for originally things revert to the routine. And my masseuse was not very strong, but it was relaxing.

Still afterward we both still felt the need for a massage. We went down Second Road to another air conditioned massage parlor. This time Pete went for Head and Shoulders and I again attempted to get just my hands and arms done. To my surprise, my masseuse not only worked on just that area but also only on the right hand and arm which is what my gesture had been at. Luckily this is my mouse hand and what needed the most work.

Now I felt massaged. Pete was not hungry, but I was and we walked down Second Road looking for a restaurant that took credit cards but hit that dead zone on 2nd again. Suddenly I realized that we were in front of the Chinese eatery that had the money wall.

With out Mai to translate I was rather lost, and ended up with Pad Thai (which was great) and Pete order Pork Fried Rice which was huge and he largely ignored.

Since he hadn't felt like eating I thought it only right that I pay.

With plans to go out later in the week, I returned back to an empty room. I called Mai's cell phone to let her know I was home and she said she was on her way back. Five seconds later the door opens and in walks Mai with the laundry.

We watch the Buffy episode we fell asleep to last night. During this maintenance comes in to look again at the toilet. This thing has not worked correctly since day one, but it has been acting up a lot lately. They say, via Mai, that they are going to have to move us out for a couple of days to fix it. I say we stay where we are and use the toilet in the other room. (By the way, 'toilet' is the only word that will work here. Any euphemism, restroom, bathroom, powder room, etc., will only illicit a blank stare.)

After TV, we swim. As the day has been largely overcast for the second half, I expect the water to be cool, but it wonderfully warm.

I want to test my 'new' arms, so we play skunchy ball in the pool. We go for over twenty minutes before I manage to pull my right arm. The spasm is much milder than before and I am able to soothe it with the exercise - modified for the water. We play on we me almost exclusively using my left arm, and am not able to make it hurt. I think the left is cured and the right is one season away. Fingers crossed.

As neither of us slept particularly well, I think it will be an early night tonight.

For the last time, I do the credit card finances shortly after I get up. As we tend to be getting up later lately this around 9:30am. Somehow, we paid more than we charged last week. I must have lost track of time again. Today will fix that.

Finances done, I make a list of what has to get done that day: Noodle Shop, Bank, Chiang Mai, Foodland, Massage, Dinner/Movie.

Noodle Shop: never open on the weekends and often not open some weekdays due to the owner, chef, server person being ill. This fine Monday morning it is open. The beef parts noodle soup with kale and pork crunkies is great as usual. This dish has gotten better as I have fine tuned the condiment adding process.

I didn't sleep well so I bought both coffee and lipovan-D at 7-11 on the way. With these in my system I begin to perk up a bit.

Bank: I paid the rent on the 15th, and paid it from cash. Beyond that daily, weekly and errand coffers were running low (I like to have lots of designated coffers) so from the noodle shop we walked to the bank and withdrew 50,000 baht ($1400 USD) and stored it temporarily in one of my lower zippered pockets. The bank was more crowded that usual but it still only took a few minutes.

Thailand Map Thumbnail - Click for Full Map

Chiang Mai: a week or so ago, we went to the travel agent next to the gates to Diana Estates to find out about an ad I had seen for 3 days and airfare for two to Chiang Mai for 22,000 baht. The agent looked up as well came in like, "oh my god, a customer, what am I supposed to do about that." She was unable to work the phone, and took our number and made a promise to call us that so far has not been kept.

So today, we went to the man that handled my visa runs. He is on Soi Metropole, which is mostly known for beer bars, go-go bars and Lolitas, but also has a few insurance and travel businesses.

He was cleaning the front steps as we approached.

As we needed neither the car (driver not included) or the 'free' camera offered in the package, he was fairly certain he could do better. As my resistance to noise and light is decreasing fast I figured next week was best. I arbitrarily picked Monday, Aug 25th as the starting date. There was a lot of calling and call backs. Even though it is low season we were having trouble getting a king sized bed; twins and doubles being what seemed to be out there. We also wanted to be near either the temples or the city center which eliminated some very nice looking resorts that were too far out.

In the end we got a 5 day vacation in a theatrically better hotel for just under 20,000 baht. It seems weird spending money when I am so desperate for funds (more on that in a minute) but they fund used to pay for this will cease to exist at the end of the month whether I use it or not. So we book the trip:

While still at Journey & Net Agency LTD, we decide to empty the bulk of the rest of the fund that is only good until the end of the month. We do this by booking at 3 night start at the Pattaya Marriott Resort and Spa. Located right next to Royal Garden, yet walled off from view on all sides, pictures of this resort look amazing.

Mai wanted a massage at Edens, and I certainly had a build up of spasm knots in my legs and hips. While it was right around the block from where we were, I wanted to go back to the room first and drop off the money and travel papers.

Having split the money in pocket into the various coffers and 8000 baht went into my wallet, and the travel papers went in the safe.

Then we walked right back passed to travel agent to Edens. While I have had a bad experience at both Eden locations, this simple massage was within their capabilities. I have my legs and hip worked on while Mai had Head and Shoulders next to me. The third floor walk up was much easier than last time. I think I am n better shape now that my shoulders aren't killing me when I moved them.

And our later we were lazy and spent a 100 baht to rent a Baht bus to take us to Foodland directly, rather than spend 40 baht but have to transfer busses and cross the intersection of Soi Boakoaw and Central Pattaya Road. Foodland is the only large supermarket in the area that I am aware of that I have not been to.

Smaller than I was expecting from the commercials but bigger than the one at Major Complex. It had a nice selection of farang food including mayonnaise - Miracle Whip is NOT mayo and all I have been able to find thus far - and we bought a good sized sampling of it. Then hired a baht bus to take us and our stuff back home.

The buzzing in my head started with the sunlight sneaking in at breakfast and has steadily grown through out the day. My head is pounding now and I am down for the day.

This makes me realize that I decision I have been struggling with really does not have a choice for me. I have do it and figure out the fall out later. I have found a potential drug for some symptom control. A doctor from Seoul and I have been communicating for about month now. At first I misunderstood and thought it was a black market situation, but these last few emails have cleared that up as application will take place here at the Bangkok Hospital.

The problem is it is expensive. I can afford it, but it both moves my deadline forward (using the same rough rough rough (guess guess guess) spreadsheet I have been using, I get middle of January plus or minus several months - since we are in unprecedented waters. Applying January 14th against what remains of the financial nest egg after payment for the needs and hospital costs, I get 674 baht. That is a post rent amount, but still a scary amount to live exist on. It is possibly doable, but it leaves zero room for contingencies or the unexpected. My current plan is to beg and borrow (I think stealing is out at this point) just as soon as I figure out the best way to go about that in way that is fair to the people asked and in and also in such a way that I can live with philosophically.

Anyway, I email for them to send the nano-lithium out. It will arrive after I leave for Chiang Mai but in after thought probably best not to start anything experimental and then leave the area of my hospitalization support. Keep your fingers crossed that not all my friends are destitute.

While I have mostly been using Mai's laptop for working on this website, email and most everything. I had my laptop still running for her to do jigsaw puzzles and occasionally for me to get things out of it I had forgotten to copy.

Today, it overheated wiping out an hours hard work and greatly frustrating me. So I finally asked Michael for the number of his computer repair guy. Mai talked with him on the phone and arrangements were made for him to come by at 4pm.

We waited but by 5pm, Mai was hungry and I was in the mood for for my Sunday Burger King Whopper (it was now Tuesday so I was a little impatient.) so I sent to her to get whatever she wanted and a whopper.

Within two minutes of her leaving he showed up. Thankfully he spoke quite good English. He explained that if it was the circuitry for the fan, due to the age of the computer, we would be out of luck. There was also a chance due to the extreme old age (5 whole years) of the laptop that it would just fracture when he tried to open it - I got the mental image of a vampire turning to dust, but I have been watching a lot of Buffy.

He took the laptop and off he went. Mai returned literally seconds later, she must have passed him in the hallway.

I've been trying to buy a chemistry for Sage for Christmas. I had been slowly trying to foster in her an interest in science, logic and thinking. One Christmas I got her an electronics experimentation kit, and I can't for the life of me remember the other kit but there was one.

Then I got sidetracked the last couple Christmases by my own self-absorption. So I figured this last one I would get her a Chemistry set online and have it sent to Jia's house. But as I looked online all I could find were really lame sets or good sets with most of the chemicals not included.

I was starting to get frustrated when it occurred to me that this was a logical step in the spread of the nanny state, and with a little Googling I found this:

Yup, I can't find a decent chemistry set because they have been litigated out of existence.

Now, I can see some of you already thinking back to when I was a child and the trouble I got into with explosives. Well guess what, I had a chemistry set, but that had nothing to do with it. High School chemistry class helped me with most of it. Now we live in the age of the Internet (would have saved me a trip to the library) and any child can Google how to make napalm and nitroglycerin from items found in the house. So I agree with the author, the idea is to keep the kiddies in ignorance and unused to thinking.

I sleep in what feels like twenty second snippets. Sleep, dream for a couple seconds, wake up, scratch, and fall back to sleep. Repeat ad nauseum. I'm itchy because I took two capsules of painkillers forgetting that the last time I took two, I was itchy all night.

So I get a lousy sleep, and around five I get up and start playing slowly with the computer. We have acupuncture at 10am, and my mind feels like one large exposed nerve. Normally I would take another Xanax in this situation but I am already so woozy, that would almost certainly put me to sleep.

I have a cracker, just enough to take my pills, for breakfast. Mai's normal schedule is to start eating at noon - she often amends this for me but if she were living alone that is what her schedule would be - so she is fine. We hire a baht bus to take us.

I had wanted for Mai to take pictures of the acupuncture but in our daze neither of us thought of bringing the camera.

I explain that the left arm appears healed and he works exclusively on the right side. I certainly felt the current over there this time. And in the end he gave me two shots of anti-imflammitories in very specific points in right shoulder and said that by tomorrow it would be 100% good as new. We shall see, but it does feel pretty good now.

Mai, who up until now had been complaining about her back decided to mention a head ache instead.

We walked back. It was very very bright and hot and loud. It was like I was five feet closer to the world. A few more feet and it will be rather painful.

We stopped for chicken liver and fried rice, but much to my surprise I was not hungry and ended up taking most of it home. Ah home. Slept for a little bit, but am still a space case today. Still it has slowed the brain down enough that I can type without having to fix each botched word.

Mai and family (nephew, Top, and Oom his wife)

I survived enjoyed far more alcohol than I was originally planning to have. With the aide of the magic headphones I was not only able to withstand the noise but hear the conservation better than my companions. And what hadn't occurred to previously having most stuck to farang heavy areas when going out with them on, they function as a 'conversation' starter with the bar girls.

In all with went to two pre-bars (outdoor drink busses) two go-go bars and beer bar. The alcohol never messed with my head in anything but a good way, and was far more patient with my stomach than I expected, which finally forced me to start home around 1pm. Tom had already paired off and vanished while I wasn't looking, and even Pete was headed that way, so the timing was good. I met an older English man named Phil. A tiny bit of a local legend I think and apparently friends of Pete and Tom. Took a right liking to me, and he seems like a great chap. We have exchanged contact info.

Said if I was ever bored or wanted to go out to eat... where was he when I was trying to experience Pattaya's high end restaurants before the cards ran out?

Pictures (sadly after the fact), events.

I learned a new blogging trick this morning. I often get confused between what I have posted here and what I have written in emails. I end up thinking an event is written up, but it was actually only sent to one person. By writing an email as a precursor to a blog entry, I not only get a longer better more detailed email but that becomes the skeleton for a blog entry which then gets a much better chance of being full fleshed out and entered.

It's coming up on 8:30am and don't feel the total body/mind revenge I was expecting. In fact I've felt worse on waking with no reason behind it. It was nice to go out and be a normal person. In all a successful experiment.

Mai and I went to bed early but didn't fall asleep easily. Three times I woke up covered in sweat; odd as I have the AC on and a fan blowing on me.

I woke up at 7 and showered. My playing around with the computer woke Mai by 8. An hour later we were walking toward Areca Lodge to see if Tom was right about the Eggs Benedict. What we encountered was a buffet and a language barrier. One of the communication problems you run into with Thai is that they will never say that that they do not know something. This will cause them to lose face. So if they don't understand, or don't know something, they will make something up or make you think they understood. For instance ask a Thai for directions, they will always point in some direction even if they had no idea where you were asking. I figure with it being a buffet, even if it had Eggs Benedict it couldn't be very good.

So I asked Mai for an idea of where to go, and after a round of the "up to you" game she came up with Diana Inn. I hadn't eaten there, was curious about their massage and figured, hey if you have a street named after you...

This too turned out to be a buffet. Nothing to write home about but not bad either. The AC was right at my back and low enough that I blocked the flow from hitting Mai, so that was perfect.

"The Avenue Pattaya" - pictures - layout.

Theater hiding marquee

Orange By the Sea Restaurant

Back to Room - kept forgetting about not having headphones.

Miss Saigon - Fresh Rolls, Dumplings

Orange By the Sea - pictures - The best quiche ever!

The taxi arrives to take us to the airport in two hours and I am not even close to done packing so this will be brief.

I am back, safe and sound. Today is a busy day. I'll try to catch you up on Chiang Mai over the next couple days.

The medicine that was supposed to arrive at the hospital while I was in Chiang Mai did indeed arrive but a piece of machinery they need to administer it has no arrived on time.

I have forgotten what it feels like to have no buffer between me and the world. It is much too bright, loud and close. I can't go out except in short bursts. I would have expected that that would give me time to catch up on the blog but I am having trouble staying focused and my hand is shaking too much to type easily.

I did get the pictures up on flickr: Misc, Chiang Mai but it looks like I won't be doing any posting until I get the drug - assuming it works.

Thankfully on the body side of things I am almost completely pain free thanks to the acupuncture.

And having to stay in will be a good thing financially as the credit cards are history (my wallet feels so odd) and we are now on a strict budget.

Endangered Species - The Chemistry Set