Too Much Will Be Revealed!

     Taking my mantra the next step, too much was revealed.   It was a wonderful warm reception when I arrived at school from both teachers and students.  The teachers report that students often ask when I'm coming.  There was one new student in class and a few have left.  Sixth grade has a new teacher. Knowing that the teachers draw from their own resources I thought I could contribute help to students and families in need anonymously in that way.  During lunch I gave a hundred Baht ($3.00) to test it out,  At the afternoon assembly a teacher called 5 students forward and gave each 20B, Then all the students turned to me and applauded. Well,,,back to the drawing boards on that one.

Hua Hin and back again.

   It was a long mini-bus ride, 4 hours one way, for a short stay at the beach.  But then how long would I want to sit under an umbrella, on an uncomfortable beach chair and watch the surf?  I surveyed the family and we all agreed that we preferred last years destination, Cha Am, to Hua Hin.
   Speaking for myself I found Cha Am to be better for a number of reasons.  It's smaller and much more laid back.  Most of the visitors are Thai.  Hua Hin is populated by a large number of European retirees with few Thai visitors.  Norwegian flags abound and some store list their special sales offerings in Norwegian.  If I want to see Norwegians or other Europeans I'll go to Europe.
   We had a quaint, inexpensive (cheap) hotel which was very clean.  Our rooms were on the 6th floor and there was an elevator.  However, the elevator only ran between floors two and seven.so you had to climb the stairs one floor to use it.  The rationale for such a design escapes me.

On the beach.

The Power of Recognitiont

  Traveling from my guesthouse in Bangkok begins with a few block walk to the Sky Train (modern elevated railway).  I take the Sky Train for 7 stops and one quick transfer to the Victory Monument stop where I transfer to a mini-bus...a 16 passenger Toyota van,  Tickets for the mini-van are sold in a very Thai fashion,  There is a long booth with about 18 agents selling tickets, one agent for each mini-bus destination.
   When I approached the Ayuttahaya ticket seller she recognized me from last year.  It  gave me a small surge of appreciation that in this huge city someone would recognize me.  Yes, I know...it doesn't take much. :)

Ticket sellers.

Ticket booth.

Mini-bus.

Cats Demise

  When I left the house in Ayutthaya last year there were four cats...a mother and three kittens.  Now there is a mother and one kitten.  One of the kittens simply disappeared.  And the other kitten?  eaten by  snake!  I assume it must have been a boa constrictor because it first squeezed the cat and then swallowed it.  Met saw the cat in the snake's coils but it was already dead.  On two sides of the house are brushy trees, plenty of habitat for snakes and other critters.

All Will Be Revealed!

    That's a very helpful mantra for my life in Thailand...'All Will Be Revealed'   Thinking that this first weekend in Thailand would be the perfect time to go to the beach I left Bangkok for Ayutthaya this morning.    Poo and Met met me at the depot and over lunch I learned that the beach trip is scheduled for Feb.  Employing the peace of my mantra I was going with the flow.  But there's more.  Hearing that I thought we were going this weekend we now plan to leave tomorrow..

On The Move

    Tomorrow (Fri) morning I will travel to Ayutthaya to meet my host family.  Later in the day we will  travel to the resort city of Hua Hin for the weekend.  They will sit on the beach under umbrellas and feast on seafood.  I'll skip the seafood but explore a city I haven't seen previously.  It's down the Gulf of Thailand coast a few miles from Cha Am where we were last year.
    Online access is iffy for these days.

Bangkok'd Appeal?

      Why does a South Dakota f arm boy like me like cities. It's clear that I do, having chosen to live downtown. I do like Bangkok.  Part of its appeal is the differentness; the food stalls on the sidewalks, the man with his sewing machine on the sidewalk next to the  key maker, trucks loaded sky high, vendors hawking their wares, etc.  However, I've spent enough time here that most of that is now familiar to me.
       It's the energy, I've decided, that attracts me to cities.   When it comes to energy Bangkok rocks. It's in the traffic, the crowds and the total ambiance.  Bangkok is a great place to visit but live here??? I think it would soon wear me down.

SIGNS OBSERVED

    Along the 30 minute cab ride from the airport to the guesthouse is a large hospital with  a huge neon sign proclaiming PIYATE HOSPITAL.  I guess it was paid for so it stays up.  I puzzled over this sign along Silom Road  for a moment before its meaning became clear;  Bar Ber Upstairs.  There is nothing to drink but you can get a haircut.  My favorite is in Ayutthaya that  says CITY LIMITS PRODUCE SPEED.  Go ahead and make a dash for it...not that Thai drivers need any encouragement to drive faster.