Monday January 09, 2006 other days...Saturday August 21, 2004Monday August 23, 2004Monday August 30, 2004Thursday September 02, 2004Sunday September 12, 2004Thursday January 13, 2005Friday March 18, 2005Monday January 09, 2006 I got back yesterday from Thailand (and Burma-very briefly- and Cambodia). I am furious that I didn't have my good camera, my snapshot camera is terrible. I hate it. Anyone want to buy it off me? It's a really great little camera. hmph. My big one doesn't take a bad picture, even with me behind the wheel. The little one is lousy. I'm angry at it. I was too shy to take pictures most of the time anyway. I feel like it's impolite (note I didn't say 'think' before you get arguing, it's not an opinion, just a feeling). A lot of the tourists by the way, are really rude and demanding. Tramping around all imperialistic style acting as though the locals have no right to even look at them, demanding 'services'. ew. I thought the Americans were supposed to be the brutes (I guess we're just brutes at home and at war). Michael did a nice job keeping me away from tourist spots and introducing me to his friends, but sometimes you did get to places where there were big tour groups, they kind of suck the energy out of a place. For one, taking up a lot of room, which I know can't be helped, but it's inorganic to be going around in a group, because you're not on your own time or really getting the feel for something on your own. They just follow the guide rather than their instcint so they aren't in touch with what's going on, they get on you rway or act clueless and just generally cause a scene and ruin the atmosphere of a place. This was mainly just the trip to Angkor Wat, which was worth the hassle of tourists. Getting back to America though, was a shock. I'm kind of depressed about it, and I can't seem to get back on a normal sleep schedule. I forced myself to bed at 1 and woke up at 3 and it's 5 now. I'm a little bit miserable. I woke up thinking I was in a hut, but then I 'realized' it was a guest house since I was in a room of my own, but then I recognized my mirror and got panicky. Then I recognized my nightstand, and then my window and my bed, and I was looking at it all trying to figure out where in the world I was, because I knew these were my things, but the place seemed wrong. It seemed like I was randomly dropped in the middle of nowhere, and not somewhere I should be settled. I kept thinking, when am I getting to my real home. It was frightening and kind of sad. Anyone want to buy my furniture so I can go to Cambodia and teach kids? I haven't even gotten started on the food. The best ever is the Burmese breakfast soup. Coconut broth, noodles, corn fritters, I forget what else but it was amazing. Also the Burma tea shop was great, the tea is so thick and dark, and they mix in this really thick syrupy version of sweetened condensed milk. So good. And we had a Myanmar beer at the border for old time's sake (Mike's old times, and my first glimpse of Burma). For your viewing enjoyment today: the infamous "Pigs" video

Today's pictures This was a pretty temple on top of a mountain. We spent the day with Mike's friends from work, a Thai couple called Meng and Muoy (Mike correct me on the spelling) with a three year old called Java. The v is like a w, accent on the 2nd a. Java's a rascal, really adorable, funny too. He and Mike get on really well. They took us to Kamphang Phet (sp) where they grew up, also to this hot spring place which was nice. Some scenery, was it called Peng river? My other camera, oh my other camera, if only I had brought my other camera. Not so much for the picture, but this was little India in Bangkok. Under the awnings are all little shops and food stalls. At first I was put off by Bangkok by the tour groups and the pollution (I had a headaceh within an hour of being downtown and then you blow your nose it's all black) but now I think I could live there after spending a few days there in MIke's adopted neighborhood (Thewet). Oh the music is another funny thing. The first time you hear Western tunes you get all excited that you know the song (in my case, Rod Stewart, i don;t want to talk about it, and Bee Gees Islands in the Stream) and then you realize you wouldn't give those tunes the time of day in USA, but they become special to you. Also, I got to recognizing and liking some of the Thai songs that hopefully I can find over here. Also Mike had Burmese pop music going that I want to hear again. The obligatory 'I was there'. For some reason all of the ones of me are really really bad. My skin didn't like the weather or something. Though I stopped wearing face cream and that seems to have done the trick, getting it back to normal. Also, in Burma, I bought Thanaka, which many of the women there put on their faces to protect from sun and everyone said it was good for spots. A woman in the beer shop put it on for me, it was fun. Sometimes you see them do really good patterns with it. Riding the bus there was fun too, I was the only foreigner inside (Mike was out at the back with the men) and I didn't know a lick of Burmese, but the women were all as interested in me as I was in them. Some of them were giving my face 'thumbs up' to say I was pretty. It was nice. It's funny, the people in town kind of know Mike for speaking Burmese. Agh, all these memories hit me as I think of it. The point was we went by these kids who said 'hello' (and when the kids there say hello, the o is long and pretty like a song), and the one said to the other in Burmese, 'he can speak Burmese'. I wish we could have been there longer, generally the people there are incredible. My husband will be Burma or Nepal I've decided. You can't tell me the children wouldn't be amazing. What? Biological clock? Where? I got into this place and this tour group was making a scene. I was really sad and they were annoying me. Then the kids rushed me with their stuff to buy, so I calmed them down and sat down with them and talked for a while. All of a sudden I realize it's just me and two of the kids. It was really serene, and it was nightfall (sorry Mike). So you could hear just the crickets and frogs and no tour groups snapping shots (just me, right? : ) ). And the kids were cool, one of them incredibly beautiful and soft spoken. They took me around quietly. It was nice. Then it got dark and Mike and I had to bicycle home in the (very) dark. What happened was someone snatched the lock to our bikes and he had to watch them when I was inside. Oh, another good one was we had taken a turn onto a dirt road earlier that day and it got more rural and there were these kids playing in a field. They must have been 4 or 5. It was the cutest scene you've ever seen. This one girl with long hair, no shirt, a great big skirt, grinning and gnawing on a stick of sugar cane that was as tall as she was. Anyway we stopped for a bit and kept on, and when we turned back round they were kind of waiting for us to push our bikes along, they ran out laughing and ran with us for a while. It was really funny. Oh, the next day we saw a place made me weep called Bayan (I have a knack for enjoying these places and magically avoiding the crowds, it's gotten to be a point of pride) but then the nun ran out hollering in Khmer about I had to bow down to the Buddha. Yikes. I gave her 500 riel and got the hell out of there. MONKEY! They had lots of monkeys, and this side of the page is getting too long so I need to stop. Argh, hard not to tell all of teh stories in one shot. Too many of them.