feb 21 06

Hello Friends,

Today I would like to share a few of my experiences in Thailand... and also a few pictures.
The other day, I went into a backroom to find a secretary and found her gossiping with a group of cleaning and gardening ladies. We chatted for a while and they offered me one of their purple sweet potatoes- that's right, like a yam only purple. I actually don't like yams, though I know they're very nutritious, but this had a sweeter and mellower taste. I reciprocated by buying them a few iced green teas, which they said were "alloy mak," very delicious.
I also remember a time I ill-advisedly rode to the beach in the back of a pickup truck with ten young Thais, half guys, half girls. They gave me the best spot and didn't seem to mind hanging off the side... but it was still packed. I sang them Sublime's "What I Got," on the way. I found, interestingly, that of all the songs I've listened to, that's the only one I can sing from memory.
After breakfast today, I took a walk around the university. There's one colossal, gnarled tree whose sturdy branches chase the sunlight for a long way in every direction; its trunk supports a whole community of bright green creepers. They've circled the trunk with concrete so the saplings won't have much of a chance.
Then I strolled around the race "track" which is in the same state of repair as an Egyptian mummy: hoary but fine for my purposes. Just over the fence, there are groves of stocky, lime green palm trees. To my amazement, I saw birds of the same green color flitting from tree to tree, singing peacefully. At first, I thought the heat might be making me delusional but one landed on a fence near me and I got a good look. These birds were fairly plain, not parrots, maybe 8 inches tall with long thin beaks.
Anyway, the picture's I've included are as follows, the pond with the palm tree is on the campus of my university, the temple is in downtown Phetchaburi across the street from the Thai version of a mall (lol) where you can buy things at amazing prices, and the one of a shimmering lake is in nearby Ganga Jan park where there are jaguars, leopards, komodo dragons, black birds with neon blue beaks, and many elephants. I haven't been there yet so it's next on my list.

friendly wishes from Siam,

Sean Nelson