Wat Suan Dok

     This is what I came to Thailand to see. Being the only person at the temple not  wearing orange .Finding incredible beauty and celebrating it.

The Grand Hotel.........sorta

   There's a woman living in my hotel who reminds me of Meg Tilly. A middle age romance writer or retired  actress of some sorts, dressed in flowing layers and always wearing a head scarf (or two) She sweeps in to the restaurant with her arms full of books and magazines and packages or maybe just a her big bag making whispery apologies to the  staff and ordering her latte "psst psst psst if it's not too much trouble ,oh take your time dear I'm just going to sit over here psstpsstout of the way and go through all psstpsspsst" and then she goes over to the two big stuffed chairs  by the window and puts her stuff half on the coffee table and half on the chair with her. She rustles through it looking for something or finding something or something dramaticky until the manager comes  over with her latte and then with the kissesand and blah blah. She sits down wither and Meg leans over the table and starts getting all intimate and secret like . She sits back and seems to shoo off the manager but a few minutes later the manager comes back with her tea and by now Meg has (and this is the best part) has slid down onto the floor between the table and the window. She does it so effortlessly, spreading out her treasures and papers all over the table and her chair at the same time. I see it all the time and almost never see her do it. The manager comes over and sits back in her chair with her tea. Meg makes a big todo over moving her stuff around for both their drinks and shows how the sunlight from the window hurts her eyes and that's why she's sitting on the floor under the big window "psspsst the light psst so beautiful herepsstpsst too brightpsstpsst my eyespsstpsst or  maybe it's her back "psspsspsst the doctors here psstpsstso much better here in Thailandppsstsstpsst."
    So now she has positioned herself for the day to receive admirerers. They chat and laugh until someone peeks in from the lobby (heard her wonderful laugh no doubt. it really is) and comes over to her, giving the manager a chance to get away, "Oh get back to work ha ha ha I'm always getting in the way," and the the new admirer sits in the empty chair and this happens over and over, she is wonderful.  I haven't met her yet. Sometimes she brings a little dog  (Where DOES that dog come from?) and it barks at the big orange hotel cat and everyone in the room laughs. The cat runs off (more like lopes) and she hugs the tiny dog and scolds him. Dome would have shredded him had it come to that. Which makes the whole thing oh oh oh, so much more charming. Oh that cat. I'm so coffee'd up right now, but I always forget to write about her but Dome was sitting in the elevator for the ride up to my room . Dome (named after the hotel) likes to ride up and down in the elevator. It's a nice quiet air conditioned place to hide from a yapping little dog world. My Grand Hotel.

Maybe "Coffee?" is a code.

Maybe walking up to the door is code for, "Excuse me good sir, Is this where you keep the old naked women on display in a big plastic box? "
  Every voice in my head or hair standing up on the back of my neck said, DO NOT GO IN THERE.
     In all honesty I was not totally blameless. I had showed up at a place down the road two hours early and had the choices of hanging out with two "hosts" until the crowd (what/who ever that was) came in or finding a taxi to take me back uptown or walk  down to the main corner and find a cup of coffee. Every place was closed because it was so late but I did see this neon glow down in a car park back there a ways....

Abandon hope, all ye who enter.

It's like Jakarta all over again. A decade later and I'm still in Jakarta.

The Crips wore Blue. They could kill you but not send you to hell.

The orange dark side of Thailand.
 Roaming pack of Thai monks in their flashy orange robes. They spotted a little Cambodian monk in his peasant brown robe on their turf. There was an ugly sandal stomping, I was too afraid that they'd see me to take a pic of it. brrrrrrr.

 


Afterwards they celebrated by grazing
at the bakery, scaring away the
customers and terrorizing one of their
favorite victims, the baker.
"Don't worry about it Pops,
 Life is suffering, hehheh heh."

 

        Then they made their way back up into the hot streets.

                               They don't pay for taxis and that's the law. They own this town.
                                                                    It's how they roll.

LATTE RON NEUNG one hot latte coming right up.

Started my day with a nice steaming cup of coffee...in my lap thank you very much.
   I went down stairs and stopped into the hotel café and a group of tourists TOURISTS!! were sitting in my spot.  Noi laughed and thought it was funny that I would have to sit someplace different. They were having breakfast before heading out and I was up early to see the temple Wat Jet Yop. so I walked around the room lookingfor aa comfortable spot and decided on the least un and sat down. Everyone was watching me as I'm sure that Noi told them how I hate changes. I got out my sketch book and pencils and got ready to start my day when she brought me my latte and set it down on my left side. My left side. The opposite side of my brain tumor. (Now I know why I hate changes.)In a few moments I reached past the coffee and when I pulled my hand back I brought the coffee with me and right into my lap. Hot, Hot coffee. I jumped up and Noi and her idiot friend laughed at the squealing falang.  So now my washed clothes are hanging over my balcony and I am Not going to have her idiot friend banned  from the hotel. That decision took six hours cooking in the sun at a temple that has no shaded place to sit. Because I'm fucking spiritual.

AGAIN WITH THE BLOG ALREADY!

I'm waiting in Chiang Mai for the rains to begin. I cancelled my flight back to Tucson on Sunday, actually I just didn't show up at the airport. Actually I didn't even remember it I till this morning.
 Tomorrow I go to the consulate back at Chiang Mai airport and get an extension on my visa. And then I'll comeback to the Hotel I'm living in and  continue sweltering on the balcony waiting for the great rains to start. I spend my time in the lobby drinking lattes and drawing.