Hi Gram,
I had a great day. I woke up and got some morning routine things done, then headed out on my walk. I took the concrete loop through the trees then up the stairs and slope. I took the narrow goat path stairs up then enjoyed the view before starting down the other way. I reached the bottom of the long stairs and saw Jo and the other Palapon crew. They were getting ready to head up and asked if I wanted to join them going back up. They were joking, but I agreed then ran up them, two steps at a time until I ran out of steam. They yelled “show off!” and “that’s not fair!” behind me, which brought a smile to my face. I waited for them at the top, then we all climbed more stairs together before looping around and going back down the stairs where we’d met.

Instead of heading back down the main busy road, we looped around to the back road, the one that leads to the highest temple if you go left and to the main road if you go right. It’s a quieter and more peaceful road, added a few more steps, and gave me a chance to chat with Sergei. As we were walking and chatting, I saw a couple things worth commenting on. First of all, the gas pumps here. Instead of a gas station with twenty pumps and a huge store inside, there are just pumps placed in front of random businesses or temples where people can stop and fill up their scooters. There’s a credit card reader to pay and pump for yourself. I’ve seen trucks come by to fill them every now and then, but it’s just a simple self-serve solution. The other thing I saw was a dead snake floating down the river. I don’t know if it fell in and couldn’t get out (unlikely, the shore isn’t that high) or if someone just threw it in when they found it dead. In any case, it was just unique to see. Eventually we were back on the main road then at the hotel. Sergei and I talked about PhD candidates, professorships and science along the way, a surprisingly deep and thoughtful conversation.

Back at the hotel, I ate some breakfast then headed to Klausfit class. The exercises were strenuous and difficult, the way they should be, while the heat and humidity have certainly returned. Back at the hotel, I changed my shirt again then got a few things done before lunch. Manny talked about being a helicopter pilot while we had our chicken, then we all headed off to our own corners to rest. I headed to yoga around 2, where Ana was the yoga instructor today. I really enjoy her classes. It’s a good combination of stretch, balance, and strength that she makes easy to follow. Back at the hotel, I took a shower and did a little work on the computer while my phone recharged then headed out to accomplish a couple of errands. First, I stopped and made an appointment at a dental office. I need a deep cleaning, which I hate and think might be a scam, but dentists have been telling me this for a few years and I’ve gotten a few. The dentist told me that at the health checkup the other day, and I figured they’re probably not running the same scam here as America, so maybe it’s legit. 

Once I had that appointment set, I decided to go explore parts of town I haven’t seen yet. The hotel room gets boring after seeing it day in and day out, so I just needed a change of scenery. I took the Songtaew as far as it ran to the north, then got out and just wandered around a bit. I stopped and had a few conversations with shop keepers but mostly just meandered and didn’t pay attention to anything. I wish I’d had my earbuds so I could have a soundtrack to the wander, but alas I just had the speech, cars, and bustling of traffic to listen to. As the sun started setting, I wandered back and saw that the night market had been set up.

There were all the usual vendors selling their wares, restaurants trying to lure in customers, and a couple musicians on the corners. I got myself a chicken schwarma wrap and wandered some more, happy as could be. The wrap had some spices in it that weren’t too hot, but gave off a gas that burned the throat a little. The wrap was gone, but every time I inhaled, I got another lungful of the burn, so I stopped and grabbed a bottle of water to wash it down. Problem solved, I wandered a little more before realizing I was pretty tired, so I headed over and climbed into a Songtaew. Since this is the end of the line, they just line up and wait for the one in front to go, so passengers just climb on and wait. Once we had a sufficient number of people in back, the driver started the truck and headed down the road. After a few stops to drop off or pick people up, I was deposited in front of the hotel, where I went upstairs and promptly passed out.