The happy house
My eating rampage ended tragically, as these things so often do. Stomach troubles. All things considered though, I feel like I got off pretty lightly, with only a few hours of bathroom time Wednesday morning. I was worried for a while there about the implications of having to check out of the hotel and travel while not being within striking distance of a toilet but by the afternoon all that was left of the episode was a slight lingering weakness, and Ben and I were off to Nong Khai. The trip took less than two hours from point-to-point and each step followed smoothly after the other: tuk-tuk to the embassy, pick up visa, tuk-tuk to bus station, get on local bus for the 22 kilometers to the bridge, through Lao exit immigration, shuttle across bridge, through Thai entrance immigration, minivan to tuk-tuk area, tuk-tuk to Mut Mee. Easy peasy.
As soon as I got back, I picked up the key to my new house from my friend Lee. Yes, I have a house. I’m not sure I’ve mentioned this before but I took over Lee’s lease until the end of April. My house is on the next soi over from Mut Mee. At the end of the street is the Mekong. You can see the river from my front porch. There used to be trees blocking the view, until the local authorities got it into their heads to cut down all the trees, lay a whole lot of concrete and build a baffling “100-yard two-lane superhighway,” as Lee calls it. Anyway.
My house is huge and completely empty except for a really hard bed. I have about three hundred rooms and absolutely nothing to put in them. And I have no hot water heater. I finally settled in last night after a day of shaky stomach and dusty travel. I came home around midnight to an empty, flourescent-lit house and a cold shower. Life felt very bleak indeed. Luckily, Caroline had grabbed a pillow and some sheets for me, and that was probably what kept me just on this side of tears. I was freezing cold all night and kept being woken up by strange sounds – dogs, roosters, the temple bell.
It was a relief when morning finally came. I walked out, exhausted and blurry eyed, into the main room and sat down on the floor. Yellow light poured in through the windows, warming everything. The walls are white, with red pillars and red-orange trim around the windows. I felt a burst of good energy. I saw and felt why everyone says this house has a good spirit – happy and peaceful. I thought about how Mik, who lived in this house for three years, smiled fondly and nodded when I said I was moving into it, and he said it was a very good house and that I would be happy there.
At the risk of sounding like a total new age weirdo, I really do believe that every point in space has a unique energy and that it is important to allow yourself to be guided to just the place that will protect and nurture you in the way you need. I thought about this while feeling the waves of well-being and decided that Mik was right. This house will be good for me. I will be happy here.
Tags: Nong Khai, Thailand
sandra_101
YEAH! Loved hearing about this as Siouxsie’s “Happy House” ran through my head. This sounds like what you needed and if you’re there until April…I will simply have to come visit. Question is, will you be getting a hot water heater before my visit? If not, I guess we can join the Kundalini yoga crowd by waking up before dawn, rubbing almond oil all over ourselves, and then taking ice cold showers before doing yoga and meditation. Sounds New Age weird…or possibly pornographic…naw, New Age weird.
Hi, just another Californian in Thailand–Surin to be exact. I was chatting with my friend in Sacramento and he sent me the MySpace profile of a friend of his–Miss Peach–and, uncannily I clicked on your picture and read your comment about a trip to Thailand. Since then I’ve read your blog. I just wanted to write and say it’s very entertaining. Sorry about your malfunctioning gaydar, the ratio of caucasian men that want to date a caucasian woman, and pages of seemingly heartfelt work floating down the Mekong. If you’re ever in the area, drop me a line and I’ll give you a tour of some local temple ruins. Cheers, Sandy. Thanks for the read.