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Bon Bon Quest House

Thursday, October 12th, 2006

That’s where I’m staying in Phitsanulok. It’s supposed to be Guest House but I quite like it the way it is. I also like the large flaming man at the front desk who doesn’t speak much English but bounces around and waves his hands in the air a lot. What I don’t like so much at the moment is being completely exhausted after a seven-hour train ride, hungry, and gruuumpy. But like most things in life, this is nothing a good dinner and a hot shower can’t fix.

So the quest for the moment is food. And water. It’s really difficult to find things here in the so far charmless city of Phitsanulok. It’s all screeching birds, screeching children, and screeching motorbikes. Disgusting. Plus I’m still coming off a bout last night of what I think of as Incomunicado Anxiety. That’s when you’re two trillion miles away from home and it suddenly hits you that something may have happened that you don’t know about and have no way of finding out about. Not such a problem anymore but before email it was a real pain. Most of the time it’s the standard gossipy stuff but can take weirder forms, like when I was studying in Italy I developed this anxiety that William S Burroughs had died and I didn’t know about it. Because how would I know? Would anyone think to send me a letter about it? Would I see it in USA Today, if I read that? No. Anyway, it’s easier now with email and Internet and so forth but it hit last night.

Long story short, I’m not exactly in love with this trip right now. But on the upside, being alone in such an annoying, inaccessible-feeling place combined with having a pleasant room with a desk in it means that maybe I’ll actually get some work done. Assuming of course that I don’t starve to death first.

North! No wait, south!

Wednesday, October 11th, 2006

The best thing about travelling solo and with no return date or itinerary is that I can change my mind at the last minute. It doesn’t really matter to me where I go and it certainly doesn’t affect anyone else. So I decided that instead of the Chiang Rai –> Chiang Khong –> Laos route, I’ll head halfway back south, then turn left (East, whatever) and go into Laos that way (see previous entry for why). That’s the plan for now, anyway.

I went out to the train station this afternoon and bought a ticket for tomorrow morning to Phitsanulok, a centrally located city that is a little over half the size of Chiang Mai. Geographically, that will put me in a good position to make the next move (i.e. decide which border to cross to renew my visa, in case I change my mind about going to Vientiane).

And I get to ride a train! I’m excited about that. It’s a seven-hour trip and knowing me, I will remain excited for about one of those hours, then spend the next six wondering if we’re almost there yet.

**********

Writing Update

I woke up this morning at 4:30 and knew that the story was completely wrong. Not surprising, since Realizing That Things Are Completely Wrong has recently gone beyond a personal hobby and way over into the territory of vocation. The more important thing is that I realized not only specifically what was wrong with it, but exactly how to fix it. Over breakfast a five-page synopsis blurted out with almost no effort.

The good news is that I think it’s going to be about 200 million times better than the original idea. The bad news is that I need to start almost from scratch. Oh well. It’s not like I have anything better to do at the moment.

Malaria

Tuesday, October 10th, 2006
When I went in for my Hepatitis A booster before I left, the doctor at the travel clinic suggested I fill a prescription for Malarone and take it with me so I'd have an anti-malarial on hand for Laos. ... [Continue reading this entry]

If everyone’s wearing yellow, it must be Monday

Tuesday, October 10th, 2006
I can still keep track of what number each day is because it's the next number from the day before in my journal. Which means I can't miss a day of writing or else I lose whatever fragile grasp ... [Continue reading this entry]

Illness and techno and monks, oh my!

Monday, October 9th, 2006
Yesterday afternoon I got sick again. Luckily this time I started to feel bad (nauseated, feverish, etc.) while still awake so I was able to get everything out of my stomach before it could wreak too much intestinal havoc. ... [Continue reading this entry]

Chiang Mai days

Sunday, October 8th, 2006
I haven't been posting as much lately because life has taken on a rhythm. Not in the negative 'wake up, go to the office' way but in a reassuring, comfortable way. Here's my day: 6am - Come bolt awake ... [Continue reading this entry]

More charades; more rubbish sightseeing

Friday, October 6th, 2006
For what was to turn out to be my Very Last Sightseeing Expedition Of All Time, I had narrowed Chiang Mai's attractions to two choices: the insect museum or the foreign cemetery. One charges admission, the other doesn't. ... [Continue reading this entry]

My morning as an illustration of how one slowly descends into madness

Thursday, October 5th, 2006
My morning began around 5am when my brain went from 0-60 in 2.5 seconds and spent the next two hours struggling with some of the themes of the book - life, death, fate, betrayal, yadda, yadda...until I was in tears ... [Continue reading this entry]

Stranger in a strange land

Thursday, October 5th, 2006
The thing about being the sort of person who has no roots is that, paradoxically, you feel at home anywhere you go. Without safety and comfort waiting for you back in Whereversville, you are free to be safe and ... [Continue reading this entry]

Hi toilet!!

Wednesday, October 4th, 2006
Remember the part about how happy I was yesterday just wandering around eating food? And remember the part about how for the past five months life has acted like nothing more than a schoolyard bully, grabbing any small happiness ... [Continue reading this entry]