This is where I am & it feels an awful lot like home
OK so maybe 15 hours of hanging out time is an exaggeration but would you really expect any less of your humble correspondent? For instance, you and I both know there is no such thing as a 170 thousand hour long bus trip but that will not stop me from trying to convince you that that’s exactly what I have endured, I swear.
Even though it’s hard to keep track of time, I have been paying closer attention because I was curious. It seems I’m spending 3-4 hours working, about 3 hours reading, an hour on the Internet. I usually spend a couple of hours wandering around the town every day around lunchtime. I especially like the big covered market because twice now I’ve seen baby elephants being lead on leashes. (Baby elephants rule.) Plus, I spend 9 hours sleeping. So whatever’s left over is social time.
It may seem indulgent to spend however many hours that is just sitting around chatting and whatnot. Honestly, there is a fair amount of silliness, like sitting at a table with a big group of expats from all over the globe talking about The Bad Lieutenant (which was the only movie we’d all seen and that’s just weird, don’t you think?), when the Belgian laughs, “Yes and he is in the car and he says, ‘Now you will make me a blow job,’ or something like this!” Exactly. But an indication of why this is a special place is that everyone who lives here practices either yoga, meditation, massage or reiki, and most do a combination. That says a lot to me about where their heads and hearts are at. It shouldn’t be too surprising how quickly they sensed that I’d arrived here very, very hurt or that their natural response was to give me lots of love and unconditional acceptance. It’s starting to make me forget that there is a world where scarcity and competition and success at any cost are the rules that people live by.
Also, I think that being here is helping me to get work done. None of my friends are on vacation. They all either live here or have at least settled with no definite plan on leaving. That means they have jobs to get on with. It reminds me that I have a job too and that job is to write. Apparently, my job is also to stare at the river and marvel at how much it looks exactly like chocolate milk. I can handle it though. I am nothing if not a brilliant multi-tasker.
Aside from the demanding river-staring duties, I am happy to report that life is getting a little bit easier every day.
Tags: Nong Khai, Thailand
sandra_101
Sounds like a utopian society– the perfect place to let go of the past and start again.
I wonder if there is a Vipassana center nearby…
Hey glad to hear you are doing well. How can you write with out interaction and experience of charters any way? I love when I have traveled in the past and all I would have on my calender is to watch the sunset, those were the days. I wish you well and can’t wait to read your finished book. love ya
I don’t know what your travel steezs is like but there are two things I never leave at home/hotel when I travel: money and my ipod. My passport is optional, even when I am abroad. People say headphones detracts people from being social towards you. Whatever. People are over rated anyway.
Anyway, miss you.