Views from home in Chonburi

View from the front of the apartment, outside my room window

Looking out the back

Ra gave me some god awful tasting concoction to help combat jet lag this evening. The brand name on the outside is "Scotch: 100% essence of chicken." That is the only thing that I can read on the little self serve container so I have no idea what it is really made of. The rest of the label consists of Thai and what I guess to be Chinese. After tasting it, I promise you it is not chicken, at least not any tasty, recognizable parts! Swig it down at night before I go to bed and again in the morning. Ra warned me not to smell it, curiosity got the best of me. Though, being an avid drinker, I have enjoyed shots far worse than this. I get to look forward to another dose by doctor Ra in the morning. It must be working though! I woke up at four in the morning and couldn't get back to sleep. Insomnia following the same patterns as when I am in the States! Entertained myself with the new "Office" episode online and read some Bradbury. Sun came up and I got inspired to take some shots. My new home!

Prepare for Departure

It's a Wednesday morning. My guest house door is open inviting in both the warming Arizona sun and the excited calls of desert birds. I am still in bed wearing whatever I had on yesterday, staving off dehydration from the refreshing ether induced fun the night before. Rob and I drank fresh stout and porter while I went over the finer qualities of the history of hip hop- even blessed him with clips from "Style Wars" and the ultimate classic, "Wild Style." He had to head home before I was able to whip out "Beat Street." Taken it back to the old school...cause I'm an old fool who's so cool...

How I will miss this home brewed Espresso Stout when I am gone... nothing like having a brewery in your kitchen. Vienna Lager, Tempe Town Brown, Plaid Skirt Scottish ale, Arizona Steamer, Cotton Ball porter, Bumble Bee Blonde, Amber Cerveza style, Belgium Dark, mmmmm mmm! I have screwed up my beer intake for the rest of my life for NOTHING will taste as good as the stuff created at this little "treehouse."

In exactly two weeks time I will be leaving on a jet plane for Thailand. I have no return date. I am packing my place up with the idea that I may never be back... an exciting endeavor no doubt. But what to do with all this stuff!? Menial things will sold or burned (or shot to bits with a .45) but old art projects, negatives from high school, underwater slides from Catalina, van dyke prints from college... how do I want to preserve my early years for future posterity? I am perfectly prepared for my mind and memory to degrade on a predictable course so I will need to have some objects to jump start memories of my earlier years. Buddhism teaches impermanence and detachment. Perhaps this packing up stage is the initial challenge I must complete before my true journey can begin.

I soak up my time here with family and incredible friends. But before I go to Thailand, I must survive my canyon trip this weekend. Upper Salome. An overnight in the canyon. And I am the lucky one who will be climbing an exposed 45 foot cliff side to set up a belay for the rest. Life is sure an adventure...

It's Wednesday. I leave for Thailand in...two weeks... two weeks...