The Walk

Drink one large glass of water.  Take five or ten minutes to stretch, while simultaneously preparing a thermos of coffee.

Slip on walking shoes and take elevator seven floors down to the lobby.  After a few quick horizontal meters of walking, start uphill climb by taking stairs to second level parking, passing under hundreds of white and pink blooms.  From the upper level parking, climb steep incline up to security gate.  Be greeted by smiling security guards who salute and say, "So-wat-dee-ka, Madame!"  Pass the ever-present one-eyed dog that substitutes for a lion statue at the entrance.

Well, they are usually smiling

Enjoy a slight reprieve by walking along the flower-laden fence on the perimeter of the property.  The reprieve ends by crossing the street and climbing the hill at the entrance to the park.  Avoid the stones that were wedged under the tires of cars parked on the incline yesterday.  Encounter the first of many packs of stray dogs; these lounging near the taxi drivers.  Climb another set of stairs, avoiding the broken stones.  Reach the Peace Plaza with the Rotary Club monument and green-copper fish statuary.  Walk across the pavers threatening to swallow you up.  Momentarily interrupt a flock of pigeons who soon go back to their pecking.

Pass dog pack number two, these grey and black, striding four across toward you as you approach.  Channel your inner Cesar Millan, mustering as much calm, assertive energy as you can to give the impression of a pack leader.  Watch the four make way for you as you pass.  Enjoy the peeks of the harbor through occasional spaces in the greenery to your left, catching your breath on this downward slope.  Have this stretch to yourself...and the dogs, of course.

These guys make me think of the Wickersham brothers,
for some reason

Observe one of many feeders of stray dogs, usually young Thai couples or older farangs, who probably all believe they are the only ones who feed the mutts.  See that all the mutts appear to be well-fed.

The puppies get the most attention, of course

The temporary downward slope gives way, and you begin another upward climb, albeit on a fairly gentle slope.  Pass the "tire trees," where people much more fit than you leave tires tied to ropes; they put the ropes around their waists and drag the tires behind them for an extra workout.  Reach the fork in the road where the man always stands outside his car, smoking a cigarette, giving the impression he is waiting for a friend.  Greet him with a "So-wat-dee-ka!"  Take the fork to the right, climbing steeply up to the busy road that is the main thoroughfare from the city up to the hill.  Dodge tour buses and motorcycle taxis, and cross the road to the other park on the other hill.

Step across the plaza where several seniors are gathering to exercise with bamboo poles.  Notice the van parked above the plaza that brings food and drink for the group, and holds the loudspeakers that broadcast the count for their calisthenics - "Neung, Sorng, Saam, See..."  Muster some enthusiasm and jog up the two sets of stairs that go from the plaza up to the track that circles the Big Buddha hill. Encounter many other people out for their morning exercise:  Thai women chatting in slow-moving groups, Muay Thai boxers in training, older, overweight white men.  Decide whether to say, "So-wat-dee-ka" or "good morning" by doing a quick visual assessment.  Frequently guess wrong.

Pass the well-worn, built-in exercise stations where someone is always attempting a chin-up or push-up.  Feel inadequate as you see the older guy run up a long flight of stairs...repeatedly.  Pass the black dog lounging on the bench under the cement shelter, then ascend the long hill up to the back of the hill.  Ignore the two orange tabbies just like they ignore you.  Enjoy the short, flat road before mustering a little speed to jog down the short hill, past the plaza where the shirtless man in the too-short camo shorts and knee socks performs his exuberant stretching routine.  Try not to stare.

Pass the flower-lined path that leads up to the top of Big Buddha hill where the giant gold-colored Buddha watches over the city.  See the unofficial mayor of the hill, a small, white-haired British man in white shorts and white shirt, always accompanied by friends.  Smile and wave when he enthusiastically says, "Good Morning!  So nice to see you!"  Listen to the chirp of frogs in the underbrush and the cluck of chickens at the construction site to your left.  Pass the third pack of dogs with the puppies that hardly look like puppies anymore.  Don't be startled when the black pup with the neon collar approaches you, looking for handouts.

The way to Buddha

the mayor is on duty...

Prepare for the steepest part of the walk.  Sing "Let it Snow," or "Winter Wonderland" in your head to trick yourself into believing it isn't ninety degrees and you aren't panting furiously to get up to the top.  Feel pleasantly surprised when you make it.  Pass the plastic container someone placed under the dripping water pipe to catch water for the strays.  Muster a little speed again and scoot past the colored flags down to the road.

Pass the taxi driver lounging in his makeshift hammock, and walk along the busy road until you find a break in traffic to zip across the five-way intersection.  Dodge tour buses and motorbikes heading up to Scenic Viewpoint, and head for the state of exclusivity and fascination.  Enjoy the easy walk past orange and yellow flowering trees, and give a wai to the friendly hotel security guard who always comes out to give you a salute.

Pass the meteorological station and see that it is already hot so early in the morning.  Veer off the road into the colorful exercise plaza always busy with fitness buffs and lazy dogs.  Climb a few short steps and walk around the permanently closed refreshment stand.  Weave in and out of the palm tree pillars and "answer your questions three" to pass down the stairs and around the garbage cans that always smell like pineapple.  Savor the easy downhill slope toward home, greeting the friendly food vendor who parks her cute little food truck at the side of the road.

83°F

What is your name?  What is your quest?...

Turn onto the home stretch, pass the security guards, descend the final set of stairs, enjoy the welcoming sculpture in the lobby, and hope the security guard is around to open the elevator for you.  Rinse, repeat.

Band of Brothers

July 8 - 15, 2017

Asanha Bucha Day takes place on the full moon of the sixth lunar month.  It celebrates Buddha's first sermon after he achieved enlightenment, when he laid out these four noble truths:

1. There is suffering 
2. Suffering is caused by craving 
3. There is a state beyond suffering and craving 
4. The way to nirvana is via the eightfold path.  

Followers who heard him speak asked to be accepted as his disciples, and the first order of monks was established.  The date marks the beginning of Buddhist lent.  On a simpler level, it meant a two-day work holiday for Tim.

Four days after our return from the US, I was still battling jet lag, waking up at three or four in the morning, getting sleepy at three in the afternoon.  My remedy arrived in the form of Tim's younger brother, Mike, and his wife, who endured the never-ending flight from Indiana to visit us in Thailand.  Tim was able to extend his two-day holiday to spend time with his family.

We spent a lot of time relaxing by the pool and taking them to our favorite eateries.  Their first night here, we walked next door to the Infiniti at the Intercontinental Hotel.  We enjoyed some fancy drinks (because of the Buddhist holiday, they were unable to include alcohol), and a lovely, if overcast, sunset.

I used to think they didn't look at all alike...

Koh Larn and the Thailand Gulf behind them

The lovely ITC lobby

After putting them through the Chinese Checkers initiation, we went to the Sanctuary of Truth.  Always learn something new with each visit, and the guide we had this time was particularly knowledgeable.  P reenacted her Ann Arbor Dance Theater Studio logo pose.

Girl's still got it!

Thai culture places significance on the day of the week on which you were born; each day has a corresponding planet and god, with certain character traits.  Our guide also told us our lucky colors -  mine was dark blue.

Three of us were born on Thursday... Jupiter's day

...with one outlier - Monday, Moon's day

the central shrine w/ Buddha relic

We enjoyed lunch at Baba Eating House in Naklua, then stopped in for tea at Tea Village.  Afterward, we walked down to Best Supermarket to buy some ingredients for Mike's famous margaritas, forgetting that alcohol cannot be sold between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.  Such a random rule.

Mike and P are both fans of Thai food, so we took them to Cabbages and Condoms for dinner.  Mike is especially fond of spicy food - the spicier, the better - and he was a little disappointed by the moderate heat of his Thai dishes.  I think it is a tendency of restaurants here to dial down the heat when serving westerners.

Gecko on the wall at Cabbages and Condoms

Cute little boys in the grocery store

It had been disappointingly rainy weather since they arrived, but we decided to take a trip to Koh Samet anyway.  We generally get some sun during the day, even when it's mostly rainy.  Mick drove us to the pier in just over an hour, arriving in plenty of time for the 11 a.m. ferry to the island.  The ferry seemed smaller than I remembered, maybe scaled down for the smaller numbers of travelers this time of year.

Last time we came, we stayed in the little cottages of Sai Keaw Beach, which were nice, but didn't keep the mosquitoes out very well.  This time we stayed in the hotel part of the same resort.  The rooms were nice, and we were right near the pool.  We managed to get in some beach time, even though it remained overcast.  The water had some rather unpleasant floating debris this time - perhaps because of all the recent rain.

Lovely fruit brought to our rooms

  At least I had a chance to play in the sand.  Thirty seconds after taking these pictures, a wave came up and washed it away.  That's what I call ephemeral art!

I was going for octopus, but I think it looks more like an alien

We enjoyed chatting with the server at lunch, and returned for happy hour and dinner.  The breakfast buffet the next morning was very nice - lots of yummy choices.  P and I bonded over our mutual love of bread pudding.  Had a short floor show from a group of Chinese tourists who were having a bit of a row, perhaps letting the rainy weather get the better of them.

We got checked out of our room, then spent some time walking through the village.  We turned toward what turned out to be the long way to the village.  The songteaw driver from the resort kindly stopped and gave us a lift.  P picked up some souvenirs as we walked along the main drag.  At the end of the road, we used our complimentary passes to get into the "national park" - actually, most of Koh Samet is part of a larger national park that includes nine islands.  The part we walked through was basically a little visitors center and some shops, leading us back out to the beach.  Our waiter served us one more round of drinks, kindly inviting us into the air-conditioned bar to escape the heat.

Awesome staff at Sai Kaew Beach Resort

We climbed onto the songteaw for the drive to the pier.  The driver stopped at a little shop run by a cute, little, old lady, to put some air into one of the tires on our way to the pier.  The songteaw was parked on a slant, and seemed to be tipping dangerously toward the road, and at one point, the guy was tilting it even farther to...make it easier for the air to go in??  After that, we continued on to a fairly empty ferry ride back to the mainland, where Mick was waiting for us.  We stopped at Iss Was, our favorite German restaurant, for dinner.

The common English phrase used when a place doesn't have something?  "No have."  

P joined me on my walk one morning.  We went up to the Scenic Viewpoint and the shrine to the father of the Royal Thai Navy.  It was hot, but not rainy, so we were able to enjoy the view.  We were entertained by the Chinese tourists posing for their selfies and group action shots.  We saw a local woman come out from the back of the temple and drop a little puppy down more than two meters to a ledge below.  😦 We hoped the little guy found his way back to his mother.

We hit the weekend Night Market here in Pattaya, where Mike and P picked up some last-minute souvenirs.  It seemed like every other stall had fidget spinners - the vendors are really quick to pick up on the latest craze.  Didn't see a single one the last time I was there.

Mike and P enjoyed one final day at the pool before heading to the airport for another endless day of travel.  This time it was even more endless, as their flight out of Bangkok was delayed seven hours.  They had to reroute their entire trip, but ended up with one less layover.  Hope the memories of their visit last longer than the memories of that endless day!  It was great to be able to share our Thailand experience with them.