Kingdom of Thailand 4

boonies 2

It is Tuesday morning here. I’ve just returned from my ATM-seeking mission (successful) and am taking refuge under the air-con in my room. Tomorrow, a tuk-tuk in to downtown and bus to the monastery, and into Silence.
My appetite for adventure is at an all-time low. I feel like I have quite bottomed out on solo travel, on heat, on not speaking the language of wherever I am. My thoughts seem to turn toward “home” more often than I’d like, even though I am looking forward to the retreat and to travel in Sri Lanka thereafter…
So I want to make clear that my experience of Thailand is marred by where I am at - it is no fault of Thailand’s whatsoever! I read up on history and culture last night, and also got a sense of what it is possible to see and experience here, and it is awe-inspiring. There is no point in regret; my ill-informed choices were centered around getting to & from this retreat with as much ease and as little hassle as possible, and to that end, I suppose I have succeeded - just hasn’t given me much of a representative taste of all that this beautiful country and its people have to offer/share. So be it. Perhaps some day I will return and do the place justice.
Also for the record, the language no longer sounds “harsh” to my ears - the tension I perceived was in situations where people WERE tense - in busy transport offices, hustling from shuttles to taxis to tuk-tuks, etc. I have also received much gentleness and sweetness, likely more than my due, and I want to acknowledge that, When I left Suchada Villa, outside of Khanom, the woman who fed me every day came to say goodbye, and gave me a huge long hug!!! I almost cried! Sweet soul, that one.
Anyway, I moved from Khanom into Suratthani yesterday. Booking site touted this place as being “CENTRALLY LOCATED!!!”, etc… well, joke’s on me - I moved from rural isolation to urban-industrial isolation, and am in the middle of urban nowhere!!! 8 km, I’m told, from the “central plaza” and 10km from downtown. Oh well… it’s kind of a cool little place - all the rooms are made from shipping containers! Cute concept, and with the windows, clean bathrooms, etc, quite pleasant. Plus there are 3 adorable puppies kicking around :)
I have discovered that the little house shrines in all the yards are for the house spirits, so they have their own place and don’t feel inclined in inhabit the actual house (where the people live). According to Lonely Planet, if you make improvements on your house, you must also do so to the spirit house, lest they feel slighted.
Anyway, here’s a few pics - often hard to get close enough for good shots. I may post one more time before heading off to Wat Suan Mokh, and if so, will include a final selection of random pics from my strange visit here :)