From Thailand, December 14, 2000
(The post below is from a group email I sent to my friends and family while traveling years ago. I include it in this blog as an archive to my travels. It remains in the the raw state that I originally sent it, foolishness of younger years intact, typos and sics untouched.)
i've escaped the commune, or as it's properly known
Ratchathani Asoke. i had a great time, learned so much
and had quite a unique experience compared to many of
my other travels. a month awakening to a gong before
sunrise, working a farm, a vegan restaurant, teaching
english students. a month of no shoes, riding around
in the back of trucks (with 10 other people), sleeping
on the floor of a wooden house on stilts, squatting
toilets, bathing in the moon river, no drinking(!),
playing with children, not understanding the ramblings
of the old men, and spending countless amounts of time
and energy trying to explain the wonders and
complexities of snow, why foreigners are so big and
fat, what my home and family are like, the
internet/email, and the rest of the western world.
i did work on my thai a bit, and no doubt learned a
lot; but it once again made me realize the many
intricacies of a language. thai is a tonal language,
meaning that each vowel can be pronounced five
different ways. so all to often i would be trying to
say a simple word like 'rice mill' ('rong sii') and
people will look at me completely clueless for up to
five minutes as i babble on with my 25 word
vocabulary. finally they'll say 'oohhh, rong sii!' the
same exact way i'd been saying. put that on top of a
completely different alphabet with 44 characters and
i'm just lost. i thought i had learned quite a bit,
then i realized my vocabulary mainly consisted of farm
and kitchen jargon. HA! but damned if i can't identify
common farmyard animals and vegetables as well as
order at any vegan restaurant...
they are a truly happy group (which still boggles my
western mind for some reasons), and were all sad to
see me go. i exchanged my address and promises to keep
in touch with so many people (many of whom speak
little or no english), i just don't know what to do. i
also promised a whole commune a place to stay if they
come to america. i hope mom doesn't mind!
but my time came, and they were so sweet as i left.
little gifts, cards filled with a misspelled english,
and enough food to feed the entire train i left on.
but i love contrast. so i set straight off for
bangkok, a manic dirty city of sin and desire. i love
it! i just need a partner in crime to really provoke
me....
so instead i mostly wander the city absorbing the
sights, people, markets, food stalls, solicitors,
dirt, and chaos. my feet are worn and covered in
blisters. suppose i should wear shoes, but you all
know better than that, i'll stick to the flip-flops.
and the future? don't ask. all i know is that i fly to
Kuala Lumpur friday. as luck would have it i'll stay
with a friend whose sister will be getting married.
should be quite an experience, a malaysian bride and
an irish groom! two completely different cultures and
a crazy yank. i'll email you all the scores.
but then its off to mexico (yes! back to the west...)
for xmas and new years to be with mom and that half of
the fam. should be a complete blast. from there is the
'don't ask' part of the future. i find myself with
only a one way ticket to mexico and a dwindling cash
supply. no worries though, something will come up, it
always does. any suggestions? i'm open.
the farthest ahead i'm planning is this fitting i have
to go to this evening. somehow i just stumbled across
buying a suit. only because i've a wedding to attend
this weekend and tailor-mades are dirt cheap ($150).
but i bought a suit nonetheless. i'm still not quite
sure how i feel about this. is this a sign? does it
mean i'm a grownup? hopefully 'no' to both of those,
but i'll keep you up to date.
as for now i'm off to my fitting, then a bite to
eat(vegetarian-- can you believe it? holding strong 3
whole days after the commune), followed by a stroll
home turning down taxis and ladies of the night the
whole way. damn its ...
love to all,
jeff
p.s. sorry if i haven't returned your email. please
forgive. its just that buddhist vegan communists seem
to be rather technologically impotent... i don't hate
you. really i don't! don't hate me! i'll try catching
up over the next couple days in BKK.
oh yeah, merry christmas too. did you get my christmas
card in th mail yet?
