When I was growing up I would often go to the city (San Francisco). Sometimes I will go to fisherman’s wharf area and there was a place where the old Italian men were playing bocce. I didn’t know anything about the game but I was intrigued. Now I’m in Thailand and because of a good friend I am able to play the game several times a week and learn some Italian as well. At the end of this blog you can see a video, explaining how the games played and showing some very good and some very poor players. It’s all in good fun.
Pedro’s overhand throwGiuseppe’s (professore) precision throw.Elizabeth’s (the destroyer) stance.Inspecting the results. the one who is farthest throws next.
Adding to the video below, each person gets 3 bocce balls so the maximum score on each toss is 3 (the closest to the red target ball).
in Chiang Rai there is a temple called the white temple. It was designed not only for religious purposes but also as a collection of Buddhist ideas and symbolism to enchant people visiting the complex. It was designed by a very famous artist in Thailand who even created a painting of George Bush Junior with Osama bin Laden on a rocket going somewhere into outer space so you know this guy has quite a sense of……… Something. I won’t go into detail on that temple itself since that can be better done by a couple links I have here. I want to show you the photos.
These are tortured soulsThousands of small medallionsMedallions up closeThis is just to prove I was actually there. No, I was not photoshopped in you can see clearly why they call it the white templealways adding new sculptures even the bathrooms are very ornate. I’m sure you don’t believe these are the bathrooms but they areSee! some symbolism I recognized my wish was, “I wish I had this wishing well”. It’s a real moneymaker even the caution markers contain symbolisms
When you get a flat…You bring out your spare tiresIt’s good to have your embroidered name on your cap just so you don’t forget itMy Advanced teamAn afternoon treatSelf service gas. Insert coins and get what you need7 PM is too early for customersThe entertainment busBananas out my windowCoffee from the Local plantationThis hotel is a little rundown due to CovidCoffee in the jungleThe front of the coffee shopStarry starry nightLooks like a comedy but it actually happened, big nail The bungalow owner brought me some fresh shrimpThis pillow seems to make the ride so much softerA good thing for the buildings below this water tower there are no earthquakes in ThailandI it’s really a good idea to take your face mask out of your swimming suit before going in the ocean. I should have remembered that
A few days ago I was talking to a good friend about our situation in this pandemic whatever it is. They said to me, “do you realize how many people would love to be in your situation, on an island in Southeast Asia where you’re able to travel around and do a lot of interesting things?“ My response was, “how many people are there in the world?“ They responded, “about 7 billion“. I said, “ then I guess there would be about 7 billion people who would love to be in my situation“. Here are some recent photos and situation’s.
Would you drink this? All of these Duk duk waiting for business to come back to normal.A small shrine in a cubby hole on the streetThe hotel is obviously owned by Chinese ThaiHey small hotel shrineAnd meanwhile, back at the ranchA good lessonI doubt the manufactures understand the implications of this brand nameJohn is waiting around on the beach for some cheese
Very nice menuWalking in the narrow and dark alleys of Chinatown in Bangkok I was a little concerned about confronting some rats along the way. I did not expect this
Gold ornaments leading to the gold clock towerNow these two are really into motorcycle riding The green green Grass of home. Actually, it’s riceSeems to be a popular place You have to eat these buffalo wings with your hands so…..Trying out someone else’s motorcycle You can pick your own strawberries and buy your very own bottle of wine as well I took a break off the side off the road and while I was stretching this fellow rode by on a bike and asked me a few questions. I said I was a little tired so I wanted to rest and he was offering me his home to take a rest in Planted palms. Makes me feel as though I am in a tropical place (and I am)Nice view up ahead
Driving on the road to Chiang Rai, out of my left eye I spied a giant Buddha sitting just off the road so of course I had to investigate.
It’s actually a monk who might have become a Buddha.Good namingOf course I had to walk insideIt pays to look upIt’s nice to have a greeters as you climb up the steps The snake up Close
The sticker now resides In front of a coffee shopA sticker mysteriously appears on a friends motorcycle. Look at the way he stores his zoris and helmet and also his squid fishing hook near the starter A caution for a tourist area in Thailand For those who go to barsThis very sweet and ripe pineapple was harvested a few days before I bought it. Fruit in paradiseGelato afternoon at Mauro’s restaurant
This pig is just wandering around the neighborhood getting free food and fattening upA beer with my Dutch uncle from RotterdamDanger on the beachI needed my childhood friend to keep me company on my travelsWonderful Turkish foodMore good Turkish foodA good use of small horsepower John’s domain is the beach. By the way, his nickname is “Scarface”Paul finally got his Lamborghini but we had to wait a half hour for a cup of coffee to be madeAn old workhorse is still going strongOK, working on this website is exhausting so I need to take a break with my ToscanelloOn this photo blog I am also posting the video. 100% cute
You see! 100% cuteAlways something exciting to see on the local news page
My buddy John puts up with the noise but he really doesn’t enjoy it
In the countryside so many people have coconut trees in their yard so they just use this long stick with a knife on the end to cut them down. There have been many comments about monkeys harvesting coconuts. That may happen in some places but it is just so much cheaper and easier to use this method. After they harvest them they pile them up on the road and a truck comes by to them pick up. I don’t know if they get paid by the kilo or by number of Coconuts but they get something from the people who pick up the coconuts
I tried to count how many times I moved in my life and I think I got to 32 but I really have to go back and do a more careful Accounting. Anyway I’m in my new digs and I find it very pleasant, away from the tourist areas of the island and very quiet. Many of these photos are related to my new place but some are not.
Mine is the last one on the right up the path Nice balcony outside with a built-in counter for drinking coffee in the morning and spending evening time in the cool airMorning coffeeThe brown one I name stinky because he hasn’t been washed for a long time probably due to his wounds which seem to be healing all right The white one I name Cicco, A recommendation from an Italian friend of mine. They keep me company and patrol the areaJust beside my bungalow the other dogs patrolNot really minimalism These were waiting for me in the bungalow but as careful as I am not they would all be broken in three months so I passed them back to the owner Breakfast: muesli, yogurt and pineapple fresh from the garden
Breakfast: muesli, yogurt and pineapple fresh from the garden
My friends cat. Looking for an opportunity to jump on me and tear my shirtA friend hand designed this mask. Very detailed. Please don’t call InterpolMy bike is looking better with these stickers and one may keep me safeOne reason I moved. Some young girls were making egg food which nobody bought but they made us move our motorcycles from the hotel parking area to the street and then back up to the parking area at 10 PM so they could sell their egg food. I did not consider this very customer friendly. Paul, Willhelm and myself at The OfficeAt A friends place for a morning moca and a toscanello cigarThree nice Dutch fellows. The fellow in the white shirt is the big businessman, as you can see.
So, what is minimalism? There’s no reason for me to write a definition since thousands of other people, more famous than I and definitely more widely read, have their versions in print. My purpose in writing this is to explain how minimalism is reflected in my retirement life and travel life. The photo below represents what i am willing to walk away from.
This is not minimalism. I am moving to another place with all of the stuff I added to make my pandemic temporary stay in Thailand more comfortable.
I have been encouraged to write something about how to pack for the rest of our life on the go with a “minimalist frame of mind“. I will do that in one of the chapters but consider this just an introduction.
Minimalism is greater than zero since zero would be “zero-ism“. Zero-ism can most probably be achieved in a non-life state, if there is one. So it is greater than zero and it is less then traveling around the world on $1 billion yacht. So somewhere in between “ Minimalist travel“ is out there to be enjoyed.
Let me give you an example of some of my habits here in Thailand that I consider actions promoted by my “minimalist frame of mind“. When I take a shower in the morning the things I need to wash go in a bucket below my feet. As I wash, the water draining off me goes into the bucket and, if necessary, after I finish my shower I will add some water. In that bucket I put some soap for the clothes and then wash them. (just as an aside, I remember my two sisters arguing when I was about 14 concerning the great debate of whether to add soap and mix with water before adding the clothes or to add the clothes first and then the soap. I have no opinion on this since I am sure it could cause an international incident and possibly a riot.) After I finish washing the clothes by hand I use the water to flush the toilet or save it for when really needed. I think you know what I mean.
So given that example I start off the series of chapters. Stay tuned and stay alive.
