Downtown! Everything waits for you
Oh my Buddha!
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.
A day in the life of an idle traveler
Moving for the 32nd time
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.
Breakfast: muesli, yogurt and pineapple fresh from the garden
Minimalism – Introduction
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.
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.
Bangkok a la China
Recently, I stayed in the Chinatown area, around the back streets, and found it to be a very interesting place. There are many tourist shops and restaurants open that cater to people they may never see again but you really want to go to the local shops and restaurants where you get local Bangkok and surrounding area residence to frequent. The back streets are also filled with automobile repair and motorcycle repair shops. One shop I found particularly interesting was the Vespa repair shop.
Vespas continuing saga
A little over 30 years ago I was commuting to Bangkok on business and I can’t remember seeing one Vespa, the famous Italian motorcycle/scooter, but I have to admit I wasn’t really looking. And now that some friends on Koh Chang are interested in Vespas I have been keeping my eyes open. This is what I found in just a 500 m area around this area of Chinatown in Bangkok this week.
Around and About on the Trip
You know, I traveled 4,700 km (almost 3,000 miles) on this 6 week journey around northern Thailand. I came back badly in need of rest from bumping around on the not so smooth roads here and there. But it was a great adventure and I would recommend it to everyone. Here are a few random photos from that trip.
Si Satchanalal Historical Park-Sukhothai
I am not going to say, “if you have seen one historical park you have seen them all”. But Ayuthaya and other cities have similar ruins influenced by Khmer and Hindu architecture and themes. These photos will give you a good idea of what the old temples used to look like when the current inhabitants of Thailand say, “others occupied this land”. Hard to tell if that is true since people usually mix and don’t tend to run away in mass hundreds of years later when attacked (some exceptions, of course).
The Buddha on the Hill
A little known temple on the top of the hill in Fang was the temple the snake coffee fellow directed me to. So, why not? It turned out to have some nice artwork.
