Where I’ve been the last couple weeks…….

Since my Loi Katrong post I’ve been pretty busy. Paew’s Mom got sick, so we went to Si Thep to visit her. She seems to be getting better, and it was a really nice visit. The First time I came we stayed at a rather generic roadside hotel. It was basically like any hotel you’d see along the road in the US. The next trip we stayed at the Pasaak Hillside Forrest. It’s like a private club for a land development project. At the center of the property is an ancient volcanic cinder cone. Around that they have planted a Teak forest. The trees are only seven years old, but they are about Thirty feet tall. It’s really a beautiful place. Our first time there the clubhouse area was full, so they offered us a forest home. When we went to see it they took us on a dirt road about two miles into the forest. The whole time we were driving I was wondering what would be at the end of the road. When we got there I was pleasantly surprised. We came to an area of paved roads with what seemed to be the model homes for the development. We were shown a really nice home that we stayed in for two nights. The Forest was so serene, probably due to the isolation of it. Right now I’m back in Si Thep. The work on the interior of Paew’s house is nearly done, so were here checking it out and paying the contractor. They are putting in a Western style bathroom for me, cuz I don’t like using squat toilets. This time The clubhouse wasn’t full, so were not staying at the forest home. We’ve got a bungalow right next to the lake. The bungalows are really rustic, They’re made entirely of mahogany, teak and stone. They kind of remind me of cabins in Big Bear, but all the wood is exotic rather than just fir like Big Bear. The weather is jut perfect. In the daytime the temperature barely reaches 80 and at night it gets down to the low seventies. The Thai’s keep asking me if I’m cold. They are….everyone is wearing long sleeve shirts and jackets. We took a trip to Si Thep Historical Park. There is a monument complex 9 kilometers from Paew’s house. It’s like Anchor Wat on a much smaller scale. There’s two temples and a pyramid in which one of the ancient kings is buried. Si Thep is beginning to grow on me. I’m friends with the whole neighborhood, even though we have major difficulties communicating.

I wrote the stuff above in Si Thep.

Last week, Sage, Harvey and I were in Phnom Penh. We stayed for six days, and as usual it was a total blast. I instantly went into vampire mode…..sleeping in the daytime, and staying up all night. Sage didn’t get to see much of the tourist stuff in Phnom Penh, but he knows where to go to party there. I think I saw the sunrise four of the six nights I was there. I found that if I don’t drink too much I can drink and stay up all night without any ill effects. Of course that doesn’t leave too much time for doing any daylight activities, but I love the Phnom Penh night life so much I really didn’t care. On Friday night we ended up at Martini, and Charlie the owner had just bought a guitar. Sage and I talked him into bringing it out, and we passed it around each of us playing a song. They turned the music at the bar off, and it turned into a big sing along. I did Margaritaville, and every night after that someone would come up to me and ask if I was gonna sing again. It was really a fun night. I should have been writing while I was there, because now the six days just seems like one long wild night.

Tonight is On’s Birthday, so were having a party for her at Flying Dolphins, a bar here in Jomtien. Were good friends with the owner. I just dropped off the cake at the bar, and they were getting a bunch of decorations up. Were all going over there at 8:00. Hiro (the owner) is a Japanese guy who loves Rock and Roll. He always has really good music playing, and he has a great pool table. It’s one of our favorite local bars, and tonight were gonna tear it up.

Sorry for not posting for a while. I’ll try to keep up with it a little better. I hope all of you are happy healthy, and enjoying the holidays.