Thavorn, Jaidan and I are in Bangkok for the next week or more. Thavorn's mom is still alive, if you can call incubated and tied to the bed, alive. She seems to have stabilized so Thavorn made the decision to come to Bangkok to stay with Jaidan and I in a hotel. She can taxi back to the village in 4 hours if her mom's situation changes.
Unfortunately, Thavorn has come down with a fever and a sore throat. If you spend enough time in a hospital, you are bound to get sick.
I had a night out in BKK with my freind Arthur on Wednesday night and then again on Thursday night by myself. I much prefer being out with a friend as it is much more fun. Both nights, I was home by 9:30 as Jaidan was alone in the hotel by himself.
Today, my friend Shauna arived and I met her for lunch. Tonight we are going out for a few drinks and explore what has changed over the past 3.5 years.
It has been a busy week as Thavorn's mom ended up in the ICU of the Wichian Buri Hospital due to complications with her diabetes and the superbug. The family is congregating to decide on a course of treatment, if any.
I booked a one way flight from Toronto to BKK for Thavorn, Jaidan, and I as we could not be sure of the outcome although I suspect she will be taken off life support.
We flew to Toronto on my airmiles, Toronto to Icheon South Korea with Air Canada, and Icheon to Bangkok visa Jeuju Air. We then stayed at an Airport hotel in Bangkok and took a taxi the next morning to the village at a cost of 3,000 baht.
We spent the first night in the heat under a mosquito net on a hard yet saggy mattress. Jaidan and I bailed to a local hotel for last night bur we will change locations for tonight as their are no grocery stores or restaurents near by.
Last night, Thavorn's sister arrived about 8 pm and Thavorn got to see her new nephew and neice for the first time as well as her son Dun and daughter Tai for the first time in over 4 years.
Yesterday afternoon, Thavorn and I went with her two aunts to the hospital and saw her mom. She is on her last legs and I believe there is a family meeting today with the head nurse for next steps.
Not much has changed in the village except for more dogs roaming around and more vegetation than I remember last night was also a huge rainstorm last about 3 hours. Very humid.
I am getting used to my laptop once again and will post some pics
Long time with no post. Why, not much to talk about, other than my friend John and I both agree we should be back in Thailand asap. The reason why is that costs are out of control in Canada due to the Liberal government bungling the economy leading to inflation.
Housing is beyond the reach of middle class Canadians and those that managed to actually buy a house may soon lose it if they can't make their mortgage payments due to increasing mortgage interest rates.
Meanwhile Canada is chasing after over a million immigrants per year! I really don't know where they are going to live or how they will afford food and gas. However that said, an immigrant family with 5 children, mom not working, and dad with a minimum wage job will be middle class due to the Canada Child benefit paying over $700 a month for each child. They do not get taxed on the benefit. However my taxes are paying for that benefit. Jaidan gets under $200 because it is mostly clawed back because I make too much which is all taxable.
John is staying in Canada until his wife earns enough money to build a house back in Thailand. Thavorn and I probably have another 3 years in Canada as we want Jaidan to stay in his current school for another 3 years. He is mostly a B+ student except for an A+ in Mathematics.
However we hope to visit Thailand (John's aim as well) each year for the next 3 years. However airfares are exremely expensive as airlines try to recoup their Covid losses. Airfare is currently $3000 plus so that may not happen.
So life is boring as we don't do much as we are saving for airfares. Life goes on but it is pretty boring.
Today's song is ... I would do anything for love ... Meatloaf (RIP)
Forest Gump's mom said, 'Stupid is as stupid does'. Thavorn's village is abuzz with the gossip that one of the Thai women in the village has landed a Swedish Farang and he is staying in the village at her family's house.
The last Swede to hook up with a Thai girl in the village built her a house to live in and was quite amazed to visit, unannounced, to find her living with her Thai boyfriend and hosting parties frequently on his dime. Needless to say, he bailed and was out well over a million baht in less than a year.
Farang pee bah means 'stupid farang'. Apparently the latest Swede met with his Thai Lady online and arrived in the village to meet her face to face or perhaps genitalia to genitalia :-) This is not going to end well! The Thai lady is in her mid forties and her husband recently left her due to the debts she accrued due to het gambling problem. No problem for a farang to cover but significant for future happiness. The only good news is she only has one child although she lives with her mother.
The Thai lady had previously contacted Thavorn's mom to ask Thavorn if she could find a farang for her. That kind of thinking reflects on how Thais view farangs. They are hanging on trees, waiting to be picked. Now sometimes, they are low hanging fruit, but more often they are lonely men looking for love.
Little does the Swede know that the whole village is watching to see how this plays out.
On another note, we have booked our air tickets for our first visit back to Thailand in about 4 years. We will be there for a month this coming January. Thavorn has saved enough money to build her house and will visit her village to start discussion with builders on costs, timelines, etc. She will also visit her sister and kids in Phang Nga who she has not seen for far too long. Myself, I plan a deep dive into Bangkok and Pattaya night life :-)
I am thinking there should be enough material to write about that I can start filling this blog with some interesting posts in the coming months.
I managed to secure 3 air tickets (Air Canada) for about $3,600 by booking on this past Good Friday. Perhaps it was divine intervention. The next couple of days the price was over $6,000!
Problem was it took me 60 years to figure it out. My Mom saw it in me early as she called me her 'Walter Mitty'. Should more people take a leap and embrace something different, perhaps, but be warned that your mileage may differ. 'Here be Dragons'.
"Here be dragons" means dangerous or unexplored territories,
in imitation of a medieval practice of putting illustrations
of dragons, sea monsters and other mythological creatures on
uncharted areas of maps where potential dangers were thought to exist.
Thailand has dragon mythology especially the river dragon Naga:
Here is a pic of a Naga float on the Mekong river. Interesting is the family on a motorbike passing by. The most people on a motorbike, that I have seen, is 7!
To me, Thailand was the edge of the map. It was so different from the life I had led for 60 years. In particular, Thai women were so different from farang women. I could write a book on the differences. It lends much meaning to the nature/nurture argument in human development. I would argument the economics play a much different role in Thai development.
My buddy John and I took a day long trip up the Mekong river and we did not see any dragons but we did see the ongoing deforestation due to Agent Orange used in the Vietnam war. Of particular note, was the young girl sitting in the river fishing. We saw her about 9 am and she was still there on the return journey about 5 pm. I hope she had a break at some point during her day. I would think her world outlook is quite different from a farang woman.
For you Walter Mitty's out there, take a walk on the wild side at some moment in your life.
Given the choice would you rather be, 'A Candle in the Wind' or 'A Flash of Lightning in a Storm'.
For some reason my son Jaidan is always asking 'Would you rather be ... ?' questions. Some of the time it can be annoying, but sometimes they get me thinking. For me, the answer is easy ... a flash of lightning.
We are here for a short time, not a long time, and for some of us, the time is getting shorter. My Thai accomplice, John and I noticed that our age group is starting to drop. Always a good time to reflect on your life, what you accomplished, how you will be remembered, and most of all, did you make a difference in peoples lives.
We boomers where labeled the 'Me Generation'. I am not sure we warrant that label but what is done is done. To counteract that label I suggest we strive to make a difference as we sail off into the horizon. Take a risk, climb a mountain, visit the other side of the planet, or perhaps volunteer for something outside of your comfort zone.
At 72 I am coaching U19 Boys basketball. I hope I am making a difference. After coaching for 40 years, coaching over 1600 games and winning over 1,400 of them, I certainly don't do it for aggrandizement. It is to pass on knowledge that I have accumulated through experience and other coaches who shared. It is a way to acknowledge the role my own coaches, I had as a youth, played in my development. As opposed to the concept of 'pay it forward', I am 'paying it back'.
At the same time strike out against ageism and show that we older folks have something worthwhile sharing. Most of all, keep it light and make it fun and perhaps leave some memories behind.
It is much better to be joyful than joyless (grumpy) It is akin to the glass being half full as to being half empty. It is not to be confused with being content which is really maintaining the status quo.
Do you know any joyful people? I find they are not very plentiful. I am lucky enough to be married to one. Thavorn is almost always joyful. When we leave our place for the 30 minute drive to her work she runs to the car with a big smile on her face despite facing a 10 day on her feet. When she exits her work at 5 pm she always has a friendly smile and welcome to Jaidan and I when getting into the car.
So how does one become joyful? I believe it begins with getting rid of the, 'I want, I want, want ...' as you will never have enough stuff to make you joyful. Think about that brand new car that brings a smile to your face when you drive it off the lot. Now think about the first scratch or dent it gets. Are you joyful or pissed off.
Things are not important. Health is important, friends and family are important, and that sense of wonderment is important when you see or do something new is important.
Minimalism, I believe, is important. Surround yourself with only the things you need, not the things you feel you need. Hugs are important, seek them out. Surround yourself with people who are happy.
Don't ride a dead horse. Get on a new horse and go exploring, go where no grump has ever gone before ... Become Thai-like ... live in the present, forget about the past, and the future will look after itself.
Some pics of Thavorn being joyful despite being half the way around the world from her family and 3 children
embrace the cold ...
try something new
I made this ...
Children are God's gift to mankind
sometimes
good friends
Joyful in the village ... preparing a meal on the floor
