Lorne's Journal

Saturday July 7, 2001 : Packing Up

This will be my last entry from Evergreen Apartments.
My flight to The Island in the Gulf Of Siam is at 2:30 pm tomorrow afternoon. I have spent the day since 7:30 am packing.

I am storing my belongings at Apple & Superdry's, in their spare room for the time being. I was supposed to move everything over this morning or early afternoon, but since I didn't get back until last night, it wasn't possible to get it all done. It was a task which I should have started on Thursday.

Now I have to try and call Superdry, then call Anand to take my stuff over at around 6:00 or so.

K will be coming over at around 8:00 pm.

Okay.
Goodbye from the Evergreen. More from The Island.

Friday July 6, 2001 : Back To Bangkok

Today was a strange day. Like waking from a dream in a way.

The typhoon Utor hammered away at the Philippines killing 80 or so in the north and dumping lots of rain on Manila. It moved away last night. Small L and I fell asleep with the balcony door open and all the air cons turned off. It was wonderful. Unlike Bangkok we were NOT set upon by mosquitoes (perhaps they can't fly up to the 18th floor, I'm not sure). We woke to brilliant sunshine this morning.

Rene picked us up at 8:30 am and off we went to the airport. It was a solemn ride. Small L was quite sad. It was an awkward goodbye, the intensity of our time together reminding me of one of those summer church camp romances... The promises to write and not forget each other etc.

The airport was a nightmare. Utor may have left Manila but its next stop was my intended destination of Hong Kong. My 11:00 am flight was cancelled. Fortunately I was put on a direct flight to Bangkok on another airline. The only problem with this was Anand would be waiting for me at the wrong terminal.

The flight was bumpy. It struck me that I used to be a very nervous flier and that I am no longer. We bumped and rattled and I just fell asleep. The guy beside me white knuckled it all the way. I used to be afraid of the water too.

I came through customs and immigration with no problem. The line ups were short. After some confusion over the terminal I was supposed to be at Anand found me and drove me back to The Evergreen. It was good to be... home? Why do I leave places just when I feel at home in them? I will be out of here by Sunday.

Tonight's big shock was K arriving at my doorstep. This is a situation I haven't been in for some time.

Thursday July 4, 2001 : Still in Manila

The hardest thing about having an online journal is deciding what to omit. If I leave something out now, how do I explain it later? Or do I?

Anyways.
3 things have happened.

I have been brutally sick with fever and chills, and spent three quarters of my recording money at Makati Medical Center. I have never been this sick in my life and Monday ranked as the second worst day of my entire life.

I have met someone I like a great deal.
Someone who has stayed by my side through my fevers and chills and been incredibly kind and caring.

I am stuck here due to my illness and the Typhoon "Utor", which in the Philippines is called Typhoon "Feria". It rattles the building, makes spooky Scooby Doo wind sounds. It's missed Manila but I am NOT flying in this. Tomorrow it hits Hong Kong so I will fly back Friday.

I managed to see my former maid Susie. We met in front of my old home Crown Tower. It was great to see the guards who all remembered me and asked when I was moving back... Susie arrived and we walked over to The Mandarin Hotel for a tea. She's working for a couple now and seemed very happy which is good. It was great to talk to her.

I went into the studio with Eddie for one evening. I had managed to write lyrics for 3 of the songs that afternoon. They came effortlessly, despite the trouble I'd had trying to write them before.

Fever may be conducive to writing lyrics; it is not however conducive to singing. In the weird dazed post-fever state I found doing the vocal quite hard, and am not completely satisfied with them.

In the end I managed to complete and get rough mixes of 3 songs; "Surprised?" (formerly called "Fatsobug"), "Jon's New Truck", and "Pearl To Diver" (formerly called "HOTCOLDHOTCOLD"). The most difficult thing about recording was that in my mild fever I found myself assaulted by an onslaught of inner voices, criticizing and condemning what I was trying to do. Those of you who've read the excellent book "The Artist's Way" would know these voices as "blurts". These voices continued in the mixing making me second guess my instincts, which in the end I would come back to and find were correct. It was still an excellent evening of recording despite the fever and I will have Justin post the results as soon as possible.

Saturday June 30, 2001 : Flight To Manila

Anand picked me up from Evergreen at 6:30 am and drove me to the airport. I checked in and went to my gate, then it was off to Manila... but via Hong Kong. The flight was okay; I sat by the emergency exit, so I had lots of leg room.

Hong Kong was... well the same. It was odd landing, though. Walking from my flight to my transfer point, I wished I was heading back to Canada for good. The thought of abandoning all my stuff didn't even bother me. Passing through the duty free zone I felt a pang since the last time I'd passed that way was with M. back in December. That seems like five years ago now.

The flight to Manila was bumpy, but not too bad. I walked out of the airport to be met by one of Rene's coworkers from the hotel. He radioed Rene and five minutes later the black Mercedes was there. It was so great to see my buddy again!

Rene drove me to the hotel I'm at. It's called the Citadel and is oddly the same building I could watch them working on from my old apartment at Crown Tower. Even spookier is that from my hotel room I can actually see not just my old building... I can see my old apartment, and my old bedroom.

Rene and I went for Persian Kabab once I was all settled in. Mmmmm!

Saturday June 30, 2001 : Up and Away

It's still dark out.
I am just waiting for Anand to pick me up to take me to the airport.

Last night I took my friend K to see a movie and then for dinner.
It was a good night.

More when I reach Manila.

Wednesday June 27, 2001 : Big Dinner

I picked up some more blank CDR's today. I've been transfering my songs to them for transport to Manila. I hope this works! I had lunch at Pho, then I had a coffee in Starbucks beforing heading back to the Evergreen. I sat out by the pool for about an hour and had a swim. I went in before the big rain started.

Tonight I joined Apple, Superdry and Apple's Brother Simon2 for a big dinner. Simon2 is visiting from the UK for a week or so. We went to the Rajah Mahal Restaurant on top of the Rembrant Hotel for some excellent Indian food.

Joining us were Geri and J, as well as Snowy and 3 of her visiting friends Kem, Ashley and Andrew. Superdry calls Snowy's friends S-Club 4. We had a little bit of everything... items standing out in that being the shredded lamb, the samosas and the tandoori prawns.

It was a good evening. I only stayed until 11:00pm, then headed back to Evergreen.

I feel like I don't have enough time to prepare myself for Manila. I'll just have to play it by ear I guess. I'm considering doing a little vacationing when I get back... but to where? Perhaps somewhere more rural or with more beach. I have been here since February and I still haven't gone to any of the islands yet.

Tuesday June 26, 2001 : Getting Ready

I have been trying to get everything ready for my trip to Manila on the weekend. This means saving the beds of the songs I want to work on, on to disc as both .WAV files (each track saved separately), AND as MP3s AND just as songs burned on to a CD-R. How I will actually import these files into CakeWalk remains to be seen. Supposedly it can be done. My big worry, though, is lyrics. With the exception of "Jon's New Truck", the songs are all lacking lyrics.

Yesterday afternoon there was no swimming or lazing by the pool. I did fall asleep while laying on my bed watching the monsoon downpour, and listening to Air "10,000 Hz Legend". I continue to feel less than well. Geri stopped by for a visit last night. I later ran into Fitness Dave at Fresh Milk. He is working, teaching English now and has moved to an apartment over by The Victory Monument.

Last night I slept poorly. I woke up at 3:30 am and tossed and turned and shivered until dawn. Needless to say I woke up at nearly noon today.
It's now 2:41...
Outside its sunny and beautiful...
I think I will go to the cafe and have some lunch, then sit by the pool and relax until burned.

Monday June 25, 2001 : Bad Dreams

I had the worst dream last night. In it I woke to find myself on a wet pillow, and to have somehow busted my head open. I could smell the sickly sweet smell of my own blood and realized that was why the pillow was wet... When I REALLY woke... I was soaked in sweat. I was at first afraid to look at my pillow, but when I did I was relieved to see it was white and clean.

Sunday June 24, 2001 : Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon

I was up very late working on ACID PRO last night. I slept in today until 12:30, which is unusually late for me. I had a wonderful hot bath, and listened to Badly Drawn Boy until 1:30 pm. Then I headed out for a solo brunch at the Bull's Head. It was really nice out today.

I took the BTS over, and sat alone up on the second floor. It was a nice brunch. I did the Superdry version of the breakfast, I skipped the eggs, and had extra sausage. OH the sausage!! It was so good.

I took the BTS back to Ratchathewi, made a stop at 7-11 for sunflower seeds, and then came back to the Evergreen. I spent the rest of the afternoon lazing by the pool, under the sun. Later there were strange clouds that looked threatening at times, but it didn't rain at all. I had a swim, listened to music on my walkman and drank watermelon shakes.

I listened to some mixes of the recordings I did at Signal To Noise in the summer of '98. It was strange to listen to the song "Christine's Pool" beside a pool. I look forward to someday finishing the songs I did that summer. They sound good. Even as rough mixes on cassette.

Friday June 22, 2001: Sick And Tired And Bill And Ted

I have had several bad bouts with the illness this week. I rested as much as I could, this being the only thing that seems to work. The chills are the worst part of it; no amount of clothing warms me. The only thing I can do is run a hot bath and soak for half an hour.

I’m hoping that I’ll be okay when I go to Manila next weekend. I booked my flight today. It’s not a direct flight, unfortunately. I’ll be going via Hong Kong. It was wonderful to call Rene and tell him when I will be arriving. I also called Eddie and told him to make arrangements for the studio. I’ll be staying in the new hotel where NG Dave’s girlfriend Jenn has been staying for the last week. It’s right off of Makati Avenue near my old stomping grounds.

This afternoon I went to Central Chitlom department store and made a few purchases. I have been without a ghetto blaster since leaving Makati, so for 3290 Baht I picked up a small portable with a cassette deck and a CD player. I will be able to listen to mix tapes while I soak now. I also bought a new beard trimmer, as the one I’d picked up in Ottawa self-destructed earlier this year.

I slept from 3:30 pm until nearly 7:00 pm. I had a light meal at Fresh Milk then bought some supplies at 7-11. I came back and drifted in and out of sleep while the very frightening movie “Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure” played on the movie channel. I never saw this movie when it came out… and I find it impossible to put the year 1988 and this movie together. The whammy guitar wank-fest music, the weird pre-grunge clothes, and the endless late 80’s catch phrases had so little to do with my life then that now they seem only dated and alien to me.

To me 1988 was learning to program algorithms on my FM based Synth from Victoria… or the endless Wisehammer rehearsals in a hot stuffy rehearsal studio. 1988 was that magical first kiss with Lori Knobel, who I later lived with for several years. 1988 was a great year full of great music. Wire’s “A Bell Is A Cup Until It Is Struck”, or the Wire side projects’ ground-breaking He Said “Hail” album. The haunting Clan Of Zymox song “Michelle”… The first solo Robbie Robertson album, which was produced by Daniel Lanois and featured many players from Peter Gabriel’s’ band. Tony Levin’s great bass line on “Somewhere Down The Crazy River…” I could go on and on and on.

But I won’t.

Let’s just say that I’m glad that my 80’s nostalgia is based on my own strange life during those years, and is not something that I can ever buy on a “Best Of The 80’s” CD… or movies like Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

A sad note. The journal I kept in 1988 was lost in a move in 1995.

Tuesday June 19, 2001 : Movie Night

Tonight I went to see at the computer animated movie “Shrek” at the Gold Class Grand EVG Cinemas. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. For 300 Baht I picked my seat and got to wait in the five star hotel like “lounge” area until the movie began. I was given magazines to read, brought a menu and a drink list, and was fussed over like I was flying business class. At 8:50 pm, I was ushered in to the “theatre”. The seating was five rows of eight big reclining easy chairs set in groups of two. Each chair was capable of reclining flat like a mattress, and between each two chairs was a little table. I took my seat, and my popcorn and the friendly staff brought freshly squeezed lemonade to me. Just before the trailers began, who should come in but Geri, J, and Snowy. Snowy had chosen to “sit alone” but, as luck would have it, got to sit beside me. Fortunately she’s not a big popcorn eater.

The National Anthem was played before the movie, and like in the Philippines everyone stood. The Philippine Anthem was more western sounding and the little film clip that went with it had a lot of images of the Philippine army battling it out with some unnamed enemy (communists or Islamics; pick your foe). The Thai Anthem however sounds Thai. It also seems to be tied to the Monarchy, which the Thai people hold in the highest regard. I first heard it at the Thai Kick Boxing match I went to with Maggie and Jake. That time the pauses in the phrasing had made me feel like Peter Sellers, as with each pause I’d prepare to sit, only to be startled by the resumption of the Anthem. This time I was prepared, and the pauses were not as pronounced.

“Shrek” was highly entertaining. The whole film seemed to be a jab at Disney, and their nazi-like control of fairy tales. If the makers of the film deny this, it’s only to avoid being sued.

After the movie we headed our separate ways, and I walked back to Evergreen. I stopped by 7-11 and picked up some water and some milk. I have been feeling “off” again. Mostly it’s the chills, or continuously being cold.

Monday June 18, 2001

I spent most of the early part of the evening pulling WAV files off of various locations on the internet. I downloaded close to 30 sounds, ranging from drum hits to "string" pads... I later mutilated them in Sound Forge.

I took a break at 9:00 pm and went down to the 8th Floor Cafe for some food. I ordered the tasty spaghetti with beef sauce. They have finally learned to give me more than a child's portion.

I worked on a new idea until 11:00 pm. I have called it SITUP30 for now... It is spooky spooky with garbled and reversed "strings" pitched in a shimmery way, with some nice analog drum machine beats underneath.
I also screwed with a saxophone sample for the "chorus" portion. The idea has still a ways to go. Normally I will leave a rough idea for a week or two, until I've forgotten about it... then come back to it and work on it with fresh ears. Turning of the monitor while listening to the track is also important. "Looking" at the wave forms of the samples is too distracting in a way.

I have far too many "beds" at this point for completion in Manila at the end of June. At best I see only completing 2 or maybe three. I will take all 7 that I've mixed down from ACID PRO... but realistically I will not have enough time to complete all of them.

Then again, "Purring" was recorded in one day.

Sunday June 17, 2001 : Sunday Brunch

Another Sunday, and another Sunday Brunch. Today the roll call included Superdry, Geri, J, Apple and Estelle, AKA Snowy AKA Brady AKA SNOWY BRADY. This nick-name is from her "porn name". To find out your "PORN NAME" use the name of your first pet for your first name, and your Mother's maiden name for your last name... put them together and you have your porn name. A cheap party game for the intoxicated or easily amused.

Uncle Crock didn't show.

Today's' brunch featured a great deal of head gear.

The sausages were EXCELLENT.
As was the black pudding.

I walked from Asok home. It looked like it would rain, but I beat it.
I bought the strangest item at 7-11 on my way home. They are having a promotional "Dolls of the World" thing on... for 22 Baht you can buy a doll from where ever... dressed in of course the traditional attire of that nation. Well... I bought the CANADA doll. You'd expect a Mountie or a hockey player but... its a blond girl, with a sweater that has a red maple leaf on it... in jeans and trainers. That's it. Not that I wouldn't love to meet a Canadian girl of that description...

The 7-11 staff were amused by my purchase. But when I said I was from Canada they all nodded in a sudden understanding. As if it made sense.
I couldn't explain the reason I bought the thing was because it was so BIZARRE!!

I will scan a photo of it for you all to see.

Saturday June 16, 2001 : Twenty Years Ago Today

Yes if we hopped aboard the TARDUS and zipped back to 1981... I'd be arriving in Vancouver BC, to be met at the airport by my sister Anne, and her friend Ron B... The big move from Toronto to the west...

20 years ago.
Unbelievable.

Here I am in Bangkok.

Monday June 11, 2001 : My Brain Hurts…

I had the worst headache last night that I’ve had in years. It was awful. So bad in fact that I woke up at about 3:00 am thinking my head was going to explode. I had no painkillers so I just had to endure it. I fell back to sleep at around dawn. Needless to say I slept all day. I am not sure if the headache was triggered by or related to the current ear infection, or if it, like the ear infection, is a symptom of something else.

Except for the chills, I felt much better this evening. I finished off the beds currently called “Fatsobug”. I’m not sure what it will be in the end.

Sunday June 10, 2001 : Breakfast

I met Superdry and Croc Craig for breakfast at the Bull’s Head. Apple was the one too hung over to come out this time. She’d carried on after Larry’s Dive with Geri and apparently came stumbling in at 5:00 am. Superdry was there when I arrived. We waited at the bar for Craig who showed up at around 1:15 pm. We relocated up stairs at a table and had the big English breakfast. I was most pleased with the quality of the sausages. It was a good breakfast, the kind that actually defines a good breakfast. Amazing food, coupled with relaxed and amusing conversation. After we’d eaten we were joined by two of Craig’s friends. I left not long afterwards and walked back towards Asok Station in the sunlight. It was sunny and warm, and I felt quite content with my tummy full, and a good mix tape M. made me on my Walkman.

I took the BTS to Siam Centre and visited Tower Records where I picked up the new AIR CD “10,000 Hz Legend”. I’d read a very negative review of it in a British music Magazine called “Uncut”. They basically panned it as a lame follow-up to their debut album “Moon Safari” (that album ranks as my favourite CD of 1998, and definitely falls in the top 10 CDs of the 90’s). After picking up the CD, I legged it back to Evergreen, stopping for groceries on the way. It was clouding over and a rainstorm was imminent.

“10,000 Hz Legend” went straight into the CD player and I sat on the couch and drifted off listening to it while the rain and wind beat against the windows. Not that it was boring. It is in fact… AMAZING. It features Beck on one track, and it has lots of vocorded voices to amuse and please me endlessly. The Uncut review was nonsense. Who ever wrote it never skipped class in grade 9 to go to the music store and play with the Mini Moog.

I had a bite to eat at around 8:30 pm at the 8th floor Café. My head has been hurting, I think due to the pressure of the ear infection. It seemed to be backing off, but tonight for some reason my head hurts. After eating I worked on a new musical idea on ACID PRO 2.0. It has, like most new ideas, a meaningless name… “Fatsobug”. I am quite happy with how it’s developing. I’m using almost no loops off of the ACID PRO library now. If I do use them, I will mutilate them beyond recognition in Sound Forge, then pitch then so they are unrecognizable. I have taken to writing drum beats on this primitive virtual beat box called “Hammer”, streaming them as a WAV file, then importing them into Sound Forge, hacking them up a bit, then loading them into ACID PRO. The other trick is to take a sound effect and mess with it until it is a “sound” I can loop. The reason why I go to all this trouble in order to avoid using the clean original royalty free loops is clear when you listen to the nice piano riff on the ACID PRO loop CD… its called Monotune 1… But you would recognize it as the intro piano riff from the HBO TV series SEX AND THE CITY…

Saturday June 9, 2001 : Ear Infection 3

I went in to the doctor yesterday afternoon. I have an ear infection again, but this time only in my right ear.

Last night I dreamed that I was back in Toronto. I was walking with Justin along these train tracks but he was acting rather odd. He wasn’t enthused about playing music any more. It was like he'd suddenly become really old and boring. He had a hairpiece that was really fake looking but I didn’t want to say anything. The front bit blew off as we walked along and I pretended not to notice.

I spent most of the day trying to reorganize the hard drive on my computer. I took off all the junk I don’t use, and the games I no longer play. I then loaded Cubase on to it and tried to figure out how it works with the Native Instruments Virtual Synth plug ins… I burned about 5 beds for ideas from Acid Pro on to CD. I’m going to take these tracks to Manila and the end of the month and work on them with Eddie. FX Studios is sadly no more… but he has connections elsewhere.

Late this afternoon I took the BTS over to Apple and Superdry’s. We were supposed to have been cooked dinner by Crocodile Craig but he was “hung over” so he wimped out. Instead we went over to Larry’s Dive. I was craving any food not Asian and there I found what my heart desired most… TACOS!!!

Geri and her boyfriend Javid later joined us. Jenn and Nice Guy Dave also showed up and joined us. Superdry was in his words “knackered” so he left us and went home. I was the next to go. I was tired and my ear was bothering me. Walking back to the Asok BTS station I was confronted by a Tuk Tuk driver who began threatening me when I won’t use his services. He followed beside me as I walked along, yelling at me and gesturing at his hand phone, as if he was going to call his buddies in Hell’s Tuk Tuks to come and whoop my ass. I just gave him the forks and kept walking. I knew there was a traffic Police Box next to the main street by Asok Station, so if he followed me that far I’d turn the cops on him. The Tuk Tuk drivers are mostly from Laos in the north and ply their trade here without work visas. They are also hated by everyone, especially the Police. He turned back before I reached the Police Box. It was scary though, another reminder that I am not in Canada.

Thursday June 7, 2001 : Grapefruit Dreams

My right ear feels as if it may be infected again. I haven’t swum in ages so perhaps the last infection never completely cleared up. I’m reluctant to go back to the doctors due to the expense. I may have no choice if it grows worse.

Maggie, Danny and Jake have headed off to the USA to meet up with Danny’s twin Brother Mathew. Apparently they’ve had a rough trip so far. They were stuck in Japan overnight due to some airport difficulties. I haven’t heard the full story as of yet.

I received a letter from Brengun today, which was great. The front desk are amazed at how much mail I receive. Actually, so am I.

I am still perpetually cold. I even have dreams in which I’m cold. Last night I had a dream that I was back in Toronto at the Grapefruit Moon. Sandy and Sunniva were there and for some reason there was a power brown-out. Justin and I had our gear set up in a garage nearby and played music, then went for some food (not unlike old times). Someone said to me "aren’t you hot?" and I remember saying "No! I’m freezing". I woke and I was indeed freezing, despite the air con being off and my being wrapped in lots of blankets.

Sunday June 3, 2001 : Breakfast Again

I slept from 8:00 pm until 10:00 am. It was one of the best sleeps I have had in recent memory. My head still ached a from the sun and my nose was red like some clay-mation Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer. I called Superdry and Apple and met them for breakfast. We went to a different place this time. It was called the Bull’s Head and seemed less authentic in its Englishness. Despite that the English breakfast was great, the black pudding being especially tasty. We were joined by Estelle... who protested at my use of her nickname “Snowy” in my journal. Snowy… I mean Estelle was coming off a night on the town and made a valiant attempt at eating something. She drank about 3 pints of Coke. We tried to get a hold of Crocodile Craig who’s back from his travels but couldn’t reach him.

After breakfast Apple went for a massage, but Superdry and I went back to their apartment and hung out for a while. I was feeling sort of dizzy and cold so I headed home at around 3:00 pm.

Saturday June 2, 2001 : Back To Poipet

It is difficult to believe it has only been a little over a month since our last run to the border. I feel as if it had been a year. This drive down was far more reflective for me than the previous trips, and I wonder at how much more change I will see between now and the next journey. We left at 4:30 am. Preecha met us at the Evergreen. Terry brought along his hobbling son Jonathan, who had suffered a dislocated shoulder and a gash to the knee while on one of the islands to the south. The cut had been dressed and Jonathan has been on antibiotics for a week, but the infection has still not abated. Jonathan’s friend Al came along as well. Neither Jonathan or Al had a passport photo ready for the Cambodian visa form, which would mean stopping on our way and getting them taken. Preecha had brought his friend Paison, and they were hyped up for some hard gambling in Poipet.

The drive out of Bangkok was quiet. Terry, Al and Jonathan had stayed up all night and they quickly dozed off. I retreated into the world of mix tapes and watched as the sun came up ahead of us. It was a long drive, but I enjoyed the solitude of it with the appropriate sound track of Emmylou Harris’ last CD, which I had taped in October before leaving M.’s to return to Manila (if the April Poipet run seems like a year ago, October 2000 in Ottawa seems like a different lifetime!). We stopped once to have a coffee and a “breakfast”; mine consisted of sunflower seeds. Preecha and Paison had some local coffee, but I stuck to iced coffee since my guts were feeling a bit off.

We stopped in the town closest to the Cambodian border and dropped off Al, Jonathan and Terry at a photo shop to get their passport shots done. I was not feeling so well, so I wanted to press on to the border and be done with it. I had Preecha drive me to the border zone, drop me off then return to pick them up. I jumped out of the van and who’s standing right there but Johnny, the little fellow who served as our “guide” on our first trip down. I hired him and headed to the customs area. One major difference on this visit was the visible presence of the Thai Army in and around the border. I don’t think I saw even a one soldier on our last two visits. This time, men in camouflage and carrying M-16’s were patrolling around in ones and twos. Periodically a Humvee with soldiers in it would drive around the market area on the Thai side of the border.

Getting my passport stamped was a snap. There was absolutely no line-up, and they wasted no time with it. It was the same on the Khmer side. No trouble, no hassles, no line-ups. Stamp, stamp, thank you goodbye. Another “guide” who claimed to be Johnny’s friend tried to cut in on Johnny’s action but I told him to take a hike. Once I’d visited the wonderful washroom facilities at one of the Casinos I was ready to explore the dust of Poipet once more. I’d said I’d meet up with everyone back at the Casino at 11:30 am, so I had two and a half hours to kill. I wanted to explore the market area again, so off Johnny and I went.

We explored the Poipet market, which basically contains nothing worth buying. It all seemed to be just more of the same crap you find in any market in South East Asia, or any North American Dollar Store for that matter. Junk. Trinkets. Johnny was baffled at my desire to go down every little ramshackle lane and was even more shocked at my ability to navigate the muddy areas. Years of tracking through slush and snow while wearing dress shoes has given me a certain ability, allowing me to avoid the worst of it. The muddy streets took me back to my boyhood visits to Alberta. The muddiest areas were also nearest to the most densely populated shanties; I believe the connection being the increase in traffic, coupled with the water and sewage run off. This was even more incentive to avoid tracking through the mud. Johnny was not enthused about taking me through the busiest of the Shanties. I think there was a combination of shame, and also a fear for my safety. I was carrying in my wallet about 5000 Baht, which would be a fortune to anyone brave enough to pull a knife or pistol on me. I wasn’t really concerned though. I felt no hostility from anyone, and most people just looked at me with the same amazement or disbelief I have whenever I see an elephant walking down the road. The kids all yell “hello” and wave, the old folk look suspiciously at you, or grin toothlessly, and the younger folk just watch and no doubt wonder what you are doing there.

It was so busy. Everywhere around me people were sewing, cleaning, washing, talking, cooking and living their lives. Some fellow was plucking chickens, another killing them, and a woman was preparing them for cooking. Flies buzzed around me, the sound of TVs or radios mixed in with the noise of talking, laughing and kids yelling. When I had reached the middle of this area, I felt as if I’d walked into someone’s house unannounced. It was like seeing into a window at night as you drive down the highway. You look and see someone walking around and you wonder, “Who lives there?” Again I was struck by how these folk take it all in stride. Those folk from “Survivor” should dump a bunch of Westerners in Poipet and see if they can last a week without bitching and complaining. We can’t even seem to do that in our nice little bubble of comfort called The First World. The First to complain! Here I am whining about my water not being hot because of the solar panels. Poor me. With my bathroom as big as these poor folks homes, where 8 people live. Nothing like a walk through Poipet to make you realize what a selfish jerk you have been at times.

We moved from the busy area to the absolute slums of the slums. No trees, not much activity. Little tin huts spaced far apart and that in the brutal Khmer sun must have been sweltering hot inside. We moved back towards the Casino area and passed through the shanties that Pimp Hat had walked us through a month ago. Johnny pointed out the “street” he lived on but was reluctant to show me his home. I didn’t press him. We walked to the lush courtyard near the Temple and school. I had Johnny take a photo of me there in front of the many flowers (which of course reminded me of M. and made me a little sad). A class of kids were walking by and they all began shouting “hello, Mister” at me while waving. We headed back towards the Casinos on the dusty main road. Some guys pulling a cart full of rope got me to take their picture while their boss, who was wearing a strange green outfit and cap that made him appear to have shopped at Chairman Amos’ discount store looked on disapprovingly.

I ran into Terry and the boys as I entered into the Casino. It was only at this point that I realized that I was soaked with sweat. I had been quite content at how nice and comfortably warm I’d been all morning. It felt like the first time I’d been warm in a months. Hitting the air conditioning was not pleasant. It also struck me that not realizing you are too hot could pose a serious problem. This would become very apparent later.

The Casino was the same. Preecha and Paison gambled away on some table, Terry and I watched for a bit then decided it was time to head back. The exit process was as quick and painless as the entry had been. No line-ups and no fuss. We had a little more time to kill while we waited for Preecha and Paison to lose all their money, so after getting through Thai Customs we walked over to the much more orderly market on the Thai side. Terry was once again on his vain search for a T-shirt that said Cambodia on it. There were lots and lots of T-shirts. T-shirts that said “Cancun”, T-shirts that said “Texas”, T-shirts from little tiny towns across the USA. T-shirts that were obviously donated and shipped over with the best intentions and had at some point or another been intercepted and made their way onto the black market and were now offered to us at some ludicrous price. There was even a T-shirt that said “Jesus – Lion Of Judah”.

Johnny was still with us at this point. He kept the kids at bay, which was good. We headed back to the parking lot and waited to meet Preecha. I made a stop in the store and bought Johnny a pop, then paid him 500 Baht, which he was surprised and overwhelmed by. It was nice change from the thankless response I’d got from Pimp Hat. He bowed with his hands pressed together and shyly let me shake his hand.

The most heart-breaking thing about this visit was one young woman with the worst facial deformity I have ever seen. How First Worlders can email each other photos of such misfortune is beyond me. This was absolutely heartbreaking and she will haunt me for some time. She began following us after we’d passed through the Thai customs. It was as difficult not to notice her as it was to actually look at her. In the centre of her face was a growth the size of a baseball, her nose indistinguishable from the growth, and all of her face pulled forward with the pressure of it. Her eyes were also affected and I would doubt if she actually had use of both. She was almost impossible to look at. She followed us through the market, never coming up to beg, but staying just within a few feet of us the whole time. Perhaps we looked generous or perhaps all the laughing and carrying on that will occur if Terry is involved made us inviting. She hung on the sidelines as I paid Johnny and said my good-byes to him. After a last visit to the store she was waiting outside. I gave her what small bills were left in my pocket. She bowed with pressed "praying hands" as is the Thai and Khmer way and we smiled at each other. Here was a young woman with all the same dreams and hopes and wishes that any other young woman would have. To be pretty, to be loved, to meet someone. How heartbreaking to imagine a life where you are so disfigured. Not to be ever wanted by anyone, to just be a freak who has to beg. Perhaps it’s better than the fate that awaits the more attractive girls, but I could not help but just feel total sorrow for her. How much would my smiling at her mean? To be smiled at not laughed at. It's a simple thing; next time someone smiles at you, remember that.

We had two British backpackers ride with us to Bangkok. Their names were Lucy and Kate. The ride back was good. The highlight was being stopped by the army. Terry was having a nap with his neck stuck in his amazing inflatable neck brace pillow when we were pulled over at an army checkpoint. A Cop of some sort and a soldier inspected the van. While the soldier looked under the van the Cop opened up the sliding door and stood looking at the snoozing Terry. Suddenly, Terry awoke and when he saw the Cop just about jumped out of his skin. This amused the Cop and the Soldier sufficiently that they just let us go.

We got back to the Evergreen at around 5:00 pm. The last half hour of the journey was spent sitting in traffic four blocks away from home. Everyone was to meet later on, but I was just too tired and the effects of sunstroke were taking hold. I was in bed by 8:00 pm, my head aching from the sun.

Tuesday May 29, 2001 : Smuckers Brand

I found proper crunchy peanut butter!!!

I also received a care package from my friend Jennifer in Saskatoon. It contained PINK ELEPHANT POPCORN!! As well as some other cheering items like a nice notebook, Tango Hotel coffee (always fresh always Tim Horton’s…) and some melted gummy-bears (which are now in the freezer).

Thanks Jenn!

I am sore today. I have begun using the gym on the 8th floor, as well as swimming (with ear-plugs). The inclined sit-up bench torture device is so effective that today I could barely move my waist.

I am definitely better. In retrospect I don’t think I realized how sick I have been until now that I feel normal.

Monday May 28, 2001 : Space Monkey

This morning I went to Thai Immigration to get a 10-day visa extension on my passport. It was very annoying. The Thai Immigration Officers were quite good, but the endless line butting, barging and stupid question asking slowed the process to a snail’s pace. It seemed that everyone had to try and cut in and the Immigration Officers spent a great deal of energy sending people back to the end of the line where they belonged. Once I’d filled out my application, glued my photo onto it and handed it in with my passport, I sat and watched the proceedings as I waited for them to call my number. It took a while.

The other big event of the day was cutting all my hair off. My lovable mop-top look just had to go. My unshaved face had reached a good length so it was time to take action and reclaim my head. I went to the same hair salon in MBK mall that I’d gone to last time. It has grown to a good length so having it cut down to a number 3 was quite a spectacle. The fellow who cut my hair seemed to be the chief hairdresser. He had the most impressive mullet that I’ve ever seen on an Asian. The various employees and clients looked on in disbelief as Asian Mullet proceeded with my instructions to cut ALL my hair off. I sat and watched as people walking by the salon stopped and watched, children pointed and laughed and everyone was entertained by this strange event. A foreigner cutting his hair! When it was all done I had what hair was left washed and rinsed then I headed back home.

I look like a space monkey ready to be shot into space.

I shaved my scruffy Miami Vice beard into a nice goatee and I am me once again. Joom in the Café was horrified. "No… more cute before"… Cute is something I do not aspire to be.

Sunday May 27, 2001 : Uncle Crock’s Block

Apple called this morning and invited me to meet her and Superdry for breakfast at The Dubliner. I said sure and headed over on the BTS at 11:30 am. She’d mentioned going to the Crocodile Farm so I brought my camera along. It was really quite nice out but I wore my MEC raincoat in case of the afternoon rain and because I was cold. I arrived at The Dubliner first and got a table on the main floor. Apple and Superdry arrived a few moments later. We had the "fry up" breakfast, which is an Irish style meal with lots of fried food involved. It was excellent. Afterwards we took a cab back to their apartment and Apple called a cabbie named Anand, who had driven her parents up to the River Kwai during their visit last month. We hired him for the day to drive us to the Crocodile Farm.

The 35-minute drive out to the Crocodile Farm was quite nice. I was feeling better than I have in some time, and it was wonderful to get out of the area around my place. The Crocodile Farm and Zoo cost 300 Baht to enter and boasted of having 60,000 crocodiles. It may have. We certainly didn’t try to count the crocodiles but judging by the smell there had to be at least 60,000 of them. They had the crocodile penned off in various areas according to size. There was an overcrowded bunch of lethargic medium size ones, smaller pens of teeny tiny ones, and bigger pens for bigger ones. There were also some individual pens for mutated looking ones with bad tails or screwed up jaws, each with a sign giving it some psuedo-scientific name like "snub-tailed crocodile". Oh, you mean "crocodile whose tail has been bitten off"…

This first bunch of crocodiles weren’t terribly impressive really. We walked around past vendors and food kiosks until we came to the area reserved for the big crocodiles. It was a large fenced off cement pond. There was a wooden footbridge that allowed you to walk over the pond and for a mere 20 Baht you could toss a bucket of food down for the big crocodiles to fight over. This was highly entertaining. Especially if the food landed on the giant crocks, then they’d get really wound up. Apple spent about 100 Baht throwing hunks of meat at them. Superdry’s main observation at seeing the size of these monsters was that Tarzan fighting with them was "a load of bollocks".

Urged on by the sound of gunfire, we found the shooting range. Superdry wasn’t too enthused by this but Apple wanted to give firing a pistol a try. It was the first time she’d held one. The guns in question were very well maintained Colt .45 pistols. I have never fired a pistol bigger than a 9mm before and the Colt was quite nice in both weight and action despite the extra kick from the larger round. Apple was indeed a natural. For her first time firing a gun, she was outstanding. Superdry stuck his fingers in his ears and waited for us to run out of bullets. At some point I’d forgotten to put on my ear protection. My ears are still ringing. I also tried my hand at firing a 12-gauge shotgun. It was difficult to see where I was hitting, but later examination of the target revealed that with a shotgun you hit EVERYWHERE.

Next stop was the frightening Elephant show. This bothered me on several levels. It seemed both cruel and inhuman to make these animals cavort and move around "dancing" to some prefabricated music industry drivel. For me it was also scary. The weird "dance" looked like some pre-rampage pachyderm seizure…As if Jumbo The Pink Elephant Popcorn Mascot had listened to just about enough slick harmonies and pop clichés as was going to crush the guy who’d put that damn CD on AGAIN… It was a strange mix of emotions; my dislike for any type of animal cruelty and my recently discovered TERROR of elephants. Upon leaving the Elephant Dance Arena, Superdry and I nearly walked off the dead end of an unfenced walkway… "Safety First" was all Superdry could say.

We had some "ice-lollies" (Popsicles) and wandered around through the park. There were a variety of animals here and there for your viewing pleasure. A tiger or two, a baby elephant, a monkey, some snakes, a camel, and even a couple of black bears. I bought a tiny rubber squeak-toy crocodile and annoyed all around with it. Later when my ears cleared from the pistol shot threshold shift I realized HOW loud and HOW annoying the thing is. We headed over to the Crocodile show and watched these two Thai fellows drag crocks around by their tails, then pry their jaws apart and stick their heads in between them. The crowd tossed Baht notes down into the arena that had a little concrete island in the centre of a pool full of crocks. The two nutters would pick up the Baht notes, put them in the mouths of the crocodiles and then once again put their heads in the crock’s open mouths…

One of the strangest things that I saw during the day was a cage with a tiger and a little dog inside. I was horrified, thinking that perhaps this dog was the tiger’s lunch. Anand later told me that tiger cubs are raised with puppies. This makes the tiger both calmer and more tolerant of humans. The tiger and the dog become inseparable and despite the size difference will curl up and sleep together.

How much crocodile smell can one take?

Not that much. We headed out, walking through the rather lame "Dinosaur Museum". The place seemed more like an amusement park’s haunted funhouse than a museum. Superdry complained at how badly lit it was; I suggested it was to prevent anyone from seeing how bad the displays were. After wandering through that and chasing after Apple in some gift shops, we met Anand outside and headed back towards Asok. Anand dropped Apple and Superdry off, then drove me back towards my place. We talked quite a bit, his English being better than most Thais'. I suspect I will use his services again in the future. I went to the Siam Centre and had my Crocodile Farm photos developed then had them scanned at the cyber-café. That took about 2 hours.

I took the BTS back to Ratchathewi and bought some groceries. Then I walked back to the apartment, stopping on the 8th floor café for dinner. Tonight I practiced guitar, and watched a very upsetting BBC report on the use of child slave labour on the West African farms that supply cocoa to the multi-national chocolate manufactures. I doubt I can ever eat a piece of chocolate again after seeing 10-year-old kids, who’ve been kidnapped and sold, carrying 60-pound bags of chocolate. The multinationals play dumb and claim Ignorance. Inexcusable!

Saturday May 26 : Come Morning...

Saturday morning. I am listening to a mix CD I made for the lovely Sunniva (It will go out next week with a Birthday CD for the wonderful Sandy...The package will also include 2 mysterious CD's for Justin Keeper Of The Site...). Booth And The Bad Angel's track "Stranger" is now playing.

It is now clouding over... It was sunny when I woke up at 9:00 am, but big grey clouds are moving in promising a late afternoon rain.

I haven't had breakfast yet. Just a cup of tea (mmmm) and a piece of toast with peanut butter. Oh how I miss proper crunchy fresh ground peanut butter...

I got a letter from Susie (my former maid in Manila) yesterday. She was robbed at knife point and was most upset at losing the mobile phone that I'd bought her. I'm just glad she wasn't hurt. It occured on a Sunday morning when she was heading to church. I hope to go to visit Manila at the end of this month to finish some recording and to see Rene, Eddie, Susie, Jumbing and the dojo and my old guitar teacher Michael T... Perhaps I'll pick Susie up a new phone.

Jon Hassel's heavily filtered warbly trumpet is sounding from the Million Dollar Hotel soundtrack (The MDH Band features Jon Hassel, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno and others...); now it's gone to the last track David Sylvian's "Come Morning"... A song that makes me miss waking to the sound of the streetcar running down Bathurst, with the knowledge that its sunny, springtime, and in 15 minutes I'd be sitting at the counter of The Grapefruit Moon.

TOP 10 THINGS I MISS ABOUT LIVING IN THE ANNEX

10) Soundscaping in my room for half an hour and realizing 2 hours have gone by...
9) Making mix cassettes by mixing from 2 CD players
8) Walking to Steve, Wendi and Nathan's for Sunday night TV
7) Eating proper pasta at Ralf's Panzerotti Village Cafe
6) Beating the Original Chris Chiasson in Command & Conquer (HA!)
5) Eating at Pho Hoa on Dundas
4) All the live music...
3) Going to Kevin Quain
2) All things SNOWMELTER
1) The Grapefruit Moon

Homesick?

Just a little.
Oddly for both The Annex and Makati...
Perhaps with time Bangkok will feel more like home to me.

Happy Birthday to all the wonderful and or troublesome Geminis of in my life. M., Sandy, LL Bean, Tiffany Trouble, Wendi, and whoever I'm forgetting that will no doubt send me snarly emails.
Happy Birthday...

Okay...
Time to go scan some photos, and find some food.
But not in that order...
Hey ho... and away we go...

Monday May 20, 2001 : "Proper Food"...

The good thing about Movie Channels is that they play the same films over and over endlessly for all eternity. That means you can enjoy the giant "winking" poster of Not John Travolta in the Singapore classic "Fever Forever" again and again... If it was funny the first time, it's even funnier the second, third and fourth... I don't think I'll ever grow tired of this film...

Tonight I went to Apple's and Superdry's for what Superdry calls "proper food". This was indeed proper food! We had amazing tenderloin, with mashed potatoes and lovely tasty steamed carrots. MMMMMMMMM....

Thumbs up to Apple... It was great to get out of the prison of my apartment. I felt much better today, and my appetite has returned after a three week vacation. I headed back to my place at around 10:00 pm. The walk to Asok Station was nice. There was a pleasant breeze and I was comfy-warm in my MEC raincoat under clear starry skies. I wonder if I will ever actually be warm again...

Sunday May 19, 2001 : Gandhi Fever Forever…

Superdry and Apple have been on about this movie from Singapore called "Fever Forever". It’s a remake and tribute to the disco classic "Saturday Night Fever"…

Last night I saw this absolutely frightening film on TV… It was unbelievable. A grocery clerk enters a disco dance contest to win enough money to allow his "dolly-bird" (Superdry’s phrase) younger brother to get a sex change operation… but only with the help of John Travolta’s character that comes off the screen (played by an actor who looks and sounds NOTHING LIKE John Travolta) to give our hero fashion and dance tips. The dancing was frightening, the clothes were frightening, the movie was frightening… and if I could have any wish it would be to see it again in a theatre with those friends who I know would laugh as hard as I did (DJ Dan, Brengun to name a few…)

Not much happened today. I went out for a brief walk and grabbed some food. It was sunny and warm most of the day, but by 4:30 pm the sky had turned black and as I sat in a restaurant I watched the inevitable downpour. I took the BTS back to Ratchathewi Station and picked up supplies at 7-11, then headed back to the apartment. I was exhausted and fell asleep almost instantly.

Maggie called tonight to check on me. She told me that they’d had an excellent time in Hong Kong and loved the city. Jake refers to my sickness as "Gandhi Fever".

Saturday May 19, 2001 : Out and About...

Sleep? Sleep!!!
How much MORE can I sleep?

I had a dream about the GFM. It was dusk and I was standing outside the front by Cousin Robs' Impala. Sandy was outside greeting me with a hug and telling me that Sunniva was on her way. April was there as well and was laughing.

My alarm went off at 9:30 am but I was feeling so exhausted I just couldn't even move and fell back to sleep. Later I actually awoke on the couch. I must have tried to answer the phone and had just fallen to sleep there. I got back up and went back to bed. I finally got up at nearly 2:00 pm. That means I had a lovely 14 hours of sleep.

It was SUNNY out. I showered and dressed then headed out. I wasn't willing to spend another day trapped in the confines of my apartment, no matter how I felt. I felt like the Newspaper man from HG Wells' WAR OF THE WORLDS after he crawls out from under the house he is trapped under.

"and oh... the sweetness of the air.."

I walked down and over the canal. They've torn down the rickety old dock and replaced it with a new steel one. I wasn't really sure where I was going. I walked along past the MBK Mall and crossed over the walkway to the roadside opposite MBK and The Siam Center. I walked along some roadways lined with stores and restaurants and wandered around in some markets. I had no desire to buy anything. I just wanted to walk around.

Eventually hunger drove me towards The Siam Center. Despite the sun and heat, and the fact I was wearing my MEC raincoat... I was freezing.

I had Pho Ga (Vietnamese chicken soup) which was wonderful. I wandered around Tower Records and bought the Badly Drawn Boy CD. I took the BTS Skytrain back to Ratchathewi Station as I was feeling exhausted from my little walk. I made a stop at 7-11 and stocked up on water, teabags, and sunflower seeds... Then walked back to Evergreen.

I watched a VCD of Star Wars "Phantom Menace" fell asleep during the pod race. I woke up later and watched the rest of it, then went down to the 8th floor and ate 2 plates of spaghetti. Joom seems concerned that I will be moving out. She kept quizzing me on why NG Dave and Jenn moved.

Tonight I watched a BBC special on global warming and its effects on disease and bug infestations, and other documentary on storms.

Friday May 18, 2001 : More Of The Same...

SICK.

and SICK OF BEING SICK!!

Rest! Relaxation! A Snowmelter craves not these things...

Big exciting things that happened today.
They came and fixed my busted air conditioning.
It rained outside.
Nice Guy Dave and Jenni moved out. They have gone to a different serviced apartment. I may follow. I will go check out where they are next week... Hopefully.

I watched "Nutty Professor II - The Klumps" for about 15 minutes before springing from my pillow and blankets and yanking the VCD out of the player... It was the one of the worst movies I have almost ever seen. Unfortunately in my sickness I have exausted the front desk's selection of VCD's... I think the only one left is "Chips' 99" which I won't be rushing down to get anytime soon.

Tonight I worked on several musical ideas on my computer. One piece which I have called "Jon's New Truck" is done, and a new one is brewing... Acid Pro 2.0 is great... Now the upgrade to version 3 is out, but I will wait to pick that up.

Maggie called to check on me tonight. She's going to Hong Kong tomorrow with Jake and Geri. I would have liked to have gone if I hadn't been feeling so sick. I don't know how it would feel to go there though, as I associate the place so strongly with my Christmas visit with M.

Wednesday May 16, 2001 : Spacebear Update

I called the hospital in Kamloops BC today and spoke to my sister Donna. Rhonda (aka Spacebear) is doing much better after having fluids drained which relieved a great deal of pain and pressure in her chest. At this point she is doing well though, and is expected to be home in the next week. It may be some time before she can ride, or play rugby again.

As for my own much smaller health problems, tonight was the first time in over a month that I actually felt like myself... Not just physically either. I feel as if a cloud of melancholy has been lifted.

Tuesday May 15, 2001: Bad News From BC

I received some very unfortunate news last night. My brother Bruce emailed me the following:hey Lorne... I thought you should know.... it's bad news but not tragic.. so don't freak...

Last Wednesday evening Rhonda fell from her horse and ruptured her spleen.... she was taken to 100 Mile House Hospital and then her and Donna were taken by ambulance to Kamloops Hospital .. which called the Royal Inland Hospital.... the surgeon had her CAT scanned and found that her spleen was indeed ruptured the cap of it being split.... he had her put in Intensive Care for monitoring for two days and her condition.. though critical remained stable.. so she is now in the paediatric ward and out of ICU.

She will be there for a week yet... Donna is staying in the residence attached to the hospital..

Rhonda will be okay but will need to be very careful for a few months... the Doctors don't remove the spleen automatically anymore since doing so screws up the immune system.. it can actually heal after a fashion.

Maralyn will be being taken up to Kamloops by Brian this week... she isn't allowed to drive long distances because of her heart being weakened from the cancer treatments.... seems strange to think of the kid driving.. but... time marches on... Maralyn was to have gone to 100 Mile House last weekend to fit the prom dress she had made for Rhonda but of course didn't.... so the dress will be taken to Kamloops even tough not much can be done yet by way of fitting and trying on... Rhonda is only allowed up to go to the loo....

anyway Bro.... that's the situation. I wanted you to know during... not after the fact and this venue blesses us by making it possible.... I'll also send this to George to give him the info as well.... Hey George!

Well it's about time for Carmina to get up so I'd best go so as to join her for morning coffee....

Take care over there...

Love ya Bro...

Bruce.I am not sure what I will do, or if I can do anything anyways. I don't mind bad stuff happening to me (because it gives me something to fill my journal with), but THIS is truly upsetting.

For now all I can say is...
HANG IN THERE, SPACEBEAR!

Monday May 14, 2001: Test Results

I had a difficult night last night. I think my fever has broken though. I thought I was going to die. Fever, chills, fever, chills and a headache that made me want to barf. Oh it was not good. I am still amazed that I fell asleep. I woke up at 6:00am and felt... HUNGRY. Starved in fact. Like I hadn't eaten for a month.

I went into the doctor this morning. What has been dragging me down has been identified at last.

1) Ebstein bar Virus (aka - Glandular fever)
2) Citomegalo Virus

Citomegalo sounds like a Shakespearian character.

"Where doth thou hasten, Citomegalo?"

"The King doth ride this hour to Ebstien Bar!"

"Let us ride hence. For all brave men this day stand to know the cost of freedom"

(players exit stage left)

The question is which came first; Ebstein Bar or Citomegalo? Does it matter? I am to REST until this weekend. I am however bored out of my mind. Emma called to check on me, as did Geri.

Saturday May 12, 2001: Nurse Stimpy

More weird dreams last night. I was running with 3 others between buildings. We were watching for Chinese and North Korean troop movements and trying to avoid running into our own. I was very happy with my new rifle, and I was also pleased that I wasn't by myself. Usually in those dreams I am alone.

I got up earlier today, and checked my email. I played The Sims for a bit, then Red Alert 2, then continued working on some music I'd done last night. I felt much better than I have, although not well enough to venture out. I ordered some lunch and then watched the dreadful 6TH DAY on VCD. You'd think if they were going to continue to make movies like this, that they'd at least try and make them well. Where's James Cameron when you need him? Or for that matter where are Joel, Tom Servo and Crow when you need them?

I wrote for a bit, this sudden burst of creativity indicating perhaps a return to health. I listened to Gorillaz, a CD which I just can't seem to get sick of, and played some Rising Sun on my computer.

Maggie stopped by tonight with a care package full of treats including some "proper" British chicken soup. We went down to the 8th Floor Cafe and talked while I had some dinner and she had a beer. We were later joined by Terry's son John, as well as NG Dave and Jenn. They had some excellent photos of Terry's Birthday bash as well as a few shots of some foolish that occurred last night. Maggie had to split as Danny was making her dinner, so I walked with her as far as the BTS station and then hit 7-11 for some sunflower seeds. Tomorrow I will venture out to MBK Mall for some vitamins, and develop my photos of Terry's party. I still haven't scanned the last batch of Cambodia photos. Perhaps if I'm feeling energetic I'll do that as well.

Friday May 11, 2001 : THIS SUCKS

I dreamed I was in Manila with my Dad. He was showing me how to break someone’s leg in this weird wrestling hold, and where to punch someone to kill them. There wasn’t any smog in Manila and he said it was because there was no traffic “due to the fighting.”

We were walking around, looking at a bombed out building, which clearly upset us. He said "first the earthquakes, now this..."

It’s absolutely beautiful outside, sunny and no doubt warm. I can hear people splashing about in the pool and I wish more than anything that I weren’t ill. I should be outside having a nice swim.

Monsoon season is just around the corner too. So my chances of taking a swim are quickly fading. Unless it’s a swim to the BTS station.

Geri called last night. She’s coming over with her Mom and Jake on the weekend to “check on me."

Thursday May 10, 2001: Really Sick Again

This is brutal. And expensive. Today’s outlay was another $ 150 USD. But…I don’t have Hepatitis C or diabetes, and my liver works just fine. Yet I am clearly not well. There are more tests to come back on Monday. Until then I have to take my medicine to help clear my ears and sinuses, and rest.

The Doctor asked if I had ever had “Mono” in my youth. I had forgotten about it until now, but I was out of action for a month in 1978 with it. The theory now is that I have a similar ailment. I remember that when I had Mono they’d also taken gallons of blood from me and they never did actually find it in any of their tests, so the similarity is strong.

I slept once again until 8:00 pm. I seem to have a pattern of sleeping for 5 hours, waking up, eating, and then sleeping more.

Wednesday May 9, 2001: Sick Again

My ears are infected once again. Which might explain the return of the fever/chills. However… today the Expat doctor saw me and pointed out to his Thai counterpart that I am not “the right colour of white."

More tests. More blood taken. More money spent. Canadians do not realize what they are in for if they allow Universal Health Care to be dismantled into some two-tier system on behalf of the American insurance companies. Each test costs… and once it’s all added up… OUCH. So far this whole sickness thing has cost me over 300 US dollars.

I got more eardrops, and different antibiotics. The concern now is that the ear infection is not a cause, but a symptom of some larger problem. A problem they as of yet cannot find.

I slept until 8:00 pm again, and then woke up starving. I went down to the 8th Floor Café. I worked on a letter to Susie until Terry joined me. It was good to hang out and chat with him. We ended up ordering some food. Later we went out to the 7-11 and picked up some supplies. I wore my blue MEC fleece despite the tropical heat.

Tuesday May 8, 2001: Big Storm

A huge rainstorm hit us today. It came out of nowhere with no warning. Superdry and I had lunch together at Central Department Store's 7th Floor Italian Café. When we’d gone inside it was sunny and hot out, however when we came out the sky was black. We managed to get under shelter before the onslaught. The rain only lasted for about an hour, but it was unbelievable in its intensity. Visibility was reduced to almost nil, as if it were a snowy “white out." If this was any indication of what the upcoming monsoon season will be like, I’m thankful for my MEC rain gear. I think I will try and get a pair of good waterproof boots in the next week. With the degree of flooding on the streets from this storm I can only imagine what rainy season will be like.

I stayed in tonight. I was going to hook up with Geri for some pizza and a movie but I just didn’t feel too good. I think my ear infection has returned. I stopped by the Doctor’s office today but because it was some sort of holiday, it was closed. I slept from late afternoon until 8:00 pm or so.

Saturday May 5, 2001 : Terry’s Surprise Party

I have been feeling “off” again. Yesterday afternoon I was freezing cold, despite the sun and 40 degree heat. I went to bed early and slept a heavy dreamless slumber. I woke up early today and installed The Sims on my computer. Perhaps as a sign of my homesickness, the first thing I created was a virtual Grapefruit Moon, complete with Sandy and Sunniva. The virtual GFM however has a swimming pool and hot tub.

I spent the afternoon burning a mix CD for Terry’s Birthday. It was made up of choice selections from the 60’s and 70’s as well as some Hunter Thompson ramblings as performed by Johnny Depp from the movie soundtrack for Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas.

Maggie has spent the last two weeks organizing a surprise 50th Birthday bash, which was held tonight at Larry’s Dive. The plan was to meet there prior to 8:00 pm to proceed to the loft-like upstairs and wait. I took the BTS over and arrived just as Maggie and Terry did. Terry had no idea what was going on. I hung back, armed with my throw away camera and followed them up the stairs as everyone shouted “SURPRISE!” Terry was totally shocked and thrilled.

The biggest surprise was still yet to come. After a great deal of hand shaking and gift giving the call came in that Danny was arriving with Terry’s son John who’d flown in yesterday from the UK. Danny came up with John hiding behind him and after Danny had greeted Terry, he stepped aside to reveal the surprise guest. Terry was totally overwhelmed with joy. He feel to his knees and grabbed his son’s hand, and then they hugged and laughed. It was the last thing Terry had expected, and perhaps the best birthday gift he could possibly have received.

The crowd at the party has great. Every expat in our circle was there with the addition of some new faces. Maggie and Jake were there of course, as were Apple and Superdry. Apple’s buddy Phil is over visiting from the UK, so he joined us as well. Also in attendance were Crocodile Hunter Craig, Black Cat & family, Stretch, Cox-see, Judge Judy and Father John. Snowy was also there, as were the Poipet posse; Silver Fox, NYC Aaron, NG Dave and Jenn. Kiki was there and was later joined by some of her Expat friends. Geri was there, whom I haven’t seen in a bit. It was good to see my old buddy from Makati.

I was teased for shaving my beard off, which I expected. The reaction was overall less negative than I had thought. Personally I don’t like it, but for now… It will be a goatee free zone.

There was a buffet, and everyone knocked back lots of drinks. I had many Caesars. We stuck it out there until around midnight, and then the die hards moved over to The Dubliner. I had switched to water at this point. We were joined there by an unwanted drunken buffoon who was yammering drunkenly to Danny and Terry. He then attempted to pick up Nice Guy Dave’s girlfriend Jenn. She skilfully extracted herself from his presence and for a brief time The Drunk left us alone. He later came back to pester our Birthday Boy in a confrontational way. He was unhappy with Terry’s accent not being Irish enough, not being able to distinguish the difference between being born in a place and growing up there. Terry’s remark to him was classic… “Jesus was born in a stable, but it didn’t mean he sounded like a horse!” Eventually The Drunk gave up and left.

Wednesday May 2, 2001: Sims

Today I hooked up with Superdry and Apple at their place. The apartment looked a lot different with all their stuff from Manila in it. The big thrill for Superdry is having his computer again. He had it all set up and while I struggled to get Apple’s new printer to function (they are under the misconception I have some kind of knowledge of computers…) Superdry excused himself to play the Champion Manager 2000. It’s a game where you are the manager of a virtual British Football club with players based on the real ones from the 2000/2001 seasons. These players can be hired, traded or fired and the object of the game is of course to win the championship. It might take several virtual seasons to build the club up to a point where you can actually achieve that goal.

Once the printer was working (the ink cartridges were in wrong) Apple showed me her new game… The Sims… It is not unlike Sim City except that instead of building a whole city you are building up a neighbourhood, starting with the actual families in the houses. I was instantly hooked. She showed me her neighbourhood, in which the virtual me (complete with black suit and goatee) has fallen in love with Posh Spice (how absurd!) and moved in with her (even more absurd). Needless to say... I will be buying this game very soon.

There was an amazing thunder and lightening storm this afternoon. Seeing it from Superdry and Apples’ apartment was spectacular. The cloudburst that came with the storm was also unbelievable. Giant drops of water that came in down with an intensity of someone turning on a fire hose. We all broke from our games to watch. Superdry ordered a pizza and we hung out listening to CDs. After Superdry went back to play some more Championship Manager I actually dozen off on their couch listening to the CD “Booth And The Bad Angel”.

Tonight we went over to Soi 22 and had some drinks with Apple’s friend Kiki at a Canadian owned bar called Larry’s Dive. It is the only place in Thailand (and possibly South East Asia) that serves the very Canadian drink “Bloody Caesar”. Kiki was already there with a couple of her friends. Superdry and I tried our hand at the ancient “Gunslinger” pinball machine and failed miserably at playing it while Tom Waits sang about his Chocolate Jesus in the background.

The girls talked about girl stuff while Superdry and I watched MTV with out the sound and speculated on the meaning of the videos. Particularly disturbing was the late 70’s Jackson Five video featuring Michael Jacko in his pre-plastic surgery days, with the brothers sprinkling what I can only guess was “goofer dust” on some unnamed futuristic city. The dazzling special effects had a sort of Logan’s Run/Clash Of The Titans feel to them. We were especially moved by the end when a elderly native Indian takes the hand of a young black boy and a smog new age brotherly love descends upon the badly dressed people who are looking up at the giant goofer dust sprinkling Jackson brothers. A truly frightening example of contrived video concepts. Strange that all the goofer dust being thrown around in the late 70’s failed to stop the world from sinking into a RoboCop-like quagmire of violence and hatred.

I had many Caesars. There were nachos ordered at one point. The rest… well, it gets blurry. I do remember walking to Asok BTS station and training it back to Ratchathewi, then home, while listening to Brenguns excellent mix tape.

Sunday April 29, 2001 Cambodia Trip 2 — Eat The Dust

I wasn’t actually planning on making much of an entry on this trip, as I had figured that it wouldn’t really differ much from our previous journey. It was however, a notable day.

We were to leave at the early hour of 4:30 am, our objective being to beat the rush at the border that we had encountered last time. We gathered in the lobby and, once assembled, loaded up in Preecha’s van. The crew was Silver Fox, NYC Aaron, Terry, and myself. It was still dark as we left Bangkok and those who didn’t fall asleep were still half asleep on this portion of the ride. We made much better time getting out of the city than we had last time as there was very little traffic. Silver Fox and I talked for most of the early portion of the trip. Once the sun was up I was fading in and out, so I slipped into headphone land and listened to the mix tapes Brengun and Justin had sent me. I found it amusing that both of them had put the track “Man Of Constant Sorrows” by the Soggy Bottom Boys on their tapes. Was this a hint? Am I whining too much in my journal entries? Perhaps… But there’s nothing quite like a trip to Cambodia to cure you of the notion that you are hard-done-by…

The big excitement on our trip down was Preecha’s speeding tickets. We were traveling at such a velocity that I half expected my watch to start running backwards. The Highway Patrol doesn’t sit in stealthy spots with radar guns in Thailand. (I think this is largely to do with the fact that their cars don’t look capable of a speed faster than 50 miles an hour!) They have by the side of the road these small block-like buildings that resemble little stores. Instead of hopping in their cruisers and pulling you over they simply stand on the side of the road and wave you down. They seemed to really like waving down Preecha. They pulled him over twice on our way to Poipet, each time fining him a hundred Baht.

Needless to say, we arrived at the border in good time and by 8:30 am we were standing in line, waiting for the Immigration Office to open up. There was a bit of a line up a head of us, but behind us the line soon grew to a great size. We filled our forms out and soon were up to the window having our Passports stamped. Several “guides” had soon latched themselves on to us and we moved across the Friendship Bridge to the Cambodian side of the gully. We handed our passports, visa forms, photos and 1000 Baht notes to the Cambodian Officers and then moved on to the Arrival Procedure counter. This whole process was fast and hassle free this time. Preecha had brought his Passport as well so he was there with us as we debated whether to just turn around and go back, or to stay for a while. I had originally wanted to just go straight back, but after travelling so long I felt it would be better to look around for a bit. In the end we decide to stay until 10:30 am, Silver Fox, NYC Aaron and Preecha opting for the air conditioned Casino, and Terry and myself deciding to have our guide, who I called “Hat”, to lead us to the Poipet Market. It was agreed that we would meet at 10:30 am and off we went in different directions.

We quickly discovered that Hat was more interested in getting us laid, than he was taking us to the market. Hat would tell us how he could “show us nice girls” to which Terry and I would say loudly in unison “NO GIRLS, MARKET, MARKET!!” Then ten minutes later, as if he figured that we’d forgotten what he’d just asked us, or perhaps hoping we’d suddenly, because of all the red dust become strangely horny, he would repeat it again… and again. Terry began to call him “our pimp”.

“Where’s our pimp gone?” He’d say in his Anthony Hopkins voice.

My Footprints guide to Cambodia advises the traveller NOT to stay in Poipet. There are many “guest houses” but when you come right down to it, Poipet’s economy is based on gambling and prostitution, with their main commodity being dust in the dry season and mud in the wet season. We walked eastward along the main road to a central square that had a statue of unknown meaning in the centre of a patch of dirt that was once I suppose grass. The statue was a multi-armed thing and people were sitting beside it, hiding from the sun in its shade. The ground itself was littered in garbage and some kind of fruit husks that looked like little turds. Around the roundabout that circled the square were dozens of motorbikes, the riders all pitching us to take us somewhere. Beside the road you could see new guesthouses and Casinos going up. Once we had moved past this we found the road no longer paved, and the dust, which had already been noticeable, turned into a choking fog-like haze. We were assaulted by strange images. A man measuring old wheels, as if he had just discovered them and was trying to work out how to copy the technology. By one construction site there was a patch of mud that looked like the evil axle-swallowing kind that one would find on an unpaved Alberta side road after a thunderstorm. The traffic on the road was a strange mix of motorbikes, pick-up trucks, pony drawn wagons and carts pulled by some poor struggling soul.

Pimp Hat took us off the main road on some sort of shortcut through the one remotely pleasant spot we’d seen. It was beyond a walled off courtyard that housed a small temple, and it was grassy and peaceful. There were several ponies munching away on the green grass nearby, some kids playing and some young men lounged and laughed. We walked by them and out into the most rundown shanty that I’ve seen in any of my travels. I’m sure the folk living there would be offended by that remark, but it’s nonetheless quite true. Pimp Hat insisted this was the way to the market but Terry and I were unsure. I didn’t feel any danger though, as it was broad daylight, and everyone we passed smiled and waved and said hello. Finally as we approached the market area Pimp Hat pointed out a low building that was walled off and looked as if it might have a restaurant inside it and said to me “There nice girls. Young, very pretty…” I didn’t even answer him and kept walking towards the vendors, which we could now see. The market was disappointing. It was empty, dusty, and full of all the same junk you can buy anywhere in Bangkok. The prices might have been lower though, but we never really found out. My watch indicated that it was 10:10 am, time to start working our way back.

Pimp Hat was still pitching us on girls as we moved back the way we’d come. We took a few photos among the shanties. I got a good shot of some drying laundry. There, hanging over a pile of garbage from a bamboo pool was a t-shirt that said “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” As strange as that was in the situation, it seems to be the attitude of the Khmer people. They are a friendly pleasant bunch, despite all the terrible things that have happened over the last 50 years, and despite their stone-age like existence. It embarrasses me to think of what a bunch of whining, spoiled, selfish, crybabies we westerners are. I am ashamed of those many times in my life were I’ve thought of myself as so hard done by!

Pimp Hat pointed out the brothel to us on the way back, just in case we’d forgotten about it. We passed back though the courtyard of the temple and saw a happy Cambodian boy of 8 or so playing with a kite constructed of plastic bags and sticks. It was obviously made of garbage but its construction was so skilled that it had a manufactured quality to it. He and was so thrilled to play with it. We moved back out on to the dusty wild west road and saw boys of 9 or 10 carry huge bundles of coiled nylon rope on their heads. The bundles were so large that they looked as if they had some outlandish hats on, and one would wonder how exactly they could see where they were going. A man with a cart offered to haul us but we turned him down.

By the time we’d reached the Casino, both Terry and I were exhausted and sweaty from the morning heat. We went in and quickly found the others, Preecha and NYC Aaron gambling away while Silver Fox watched. We waited around for about 15 minutes then headed back to the border. When we came out of the Casino grounds the other guide was still waiting but Pimp Hat was no where to be seen. He found me again later after I’d left the Departure Procedure counter and moved back towards the Friendship Bridge. Once back on the Thai side it was a quick visit to the entry booth and we were in. Painless and trouble free so far. I had my picture taken by another cart with a ridiculously huge pile of boxes on it that was being pushed by a group of women. I had some girl with an umbrella latch on to me and shade me while I walked back towards the car. She began flirting with me and calling me “handsome” (only in the third world, sweetie) and saying that I must be very rich to have come all the way to Thailand. I went to the store and stocked up on water, then when I came out gave her some change and this orange pen that I’d had. She was pleased with that and went off. I gave Pimp Hat a 100 Baht bill which he began complaining about, whining away looking as he was either going to cry or have a temper tantrum. I was trying to get away from him but he just stayed by me waving his arms around complaining and complaining in both Khmer and in English. Annoyed and wanting to be rid of him and to escape the beggar zombie children who had now joined in with their pleading and outstretched hands I pulled out 500 Baht note, gave it to him and said “Here! Now go away!”

Preecha was waving me back towards the parking lot which I’d walked past trying to escape the beggars and Pimp Hat came over and shooed the kids away. I was fuming, especially at the lack of thanks Pimp Hat had shown in the end. As I rounded the corner and came into the parking lot I saw two female backpackers standing beside their loads, speechless with a frustration on their faces that only a traveller in the third world will understand. Obviously their travel plans had gone horribly wrong and they were now stuck. I was still angry with Pimp Hat and I think I’d made a comment to them about how frustrating it could be here. They agreed in a despairing tone and I asked them where they were headed. When they said “Bangkok” I offered them a ride. Preecha and I grabbed some of their many bags and we headed over the van. They introduced themselves as Corry and Debbie and were from Manchester in the UK. They’d just travelled Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia and were on their way back to Bangkok to catch their flight home.

The ride back was good. I had to sit in the front seat beside Preecha which gave a great view of the oncoming trucks toward which we moved at breakneck speed while passing some slow moving traffic. I also got to watch Preecha’s ritual of trying to stay awake by sniffing some kind of Tiger Balm cream, or rubbing his eye balls. The combination of these rituals while we sped towards trucks while passing traffic made for an exciting video game like ride. Everyone was in good spirits though and NYC Aaron had won a whole 50 Baht in the Casino. We made several rest stops, allowing Preecha to hop himself up on the power drink “Red Bull”, which contains some substances that make it illegal in Canada. This worked for about an hour, then Preecha was frightening us all again by looking like he was about to doze off.

Traffic caught us as were entering Bangkok, slowing us down to a near stand still. We decided to drop Terry off near our place first as he had a dentist appointment. Then we headed off to Khao San Road where Debbie and Corry were going to stay. Traffic wasn’t too bad and we dropped them off there at around 4:00 pm. We said goodbye and then they invited us to meet them for drinks at 8:00 pm or so. We agreed and headed back to the Evergreen. NYC and Silver Fox went for a swim but I had a shower, changed, checked my email, and then had some food at the café. Terry called at 7:30 pm and asked if I wanted to go out and meet them and I said “sure” despite the fact I’d only had about 3 hours sleep in the last 24. NYC had opted out, so it was just Terry and I. We took a taxi to Khao San road and after wandering around found Debbie and Corry. They were sitting on a restaurant patio having drinks with a couple from London. They introduced themselves as Katie and Tyrone and said they had just arrived in Bangkok. They were planning to travel to Laos and Vietnam so Corry and Debbie were giving them some pointers. Corry and Debbie had some excellent travel tales, the most moving being their purchase of some balls for an orphanage in Cambodia. They were amazed at how a couple of balls could bring so much joy and play from the children. They were saddened by the fact that most English children would have turned their noses up at such a simple gift. It was an excellent evening full of great conversation and a lot of laughter. It reminded me of hanging out at The Grapefruit Moon on a hot July evening. I must admit I got drunk to levels not reached since my last Kevin Quain Show. We said our goodbyes at 2:30 am after a great deal of email address exchanging. Terry and I had a nightmarish taxi ride which we abandoned after driving aimlessly in circles, the driver ignoring our instructions. We made him stop, paid him 65 Baht, and then took another Taxi home. I gave the honest Taxi driver who rescued us 100 Baht even though the meter was only at 37 Baht.

Saturday April 28, 2001 Everything Has Arrived...

I got a postcard from Susie yesterday. It was sort of sad.
I guess she misses working for me.
I went out VERY briefly last night with NG Dave, Jenni and NYC Aaron to a rock bar that is across the road and up a bit from us. It was strange to see a bunch of white guys in their mid-forties playing heavy rock and even covering The Sex Pistols "Pretty Vacant".

In fact, it was bizarre. I didn't stay long as I had a headache, fever and wanted to go to bed early because of the coming of the cargo from Manila.

Today was like... Christmas or something. My Birthday... no... that is usually a drag. Christmas.

I woke up early and waiting for the goodies to arrive.
and... waited.... and waited...

Superdry called and told me their stuff was there but Maggie's and mine was still en route. I sighed and played several games of Command & Conquer... (die little pixel men... die!!)

The front desk called and announced that I had a package! When the clerk knocked on my door I was expecting some movers to be with him. Instead he handed me a package and asked for 7 Baht... It was a care-package from Brengun in Vancouver who felt sorry for me or something... Inside it contained 3 books.... Burmese Diary by George Orwell, Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden, and Our Dumb Century - which is by the satrical minds at The Onion... there were some very amusing cartoons I'd drawn and sent to her back in '95, as well as some frightening photos of me from that time period (I was a hefty 210 pounds!) plus, and best of all (and you'd think it couldn't possibly get any better...) A MIX TAPE!!

HURRAY FOR BRENGUN!!!

I had a quick lunch at the 8th Floor Cafe, then waited... and waited...
until...

IT ALL ARRIVED...
Boxes and boxes full of everything I'd left behind and forgotten about in Manila. It was sort of weird opening it all. There were endless amounts of CD's... not that I need any more. Cassette tapes... not that I need any more... T-shirts... clothes... trainers (thankfully)... books... Photos (they made me sad... Christmas memories...)

But best of all was opening up the boxes that contained...
MY COMPUTER!!!!

I spent all afternoon unpacking, and setting it up. I went out to a third 7-11 to buy sunflower seeds as I've bought out the supply at the two other 7-11s by the BTS Station. I know that Tops groceries has big tins of them, so I will grab some next week...

So dear friends... Tonight I tippy-tap-type this from where?
From my room, while the sound track to The Million Dollar Hotel plays...

Tomorrow its back to Cambodia... at 4:30 am...
UGH...

Friday April 27, 2001 Stuff To Arrive...

This week has been quiet. I have been popping pills and squirting drops in to my ears. Things have improved.

The stuff belonging to Maggie, Superdry, Apple, Snowy and myself will (supposedly) arrive TOMORROW MORNING at 9:30 am. I had planned to make a visa run but I have rescheduled it for Sunday. I can hardly wait to unpack my computer and make noise on ACID PRO 2.O once again...

and play Rising Sun...

I bought The Thin Red Line on VCD this week and rewatched it. I originally saw it with the Original Chris Chiasson back whenever it came out and loved it. It was strange to see it after reading the book. In some ways I liked it less. It is, nonetheless, beautifully made... Fitting a book of that scope into a movie is difficult... even if it's a 3 hour film.

I had a dream this afternoon that I was back in Toronto. It was autumn and the air had that clean October smell to it... I was getting ready to go out and I was debating what to wear. It seemed strange to have to put on a sweater. I was listening to some SNOWMELTER music on a stereo while I got ready. It was unlike anything Justin and I have done, but in the dream I was so happy with how the Roland GR-33 guitar synth (which I don't own... yet) sounded! I woke up with a bit of a fever and felt all confused.

Sunday April 22, 2001 Sickly Sunday...

I woke up early to take my pills and drops, then fell back to sleep. I had wanted to go to the River Kwai again with Apple's parents (her Dad's Father fought in Burma during WW II) but I was too fevered and to groggy to make the trip.

I had a bite to eat, which didn't help, then fell back to sleep.

Later on in the afternoon I went down to the 8th Floor Cafe and had some food. They had changed the menu so I had pancakes, which were quite good. This made me miss Grapefruit Moon though. The staff were watching some strange Thai situation comedy on TV and laughing. I had a pot of tea, and worked on a letter for Sandy and Sunniva. I went back up to my room and put more ear-drops in and listened to Gorillaz for a bit. I began to jones for sunflower seeds so I went out looking for them.

I discovered that they sell sunflower seeds here. There is a supermarket near the BTS station, and within two weeks of finding the seeds there, I'd exausted their supply. 7-11 was next to get emptied. For some reason there are always two 7-11s opposite each other on each side of the road so today I had to cross over (which I've never done before) and go to that one. I should be through their supply in about a week's time. It was really hot out today, but I still wore a shirt over my t-shirt as I was cold. On my way back over I ran into Joom and one of the other girls from the 8th Floor Cafe. They were coming off their shift and heading home on the BTS Sky Train. I talked to them for a moment then headed back to my place. I fell asleep on the couch listening to Gorillaz...

I headed out for food at around 6:30 pm and ran into Terry. I have to make a visa run this coming weekend. It will have to be another drive to Cambodia since flying is ruled out because of my ears. He may come along. We will leave much earlier, though, to avoid the rush.

It is now 7:30 pm. I am at the Siam Centre in the internet cafe on the 4th floor. There is a Pho restaurant just down the hall, across from Tower Records, so I will have dinner there tonight.
I have been listening to Justin's mix tape a lot. It is excellent.

I feel a little better than I did earlier, except for a bit of the blues.
Maybe if I eat I'll feel better.
Maybe not.

Saturday April 21, 2001 Package Arrives...

I was awoken this morning when my phone rang. It was the front desk telling me that a DHL package had arrived. I got up and 10 minutes later the courier was at my door with a Fluvog Box. 2800 Baht in Duty charges later I was the proud owner of a brand new pair of Fluvog "Michaels" which will protect my soles from water, oil, and acid... and my soul from satan (or so it claims on the shoe).

I put the drops that the Doctor gave me in my ears, took 3 pills, and lay back down. I got up at around noon and went down to the 8th floor cafe for lunch. I opened my box down there, and found in the shoes a mix tape from Justin (thank you), a letter from Sandy complete with a tiny magic ladybug, a plastic sheep, a note from Sunniva, some tea bags (Those weird Tetley draw-string ones, and Camomile) and 2 melted chocolate balls. The staff had to examine all of these items, and Joom enquired if the box was from "my girlfriend".

This afternoon I played Command & Conquer, and then had a hot bath. I still find it difficult to keep warm. I went out at around 4:30 pm, listening to Justin's Mix tape on my walkman. I bought 2 CD's - GORILLAZ (saw the video for the track "Clint Eastwood" on MTV and was blown away) and BEASTIE BOYS "Le Son Hip Du Monde Hop" which is a compilation CD of instrumental tracks.

Tonight I will rest... and possibly visit Joom at the 8th Floor Cafe.

Here's a link from Craig...
it needs sound for the full effect!
Stick Figure Fight (flash).

Friday April 20, 2001 Visit To The Doctor

I had another chill/fever night last night, so today I visited a medical clinic run by expat doctors. I was quizzed on my symptoms, poked and prodded (Does that hurt? Yes, you're jabbing me in the gut!). During my examination it was discovered I have bad ear infections in both ears. This is probably the source of my fever/chills and dizziness. The infection itself is a result of some evil bug that chlorine will not kill and lives in the pool. My swimming each day is the cause and my swimming even while sick has only made me worse. Now I can't swim for at least a week. I gave a blood sample and a urine sample (could that jar be any tinier?) and was told to come back at 4:30 pm. The doctor's main concern was that I was suffering from malaria. When I came back later I was relieved to learn there was no sign of it in my tests so far... However that didn't mean I didn't have it. The first order of business was to clear up the ear infections, and once that was done she'd be able to tell if it was malaria causing the fever. I was given a ton of pills and some ear drops then told to come back on Monday.

Tonight there was a dinner at Rang Mahal for Apple's Mom and Dad, who are visiting from the UK. I joined them for some yummy food. Maggie was there with Jake, who was dressed in as smart a suit as an 8 year old could ask for. He looked like a grade 3 James Bond... or as Superdry put it, "Done up like a 10 bob salad..." Jake's older bro Danny was there to wind Jake up like a top. We were also joined by the highly amusing Stretch. The meal was excellent and a good time was had by all. Later I joined Dan, Apple, Superdry and Stretch at a bar run by Canadians called Larry's Dive. It is one of the few places a Canuck can find a Bloody Casaer to drink... We didn't stay long as there was an annoying rock band playing cover tunes. The lead guitarist looked like a retired OPP Officer. We fled from there and went to an Irish Pub called O'Reily's and were there until 3:00 am...

Sunday April 15, 2001 Songkhran Sickness Fades...

I was hit by another shiver/chill meltdown last night, but it wasn't as bad as the previous few had been. I fell asleep and again woke from strange dreams at around 6:30 am. The dreams faded really quickly, but I remember images of a city in the snow... perhaps Ottawa. I lay awake until the sun came up, then drifted back to sleep until 11:30 am or so... I was freezing cold when I woke, despite being wrapped in blankets and having turned the heat in my apartment up full blast. I had a hot bath, which helped a little, then went down to the 8th floor Cafe for some food. I have been craving spaghetti for days, so I ordered that. It was excellent. I had a tea and finished reading The Thin Red Line. Now I can go back to finishing my Joseph Conrad book. There is one more short story in it that I haven't read yet.

I had some brutal cramps and chills this afternoon. The cramps were strange in that they were more in my ribs than my guts. The chills came and went quickly though. I lay down but couldn't fall asleep, so I played Quake II which I haven't done in awhile. I moved much further along in the game than I have ever gone before. I opened my patio door to try and let the heat in as I was still freezing. This failed to warm me, so I took a hot bath and fell asleep to David Sylvian's music... I have been listening to "Dead Bees On A Cake" quite a bit. Again I had weird dreams all intertwined with the music. I woke as the CD ended, the little candles I'd bought having burned out and the water having turned luke-warm. I was still cold. I also discovered it was now raining out. I went for a swim at around 7:30 pm when the rain had ended, then sat with NG Dave and Jenn in the 8th Floor Cafe. They left for a swim and Snowy and Terry showed up. I left the Cafe at 9:30 pm and am now about to go to bed... NYC Aaron waits patiently for this computer...

Saturday April 14, 2001 Songkhran Festival Fever...

Yesterday marked the real beginning of Songkhran Festival, which is the Thai New Years celebration of the Lunar New Years. As noted previously, this involves a great deal of water throwing and also the strange ritual of smearing white powder on you. I'm not sure what this means.

I woke up late Thursday night, my fever/chills having returned to me after taking a swim. At the time I thought it was the red wine I'd had at Superdry and Apples... but with how I felt when I woke up this was clearly not the case. I wandered downstairs to the 8th floor Café and ordered a sandwich. Joom or Joon or however her name is pronounced smeared baby-powder all over my cheeks, then one of the other female staff insisted on putting it on my forehead. Cox-see was already in the Café, eating breakfast and he was both soaked and covered in white. There was an on going water fight occurring by the pool, and I thought of how much Sunniva and Sandy would definitely get into the spirit of Songkhran... In fact... I think when I do get back to Toronto I will insist that The Grapefruit Moon follow this tradition...

I ate, had some much needed water, then went back up to my apartment and was hit by a feverish attack. I fell asleep in my clothes on my bed to the sound of laughing and splashing outside, and to the Live Portishead CD... This was not the best choice for listening as I slipped into feverish dreams.

The rest of the day is sort of blurred. I woke, watched Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me on VCD, played Red Alert then went back down to Joom's comforting smile and had some more food.

I ate what the staff call "same same", the meal I always get... Fried noodles with chicken, and an order of plain steamed rice. I seem to remember talking to Snowy and to Terry... Or was that today? Anyways, I had a swim and then went back to my place. At around 11:30 pm I was hit by the worst fever/chill attack yet. I lay in bed unable to get warm, shaking uncontrollably with chills that had begun in my hands and feet and moved quickly to consume me. I wrapped myself in blankets and shivered, laying in a fetal position hanging on to my second pillow for comfort. Despite being so cold, I could feel that my body was on fire, generating an incredible amount of heat. I fell asleep like that.

I woke several times during the night. I also dreamed strange realistic fever dreams. In one I was in my old digs at 880 Bathurst, living once again with Peter Treen. It was summer, and I was talking to Justin Smallbridge on the phone. Amazingly the phone cord reached from the first floor all the way up to the 3rd, were my room was neater and cleaner than it had ever been during the time that I'd lived there. The second dream I was staying with Sandy. She seemed to be living in a big house in the country, and the place had the comforting "home" feeling that I've known only twice, as a boy, and when I've stayed at her place. I was sick in the dream, burning up with fever. She chased the curious Abby and Quinn away and stuck me in a cool bath. I sat in the bath listening to the birds outside and felt old and weak. Sandy sat beside me and talked to me, and said that Sunni would be over soon. I woke soaked in cold sweat, somehow having turned during the night so my head was at the foot of the bed, and my feet were at the head. The blankets were all knotted around me and damp. I could have just wept.

I woke today and felt a little better. Terry and Snowy both have given me painkillers to help with the fever. Songkhran ends Monday, so hopefully I will be able to visit a doctor then.

Thursday April 12, 2001 Barbeque and Burgers...

I didn't sleep well last night. I seem to have a fever. I have also had weird headaches.

I met Superdry at Asok Skytrain Station at around 11:00 am. Apple had designated us the official purchasers of the much needed barbeque... So with a scrap of paper which contained our instructions we raced off in a cab to some mall. We wandered around until we found the large K-Mart type store, then found the customer service desk and asked for who ever it was who was supposed to lead us to, or perhaps bring us, the sacred barbeque. No one seemed to know who this person was though... One helpful manager, however, led us around the store in search of the barbeque.

The first barbeque we were shown was a pathetic little thing. It was so thin and frail that I actually felt sorry for it. The little barbeque that couldn't. Superdry was less sympathetic and simply laughed... "It looks like it would melt!" Which it did. "I could get a bigger heat going in a cigarette carton!" I would be more worried that its tiny wire legs would buckle under the immense weight of the burger patties... Needless to say, that one was out of the question.

Superdry was clearly concerned at Apple's reaction if he failed to get the "correct" type of barbeque. Having dated I understood this. I clearly remember several pointless arguments over or concerning barbeques. This is most dangerous when the female has imagined in her mind a specific order of events or has attached certain expectations to the proceedings that might not jive with reality. The cool reality that faced Superdry was that this was not England or North America and sturdy coal barbeques don't exist here.

The second barbeque was perfect. It was electric, big, and cheap. With some difficulty we explained the need for an extension cord, and we were set. The fear now was would this mighty barbeque meet the imaginings of Apple's world of make-believe? We feared the worst. Superdry hardened himself to the outcome. Like the forlorn hope heading into the breach we headed back to the new apartment.

Apple was pleased with our choice. This truly surprised us. After a much need tea and sandwich the trouble of the broken TV was addressed. The apartment's TV was reduced to showing only blue. With several important football games coming on the long weekend, Superdry was set to buy a new one... Apple, meanwhile, wanted to get a ghetto blaster and a table for the barbeque. So... off we went in different directions seeking what we sought...

Superdry and I went to a fancier mall, that featured lots of white folk and rich Thais. We wandered around looking at TVs, each store being cheaper than the one before... We bought groceries for the barbeque and I stocked up on sunflower seeds. Superdry wanted to buy pre-packaged burger patties but I would have none of that. Something which fellow Canuck Nice Guy Dave understands. With all the things we need bought (as well as some unneeded ones) we headed back to look at TV's.

Superdry found one he liked (I think it was the Pamela Anderson show playing on it) and away we went. Well.. not that quickly. We waited. and waited... and eventually the boxed TV was brought to us and we headed down stairs on a service elevator. One of the helpful staff wheeling the TV on a dolly. Once outside we waited for a cab. Most cabs wouldn't stop, so the fellow who finally did earned a 60 Baht tip. Superdry insisted on using his super-human strength to carry the TV up without the guards help.

I made burgers, Apple made chicken-kabobs and all we all pigged out. I had picked up a pump-action water gun and tried to soak the guards 23 floors down who'd started the New Years water fighting early. This seemed to amuse them quite a bit, although I never really got a good shot at any from that height. We ate, drank wine, and listened to music on the balcony, watching the sunset. You could not have done this in Manila with its dome of pollution and smog... I left at 8:30ish...

I briefly saw Tarzan Mike who was over visiting NYC Aaron and NG Dave. They went out, but I'm still not feeling too hot, so I'm staying in.

Tuesday April 10, 2001 Sickly...

I think I may have gotten heat stroke on Saturday. Or perhaps this is something else. I was hit today by a dizzy spell unlike I've ever had before. It was like being on some evil amusement park ride... With it came a sudden hot/cold flash... I have been somewhat feverish since.

Apple and Superdry have moved into their new place. I will go over to see them soon. Our collective "stuff" should arrive next week. This means I will have my computer again! Hurray!!

This weekend is the Thai New Years, which involves a great deal of water throwing. I don't know if I'll go out though. I have been sort of melancholy. I'm not sure if its the M. factor or what. What ever the case a darker cloud than normal has been hanging over me. Even the friendly advances of the 8th floor Cafe staff fail to cheer me. Perhaps I'm just tired.

Saturday April 7, 2001 Journey To The River Kwai....

I ran into Superdry last night on my way home. He was out looking for a bottle of Jack Daniels for Apple, so I joined them for a drink. They had just returned from Singapore which Superdry only described as "Snooty and expensive..." What was to be one drink turned to many, and in the end I stumbled down to my apartment at 2:00 am... with the horrific knowledge that I would be up at 5:30 am to prepare to go the infamous River Kwai Bridge.

5:30 am arrived with the bleeping of my handphone and the throbbing of my skull. I got ready as quickly as I could and met Terry, Nice Guy Dave and Jenn in the lobby. We climbed into a cab and raced off to the Hua Lamphong Railway Station. It was still dark out. The cab ride only took 15 minutes, and once we were there we had to wander around the train station, which is devoid of english signs, in search of the correct ticket booth. With some effort, we found the correct booth and purchased our tickets for the whopping cost of 100 baht. Then we walked off to the track and waited for the train to arrive.

The Bridge Over The River Kwai is of course a fictional movie made by director David Lean, which was filmed in fact in Sri Lanka. The movie is based on the events known here as "the building of the Death Railway". Kwai is actually spelled Khwae, and is not in fact a name but rather a Thai word which means "branch of the Mae Klong River". There are two branches, the smaller one being the Khwae Noi and the larger being the Khwae Yai. During the Second World War the Imperial Japanese Army used forced labor and prisoners of war to build a 400 km railway running along the Khwae Noi to the Burmese boarder. The main bridge which linked the Burmese and Thai area was located near a place called the Three Pagoda Pass and was destroyed by Allied bombers. The small reconstructed bridge that is touted as being the "Bridge Over The River Kwai" is indeed on of the still functioning parts of the Death Railway. 16,000 Allied POW's and 100,000 Thai, Chinese, and Malaysian labours died building the railway. Thus the name, and the saying "A life for every sleeper" (railway tie).

Our train pulled up and we climbed on board. To me it wasn't really a train. It looked like a Toronto Subway train that had got lost... except the gauge of the rails was smaller than a TTC line, and I've never seen a TTC car that dirty. We took our "designated seats", mine being a sideways facing one with a huge rip in the upholstery. We pulled out of the station at 6:35 am and headed west out of Bangkok. This portion of the trip was highlighted with the discovery that not only did the windows open, it was permitted to stick you head out and look around. As I love train travel I wasted no time in doing exactly this. One of the many strange images (and there were too many to recount) was a monk walking across a railway bridge, I snapped a shot of him and hopefully it will come out okay. Beside the tracks leading west were many shanties, and poor areas. It was strange to see a portion were there were nice condos and towers then suddenly make shift little shanties and people cooking food outside. Eventually the tracks ran along side of an unused Canal. The further we moved away from Bangkok the nicer the "shanties" became, until they were no longer shanties, but houses on stilts, well kept, clean and inviting. The sun came up, we stopped at the occasional stop to pick up more passengers and I listened to my walkman as we sped along.

Our first rest stop was at the town of Nakhon Pathom. It was only 9:00 am or so by this point. We had 40 minutes to kill so we walked off towards this big temple which seemed to be where everyone else was headed. We had found a sign at the railway station that said "TRAVEL BY TRAIN IS SAVER" so as we moved across busy traffic filled streets Terry and I began discussing the issue of things being "saver" or not. This unfortunate catch-phrase endured late into the day.

The mob we had attached ourselves to moved out of the station, across a main road, through a market, and towards the temple. Terry had the guidebook so he told us there was a big Buddha statue there. By this point though we could see it. We crossed over a bridge which featured a blind guy singing in Thai while playing a rather massive midi'd up keyboard battery. This added to the strangeness of it all because his keyboard and backing tracks sounded like they'd been programmed by Nash The Slash. The Buddha we eventually (after many many steps) were going to see was the Phra Pathom Chedi, the world's tallest Buddhist Monument. It stood at the top of this big staircase at a massive height of 430 ft tall. There were many monks around and most of the people there were Thai, and were doing all the appropriate Buddhist rituals. The few expats like ourselves just snapped photos. Once we'd had our fill of that we moved back towards the train. We stopped in the market and I had the best donut I have ever had in my life. It was still warm.. MMMMMmmm. donuts. I also saw this bizarre alarm clock that featured a boxing gloved Kangaroo that sounded the bell with its fists. I almost bought it, but didn't as it was too large and awkward to lug around in the heat all day.

Have I mentioned the heat?
No wonder the guys building the railway died in such big numbers. I barely survived the trip back to the train. The un-air conditioned metal train. The tin can on rails heated by sitting and waiting for 40 minutes.

We moved off again towards Kanchanaburi, all order of seating abandoned and no longer enforced by the guards, one of which we'd named Sgt. Rock. He looked like he was going to explode at any moment and strutted around with a no-shit attitude and the firepower to back it up. I spent much of this part of the ride standing between cars. I don't know how "saver" this was but it was enjoyable and above all else cool. I could still see the landscape whipping by, and the sun was blocked from beating on me. In the car behind me many Thai men sang and dance and passed around a big coke bottle full of some kind of alcoholic treat that could probably be used to strip paint.

Just north of Kanchanaburi we stopped at the "River Kwai Station". I would have rather had a longer stop here as it only seemed like a few moments. Just long enough to snap a few photos, try to walk across the bridge which was crowded with tourists and Thais. The river looked nothing like what I recall from the bits of the movie which I've seen. It was lush and beautiful and reminded me more of the many images of "Vietnam" from Hollywood's point of view. We climbed back on board and slowly cross the bridge, then picked up speed and headed to our final destination Nam Tok.

I had moved into a "booth" on the back corner of the train that was like a conductor's booth, on a TTC Subway train. It was empty and seemed to serve no purpose. The sun was high enough that standing between the cars was no longer any fun and the booth allowed me to stand and stick my head out the window. I had slapped in a tape which I'd made just before I left Toronto a year ago called "The Ultimate Mix Tape"... I had not listened to it for awhile and I quickly remembered why I'd called it that. It is! 100 minutes of all of my favorite songs, few of which ANYONE would know or feel as at home listening to as I do. The strangeness of hearing a Jon Hassel song that I used to listen to while I walked along the CN rail line between Rosedale BC and the Agazzi Bridge. A song that with its strange muffled percussion and haunting filtered trumpet moving in sequence with the shimmering heated air above the tracks in front of me, always made me imagine that I walking along some rail line in the jungles of Burma, or Vietnam. Here I was riding the rails, listening to the same song in such a place!

The valley we were moving through at this point could have been the Fraser Valley. The dirt in the fields were a rich red, and there were moved "normal" (forgive me Michelle) than the palm coconut type. The "normal trees" all seemed to be in bloom, each laden with heavenly yellow or purple flowers. There were also what seemed to be a million butterflies. We moved out of this valley back along the river and things turned back to the tropical. Our train struggled its way up to the only original portion of the Death Railway, the wooden trestles at the side of these huge limestone cliffs. This was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful spots I've seen. The river below us snaking its way along, and the lush vegetation around us, as well as the mountains in the distance. Unbelievable. As we crossed the trestles Scott Walker moaned Bowie-like in my ears.

So many images! I would need a hand held recorder to name them off as we passed. It was thrilling! To suddenly look across the river, up the hills on the other side and see a towering temple in the distance. The unexpected. The thing that says YOU ARE NO LONGER IN THE PLACE YOU ARE FROM... and those things that are so strange and escape the easy cliches of what a place is.

People waving eagerly as we passed. Spooked water buffalo and their owner unmoved by their panic. Two little Thai boys hurling stones at us while their parents laughed, the stones falling short. A man fishing, and looking over his shoulder at us with a bothered look. The cars and mopeds at the crossings, the drivers waiting and sometimes waving. The dogs that barked as we passed and turned away from their challenge as the driver sounded the horn. The vendors who would sell food up to the open windows of the train as we pulled into a station. All of these images, which are rarely seen and unknown to the world. For me I think Thailand will be defined by this trip. I will not think of the island where they filmed "The Beach", or will I think of the endless annoying backpacker hotspots... I will think of the hot sweaty train ride to Nam Tok.

Once off the train in Nam Tok we were herded on to the backs of pick-up trucks and shuttled on a 5 minute ride to the amazing waterfalls. I didn't mind hanging off the back of a pick-up standing only on the open tail-gate... until we pulled on to a two lane highway! Was this mode of transportation "saver"? The water falls involved a long walk up many steps in to the jungle. We were hungry and exhausted by this point. I was so sweaty and gross I could have fit right in with the "budget tourists" as the Thais call the back-packers. The waterfall was beautiful. It reminded me a lot of some spot in British Columbia, except for the hundreds of Thai kids splashing around in it, or the older Thais climbing up it. I found a washroom and changed into my swimming trucks, then went in. The procedure of taking off my trainers to step on to the stone was difficult. I was expecting the slick smooth glacier buffed stones of Canada, which are either slippery from their smoothness, or from the treacherous green fungus that grows on them. I was shocked to find the rock gripped my foot like sand paper and I could easily move up the most steep angle with out slipping. The locals looked at me with amusement, the kids with curiosity as I cooled off in the falls. I met up with Terry afterwards and had some much needed lunch. Then we found NG Dave and Jenn and joined them. I went searching for T-shirts but only found ones small enough for Justin Morrison to fit into. (There's your Christmas gift boy-o!) Our time was up so we made our way back to the train station. I saw some elephants near the tracks so I walked back up the road to get a picture of them. I soon discover that I am afraid of elephants. Especially these ones. They didn't look very happy, and as NG Dave later noted "nobody that big would be happy in this heat!" I shyly took a couple of photos from a VERY safe distance and made my way back to the station.

The train had been sitting in the sun for about 3 hours.

The ride back was strange. I think it was a bit sun stroked actually, as it has a dream like quality to it. I had moved to the car "behind" our car, the dancing, singing drunks having got off. This car now served as the front car, so I sat facing forward and enjoying the view. We moved back down much more quickly than we had moved up and crossed through the same amazing landscape. I listened to my walkman and would sometimes sit, and sometime hang out the window. We did not stop at the River Kwai Bridge but instead moved on to Kanchanaburi itself where we stopped for about 40 minutes. We walked to the Allied Cemetery which has the graves of the hundreds of Allied POW's who died building the original Bridge. It was a sobering stop. The whole trip had been sort of light hearted up until then. The rows and rows of graves of men most of whom were no older than 22 sent a chill through me. We made our way back to the train and headed off. I snapped a photo of a dog that was sleeping on the tracks beside us. Some Thais insisted on having their photo taken with me for reason unknown. Then we were off.

This part of the trip was diabolical. The sun set was beautiful, and the image of the full moon rising in front of us was also stunning... but once the sun was gone the train ride seemed endless and hellish. I was hungry, tired, and gritty. A day of sticking my head out the window of a diesel locomotive had left me covered in a layer of grime that the water falls would not cleanse. With the passing of day it seemed every shanty and village would set fires by the tracks. I'm not sure what purpose this served but the smoke from these fires would hang over the rails due to some heat and atmospheric reason, and as a result when we passed through these patches of smoke the train cars would fill to choking with it. This only added to the misery of a travel weary Capricorn. One spooky image during our trip was when we were entering Bangkok (thankfully!) and passed by what I assume was the Royal Palace's official stop. It was a milky white station, clean like no train station I have ever seen. It seemed like the spot where you'd be met by the spirits of the great men of history and welcomed into some afterlife set in the 1850's.

Finally we got off the train.
The station was packed and crowded, and we struggled to get out and to a cab. The cab experience was not good. We got in one, and he acted as if he didn't know where we were going to. So, as veterans of the cabs in Manila, we got out and got in another cab... He refused to turn his meter on. He argued with us about it. So we got out and searched for another cab. Meanwhile, Mr. No Meter was shrieking at us in Thai and yelling at us to pay him 40 Baht. We ignored him and found a third cab who took us home safely... or saver...
We gave him 100 Baht.

Never have I been so glad to get back to my apartment! I showered and it took several washings to get the sweat, dirt and smoke from my hair. I also had very bad "Adam Ant" look with the black filth that had attached itself to my eyelashes. It looked like I was wearing eye liner! I met the troupe in the cafe then Terry, NG Dave and myself ended the day in the pool. Oh, how wonderful!! Nice Guy Dave said while we bobbed about, "You know, there was one point where I thought "we're never going to arrive back..." I remember thinking the same thing.

Friday April 5, 2001 As MAX WEBSTER once said... HANGOVER!

Is it being single and none too happy about it? Or is it as the Irish Rovers said... Could have been the whiskey (except I don't drink whiskey...) might have been the gin... (which is more likely...) Which ever or what ever it is I have gone out two nights in a row and now I feel like it.

On Wednesday night I joined Sir James, Superdry, Apple, Snowy, Triple Cheese and Coxsee for Indian food at a very posh place called Rang Mahal which is located on the 26 floor of the Rembrandt Hotel. Originally, Snowy and I were supposed to go over to Superdry and Apple's new place and then head out from there. Unfortunately, the map was left behind and what I remembered of it was of little use. We wandered around the Asok Sky Train stop searching vainly for Soi 16. We eventually found part of Soi 16, but definitely not the part we wanted. Instead of their Condos, we were in a semi-shanty zone with a very unfriendly dog snarling and yapping at our foreign asses. We beat a hasty retreat and decided to just go to the restaurant and wait. This is were the gin and tonic rampage began...

The Rang Mahal was amazing. The kind of place I would have loved to take M. to for a romantic dinner. This is one of the difficulties of being single. I still tend to think of things in those terms... "if M. were here we could go here or see this... oh ya... I forgot..." The best part of the place was the live Indian music. The woman vocalist had an amazing and beautiful voice. There was also a tabuhla player, a keyboardist and a male vocalist. Both vocalists had pump organs. Sir James ordered the food and it was a feast. They brought us a HUGE nan bread and then served us a variety of items with rice. The butter chicken was especially yummy. After we'd stuffed ourselves silly, we headed on to the Hotel where Sir James is staying and joined him in the bar downstairs. There was a live band playing which Sir James knew, originally having met them in Jakarta. By 11:30 pm, I had reached my limit and cabbed it home... Apparently the others were out until 4:00 am.

Last night I went out with Nice Guy Dave and Jenny. I had what seemed like 400 gin and tonics and got in at around 3:30 am. Today I was of little use to anyone. We are planning to go up to the famous Bridge Over The Riv