After my long sleep and weird dream I managed to get a lot accomplished today.
- Drove down to Lotus shopping center. Now I know how to get there! And where to park the motorbike.
- Got a haircut for 210 baht ($8.03 CAD) including tip. The man who cut my hair took his time and did a great job. In malls haircuts always cost a bit more, this one thou was well worth it.
- Went shopping and bought a bunch more groceries for myself and also bought some food for donations.
- Paid my Nok Air airplane ticket bill at the bank. I fly to Bangkok on November 3 and back to Mae Sot on November 10. The total cost for both tickets is an amazingly low 2132 baht ($81.56 CAD). That is only $40.78 CAD each way. The huge benefit is that it is fast and easy, about 1 hour flight time to Bangkok. With this bargain basement fare I am not allowed check in luggage only 7 kg of carry on, in one bag.
- Packed my groceries, both in my backpack (thanks Larry L) and in 3 bags hanging from my motorbikes handle bars (a Thai thingy). Drove back to my apartment.
- Parked, climbed the 5 flights of stairs. Put away all my food stuff, including chicken of a couple of types, pork of a Korean type, fruits, and frozen shrimp. Also bought a hair dryer (for drying the inside of my dump boots) and a small clock. Time is important to me here, want to make sure I make the most of the time I have. The clock is a reminder that my time is passing minute by minute. Got to get things done.
- Got back downstairs onto my bike with a camera in a bag and a set of boots. The idea was to find the dump on my own and pass out one bag if I could.
- Before I left I paid my apartment rent for November, 3924 baht ($151.44). It will be higher next month when my electric (using lots of A/C) is figured in, also the water.
- Could not start the bike, called Pee Noy asking for help. Then nearby man selling fried chicken came over and showed me what I was doing wrong. You need to push on the left back break a little while pressing the starter, some kind of safety protection. Called Pee Noy again, told him that I did not need his help.
- With surprisingly few mistakes found the dump quite easily.The highlight was going up one dirt road before coming to a dead end. I decided to turn round when a little old Thai lady sitting in a nearby hut waved me forward. There was a tiny path through the bush-jungle. I was unsure. She wanted me to go that way? She asked if I wanted to go to highway. I said yes, she told me to go ahead. So off I went into the jungle down this little itty bitty path. A few minutes later I came out of the bush onto a small paved road which connected me to the highway. After crossing that I was home free and connected to the side road that got me to the dump in another 5 or 6 minutes.
- I made my way to the dump, handed the boots to the father of the groom (his son had ordered them) then photographed for 30-40 minutes. The light was going so I got back on my bike and headed home.
- Back home it was the same routine, went down the same itty bity path but going the other way. Waved and thanked the grandma who was still sitting under her little roadside shack (wonder if she sits their all day everyday, looking to help lost farang?)
- Along the way I stopped at Pee Noy's store (in the countryside) and bought some water. He teased me about my phone call. He teases me more and more now, guess that is a sign we are becoming more friendly. When I was at the store a man came in to buy some cigarettes, he could afford a whole pack so bought 5 cigarettes that Pee Noy's wife put into a little plastic bag for him. Imagine that buying 5 cigarettes at a time. People back home smoke that many on one of my nigh shifts, they are not allowed to smoke onsite so do it out front of the guardhouse.
- Stopped and watched guys playing kick -foot style volleyball (forget what its called).They were damn good, amazingly good for some young men on road in a far off corner of Thailand.
- Drove around a bit exploring, looking for what was where and trying to remember how to get there.
- Made my way home and cooked-ate dinner, then wrote this blog,
A good day. I also packed my 3rd bag of food. Will take them (all 3?) and hand them out to 3 exceptionally poor families in the swamp area of the dump tomorrow morning. Now that I have the drmp route figured out I can visit often. I love my motorbike!
- Drove down to Lotus shopping center. Now I know how to get there! And where to park the motorbike.
- Got a haircut for 210 baht ($8.03 CAD) including tip. The man who cut my hair took his time and did a great job. In malls haircuts always cost a bit more, this one thou was well worth it.
- Went shopping and bought a bunch more groceries for myself and also bought some food for donations.
- Paid my Nok Air airplane ticket bill at the bank. I fly to Bangkok on November 3 and back to Mae Sot on November 10. The total cost for both tickets is an amazingly low 2132 baht ($81.56 CAD). That is only $40.78 CAD each way. The huge benefit is that it is fast and easy, about 1 hour flight time to Bangkok. With this bargain basement fare I am not allowed check in luggage only 7 kg of carry on, in one bag.
- Packed my groceries, both in my backpack (thanks Larry L) and in 3 bags hanging from my motorbikes handle bars (a Thai thingy). Drove back to my apartment.
- Parked, climbed the 5 flights of stairs. Put away all my food stuff, including chicken of a couple of types, pork of a Korean type, fruits, and frozen shrimp. Also bought a hair dryer (for drying the inside of my dump boots) and a small clock. Time is important to me here, want to make sure I make the most of the time I have. The clock is a reminder that my time is passing minute by minute. Got to get things done.
- Got back downstairs onto my bike with a camera in a bag and a set of boots. The idea was to find the dump on my own and pass out one bag if I could.
- Before I left I paid my apartment rent for November, 3924 baht ($151.44). It will be higher next month when my electric (using lots of A/C) is figured in, also the water.
- Could not start the bike, called Pee Noy asking for help. Then nearby man selling fried chicken came over and showed me what I was doing wrong. You need to push on the left back break a little while pressing the starter, some kind of safety protection. Called Pee Noy again, told him that I did not need his help.
- With surprisingly few mistakes found the dump quite easily.The highlight was going up one dirt road before coming to a dead end. I decided to turn round when a little old Thai lady sitting in a nearby hut waved me forward. There was a tiny path through the bush-jungle. I was unsure. She wanted me to go that way? She asked if I wanted to go to highway. I said yes, she told me to go ahead. So off I went into the jungle down this little itty bitty path. A few minutes later I came out of the bush onto a small paved road which connected me to the highway. After crossing that I was home free and connected to the side road that got me to the dump in another 5 or 6 minutes.
- I made my way to the dump, handed the boots to the father of the groom (his son had ordered them) then photographed for 30-40 minutes. The light was going so I got back on my bike and headed home.
- Back home it was the same routine, went down the same itty bity path but going the other way. Waved and thanked the grandma who was still sitting under her little roadside shack (wonder if she sits their all day everyday, looking to help lost farang?)
- Along the way I stopped at Pee Noy's store (in the countryside) and bought some water. He teased me about my phone call. He teases me more and more now, guess that is a sign we are becoming more friendly. When I was at the store a man came in to buy some cigarettes, he could afford a whole pack so bought 5 cigarettes that Pee Noy's wife put into a little plastic bag for him. Imagine that buying 5 cigarettes at a time. People back home smoke that many on one of my nigh shifts, they are not allowed to smoke onsite so do it out front of the guardhouse.
- Stopped and watched guys playing kick -foot style volleyball (forget what its called).They were damn good, amazingly good for some young men on road in a far off corner of Thailand.
- Drove around a bit exploring, looking for what was where and trying to remember how to get there.
- Made my way home and cooked-ate dinner, then wrote this blog,
A good day. I also packed my 3rd bag of food. Will take them (all 3?) and hand them out to 3 exceptionally poor families in the swamp area of the dump tomorrow morning. Now that I have the drmp route figured out I can visit often. I love my motorbike!
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| 3 food bags and boots ready to go |
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| Sample food bag |
