I've just about lost track of days and time. It's been two weeks since I arrived to Bang Bao pier and found Nui and Barbara's guest house. The houses, restaurants and business are all built along the pier so everything is litterally over the water on stilts. It's so amazing to wake up every morning to emerald green water and green mountains! I haven't been in any one place for this long since I started traveling (3 months today!) and I love it. I feel so safe and so comfortable with them- it's funny because I feel like I've known them for much longer and I truly, truly appreciate their friendship and how they've made me feel at home. I also like it here because of the close circle of friends they have: There's Mr. Ist (pronounced "eat"), an older skinny man who runs a tour agency made out of all sorts of wooden hand painted signs (he was just working on a new sign today). He also has dumbbells so I also visit him to get a workout. Then there's Robert (Pbird) who runs a snorkeling tour, he owns a boat and restaurant. He is so sweet and so nice! It's fun to go snorkeling with him because it feels like one big party on his boat; he does private tours so it's basically a few of us that go snorkeling and visit nearby islands and beaches. Oh, the water is so amazing! I am having a problem with my external hard drive, so I'll have to post pictures another day. Then there is PYan (we also say Mr. Policeman) who owns one of the guesthouses and is a cop. He is so quiet and shy. He reminds me so much of my dad that it almost makes me want to give the man a hug. They are all such good, respectful people. They come over the house to eat, drink and hang out just about every evening. There's always something to eat here. It just feels so homey here; like I belong somewhere. It's so nice to have this for a little while.
I also cook here! That's been really nice because everyone really appreciates and likes my food. They all say- oh, Mexican food! I crack up because of course, for me it's just plain cooking, but for them it's "Mexican food"! (I'll have to talk about my ethnic identity and representation another time). I made carne con chile and papas, rice (the way we make it) last week; the day before yesterday I made fried chicken (oh that turned out real good) and yesterday I made a ton of ceviche (oh they loved it!). The ceviche took a long time to make. Back at home we just go to the market and buy a few pounds of grounded fish; we never even see the actual whole fish. Here though, I walked to the pier with Mr. Ist, we jumped on a fishing boat and I had to pick out the fish myself (caught from yesterday afternoon). I was laughing in my head thinking- I usually don't do this- it's my mom who goes out and buys the fish (which is neatly cut into fillet)! And now here I am picking out the whole fish? I don't even know which kind of fish it is, let alone the concept of weight. But, I figured, it's a white meat, anything will cook with lime. So I picked out a long yellow barracuda and two smaller black barracuda fish (I learned what they were later). Mr. Ist helped out by cutting the fish, taking off the bones and the skin. I had to do the grounding myself with a butcher knife. We had extra guests last night for dinner and drinks and they all complimented me on the ceviche, so I felt very proud and accomplished with my meal last night. Of course, I miss my family and friends, but I don't miss my life there. It's like a social gathering every night and I caught myself the other night feeling like I've never felt farther away, but in a good way, you know? I don't even know if I'm making sense. I like walking down the pier (feels like a street with markets and businesses along the side, then you look down and remember it's all on water) and saying hi to people, knowing where to go to buy vegetables, good bread, things like that. I'm also getting a deeper understanding of Thai culture that I know I wouldn't have seen elsewhere.
Something else I have really enjoyed is living and feeling so close to nature- away from the noisy, busy city. We're on the water, which is so relaxing and peaceful. Some people have asked me- what do you do all day? What have you done so far?* I respond by saying, nothing, I've been sitting around, watching the water, observing the birds and enjoying my time. It's funny because I've even written a lot less on my journal; less and less preoccupies my head these days. Staying on the pier I pay more attention to the weather everyday- the wind, the waves, what bugs come out at night (it depends on the weather), the alignment of stars, the moon cycles; I'm just happy here. There was a full moon on Friday and it was simply beautiful; it was so nice to watch the bright moon rise over the mountains and be reflected on the water! It was such an amazing sight! The tide goes all the way out and there is no water at night and in the morning the tide is so high you would think it's going to flood over; and it's always like this on the full moon. Nature works in such incredible ways.
*[And I think of my theory of the effects of capitalism on tourists (especially those on short holidays)- we are engrossed with the idea of time = money. This is how most of us live our lives- by the clock. So if we're not doing something productive (ie., sight seeing) everyday while on vacation, it's a waste of a day, and we get caught up feeling like we haven't done anything, we haven't maximized our time in Thailand. I felt this several times along the trip, but since arriving to Bang Bao, I've really learned to relax. I am just living here, I don't have to do a tour or go out every day.]
Overall, I'm doing well and feel very safe. We have satellite tv so I can get to watch news on BBC and Aljazeera to keep up with what's going on with the world (we also have a few movie channels. I was following the news about the protests at the Bangkok airport (I have pictures of protesters putting up tires to block the entrances), and I was also aware of the attacks in Mumbai. Thank goodness I didn't have a flight scheduled around those days! I have so many pictures saved so hopefully I'll get the chance to post something soon.
So when do I leave Thailand? People ask me, so how long are you staying here? I carefully say "I have a flight scheduled for Thurday, the 18th to New Delhi," notice how I don't definitively say that I'm leaving on Thursday (yes, this Thursday). I still have the choice to postpone my flight, but I'm not sure. I am so comfortable and I love it here, but at the same time, I want to go to India and see new sights, but then again, Christmas and New Year's day is two weeks away- why would I want to leave my new friends now? Then again, I'm sure I will meet people in Delhi, but it won't be the same. See my thought process? It's every where. So, I'm still debating when I actually move on. We shall see!
