There have been a few nights I\’ve been swinging in the hammock at the Fisherman Bar with some young co-ed volunteer from Canada or England. And I know, I know – the only good looking women in England are actually tourists and Canadians talk funny, Eh. But, there have been a few exceptions that have slipped under the radar and into the hammock with me on such nights. Sometimes, though, I\’ve found myself wanting just a little more than a swing and a fling. I guess I want to share my thoughts, hear other\’s, fall asleep next to someone. It\’d […]
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Voices From Home
Sunday! A day off from digging holes, or pouring concrete, or building walls. So how did I decide to unwind? By watching Top Gun of course (I mean really what else do you do when you\’re in Thailand and it\’s not NFL season?). I forgot how good that movie was, it was full of intense action, great lines: “That’s Iceman… It’s the way he flies, ice cold, no mistakes.” (OK they\’re way corney now, but supercool when it came out), and Kelly McGillis was fucking HOT! Incidentally that was the first movie I ever saw tongue kissing in! Whoa! I […]
Continue ReadingLife in Paradise (Well, Sort Of) – A drunken rant…
This place is very charming. One of the most charming places in the world I think. I can only explain it like my first impression of New Mexico. They call New Mexico “The Land of Enchantment” and I found out very quickly why. The place is “other-worldly.” I came across moths the size and shape of hummingbirds minus the long beak, You can look at the same landscape and the shadow from the clouds falling on the ground morph what you are looking at within just minutes. Everything there was dazzling and new. My experience of being there describes the […]
Continue ReadingI’d rather be under the sea in a Moy Wai’s Garden in the shade
One of the Thap Tawan village elders Seewai invited us to go octopus fishing one day. I had no idea how to catch an octopus (moy wai in Thai) and the night before I had visions of heading out to sea in a longtail boat and snorkeling down with spearguns and fighting huge octopus. So morning comes along and a couple of us collected at the road to wait for Adam who told us he’d be by before 5:45 in the morning. 6AM goes by and we haven’t seen him yet. With my motor bike I rode down the way […]
Continue ReadingDarth Vadar Comes to Phuket!!!
Along with missing the summer tour of Dave Matthews Band one of the things I thought I was going to miss was seeing Anakin transform into Darth Vader. Well I didn\’t have to worry too much because as it turns out, the whole world is just as crazy for Star Wars as we are (OK they don\’t dress the parts here). And Darth, Yoda, Obi Wan and the rest of the gang were coming to me. Only if I were so lucky with Dave Matthews!
Continue ReadingThe Drugs Don’t Work
In paradise I think one is prone to adopt a flavor of carefree living. A lot is forgotten including our own human-ness and fraility as humans. Ben is 18, he is from England. I doubt he ever thought that in this paradise he would have to confront that fraility. But there I was, watching him bleed out of his cracked skull…
Continue ReadingRain, Rain, Rain and More Rain. Oh, and Some More
It’s rained off and on since I arrived in Southern Thailand. A little storm here, a little 20 minute shower there. But this was something else!!! It started just as the rest had, a light fall in the afternoon The view from my porch at 5 in the morning during the first storm of the rainy season But as the others had not done, it did not stop… For a week actually. I had never been in a storm that had rained 24 hours a day for a full week. The first night was a fantasy come true. I had […]
Continue ReadingLive By The Motor Bike – Die By The Motor Bike
‘Life is great’ I think to myself as I tool on down the paved jungle road to the beach on my motorbike. I’ve got Nikki, this blonde, busty knockout from Holland, on the back and the beer in the basket on the front. We are heading down to one of the beaches to meet up with people after a long day of work for a swim in the Andamman Sea. The jungle is alive and incredibly beautiful as we look and talk about the beautiful flowers blooming next to and above the curvy road on the trees. I speed up […]
Continue ReadingMuay Thai Kru William
Before I left, Chris and I have been doing Muay Thai for about a year. And I was excited by the fact that I\’d be here and could perhaps learn Muay Thai when I wasn\’t building houses. Well I found out that the only place to learn Muay Thai was entirely wiped out by the tsunami. So I decided to take it on to workout on my own continuing the basics I was taught by Brandon at City Boxing. Well, things lead to other things and I\’ve found myself teaching the sport to other volunteers as an after work activity. […]
Continue ReadingThap Tawan Village (I’ve Never Been So Dark In My Life)
I’ve been put to work right away at a Sea Gypsy village that lost all their homes, most of the livestock, and many lives. We are building 42 homes to replace the ones lost. There have been a lot of interesting characters in the village; Seewai one of the elders of the village is this great old man that asks us to call him Loo (Uncle). Pe, Moo, and one of my favorites O, is a nut, he’s brash arrogant and funny, (sounds like someone I know) rounds out a few of the villagers. All the volunteers are great people. […]
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