Life has been moving along very slowly compared to the previous month. Back then, I was darting around from town to town, doing something exciting every day. Being in the big city has turned things around. Doing something each day isn't a priority because I have so much time here. Well, I have to admit that on some days I wake up krusty and resolve to waste the day doing nothing.
Do to the availabilty of so much food, I have changed my eating schedule. I now have about four or five feeding sessions daily. If I go for a bike ride, I'll get some sorta breakfast, usually boiled rice and meat or noodles. Around the noon o 'clock hour, I'll have a rice dish or more noodles. Late afternoon is prime time for fried foods to be coming out of hot grease... I have a couple places earmarked for freshly fried pork chops and chicken wings when the clock hits 4 PM. The sunsets at 6:30ish (a consistent thing year-round) and I look for something substantial to eat, maybe a curry dish with rice or a stir-fry. After midnite, I have a favorite place near my guesthouse that serves up pad-thai and rice with chicken (or pork) with basil and chili peppers for 50 cents each. With all that said, I still only spend about $5-6 a day on food. (I'm not sure I'll be able to eat in good conscience at Commander's Palace again.)
I probably go for a bike ride about four or five times a week. If I feel only slightly krusty, I'll still force myself to go for a road ride to sweat out the alcohol from the night before. Last week I was able to do an 80 km ride without any difficulty and probably had enough gas to go another 20km, if it wasn't getting close to nightfall. I found a great set of bike trails behind the city's athletic sports center. (The center has a giant stadium, five indoor stadiums, tennis court, swimming pool and even a velodrome. I tried to ride the velodrome, but couldn't build enough speed on my mountain bike to successfully stay on the almost vertical edges of the oval-shaped loop.)
Last week there was a week-long festival called Loi Kratong. People release paper lanterns that rise in the air due to burning paper in the center (much like a hot-air balloon). The concept is that the bad sins of the past year will fade away. Hundreds of lanterns are released each night, giving the effect of the sky coming under artillery fire, except the artillery is rising instead of descending. Floats made of banana leaf carry lit candles and are released down the river. The festival gives everyone a reason (though I don't think anyone here ever needs a reason) to light fireworks and firecrackers and toss them anywhere and everywhere.
Winter is slowly setting in; temperatures are falling down to probably low sixties at nite, but the days are still warm... probably low eighties.
