seeing the world

It's me!

"Where have you been and where are you going?" The backpacker's greeting to his fellow traveler; we are all brothers on this very strange and very exotic elephant trunk shaped piece of land. (That's what they say anyways. I still haven't looked at a map.) You meet people, like them or don't like them, and then bid your farewell and good lucks, never to see them again. There are throbs of them. This country survives on the 30 bhat an hour for internet and 100 bhat pair of pants that I, and people like me, buy lots of. (That's about $0.80 and $2.25) respectively. Compare that to San Francisco's $3 / 15-minutes of internet!) I have gotten rid of all my clothing to make room for the new. I traded some, sold some, and stored some. Though, I must admit, the Thais do not want my clothing because I am a big, fat American. Damn skinny Asians.

Today was Thai cooking day! I think I became a love-hate case for them. I do not eat: meat, chicken, fish, shrimp, prawns, egg, tomatoes, oyster juice, and elephant ear mushrooms. And I cannot hold a knife correctly. ("No, no, no, Salah! That is not how to cut the callot. We must supelglue you callot back in one," Meow says during vegaetable carving time.) So why do they love me? Because I am charming. Next.

Yesterday we went to a Buddhism meditation information session at a beautiful temple on an island that we blindly got to and I fell in love with my first monk. Actually, my first 2 monks. Do ot fret; I told them I was not yet ready to marry.

Tonight we go to night market (oh, articles of speech! come back!) and then to sleep early. Last night was spent on 12 hour bus to Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) and tomorrow we begin our 3 day trek, filled with hiking, bamboo rafting, elephant riding and hill tribe invasions, i mean visitations.

Oh, in Bangkok, we also went to the Grand Palace and have been to a number of wats (temples)---another great place to take off your shoes!

We also spent an Israeli shabbat at Chabad of Bangkok (one of Thailand's 3 chabads). I stuck with some English speakers and actually went to shul Friday night and Shabbos day! (Go Chabad and late starting times!) We went to a massive Friday night dinner. There were probably 300 people there. And then, if you're in the know, you go to the private dinner afterwards. I was in the know.

Tonight we are staying in an Israeli guest house. It is one of many. The thai agents are speaking to me in Hebrew. I keep having to say, "Please speak in Thai. Me no speak Hebrew."

Meanwhile, I have gotten through lesson 3 or 4 of my Luganda tape series. Soon I will be able to say (the very complicated), "Hello, my name is Sarah." successfully.

And how are all of you?

Sarah