Still, Nakhon Sawan is a reasonably nice city, and Nok and I made the most of our time there.  At 90,000 people it is relatively small by Thai standards, but the city center was dreadfully crowded.  During the first two days we had noticed a giant golden temple and pagoda on top of one of the hills on the northern edge of town.  We attempted to find it on our second night but failed, reaching the top of a neighboring hill instead.  Those pictures were dutifully posted on Facebook.

The next night we tried again, and after some aimless wandering through the seemingly haphazard streets of Nakhon Sawan, we found what appeared to be the road to the top.  I had attempted to post these pictures on Facebook a month ago, but due to a horrendous Internet connection I was unable to do so.  But here they are at last; my apologies for the delay.

This excellent back-of-the-head shot was taken as we approached the hill. Our destination can be seen at the top. At this point, we had no idea what kind of road/path existed to get to the top.

At the foot of the hill we entered a temple complex and encountered this group of young monks.

We soon found a tiny, run-down staircase that ascended through the jungle. This seemingly forgotten Buddha greeted us as we neared the top, escorted by two smiling young monks.

The initial view from the top.

Approaching the giant hilltop temple.

The setting sun created a nice ambience - but it helped that there was almost no one else around.

Various Buddhas waited silently around the massive pagoda.

Nok and I stopped for a snack at a table behind the temple.

Nakhon Sawan at dusk.

A giant insect, which is apparently used to create somewhat of a Thai delicacy.

Lighting some incense for the myriad Buddhas inside the temple.

Posing in the magic seat. Neither of us had any idea what - if anything - it was supposed to mean.

Nakhon Sawan by night, as seen shortly before our treacherous descent down the narrow, darkened stairs.

There are mountains nearby, which was, as usual, the main draw for me.  According to the map, there are three different national parks, all with excellent hiking opportunities, within a mere 50 kilometers.  Of course, 50k on a Thai road can be outright treacherous, so I haven’t yet made it very far.  But I have purchased my first “real” motorcycle – a beastly Kawasaki Boss 175cc – which should make a 50k ride a bit more comfortable.  There are also “hot springs” within 20k, which I’ve visited several times.  However, these “hot springs” are developed to the extent that the experience resembles nothing more than submerging in a hot tub without any jets.

My feelings about being here are mixed.  Obviously, I did not want to teach again – and so far I haven’t.  Yet.  I’ve now spent more than four years of my life in Thailand, and I never intended to return here to teach again.  It is highly disappointing that the Master’s program I was planning to join will have to wait until May.  Six months is a long time, and it’s still hard to accept the fact that I will be teaching until then.

Of course, teaching here was not my only option.  Having a degree in hand, I could have gone to a variety of places.  I had solid job offers in both Kazakhstan and Korea, and, had I applied a bit more energetically, I could have landed jobs in any number of seemingly exotic destinations.  Part of what made me choose this post in rural Thailand was the memory of my time spent in Songkhla.  In general, life in Songkhla was excellent.  My job was easy and required a minimal time investment on my part.  We were surrounded by miles of beautiful, deserted tropical beaches, and there were mountains and waterfalls within striking distance.

Granted, there were downsides.  The people of Songkhla were not particularly friendly, especially to someone from Bangkok, as Nok is.  The pay wasn’t much, and although enough to live on, didn’t afford much room for savings.  Much of my time in Songkhla was consumed by my studies towards towards finishing my B.A., which is perhaps what made my little free time there seem so appealing.

In returning to rural Thailand, I guess I was hoping to recreate what I saw as my carefree days in Songkhla.  But I’m realizing, and not for the first time in my life, that it is impossible to return to the past.  A situation which seemed perfect at one stage of my life will not necessarily be as appealing at a later stage.  I further realize that the only reason i was able to remain happy during that stint was the hope and promise of a brighter future that came with working towards the completion of my degree. My job was meaningless and without any real future – what kept me positive was the realization that I was working towards something real and concrete, completely unrelated to the menial job that kept food in my stomach and a roof over my head.

This time around, in Kamphaeng Phet, I do not have a similar constructive project to occupy my time.  There is nothing about being here that will be beneficial for my future – I am here merely to pass six months while I await the start of a Master’s program.  And this realization makes being here this time around a little bit hard to accept.  Life simply isn’t long enough to while away six months here, six months there.  So if I am to be happy here, and truly make the most of my time, I will have to find constructive goals that I can work towards.  At 27, I now clearly understand that the time has long past to sit passively by, waiting for dreams to fulfill themselves.   So I have set the following goals for myself while here, so that the time spent here will not merely have been passed, but completely and thoroughly exploited:

1. I will begin offering private lessons in the hopes that eventually I can obtain enough to resign from my menial post at a local government school.  There are currently no English language centers in the entire city, a fact which has my entrepreneurial impulses salivating.  If I can accumulate 30 students – a task which should be relatively easy – I will be able to resign from my current position.
2. I will continue writing on a daily basis, as writing is my true passion and creative expression is a basic human need as fundamental as eating, drinking or sleeping.  This blog will be updated regularly.
3. I will continue reading as much as I can get my hands on, as the accumulation of knowledge is a perpetual endeavor and one of the single most important qualities of being human.

If I can stick with these goals – and I will – my time in Kamphaeng Phet will not have been wasted.  And now for the pictures.

Nok sitting at a little pond at the "hot springs." Although there is a public pool, most people pay a couple dollars to have a private little hut. It's not a bad way to spend an afternoon, really.

An orchid, found inside the grounds of the hot springs park.

Inside the old city walls. The walls, with surrounding moat, encircle a large area containing the remnants of many old temples and buildings. The ruins are roughly 600 years old, and are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is here that I come jogging most days.

The ruins of an old temple inside the city walls. If you look closely, you'll see a small orange cat, which turned out to be one of the friendliest cats I've ever encountered. It seemed like he'd been abandoned there.

The cat quickly attached himselves to us, for which he quickly earned the name "Klingon." Being the sucker that Nok and I are for animals, it is no surprise that we let ourselves be conned by such a manipulative little beast - especially since our old cat, Hagatha, passed away in May.

Klingon and I beneath the ominous Thai skies.

And with Nok, because if either of us moved, Klingon would follow.

Klingon followed us all the way back to the motorcycle, which was actually quite a walk. He then fearlessly rode on the motorcycle and, if anyone is actually surprised, came to reside in our spare bedroom and balcony. Sadly, he disappeared after just two days and hasn't been seen since.

The monstrous Kawasaki Boss 175 on a backroad outside of Kamphaeng Phet.

On the road.

The remains of an old pagoda peaking out of the overgrowth, as seen from a rural dirt road.

The Thai countryside, with some small mountains in the distance.

The end of the road, in the foothills at Khao Sanam Priang Wildlife Sanctuary. Plus, I just love taking pictures of the Boss.

We stopped at this little roadside restaurant to have a drink and wait out the rain.

Riding into the Thai sunset, with mountains on the horizon.

Still, much has changed in the last year which makes maintaining this blog seem rather impractical. Facebook has taken over the picture niche in terms of a ease of sharing and targeted audience; it is truly a major annoyance uploading and resizing pictures here on the now antiquated WordPress system. Of course, given my current internet situation here in Thailand, I now lack the capacity to upload any file on any site, so it seemed like it might be time to start writing once again.

I’ve never been big on birthdays. Growing up in my family they were just never a big deal. You might get a gift or two and have a cake, but aside from that your birthday was just another ordinary day. That mentality has stuck with me as I’ve grown older, but for some strange and undoubtedly arbitrary reason, 27 has struck me as being some kind of milestone. I suppose they’ve all seemed like milestones these last few years, as the reality begins to set in that I’m not 19 anymore, and though I’m still relatively young while now (officially!) in my late 20s, I won’t be young forever. And I guess that just seems a little bit more real this year than in years past, which has inspired me to post a brief yearly review of what would be considered my “adult” life thus far.

18 was my year in Oregon, and it seems like an eternity ago.

19 was the year of my six-month trip to India and Nepal, with brief stops in Thailand and Korea.

20 was the year of my five-month trip to SE Asia, culminating with an overland journey from Kathmandu to Lhasa, followed by a hithhiking adventure eastwards atop the roof the world, down the Tibetan plateau and into Yunnan Province, then onto Laos and Thailand for my flight home. A summer in the salmon canneries of Alaska funded me for a return to Thailand in the fall, when I began teaching for the first time.

21 was a year of settling in to teaching in general and living in Thailand.

22 was spent again Thailand, although it included a brief trip home. The year included a brief flourishing as an Ebay entrepeneur, which sadly ended prematurely.

23 was the year that I first began to contemplate my long-term plans. I arranged to receive the Associate’s degree for which I’d earned the credits two years previously, and prepared for a move to Taiwan.

24 was spent in Taiwan, fervently working to complete my Bacheor’s degree.

25 was dominated by my time in Songkhla, with the highlight being the completion of my Bachelor’s degree, which paved the way for my move to Saudi Arabia.

Which brings us to 26, my most recently completed year. For the first six months I was living and teaching in Saudi Arabia, which represented a rather dark chapter in my life which has inspired my desire to complete graduate studies in the field of Human Rights. A 6 week exploration of Vietnam convinced me that I was through with teaching once and for all, but after a three month stay in the United States I am, hopefully temporarily, teaching once again. My trip back to the States was truly fulfilling, and it was wonderful to see so many old friends and family members once again. I hope that it will not be another 4.5 years before I return to the States.

So what is in store for me now, in this my 27th year? The goal is to teach only until I can begin an M.A. in Human Rights and Social Development in May. Until then, I plan to do as much writing as I possibly can, continue my amateurish dabblings with the guitar, and visit the nearby mountains here in northern-central Thailand as often as I can. If all goes according to plan, 27 should be a very good year.

I decided to take the job in Saudi Arabia and have spent the last two months basically waiting for all the documents to be ready.  Kim has been a tremendous help throughout the entire process, and without her I know I wouldn’t have been able to take this job.  So, thank you Kim! 

Anyway, I was supposed to have arrived in Saudi at the beginning of September, but because of all the paperwork I wasn’t even ready to apply for my visa until Sept 27!  Because of Saudi’s ridiculous visa restrictions, I was forced to fly to Bahrain to apply for the visa.  That process, which was supposed to take only four days, is now up to day eight.  The visa is supposed to be ready today, but I have my doubts.  If it is, I’ll be heading to Saudi tomorrow.

Bahrain is a pretty interesting country.  It is a tiny island that’s actually smaller than Singapore, but there is a lot of history here.  People have lived on the island for at least 5,000 years, and some estimates multiply that number by ten!  It has sometimes been called the Island of the Dead because of the vast amount of ancient tombs that can be found here:  at least 85,000, when for most of its history it had only a population of less than 5,000 people. 

So far I’ve been able to visit a few of the historical sites, including an ancient temple and burial ground that’s about 4,000 years old, an old massive fort/castle that was originally built at least 1,000 years ago, and a couple of museums.  And because taxis are so expensive, I’ve also done a great deal of walking through the narrow, windy roads that make up the old parts of the city.  It’s a pretty fascinating place, and the food is delicious!  There seem to be hordes of Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis living here, meaning that I’ve been eating Indian and Pakistani food basically every day — sometimes twice a day!  Sadly – stupidly, perhaps – I left the USB chord for my camera in Thailand, so I am unable to post any pictures.

As for my gums, both grafts have taken and I’m almost completely back to normal.  Still, that’s one procedure I hope I never have to experience again.

Hopefully the next time I post I will be in Riyadh with a new USB chord, but until then here is a picture (not mine) of Bahrain Fort, which I visited a few days ago.

Bahrain Fort, a few kilometers outside of Manama City, Bahrain. Although it's not evident in the picture, this fort was MASSIVE.

Unfortunately, not all is well.  When I last posted I had just learned that I would need a gum graft.  Well, it is now 12 days after my first (and hopefully last!) gum graft, and things are still rather frightening.  The procedure itself was not so nightmarish, aside from having to keep my mouth wide open for about three hours.  It’s the recovery that has been horrible; for the first week, I lived off of juice, soup and over-cooked pasta.  I had a follow-up visit after 7 days, and at that point everything looked fine.  But, we won’t actually know until three weeks if the graft has taken, and since that visit the pain has been almost unbearable.  Two teeth were grafted; one is fine, but for the other, it kind of feels like someone is digging a hook around under my gums and tugging at the root of my tooth.  It is a horrible sensation, and I can’t stop thinking that the graft has failed – why would I still be feeling so much pain after nearly two weeks?  I will know for certain next Friday.

Now that I have finished my studies, however, I am looking at the next step of finding a new job.  I had settled on a job with King Saud University in Saudi Arabia.  It would be a rough place to live, but the contract is only 10 months and the benefits would be excellent – free housing, tax-free salary, free airfare.  Matters are slightly complicated because I’ve just been offered another job in Kuwait.  The salary is lower, but the contract length is negotiable (3 months and up), and Kuwait is undoubtedly a more comfortable place to live.  So, should I go for cash or comfort?  Any suggestions will be appreciated!

And now I leave you with pictures of a deserted beach that Nok and I rode to several weeks ago – it’s about 30 miles south of Songkhla.

The view from a rocky outcrop. The beach stretched for miles and was lined with nothing but trees.

An old pagoda sat at the top of the hill, overlooking a little island.

A shot towards Songkhla. The furthest hills in the distance are in Songkhla city -- you can see just how far we rode that day!

Scroggins makes a bed in the sand.

We grabbed a tasty lunch of oysters and papaya salad before heading home.

Back in December I visited a dentist for the first time in six years.  I’ve always taken pretty good care of my teeth, so I wasn’t surprised when the dentist told me I (still) had no cavities.  However, he mentioned somewhat casually that I was experiencing gingival recession, probably due to over-aggressive brushing.  His English was extremely limited (it was Taiwan, after all), but from his words and demeanor it seemed like the gingival recession was not a big deal.  He advised me to use a softer toothbrush and brush in a verticle, up-and-down motion.

Six months later, my receding gums have gotten noticably worse on one tooth in particular.  Yesterday, I took a day off work to visit a periodontist at the best hospital in Hat Yai – about an hour away.  What followed was not a pretty scene.  The periodonist confirmed that I have advanced receding gums and that a gum graft will be required!  Before the graft can be done, a sort of mega-cleaning is needed to clean the exposed roots. 

This is not your average cleaning.  Yesterday we cleaned only the top teeth.   I was given about six shots of novacaine but the cleaning was still pretty painful; there was also an insane amount of blood – and this just from a cleaning!  I have to go back next week to clean the bottom, and presumably the week after that I’ll be back for the gum graft.

For those of you who don’t know, a gum graft works as follows:  a layer of tissue is removed from the roof of the mouth.  This tissue is then stitched onto the gums surrounding the worst points of the recession.  After 1-2 weeks I will return to have the stitches removed, but I’ve read the healing process can be pretty painful.  In addition, sometimes the grafts don’t “take,” which could leave my gums in worse shape than before!

Let me emphasize once again:  my teeth are in excellent condition, and this gingival recession is not caused by poor oral hygiene.  I brush 2-3 times per day, floss daily and rinse with flouride mouthwash at least once daily.  My gum recession was caused by an incorrect brushing technique.  The periodontist showed me a new way to brush, and it is totally different from what I had learned previously.

So what is to be learned from all of this?

• Make sure you’re brushing your teeth correctly!  Up strokes will damage your gums.
• Visit your dentist regularly.  Even though I didn’t have any cavities, an earlier visit to the dentist could have identified the problem in its early stages.
• Get dental insurance!  Dental/medical care is much cheaper in Thailand than in the US, but it still isn’t free.  The visit yesterday was $60, and there will be at least 4-5 more visits before this is done.  The graft will likely top $500.  All told, this lovely experience will probably end up costing me close to $1,000.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go practice brushing my teeth correctly.

These instructions are similar to what I was told at the periodontist. Note that the brush is held at an angle towards the gums.

My friend Mouthrot.

Mouthrot was one of the many giant Singapore cats that Nok and I befriended on our most recent trip to visit the ‘rents.  Mouthrot earned his name thanks to his sparse and strangely brown-colored teeth.  He also drooled steadily, which was disturbing considering the state of his mouth.  He enjoyed many a feast courtesy of Nok and me from the leftovers we carried from the nearby hawkers.

All in all, it was a pretty good trip.  It was my third trip to Singapore and Nok’s second, so we really didn’t have much left to see in the city.  We enjoyed our 3 1/2 weeks nonetheless, spending much of that time lounging by the pool and massacring the ‘rents in Sequence.  It should be noted that I am the undisputed Sequence King; whether I was teamed with Dad or Nok, my team always won.  I welcome any futile challenges to my reign.

It was  a little sad to return to Songkhla after such a great time in Singapore, particularly since I had SO much homework to do in the week left before my school started.  Thankfully, it is all finished and I am now enjoying the brief break between the Spring and Summer terms.  The Summer Term starts on Monday, but thankfully I have only three courses to take before my graduation in August!  Originally, I would have needed to take four courses.  However, after a few weeks of cramming and a special trip to Manila to visit the testing center, I was able to test out of the early US History credit that I was missing.

At this point I’m already applying for jobs and will likely be heading to UAE (Abu Dhabi) in August/September.  It is meant to be an extremely modern, well-developed country, and with a free apartment I should be able to save enough money for a return to the States within a year or two.  I know you thought you had gotten rid of me for good, but I’ll have the last laugh yet.

Now, for your enjoyment, random pictures of cats, Manila and Songkhla.

Good old Mouthrot. Note the droplets of drool leaking out of his foul-smelling mouth.From the Chinese Gardens in Singapore. We foolishly headed out during the hottest part of the day, and by 2pm we were all so drained and dehydrated that we spent the rest of the day lounging at the pool.

A picture of the cat I affectionately call "Crapface."

The view from my hotel in Manila. This was apparently the nicest, richest section of the entire country. It reminded me of the older, dirtier sections of Bangkok. The food was great, though.

Also from my hotel in Manila - my testing center was in this general direction. I know because I had to walk back when I couldn't find a taxi! It took over an hour of blind wandering - I was lucky I made it back.

A view of the Songkhla peninsula from the south. The white sandy beach seen here stretches for nearly 9 kilometers, lining the entire city before reaching the undeveloped, finger-like tip. You can also see "Rat" and "Cat" islands; Nok and I took a boat out to Rat Island last weekend and enjoyed a small hike through the jungle.

Nok runs away from a wave while fishing on a deserted stretch of beach south of Songkhla city.Nok is attacked by a wave while attempting to cast. She did manage to catch a few small fish and even a crab!Hag enjoys the view from our old apartment. As you can see, the surrounding hills and bay made for a beautiful view, but the horde of fishing boats and unsightly parking area below ensured we were almost always surrounded by noise.Scroggins and Hagatha up in a tree... By the way, I'm not sure what I'll do with Scroggins after I leave Thailand in August. If anyone is interested in watching him for 1-2 years, I'll pay for all transportation costs.

But until then, here’s how things have gone so far.  The move to Thailand went without a hitch.  Nok, Scroggins, Hagatha and I arrived in Bangkok late on December 20, where we met my cousin Kenny at the airport.  After two nights in Bangkok we rented a pickup truck and made the 20+ hour drive south to Songkhla, though we took three days to make the trip.  In some ways Songkhla is exactly what I expected, but in some ways it is very different.  Songkhla is a peninsula, which means it is lined with miles and miles of beaches.  South of the city, the beaches continue as far as the eye can see, and north of the peninsula (if you take the quick ferry ride), the beaches also go on and on.

The city is also surrounded by beautiful rolling hills/mountains (hilltains? mountills?), and there are at least a few nice hiking trails in the area.  No photos now, but by apartment is overlooking the water on the inland side of the peninsula; across the bay, there is a range of beautiful hills that we have climbed several times.  So, Songkhla is a beautiful place, but there are some things that are not so great.  It is is surprisingly crowded — the city has roughly the same population as Portland, ME, but it’s condensed into a much smaller area.  The beautiful view outside my window is often filled with fishing boats and their noisy, boisterous crews.  The beaches can get a little crowded on weekends, and some of the hiking trails get their share of visitors on the weekends.

My job is okay but nothing I’d want to stick with long term.  I have to be at school from 8am-4pm everyday, but much of that time is just spent sitting in the office.  It’s good for me at the moment because I have so much homework to do, but after I graduate such time would be wholly unnecessary.  As a result, I’m looking to move somewhere new (and hopefully find a new line of work altogether) when I receive my degree in August.  UAE, Japan and even Singapore and the USA are on my list, but it all depends on where I get the best job.

Nok and I did have a chance to visit the ‘rents in Singapore for a week over New Year.  It was a superb trip, and I’m looking forward to going back when I have a month off in April.  I will also probably be spending a few days in the Philippines, as I’ll need to take a CLEP exam and Manila is the nearest test site.

Guess that’s it.  Sorry there are no photos, but it’s the result of life without an internet connection at home.  I may post again periodically, but expect very little until August, when my freedom returns.

Not my photo, but a view of Songkhla peninsula from the hills across the bay. I can see this old temple from my apartment!

A deserted beach in Songkhla, Thailand

Nok and I will be returning to Thailand some time next month.  This time we’ll be far away from the grit and grime of smoggy Bangkok:  We’ll be living the good life in tiny Songkhla in the far south of Thailand, where miles and miles of deserted, beautiful beaches await.  I’ll be earning half of what I earned in Bangkok and here in Taiwan, but the low cost of living and laid back way of life will more than make up for the lost income.  I’m really just looking for a place to hang out as I finish the final eight classes towards my Bachelor’s degree, which I should have by July/August.

Things were looking grim for a while; I had applied for a dozen jobs in the south of Thailand but had heard nothing back.  On Sunday, after I had all but given up, I sent out a few more resumes and now, one week later, the deal is sealed.  Songkhla is just an hour or so from the Malaysian border, making long-weekend trips to visit the ‘rents in Singapore just one more perk of living in the South.  Ahhhh…. I can’t wait.