My new place updated

Here it is; a week has passed since my arrival in Chiang Mai. And although, to me, there are moments that I think that I have accomplished much, I’ve really done very little in a relative since. I mean if I were in the states, where I speak the language and know the processes, I would simply be moving into a new place and going through the steps that entails. Simply put, it’s just damn hard to do the basic sort of things in a country where everything is so alien and the language barrier is so great. Of course there are many tasks that do come easier than others, such as purchasing items at the grocer or market, traveling from local to local, as well as requesting beer at the near by bar – there are many near by bars. The ease of these task is in large part due to the effort of the locals and there desire to learn English. However, getting an internet connection to my new room, which would be such a simple task in the states, has been made difficult due to the barrier of language, damn you tower of babble. It’s times such as now and as well as in other travels that I just don’t get how, with a world economy and the homogenization that that economy creates nations can't come together in order to create a process that would teach all nations a universal language. Isn’t sign language a universal language, I’m not too sure. An ex lady friend of mine mentioned this to me many moons back – she was wrong about more than one thing but I think she is right about this - and since I don’t have access to the ubiquitous net, I can not be sure. Now if it is a universal language, I think that there would have been more merit in learning this over several other useless aspects of my elementary education that have since been expunged from my mind. Ok… ok, that is my little rant. If you know me, you know I have these rants from time to time. They serve as valve release for any pressures I am experiencing.

Now that I have had this release, I will move on to all the greatness that is my new place. There are wood floors in the small living room and bedroom, a comfy leather couch, a flat screen that works great with my PS3 and as a monitor for my laptop, a small fold away table with chairs that are camouflaged as cabinets when they are stored away, tons of storage and a nice huge bed. There is a large window that pretty much makes up the back wall of the bedroom; this translucent wall provides me with a wonderful view of the Doi Suthep Mountain. And viewing the sun set over the silhouette of this mountain every evening is such a nice way to begin the night. A free maid service will come in and tidy the place twice a month and I also receive a free laundry service. Let me say how nice it is to drop off a bag of my dirties and get back a sealed bag with my cloths folded and pressed. Even my white T’s are given this treatment; I have never looked so well kempt. Along with all of the aesthetic beauty that my little abode offers, there are the intangibles, such as the fact that I am just far enough away from the bustling city, yet still close enough to endeavor there within if need be. My location on the 5^th floor puts me above the street lights and since there are no other large buildings around, I am not exposed to any sort of ambient light. The quiet and darkness create a great opportunity for some quality sleep. This tranquility differs from the place where I was initially staying when I first arrived in Chiang Mai. That place is great if you want to be close to all the things the city has to offer, unfortunately, two of these things are traffic noise that goes from 6 AM to 4 AM and the constant glow of the city’s lights. It is probably this exposure to such a large amount of external stimuli that gives me such an appreciation for the stillness that now surrounds me.  Still though, if at anytime I need to get back into the action, it’s just a five minute walk to cross the moat and walk through the entrance of the ancient crumbling wall that surrounds the Old City.

This new place that I am in now is just $366 a month. Sure, I could have gotten a place for a hundred bucks less that included internet service and that is located in the heart of the City. But the places that I looked at in the City, well for one thing are in the City, they are in older buildings with old well used furnishings. And to be honest, they look like old run down shacks compared to where I am at now. No, I will just deal with what I hope to be a short term inconvenience of no internet connection and pay the extra hundred a month. If I were planning on staying here for a longer period than I am, well then, I am sure I would have to settle for a place that didn’t offer all that this new place of mine does.

Well, I am very happy about being in my new temporary home and I hope the details were not too much of a bore. Tomorrow I am supposed to be going to a local neighborhood party and next week I may be going to the hills with the owner of an eco lodge that I met today during lunch. So, I hope to have a few more tales to tell soon enough.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Wish me luck on this whole internet thing.