It has been well over a year now since my last posting. Mostly I have just been lazy since I no longer have the convenience of accessing the Internet from home and have to wait until Mam and I venture into the city to go shopping before I get the chance to visit an Internet café.
I really do not want to see this blog go to the wayside since I put so much effort into it for so many years. So, I am going to try to post on at least a monthly basis.
To date I have surpassed my original goal of three years spent living in Asia and am approaching my fifth year, over three of which have been spent living in Southern Thailand. As my most recent post reveals, Mam and I have moved to a remote location nestled into the foothills of our village mountain range to the east. Initially Mam and I were complacent about our daily life out here in the boonies but within the last year we have grown quite cautious and vigilant.
About four months or so ago, we spotted our first King Cobra slithering across the road near our home. Quite impressed, if not a bit freaked out, we both rationalized that it was not much of a threat since it was only a baby. Then reason set in and we both realized that where there are babies, there are parents, most likely big parents. We have since spotted seven cobra snakes, both King Cobras and spitting cobras, four of which were found right outside our house.
Two months ago Mam was bitten by a scorpion when she picked up her sharpening stone to hone a knife. She described the bite as excruciatingly painful, the pain radiating up her arm from the initial bite on the palm of her hand. A local villager helped her out by concocting a noxious poultice made from tobacco leaves, which eased the pain a bit. Shortly after Mam's ordeal, our puppy was bitten by a large centipede, which made him sick for days.
Of late we have been visited by several scorpions, some of them very big, two other species of poisonous snakes and a rather huge, poisonous spider, the likes of which I have never seen before, closely resembling a tarantula. Nightly trips to our downstairs bathroom have become a guarded affair, carefully venturing forward after sweeping the floor with the beam of our flashlight, lest we step on a scorpion, centipede or worse.
Despite all our eminent dangers, all is balanced out by the sheer serenity, privacy and peacefulness of our abode. Upon arising in the early morning we are serenaded by the plethora of birds, some exotic, which inhabit the woods around us. Mam and I have purchased a book listing the birds of Thailand, and have adopted the hobby of identifying the different species.
I'm still working at the local school and I thoroughly enjoy the kids, although I have been keeping my eyes open for other opportunities and have applied for a couple of positions in the north of Thailand.
Mam and I now have a motorcycle, which has opened up our world a bit, allowing us to travel to more distant villages and see new sights. We are also hoping to purchase a new digital camera so we can record some interesting things we see.
Well, that is about it. We will be off soon for our monthly visit into Hat Yai to purchase our monthly groceries and take the opportunity to eat out at one of our favorite restaurants. I hope to write again soon, probably next month during the ten days or so that I will have off during vacation in December/ January.
See you then...
-Jeeem-
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