Tag: Utopia

Just Dirt – 28th January 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 2 Comments

Here the farmer stood
Surveying all his fields
Knowing the earth was good
Increasing next year’s yields

Yet, the prince, he scoffed
“Nothing here is growing”
The farmer turned and coughed
Satisfied and knowing

23rd Jun 2024 – Submitted to Word of the Day Challenge

Today I’m feeling:

A bit more lively than yesterday though I still fancy an afternoon nap. I’ve been the driver for the family today, to Chiang Saen, Mae Sai and Mae Chan.

Today I’m grateful for:

The candy seller at the market, where I found the candies that the stall has outside school and obviously at a better price.  Whilst I picked out a few different bags she offered various others to try and taste.  I was lucky that Amy found the noodles and mala sauce she wanted in this shop too so I snuck all my stuff in there for her to pay.

The best thing about today was:

Driving around, which made me think that I haven’t been up around the Chiang Saen, Chiang Khong area yet (on the motorbike) and it would be good for a nice laid-back ride sometime.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

Whilst I was in my room playing guitar I was surprised to hear the sound of rain on the roof.  I didn’t think too much of it though it was kind of unusual to have rain at this time of day, this time of year.  But then I heard banging and the shade outside my window had fallen down and was now slamming against the wall.  The rain had gotten heavier and suddenly the wind had picked up.  Next came rumbles of thunder and everything got stronger.  I went outside and Amy screamed as the roof on the entertainment area started banging again where it was broken in the summer storms last year.  I ran to the garage and emptied the wheelbarrow already full of water from the leaking drain and found a bucket to put in the shed to catch the leaking in there too, though both of these were relatively useless in rain this heavy.

Something I learned today?

Amy has been watching these YouTube videos of two Korean boys travelling around Thailand and today I saw some pretty nice places in Isaan that they were visiting.  It would be good to go there one day though I feel a lot of places in Thailand look the same everywhere.  Jungles, rice fields, mountains, rivers and beaches.  I’m still quite smitten with it all though.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

Driving the family around wherever they directed me and even though sometimes they confused me with their directions, I carried on without complaint.

25 THINGS ABOUT LIFE I WISH I HAD KNOWN 10 YEARS AGO – 7. Be Grateful. Say thank you to everyone and everything “Thank you for this beautiful day.” “Thank you for your email.” “Thank you for being there for me.”

The longer I keep practising being grateful the more I’ve realised there is to be grateful for.  Sometimes I struggle to find something new to be grateful for, especially if I haven’t been doing much but I usually come up with something.  I’m not sure how many years I’ve been doing it now but I think I started sometime in 2020 and managed to do it pretty much every day since.

I’ve mentioned in the past that Thai people don’t often say thank you in a shopping situation and it’s quite a cultural norm.  I can’t help myself though, it’s just ingrained since childhood to say please and thank you.

I took this picture because these kitties, along with two more inside, were surveying the surrounds from this second-floor vantage point as I pulled up at Utopia this morning. 

The Legend – 27th January 2024

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Always the winner, always on top
The sun shines from their behind
If outsiders looking in would ever stop
The legend would be hard to find

Because they suffered just like us
Made many mistakes along the road
But when life threw them under the bus
Determination is what they showed

So the legend came to be on the lips
Of those who needed inspiration
And everybody followed the tips
For the legends in preparation

Today I’m feeling:

Slooooow to go. Turned off my alarm when it went off and enjoyed a delirious sleep, probably aided by a couple of drops of cannabutter last night which also made me enjoy some guitaring that flew by in a couple of hours. My thought to exercise a little on waking at the weekend didn’t come to fruition but I guess I have to listen to my body sometimes.

Today I’m grateful for:

Nick at Utopia for not only giving me credit today (run out of money!) but making me two fantastic coffees with perfect texture for me.

The best thing about today was:

Despite just wanting to stay home all day when Amy suggested going to Oshinei for lunch I initially said no but quickly changed my mind and I’m glad we got out and enjoyed some food at a two-for-one discount.  I was still tired and not really thinking about anything much but just enjoying the moment.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

After lunch I tried to resist the afternoon nap for as long as I could by reading, finishing the first chapter of the Decline and Fall of the British Empire and then a couple of comics before finally giving in and accepting my fate.  It was an enjoyable nap though.

I took this picture because Cap was sitting on the cushion by the bookshelves when I got home yesterday, though he got up as soon as I laid down to take pictures.

Click Click – 16th January 2024

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

At the flick of the switch
There’s no transformation
Remaining an ape or beast
Change requires dedication
No more time to waste
If you wish the click to clack
When you look at the sun
It’s impossible to put it back

Reflecting on our animal nature
A broken machine needing self-repair
Once burdened by distraction
Soon found themselves made it there
Feed the mind with thought
That keeps on the light
Keep quiet and count the days
When everything became quite right

Today I’m feeling:

A bit more relaxed after an extra hour’s sleep. Today is teachers’ day (apparently) and a day off from school though we are busy again at the temple. At least I got two Utopian coffees to kick off this morning.

I didn’t feel too hot after lunch and though feeling sleepy couldn’t get into a deep nap state.

Today I’m grateful for:

Whoever made the Thai snack boxes for the funeral ceremony tonight. There were enough left over for me to take some home.

The best thing about today was:

Mostly devoting my time to other people, though at the temple I’m not really doing much because I don’t know the etiquette or what is required but as soon as I’m asked I will do what is needed.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

At Utopia this morning I couldn’t stop sneezing! I sneezed about fifty times and Nick and Art were worried about me!

Something I learned today?

The top five wealthiest people in the world doubled their wealth last year! Just in one year. I’m guessing that for many others in the world, they halved their wealth. The miracle of trickle-up economics, or should I say flooding-up?

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

I’ve been a good boy again, doing as I’m told at the temple. I kneeled to the boy monk as I handed him pizza for lunch! Good luck boy monk. Stay off your phone.

Driving twice in and out of the city again despite feeling not 100%. Tired by the afternoon and my sinuses feel uncomfortable.

List 3 good things you have now that you didn’t have five years ago.

I thought that this would be difficult as I haven’t really acquired ‘things’ that much but five years is a long time and I acquired one of the biggest things in people’s lives and that is a home.

This time five years ago our house was built but it hadn’t quite been turned into a home, at least as I feel about it now.

I feel comfortable and safe around our house and neighbourhood and inside is Amy’s playground for decorating. If I thought about it more and knew where to buy things easily and cheaply perhaps I would make a home environment that suits me too but I’m also a little lazy to do that. Mine and Amy’s ideas are not that compatible and I’m happy to defer to her in this instance. Actually, I’m happy to defer to her most of the time.

Five years ago I didn’t have a guitar and that cheap instrument has brought me a lot of pleasure since purchase. I don’t think that a better quality guitar will improve my playing that much so I’m happy with what I’ve got.

The last thing I have is a deeper love. My love and connection with my students has grown so much in this time and it fills me with joy. I wonder where all our futures will take us.

As I was messaging with Baipad, who is in her grandmum’s village for ดำหัวผู้ใหญ่, she told me that her mum told her to send me this picture of them in their traditional Lahu dress. 
Fatman report

Beautiful Mess – 6th January 2024

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Standing here amongst the detritus
This is certainly a lived-in room
The treaties of the past are scattered
Across a floor that’s never seen a broom

There’s an unused TV in the corner
Hoping the remote will be found one day
Tho’ full of dust, it’s fuller with love
A satisfying sty in which to laugh and play

inspired by the memory of living in Mick’s house – more detail here

Today I’m feeling:

Tired but relaxed.  Amy stayed at her parent’s last night and much of today and after coffee, hanging out washing and shampooing Tigger I slowly watched the day disappear reading, watching TV and not much else.

Today I’m grateful for:

The discounted milk protein drinks at the Lotus store – three for the price of two.

The best thing about today was:

Finishing reading Wuthering Heights, which I enjoyed much more than I expected.  I love finishing one book because it means I can start another! 

I also started reading China Underground at Utopia, the first two stories of which reminded me a lot of my time meeting people in China and to realise how much the world, and I, have changed since.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

There is some family drama going on that I have absolutely no control over and so the best I can do is to comfort Amy and help her with figuring out the best way forward. 

It’s a frustrating situation that goes deep into Thai culture and societal norms that involve blind acceptance of the patriarchy. 

Whilst I knew about this, it is uncomfortably close to home this time.  It is also making me feel even more for the female students that I teach and wonder what of their future.

Something I learned today?

Our avocado tree is infested with giant hairy worms that are eating their way through the leaves.  I have to warn Amy to stay away from there as she will surely be allergic to their hairs.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

I fist-bumped the staff at Utopia and the girl customer whom I have seen there a few times before and smiled and acknowledged most everyone else who came in whilst I was there reading and drinking my coffee.

Apart from that I didn’t have much interaction with anyone else today, even online.

I took this picture because these little fucks are difficult to see on the tree. There are five visible here and 100s more out of focus.

I Used To Be Somebody – 30th December 2023

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Perhaps I was a president
Making difficult decisions
A surgeon with a scalpel
Making precise incisions
Maybe I was a singer
Adored by many millions
Or a famous architect
Designing high pavillions

I used to be somebody
And now that I’m not
I’m just another nobody
That everyone forgot

Today I’m feeling:

Lazy and relaxed today.  Still a little numb from the whisky on Thursday but not bothered by the lethargy it has induced today as I was yesterday.  I thought that I might read and play guitar today but have managed to do neither.

Today I’m grateful for:

Boss at Utopia for making me my final coffees that he will make for me as this is his last day before he leaves for Lampang to start his own shop.

The best thing about today was:

Enjoying playing games on Xbox and though being aware of it wasting time it felt like a reasonable trade-off today.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

There is some family drama going on that I won’t go into detail about here but it may make our New Year’s Eve at Mum’s a little awkward depending on who is there.  A culmination of events and bad timing have brought about this drama which feels to me somewhat typically Thai.  Amy and I are both on the same page and we are pretty much just bystanders wondering how things will unfold.

Something I learned today?

Thailand is looking to fast-track the high-speed rail from Laos to Bangkok, as well as the land bridge between the Andaman and Indian oceans.  The USA is very unhappy with China’s involvement in these projects and will obviously try to disrupt them through one means or another.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

I waited around for a few minutes to wish Boss at Utopia all the best for the future but he was in the toilet for so long that I decided to leave, with the thought that I might return later in the day but unfortunately, I didn’t.  Was this a good deed that turned vile?

I took this picture on Wednesday because this kitty, as with all little Thai gingers, reminded me of Kim. This was about as close as I could get though as it was too shy to get closer.

Titanium – 19th December 2023

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This missile will find its way
Into the hands of men as gods
This bomb, when come out to play
Accelerates the unlikely odds
Nowhere safe from your precious metals
In bunkers even, sat hiding
Under rocks, the earth unsettles
Monsters are patiently residing

Today I’m feeling:

Good again though I can feel tired from the morning exercise and last night I didn’t stay up much past nine pm.

Today I’m grateful for:

The immigration officer at Mae Sai who gave me my visa, which allows me another ninety days stay and then one year. And I can get that next one at Chiang Rai.

The best thing about today was:

Not being at work in the morning.  It’s always good not to be at work when you are supposed to be, even though I enjoy my work these days.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

Every day I could fill this space with something about my classes or students.  Knowing that I wouldn’t be at school this morning I sent work to my students on Saturday to give them plenty of time to do it beforehand if they so wished.  I reminded them on Saturday night, on Sunday and yesterday too but still, there were 13 students that didn’t do any work or communicate with me about their not being able to do it. 

Some will use an excuse that they had to go for vaccination during class time but that’s not going to fly as they knew about the classwork three days previously.  It has got me thinking about how to make some kind of lessons about planning and preparing for things.

Something I learned today?

I read an interview with volunteer medical emergency people in New York where they discuss trying to treat gunshot victims sometimes even as firefights are happening between the police and the ‘criminals’. Just replaying those thoughts over made me realise that the USA is already a third-world country.

What kind of responsible country has gun fights on its streets? What kind of organised country requires volunteer emergency services? A third-world one. It feels like the USA is trying to drag everyone down to their level.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

I drove myself and Amy to the city this morning and I took Leo for a walk before driving us both to Mae Sai and back home.

I took time to prep a class for work that they have to do tomorrow so they were a little surprised that they had no actual work to do. 

Hopefully, they are primed and thinking about what they need to do tomorrow.  I’m pretty sure they can articulate in Thai but they need to figure it out in English.

I had to hold three students back in class because they didn’t do the work that I asked of them during class time.  Once they had resigned themselves to this fact I tried to make it at least a little bit fun for them until they had finished. 

Unfortunately, one of them was overemotional and rushed their work so that it was illegible and I had to make them do it again.  By now, everyone else was gone and the sound of kids outside having fun was very obvious. She eventually broke down crying saying ‘I want to go home’ and though I felt sorry for her I realised that she is very selfish and very spoiled by others around her.  I gave her some sympathy but also reminded her that it was her own bad choices that put her in this situation. 

As we were leaving the class I tried to remember what it was like when I was being ‘taught a lesson’ and put myself in her shoes. 

I like to credit my kids with smarts, they know exactly how to manipulate adults to get what they want and I feel like their tears are more because they know they fucked up and were wishing they hadn’t.  I felt really sorry for her but had to stop myself from giving in and letting her off.

How have I prioritized my well-being this year?

This has been by slowly increasing the amount of exercise I get and I have learned that I feel better and more positive on the days that I exercise.

I have also gotten into the habit of reading things that reinforce what I already know and though they often fizz in and out of clear memory I can feel that reinforcement building slowly, protecting my emotional stability.

Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?

If this was inside the house…I don’t think there’s anything that can’t be replaced so maybe I might just grab anything to hand….  Grabbing important documents would be handy but I’d have to shove Amy back inside to grab them as I would undoubtedly grab the wrong things, for which I would forever feel her wrath!

If it was in my room then it would probably be my old photos. I’m slowly trying to digitize them all and if that ever becomes the case, even though I would have them stored online somewhere I would probably grab my hard drives with all the pictures, music, books and comics that I’ve collected over the years.

I took this picture because I was surprised to see all this extra decoration on the window at Utopia over the weekend.

The Expected Surprise – 17th December 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 2 Comments

Raise a toast from the bottle of heartbreak
Tears mist the eyes of dead teenage butterflies
These wounds become a comfort given time
Waxing poetic about the expected surprise

These are the happy things, preparing for grief
The painful goodbyes in the rear-view mirror
Bigger, brighter things are on the way to love
Slowly, gently, this will all become clearer

Butchered, mangled, inspired by this post at Spinning Visions
Submitted to #Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge Expect

Today I’m feeling:

A little lazy. I was going to get up with my alarm but still sleepy, Amy almost shouted at me from her bed, getting up, where are you going….? Jesus, let me wake up a little! I brushed my teeth, took a piss and got back into bed for another hour of sleep where I had a dream about us being able to drive on a piece of A4 paper as if it was a car!

Today I’m grateful for:

The trees that Amy’s mum planted on our land years before we came here and have grown to provide great shade from the sun but now have gotten so big that their roots threaten to cause problems to the foundations of our buildings.  We will cut four and I hope the remaining three will be able to grow faster and stronger to provide shade again into the spaces that will be left.

The best thing about today was:

Having a tidy garden again once the gardeners had finished their work, the smell of cut grass wafting through the house.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

I’ve noticed (again) that I don’t really like being in my man cave so much – it’s not quite comfortable for me and whereas in the living room of our house I feel like I am centred, in my room I feel like I am on the periphery. It’s only a remove of about six metres but it makes all the difference. 

I’m having to force myself to go there to get certain things done and figuring out ways to do other things back in the living room without having all my stuff scattered around.  This is a compromise of Amy’s return to our home.

Something I learned today?

An avocado is a berry.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

I wished Noey a happy holiday as this will be the last time I see her at Utopia until next year.

I bought an onion in the local market and thanked the lady who commented that I spoke good Thai.

I nodded appropriately to the gardener who explained what they would do to our trees though I only caught a few words. I could understand the gist especially when he pointed at some leaves that looked like they were getting eaten by some bug.

I did the washing this morning, hung it out and brought it back in in the evening.

I shampooed Tigger’s head as he is getting the scabs again that he got last year around this time.  He wasn’t happy but accepted his fate well enough and of course, went outside as soon as he could and rolled around in the dirt again.  He really loves our home.

What changes did I experience this year?

The biggest change has been at home of course, with Amy being back in the house, cleaning up and bossing me around.

Other changes have been more subtle, such as my slow improvement to health and fitness. Also my adjustment in confidence when riding the motorbike since coming off it.

And if I look closely I can see signs of my skin sagging a little around my cheeks and neck as my I struggle with gravity. Even lying down can’t help.

I took this picture because here’s one tree down, and three more tomorrow. It’s going to look so odd for a little while.

Le Guin’s Law – 16th December 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

What is it I’ve lost?
I really wish I knew
Forever counting cost
The dreams that withdrew

Always filled with hunger
Came the realisation
When I was younger
I stunted imagination

Though I roll in riches

On stock market gambles

I can’t scratch the itches
That fantasy unscrambles

Today I’m feeling:

Good to go in the morning but after lunch I flaked into a long afternoon nap from which I didn’t feel very inspired by.

Today I’m grateful for:

Paul Merton, an English comedian who I have enjoyed since the 80s. I loved his absurd humour in his TV series and now he is still on the long-running show Have I Got News For You where his very English wit still resonates with me. I can still enjoy the show whilst not having any real idea of what’s going on in the UK these days.

The best thing about today was:

Morning coffee and reading some more Wuthering Heights, followed by some pleasant (forgotten) dreams during nap time.

Something I learned today?

This app (Day One) offers a book service and it looks awesome. It would be better for me if WordPress did something like that though as that has more content. Still I reckon I might get a couple printed up for Hayden and Amy.

12th Mar 2024 – I’ve since discovered that there are services that print out WordPress sites and I will try and get one done for 2023 when I finally have finished updating it, which may still take another year yet!

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

I bought a T-shirt from Utopia, not because I need one but just to support them. I think Utopia T-shirts are one of the most popular shirts in our area.

What songs were the soundtrack for this year?

I decided to try answering this question knowing that this year is part on an ever decreasing tendency of listening to music. 

Without there being a specific artist I would say the two things that I have heard the most are the songs that I bash along to on guitar and the Jazzcore podcast that I listen to about once a month for an hour or so, usually when I’m napping.

Which particular small thing that your partner does irritates you the most?

I’ve been mulling this over for the day and there may be many possibilities to mention but ultimately at the end of the day anything that irritates me is a choice that I’ve made.

And this is what I will keep telling myself every time I feel that way.

I took this picture because the hairdresser’s kitty reminds me so much of Kim. A happy friendly tiny little ginger cat.

Fatman report

A Rusty Old Thing – 11th December 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 2 Comments

It used to be so important
Now it doesn’t mean a thing
The shine has turned to rust
Nostalgia is all it can bring

Never thought it would be forgotten
It’s influence ran so deep
Then it was replaced by another
And now just something to keep

Submitted to Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Timeworn

Today I’m feeling:

Pretty exhausted but happy to relax at home and doing bits and pieces in my room.

(Later) I’m tired but not sleepy, already in bed at 7pm and will do some Thai study, book and comic reading.

Today I’m grateful for:

Old cardboard boxes and, in turn, for online shopping that means we also have them laying around to use to pack on the rare occasions I get online orders through Bandcamp.

I’m also grateful to the guy at the car wash who helped me with the air pump to put air in my pushbike tyres. I was confused because it didn’t seem to work as normal.

The best thing about today was:

Playing guitar after a few days break. I sometimes wish I had learned when I was younger as now my old fingers easily forget and get lost on the strings and for not playing for a couple of days it felt a little like starting again.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

Nothing significant springs to mind. 

Something I learned today?

Utopia will close for three days next week as they and the Daytripper staff all head up to Phu Chi Fa for a couple of nights camping. What about my coffee!? Actually, it looks like it will be Monday to Wednesday so I should be safe!

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

I chatted with Noey at Utopia for a while, encouraging her to talk with the farangs that come into the shop because she has never seen snow. Maybe if she can catch a farang he can take her off somewhere to see it!

I rescued P’ti when he escaped from Utopia and held him while he ate some grass and sniffed the air for a while. He seemed satisfied with that for a while before disappearing into the back rooms of the shop.

What’s the weirdest object in your studio/home/office?

Weird? 

Office: A CD that comes in a stone package? 

Home: Two King-size beds in the bedroom?

I don’t know… my weird seems pretty normal to me. I don’t know or much care what other people think.

I took this picture on Saturday at Wat Chaloem in Lampang. A beautiful day for a bit of a hike up this mountain.

On Top – 10th December 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 7 Comments

What is to be done once at the mountaintop?
Once having surveyed the delights to be seen
Can you shout into the valleys till the echoes stop?
Telling all who care to wonder where you’ve been

Counting the cost when the afternoon storm arrives
There’s no magic lantern to wish you safe and sound
Darwin showed us that the smartest one survives
Keeping their heads down back home on the ground

6th Dec 2024 – Shared with Poets and Storytellers – adventures

Today I’m feeling:

Exhausted! But happily so. I had a disrupted sleep with having to deal with the results of the spicy seafood sauce from last night as it got stuck straight into my bowels!

But I got up easily and quickly at 6.30 and we set off biking again soon after. We took a very dodgy detour that took us so far into the unknown, wondering if we’d ever make it back.

In a tiny village tucked in between cornrow hills, an old Auntie and uncle, who seemed a little unaccustomed to Thai, and even more so to two dirty farangs emerging through their dog-infested dirt tracks, helped stave off some thirst and hunger with a grocery of delights hidden in a shack underneath reams of old corrugated iron but do be sure to take off your shoes! Nervous dogs sniffed nervously, on the constant scavenge.

It felt like we were making good time but a breakdown in here would’ve consumed the rest of the day and it wasn’t even 8am yet.

Already shaken from intermittent dodgy rocky roads, it dawned that there was another hour and a half of this ahead!

In most part beautiful but also at times frustratingly shaky, I prayed little Fino could hold itself together.

Today I’m grateful for:

Little Fino performing, as one would reasonably expect any modern piece of expensive motoring machinery, magnificently despite the abuse I brought forth on it over the last two days. I would not be surprised if he sounds a bit cranky in the morning.

The best thing about today was:

Getting to Chiang Rai and familiar surroundings was a welcome feeling. At least if something went wrong here I had some idea of where to head for help.

After our morning wilderness adventure, I told Bruno there was no need to wait for me and we made our way separately North from Lampang.

I took some minor detours and when back into recognisable territory I decided to follow the Mae Lao klong (which was sublime) up past Singha Park and then back off the highway after following cute girls on what must have been their boyfriend’s souped-up motorbikes, that popped so loudly as they flew past fuel tankers whilst desperately clasping their phones in one hand.

Past the prison and up into Mae Yao through the back of Bandu and the university and delivered, finally, to my first coffee of the day back at home in Utopia! That coffee was the best ever!

It was already 2 pm and my ears were still full of wind, my hands shaking from hours of gripping the handlebars, and my eyes and clothes full of smoke and dust. It felt so good to be back home!

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

Lots of things were out of my control today and I happily went along with everything. I’m pretty easy to please.

Something I learned today?

The ACTUAL axis of evil seems to be the USA, Zionists and…… well, an axis only needs two, doesn’t it?

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

Spending a few baht in a village shop to give the locals some income, though I think Bruno actually paid!

In another village where Bruno stopped to stuff himself with som tum, the family there were so tickled to be serving a couple of ‘crackers’ and we happily obliged them with photos, which I hope they print out and put up one day to fade in the dust and sun of posterity.

If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

The way I was raised was fine, even great. The circumstances could have been different though. However, because my father died before I even knew him I never knew what it was like to have and lose him. I wonder how much impact that has had on my personality and life in general?

My mum was very liberal with me and I got to make plenty of my own mistakes. I grew up slowly. Like most teenagers, I thought I knew everything and I could fake being mature. My mum generally left me to it.

I took this picture because this is what we spent three hours traversing the back end of beyond to come and see. An emerald lagoon in a sinkhole in the jungle mountains near Lampang. The fish in there are huge and we wondered how they got there. Signs for no swimming, fishing or feeding the fish. There’s nothing else here except for a couple of big trees and once you’ve looked up and then back down again, you’ve seen a big tree. For some reason, the car park seemed to be able to accommodate a fleet of tour buses yet it’s at the end of a dirt track that a tour bus wouldn’t be able to navigate. The shop was on the far side of the car park so when we arrived a lady jumped on her motorbike and came to a makeshift stall next to the lagoon entrance, we happily wandered by on both entry, and fifteen minutes later on exit, and she happily rode her bike back across the car park to the shop. It was only 10 am. Maybe busloads of Koreans swamp the place come the afternoons?