Not the catching up you were expecting...

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Hello all,
I know, I know, I haven't written...at all really. I have tons and tons to tell you all, and I will definitely start back dating things. But for now, I'm just going to give you a little bit on today, as that's where I am. I'm in Bangkok right now, at the Chabad House on Khao San Rd where there's free internet, though I've gotten more than one strange look here so far...you know, the norm. Anyway, I'm leaving for Laos this evening on a night train (but not in a sleeper car cause they were sold out...awesome) after being in Bangkok for only two days following my three weeks (but not nearly enough time) in Myanmar/Burma. So here are my thoughts for today.

It probably won't hit you until it's too late. When you're sitting sideways on the back of an unreasonably shiny yellow and black motorcycle, your left hand numb from clutching the--is that PLASTIC!?--back rim of the seat that was surely never intended to be a handle, much less your lifeline, not putting your right arm around the wais of "Mr. Tong" the "Soi Boy" motorcycle driver because a) that's not how it's done here and b) your right hand is busy clinging to your bag, which has your passport, money, camera, strange lemur doll, etc and losing it would be a tragedy beyond words...that's right around the time it hits you that this was perhaps a bad idea. In fact, it was most definitely an extremely bad idea, but now you've made your bed and you have to lie in it, ankles crossed (cause the "footrest" really only has enough room for a single foot) and thus showing the bottom of your left foot to all the world...very rude...but you cannot be bothered to care anymore.

It's important, I'm learning, to keep some perspective, even while trying to experience the local culture. I find it's equally important not to place too much faith on the little helmet Mr. Ton has given you nor on the "Volunteer EMT on the motorcycle next to you which is marked (very officially) with a sticker that says "Emergency Medical Services".

But here I am, weaving in and out of traffic in a manner that Evil Kenival might envy with the sole intent of making it to Chabad so I can have some meat before going to Vientiane on the aforementioned all-night train.

Yesterday I made it to the other Chabad House for Shabbos lunch where I managed to meet a lovely woman from Baltimore who is on Fullbright here and an interesting woman called Orange who is Thai but feels close to Judaism because she went to Israel before, where she was Baptised. It was an interesting visit to say the least, and in the future, I will try not to be so offended when people ask me if I am in fact a Jew while I am spending Shabbat at a Jewish place. Apparently, you never know.

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