I'm sitting in a spanking new, super hi tech internet cafe. Some British wanker near me is freaking out about something. He's all agitated, smacking the table, saying "shit" over and over again. His behaviour is completely inappropriate in this country where Buddhist monks walk around the city in their barefeet, and it would be bothering me except for the fact that I recognize that way of being. Reminds me of me when I'm at home. Hot tempered, stupidly thinking that smacking the table and swearing will somehow make things better. Seems such a foreign manner now, though. Not that I'm Buddhist or anything, but I've been in a good, balanced, un-faze-able mood for weeks now. I assume he has not been in Thailand for very long as his skin is still a pasty white. He'll feel better shortly.
I took the night train into Bangkok last night. Left Lamai in Koh Samui around noon via a crazy open air pickup truck taxi, then travelled by boat for 3 hours through what seemed like a typhoon, then took a hilarious double decker bus for 30 minutes to the train which travelled for 12 hours and arrived in Bangkok around 6:00am. Somehow, it wasn't a difficult journey at all. I sailed through it comfortably. Apart from the hairy, stinky, coughing, long-toe-nailed, ugly Thai man sitting beside me, not much bothered me. I met some Kiwis along the way and spent a couple hours teaching them Texas Hold'em. At one point they asked me "Are all your friends at home this good at Hold'em?" I seriously laughed in their face at that; it felt very disjunctive being considered a Hold'em expert when in fact I am the rookie of rookies at the game, especially in comparison to my gambling addict friends (Stu, likely has three tables open right now as he reads this post). Anyway, once the train conductors (some of whom carried sidearms and wore polyester uniforms that were way too small and tight around their bulging guts) opened the beds, I was super comfy. I read for a few hours and wrote a bit and then slept for quite a while, waking occassionally to strange sounds and jerking motions as the train added new cars at various stops.
Rolled into Bangkok very early and within two hours had arranged for my Vietnam visa (pick it up tomorrow), checked email, mailed postcards, ate and scored a decent hotel room just outside Khao San Rd, backpackerland. Definitely prepared to enjoy Bangkok more this time around. Going to walk around and check out some of the tourist crap today and then go shopping for Deisel (I mean, fake Diesel) clothes. Apparently I can score fake Diesel shoes for 200 baht (less than 8 bucks!). Anyone want a pair?
R*
I took the night train into Bangkok last night. Left Lamai in Koh Samui around noon via a crazy open air pickup truck taxi, then travelled by boat for 3 hours through what seemed like a typhoon, then took a hilarious double decker bus for 30 minutes to the train which travelled for 12 hours and arrived in Bangkok around 6:00am. Somehow, it wasn't a difficult journey at all. I sailed through it comfortably. Apart from the hairy, stinky, coughing, long-toe-nailed, ugly Thai man sitting beside me, not much bothered me. I met some Kiwis along the way and spent a couple hours teaching them Texas Hold'em. At one point they asked me "Are all your friends at home this good at Hold'em?" I seriously laughed in their face at that; it felt very disjunctive being considered a Hold'em expert when in fact I am the rookie of rookies at the game, especially in comparison to my gambling addict friends (Stu, likely has three tables open right now as he reads this post). Anyway, once the train conductors (some of whom carried sidearms and wore polyester uniforms that were way too small and tight around their bulging guts) opened the beds, I was super comfy. I read for a few hours and wrote a bit and then slept for quite a while, waking occassionally to strange sounds and jerking motions as the train added new cars at various stops.
Rolled into Bangkok very early and within two hours had arranged for my Vietnam visa (pick it up tomorrow), checked email, mailed postcards, ate and scored a decent hotel room just outside Khao San Rd, backpackerland. Definitely prepared to enjoy Bangkok more this time around. Going to walk around and check out some of the tourist crap today and then go shopping for Deisel (I mean, fake Diesel) clothes. Apparently I can score fake Diesel shoes for 200 baht (less than 8 bucks!). Anyone want a pair?
R*
I think you are unconciously becoming Buddhist, and thats not a bad thing.The best thing you can take away from this experience is a deeper feeling of well-being and from reading your posts i can see a gentle Randy emerging from deep within your karmic being.
I just had 99 and raised preflop. I got called by the loose player at the table that calls with anything. I took a big pot off him earlier but now he has more chips than me.
Flop comes down 268. I bet. He raises. I go all in and he calls. He has AJ. He can only win with an A or a J on the turn or river. Rivers and A.
I had to go and buy a new laptop.