The last two days were much about socializing. With my new friend Lucie, I managed to meet more people and get involved into deeper and interesting conversations. But besides that, important progress is to be reported. I have lodged my visa application for permanent residency in Australia. Another important step towards my final destination.
Yesterday started out early but quiet in my new room. I turned on the computer to complete my visa application online. That took me about three hours not counting the hours I spent attaching all the electronic documents later that day. There was not much room for working on the house and my brother and family had other things in mind, too. While I was still with the application, they organized a teacher. We will go to Bangkok tomorrow and stay for about a week, and as soon as we return we will commence classes in Thai language an hour every day. I really wonder, how I will progress.
I was picked up after I finished uploading all the electronic documents to prove my visa claims. Who would have thought that a visit to a hair dresser could take three hours, if you're a guy. Well, if you live in a small town in Thailand and every single person in the street the hairdresser put up his little store is family you've done well if you get away with just spending three hours. Especially if the hairdresser itself is a close relative as well. Okay, I admit calling that shelter a store may not seem appropriate, but despite the bamboo construction with the dry palm leaf room it did have and ancient hair dressers chair after all. You wouldn't be able to find it anywhere but right here as it would have rusted away a long time ago.
Before any hair was cut the family had to show the river. With the raining season almost over it feels a bit strange to me. The flooding should be over already. But it is far from. Water levels in the river are rising by the minute. Dams are being reinforced everywhere. The river is already going over its limits in some places. A year ago, the barbers shop would have been drowning, but with the new dam they built last year the whole territory stays dry, even though it is about one and a half meters below the water level in the river. The next day would see us filming the river at its highest this year. Wonder if tomorrow will be better or worse. We'll be going to the capital anyway.
In the evening I borrowed the car an visited my new friend Lucie at her work place, a resort close to the historic old city of Sukhothai. She'd finished work and sat with collegues, a meal and whiskey and was more than surprised I had found the place. Taking about three turns, even driving on the left-hand side of the road didn't seem as genius to me as it did to her. As she was the only one being able to understand my English and translate for me and the others I couldn't get around picking up some more Thai and actually starting to use it. We made good conversation and after we finished at the resort we visited a new pub in town with live music where I met more friends of Lucie's. Seemed to me she knew half of Sukhothai, so soon I also knew so many people including the pub owner, the gogo dancers, the police officer and many more.
After a fun night out I slept in for just a bit, but I got up early enough to finish cutting and putting up the remaining plasterboard for the Buddha room. Now, with just the tough work left, we are good to leave for Bangkok. Actually, with some of the energy missing that was present that previous week, we had settled to end the day with watching a movie. With no movie being able to catch my interest I invited Lucie over and the evening turned into a little private party. It's an advantage to always have some people around the house.
The drinking and socializing went on until about 4 in the morning. A strange mixture of equally English and Thai, mixed with some German did not keep us from having interesting conversations from politics over to spirituralism ending in countless personal experiences. There was always one in the group who wouldn't understand fully, that being me or Gop. It is amazing, how much you can gather from a conversation just by knowing a few words, names and intuition. Soon after all available bottles were finished we all went on our way to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long trip, with a party of six and two dogs in the Honda going to Bangkok. I will now quickly go to sleep as I will be busy tomorrow keeping a dog calm for 5 or 6 hours.
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