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I came to Phuket to be with my family for the double holiday four day weekend (Asarnabucha Day was Sunday and Kao Panso or Buddhist Lent i.e. Enter Rainy Season today) I shall board my north-bound bus at 6 pm today and arrive at Mae Klong in the early morning hours tomorrow, where I'll have the whole day to relax and do other work before resuming teaching on Wednesday.

I almost didn't make it to Phuket by Saturday morning, despite having a reserved and paid-for ticket since last Monday. I was able to leave Dao Dong School earlier than the usual 15.30 as the students had to do the ceremonial candle parade procession around the temple (hae teeyin in Thai) at 14.00. I joined them and the teachers for 2 of the 3 rounds, and decided best to head back and do final check and preparations for my southern trip, packing up and departing the apartment at roughly 16.00. Dropped my motorbike off at Kru Pisit's house in Muang Discrict, and caught a ride with his family to Tesco Lotus, where I said farewell and walked with my bag and laptop across Rama II highway, just as a southward going second class bus was picking up passengers.

 

An hour later, I de-boarded the bus at Phetcharat Hospital on the fringes of Phetchburi city, with several hours to kill before my Phuket-bound bus was scheduled to pick me up. Walked about 500 meters to a major food market-canteen in seek of some grubbin Phetchburi eats, and was not disappointed, expectations satisfyingly filled: Decided on a few Fried Chicken wings, a baked chicken breast, and an ever fulfilling 20 baht plate of Pad Thai (pronounced 'Pud Thai' or Thai style fried noodles), complete with vegetables, sprouts, dried shrimps, tofu, crispy pork skins, and pork strips. I stand my ground on the fact that Phetchburi is the king of Pad Thai, as far as I have sampled. Bangkok 30 and 40 baht plates are a joke in comparison-commonly just fried noodles mixed with sprouts.

Approaching 19.00, with a full stomach, I purchased four cans of Cheers beers from a 7-11 and walked back to the pick-up spot in front of Phetcharat Hospital , where I still had an hour or more to wait. It wasn't untill 22.00+ that I boarded a Phuket Central tour bus. Apparently, my original bus ended up booking someone else in Bangkok and thus didn't stop to pick me up, claiming they didn't receive confirmation, even though confirmation was clearly written on my ticket in hand. If my baby's momma hadn't called to complain and straighten things out, I would have been stranded in Phetchburi. Luckily they, threw me on a better VIP 24 seater, albeit 2 hours later than what I had paid for.

The night was restless as the bus swerved and speeded along the busy-weekend Southern highways through the night. I survived yet another overnight bus trip with no freak accidents as is so common in this country, arriving to Phuket 7.30 ish, Saturday morning. Saturday, spent quality time with my son and relaxed, catching up on lost sleep from the previous night.

Saturday night, Kit came to pick me up an we went out for some beer and karaoke, followed by a little dance and drink at some Bar Zah Thai music pub. Danced off my potential hangover and made it back circa 03.00. Sunday went out with some of the inlaws and my son to Dim sum, Phuket style breakfast, followed by Tesco Lotus, where I bought my son a 1300 baht bicycle with training wheels, and myself a Canon Printer/Coppier/Scanner for 2700 baht, which I plan to print drafts of my future novel(s) as well as teaching materials and pictures, business cards, and portfolio pages among other things. On Sunday evening, along with my son, his mom, and a few of her cousins, went to observe part of the annual Asarnbucha (Asarlahabucha) parade-procession of Phuket school children and teachers marching on the half-closed street, some lavishly dressed in traditional costume, dancing, playing music, while others in their standard school uniforms.

It's been quite satisfying to see my son after three + weeks away, though it will be sad to say goodbye once again, as I hate to miss out on all the growth and development he undergoes in these early yet crucial years. In the next several weeks, I hope to find another opportunity to see him-perhaps fly him and his mom up to Bangkok for three day Mother's Day weekend.

So anyway, last Wednesday, July 25, was my official Solar birthday which saw me reach 24 or two full cycles according to Eastern astrology. If we want to get technical by eastern astrological calendars, than my lunar birthday is actually oday, which is the 1 st Waning moon (a day after the full moon) of the second 8 th month (an extra month is added every so many years to synchronies the lunar and solar calendars) in the year of the pig. In Thai : แรม ๑ ค่ำเดือน ๘๘ปีกุน

So the ultimate goal is to live nine cycles which would see me at 108 years old, and better yet, to ensure that my kin and offspring live to see me that, and they themselves can make that too and longer. Okay, better get back to my son and family as my time in Phuket this round is shortening.

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