Pounding Peppers

Da making a pepper and garlic dressing - delicious. The stoneware mortar and wood pestle cost me a grand total of fifty cents. Also showing off her blue contacts - she was so proud of those.

My condo

This was the day I was moving in - there was construction going on down the hallway hence the noise. Bare bones - as yet not containing the essentials. Lame attempt to demonstrate such things as light switches and the extractor fan. For better video quality go to my YouTube channel as detailed below.

Pictures

Pictures of my most recent trip to Thailand - the new condo and Da's visit are at http://picasaweb.google.com/dpgraves666

Videos

I continue to be unaware of how video quality can be improved on this blog - it seems to crop the videos.  For a much better video viewing go directly to YouTube and to my channel http://www.youtube.com/user/davidpgraves

Park Lane Jomtien pool

A video of the pool at my new condo in Jomtien Thailand- okay it goes on rather long but that is reflective of the fact that I could spend the rest of my life in the pool and be quite happy. You will notice the gym which is not yet in use - awaiting more equipment - and the restaurant/bar area which is similarly not yet in use - 2 of the 4 buildings are still in construction phases and all will be completed by end of 2010. My unit is on the top floor of one of the completed buildings but on the other side with city and beach view rather than pool view. Other video will show view from the condo.

"Home"

"If home is defined as "where the heart is" then no I am not home - if it is defined as "where most of your crap is stored" then here I am.

Trip highlights:

- getting the new condo into habitable shape - the site is still a construction site (buildings 3 and 4 are not complete) but it is looking to be really nice - better than I expected - the pool is fabulous and the management people seem to have great ideas for future progress.

- choosing top floor with outside view was an inspired choice - future developments along the road beneath my window will be small and will block the (infrequent) road sounds while not impacting the view

- Da getting stuck in the elevator/lift - couldnt admit it to her but it was rather amusing - of course had it been me it would not have been quite so funny

- Da's first flight PNH-BKK - she was very cute in her nervousness

- the Hippos at the Khao Kaew Zoo - those are some dudes with whom I can relate body-type wise

- driving - I love driving in Thailand - just such an adrenaline rush - traffic and pedestrians coming from you at all times from all angles yet it seems to work - a fabulous feeling of achievement aftrer every successful trip - probably akin to a jet fighter sortie from an aircraft carrier over enemy territory - well maybe that's overstating it - carrier pilots dont have to cope with dogs sleeping in random locations on the carrier deck

Another memorable trip - unfortunately now I need to find a job - but I will be looking in that general area of the world as well as more practical locations

Some videos and pictures to follow for anyone interested.

One Night in Bangkok....

...with a 7am flight to Taipei - boo hoo.

Chillin in Chomtien

If it is posisible to chill  in 95 degrees - notice how I cleverly chose an alternative romanization of the place name to improve the alliterative qualities - my god sounds like a critique of Vogon poetery - no prize for guessing what I am rereading.

Open zoo yesterday was fun - beach today.

Back to Seattle on Friday - boo hoo.

Need to exhaustively document the condo development in next few days so I can suficiently bore with pictures and videos upon returning.

SE Asia ramblings

I spent a few days sweating my ass off moving into the condo - moving is hell even when it just involves buying new stuff and moving it into the new place.  I put bedroom curtains up - that of course involved buying a screwdriver and a hand drill - I got all the kitchen requirements and a DVD player sorted out - bedding, towels etc etc.  What they failed to mention when I was told that it was ready for occupancy was that the 4th building is still under construction (which I knew) and that they were busy pouring the access roads (pouring isnt the right word - whatever you do with black-top) and as a result I had to park abouta half mile away (or so it seemed) and carry everything through an active building site - the workers dont wear helmets so why would they think I would care? - all this in an unusually high for early March 95 degrees - I sweated like never before - of course I also had to carry large botles of drinking water.  Thank goodness the elevators are working and due to my being on the top floor I never ever had to wait for an elevator - they rest one on the top floor and one on the bottom.  As far as I can figure out by taking a census of lighted windows at night there are currently about 5 other people actually in residence - although 500+ units are sold - I met a Norwegian and a Russian family- how 4 of them are living in a small single bed condo I dont know and I didnt ask.  I am now in Phnom Penh today we went to apply for Da's Thai visa which she will get tomorrow - we fly to Bangkok on Sunday and she will spend 2 weeks at the condo  -we will rent a car (we - who am I kidding?) and she already has my time well planned - pictures later when I get around to it.