Traffic and other Wildlife

It's kind of funny how a person can get used to the strangest things. I do alot of walking in this city which has been difficult to adapt to in itself. Many hours and kilometers on foot every day has probably saved my life in many ways and gives me a great deal of time to sort out the contents of my head. This morning I took my walk down to the market and truly had to stop and think about the trek that I make quite often here. Walking down to the main intersection is usually pretty uneventful, but getting across can be a chore. I did my usual casual bob and weave through eight lanes of traffic going every which way you can imagine. Taxis, tuk tuks, rickshaws, motorbikes, and buses all whizzing past me sometimes coming only inches from running over my toes, but it's the only way to get across. Even the wildlife gets in on the action. During any walk about town it's not uncommon to see wild dogs roaming the streets as well as cats and the occasional elephant. Lizards abound in this country and can be seen everywhere. My room is a regular haunt for the little yellow ones. I don't mind them, but there are the big green ones outside in the market that still creep me out a little. The biggest I've seen was about a foot long, and he just sat there on the table staring at me while I drank a cup of coffee. The guy who runs the little restaurant down the street went fishing yesterday by the river and came back with a cobra of all things. That certainly got my attention because I regularly stop for some shade under the same bridge he fishes off of.

After safely navigating the intersection and steering clear of a few dogs that were giving me the eye, the next major sight is the elementary school. Today all the boys were in the schoolyard. They all wear uniforms here, and you can tell about what grade they are in by the color and style of the uniform. They always see me coming and run up to the fence yelling "hello" in English and teasing me in Thai calling out "khwai khao" which means "white buffalo". I usually put my fingers up to my head like horns and they all laugh as I pass by.

Next up is the outdoor market which runs for miles along the sidewalks next to the river. There you can find just about anything you could possibly want or need. From a quick cheap meal to a new pair of socks, it's all there, and if you can speak a little Thai you can get most stuff for about half the sticker price.

Coming back meant running the traffic gauntlet again and a little time to relax before running my other errands before work, and it just hit me. I make this little trip a few times a week without even really thinking about how unusual it really is. It's definitely not where I pictured myself in the year 2010, but I'll take what I can get. Tonight I've been invited to dinner with one of my neighbors. I'm told that BBQ pork spare ribs are on the menu and done American style by a guy from Montana. It should be a rare treat, and I've been looking forward to it all day.