Can't believe I've been gone a month already.... don't know why - maybe because I've been traveling like a traveler, not a tourist, which would be a good thing - but it doesn't seem like it's been that long.

What Do I Do During the Day?
Well...whatever.  And a whole lot of nothing... I did kick it in a hammock a few days... Wasted a day getting wasted with some expats. Sat in a restaurant talking to someone so long we had breakfast, lunch & dinner there! And I've got loads of mosquito bites from evenings spent chatting with other travelers on hotel porches. But mostly I walk. And get lost. And try to escape the tourists for awhile & actually talk to some Thais. Today, to write this, I sat in the most beautiful park with orchids, koi ponds & water fountains...& ok, I admit, I did feel a bit closer to the old men who sit in central park & feed the birds all day.

• Laundry!
  This takes a lot more time than you'd imagine. And effort. In my old life, I used to do some laundry by hand... but, as I've now discovered, if you get dirty, & dare I say, maybe even smelly, then hand washing gets taken to a whole new level. In fact, I'd almost describe it as an exercise program.
• Photos.
  Taking them off my camera, choosing which ones to delete & fixing the keepers on my computer, then uploading them to the web. Oh, & I keep forgetting to recharge the camera battery....
• Researching my next stop.
  I have really mixed emotions on this one... it's been both a chore & an exhilarating process of eliminating endless possibilities. Movin' on is the most stressful part of travel... Will rooms be available? Are many hotels in my budget? Where is the bus stop in relation to hotels? Is the bus/train terminal known for having pickpockets or a taxi mafia (that will only drive you to their brother's hotel)? Am I gonna get there before dark? Etc.... So the more I know what to expect, the calmer I am.
  I left my last hotel with Yoki, a Japanese guy who speaks some Thai & headed the same direction. He watched out for me the entire trip, even staying with me while I looked at a few hotels. A total sweetie! Even carried my 70lb bag up 3 flights of stairs!! In retrospect, I'm amazed how relaxed I was during the trip... just getting off the bus to pee was better because I knew he wouldn't let it take off without me.
  
• Watching my budget.
  I've never been great spendthrift. But I'm really trying! So I'm recording every Baht (Dollar) I spend & trying to look at how to lower it little by little. And hearkening back to my former life, I even have a multicolored chart with averages & trend lines...

I would like to add posting to this website but as you can see, I haven't gotten into the swing of that yet...