Why today was so great.

So many reasons. Mostly, I had a nice, free day in a city with things to do, and so I felt very independent and satisfied just to explore Mae Hong Son like I had not got to before. Last night, there was a wee 'party', since I was leaving, which was sweet of all involved. We ate spicy bits of veg, and I stayed away from the soup made with pig heart and what I think was intestine.. I wasn't feeling that adventurous, and there was karaoke set up, which after enough Leo & Spy (this really awful wine cooler that basically tastes like old slightly fizzy grape juice) I sang a few songs that had english words, but I hadn't ever heard before. As usual, I crapped out first and went to bed as everyone else was still singing and chatting- my stamina has severly gone down with the early mornings. Today, I hitched a ride into town with some teachers, and as we were just at the police check point we saw the director, with his city truck pulled over and someone changing the tire, and long scraps all down teh drivers side, and a spiderweb on the windshield.. as far as I could tell, he got in an accident with a motorcylce, and I'm glad I wasn't riding with him. that's for sure. They dropped me off at friend house, where I"ll stay the weekend if all goes well, but they only had one room with an inside bathroom and two mattresses on the floor.. I don't think it will be too much more expensive, but she said she'd change my room tomorrow if something opened up, so that's nice. I then walked to one of these new coffe latte places, and had a lovely iced carmel latte, delectable cinnamon raisin bagel with slightly sketchy but still awesome cream cheese, and a banana yogurt smoothie with some granola, while I borrowed a book from the shelf and read the whole thing while I sat and ate for a few hours. Heavenly. I also got a postcard, filled it out, but haven't found the post office yet. I went back to friendhouse, roundabout ways, took a quick shower to cool off, since it was already getting muggy, and the air is still so smoky and heavy, and walked toward the lake & park that was much closer then I thought. I negotiated with an older karin woman, who was so nice it was hard to be very persistant, especially since I wanted these things quite a lot, so I paid 440 baht (which is only about 13 dollars, I think) for a beautiful handwoven with some beading karin top and a karin bag, which will be incredibly useful and I really wanted one to bring home since everyone here has them. I got a few lovely pendents from the woman next to her, and then decided I would have to go get some money out of the bank- for the first time! I think I've been doing quite well with my expenditures so far. When my card didn't work at the atm, I got pretty panicky. Shit, I only have 300 baht left, and I need to pay for the room still, and how else do I get money, and why isnt' it working... eventually, I got my courage up, after pacing the block, and actually went inside the back, where the security guard directed me toward an english speaking clerk (I may have cut inline, which I feel bad for) and she ran my card and it was perfectly fine. So, perhaps that's just what I have to do, for whatever reason. I withdrew 3000, which seems like plenty to get me to bangkok in a few weeks, and realized thats only 90-100 dollars.. I love Thailand, honestly. So great. I went to the market, that I'd been to before, just to enjoy being there, and picked up some grapes and pineapple, along with this yellowing sticky sweet kinda of like a a rice cracker bar but not snack that I like, and continued walked around. I made it to the hospital, adn some type of apartment or dorm buildings, and then turned around to head back into the main part of the city to get my laptop and find some internet, so that I could get astra's phone number and give her a call- i forgot to write it down yesterday. On my way, I stopped at a thai massage place, and though, for 150 baht? why not. Then, they weren't doing full body massage, since they don't have air conditioning upstairs, but instead i got a great foot and leg followed by back and neck for the equivelent of 6 bucks, over an hour of delectable luxury. its a little less soothing, and more intense, with pressure put on different points and held until it's almost painful adn the release is delicious. Next door, I browed a t shirt shop, but no one was there so I left, but as I did the man came back, adn talked to me, so I went back in. it was all screen printed, really neat designs that he and some partners make themselves, and I think they have maybe a few places that they sell them, perhaps one in Pai, so I found one that might fit andrew, the smallest, and got a few other for boys who are too big to wear traditional thai clothing. (Everyone at school was like, you're so tall, and then I'd be like, right, my little brother? he is here. and wave my hand above my head real high and they gasp. incredible.) So, overall, I'm very pleased with my purchases, and every time I buy something to bring home I get SUPER excited because I'll get to talk about it and where it came from and everything has some bit of story behind it, which is nice I think. I'm going to have to creatively pack, for sure, and probably through out a bit of stuff here and there, but overall, an really nice laid back and independent day. I think that now, since I've finished my chocolate shake (yum!) at this mae hong son version of hip coffee & bar, with mellow acoustic music and decorating that mostly reminds me of 'asian themed' than actually asian, I'll go back to friend house and drop off the back pack, call astra, and then go find that lovely place I went with emmett for dinner and to swap drums of autumn in for another book (sorry, bonnie, but I've read it twice already, can't resist a swap if I can! )