16 Nov 2003

OK - so it's way too hard for me to even come close to documenting my trip at this point. I'm going to try to keep up on it on my laptop and then get the juiciest bits on-line for now. I'm working on an idea for a big interleaved biography/fiction that I'll maybe never get up and running on the web. But I might.

So, Bangkok. Met some more cool people there. Danced with some wonderful Thai girls and their male friends thought I was probably evil. I was trying not to be, and think I at least partly succeeded. Hung out afterwards and made what I'd say was my first Real Local Connection.

Then, met the editors of Farang Magazine. Interesting sort of British ex-pats cum publishers. They seem to know how to barter their cache for parties, free airline tickets and the like. So, while they're making Thai pay, they manage to do alright. Anyway, they put me to work selling magazines.

Many of you may be familiar with my previous sales experience. I am just not very good at it. I lack some crucial component. I think you could call it a lack of "desire to sell".

So, I sold 3 over the course of about 8 hours maybe - earning a whopping 90 Baht (approx USD 2.25). And a free t-shirt. And, I tried to sell the magazine to a number of lovely people, some of whom ended up becoming friends. For example, Franziska, a new friend from Berlin and a true East German. We immediately hit it off, because I was trying a fast-paced self-depricating sales pitch which she only marginally understood. Then we decided to go dancing later that night at Bangkok's poshest club.

After looking around for about 2 hours and not finding anything but a 7-11 in our immediate vicinity, we stopped at a 7-11 and had a light dinner.

Then on another night I lost 100 Baht to a pool shark in a bar. But I had gotten a free coctail there, so it balanced out.

So now Franziska and I worked our way to Koh Samui, where we met up with Eric from the Netherlands. We are staying directly on the beach in grass-roof bungalows, again for 100 Baht/night. Koh Samui used to be paradise, apparently, but it is now a kind of american beach resort/hell analogue. But at least tonight we party. It is the half-moon party on Chaweng Beach. Every phase of the moon apparently has a party here on the southern islands. The Thai even use a lunar calendar - despite intense pressure from the outside world.

One has to admire that kind of dedication to tradition.