been away for a while

HIYA!

I know I've been away for a while and yet I still am not going to give this entry much attention. Really, I could say lots of things but I won't.

I've only been two places since I last wrote and they're both very close together. I haven't walked much at all since I last wrote.

I stayed at an Asoke person's business for two days. The lady buys bananas for export to China and Taiwan. So I helped with the work for a day. She asked me to stay another day or two so I stayed one more day. She wanted me to stay another day or two but I really didn't feel very comfortable there I have other places to go. Learned some things about the banana business though.

One of the big side reasons for this trip is to learn about the food business. All aspects of it from farm and beyond, but mostly the farm part of it. Anyway, this was a good lesson.

Oh, somewhere along the way I stopped at a farm that grows a wonderful fruit called dragon fruit. I stopped to ask about whatever I could ask. I didn't ask too many questions but the lady who was washing her car when I got there ended up telling me lots. Very helpful and generous with her time and knowledge.

Stopped later that day at a small grape vineyard. That was a neat experience too.

I'm really glad that I've got the balls to stop at the people's homes and ask questions. Also, knowing Thai people as I do, I know them to be, for the most part, open and accepting. If they can communicate with a foreigner, many are thrilled to do it.

Well, I don't remember just when I stopped at these two farms but it was before the banana place.

Anyway, after leaving the banana place I walked about two hours to a small village where I expected to meet another Asoke person. Her name is Sunisa. I had a phone number but every time I called knowbody ever answered. So I just walked into the village asking if anyone knew of this lady. And I said that she grew fruit organically. I asked at the village leader's house but the lady there said "everybody uses (agricultural) chemicals (here in this village)". Then someone came along and said he knew who I was looking for. He agreed to take me but I insisted on walking and so he just gave me directions and then said he'd point out further directions when I got farther along. I met him again later and he pointed to a road for me to walk up. He said it was the third house on the right. About a half km walk up the road. Less than 10 minutes.

I arrived at the house and one of the family said, "Ah, you've finally arrived!" That was nice to hear. The monk at the Asoke community I'd stayed at several days before had called and told them I'd be coming. Actually, I met Sunisa's husband Jok several months ago at the Santi Asoke temple in BKK and he gave me an address and two phone numbers. I just haven't yet gotten around to putting the info into my little notebook of people and places I intend to go to!

I arrived right before noon and so had some food that the banana lady had given me and some food that these people gave me.

Sat and talked with the people for a little while with Sunisa and her husband Jok but Jok left shortly. Sunisa hasn't stopped talking since I got there. What a motor mouth she is. She's wonderful. Absolutely a gem, a real treasure of a person. But man o man I get tired of listening to her talk.

Actually, of course, what I get tired of is not listening to her talk. I get tired of the irritation that I feel when I resist her talking. This is deep. But, think about it for a moment. When we get tired of something, how could it be that we are tired of that person or that thing? If we just put up with the way things are, didn't resist what's happening, how could we ever get tired of anything? We'd just be observing what's happening all the time. And by never resisting anything, we'd never "get tired of anything" would we? For the most of us, this is theory, but there are, I believe, a few people in this world, who realize this in their everyday lives. For the rest of us, we either work on ourselves to let go of resisting things in life, and so thereby become more and more free with every "success", or go with the wind as it blows and we blow there with it. Emotional rollercoaster, you might call it.

I'll mention a couple of things about living in this house and then call it quits for today.

Thai houses can be incredibly messy. I mean incredibly. This one is a bit cleaner than most so I feel pretty comfortable physically. It would be nice to have some space though of my own. I've been living in their living room for a week or so now.

Sunisa is a model or giving. The things she has told me that she does regularly and has done in the past are an example to my. Zowie. She's amazing. Sometimes I admit, I get the feeling that she's bragging. But even if she is, the things she does for others is an example. She has not let me pay for anything except once. She took me to the hospital and paid for my medicine!

I got some cuts and scrapes on my feet and one of them got infected and then my leg got infected. So we went to the hospital and got some anti biotics. Should be fine in a few days.

Doctors and nurses say that eating durian is not a hindrance to their healing if I'm not diabetic, and I'm not. Traditionalists say that durian IS in fact a hindrance. After my episode yesterday with two big durians, I feel that the doctors and nurses have got it wrong. So now I'm going easy on the fresh "snack".

The parents are fruit farmers. The miseries that these and other farmers go through is abominable. Misery is abominable, I guess! Sunisa especially tells me of things that just should not happen in a society of human beings. The middle-men (and women) are theives. Bandits. Crooked to the bone.

I am now curious to know more about how things are for American farmers. I think it's much the same yet can't say for sure.

That's it.

Love, Troy.