Pictures

don't seem to have loaded, and I don't seem to have started my story about the temple. I rented a different bike today after hoofing for 3 days so I could get to Kanokporn's (Former U of M student and current administrative officer at KKU) exhibition at the culture and arts museum, located about 4 or 5 miles away from my apartment, although both are on or near campus (this school is ridiculously massive). Kanokporn was part of a team that created the museum presentation about life along the mae nam khong (Mae Khong River is actually a redundant title), where alongside some beautiful photos on the wall, i learned that Ho Chi Minh grew up in Thailand and the Vietnamese cultural tradition of eating dog prepared in various forms had been adopted in the last half-century by the greater ethnic populations that find their livelihood along the famed river, home to the biggest freshwater fish in the world.

Unfortunately, learning these fun facts was not quite so easy. just as I was entering the parking lot, i wiped out, making Khon Kaen's famously red soil a little bit redder. I added a fresh gash to my right elbow while evening out the deeply creeping bruises that now will adorn both thighs and even out my gait.

This time, I wore a helmet, but my bike wasnt so lucky, although I hazard to guess that that is the story of its life. I ripped out the previously unresponsive handbrake as I fell and shattered the rearview mirror, making it only slightly more dangerous to drive. I'll trade it in tomorrow, knowing that all the bikes available have been similarly abused. As walking becomes a less and less appealing option, I am starting to wonder if there's somewhere to trade in my arms and legs.

Kanokporn has promised to score me some betel nut chew, an appealing product that I saw in the mouths of several toothless women when I was in Ban Phai. If red, corroded teeth would only come back into fashion, I'm pretty sure I could come up with some million-dollar marketing gimmicks.

I need to find a good ride or spend my whole time here in constant pain and/or the hospital. I think I'm going to get out of town for a little while and let Thailand's public transport decide my fate. Progress comes in tremendous spurts here so far.