Thursday morning. I’ve officially been in Thailand for a month. I am moving into my new place tomorrow for a second month. I still have no idea what I’m doing. It’s fine!

Last night was pretty crazy. I couldn’t handle the rooftop vibe so I decided to venture out in search of a story. This is how I ended up at a bar/vegan sushi restaurant/sex toy shop/dispensary. That was a fun experience.

Continued avoiding my rooftop all night. That guy may have the right to express his freedom of speech, but I have the right to ignore everything and anything he says. Like, yep, I heard you. I got it. You don’t need to keep spamming us with the same memes over and over. We get it. You hate us. Now I’m gonna leave so I can go hang out with people who are way more fun than you are. Bye Felicia!

Instead I returned to the dive bar where I found my Rare Pokémon. I discovered yet again that he was, indeed, a very rare Pokémon to find in these parts. I went in to get my grilled cheese and French fries, which is a nice break from pad Thai and fried rice every day. It was late, so it was basically the last drunks standing. And wouldn’t ya know it? One of them just had to come up to me for a chat.

He was so wasted, lol. He also looked like he had dried out in the sun, lol. He was American, specifically a New Yorker. He said he’s lived in Thailand for 30 years now, which is almost as old as I am. He used to drive truck in the U.S. but hated it there and left. I asked him what his craziest life experience was and you wouldn’t even believe the shit that he said next:

“You’ll never believe it, but I once lived in South Dakota! Land of the Great Lakota Nation! Have you ever heard of South Dakota?”

My face melted right off. Just fine. I was like this 😱😱😱😱😱 for about 45 seconds. I just couldn’t even believe it! Insanity.

Oh do I ever know about South Dakota…

He names off the following locations: Vermillion, Yankton, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Pine Ridge, Wounded Knee, Huron, Redfield, and Pierre. I asked him if what he remembered about Chamberlain and he said, “Isn’t that place full of snakes?”

😅😂🤣

Why yes. Yes it is.

He remembered Wounded Knee in the 70’s very clearly for someone who was fall down drunk. I showed him some pictures I took there of sunsets, storms, and skies. The look on his face was like… like a light went on and he was just staring in awe. Like he was suddenly back there again, as if he had never left. He said he felt a chill go through him when I showed him the photos from winter time. He said he will never, ever forget that horrible, bone-chilling cold.

Wild.

So that definitely takes the cake for most insane story in Thailand so far. What a small world. I feel like I will never truly escape from 1880 Town. I’m tied to these train tracks forever.

Otherwise, not loving the bar scene in Thailand so far. It was fun to go to the night clubs with the other expats, but going out alone is questionable at best. It’s not that I personally feel unsafe. It’s just that the scene is mostly old white guys and young Thai women. Not really my general vibe. I’d rather just be at home watching Netflix in my pajamas and eating takeout.

I’m looking forward to moving into my new place tomorrow. I asked around my usual spots in this neighborhood and they said my new neighborhood is very quiet. It has everything I need (7/11, groceries, coffee, restaurants, food stands, etc) and it’s close to the metro. The decor is so cool and creative. I was drawn to it immediately.

Aside from being quiet, the neighborhood is mostly Thai. Not so many expats. I haven’t met as many here outside of the haunted tower, so it’s fine. It will give me a reason to leave and go out exploring. The loft is almost too comfortable. It’s like I’m always looking at Bangkok, but I’m never experiencing it. Looking forward to that change.

I’m going to go over to my new neighborhood today and explore a little bit. Get to know it, see how I like it. Quiet and peaceful sounds very appealing to me, actually. Right now I am on a busy road and it’s quite overwhelming sometimes.

Job hunting is progressing, but my first priority is moving. Once I’m settled into the new place, I can get serious.

Otherwise, I’ve made accounts on some job boards and started saving job listings. Still have to put together my resume, again, because I can’t just upload the one I already have, which is annoying. I hate typing it out over and over and over again. We should have evolved past this by now. The world is so upside down.

I’m trying to just be chill about it. No worries. Just vibes. The less I worry, the better off I’ll be.

I do feel good about my decision not to go to India. It just doesn’t feel like a good time. Hopefully I can return someday. For now, I’m pretty content here in Thailand.

Okay, time to go now. Looking forward to exploring my new neighborhood today! I hope I find a cute little park to do yoga in. 🙂

Ta ta!