Meth: a Ticking Timebomb Gone Viral

Time Flies

Tomorrow marks five months since I arrived at Patong, Phuket Island in Thailand. I stayed in Patong for a month before relocating to Hua Hin, which is on the west coast of the Gulf of Thailand, three hours south of the capital, Bangkok. I like Hua Hin, but there is so much more of Thailand I want to see.

There are several ways to achieve this. I could make Hua Hin my home base and explore by motorbike or train. Another way is to sign six-month leases in numerous places until I find my niche. That was in the back of my mind when I moved into my current location, and in the next few weeks, I'm going to have to decide my next move.

Today, I called Anna, the real estate lady who manages this rental property, to ask if she had spoken to the owner about extending the lease. She had not, but did mention the possibility of my rent going up. This is standard practice at the end of any lease to attempt to squeeze more cash out of the tenant. I called her bluff, telling her what I thought about that. I figure I've got nothing to lose. The place next door was empty for six weeks and two doors up is currently empty and has been for a month. When I balked at the threat of a price hike, Anna told me about another property nearby that is up for rent. It's more expensive (surprise surprise) but is a stand-alone villa with a private pool. I'll wait until I hear from Anna about this place before making any decisions.

After speaking to Anna, I searched the web looking for rental properties further south towards Koh Samui and found loads of suitable places. I'm not sure if I want to live on Koh Samui island itself (although I will remain open-minded). Staying on the mainland might be a better option. There are hundreds of quaint little hamlets and bays, stretching as far as the eye can see, along that part of the coast. Ideally, I would love to wake up and walk out of a set of French doors, coffee in hand, onto my rear deck and only steps away from the beach (picture soft white sand, coconut palms and tall glasses with umbrella stirrers...Gillian's Island-esque.

If I had the attention span and creativity of a novelist, instead of a flee, I would write a best-seller listening to the ocean and birds calling in the wind. Upon reflection, cancel that idea. Knowing I would have to sell my soul (and all rights) to a book house...or self-publish, would kinda ruin fantasy island life for me. So, my reward for cancelling the long write...Tequila Sunrise, anyone?

I hate moving. No, I despise it. But, what I hate more is living next door to chain smokers who the more they drink, the louder they become. It's such a shame that most nights I have to miss the prevailing sea breeze that blows second-hand cigarette smoke into my lounge room. I sound like a reformist hypocrite, but having to close my rear glass doors to avoid the smell of smoke is not cool. I like living here, and it would be just my luck that if I did move, they would too.

Hopefully, the picture I paint doesn't look too bad. For one thing, my neighbours are not in residence tonight, and as I write this post, I'm playing music a lot louder than I otherwise would if they were home. My problems are not problems at all but merely challenges I look forward to solving.

The hallucinations continue. There's been no change to the intensity or the issues they cause. I've had to accept them as being a normal part of life. Of course, it would be great if they went away, but the reality is they might be with me long term. The upside is they cause me no physical harm, and I've found a healthy balance when it comes to how much attention I pay them. There are times when they cannot be ignored, but since I started meditating, I've noticed a significant reduction in their negative and persecutory attitudes. And there are some advantages to having a live-in demon...I'm never alone, and for the most part (Angel is nocturnal and definitely NOT a morning person) I always have someone to talk to (as crazy as that sounds). And the phenomenon of asking for any niggling pains to be taken care of is 100% a constant. I see it as making the most of a bad situation...nothing more and nothing less.