Living On The Ninth

Living on the Ninth Floor

I chose this particular condo for the fantastic view of the mountains.  Our 10 sq. ft. balcony proffers a view through a floor to ceiling and a wall to wall sliding glass door.  The morning vista of this sunlit mountainside with Doi Suthep Temple as its crown is spectacular. No other structures mar this mountainside because all mountains in Thailand are owned by the government.  On a few occasions, the government will allow small villages to exist where hillside people can live on the land.  These people cannot own the land but add a colorful display to these remote slopes.



As time went by, I began using the balcony more and more. First I make a kitchen out of it, which keeps all the smells of cooking outside.  It's also a wonderful place to work.  We now have a microwave, a toaster oven, a one burner stove, our pots and pans, a round kitchen table, and on the wall a rack for hanging our utensils. The patio also serves as a place to dry our laundry.



We chill out on the balcony quite a bit.  Dao is out there right now studying her English, while I'm inside working on the computer.  A screen door outside of the sliding-glass-door allows a strong, cross breeze to clear out any hot, stale air from inside the room. It's hard to believe that we are among few people that use the balcony.  There are over 300 rooms in this building.  A look sideways, or up and down, along the many rows of balconies, confirms we are the only ones in view using the patio. We are also blessed by having quiet neighbors on either side.

The benefits of this outdoor oasis keep expanding.  We noticed that birds love to fly at this 9th story level.  They fly above the trees of our five acre Green Zone at the bottom of our condominium.  Butterflies also appear to like this elevation and don't want to go much higher.  Daily, we watch the squirrels that live in the trees. Two geckos have taken up residence on the ceiling of our balcony in the evening, and keep all the flying insects at bay.  Flies and mosquitoes are not frequent visitors because I think it's a little too high for them. The Myna bird is our alarm-clock. At 5:30 am., their loud shrill squawking never fails to awaken us.



A huge sign advertising one of the local international schools seen from our balcony proclaims: "Our Brain's Favorite Way of Learning Is Play."