Last Day..

I hate the last full day before I go somewhere. I think the anticipation of saying goodbye is almost as bad as the actual moment of parting. Then, of course, I walk through the airport door and find myself in the netherworld. I was thinking today about how much air travel has changed how we traverse the world. I think in some ways, it's almost more violent to the human system, the jet-lag immediate and brutal. There's no real time to transition from the place you leave to the place you want to reach. (Altho, hours in flight and in airports sometimes seem interminable!) I mean, back when people traveled by sea, there would be several months to slowly adjust to the new life. I think strange things when I'm about to leave.

Today was spent on all the last minute things; I went back to the hair salon and ended up chopping off about five inches, I think. It felt like a good time to do something drastic. And the best part is, hair grows back so it is not the end of the world. There were two older farang men there when we went, getting pedicures and massages. It was such a strange experience; on the one hand, we had a very interesting conversation with one of them about his views on the poltical situation, but on the other, he was really skeevy to the women doing his nails.

(Come to America, he told them. I'll get you a nice farang husband. Not a crazy one.
What if they don't want a farang husband? I wanted to ask. The whole situation made me feel squicky inside.)

We ate lunch at a restaurant that we used to go too LONG ago. The owner recognized me and wanted to know where I was and what I was doing and if I had any children and it was kind of funny. My mom complimented her on how the restaurant has expanded, and she replied that business has been slow recently, and it's hard, never knowing what might come next. Tourism does seem to be down from what I remember. It's sad.

Then I got to spend some time with one of my high school teachers. She was a veritable font of wisdom and suggestions for further research. Excellent. :)