Getting Out and About.

I went motorbiking and hiking near the summit of Doi Suthep and Doi Pui on Sunday. I was all set to take some lovely photos of the mountain. Unfortunately I had failed to put the memory card back in my camera. How stupid is that. So many a potentially Pulitzer winning photo that could have been slipped forever from my grasp. I had better luck birding. I didn't see much near the summit, but on my way back down, at about the 1000 meter level I stopped to take a look around a small park/garden. I got really lucky and saw three types of birds I had never identified before, the Great Tit, the Golden Throated Barbet, and the Short-Billed Minivet. All in all a pretty exciting afternoon of birding.

Next week we have a week off of work. On Thursday three of my friends are planning to ride their bicycles to the top of Doi Inthanon. Doi Inthanon is the tallest mountain in Thailand at 2565 meters. They will be riding from about the base, at 350 meters. So over 40 kilometers or so they will rise over 2200 meters. Relatively few people have done this climb. They are not certain they will be able to do it, but they want to try. I am going along, although I won't be riding a bike. I will be on my motorbike. I will be carrying spare gear and will be providing backup in case anything goes wrong. I will also be taking advantage of the trip to bird on Doi Inthanon, which has many unique species, due to its height. Should be a good trip, at least for me. They are going to be exhausted, whether they reach the summit or not.

College Football

One of the things I have really missed from America is watching college football. It hever has been covered here in Thailand, unless you had an expensive satellite package, far beyond the reach of a poor but honest English teacher. But this year for the first time ESPN has started to include one or two college games each week in its lineup. That is really nice. I have seen some really good games too. One of the best was the Texas Tech - Houston game, a 28-29 game that was a nail biter all the way. Of course, not all of them were that good. I saw the Texas - UTEP game, a 64-7 shellacking. It was good to see The Longhorns, the team I have followed since I was a teenager. But I would have rather seen the Texas - Texas Tech game. Well, beggars can't be choosers, so I will take what I get. Many of the games ESPN has shown have been Big 12 Game of the Weeks, so I have seen many of the teams Texas will face this year. I just hope they carry the Texas - Oklahoma game.

I would like to thank all the little people who made this possible

My sister Bethany has honored me by bestowing a Kreativ Blogger Award on me. I don't know if I truly deserve the honor, being as I have been such a lackadaisical blogger lately, but, "Thank you."

I guess as a recipient of this honor I am supposed to come up with a list of seven favorite solo activities. Well, all my favorite activities are done alone, so this shouldn't be hard.

1. Riding my motorbike through the countryside of Thailand, looking at the rice paddies and small villages.

2. Reading, always my favorite activity.

3. Photographing stuff. Could be anything, I just kind of lose myself in the moment while I am taking pictures.

4. Surfing the internet. Of course best done alone, nothing worse than having a backseat driver while you are trying to read your favorite sites.

5. Birdwatching. This can be done with other people, and that is enjoyable to. But often it is best to just walk around in the woods, or on the beach alone, looking for birds.

6. Uh oh, running out of ideas here. Hmmm, I know, eating khao soi. It is impossible to eat this noodle curry soup without getting it all over yourself, so I never order it when I am eating with other people.

7. Swimming at night. I used to love swimming in the lake alone at night. Just yourself and the soft slap of water against the shore. It was great to roll over on my back and look up at the stars. No one with you while you contemplate the cosmos, the infinity of the heavens and your place in it. I don't do that anymore, since I don't have a lake to swim in, but I would love to do it again.

So those are my seven things. Now I am supposed to nominate for more winners of the Kreativ Blogger Award, but I am going to have to pass. I don't really follow any other blogs, besides my family. I am really not a very good blogger, since I don't read many other people's blogs.