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Messages - ffleate

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1
Creative Writing / Re: Creative Writing
« on: August 17, 2018, 06:16:29 PM »
                                                     
                                                        A Letter From Thailand



Thaton, Thailand                       
                                                                                                                                                                    January 23rd                                                                         
My Dear Sister,

We had a long bike ride yesterday, and a slow lazy day today; we thought we'd take a walk up to a temple that we can see from our hotel balcony across the river. But after we crossed the bridge and walked up a little hill, we found ourselves there in ten minutes, so it wasn't quite the arduous hike we had imagined.

 However it had started to warm up a bit, so we thought that we'd better return to our hotel, and relax with some drinks, and build up our strength for tomorrow, when we might go somewhere else... that is, not another walk, but go to another town, one on the Mekong River, called Chiang Saen. It's in the so-called Golden Triangle.

 I was in that area about a hundred thousand years ago, but don't remember the village of Chiang Saen. We were doing a long trek in the hills.  We slept on the porches of bamboo huts, and washed in streams I guess, and ate rice from a pot over a fire. We were with four English women-- three school teachers and a nurse-- and they all sang together, wonderful harmonies.  We sat night after night around the fire, and our four English songbirds sang one song after another,  entrancing the Hill Tribe people.

On the final night of our trek,  they were too tired to sing. I think that disappointed the local people of the night's camp; our guide and porter had been advertising them, I guess.  But the four ladies declined, and hit their sleeping bags early. So I stepped up to the plate, and sang loudly and lustily –solo-- for a couple of hours, my voice echoing across the valley and through the mountains, and then eventually a neighbouring Hill Tribe showed up carrying some kind of torches, and what looked like pitchforks, and some firearms, and boy were they scary looking. I assumed of course that it had something to do with the opium trade, or enemies had invaded from Laos--and they had come to warn us. Indeed, it must have been the case, for they made us gather our things and run for our lives down the hills towards Chiang Rai which we did in great haste and thank god it was a full moon, because otherwise I don't know how we would have escaped in time.

oops, I must end here as we are going to dinner soon.

love,
me

2
Meander Where You May / Re: Meander Where You May
« on: August 17, 2018, 05:25:09 PM »
Ah, well.   Good to see at least one familiar name here.   It's been years since the Olden Days,  before the mass migration.

I invited someone to meet me here for coffee, hence the photo.

3
Creative Writing / Re: Creative Writing
« on: August 17, 2018, 04:36:12 PM »
I just figured it out.  Attachments and other options below, right in front of my eyes!!

4
Meander Where You May / Re: Meander Where You May
« on: August 17, 2018, 04:34:02 PM »
latte?

5
Creative Writing / Re: Creative Writing
« on: August 17, 2018, 04:22:07 PM »
How did you insert those photos?  When I attempt to insert a photo, this: ]img[ ]/img[   appears (I had to reverse the brackets posting here, otherwise it vanishes in finished post).  I can't see an option to pick/upload a file.  I tried direct copy and paste, but nothing happens. 

6
Meander Where You May / Re: Meander Where You May
« on: August 17, 2018, 04:03:00 PM »
Why DID they shut down the old NYTs forums, anyway?

7
Meander Where You May / Re: Meander Where You May
« on: August 17, 2018, 03:37:55 PM »
 I saw a poll asking about reducing the number of threads/forums here on Escape From Elba.    If the number is reduced, here's hoping that Meander Where You May stays intact.  It's early days after the big reboot, and I'm hoping some of the old NYTs, along with newbies, will start to repopulate this forum.   I'm missing meandering. 

8
Television / Re: Television
« on: August 08, 2018, 09:39:24 PM »

 Babylon Berlin now available on Netflix.  German production, era Berlin 1929, fraught times, intriguing complex plot,  good characters,  superb sets & cinematography.  Worth a look.  Subtitles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_Berlin



9
Music / Re: Music
« on: August 07, 2018, 08:20:03 PM »
Share your thoughts on the latest popular music artists.

It may not feature the latest popular music, but it's always good to know where the retro stuff is when you are feeling nostalgic (or hosting Jazz Age party)--  Cladrite Streaming Radio, featuring the best from the 1920s,'30s and '40s  :

https://cladriteradio.com/
 

10
Poetry / Re: Poetry
« on: August 07, 2018, 08:13:06 PM »
The Meat in the Middle of the 8 Billion Year Thick Sandwich
with a nice glass of Malbec


“The earth” he said “is 4 billion years old”.
We sat at a table for two, with a bottle of wine,
a nice little Malbec
each with a full glass in hand.

Four billion years had passed
(all that evolution and such)
to get to that very moment.
And four billion years more,
inevitably, will follow.

We are the meat (with red wine)
In the middle
of the 8 billion year thick sandwich.

Let’s toast to that


11
Creative Writing / Re: Creative Writing
« on: August 07, 2018, 08:08:08 PM »

( excuse a basic question, but is this an "add-a-paragraph-to-the-ongoing-story thread"?,

 or is the most intriguing opening posted above going to be continued by the original poster? )

12
Meander Where You May / Re: Meander Where You May
« on: August 07, 2018, 08:03:24 PM »

Well my goodness, what a shiny new site.  Haven't dropped by in years.  Redecorating? 

I will go and explore various corridors.  Good to see this place still exists. 

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