24th December
Christmas Eve on the road, what a treat. The party started by a junction in the Thai countryside. He's parked up in his own back yard so he can play it loud - Thai rap?
I Stopped and This is What I Saw
What is this music? Thai rap, bit of trance, not conventional and full of attitude. Young music screaming through his fence.
The Halfway Point
Depends doesn't it. For me maybe from the Plain of Jars and southwards across Lao. From one of the largest megalithicĀ archaeological landscapes in the whole of Asia, it consists of thousands of stone jars scattered around the upland valleys and the lower foothills of the central plain of the Xiangkhoang Plateau I will soon start my journey home from the most far flung cultural asset I will have ever seen.
So I'll mooch around on Christmas Day, hang around my new base, go for a coffee if I can, settle down for Xmas. It's very quiet. No trucks, I'm fine with that, no cars but out here there is no noise. For small periods of time I am floating in noiselessness. A whole sensation on which I relay heavily becomes suddenly lightweight. Seriously silent. Absolute silence just then was a meditation, slowly appreciating that the only noise is when a slow car passes by and you can single out the tyres sloshing as it touches the tarmac.
Map of the Day
The music echoes my feeling of being in Thailand. I don't understand anything about the culture, it's almost impenetrable short term quickly passing each other except for the barest of a glimpse, but I'm warming fast.
That's terrible music coming out of that house! So it will most likely catch on and be the xmas number 1....in that street!
š„āļø ....a croissant and a flat white to keep you going Nick....
Merry Christmas for you Nick, and above all the strength, courage and your unshakeable stamina for the rest of the journey and the distance that still lies ahead of you Harald, Germany
Great blogs merry Christmas stay safe lots of everything meet up soon
Have a great Christmas!!
Happy Christmas Nick