Well, I found an apartment and visited Payap University today. This is where I will be spending the next bit of time studying Thai. Actually, it looks like a really nice little place. It is a small private Christian liberal arts school with a lot of greenery and waterways. The only major drawback is that the University is a few miles outside of the main town area and there is very little to do there at night and on the weekends. The apartment that I found is near the university, has air conditioning and its own bathroom, and even has air conditioning. Also, because the housing market is flooded here, especially in the summer, the rent is only about 85 dollars a month. I can’t complain about that.

After securing my apartment, I went back to my hotel in town where I will be staying for the next couple of days before I move into my new place. I then spent the afternoon and early evening walking around the old city looking at wats and eating food. I ate a bowl of meaty noodles with broth so thick it was actually opaque. I think tomorrow I might go to one of the many Thai massage parlors and see how that is. My friend Trude goes all the time and she

described it to me as feeling like doing yoga, only someone else does all the work for you. I guess we will see.