Phitsanulok, Monday

1405 They even gave me a free bottle of chilled water when I checked in, which was a nice touch.

1532 Just had two pieces of chicken (I picked 'spicy', though I am not sure how much difference it made), a microscopic portion of fries and a non-diet Pepsi at KFC in Topland Plaza. Bite me. I couldn't find anywhere else to eat; most places seem shut or I don't see them and one place I did try they didn't speak English (the nerve!). THB89 IIRC. Would have had three pieces of chicken but I had to order from a pre-printed menu card due to language issues, and oddly they had 2 chicken+fries+drink but 3 chicken+no fries+drink. No matter. Wat Mahathat is just round the corner so will go over there now.

2056 Went to Wat Mahathat and briefly to nearby Wat Rsomething, though didn't seem to be able to go in and see the murals. As I was leaving a stray dog came running at me and barking, fortunately it didn't seem to have serious bad intentions and a nearby monk called it. Did give me bit of a shake up though.

Been slobbing round hotel room until now, which is cool I guess. Going out now to see if can find food and just possibly a drink but if nowhere tempting comes up will probably seize opportunity to make this second alcohol free day in a row. It is Monday night so might suspect things will be a little dead; I don't know if this town is touristy enough to be a bit indifferent to the day of the week.

2137 This worked out better than expected. At a restaurant on the river, having bottle of Leo (which is 5%, ie not weaker than Singha) and have ordered fried pork with green vegetables and rice. Tempted by other items on menu but feel I should make effort to get some fruit/vegetables.

Wandered, a few people gathered round clock tower watching some guy give a speech on a large TV screen. Not sure if it was political and not too intimidating but didn't hang around either. Saw a few market type stalls but nothing I could obviously point at. Walked down through night bazaar (clothes, mostly) and stumbled on this place which had a menu in English with photos outside, so lurked around and managed to make eye contact. *No* bars listened in either my Rough Guide or on Wikitravel, and I didn't see any, though clearly this counts. May well have another beer or two after food, which is here now.

2154 Lights went out for most of the time I was eating, back now and was OK as enough light from further along. I am sat outside, right on the river bank. Lights just gone again. Can hear crickets but only when lights on?! In a way it's better with the lights off as this place has its own music and so does the place on the opposite bank (and/or the next place down) so it's a bit of a discordant row.

Was overjoyed to see a Western couple walking through the night bazaar earlier. Guide book says this is not really a tourist oriented town, I can believe it. It feels OK and now I have at least this place as an alternative to living off snacks from the grocery shop I feel a bit happier. (I really do - in general, not just here - need to find somewhere I can buy some unpeeled fruit. 7-Eleven and similar type shops evidently don't do fruit. There is actually a Tesco here in that plaza, maybe I could go there.) If I feel up to doing Spanish homework tonight might book a lesson tomorrow morning, otherwise maybe day after. Will do the museum tomorrow, and just maybe day after will see if I can do a day trip to Sukothai. I do need to get something booked for Chiang Mai during that festival before it's too late, and then formulate an approximate itinerary which lets me see stuff en route to there in a sensible way. It's less acceptable just to putter my way towards Chiang Mai now I need to be there on a certain relatively late date; left to my naive puttering I'd probably get there about a week too early.

Leo is fine, though the bottle is not super-chilled.

The food was OK, though the pork was a bit fatty and chewy - I don't know if it's meant to be like that or it just reflects on this place. Perhaps in a way it was a good job I ate most of it in the dark. ;-)

Wondering if I should order some fried squid with black pepper. Maybe that would be a bit lardy. Also maybe a risk, but I am trying to worry a bit less about that (and to be fair it's mainly been ice and street fruit I've been worrying about). Also is it too late? Though some people just sat down behind me and also there are two other tables full, one with about ten people on.

Cockroach just scuttled across middle of terrace.

No, I'm not actually hungry so I think I will be strong and resist the squid. Hmm, as soon as I write that it seems to call to me. No, no, I will get another beer and possibly but not necessarily a third and try to just chill out a bit. This evidently isn't the most exciting spot in Thailand but it seems perfectly pleasant - I am a sucker for things like sitting by the river at night with a beer - and should be nicely relaxing for a few nights.

They have a 'Clean Food Good Taste' sign up, first time I've noticed it anywhere. Guide book says this is a government scheme which you can look for if you're particularly worried about food hygiene.

At the prices here (or in Lopburi) you do (as I did with the hotel in Delhi) start to think that you could retire here very young. I suspect you'd be dead of boredom before too long though; at least in Delhi if you weren't too strapped for cash there'd be a lot of stimulation. I suppose you could learn Thai and get to know people, but still, not exactly my ideal retirement fantasy. Living in a small-ish Thai town would presumably be just as dull as living in a small-ish English town, even if you learnt the language. (I also gloss over visa issues, though I gather at least here there is such a thing as a retirement visa, and for all I know it wouldn't be too hard to gain permanent right of residence, especially if you didn't need permission to work. Having to visit an adjacent country every 15 days or whatever would make things rather more expensive.)

Wondering if I am going to be able to attract attention to get another beer (or to pay the bill, for that matter).

2225 Just got another, waitress was I think going to bring bill over when I caught her eye but I waved beer bottle. I don't think this is a problem.

I suppose were I to risk 'retiring' far from friends and family Latin America would be my first choice. But while cheaper than the UK, I don't think it's anything like as cheap as this. Well, unless you went to some small town in the middle of Bolivia or something, perhaps. I suppose if you bought or rented property like a local it would always be cheaper than tourist-esque accommodation, but the point is that here the tourist accommodation is cheap enough you could conceptually afford to retire into it. I suppose in reality you'd have a nicer lifestyle renting/buying properly anyway - I know I wouldn't care to live in even a half-decent hotel in London full-time, even if it didn't cost more than what I pay in rent, and I guess that would apply anywhere in the world. (I suppose you could live a peripatetic retirement, meandering around the cheap touristy accomodation parts of the world, but for me at least I think the perpetual lack of a place to call 'home' with my own stuff would grind me down.)

2250 Next place along is playing some sort of music but it just might be live; I think not in hindsight, though the bloke+guitar style is plain enough it could be, it is a bit too produced. He is probably singing in Thai but it's just enough blurred by distance is hard to be sure. Slightly tempted to wander over but think I will resist, especially since it's probably not live, and also since they might close soon anyway, and for that matter might not speak English. Maybe tomorrow or Wednesday will investigate.

Got bill. 250, which isn't bad for two beers (80 each) and food. Made it 280 and waitress was a bit overly incredulous/grateful when said excess was tip. Hope I didn't accidentally pay with a 1000 note; no, insofar as I was sure what I had in my wallet I didn't. If I did I don't know it so I'm happy and they're happy, everyone wins.

2258 Just looked round to see what a noise was (waitress dragging some plastic chairs which vibrated oddly) and she was all 'take your time, we close at midnight' which was nice if a bit effusive. I wouldn't want to stay even if hadn't paid already, place is emptying, maybe six people talking at another table but that's the one which had ten on earlier. It is Monday night after all.

2321 Back at hostel. Maybe it's the sweet brown liquor, but the not really deserted but closing down sort of streets (not much traffic) and the warm but not too hot night and so forth on the walk back were really nice.

0140 Listened to a bit of music, surfed a little, did most of Spanish homework. Not done Chiang Mai hostel booking yet, must get that done tomorrow. Still, not a bad night all in, bed now.