The Whipping Post

“Sometimes I feel,

Sometimes I feel,

Like I’ve been tied to the Whipping Post,

Tied to the Whipping Post,

Tied to the Whipping Post,

Good Lord I feel like I’m dying.” 

The Allman Brothers Band.  Southern Blues-Rock at its best.  Yeah, right now at this moment it feels every bit as much down-and-out suffering Blues as that, and the Allman Brothers manage to identify this existential predicament spot on.  I’m in physical pain, and these Blues help. 

My count-down to my travel to North America is only a couple of days away, and I’ve been struggling to tie up loose ends. I ventured out to Bangkok to get Tuk some necessary items and also to get myself some stuff – like these Noise Cancellation (NC) earphones, which are phenomenal when reproducing music!. 

In this hellish hot plus-100*F heat (without the unspeakable humidity even factored in), I ventured out, primarily for Tuk but secondarily for my Music.  The excellent music reproduction of the NC headset surprised my highest expectations.  I’m hearing details of the music that I had missed for several decades.  This is rich musical experience. 

I took the express boat home.  It was crowded and I only found a seat (on the starboard, i.e., East, side out of the afternoon sun) right up front beside the pilot.  He was a master who took his responsibilities seriously.  I watched in awe as he carefully nudged his craft into the river channel, which is only about 70-80 meters wide and full of crazy boat traffic.  He continually looked all around, to the left and right and behind, to chart a safe course.  I was impressed. 

I was in great physical pain.  I had a heavy backpack full of shopping stuff, and even the simple travel into the city heaps pain upon pain.  I had the foresight to buy a small quantity of booze as pain-killer, and I took a double-shot before heading for the river boat. 

Once cruising northward – homebound – I plugged in the new NC earphones and sampled from my collection of music.  The Allman Brothers Blues Band looked appealing, and I played it over and over.  Although I was northbound, I appreciated their song “Southbound”, “coming home to you.”  Their song “Blue Sky” is another song about heading home. 

But the physical pain I experienced, even tempered a bit by the booze, made “The Whipping Post” the most relevant song of all.  Again, the music quality was extraordinary. 

My boat pilot assumed that I was a tourist farang, and when we stopped at the boat pier for Kao San Road area he pointed it out to me in case I would miss my stop.  I replied in some of the only Thai I know that I would disembark at a pier further up the river.  When that pier finally approached, I thanked him and gave him my smartest military salute, which he returned.  We grinned and parted as friends. 

It’s a lovely country, if only it wasn’t so goddamned hot! 

Gotta stop now.  I’m still refining my packing for the trip to the States.  Lightweight, lean, and fast. 

-Zenwind.

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