Nice Place 2

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'Twas a refreshing nights sleep on the overnight train with crisp white sheets and a clean sellophane wrapped blanket...Outside the landscape had transformed into a jungle green.

A guy comes by and converts my bed back to a seat...while I inquire from the Dutch couple next to me on the quality of the breakfast..."I ordered eggs and got a ham sandwich", he says, "she ordered bacon and eggs and got a ham sandwich" he added. "Whatever you order you just get the sandwich", the girl adds. To avoid complication, I order the sandwich.

A smiling lady returns with a sandwich and sickly sweet syrupy orange. The whole thing is bloody awful.....including the cold coffee that comes with a milk substitute (sugar and palm oil mix). Avoid Chiang Mai train breakfasts!

A Sawng thaew driver holds a large sign with my name on it at the station and prompty whisks me to Nice Place 2. The rooms are 4USD a night, plain but have the essentials plus there is a swimming pool which I immediately enjoy. We have a meeting at 5 for the hill tribe trek

The Cast of Characters:

"Crazy" also known by the alias "Chen" our guide and master, is a short dark faced smiling man who enjoys whiskey and making love to a lady assistant behind the thin bamboo walls while the rest of us, in the adjacent room, sip beer quietly and pretend to ignore it.

"Bekham" - Another Assistant, like Chen loves Whiskey, his favourite catch phrase "Oh My Buddha!"

X - a young kid who claims he is 20, apparently takes opium and drinks whiskey, actual age somewhere between 12 and 14.

Martin (a well travelled, great humoured Swiss 18 year old recently in Nepal and India)
Shill (a married French man who is, by agreement, on a holiday from his wife)
Jane (an empathetic English girl who has mapped her next 6 years of life to include residence in a variety of countries and avoid paying debts run up in her name at home. Dislikes Bekham)
Ehshai (American/Dutch reformed heavy metal fan, bible burner and aspiring doctor) He's married to Eleanor
Eleanor (a nice Israeli girl who is less than enthusiastic about Eshai's treking plan - great to add a comical bit of conflict on the trek)
Iris (Rather introverted Austrian who he doesn't respond much to my conversation - now I understand why you want to work with deaf people)
Brigid (Slightly over serious but generally well-intentioned Austrian doctor, is friend of Iris)
Dirk (A decent and quiet former Dutch part time policeman, now civil servant, loves to video everything)
Cynthia (The affable wife of Dirk - has a finger puppet for every child on the planet.)


In the evening Martin, Chrill and I see the night market and eat bannana splits in a Chaing Mai cafe....our final pig out before the austerties of treking...

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