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Published: January 5th 2007
Many Buddhas
So many BuddhasYesterday I took the train to Chaing Mai. It is about 700 KM north of Bangkok. I really wanted to take the over night sleeper train but it was full so I decided the day train would still be fun. I've never been on a train before. Well it was slow, bumpy and after a while I was really ready to be done. It was 12 hours long.
The tuk tuk drivers weren't too bad at the station ... in Bangkok they are a little pushy when they try to get you to go to a guesthouse they get commission from. Here she just showed me a map ... I said I didn't want to stay in that area and she took me where I wanted to go.
The place I checked into last night was really noisy, so this morning I got up bright and early (well I had been up since 4) and found a place in the older part of town. There are city walls and a moat.
After that I thought it would be nice to rent a scooter to see the city, but there was an incident. When I started it, it sputtered
Trains in Thailand
These aren't your Japanese bullet trains. a bit. So I revved the engine and not really thinking put it into gear. On my bike I would just have had the clutch in and nothing would happen. I quickly realized there was no clutch and I was moving forward Before I could react I knocked over a sport bike they had for rent. It broke the clutch handle and somehow the lower fearing where I think the nut from my from wheel caught it. All I could think was this was a traveling expense I really didn't need. She was insistent on getting it fixed. Back home it would easily cost $500 for parts, labour, and probably paint. We went down to the dealer and it only cost $45 for everything. I was pretty happy to pay that. Not to mention she was really nice, taught me how to say a few things in Thai. With both my shin and my ego bruised I decided today wasn't the day for a scooter.
Immediately after saying good bye to her, I heard the familiar "Hey where you go" from a tuk tuk. I offered my standard "no thanks, I'm just going right there" to get away. He
Rice patties
Saw many rice paties, but not many green ones. I guess it's the wrong season. was a bit more persistent and offered to take both Katie and I all around the city for 30 baht (about $1). Normally I would have walked away right then thinking something was up ... but I guess I just wasn't thinking normally so I said yes. We got in and he took us around to all the main temples ... it was really good... though I've seen enough Buddhas for now. Then I saw it coming ... he started talking about going to shops. They also get gas coupons and commission from taking tourists to some stores. Mostly tailor and gem shops. This is why the tour was so cheap. We went to a gem shop, then silks, then trinkets, then umbrella ... before I said enough. It really wasn't bad. None of the sales people were that pushy and each place had a little exhibit on how things were made. He was also open about his kick backs when I asked.
It is 8 here and I'm just heading out to grab a bite to eat. Dave got sick, so him and Barry are still in Bangkok. I think I'm going to wander down to a place
King and Buddha
The king's picture is every where and all Thais seem to love him. that is supposed to have good middle eastern food. I'm starting to feel a little tired of Thai.
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