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Published: June 24th 2006
Okay, so I have been remiss in writing my blog. Time has a way of slippng away from you here. I'ts been over a week since I posted last and many stories.
My last days in Pai were pretty quiet. I went to take some photos to Chai, my raft guide and we decided to go to lunch. Then we rean into my friend James who I had met the week before. We all three drove up to the Wat on the hill, then went and got a yummy mango/watermelon shake and just hung out. Chai and I later drove around Pai, the countryside. He is so funny, really a 12 yr old boy at heart. He brought me a snake he found on the road and tried to scare me with it! We went to see his mother, who is this frail, petite thing at 71. Chais father died when he was quite young when his truck couldnt' make it up the mtn highway and he jumped out. He left behind 4 children and his wife. Chai goes over to the house to check on his mother often and sometimes sleeps there. Almost every Thai I know has has
a young death in the family, mostly the men. We continued on to Chais house and I met his wife and daughter, "Dream". They have about 12 large pigs and lots of piglets. They also have a large garden with banana, herbs, oranges. His wife offered me a HUGE bunch of bananas! I thought I would take one, but you have to take the whole thing.
Later that nite I met up with James and went to dinner and then to Bebop, this really cool bar with suprisingly good music. They were playing jazz/blues.
Saturday, June 17
The next day was another lazy day, reading, getting a massage....Thomas had his grand opening of the bar and had a couple fire throwers, which were amazing!! I spoke with Joey, the Thai and he said he gets burned everytime! I was joking about what kind of petrol he uses, saying 95 octane, but he said 89 was better as it burns slower and not so hot, important when you tag yourself with the fire!! later Zycos, a dry witted, intelligent Greek and James and I headed to another bar. It seemed everyone was drunk that nite. One girl took a
spill off a motorbike and had a huge strawberry on her elbow.
Sunday, June 18
Young, the guy who's doing construction at the bungalows always asks me to come join him and the workers after work, drinking beer, eating, playing music. He is hilarious!! He's a drama coach and is very animated. He's 28 from Bangkok and well rounded, plays guitar, does construction, drama. He makes these faces that make me laugh. The last nite we were all sitting near the river and heard this big crash on the bridge. It appeared that 2 farong had crashed on the bike and lost a bag in the river. They ran down the river and continued searching with lights into the nite for about 2 hours. Not sure what the lost, but apparently important! I headed back to my bungalow for yet another shower that day - at least 3 a day. Young came to my bungalow and said I had to come to hospital with him as Troy, the Canadian had a motorbike accident. I met Troy for the first time and he was only wearing shorts, no shoes, his feet were filthy, and it looked like he broke his
shoulder as he had a large bump on this upper back. So we headed for the small hospital and waited while Troy got Xrays. He was in a lot of pain so Young was distracting him with his dramatic faces, making him laugh!. The xrays showed he had broken his scapula! ouch!! they gave him some pain medicine and said he had to go to Chiang Mai for surgery. What a holiday buzz kill! I asked if he had called his mom and he said, " Oh she already knows, mom's know these things" how true! Nice kid, 21 and full of verve! Young saw a fellow worker who's son had also had a motorbike accident. We went to visit him. He had been there 3 days and looked like he drove the road with his face! His entire face was scraped, swolen, his arm broken, his shoulder tagged. So many accidents!! After my little mishap I resigned myself to a push bike!
Monday, June 20
Troy and I were on the same minibus to Chiang Mai the next day and I helped him as best I could. Got to take care of our brothers! He emailed me
later and said he had avoided surgery but would have to stay for 4 weeks to let it heal. Turns out the two girls who had crashed on the bridge the nite before were also on our minibus. They are from Mexico and the one hurt her foot pretty bad and could not walk. The other had lost her camera and money bag over the bridge. They found the camera, but not the mopney bag. I'm sure they will find it downstream in Mae Hong San~! I also sat next to a guy, Konstantine, from the Ukraine who lives in Pai. He had spent some time in Kansas City, MO with his aunt. He said he liked America but would not want to live there. However, he said nowhere else in the world can you be accepted into society, regardless of your race, religion, etc. than in America! Anywhere else, you may be accepted eventually, but not wholly, you will always be a foreigner. When I heard him say that, I felt so proud to be American. It's so true. When you see a foreigner or hear someone speak a different language, you dont' think they are a tourist, you
think they are American. I am so grateful for our freedoms.
My friend Thomas from Pai also came to Chiang Mai to do some errands and also to see his papa, north of the city in Mae Chai. We met up and drove to Doi Suthep, a big temple at the top of a mountain, very famous. There was a Lisu tribe little girl there, adorable!! There are about 300 steps or so to the temple, quite a climb! After all that climbing, I was hungy and wanted mango with sticky rice. We drive into town and it was a wild goose chase hunting it down as it's more a southern dish than northern. We finally found some at the market just as it was closing. We got a bunch of different food to try: bamboo shoot salad, iced Thai coffee, crab balls, pork balls, spring rolls. Hanging with the locals is the way to go, to see, taste all of Thai. I never would have tried some things if I weren't with them.
Wednesday, June 21
Thomas and I headed north on the bus to Mae CHai, 225 km north of Chiang Mai to see his family.
I jumped at the chance to meet them. His papa and uncle - one of many - met us at the small bus stop and drove about 25 minutes to their farm/orchard. One of his papas wives made us chicken with herbs and sticky rice! Yes, they have one, two, sometimes 3 wives. Thomas knows of his other mama, but chooses not to talk about it as he does not approve. It's an old Thai style. We later went to one of the uncles houses where there were about 15 people hanging out, watchin tv, children playing, eating, adults talking... His one cousin, Tadsi, lived in Germany for awhile and she can speak German, English and some Khmer. It was nice to have someone to talk to. Thomas is a proud man and is loved by his family, you can tell. They are all farmers and are fairly poor. His papa was worried I would think their house dirty, not like Thai food etc. I was very grateful for the chance to live the farmers life for a few days. They have about 200 rie = acres of fruit. I dont' know the English name of the fruit and have
never seen in the states but it's tasty, sweet and sour! My favorite is a Taiwanese Dragon Fruit that is electric pink and tastes kinda like kiwi. I slept at some aunt/uncles house and awoke early to the roosters crwoing! man they wake up early. Some cousin came over with her little boy and he ran around naked. Fogot, a quiet and shy little 2 yr old just stared at me, she had never seen a white person! She stared at me in wonder and finally warmed up a little bit. We took the motorbike and later drove through the village, the water in the rice patty's reflecting the mountains and clouds. So serene.
Thursday, June 22
Thomas, his uncle, aunt, Fogot and I drove about 50 km to a cave. It was overcast and the thick clouds wrapped around the mountain like a warm blanket. Large cumulus clouds, billowed above. The rice farmers were tilling the ground and planting the new rice. Water buffalo and cattle walked the streets. What a beautiful drive to the waterfall! So green and lush! We finally found the road only to find a tree that had fallen and blocked the road.
Thomas' uncle set out to find an axe or saw. Never ones to let something get in their way! As we waited, I could hear Thai music and fireworks. Thomas said it was a funeral ceremony. We had passed several cremation sites with large concrete fire pits. His uncle returned with an axe and they cut the tree enough so we could pass. The cave was open on both sides and we waded through the water. On the other side, I decided to take a swim in the cool, cascading waters!! We stopped for lunch on the way back along this lake. I feel so lucky to have met Thomas and his family. I took a photo of his family and they were all smiling. Thomas took one of me and I look like a giant next to them~! too funny. They called me jumbo!
Saturday, June 24
Am currently in Chiang Kong and will take the slow boat for 2 days down the Mae Kong in Laos. I really hate to leave Thai, so beautiful.
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Happy to know about ur experiences in Chiang Mai..........The best part is that unlike me and most of the other tourist u were able to get close to the local people and experience a part of their life too........instead of just roaming around the usual tourist spots.........wish u luck for the journey through Mekong and into Laos.......