again, too long

---

Hello again,
I've come to the realization that i have to edit my emails a bit
better. The last couple i sent were quite long, and they only
contained about 2 or 3 days of events, and those were a little less
eventful places too. So, to be nice to my fingers, and to your
eyes, but i'll try to cut down of the verbal (although i'm writing)
diarrhea. But really, i could write a huge book right now as
there's so much to tell.
I was in Mae Sot, a little town on the thai myanmar border, and it
was nice. Didn't really feel like thailand as there many other
cultures there too. Lots of myanmarese, indians, muslims. There's
refugee camps just outside the town where myanmarese had escaped
to. There government, which is military run, periodically tries to
kill the Karun and Shan people in myanmar, and then the Karun and
Shan run to thailand for some safety. It's quite a brutal
situation. Met a foreign aid worker from phillipines and it was
good because i was able to ask him questions and learn about it a
bit, and he told some horrific stories of the myanmarese people.
You know, the typical "me and my buddy running from the government,
my buddy stepped on a landmine, so i had to carry him part of the
way, but then the soldiers were gaining on us, so i hid my buddy in
a little shack, went on until i found some other people to help
carry and returned to find my buddy dead from blood loss". True
story. Brutal county.
So i went to Myanmar for the day, as you can buy a day visa. It was
okay visiting, but you can't really get a sense of a county by one
town, especially because it's a bit touristy as it's common for
westerners to go for a day. Had a 'guide', a myanmarese guy who
walked and told me stuff about the surrounding area. I had
initially declined a guy who first 'befriended' me as i didn't want
to be shown around, but the second guy really seemed to know what
he was talking about, and i didn't even have a map to follow to get
around. Broken english, a bit hard to understand, but pretty good.
Saw some more Wat's, had some myanmarese food, went through local
markets. Interesting.
From Mae sot to Mae Sariang, and stopped for the night as i
wanted to get to Mae Hong Son, but you can't do it all in one day.
Mae Sariang was very quiet and nice. The drive up in a sawngthiaw
(pick up truck with two benches in the back) was even better. First
glimpse of northern thailand and the obscenely picturesque hills,
mountains and valleys. Went by a refugee camp that was surrounded
by hills of green, and bamboo huts in the middle, a little stream,
chickens running around. even though it is a sad thing, a village
of persecuted humanity, it might have been one of the most
beautiful sights also.
From Mae Sariang to Mae hong son. Not much to Mae Hong Son itself,
but it's the surrounding area that's nice. And i introduced myself
to the joys of scootering. So, i digress now. Scooters are fun and
great, and not embarrassing at all like the joke (How is riding a
scooter like having sex with a fat chick? They're both fun until
your friends find out! Haha, sorry). Scootering is fun, i'm telling
all of you, and it's still fun. and now back to the topic. Everyday
i seem to be more amazed by the amazing landscape here. scootering
up and over a big switchbacked mountain to get to another little
town was fun. I almost thought i was lost, or wasn't going the
right way as there were no signs, but the riding was nice. Little
farms with cows and chickens, undulating hills, and green
everywhere. then i come up to a village with a little lake, little
huts (some of which were made of straw and mud), and little food
stands. Mae Aw, my destination. I was amazed again when i got
there. Beautiful surrounds far away from everything, and then a
little nice village with very nice people. Just a little farm
village. The main draw of it is it's history of controversy. again,
it is only about 1km from the myanmarese border, and at one time
was a base for the KMT (kuomintang something). I should know a bit
more about it, but i don't. KMT was a little thai political party
that was hunted a bit by the thai government, so they fled to the
mountains. Nicest people there, had some great food, and there were
some other westerners there, but it really felt like a real thai
village in the hills. Loved it. Back to Mae Hong Son (20km about)
and kept going to a national park where i did some off road
scootering with a german guy i met at the entrance. Good times. Saw
some great views, and stopped at a little Karun village, and then
returned 'home' before dark. Good dinner with the german, couple
beers (as per usual) and then early to bed as is becoming custom
from my full days in the hot sun.
Then Pai, where i am writing this from. as i said before, everyday
i'm more and more amazed. Pai is a very laid back place where you
can have a vacation in a vacation. Lots of westerners and friendly
locals. lots of restaurants, bars, little massage places, scooter
rentals. Rented a scooter again yesterday and went around the
surrounds, and was in awe. so freaking gorgeous. Easily the most
beautiful place i've been in my life. Big hills of green with rice
padi fields in the vallys and flats between. Little towns with nice
teak houses and plants, flowers overflowing onto the little road.
The biggest hazard when riding around is getting blinded from a
butterfly as there are so many. Rode a freaking elephant yesterday!
You're so high up, and we went bareback so you almost feel like
you'll slide off when they go up or down a hill. The best part was
going through this big river, and then the elephant dumps you off,
and you splash around with this huge elephant in the river for 5 or
10 minutes. Trying to get back on was a bit of a comedy. Elephants
lying 3/4 on his side, you climb on, he rights himself, you get
dumped back in the drink. And this ensues for another 10 minutes.
Fun. Shared an elephant with an english couple who i met the night
previously at a little bar. So, this bar i could write about
forever too. I was just walking by one night and got corraled in by
a couple thai who owned it. It was open air, and i sat with some
other people who had been corraled in three nights previously and
had returned the next two nights also. There was only about 6 of us
sitting in this place, and 5 thai guys (owners and a few of his
buddies). So, we all sat around, and talked and laughed and drank.
The thai guys were hilarious, spoke english well, and were jsut
really cool. I'm returning there tonight, for the third night as
they organized a bbq. Pitched in a bit of money, and they're going
to the market to get some fish for me, and chicken and other meats
for a couple of the others, and we'll have a good bbq, thai style.
I can't write anymore, there's more to write about, but my hands
are about to fall off. Now i'm going to get a massage, and then
scooter off to some hot springs with a swedish guy and relax there
for a bit before the bbq.
I guess you could say that i'm enjoying myself. Ha! Loving it,
loving thailand and i feel like i'm in a bit of a dream, or just a
paradise. And it's only just started!!!!
talk to you soon
mark

---