Back into the real world - sort of

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May 17, Chiang Mai

I have left the monastery - that's not something you get to say every day. We were excited to be let out although the bombardment of the outside world was almost a bit much.

Ann, a Thai woman who now lives in San Francisco with her husband, had befriended us in the temple and we found a guesthouse next to the massage shop operated by her temple roommate. She had chairs out front and we could sit there, eat snacks, watch TV ... We see the situation worsening in Bangkok.

We spend three days in Chiang Mai and on the last night the curfews start as the Red shirts surrender, though not without setting fires in Chiang Mai. I try to find a 7-Eleven and they are all shut. There is no one on the streets. It's eerie and slightly sinister. We were planning to move on and realise this is a very good time to leave the country.

On May 20 we catch the bus for Chiang Kong. It's only seven hours.

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