I leave LAX at 9:30 pm on Thursday for an 18 hour flight and a 15 hour time change and arrive in Bangkok, Thailand at 6:30 am on Saturday morning. Jet lag? What jet lag? The Kava root extract was again used and I am instantly comfortable with the time zone.
Because my hotel room will not be available for a couple hours, I start wandering the city to get my bearings. At one point a tuk-tuk driver makes a u-turn in traffic and stops right next to me. He says that he likes to stop and talk with foreigners so that he can practice his English. Mast's English is pretty good and we have a 30 minute conversation. He gives me his mobile number in case I need a tour of the city, but I hold out for an inviation to his wedding on 2 December in Surin, Thailand (near the border of Cambodia). The invitation doesn't come, but I do take his number just in case.
I finally get my room, grab a shower, and meet Person PR_T in the lobby of the hotel. We take our time getting to know each other, but we spend the next few days seeing parts of Bangkok and learning more about each other's countries.
On Tuesday I take the Bangkok skytrain and a taxi to the northern bus station. From there I take a 7 hour bus ride to Sukhothai in central Thailand. Because it is late afternoon, I wander the dirty, dusty city to get my directions set. And I notice thousands of motorbikes will all ages of riders. Very cool!!
On Wednesday I'm up early for a bus ride to the entrance of the Sukhothai historic park. I rent a bicycle for 20 Baht (about 60 cents) and take many pictures of ruins. It feels good to be on a bicycle even though it's old, doesn't fit, and is a single speed.
After packing things up I get a tuk-tuk to the bus station where a bus going in my direction is waiting. When the very very cute bus ticket lady hears me mis-pronounce the city that I'm headeed to, she corrects it and smiles. (I had too much emphasis on the first syllable of Lampang.) A moment later one of the bus attendants use the same pronunciation that I was using. When I hear him, I correct him, and everyone starts laughing as the cute ticket lady gives me the biggest smile after she stops laughing.
On the bus ride to Lampang there are two kids sitting across the aisle from me. (They're probably in their early 20's, but they're kids.) Though they speak with each other, they don't speak English or Thai. Maybe they are Burmese or speak an indigenous language. Having exchanged smiles with me when I first got on the bus, they accept the cookies that I offer. And halfway through the trip I drag them off the bus and buy them cold drinks when there is a bathroom and refreshment break. When I get off the bus at Lampang I bid them "See you soon" in Thai. I hope that they are okay.
At Lampang I walk for a couple of hours and find an Internet cafe. I'm checking email when the young female attendant reaches over my shoulder and zeroes out a counter. And so I raise both of my hands above my head and say, "Zero Baht"! (Meaning that my session is free.) And she panics and says, "No! No! No! Not zero Baht!" We go back and forth a time or two but we both know that we're just teasing each other and having a bit of fun.
Thanksgiving day starts with a 3 hour walk around Lampang searching for temples. The ones that I find are less impressive than before. Or am I just "templed out"? I catch a bus to Chaing Mai and a tuk-tuk to my hotel. In rapid succession I grab some food, buy some postcards, check email at an Internet cafe, and drop off a load of laundry. I spend the hottest part of the day in the hotel writing out postcards and relaxing. And at night I wander aimlessly throughout the shops and vendor booths along the streets.
On Friday I kill some time before picking up Person PR_T at the Chiang Mai airport. It's his first airplane flight ever and it was a good flight. We wander around the city for a long time until we see a parade starting to form. It's the Friday version of the Loy Krathong parade and we watch from a few vantage points. It's a long, slow parade and we're tired when it ends. Thus we wander back to the hotel through streets filled with vendor booths.
On Saturday Person PR_T and I grab an american breakfast and take a bus out to Wat, the Palace, and a hilltribe market. We're joined by a Thai couple from Bangkok.
Person PR_T and I head down towards the river where the majority of the Loy Krathong festivities are to take place. We see the parade again - this time it makes a sharp left at a major intersection and also heads down to the river. Throughout the evening there are firecrackers going off, fireworks being shot, and lit kites heading up into the sky. We are around the river and walking amongst many viewing points for many hours until we get tired and head back to the hotel.
On Sunday we head to the Chiang Mai bus station and run into the Thai couple who were on the previous day's bus tour. I tap the Thai man on the shoulder and it takes him a while to recognize where he knows me from but his girlfriend recognizes me instantly. We have a quick laugh before heading to our respective buses.
On Sunday we find a final Loy Krathong parade in Chiang Rai. This one is better organized and the parade, with many impressive floats, moves smoother and quicker.
On Monday Person PR_T and I rent a 100cc motorbike and two helmets and head off on an adventure. It takes a bit of time for me to get used to riding on the left side of the road and to be aggressive in traffic against the tuk-tuks and buses, but soon we're out of the city and moving along nicely. In a couple hours we're at Mae Sae - the northernmost point in Thailand. We park the bike, fill out paperwork, and walk across the border to Myanmar. (It only took a 500 Baht bribe to get me - a US citizen - across the border and into Myanmar.)
There's a bit of chaos at the border as the traffic has to criss-cross on the bridge from left side driving in Thailand to right side driving in Myanmar. It all has to get straightened out on the 100 m bridge that represents the border.
It's interesting to note that the Burmese side of the border has buildings that were modern in the 1940s and 1950s but gave fallen into disrepair. This is consistent with Burma doing a lot of building in that era and having the rug pulled out from under it with a military coup in the early 1960s. I would bet that Cuba looks similar.
As Person PR_T and I are wandering around we start getting off the beaten path. Person PR_T wants to get back on the true path, but I insist that we walk a bit farther off the path and see what we find. Just a few more old buildings.
Eventaully we get back to Thailand, jump on the motorbike, and head over to Sup Kuap - the official golden triangle point where Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet. We have a nice spicy lunch and continue on. At this point we're running out of time, so we buzz through Chiang Khang and Mae Pae on the way back to the hotel in Chiang Rai. Up and down hills and through lakeside and riverside country, Person PR_T and I are cold on the way home as we arrive in darkness. The motorbike rental place is closing up shop and is probably wondering what happened to us. But it's a fun day trip and we relax at night with HBO movies.
On Tuesday Person PR_T wants to have pizza because we keep walking past a Pizza Hut-like place. So we have pizza for lunch and then I send Person PR_T off to the Chiang Rai airport for his return to Bangkok. I make arrangements to get back to Chiang Mai via bus and from Chiang Mai to Bangkok via airplane. I end up walking and taking pictures for about three hours as I get lost, but then find my way back home again.
During the long walk I pass a Honda motorbike dealer and see a poster of Ratthapark Willarot - the 250cc Thai motorcycle roadracer that I have been cheering for. This is the first evidence that I have of his existence, so I excitedly run into the store and up to the poster. A saleman has to tell me to "speak slowly" as I ask about a Ratthapark t-shirt. There are none. I finally ask if I can have the poster but get turned down. And I see the people in the shop chuckling as they hear about the "crazy white guy who wanted a Ratthapark Willarot t-shirt or poster" as I walk out.
After resting at the hotel I go wandering around the night bazaar for souvenirs. I'm enjoying the entire trip so I have a huge smile on at all times. As he's walking to the "food court" bathrooms with his friends, a guy smiles back at me a few times and keeps turning his head to look back. Eventually we have a nice conversation in English and I get invited to join his friends at a table. His friends include two brothers, a cousin, and a few other friends. They are all cold because they are from Bangkok and wonder how I am not cold (as I am dressed in short sleeves and short pants). Eventually they leave but Person P_T gives me his mobile number and says that we should hang out when I return to Bangkok. I try to explain that there are other people to call during the last few short days in Bangkok but it gets lost in translation.
On Tuesday night I have difficulty sleeping and have strange dreams. One dream includes me addressing the Long Beach city council about our crumbling infrastructure. Where did that come from?
On Wednesday I catch the bus from Chiang Rai back to Chiang Mai and get a hotel. I start out walking and end up walking again for multiple hours - enjoying the sights and taking pictures. At one point I am stopped by university students practicing their English, so I sit down with them and we try to converse in English.
Late on Wednesday night, as I'm wandering around the city, I stop into a club (or more like a stand up bar). Besides trying to converse with the locals, I strike up a long conversation with a guy from Canada. He previously lived in Thailand and now is visiting for an extended period.
I decide to leave the stand up bar at 12:40 and I walk back to the hotel in the almost deserted streets. I turn out the lights for sleep a bit after 1 am but by 2:30 am I am awake and cannot fall back asleep. I keep thinking of Person Te_T.
On Thursday night I had back to the stand-up bar and hang out with my new friends: Person Z_C, Person N_T, and Person Te_T. Tonight I bring my camera and get group and individual photos for memory. When Person Z_C realizes that I am not going to go home with him, he leaves (or maybe heads for another bar). But I continue to enjoy the company of my new friends and their friends until 12:45 am. Then I walk the deserted streets of Chiang Mai back to my hotel. The light goes out for sleep at 1:15 am and I sleep fairly well.
On Friday I repeat the Thursday activities - this time picking a different direction for the long walk. I pay a couple more bills online, check email, pick up the laundry, and do some reading during the hottest part of the day. Late on Friday I head to the stand-up bar again. Person Z_C is nowhere to be found - he's probably trying his luck in other places. I hang out for a while and then Person N_T and I go off and wander the streets of Chiang Mai on our own. I'm eventually dozing off for sleep at 3:30 am on Saturday morning.
Most of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are spent with Person PR_T walking around Bangkok, shopping, taking two boat rides along the river, taking pictures, and winding down from my visit to Thailand. During the Sunday travels we run into a combined martial arts/science fair sponsored by Red Bull. They are offering Red Bull and orange slices (mixed) for 10 Baht (less than 50 cents). Since Person PR_T has never had a Red Bull, we each get one. I feel the tingling down my spine as I drink it and I say, "Now that is certified, 100% grade A Red Bull". Person PR_T can see the effect that it has on me, but he is noncomiital about it.
On Monday I return home via the following process:
1) Take the Bangkok skytrain from the Nana station to the Victory Monument station
2) Take the 551 orange bus from Victory Monument to Suvarnabhumi airport
3) Take a 7:30 pm Monday flight from Bangkok to Los Angeles (arriving at 7:00 pm Monday night)
4) Take the G shuttle bus from LAX to the metro Green Line station
5) Take the Metro Green line from the Aviation station to the Wilmington station
6) Take the Metro Blue line from the Wilmington station to the Del Amo station
7) Walk the 4 km home (because the 191 bus quits running at 7:30 pm)
I note on the flight back to Los Angeles that the same couple (a white guy and a Thai woman) and their daughter are on this flight as on the outbound flight. I also note that they have the same seats as before and I have the mirror image seat. I point this out to them and we have a nice little laugh about it.