Hills and Tropical Rainfalls

Thursday, July 24, 2008--Mae Sariang (Continued)

I walked out of town in another direction late in the afternoon. This time I crossed the river behind my guesthouse and went toward one of the national parks in this area. Although it was only 4.5 km (a little over 2.5 miles) away, I didn't head to the park. It was too late in the day, and I had forgotten to get my flashlight. I didn't want to get caught in the dark and have to be walking on the roadway to return to town. After a while, I peeled off onto a rural road. It went out into a valley of rice farms. One field had about 10 people wearing their tribal costumes working in it. The scenes were just beautiful--verdant fields with the occasional palm frond shack surrounded by the equally green mountains. Occasionally a motorcycle or a pickup would pass, but mostly I was out there by myself in that peaceful atmosphere.

Returning to town, I went to the place where I had watched the sports activities last night. It was even more active tonight. There were two games going involving the bamboo ball, a soccer game, and a basketball game. I had a seat on a curb and just watched it all for almost an hour. By then, it was getting dark, and I was getting hungry.

I returned to the same restaurant where I had eaten last night. They have an English menu, the ingredients were very fresh, and the prices were cheap. Just as before, there were 3-4 men eating when I entered. Each looked at me and smiled in a way that made me think they were happy to see I would eat there. I ordered Thai noodles. It was much like Pad Thai with a similar taste and with the chopped peanuts among the noodles. It was presented, however, inside a thin omelette that made the whole dish form a dome shape.

I bought a beer at the store across the street and took it to the guesthouse with me. I sat on the balcony overlooking the fast-flowing river and drank the beer and relaxed. No one else was around.

Friday, July 25, 2008--Mae Sariang to Mae Hong Son

There are no set bus schedules up here in the mountains. The buses leave Chiang Mai to come through here and get here when they get here. They may be delayed by landslides, by road construction, by accidents, etc. So it is necessary to go to the bus station about 30 minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive and wait as long as it takes. There is a wonderful sign at the Mae Sariang station that puts it something like this: Buses arrive when they arrive. Sometimes they are late. Sometimes they are very late. Sometimes you wait and wait and it may never come. Please be patient.

I sat on the bench to await my bus. There was an elderly man sitting there who seemed fascinated by me and my things. He grinned and greeted me. Then he leaned forward to inspect my suitcase. He played with the release that let the handle go up and down. He inspected the wheels. He looked at my locks. Then he moved to my backpack. He seemed to appreciate the thickness of the shoulder straps. Next, he moved to my watch. He liked the velcro as the way for it to attach to the wrist. And he liked the digital display with its green background. The man had 3-4 very long wiry hairs growing from his chin. He was neatly dressed, but my guess is that he has worked hard physically in his life.

After a while, a young Thai man came and joined us. He spoke some English and explained that he is a teacher of social studies. He, too, interacted with the elderly man and learned that he is 66 years old. He also learned that the man does hand analyses. The young Thai agreed to pay him for his own analysis. The man had him trace his hand on a sheet of paper and write his name and birthdate at the top. Then he began to break the fingers and the hand into parts and tell him what he could see. Afterwards, the young Thai told me that it was all even--nothing good and nothing bad.

There were two other westerners waiting for our bus. I was worried that it might arrive full, since it is the beginning of the weekend. But it had plenty of seats. We put our luggage in the rear seat and found seats for sitting. The young Thai had saved me a seat beside him, so I sat there. The other westerners were two rows back.

The trip through the mountains was beautiful. The mountains are so green here, and the valleys can be so deep. We twisted and wound our way up and down and up and down as we made progress on the 4-hour trip. We stopped once for 20 minutes to eat. I went with the Thai and had a spicy bowl of soup with fresh, crispy vegetables. It also had sliced pieces of a dark brown gelatinous product which I have been served before. I never know what it is, but my guess is that it may be made from blood or marrow.

After eating, I spoke to the other westerners and learned that they are from Denmark. His home is Odense and she is from Finnsensvej in Fredericksberg which is just a couple of major streets from where Arne lived and is a street where we sometimes shopped.

On the bus, the Thai asked me where I planned to stay in Mae Hong Son. I told him I had picked out a couple of possibilities and that I would just look for a place. He had a tent with him, because he was traveling to attend a scout camp. He told me I was welcome to stay with him if I wanted. I told him we would see and left it at that. I wouldn't have minded the adventure of it all, but I kept thinking at the rain that falls here and the mosquitoes. It could be quite miserable being in a tent with little protection from either.

There was a surprise when we arrived. There is a new bus station outside of town. Of course, the tuk tuk drivers were clustering around trying to get our business. I just excused myself and started walking as usual. It was only 2 km (a little over a mile) into town. But part of that was uphill and it was a very humid day. I was really sweating by the time I got into town. I recognized almost immediately where I was, because I passed the stadium which was on my map. Therefore, I headed for the first place I had considered staying. I found it to be a bit far from town, however, and the prices seemed inflated for what was offered. I walked back in town. I didn't pass another guesthouse. I stopped at the Buddhist Temple where the Thai thought he was supposed to stay, but there were no campers there; I had already decided I would leave my luggage with him while I looked for a place and that I could stay with him as a last resort. The monk told me the scouts were eastward, so I walked that way but never found them. I realized, however, that I was getting close to my second place I had chosen from my guidebook. I went there. It was a good location, and they had a room. It wasn't very inspiring--just two beds, a fan, and a bath with no view and no other amenities. Also, it was available only for one night due to a large group with reservations for tomorrow. I told her I would continue looking. A little ways down the same street, I tried another place, but no one seemed to be around. Then I went to the next place. They had a room with a view of the lake (a central point here in town with a floating temple), cable TV, hot water, etc. And the price was just 50 Baht (about $1.66 U.S.) more than the place with just the bed, fan, and bath and the same price as a similar plain room at the original place that was far out of town. I took the room! And then the Danish couple came downstairs. They had found the same place, too, and had the upstairs room with the view of the lake.

I dined in style tonight. It had been raining some, so I didn't want to go far from the guesthouse. I found a covered patio restaurant with a men that had reasonable prices (only about double what is charged by the street stalls and small owner-operated eating establishments). There were double tablecloths on the tables. There was a burning cord to keep the mosquitoes away. It was just nice overall. I ordered the large version of green curry with chicken, rice, and a beer.

While there, a young American man and a young Thai man entered and sat at the table next to me. The American almost spoiled the evening. He spoke too loudly. And he was the typical Ugly American who knew best. He criticized the temples for having stalls selling items and said that places of worship should be solemn and quiet. He then described how churches are in America. Then he told about his work as a consierge at a hotel in Boston and how he knows all the best restaurants and other places to go so he can get the best tips from the guests at the hotel. Anyway, it went on and on. He has a lot of growing up to do. I wonder why that hotel has someone so young and self-absorbed working in such a position?

I tried to concentrate on my food and enjoy it. The quality was not as good as I have had before, but it was fine. And there was lots of it since I had ordered the big portion (only 1 1/2 times the price of the smaller portion).