Thursday, April 21, 2005
It's a beautiful day
I suppose the repeated postings about how fun and beautiful it is to ride a motorbike around the north of Thailand must get a little dull, but it's really something I can't seem to get enough of.
Last night I overate a delicious Thai meal, and was wondering around Pai to try to aid my digestion when a pair of backpacker girls asked me if I knew where they could find Mexican food We became fast friends (as is the general way things work with backpackers) and ended up at a trivia night at one of the local pubs, then off to the Bamboo Bar (Pai's only late night venue), then off to the middle of the Pai High School soccer field until sun up (along with a few other random people). Ah, and keeping a permanent marker in my bag was a very good idea, because if a dude passes out in the middle of a soccer filed at 5 in the morning, he simply must wake up with a tattoo that says "I love men" scrolled across his legs.
As a result, I didn't get up until almost noon, but I (unsurprisingly) got me a motorbike and began racing around Pai's environs. First it was the hot springs, which are basically a REALLY hot stream of water. Then I doubled back to see a waterfall, but ended up driving half the way back to Soppong because the serene mountain scenery, and winding roads, were too much to force me back to this den of backpackery. I ended up buying a funky tribal hat from a villager working a rest area atop a mountain, then headed back to Pai. On the way, I turned off into some random little road, which turned out to be but 50 meters from a lovely set of rocks in a river, perfect for swimming and lounging around (I love finsing a place that isn't in Lonely Planet!). A pair of Thai army guys (this close to the Burmese border there are plenty of members of the Royal Thai Army around) were sharing a Chang on the middle of some rocks in the stream, and there were some 11 year old school children who spoke remarkably good English swimming nearby. The kids sauntered away, but not before convcing me to take a dip in the cool, fish-filled waters. Next thing I know, I'm sunning myself on a rock in between the army guys, each of whom speaks maybe 15 words of English (plus counting). After we had exhausted our Thai and English vocabluaries (which took a suprisingly generous amount of time) I swam back to shore and grabbed my Thai-English dictionary to fill in the rest of the gaps. Alas, duty called these good soldiers back, and I returned to Pai.
Last night I overate a delicious Thai meal, and was wondering around Pai to try to aid my digestion when a pair of backpacker girls asked me if I knew where they could find Mexican food We became fast friends (as is the general way things work with backpackers) and ended up at a trivia night at one of the local pubs, then off to the Bamboo Bar (Pai's only late night venue), then off to the middle of the Pai High School soccer field until sun up (along with a few other random people). Ah, and keeping a permanent marker in my bag was a very good idea, because if a dude passes out in the middle of a soccer filed at 5 in the morning, he simply must wake up with a tattoo that says "I love men" scrolled across his legs.
As a result, I didn't get up until almost noon, but I (unsurprisingly) got me a motorbike and began racing around Pai's environs. First it was the hot springs, which are basically a REALLY hot stream of water. Then I doubled back to see a waterfall, but ended up driving half the way back to Soppong because the serene mountain scenery, and winding roads, were too much to force me back to this den of backpackery. I ended up buying a funky tribal hat from a villager working a rest area atop a mountain, then headed back to Pai. On the way, I turned off into some random little road, which turned out to be but 50 meters from a lovely set of rocks in a river, perfect for swimming and lounging around (I love finsing a place that isn't in Lonely Planet!). A pair of Thai army guys (this close to the Burmese border there are plenty of members of the Royal Thai Army around) were sharing a Chang on the middle of some rocks in the stream, and there were some 11 year old school children who spoke remarkably good English swimming nearby. The kids sauntered away, but not before convcing me to take a dip in the cool, fish-filled waters. Next thing I know, I'm sunning myself on a rock in between the army guys, each of whom speaks maybe 15 words of English (plus counting). After we had exhausted our Thai and English vocabluaries (which took a suprisingly generous amount of time) I swam back to shore and grabbed my Thai-English dictionary to fill in the rest of the gaps. Alas, duty called these good soldiers back, and I returned to Pai.
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I also overate a delicious Thai meal last night. The_Greek_that_Invented_Cooking ordered something with Chiang Mai in the title... I must say it was the best dish on the table (next to my wild boar, which we swear was chicken).
# posted by 
: 12:51 PM
: 12:51 PM
Thailand sounds rad, dude. Say, are you going to keep your blog going when you get home? Mine has essentially become me chatting with four married chicks, with the occasional visit from Chad and Andrew. The Alliance is in desperate need of testosterone.
Thanks for all the postcards, though. Does Cambodia really have monkeys all over the place, or was that shot just a "postcard moment?"
Thanks for all the postcards, though. Does Cambodia really have monkeys all over the place, or was that shot just a "postcard moment?"
I have enjoyed blogging around Thailand, et al. with you. Your next career should be travel writer - which I assume will be sooner rather than later if you don't get the hell back to work. Your travelogue has been a welcome diversion from fingers in Wendy's chili, Michael Jackson's lower back pain, and the Republicans endorsement of an "activist" court. You really do see the details. Thanks for passing them on to all of us back home.
# posted by : 8:15 PM
: 8:15 PM
I have enjoyed blogging around Thailand, et al. with you. Your next career should be travel writer - which I assume will be sooner rather than later if you don't get the hell back to work. Your travelogue has been a welcome diversion from fingers in Wendy's chili, Michael Jackson's lower back pain, and the Republicans endorsement of an "activist" court. You really do see the details. Thanks for passing them on to all of us back home.
# posted by : 8:16 PM
: 8:16 PM
I have enjoyed blogging around Thailand, et al. with you. Your next career should be travel writer - which I assume will be sooner rather than later if you don't get the hell back to work. Your travelogue has been a welcome diversion from fingers in Wendy's chili, Michael Jackson's lower back pain, and the Republicans endorsement of an "activist" court. You really do see the details. Thanks for passing them on to all of us back home.
# posted by : 8:17 PM
: 8:17 PM
You know, just because my blog allows for anonymous blogging doesn't mean that you people should never tell me who you are. As for the post-journey blogging, I'm not too sure: my ordinary life isn't nearly as interesting as my last 8 weeks. If I do continue to blog, it will likely be at a different destination (these thing are free) as I would sort of like to keep onesandal as my scrapbook for this trip. In any case, Centerleft, I'll do my best to visit when I can.
Dear Penthouse Forum: ..."Next thing I know, I'm sunning myself on a rock in between the army guys"
Did you get drafted by the other team while on this trip?
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Did you get drafted by the other team while on this trip?
# posted by : 9:54 PM
: 9:54 PM << Home
