Part 2
Chiang Mai - little bangkok
Touching down I was greeted by more pouring rain- it's strange to get this amount of rain here at this time of the year, i can only put it down to the number of british backpackers. I managed to share a taxi into town with a couple of people and get myself into a nice little guesthouse. Went and changed the remainder of my Maylasian money into Baht and set about strolling the streets and taking in the sights, smells and sounds. I tucked into my first taste of street-vendor fare and got myself a massage- starting to feel quite relaxed in spite of my lonelyness. It's bizzarre not speaking english to anyone for long periods, you start to get a little bit of cabin fever going on, but it does make you more inclined to meet strangers. I decided to go home and get an early night as I was definately overdue for some sleep, but on the way I thought I best get some cash out to pay for breakfast in the morning. Remember that card that I told them NOT to cancel under any circumstances? They cancelled it and it was promptly eaten by the machine. Its funny- I didn't really feel any anger or really any major panic, as if I had some kind of expectation for disaster. In my experience if there is ever a chance for someone to make a mistake that will end up fucking someone else- they will usually make it. Taking stock of things, I had about $400 Australian dollars in cash that I had stashed for baksheesh purposes etc but no immediate access to any other money. Even after getting things rolling with the bank thanks to the help of my loving mother back home, I knew I could look forward to at least 10 days before I saw a replacement card....and where in hell do I get it sent? There was no sense in my ruining my plans completely, I would just have to continue on a fairly tight budget.
Over the next couple of days I realised that if I had any hope of succeeding in that venture, I would need to get out of chiang mai as quickly as possible. It seems that this town is out to extract as much money from foreigners as is possible whilst sticking to a very very thin ethical code. For a general example- by employing a lack of communication, it is quite an easy matter to provide a service at a quoted rate- and then AFTER said service has been performed, the charge is more than double what was originally stated due to inclusion of several 'extras' none of which you asked for, but received anyway. It is fairly hard to barter after the event, especially with things like massage, because we all know the old adage; in any argument, pants beats no pants.
