I am finally in Chiang Mai one of my few planned destinations on this trip, certainly i have been most looking forward to. I've planned on studying asia massage methods here for at least a year.
It was a strange feeling, sitting on a bus, nearing Chiang Mai and wondering what 'home' would be like. I have never intended to move somewhere I have not been. Chiang Mai strikes me as much larger and more modern than I had expected.
The weather is wonderful here- blue skies, a nice breeze and a more gentle heat than the south. I arrived yesterday and have already noticed the seasonal expatriots moving in. Talk of the weather here has been talk of relativity- how dismal Irish, English and Northwestern winters can be. Browsing the pictures on my camera yesterday, i was reminded of the fall in seattle- a series of pictures with Josie in the park, with a background of fallen leaves- I hesitate to agree with the assertion that fall and winter are 'dismal'. From this distance, i can easily call a winter in seattle quite pleasant.
I've spent about a week making my way north to Chiang Mai from Bankok. I arrived in Bangkok the night of the fourth and checked in to the first cheap room i could find around 11:00. I spent two nights in Bangkok- enough time to get my laundry done and see a couple of temples during the day. I particularly enjoyed Wat Pho, a walled site of temples and pavillions about the size of a city block. Wat Pho is home to a 45 meter reclining Buddha- of the approxiamately 10,348 Buddhas that i have seen in SE Asia, this was one of the most memorable. The memory is about the experience of being there more than the visual aesthetics or size. Slowly walking the length of the Buddha, i admired the murals which decorate the walls of the temple and the size of Buddha, which took up most of a very large temple. In consideration of the hords of tourist photographers my walk might have resembled the prostrations of a monk- bowing below lenses every few steps. My most vivid and unique memory of the experience was the sound which filled the hall- something like the babble of a stream rendered into metallic clinks. After rounding the Buddhas feet and on my way out of the temple along the back of the Buddha, i saw what the sound was- a row of maybe a hundred metal jars, into which a line of visitors steadily dropped coins. As well as the numerous temples and a grade school, Wat Pho is home to the oldest and most esteemed thai massage school. I was hoping to get a look at the school (as well as a massage), but due to the King's birthday celebration, massages were not available. I will return at some point, I would like to take at least one course there, at the very least i will get a massage.
Thai's seriously love their king. My two days in Bangkok were a constant celebration of the guy. I enjoyed a fair, a parade, fireworks, dancing and singing in his honor. A great majority of Thais wore pink shirts for during those two days- as i understand it, the color pink is auspicious during the kings birthweek and should help him to have good luck and health. He has been sick recently and so there could hardly have been more pink. I have realized that I am regretably ignorant of much Thai history, I knew of clashes between the military and the monarchy, but have just recently learned that the Thai King does not in fact live in Thailand. Neither did i know that he has a glass eye, carries a Nikon SLR camera on all foreign visits and plays jazz trumpet- good to know.
In contrast to the temples and good will of the thai people, the tourist sector of Kaosan road was disgusting. Although i avoided the primary sex tourism district of Bangkok the majority of western men were accompanied by prostitutes. I left Bangkok with the intention of returning, but i can say that i am forever done with Kaosan road. In general, i think that the large cities are the worst place to get acclimated to a new culture.
I left Bankok on my second morning in Thailand and travelled by train to Ayutthaya and the remains of an ancient Thai civilization. The train was a fantastic experience. A third class train is an adventure sport. Boarding the train, i couldn't believe how many people there were. There was room for my backpack above the seats, but seemingly no room for me. At each stop of the 2 1/2 hour trip, at least one more person boarded than left. As we rolled out of the bangkok train station a frantic woman carrying a tray with cups of juice and soda in ice push her way through the aisle, past me, through two thais standing on the stairs and jumped out of the car where she gracefully slowed from a run to a walk- i didn't see her spill a drop. You can't imagine this kind of chaos without seeing it, i can't see it without grinning. I started the trip in the entry of our car, between two cars really and as people came and went, i somewhat intentionally moved towards the open doorway to the outside. After an hour i was there, and leaning over an old man who sat on the steps, I could see 180 degrees- in front of and behind the train.
I will end abruptly here. As too often happens, i have had computer problems and lost a bunch of writing. It is time for me to meet a friend and i need another bottle of water.
