I’m now in Bangkok, once again in a hurry to get out of the
hot smelly city. Last night I rode to the bus station on the back of Young’s
bike, a vivid sky sending me from the beauty and peace in Chiang Rai. I had a
funny last night there, getting well into some Johnny Walker and finding a
giant bruise on my leg the next day.
My bus ride was not fun, I was sad and my mp3 ran out of
battery, and it was very cramped and uncomfortable for 13 hours. Dawn this
morning compelled me to wake up, even though I had only a few hours sleep, as
the striped orange and red fire lining the horizon was a sight to see.
At the bus station, not a clue where we were, I found myself
bargaining for a taxi. They wanted me to pay the same amount I had for the bus,
but just to get into the city center. I halved it before agreeing, and set off
behind some guy toward a bright pink taxi. The whole ride, perhaps it was sleep
deprivation or just plain paranoia, I was wanting to get out, he was scary the
way he talked and he showed me a membership card that showed me his involvement
with Thailand’s notorious red shirts. He ranted about his government and king,
and really freaked me out for the hour we were stuck in traffic jams.
Finally we got to the main tourist strip in the city, where
I rushed to the travel agency to try get a train ticket. Sold out for two weeks,
so onto another horrible bus for me. It will be an even longer journey, but at
the end, a beach and Rachel. Yay!
What
you find along your path as unavoidable sounds somehow obligatory, it’s not,
but it is for the best. In conversation with Ot, the owner of the Peace
House and a good friend, he reminded me it’s ok if I leave, only if I come
back. If I don’t plan to come back, it’s not ok that I’m going. Yung gave me a
load of thai reggae music in the last few hours I was there. Me and Ot went to
help out Amber and Katie, two ambitious and inspiring friends opening a
community center in Chiang Rai, and I was lucky to see Lara once again there
before it was time to get on the move, wonderful hugs to look forward to on my
return. These people made my heart jump high in my throat watching that last
Chiang Rai sunset. Looking at the past week, I am so lucky to find such amazing
souls along my path, souls I will strive to connect with again.