I had my limits tested today in more ways than one. After being baked by the Thai sun yesterday, I decided to take an umbrella with me on my walk to the floating market. Seeing a woman walking under an umbrella on a sunny day is a common thing in Thailand, so I didn’t feel too conspicuous. I find it so amusing that American women go to fake bake and use tan-in-a-can, and Thai women use whitening products and make every attempt to stay out of the sun. Anyway, the walk to the market took longer than I thought. It was on the outskirts of town and the map Jeeda had given me was not to scale. So it seemed like it was just right there. The floating market was like a large, floating arena of food stalls and picnic tables. Inside the arena was a slightly submerged stage where the patrons were treated to a number of shows including Thai folklore and music. I figured that this must have been a special event for the locals because while I was spending a modest amount of money, they were spending hundreds and hundreds of Baht. We all filed past the food stands and I was trying to keep a cool head because the combination of crowds and copious amounts of food make me want to do something compulsive, like throw someone in the water. I tried some Thai foods that I was unfamiliar with, including a combination steamed dumpling plate. There was one dumpling full of dark green vegetation, one dumpling filled with sweet taro, and two seafood dumplings. They were accompanied by a sweet and sour sauce. The verdict, not bad….but som tam is still my favorite. I enjoyed the show immensely. It included sorcery, buffoonery and a fight sequence, all punctuated by those graceful, flowing Thai movements.
I decided to move on after the first show. I wanted to try to make it to the elephant kraal (stockade) where I was told there are several baby elephants to coo over. It was full midday when I left the floating market and I knew where the kraal was, but I didn’t know the distance. Several tuk-tuk drivers pulled over and started the “where you go…” routine, but I have such a lousy record with cab drivers that I just kept on walking. Damn my obstinacy! I walked and walked and I was hoping for a sign that would indicate how much further I had to go on this road that seemed to lead nowhere. After about 40 minutes the Thai sun seemed to penetrate my nylon parasol and I felt very weary. I decided that I didn’t want to see the elephants that badly. I turned around and went back to the hotel. I could have taken a motorcycle cab at any point, but because of a couple of bad experiences, I missed out on baby elephants.
So, the lessons I learned today: 1) While, yes, I can walk long distances, I have to take into consideration all of the elements involved; 2) If I don’t make my peace with Asian cab drivers, I am going to miss out on a lot of cool stuff.
