Hi everybody,
Pictures here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/dGsYqnhdK5BRZ31a7
If you'd told me 3 years ago that I'd be in Chiang Mai, Thailand to celebrate my 31st birthday, I'd have thought you were insane. Even if you'd told me that last year I wouldn't have believed it. Hey, this isn't a plea for birthday wishes because if you all sent them to me I wouldn't reply to everybody then I'd feel bad about it. Actually, I just wanted to say thanks to all of you. I wouldn't be here without the love and support of my family and friends and I attribute where I am (physically and mentally) as much to all of you as I do to myself.
Okay, enough of that shit and on to the good stuff. Last time I left you I'd just arrived in Perth after a strange adventure across the Nullarbor. I ended up extending my stay by a few days and not flying out until the 6th. I think it was mostly because I couldn't get enough of watching Zak and Ronan play pool. Riveting stuff. For a city that at first glance didn't seem like it had spectacular nightlife how we ended up staying out until 5 something like 3 nights in a row is beyond me. It must have had something to do with Ronan's hypnotic dancing style.
He has a rhythm and grace which can only be described as Treebeard-esque. Zak and I also had a memorable night out with these three Swiss girls we met on the Nullarbor trip and three local dudes. We somehow managed to pile 8 people into one of the guys' tiny car (it might've been a Ford Festiva) and drive around for half an hour looking for some club. It was like a clown car. Perth is actually a very nice city and I had a great time. It's not right on the ocean, but it's built on the Swan River which leads out west to the Indian Ocean. One of the days we took a ferry ride out to Fremantle along the Swan, saw loads of dolphins along the ferry, along with many 50+ million dollar houses along the water. Apparently Perth has the most millionaires of any Australian capitol. I'll never forget that I bought my first pair of designer jeans there. Although I didn't pay a hundred bucks for them (I'm talking to you Kelli). Thank you for the help Roisin, I'll think of you every time I use the jaws of life to take them off.
From Perth I flew in to Singapore, and at the last minute decided to spend a few days there to check it out. I don't know if it was the fact that I was leaving some cool new friends behind, or that I was going to a new country, or the malaria tablets I was taking, or what, but I hated it. The three longest days of my trip, bar none. Singapore is good for those of you who find Los Angeles a bit too rustic.
It's a business district, surrounded by a shopping mall, surrounded by highrises. And it's hot and humid. Woohoo! Wait, it gets better. Jason (this guy I met in the hostel) and I decided to check out the nightlife one night. So we took a cab over to one of the main clubbing/bar roads. When the cab almost hit 4 drunk people walking across the street, we knew we were in the right place. I just wanted a couple of beers, so we looked for someplace that had no cover charge. We found the one (1) place that was free to get in. I went up to the bar and ordered two beers.
The dude pours me two thimblefuls of Carlsberg and says "20 dollars." That was the end of my bar hopping in Singapore. I won't go into detail about my mind-numbing day on Orchard road. I just wanted a pair of tennis shoes. That's all. Some of you know how much I dislike shopping, but this was like my personal hades. It wasn't just one shopping mall, but like 18 of them in a row. On each side of the road.
I felt like I was in Groundhog Day. There are a couple of good things about Singapore though: the food is cheap and good, the coffee is good, and they have very high quality air conditioning. Also, for those dorks like me on this mailing list, I went to see this Lord of the Rings exhibition that had all this behind the scenes shit plus real weapons and costumes. Wicked cool.
You wouldn't believe how much I was looking forward to getting to Thailand. I flew to Bangkok and hopped on another flight to Chiang Mai in the north. So far, I am loving it. I got picked up from the airport in a tuk-tuk, which is like a giant motorized tricycle with a canopy. My first introduction to Thai traffic was like an amusement park ride. There's not really any lanes here, or right of way, or any of that shit that gets in the way when you have to get from point A to point B. There's stoplights, but they're optional. Somehow, though, it all works out. I haven't seen an accident in 5 days. Not like I would drive myself though. Not to get too deep or anything (not that it's possible for me anyway), but it's kind of an allegory for how everything works around here. There aren't a lot of rules, which would make you think it's chaotic, but everything seems to have achieved some sort of balance. So does that make it actually orderly? Wrap your head around that paradox, baby!
See, I educate as well as entertain. Another thing I've discovered is my new favorite beer, Beer Chang. The reason I like it is because the alcohol level is 6.4%, yet it's the cheapest beer in Thailand. I've also heard that 6.4 is the MINIMUM percentage and it could actually go as high as 14%. I was pondering the vicissitudes of variable alcohol beer last night (while drinking 3 Beer Changs) when I realized that you could make an absolute killing importing the stuff and selling it to college students in the US! Of course, the drawback to the strength of the beer is what I've dubbed the Changover. I had a hard time getting up this morning. As for what I've been doing the last few days: Thai Cooking course, my friends. That's right ladies, as if I wasn't irresistible enough, I can now add Thai master chef to the old resume. Tomorrow... vegetable carving. I'll think of all of you as I'm making a rose out of a tomato.
So far, the only person I've had longer than a 5-minute conversation with is the tuk-tuk guy that operates out of my guesthouse named Intha. He's in his mid to late 50s and works driving the tuk-tuk and doing odd jobs around the guesthouse. Actually, I'm not sure how many people work in the guesthouse and how many are just hanging out. There's anywhere between two and seven people hanging out by the outside bar/reception area. Anyway, Intha taught himself English by reading and watching movies. There were 7 kids in his family and since schools in Thailand cost money they couldn't afford to send all of them to school. He's been to Bangkok once and never outside Thailand. He taught me a very valuable lesson: If you're going to get a Thai massage, make sure it's done by an old lady, preferably a blind one.
He said the young girls don't know what they're doing, although they're the ones who are always on the sidewalk trying to get you to go in. Speaking of young girls, Chiang Mai doesn't have the greatest nightlife, but I did see a strip of bars as I was walking around one afternoon and decided to check it out in the evening. As I walked by I started to wonder why there were so many Thai girls sitting either alone or with old white guys. Oh. *Oh*. Sometimes it takes me a while.
I do have to admit that I have discovered an irresistible nighttime activity... the Chiang Mai night bazaar. This one street is lined with vendors which open from 4pm until midnight selling all sorts of clothes, knicknacks, and knockoffs. I suck at haggling. My first interaction with a vendor went something like this:
Me-How much is that shirt?
Vendor-99 baht.
Me-Um, okay.
I can't help it. I think I'm still getting ripped off, but I can't get too fired up about 50 cents. I'm getting loads of those really light cotton shirts that I'm sure I'll never wear when I get home. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm going to put on about 20 lbs before I get home because the food is so cheap. For 100 baht (about $2.50) I got spring rolls, mussel salad, naan bread, and an iced coffee the other night. There's always the danger of getting a gristle stick though, as I did yesterday. Carefully examine all barbecued "meat", that would be my advice to you.
A couple of my other highlights have included eating durian for the first time (yeah, it stinks, but it tastes pretty good) and having a 15 minute conversation with a Thai student who wanted to practice his English. He told me about a few places to check out in the area and kept asking me if I was going to try "lighting bamboo." I couldn't figure out what the hell he was talking about. What is that some sort of firewalking ceremony? Then I figured out he meant *riding* a bamboo raft down the river.
As always, the dude abides.
Dave
Pictures here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/dGsYqnhdK5BRZ31a7
If you'd told me 3 years ago that I'd be in Chiang Mai, Thailand to celebrate my 31st birthday, I'd have thought you were insane. Even if you'd told me that last year I wouldn't have believed it. Hey, this isn't a plea for birthday wishes because if you all sent them to me I wouldn't reply to everybody then I'd feel bad about it. Actually, I just wanted to say thanks to all of you. I wouldn't be here without the love and support of my family and friends and I attribute where I am (physically and mentally) as much to all of you as I do to myself.
Okay, enough of that shit and on to the good stuff. Last time I left you I'd just arrived in Perth after a strange adventure across the Nullarbor. I ended up extending my stay by a few days and not flying out until the 6th. I think it was mostly because I couldn't get enough of watching Zak and Ronan play pool. Riveting stuff. For a city that at first glance didn't seem like it had spectacular nightlife how we ended up staying out until 5 something like 3 nights in a row is beyond me. It must have had something to do with Ronan's hypnotic dancing style.
He has a rhythm and grace which can only be described as Treebeard-esque. Zak and I also had a memorable night out with these three Swiss girls we met on the Nullarbor trip and three local dudes. We somehow managed to pile 8 people into one of the guys' tiny car (it might've been a Ford Festiva) and drive around for half an hour looking for some club. It was like a clown car. Perth is actually a very nice city and I had a great time. It's not right on the ocean, but it's built on the Swan River which leads out west to the Indian Ocean. One of the days we took a ferry ride out to Fremantle along the Swan, saw loads of dolphins along the ferry, along with many 50+ million dollar houses along the water. Apparently Perth has the most millionaires of any Australian capitol. I'll never forget that I bought my first pair of designer jeans there. Although I didn't pay a hundred bucks for them (I'm talking to you Kelli). Thank you for the help Roisin, I'll think of you every time I use the jaws of life to take them off.
From Perth I flew in to Singapore, and at the last minute decided to spend a few days there to check it out. I don't know if it was the fact that I was leaving some cool new friends behind, or that I was going to a new country, or the malaria tablets I was taking, or what, but I hated it. The three longest days of my trip, bar none. Singapore is good for those of you who find Los Angeles a bit too rustic.
It's a business district, surrounded by a shopping mall, surrounded by highrises. And it's hot and humid. Woohoo! Wait, it gets better. Jason (this guy I met in the hostel) and I decided to check out the nightlife one night. So we took a cab over to one of the main clubbing/bar roads. When the cab almost hit 4 drunk people walking across the street, we knew we were in the right place. I just wanted a couple of beers, so we looked for someplace that had no cover charge. We found the one (1) place that was free to get in. I went up to the bar and ordered two beers.
The dude pours me two thimblefuls of Carlsberg and says "20 dollars." That was the end of my bar hopping in Singapore. I won't go into detail about my mind-numbing day on Orchard road. I just wanted a pair of tennis shoes. That's all. Some of you know how much I dislike shopping, but this was like my personal hades. It wasn't just one shopping mall, but like 18 of them in a row. On each side of the road.
I felt like I was in Groundhog Day. There are a couple of good things about Singapore though: the food is cheap and good, the coffee is good, and they have very high quality air conditioning. Also, for those dorks like me on this mailing list, I went to see this Lord of the Rings exhibition that had all this behind the scenes shit plus real weapons and costumes. Wicked cool.
You wouldn't believe how much I was looking forward to getting to Thailand. I flew to Bangkok and hopped on another flight to Chiang Mai in the north. So far, I am loving it. I got picked up from the airport in a tuk-tuk, which is like a giant motorized tricycle with a canopy. My first introduction to Thai traffic was like an amusement park ride. There's not really any lanes here, or right of way, or any of that shit that gets in the way when you have to get from point A to point B. There's stoplights, but they're optional. Somehow, though, it all works out. I haven't seen an accident in 5 days. Not like I would drive myself though. Not to get too deep or anything (not that it's possible for me anyway), but it's kind of an allegory for how everything works around here. There aren't a lot of rules, which would make you think it's chaotic, but everything seems to have achieved some sort of balance. So does that make it actually orderly? Wrap your head around that paradox, baby!
See, I educate as well as entertain. Another thing I've discovered is my new favorite beer, Beer Chang. The reason I like it is because the alcohol level is 6.4%, yet it's the cheapest beer in Thailand. I've also heard that 6.4 is the MINIMUM percentage and it could actually go as high as 14%. I was pondering the vicissitudes of variable alcohol beer last night (while drinking 3 Beer Changs) when I realized that you could make an absolute killing importing the stuff and selling it to college students in the US! Of course, the drawback to the strength of the beer is what I've dubbed the Changover. I had a hard time getting up this morning. As for what I've been doing the last few days: Thai Cooking course, my friends. That's right ladies, as if I wasn't irresistible enough, I can now add Thai master chef to the old resume. Tomorrow... vegetable carving. I'll think of all of you as I'm making a rose out of a tomato.
So far, the only person I've had longer than a 5-minute conversation with is the tuk-tuk guy that operates out of my guesthouse named Intha. He's in his mid to late 50s and works driving the tuk-tuk and doing odd jobs around the guesthouse. Actually, I'm not sure how many people work in the guesthouse and how many are just hanging out. There's anywhere between two and seven people hanging out by the outside bar/reception area. Anyway, Intha taught himself English by reading and watching movies. There were 7 kids in his family and since schools in Thailand cost money they couldn't afford to send all of them to school. He's been to Bangkok once and never outside Thailand. He taught me a very valuable lesson: If you're going to get a Thai massage, make sure it's done by an old lady, preferably a blind one.
He said the young girls don't know what they're doing, although they're the ones who are always on the sidewalk trying to get you to go in. Speaking of young girls, Chiang Mai doesn't have the greatest nightlife, but I did see a strip of bars as I was walking around one afternoon and decided to check it out in the evening. As I walked by I started to wonder why there were so many Thai girls sitting either alone or with old white guys. Oh. *Oh*. Sometimes it takes me a while.
I do have to admit that I have discovered an irresistible nighttime activity... the Chiang Mai night bazaar. This one street is lined with vendors which open from 4pm until midnight selling all sorts of clothes, knicknacks, and knockoffs. I suck at haggling. My first interaction with a vendor went something like this:
Me-How much is that shirt?
Vendor-99 baht.
Me-Um, okay.
I can't help it. I think I'm still getting ripped off, but I can't get too fired up about 50 cents. I'm getting loads of those really light cotton shirts that I'm sure I'll never wear when I get home. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm going to put on about 20 lbs before I get home because the food is so cheap. For 100 baht (about $2.50) I got spring rolls, mussel salad, naan bread, and an iced coffee the other night. There's always the danger of getting a gristle stick though, as I did yesterday. Carefully examine all barbecued "meat", that would be my advice to you.
A couple of my other highlights have included eating durian for the first time (yeah, it stinks, but it tastes pretty good) and having a 15 minute conversation with a Thai student who wanted to practice his English. He told me about a few places to check out in the area and kept asking me if I was going to try "lighting bamboo." I couldn't figure out what the hell he was talking about. What is that some sort of firewalking ceremony? Then I figured out he meant *riding* a bamboo raft down the river.
As always, the dude abides.
Dave
