Getting to Chiang Mai

Ah so I have more time than I thought so let me back track a bit now while I am in the mood. I arrived in Chiang Mai yesterday somewhere in the middle of the day from Mae Sot. I rose just before the sun brushed my teeth and put on my small back pack and even smaller front back, hung my room key in the hall, quietly rolled the old metal gate of the Ban Fern Guest House open and ambled down the road among the morning traffic of mopeds, bicycles, uniformed school children and lines of those seeking a walkalong breakfast on the roadside before work. Markets open early in primairly agrarian societies. By sevenish I had reached the local bus depo where I would hop a small minivan up and over the mountain, yes more winding hilly roads, not as narrow as the ones to UmPrang nor a trecherous but challenging none the less considereing we'd be sharing the 2 lane hiway with big wheeled trucks hauling heavy loads. They're not the most agile of vehicles.

I was tucked into the back left corner of the van and really had to sit with my knees in my lap. I may be short but those of you who know me know I'm easily 75% legs. Short is often convenient when traveling, long-legged rarely is. . ah but I digress. I was glad to have a window that could open but really it was just as fumy whether we had it open or not. I was amazed that I wasn't sick from all the CO and arrived clearheaded to the TAK bus station about 1.5hrs later. I no less got out of the van and had slung my pack over my back when I was guided to the departing big bus to Chiang Mai. . .So much for breakfast or lunch I guess. It was a rarity that I didn't have water with me but well, that's how it goes. About 1/2 way through the 5-6 hr ride I did get a migraine which forced me to put down the 2nd book for that day, (yes although I suffered terrible motion sickness as a child I think sailing must have helped cure me of this and I can read even on winding roads in the back of a van!!) So I put down my book and found 2 Excedrin (I don't go anywhere with out my migrain solution!) and sucked em down with my own spit as it was all I had on hand. I was glad it seemed to do the trick, enough so that I survived the ride without too much unplesantness and was able to spend time with Barb when I arrived. She was a gracious host and came to find me at the bus terminal so that we could begin our walking tour of the city. It took me a minute or two to figure out how to call her on a local pay phone. It was the first phone call I'd made in Thailand and wasn't sure how many of the numbers in the long string I'd actually need to use locally. I found a payphone that used coins, not a card, and just kept going hit or miss until I figured things out. It was actually pretty easy and there was a very effective volume control button that allowed me to hear her even over the din of the bustling bus tation.
I've aquired some clothing along the way as I'm not a big fan of current Korean fashions and will off load the extra weight and bulk from my pack by sending a box to Korea from here, , , it's much better than carrying it.

Curious things about Thailand so far, meds are really relatively inexpensive and easily available from a pharmcist, toiletries are dirt cheap compared to Korea! Oh my hair is sooooo happy for the conditioning rinse! Drivers are better than in Korea, because they are all concious on some level of what others are doing and in a very communial way, every one just adjusts, Food is the best!!!! People smile and say hello, people make eyecontact, I believe there are more massage parlors per square inch than anywhere else in the world! (I'm talking about all the regular massage places!!!!not just the uhhh full service ones, ya know what I mean, wink wink, nod, nod!)

Barb and I are off to a Thai dinner and a Jazz club toninght and tomorrow bicycling around and then a great little stop at a place that has 69Bhat hour massage, (That's like 2 U$S folks, OK, now I know you're a little enveous.)