A few months ago I took one of those online quizzes about your lifestyle and medical history. Eventually it told me I would live to the age of 86, and since then has sent me at least 86 years worth of spam, and not the kind used to make musubi.
The questions on this site must have somehow overlooked my sedentary lifestyle, as my lack of energy is rivaled only by the lack of sub-prime mortgage money in today's market. It occurred to me that a trip to an acupuncturist to stick a few pins in my qi might be time well spent. I dug through the yellow pages to find a real doctor who also did acupuncture in hopes that my insurance would pay for the treatment.
On my first visit to the guy I'll call Dr. Kwak (pun intended), he started with shoulder and back massage, then asked me to remove my shirt for some needlework. Almost immediately he told me I needed to see a dermatologist. "Why, because of that blackhead pimple on my back?"
"That's no pimple," says Dr. Kwak (pun intended), "that's a melanoma." I didn't hear much after that. He had his receptionist make me an appointment with a dermatologist, but almost 3 weeks later. When I got home I called every other dermatologist in the phone book, trying to get an earlier appointment. But the receptionist had already found the earliest available, and I had to wait.
I could find nothing on the internet that supported Kwak's assessment of my "blackhead," but also didn't want to simply be in denial. The internet statistics of melanoma patients surviving beyond 5 years were not good. Suddenly the digits of my life expctancy were transposed. Dr. Kwak (pun intended) had done a lot to puncture my qi.
I have zero genetic disposition to cancer. (I confirmed that with a few surreptitions questions to siblings.) My only real genetic health concern has been heart disease, and to date there has been no evidence that I inherited any of those genes. So of course I'll live forever. But only five years? That certainly gives one a lot to think about. And nearly 3 weeks to dwell on it.
When the dermatologist said, "Who told you that's a melanoma? That's a sebaceous cyst," my relief was huge. "Super," I said, "I can live with that." "No you can't," she said, "I'm going to take it out right now." The room filled with giddy nurses who were clearly thrilled to be doing something other than dispensing acne medicine. I reveled along with them as they stuck a few needles in me then replaced my cyst with a divot. I feel like I dodged a bullet, even though the gun was never actually loaded.
Aside from getting over my anger at Dr. Kwak for scaring me to death, my biggest problem since seeing the dermatologist has been changing the bandage in the middle of my back.
But again, I can live with that.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
The Last Leg -- or Foot
I was finally able to make phone contact with the organization in NE Thailand I'd been trying to contact for days and weeks. Frank wasn't due to arrive in Laos for several days, and I hadn't heard from the prince, so I decided, perhaps mistakenly, to skip Luang Prabang once again and cut my Laos trip short. Got up early the next morning, checked out of the hotel and went to the bus station. The next two busses crossing back into Thailand were full, so I had about a two-hour wait. This was perfect for doing a little shopping in the Morning Market for a couple of souvenirs. It was here I saw several shops selling silk thread for weaving. I didn't buy any, but I should have for some possible future craftiness.
I got back into Udorn by late afternoon, had dinner and decided to get a haircut to become a slightly less scary guy. Shampoo, head & neck massage, skillfull scissor cut, shampoo, fine tune the cut, more head, neck & shoulder massage, and finally finished. After an hour of skilled attention from three different professionals, I forked over the four dollars. A bit pricey, I know, but this was a high-end barber shop. Seriously.
The next day was spent mostly driving to the eastern Thai-Lao border to scope out the new university, about 250 km each way. I was able to rent a nice vehicle, so it wasn't too bad.
After sleeping in on the final morning, I repacked everything for flying home and went to the airport to return to Bangkok. In the big city once again, I went across the street to the big shopping center for the final souvenir run.
And run it was. I got confirmation by email that some silk thread for weaving might be a good purchase, and I was sure I could find some in this mega-plex. I found some ladies on the Thai handicrafts floor who could understand what I was looking for, and they sent me to the third floor to get it. Everybody there said no thread, only finished products. Go to the first floor information desk. Had to get out the dictionary, but the girl there said there was some on the fourth floor of the big Japanese department store. Didn't sound right to me, but off I went, and finally found a small section of imported yarn for knitting. Dictionaries aren't perfect. Stopped on the second floor Dunkin' Donuts for one more lychee donut and iced coffee before going back to the information desk for one more try. They gave up, so I gave up as well. No thread, but I know where I can get it in Laos when the time comes.
I still had a couple hours to kill before going back to the airport, and I was exhausted from 3 weeks of fun topped off by running around the huge shopping center. I had threatened to try out reflexology and saw this as the perfect opportunity. So off I limped to the small massage shop I had walked by many times outside my hotel. At $7 an hour, it was one of the pricier shops, but it was convenient.
It was the perfect way to wind up the trip. Aften an hour of attention to my tired feet and calf muscles, I felt ready to start all over again.
Well, almost.
A mythical scene depicted near my departure gate at Bangkok International.
I got back into Udorn by late afternoon, had dinner and decided to get a haircut to become a slightly less scary guy. Shampoo, head & neck massage, skillfull scissor cut, shampoo, fine tune the cut, more head, neck & shoulder massage, and finally finished. After an hour of skilled attention from three different professionals, I forked over the four dollars. A bit pricey, I know, but this was a high-end barber shop. Seriously.
The next day was spent mostly driving to the eastern Thai-Lao border to scope out the new university, about 250 km each way. I was able to rent a nice vehicle, so it wasn't too bad.
After sleeping in on the final morning, I repacked everything for flying home and went to the airport to return to Bangkok. In the big city once again, I went across the street to the big shopping center for the final souvenir run.
And run it was. I got confirmation by email that some silk thread for weaving might be a good purchase, and I was sure I could find some in this mega-plex. I found some ladies on the Thai handicrafts floor who could understand what I was looking for, and they sent me to the third floor to get it. Everybody there said no thread, only finished products. Go to the first floor information desk. Had to get out the dictionary, but the girl there said there was some on the fourth floor of the big Japanese department store. Didn't sound right to me, but off I went, and finally found a small section of imported yarn for knitting. Dictionaries aren't perfect. Stopped on the second floor Dunkin' Donuts for one more lychee donut and iced coffee before going back to the information desk for one more try. They gave up, so I gave up as well. No thread, but I know where I can get it in Laos when the time comes.
I still had a couple hours to kill before going back to the airport, and I was exhausted from 3 weeks of fun topped off by running around the huge shopping center. I had threatened to try out reflexology and saw this as the perfect opportunity. So off I limped to the small massage shop I had walked by many times outside my hotel. At $7 an hour, it was one of the pricier shops, but it was convenient.
It was the perfect way to wind up the trip. Aften an hour of attention to my tired feet and calf muscles, I felt ready to start all over again.
Well, almost.
A mythical scene depicted near my departure gate at Bangkok International.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
A Lao-sy Day
Now that the whining is out of my system, some photos that I googled and ripped off for Karen's edification. After my camera broke, I quit googling.
Shortly after getting settled in Vientiane, I took a walk along the river to avoid all of the water splashing going on along the street. Hundreds of vendors were set up, carnival style, and the celebratory tents even spilled over into the river, or what is usually the river. This is the dry season, and the Mekong River is very low right now.
When my legs tired, I sat in one of the thathched bar/restaurants to rest my legs. I invested 10,000 kip in a large beer and enjoyed looking over the river and doing nothing.
What appears to be a beach is actually a silty river bed. In the rainy season, the water comes right up to the vegetation level. If you expand the picture, you can actually see what's left of the river at this point.
One surprise for me this trip is the proliferation and popularity of Hawaiian print. I first noticed it in Bangkok, but it's everywhere. I wonder if the Hawaii Visitor's Bureau knows?
I snuck this picture of a young couple enjoying a New Year's lunch on the river. These Hawaiian prints were everywhere.
The standard mode of transportation here, for those that can afford anything at all, is a 100cc motorbike. Sometimes you see them ridden solo, but more ofter they are two up, and sometimes 3 and 4 are riding one small bike. I've seen a family of five on one of these. I tried to catch a photo, and finally got lucky. Look closely and you'll see 3 on one of these bikes and 4 on the other.
One shot of kids throwing water at a passing vehicle. Lots of water was going both ways, and nobody could escape getting drenched.
And a shot of a standard wat or temple. There are thousands of these ornate structures throughout Thailand and Laos. One wonders how these poor societies can afford so much beautiful architecture.
And finally, That Luang, one of the oldest chedis in Southeast Asia, located just a few blocks up the street from my old office. If memory serves, it's from the 13th century. (I probably should google it.) It was undergoing some major restoration when I was here about 3 years ago. It looks pretty good for its age.
I wish I did.
Shortly after getting settled in Vientiane, I took a walk along the river to avoid all of the water splashing going on along the street. Hundreds of vendors were set up, carnival style, and the celebratory tents even spilled over into the river, or what is usually the river. This is the dry season, and the Mekong River is very low right now.
When my legs tired, I sat in one of the thathched bar/restaurants to rest my legs. I invested 10,000 kip in a large beer and enjoyed looking over the river and doing nothing.
What appears to be a beach is actually a silty river bed. In the rainy season, the water comes right up to the vegetation level. If you expand the picture, you can actually see what's left of the river at this point.
One surprise for me this trip is the proliferation and popularity of Hawaiian print. I first noticed it in Bangkok, but it's everywhere. I wonder if the Hawaii Visitor's Bureau knows?
I snuck this picture of a young couple enjoying a New Year's lunch on the river. These Hawaiian prints were everywhere.
The standard mode of transportation here, for those that can afford anything at all, is a 100cc motorbike. Sometimes you see them ridden solo, but more ofter they are two up, and sometimes 3 and 4 are riding one small bike. I've seen a family of five on one of these. I tried to catch a photo, and finally got lucky. Look closely and you'll see 3 on one of these bikes and 4 on the other.
One shot of kids throwing water at a passing vehicle. Lots of water was going both ways, and nobody could escape getting drenched.
And a shot of a standard wat or temple. There are thousands of these ornate structures throughout Thailand and Laos. One wonders how these poor societies can afford so much beautiful architecture.
And finally, That Luang, one of the oldest chedis in Southeast Asia, located just a few blocks up the street from my old office. If memory serves, it's from the 13th century. (I probably should google it.) It was undergoing some major restoration when I was here about 3 years ago. It looks pretty good for its age.
I wish I did.
Time for a Break, or 4 or 5
Philosophically speaking, you can't really expect to be travelling around in remote parts of the world without a few things going wrong. I'd been pretty lucky on my various trips, including this one.
But luck has to run out, eventually.
I left Udon Thani early a couple days ago, not wanting to wait for the scheduled 11 am bus. I got on a bus that was passing through from another city in order to get into Vientiane earlier than advertised as possible. There were only 4 of us on the huge double-decker air-conditioned bus, so it was going to be a very comfy ride. But then we stopped just before leaving the outskirts of town. After a few minutes of fussing, we were told that the bus had broken and they hustled us onto another, much fuller bus that was passing by. Whether or not our empty bus was actually broken is an open question, but it was a telling start to my sidetrip to Laos.
Crossing the river from Thailand into Laos used to be a very easy matter. Stop at the small wooden immigration shack, let them pound som ink into your passport, stroll down the bank and get into a small boat for passage to the other side. Climb the bank, stop by the small wooden shack for some more passport ink, then hop into a very cheap cab into Vientiane.
But several years ago, the Australians built the "Friendship Bridge" joining the two countries at this point. Since that time the Communist Lao government has loosened up a lot and with the New Year season, the bridge was madness going both ways. Lessons learned.
Water-throwing was maniacal, as it had been in Thailand, but now I was on foot so I didn't mind quite as much.
But my feet did. I woke up the next morning with a nasty blister on one heel from walking around in wet shoes. The rubber sole of one shoe had succombed to the water and extra miles I've been walking lately and was peeling off. Shower and shave--no shave. My trusty travel shaver that's been with me on the road for many years made a couple of very loud noises and then became silent forever. Never mind, I'm on vacation.
Put on the sunglasses to head out for the day and one lens falls off. Quick repair with some dental floss. Rent a small motorbike in front of the hotel to do some running around town. Trouble starting, but it finally got going--for less than one meter. Died several times so they gave me another bike. After coming back from some errands (got some packing tape to put my shoe back together for just a few more days) the first bike had its engine completely disassembled in the parking area in front of the hotel. A new piston and rings were acquired and it was back together by the end of the day. Amazing people.
Tried to book the flight back to Bangkok. Credit card doesn't work. No idea why as I called the fraud department before I left to be sure they didn't suspect somebody had stolen my card and ran to Asia. It has been working fine up to now. I tried to book by phone, but the airline won't reserve without payemnt and doesn't accept foreign credit cards by phone, only online. Go figure.
Still can't reach the University in Nakorn Phanom. Frank is pushing me to make contact with Prince Panya (son of the Prime Minister when I lived in Laos) for a couple beers, but Frank couldn't find his phone number. Said to call his secretary in Vientiane. She couldn't find his number either. I emailed him but no response. Would've been fun to discuss old times as he was the main force behind Royal Air Lao initiating international flights to Chiang Mai, which started my whole history with said city.
Then my camera died. Didn't act like the battery, and I was afraid that even though I'd been double-bagging it, water worked its way into it. Special battery not immediately available to check it out. I bought a better camera especially to bring on this trip, but have kept it very secure from all the water and used it only for that one night in Bangkok shot. Now that the onslaught of water is finished, I can pull it out and use it. (Edit: found a battery, and the old camera lives on!)
I did get a few good pictures in Laos before the camera died, and will post them later when I'm done whining.
Still undaunted, I went to Prince Panya's favorite bar hoping he would show up. He didn't of course, but I had some enjoyable pool games with a couple of Aussies on a mining project and had a long chat with a British salesman up on a visa run from Pattaya. It was not like the party with Ed's MIT classmates, but the beer was superb.
Forrest Gump was totally right when he said that **it happens, but today was like Montezuma's revenge.
I brought along some medicine for that, but doubt that it will work.
But luck has to run out, eventually.
I left Udon Thani early a couple days ago, not wanting to wait for the scheduled 11 am bus. I got on a bus that was passing through from another city in order to get into Vientiane earlier than advertised as possible. There were only 4 of us on the huge double-decker air-conditioned bus, so it was going to be a very comfy ride. But then we stopped just before leaving the outskirts of town. After a few minutes of fussing, we were told that the bus had broken and they hustled us onto another, much fuller bus that was passing by. Whether or not our empty bus was actually broken is an open question, but it was a telling start to my sidetrip to Laos.
Crossing the river from Thailand into Laos used to be a very easy matter. Stop at the small wooden immigration shack, let them pound som ink into your passport, stroll down the bank and get into a small boat for passage to the other side. Climb the bank, stop by the small wooden shack for some more passport ink, then hop into a very cheap cab into Vientiane.
But several years ago, the Australians built the "Friendship Bridge" joining the two countries at this point. Since that time the Communist Lao government has loosened up a lot and with the New Year season, the bridge was madness going both ways. Lessons learned.
Water-throwing was maniacal, as it had been in Thailand, but now I was on foot so I didn't mind quite as much.
But my feet did. I woke up the next morning with a nasty blister on one heel from walking around in wet shoes. The rubber sole of one shoe had succombed to the water and extra miles I've been walking lately and was peeling off. Shower and shave--no shave. My trusty travel shaver that's been with me on the road for many years made a couple of very loud noises and then became silent forever. Never mind, I'm on vacation.
Put on the sunglasses to head out for the day and one lens falls off. Quick repair with some dental floss. Rent a small motorbike in front of the hotel to do some running around town. Trouble starting, but it finally got going--for less than one meter. Died several times so they gave me another bike. After coming back from some errands (got some packing tape to put my shoe back together for just a few more days) the first bike had its engine completely disassembled in the parking area in front of the hotel. A new piston and rings were acquired and it was back together by the end of the day. Amazing people.
Tried to book the flight back to Bangkok. Credit card doesn't work. No idea why as I called the fraud department before I left to be sure they didn't suspect somebody had stolen my card and ran to Asia. It has been working fine up to now. I tried to book by phone, but the airline won't reserve without payemnt and doesn't accept foreign credit cards by phone, only online. Go figure.
Still can't reach the University in Nakorn Phanom. Frank is pushing me to make contact with Prince Panya (son of the Prime Minister when I lived in Laos) for a couple beers, but Frank couldn't find his phone number. Said to call his secretary in Vientiane. She couldn't find his number either. I emailed him but no response. Would've been fun to discuss old times as he was the main force behind Royal Air Lao initiating international flights to Chiang Mai, which started my whole history with said city.
Then my camera died. Didn't act like the battery, and I was afraid that even though I'd been double-bagging it, water worked its way into it. Special battery not immediately available to check it out. I bought a better camera especially to bring on this trip, but have kept it very secure from all the water and used it only for that one night in Bangkok shot. Now that the onslaught of water is finished, I can pull it out and use it. (Edit: found a battery, and the old camera lives on!)
I did get a few good pictures in Laos before the camera died, and will post them later when I'm done whining.
Still undaunted, I went to Prince Panya's favorite bar hoping he would show up. He didn't of course, but I had some enjoyable pool games with a couple of Aussies on a mining project and had a long chat with a British salesman up on a visa run from Pattaya. It was not like the party with Ed's MIT classmates, but the beer was superb.
Forrest Gump was totally right when he said that **it happens, but today was like Montezuma's revenge.
I brought along some medicine for that, but doubt that it will work.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Water, water, everywhere, but nary a drop to drink
The people I'm supposed to see in Nakorn Phanom are not answering the phone (New Year's holiday, I suppose), so I changed gears and came up to Laos this morning. I'm sitting in an internet shop just a few doors away from my original office here back in '71. Buddhist New Year is being celebrated here the same as in Thailand, so there is still water being thrown constantly. Can't tell if I'm sweating from the intense heat or drenched from "well wishes." Probably both.
I flew from Chiang Mai to Udorn yesterday morning, and braved the buckets of water to look around a bit at the place where I was first introduced to Thailand. More accurately, to "the world outside the box."
The American military is of course long gone. The air base from where so many attacks on North Viet Nam were launched is now a combination international airport and Royal Thai Air Base. Kind of like Hickam and Honolulu International. About 18km down the road from there is the Army base where I was stationed through all of '67 and part of '68. Actually left Udorn on the 28th of March, 1968. I can remember the date because it was my good friend Tex's birthday that day, and because we crossed the dateline before our stopover in Anchorage, his birthday was more than 30 hours long. We became good friends in Udorn, left together to go to Okinawa, and got out of the AF about the same time and became roommates as we began our civilian lives in Honolulu. He and his wife came to visit us in Hawaii many years ago, and Michele and I have both visited his Texas home a couple of times.
But I digress. I took a few pictures that I emailed to him last night, but don't have my computer with me today, so I will post no pictures. I got up early to catch the bus to the northern border town of Nongkai, struggle with passports and visas for an hour or so, and got checked into my Vientiane room before 11. Have been dodging water ever since. I'll do a little souvenir shopping this afternoon (maybe--Karen, do silk shawls shrink when they're soaked?) and make a major trip continuation decision tomorrow morning. If the Aviation University continues to be closed, I'll trash that sidetrip and go to Luang Prabang here in Laos instead. Communication has been so poor from the University that it will probably be a wasted trip in any case.
Udorn pictures (uninteresting to the general public) will appear later.
But now I'm feeling the urge to take yet another shower fully clothed walking down the street.
I flew from Chiang Mai to Udorn yesterday morning, and braved the buckets of water to look around a bit at the place where I was first introduced to Thailand. More accurately, to "the world outside the box."
The American military is of course long gone. The air base from where so many attacks on North Viet Nam were launched is now a combination international airport and Royal Thai Air Base. Kind of like Hickam and Honolulu International. About 18km down the road from there is the Army base where I was stationed through all of '67 and part of '68. Actually left Udorn on the 28th of March, 1968. I can remember the date because it was my good friend Tex's birthday that day, and because we crossed the dateline before our stopover in Anchorage, his birthday was more than 30 hours long. We became good friends in Udorn, left together to go to Okinawa, and got out of the AF about the same time and became roommates as we began our civilian lives in Honolulu. He and his wife came to visit us in Hawaii many years ago, and Michele and I have both visited his Texas home a couple of times.
But I digress. I took a few pictures that I emailed to him last night, but don't have my computer with me today, so I will post no pictures. I got up early to catch the bus to the northern border town of Nongkai, struggle with passports and visas for an hour or so, and got checked into my Vientiane room before 11. Have been dodging water ever since. I'll do a little souvenir shopping this afternoon (maybe--Karen, do silk shawls shrink when they're soaked?) and make a major trip continuation decision tomorrow morning. If the Aviation University continues to be closed, I'll trash that sidetrip and go to Luang Prabang here in Laos instead. Communication has been so poor from the University that it will probably be a wasted trip in any case.
Udorn pictures (uninteresting to the general public) will appear later.
But now I'm feeling the urge to take yet another shower fully clothed walking down the street.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
North by Southwest
I'm back in Chiang Mai for my last evening here, and before I fight the buckets and buckets of water to go find something to eat, I'll post just a bit here.
From Fang I went north to the Golden Triangle, at one time a center for drug growing and smuggling. The road to get here, while smokey, was one of the best for motorcycling I've ever been on. Now there are several coffee farms along the road where once there were poppy farms, a much more lucrative crop.
In the foreground is Thailand, off to the left you can barely make out the casino in Burma, and across the river to the right is Laos.
Now there are hundreds of vendors selling handicrafts and other things, and hundreds of boats plying tourists around the Mekong for the thrill of getting closer to Laos and Burma. I declined the many offers to accept my money for a boat ride, but I did relent and get a couple tee shirts.
Riding along the Mekong River, I saw them setting up this stage for New Year celebration in the small town of Chiang Saen.
I spent the night in Chiang Rai, a fairly large city, and I couldn't find the hotel. I stopped to look at my map and a really nice couple came out of their store to help me out. Getting to the hotel was indeed difficult, so they hopped on their motorbike and led me there. Really nice people. Near the hotel was a very nice restaurant that served superb Massaman curry.
On the way back to Chiang Mai from Chiang Rai, I stopped for an iced coffee at a quaint shop on the side of the road and had a chat with a couple of local policemen. One was very interested in my bike, its gas mileage, what I ride back at home, gas mileage again, etc. He pointed out our precise position on the map where I took this photo.
One of the few green fields this time of year. The smokey sky is very evident here.
When I got back to Chiang Mai the Songkran madness was in full swing. This is a view of the street from my room.
On John's recommendation, the next morning I headed out Mae Sariang, near the Burmese border southwest of Chiang Mai. For part of this ride, the smoke cleared and I was able to get a couple of good pictures.
A newly planted rice field--a very rare sight this time of year.
The same field, up close and personal. The plants are now about 6 inches tall.
I stopped for a coke here on the Mae Chaem River.
A small valley nicely terraced for agriculture.
And this scary guy was in the middle of the road in the middle of nowhere.
Next rest stop, 30 km.
The evening sun reflecting off the Yuam River behind the all -teakwood hotel John recommended.
A smokey sunset.
One of the many sources of smoke.
The last 2 km back into Chiang Mai took me almost 2 hours, and this is why. Today is the actual New Year's Day and the streets are madness with people throwing water at each other. If you look closely, you can see an image of Buddha being carried through the crowd for people to pour water on (the origin and actual intent of all the water-throwing).
The madness is supposed to continue for another couple of days, but I'm hoping it's a little better at my next stop.
Tomorrow I'm flying southeast to the Northeast. Really.
From Fang I went north to the Golden Triangle, at one time a center for drug growing and smuggling. The road to get here, while smokey, was one of the best for motorcycling I've ever been on. Now there are several coffee farms along the road where once there were poppy farms, a much more lucrative crop.
In the foreground is Thailand, off to the left you can barely make out the casino in Burma, and across the river to the right is Laos.
Now there are hundreds of vendors selling handicrafts and other things, and hundreds of boats plying tourists around the Mekong for the thrill of getting closer to Laos and Burma. I declined the many offers to accept my money for a boat ride, but I did relent and get a couple tee shirts.
Riding along the Mekong River, I saw them setting up this stage for New Year celebration in the small town of Chiang Saen.
I spent the night in Chiang Rai, a fairly large city, and I couldn't find the hotel. I stopped to look at my map and a really nice couple came out of their store to help me out. Getting to the hotel was indeed difficult, so they hopped on their motorbike and led me there. Really nice people. Near the hotel was a very nice restaurant that served superb Massaman curry.
On the way back to Chiang Mai from Chiang Rai, I stopped for an iced coffee at a quaint shop on the side of the road and had a chat with a couple of local policemen. One was very interested in my bike, its gas mileage, what I ride back at home, gas mileage again, etc. He pointed out our precise position on the map where I took this photo.
One of the few green fields this time of year. The smokey sky is very evident here.
When I got back to Chiang Mai the Songkran madness was in full swing. This is a view of the street from my room.
On John's recommendation, the next morning I headed out Mae Sariang, near the Burmese border southwest of Chiang Mai. For part of this ride, the smoke cleared and I was able to get a couple of good pictures.
A newly planted rice field--a very rare sight this time of year.
The same field, up close and personal. The plants are now about 6 inches tall.
I stopped for a coke here on the Mae Chaem River.
A small valley nicely terraced for agriculture.
And this scary guy was in the middle of the road in the middle of nowhere.
Next rest stop, 30 km.
The evening sun reflecting off the Yuam River behind the all -teakwood hotel John recommended.
A smokey sunset.
One of the many sources of smoke.
The last 2 km back into Chiang Mai took me almost 2 hours, and this is why. Today is the actual New Year's Day and the streets are madness with people throwing water at each other. If you look closely, you can see an image of Buddha being carried through the crowd for people to pour water on (the origin and actual intent of all the water-throwing).
The madness is supposed to continue for another couple of days, but I'm hoping it's a little better at my next stop.
Tomorrow I'm flying southeast to the Northeast. Really.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Ready for Gold
Today was a long, but fun day. I'm still not keeping up on the ride site, but a couple more random pictures are available for this one. I left pretty much on schedule this morning but did a sidetrip or two that made me more tired than I expected. The ride was only about 250 kilometers, but that's a lot on mountain roads on a strange bike.
I'm now in Fang, near the Thai/Myanmar border, ready to go to the Golden Triangle tomorrow. More mountains and more fun.
Loaded up and ready to go.
This great image popped up in the middle of nowhere about halfway between Chiang Dao and Fang up in the mountains. It was so quiet here except for the birds singing that I hated to leave.
Sunset behind a temple in Fang.
And today's baby picture, taken at a great open-air restaurant on the northeast corner of town, 22-month-old Narak. She is swinging in the playground area, all much more civil than the McD's noisy venues. Someday I'll be back here.
And finally, I can't read this, and I don't remember what the manager said the name of the restaurant is, but for those of you that can read Thai, I highly recomment this restaurant. The mosquitos are constantly competing for the food, but they don't eat all that much. (Edit: I just asked the lady who runs this great internet place to read this sign for me, and the name of the restaurant is Vieng Fang [Fang City] WangKung. Jot that down somewhere for future reference.)
I didn't bring my computer, but the internet here costs 85 cents per hour, and the computer chairs are recliners, I guess to make the gamers comfy. The only thing missing is one of those Elephant Beers.
But I think I saw a sign on my way into town.
I'm now in Fang, near the Thai/Myanmar border, ready to go to the Golden Triangle tomorrow. More mountains and more fun.
Loaded up and ready to go.
This great image popped up in the middle of nowhere about halfway between Chiang Dao and Fang up in the mountains. It was so quiet here except for the birds singing that I hated to leave.
Sunset behind a temple in Fang.
And today's baby picture, taken at a great open-air restaurant on the northeast corner of town, 22-month-old Narak. She is swinging in the playground area, all much more civil than the McD's noisy venues. Someday I'll be back here.
And finally, I can't read this, and I don't remember what the manager said the name of the restaurant is, but for those of you that can read Thai, I highly recomment this restaurant. The mosquitos are constantly competing for the food, but they don't eat all that much. (Edit: I just asked the lady who runs this great internet place to read this sign for me, and the name of the restaurant is Vieng Fang [Fang City] WangKung. Jot that down somewhere for future reference.)
I didn't bring my computer, but the internet here costs 85 cents per hour, and the computer chairs are recliners, I guess to make the gamers comfy. The only thing missing is one of those Elephant Beers.
But I think I saw a sign on my way into town.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
A Really Big Show
Hopefully I'll find time to write up my days of riding on my magna-ficent rides site, but in the meantime, a couple of random photos for this one.
Last night at the restaurant.
A forest fire starting in the mountains about 30 miles west of Chiang Mai. Where's my airplane?
Begging for bananas at the Mae Sa Elephant Camp show. This show was profiled on the Discovery Channel. Fun to watch.
After today's ride, I went down to the pool to cool off. A strong wind blew hundreds of white and purple orchids into the pool. I told the 10-year-old girl it made her look like a princess swimming among the flowers. Her mother laughed, but the girl didn't stop smiling.
Actually, it made me feel like I was swimming in a Mai Tai and I got thirsty. All I could find in the refrigerator, though, was a Beer Chang (Elephant Beer). All in all, an appropriate drink to end the day.
Last night at the restaurant.
A forest fire starting in the mountains about 30 miles west of Chiang Mai. Where's my airplane?
Begging for bananas at the Mae Sa Elephant Camp show. This show was profiled on the Discovery Channel. Fun to watch.
After today's ride, I went down to the pool to cool off. A strong wind blew hundreds of white and purple orchids into the pool. I told the 10-year-old girl it made her look like a princess swimming among the flowers. Her mother laughed, but the girl didn't stop smiling.
Actually, it made me feel like I was swimming in a Mai Tai and I got thirsty. All I could find in the refrigerator, though, was a Beer Chang (Elephant Beer). All in all, an appropriate drink to end the day.
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