To pick up where the last entry left off...heading to the night market in Luang Namthang. What I didn't mention is that we ran into a friend we had made in Luang Prabang. A younger guy named Sebastian. Apparently he had a horribly failed attempt to get into China and was back in Luang Namthang, trying to head to Chang Mai to renew his 1 day too late expired visa...he was floored to see us because all the wind had been taken out of his sails with the failed attempt and 3 days of wasted (not wasted but you know) travel. We all went to the night market and grubbed on pork and duck...BOMB. A whole duck was about 4 bucks..Colby called it when he said it is the pork of the bird family...so greasy and soooo delish!! We crashed and it was nice.
The next morning we woke to a delish breakfast of fruit juice, fruit shakes, coffee and a bowl of muesli, yogurt and fruit. Then the tuk tuk took (hahahahahah, that was accidental) us to the bus station where we boarded a packed bus for the border. Sebastian was and is with us. The bus was great. We boarded, all sitting separately and I turned to either side to say hello or actually Sai-ba-dee! Next thing I know one guy is giving me gum and another is sharing her pomegranate. My super cool pillow sprung a leak and the Israely behind me tapped my should to make me aware I was spilling out all over his feet. I asked if he happened to have a needle and thread and he said that he did!
-Story break...I am amazed at how similar backpacking and burning man can be and here's why...first off, people don't 'accidentally' backpack just like they don't 'accidentally' wind up at Burning Man. If you are at either then you have a desire to learn, a smile on your face and a hope for new experience with new people. Also, like the playa, the road for a backpacker will provide what you need (maybe not what you want) when you need it.
So there I was, on the bus, doing minor surgery on my pillow with a needle and thread. I did a decent job if I do say so myself! (reminds me of something we learned...instead of patting yourself on the back when you want to congratulate yourself, instead kiss your hand and turn to the person next to you and ask if 'they want some'!!hahahahah) The bus was mellow, I read mostly due to the nice roads and the pure enjoyment of shantaram.
We showed up to the border town and boarded a tuk tuk with 3 Israelis and the 3 of us. We get to the river, change some money, stamp our passports and board the boat to take us across to Thailand. Get there, stamp our passports, board another tuk tuk and head to the bus station for Chang Rai. It was funny because as we are on the boat Colby says something like, 'welcome back to the land of 7/11's'...he was right! They are all over. I am in love with all that is Laos and, already, after 1 day in Thailand, am a bit overwhelmed....but don't worry about me!
The bus ride from the Thai border to Chang Rai was beautiful and full of rice patties. Sebastian and I chatted most of the way while Colby sat behind us chatting up a local and digging for pertinent information. I feel a connection to Sebastian as he is 21 and on his first trek. That was about the first time I went out into the world and now that I am travelling again have realized that I am sort of a professional at it (kiss, kiss...want some?). I wanted to share how we do it, what we do specifically and also inspire him. He really is inspiring too though as he is travelling solo for 2 years and has already been on the road for 6 months....Good on ya!
It also funny to mention here that my English changes all the time. I have found myself mostly speaking what I call 'backpacker English' but my mom aptly named 'economical English'...no contractions, no slang and only the important 'meat' of the sentence...If you have travelled then you know.
So on the way to Chang Rai we scope a couple of spots for accommodation, arrive and head out. The first spot is the cheapest at 170 bat (30 bat to the dollar). This is on a busy corner, on the third floor and has a shared bathroom. The cool part is that the bottom floor is a bar/restaurant and the ladies (actually young girls) were really friendly and nice. I stayed to watch the bags while the other two went to check the rooms then I went with Sebastian to a different spot that had been recommended by the book and the local guide. It was 1 dollar more but had free internet, private bathroom and a nice garden, all located off the street. Unfortunately they didn't have a two beds and we weren't prepared to share 1. Sebastian decided on that one and we went back to grab Colby and discuss our options. Of course he had everyone in the bar sitting around a table and was telling jokes, stories and showing bar tricks. We sat down for a refreshment and more bar tricks (my favorite is the one we learned at Oktoberfest) but Colby has 3 really good ones. Next thing you know more backpackers roll in and we are all swapping stories and laughing. It was 2 dudes from the Netherlands and a chick from Sweden..they all met on the bus. We told them about Laos and they told us about Northern Thailand. As I sat there sweating my ass off I decided that Colby and I should 'spring' for the nicer spot in between the two we had checked out...by spring I mean spend 5 bucks each. Our own bathroom and A/C..both things I have no problem paying for. Free internet and coffee. We decided with all our new friends to split, get cleaned up and meet back there for the evening entertainment.
The people working at our hotel are hilarious...the first sign was their ability to use sarcasm...GREAT SHIT! So, one of the guys turns to Colby and asks if he likes lady boys...we laugh and say no then he says something like 'they have a hole down there you know'...we were like 'no we don't know' then....'how the hell do you know!!?'....he said 'one time, one time I try'....we lost our shit and almost fell over laughing as did everyone. He is sitting next to me now and I reminded him about that...I will never let him live that down.
Once we all arrived back, everyone fresh and clean, we decided to just eat there and drink. We were all having so much fun telling stories that it wasn't worth it to go anywhere else...at least not then. Conversation meandered over many topics but then got stuck when we started discussing the Killing Fields in Cambodia (a destination on my list that Colby has been to). His opinion was that it was not his place to be walking on the graves because you can actually see bone, teeth and cloths sticking out of the ground. He compared it to the concentration camps we had been to and said that those were more informative and still got the point across, where as this was a bit much. It went back and forth about maybe that is what people need to get the feeling deep in their hearts but then again that is also destroying it and maybe a better infrastructure should be put in place to preserve it. From there the conversation went darker with people talking about the horrific things their ancestors had done to other people...not our faults but still part of us. At one point, I had enough and wanted to get back to smiling (smile, smile smile JP) so I went a bought us a round of Thai Rum. I made a toast to the past and the present and the fact that conversation should now shift back to the beauty that surrounds us and the experiences we want each other to have in the places we have been (Dad you would have been proud!).
Then came our Thai lesson...this shit is going to be super difficult as there are not only words, but more importantly tone. Fuck, how do you write tone phonetically....it was funny and the girls working were eager to swap English for Thai. They also had a hula hoop there and I was the only one of the 'Falangs' able to keep it up...Jeez I wish I had a bit of Dilly's skills because even my horrible hooping was impressing them. The girls liked hip hop so I ran back to our room and grabbed my mix. Second set went off really well! It was great to talk music with the other travellers and I wrote down some new shit to check out and made sure they new of some shit to check out. We wound up there till they closed at midnight and then decided to check the 'nightclub'...that was HILARIOUS!! We were the only tourists (falangs) in the club and it was ALL GOOD!
7 of us now decided to get a bottle and some mixers (total cost 20 bucks). We were dancing our asses off and practicing our Thai. Super nice backpackers and friendly people everywhere. At one point a guy tapped me on the shoulder and wanted to take a picture with me. I call him the Chang Rai MJ..this kid was hilarious (wait for the pic). Huge collar flipped up, a v neck shirt that split down to his belly button, a chest filled with necklaces, a leather spiked bracelet, red hair and sunglasses (in a pitch black club..what BALLS). Turns out he sings at the club next door every night so we made him promise that if we went, he would do the best performance ever. Flamboyantly gay and brilliantly beautiful in his own way. He was telling us he sings Pussy Cat Dolls and Lady Gaga type stuff so we can't wait to check it tonight. The night ended at 3:30 in the morning when I called it quits for the group....the only reason was that we had to get up the next morning you know.
So, here I am, ready for the day and some wats and some food and some laughing and some fun. I am going to round up a few of the folks and see about getting us out and about.
----HOLY SHIT HAS THE LAST 24 HOURS BEEN AMAZING!!!----
So, finished typing and went to collect our friends from the various guesthouses...we had heard amazing things about the White Temple so 5 of us crammed into a tuk tuk built for 3 and headed that way. Maria had never been on a tuk tuk before and the whole time was giggling with pleasure..the White Temple is the most AMAZING TEMPLE I HAVE EVER SEEN....Think Gaudi's cathedral with Dahli art, the brilliance of Van Gogh/Monet and Picasso...Here is one of the reasons I liked the temple so much. It was started in 1997 and won't be finished for another 60-90 years so it is brand new as temples go. The art on the inside is insane and one wall starts with a 'hell' showing the cravings, temptations and such of man...superman, spiderman, batman, predator, star wars, avatar, the twin towers...this is OUR history...this is 'now' for us but will be 'then' for our children. The mural then travels with the people towards Buddha and enlightenment. It is the struggle between Lord Buddha and Mara (devil)....YOU HAVE TO GO SEE THIS IF YOU ARE ANYWHERE NEAR THIS SIDE OF THE PLANET!! I could go on and on about this temple but the pics will show you what my words cannot.
After that we headed back to town and I picked a random spot for lunch....due to the great smell and locals. Turns out they only served cow-soy soup....AMAZING...wow...no really...it was fucking delish!! After lunch we decided to head to the local temples to check out the Jade Buddha and the museum, etc. Very informative and amazingly beautiful. Colby has been looking for a book about Buddhism so he started talking with a monk about where to go. At that point no one else could keep up and they all bounced back for a rest and relax....we didn't..fuck it, sleep when you get home or die. Off to find the bookshop only to get there and see that they are closed, then the next bookshop which was stocked to the brim but only had about 3 books on the topic...and super fucking expensive. By this time my dogs were barking so we stopped for a foot massage which was crucial and amazing. Quick showers then back to the spot to meet up with our new group.
Since it was Saturday night, the walking street has an amazing market....no, not amazing...THE BEST MARKET I HAVE EVER SEEN...food; chicken satay, pork liver, spring rolls, sticky rice, juices, BUGS (side story; Maria is a vegetarian and said she would eat bugs so when we found them the other 6 of us crowded around her and started chanting...she was freaking out and it took half hour to get her to touch them only to have her flinch and spill the bag everywhere...HILARIOUS!!)...bugs are good. They could be sitting in a bowl at a bar and you could munch as you drink no problem...a little salty, a little crunchy. We all bought way more souvenirs than expected and then had to leave only because we wanted to catch Chang Rai MJ at his club at 10...we planned to see that then bounce to the other bigger clubs later...that was the plan at least.
So we show up to the club (Face) and get seated next to MJ who is happy to see us. Since we aren't sure what to order, I just get a round of Heineken...120 bat each!!! what the fuck that is like 4 bucks....so it was over 800 bat for the round...after that we realized that everyone was drinking Thai Whiskey...why you ask? Because it was 700 bat for a bottle bigger than the normal size and ice and mixers...
Now I have to talk a little about MJ...the night before when he said he sang there we didn't think too much of it but that was incredibly ignorant...turns out that 'Bell' ,as he likes to be called, is the lead singer in a 8 piece band along with a few other 'lead singers'...THEY FUCKING KILLED IT...after the beer and our first bottle we decided we shouldn't leave yet. We were hanging out with the band and laughing and dancing and singing and hugging!! I have video, I have pics but you had to be there!~!
Another side story; Joost and Martin were in a Frat back in the Netherlands so they were playing a drinking game throughout their entire journey and I joined in....here's how you play. You can never drink with your right hand and if you see someone doing that you yell 'BUFFALO'!!! The reason is because of Western Movies...you always have to have your right hand free in case you need to reach for your revolver..fucking righteous!! The other part of the game is that when you raise your glass to cheers you have to do that, then drink, THEN raise it again as a salute of sorts...now if you get caught then you have to chug the entire glass....this game is coming home with me. In return for their game I showed them 'Ew Dude' and they all started taking pics and practicing...pretty soon the students were the teachers...I showed them the pic of Dill, Dee and I at Burning Man as the exact example of what it looks like...By the way, all of them were just staring at Dee...haahahahahah.
Another side story; Gloria kept referring to parts of northern Thailand as 'hippie' but with a negative connotation. Colby and I quickly spoke up to defend our heritage and ask why it was bad...she explained that hippie was not only super chill, relaxed and laid back but also had a sense of arrogance and snobby-ness because of it...I get it but that isn't who hippies are where we are from..those are yuppies, right? They explained that we weren't hippies, we were 'surfer dudes' which was WAY better and alright with us.
BACK TO FACE CLUB...shit was wild and by the end of the night we were sharing booze with every table around us...Gloria, who drinks more than she should but smiles the whole time, ordered another bottle...then another bottle....We had 3 between the 7 of us and also shared with the others.
Joost started thumb wrestling and that went around, then Sebastian and I were arm wrestling and that went around but I think the best game was the sword game. You put your right feet next to each other and grasp hands with your index finger pointed at the other person. At 'go' you have to touch your finger to any part of their body beyond the hand. Great game and the locals started playing with us too!
Now your probably thinking, 'I bet Dan was dancing with all kinds of ladies'...and I was kind of but the sad fact is that I sweat like a fucking pig and no one wants to touch that shit...but I couldn't help it...the music, the vibe and everything was golden so I was bounced and bounced and bounced...If you have seen me dance then you know how aerobic it actually is...AND it was cooler in the club than outside so there is nothing you can do about it.
A beautiful lesbian showed us some great dance moves then, when she realized that I was kinda of popping and locking, we did the classic rave thing of passing the 'energy' around like a ball....so fun and such a good time..In the mouth, down to the chest, around the waist, into each foot, maybe dribble it between your legs then toss it up and shoot/hit/push it to the next one.
The night ended when they kicked us out...no one wanted it to end. By this time too, Sebastian has become one of us. At one point, after I was giving him heaps of shit for something, he said, 'your kind of like an older brother' to which I replied, 'well actually I am'...he doesn't have one so I took the roll...poor guy...As Colin can attest to, it ain't easy. From then on it was never ending shit but only with love and only to make him stronger, funnier and smarter. At one point he said he wanted to punch me in the face because there was a gay guy hitting on him the whole night and as we walked out I turned to the guy and said Sebastian thought he was cute. That guy took that as an invitation to lick his face...hahahah...So I turned my cheek and let Sebastian drop a cold punch...he hits like a girl!!
I am many things good and bad but someone recently told me a bad thing and sent me the definition. I read it and actually was like 'shit, that's not really that wrong'....Narcissistic...aside from hurting other people to make yourself feel good (Which I hope I don't do but now realize happens inadvertently) most of the definition was spot on....I guess I could be worse things. Here is the part of the definition that doesn't make me feel that bad about it. 'Freud believed that some narcissism is an essential part of all of us from birth. Andrew P. Morrison claims that, in adults, a reasonable amount of healthy narcissism allows the individual's perception of his needs to be balanced in relation to others.'
So today we are renting bikes and going adventuring through to the Scorpion Temple, Golden Triangle and Opium Museum as well as whatever else we can get into. All the others were supposed to be leaving today but decided that we weren't done yet so I think the crew will congregate and we will do it. I need to go gather the posse so stay tuned!!
----Another great day and Journey----
Rented bikes and realized that the scorpion temple is at the Burma border. We had heard that you can't go to Burma for various reasons but decided to ask at the border...turns out YOU CAN!! So we are!!! The scorpion temple was great but it was so far and took us so long to get there that we didn't do the museum or golden triangle, etc. We came home and asked the front desk where the best traditional Thai massage in Chang Rai was...and it was amazing..7 bucks for two hours of bliss..Colby and I have had 3 massages so far and every time he starts snoring in the middle, pretty funny. I have also learned something new with each one. First time, I started on my back with my head on the pillow like when I sleep. Second time I started on my stomach (which is the better way to start) but still, when flipped, laid like I was sleeping which is kind of hard on your neck. This time, the professionals didn't let me do that. Put the pillow on the top of your chest and let your neck dangle over the other side....duh.
After the massage we went to our local spot for a delish dinner and then loads of water and juice. I crashed at 10:30. We were all supposed to part ways this morning with the Dutch and Swede heading for Laos and Sebastian heading for Chang Mai....then they all changed their mind and decided to roll with us to Burma. It is a great crew and we are all having so much fun.
I probably won't be able to write while in Burma so stay tuned for that one!
Also, a tattoo idea is forming in my head and developing with Colby...super SICK!!
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