Strange Sensations

It's hard to believe that this is still the same place I crash landed in three months ago. I woke up early as always. I had some water and an orange before heading out for my morning walk. The cool season is now in full effect, and this morning I experienced something very unusual. For a couple weeks now, I have been making fun of the locals as they dress up like Eskimos whenever the temperature dips below 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Upon stepping outside my building this morning I actually felt the sensation of cold!! The overnight temperature had dropped to 66 degrees Fahrenheit, and I found myself scrambling back inside to find some long pants. It was only one month ago that I couldn't go outside during the heat of the day for fear of boiling my brain in the intense heat and humidity. The concept of actually feeling cold while this close to the equator still seems absolutely ridiculous, but I suppose I'll get used to it about the time that the whole country turns into an oven again.

Turkey Day in Thailand

As anyone might assume, there is no Thanksgiving holiday here in Thailand. Most of the foreigners here are Europeans, and the few other Americans I know seem to have let it slip by unnoticed. No turkey dinner, no stuffing, and no mashed potatoes. I've had a few of the locals ask me to explain the holiday, but it's a little difficult to explain to someone whose family has lived in the same area since for over 10,000 years. Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that was never fully colonized by the west. The rulers of Thailand in the 19th century pitted Great Britain and France against each other in a tricky political dice game. After the Japanese invasion of World War II, they signed a truce with Tokyo, and the Japanese helped them regain land that had been lost to European colony incursions. After the war, Thailand emerged as a major U.S. ally and we stopped the Europeans from taking back their colonies in the country. Quite a sharp little shell game they had going.

On a lighter note, is one of the more unusual sights that I have seen during my time here. Thailand is a primarily Buddhist country. Most homes and businesses have a small temple out front like the picture above. I call it the "Buddha house", and they range greatly in size and detail. Every morning a small offering is placed in the "Buddha house" usually consisting of food, drink, and incense. During one of my walks, I came across a fairly large "Buddha house" in front of a local business. Perched inside was none other than a live turkey gobbling up Buddha's meal for the day. I had 101 funny ideas for a blog post or an article after seeing that, but I've decided to let you put your own meaning to it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bugs not Drugs

We are now headlong into what the locals call the "cool season". Granted, by "cool" they mean under 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It's not much under 100, but it is under nonetheless. Along with the cooler weather comes the onslaught of mosquitoes. I am practically living next door to the rather sluggish Mae Ping river, and the city center here still has a standing moat from the 13th century. The end result is alot of water sitting around and a heyday for the mosquito population. This week alone, I've been hit between 75 and 100 times. I've been working evenings at a local outdoor tourist restaurant and pub. Unfortunately, my work hours are peak feeding time for the little bloodsuckers. I started getting a little spooked yesterday when I began coming down with some cold symptoms. It's been over 24 hours now, and I'm pretty sure it's just a common cold and not some kind of funky jungle virus.

Early this week, I'll once again be braving the Thai bus system to scout a potential job and slightly better living quarters. I'm not really at liberty to discuss the details yet, but if it works out I will be much better off than I am now. With a little luck, I may even be able to afford a few luxury items like bug spray, cold medicine, and a haircut.

Being the typical American, my first instinct when I arrived here was to get behind the wheel of some type of motorized vehicle. The car culture of the United States was very much embedded in my psyche. I quickly realized however that Asia is a continent full of motorcycles and scooters. There are plenty of cars, trucks, and SUVs on the streets, but they are far outnumbered by their two wheeled friends. I have taken a few backseat rides here so far on scooters with my local friends, and quickly lost any ambition to get behind the throttle of anything with an engine or even wheels for that matter.

The first major adjustment is getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road. It's almost like putting your shoes on the wrong feet. It just feels wrong!

The second was the realization that the traffic laws here appear to be merely viewed as "suggestions" instead of rules. Thailand does have a mandatory helmet law, but you would never know it by watching the traffic go by every day. The only instance I have seen police issue tickets was after witnessing a particularly gruesome accident right outside my apartment building the other day. A Thai man (without a helmet) pulled out into traffic and was broadsided by a large flat nose box truck. Both the bike and rider were thrown about 20 feet after the rider's head smashed into the windshield of the truck. The rest, I would rather not write about and will unfortunately never forget. Later that day, the police were out in full force with checkpoints around the city set up for all motorcycles. There were at least 5 officers at each checkpoint. Throughout the rest of the day, I never saw an officer without a ticket pad in hand and a non helmeted rider getting a ticket. The next day, it was back to business as usual.

Last but not least is the overall state of organized chaos that plays out every second here on the roadways. Everyone lines up at stoplight like a motorized version of an oversize Tetris game. The scooters slip into the spaces between the cars. The taxis work their way in between the trucks and the sidewalk. Everyone crams in as tight as they can get until you have this massive compacted sea of vehicles waiting for the light to turn. As the light approaches green, everyone starts to rev their engines. Soon enough, the light turns and we're off the races! Everyone speeds off and jockeys to get in a better position for the next light. I always thought that Americans had invented NASCAR, but now I realize that these guys have been doing it everyday for much longer.

I've given up my notions of being a motorist here anytime soon, and I'll be sticking to the mode of transportation that I was born with. I've had enough close calls just crossing the street here, and I'm not looking forward to adding any velocity to my daily travels. I generally walk about 5 to 10 miles a day now. At first it was painful, but over time it has proved to be good exercise and stress relief.

Loi Krathong Festival

Tonight is the last night of the Loi Krathong festival here in Chiang Mai. It basically means the "Festival of Lights", and between the lighted boats on the river, the lighted balloons in the sky, and the never ending fireworks, the holiday definitely lives up to it's name. You can read more about it on Wikipedia by Clicking Here . The closest thing I can compare it to would be the 4th of July in the USA, only it lasts for four days straight!! Four whole days and nights of blaring music citywide 24 hours a day and more fireworks than I've ever seen or heard in my entire life. Needless to say, getting any sleep this week has been difficult at best. There has also been a massive influx of tourists here in the city for the festival. It's good for the local economy, but for those of us who have been here a little while trying to blend in, they can be a little annoying. I was kind of astonished today when a European guy stopped me and asked for directions to one of the markets. The only thing more astonishing than that was the fact that I was able to give him the directions he needed.

I'm hoping that things will quiet down here a little tomorrow as the country scales back down from 24 hour "party mode". If nothing else, I'm looking forward to the end of the constant onslaught of fireworks and mortars. This place has sounded like a war zone for the last week or two. I will have to admit however that I have indulged in a few "bangs" myself. One of my Thai friends crossed over into Burma last week and bought some REALLY GOOD fireworks. The stuff you can buy here is scary enough, but these were absolutely huge. Unlike anything I had ever seen available to the average person in the States.