I was assigned a sleeping berth on the right side of the train and we're heading North so I assume that I'll get some nice views as soon as the sun decides to emerge. Then again, we're on the opposite side of the earth so I'm not quite sure exactly how that will work. But these sleeping berths are really quite cool (and comfortable as well.) Since when could you travel 12-hours in any direction for $29? With a thin mattress, a pillow, and a quilt … it doesn't get much better than this. It's 6:15am so I imagine that the sun will be coming up soon. Plus, I'm really glad that I chose the lower berth. I've got the window; the girl above me's got nothin'.
It was very cloudy and foggy outside so the sun didn't really seam to rise at all but just sort of appeared in the form of a somewhat brighter day. What the sun did illuminate were some of the traditional countryside Thai dwellings. When — I wonder — did corrugated steel become a viable building material. Seriously, the Thai people really do love their corrugated steel. And they seem to use it for structural support which blows my mind. [More on mind-blowing construction practices in entries to come.] In retrospect, I'm lucky that my little apartment has some wood and plaster.
I'm willing to overlook silly superstitions when I cross paths with a stray black cat. But encountering a huddle of three unattended stray dogs on the street at 5am … now that's just scary. I initially thought that the round platters of rice were left on the street for me. "Yum. Thank you." Then I realized that they were there for the dogs. Another dog approached me last night but this time (in contrast to the more docile ones from Bangkok,) this dog was barking, growling, and bearing teech. It looked quite angry. This time however, there were two owners standing by to control the situation. Had they not been there, I would have freaked out a bit. Yeah … just don't like dogs that much. I was already mentally reviewing the procedures that I'd need to go through in order to get a rabies shot. Lost on a back street, bloody, and in lots of pain. But luckily, none of that happened. Lesson: the dogs in Chiang Mai are much meaner and more aggressive than those in Bangkok. But the people are just the opposite. Thank goodness.
The little old lady on the train would sporadically limp and waddle down the isle offering "beer, cola, water, coffee…" I ordered breakfast 'cause there was nothing else to do; I appeared to be the only one awake in that car. When she came to collect the dishes from my meal of eggs, tea, toast, and jam, she was pointing to three pens lying by my side. I thought that she was angry that I had accidentally left a little ink mark on the bed sheets. It turned out though, the she really just wanted my pen. So I gave her one. Through a few awkward hand gestures, I realized that she was asking not for that particular pen but for the other one … the one with the little clip so that she could clip it to her breast pocket. She was so, so grateful when I provided such a simple gift. The pen fit nicely into her polyester ensemble. Adorable.
As I was doing some comparison shopping for places to stay for the month, I found myself once again, drenched in sweat, climbing stairs, walking cramped streets, sandwiched between two bags containing all of my belongings. But I should focus on the positive. My negotiating skills got me the nicer of three places … and for a cheaper price. And for that, I'm grateful. But I did find myself lost and wandering again last night after an unfruitful venture into the real world. Again, I had several items that I wished to get accomplished but many of them got pushed back for another day. One of the problems is that the tuk-tuk (which is what we call the little motorized rickshaw taxis,) took-took me to the wrong destination. I was trying to tell the driver that it did not look familiar but he was having nothing of it. Forty-five minutes later, I found my apartment. I was at my whit's end. Hence: "Despair and Ecstasy." Allegedly, one cannot exist without the other. I did however, manage to get all of my school supply shopping done. I even found a place to provide me with 2 passport photos which is one of the school requirements which I forgot bring from home. I'm about to head out for the day. On the list: bank, school, vegetarian restaurant, bicycle store, bookstore, health food store, and back home. Again, it's an ambitious list. We'll see how much of it gets accomplished.
On the train yesterday, I noticed that my car mates were high with a completely different mentality and attitude toward everything that lies ahead. For instance, we were scheduled to arrive in Chiang Mai at 9:45am. With really no explanation, we arrived shortly after 2pm. Granted we had all read in our respective copies of Lonely Planet, that the train is perpetually late but four hours later than expected? And everyone seemed to be OK with it. (Including myself! Yay.) We all know how tense and belligerent the NYC commuters get when their train is 90 seconds late. What a differenne. Granted, these travelers don't have to show up at work by 9:59am or get reamed by their boss … but still. Interesting. What do you think those travelers would have to say about today's planned agenda?
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