| | The last three weeks have worn me down a bit more than I realized.
Three weeks ago I was preparing for my first trip to Bangkok since arriving in Thailand six months ago. The agency I am working for scheduled an orientation for English teachers to be held in Kanchanaburi, a city about two hours northwest of Bangkok. I wasn't able to get a bus ticket until Saturday morning, and the bus left around 7pm so I had to get some things done rather quickly for the trip.
Pickup was at my travel agent's office, and I spent 45 minutes riding in the back of a red sangtaew, which is a pickup truck converted to a bus. Not much air circulated between myself and the other seven passengers. We arrived at the bus, loaded up and the nine hour bus ride began. Or was it ten hours? I didn't sleep well on the bus. The seats were not very comfortable, and I changed seats once. Unfortunately, the seat I was comfortable in was under the A/C, which leaked like sieve. I fell asleep, but woke up to a cold and wet sleeve on my right arm that wasn't very comfortable.
The bus arrived in Bangkok at a time early in the morning, and all I wanted was an Internet connection. I made a couple of tuk-tuk drivers angry, partly because of the language barrier and partly because I knew what I wanted but they didn't have a clue where to find an Internet cafe. A metered taxi took me to a guest house where I got on a computer and printed off a map to the agency office. Then I found another metered taxi and showed him the map. We drove past the royal palace where the most beloved monarch in the world resides with his wife. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, and King Rama IX is loved by both the people in red shirts and people in yellow shirts. Red shirts are people from the rural areas of Thailand and support former prime minister Thaksin, who was elected by the people. The yellow shirts are urban supporters of the powerful elite who control the military, courts and government. I arrived one week after the riots over Songkran, Thai New Year.
At the office, I sat around and eventually fell asleep, but didn't get much of a nap. I met a few new teachers and a few returning teachers. In time we loaded up the bus and left for Kanchanaburi. We went through five days of orientation, including introduction to Thai culture, the food, the sports, the dancing, the religion and a brief history of the land. From Sunday to Saturday we stayed at a very nice place outside the city limits. The river was nice, and the frangipani was in bloom. Frangipani has a white flower with a yellow center. It is a very beautiful flower, and is the national flower of Laos.
I was told by some of the Aussies and New Zealanders that it was a special day for them and they hoped to attend the flag raising ceremony at a cemetery where POWs who died constructing the "death railway" were buried. One of the teachers there had a great uncle buried in the cemetery. When we left the hotel, we drove to the Kwai River Bridge. I crossed the bridge with some of the other teachers. On the other side of the river a man with a violin was playing the famous theme from David Lean's movie, The Bridge on the River Kwai.
From the bridge in Kanchanaburi we went back to Bangkok. I spent two nights in the famous backpacker ghetto known as Khoa San Road. Saturday night I ordered two pairs of glasses at an optical shop across the street from my guest house. The Indian food served at the guest house was excellent, as well. On Monday I was hoping to get my paperwork to take to Vietiane, Laos, for my visa run. It didn't happen. I returned to Khoa San Road with three teachers and got a room, where I spent two more nights.
Some time ago, I had this dream that I entered a room filled with ancient weapons. Swords, spears, guns lined the walls and filled the room. At first I thought it was like the Patton Museum of Armor at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, which I visited with my Army JROTC class in 1981-82. It wasn't, though. Some details I guess I made up in my mind to explain the dream. Thinking back on past times in my life when things were relatively good compared to now.
That wasn't the case. I visited the National Museum of Thailand, which was about 15 minutes from where I was staying. The place is incredible. There is a lot of stuff there to see. Lot of history to cover. I walked through every room, I guess, but was watching the clock so I could catch my train. I entered this dark room and it was too familiar to me. It was filled with swords and spears and gun barrels and some artillery pieces that I was not familiar with. I almost left when the dream I had came to mind. I continued on, though, and looked around for a short time.
I got two shirts custom-made at a local tailor, and they look awesome. Both are loosely patterned on a Chinese shirt that I have, with Mandarin collar and two front pockets, but with regular buttons. One is black and white camouflage and the other is woodland camouflage. They are wonderful shirts, very comfortable.
Somewhere along the line I was lost on the calendar. I was running one day faster than the calendar. I gained this day on the train to Nong Khai. It left at around 6:30pm on Wednesday night, but I thought it was Thursday. We arrived in the morning, and I thought it was Friday. I didn't sleep much on the train, and it was a long train ride, nearly 12 hours long. At Nong Khai I prepared for the border crossing into Laos.
Paperwork. Always paperwork. I hate paperwork. I told a man named William from Uganda that bureaucracy was a system of government of, by and for the paperpusher. I asked him about Victoria Falls, and he assured me that they were truly as beautiful as they appear in pictures and movies.
And then came the crossing of Friendship Bridge over the Mekong River. My first time seeing the Mekong was during a tour of the Golden Triangle a few months ago. I took a tour boat over to Laos, and it was beautiful. From the bridge, not much of it could be seen. I was in the wrong seat and it wasn't visible to me. I would see more of the Mekong later.
More paperwork. More travel. More paperwork, and I was told it would be Monday when I could pick up my visa and passport.
I thought I arrived on Friday. I thought I relaxed on Saturday. On the day I thought was Sunday I went out and took pictures. There is this monstrosity on Lane Xang Road that was to be the Laotian equivalent of France's Arc d'Triumph. It looks like a gate. It is seven stories tall. In the upper floors there is gift shop. I bought a hat. I took some pictures. I drank some water. It is said that the structure, the monument, was built out of concrete purchased with US dollars that was to be used to build a runway at the airport. It is jokingly called "the vertical runway." If you go to Vietiane, check out Patouxay Park and this truly monstrous building that looks 1/3 Indian, 1/3 French, and 1/3 failed design for a Transformer robot. However, the view of the city is wonderful. It is beautiful up there.
I also visited the morning market, the Mekong Riverfront park area that is under development, and a couple of other places. I took a lot of pictures, including the sunset over the Mekong. It was beautiful.
On "monday" I called the guy with my visa. I thought my ride was late and was checking on him. It was with laughter that the mistake I was living with was revealed. It was not "monday" but it was Sunday. I looked at the date on my phone, I looked at the calender, and everyone around me got a nice laugh. I took everything back to my room on the third floor (no elevator in the building, and it has four stories), watched HBO, and then went out for a walk.
Monday came, and with it the driver who took me to get my passport and visa. I'd spent Thursday through Monday in one of the quietest, peaceful little towns I'd ever visited. It reminds me of Waxahatchie, Texas, and a few small towns in other parts of the country that I have visited. Very nice place to visit. I fear that it will become a very overdeveloped tourist and expat town, though, and the charm it has will be lost.
We came back to Immigration. Leaving was easier than entering. Crossed the Mekong again, and did paperwork to reenter Thailand.
I wanted to take a bus home to Chiang Mai. The confusion brought on from the lack of sleep during all this time resulted in the decision to take the train to Udon Thanai, and from there to the bus station going home. It was a five hour wait for the train to depart. It was good when we finally did leave. However, it was not good being told that I would have to wait until in the morning to catch the next bus to Chiang Mai.
There are four bags with me everywhere I go. My laptop, my camera bag, a North Face shoulder bag in which I carry notebook, travel guides and other stuff, and my dufflebag loaded with clothes and other junk. Two of the bags had put on weight from the clothes and books I bought over the course of the journey. Such are my burdens. You can understand why I was cranky with the news of not being able to catch the bus home. I also didn't want to cross a six lane highway just to get to a guest house that I might not be able to find in the dark. I got permission from a lady at the bus station to leave my duffle and my book bag at the station, and they were ready for me when I returned in the morning. I kept the computer and camera bag with me and found the guest house easily enough in the dark. I got lucky on that.
I ate pizza. I worked a little on my computer. I slept. I worked some on my computer. I checked out.
I got to the bus station on Tuesday morning, got my stuff, loaded onto the bus. We got a late start. In some of the mountainous areas, the bus slowed down to a crawl. I was tired, I was on the verge of crankiness. I tried to sleep. I thought way too much. It was 8:45am when we left. We arrived in Chiang Mai around 9:45pm.
I have been home for nearly four days. I am still feeling tired from the trip. My eyes hurt and wish they were closed for a few more hours of sleep. I think that what hurts more deeply is that my school assignment changed during my travels. I was expecting to go to a city called Phrae, which is two hours southeast of Chiang Mai. This changed to a city called Roi Et, and it looks to be about 10-12 hours southeast of Chiang Mai, and roughly east-northeast of Bangkok. I know it is south of Nong Khai, and might be within 100 to 150 kilometers from the Cambodian border. I don't know when I will be moving there, but I know classes start soon. I so am not looking forward to moving again. Just let me sleep a few more minutes. Please?
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| | Posted 5/8/2009 7:17 PM - 11 Views - 2 eProps - 2 comments
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