November in Thailand

Pai lies in what is best described as the center of a giant jungle wok. Lush green hills 360 degrees around makes cruising this area an epic days event. After a week of lounging and a couple novels later, a dear friend of mine joins me. Jamie had just finished a 12day silent retreat in the Northern hills. We share a hut in the trees and some necessary conversation. A sturdy ladder leads us to our Swiss Family Robinson accommodation. Equipped with two twin beds and matching mosquito nets our cabin brings us back to summer camp ‘82 and we revert to everything silly. Between us a simple wood table and little lamp to read by, only we didn't read, instead we fell asleep playing games like ‘do your best celebrity impression’ and 'tell me a time when you pee'd your pants.' We giggled the nights away, and I dozed off knowing that’s the only time of the day I go silent.

So you'd think that after a few weeks in Thailand I'd know some Thai right? Not so lucky, I never graduated past 'sawa tee kah' which mean ‘hello’, but my Tonto English definitely improved...want to learn? Regular English (to someone not English); “I'm going to cruise into town and get some dinner, I'll see you later tonight.” Tonto English; “I’m going to cruise (make moto handle bar movements) into town (point to direction of town) for food (point to belly), I come back (point to ground).” It's no use learning Thai anyway, it seems I only said a few sentences a day anyhow like; “this food tastes so good” and “is that snake deadly?” and “wow, this is cool”. At least with the Tonto English I'll finally be able to better understand our nation’s president.

I reluctantly left Pai and Jamie behind and headed into Chaing Mai. I arrive in Chiang Mai during the heat of Loi Krathon. Loi Krathon is a three day festival around the full moon of November where Krathong's, beautiful flower arrangements on bamboo rafts are set free into the Mai Ping river with intentions of warding off evil. There was a parade every night and colorful floats would host painted ladies and dancing dragons. Gangs of kids filled the streets lighting off an endless supply of firecrackers. A game ensued and teenage jokesters would look for the weariest of traveler and light a firecracker off right under their feet. I saw them, I avoided them, I was accosted by them. Having just experienced a bombing in Bali a month prior I was highly leery of anything resembling a ‘bang’, but by the third day of this festival, I was paying them about as much attention as my millions of mosquito bites.