So I'm in Chiang Mai, the "Rose of the North", it has been a whirlwind few weeks. I left Bangkok after spending a week longer there than I intended, but found myself enjoying the style of life available in bangkok. The hostel I was staying at, Phiman Water View, was perfect for me. It is ran, in part, by a wonderful guy named Vee who had spent about 20 years in San Francisco organizing art shows and running a gallery of some nature. He took this love of art and has transported back to Phiman and Bangkok. This means that he was plugged directly into the art scene of Bangkok and was more than willing to show me around and take me to a few art openings. Fairly interesting things, one was held in a small area above a 7-11 (which are everywhere in Thailand, everywhere. They are as ubiquitous as Starbucks in the States, it is actually quite funny) and showcased three artists. All mixed media with an eco-type bend. one built an "eco-friendly" shack, one had a documentary running of Thaksin Sumhavit's impact on the poor people of Thailand, one had an in depth presentation of the dirtying of the Thai rivers, and one had dresses and suits of some natuire, kind of the odd duck out. The reason i say that the shack was "eco-friendly" and not eco-friendly was because it was built out of things that are decidedly unfriendly top the environment (plastics were a major part of the construction) most of which could be found in the in depth dirty river presentation as culprits to clogging the waterways. A nice dissonance between the pieces. A better way to tag the shack would have been "shack", I didn't need to go to an opening to see one, I could just take a train to the slums and see thousands of them. I'm not sure what the artist was trying to say, whether he was glorifying the industriousness of poor people (necessity being the mother invention) or trying to say that one man's trash and all that. I have a feeling though, that he was more trying to capitalize on the eco-craze that is sweeping the world. Making money off of trash.
The trains here are so fun and cheap. Well cheap if you go third class, and that is also what makes it fun. On the ride to Hua Hin was 70 baht (about 2 dollars) and there was literally no room. Standing only. I spent the entire trip sitting in between the cars on the steps going into the train watching the landscape whiz by right by my face. Saw squalls or rain and the big lop-eared cows here that look like lop-eared rabbits and go where they want. Smelled Thailand. It was a very good experience, being surrounded by Thais (most other foreigners buying first or second class tickets) always in contact with strangers as they jostled by or sat next to me, stood over me, sipping water and getting slight vertigo if you focused too closely at the immediate landscape. If you wanted to get all philosophical about it, you could say the train ride was a metaphor that highlighted the need to maintain a perspective about life. When you look to closely on the immediacy, it fills your vision and soon becomes overwhelming in its speed. But if you lift your eyes a little bit, glance outward and take in more of the landscape it becomes clearer, gives a sense of space and peace. Plus you don't have to look at all the trash by the railside.
The other train ride I just took was from Ayatthuya to Chiang Mai, a twelve hour overnighter. Got a sleeping berth and was excited to be sleeping in what, for me at least, would be the most comfortable place I had slept in about a month. Or at least I thought. It turns out that that which I most desired, Air Conditioning, was now what my body could not cope with./ I was freezing the entire night, my nose dried out, my skin felt tight and in general slept in 20 minute bursts. Funny how that turns out. This whole time I've been sweating like a fool, holding AC up as some sort of golden calf, to be sought after, and the moment I actually obtained the AC I found that it was something that I could no longer handle, that I was no longer capable of handling and no longer desired. I still sweat a ton it seems, but probably less than initially, and the mosquitoes, it seems, have extracted the pound of blood and have begun to leave me alone. Of course now that I've typed that I'm sure to be bitten at least thirty times on my left toes alone. They have a wonderful sense of timing mosquitoes do.
Chiang Mai is wonderful. It is still a big place, 8 million or so, but has a much slower pace and friendly atmosphere that is sometimes impeded by, sometimes buoyed with all the travelers. So many white faces here, I've gotten used to being a definite minority it is odd to be back amongst so many Westerners. Some are brash and boorish, others are wonderful and it is such a blessing to be able to communicate. Another thing I've noticed is my German skills have come back quickly. I think it has something to do with being abroad, in the same atmosphere in which I learned German and the fact that I have so many chances to use it. I had to tell an older couple of ladies that they were dressed inappropriately for the Temple at which my friend and I were painting. They were more of the crass type traveler.
Anyways I'm off to jazz club at which is apparently a guitarist who does Santana better than Santana. Or so an expat whose lived here for 10 years has told me. Then it is off to Burma to go on a visa run and maybe a quick swim to See Ann Ki.
Hope this finds you well.
