More Thailand (Sukhothai, Chiang Mai)

I've been thinking for weeks about how best to organize the next few posts on my travels, where to put the division lines.

I left Bangkok the night of March 28, just to keep you up to speed with chronology. I forgot to mention one Bangkok anecdote: I was walking down the street towards my hostel and was passing Patpong Market. Something seemed really strange and eerie, then I realized that none of the stalls had their lights on, indeed most had candles. I immediately assumed that the power was out and I looked in to the permanent shops but their lights were on. Confused I started formulating explanations like a fuse was blown in the market's power supply. Then I passed some police cars and a camera crew. Then my imagination really got going. The answer came to me on a t-shirt: Earth Hour 2009. How cool is that?

Now, I had been to Ayutthaya, the UNESCO designated World Heritage site, former Thai capital. I'm not one to miss out on more sweet ruins so I went to the capital that preceded that one, also a World Heritage site, Sukhothai.

There's an excellent night sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. If you time it right you can save on time and money by sleeping on the train and stopping off on places along the way. I took a pleasant fan-cooled sleeper bunk train to Phitsanulok. I arrived just as it was dawning and was able to stash my big bag in a room at the station. After a quick bite I took a cyclo (or trishaw or whatever you wanna call it) to the bus station as the sun was coming up and the monks were returning from their alms rounds. Then I got a bus for an hour to Sukhothai, and then a shared mini van to the historical park. Then I rented a bicycle to get around.

These temples and other ruins have more obvious associations with Hindism, especially lingas and yonis which I hadn't known about before. I learned a lot about Hindu-Buddhist art and architecture and its Thai chronology. The Sukhothai period was know for its standing Buddhas. The creature garuda is the national symbol of Thailand and also the symbol of the monarchy. I wrote this in my journal "I think we're too plain and obsessed with realism and science in Canada. We would never use a crazy monster symbol like in association with our leaders." I really loved Sukhothai, it was more peaceful and less-frequented by tourists, at least when I was there. Really beautiful place.

Sawngthaew (pick-up truck with benches) to the bus station, bus to Phitsanulok, moto to train station. I hadn't been able to book another sleeper bunk that morning so I was in second class for the night trip up to Chiang Mai. Another interesting transportation experience to add to the list. These were rickety but reclining seats. There were fans, the lights were always on, and the windows were open, letting in the loud clickety-clack, various pungents smells, and every insect attracted by the lights or swept in by the wind came to join us. I'd wake up every so often and have to dust the dead bugs off me. The drink and food vendors were there but in fewer numbers and there were no people standing in the aisles, though they were between the cars. I didn't sleep much but I kept thinking about the miserable trip the third-class passengers must be having.

As I stepped off the train I felt a migraine coming on. I haven't had one for a couple years. It starts with one of my hands becoming numb and tingly and the sentation passes up through my arm, into my neck and face, down my throat and up to my eye. When I first notice it I usually stop all activity and go to bed, except for the time I was in the middle of an exam and this time getting off a night train in Thailand. Luckily I'd phoned ahead the day before to book a room so I got in a tuk-tuk and got there fine. But reception didn't open for almost an hour. Then the bed wasn't available until midday. Fuck, I was dying. I was able to eat, book a short cooking course for that night, then crash on the daybeds on a rooftop terrace. When I finally got to the room I slept the rest of the day and woke up fine.

I had a limited time in Chiang Mai because I'd booked a flight to Mae Hong Son. I planned to return to CM anyway. I hadn't planned on doing a cooking course but there was one just for an evening. I was really glad I did, I had a lot of fun. It was just me and a German couple and the thing was done at the chef's home just out of town. We made pad thai, curry, tom yum, some other stuff. I learned about some ingredients and got a cookbook out of it, included.

When I returned I started chatting with a lovely nice American girl, Katie, who had been to Manitoulin Island (how unusual and awesome is that!) and we eventually went out for food/drinks with a whole crowd of Aussies, Canadians, American, Swede, UK... I had my heart set on reggae and dancing, both together ideally. We hopped around as each place shooed us out. We ended up at a place called THC, a really chill place with reaggae so I was very happy. Then a cute thing happened, and Katie forgive me but I thought it was so adorable. Katie was up getting a drink and a nice-looking French boy said something to her. Now, she's taken French before but was startled and nervous and sometimes we forget our languages when that happens (even our native tongue). She told me the little story when she got back and pointed him out. He notioced us looking/talking about him so he came over. (I might add that this simple assertive but unaggressive action gave me a very favourable first impression of him, nice work Olivier!). Katie was so cute trying to practice her French but slipping into Spanish all the time, and Olivier was so lovely and patient.

So the whole crowd (including new additions and subtractions) hauled off to somewhere else. Not sure cuz the rum and coke buckets were starting to get to me a little, but I know there was dancing and I know I talked about Paris Combo, and I know I danced with some Thai girls and one told me right away she likes boys and not girls (just in case I guess). There is photographic evidence of a tuk-tuk ride with like 10 people inside. Anyway arrived upstairs at some breakfast place having, well, breakfast as the sun was coming up and then everyone was pairing off. Just me and Olivier and Damien, two lovely French boys, were left; lucky me! I was pleased to find I could converse fairly easily in French and not be talking about school, Aliant telecommunications, or breastfeeding (...yeah, old call center job). I rolled in around 10 am and slept. Then caught the plane that afternoon. Needless to say really, but I didn't see a single tourist or historical or religious site in Chiang Mai and I didn't end up backtracking there. But I had a fabulous time. I met a pair of lovely, outgoing, positive Aussie ladies that I'd run into again later.

I sound like a teenager, retelling a "night out" story but what the hell.

Next post will be about Mae Hong Son and Soppong.

Walking ATM and Apparent Racist

Those who've traveled in SE Asia know the deal with moto and tuk-tuk drivers, and touts and hawkers. They're at every corner, in front of every tourist attraction, crowded around the door of your bus as you step off, in your face while you're eating dinner. Sometimes you walk down a street and a successive chorus of "tuk-tuk?" precedes you, sometimes you are hollered at from across the road "Hey lady!". But sometimes they'll start by making eye contact and simply say hello. You, not wanting to be rude, say hello and if you're lucky you can walk by quickly enough. But more often than not they'll follow up with "How are you?" "Where you come from?" "How long you stay in ____?" and you answer politely as these are quite normal questions and random children will often ask you these. Then come the kickers: "What you do today/tomorrow?" or "Do you have plans today/tomorrow?" I always know it's coming but still for the sake of politeness I tell them the truth which is usually that I have no specific plans. Then they give their pitch for a marvelous and cheap moto tour. You are never able to say no once and have done with it. They will try to convince you. I even told a guy right off the bat today that I didn't have enough money and he tried three more times to convince me and even lowered his price before he finally left me alone. It's like they don't understand that maybe I don't want a fucking tour or maybe I actually can't afford one now even if I wanted to. They approach me unsolicited and seem to expect that I will be ever so grateful they did. They seem to believe they know what I want better than I do. I don't usually mind smiling and shaking my head or saying "no thank you" 100 times walking down a street as long as they don't engage me otherwise, but having to sit through the bullshit conversation, the friendliness that is just a ploy to sell you something really fucking pisses me off most of the time.

I know well enough that these moto drivers are not like the majority of the local people. I've had enough good clean conversations and interactions without a sales pitch to keep my head about me and not make irrational generalizations. My tuk-tuk driver in Siem Reap told me that he thought Koreans were impolite because when he is in the market area and calls out "tuk-tuk?" they don't even look at him. I explained that it can be really tiring and irritating to have to be polite to every driver that hollers at you. But I took the comment to heart and I've never been intentionally rude to hopeful drivers.

I have had, and maybe others have had similar, experiences in Korea where I want to ask a stranger on the street for directions. I may have a map or I may be able to stammer "_____ where please?" only to be frowned at and waved away or have a head shaken at me. I've had instances where I merely walk up to someone and am waved away before a word leaves my lips. It's vastly infuriating but all you can do is walk away and fume to yourself. Today in Dalat I had my book open to the map and I wanted to know which road to take to get back to the lake. All I had to do was point at the picture of the lake with its name in Vietnamese written on it. I approached a woman in her little restaurant and was immediately waved away. I was pissed off but I went across the street to a group of men playing a game and they helped me no problem. They didn't speak any English.

In Dalat there is this group called "Easy Riders" who are dudes with classy motos and excellent English who will take you around whatever sites you want or even on several-day tours. They all wear a coat with "Easy Riders" on the back. The true Easy Riders are in Dalat but others around Vietnam, especially in Hoi An and Danang areas, call themselves this. It just so happens that I traveled for five days from Hoi An to Dalat with one of these "fake" Easy Riders and it was really great. Like every other tourist city I get a handful to dozens of approaches a day from these guys and other drivers.

I was standing on a corner today, a few hours after the first directions incident, looking at my map to find a particular cafe. An Easy Rider (third one of the day by my count) came and stopped in front of me and made to begin speaking. I looked up, shook my head and walked away. It was mostly because I was trying to concentrate on the map and while he could have helped me I didn't want to get involved in the tour pitch song and dance. I'm not used to moto drivers offering help without making you sit through their spiel afterwards. He drove up again and asked me if he could help. So I told him what I was trying to find and he pointed out the way. Then he told me that what I'd just did was really not good, the waving him away. And I conceded that it was a bit rude and apologised. He then said to me "If you don't like me and my people, if you don't like Vietnamese people then you should go home." I was taken aback and explained it's not like that, that when someone comes up to me on a moto I expect that they want to sell me something and that I'd been approached by a few Easy Riders already today and that it can be annoying, apologised again. He said "No I don't want to sell the tour, we Vietnamese are very helping. If you ask us something we are helping but we don't like people like you." Trying to explain some more I told him about the rude lady earlier. He said it was because she didn't speak English (which doesn't excuse her I don't think) and I countered with the story of the men who did help me with no English. Apparently not listening to or not understanding me, the driver repeated "If you don't like Vietnamese people then go home because we don't want you around." Finally at breaking point I said "fine" and walked away. Just like with the rude convenience store owner in Daejeon I couldn't keep my grip and I burst into tears as I walked away.

I shouldn't even need to justify the fact that I don't dislike the Vietnamese. Even for all the frustrations I pour out about Korea and Korean social habits, at the end of the day I don't hate or dislike Koreans or any other group of people. How many of you non-Americans have said or thought to yourself that you would not like to live in the US, for example, because of the social culture and/or politics? No one calls you on it. I didn't even express any dislike of Vietnamese culture or social habits, only the business habits of the fucking moto drivers.

I feel like there's nothing I can do to avert experiences like that. The lesson here was that maybe I was a bit rude even if I didn't deserve the comments he made. I realised I'd done the same thing that the lady earlier had done. I hadn't given him the benefit of the doubt just like she didn't give me the chance to try to communicate. But I don't really believe that he wouldn't have tried to sell me a tour, and maybe the woman didn't really believe we could communicate without frustration or embarrassment.

I've cooled down about it now but it really pains me that someone is going around believing I'm a rude racist and maybe telling all his friends about it. What would you have done?