Laura's Year in Asia = Fun Stories

Last weekend was a long weekend in Thailand (Queen's Birthday therefore also Mother's Day) So the all the teachers at Sriwiangsawittayakarn decided it's time for a road trip....Thai styles. All Miranda and I knew before hand was that we were going to be picked up at 2:30am Saturday morning and we were going north.

Well of course they didn't pick us up until 4am, and then we drove for 45 minute and parked on the side of the road for 2 hours - no idea what we were waiting for. So far Miranda and I were really happy we woke up at 2am for this. Then we drive for a few more hours (as I dozed in and out of consciousness...) and ended up at this Wat in Pha Yao (or P-YO! As the cool people call it) and proceeded to go through the rituals of getting blessings and good luck for our trip. And went to the pond where we fed the most disgusting cat-fish things in the world.

It was still about 8am, so we got back in the car and drove for another hour to a Wat just outside Chaing Rai. It was pretty spectacular, a famous Thai artist has built it from scratch using all the profits he has made selling his paintings worldwide. Trying to get some good Karma (and he makes no secret about how much he's spent on it: 30 million baht and 4 years) Of course it has the obligatory "hell" display that all Wats have, this one was a bit more original as it was a bunch of cement hands and faces reaching out from the ground as you walk over a bridge. Kinda crowd-surfing styles.... Then we had Thai noodle breakfast with icecream for dessert and headed in the car for another 3 hour drive. This time to Chaing Sein which is a border crossing to Laos. We hit up the markets along the Mekong river which was fun. There were TONS of Chinese imported foods with some of the funniest slogans I have seen yet. The teachers bought about 50 kilos of apples and sunflower seeds...And I bought a couple packs of Giant Pocky Stick packages.

Then it was a 30 minute drive to the Golden Triangle. This is where the corners of Thailand, Laos and Burma/Myanmar (Burma is the internationally recognized name, but the illegitimate government has renamed it the Union of Myanmar...In Thailand it goes by Myanmar) all meet along the Mekong river. And China is only 200 meters up north. It used to be the centre of all opium production and smuggling, but lately there are more farangs there than Opium Caravans.... It's sorta one big amusement park but less rides and more Buddha statues. I of course checked out the immigration office. Other than maybe the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, I'd say that would be one of the worst Immi postings you could get ;) The opium production has been basically eradicated from Thailand as one of the Kings big development projects has been to introduce crop-substitution programs for the farmers in the Golden Triangle area. It has worked quite well from a Thai perspective, but basically it has just pushed the cultivation and production over the borders to Laos and Burma. Anyways from our carnival-side in Thailand you look across the Mekong into Laos, and its all shabby boats and grass huts. Then on the Burma side there is a HUGE Casino that basically welcomes all the Farangs with their money. Not the best thing though since the Burmese government is so corrupt and actually illegitimate (the democratically elected president Aung San Suu Kyi is still under house-arrest by the military dictatorship) most of the money that tourists spend in Burma goes right into their pockets. So the international community and Aung San Suu Kyi have called for a Tourist Boycott of Myanmar. It's a tough choice though because many people also say that travelers can help out the oppressed Burmese people by going there and shopping at local markets and staying at locally owned guesthouses rather than government owned ones.... It's just a matter of being responsible about your spending and being aware of the consequences of your presence. Anyways political situation or not - It didn't seem to be stopping people from going over there on speedboats with crash helmets incase of impact with debris that causes these boats to "disintegrate on impact"

From the Golden Triangle we headed to Mai Sai, the official border crossing between Thailand and Myanmar. Over 600,000 people cross a day mostly to sell goods at the markets. Basically Mai Sai is what the Peace Arch border crossing would be if Bellis Fair was literally ON the big lawn. And if Bellis fair sold 90% illegal things. The market is described as, "A place you can find anything and everything to get you arrested at Customs on your way home" And its true. Weapons, counterfeits, people, narcotics, etc. You get the picture. A former Customs Inspector's Paradise!!! (I of course was there strictly for research) I spent most of the afternoon on the Thailand side checking out the cheap sunglasses and watches, then crossed over into the Burmese side, by jumping accross a river since my Thai visa is a single entry, but Burma was more of the same stuff so headed back. I almost got stuck in Burma though since the 3pm rain storm made the once-small river turn HUGE. Luckily I got over just in time. I ended up with three pairs of sunglasses, a fake Adidas watch, a Film Rattapoom CD, and way too much Chinese candy.

We left Mai Sai to go to Doi Tung, the Royal Villa. Built by the King of Thailand for his mother to come back to when she is reincarnated. It's an amazing garden about 20X the size of Vandussen. Incredible. And on the top of a mountain so you can see the whole Chaing Rai province valley. So nice, and they had the best coffee shop I've been to in Thailand there (Starbucks quality for sure) By this time it was about 5pm and we got back in the cars and drove for 5 more hours back to P-YO! To have dinner. It was the most uncomfortable dinner I've had in Thailand. Just the fact we had been traveling for 20 hours, no one was in a good mood especially Miranda and I, so when the teachers and director kept talking about us in Thai and saying "SING SONG SING SONG FARANG FARANG FARANG" we didn't have the normal patience to deal with it that we usually do. That and the food was pretty bad....Yuck. So over to sev we went to have our own diner of snickers and chips. Then we got in the car and drove the 4 hours back home (took the long way for some reason...) to Wiang Sa, where we arrived exactly 24 hours after we left. Like I said, a Thai-style Road Trip is definitely unique!

I spent all day Sunday cleaning everything I own in Thailand, as it has all become covered in a layer of mold. Nice. Luckily I learned the Thai word for bleach fast. Monday I went to get a bunch of passport pictures for India and Nepal visas, and in Thailand passport pictures are taken like Sears portraits. A whole big show with makeup and mirrors, then they retouch them and airbrush them before printing them out for you. Although they airbrushed me WHITER than I am..... Oh Thailand! Only 2 more weeks of your crazy shenanigans!!!