W10:38:05 AM
"Not so fast, big guy" I was told by my inner being last night. Have you forgotten the old adage than you need to take one step back for every two steps forward? I need to take a step back first before leaving Chiang Rai. Well, I took a step back with my cold yesterday. I thought that was the cold that won't quit. But this not some common cold.
I have been dejected, injected, inspected, protected, connected, infected and subjected to a variety of things the last week. Re-entered Thailand from Myanmar on New Years Eve, now 10 days in the distance. Since then I have focused on finding a safe, comfortable, friendly landing spot and the Janispar Court Guest House here in Chiang Rai has fit the bill. It has about 10 rooms and just opened last week. I doubt if my bed had ever been slept in. At about $15.00 a night with food cooked onsite, it has fit the bill perfectly. Jiab, Weau's 32 year old son will run to the store and buy for me whatever I ask for, which has been only watermellon and pineapple. Jiab was my driver on both trips to the hospital.
Being in Chiang Rai on the 9th of January was not on the agenda, but then neither was a week of travel in Myanmar. Anyway, I don't like scheduled travel all that much anyway. If I did, I would be on a group tour vs. solo traveling.
As is true with all travel, you must take the good with the bad. It helps a great deal to think positive and think more about the good and less about the bad. I am grateful I am here in Chiang Rai and not in Keng Tung, Myanmar. That place did not have an electric grid (no power poles, wires, transformers, etc.- the hotel power came from a generator), there were no ATM's or banks, almost all the roads in town were dirt, I never saw a tractor or piece of heavy equipment, and almost everything was cooked on wood or charcoal fires, with only a very few exceptions. I doubt if there was much of a hospital. There was an incountry airport, so it would have been possible to get to the states in a day or two via Rangoon then to BKK and eastward from there to the states. But I had left almost all of my luggage in Mae Sai and had only brought the essentials with me for a three day trip.
Myanmar is one of the world's poorest countries, but it does produce 90% of the world's rubies, is the world's largest producer of Methamphetamine (much of it sold here in Thailand) and is the world's second largest producer of opium, behind Afganistan. 37% of the population is unemployed and the per capita income is about $837.00, which is about about 4 times higher than it was 12 years ago when they opened up their borders and started letting people in.
I could be there and not here in Thailand. That is the bright side. A very bright side.
Have done little but rest and attempt recovery in my room. Drink lots of water, eat a little fruit, watch with some hesitation either of the the two English language stations on TV - one a Japanese sponsored news and "Gee, Ain't Life Great in Japan" station and the European Sports Channel. I listen to music. Not much to blog about unless it is about the room.
So about the room:
You may notice the sprayer on the wall. Similar to the one common on kitchen sinks in the US. I have noted them in most hotel bathrooms (all are "wet" bathrooms, i.e. the entire bathroom is part of the shower stall). I guess the sprayer is an Asian type of bidet, used for washing up after business is complete. Well, there is great water pressure here, I would guess over 100 PSI. If you used the sprayer to wash "down there" you might possibly blow your genitals to Bombay! You could use it to powerwash the driveway!
Hope to continue to kick the bug and am anxious to head to Laos, though doubt I will make it to Viet Nam. Hope to depart in 2-3 days.
No comments:
Post a Comment