It has been a week since I left my nest at 3 AM in the morning for a 30 hour travel day. During this week I have been acclimating to the 12 hour time change. Most important though is adjusting my attitude. The attitude of routine and feeling sure about your surroundings. The attitude that I know things. That I know how to operate in this familiar world of mine. You have to humble yourself quickly; ask questions, make mistakes, be misunderstood, look lost, look like a tourist. My ego wants to know things, and be independent and not dependent on others. I don’t even have my own phone number. It is a great exercise in not caring about my self image and relying on the kindness of others.
There is no better place than Thailand to rely on the kindness of others and feel lost. All they want to do is please you. They want to help. Whether Buddhist or Hindu their practice relies on putting others first and being of service. They are respectful to their elders and welcoming to all visitors. Yet, it takes time to melt this wall that becomes more apparent in such a warm country. It can be uncomfortable at first to let go; but this is part of the journey and it is so freeing. I am in the process of letting go. I think being solo also throws you into the fast lane of this process of letting go. There is no-one to buffer you or hide behind. It is scary and exhilarating!
Bangkok is a city of many faces just like any other city. I walked miles exploring the alleys, business districts, parks, markets and religious sights. It is a lot to take in. My first day here was the fourth day after New Years. The Thais are big on New Years; it is an auspicious time to set intentions and pray to their deities, Buddha, and spirits. The Royal family is honored at this time as well. They open monasteries to the public for these first four days of the year. Most tourists do not know this, but I was chatting with a monk who appreciated my study of buddhism and told me of two important temples to go to. I spent the day at these temples free of onlookers and accompanied by locals making offerings and prayer. They offer beautiful garlands of flowers, banana leaves crafted into different bowls and designs, incense, candles, fruit, money, and food for the monks.
After this peaceful day at these monasteries I planned a day at some of the most popular attractions in Thailand. Wat Arun and Wat Pho. I prepared myself for crowds but had not prepared enough. The sites are sacred and beautiful but I did not stay long. They are now considered the most instagramable places to take pictures. You can rent authentic looking Thai silk outfits by the hour and have a photo shoot with your friends. Their are hundreds; maybe a thousand teens taking pictures around every corner and crevice. It can be seen as sweet and an innocent activity but for this still adjusting crotchety old lady it was too much. No matter how important this site was to the history of Buddhism it was not the experience I was looking for. The great thing is I realize I was okay with leaving and not going to the other sites I had looked forward to going to. It is not about saying I have been somewhere or checking something off the list. I hope this doesn’t sound to pessimistic about such important and sacred pieces of history. Taken from the view of being a tourist myself it is just an observation on how I want to move forward. Less pictures; more experience.
How do I move forward? Time to go north to the mountains and lose some of the crowds. Not only the crowds of people, the herds of cats. I have had a nasty sinus headache for days, I honestly think I may be allergic to the city. Cats walking on electric lines, cats curled up on moped seats, cats on window sills and cars. Some clean with collars but most dirty with their balls proudly out for display. Don’t worry these cats are well fed. There are bowls of cat food and water everywhere and I see people treating them only with kindness.
Before leaving for Chiang Mai in the morning I wanted to get a Thai massage. Holy shit! This small in stature, smiling, laughing, thai speaking only elder woman kicked my ass! Knees, elbows, and feet digging into muscles that had never been reached by the appendages of another. She pulled, yanked, and tied me into a pretzel with her limbs part of the knot. Her strength was amazing. Does it feel good you ask? In an energy releasing painful sort of way. My body is so knotted up from work it takes some real digging to get anywhere with it. I think she realized I would take the beating and pushed harder hence her laughing most of the time. I would tense up a muscle and she would stop and slap it to make it release. As if telling a bad child to stop it, cooperate!….and laugh. The following day I was pretty bruised up but could feel the release. A few days later in Chiang Mai I got another massage and it was not as painful; I could feel the work the elder had done, and this younger woman seemed to not want to hurt me.
Chiang Mai, the hub city of the north. The air is fresh and cooler, 80’s during the day and 50’s at night. I only have a weeks worth of weather experience in Thailand but the humidity is moderate in the cities. I am sure the closer I get to vegetation that will change. At least I have been in training these last couple summers on the east coast.
My motorcycle journey started today and it has been an adventure to get here. Getting anything done in Thailand is an adventure with little comprehension of the Thai language. To be expected. I am learning. I walked miles and miles around Chiang Mai for 2 days looking for a manual bike that is over 125cc’s. The ones that were available were broke down. I offered my assistance to shops to help fix them but they are having a problem getting parts. Imagine that. I finally found one I rented for a month for $125; that is 5 dollars a day. She is a 150 yamaha scooter hybrid.
After the deal was done I can’t even begin to tell you how nervous I was to first take her out on the road. Chiang Mai is a city filled with Tuk Tuks, tourists, busses and road signs I can’t read. The hardest part,,,, they drive on the left hand side. Look right first, not left. So, I decided to stay in my neighbor hood and go around taking lefts only; this way I didn’t have to cross traffic. The old lady on the corner that I passed 20 times started waving at me and nodding. I was her entertainment for the morning. Once I got comfortable with this I got familiar with taking rights and crossing traffic. I then broadened my circle and went out onto the main road and took lefts with all the traffic and people. When it came time to take a right turn across traffic I looked both ways 6 times and went for it: I didn’t run over any person, or dog and felt quite accomplished. I did this for hours. In and out of tight alleyways; on and off the highway; coming to dead ends and having to turn my bike around. It was so exciting!! The Thai are very patient drivers, they are courteous to each other. They do not push each other or honk; there are no mistakes or road agitation, they are so patient. Yet it is organized chaos at the same time. I LOVE being a part of it! At times you can be in a pack of 100 bikes taking off at a light weaving in and out of each other going for the hole shot. (motocross term for first out front) After spending the day together I named my yamaha Roxanne. When I ride songs sometimes get stuck in my head. Roxanne came to mind and helped me to calm my nerves.
I am so very happy with Roxanne; I now understand why everyone has smaller bikes. Not afraid to go down any alley way, easy to park, and you are squeezing in-between tight moving spaces often. It is so much fun and so different than riding a 900 pound bike. This is going to be fun! The journey starts in the morning. Off to find bungee cords…. This task should take up the rest of my evening.
