We've actually met some incredibly nice folks along the way. We bussed it back to Ayutthaya from Kanchanaburi, meeting a lovely Frenchman who was grateful for our assistance in navigating the public bus system. He's had an unfortunate time on his holiday. His laptop was stolen in Cambodia, money also taken from his room. He fell on the sidewalk in Kanchanaburi, banging up his hands and face. Fortunately he didn't suffer any broken bones. He was a comfort to us after Francis fell disembarking from the bus. No worries. Francis is quite alright. He suffered some gnarly bruises and a wounded ego, but other than that he's just fine as evidenced by his raging appetite and penchant for strolling the city for hours in the blazing sun of the afternoons.
My love is such an even tempered guy. Up until now I could only count two things that ever bent him out of shape - moving insanely heavy furniture and when food sticks to the pan. Now I have one more thing to add - bad meals in SE Asia. We ventured out for some Indian food last night. It was tasteless and uninspired, and I suspect it may have originated from a can. The palak paneer was nothing more than strained spinach, and the aloo mateer was nothing more than strained potatoes with a few errant peas. The veggie pakoras were hush puppies masquerading as pakoras. Francis has no tolerance for bad food in Thailand. There is simply no excuse when the ingredients are so fresh and inexpensive. Next time we'll heed the wisdom of the Lonely Planet.
We spent 11 hours on a train to get to Chaing Mai. It was by far one of the best experiences we've had so far. The scenery was unbelievable - lush jungle breaking away in the valleys to reveal small towns that time forgot. The conductor was exceptionally kind. An elderly man had commandeered our assigned seats. Rather than ask him to move, the conductor merely showed us to different seats. The Thais have a such a profound respect for their aging. At one point the conductor came out, sat across from the elderly man and massaged his legs with tiger balm. It was the sweetest of gestures and unlike anything I could imagine seeing in the States.
The conductor was also lovely and kind to me. He allowed me to smoke in the rear of the train in his little conductor's room. At night, the train porter turned on the lights for me so that I could see inside the deep cave-tunnels as we rushed through. My awe and gratitude seemed to inspire in him a certain gratitude.
We'll stay in Chiang Mai through Tuesday morning. Then we head north to Chiang Rai.
No comments:
Post a Comment