Thursday, January 12, 2012

Is This a Joke?


This toilet is a JOKE!!!!

Scenario #1:Our last night in our hotel was upon us and after a relaxing morning, Danny and I had to make a decision on what our next move was going to be. Would we continue to stay in Chiang Mai or would we move on? We decided to take the easy road- stay another night and figure it out tomorrow. Except, our hotel was full. We had to leave.-- Is this a joke?









Scenario #2: With our hotel being full, our decision was decided for us so we made a further decision to move on to Lampang, a city known for its famous elephant center. With a guesthouse easily booked by a phone call, we needed a mode of transportation to get us there. Why not a train? We asked around and heard we should book right away because trains could be full. We took a Sorng taa ou (Song tau), converted pickup truck with benches in its bed (Don't worry mom- it's safe, well almost), to the train station for 50 baht each or $1.60.  When we arrived at the station, the woman behind the counter kindly said, "Please buy your ticket on the day you depart, thank you!" After a slight beg and puppy dog eyes from the furongs, she repeated herself "Please buy tomorrow, 50 baht" -- Is this a joke.


The more reliable than safe means of transportation
Scenario #3 After a sorng taa ou trip costing double what our train ticket cost I decided to take the journey into relaxation. I told a  disgruntled Danny that I was going to get a massage. After all, I'd been secretly checking out each one we passed to determine the best place to give my business to. After a quick shower- yes i know what you're thinking, how kind of you to wash the filth off of you- i headed down the street. Greeted kindly at the door, I asked for a 1 hour thai massage. Boy was I in for a treat. Have any of you every had the pleasure? It was a full hour of pain and agony and the worst part was  I was paying for it! As she poked and prodded and poked some more I was sure I was going to leave with bruises all over my body. Finally, the hour was up. I handed her a hefty tip- she did go somewhat easy on me once I started to scream a little- and thought to myself-- Is this a joke?

My small, but very full pack
Scenario #4  6 am greeted us nice and early. I had done a semi pack the night before, but for some reason it still took me a while to get out the door. After a good hour of packing and showering, I felt someones eyes on me giving me the hurry it up look. As I noted before, my packs a little tight. Ok more like I cant fit one more thing in it or it's going to bust at the seams. As the final stuffings were upon me, Dan kept reminding me of other things that needed to be packed.  It was my turn for the look- I even added a little bite- "You're not helping" to be exact.  Minutes later- I was ready to go. We caught our train with no problems (phew) and waited on  platform #3. It was a beautiful day in Chiang Mai as we boarded the train. To my surprise the train was dingy and cold- very cold. The AC was blasting, as I sat looking out the window at the beautiful sunshine warming everyone outside, I thought to myself-- is this a joke??


Scenario #5 After 3 hours of freezing, we reached our destination, Lampang, Thailand. With a short and cheap sorng taa ou ride to our guesthouse- I thought to myself- Is this a joke?!?
Our beautiful riverside guesthouse

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