Chapter 23: Thailand

Let me first begin with my first day back and work my way to the beginning…because this is one memory I will never forget. Right now I am in Loei- a province in the Northeast of Thailand, right along the border of Laos. We’re actually at the border as I write this, but of course I could not cross because of course no one informed me to bring a passport. The day I arrived back from my week stay in the islands…well actually I was still on the bus…I was informed I would be headed to Loei on a three day trip with the live-in students. I hadn’t seen them in weeks and felt like it was my duty to chaperone. So I had 12 hours to repack, catch up on some kind of sleep, and head out again. Let’s just say I think someone is getting me back for staying on vacation longer then I should have because this trip is just one disaster after another…and yet I try to keep a smile, wonder how I got here, and think, “happy new year”. Let me paint a picture for you…it’s 11:30 pm…I’m lying on a cement floor. The teacher to my left is snoring, yet sleeping soundly and the teacher to my right is bundled up in her winter jacket, hat, scarf, and gloves. The students are in the hall outside saying their prayers. An hour earlier we arrived at the temple where we will sleep for the night. The monks are in the next room and the boys are sleeping in tents outside. What was thought to be a 5 hour bus ride turned into 9 hours after trucking up the mountain at a slow 20 mph. Meanwhile…for exactly 9 hours straight…Thai hiphop music videos and game shows played on the bus screen and blasted the speakers. The first hour was great…flashing lights at the back of the bus, the students dancing and singing to every song…reminded me of hockey days…but I am no longer 17 and as you can imagine, I had my fill after just watching one video of practically naked thai women dancing on the screen. When the women started stripping and spreading their legs, it was finally time to call it quits and the teachers got the hint to turn it off.. Ok, so…Im staying upbeat, laughing at every new thing thinking ok things couldn’t get any worse. Well…due to my haste in packing and everyone failing to inform me that it was 30 degrees in the mountains of Loei where we were going…I did not pack sufficiently and froze all night. As I finally began to drift to sleep, the lights went on (4:30am) and it was time to start packing. I would not even attempt the outdoor water buckets they call showers. Still freezing, I managed to find gloves, socks, and a hat at the food stand…I guess many people make this mistake because they were readily available. We loaded into trucks, drove up the mountain, and when you couldn’t think it was any farther had another km walk to the top…still dark outside. Im sporting a sweatshirt and sandals. Finally…we arrived at the top of Pho Loua Peak just in time for sunrise. I kept telling myself it would be worth it…ive done sunrise hikes before and in the end they are worth it. The sun never rose…it took the day off. So there we were disappointed, cold, and with no sunrise. I can now only imagine what it looked like. So anyway…we continue on our bus journey…stopping at random places in Loei…never knowing where we are or where we’re going on just 2 hours of sleep in the past 2 weeks and still I try to keep a smile on my face. Oh the joys of Thailand…tbc.

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