Heading north... Today I took no photos as I needed to pack up to fly to Chiang Rai, after a late start. I also took some time to work on photos already taken. In the least, I assign "keywords" to every image - describing where and what was shot, along with the kind of shot (ie., "snapshot - people", or "portrait".) I have to retrace my steps by going through my notes and look up the transliterated (the English/roman character spelling) name of each location. It's not as quick and easy as I originally thought it would be.

In less than a week, I've noticed a few things already about Thailand that I've discovered to be pretty much universal according to the natives. First - You will see ants of some size almost anywhere. This includes many five star hotels, government buildings and the like. Unlike Americans, Thai people have no problems with ants. In fact, some Thai people at one time or another pray for forgiveness at a temple for killing so many ants (and other insects) as they walk on them. If little critters "bug" you, then Thailand many not be the place for you. Not far from the edges of shadows in many homes and buildings are all manner of cockroaches and beetles as well. It is simply a fact of life.

Instead of a municipal water supply, most buildings have their own water tanks, situated on top of the building itself. Gravity, aided by pumps, brings the water to each sink (and flushing toilet - if there are any). These tanks are replenished by water supply companies which pump the water from a tanker truck. The type of water used is for the most part purified, but not to the same degree as drinking water. There are many kinds of drinking water available to buy, with varying levels of purity. The difference is notable in the taste of each kind.

Thai people in general never get angry - or at least show anger in public. When falang get angry or upset, you will commonly see Thai people react by smiling. This is an attempt on their part to diffuse the anger, as it is considered unacceptable in Thai culture. If you get angry enough that you either say something offensive to a Thai person or actually start a fight with a Thai person, then you are asking for a heap of trouble. Once a Thai person has "lost face" - the face of humility, that is - then there is no turning back. All rules are set aside, and basically the fight ends when one of you is either on the way to the hospital or dead. Consumption of alcohol on your or the Thai person's part only makes things worse.

Also, Thai people generally don't complain about service or goods due to dissatisfaction. If something doesn't work, you return it not because you are dissatisfied, but because you want another which does work. If you are being provided a service, such as laundry, and something goes wrong - such as an article of clothing is lost - do not expect to be reimbursed as you may be in America. Everything you do as a foreigner in Thailand is "at your own risk", and so if something goes wrong it is essentially your fault. To write letters of complaint or try to speak with the management is merely an exercise in futility. You can tell them that your article of clothing is missing, and they will search for it, but if they come back empty handed, you are expected to say "Mai ben rai," which means "No worries," or "No problem", or "Forget about it."

My flight to Chiang Rai was my first time flying with Air Asia, based out of Malaysia. They are pretty much the lowest coast airline in SE Asia, which along with a couple of reports of recent runway accidents, gave me reason to hesitate purchasing the flight in the first place. But the experience as a whole was extraordinary pleasant, and I must say flying with them is without a question worth the price. Seats are unassigned, so it's recommendable to find yourself on the first shuttle bus from the gate to the plane, and make sure you are near one of the bus doors so that you are among the first few people to board the plane. I snagged on of the three front-most bulkhead seats, along with two rather tall farang from Holland.

When I arrived at the airport, I was picked up by the owner of the Jitaree Guest House, where I had already booked ahead. His name is Jira Sintuaree, and he could speak English rather well. Turns out he has studied both in Boston and Minnesota for his PhD in Education & Administration. He also has a Master's degree in civil engineering. Smart guy. When we arrived at his guesthouse, he explained that there were no regular rooms available that night, so I was to stay in an extra room in their house. It was very important to remember to take off my shoes before entering as most Thai's consider walking in their home with your shoes to be extremely rude. Jira let me connect my laptop to his DSL connection so that I could call my Dad.

When I was done, I told Jira that I was interested in renting a motorscooter the next day, so that I could go to see Wat Phra That Pha Ngao, located near Chiang Saen, some 72 kilometers away from Chiang Rai. He told me that he could arrange for a one day rental in the morning. The cost: only 250 Baht (about $6.50). He told me he could have the scooter brought to the guesthouse in the morning by a business associate. Then, he introduced me to his wife, Tu Tu, who asked me if I was hungry. I told her I was, and she suggested I make my way quickly to the local night bazaar. It's a short walk from the guesthouse, about 15 minutes. I bid them a good night and set off, briskly walking in search of food.

It wasn't difficult to find the night bazaar, as there was very little else going on at that late hour (10pm). Chiang Rai is smaller than I had expected, but seemingly cozy little town - from what I could tell. The bazaar was a mixture of people hawking goods in small stalls, and also food vendors. There was a stage with some live music. Local folk music, I believe, but with a modern synthesizer and drum machine for the band.

I picked a food stall at random and ordered Pad Kee Mow, something I knew the name of already from many outings to Thai restaurants in Portland. I asked for chicken - "Kai" because it was the only Thai word for any meat that I could remember. It was rather delicious, but also spicy, and at one point, I inhaled a piece of chili pepper by accident. I think I was too hungry to eat at the proper speed. It sent me into a coughing fit, which elicited broad knowing smiles from a farang/Thai couple seated nearby.

On my way back to the guest house, I was approached by many "Saam rot" (literally, "three wheel" - motorized transport) drivers, all of whose service I refused. I enjoyed my walk back, and I think it helped me asleep quickly.  ¶ 9:18 PM