Chiang Mai

I really feel like writing right now but I can't seem to put a perspicuous sentence together. Please bare with me through this gibberish while I gather my thoughts. I'll do a "free write" like we used to do in elementary school. You know, the teacher would tell you to write whatever comes to mind. Then when she told you to stop, you had to drop your pencil even if you were I the middle of a thought. In hindsight, that exercise seems like more of a child psychology test than a tool to develop your writing. Either that, or guaranteed comic relief for a teacher having a bad day. I'd love to be able to << Ok kids, stop. >>

I arrived in Chiang Mai around 9am the day following my last post. No, the post before that. Anyway, I'm not sure exactly what day that was since I've almost completely lost track of time. My only clock and calendar are on this tablet and when I use it, I often don't bother to check anymore.

I went to the train station info booth which, not surprisingly, was sponsored by one of the guest houses (basically a glorified hostel). In place of useful information, I was offered free transportation and a $10 room. I was eager to lose my backpack, and at that rate, I didn't care to be choosy. So, I agreed and hopped in the "mini bus." The place looked pretty OK when I got there but on my way to my room, I noticed that they were spraying a room two doors down for bed bugs. I made a comment to the front desk and they assured me that there had been no such problem in my room. Skeptical, I left it at that and went about my day.

I spent that day and the next reading Ender's Game and doing some exploratory walking through Chiang Mai. If any of you haven't read the book, do yourself that favor. And if you have, read it again. I like to think that it shaped my attitude and perspective as a teenager when I read it for the first time. I like a refresher course every now and again so I keep it handy.

Chiang Mai is easily my favorite place so far. It's more mellow, the locals are friendly and almost never in your face, it's cheap, the climate is absolutely perfect, there are mountains and jungle around (my dream), the vast majority of the tourists and travelers aren't obnoxious, I ended up in what I believe is the best part of town, and given the geography, there is an unlimited amount to do. I think I'm gonna stick around for a while.

Saturday night, I booked a treetop jungle flight, zip line/sky bridge, day trip for yesterday, and a three day mountain jungle trek to begin today. The jungle flight was surreal. I felt so at home atop those trees (pictures and videos are on up my Google + profile). I got back in time for the Sunday night market, which was nothing short of incredible. It takes place in the streets of old town Chiang Mai and goes on for ever. I walked about two hours and still didn't see everything. The atmosphere was entrancing. I got back to my room and decided I wasn't ready for the jungle trek. I hadn't prepared and wasn't quite sure what I needed, most of my laundry was dirty, I found a bed bug so I desperately wanted to change guest houses, and most importantly, I was already three days behind on the blog and wouldn't have had time to catch up before the trek. Priorities. Plus, I have no need to rush anything. So I pushed it back to tomorrow. I'll be completely off the grid for the next three days, and that'll be plenty to write about when I get back.

Today was a beautiful day. I upgraded to a cleaner, friendlier, brighter, and cheaper guest house just down the street from the other one. I got all my laundry done, visited some more of the city, got all the info I needed for the trek, and relaxed. Now, I'm ready. Over and out.