bikes

Today we got bicycles. The feeling of freedom, like when you are 16 and you finally get your drivers license and the entire world opens up to you, washed over us today. We purchased them at "Tesco Lotus"department store for less than $100 a piece. Chris and I used the tools the poor salesman brought over to adjust our brakes to make our bikes a little more of....our own. We adjusted derailleurs, brakes, headsets, seats etc. When all was said and done, we walked out with three bikes, all the same excepting the color. Our bikes were aptly named "Turbo extreme".

Our first mission with our bikes was to go to the zoo on the other side of town. Quite abruptly I noticed a slight malfunction with my bike. My seat, as it appeared, seemed to prefer slouching like a teenager at school. The back side of my saddle sunk as low as possible. This, needless to say, is not the most comfortable way to ride a bike. Since I had thought ahead and gotten an adjustable wrench, I decided I would tighten the clamp: end of problem. WRONG. As soon as i got back on, the seat dove again. This was going to be a problem.

One thing we have noticed about the Thais, and I'm certain this is out of necessity, is their resourcefulness. When walking by an appliance store, you see some new items, but mostly used items, accompanied by some Thai person rebuilding seven or eight of the same item. They will rebuild scrap items, put a few together to make a good one, rewire, refuse, re-curcuitboard, re-everything until they have something that works. Unlike our society, which seems to be a a throw-away culture: kia's, radar detectors, radios, dvd players, tv's, matresses, sofas, hyundai. We buy all these items from here, and when they die, we buy new ones. Here, maybe since they built most of them, they simply fix them and sell them again.

In this spirit, I decided maybe I could fix the metal (I use this word loosely because it was more of a plastic-metal, or so it seemed) of the seatpost and make the thing work again. I took out my trusty leatherman tool I have with me all the time, and filed each individual stripped tooth of the seatpost clamp, which, if you've ever toyed with one of the old style clamps, is plenty. After that, I attempted to tighten the seat back on with the adjustable wrench I had gotten for $3.

This was a failed mission. Despite my best intentions, the seat failed miserably. 2 minutes after I got back on, I was again, 6 inches closer to my wheel than I wanted to be, and, if you've ever ridden a saddle in that position, is hardly comfortable in that general area :(

After a siesta at our air-conditioned dorm/apt we jumped back on the bikes and headed for a bike shop (thank you Nancy Chandler). There, seeing as how not only my seat, but all three seats felt like you were sitting on, well... let me put it this way. Everyone is equipped with what we call "sit bones". When a seat is too thin, or simply poorly shaped, it can place un-needed pressure on your sit bones. In my case, it felt like it was pushing my ass apart. The time had come, for a new seat, as well as a new clamp for my particular case.

Some four hours after we got the bikes brand new, we were in a bike shop getting new seats. For about $11 a piece, we got seats on our bikes. These seats, unlike the others, were designed for human beings. They were appropriately shaped, and stayed in the place they were assigned. Our biking days have begun!



Thursday morning at 8:30 we get picked up for a day of exploring....Elephant rides, river rafting, waterfalls, and hiking. Long neck people should also make an appearance. A sneak peak...

monk and scorpion boat

Our day began today with a truck-truck ride (ask me later) to a scorpion boat on the Ping River. The guy who owns the company took us down the river and gave us a short history lesson on the river. We then went up the river to his fruit/flower farm. There he grows many different kinds of fruits, trees, flowers, etc as well as running a small restaurant and a few huts for people to stay in. The man had a good sense of humor and was very informative about local customs, why things are the way they are, and the history of the place. He showed us some Chinese finger cuff-looking bamboo things. Rather than being a novelty item, they were, in fact, snake and eel traps. All in all, we paid a few extra dollars for the trip, but I think it was worth it. (the picture is not of the one we were on, but a similar one)

After that, we walked through town to get a few odds and ends for the apartment. We've been dying to have some speakers for our music, so we found some of those today ($3.50). After that, we went in search of a large ruin in the center of town we had seen from a few locations, but had yet to locate in real life. After a bit of searching, we stumbled upon the right "wat" (temple) where it was. We walked around this huge ruin of the temple as well as the new temples surrounding it. In our map, we had read that at some of the temples offer "monk chat". This is a service the monks provide, where anyone can come and chat with monks about anything. Often times this revolves around questions of Buddhism and other like questions, but nothing is off limits. The monks get to practice their English as well as spread their knowledge, and us foreigners get to learn about Buddhism from the source. We decided this was a good time to sit down and chat, which turned out to be a really good idea. We came into the conversation in a philosophy discussion. Because monks are the most respected members of society, we were sure to be very careful and respectful in entering into the conversation. We soon became more comfortable and began asking questions and being more involved in the discussion.

As I learn more about Buddhist ideas and teachings, I will probably expand more, but suffice to say right now, that they have a very understanding, inclusive philosophy.

It was really nice to be able to sit and chat with someone who, until now, had been a distant orange-clad man, who seemed unapproachable. It made him/them much more real and tangible to the outsiders: us.

(once again, this image is not ours, but quite similar to what we did.)

these are pictures from the window of our room.

address

So we have an official address. here it is.

email me for it.

More later :)

apartment and a new city

Today started with-- well never really ended from yesterday-- getting off a bus on the outskirts of town at 5:15 at a bus stop we presumed to be the correct one. We arrived at our hotel at 6am, checked in, took showers, and tried to relax after an all night bus ride. Our orienter, Yim, came at 10:00am to pick us up to look at some various apartments we may be interested in. We climbed into his beat up nissan sunny, which sounded like it was going to die every time he let it idle naturally (I surmised dirty idle control valve). He took us to the ACE office, where we will be working from, and gave us an idea of where he was going to take us.

As we progressed through the 5 apartments we ended up looking at, each seemed to get better as they went. They all had their various strengths and weaknesses, and after some confusion, much help from Yim, we arrived at a deal at a very nice place with a view of the mountains. Each room (we got two) is about the size of a hotel room, with about the same amenities as a hotel room, excepting a mini fridge. Although this is quite small for our standards, to be economically feasible, this was the only real option. I lived in a similar sized room in Germany and it didn't kill me. There I had a kitchen in my hall, however I didn't have the availability of $1-2 food outside my door. I feel very comfortable with the situation and I think we made the best of it. Our rent, including electricity and internet is going to be about $200/month. Chris has a very similar room a few floors down, which he will be renting to December.

Thus concludes our whirlwind apartment/dorm search of Chiang Mai. Without the prep and the help of the internship I can only imagine how long it would have taken. My guess is, once we had found a reasonable place, we would have jumped at it, not wanting to take the effort to seek out an unknown residence. This worked out as perfectly as could be. We are within walking distance of our office, grocery stores, and pretty much everything we could want. There is even a bakery in the downstairs section of our building, as well as an art store across the street (katie).

Now we are charged with the task of navigating this city, learning its idiosyncrasies, and making it home. It doesn't seem like its going to be a very hard task, as this is much more of a "charming" city than Bangkok and has a much more local feel. The traffic, noise, congestion, pressures, and danger are all substantially less than that of Bangkok. As Vermonters the surrounding mountains don't hurt to make us feel at home.

More to come, but things are looking very promising.

Oh- I also ate a REALLY hot pepper at lunch today that made my head numb.

apt searching in Chiang Mai

We are a few minutes away from being picked up to go apartment hunting today. Our people from the internship have made a list of 6 places, three of which we will look at today, 3 tomorrow.

Chiang Mai, though we have only been here for a few hours, seems to be much more relaxed and Vermont-like. I'll give more details when I see more of the town, but it seems really nice. There are actually hills around the city and you can hear yourself think.

We'll get some pictures of the town up soon. We will be riding elephants next week, which is swell, as far as I'm concerned.

-luke

monday

These are the places we are going today. We've driven by them on a river taxi, but haven't been into either. The top picture is of the temple of the dawn, which, if you catch at dawn or dusk shimmers from all the pieces of glass built into the structure. We hope to get some good pictures tonight. The second picture is of the Royal Palace, where the King and family live. These are the most popular tourist destinations in Bangkok, but what the heck. It's something that has to be done.

**note**
I hope people didn't get too worried about my blog about being sick- It may have been a little melodramatic because I was writing when my stomach hurt. In hindsight, it was just an upset stomach. I suppose when you hear of food related illnesses a lot, you become somewhat of a hypochondriac.

better again

the bug turned out to be a temporary struggle: mano e bacterium of some sort. My immune system prevailed after a few hours of fighting rather than walking. I woke up this morning with a solid gut, and we proceeded as usual.

I'd like to think I'm stronger because of it.

first Thai food crisis

I am now sitting on my bed because I don't have any other options. My stomach seems to have tied itself in a knot, which is rendering me somewhat immobile. I know this, because I was just mobile. . .

We spent the morning checking out a few new hostels, none of which we were as good as the one we are in. At lunch we met a man from Vermont whose brother in law works with my mother. We found a reasonable looking restaurant to eat, then went to visit the Jim Thompson house, a house built by an American man who embraced the Thai culture in the early 20th century. In the house there were many artifacts, paintings, silk, pottery, gardens, and buildings.

After visiting there, we went towards Nick's apartment because there is a large park, one of the few in Bangkok. We, being Vermonters, were in need of some green grass, trees and water. We visited the park, took some pictures, and relaxed. As we were leaving, my stomach started to feel like it wasn't interested in cooperating with me.

After eating dinner at a bad, faux-french restaurant, we decided it was a good idea to high-tail it home. At this point, both Chris and Katie got the same stomach problem I had. The look of the three of us on the train must have been amusing- these crazy farang (foreigners) pale-faced and doubled over, swaying gently back and forth with the train, clinging to a handle hanging from the ceiling and hoping our weight wouldn't slip off the pole sending us tumbling to the ground, leaving our poor arms behind, still attached the the handle. Ok, so maybe that's overkill, but we still didn't look great.

This brings me back to the beginning, where I was mobile. We walked all the way back from the train (10-12 mins), considerably uncomfortable the whole way. Now, I find myself relatively stable, yet immobile.

more to come tomorrow.

made it alive

We have arrived. Our hostel exists. katie saw an elephant in the street.

more later. we have the internets and towels.

-26 hrs of flying- bed time is now.

The reality of today's adventure began to become real last night with the sun setting over the peninsula on lake Erie. Like the sunset, it is hard to see change and movement in a direction at a glance. Not until there is a frame of reference, a horizon against which the sun can move, is it truly possible to appreciate exactly how quickly time passes. As of today, we are no longer glancing at an ambiguous moment during a day; night has come, and a new day has arisen.

This I am keenly aware of.

The final days

In one fell swoop, all of the acquaintances, relatives, friends, et. al., excepting only a few, have been visited, called, emailed, checked up on before the land and water separating us grows immensely. Katie and I have been in Erie, PA for these last few days, before we leave early Wednesday morning to get on a plane in Cleveland.

Although our lives are about to change drastically, the reality and gravity have yet to set in. Since life has set a blistering pace this summer, there has been little time to comprehend exactly what is happening. (Please do not read: I have ignored the fact that I'm leaving the country) Rather, it has been a surreal experience that cannot, will not, hit home until the plane lands and I am trying to decipher the sanskrit that is the Thai alphabet. There is no way to prepare yourself mentally for such a journey; only physically. So, with bags packed and plans for moving a lot on the 25 hr plane ride, we set off westward into the sunset. The irony, however, is that we will be missing an entire night because of the 12 hr time difference, thus: no sunset.

My next post will be a delerious, jet lagged, rambling of the many things we are encountering.