Still in Pai, doing something....?
Trip Start
Sep 10, 2007
1
20
40
Trip End
Jan 03, 2008
Pai,
Thailand
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Well, Pai has worked it's charm on me. I'll admit, it's grabbed hold of me tight and is reluctant to let go. I've decided to stay one more day. Tonight is the start of a three day festival that has taken over the entire town. Stages of particle boards on oil drums have been set up on all four of Pai's major intersections, plus a few streets in between. Canvas tents have been erected and decorated with palm leaves, lanterns, candles and advertising signage. Beer tables, benches and blankets of local wares line the streets in preparation for the people cruising the street tonight. I can already feel the spark of excitement in the air. Ahh, as I write, hand drums and flutes have started to play around the corner. I'm glad I've extented my stay.
My upcoming plan is this: (Just as a side note... Anyone who knows me well enough understands that I seem to get a strange kick out of planning, organizing, arranging, and other such anal compulsiveness. Crossing items off lists are the cat's meow! And travelling really seems to have satisfied this obsession of mine, as there's always the trip ahead to think about and contemplate, plus the ritual of unpacking and neatly repacking your life. Where should I go next? How do I get there? When do I have to catch that ride? And so on and so on...) So yes, if you are ever wondering, I almost always have a plan for what's next.
On the menu:
Tomorrow morning, back to Chiang Mai. A necessary stop. I realized that my current Thailand visa expires on November 9th and that I need to get a short extention. I will do this in Chiang Mai and my giudebook says that it should take only one day to process. Then I am going to catch a 6 hour bus ride to Sukhothai and stay there for two days. Next, hop a bus back down south to Bangkok, then catch another bus or train down to the Surat Thani area. Why, you may be asking. Well, I plan on attending a ten day meditation course at a Buddhist monastary called Suan Mokh.This starts on the first of the month, next Thursday, I believe. After that on November 11th, I will head back up to central Thailand, perhaps spending a day or two there before heading east to Cambodia then eventually north into Laos. And there you have it, my plan in a nutshell.
But back to the present. My stomach is grumbling and the music is calling. Time to enjoy the festival!
Comments
;)
Let your body move to the groove! Have fun!
Darren
XOXOX
Msg from Mom (only one this time)
You're having so many adventures-Baba says there's an old saying: Will she now want to stay on the farm now that she's seen gay Paree?
Francine's Reply
Hehee! Sometimes the line that plays in my head is: '...Thursday's child has far to go...'
:)