So it's my last day in Thailand... my 30-day stamp expires on the 28th so I better hot-tail it out of this joint... off to Laos... I'll take the bus to the border, cross a river (the Meekon, maybe), and then take a two day boat down to Luang Prabang in Laos... so I've been in the north of Thailand for a while now but it's convenient that my visa expires because I can imagine getting stuck here... floating in Jelly, it's sweet but I'm going nowhere fast... I'm not sure about Laos ... I've heard many things about the place and alot of people love it but a lot of people only go there to do tubing (float down a river on an inflatable tube and bars along the river throw you a line and pull you in, offer you a free shot and then get you truly pissed... I hear they serve ridiculous things like opium pizzas (wtf?)... some Americans I met here in Pai (seemingly squeezed straight from the script of some teen movie which seems to revolve around getting as many crude jokes and as much soft core porn in 90 minutes as possible... don't get me wrong, I loved 'American Pie' at 15... but now I've gone all arty farty)... anyway, these Americans described the tubing (in a place called Viang Vieng) as Spring-break on crack... the sighing of my soul echoed in my head when they said this (they were actually nice and friendly these Americans... just overtly textbook)... I think I'll give it a miss)... but I also hear there is great nature and all that in Laos... so I guess I should keep an open mind...
Pai, this hippy (or as a French-girl (Emma) said, "EP") haven, has been quite nice and relaxing... if you've read what I wrote about Koh Chang then just copy and paste much of that description here (sans-sea/beach)... Yesterday (as I alluded to in an earlier post) I thought it would be a good idea to cycle around the peaceful roads around Pai and visit the Canyon and waterfalls and hot springs (cycling also seemed like a good idea because a scooter seemed like a bad idea)... Jesus wept it was knackering... some people might know me as the highly-athletic specimen who is seemingly fatigue-proof on the football field (sic (I always wondered but I think that 'sic' means that I'm being sarcastic... rather then look it up on Wikipedia, I'll just leave it in))... but a couple of months without exercise have turned me into a slightly less fit person (if that can be imagined)... I had a simultaneous aching of my thighs, calves, ass, soul and dignity as I struggled up yet another bloody hill with scootered people slowing down next to me to say hello... piss of you smug bastereds! ... I cycled with a French girl I met called Emma who as it turned out is a bit of a dab-hand at the old cycling game... she was always that frustratingly elusive dot on the horizon, mocking me until the dot passed into the unimaginable void in front... ... ... (I love ellipses... I learnt that word yesterday:)) when I thought I could feel no more broken, tired and dejected... forever wishing that the end would come, whether that be the end of the road or some other more finite road... at that very point a 8 year old (ish) girl cycled past, enthusiastically smiled and said, "Hello!"... ... ... :(
... but of course I exaggerate... it was a good choice to cycle and as soon as I'd got back, had a shower, had a meal, and had a beer... I felt good and happy with my choice to cycle... my muscles ached pleasingly as I had another beer and played cards with a french girl (Emma), an Ozzie girl (Masina), and two Dutch girls (Melissa and name-unknown)... (my girl-heavy travels continue... it's really great but I did long to sit with the "lads" (oi oi) and watch the Champions League (TM) last night (well done Spurs)... the cycle was through lovely, peaceful and safe roads with a lush green landscape around and the sun in the clear sky slapping me on my factor-50 lathered neck... as well as those landmarks I mentioned there was also what seemed to be some kind of Elephant district where all the trekking companies were based and so we saw some cool elephants (although one was trying repeatedly and in vain to escape the chain around his foot (do elephants have a foot or is it a hoof?), constantly fiddling with the chain with his trunk as well as non-stop testing the strength of the chain... it wasn't the happiest thing I've ever seen)... ... ... so all in all, once I'd toweled down and all that, it was nice:)
...today I leave Pai on the 8pm bus, so today is relax on soft, bum-friendly chairs day:) ... blog is done, so now I'll take a few more pictures of this place and then settle down to read 'Infinite Jest', the 1,200 page book I'm enjoying but eternally resenting having to lug round with me!
Keep well everyone and catch little random nuggets of madness from me at my twitter page at ... usually contributed to when I find a bar with wifi... so there may be the odd, failed attempt at forced humor on it... but isn't that what Twitter is all about?
Anyway, miss you... keep well:)
P.S.I've finally decided to use spell check on my blog:)
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