Considering my still not perfect health, the terrain and timing, I decided to hop a train north 7 hours to Phitsanulok, gateway to Sukothai. It couldn't have been easier (or cheaper!) to catch a third class local train north (for 150 baht, $5 US) with my bike. I didn't see any other farangs (Euro-white folks) on the train, just Thai and immediately made friends with a man who sat near me by making kind eyes and gestures. I decided to try to make run up to Chiang Mai by bike and wanted to catapult my ride so that I could arrive there on time to get back to BKK for Sharon's arrival next weekend. I'm glad I did. I avoided hundreds of miles of flat, hot terrain in exchange for cooler temperatures up north and much nicer roadside scenary. Late in the ride, a little boy about age four took interest in my journaling and started trying to interact with me by shouting at me in Thai. He and I eventually decided to draw together. I'll have to scan some of the pictures he and I came up with! When I got off the train, he ran over and gave me a shove in the way little boys do before running off with his mother.
My train trip ended in Phitsanulok:
Phitsanulok
Little Bangkok
in the country
That's what I thought last night, but this morning, when I went to the morning market, I saw a completely other side and found the people there to be very very kind. Night time was crazy, though, and loud with a WILD night bizar, tons of pubs and bars and lots of young people with loud music and such. I wasn't feeling well (still) so this was not to my liking at the time. I turned the TV on to the Bloomberg station to drown out all the other noise and get sleep (it worked). I had a neat experience watching Thai kick boxing while ill in Ayuttaya, very very interesting! Bloomberg was just depressing story after depressing story about the economy. I'm glad I fell asleep quick!
I loved the train ride up, though. I've only taken the train a few times in my life and this was very different. Food and drink venders walking up and down selling the sweetest and tastiest of foods for nearly nothing. People coming on, people getting off. Making eyes with young children and interested Thais who seemed to want to know what I was up to, but unable to communicate. That didn't stop the man in front of me, as we communicated with gestures and smiles. Very kind. Some views:
cell towers
the tallest perch
near these rice fields
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white cranes
green rice patties
lunch time
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smell of burnt fields
indelible hazy skies
rice basket of the world
Today, on to Sukothai by bike!!!
Coming home
14 years ago
1 comment:
Jamie,
I really like your poerty. It seems you have a lot to write about and the time to do it. I feel like hitting the grindstone of writing too. I just spent the past 3 days entering all my accounting in Excel and I would love to be with you due to the fact I need a vacation. I am playing poker and staying home this year to take care of Doreen.
Not to be critical but you have many short Poems and I want to read some longer ones.
BTW the Art and writing biz on my end is slow but I more than made up for it with making good art, Doreen made some great pottery and I will try to open her online art store this week.
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