Anomalies
For the last two weeks in Chiang Mai, I stayed at the Giant Guesthouse on Ratchaphakinai Road. There isn't much to be said about the place, except that it is attached to the Freedom Bar, which on busy nights plays bass-heavy music until late into the night. Due to its relative location to my regular haunts, I inevitably passed the Guard Goose of Ratchaphakinai Road. I usually find geese intimidating (I had a bad experience once), but this one is exceptionally pissed, I think for three good reasons: 1) someone cut off his wings, 2) he is left all alone to roast in the sun, and 3) directly across the street there are three geese in the shade; these three geese constantly honk to gloat and remind him that his is alone in the sun. Poor guy.
There is another anomaly on Ratchaphakinai Road, that being a Thai man I've nicknamed Bag Head. Bag Head wears (if you haven't guessed it yet) a plastic grocery bag on his head, while pacing nervously up and down the street. He might be homeless, and probably a little crazy, but he is friendly. He wears his bag with style and gusto though. I never asked him why he has a bag on his head, but I'm thinking he is smart enough realize it gets pretty hot in Chiang Mai during the day, and the plastic bag keeps all those great ideas from evaporating out the top of his head. Perhaps if I had a plastic bag on my head I would have thought of that solution first.
Coincidences
For the past several months, I haven't run into many people which made me think that the world is really small. However, in Chiang Mai, I felt I couldn't meet someone for which I didn't have a person or place in common. Here are a few examples:
1) An American couple on their honeymoon, both rangers for Yosemite National Park. The guy, Ryan, is responsible for the bear management of the park. Needless to say, he is a bear enthusiast. (I found out that Ryan loves talking about bears, loves talking about them even more when he is drunk, and what is more, I love listening to these stories about bears when I am drunk). I get the picture that his job primarily consists of yelling at stupid visitors about food at campsites, or dealing with the bears that have learned that humans are idiots. Anyway, his wife, Jen, grew up in Lansdale (next door to Merck where I worked for five years), and her father or grandfather (I can't recall), started the local grocery store Clemens until it was bought by Giant a few years ago.
2) I met a friendly women from Switzerland. Somehow in the first thirty seconds of talking to her she mentioned that she worked in Easton, Pennsylvania for 7 years as a housekeeper back in the 1970s. Easton is the home of Lafayette College, which is where I went to school and still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth when I think about their discriminatory policies toward Greek life.
3) I sat next to a guy named Ryan, different Ryan than before, at the Freedom Bar. In the first few formalities of introducing each other, it turned out that he was from Pottsville, PA (just next door to Lansdale), a rock climber, and he has a friend working at Merck in Lansdale. (I didn't know his friend though, sounds like his friend was hired when I was on my way out).
4) I also ran into two Germans travelers that I previously spent a week or more with in Laos, and another traveler I first met in China (which was almost two months ago). I guess that isn't such a coincidence on the well trodden path of a backpacker, but it is nice to run into people that aren't complete strangers.
So there you have it, the anomalies and coincidences of Ratchaphakinai Road.
For the last two weeks in Chiang Mai, I stayed at the Giant Guesthouse on Ratchaphakinai Road. There isn't much to be said about the place, except that it is attached to the Freedom Bar, which on busy nights plays bass-heavy music until late into the night. Due to its relative location to my regular haunts, I inevitably passed the Guard Goose of Ratchaphakinai Road. I usually find geese intimidating (I had a bad experience once), but this one is exceptionally pissed, I think for three good reasons: 1) someone cut off his wings, 2) he is left all alone to roast in the sun, and 3) directly across the street there are three geese in the shade; these three geese constantly honk to gloat and remind him that his is alone in the sun. Poor guy.
There is another anomaly on Ratchaphakinai Road, that being a Thai man I've nicknamed Bag Head. Bag Head wears (if you haven't guessed it yet) a plastic grocery bag on his head, while pacing nervously up and down the street. He might be homeless, and probably a little crazy, but he is friendly. He wears his bag with style and gusto though. I never asked him why he has a bag on his head, but I'm thinking he is smart enough realize it gets pretty hot in Chiang Mai during the day, and the plastic bag keeps all those great ideas from evaporating out the top of his head. Perhaps if I had a plastic bag on my head I would have thought of that solution first.
Coincidences
For the past several months, I haven't run into many people which made me think that the world is really small. However, in Chiang Mai, I felt I couldn't meet someone for which I didn't have a person or place in common. Here are a few examples:
1) An American couple on their honeymoon, both rangers for Yosemite National Park. The guy, Ryan, is responsible for the bear management of the park. Needless to say, he is a bear enthusiast. (I found out that Ryan loves talking about bears, loves talking about them even more when he is drunk, and what is more, I love listening to these stories about bears when I am drunk). I get the picture that his job primarily consists of yelling at stupid visitors about food at campsites, or dealing with the bears that have learned that humans are idiots. Anyway, his wife, Jen, grew up in Lansdale (next door to Merck where I worked for five years), and her father or grandfather (I can't recall), started the local grocery store Clemens until it was bought by Giant a few years ago.
2) I met a friendly women from Switzerland. Somehow in the first thirty seconds of talking to her she mentioned that she worked in Easton, Pennsylvania for 7 years as a housekeeper back in the 1970s. Easton is the home of Lafayette College, which is where I went to school and still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth when I think about their discriminatory policies toward Greek life.
3) I sat next to a guy named Ryan, different Ryan than before, at the Freedom Bar. In the first few formalities of introducing each other, it turned out that he was from Pottsville, PA (just next door to Lansdale), a rock climber, and he has a friend working at Merck in Lansdale. (I didn't know his friend though, sounds like his friend was hired when I was on my way out).
4) I also ran into two Germans travelers that I previously spent a week or more with in Laos, and another traveler I first met in China (which was almost two months ago). I guess that isn't such a coincidence on the well trodden path of a backpacker, but it is nice to run into people that aren't complete strangers.
So there you have it, the anomalies and coincidences of Ratchaphakinai Road.
It's true I love talking about bears. Glad to have met you. We are loving Ton Sai Bay. Talk Soon....about bears probably
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