Early One Morning, The Sun was Shining

I’m in Bangkok, just off the night bus from Mae Sot.   The 8-hour ride took me a world away.   I bordered the bus at 9pm, at what could have been 3 am, for how dark and quite it was on Mae Sot’s streets.   I realized, as the bus quickly spread out of the city, it was my first time in an enclosed car since arriving in Mae Sot, and how odd it was to move past all the familiar sights quickly and silently.   Leaving Mae Sot involves going through not one but four legal checkpoints, where Thai officers check for people illegally trying to enter Thailand from Burma.    The first time the officers got on I pulled out my passport, I wasn’t even looked at, let alone my documents.  I watched as others were asked to show multiple ids, and a few brave souls, dressed in traditional Karen clothing were pulled off the bus to be questioned, but later allowed back on.  By the time we made it to the fourth checkpoint I left my headphones on, and watched the same process again.   No one seemed to mind as they were tested on their Thai language, and had all their documents scrutinized.  

            After the 4^th checkpoint it was lights out, and I managed to sleep most of the ride down.  I awoke with a start to more noise and light then I have heard in a month!  We were in Bangkok, in the loud crowded bus station, busy and noisy at 5:30 a.m.!   I had been warned that a trip to Bangkok from Mae Sot is a bit disconcerting, as there are more people, more cars, more buildings, more EVERYTHING.  Its true, and it was a certainly a rude awakening.   At the same time, for this New York girl, there was something comforting about the early morning greeting.   I don’t love Bangkok, I’ve spent a good deal of time here but its always to meet someone, or as a cross point to somewhere else.  It’s the same this time, though there was something comforting as I sped down the highway in a metered cab, observing that the bus stop I arrived in was probably larger than all of Mae Sot.

            I find myself now at a lovely hotel (Thanks Dad!), which feels a universe away from Mae Sot.   I see the sun rising behind Bangkok’s numerous skyscrapers, which is exciting coming from all the rain. I’m impatiently wait the next 12 or so hours till Paul arrives in Thailand and am off to find a much needed Western breakfast   

Shelter from the Storm......

Is something that's really not possible here in Mae Sot.  I've been in Thailand, and other areas of SE Asia during the rainy season before, but I've never seen anything like this.  Nor have other "long-timers" of Mae Sot, people who have been here for years.  Apparently Burma is experiencing severe monsoons, which have illegally crossed the border into Mae Sot.

I spent a few days thinking I could avoid the rain.  This had me one day spending an entire afternoon in Hazel Cafe, Mae Sot's version of Starbucks, over-air conditioned, filled with wi-fi and over-priced coffee drinks.   I didn't mind, but realized this couldn't become a daily habit.  The next day I left work late only to find myself in the middle of a down-pour.  Luckily, my friend Matt happened to arrive and provided "shelter from the storm" at his home for about 2 hours, before we both realized the rain wasn't going to stop.  From that point on, I've come to embrace the fact that if I need to go somewhere, I'm going to end up soaked (bad move bringing all the white shirts and fisherman pants, but great call on packing the heavy duty rain coat!)

Sunday, myself and a bunch of farang NGO workers decided we should embrace the weather and cycle out of the city.  While Mae Sot is a great town, there really isn't that much to DO.  It has an active enough nightlife (ok, 3 bars, but at U.S. $1.50 for a litre of beer, no one is complaining) but thats about it.     So a trip to "The Buddha's Footprint" was in store.   

"Just a 20 kilometer trip" to the top of a hill, where apparently a clear footprint, now plated in gold paint, can be found above a Budhist temple.   The ride provided a beautiful tour of the area surrounding Mae Sot, rice fields, hills, and the fast moving river separating Thailand from Burma.  Of course every time someone took a raincoat off the rains started to pour, but we had all grown to accept the fact we would be soaked, and cycled through the rain.  What I wasn't prepared for was the significantly uphill ride we had ahead of us.  As Mae Sot is basically a flat valley, most people, including myself, don't have gears, or speeds, on their bikes.   The first few hills, until I learned to embrace momentum,were certainly a challenge.

Our group did suffer one near disaster, as Jess's back tire went flat just as the road was beginning to go uphill.   Luckily, we had a good team effort, and we were quickly able to lock her bike to a nearby tree and Reed took her the rest of the way, as she sat side-saddle on the back of his bike.

We made it to the temple, exhausted and realizing none of us had been smart enough to bring much food!  It was only then that we learned that we still had a climb to the top.    Climbing 200 or so steps we made it to the top.  The actual foot print was a bit anti-climatic, but the trip was worth it for the view alone!  We were treated to a beautiful landscape and even a few fleeting moments of sunlight!   

The ride home proved, with the exception of many many shaky legs, and of course a few more downpours, to be relatively un-eventful.   All and all a lovely, if very exhausting day!

Pictures can be found here:   Still haven't figured out how to get them right onto the page, but hoping someone will show me in the next 2 weeks (ahem)...............

http://picasaweb.google.com/ejgold/Jun62009?authkey=Gv1sRgCJHWl_v41-GJVg#

Happy One Year Anniversary to me!

This is more a procrastination than anything else!  But if you had told me a year ago, today, that in one year I'd be working on the other side of the world to help with others health, I would have thought you were crazy!  Ditto to riding my bike past elephants (yes there is now an elephant in Mae Sot), eating chicken knee (I DON'T want to talk about it) and just overall having a brand new, exciting adventure and learning experience!

Much thanks to all my family and friends who were there for me over this past year (plus)   Lots of Love to you all.

Peace, Love and good health, 

Emily