of garlic and onions

Well I am in Chiang Mai, as I was my last post, but I have had a wonderful couples days to fill the gap. So wonderful that I forgot to post more items for reading. Anyways we decided we were going to rent motorcycles and drive to Pai, a small sleepy town of about 3000 in Northern Thailand pretty close to the border of Myanmar (Burma.) We did this, and without a map or anything followed a help[ers pointing finger and were able to find our way to Pai. The journey of about 140 kilometers included over 640 curves from what I read, and I really agree after having made the trip there and back. Driving a motorcycle is now second nature, even in the urban areas of Chiang Mai, and Thailand in general where you drive on the left hand side. On our way to Pai we were stopped by a military outpost 30k from Pai because of a strike by the garlic and onion farmers against the government. We were told the strike would last for multiple days and we were briefly confused as to our next course of action. Supposedly the strike had completely blockaded the road until the Thai government agreed to raise the raw price of garlic and onions so that the farmers could make more money.

Whaty we decided was to make friends with a cool Thai dude named Mammut, and he talked to the guards who agreed to let us try our best with the locals. We cruised down a mountain for about 25k to where the protest was and were able to drive right by it. There were about 100 cara and vans backed up though so motorcycles were the perfect choice to reach our destination. The road block was equipped by one large tree and about 1000 people that we were able to ride around.

Long story short Pai was near perfection. Imagine a lush mountain valley with more hospitable temperatures thatn I have experienced anywhere in the tropics. Couple that with a small town, many hippie-esque folk, cheap private bungalows with mosquito nets, and the nighttime sounds of geckos, crickets, other insects, iguanas and lizards, and frogs, a comfortable pool, cheap everything, and you have a combination for relaxation. I entered such a relaxed state that I only chilled in the pool, went to waterfalls in the mountains, read books, and ate delicious food for really few dollars.

We have now begun our trek back to the states with the first stage of driving the bikes back to Chiang Mai complete. We rode into the city and found our way around like it was our job. Keep in mind that Chiang Mai is not tiny with a population of aboue 3 million. Tonight we are taking an overnight bus to Bangkok, then flying from Bangkok to Manila, staying in Manila for an extended layover, then flying Manila to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to New York City, and then NYC to Washington D.C., and then overland to Harrisonburg Virginia. Thanks everyone for reading , the bulk of the adventure is now drawing to a close, but stay tuned for a butt-ton of pictures, and a follow up of my adventures once I get to the states and have much time and energy to put into the posts.

see you soon!