So everyone left and I was officially the last one in Thailand. Was I scared? Mmmm…a bit but that wasn’t going to stop me, so I told Nuch to take me further North. I went to Chiang Rai, Mesai and then The Golden Triangle. She left me in Mesai, a shopping town and the furthest northern point of Thailand. I entered what seemed like an alley but turned out to be a labyrinth that almost took me into Myanmar. I wanted to cross and have lunch there but border patrol required me to leave my passport. I heard my parents’ voices yelling at me about getting stranded in Myanmar, so I decided to stay in Thailand. I then took several buses and in due course, ended up at the Golden Triangle. The journey was pretty hectic but I won’t give details for the sake of my parent’s sanity. It’s called the Golden Triangle because there’s a river with a delta from which you have Thailand on your left, Myanmar in front of you and Laos on your right. All of which are surrounded by rolling green mountains and a huge golden buddha. It’s gorgeous and for me, that’s where I fell in love with Thailand. That night I headed to a local bar, where I was the only “farang”. People stared when I first walked in but then they were curious about where I was from and why I was there and of course, why I was alone. Eventually, after a few beers, one guy saw my UM pen and asked me to trade with his fake Mont Blanc. I thought it was cute, so I did. It’s funny to think a UM pen is floating around in a tiny town nestled in Asia.
Next morning, I headed back down to Chiang Mai. It’s about a 4 hour bus drive in a very comfortable coach bus with a stewardess. They stop twice and give you water and snacks. The ride back was much calmer than the one there. My last night in Chiang Mai was great! I went to have dinner at a bar where there was a live band playing and met two Thai girls that studied in Europe and struck up a conversation with me. Again, they wanted to know why I am alone. Thai people are very social and to eat alone is a sad moment for them. I often get asked where my friends are and when I tell them in Miami, without my asking, they usually join me. The band finished and the girls invited me to go clubbing with them….of course I agreed…”I’m from Miami”, I said. “Clubbing is in our DNA”. So I went, pretty cool place both inside and outside with live bands. We ended up meeting two guys from Barcelona who were traveling all throughout Asia. Together, we bought a bottle and partied all night. Next morning, hangover and all, I got on a plane and headed back to Bangkok.
I did some research on future potential jobs and spent the day at UNEP….we’ll see what happens. I also went to see Hangover 2. Get this! In the movie theatre, right after the announcements for future films and before the movie starts, everyone stands and sings the national anthem. After the anthem is over they yell, “long live the king” and then everyone sits and the movie begins. Can you imagine my face? I stayed in Bangkok for a few more days, saw the sights and went to the roof top bar featured in Hangover 2. It was amazing to see Bangkok from above. The city is immense and the sight was impressive. I was lost in the moment and made the mistake of ordering a glass of champagne without looking at the price…boy was I shocked to see it cost about $70! You better believe I savored it to the very last drop! I thoroughly enjoyed my last days in Bangkok and as I left I knew I had lived, loved, learned and laughed. It was time to bid farewell and head for India.
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