Popular Post pomchop Posted March 27, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted March 27, 2020 I wrote this about five or so years ago. Even though I no longer live in Chiang Rai it does bring back some pleasant memories of my years there. Maybe one or two of them might brighten a few spirits during the year of the virus. walking along chiang rai beach on a cool december morning watching the rice harvest in mid november from my deck watching the morning "rush hour" with Thais bundled up on their motorcys like they are going to the arctic watching the afternoon market being set up buying fruits and veggies at some of the lowest prices on earth from roadside pickup truck markets watching the gem boat guys sifting through gravel in the mae kok watching thai kids ride their bikes with their dog following along watching the young monks doing their morning rounds riding my motorbike along the mae kok with no traffic in sight watching the total chaos of saturday shopping at big C eating fantastic food at give away prices at many CR restaurants attending the annual chiang rai flower festival planting a variety of plants/trees in my yard and being amazed at how fast they grow watching the neighbors get all excited about killing and cooking a snake walking around downtown chiang rai on a cool clear december morning having a cold beer in the garden area of peace bar taking visitors for a tour of the Red Rose Hotel watching the light show at the clock tower watching the hustle and bustle of the night market and the mix of thais and tourists riding the "refugee bus" from chiang rai to mae sai and seeing what kind of characters show up buying exotic plants at nurseries that would cost a fortune in the west for a few baht watching the thai high schools students hanging out and goofing around after classes having a pretty thai girl give me a big smile for no particular reason having thai kids practice their limited "i am fine" english out on me practicing my limited thai with thai kids and having them stare wide eyed at the farang before breaking into giggles watching the beautiful orange blossoms appear throughtout chiang rai hearing massage parlor girls ask "massage sir?" in a sing song voice sitting on a bench at wat mengrai enjoying the solitude climbing the steps to the top of wat doi kong khao wading in the mae kok river on a hot day getting a cup of water thrown on me by a giggling 6 year old girl during song kran having the neighbors dogs bark and growl until they realize it's just the farang coming home having my laundry picked up, cleaned and delivered back to my home for 100 baht having the water man deliver big jugs of water for 12 baht and refuse a tip watching office workers drink whiskey with their lunch at dancing shrimp having my motorbike oil changed for less than the cost of a cup of coffee watching workers climb and trim my trees with no ladders no shoes and only a machete having workers show up ready to work but without a tool to their name paying my electric and internet phone bill at 7/11 with no hassles taking in the sights and smells on saturday night at the walking street market visiting an ear doctor and having my total bill be 100 baht buying eggs that haven't been refrigerated and not worrying about it cooking up big pots of vegetable stew with many vegetables that i don't even recognize having TOT guys show up to repair my internet and actually get it fixed and no charge watching thais collect the red tree flowers from the ground and turn them into something tasty watching the ice cream tuk tuks roam all over chiang rai selling 10 baht ice creams watching thai ladies grubbing around in streams and lakes catching who knows what kind of critters having a hill tribe girl in the afternoon market try to line me up with her friend trying to walk for exercise along the river and having various thais try to give me a ride watching the thais build buildings with bamboo scaffolding and not a hard hat in sight watching young thais flirting and drinking whiskey at chiang rai beach having a huge buffett at rimkok hotel for 140 baht eating a big platter of chicken steak, french fries, salad and bread for 69 baht eating a big bowl of noodle soup for a few baht watching a bicycle tuk tuk driver older than methuselah peddle an even older lady around town seeing how many thais can fit on one motorbike seeing how many thais can fit into the back of a pickup truck pulling into a gas station and having 3 uniformed attendants fill my motorbike and clean my rear view mirrors and not expect a tip wandering around in various food markets and having thais offer me free samples of many things i don't recognize holding my nose to cover the smell of the seafood section at big C trying to figure out when and where the baht buses at the afternoon market actually go having a big C employee push my cart to an available cashier for me getting treated like a VIP just for being a farang and showing up having a waitress wai me as thanks for a 5 baht tip the boat trip down the mae kok from tha ton to chiang rai standing in line at 7 11 and having a little lady jump the line on me and i don't even care sitting at the old chiang rai bus station and watching all the action watching a new monk induction ceremony with all his family present and oh so proud watching the sunset from my balcony with an ice cold beer chang going to the public hospital and having a group of poor thai people insist that i go to the front of the line seeing a doctor for less than the parking would cost in the west having thais constantly tell me how good my thai is when i know it's not stopping for directions and having a group of thais gather around to see what the farang wants breakfast at nice kitchen near wat jed yod walking across the mae sai bridge and being back in thailand with a new visa stamp in less than ten minutes going to the CR post office and being assisted efficiently and pleasantly buying an entire thai watermelon for 10 baht having an entire wall at 7 11 featuring snacks for 20 baht or less the first big rainstorm at the end of the cool dry season visiting the 10 baht stores and being amazed at all the items available for 10 baht watching the aerobics and exercisers at the old airport eating a burger at Barrys at the golf course watching the beer garden girls at big C strut their stuff trying to figure out which girls are high school and which ones are college students enjoying how tight a high school girl can have a white blouse watching farang backpackers walk around with massive backpacks that defy all logic being able to sometimes go for days and not hear another person speak English or hassle me watching the frog giggers appear in the rice paddies at night after the first big rain seeing a bright blue bird with long yellow feathers in the wild seeing a nasty looking snake race across the road in front of my motorbike watching hill tribe people float down the mae kok on hand made bamboo rafts 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puchaiyank Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 A walk down memory lane in Thailand...a kinder gentler nation...had genuine Thai friends not expecting to get paid for their friendship...visas were easy to obtain and maintain...when someone smiled it was not because they had just managed to scam you out of baht...???? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matzzon Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 5 hours ago, Puchaiyank said: A walk down memory lane in Thailand...a kinder gentler nation...had genuine Thai friends not expecting to get paid for their friendship...visas were easy to obtain and maintain...when someone smiled it was not because they had just managed to scam you out of baht...???? Ever considered that it was you that changed? For me it´s same as it´s always been. Nice people, good friends and smiles as usual. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villagefarang Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 For those who missed the original.???? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pomchop Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 45 minutes ago, villagefarang said: For those who missed the original.???? wow so it was TEN years ago...time flies. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeMc Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 As the song goes .."those were the days my friends we'd thought they'd end .." 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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