Adventure Indeed

Little did I know when I wrote that "adventure awaits," that the following weeks would be full of it...

It all started with an impromptu trip with a new friend around the Golden Triangle which is an area where Thailand meets Laos and Burma. Most of the day is spent in the van, but it is a unique experience. The White temple in Chiang Rai is now in my top 3 of temples I have seen here, including Shwedagon Paya in Myanmar. The White Temple has been funded and created by one man. He is an artist and is currently painting a very modern art mural on the inside. At the very top there is a Buddha and lotus flower above a skull. The rest is representations of American Pop Culture including but not limited to: Spider Man, Angry Birds, Harry Potter, Keanu Reeves- Matrix style, and The World Trade Center exploding while a snake and gas pump are wrapped around it. It appears this man really needs to learn how to form an opinion ;)

The following week I had my first motorbike wreck on a Sunday afternoon. It was very minor, but not to me! A Thai girl in front of me slammed on her brakes (for absolutely NO reason), and somehow I lost control and ended up on the ground when I reacted. It was one of those bizarre moments where everything is in slow motion, you don't recall what happened, and it's just a blur. Luckily an Australian couple was nearby, and the man came running out into the street to help me. He spoke to me, but I have no idea what he said. Shock I suppose. They stayed with me for a few minutes. My injuries were very minor, and luckily I had worn jeans that day. He offered to take me home by driving my bike for me. I gracefully declined, it was very kind but I knew I had to just get back on. Thankfully I was only a kilometer or so from home. As much as I am ready to have my own home again, there is nothing better than having a Thai Mom to come home to after that. She tended to my injuries, and there was no need to go to the hospital. The following day I was quite sore. Compared to the way these things usually go down I was very lucky, and it was extremely minor. However it still took it's toll in my head. Instead of just being pissed off all the time at the absolutely incomprehensible idiocy of Thai drivers, this was now combined with extreme fear. The problem is although you have to learn not to be too defensive (because Thai's can be extremely aggressive), it is equally as dangerous to be overly passive. It's taken me about a week to come back to a happy medium.

So for now I am just enjoying having visitors, and waiting out the just-over-a-week until we leave for the Thai Islands. Ready to get my tan on, and lay on the beach with a book. Let's keep it to this kind of adventure for while...