Will someone please pinch me?

K peeps. Same drill: Today was super rich, everything was super cheap, I stuffed my fat white face, and now I can barely keep my eyes open.

Except, as this is Asia, it was totally unique. So read on.

(Had to say that otherwise you wouldn't have kept reading, right? Right?)

Yeah, a lot happened today, including:
* conversations with a monk
* my first foot rub
* and my first anti-government protest!

I've only been here 3 days but basically I'm gathering that South East and Central Asia are like a year-round version of Burning Man, just with less naked people. Uh, yeah!

Well, more naked people would be nice. The Thai people are sweet, and beautiful, and modest.

OK, 3 super fun experiences with locals today...

1. Let's start the day with one of my funnest cab rides ever, 45 minutes to the Bangkok airport. It turns out the driver is my age and super, super nice. He speaks in very broken English, and I consult my thai phrase book. I learn how to count in Thai! Neung, seung, sa, see, ha, ho, jwet, ba, kow, sip!

YES! Krouzman 1, Thai Language, 48. OK it's kicking my ass, but I'm on a 1-0 winning streak here.

The flight to Chang Mai was a piece of cake. I land and hit my guesthouse, which is replete with hammocks and teak and pillows and everything you'd expect from a tropical hostel. Shit for $4.50 a night I'd settle for a bamboo mat and a bucket.

2. Then I go check out the flower festival, which I actually didn't find that awesome. Sorry mom! But basically everything in Thailand seems at a minimum, nice, so no sweat.

I decide to walk down the street to a beautiful temple. They are almost always open and you get to just sit and pray if you want. Some loneliness crept up today, and sitting for a bit helped soothe me.

It's amazing to be in a country where spirituality seems so part of every day life. Temples are everywhere here in Chang Mai, and people just walk in, say a few prayers, and carry on with their day. No big whoop!

Here's where things take a surprising turn. I walk on, and suddenly I'm in the middle of a raucous anti-government protest!

Everyone is dressed in red and either marching or driving in cars, trucks or tuk tuks. I am stoked.

Suddenly, a tuk tuk driver motions me to join in. I hesitate for a moment, and then jump in!


I am now the only white person part of this 1000 person protest. They tie a red bandana around my neck and love that I've joined in. I really don't know what I'm part of, or whether or not this could land me in jail, but it was super fun and quite the experience.

3. OK, that protest was intense...time to go back to the guesthouse. I'm beat.

Yeah, right. I happen upon a massive street festival / market full of maybe 1000 little stalls and many thousands of people. The weather is perfect as the sun sets and the near full moon rises.

Everyone is so chill. People here are so relaxed! I don't think I've heard one person yell yet. It's just like Israel! Not.

Of course there are hundreds of people selling delicious food. I enjoy:
* spring rolls
* pad thai wrapped in an omlette
* some weird jelly-lie chinese dessert
* some egg thingie in a banana leaf
* fresh orange juice
* fried bananas

Oh yeah earlier in the day I bought two pork skewers, for 10 cents a skewer. 10 fucking cents a skewer, for pork! Granted they were small skewers, but 10 cents?! For 10 cents you couldn't buy fakatka in New York!

This whole market scene is happening on a closed down main street and spilling into surrounding courtyards and temple grounds. So you amble about and grab a fruit drink and some fried chicken balls and sit at a little table surrounded by trees in front of a gorgeous gold bhudda. Wat?! (ha)

Two of my funnest market experiences tonight:
* getting my first foot rub - 30 minutes for $1.80, if you care to know
* sitting and talking for 30 minutes with a sweet (OK, they are all sweet) 27 year old monk who looked a lot like me! That was cool. I must say if I were a woman, or gay, I would make it my goal to de-flower a monk. Even those who didn't look like me.

OK, reality check. Though I'm making Thailand sound like Heaven on Earth, it's got it's downsides, too. I'll close with a few challenges I'm facing here:
* How NOT to buy all these beautiful, cheap goods, because I don't want to weigh down my pack (including Vespas, whcih go for $1,000)
* How to stay hydrated in a land where I've seen everything including kitchen sinks for sale, but not one reusable water bottle
* How to find a freakin' garbage can

OK, ya'll who have neen here are probably laughing, and those who haven't, well, maybe you're mildly amused.

In any case, it's that time again. Grazing time. Then sleep time.

More pics to come for sure. As karma would have it, my camera battery died just at the moment I wanted to take a picture of me and the bhuddist monk talking about the merits of non-attachment. For real. Fuck I wanted that picture!

Much love,
Roni

PS - This is Cybill. She is cute and Austrian. We ran into each other 3 times in Bangkok and Chang Mai, which is extremely hard to do, so we decided it had to be destiny and we had to hang out. Here we are getting our feet rubbed together. She does have a boyfriend, but it's hard to tell, so I'll keep you posted.

PPS - Like my new shirt?!