Going North

After an extensive breakfast I followed the advice that two biking American travelers gave me yesterday: rent a free bicycle and roam the streets of Bangkok. So I engaged in this suicidal endeavor. On a five-lane street you have to have some trust in the saneness of the Thai drivers who have never seen a biker in their life. I went along the river (which unfortunately does not have a promenade) to the same park that I sat in the day before and I spent several hours reading my book (Der Schwarm by Schaetzing – the ideal read if you go diving). Once again I had the feeling of having an endless amount of time. I have not had this feeling in such a long time that I realize how badly I needed a vacation.

Then I made my way back to drop of my bike and go to the place where the bus pickup would be. Unfortunately, I was unable to obtain a ticket for the train and had to take the bus at 6 o’clock.That had quite a few consequences for the evening which Victor. He organized a dinner with his girlfriend (who I knew from Portland) and wanted to introduce me to her but that was now impossible. Both he and I were really bummed that it didn’t work out but we couldn’t change it. A flight would have been ten times as expensive and if I wanted to go to Chiang Mai at all there was only this bus I could take. Victor then actually ended up taking my luggage from his place to the bus stop just for me, which made me feel really bad. But his Thai personality does not allow him to honestly tell me how he feels.

Now I am on the bus and there is an English girl next to me, Emily, who has travelled as far as South Africa and Australia but has never been to continental Europe, except for Paris. Then there is an American guy who is super-charged with energy and constantly tells stories about how great he is. However, it is actually nice to speak with some people who speak a language I can speak. The culture shock has already set in I suppose.