Jamison’s Misadventures In Asia

This posting is the second in a series, so if you haven’t read the previous posting, you might be a little lost.

The debate had been going on for weeks in my head. On the one hand, the slow boat is cheaper and more comfortable, however in taking the slow boat, I would squander two entire vacation days just getting to Luang Prabang. By taking the speedboat, I would save a day but would be subjected to six hours of horrible discomfort, deafening engine noise, and possibly death (every couple of years or so, a speedboat travelling between Luang Prabang and Chiang Khong crashes, killing passengers and drivers).

Having decided that risking the remote possibility of dying in a fiery ball on the Mekong River is better than wasting a vacation day, I chose the speedboat.

I have obviously survived the ordeal, but my experience verified the many frightening stories I had heard about the speedboat to Luang Prabang. The boat was so narrow, it would more be more aptly called a rocket canoe. The ride was possibly the most terrifying of my life, though I was too distracted by the pain shooting through my legs and back to take notice. For the duration of the trip, I shared a 4′ x 2′ space with Dave, a six-foot tall college kid from Boston. We were squished together in a way where our movements were inextricably linked. If Dave wanted to shift his legs, I would have to adjust my body position as well. Every fifteen minutes or so, I would move my legs around and find a somewhat comfortable position. After five minutes, the quasi-comfort would give way to mild discomfort which would eventually be overtaken by wrenching pain. The view was nice though.

As we jetted down the Mekong, we passed remote fishing villages where the inhabitants had likely lived in the same fashion for the past century or more. These villages had no electricity, and the people apparently made their life from the river. The future for these villages that depend on the Mekong is uncertain, as China has begun building a series of dams upriver. How these dams will affect ecosystems downstream remains to be seen.

We arrived in Luang Prabang in the twilight, about fifteen minutes after it had become too dark to see clearly. My body felt like it had been packed in a suitcase, and my hearing was shot—everything sounded like I was underwater—but I had arrived safely in Luang Prabang. Stepping off the speedboat, I promised myself I would never do that again.

Alright, it’s been quite a while since I posted anything offering any insight as to what I’ve been doing for the past couple months, so I will officially end my bout with procrastination and deliver the goods, with a small caveat.  I normally spend a good amount of time preparing my blog posts, but this time around, I’m going to go with the mind-vomit approach.  So if this posting makes no sense or reads like a 4th-grader’s book report, I apologize. 

This update will come in installments, hopefully about one a day for the next few days.

Okay, we’ll knock down the big one first.  Laos.  I went to Laos over Christmas to meet up with Eli and his family in Luang Prabang.  This trip took place right in the middle of a deadline pinch, trying to get an AIDS project proposal together in time for submittal on the 30th.  So while the trip itself served as a nice break from the pressure of waiting for my Thai collaborators to complete their part so I could rush to get my part done, I also had the prospect of a few stressful and work-filled days to greet me upon my return. 

I arrived in Chiang Khong on a Wednesday evening.  Chiang Khong is a Thai town located about an hour or so from Thoeng (my town) and is the northern border-crossing with Laos.  Chiang Khong is also home to the best Mexican restaurant in Thailand.  Needless to say, I arrived in town with burritos on the brain.

To my great dismay, the nice lady at the Bamboo Guesthouse informed me that the kitchen would be closed that evening because there was a food festival being held in town.  Damned food festival.

Things didn’t turn out too bad.  I had some spring rolls, corn on the cob, and a brownie, and I met some of the locals.  While it was nice to make new friends, I guess you could call it all a wash because a good burrito is as good of a friend as I’ve ever found. 

I wake up on Thursday to a chilly morning on the Mekong.  A pot of tea, a banana pancake, a short walk, and a twenty-second boatride.  I am in Laos.  Wow.  What’s the difference between Thailand and Laos?  Laos is a little more dirty and has the most ridiculous currency I have encountered in my limited travelling experience. 

As soon as I cross the border, I exchange a decent chunk of Thai ‘baht’ for a huge pile of Laotian ‘kip’.  The exchange clerk hands over a stack of crisp bills at least an inch thick.  Each of these bills is worth 20,000 kip, or $2 U.S.  Unable to fit the money into my wallet, I put the stack in the breast pocket of my fleece and walk over to make arrangements for my boatride to Luang Prabang.

You can go ahead and disregard my previous posting.  After further inquiry, I have learned that it is in fact 2549 now.  I apologize for rushing the last posting to blog before thoroughly checking facts.  In reflection concerning this unintentional misrepresentation of the truth, I have decided that I may not be fit for the blogging world.  In the coming weeks, I will be carefully considering my role as a disseminator of information.  I may choose to step away from the blog for fear of misguiding my readership through dubious facts and weak arguments.  I will inform you of my decision soon. 

In the meantime, check out the link for spinningsouthward.com.  Some old friends are going for an epic bike ride with the goal of raising money and awareness for brain tumor research. 

Happy New Year everyone!  Here in Thailand, we are celebrating the arrival of 2549.  Confusing isn’t it? 

This celebration is confusing in more ways than one.  The first way is pretty obvious:  2549? 

Although Thailand officially follows the standard international calendar (a.k.a. Jesus-Time), within the country, the Buddhist calendar is more commonly used to measure years.  The Buddhist calendar began at the beginning of the Buddhist era (543 B.C., Jesus-Time).  At this point in my blogging, I could do some math for you and explain how we arrive at the number 2549.  I will refrain from doing so and instead offer you this:  If you cannot figure it out, you are officially too dumb to be my friend.  Please leave this website immediately and never contact me again. 

Now for the rest of you, let us resume.  2549.  Makes sense, right?  No.

It is not yet 2549 in Thailand, or anywhere else that I know of.  The Thai New Year is celebrated on the Solar New Year in April.  Until then, it is still 2548.

So why do I hear people at parties ringing in the New Year, 2549?

The quick answer is, ‘I don’t know.’

Though if I were to speculate, here are some possibilities:

1.  Confusion.  Plain and simple.

2.  New Year’s is a holiday here, although to celebrate 2006 would be akin to celebrating a Christian holiday.  Therefore the choices are as follows:

A)  Christian Holiday (2006)

B)  Erroneous Holiday (2549)

C)  No Holiday

Answer: B

3)  The Thai people are celebrating in anticipation of the approaching New Year in April.  This one I know is not true, for it involves foresight and planning–two things which do not exist in Thailand.

So there you have it friends.  Happy New Year 2549!