Mae Sai - Typical Day? 03-31-2010

I woke up late, around 7:15 AM. Today started off pretty typical except we had no Internet connection through the wireless system. I dressed and walked downstairs to make sure everything was plugged in as sometimes the night person unplugs the router. Everything was plugged in so I guess the storm must have knocked something out.

I fixed a cup of coffee. Daeng woke up about 8:00 AM and we talked about going shopping at Lotus/Tesco to buy milk, sliced wholegrain bread, instant coffee, crunchy peanut butter, jelly, sliced ham and French’s mustard. All items that were hard to find in the local market.
We can get small bottles of milk and bread at the 7-11. Yes, there are four 7-11 in town and a couple of Food Marts. I don’t think Mae Sai has a Circle K but there are around Thailand.

About 10:00 AM Daeng’s sister-in-law, Hlong, called to say that everyone was going to Daeng’s sister’s place in Chiang Rai today as her son, Jack, was going to the Temple to be cleansed.

I had seen this process a few times here in Thailand but still don’t understand it completely. Basically, when a boy becomes of a certain age, somewhere around 10-14, he goes to the Buddhist Temple to be cleansed both inside and out; physically and spiritually.

He is shaved of all hair, washed all over and blessed. He will also spend three to thirty days with the monks. It is a big deal, not only for the boy, but for the parents as well. I’m told that what the boy does will help the parents go upstairs when they died.

It is also a BIG Buddhist Party. To read more about these celebrations and more pictures CLICK HERE!

Daeng said she wanted me to go with her so we packed a bag and hopped on her 100 CC Honda Wave motorbike and headed the 60 kilometer south. Everything went well to the halfway point. We didn’t ever get stopped at the checkpoints. Then, it started to rain hard.

Daeng pulled over under the roof of a bus waiting area and we hung out about 45 minutes until the rain stopped.

As fast as it started it stopped, even the sun came out. We hopped back on the motorbike and headed to Chiang Rai again. We stopped once to check the air in the tires but continued to the Orchid Guest House by the old bus station. We like it there as it is right in the center of the Night Bazaar.

Unfortunately, they only had rooms with twin beds so we drove down the street a little to an old hotel next to the gold clock circle. We all sleep alone before we die but I'm not ready, to sleep alone!

While we are on the subject of the gold clock tower it is beautiful. At night they play music and the clock tower changes colors to the music.

We checked into the hotel, took a shower and headed over to Daeng’s sister’s place to meet all the family and arrange to meet up with them at 7:00 AM tomorrow morning so we can get some pictures of her son having his hair cut off, etc.

We had some supper with the family and Daeng brought me back to the hotel as I’m beat. She was going back to party with the family as this is a big deal in the Buddhist religion.

She was also going to take her Mother to see Boonreang, her son, who is at school here in Chiang Rai. He goes to a boarding type school here. What “boarding type school” means is that he goes to a school and lives with his teacher. Since Daeng enrolled him in this school his grades have gone from failing last year to a 2.8 average this year.

Was this a Typical day in Mae Sai? I think not as we were only there for a few hours in the morning.

Good-night!