Monday, February 28, 2022
7:23 a.m. Junpituk Bungalows
Ban Tha Song Yang, Thailand
The plan is to ride my scooter to Mae Sariang today. And that town is only 94 kilometers to the north. Since it is so close, I am in no hurry to get on the road. I slept in as much as I could, and I haven’t even begun to pack up yet. I am just going to ease into the day and time my departure for when the sun finally comes out and it warms up a bit. There is no need to subject myself to the cold and wet conditions that are out there right now.
I said that I was going to do little but hang out yesterday, and I stayed true to that plan. I did go into the village at one point, because I needed to find something to eat. It was Sunday, and Thailand tends to shut down on Sunday, so I knew it wouldn’t be easy to find food. But I managed to scrounge up something to eat. And then I took my scooter for a ride around the region, exploring some interesting villages and small roads going here and there. But that didn’t occupy much of the day, and I spent the majority of it simply enjoying the setting of this bungalow and watching the world go by. In this place, “the world” consists of the occasional village farmer herding some water buffalo.
3:00 p.m.
I’m in my hotel room in Mae Sariang. It’s a perfectly fine place. The hotel is called the Mitaree 2. On my first visit to Mae Sariang, I stayed at a low budget place right on the river. I called that room the dungeon. Very basic. No air conditioning. Quite old and rundown. No frills of any kind and quite a small and uncomfortable bed. On my second visit, I stayed in a quite unusual room at the original Mitaree hotel, or the Mitaree 1. And this time, I went for the easy route and just snagged a room at the Mitaree 2. It’s situated right on the main road into town. I checked it out before, so I knew there would be no surprises. I don’t have any plans to go out exploring. So I didn’t really care about location or atmosphere. All I wanted was to get into a room as soon as possible. And here I am.
The ride to get here was great. That was my third time to ride over that range of hills, and I see it in a new light each time. My plan is to relax in this room tonight and then complete the ride to Mae Hong Son tomorrow. It’s not far to Mae Hong Son, but it is a bit farther at 163 kilometers. I’ve booked a room there in advance for two nights.
6:51 p.m.
My scooter is gassed up, and I am looking forward to the ride to Mae Hong Son tomorrow. I just thought I’d break with tradition and write a little bit here in the evening.
A rough plan for the rest of this trip is starting to develop, and I’m feeling more into it now. I’ve been reading more about the region ahead of me and looking over maps and putting together a string of mini-destinations, such as the small town of Mae Salong. I think I’m going to end this little journey at the city of Chiang Rai. And there, I will turn around and head back to Mae Sot, probably going through Chiang Mai. I have plans to stop in Pai again for a couple of days. But in my head, I’m thinking of this journey as kind of picking up where I left off in Chiang Dao. That’s where I turned around last time, and with the terrible weather and time pressure, I wasn’t able to do anything in or around Chiang Dao. The last trip kind of ended there. And I’m mentally thinking of that as where this trip will really begin. And then I’ll continue from there a bit farther to the north and west before turning around.
Today, being a Monday, was a Skinny Doug Fasting Day. So, I’m a bit hungry. It’s actually kind of crazy how hungry I am. Ravenous, as I wrote before. And I’m not used to that. I’ve never had this much trouble NOT eating before. I wonder what has changed. It also makes me much more appreciative of food when it shows up in my life again. I’m thinking ahead to tomorrow and enjoying in advance the meals I’ll have. It’s tough, though. I actually just got back from getting gas for my scooter, and my ride to the gas station took me past no end of places serving all kinds of food. It was torture. There was a roadside stall selling fried chicken, and the smell almost knocked me off the scooter. It appears that not eating has made me suddenly passionate about food. I certainly appreciate it more.