We arrived in Chiang Rai on Thursday without incident. We made all of our connections, got through immigration without a problem and got a surprise when we checked in for our last connecting flight. Vern was waiting for us in Bangkok. He was traveling up from the south, where he was helping a friend out with a project for the previous 4 days and made sure to get the same flight as us to Chiang Rai. It was a real treat to see him early.
Upon our arrival and a VERY bumpy landing, we were welcomed by all of our bags and an immigration official who was wondering why we had so much luggage and what we were doing there… Audrey came to our rescue, springing us from the holding area with her explanation of everything and so we proceeded to go load up the vehicles.
It was a very cool and muggy afternoon and no sooner than we got outside to put the luggage in the trucks than the first real rainfall of since December started to fall in the form of a good old tropical thunderstorm. Within minutes the streets were flooded with water and lightening struck all around us with thunder booming unreassuringly close. In other words – spectacular!
By the time we got to the hotel it had all but stopped. We showered and got ready to eat dinner with the McCauley’s. After dinner some of the more adventuresome and less sleepy of our group went for Thai Massage next store to the hotel with Vern. For the equivalent of about $7 USD we received 2 hours of stretching and elbow in the small of our back, neck and shoulders. Someone about half way through fell asleep and started snoring… but I won’t throw them under the bus for the moment.
Friday, dawned bright and early for me, but the rest of the team slept till it was time for breakfast at about 8:30. After breakfast, we unpacked all of the team luggage and organized all of the things we needed for the rest of the week. We ate lunch at a Kow Soi Gai (chicken soup) shop and then the girls from Eden House came to the hotel to swim in the pool.
After everyone, except Patti, got all wrinkly from being in the water for almost 2 hours the girls headed home and we got ready to follow them a little bit later.
During our preparation for this trip we once again stressed the need to be flexible (not exactly my strongest attribute) because things can and do change frequently in the schedule as things come up that are beyond our control. Mark and I discovered that first hand on our way with the team to Eden House as Audrey called to discover if we were dressed nicely, because we were expected at a school ceremony for 2 of the girls who were in an English program. We walked all of 15 feet into the Eden House compound to get into Audrey’s car as the team arrived with Vern.
Mark was scheduled to speak to the group last night after we had some time in singing, so our plans had to change almost instantly. Tylar volunteered to speak and Carla took over the rest of the program for the evening. Both events went well, and while I cannot comment with specificity as to what occurred at Eden House last night, I heard very good things about it. It turns out that Mark and I got to go to Daoprasuk’s and Patcharah’s English Program graduation from school. It was nice to be able to see a different side of the girls life than what we experience while at Eden House and get to see their school friends, classmates and teachers. It was culturally fascinating and we were honored to participate. We did stick out like foreigners however and it seemed that every time that I turned around the school photographer was taking our picture. It was pretty funny.
Saturday Morning has now dawned with birds chirping in the courtyard of the hotel and the sky just now starting to get a little less dark. We have a wedding to attend this morning and possibly for our entire day. We are going to have to take it 1 minute at a time, since no one can describe for us how we can help or what is actually going to happen… (You may be finding a theme here…) since schedules are more a thing for crazy type A farangs (foreigners). Regardless, it will be another full day that will bring us back to the hotel, ready for a meeting with our pillows. Perhaps my meeting tonight will be longer than the past 2 nights combined. I think I could really appreciate 7 straight hours of sleep…
Steve 5am Saturday.
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