The Chronicles of Thailand

Note: I wrote in my diary for three straight days and was too tired to write any more. Tomorrow you will hear more. The diary entries are as follows:

The Chronicles of Thailand

January 22nd. Well, here I am in Chinag Mai. Whew! After so much traveling, I'm ready to drop.

We left Lone Valley on a 9:15 flight. Our ride--that is, Mr. Hu and Neill--was coming at 8:00. I figured that to get up at 6:45 would be about perfect.

Actually, I woke up at 5:30 and never got back to sleep. At 6:45, I got up, gulped down a strawberry poptart, got dressed, made my bed--and last minute preparations--and then it was...7:45. So we walked around, greeted Mr. Fleming-Charmichael (he'd just got back from his vacation) as we left, and then we went to the airport.

The flight from Lone Valley to Kunming was uneventful. After we'd leveled off from take-off, we started descending again. It was a pretty short flight.

In Kunming, we ate at McDonalds and KFC, looked for a bookstore, and just chilled for awhile (no pun inteded--it's freezing in Kunming).

Today we flew to Chiang Mai--lines and a stifling hot plane, yeesh!!! At customs, we had to have our pictures taken, which took forever. Then we got on this taxi, and--oy, gevalt!--Daddy almost got into the driver's seat. Why? Well, here in Thailand, everything's so British, of of course they drive on the wrong side of the road and the steering wheels are on the passenger side!*

January 23rd. Yechk! Elephants, are...well...messy. Today Uncle Charles, Sandy, Kelly, Neal, Susie and I went to see elephants at the Maesa elephant camp. We took sandwiches and chips--treats we can't get in Lone Valley or Kunming--and 7up. For dessert, there were waxed apples, pomelo, and chocolate sandwich cookies with mocha cream. We ate this while watching an elephant show, but first we rode and elephant! Riding an elephant is not as smooth as the Kitsap going to Bremerton, but it was fun after I stopped being scared. Kelly showed us how to lean forward while going uphill, but how to lean back when going down. After that it was time for te elephant show.

The elephants played harmonicas (not as well as Elwood Donnelly!**) and did tricks. At the end of the show, elephants came up to the stands and took tips, sugar cane, and bananas (I wasn't envious of the baht because we have plenty, and I wasn't envious of the bananas because I can't stand them, but I was sooo envious of the sugar cane!). One also put his keeper's hat on my head (one of the tricks in the show). All of a sudden, this hat goes neatly on my head and this elephant gives me a whack (or two) with his trunk (then he took it off).

After that, we saw the month-old curious little baby elephant. Ooohhh, he was so cute! He was a curious little guy, sniffing me all over with his wet, hairy trunk. He was about as tall as Susie.

Janurary 24th. A year ago today I saw Aubrey Atwater last.

Had an "expat moment" today. I know that a lot of times in the 'States, if your play journey was going anywhere real, it would be in the 'States. New York, Chicago, Seattle. I've ev en heard Foster, RI! Okay, so that was my fault***. But do you get my point?

Today Neal and I were in a playground. The dialouge was as follows.

NEAL: "P'tend you lost me and just found me again."
ME: "Okay."
(Neal runs to metal train. I run after him with a look of exaggerated shock and relief)
ME: "Oh, dear, where were you, Neal?"
NEAL: "I was on the train to Chengdu!"
See? His real place on a play journey was in China, where he's lived...for all his life.


*according to American standards. No offence.
**Elwood Donnelly plays more than two notes at a time and he uses his mouth, not his nose.
***I'll give you three guesses. Who has been mentioned already in the January 24th entry that lives in Foster, RI?