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Hello Shammy,
I wonder how you're doing in Sri Lanka.
We'd already spent two long weeks in Mae Sai, that strange, strange town. A few days before our last night, we walked around the area near the border checkpoint, looking for pi pa gao because you said you had a sore throat and I had recommended it as a remedy (my knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) extends as far as pi pa gao). I recall seeing a TCM shop in the vicinity but in typical Denise fashion, I'd forgotten exactly where it was. We stepped into a shop run by Chinese selling an assortment of daily necessities (as did every other shop in Mae Sai), and I spluttered out what little Mandarin I could grasp at, asking where we could find pi pa gao. We walked on after receiving instructions from the nice Chinese man behind the counter, but as predicted, we couldn't find it because I couldn't figure out the exact directions he referred to.
In the end, we stopped at 7-11 for Strepsils, and you also bought some drink, because you wanted to fulfill your goal of trying every single new-fangled Thai drink they sold. I don't think you ever accomplished that.
*
Some days later was our last night in Mae Sai. Can you believe we spent two whole weeks there without wandering off the main road? That night, after an early dinner, we decided to explore the area. I was hungry, and that's why we left the Germans behind at Monkey Island. You were always so accomodating to my whims. I think it's because you're slightly whimsical yourself. Where did we eat? At the break fast place? I can't remember now. Maybe along the road side. But most likely at the break fast place. After that we wondered into the smaller streets off the main road. We walked for a long time, maybe about two hours or so, wandering up and down the streets. There was one long stretch of road along the back of Tai Thong Hotel... there were no less than 20 hairdressing shops there. Many of them had one or two customers in it even though it was already 7.30pm. I was contemplating cutting my hair, but I was worried about not getting my instructions across with a combination of my shitty Thai and hand gestures. So we continued walking. We chanced upon a clothes store that sold girls clothes. It looked like something out of Far East Plaza. And that's when I decided to buy the skirt that would arouse much astonishment during farewell dinner when I wore it. You thought I looked nice in it, but strange because like everyone else, you'd never seen me in a skirt before. I bought it after the usual amount of haggling and we walked on. Up and down the streets, crossing from one into another. We walked past A&P supermarket where Bernard and I had interviewed the owner with Chen Fye acting as translator about a week before. We walked for ages... you stopped by a provisions shop along the way to buy an assortment of stuff that you needed including razors and Birdy coffee. I needed cigarettes but they didn't sell Marlboro menthol lights as predicted. As we walked on further, the number of shops became fewer and fewer in number, and we saw a road that looked like the road that marked the start of Mae Sai... most likely where our song tiaws made its entry into the town when our whole FS group came for field site visits. You took a photo with me and the sign saying "Welcome to Mae Sai". Was it after that that we came upon a shop selling king's T-shirts and drinks and the owner who said that he came from Bangkok and talked to us for about 10 minutes or so? He cautioned us not to walk on further even though we wanted to because he said it wasn't safe, especially since I was female. He spoke the best English out of anyone else we'd thus far met in Mae Sai. He said we could meet danger in the form of Burmese military police if we chose to continue our sojourn. But he must have been mistaken, or we could have misunderstood him because there was no way Thailand would have allowed the Burmese military police into Thailand.
We turned around and made the long trek out after concluding the conversation with him (he was quite amazed that nak sueksaa from Singapore would choose to do a research project in Mae Sai. Also, he was selling Tesco detergent, remember?). It was time for supper so we stopped by the usual yu tiao and soyamilk place. I wanted a photo with the vendors but they were too shy, so we didn't get one in the end. The lady tending the shop had really pretty eyes, I remember that. And her daughter was laughing at me (or was it you?) one night because I was wearing my FS t-shirt.
We probably returned to Monkey Island to watch more World Cup matches after that... or it was most likely in Bamboo House.
I think if the World Cup wasn't on, we would have gone to the BM-Pub a lot more.
I wonder how you're doing in Sri Lanka.
We'd already spent two long weeks in Mae Sai, that strange, strange town. A few days before our last night, we walked around the area near the border checkpoint, looking for pi pa gao because you said you had a sore throat and I had recommended it as a remedy (my knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) extends as far as pi pa gao). I recall seeing a TCM shop in the vicinity but in typical Denise fashion, I'd forgotten exactly where it was. We stepped into a shop run by Chinese selling an assortment of daily necessities (as did every other shop in Mae Sai), and I spluttered out what little Mandarin I could grasp at, asking where we could find pi pa gao. We walked on after receiving instructions from the nice Chinese man behind the counter, but as predicted, we couldn't find it because I couldn't figure out the exact directions he referred to.
In the end, we stopped at 7-11 for Strepsils, and you also bought some drink, because you wanted to fulfill your goal of trying every single new-fangled Thai drink they sold. I don't think you ever accomplished that.
*
Some days later was our last night in Mae Sai. Can you believe we spent two whole weeks there without wandering off the main road? That night, after an early dinner, we decided to explore the area. I was hungry, and that's why we left the Germans behind at Monkey Island. You were always so accomodating to my whims. I think it's because you're slightly whimsical yourself. Where did we eat? At the break fast place? I can't remember now. Maybe along the road side. But most likely at the break fast place. After that we wondered into the smaller streets off the main road. We walked for a long time, maybe about two hours or so, wandering up and down the streets. There was one long stretch of road along the back of Tai Thong Hotel... there were no less than 20 hairdressing shops there. Many of them had one or two customers in it even though it was already 7.30pm. I was contemplating cutting my hair, but I was worried about not getting my instructions across with a combination of my shitty Thai and hand gestures. So we continued walking. We chanced upon a clothes store that sold girls clothes. It looked like something out of Far East Plaza. And that's when I decided to buy the skirt that would arouse much astonishment during farewell dinner when I wore it. You thought I looked nice in it, but strange because like everyone else, you'd never seen me in a skirt before. I bought it after the usual amount of haggling and we walked on. Up and down the streets, crossing from one into another. We walked past A&P supermarket where Bernard and I had interviewed the owner with Chen Fye acting as translator about a week before. We walked for ages... you stopped by a provisions shop along the way to buy an assortment of stuff that you needed including razors and Birdy coffee. I needed cigarettes but they didn't sell Marlboro menthol lights as predicted. As we walked on further, the number of shops became fewer and fewer in number, and we saw a road that looked like the road that marked the start of Mae Sai... most likely where our song tiaws made its entry into the town when our whole FS group came for field site visits. You took a photo with me and the sign saying "Welcome to Mae Sai". Was it after that that we came upon a shop selling king's T-shirts and drinks and the owner who said that he came from Bangkok and talked to us for about 10 minutes or so? He cautioned us not to walk on further even though we wanted to because he said it wasn't safe, especially since I was female. He spoke the best English out of anyone else we'd thus far met in Mae Sai. He said we could meet danger in the form of Burmese military police if we chose to continue our sojourn. But he must have been mistaken, or we could have misunderstood him because there was no way Thailand would have allowed the Burmese military police into Thailand.
We turned around and made the long trek out after concluding the conversation with him (he was quite amazed that nak sueksaa from Singapore would choose to do a research project in Mae Sai. Also, he was selling Tesco detergent, remember?). It was time for supper so we stopped by the usual yu tiao and soyamilk place. I wanted a photo with the vendors but they were too shy, so we didn't get one in the end. The lady tending the shop had really pretty eyes, I remember that. And her daughter was laughing at me (or was it you?) one night because I was wearing my FS t-shirt.
We probably returned to Monkey Island to watch more World Cup matches after that... or it was most likely in Bamboo House.
I think if the World Cup wasn't on, we would have gone to the BM-Pub a lot more.
posted by Duh-knees at 1:00 PM
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