« A quick trip to Burma | Main | Chiang Mai »
June 20, 2005
Leaving Chiang Rai
(Day 119) Neither of us set the alarm, and with my watch in my backpack, we didn't realize it was past noon until reception called asking when we were expecting to check out.
"15 minutes," I told them, and hastily gathered my things. After returning the room key, it was off to the bus station.
The next bus to Chiang Mai didn't leave until 1:30. By the time I had my ticket in hand, we had 45 minutes left for lunch.
"What do you want to eat?"
"I don't know. Anything."
We ended up returning to the shop across the street from the Little Duck hotel. The place has the best fish ever, and the only thing keeping me from recommending it is I don't know what it's called. We kept an eye on the clock, but good food requires time to prepare, and it began to look like I might not make the bus.
"There's another bus at 3:30pm. I'll catch that one instead," I said. We stopped rushing and enjoyed what might be our final meal together.
We finished eating with ten minutes left til departure, and so we got into the car and sped to the bus station. We were no more than 50m away when we saw the bus pull out of the terminal.
"I guess I need a new ticket," I noted.
At the counter, I asked if I could exchange my ticket. Sorry, not possibe, smiled the woman at the counter, so I just paid for another one. It's not like it was expensive. All of the sudden, I had another two hours to kill. Chiang Rai is a decent sized city, but it's more livable than visitable. We didn't really have time to do anything or go anywhere, so I ran a couple errands with her, including going to the car wash to get her SUV cleaned.
In our one week together, Deer had been very straight forward with me. She didn't keep anything from me, and so I felt a bit guilty about my little secret, namely, this M-whY blog. Figuring she had become a main character in my trip, it was only right that she knew about it. I told her about how I wrote little stories about everyday adventures, and I had put off my work for a week while I spent time with her.
"So are you going to write 'The story of Deer'?" she asked.
"Probably. But I think there's a lot of things I won't mention." I don't care how interested people are in what happened behind the scenes. No unauthorized persons allowed backstage.
All last night and this morning, Deer appeared to be in a not so happy mood. I myself felt a pang of remorse at leaving. But it had to happen at some point. She dropped me off at the station, where I became as stone-hearted as I could. I unloaded my pack from the back, and walked to my bus without looking back.
I boarded my charter, and when I looked out the window, her car was gone.
Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!
Posted by markyiin at June 20, 2005 01:40 AM
Comments
mojess: flower.. seeds.. whats the difference... travelling as a career? i dont know yet. it might not be fun anymore after it becomes work.
jeffw: so you think i should sell the script to make some money?
matt: considering i'm a week behind on my posts, i dont want to give anything away by telling where i am. i'm still in thailand though. :)
chung: i agree, vietnam is a must. places i might cut out (and save for a future trip) are burma and india... i'll be sure to keep track of my marriage proposals :)
tree: heh, i've found out a lot already. a lot of it blows away my mind, but since it falls under the category of personal information, you'll have to ask me about it someday in person!
Posted by: markyiin at June 20, 2005 01:51 AM
...and you guys had a romantic kiss goodbye, right?
Posted by: A College Roomate at June 20, 2005 04:20 AM
What a heart-breaking story, hate to see it ended like this. I do not know what to say, but seems like you are passing something very precious. Tough decision.
Posted by: mojess at June 20, 2005 01:24 PM
After re-read the message to Matt, I bet you are back to Chiang Rai with "Dear" now, right? If I were you, I would do the samething. Isn't all love stories have a twist like this?!
Posted by: mojess at June 20, 2005 01:37 PM
your a week behind! ooo feel so out of date then knowing this all happened over a week ago! lol
Posted by: Matt at June 20, 2005 03:10 PM
Selling a script could work, although you'd have to spice it up with some of those personal details you say no one will ever see. I think a more interesting idea to make some money once your trip is over would be to learn some business skills and get Deer to export her tonics to the USA with yourself as the importer contact.
Posted by: JeffW at June 20, 2005 10:42 PM
Man, I was waiting for a thorough update & that, you did. Dang Mark, all I can say is, your romance in Thailand is something only I can envision in my head from reading a book or recalling a movie. Stuff like that never happens to me! LOL But hey, at least you have something you can share with everyone. And it was bound to happen, the whole romance thing. It's amazing how we come across certain people and immediately connect to them in such a way that surprises the both of you. And who knows? You may truly be back to visit. But for now, it is time to move on and I applaud you for pushing yourself to go onward. I can only imagine how hard it must've been to say goodbye, as it must've been for her to see you leave, hence the quick departure on her part. What a week to remember and treasure for always. -GEM
Posted by: GEM at June 21, 2005 03:51 AM
don't worry - you two will meet again. i don't doubt it. you guys have too many memories to just not see each other again :)
i will definitely ask you when i see you in person - whenever that'll be. i'll be in baltimore starting next month!!! so whenever you decide to go back to your native land... i'll be at least closer than i am now :)
Posted by: tree at June 21, 2005 07:49 AM
I work with your Mom at HR Block and have been following your adventures - I'm glad you are enjoying it so much.
One question. Now that you have been away for 4 months, do you think you left home traveling too light? What advise would you give someone going on a trip like this (in terms of what to be sure to take along).
Marty
Posted by: Marty at June 23, 2005 10:35 PM