As I mentioned I now have a bicycle and thus a bit more freedom to explore outside Li. I've been kind of laying low the last while due to the money I spent on the netbook, plus it was starting to become expensive going to Chiang Mai every weekend. Now there isnt a whole lot to do or see in the town of Li itself, hence my eagerness to get a way to travel outside the place on my own. A quick word on the bike itself: its too small and weighs a fricking tonne, in short its a piece of crap.
The fun of the day started with me checking the bike to see if it was slightly roadworthy. The saddle came off in my hand..... Apparently the nuts holding it on had come off (and run away?) so I went to the hardware shop and got new ones. Once I had done this small piece of DIY I went and did a small bit of shopping and decided to have lunch (wasnt feeling particularly keen to jump on the bike just yet). By the way there was something going on at the school today. I got woken up a few hours earlier than I wished by blaring music. I went down every now and again to look at it and it seemed to be an adult version of our sports day so I wasnt too interested in hanging about. I spent most of the morning reading and checking emails before I got near the bike.
Anyway, after lunch I decided to do something with my day, having been pretty lazy for a week or so now. So I packed a few provisions (water, camera, suncream) and hopped on my piece of crap, sorry, my bike and began making my way towards a temple I had seen on the road to Chiang Mai which was on a big hill just outside Li. I figures if I could get up to it I might get a good view and some decent pics. I got to the temple, took a picture of the big statue at the front and made my way to the steps up the hill. I couldnt see looking up just how many there were but there was definitely more than at Doi Suthep (which famously has 300). It was also pretty steep and almost completely deserted. I got the impression it doesnt get that many visitors. So I get to the top of the steps eventually having paused along the way to take pics of the view which was quite good already. So I turn the corner a little bit excited and realise there are MORE STEPS! Well I'd come this far so I braced myself for another effort and dragged my lazy ass up the last few steps. Upon arriving on the top I stop thinking about how hard it was to get there because the view was simply breathtaking and the pictures scarcely do it justice. I stayed up there for a long time because I had the place to myself and it was just so peaceful and beautiful. I felt an extraordinary sense of calm when I was up there that I havent often felt before. After a while I left my little perch and moved to the the other spur beside it from where I could actually see Li kind of. Getting to this spot wasnt the easiest as there was no path or steps just rocks.
After a while I realised the sun was sinking and it was time to go. I made my way down the hill and hopped on my bike back home. I will probably return to this little roost any time I feel the need for solitude and reflection over the course of my stay in Li. While cycling back home my thoughts turned to why I came to this part of the world. It was for moments like this that I had made the journey across the world. For an all too brief time I was on my own at the top of a hill in Thailand gazing peacefully at a beautiful landscape a long, long way from home. The sense of happiness and of vindication in my decision to embark on this whole adventure is difficult to describe. I was profoundly happy and the day didnt end there......
As I mentioned there was some kind of community games on at the school. Well by the time I got home and showered it was dark and a party had started not too far from my front door. Curious I wandered over and watched a band playing on a makeshift stage to a crowd of noisy thais happily tucking into dinner. At this point I was accosted by two guys who didnt speak any english. I recognised one of them as the school handyman and they brought me to a table of school staff I didnt really recognise. They were determined to feed me (you can eat thai food?) and gave me some drinks (you can drink thai whiskey?) for the evening. I learned that the games had been between the various hospitals in the province of Lamphun and that our local hospital had won overall. So I spent the night drinking with people who spoke little or no english and watched the show. I tried to take a few pics of the …....performers but they didnt come out so well. I also got up to dance once or twice but as soon as I did I was surrounded by a gang of my M4 students who thought it was the best thing ever to see me dance. After a bit I headed off at what I assumed to be early (10pm or so) but everyone was heading back to their respective villages so the party kind of petered out not long after I left and I was able to sleep peacefully after a great day in thailand!
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