Blue Sky Christmas Holidays

I didn’t grow up in the land of White Christmases. East Texas winters might get a little chilly, but for the most part it’s pretty mild (except last year which was exceptionally cold, but I wasn’t there to experience it). Even though my past has been filled with warmer winters it’s a little strange to be kicking off the Holiday season with temperatures in the high 80s and upper 90s.

Welcome to Thailand: more specifically Chiang Mai. This Southeast Asian getaway has been my home for the last month. Living in a hotel in a land where I can only say “hello” and “thank you” has been quite an adjustment from the life I’ve become accustomed to in India over the last year, but it’s been a great experience. Part holiday, part waiting game I’ve been able to catch a small glimpse of what it’s like to live in yet another country.

When I first landed in the Chiang Mai airport I was amazed at the cleanness. Everything was so sterile in comparison to where I’d just come from. Then we got on the roads, and I was amazed at how calm the traffic seemed (although it’s still a fair bit more exciting than American traffic). People drive so fast. The stores are stocked with aisles of goodies, and I’ve even eaten a hamburger (or two or three or four). There’s even Starbucks and 7-11. And so I rode around with my head in the clouds for a few days.

I went and did some super touristy things. I went zip-lining through the jungle, played in waterfalls and even held a baby white tiger. I visited temples and ate at some great restaurants. Chiang Mai actually has great Mexican food. Oh, did I mention I got to eat hamburgers?

One of the best things though has been the opportunity to hang out with old friends and make some new ones. They’ve definitely made a month on a small budget more enjoyable. In my city back in India there aren’t a lot of foreigners. I’ve got some great friends there, but it’s such a refreshing experience to be in the company of a half dozen young, like-minded English speakers. It’s been a while, and I can see that I needed it.

As I kick off this Holiday season in the tropics I’m reminded of just how blessed I am. I’m on a fantastic journey that has led me places I never would have imagined just a couple of years ago. A little time to sit back and reflect on the last year has been just what I needed. So, even though I may get a little bored lying around the hotel some afternoons I know that this past month has been a great time of refreshment for me. Believe it or not, I’ve even come to realize there are some things about that crazy place called India I’ll be looking forward to getting back to.

The sun is shining. Maybe I should go for a swim.

Recliners in a Movie Theatre?

The last few days have been jammed packed with some crazy things. Let's see, where to begin...

On Friday my roommate and I decided to go down to Delhi. Right now there’s a giant, four month festival going on an hour or so from here (at the train stop before ours), meaning that train tickets are very hard to come by these days. After scouring the internet for train tickets, we were finally able to come across two tickets for Sunday night. The only problem was that when I booked the tickets I was confirmed, but he was on the wait list. We decided to go anyways.

Sunday evening rolled around and we headed to the train station. Luckily, he was moved off the waitlist and we found our cabin. The two of us had a nice little room to ourselves with a set of bunk beds and much more room than usual, even in comparison to other first class cabins (which usually have four people to a room). The train ride was very uneventful, and we arrived in Delhi just after 8 the next morning. After trying unsuccessfully to get a flat rate autorickshaw we finally went to the street and did some bargaining. A 45 minute rickshaw ride took us to a friend’s house where we cleaned up, had a nice cup of coffee and took a quick nap.

For lunch we had KFC, and man, I’d forgotten just how much I like fried chicken. It didn’t compare to Southern Classic in Ruston, but it was still so good. After lunch we headed to the mall where we had good coffee and then went to the movie. We bought Gold Class tickets to watch Alice in Wonderland.

A Gold Class movie was definitely a new experience for me. As Gold Class ticket holders (they make you sound so important) we went into our own little waiting room that looks more like a club than a movie theatre. There they gave us apple juice in champagne glasses while we waited for the movie. As the movie was getting ready to start we were escorted into a movie theatre full of leather recliners! We were given blankets (because even though it was 99 degrees in Delhi they managed to keep this place frigid), and there was little button you could press to have a waiter bring you a coke and popcorn or something off of their full menu of items! We watched Alice in Wonderland in 3D, which I thought was really good, and the only downfall to the experience is your waiter comes around right at the end of the movie to give you your bill. All in all though, it was definitely the most unique movie experience I’ve ever had.

After the movie we headed to Hard Rock Café where I indulged in a bacon cheeseburger covered with barbeque sauce. Mmm… the first hamburger I’d had in 6 months, and it was delicious! After dinner we went back down to a little coffee shop where I splurged again and got a big slice of cheesecake. Nothing like taking advantage of getting what we don’t have here!

Monday morning came too soon, and we were up bright and early to head back home. Because of the train situation we booked a taxi to take us the 8 hours back. This time there were 5 of us in the car, and our driver was the craziest driver I’ve ever had, in India or out. What is supposed to be an 8 hour trip ended up only taking around 5 including a 30+ minute break for tea! More often than not we were all grabbing for anything hoping that we wouldn’t hit the cars and people he was running off the road. There were several close calls (we’re talking millimeters here people), but somehow we managed to get back in one piece.

After another quick nap, we all headed out to a friend’s village for dinner where we were treated to another feast. And then I came home and crashed. After all of this food over the last few days, I’ve got to get back to the gym ASAP.

Most of the places we went don't let you have a camera, so I left it at home this round. It was a quick, tiring trip, but it was good. It was nice to get away, even just for a day, and to have a chance to get a few tastes of home we can’t find up here.