Since I have a motor bike now, I took it Saturday to the top of the dam.  It was beautiful, but not as pretty as I had seen in pictures.  The sky is constantly hazy here from the smoke of everyone burning stuff.  I wanted to see mountains and lake going on forever.  However, it was beautiful in an eerie kind of way.  I got a few pictures that captured it pretty well.  I had heard that there was an island not too far away with a temple on top.  It should just be a matter of walking down to the water and hiring a boat.  So, I went into the gift shop to get a snack.  Potato chips here are just horrible.  The flavors are all spicy and/or meat.  I found a bag with a picture of cheese!  Yay!  Oh, wait, there was also a picture of a chili pepper.  That would probably kill me.  So, I opted for the one flavored Hot Pot.  I like steak.  Steak flavored chips can’t be bad.  Then I got a strawberry flavored soda, because, why not?

I headed down the hill to where I saw a bunch of floating buildings with boats attached to them.  As I walked by a bunch of men sitting on a bench they all called Good Morning and Good Afternoon out to me.  It was morning so I said Good Morning back.  I get down to the floating buildings and watch groups of people get on to them.  Then a boat drags the floating building out into the lake.  Then another comes in and another leaves.  I try to ask someone how to get a boat, but the whole conversation fails.  I have no idea what is going on.  I decide this is a challenge for another day and head back up the hill.  I see a man coming up from a building/boat combo and manage to say boat for hire in Thai.  He motions to the dam and then his motorbike.  So, I let him take me on his motorbike back up to the good morning good afternoon guys.  Now I feel silly.  I say boat for hire again.  They say 1? and ask where?  I mention temple.  One guy puts his hands over his head making a triangle shape with his arms.  That could be the international sign for temple so I said yes.  The price is 600 baht which is a lot on a Thai salary, but is about $17.  I don’t plan on doing this again so it all seems fair.  Then another guy takes me back down the hill on his motorbike and goes to get the boat.

The boat driver keeps asking me “Chaing Mai”?  I keep saying No.  Does he want to know if I’m from Chaing Mai or if I want to go there?  Technically, you can get from the dam to Chaing Mai by boat, but it would be a long long way.  So, I’m either going to an island temple, Chaing Mai or somewhere else.  I decide to eat my snack on the boat.  You guessed it, steak flavored chips are not good.   A little while later I see an island with a temple at the top of a giant hill.  Whew.  It was a long trek up the hill.  It was windy which set off all the wind chimes.  It had a main temple and 7 or 8 other smaller temples.  I wandered around for awhile and then headed back down.  I had lunch on the floating building that was docked next to the island and then headed back to the dam.  As the boat driver was taking me back up the hill on his motorbike, he asked me again “Chaing Mai”.  I responded with kru (teacher) Sam Ngao Wit (name of my school).  He got a look of understanding and was quite satisfied with my answer.

I spent the rest of the day doing laundry, rearranging my bedroom and cooking.  Sunday I decided to go to the coffee shop and then to the next village to explore.  The fuel gauge on the motorbike said almost empty and it wouldn’t start.  I know it was half full when I returned on Saturday.  So, my motorbike has a leak.  I took the bicycle to the coffee shop, but the village is more than I want to do on that bicycle.  By the time I got home from the coffee shop, the bicycle had a flat tire.  I tried to take the bicycle to the mechanic nearby but he wasn’t in.  A woman was there and she pointed down the street I just came up and said a bunch of stuff, basically motioning me to go that way.  I have no idea how far down the road he might be.  I wouldn’t recognize him if I saw him.  Is he just hanging out with a friend?  Is he working somewhere else?  At a loss of what to do, I just walked my sad bike back home.  I had a half a day of freedom and now I’m stranded again.

The wifi doesn’t work at all this weekend, which is why you didn’t see a blog until now.  My portable wifi doesn’t work either.  I know I have to put more money on it, but I have no idea how to.  The sim card doesn’t have the phone number.  There’s no buttons so I can’t dial the number that tells you what your phone number is.  I’ve left messages on line with the phone company.  Someone suggested putting the sim card in my phone and then getting the number.  That didn’t work.  Someone suggested going to the phone store.  We don’t have a phone store and the electronics store that has a few phones is in the village I can’t get to.

Today – same as most – morning dreads.  I almost didn’t get up because of the dreads and because it was cold again.  I got up.  By mid morning I felt ok, so that’s actually a huge improvement.  Someone is working on my motorbike today.  I don’t know what they found, but I know someone is on it.  Last week they asked if I wanted to go trekking with the scouts Thursday and Friday this week.  I said sure.  Then today I found out I am going to military training on Thursday with the military students.  They asked if I was ok wearing a mask and crawling under things.  I think they mean an obstacle course.  I said sure.  I’m not sure I am ok with that.  Curiosity is winning this one so I guess I’m going and will report back later.  I’m still going trekking on Friday.  Is trekking hiking?

I had my first M6 (oldest grade) class today.  They have been in test prep since I got here so I hadn’t taught to them yet.  I did introductions mostly.  Since I will only see them a few more times before they graduate, I asked them what they wanted me to teach them.  They said things like reading, conversation, vocabulary.  I asked what topics?  They came up with the topics of Crime and Travel, not together, just two separate topics.  This should be fun.  I don’t know where to start.

I got a post card today from Colorado.  Eeeeeeeee!  Thanks Jay!

(c) all rights reserved Kimberly Fiore