I described in a previous post my first trip to Mae Rim. Today I went there alone to conduct some business and was pleased with how it went. For one, I was able to return the package (by mail) that I received from my folks yesterday, with an additional form that needs to be mailed in the United States (for the articles that I wrote for an upcoming encyclopedia for the American Civil War). It was nice to get all of that sent off, as that takes care of some important business.

Additionally, I had the opportunity to try out a little bit of Thai in order to get directions to the post office, which was nice (I have to thank the Lonely Planet Guide for such skill as I have in Thai, though it was nice to try it out). As I was crossing the highway on the overhead pedestrian bridge on my way to Topps for some grocery shopping, I saw that there was some red paint that was being washed away, it appeared, by some kind of government cleaning crew. Knowing the heated political atmosphere right now in Thailand (so far, it appears that the Thaksin-supported Pheu Thai Party has a slight lead over the ruling Democrats, with a month to go until the election, at least according to the polls I have been able to read). At any rate, the well-dressed person in charge was keen on having the bridge cleaned of any red paint, and I was not inclined to get in the way or stick around, as there was a fire truck there doing the job and some people taking photos.

Grocery shopping went well. I’m pleased that I was able to get about two weeks worth of snack food (along with some 1.5L bottles of soda) for under ten dollars. It pleases me that the Thai enjoy root beer, as it has been my experience that root beer is nearly impossible to find in other countries, though it’s a shame they don’t have Barq’s, A&W, or IBC root beer, which would be very excellent. At least what they have is better than Mug, though. It appears to be some kind of local brand, which is remarkable. I wonder if any sassafras is grown in Thailand. The cooler mountain valleys might have the climate for it, and it’s not unlike the ginger roots grown here. That is a possibility. Root beer would certainly be a sweet enough drink to appeal to the Thai sweet tooth. Now if only we could convince them to drink sweet tea.

Before returning on the sungtow from Mae Rim, I stopped at one of the chicken shacks (for lack of a better word) where I stopped to enjoy some fried chicken (satay). Apparently the sight of a farang sitting down on a bench to eat some fried chicken amused the people around, but they don’t realize how much we enjoy good fried chicken too. It was tasty–and at only $.50 (15 baht) for a nice piece of chicken, one could eat pretty reasonably at such a place assuming they were well stocked.

In walking to and from the sungtow stop, I realized that one of the neighbors of Legacy Institute has horses. They are not very large (perhaps ponies would be a better word for them), but they are black and very lovely animals. It is a shame their pasture is walled with shards of glass over them, but such a place must either be for someone’s private collection or some kind of stable. It might be worth investigating more, if they knew enough English to make up for my atrocious Thai. I suppose I will have to find out some time. Additionally, I saw today that the junk yard near the intersection of the road to Mae Sa Luang (the baan, or village, where I live) and the Mae Rim road also does some handy business in recycling. Very well done. They looked quite busy when I walked by.  All in all, it as a very successful trip.

[1]  https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/visit-to-me-rim/