Chiang Mai — or my first trip to Laos, I decided to join a group tour. While I always prefer traveling alone, as I want to explore a new place at my own pace (plus I need a lot of “quiet time” meditating, thinking and writing and just sitting still), this one time that I know that I need to be with a group as I know I can’t deal with Laos on my own.
My biggest problem is the language barrier. English isn’t widely-spoken in Laos and it will thus be difficult for me go around this country given such handicap. I also don’t want to waste my time getting lost in a new city or queuing for bus tickets.
So I signed up for the Laos Unplugged tour organized by the Melbourne-based Intepid Travel. The 11-day whistle stop tour is part of the company’s “Roam Basix” tour package – billed as “fun, flexible and affordable-back to basics!” At over US$700, I figured its reasonable as it includes accommodation in modest guesthouses, transpo and english speaking tour guides. And I’m joining a group -so why not meet new people and perhaps make new friends?
I also love the fact that travelling with Intrepid helps local economies (the company uses locally-owned hotels and employ local tour guides) and the company’s contributing part of their income to several charity organizations in Asia. I want to travel and help make a difference.
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Day 1, August 16,2005: Chiang Mai
I arrived in Prince Hotel around 3 pm. I flew from Singapore (with a brief stop over in Bangkok. It wasn't a direct flight–that's what I get for booking cheap tickets), in the middle of the monsoon season. I arrived at a time that this northern Thai city, which is home to numerous tourits who come here every year for hill tribe trekking, at a time that it's recovering from the flashfloods that engulfed its streets.
I was reading about the flashflood on my flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. It freaked me out. It sounded like an omen – as if this trip isn't a good idea. It didnt help that i encountered some problems prior to this trip.
My younger sis, who's now working in Singapore, was crying because of work-related stress. I didn't want to leave her, but I know I had to. So I comforted her and said I'll come back ("Lagi naman akong bumabalik pag umaalis ako, di ba?)
I had some argument with Thai airways staff during the Bangkok-Chiang Mai flight as they failed to serve me a vegetarian meal even if informed the company a few days ago that I need vegetarian food.
***
But the sky was clear and the floods have receded the day I arrived in Chiang Mai. It's as if God/Goddess/Universe's telling me not to worry, everything will be alright.
But the sky was clear and the floods have receded the day I arrived in Chiang Mai. It's as if God/Goddess/Universe's telling me not to worry, everything will be alright.
I met Ping (our Thai tour leader) and my group mates that night: Kiwis Tim and Jennifer, a young couple (they've been dating for the past two years); another Kiwi, Graeme, a retired salesman who has travelled to over 70 countries around the world; and Jesus (yes that's his real name, I checked his driver's license. And since he's Spaniard, it's pronounced He-Sus, not Ji-zuz), who just finished studying an English language course in Sydney.
All of us are in transit. The Intrepid Laos tour will officially finish on August 26, but all of us won't be going home just yet. Tim and Jennifer will be heading to Bangkok, mainland China and Hong Kong, before returning to Auckland. Graeme will be joining another Intrepid tour in Thailand; while Jesus will be bumming around in a Thai beach resort before flying home to Madrid. And I, I'll be spending some time in KL and Singapore (to repack my stuff) before heading off to the Himalayas.
