Monday, January 01, 2007

1-2-07
Ayutthaya

New Year's Eve in Chiang Mai

New Year's eve started a little rough for me. I managed to roll my ankle early in the day and was fighting off some kind of cough that had plagued me for the last week or so. Staying out till 4am in smoke filled clubs is definitely not good for the old respiratory tract but it's still a good time. Anyway, after a day of visiting the post office (closed), the books shops (also closed) and the tourism office for a train schedule (open, yes!), I managed to run into a friend who informed me that he and some other folks would be ringing in the new year at the rooftop bar since the drinks are cheap and it would be a great place to watch the new year celebrations. Now I love the Rooftop Bar so I told him I would definitely be there. But first I had to hang out with some friends at the internet cafe where I get (almost) free internet since I fixed some of there computers. Partying at the cafe is always fun, most times we sit outside and drink whisky, soda water and coke and I try to learn Thai. However this time we went all out and roasted lemon-grass-stuffed-fish, kebabs and prawns outside as we drank the ridiculously strong Chang Beer (6.4% by volume), Red Label and Mekong Whisky.

Around 10pm I decide it's time to move over to the Rooftop so I pick myself up and start meandering over there. Well, there must have too much hitch in my giddyup because halfway over there I managed to roll my ankle again! Now I'm feeling a bit like my friend Michere but manage to get up to the Rooftop where it is packed! I mean, there is hardly standing room let alone room to sit. Luckily I find my friends and sit down with them but then get distracted by all the floating lanterns that are going up into the air every few seconds. Normally a few will go up every night but now it's like they're trying to light up the sky with these things. There's a band of them across the sky like the Milky Way. We all "oooh" and "aaaah" for about 45 minutes when all of a sudden we hear a loud POP and look over to see a lantern has caught fire and is now burning on the lower roof. We also notice the power has gone out and there is no music, curious. Turns out the power for our side of the street was knocked out by this renegade lantern. At the same time some of us were a little worried because we'd heard about the bombs in Bangkok. We look out over the roof to see if there is any police or military activity but all the armed guards are just hanging out, no rescue vehicles are racing about and some guy in a uniform is frantically making the international "OK" symbol up at us from the street. We wait for a little while longer, wave "OK" back to the guy and then go about our business. Some people are still concerned but whatever, it's New Year's and some of us had been drinking (I had not been drinking). I notice my friends had left but everyone was my friend that night.

After the power went out or before (I'm not too sure), I'd been talking with some other people and they were wondering if the roof could hold up all the people on top. Now the roof is just bamboo slats with cheap mats covering them. I kind of dismiss the idea, but then realize it could actually happen. I make some kind of remark like "Well, even if the roof does collapse, it makes for a great story doesn't it? I mean, who else can say they were at a New Year's party where the roof collapsed beneath them?" This kind of "Hey at least it's a good story" has pretty much been my attitude about things going wrong ever since my first year in Vanuatu where things often do go very wrong and yet in the end come out ok. So there I am drinking my water, calculating the best rooftop exit to make in case there's a fire, when someone says something and points behind me where a crowd has now gathered.

"What's with the crowd?" I ask.
"I think the roof just caved in," she replies.
"What? No!" I wheel around and sure enough, a large section of the roof in the corner has indeed collapsed and people are gathering around as if looking at it will somehow make it fixed, "Gee, maybe if we all stare at it it'll fix itself!" Of course with the decrease in real estate this means that there's even less space on top so a few people decide to slide down and hang out in the collapsed section. Now we have bombs in the country, cut power and a collapsed roof, I am not troubled by this at all. No really, I was laughing at the whole thing. So far it was the best new year I'd had in a very long time.

Time goes on and eventually the power gets restored, people are starting to leave the bar in search of clubs. I leave with some people and head to Bubbles, a club that doesn't have good music but a good crowd. I get bored so I leave and go to Spicy, a club that has great music but a somewhat questionable crowd. But it's cool, the place is packed and I end up dancing there till 6am when they finally close. I leave with some friends and get some rice soup as the sun is starting to rise, exchange emails and then check out of my guest house and head over to the train station where I've already missed the 4am train to Ayutthaya but don't really care because it's New Year's and I've left Chiang Mai the way I wanted to: with a bang and no sleep for the last day or so.

After a 5 hour wait I jump on the train to Ayutthaya and sleep for most of the 10 hour journey, waking up for juice and to play with the little kid sitting on her Dad's lap next to me. So here I am in Ayutthaya which is more hot and definitely more laid back than Chiang Mai. I'll be here for a few days recuperating and visiting temples before heading further South. I plan on taking it easy before going to Ko Phangan where there are supposed to be some really fun places to go.

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