A True Story, finally told

[puukao]

OK, maybe the title is a little dramatic, but that is how i roll.

Met a very nice lady on the plane to BKK. Met her friends. Guy and girl. They showed me around BKK for a few days (I stayed in my own apartment) and they offered to drive me up north. I had no idea the exact specifications, since they didn't speak good English and, at the time, my Thai was zero (since then only took about 4-5 classes in Thai). But i figured it would be an experience, so why not just roll with it. Anyhow, we first drove to Roi Et (after waking up at 3 a.m.) and then eventually towards Chiang Rai. In Roi Et we stopped at some really weird spa place....anyhow. Here is where it got weird....

For one, I was tired after 25+ hours in the car. I asked how far, and they kept saying 30 minutes. Hours and hours passed and it seemed like we were not getting closer. Then they tell me how dangerous this road and people are, but I needed to go to the bathroom so we stopped. They took the stop as I didn't like Chiang Rai. I tried to stay calm, which I did.

Finally, we get to their parents house. The son is in full military gear, and the parents are looking at me like the devil. I just apologized and said everything is fine, just tired. They gave me a red shirt and camouflage pants to wear, and a few shots of some alcohol. Yeah, not that dramatic, but still weird. Then some of the kid's friends came over and after an interesting hour they realized i was harmless. At 4 a.m. they let me sleep (they stopped doing push-ups, yelling, being super drunk, and trying to get be mad) and at 7 a.m. I asked to go to the bus station. Nah, they didn't want to take me yet. So after some weird walks around the neighborhood and more bizarre "conversations", I got on the bus to CM. They probably called my cellphone 300 times before my brain turned on and realized all i had to do was throw away the memory chip. of course it could have been weirder, but it was still weird.

oh, i like chiang rai, just wish i spoke some thai at the time. and glad i wasn't really young and tried to act tough. And, of course, the parents turned out to be really nice. I gave them a $2 USA bill as good karma.

anyone else have similar stories?

[sceadugenga]

They took you through Roi Et?

[toybits]

What the OP did was nothing short of stupid and dangerous. Comes out of a Dumb and dumber movie.... But the good thing is he did not get hurt and was able to get out of that place in one piece.

Edited September 15, 2013 by toybits

[skyaslimit]

Weird post, it is!

sent by skyaslimit using thaivisa forum mobile app.

[harrry]

If the poster is doing what I am thinking he is he is having a flashback to an experience about 40 years ago when there was an insurection throughout Thailand especially in the hills. EIther that or I want some of what he is taking.

[villagefarang]

My first trip to Chiang Mai back in the 70s was by train. A Thai monk had traveled to Bangkok, to escort a German monk I had met, to a forest retreat for Buddhist Lent. I tagged along until I got my bearings, and then continued on my own.

Lets see, on a later trip to Chiang Mai with friends from Bangkok, I got to fly in a helicopter with the general in charge of the Boarder Patrol Police. We flew into a few villages for presentations and also went to visit Luang Pu Waen at his forest retreat. At the time he was perhaps the most revered monk in the country.

So I guess I would have to say I do not have any similar stories. Sorry about that.

[harrry]

My first trip to Chiang Mai back in the 70s was by train. A Thai monk had traveled to Bangkok, to escort a German monk I had met, to a forest retreat for Buddhist Lent. I tagged along until I got my bearings, and then continued on my own.

Lets see, on a later trip to Chiang Mai with friends from Bangkok, I got to fly in a helicopter with the general in charge of the Boarder Patrol Police. We flew into a few villages for presentations and also went to visit Luang Pu Waen at his forest retreat. At the time he was perhaps the most revered monk in the country.

So I guess I would have to say I do not have any similar stories. Sorry about that.

How many bags did you have to sit on in the helicopte?

[villagefarang]

My first trip to Chiang Mai back in the 70s was by train. A Thai monk had traveled to Bangkok, to escort a German monk I had met, to a forest retreat for Buddhist Lent. I tagged along until I got my bearings, and then continued on my own.

Lets see, on a later trip to Chiang Mai with friends from Bangkok, I got to fly in a helicopter with the general in charge of the Boarder Patrol Police. We flew into a few villages for presentations and also went to visit Luang Pu Waen at his forest retreat. At the time he was perhaps the most revered monk in the country.

So I guess I would have to say I do not have any similar stories. Sorry about that.

How many bags did you have to sit on in the helicopte?

Netted bench seats, only. I have no idea what you are implying.

[anon210]

Bags of gold obviously...

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[mrtoad]

I am still confused

[thairookie]

I am glad that OP is safe. Please do not trust strangers.

Sent from my LT18i using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[sceadugenga]

I am still confused

I think you got the point of the story then....

[thrilled]

I'm skeptical of strangers. Being by myself works for me

[puukao]

I still have no idea why we went to Roi Et. First to some weird gay spa-type place and I forget where else. They were speaking Thai, and I was trying to be the nice American. It definitely looked sketchy, and more than some weird massage place.

I didn't consider the lady I met on the plane as a stranger, but in hindsight they all were strangers. I was naive to think I could just "go with the flow" during my first experience in Thailand. I was over 30, so I should have known better. The good news? they paid for all the gas, while all i bought was some lottery tickets (which they loved) and some food.

Trust me, I am still confused by the experience. 1. miss-communication, leading to anxiety. 2. I wear red shirt for red shirt movement (I get that now). 3. They over-reacted when I wanted to use the bathroom. ah, ok, we were all tired. 4. Who knows how many foreigners the parents met (maybe not that many), and maybe they watched too many movies and worried I would go crazy. 5. I think the lady liked me a little too much, and glad that never got to a weird place.

Anyhow, not sleeping for a long time, nobody to talk to who would understand what you have to say, and a new country; yea, it wore on me quick......ah, it got me to CM faster than I thought, allowed me to go North instead of South (my original plan, and i have yet to see Phuket), etc.....

Another thing I learned was how crazy they drive. The driver didn't sleep in a day as well, and was hitting all turns blind with horn blaring and high beams blinking.....soo dumb.

Oh, and they did show me a picture of an Anaconda they caught, which was absolutely massive.

A classic story would have been "escaping" at the bathroom, running into the woods at 10 p.m. and then........well, who knows then......

[sceadugenga]

How many bags did you have sit on in the car?

[MobileContent]

I still have no idea why we went to Roi Et. First to some weird gay spa-type place and I forget where else. They were speaking Thai, and I was trying to be the nice American. It definitely looked sketchy, and more than some weird massage place.

I didn't consider the lady I met on the plane as a stranger, but in hindsight they all were strangers. I was naive to think I could just "go with the flow" during my first experience in Thailand. I was over 30, so I should have known better. The good news? they paid for all the gas, while all i bought was some lottery tickets (which they loved) and some food.

Trust me, I am still confused by the experience. 1. miss-communication, leading to anxiety. 2. I wear red shirt for red shirt movement (I get that now). 3. They over-reacted when I wanted to use the bathroom. ah, ok, we were all tired. 4. Who knows how many foreigners the parents met (maybe not that many), and maybe they watched too many movies and worried I would go crazy. 5. I think the lady liked me a little too much, and glad that never got to a weird place.

Anyhow, not sleeping for a long time, nobody to talk to who would understand what you have to say, and a new country; yea, it wore on me quick......ah, it got me to CM faster than I thought, allowed me to go North instead of South (my original plan, and i have yet to see Phuket), etc.....

Another thing I learned was how crazy they drive. The driver didn't sleep in a day as well, and was hitting all turns blind with horn blaring and high beams blinking.....soo dumb.

Oh, and they did show me a picture of an Anaconda they caught, which was absolutely massive.

A classic story would have been "escaping" at the bathroom, running into the woods at 10 p.m. and then........well, who knows then......

Sounds to me like a Python.

BTW: I had similar experiences during my first Indonesian trip to Aceh in the early 80's.

[chuang]

I am still confused

Still am I....

[Garry]

They took you through Roi Et?

Nothing like having the scenic tour.!

[puukao]

I still have no idea why we went to Roi Et. First to some weird gay spa-type place and I forget where else. They were speaking Thai, and I was trying to be the nice American. It definitely looked sketchy, and more than some weird massage place.

I didn't consider the lady I met on the plane as a stranger, but in hindsight they all were strangers. I was naive to think I could just "go with the flow" during my first experience in Thailand. I was over 30, so I should have known better. The good news? they paid for all the gas, while all i bought was some lottery tickets (which they loved) and some food.

Trust me, I am still confused by the experience. 1. miss-communication, leading to anxiety. 2. I wear red shirt for red shirt movement (I get that now). 3. They over-reacted when I wanted to use the bathroom. ah, ok, we were all tired. 4. Who knows how many foreigners the parents met (maybe not that many), and maybe they watched too many movies and worried I would go crazy. 5. I think the lady liked me a little too much, and glad that never got to a weird place.

Anyhow, not sleeping for a long time, nobody to talk to who would understand what you have to say, and a new country; yea, it wore on me quick......ah, it got me to CM faster than I thought, allowed me to go North instead of South (my original plan, and i have yet to see Phuket), etc.....

Another thing I learned was how crazy they drive. The driver didn't sleep in a day as well, and was hitting all turns blind with horn blaring and high beams blinking.....soo dumb.

Oh, and they did show me a picture of an Anaconda they caught, which was absolutely massive.

A classic story would have been "escaping" at the bathroom, running into the woods at 10 p.m. and then........well, who knows then......

Sounds to me like a Python.

BTW: I had similar experiences during my first Indonesian trip to Aceh in the early 80's.

I am no snake expert; a Burmese Python is definitely a very good possibility.

Let's hear about your trip in Indonesia!!!!

[villagefarang]

I could be mistaken but Indonesia seems a bit of a stretch for a Chiang Rai based forum. We are not so desperate for content that we must pad these pages with stories of far away, long ago places, which have absolutely nothing to do with Chiang Rai.

[sceadugenga]

I had a story set in Lao that I decided not to post for that reason.

[itchybum]

What was that movie called where they found a volunteer, dressed him in camo gear and sent him off into the woods so they could go hunting ??

The red shirt was the give away here, target n all.

[FiftyTwo]

I don't even live in CR but have enjoyed the story so far and would like to read the Indonesia and Lao stories.

However, I did have a memorable adventure starting in the Chicken Bar at CR on one memorable visa run m/c road trip.

[villagefarang]

I had a story set in Lao that I decided not to post for that reason.

Lao is at least closer than Indonesia or the middle east.

[harrry]

I had a story set in Lao that I decided not to post for that reason.

Lao is at least closer than Indonesia or the middle east.

not if you live in the south.

[villagefarang]

I had a story set in Lao that I decided not to post for that reason.

Lao is at least closer than Indonesia or the middle east.

not if you live in the south.

But we don't, do we.

[puukao]

One of the funny parts of the story was, while in chiang rai, i wrote a sentence in English for their mom. The next morning I saw she re-wrote the sentence five times. it made me laugh, good practice.

I think the son was doing some sort of karate moves in his military gear, while drinking....and i still remember thinking, "relax for a few more hours and it will all be over". almost like road rage in a car....if you respond, it will escalate. 90% of the time, taking a deep breath is the best strategy.

same with this post...i won't waste time arguing about who can write what and when.....negative energy. not worth it.

[Commander Tamson]

I had a story set in Lao that I decided not to post for that reason.

Lao is at least closer than Indonesia or the middle east.

not if you live in the south.

or the Middle East. How many bags did you have to sit on on the train back to Bangkok?

[Commander Tamson]

I'm skeptical of strangers. Being by myself works for me

I'm skeptical of strangers, being one here myself

[Big Gary]

What the hell is wrong with a "Chiangrai Resident" telling us a little story about his experiance in Laos,Indonesia or where ever. The world doesnt revolve around Chiangrai Provence. Come on!!!