I could write a long account of the eight hour trip from Luang Nam Tha in the back of a pick up truck getting coated in dust the whole way so that when it was over, I was a new color of brown as if I had been soaked and breaded in it.
I could write another long account of how the next day, I took another eight hour bus ride through Thailand and opted for the non-air-conditioned bus, fancying myself a hearty traveler and looking to leave 15 minutes sooner and save a dollar. This was under the influence of other budget travelers, which is something like the peer pressure of fraternity brothers except focused on suffering to save money and brag about it rather than puke stories or funneling beer.
I could describe how my wet jeans felt against the vinyl seat cover for eight hours and how it seemed to get hotter as it got later and the sun was going down, as if the heat had been stored up in the pavement and was ready to come out now that the sun had done its job for the day. And how I lugged my bag around town in search of a hotel room without a map and had to suddenly give up the search when I became in urgent need of a bathroom, and not in the good way.
But I've written too much and been sitting here too long. But I'm back in civilization, am reachable by phone, am staying in a nice hotel with a pool for $7.50/night and will write more about how that's going tomorrow.
