ode to mae salong
and now we unfurl like two buds of fresh oolong awakened by a bath of steaming water.
aaaaaaah.
from the dusts of chiang rai we climb a windy mountain road in the early morning. a patchwork of tea plantations and rugged terrain zoom past our struggling songtheow filled with 11 people and enough supplies for the coming apocalypse. sometimes it seems we are about to roll back down the slope or perhaps go cartwhelling end over end. after and hour we arrive in mae salong, beautiful mae salong, and are at the doorstep of a friendly guesthouse owner named mr ho. we explore the market, finding huge peapods, oddly shaped gourds, orchids and plants of no recognisable nature being sold by hilltribe women in traditional dress. i had to wonder if you would see some of these things anywhere else in the world. we walk around in the quiet village, startled by occaisional explosions of firecrackers. our arrival in the largely chinese city falls on the eve of the new year. after much searching we are given delicious cups of the famous mae salong tea. the leaves float like green pearls, slowly unfolding and dancing their way to the bottom of the cup. the tongue is given a taste of unequaled freshness- this is certainly no lipton yellow label (the usual fare in thailand)!
that night i try to nap a bit but can't. i find eben drinking whisky with mr ho and the other, slightly scared, guesthouse residents. somehow mr ho persuades us all to go to the karaoke bar to celebrate his new year with him. a swirl of free beer, many glass clinks and interesting conversations with people from all over the world ensues, spiked by asian pop music. mr ho sways slightly away from the vertical. he still manages a few songs for us.
at 1130 eben and i climb 700 steps to the mountaintop chedi in hopes of fireworks for the new year. there aren't any but one is almost glad for they would only distract from the night sky draped in diamond stars. there is a clarity only rivalled by those of dark california highways in the middle of the night. glorious.
excuse my pseudo-poetic babbling for i am full of tea!
aaaaaaah.
from the dusts of chiang rai we climb a windy mountain road in the early morning. a patchwork of tea plantations and rugged terrain zoom past our struggling songtheow filled with 11 people and enough supplies for the coming apocalypse. sometimes it seems we are about to roll back down the slope or perhaps go cartwhelling end over end. after and hour we arrive in mae salong, beautiful mae salong, and are at the doorstep of a friendly guesthouse owner named mr ho. we explore the market, finding huge peapods, oddly shaped gourds, orchids and plants of no recognisable nature being sold by hilltribe women in traditional dress. i had to wonder if you would see some of these things anywhere else in the world. we walk around in the quiet village, startled by occaisional explosions of firecrackers. our arrival in the largely chinese city falls on the eve of the new year. after much searching we are given delicious cups of the famous mae salong tea. the leaves float like green pearls, slowly unfolding and dancing their way to the bottom of the cup. the tongue is given a taste of unequaled freshness- this is certainly no lipton yellow label (the usual fare in thailand)!
that night i try to nap a bit but can't. i find eben drinking whisky with mr ho and the other, slightly scared, guesthouse residents. somehow mr ho persuades us all to go to the karaoke bar to celebrate his new year with him. a swirl of free beer, many glass clinks and interesting conversations with people from all over the world ensues, spiked by asian pop music. mr ho sways slightly away from the vertical. he still manages a few songs for us.
at 1130 eben and i climb 700 steps to the mountaintop chedi in hopes of fireworks for the new year. there aren't any but one is almost glad for they would only distract from the night sky draped in diamond stars. there is a clarity only rivalled by those of dark california highways in the middle of the night. glorious.
excuse my pseudo-poetic babbling for i am full of tea!
posted by natalie at 3:01 AM
1 Comments:
natalie.
you will be glad to know that after all my boasting i too got to experience the excitement that is vomiting in a foreign land.
also, matt will be happy to hear that my bug is happily married, and will soon have indian citizenship. perhaps even a tiny bug-bun in the oven.
oy
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