There's a Thousand Parts to Play

Everyone love street fairs and street markets and street food and anything that sort of sounds like a street festival....folks flock to them.

Such was the case last night. The Saturday Street Walk. Not to be confused with the Sunday Street Walk nor the Night Market. The Saturday Street Walk is only on Saturday on one particular street. Likewise the Sunday Street Walk is only on Sunday. Both are on the street but on different streets. Both are called a "Walk" and judging by the number of people, you are lucky to walk. Crawl is a more accurate term. But that is not to be confused with a Pub Crawl which a Thai Chamber of Commerce would never officially sanction anyway.

So....it is Saturday and we walk the street, which sounds totally inappropriate for a minister and his daughter and son-in-law to admit to. It was an intimate little gathering of every one who had been on the mountain earlier in the day at the Doi Suthep mountain temple and anyone else who had entered the country of Thailand since noon. It was crowded. I have seen OSU/Michigan football traffic that was one tenth of the traffic and the foot traffic was, well, you get the picture.

But it was fun. In the midst of all the traditional handicrafts and street food and impromptu street bands is a slice of Chiang Mai modern day host-the-tourists life. It took about 15 minutes to cross the road and get to the start of the street fair and then cover about a city block. And that was just a small portion of the total experience.

One highlight down at the end of one street was some 5 year old kid who was a drummer. Not a traditional drummer but a rock and roll drummer. His folks had an IPad or two with songs, the kid had headphones, the parents would select the song, the crowd would whip out their cell phone cameras (alas, I did not) and record it all. D-Day had fewer people recording that event. I told Josh that somewhere on the internet this kid is on You Tube. I have not tried it...but Google or You Tube, Chiang Mai Street Walk Drummer Boy....and see if something pops up.

It's a new world out there.

By the way: I have been referred to, affectionately, I suppose by cab drivers and hotel bell hops and street market sellers as....the Papa. Apparently with this white hair, my wise and dignified countenance and the presence of my daughter and son-in-law....any pretense that I might be just a cool middle-aged guy traveling has been put to rest.

The other day I was in a cab and the driver said to me:
"How old are you?"
I said, "I am 62!.
He said, "I am 67!"
"But, I have all this silver hair and you don't have ANY!" I shot back at him.
"Ha!" He retorted. "I dye my hair!"

When the cab drivers of Bangkok are bragging about routinely dying their hair. You really know it's a new world out there!

Peace, Bob